Hello readers. My name is John and I will be writing reviews here. I have a lot of movie knowledge being that I worked in the industry for 22 years. I was a projectionist technician up until 2 years ago so I was "required" to watch all the movies as a quality control thing. A lot of movies; a lot of time; a lot of opinions... so now I will share those with you. I may not watch the latest thing out there being more affectionate for the obscure. Just bear with me as we say opinions are like butts, everybody has one and some of them stink.
'Til next time...
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
looking for help
Hey guys! It's Wednesday, and as I said this isn't a post containing a movie review. Instead, it's me asking you for your help.
I'm looking for help with this page. I want to expand and do more than just movie reviews. I'm thinking book and music reviews as well. If you want to help out, leave a comment here or @ reply to me on twitter (or, if you're on my facebook friends list, send a message my way on there). Here's what I'm thinking:
We'd update on a schedule like this:
Monday - music review
Wednesday - movie review
Friday - book review
I've got Wednesday covered, but if someone else wants to do movie reviews as well, we could work that out.
We'd have to come up with a new name/url to this page. I figured out how to change the url so that'll be easy enough. :)
I'm looking for help with this page. I want to expand and do more than just movie reviews. I'm thinking book and music reviews as well. If you want to help out, leave a comment here or @ reply to me on twitter (or, if you're on my facebook friends list, send a message my way on there). Here's what I'm thinking:
We'd update on a schedule like this:
Monday - music review
Wednesday - movie review
Friday - book review
I've got Wednesday covered, but if someone else wants to do movie reviews as well, we could work that out.
We'd have to come up with a new name/url to this page. I figured out how to change the url so that'll be easy enough. :)
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Oh gosh
Oh gosh, is tomorrow really Wednesday already?!?
I'm really, really, really sorry guys but I won't have a review up tomorrow. :( I know, I gave a really craptastic review (of an equally craptastic movie) last week, and now no review this week. And I saw a good movie over the weekend too. I watched it online though, so I'll watch it again and write a review of it for next week. Promise. Hopefully.
My other excuse for not having a review for you guys (and this excuse is more legit, I think) is school just started back up again, so life has been kind of hectic the past couple of days. I'm trying to get back in the whole "wake up early, go to school, come home, do homework, sleep, do it all again" type of schedule.
And, guys, I'm looking for help with this blog. The next entry I post will be the one asking for your help. I already have it written up, so I'll post it within the next couple days. Keep an eye out for it.
I'm really, really, really sorry guys but I won't have a review up tomorrow. :( I know, I gave a really craptastic review (of an equally craptastic movie) last week, and now no review this week. And I saw a good movie over the weekend too. I watched it online though, so I'll watch it again and write a review of it for next week. Promise. Hopefully.
My other excuse for not having a review for you guys (and this excuse is more legit, I think) is school just started back up again, so life has been kind of hectic the past couple of days. I'm trying to get back in the whole "wake up early, go to school, come home, do homework, sleep, do it all again" type of schedule.
And, guys, I'm looking for help with this blog. The next entry I post will be the one asking for your help. I already have it written up, so I'll post it within the next couple days. Keep an eye out for it.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
movie: Iron Man 2
Ok, so I did not want to write this review. But I'm doing it anyway, and on the day I said I would too! It was Friday night when I saw it and I still haven't written my review/write-up yet, so I'm doing it right now. Don't expect anything amazing (not that you would, actually.. haha). I'm just hoping it'll be decent.
As always, there's a really good chance that this CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. Don't want spoilers? Then don't read this. It's really that simple.
Shall I start with the good? Or the bad? I'll start with the bad. I suppose it may be necessary to remind you all that I've never seen the first Iron Man movie, nor do I plan to after seeing this one. Right from the beginning, Tony Stark (Iron Man) came off with the attitude that he is better than everyone else. That really annoyed me because I hate people like that. So right from the start of the movie, I was rooting for the bad guy.
The movie itself didn't hold my attention. There were some scenes (mostly the explosions) that I liked and that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen if I wanted to... but for the majority of the movie, my mind was on other things. It was just too boring for me. My friends that I saw the movie with, two of them had seen it before and one of them said, as we were leaving the theater, that he didn't like it as much the second time.
There weren't even any overly pretty scenes to look at. And you guys know me. Well, no, maybe you actually probably don't... but you know from my Nightmare On Elm Street review that I love movies with pretty lighting and scenery and everything. This movie just didn't have that. I almost want to watch it again, because I know there had to have been some pretty lighting/scenes that I missed in my immense boredom... and then I remember how much I wanted to get up and leave the theater not even half way through the movie, and I realize that I actually don't want to see this movie again. Ever.
Onto the good now? Ok. The explosions were amazing.
Overall rating: 4/10. It would be lower, but I loved the explosions.
