Woah-M-G
I don't know if you know this but most of my readers probably do. On July 10th I got on a plane at JFK and headed to the magical Land of Oz. No, not the one with the wizard and Glinda and the scarecrow. I mean the real magical Land of Oz, Australia.
You also should know that this strictly was not a vacation, it was an educational experiece. Aw who the hell am I kidding it was pretty much a vacation with some learning involved.
Now you may be wondering "Of all places, why Australia?" Well the thing is, 3 years ago i got an invitation from an organization called People to People Student Ambassador programs to go to England and France. I went to the information meetings and decided that this group was safe and responsible. The program was started by Dwight Eisenhower, yes our president in the 50's, to promote world peace through learning and understanding. Anyways, the point is, I went to England and France and had a ball. In the fall of '09 I got my 4th invitation (I decided not to go on the two after England and France). In a nutshell, I accepted this offer and had been looking foward to visiting this place ever since I started watching "The Crocodile Hunter" on Animal Planet. I know this sounds cheesy, but this truely was a dream come true.
Oh and people always ask me the same two questions so I'm just going to answer them now. Yes, my parents did not go. And no, it certainly is not free (but it's all-inclusive)
Also, I took 976 pictures and the ametuer photographer in me really wants to get on with deleting, sorting, and editing but the true procrastinator that I am is telling me to put it off and do things like write this blog entry.
Anyways, if you're still reading this, I saw Dispicable Me yesterday. It was amazingly hilarious. Go see it. Grade A entertainment.
Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie. Show all posts
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Alice in Wonderland
Hello! Welcome!
Before we begin, I would like to tell any parents reading this, not to take your sick kids to the movies. There was a little boy sitting behind me coughing the entire time. Also, please do not have a 5-minute phone conversation during and movie. Please, be considerate of other people. Thank you.
Today is the opening day of a film that I highly anticipated. The name of the movie is Alice in Wonderland. I was so excited to see it! I love the work of Tim Burton and there were some very well known actors in it too. Johnny Depp, Helena Bohnam Carter, and Anne Hathaway, to name a few. I was also very excited to see how the new Alice (Mia Wasikowska) would turn out. Anyways, time to review.
Title: Alice in Wonderland
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: Alice Kingsley, now 19, attends a party at a Victorian estate shortly after the death of her beloved father. Alice spots a white rabbit wearing a waistcoat and pocket watch. In shock and confusion, she runs off into a maze and follows the White Rabbit through it. She eventually tumbles down a rabbit hole into Underland, more commonly referred to as "Wonderland" by its inhabitants. She had visited this place 10 years earlier, but had entirely forgotten about it. She is also told that she is the only one who can slay the Jabberwocky, the dragon who terrorizes the inhabitants of Wonderland under the rule of the Red Queen.
Review: -sigh- Where do I begin? I was pretty disappointed with the marvelous Tim Burton's rendition of Alice in Wonderland, a story that truly do enjoy. I think the main reason I wasn't too happy with it is that it didn't have a very genuine Tim Burton feel. Sure it had kooky characters and dark elements. but it just wasn't the same. I think the reason being is that Burton nearly ALWAYS uses physical set and very few CGI effects. "Alice" did not have that. The backgrounds and such were most definitly green or blue screen and almost all the characters had to have a touch of CGI to them. Example, Johnny Depp's eyes were increased in size 15% and Helena Bohnam Carters head was increased neary double its size! Also, alot of the animal-like creatures (Cheshire Cat, White Rabbit, Jabberwocky, etc.) had to be done using CGI. Also, you kind of forget you're watching it in 3-D, which was not worth the $16 admission at my local theatre.
One of the elements I did enjoy was the costume design. Mostly, the changing of Alice's dresses due to her changes in size. I also liked the set of the White Queen's palace which was one set that did have a genuine feel to it. Everything on the Red Queen's side of Underland seemed like nuclear wasteland. I also liked most of the bits of humor throughout mostly coming from the Red Queen. The Mad Hatter's humour was more intended for little kids.
Overall, I feel like this was not Tim Burton's best piece of work. I missed the genuine sets and disliked the usage of CGI which is fairly new to Buton's films. Had the film been PG-13 he could've gotten away with something darker and wierder (which is what I was expecting). Also, this movie is better for kids and tweens. Don't really take it too seriously. And any die-hard "Alice" fans out there, do not get your hopes up.
Grade: C (unfortunatly)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
QUINTUPLE REVIEW! FEATURING: Avatar, The Secret to Teen Power, Inglourious Basterds, Shutter Island, and The Hurt Locker.
