Double Review: The Thing

So I'm actually sitting here right now, watching the 2011 version of The Thing. As I'm watching it, all I can think is that I NEED to write a review for this movie. Except, I think to really understand my review for the newest movie, I should give a glimpse into the mind and thoughts of the previous one. As such, for the first time ever, I'm going to do a double review.

The Thing [1982]

So it turns out that order of operations in important and I NEED to do a review of the first Thing [1982] before I even consider a review of the newer one. So below is my review of a movie I haven't seen in a while, but in all honesty I remember extremely well.

Synopsis:

So the movie actually starts very weird, where a helicopter is seen chasing down a dog, trying to kill it for whatever reason when they run into another camp in the middle of the arctic. The camp sees this action and tells the helicopter to not come any closer, but of course the helicopter does and so, thinking that he has gone mad since he's chasing a dog, they kill them.

Well, turns out the dog is actually an evil monster (that's not the surprise, you know it by the way that they are doing everything in the movie) and the other camp had discovered the monster buried in the ice. The rest of the movie plays out trying to solve how the monster works and, using the best graphics and special effects available for 1982, a horrific show is created where the true terror is in the story, the idea, and overall just the brilliant concept.

Verdict: 4.5 / 5 Stars

This movie is a horror CLASSIC! If you are big into horror movies or big into cult films, then please give this movie your support by going and watching it. And although the movie is considered old now (30 years and counting), the concept for the time was brilliant, the special effects were well done, and the way they use the camera to really bring out the horror is what makes this movie. So if you have some free time and don't mind things that goes on the slightly gross side, then please check this out.

But just to be frank, the best part of the movie was actually when they develop a way to solve who the thing is. Seriously, it's the most memorable scene in the movie and it has probably the biggest impact. Especially since the way they solved it was so primitive and yet so brilliant. Add in the natural terror that it could be anyone, and it's a brilliant effect.

Seriously, I can't tell how many bad horror movies I've seen, but this one has a great concept and is done very well. So my personal verdict is 4.5/5 stars!

The Thing [2011]

And so now we move onto the more recent film. Now I know I didn't give that last film a very big introduction or really any synopsis at all, but that's because the real intent of this review is to describe the newer movie of the two. I mean, surely with new special effects and a classic horror idea they couldn't go wrong, or so I thought...

Synopsis:

First of all, it is extremely important for me to point out that this movie is not the sequel to the 1982 horror, but actually the prequel. That's right, the end of this movie is obviously the beginning of the next movie. So what we know right away is that only two people should live, the thing should become the dog, and in the end we should see him chasing the pooch away. At least, in theory that's what we should see.

Well this movie starts out with some Norwegians on a big truck running all over the place and they're talking about something stupid. To be fair and honest, I was reading the text at the bottom for a minute, but it really didn't matter at this point since he's telling some sick story about a boy and his grandmother (you can imagine). Then their big truck or whatever crashes through the ice where they make a major discovery, there's an alien ship. So far so good. Well, really that's the last of the staying-on-track parts of this movie. And it should be very simple to get form point one, discovering the alien, to point two, where the whole base is dead...

Verdict: 1.75 / 5 Stars

See the cast and crew was perfectly fine, the set-up was exactly what was expected since it was the prequel to the original thing, but the problem with this movie is clearly that they would rather invest more money in special effect than work with a large group of writers that want the movie to follow the best story possible. From start to finish, you'll see where they spent countless hours trying to flash gory scenes and really bring to life the Thing, but they never quite get it looking right either. And so instead of doing what made the first film great, which is sort of hiding the creature for most of the film and making it into more a mystery of who is the thing, they go about trying to turn this movie into an action thriller.

But not just that ruins this movie. No, the creators also went into depth to really try and make something new for us to watch be hunted. But in the end, they actually end up ruining the original movie because in this movie the Thing was able to do SO many more things that it makes the Think from the original look pathetic. That's right, special effects are truly the deviant in this film series and what brought about the end to what was probably the greatest idea ever.

I think what really made me want to subtract points was that the original movie had such a clever way of solving who the Thing was that when the scientists came up with a way in this movie, it seemed like the creators of this prequel didn't understand what made the original so damn classical. And that frustrates me as a movie goer, because I WANTED this movie to be good.