Who should see this movie: I don't even know. Not me. haha. I guess maybe fans of the first movie? Sequels tend to suck though, so maybe people who liked the first Iron Man movie wouldn't like this one. Fans of comic-book superheros might like this movie. I really don't know. It's got a 7.5 rating on IMDB, so obviously there are people out there who liked it. I just don't know who the heck those people are.
As always, there's a really good chance that this CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. Don't want spoilers? Then don't read this. It's really that simple.
Shall I start with the good? Or the bad? I'll start with the bad. I suppose it may be necessary to remind you all that I've never seen the first Iron Man movie, nor do I plan to after seeing this one. Right from the beginning, Tony Stark (Iron Man) came off with the attitude that he is better than everyone else. That really annoyed me because I hate people like that. So right from the start of the movie, I was rooting for the bad guy.
The movie itself didn't hold my attention. There were some scenes (mostly the explosions) that I liked and that I couldn't take my eyes off the screen if I wanted to... but for the majority of the movie, my mind was on other things. It was just too boring for me. My friends that I saw the movie with, two of them had seen it before and one of them said, as we were leaving the theater, that he didn't like it as much the second time.
There weren't even any overly pretty scenes to look at. And you guys know me. Well, no, maybe you actually probably don't... but you know from my Nightmare On Elm Street review that I love movies with pretty lighting and scenery and everything. This movie just didn't have that. I almost want to watch it again, because I know there had to have been some pretty lighting/scenes that I missed in my immense boredom... and then I remember how much I wanted to get up and leave the theater not even half way through the movie, and I realize that I actually don't want to see this movie again. Ever.
Onto the good now? Ok. The explosions were amazing.
Overall rating: 4/10. It would be lower, but I loved the explosions.
Who should see this movie: I don't even know. Not me. haha. I guess maybe fans of the first movie? Sequels tend to suck though, so maybe people who liked the first Iron Man movie wouldn't like this one. Fans of comic-book superheros might like this movie. I really don't know. It's got a 7.5 rating on IMDB, so obviously there are people out there who liked it. I just don't know who the heck those people are.
Monday, May 17, 2010
late again
haha hey guys
I guess I'm back to updating the day after I say I will. Sorry about that. I really do mean to update when I say I will... but then I always forget until the next day.
Anyways. I saw Iron Man 2 on Friday with some friends. So, I'll update with a review/write up on that on Wednesday (which, as you guys are learning, means probably Thursday). It won't be that good of a review though because I normally write my reviews shortly after seeing the movie, but I haven't written this one yet. I also had a busy weekend, so I don't remember too much of the movie. I remember I didn't like it though, and it's not one I want to see again.
I should probably say though, that I don't do superhero movies. I don't watch Batman, Spiderman, Superman, or whatever other superhero movies there are. I've never seen the first Iron Man movie, and I wouldn't have seen the second if the friends I saw it with didn't want to see it.
Ok, update Wednesday (or Thursday).
I guess I'm back to updating the day after I say I will. Sorry about that. I really do mean to update when I say I will... but then I always forget until the next day.
Anyways. I saw Iron Man 2 on Friday with some friends. So, I'll update with a review/write up on that on Wednesday (which, as you guys are learning, means probably Thursday). It won't be that good of a review though because I normally write my reviews shortly after seeing the movie, but I haven't written this one yet. I also had a busy weekend, so I don't remember too much of the movie. I remember I didn't like it though, and it's not one I want to see again.
I should probably say though, that I don't do superhero movies. I don't watch Batman, Spiderman, Superman, or whatever other superhero movies there are. I've never seen the first Iron Man movie, and I wouldn't have seen the second if the friends I saw it with didn't want to see it.
Ok, update Wednesday (or Thursday).
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
movie: A Nightmare On Elm Street
Check this out guys.
I said I'd update this on Wednesday. Today is Wednesday, and I actually AM updating! This is one for the history books, you guys.
haha ok anyway, here's my review/write up of A Nightmare On Elm Street. As always, this CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. Don't want spoilers? Then don't read this. <3
-----------------------------------
What to say about “A Nightmare on Elm Street”? I wasn’t sure what to expect of this movie. I’ve never seen the original (though after seeing the remake, I want to see the original to see how the remake hold up compared to it) and, surprisingly enough, I hadn’t bothered to even look up the plot or anything... so I went into this movie knowing nothing about it.
I absolutely LOVED the opening credits; they were just so well done. They were creepy, but not too creepy - just a little scary. They were dark (feeling-wise, not color-wise. Though, color-wise they were dark too, but just the feeling they gave off was so dark) and just so... so... beautiful.