Come one, come all to the Rob's Review Blog QUINTUPLE REVIEW!!! A month or two back I saw Avatar and read The Secret to Teen Power. On the very rare NYC snow day, I decided to cure my cabin fever and watch Inglourious Basterds. This week I saw Shutter Island and The Hurt Locker. And don't worry, I'll try to keep each review to a short paragraph. Also, ITS OSCAR SEASON so comment on what movies you've seen and think will win a few.
FIRST REVIEW:Title: Avatar
Genre: Epic
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: A crippled military man travels to a lush, tropical, moon, Pandora, on a mission to learn the native's way of life but shortly realizes how precious everything really is.
Review: This epic directed by James Cameron is his latest box office record breaker since Titanic. There are so many wonderful things to say about this movie but I gotta keep it short. I went in thinking "Yeah right, this movie is gonna be all hype." Well guess what. BELIEVE THE HYPE! This movie was phenominal and had a great story, message, visuals, and themes. Go out and enjoy it in theaters. The 3-D was pretty good. The Oscars are coming and I predict it WILL win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Film Editing, Best Visual Effects, Best Art Direction, and Best Sound Editing
Grade: A
SECOND REVIEW:
Title: The Secret to Teen Power
Author: Paul Harrington
Genre: Self-help
Summary: The Oprah-fueld self-help book for adults gets translated to a teen audience and teaches them the law of attraction.
Review: I was expecting The Secret to Teen Power to be as life-changing as everybody says it was. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The book gave me some good life lessons but didn't really change my whole perspective on the world. Also, don't read the whole book cover-to-cover, just read the parts you think will come in handy for YOU.
Grade: C+
THIRD REVIEW:
Title: Inglourious Basterds
Genre: War
MPAA Rating: R
Summary: Set in Nazi-Occupied France, the story is about a girl named Shoshanna. her family was killed when a German officer found them hiding in a Frenchman's basement. She, luckily, escaped and is now hiding in a city in France. Inglourious Basterds also follows the story of a group of Nazi-Scalpin' Jews in the U.S. Army known as the Basterds. Their plans intertwine with Shoshanna's at the climax of the film that will leave you at the edge of your seat.
Review: If you are familiar with Quentin Tarantino's previous works, you know that there is alot of blood. This movie used a ton of it! It was super violent and may be disturbing to some. However, the violence doesn't take away from the movie's authentic feel and marvelous story-line. I liked this movie ALOT.
Grade: B+
FOURTH REVIEW:
Title: Shutter Island
Genre: Mystery
MPAA Rating: R
Summary: In 1954, two U.S. marshals (Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) investigate the disappearance of a patient from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island in Massachusetts. They run into trouble when they are deceived by the hospital's chief administrator (Ben Kingsley), a hurricane hits, and they uncover a series of sinister human experiments, reminiscent of Nazi human experimentation.
Review: Now, I know the summary seems to give away alot of the plot but believe me, it doesn't. There are numerous twists in turns in this suspense-filled Scorsese-directed movie. The movie isn't considered "horror" or "scary" but there are a few scenes of intense violence and disturbing images of the dead. Aside from that, the mysterious past surrounding DiCaprio's character, Teddy, unfolds and wil leave you schocked. Does this movie scream Oscar? No. But if you're looking for a good, erie movie to watch go see Shutter Island.
Grade: B
Fifth Review:
Title: The Hurt Locker
Genre: War
MPAA Rating: R
Summary: The Hurt Locker follows one of the United States Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal teams during the war in Iraq. That's all.
Review: 9 Oscar nominations. NINE! Nine, neuf, neun, nove, nueve! IT'S BLASHPEMY! This movie was not deserving of about 7 of these nominations. The two I agree with are Best Film Editing, and Best Cinimatography. The cinematography did happen to blow me away with all of the different angles and shots and perspectives etc. What I didn't like was that it seemed like a boring "A day in the life of..." specials on the biography channel. It did not grab my attention and was falling asleep. If they made the main sub-plot a major plot point earlier then 15 minutes before the movie ended, maybe I would've been a little more interested.
Grade: A for effort, C- for movie-making
Monday, January 25, 2010
The Lovely Bones (film)
Wow, It has been WAY too long since I have reviewed anything. If you read my last post you'll understand why. Anyways, I plan on writing a book review in about 3 weeks (just if you're wondering). I am constantly seeing new movies and I feel I haven't lived up to my url's name. After all it is robBOOKblog.blogspot.com. Anyways, I got a bootleg copy of a movie that has sparked alot of controversy. Teenage girl's love it, critics hate it. I am talking of course about The Lovely Bones. Here's my review.
Title: The Lovely Bones
Genre: Fantasy/Suspense/SUPAH CREEPY
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: Director Peter Jackson attempts to adapt Alice Sebold's best-selling novel concerning a murdered 14-year old who watches from the inbetween as her family attempts to cope with their devastating loss and tracks her killer as he stealthily covers his tracks.