However, with all that said and done, the new movie does a decent (though it could have been better) job of getting from the two points. That's why I gave it a star. And they did put some effort into the movie, it just didn't have the flavor that the original cult classic had and it really showed why modern horror is going in the drain. To the producers, I would like you to cast a view towards this movie as why special effects, which cast MILLIONS to make, will never substitute for a well written and re-written story, which costs much less.

Overall I give it a 1.75/5 stars.

House of 9: The Review

House of 9  [2005]

The movie I'm watching tonight is called House of 9. The title was what hooked me into wanting to see this, I mean I personally think it sounds like a very interesting title. And from the small bits of information I gathered from online, it is supposed to be a horror movie. Now, I'm actually a huge fan of horror films, I love them intact, and so I decided to watch it. And if that did not have me interested, it is a British film and I love watching things that are international. Here's my review of a movie most people probably have never heard of, House of 9.

Synopsis:

The beginning of the movie starts out with all the different people who will make up the 9 in the title and what they are currently doing in their lives. Some are out partying, others are just walking along, but all of them in the end are abducted and taken to the house. There are also some shots interlacing the scenes of how they are abducted of the house that they will be in. Right from the start, you can see where this is going.

The nine different people then wake up in this house, the windows have all been bricked-in and the front door is made of steel, reinforced and not moving. There are eerie glowing lights all around them and except for some beds, bathrooms, a very small kitchen, and a table, the house is empty. Then a man comes on the speaker and tells them that they have been chosen randomly and only one will be getting out of the house alive and with a lot of money too. From there, the movie turns into a dramatic thriller as the nine contestants are suddenly tested between being a society and survival of the fittest.

Verdict: 1.75 / 5 stars

I'm just going to be straight out when I say this is a really cool, really terrifying concept that sort of takes the idea of Lord of the Flies and applies it to a basic concept of being locked away in a house. Or at least, I wish that was the concept that went in behind this movie. It's not. Instead, the creators break this movie up and make something that is supposed to be a bit more catching and a little bit closer to the edge of your seat. They fail and it goes down horrible.

The first half of the movie should be called something along the lines of "Democracy: Sit On Your Arse" because literally it becomes this democratically struggle of who is in charge and what should they do. One guy is a cop with a  gun, the rest are all civilians with really boring back stories of the most part. They eat, they sit, they drink, they sit, they explore, they sit, they dance, they sit, and all around nothing happens. Literally this is a HUGE loss of stars for this film, because when I watch a movie the only person who should be sitting and doing nothing for more than five minutes should be me. So I'm going to take off huge. Instead, I would have liked to have seen the creators of this movie have made them first want to escape, then each of the characters find something that's different, interesting, a clue maybe as to what is going on. Maybe it is something that helps them in their final task, maybe it's something that they think will help but turns into someone else's prize. That would have been interesting and added some flavor to this. But like I said, all they do is sit and eat and dance and sit some more. What a waste of a beautifully undefined mansion.

The second half of the movie is where the action starts. Something goes wrong, society fails, and all hell breaks lose for our heroes. Except at this point you've either come to love or come to hate certain characters and in a way you've already selected who you want to live and who you want to die. Why? Because the first half of the movie was sitting and eating and you learned how annoying some of the characters are. So anyway, all hell breaks loose, people start dying, and a winner wins. The end. Oh, there's a twist in there but it's really not that important, big, or unguessable (I actually knew the twist right when it happened because it seemed fishy).

But the most disappointing part was that they left the Priest alive for so damn long. Now I know the reason they did it was to play with this notion of is God really watching, but let's be honest. No, no he is not and it wasn't fun to watch them figure that out. I mean, this priest so so annoying that from the minute he started talking I just kept thinking, 'please die, I don't need this much of him in the movie'. But he keeps living, and he lives for what seems like forever. I'm being honest when I say he ruins part of the movie, and that's why I'm making a big note out of it.

Last, this movie loses points because of the ending. I like vague endings, but this one wasn't even that. It was a continuation ending, one that tells you there's basically a part two to the whole tale. I hate those in movies where they did not even answer a question the first time around. So why the hell would I want to see a sequel if nothing gets answered the first time? I don't. Minus points.