The scene with Nancy in the bath, just the raw, open, vulnerability of being naked really showed so much. She’s tired. She’s scared. She has no clue what to do, and that’s killing her inside. She has the burning need to know, and not just because she’ll die if she doesn’t. She seems to be the smartest character in the movie. And the angle of the shot when Freddy’s knife-hand is coming up to grab her, to kill her is so perfect. You see her, so weak but not ready to give up, and you see him ready to overpower her. She doesn’t even notice him, yet she’s almost, almost giving in to him before Quentin calls her and jerks her back to her senses. It’s so well done, and really it’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
All the scenes taking place in the basement were so... I don’t even know. I just loved the coloring. The darkness in contrast with the yellow light, wow, I loved it so much. My sister thinks I’m crazy for being so in love with the contrast coloring in the basement scenes. “It’s a sketchy basement!” she said to me. I guess she just doesn’t understand. Maybe I’ll be some sort of interior designer or something when I get older. Ya know, along with being a kindergarten teacher and film editor. It’ll all happen someday.
Oh my gosh, and the very end scene. When Nancy and her mother walk into their house, the moon is shining so brightly down on the house and you’d almost have a safe feeling. But you don’t have a safe, secure feeling because the way the shadows of the trees are falling down on the roof of the house, it seems to suggest that this (no pun intended, I promise) nightmare isn’t yet over.
Ok, I’ll shut up for now about the way the movie looked. The acting was so good, some of the best I’ve seen in a horror film for a while now. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t perfect, but no movie ever is. I was so caught up in the story. Movies without character development (or with very little character development) bother me because you don’t get to know the characters before the movie ends (or the character dies). One of the reasons I liked this movie as much as I did was because you did get to know the characters, but not too much. When a character died, you didn’t know them well enough for it to feel like the death of a friend, but you did know them well enough for it to at least affect you a little.
For the most part, the actors connected really well on screen. The scene at Dean’s funeral, when Kris is telling Jesse it was like someone was making Dean kill himself (even though it looked like there was no one else there), and Nancy says she knows what Kris is talking about... the connection between the two girls in that scene is so real and so captivating, you really feel for them. The Jesse ruins the moment by making Nancy leave. The actress that plays Nancy is a really great actress. With her always listening to music and her drawings/paintings, she seemed disconnected from this world, and yet she connected SO well with every other character, it was almost unreal.
I was not impressed by the actor who plays Jesse. He just felt kind of off to me and it felt (to me) like he was trying too hard to be something he’s not. With the exception of his scene with Nancy, right after Kris’ death, all his scenes felt forced and unnatural. I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything else before this, so I don’t know. Maybe that was his character. Maybe he’s just not that good of an actor. I really don’t know.
The names I recognized in the opening credits were Kellan Lutz (Dean) and Kyle Gallner (Quentin). I wasn’t super-excited about seeing Kellan’s name. The only other thing I’ve seen him in is Twilight, and I don’t think too highly of those movies. So my thought was “Oh. Great. A twilight actor... What were they thinking?” But, apparently he CAN act. I was pleasantly surprised at that fact. After the movie I had to look up who Kellan played because I didn’t recognize him. (I’m not a huge fan of his, so I was expecting to see his Twilight character.) I was really happy to see Kyle Gallner’s name. He is such a great actor, and it’s awesome to see him more on the big screen. The first movie I saw him in was Jennifer’s Body, and I fell in love with his character. After seeing Jennifer’s Body, I saw The Haunting In Connecticut, and he was amazing in that movie too. For The Haunting In Connecticut, even though I didn’t like the movie at all, I did like his acting. So, yeah, I’m a fan of his work and I think it’s awesome to see him in more movies.
Kyle’s character, Quentin, was also one of the smarter ones in the movie (and no, not just because he didn’t die). The scene with him in the library, after he falls asleep and is dreaming is great. You see him and in the background you see all the books around him. There are so many books, almost seeming to suggest that he has a near infinite knowledge of what is going on. Then, the picture focuses on him, and you’re forced to pay attention to him and that’s when you really see the clear pain, fear, and knowledge in his eyes. Also kind of hinting towards his knowledge of every thing happening is his phone call to Nancy right before she is almost killed by Freddy in the bath. It could just be coincidence that he calls at the right time, but I prefer to think he somehow knew (without even knowing he knew) he had to call her right at that time. His eyes are so expressive, you can look at his eyes at any point in the movie and just know how he’s really, truly feeling. And that’s amazing. Throughout the whole movie he seems to know more than he thinks he does; but he doesn’t know he knows it, and that’s what is so great about it. He’s figuring this all out just as we, the viewers are, but in a sense he already knows. He was my favorite character.
I felt that the movie itself relied a little too heavily on sound-trick. It would be really quiet, and even the people in the theater were quiet, waiting for something to happen, and then the bad guy (in this case, Freddy) appears accompanied by a loud noise. The audience jumps more in response to the sudden loud noise than to the arrival of Freddy. Sound-trick is so typical Hollywood horror that it’s almost a bit boring. I would rather be scared by something that is scary because it could be real and could happen to anyone. I like scary movies that mess with your mind, and you think about them for days afterward. Anyone know any movies out there like that? Let me know. Anyway, the movie really wasn’t scary if you think about it. It was just all sound-trick.
