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Showing posts from April, 2011

Book Review -Water For Elephants

*May contain spoilers for the few people who haven't read it yet* I was surprised that I ended up liking this book. I say "ended up liking" because it took me around 100 pages to get into it. I didn't hate it up to that point, but it failed to grip me or impress me, and I didn't feel connected to the characters. That's not to say some of them weren't interesting. As usual, the villains stand out as the most colorful. Still, I was concerned. For one, I kept expecting Jacob to lose his virginity to Barbara the whore. I mean, he was so concerned about being a virgin and wanting to lose it, but I liked that he had kept it in his pants. So I was pretty much thinking, "Noooo! Don't lose it to a hooker! Wait for Marlena, you dumb man!" Ahem. Anyway, then the scene came, and I was left with the impression that he didn't, um, get deflowered, as it were. But it was never clarified. But at that point I didn't care all that much, because I wa

Donald Trump Needs To Go Away

Give me a break. We already have Sarah Palin and countless other loons and famewhores in politics or just entering into politics. Or trying to. And the Trump is such a typical example of a nasty Republican, don't you think? Rich, ugly, adulterous, fugly hair, wants to sleep with his daughter, occasionally exchanges wives, etc. I've never like Donald Trump to begin with, but he's taking it to another level. I don't mean to insult all Republicans, but a select group of them. I know they're not all like this. But this is terrible. And he says the dumbest things. Speaking of which, how racist can you get? If Obama was a white guy, they wouldn't be making as big a deal out of whether or not he was born on American soil. Then there's the fact that his mother was American, so even if he wasn't born in the States, he's still American. Then you have to remember that this is an old issue from 2008 that Hilary brought up in her campaign. Way past time to s

What To See???

It's a problem when it's time to go to the movies and there's nothing that strikes your fancy. I like to choose something that I have some faith and interest in, seeing as I'm not exactly bathing in money (hello, empty wallet!). As of now, the most appealing movie is Scream 4 (because it sounds like fun and it's horror), and Hobo With a Shotgun (because it has an awesome title). Unfortunately, Hobo With a Shotgun probably won't be playing at my theatre when it comes out on May 6th. The limited release films (if that's what it is, not sure yet) don't make it to these parts unless you're in the city. But I think that will either be an enjoyably crazy camp-classic, or it'll be ghastly and eye-gouging-worthy. Then there's Tyler Perry's new movie. I have never seen one of his films. I find this odd. I like goofy movies, but I admit that I know almost nil about these except that he dresses up as a woman named...Madea? Water For Elephants is

Classic Movie Review -Dinner At the Ritz

Starring Annabella and David Niven. I bought this 1937 film in conjunction with "No, No Nanette" back in 2006 at a dollar store. For a dollar. I got another two-movie deal, but they were terrible. But Dinner At the Ritz is a little gem. It's not without its flaws, but there's nothing about it that irks me. This is a murder mystery/romance/comedy and it's rather light (and short). Annabella plays a young woman whose father is murdered during a party at their swank home. Only the police rule it as a suicide. Her father's name is also sullied after his bank crashes and he is assumed to have swindled the people of their money. His daughter sets out to find his killer and clear his name by finding the six men responsible for ripping off the bank, one of whom killed her father. She has the help of a Detective who actually believes her, and a man who is in love with her (David Niven). Too bad she suspects that he may be the culprit, and he doesn't know who she

Ode To Green-Eyed Girls

Not really movie-related, but I felt like paying a small tribute to green eyes, mostly because I find eye color fascinating. Which should I do next? Brown? Hazel? Blue?                                                                    Robyn Who doesn't love Robyn? Kristin Kreuk One of my girl crushes. I haven't watched Smallville in years, but, you know, whatever. Emma Stone I still have to see Easy A. I haven't seen Emma in anything, but I already like her. Odd.   Kristen Stewart Aishwarya Rai *Sigh* So beautiful.

Random Review of the Day -Just Go With It

I'll be upfront and say that I don't like Adam Sandler. Alright, so I liked him in The Wedding Singer and maybe another film or two, and perhaps SNL (I can't remember), but nowadays I find him unappealing and irking. But that didn't stop me from seeing this. I didn't intend to see it (ever) but it's a comedy and I was in the mood for a laugh. I took my dad with me, who knows almost nothing about movies and what they're about. He was game for anything. Just Go With It got bad reviews, but it succeeded in its aim, which was to be silly and cause a few laughs. It's stupid, fairly predictable, unrealistic, and Adam Sandler never manages to come off as a hottie who both Jennifer Aniston and that blonde chick would want, but I'll let it pass. Somewhat. Nicole Kidman and Dave Matthews show up as a married couple who compete with Jennifer Aniston (jeez, I can't even remember her character's name!) and Adam Sandler's (or his, wtf?) "marri