So where did this movie get points, because I'll admit I'm really smacking it down. Well the original concept is a brilliant and very interesting one, so I gave it some awesome points for that. And the art direction in the film is chilling, very well done for defining the house and the characters. I think it could had been better on the house, but I can see the effects that the director was heading for and I'll give him that. And finally, although I hated the ending for the vague, very mentally distilled, and overall annoying, it did have something to it that made me think back a bit. So I gave it that. But most importantly, I really did want to see something happen and have a mystery. Now, it's too bad the mystery in this film is a no brainer, but I appreciate the poor attempt. 1.75/5 stars.

Mr Hollands Opus: The Review

Mr. Holland's Opus [1995]

The Movie Poster

I told myself that I was not going to do a review for this movie, I was trying to get off of doing reviews. I'm not exactly sure why I don't want to do reviews anymore, I actually love talking about the things I see and if I liked them or not. Still, this movie turned out to be hard to not want to make a review for. So I give to you my review of Mr. Holland's Opus.

Synopsis:

The movie starts out with Mr. Holland as a young man. He's got a wife, they're settling down, and he's got this new gig at the band teacher at John F. Kennedy High School. And I use the term gig on purpose, because previously he was in a band. He loved his life in the band and he wishes he could have stayed in it, but when everything happened he needed money and settling more than he needed the band. So he's taking a bit of a different roll on now.

At the beginning of the movie you learn that he hates teaching. Every day he goes to the school and every day he's rushing out. Turns out he's not really into teaching that much, or so he thinks. Well, the principal of the school cracks down on him and tells him he needs to get into gear and start making the students learn and want to use that knowledge. So then he starts helping the students learn on a different level, one they can appreciate and one they can enjoy.

The rest of the movie is watching his life through the generations. Literally it goes from the start of his career to the end of his career and the viewer really gets to see what happens with him and with what he does. By the end of the movie, you'll feel that you really know him.

Verdict: 4.75 / 5 Stars

I love this movie and I don't think there is any better way to start this review. From start to finish you learn to love Mr. Holland and what he does, you like his reactions and you like how he teaches. So from beginning to end of the movie, it was just interesting and fun to watch. And on an emotional level I felt attached to the characters as well. That's something that is rare.

Now, maybe I'm a sucker for movies with teachers who prove to be real teachers, the ones that get the point across and make you love them because they bring you to the next level. That might be because in my own life I've felt this same sort of thing happen, but it is what a good teacher does. So to capture that essence as beautifully as it is done in this movie, with the drama and the back-story that is expected, is what sends it over the top for me.

And I bet now, after raving on how much I've liked it, you are wondering why I gave it less than a perfect score. Well, although I love everything and the emotions are there (which is usually that last missing point in a lot of movies), I felt that some scenes went on a bit too long or were a bit too slow. It's definitely worthy of the score, and most certainly worthy of a watch, but the director should have learned to cut certain things and make it speed through the scenes that were less interesting. And I know it maybe would have taken only ten minutes or so out of the entire almost two and a half hour long movie, but that does make a huge difference when coming to the final vote.

Still, this is an excellent film packed with emotion, drama, timeless values, a look into the past, and a great teacher. If you have not seen then, go get a copy and watch it. It is a great movie. 4.75/5 stars!

The Adjustment Bureau: The Review

The Adjustment Bureau [2011]

The Adjustment Bureau Movie Poster

Okay, so I know that in reality I talk a lot about how I hate Matt Damon, but at the same time I also feel that all movies should be given the same chance to impress me. Why? Because there were other people who worked on this movie and they deserve a chance to prove themselves to. So as it stands, I'm going to do my review on the Adjustment Bureau.

Synopsis:

So the movie starts out with a very good, progressive, and young politician who is not only the front-runner for everything, but ahead of everyone in the field. Well, all that changes when he makes a mistake with his life and is suddenly thrusted off-track from his political dreams. So on the night that he loses his big election, he also meets the girl that is of his dreams. 

And that's when the adjustment bureau steps in, which is a set of persons that go around fixing the world to make sure that the best possible future outcome will occur. Except they mess up, and the rest of the movie is how they have to then fix it.

Verdict: 4.25 / 5 Stars

So even though I still hold a grudge against Matt Damon, this was actually a really good and really interesting movie. I like the play on love that runs through the whole thing and I really like that while you know where it's sort of going, there's this mystery of what will happen next since you don't exactly know what the Adjustment Bureau is. And they spend some time trying to explain it, but they do it very ghostly, for lack of a better word, by which I mean you get this feeling of what the adjustment bureau is and what the adjustment bureau does and who is the adjustment bureau but without actually telling you the full story every time. And be a person that really appreciates when movies leave mystery, it was like a hook to keep me watching.