Since I hadn’t seen the original and didn’t know anything about what the movie was about, I was pretty caught up in the idea of the story. The whole “if you die in your sleep, you die in real life” concept was interesting to me. And I liked that the dreams were, partly at least, suppressed memories of what had happened to the kids at preschool. I liked how Freddy showed them what he wanted them to know (Quentin’s dream where he saw the parents of the preschoolers burn Freddy alive) to try to trick them into turning against their parents (Quentin telling off his dad for killing an “innocent” man). I just loved the way Freddy played with their minds and really messed with them.
I want to see this movie again sometime, maybe a Friday night so there will be more of an audience (and therefore more of an audience-reaction) in the theater. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but watching the movie, I felt like there was something missing, something that could have been added but wasn’t. I think seeing it again might help me to figure out what it is that isn’t there.
The acting, for the most part, was amazing. Whoever did the casting picked a perfect cast. I love whoever was in charge of picking filming locations and making them look the way they did. Did the original version rely as heavily on sound-trick as the remake did? If not, they should have used whatever scare tactic the original used. And if the original did use a lot of sound-trick, then I guess I can’t say anything about how much the remake did.
Overall, I give it 6.5 / 10 stars. If you like typical Hollywood horror, you’ll probably like this. If you’re a fan of Kyle Gallner, definitely go to see it; you won’t be disappointed at all with his performance. If you’re looking for a cheap (depending on how much it costs to see a movie by you) scare, go to see it with an open mind, prepared to jump but not to be really scared. If you’re looking for a really good scare, I don’t recommend seeing it. Decide for yourself though, and if you end up seeing it let me know what you thought of it.
-----------------------------------
With money the way it is right now, it's not very likely that I'll be seeing a movie this weekend. No movie over the weekend means no review/write up on Wednesday. I'll let you guys know probably on Sunday night if you can expect a review Wednesday or not.
I said I'd update this on Wednesday. Today is Wednesday, and I actually AM updating! This is one for the history books, you guys.
haha ok anyway, here's my review/write up of A Nightmare On Elm Street. As always, this CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. Don't want spoilers? Then don't read this. <3
-----------------------------------
What to say about “A Nightmare on Elm Street”? I wasn’t sure what to expect of this movie. I’ve never seen the original (though after seeing the remake, I want to see the original to see how the remake hold up compared to it) and, surprisingly enough, I hadn’t bothered to even look up the plot or anything... so I went into this movie knowing nothing about it.
I absolutely LOVED the opening credits; they were just so well done. They were creepy, but not too creepy - just a little scary. They were dark (feeling-wise, not color-wise. Though, color-wise they were dark too, but just the feeling they gave off was so dark) and just so... so... beautiful.
The scene with Nancy in the bath, just the raw, open, vulnerability of being naked really showed so much. She’s tired. She’s scared. She has no clue what to do, and that’s killing her inside. She has the burning need to know, and not just because she’ll die if she doesn’t. She seems to be the smartest character in the movie. And the angle of the shot when Freddy’s knife-hand is coming up to grab her, to kill her is so perfect. You see her, so weak but not ready to give up, and you see him ready to overpower her. She doesn’t even notice him, yet she’s almost, almost giving in to him before Quentin calls her and jerks her back to her senses. It’s so well done, and really it’s one of my favorite scenes in the movie.
All the scenes taking place in the basement were so... I don’t even know. I just loved the coloring. The darkness in contrast with the yellow light, wow, I loved it so much. My sister thinks I’m crazy for being so in love with the contrast coloring in the basement scenes. “It’s a sketchy basement!” she said to me. I guess she just doesn’t understand. Maybe I’ll be some sort of interior designer or something when I get older. Ya know, along with being a kindergarten teacher and film editor. It’ll all happen someday.
Oh my gosh, and the very end scene. When Nancy and her mother walk into their house, the moon is shining so brightly down on the house and you’d almost have a safe feeling. But you don’t have a safe, secure feeling because the way the shadows of the trees are falling down on the roof of the house, it seems to suggest that this (no pun intended, I promise) nightmare isn’t yet over.
Ok, I’ll shut up for now about the way the movie looked. The acting was so good, some of the best I’ve seen in a horror film for a while now. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t perfect, but no movie ever is. I was so caught up in the story. Movies without character development (or with very little character development) bother me because you don’t get to know the characters before the movie ends (or the character dies). One of the reasons I liked this movie as much as I did was because you did get to know the characters, but not too much. When a character died, you didn’t know them well enough for it to feel like the death of a friend, but you did know them well enough for it to at least affect you a little.