Review: Like almost every film there is good and bad. I'll flip a coin for what goes first. Heads bad tails good. Heads it is! No joke, I seriously flipped a coin. Haha! Okay where do I begin? Let's start with the creepy factor. This was officialy the creepiest movie I have ever seen. Stanley Tucci's performance as the killer was impeccable. Just looking at the character, you can tell he's a major creeper. This was not pleasant considering he was in the majority of the movie. Another thing I did not like was how dragged out some scenes were, especially the murder scene. Nothing graphic was shown. However, the scene was about 15 minutes long and every second was grueling. Another creepy part was the scene immediately following the murder in which Susie (the girl who was murdered) watches as her killer cleans the blood of his body, shoes, and home. I could not stand it. One thing I thought was way too intense was when Susie sees all the bodies of her killer's past victims. Overall, I found the movie way too creepy. I also didn't like how the movie didn't go into depth of a sub-plot involving Susie's love intrest and a mysterious girl whom we assume will play a larger role as advertised in trailers and the beggining of the feature. Quick note: the ending will leave you biting your nails wondering "OH NO!" but don't worry I was semi-satisfied.
Don't worry though, there were about two things I happened to enjoy about the movie. The first thing I enjoyed was the acting. I really was super creeped out by Stanley Tucci as the killer (as mentioned previously) which means he did his job. I also think that Susan Sarandon's role as the awesome grandma was phenominal. The supporting roles played by two teenagers whos names I do not know as Ray and Ruth were pretty good even though they only got like 5 minutes of screen time. I am typically not a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg although he did a great job as Susie's obsessed yet loving dad. Also, the girl who played Susie's sister was pretty good. The second thing I liked were the special effects. Peter Jackson's movies always have great ones. The third thing I liked was the portrayal of life in the 1970's. Everything from the clothes to the houses to Susie's opening lines.
As you can see, I didn't particularly enjoy the movie because it was too creepy. However, the acting, visuals, and pertraying of suburban life in the 1970's.
Grade: C+
Title: The Lovely Bones
Genre: Fantasy/Suspense/SUPAH CREEPY
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: Director Peter Jackson attempts to adapt Alice Sebold's best-selling novel concerning a murdered 14-year old who watches from the inbetween as her family attempts to cope with their devastating loss and tracks her killer as he stealthily covers his tracks.
Review: Like almost every film there is good and bad. I'll flip a coin for what goes first. Heads bad tails good. Heads it is! No joke, I seriously flipped a coin. Haha! Okay where do I begin? Let's start with the creepy factor. This was officialy the creepiest movie I have ever seen. Stanley Tucci's performance as the killer was impeccable. Just looking at the character, you can tell he's a major creeper. This was not pleasant considering he was in the majority of the movie. Another thing I did not like was how dragged out some scenes were, especially the murder scene. Nothing graphic was shown. However, the scene was about 15 minutes long and every second was grueling. Another creepy part was the scene immediately following the murder in which Susie (the girl who was murdered) watches as her killer cleans the blood of his body, shoes, and home. I could not stand it. One thing I thought was way too intense was when Susie sees all the bodies of her killer's past victims. Overall, I found the movie way too creepy. I also didn't like how the movie didn't go into depth of a sub-plot involving Susie's love intrest and a mysterious girl whom we assume will play a larger role as advertised in trailers and the beggining of the feature. Quick note: the ending will leave you biting your nails wondering "OH NO!" but don't worry I was semi-satisfied.
Don't worry though, there were about two things I happened to enjoy about the movie. The first thing I enjoyed was the acting. I really was super creeped out by Stanley Tucci as the killer (as mentioned previously) which means he did his job. I also think that Susan Sarandon's role as the awesome grandma was phenominal. The supporting roles played by two teenagers whos names I do not know as Ray and Ruth were pretty good even though they only got like 5 minutes of screen time. I am typically not a huge fan of Mark Wahlberg although he did a great job as Susie's obsessed yet loving dad. Also, the girl who played Susie's sister was pretty good. The second thing I liked were the special effects. Peter Jackson's movies always have great ones. The third thing I liked was the portrayal of life in the 1970's. Everything from the clothes to the houses to Susie's opening lines.
As you can see, I didn't particularly enjoy the movie because it was too creepy. However, the acting, visuals, and pertraying of suburban life in the 1970's.
Grade: C+
Sunday, November 22, 2009
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Hello ladies and germs! Today I saw the highly anticipated sequal to Twilight which is New Moon.