Now, from start to finish the characters are this story of lovable, elastic bunch that you just want to watch and see more of. There are no real bad guys in this film either, which is something that rarely happens in the film like this, and so even the worst of characters you are interested in. And it worked, I actually wanted to hear more from all the characters, to learn more about everyone and really get to understand the things they do and why. So from that perspective I really was pleased with this movie. And the cinematography was really beautiful too. There are these scenes were you get the sunset or the the rain coming down just beautifully in the background. Now a lot of people don't take the time to really appreciate that, but I did and I thought it was done marvelously in this film, really making the whole thing look impressive and interesting. So I felt I had to make a point about that and just let everyone know that while watching this film, just realize that everything is picked out perfectly. All of that gets a paragraph, because it all deals with the behind hands on the film.

Another thing that bumps this movie up above other's I've been having the pleasure to review is that I know I could rematch this one easily. There's this sort of flavor to the way it plays out that I really like, the whole is it fate or is it destiny really coming into mix here in a way that hasn't been done before. For instance, on the one hand you learn the Adjustment Bureau works to make a better world by slightly adjusting it, but they also admit there is a certain unknown prominence to the future. I really like that and that's what makes this a fun watch. And the spontaneous feelings that you get from the movie, although rather random at the time, are also really planned out. So although you are kind of being led along, it does have a very direct path that you could see coming.

Now on the downside, there's nothing in this movie that really provides more to humanity except the basic ideas that Freedom is not Free and Love Triumphs, which are wonderful ideas but they get played a lot. The movies I tend to give higher ratings to have a beat all to their own, sending a message that maybe you can't say in 5 words or less and this movie just does not have that. So while its fun, I can't give it a perfect score because I don't feel like I've become a better person, a more educated person, from watching this. my final verdict is 4.25/5 stars.

Horrible Bosses: The Review

Horrible Bosses [2011]

Horrible Bosses Movie Poster

So I have pretty much nothing to do today and I think someone in my family told me that I should watch the movie Horrible Bosses. I thought why not, I like Jason Bateman as an actor ever since I watched the entire Arrested Development series (and multiple times), so I turned it on and just let it run. My mistake. Here's the review.

Synopsis:

So these three men have three bosses that they totally hate, one of which is a psycho, one that's a whore, and one that's a spoiled brat. And the whole movie starts out showing you each person's relationship with their boss and how it just is not working out. Then everything starts spiraling out of control as their bosses get worse which, of course, leads to the great idea that they should just kill their bosses. From there, this is supposed to be a comedy about the three of them and their long journey to kill each others bosses to make life easier for the other ones.

Verdict: 2.5 / 5 Stars

Now like I said, I really like Jason Bateman. And the idea behind this movie is not a terrible one, I mean it's a little bit cliche now that we've had a bunch of movies that try and to mimic the classic Office Space [1999]. But unfortunately the cast and characters left me feeling like this movie needed something. Like the villains are perfect, but the three main characters you just slowly lose care for over time. For instance, Jason Bateman plays Nick Hendricks who is a well-to-do guy that thinks the only way to get promoted is to suck-up to his boss, but it makes him seem rather spineless in the long run. Charlie Day plays Dale Arbus who's an all-around annoying guy (I actually was really getting annoyed with him the more the movie went on). And last, Jason Sudeikis plays the sex addict. So really, because these guys have these abnormal qualities, you just over time lose care for them and honestly start believing that maybe they got what they deserved.

But with that out of mind while I watched this, because I didn't think that until just over half-way through the movie, I still found the plot to be rather not-thoughtout. Like they'd give these three guys a situation, something would happen, they'd give them another situation, something new would happen. That's just not how I like my movies. I like it when you can see there was a lot of thought behind every scene and why things happen, when mysteries go from start to finish and things you didn't think were important become important. This one was more like here's some random stuff, lets let the characters roll off of it and make a movie. That's what killed it for me and led me to boredom halfway through.