For the most part, the actors connected really well on screen. The scene at Dean’s funeral, when Kris is telling Jesse it was like someone was making Dean kill himself (even though it looked like there was no one else there), and Nancy says she knows what Kris is talking about... the connection between the two girls in that scene is so real and so captivating, you really feel for them. The Jesse ruins the moment by making Nancy leave. The actress that plays Nancy is a really great actress. With her always listening to music and her drawings/paintings, she seemed disconnected from this world, and yet she connected SO well with every other character, it was almost unreal.
I was not impressed by the actor who plays Jesse. He just felt kind of off to me and it felt (to me) like he was trying too hard to be something he’s not. With the exception of his scene with Nancy, right after Kris’ death, all his scenes felt forced and unnatural. I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything else before this, so I don’t know. Maybe that was his character. Maybe he’s just not that good of an actor. I really don’t know.
The names I recognized in the opening credits were Kellan Lutz (Dean) and Kyle Gallner (Quentin). I wasn’t super-excited about seeing Kellan’s name. The only other thing I’ve seen him in is Twilight, and I don’t think too highly of those movies. So my thought was “Oh. Great. A twilight actor... What were they thinking?” But, apparently he CAN act. I was pleasantly surprised at that fact. After the movie I had to look up who Kellan played because I didn’t recognize him. (I’m not a huge fan of his, so I was expecting to see his Twilight character.) I was really happy to see Kyle Gallner’s name. He is such a great actor, and it’s awesome to see him more on the big screen. The first movie I saw him in was Jennifer’s Body, and I fell in love with his character. After seeing Jennifer’s Body, I saw The Haunting In Connecticut, and he was amazing in that movie too. For The Haunting In Connecticut, even though I didn’t like the movie at all, I did like his acting. So, yeah, I’m a fan of his work and I think it’s awesome to see him in more movies.
Kyle’s character, Quentin, was also one of the smarter ones in the movie (and no, not just because he didn’t die). The scene with him in the library, after he falls asleep and is dreaming is great. You see him and in the background you see all the books around him. There are so many books, almost seeming to suggest that he has a near infinite knowledge of what is going on. Then, the picture focuses on him, and you’re forced to pay attention to him and that’s when you really see the clear pain, fear, and knowledge in his eyes. Also kind of hinting towards his knowledge of every thing happening is his phone call to Nancy right before she is almost killed by Freddy in the bath. It could just be coincidence that he calls at the right time, but I prefer to think he somehow knew (without even knowing he knew) he had to call her right at that time. His eyes are so expressive, you can look at his eyes at any point in the movie and just know how he’s really, truly feeling. And that’s amazing. Throughout the whole movie he seems to know more than he thinks he does; but he doesn’t know he knows it, and that’s what is so great about it. He’s figuring this all out just as we, the viewers are, but in a sense he already knows. He was my favorite character.
I felt that the movie itself relied a little too heavily on sound-trick. It would be really quiet, and even the people in the theater were quiet, waiting for something to happen, and then the bad guy (in this case, Freddy) appears accompanied by a loud noise. The audience jumps more in response to the sudden loud noise than to the arrival of Freddy. Sound-trick is so typical Hollywood horror that it’s almost a bit boring. I would rather be scared by something that is scary because it could be real and could happen to anyone. I like scary movies that mess with your mind, and you think about them for days afterward. Anyone know any movies out there like that? Let me know. Anyway, the movie really wasn’t scary if you think about it. It was just all sound-trick.
Since I hadn’t seen the original and didn’t know anything about what the movie was about, I was pretty caught up in the idea of the story. The whole “if you die in your sleep, you die in real life” concept was interesting to me. And I liked that the dreams were, partly at least, suppressed memories of what had happened to the kids at preschool. I liked how Freddy showed them what he wanted them to know (Quentin’s dream where he saw the parents of the preschoolers burn Freddy alive) to try to trick them into turning against their parents (Quentin telling off his dad for killing an “innocent” man). I just loved the way Freddy played with their minds and really messed with them.
I want to see this movie again sometime, maybe a Friday night so there will be more of an audience (and therefore more of an audience-reaction) in the theater. I couldn’t figure out what it was, but watching the movie, I felt like there was something missing, something that could have been added but wasn’t. I think seeing it again might help me to figure out what it is that isn’t there.
The acting, for the most part, was amazing. Whoever did the casting picked a perfect cast. I love whoever was in charge of picking filming locations and making them look the way they did. Did the original version rely as heavily on sound-trick as the remake did? If not, they should have used whatever scare tactic the original used. And if the original did use a lot of sound-trick, then I guess I can’t say anything about how much the remake did.
Overall, I give it 6.5 / 10 stars. If you like typical Hollywood horror, you’ll probably like this. If you’re a fan of Kyle Gallner, definitely go to see it; you won’t be disappointed at all with his performance. If you’re looking for a cheap (depending on how much it costs to see a movie by you) scare, go to see it with an open mind, prepared to jump but not to be really scared. If you’re looking for a really good scare, I don’t recommend seeing it. Decide for yourself though, and if you end up seeing it let me know what you thought of it.