Web Fights

One of the most ridiculous things I have ever done is get into arguments with people online. People I've never met. They're typically about something unimportant or shallow. I think a lot of folks have been there. Maybe it's a tiff over your favorite actor, and one of you is defending them like your life depends on it, and the other is saying, "Nah, they suck." Or it could be about politics. I hate getting into political arguments, or any argument, for that matter, even if I know I'm right. It makes my blood boil and I generally feel bad and unsettled. I'm not a happy arguer. Some people love it. I don't, but sometimes I can't help but put my two cents in and get my opinion out there. Because while I don't enjoy being argumentative, I am opinionated when it comes to a lot of things. So I figure I want someone to hear me. Which is when the sharks come in. Funny how often the sharks are thirteen-year-old schoolgirls who don't know how to sp

Bad Movie That Isn't Really Bad -Jennifer's Body

It's a matter of opinion, of course. Not everyone will like this movie, but I enjoyed it. It's not great and it won't win any awards, but really, the ones that win the awards are usually the boring ones. I went into this having never seen Megan Fox in a film, so I was without any particular bias towards her. I know that she is considered one of the worst actresses of our time and that many people flat-out dislike her. This film probably won't convert anyone to team Megan, but I for one thought she was rather perfect for it. Her character is a shallow, slutty, self-centered brat with few brain cells, so it's not that hard to pull off. I enjoyed Adam Brody in this, too. I don't think I realized he was in it until he turned up as a satanic singer. Oh, and the soundtrack is worth getting. The ending gave me exactly what I wanted, and *mild spoiler* I was happy to see Amanda Seyfried's character come into her own and kick some ass. Girl power! Jennifer

"Good" Movies That I Hate

Ever see a classic movie that is supposed to be one of the best movies ever? Or how about one of those Oscar nominees that you have to see? Or maybe just a critically acclaimed film that "won over critics and audiences alike" and generally wowed people with its awesomeness? Or maybe it just wowed someone you know and they insist you watch it. So they're amazing, great, and you have to watch it because, duh, they're amazing and great. And then you watch it. Your eyes glaze over. You yawn. You groan in boredom. You roll your eyes. You're disgusted. And you hate it. This has happened to me quite a few times. It's so disappointing, and I have only recently gotten over the guilt I acquire for not finishing a movie. But if it doesn't entertain me and basically makes me want to cry with boredom, then I'm wasting my time. And raising my blood pressure. Grr. Here are some that I hated. *Manhattan (now I like some Woody Allen films. This o

Movie Review -Hanna

For the most part, this was a very entertaining film. I loved watching Hanna kick ass, and seeing her go out into civilization when she had lived in the forest for so long was interesting. There were perhaps one or two parts that I felt were unnecessary, such as when Hanna and her new friend go out with a couple of boys on motorbikes. It also left me with some unanswered questions at the end, which I didn't appreciate. And I can't pinpoint it, but there's something lacking. As of yet, I have no idea what. But the casting is perfect. Cate Blanchett is as cold and evil as ever, and Eric Bana, who I never thought much of (The Hulk, that's why!) redeemed himself. Saoirse Ronan was great as Hanna, and easy to watch with her pale blonde hair and icy blue eyes. Sometimes I thought her voice was a bit too light and airy, but eh, it's not a big deal. Also, that dude (whose name I don't know) who played Mr. Collins in the 2005 Pride and Prejudice is cast as a bad guy

Movie To See -Insidious

Oh, I love this one. I'm not a huge horror fan, but if they're well done and genuinely creepy, then I'm game. This one was scary. Insidious is a ghost story. And the ghosts are not nice. It starts off with the lovely family of five moving into a creepy old house. Or maybe it just looks old. I'm not sure why they moved, but I have a feeling things were a bit off at the other house, too. The family consists of Renai and Josh Lambert, their two young sons, and a baby daughter. Josh is a school teacher, and Renai is taking time off to work on composing music, as well as taking care of her children. She does most of the work, as we soon find out, while Josh avoids dealing with problems. Which is too bad, since scary shit starts happening pretty fast. It sucks to be a mother of three and have a husband who isn't always there for you. Especially when you start hearing and seeing things. Immediately, you know that something is wrong in this house. Soon, so does Renai

Random Review of the Day -Crazy Heart

Maybe I missed something when I watched Crazy Heart. It got great reviews, and Jeff Bridges won an Oscar for it. But damn, I was bored. Not only was I bored, but I found that I didn't care all that much about the characters. Now, I like Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal. They weren't the problems. It was simply the movie itself. It wasn't all that original, and Bridges' washed-up country star was your typical alcoholic who still attracts women with...I don't know, allure? I guess being a musician will do that no matter who you are, even if you smell, are fat, and old. It got a little better towards the end. I wasn't as bored as I was through most of it, and there were a few minutes of drama that interested me. I think there is a message in this movie and it will touch certain people, but it didn't do it for me. It was riddled with cliches and dragged in parts. Overall, it was okay, and I wouldn't watch it again. My grade -C+

Introduction

Hello! Welcome to my first ever blog! This is basically just going to be me reviewing movies, books, the occasional show, and music. Then I will be pretentious and grade what I'm reviewing, because, well, I like doing that. These are just my opinions. I don't expect everyone to agree with them, but if you have something to add just leave a comment. I only bite sometimes. In addition to my pretentious reviews, you may also find tidbits of gossip and rants about things that are going on, whether in the news or in my life.