And on top of that, I sort of wonder if the writers were looking for spots to even make jokes, because I honestly don't get the comedy in this movie all too well. It's kind of like here's a random thought, then move on. But because the context is so drowned out by screaming and annoyance, I just didn't think it was funny. Its like going to a restaurant, you don't want to have an entire meal that tastes bland but more of a sporadic assortment of complimenting flavors. This was a bland meal.

My personal feelings? 3/5 stars at first until I realized I'd never come back for this dish. I downed it to 2.5/5 stars for that reason.

Bad Teacher: The Review

Bad Teacher [2011]

Bad Teacher Movie Poster

So this may come as a shock, but this is actually my second or third time watching this movie all the way through. I know I should stick with movies I've never seen before, but for all the reviews in the world that I can write this one won't matter. So I've rewatched the movie and here's my personal opinion.

Synopsis:

A really bad middle school teacher, Elizabeth Halsey, thinks she's going to retire from teaching after being in the service for a whole year. She has a rich boyfriend she's about to marry, a luxurious life set ahead of her, and no troubles what-so-ever. Except her rich boyfriend figures out that she's really only in it for the money before they can get married and so it's back for another year of teaching at John Adams Middle School (JAMS for short).  From there, its her strangely abusive, not very clean story of trying to go from rags to riches, or in her case get a new set of breasts to make herself more appealing to rich men.

Verdict: 3.75 / 5 Stars

If you'll believe it, I actually really enjoyed this movie! I mean, with all the vulgarity and what not I actually enjoy everything that happens. And I just want to state now that I was on the line between giving this movie a whole four stars or three and a half. Why? Because I know this movie is not right for everyone, but that's not to say it is just a terrible movie.

I guess what I liked about this movie is that there is this nostalgia while watching it of that's how my school went. I had the peppy teachers and the classes where there was the popular girls and popular guys who would not take a second of their life to look past the superficial appearances. And I liked that it was set in middle school, which is when hormones are a blaze in the students, and yet here we have this raunchy teacher who's drugged up and doped out in between her attempts at get-quick rich schemes. So in this essence, it kind of makes it more interesting for me.

And the plot seemed well thought-out. Like you can tell that whomever wrote the script really worked hard to make her seem like a witty teacher that could have tricked a rich guy into letting her have half his money and not the other way around. Combined with an arch nemesis, which I personally loved the corkiness of Amy Squirrel, and you get this sort of sickly sweet twist to a very different sort of comedy.  Top it off, I'm sort of a sucker for love stories that revolve around central characters and I love Justin Timberlake in this movie as the roll of the weird hot guy. So for me, it wasn't exactly something I would call painful to re-watch and I actually would recommend it to a friend.

The only problem I do have with this film is that its almost like they worked a little too hard to make it about the adults in the movie and less about the kids. I would have liked to see more interaction with the children and how she reacts, maybe even with some scenes extended. Instead, we get this sort-of pulled back view on the year that focuses around the principle and the adults. I also would have loved to have seen more teachers in this movie. Like we start to see them, but they too are just kind of there and not really given much more light than a quick appearance. And of course, I can't give it a perfect rating because this movie is NOT for everyone (and I know that).

So I feel this movie is a 3.75/5 stars type.

Rest Stop (Movie): The Review

Rest Stop (Movie) [2006]

Rest Stop Movie Poster

And so tonights movie is a horror film called Rest Stop. Now, just from the title you should be able to tell that this is going to be a long, bad movie night. It's a B horror film (at best). So here we go.

Synopsis:

So this girl (Nichole) and her boyfriend (Jess) decide to run away from home to become movie stars or something. As they drive away, Nichole has trouble with the idea of running away and wants to call her parents. She doesn't because her boyfriend says not to. So then they're off on the road. A random sex scene, and a random cut to them talking about being on some back highway for some reason, and then wouldn't you know it but Nichole needs a bathroom... also know as a rest stop. So begins the horror fun.

Verdict: 1 / 5 Stars

I'm really torn while writing this review because its a really bad movie, and I mean that, but at the same time it is entertaining. Now, let me get down to why this movie is so bad. First of all, the whole premise is just stupid. A rest stop that a guy haunts and attacks people to kill them? That's just sad how low the film makers have stooped to make a horror movie (and a bad one). Now, I'm not taking off stars for this point though, because most horror films are based around some sort of bad idea.