-----------------------------------
With money the way it is right now, it's not very likely that I'll be seeing a movie this weekend. No movie over the weekend means no review/write up on Wednesday. I'll let you guys know probably on Sunday night if you can expect a review Wednesday or not.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Done! :)
Hey guys!!!
I'm finally DONE with my freshman year of college! It's so crazy, actually being done. I'm taking three classes over the summer though, so it's back to school on May 24th. :( Doing classes over the summer is good though because that way, I don't have to overload my schedule for the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. I'm so excited that I only have one more year until I transfer to a 4 year school!
So, I'm not 100% sure where I want to go yet. Right now I'm considering Plattsburgh, Oneonta, or Potsdam. I'm going to be visiting them over the summer and hopefully figure out where I want to go to.
Anyways, I was thinking.... if I see a movie on a weekend, I'll (hopefully) have the review up the Wednesday after I see it. The next review/write up I post will be on "A Nightmare On Elm Street". Like I said in my very first entry on here, I've already posted this one of my facebook and twitter accounts.
Since movies are expensive, how would you guys feel about a book review every so often? Trust me, there will be many more movie reviews than book reviews, but books are good too. What do you say? Yes or no to the occasional book review?
Or, since I loveloveLOVE music... how do you guys feel about the occasional music review? There's so many good artists out there, and who knows - maybe I could tell you about an artist you'll love? Yes or no?
Ok, let me know in the comments how you feel about book and music reviews.
Love you guys!
New review up Wednesday! (haha yes I'll actually post it on Wednesday this time - that's a promise.)
I'm finally DONE with my freshman year of college! It's so crazy, actually being done. I'm taking three classes over the summer though, so it's back to school on May 24th. :( Doing classes over the summer is good though because that way, I don't have to overload my schedule for the Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 semesters. I'm so excited that I only have one more year until I transfer to a 4 year school!
So, I'm not 100% sure where I want to go yet. Right now I'm considering Plattsburgh, Oneonta, or Potsdam. I'm going to be visiting them over the summer and hopefully figure out where I want to go to.
Anyways, I was thinking.... if I see a movie on a weekend, I'll (hopefully) have the review up the Wednesday after I see it. The next review/write up I post will be on "A Nightmare On Elm Street". Like I said in my very first entry on here, I've already posted this one of my facebook and twitter accounts.
Since movies are expensive, how would you guys feel about a book review every so often? Trust me, there will be many more movie reviews than book reviews, but books are good too. What do you say? Yes or no to the occasional book review?
Or, since I loveloveLOVE music... how do you guys feel about the occasional music review? There's so many good artists out there, and who knows - maybe I could tell you about an artist you'll love? Yes or no?
Ok, let me know in the comments how you feel about book and music reviews.
Love you guys!
New review up Wednesday! (haha yes I'll actually post it on Wednesday this time - that's a promise.)
Thursday, May 6, 2010
movie: The Runaways
Hey guys!
Wow, way to start off this blog, right? By posting something the day AFTER I said I would. I'm really sorry. Finals and everything are going on now, and my brain is SO scrambled. It's probably just luck that I put my clothes on right (and not inside out or backwards or anything else) today.
Yeah I know, get on to the movie review. So here goes. My review/write up on the movie "The Runaways". This is the first one I ever wrote, so don't be too harsh on me. haha. Oh, and it CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. So if you don't like spoilers, stop reading right now. Still with me? Ok, let's do this now then.
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It was a bit weird seeing Dakota Fanning in this movie. I can't seem to think of her as 16 years old. I mean, I know she's about the same age as my sister, but I still think of her as the little kid from I Am Sam. So seeing her as Cherie Currie, and so into drugs and everything was just a bit too weird. She is an amazing actress though, and looked so much like Cherie did in The Runaways (the band).
Going into this movie, I was not a huge fan of Kristen Stewart. Granted, before this, I'd only ever seen her in the Twilight movies, so I had my doubts about her acting abilities. This movie completely changed my opinion of her as an actress though; she was... I hate to use the word amazing again (I've realized lately that I use that word far too often), but I don't know another word for it. She was amazing. She was so, so, so perfect as Joan Jett. I don't think they could have picked a more perfect actress to play Joan Jett - and this is coming from a big Joan Jett fan/not a big Kristen Stewart fan.
Dakota and Kristen worked really really well together on screen. I don't know if they're friends in real life or what, but the chemistry between them on the screen felt so real. They seemed like best friends, like Cherie and Joan were, and I loved every minute of it. The kiss between them didn't feel forced or overdone or anything. I liked the way it turned out on screen. It was something that just happened. Of course... both their characters were on drugs and everything when the kiss happened... but still, it was well done.