Title: New Moon
Genre: Romance/Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Moon is the highly anticipated sequal to the film Twilight. If you are a girl who is 12 or over you probably know all about this film. However, if you don't know about this franchise I'll tell you about it. Basically, a girl named Bella falls in love with a sparkly vampire named Edward. In New Moon Edward tells Bella he can't be with her anymore because he is too dangerous. Bella then falls into a deep depression and eventually starts to like a mostly shirtless Native American boy named Jacob. Then all of a sudden Edward thinks Bella is dead so he goes to Italy to see the Voltouri who have kill him. He is a werewolf. Next, Bella goes to Italy to save Edward and Jacob feels betrayed thus starting the Team Edward Team Jacob rivalry.
Review: I have two things to warn you about. The first being, if you read the book, you will not like this movie. It was pretty much the same but not as detailed in some parts where it would've been better to see instead of some other stuff they put in the movie. Second, If you hate cut-off shorts you will not like this movie (I'll get back to this later). Anyway, one thing I did like about this movie was that you don't particularly have to think to much to watch it. Another good thing about this sequal is that everything seems a little bit better on a few levels because of the larger budget. All of the wolf scenes were beautifully done and all of the wolves had there own peronality. Another good effect scene was the explanation of the Volturi scene in the painting at the cullens. Another big budget feature of the film were the set designs and the costume designs. Another thing about this film is that you cannot take this movie seriously. If I did I would've given it a D or even an F but because I didn't take it seriously I liked it alot more. Okay so about the cut-off shorts, that is all the werevolves wore. Cut-off shorts. What a tradgedy! It was so annoying! Also all of the werewolves were shirtless the entire time. No matter what weather. I am a guy and this was very awkward for me (If you are a guy reading this you will know what I mean). But also for the guys, there was alot more action in this film as opposed to the first. I think guys will appreciate this alot more. Another thing guys will like is ALICE CULLEN!! She is in it more than the other vampires (besides Edward that is) and Alice is my favorite so this worked out :) . Overall, this was a movie for the Twi-hards and those who know going into it knowing not to take it so seriously. You will have much more fun if you don't take it seriously.
Grade: B- (not so serious critic like myself) D (serious critic) OMG JACOB (team Jacob critic)
TEAM ALICE!!!
Title: New Moon
Genre: Romance/Action
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Summary: New Moon is the highly anticipated sequal to the film Twilight. If you are a girl who is 12 or over you probably know all about this film. However, if you don't know about this franchise I'll tell you about it. Basically, a girl named Bella falls in love with a sparkly vampire named Edward. In New Moon Edward tells Bella he can't be with her anymore because he is too dangerous. Bella then falls into a deep depression and eventually starts to like a mostly shirtless Native American boy named Jacob. Then all of a sudden Edward thinks Bella is dead so he goes to Italy to see the Voltouri who have kill him. He is a werewolf. Next, Bella goes to Italy to save Edward and Jacob feels betrayed thus starting the Team Edward Team Jacob rivalry.
Review: I have two things to warn you about. The first being, if you read the book, you will not like this movie. It was pretty much the same but not as detailed in some parts where it would've been better to see instead of some other stuff they put in the movie. Second, If you hate cut-off shorts you will not like this movie (I'll get back to this later). Anyway, one thing I did like about this movie was that you don't particularly have to think to much to watch it. Another good thing about this sequal is that everything seems a little bit better on a few levels because of the larger budget. All of the wolf scenes were beautifully done and all of the wolves had there own peronality. Another good effect scene was the explanation of the Volturi scene in the painting at the cullens. Another big budget feature of the film were the set designs and the costume designs. Another thing about this film is that you cannot take this movie seriously. If I did I would've given it a D or even an F but because I didn't take it seriously I liked it alot more. Okay so about the cut-off shorts, that is all the werevolves wore. Cut-off shorts. What a tradgedy! It was so annoying! Also all of the werewolves were shirtless the entire time. No matter what weather. I am a guy and this was very awkward for me (If you are a guy reading this you will know what I mean). But also for the guys, there was alot more action in this film as opposed to the first. I think guys will appreciate this alot more. Another thing guys will like is ALICE CULLEN!! She is in it more than the other vampires (besides Edward that is) and Alice is my favorite so this worked out :) . Overall, this was a movie for the Twi-hards and those who know going into it knowing not to take it so seriously. You will have much more fun if you don't take it seriously.
Grade: B- (not so serious critic like myself) D (serious critic) OMG JACOB (team Jacob critic)
TEAM ALICE!!!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Michael Jackson's This Is It
I need to say something of extreme importance before I get to this review.
There are two rules everyone needs to follow when going to the movies.
Rule #1. When the reminder to shut off your phone goes on the screen TURN OFF YOUR PHONE!!!
Rule #2. If you bring a child, evaluate them before bringing them to the movies. Ask yourself questions like "Is this kid mature enough to sit in one spot for two hours? Is this child too hyper to sit in one spot for two hours?" And finally "Does my child understand that talking during a movie is very disrupting to other people?"