No, what I'd like to take points off for is the just terrible scripting. First of all, there's no character interaction in this film at all. Why? Because the only character in the film that lives through every stupid thing that happens in Nichole. So she goes here, she goes there, she goes here, and so on and so forth. And I don't mind that, but it would be nice if they would at least have given her a friend to talk to and to figure this out. And I mean someone long term, not a short term friend.  So a lot of the stuff she has to figure out on her own, which is slow and annoying. And when they do give her a friend, it lasts maybe 20 minutes at most. It drives me nuts.

But I also hated the lack of a set-up. A good horror movie knows that they'll set everything up close to the beginning so that later you get to see how things unravel. This one didn't have any of that. It was just random scene after random scene with nothing too well thought out. So after about the third time I'm just so annoyed that it won't end that it pisses me off.  Seriously, every big mystery in the movie is about 10 seconds from being unraveled instead of being planned out from the beginning. It was frustrating. I'm really taking out points for the lack of a set-up and burst-topic thought that went into this.

Yet, on top of that there is a HUGE layer of characters who have interesting pasts and are interesting and I'd love to see more of them. So why the hell they didn't try and play all the characters up I'll never know. And I don't want to ruin it, but there was a really good moment in there where I wanted something more to happen with some of the most psychotic characters that didn't.

To end my review, I'd like to say that it also lost points from just the rugged lack of intelligence with EVERY character. Like, the amount of stupidity that EVERY character had was unbelievable. I think anyone with about half the brains could have done better than this girl. 

~~~~~Warning: Spoiler Alert~~~~~

1. Take for instance the scene where she's in the station talking on the old CB Radio and gets the "trucker" on the other end. Now, it already isn't weird to her that on the television is the porno they made earlier that day (and she identifies it, based on the look on her face). So she starts talking to this guy, he talks back, and he says he's going to call the cops. She asks what his name is and he says, gasp, 'Jessy.' RIGHT THERE that should be a hint that this is NOT a trucker an should NOT be trusted. But instead she gets drunk and forgets all about it. 
2. Here's another example. The car suddenly magically reappears in front of the little station for the rest stop. Now, normal people would find that weird and not want to get in. But oh, our so smart heroin is going to jump right into the drivers seat and start driving away. Except everyone knows that if the car was put there magically, it means something is up. So don't get in the car you dumb girl. Ugh...
3. Third example, the police officer talks to the guy in the truck and he says he's been lost for hours, driving by the rest stop every now and then without doing anything. The police officer accepts his answer, to which point the truck turns around. Now, while he's standing there explaining this to the girl, who clearly said IT WAS HIM, he suddenly gets caught in the headlights of the truck. Let's not move out of the way, lets just let the "lost" truck driver blind you even though he should have turned around and left. Sad to say, it doesn't end well for him.

~~~~~End of Spoils~~~~~

Seriously, the day that the masterminds behind these movies create smarter characters, I'll by happy. All I want is a hero who is smart enough to do normal reactions, but the bad guy is one step ahead. My verdict is 1/5 stars.

Shrek 4: The Review

Shrek Forever After [2010]

Shrek Forever After Movie Poster

So, I don't just like to watch action films or adult-rated films. In fact, every now and then I like to branch out and see a kid's movie. And I rate kid's movies differently than I do movies for teens or movies made for adults. Why? Because not all children films are really made for adults. This is definitely not one of them.

Synopsis:

This is a movie about the character's you've come to know and love from the first three Shrek films. It starts out with a birthday party for the three ogre children Shrek and Fiona had and slowly Shrek becomes more and more angry at the life he's living. Finally, he just wants to break away and is granted the opportunity when handed a magical contract by Rumpelstiltskin. Well, as anyone could have guessed, the contract has two sides to the deal and so the rest of the movie is about getting the contract null and void (to put it in the simplest of terms).

The Verdict: 3 / 5 Stars

Unlike the first film which had a really nice, new flavor to it (something different that was about the same old, so it goes), this movie didn't have that sort of charm. And since the second movie (Shrek 2) is in my opinion the best one yet, there was a lot on the table. Unfortunately, the plot line was so predictably the same and the fantasy land that it's based in just wasn't played up the way it should have been. So I felt like there was a lot left to be desired. For instance, in Shrek 2 they really play up the fact that Far Far Away is a hip, cool town. They play up the characters, they really work on the theme of the fairy tale, and because of that it has the same charm the first one had but with just more of it. This one did not exactly have that. In fact, it was like they made up their own charm instead of working with what fairy tales told.

