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Showing posts from May, 2012

Sherlock: The Hounds of Baskerville

Just a quick review, since I was too lazy to write one last week. This was never going to be one of my favorite episodes, because, if I'm being honest, the "Baskerville" story has never lit my fire. It doesn't matter which series it is, which movie, it just lacks something. But that's just me. I know very well that this is one of the better-known books in the series, and there's a reason for that. Still, this isn't a bad episode, but it failed to excite me, or really grab my attention. I also simply prefer this story in an old-fashioned setting with less extras to clog up a scene. It's set in the country, which I associate with fields and quiet, and sinister murder plots, not secret buildings filled with animals experiments and scientists. My grade: B

Slightly Underrated: This Means War

Look, it's not going to leave a stamp on the world of rom-coms, but "This Means War" isn't a terrible movie. Its biggest offenses are being mediocre and cliche-ridden, which it truly is. You can see them coming. Lauren (Reese Witherspoon) runs into a hunky (more like average hunk) ex who is so damn happy with his beautiful fiance. They even ride bikes together like true lovers do. Oh, and of course this ex broke our heroine's heart and did it in a not-so-nice way (the prick cheated on her, and frankly she's too cute to be cheated on). Then her sassy, nosy, pushy friend (Chelsea Handler, who I'll talk about later), signs her up on a dating site without her permission, and posts some questionable pictures of her, making her look like a grand ho. Great friend. Oh, but it does nab her a date with single father/CIA operative Tuck (Tom Hardy), which in turn leads her to meet his ladies man/CIA operative friend FDR (seriously?). She then begins dating them

Movie Review: The Avengers

I can see why this blew up the box office this past weekend. Dang. I love a good action movie, and when you have a handful of superheroes thrown into the mix, well, the result is this. Now think about it: this could have been a giant pile of horse manure, but the filmmakers managed to spin this into a great superhero movie that you won't soon forget. It's cool that this came out only a year after "Thor" and "Captain America", so these two characters, at least, are fresh in the audience's minds, and it might even give people that final push to see this. You may remember that I liked "Thor" for the most part, and I was disappointed with "Captain", although it wasn't a complete dud. Loki is the antagonist, like he was in "Thor", only he's more villainous this time around, and his hair is even more fugtastic this year. *Sigh* This makes me happy. I love me some Tom Hiddleston. "Avengers" boasts gr

Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia

*Big smiley face* Sherlock is back! Woot! I'm happy now that mystery season is back in full swing. For Sherlock, they've lined up some of his most famous cases. I'm always interested in how they spin these tales and make them their own in modern times. This takes place immediately after last season's finale. Irene Adler puts her stamp on the series, matching wits with Sherlock and almost beating the detective at his own game, but she's never quite as clever as he is, and she's not abnormal enough to outdo him, if you know what I mean. I remember the version of this episode in the Jeremy Brett series. It was one of my brother's least favorite episodes because it posed the question/possibility, what have you, of Sherlock falling in love. That simply isn't Sherlock, hence why the idea is unpleasant to swallow. They do the same thing here, naturally. But Sherlock really isn't the type to fall in love, and I'm not saying this because he's a

Movie Review: Serial Mom

*may be spoilers* I feel as if I should have seen this before, but it somehow managed to escape my notice. But hey, I found it! Great premise, too: Kathleen Turner as a picture-perfect wife and mother, living in a nice house in a nice neighborhood. She's also insane and likes to kill people over the smallest matters. She has a talent for murder, but not, sadly, for covering her tracks. The thought of wearing gloves or wiping fingerprints doesn't even cross her mind. The first half of this is the strongest. After she gets arrested, it loses some of its humor and charm, though it doesn't completely fall flat. Good ending, as well. Ricki Lake plays her daughter, Misty. It's easy to forget about her acting days, especially when you haven't seen her in anything...like me. I liked her in this, and may I say that it was refreshing to have a chubby young actress instead of a typical, thin, dime-a-dozen actress? Overall, not a bad comedy, but not a masterpiece.

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

An element I always appreciate in every genre is humor, and what a great way to boost a horror film! This movie ends up being quite freaky/gory, with a dash of humor, often provided by my favorite character, Marty, the pot smoker who realizes that he and his friends are just puppets in an elaborate massacre ala your typical horror movie. You don't find out why they're being set-up and manipulated in an "Evil Dead"-like scenario until later on, but you do see the people working behind the scenes to ensure they all play their "parts". That is: the slut, the jock, the nerd, the fool, and the virgin (even though she's totally not a virgin). I was happy where this ended up going. I thought I knew how it was going to end after a certain point, but then it went in a surprising (to me, at least) and pleasing direction. Not what I expected of this film! It's nicely cast, as well.  Bottom line: if you're at all into horror, you should see this

Quick Movie Review: Zus and Zo

Three sisters go batshit crazy when they find out their gay younger brother is marrying a woman, thus inheriting the family hotel in Portugal that they all covet. None of them are entirely happy with their lives. One sister is screwing another sister's husband, an ugly man who is supposedly quite seductive. She's the most unlikable of the bunch, though none of them are terribly likable. This is a comedy, but it just wasn't funny. And the only characters I came close to liking were the gay brother and his lady love, who I actually  wanted to get the hotel, even though that was the only reason they were getting married. It's just not easy liking a movie when you can't root for the main characters. Add to that some ridiculous goings-on near the end, and this film is a fail for me. My grade: C