You can infer why I bring this up. In a theater of approx. 12 people including myself, 4 people broke these rules. Two used their cell phones AND they went off during the movie and someone had a maniac kid who was running around and screaming in spanish.
I wanted to put an ambien (or at least a ritalin) in his popcorn.
Anyway now that I have vented, here is my review:
Title: Michael Jackson's This Is It
Genre: Documentry (and musical too I guess)
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: This Is It is a collection of behind the scenes footage and rehearsals of Michael Jackson's suddenly cancelled This Is It concert series.
Review: If you wanted tickets to ome of the concerts this is probably as close to the real thing as you can get. I especially liked this film for two reasons. Reason number one: there was no negativity involved what so ever. There was not one meantion of the words dead, death, or die. This was a celebration of the King of Pop's origanality and greatness. Reason number two: kids my age can appreciate this too. Everyone my age didn't grow up with M.J.'s music like our parents did. After watching this documentry I respected Michael Jackson for how devoted to his work and how talented he was. I personally feel there could've been more people being interviewed and talking about Michael and maybe one or two less songs (there were 24 in all).
It was a pretty good film and kids my age can appreciate it as well. MAKE SURE YOU SEE IT BEFORE THANNKSGIVING OTHERWISE IT'LL BE GONE!!!
Grade: A-
There are two rules everyone needs to follow when going to the movies.
Rule #1. When the reminder to shut off your phone goes on the screen TURN OFF YOUR PHONE!!!
Rule #2. If you bring a child, evaluate them before bringing them to the movies. Ask yourself questions like "Is this kid mature enough to sit in one spot for two hours? Is this child too hyper to sit in one spot for two hours?" And finally "Does my child understand that talking during a movie is very disrupting to other people?"
You can infer why I bring this up. In a theater of approx. 12 people including myself, 4 people broke these rules. Two used their cell phones AND they went off during the movie and someone had a maniac kid who was running around and screaming in spanish.
I wanted to put an ambien (or at least a ritalin) in his popcorn.
Anyway now that I have vented, here is my review:
Title: Michael Jackson's This Is It
Genre: Documentry (and musical too I guess)
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: This Is It is a collection of behind the scenes footage and rehearsals of Michael Jackson's suddenly cancelled This Is It concert series.
Review: If you wanted tickets to ome of the concerts this is probably as close to the real thing as you can get. I especially liked this film for two reasons. Reason number one: there was no negativity involved what so ever. There was not one meantion of the words dead, death, or die. This was a celebration of the King of Pop's origanality and greatness. Reason number two: kids my age can appreciate this too. Everyone my age didn't grow up with M.J.'s music like our parents did. After watching this documentry I respected Michael Jackson for how devoted to his work and how talented he was. I personally feel there could've been more people being interviewed and talking about Michael and maybe one or two less songs (there were 24 in all).
It was a pretty good film and kids my age can appreciate it as well. MAKE SURE YOU SEE IT BEFORE THANNKSGIVING OTHERWISE IT'LL BE GONE!!!
Grade: A-
Sunday, November 1, 2009
It's Been A While! Lots to review!
HI PEOPLE!!
I havent posted since school has started and I have three things I need to rewiew. But first, I need to say my new guidelines. I will only be reviewing new things. This includes movies I see withing two weeks of its release, and books that are still available in hardcover only. However if I read or see something that has to do with current events I will post about that too. Also, I will be limiting the info I give before I review. By the way todays reviews will be ultra short and get my point across.
MINI REVIEW #1
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: 9-year old Max gets mad at his mom and sets off into the wilderness and finds a bunch of wild things whom he becomes friends with.
Review: A kids movie with great themes. However, this movie was designed more for adults than kids. Great artistic and moral value in this film. Very mysterious as well. All in all, it was great! Very thought provoking.
Grade: A
MINI REVIEW #2
Title: Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Author: Chelsea Handler
Genre: Memoir
Summary: Comedian Chelsea Handler recolects on some funny events in her life.
Review: Chelsea is funny as ever in her second book and it's great to listen to her own experiences in her own words. I really hear her presence and it's almost as funny as hearing her on TV.
Grade: B+
MINI REVIEW #3
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Illustrator: Keith Thompson
Series: Leviathan
Genre: Steampunk, Alternate History
Summary: Son of the recently murdered Arch Duke Ferdinand, Aleksander tries to go into hiding. Scottish 15-year old Deryn Sharp is a girl posing as a boy to serve in the British Navy. Somehow their lives will cross paths and the world may never be the same in this alternate history of WWI. They are on opposite sides of the war. Alek is a clanker, the side that uses heavy machinery to fight. Deryn is a Darwinist, the side that uses fabricated animals to fight.