Beyond that, the plot was as basic as it could get. You knew when everything was going to happen, you knew there wasn't going to be any plot twists, and you knew who the bad guy was and what he was going to do. In fact, the plot was so easily laid out for anyone over the age of 6 that it really hurt the story. So I would have loved in they would have reworked it to add in some sort of twist that would leave me thinking about it in the end. Too bad.

And if that's not bad enough, I felt like all the characters weren't played up very much in this one. It was a new movie all about Mike Myers instead of about the entire cast. I think that's what really made the charm of the second one was the large ensemble of people in it that all played an astounding part. But this movie, with the exception of the cook (that I liked) there wasn't much of a cast to be had. Donkey was Donkey, Puss in Boots was fat, and Fiona played up her usual sort of character. So it would have been nice to have seen more of the side characters come in, maybe develop them some more. I think that's what was missing and why I subtracted another star.

My personal feelings? 3/5 stars, as in it's worth it for the kids to see.

Source Code: The Review

Source Code [2011]

Source Code Movie Poster

Alright, so the movie I'm actually currently in the middle of watching is, imagine that, Source Code. I'm writing this review now because above all, I'm sort of board with the plot. But no worries, we'll get to that in a second.

Synopsis:

So the story starts with a man who wakes up on a train, not sure where he is or who the person talking to him is. Immediately things start happening, the situation starts moving onwards and then, bam, the train explodes. The man then wakes up in a dark room with a  glowing screen in front of him. He's strapped into a chair, talking to someone he's never met before. Then they start informing him what's happening, he's in a version of a simulation and he has to go back. So, the story continues where the main character begins going back and replaying the same last eight minutes.

The Verdict: 3 / 5 Stars

The acting is exactly what you would expect from Jake Gyllenhaal, really good and brings you into the whole thing. And the other people around all take up part too, helping with this action flick to make it better. So why not a perfect score for this movie? Well, what great acting and nice action cannot replace is an amazing story, which this movie lacks. From the second time through seeing the train scene I had the whole thing figured out, to which I'm not going to say what, but I knew everything about the main character, I knew who was causing the problem, and I just was bored the rest of the way as I watched him jump through a bunch of loops (some of which were stupid and made no sense) to get to what I had figured out on the second time around. And even now as I keep watching through this, I just know exactly what's going to happen. So it's less interesting.

Don't get me wrong, I have all the love for movies where they play back the same scene again and again and you learn it's got a deeper depth than that. But this one wasn't that thick, in fact it was lacking depth and that's what hurts me. I was really hoping for a project that left more to be wanted. And not just in the repeating scene, but also in the current world where real things are happening. The people just aren't as interesting as I was hoping. So it hindered what would have been a cool idea. Overall, 3/5 stars is what I'd give this for that large story lapse.

Columbiana: The Review

Columbiana [2011]

Columbiana Movie Poster

SO I recently just watched the movie Columbiana and finally finished it. In total, I did the movie in four parts; which is not to say the movie is bad but more to say that people kept distracting me from finishing. Anyway, here's my review.

Synopsis:
So it's a movie about this little Latina girl that watches her parents get murdered as a child (this is all start-of-the-movie information). She runs away and spends the rest of her life plotting revenge, and I mean revenge. This girl has the vendetta of a life and she trains and works her way up to being the smart, sexy assassin that all males who watch this movie will want to see.

Next you see her as an adult, they kind of give you a good de-briefing on the years that passed, and then the action starts. Let's put it this way, the action at the beginning is kind of uninteresting, but the action at the end is really awesome. So if you wanna see a child with a vendetta, then this is your movie. Think Kill Bill but sexy Latina.

The Verdict: 3.5 / 5 Stars
I think there are some very simple ways to sum up the plot of this movie. In fact, to be honest the synopsis I have given is probably the perfect way to say the entire movie without telling exactly what happens. There's sex, there's killings, there's cool action and cool stealth, but all and all there's not much more on the thickening plot. Still, I enjoyed the action and the character actually kept me engaged the whole way through the movie (I actually really liked her and that's going beyond her external beauty). And the ending to the movie left a lot to be desired, which I actually liked too. I liked the loose ending.