And oh my God, Michael Shannon was unbelievable as Kim Fowley. I have no idea who he (Michael Shannon) is - I've never heard of him before this movie, but he was phenomenal. Kristen and Dakota were both amazing, don't get me wrong, but Michael was by far the best actor in the movie. Every scene he was in, he completely stole the scene.
The way the actors all looked was PERFECT. The hair stylists, make up artists, and costume designers did such amazing jobs. Kristen especially looked absolutely perfect, there's no other way to describe her. And Michael... just wow. His looks matched his character so well. Just wow, seriously.
The negatives.... the movie felt kind of too rushed. They left out some scenes that I thought would have been important. The movie was based on Cherie's book (which I think is called "Neon Angel") and I know movies can't fit in everything books do... but in the movie when Cherie has a problem with singing the line "Have ya, grab ya, til you're sore!" in the song Cherry Bomb, the viewer has no idea why.
However while it was somewhat rushed, some parts were also really slow and almost boring. With most of the movie so fast paced, any slower scenes felt longer than they actually were. Very little of the movie is devoted to the other band members - it's pretty much all Cherie and Joan. It was easy to almost forget about all the others. When, towards the end of the movie, one of the other band members (I think Lita) freaked out on Cherie when she pretty much quit the band right in the middle of recording a CD, it was surprising because we (the viewers) really don't see any of her personality at any point before this - so it feels almost like "wait, what?"
All in all though, it was such an amazing movie and I recommend seeing it.
One note though, if you don't like swearing... don't see it. There's A LOT of swearing in this movie.
Overall rating: 9/10
Wow, way to start off this blog, right? By posting something the day AFTER I said I would. I'm really sorry. Finals and everything are going on now, and my brain is SO scrambled. It's probably just luck that I put my clothes on right (and not inside out or backwards or anything else) today.
Yeah I know, get on to the movie review. So here goes. My review/write up on the movie "The Runaways". This is the first one I ever wrote, so don't be too harsh on me. haha. Oh, and it CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE. So if you don't like spoilers, stop reading right now. Still with me? Ok, let's do this now then.
-------------------------------------------------------
It was a bit weird seeing Dakota Fanning in this movie. I can't seem to think of her as 16 years old. I mean, I know she's about the same age as my sister, but I still think of her as the little kid from I Am Sam. So seeing her as Cherie Currie, and so into drugs and everything was just a bit too weird. She is an amazing actress though, and looked so much like Cherie did in The Runaways (the band).
Going into this movie, I was not a huge fan of Kristen Stewart. Granted, before this, I'd only ever seen her in the Twilight movies, so I had my doubts about her acting abilities. This movie completely changed my opinion of her as an actress though; she was... I hate to use the word amazing again (I've realized lately that I use that word far too often), but I don't know another word for it. She was amazing. She was so, so, so perfect as Joan Jett. I don't think they could have picked a more perfect actress to play Joan Jett - and this is coming from a big Joan Jett fan/not a big Kristen Stewart fan.
Dakota and Kristen worked really really well together on screen. I don't know if they're friends in real life or what, but the chemistry between them on the screen felt so real. They seemed like best friends, like Cherie and Joan were, and I loved every minute of it. The kiss between them didn't feel forced or overdone or anything. I liked the way it turned out on screen. It was something that just happened. Of course... both their characters were on drugs and everything when the kiss happened... but still, it was well done.
And oh my God, Michael Shannon was unbelievable as Kim Fowley. I have no idea who he (Michael Shannon) is - I've never heard of him before this movie, but he was phenomenal. Kristen and Dakota were both amazing, don't get me wrong, but Michael was by far the best actor in the movie. Every scene he was in, he completely stole the scene.
The way the actors all looked was PERFECT. The hair stylists, make up artists, and costume designers did such amazing jobs. Kristen especially looked absolutely perfect, there's no other way to describe her. And Michael... just wow. His looks matched his character so well. Just wow, seriously.
The negatives.... the movie felt kind of too rushed. They left out some scenes that I thought would have been important. The movie was based on Cherie's book (which I think is called "Neon Angel") and I know movies can't fit in everything books do... but in the movie when Cherie has a problem with singing the line "Have ya, grab ya, til you're sore!" in the song Cherry Bomb, the viewer has no idea why.
However while it was somewhat rushed, some parts were also really slow and almost boring. With most of the movie so fast paced, any slower scenes felt longer than they actually were. Very little of the movie is devoted to the other band members - it's pretty much all Cherie and Joan. It was easy to almost forget about all the others. When, towards the end of the movie, one of the other band members (I think Lita) freaked out on Cherie when she pretty much quit the band right in the middle of recording a CD, it was surprising because we (the viewers) really don't see any of her personality at any point before this - so it feels almost like "wait, what?"
All in all though, it was such an amazing movie and I recommend seeing it.