Review: It's by Scott Westerfeld. Therefore, it is great. The 50 illustrations in this book made it much more enjoyable. It is great to see the beginning of another trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The characters were very developed and as always, this alternate world is very advanced. A great read for young adults and keeps you anticipated for the second and third to come.
Grade: B+
I havent posted since school has started and I have three things I need to rewiew. But first, I need to say my new guidelines. I will only be reviewing new things. This includes movies I see withing two weeks of its release, and books that are still available in hardcover only. However if I read or see something that has to do with current events I will post about that too. Also, I will be limiting the info I give before I review. By the way todays reviews will be ultra short and get my point across.
MINI REVIEW #1
Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Genre: Fantasy
MPAA Rating: PG
Summary: 9-year old Max gets mad at his mom and sets off into the wilderness and finds a bunch of wild things whom he becomes friends with.
Review: A kids movie with great themes. However, this movie was designed more for adults than kids. Great artistic and moral value in this film. Very mysterious as well. All in all, it was great! Very thought provoking.
Grade: A
MINI REVIEW #2
Title: Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
Author: Chelsea Handler
Genre: Memoir
Summary: Comedian Chelsea Handler recolects on some funny events in her life.
Review: Chelsea is funny as ever in her second book and it's great to listen to her own experiences in her own words. I really hear her presence and it's almost as funny as hearing her on TV.
Grade: B+
MINI REVIEW #3
Title: Leviathan
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Illustrator: Keith Thompson
Series: Leviathan
Genre: Steampunk, Alternate History
Summary: Son of the recently murdered Arch Duke Ferdinand, Aleksander tries to go into hiding. Scottish 15-year old Deryn Sharp is a girl posing as a boy to serve in the British Navy. Somehow their lives will cross paths and the world may never be the same in this alternate history of WWI. They are on opposite sides of the war. Alek is a clanker, the side that uses heavy machinery to fight. Deryn is a Darwinist, the side that uses fabricated animals to fight.
Review: It's by Scott Westerfeld. Therefore, it is great. The 50 illustrations in this book made it much more enjoyable. It is great to see the beginning of another trilogy by Scott Westerfeld. The characters were very developed and as always, this alternate world is very advanced. A great read for young adults and keeps you anticipated for the second and third to come.
Grade: B+
Sunday, August 30, 2009
District 9
Hello everybody! I just got home from seeing the action-packed and alien-filled District 9 produced by Peter Jackson, director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong. Knowing this, I had very high expectations but did District 9 live up to them? Keep reading to find out.
Title: District 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Genre: Action, Drama
Length: 112 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Summary: In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns" (to be used as a politically incorrect term), appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new non-human friends.
My Review: District 9 fell below my expectations. It is quite saddening because I was really enjoying the Documentry-style shooting of the film but as the movie transitioned from documentry style to Hollywood blockbuster I found the film less and less interesting with all of the violent massacares of humans and aliens alike.
The first half of the film was very interesting, showing the backstory behind District 9 and showing how badly the aliens live. This is what mainly got my attention. It was amazing how realistic the movie was and if you replaced the aliens with people the story would still make sense. It was very saddening watching how horribly mistreated the aliens were and how believable the living conditions and predjudice was.
About 40 minutes in is where the plot changes when Wikus accidently sprays himself with an alien substance. After that, he slowly changes into one of the non-humans. I didn't really enjoy Wikus' character too much. Throughout the film he was very self-centered and the only thing he cared about was how to make himself live up to his recent promotion and how to change himself back into a human and how to stay with his wife.
Another thing I did not enjoy was the frequent use of the f-word and nonsensical violence. But I especially didn't like the room for a sequal probably entitled District 10. They made it very obvious a sequal is probably in the works and is going to be much worse then District 9.
Some of the few things I did enjoy was the message the movie gave. I already told you about how much I enjoyed the documentry style filming but when they showed the fake news feeds I felt like I was in the setting of South Africa watching the news surrounding the mysteries of District 9.
Final Note: District 9 was a film that did not live up to my expectations. Although very epic with great themes the story line was great but could've been represented in a different way.
Do I Reccommend It?: Don't spend $15 going to the theater to see it. Rent it from Netflix or whoever but make sure you have surround sound.
Grade: C+
Title: District 9
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley
Genre: Action, Drama
Length: 112 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1136608/
Summary: In 1990, a massive star ship bearing a bedraggled alien population, nicknamed "The Prawns" (to be used as a politically incorrect term), appeared over Johannesburg, South Africa. Twenty years later, the initial welcome by the human population has faded. The refugee camp where the aliens were located has deteriorated into a militarized ghetto called District 9, where they are confined and exploited in squalor. In 2010, the munitions corporation, Multi-National United, is contracted to forcibly evict the population with operative Wikus van der Merwe in charge. In this operation, Wikus is exposed to a strange alien chemical and must rely on the help of his only two new non-human friends.