My personal opinion about this movie is that it's not going to win any awards, some of the acting was meh, and the camera work could have been better (especially at the beginning). The title could have been worked on a bit more too, since most of the film takes place in America. Still, there's great action, a sexy girl with an awesome personality, and the vendetta angle really played out for me. I give it a 3.5 / 5 stars.

Happy New Years!

It's January 1st an you all know what that means, a brand new year! Hope everyone's been having a good holiday week, I know I've been enjoying the stress free living!

As far as my break has been going, its been really good. I spent most my time away from home, just playing on my Xbox with friends (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 anyone?) and really just kicking back. On the actual holiday days (Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, New Years Day), I've been celebrating the way my family always celebrates. We gathered around the table and had a large meal, which was always good. Outside of that, we went to the zoo and looked at the Denver Zoo Lights which are up this time of year and saw my last living grandparent.

Outside of that, I visited my best friend in Colorado Springs for a while and had a great time! It was good to see them again and I can't wait for March when I fly out to San Fran to go and meet up with them. On a random note, hope they got my letter I mailed just before Christmas. Anyway, saw them and did a lot of great stuff together like watching The Hangover: Part 2 and walking around Garden of the Gods down there. All and all, it was a good time and I'm happy I got down there this holiday for it.

On a story related note, don't expect updates for a while on the current *cough cough* masterpiece. I've got a lot of stuff to finish up before the end of February and so I won't have much free-time to really spend on writing my book. What will take up so much time, you may have asked me if I haven't told you already. Well I have my masters report coming to a close and I still have a lot to write. Personally I blame that on my professor, he's made it very stressful for no reason and now I'm trying to pick up the pieces of my broken paper and figure out what to do with all the stuff I've already done. I'm hoping to get it pretty much done in the next 2 weeks, but that's going to require a lot of work. Currently it's halfway with edits on the written side and all the technical stuff on the other side, in other words a headache and a stomach turner.

Anyway, best of wishes on the New Year to everyone, Happy 2012!

Woops, Lost another Night....

 I was up all night, but I spent it playing video games again. Damn me and my procrastination, that's the real reason that 40,000 words is such a challenge.

To my readers I am happy to say that chapter four is completed. Unfortunately, I also have to inform my readers that I'm not releasing it just yet. Why? Because as I got to the randomly and newly decided ending, I also decided that I needed to go back through the very last few pages and add in about a billion details that change the way the reader interprets everything. Why? Because in the long run I know that this is one of the more important scenes in the book and I don't want it to just be slashed over with words and not with the full RJ effect. Seriously, I may procrastinate a lot of the time, but I don't put things out that I'm afraid will be terrible for the sake of being terrible.

Anyway, if I'm lucky I'll have the chapter re-finished by the beginning of today. That begin said, I think I'm going to go back to writing. I made 2,000 words yesterday (yes, I added almost a thousand already while re-reading that damn ending and discovering that I really REALLY needed to reword certain parts). If all goes to plan, hurray!

Words for the Month: 2,941 / 40,000
Total Words: 42,984

More Problems

So besides having my little brother here to talk to me and annoy me as I try and type stuff, I have had a pretty distracted and problematic day. (Proof - my brother just called me an asshole.) Anyway, went and saw Inception today. I actually recommend the film not because it is too hard to figure out, but rather because I enjoyed thinking about it afterward. I don't want to give it away, but I'd want to see it again.

Anyway, the problematic part came in when I talked to my Dad. He's super pissed off at me for no reason (for once I actually am innocent) and I keep telling him he's going crazy and he keeps getting madder and madder at me. So he yells at me, I get upset, and then I don't feel like writing because I'm not in the mood. I haven't done anything all day now. Gotta love family, right?

Hopefully tomorrow will be better and more writing will prosper. Also, I feel bad because I promised my friend that I would have the second chapter done by now so she would stop annoying me, but that's not happening so fast. Reason why, because I discovered that last night (or would that be two nights ago now?) was the last night for my beta video game. Now I don't have that game to play with my friend for a week (which might actually help with the production of more chapter 2 stuffz). Anyway, gonna get back to work and slap my friend via instant messages.

Words for the Month: 18,863 / 40,000
Total Words: 18,863

Oh, just remembered that I also have more books to read, so that might be my new distraction for the next week. Hurray! More distractions to annoy people wanting to read what I write with!