One note though, if you don't like swearing... don't see it. There's A LOT of swearing in this movie.
Overall rating: 9/10
Monday, May 3, 2010
Get To Know Me
Hello people of the internet.
I'll just say straight up, I know a lot of people out there won't be reading this blog. I mean, heck, it'd be cool if even just 5 people read any of my posts. Really though, I like to see people happy, so if I can make even just one person smile with one of my reviews, I'd be happy.
So, before we start with the whole movie reviewing thing, I figured I'd let you get to know me a bit. I'm not gonna be telling you everything about myself because 1) I'd rather not be stalked or abducted or anything like that and 2) I know you probably don't care.
I'm 18 years old right now, with two younger sisters and a younger brother. I enjoy English class more than the average person. I'm currently in college, majoring in Early Childhood Education so I can eventually become a kindergarten teacher. I also (eventually) am gonna be taking more film classes (I took 2 my senior year of high school) because the whole film-making process really interests me. I would love to edit movies someday, like real movies.
I love my life and most people in it. My friends are my life, and we are the biggest bunch of dorks when we're all together. But hey, we have fun. I love playing Frisbee, and that's actually the reason I know some of the people I'm friends with.
The music I listen to ranges from Taylor Swift to Aaron Carter to Joan Jett to Tegan & Sara. Pretty much the only music I *really* don't like at all is rap. I have a new favorite song pretty much every day, and I never have just one favorite. Right now my three favorites are "Crimson & Clover" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, "In Love Again" by The Veronicas, and "Helpless When She Smiles" by the Backstreet Boys. (Yes, I'm still a BSB fan. I'm also still a fan of Aaron Carter, Dream Street, and Hanson. Get over it.)
So what exactly qualifies me to review movies? Absolutly nothing other than the fact that I know what I like and what I don't.
And, um, one last thing before I start posting. I will almost always post my reviews on twitter BEFORE I post them here... so feel free to follow me there if you want to. The link is www.twitter.com/KimberlyAnna_91. If you choose to follow me, be warned now I post pretty random things and sometimes I update A LOT. Oh yeah, on to what I was actually going to say for my "one last thing".... don't expect a review on a regular basis. I'll update after I see a movie in the movie theater, but since movies aren't exactly that cheap, I never know when I'll be seeing one.
That's it for now. The first couple reviews I'll post, I've already written them and posted them on facebook/twitter. So if you're not following me on twitter/friends with me on facebook, then you won't have read these before.
Stay tuned for my review of The Runaways to be posted on Wednesday, May 5th.
I'll just say straight up, I know a lot of people out there won't be reading this blog. I mean, heck, it'd be cool if even just 5 people read any of my posts. Really though, I like to see people happy, so if I can make even just one person smile with one of my reviews, I'd be happy.
So, before we start with the whole movie reviewing thing, I figured I'd let you get to know me a bit. I'm not gonna be telling you everything about myself because 1) I'd rather not be stalked or abducted or anything like that and 2) I know you probably don't care.
I'm 18 years old right now, with two younger sisters and a younger brother. I enjoy English class more than the average person. I'm currently in college, majoring in Early Childhood Education so I can eventually become a kindergarten teacher. I also (eventually) am gonna be taking more film classes (I took 2 my senior year of high school) because the whole film-making process really interests me. I would love to edit movies someday, like real movies.
I love my life and most people in it. My friends are my life, and we are the biggest bunch of dorks when we're all together. But hey, we have fun. I love playing Frisbee, and that's actually the reason I know some of the people I'm friends with.
The music I listen to ranges from Taylor Swift to Aaron Carter to Joan Jett to Tegan & Sara. Pretty much the only music I *really* don't like at all is rap. I have a new favorite song pretty much every day, and I never have just one favorite. Right now my three favorites are "Crimson & Clover" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, "In Love Again" by The Veronicas, and "Helpless When She Smiles" by the Backstreet Boys. (Yes, I'm still a BSB fan. I'm also still a fan of Aaron Carter, Dream Street, and Hanson. Get over it.)
So what exactly qualifies me to review movies? Absolutly nothing other than the fact that I know what I like and what I don't.
And, um, one last thing before I start posting. I will almost always post my reviews on twitter BEFORE I post them here... so feel free to follow me there if you want to. The link is www.twitter.com/KimberlyAnna_91. If you choose to follow me, be warned now I post pretty random things and sometimes I update A LOT. Oh yeah, on to what I was actually going to say for my "one last thing".... don't expect a review on a regular basis. I'll update after I see a movie in the movie theater, but since movies aren't exactly that cheap, I never know when I'll be seeing one.
That's it for now. The first couple reviews I'll post, I've already written them and posted them on facebook/twitter. So if you're not following me on twitter/friends with me on facebook, then you won't have read these before.
Stay tuned for my review of The Runaways to be posted on Wednesday, May 5th.
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