My Review: District 9 fell below my expectations. It is quite saddening because I was really enjoying the Documentry-style shooting of the film but as the movie transitioned from documentry style to Hollywood blockbuster I found the film less and less interesting with all of the violent massacares of humans and aliens alike.
The first half of the film was very interesting, showing the backstory behind District 9 and showing how badly the aliens live. This is what mainly got my attention. It was amazing how realistic the movie was and if you replaced the aliens with people the story would still make sense. It was very saddening watching how horribly mistreated the aliens were and how believable the living conditions and predjudice was.
About 40 minutes in is where the plot changes when Wikus accidently sprays himself with an alien substance. After that, he slowly changes into one of the non-humans. I didn't really enjoy Wikus' character too much. Throughout the film he was very self-centered and the only thing he cared about was how to make himself live up to his recent promotion and how to change himself back into a human and how to stay with his wife.
Another thing I did not enjoy was the frequent use of the f-word and nonsensical violence. But I especially didn't like the room for a sequal probably entitled District 10. They made it very obvious a sequal is probably in the works and is going to be much worse then District 9.
Some of the few things I did enjoy was the message the movie gave. I already told you about how much I enjoyed the documentry style filming but when they showed the fake news feeds I felt like I was in the setting of South Africa watching the news surrounding the mysteries of District 9.
Final Note: District 9 was a film that did not live up to my expectations. Although very epic with great themes the story line was great but could've been represented in a different way.
Do I Reccommend It?: Don't spend $15 going to the theater to see it. Rent it from Netflix or whoever but make sure you have surround sound.
Grade: C+
Bart Got A Room
Hi Guys! It's currently 12:40AM and my mother and I just watched the hilarious and cute and independent film, Bart Got A Room. Please please please read this review.
Title: Bart Got A Room
Director: Brian Hecker
Starring: Steven Kaplan
Genre: Independent, Comedy
Length: 80 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472050/
Summary: The film chronicles nerdy high school senior Danny Stein and his unsuccessful attempts to secure a prom date while his divorced mother (Cheryl Hines) and father (William H. Macy) are on their own quests to find love. The film's name comes from the fact that the schools biggest dweeb, Bart Beeber not only secured a date for the prom, but got a hotel room after as well. This is a source of tremendous anxiety for both Danny and his family.
My Review: This is one of the funniest independent films I have seen since Juno. It was so many wonderful things and such a great feel good movie even though you feel bad for the main character throughout the film. The movie had many many awkward and sexual jokes but they were just to hilarious to try to not laugh unlike I Love You, Man which is a movie I hope no one ever sees because it is so raunchy and unfunny where as Bart Got A Room doesn't overdo the sex jokes one bit.
Throughout the couse of the film Danny tries to get a date with every girl from his sophmore carpool to anyone his best friend sets him up with. This is one thing I did not like about the film. Danny tries to get every girl he possibly can when all along his best friend for 8 years has already asked him. It helped the plot and ultimatley lead to the climax of the film but the main character was just too incredibly foolish.
Overall, this was a great for an independent comedy but not quite Oscar material. I think most people will enjoy the movie because of its great themes and awkwardly funny and heartwarming comedy.
Final Note: It was a cute movie with raunchy jokes that werent over the top but still fun to watch. Great because of the happy ending and qwirkiness of this independent comedy.
Do I Reccommend It: Sure, it was a great rainy day movie
Grade: B+
Title: Bart Got A Room
Director: Brian Hecker
Starring: Steven Kaplan
Genre: Independent, Comedy
Length: 80 min
MPAA Rating: PG-13
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472050/
Summary: The film chronicles nerdy high school senior Danny Stein and his unsuccessful attempts to secure a prom date while his divorced mother (Cheryl Hines) and father (William H. Macy) are on their own quests to find love. The film's name comes from the fact that the schools biggest dweeb, Bart Beeber not only secured a date for the prom, but got a hotel room after as well. This is a source of tremendous anxiety for both Danny and his family.
My Review: This is one of the funniest independent films I have seen since Juno. It was so many wonderful things and such a great feel good movie even though you feel bad for the main character throughout the film. The movie had many many awkward and sexual jokes but they were just to hilarious to try to not laugh unlike I Love You, Man which is a movie I hope no one ever sees because it is so raunchy and unfunny where as Bart Got A Room doesn't overdo the sex jokes one bit.
Throughout the couse of the film Danny tries to get a date with every girl from his sophmore carpool to anyone his best friend sets him up with. This is one thing I did not like about the film. Danny tries to get every girl he possibly can when all along his best friend for 8 years has already asked him. It helped the plot and ultimatley lead to the climax of the film but the main character was just too incredibly foolish.
Overall, this was a great for an independent comedy but not quite Oscar material. I think most people will enjoy the movie because of its great themes and awkwardly funny and heartwarming comedy.
Final Note: It was a cute movie with raunchy jokes that werent over the top but still fun to watch. Great because of the happy ending and qwirkiness of this independent comedy.
Do I Reccommend It: Sure, it was a great rainy day movie
Grade: B+
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Sunshine Cleaning
Hello people of the interweb! Today in the mail I got a Netflix film entitled "Sunshine Cleaning". My mother and I have been wanting to see this movie for a while so we watched it! Here's what I thought:
Title: Sunshine Cleaning
Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt
Genre: Dramedy
Length: 91 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/
Summary: Financially on shaky ground yet determined to send her son to a top private school, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) teams up with her unreliable sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), to start a new company that specializes in biohazard removal and crime scene cleanup. Tired of doing all of the work for other people, whether in her job cleaning homes or in her failed relationships, Rose is finally ready to use her entrepreneurial spirit to tidy up her own life.
My Review: This movie was a very good film. It was alot darker than expected from previews and other things yet it exceded my expectations in the comedy and drama department. I thought this film was Amy Adams second best peice of work I've seen her in (next to the Academy Award nominated "Doubt" which I highly reccommend). I also found that Emily Blunt's acting also exeeded my expectations. She did a wonderful job in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" (which I also reccommend) but I really saw her true potential "shine" in this film. She did a wonderful job being the hilarious and yet terribly troubled little sister Nora. It was a very enjoyable experience seeing her play such a different and darker and more troubled character then her character in "The Devil Wears Prada". It was quite a suprise and I really felt bad for her during the conclusion to the mysterious and hopeful sub-plot of the film where she tries to connect with a woman who had gone through what Nora thinks is nearly the same horrible experience she went through as a child.
I would also like to add that Alan Arkin did a great job in the supporting role as Rose and Nora's father. And the little boy (Jason Spevack) did an outstanding job as Rose's son, Oscar.
This film was very charcter driven and had a climax that was shocking. After the climax (which I cannot tell you about because I like to keep things spoiler free) Rose and Nora are broken apart after so much bonding through the cleaning service which serves as an emotional therapy for both of them and the near end scene brings them back together in a very special way.
There are no downsides to this dark comedy and it was a very great piece of art.
Final Note: Sunshine Cleaning was a terrific film showing great morals and themes alike.
Do I Reccommend It?: You should definitley get Sunshine Cleaning from Blockbuster or Netflix or even buy the DVD because it was great.
Grade: A
Title: Sunshine Cleaning
Director: Christine Jeffs
Starring: Amy Adams, Emily Blunt
Genre: Dramedy
Length: 91 min
MPAA Rating: R
IMDB Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862846/
Summary: Financially on shaky ground yet determined to send her son to a top private school, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) teams up with her unreliable sister, Norah (Emily Blunt), to start a new company that specializes in biohazard removal and crime scene cleanup. Tired of doing all of the work for other people, whether in her job cleaning homes or in her failed relationships, Rose is finally ready to use her entrepreneurial spirit to tidy up her own life.
My Review: This movie was a very good film. It was alot darker than expected from previews and other things yet it exceded my expectations in the comedy and drama department. I thought this film was Amy Adams second best peice of work I've seen her in (next to the Academy Award nominated "Doubt" which I highly reccommend). I also found that Emily Blunt's acting also exeeded my expectations. She did a wonderful job in the film "The Devil Wears Prada" (which I also reccommend) but I really saw her true potential "shine" in this film. She did a wonderful job being the hilarious and yet terribly troubled little sister Nora. It was a very enjoyable experience seeing her play such a different and darker and more troubled character then her character in "The Devil Wears Prada". It was quite a suprise and I really felt bad for her during the conclusion to the mysterious and hopeful sub-plot of the film where she tries to connect with a woman who had gone through what Nora thinks is nearly the same horrible experience she went through as a child.
I would also like to add that Alan Arkin did a great job in the supporting role as Rose and Nora's father. And the little boy (Jason Spevack) did an outstanding job as Rose's son, Oscar.
This film was very charcter driven and had a climax that was shocking. After the climax (which I cannot tell you about because I like to keep things spoiler free) Rose and Nora are broken apart after so much bonding through the cleaning service which serves as an emotional therapy for both of them and the near end scene brings them back together in a very special way.
There are no downsides to this dark comedy and it was a very great piece of art.
Final Note: Sunshine Cleaning was a terrific film showing great morals and themes alike.
Do I Reccommend It?: You should definitley get Sunshine Cleaning from Blockbuster or Netflix or even buy the DVD because it was great.
Grade: A
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