Film Review: Thor: The Dark World (2013)

Well... I wasn't that impressed.

From the trailer, I didn't really have a burning desire to see this movie, mainly because it looked like a generic Marvel superhero movie - and it was. Some evil magic dust gets put someplace "no one will ever find it" so of course it is found about twenty minutes later (by the wrong people) and is released to wreak havoc, superhero has love interest(s) and they get together, someone dies, good wins over evil in the end, there's an ugly bad guy, etc. Also the "witty" banter exchanged throughout the entire movie was sometimes annoying. The only good thing about this movie was Loki and possibly Kat Dennings. I was basically just waiting for Loki to come on screen so I could stare at him.

If you have the need to see all the movies in the Marvel universe so you're in on everything by the next Avengers movie, then by all means give this a watch. But I don't think it's worth a second watch for me, unless I get an itch only Loki can scratch...in which case I'll probably watch the Avengers or the first Thor.

WHY WON'T YOU LET ME LOVE YOU!!!

 

Film Review: Ender's Game (2013)



Despite the not-so-good reviews I read about this movie, and the controversy over the book's author being homophobic, I actually enjoyed watching this. This may be due to my low expectations from the start, but I think it was mostly because of Asa Butterfield (Ender). I first saw Asa in The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and his performance in Hugo was memorable (I think it's those striking blue eyes) but Ender was a much more grown-up role for him and I think he did really well. Because of the heart Asa brought to the role of Ender, this movie did not suck as the review in EW had eluded to. The music was a big part of that too, I'm debating looking for the soundtrack. Hailee Steinfeld was okay... it wasn't anything like her performance in True Grit. And Harrison Ford brought a menace to the overbearing colonel Graff, but it wasn't his best role either.

 

 This is your typical alien invasion movie: lots of alien vs. human dogfights in the air, insect looking creatures that can't communicate with us and are here for our planet, Americans kicking ass, etc. But this does make you think about the morality of war and how children should not be soldiers. The only thing that really annoyed me is where they ended the dumb thing - setting up a big quest for the next installment. But this better not be like other movies that leave off in the middle of the freaking story and anticipate sequels that never happen. This didn't do as well in theaters as they thought it would (being a big YA fandom like The Hunger Games) so we may never find out what happens next... unless I read the books that is. I would definitely check this one out, it's good fun with a big climax at the end.

 

 

 

Film Review: Princess Mononoke (1997)

 

This was another Miyazaki movie I enjoyed, albeit a little sad. Okay, it was very sad. But Miyazaki's imagination is boundless, I have to say. There's the little clicky woodland creatures that bring luck, the nasty demons, the ape tribe that slink around in the dark and try to plant trees, and the amazing forest spirit that holds it all together - it's just magical. The sad part is that beautiful creatures have to die, but there is rebirth in the end and a peace hard won.

 

Characters voiced by Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, Gillian Anderson (X-Files), Jada Pinkett Smith, and randomly Billy Bob Thornton who plays a chubby Asian dude. This is not exactly a kid's movie because there's limbs being torn off, brothel ladies running around, and very heavy, dark themes playing out. Also lots of death, more than any other Miyazaki film I've seen. But don't be dissuaded, this movie is worth watching for the magical creatures and wonderful expanses that he's painted.

 

His movie echoes the recent feelings of loss for our own world's forests and ecosystems that are today being destroyed to reap the monetary benefits, as his "iron-town" rips up the mountainside for precious ores. He also shows us that some people have good and bad in them, and that everyone deserves to be saved, no matter how much you want them to die (*cough* Lady Eboshi). Definitely worth a watch :)

TV Review: GIRLS (season one)

Wow. This is a great show. There are 10 episodes at 30 min each and I loved every second. Lena Dunham is genius and hysterical, and the other girls are really entertaining as well - especially Jessa. I can't wait to get the next season!

Hannah, Marnie, Jessa, and Shoshanna live in New York and are trying to make their dreams come true...but do they know what those dreams are? Sounds like me haha. This is an HBO show so it's explicit, just as a warning. Definitely check it out, I know I learned something :)

Film Review: My Neighbor Totoro (1993)

Hayao Miyazaki's beautiful movies from studio Ghibli are favorites of mine, and the first one I ever saw was Kiki's Delivery Service. I hadn't seen this one before, so me and my brother sat down to watch it. It was aimed at children, but it has a magical quality that makes it fun for any age to watch. The best part about this movie was the cat bus, yes, a cat bus. Furry seats, and multiple legs like a centipede, the cat bus ran across the countryside using it's eyes as headlights and being unseen by adults (they could feel the wind it created though).

A wonderful movie (even though me and my brother made fun of it the whole time, it was aimed at kids if you remember) definitely worth watching, at least for the cat bus haha. Totoro was really funny too, he doesn't talk but he really doesn't need to. This is one of the best of Myazaki's that I've seen.

Book Review: The Giver (1993)

I had been meaning to read this book for years, and finally got around to it because they're going to make it into a movie. I think it's always better to read the book first, that way your take on it isn't contaminated by Hollywood.

I really liked this book, even though it was a little hard to wrap my head around it at first. I think Lois Lowry should have painted a better picture of Jonas' world in the beginning using more imagery. After a while though, I had a clear picture of this dystopian world I had entered into, and it was pretty horrifying. This book makes me appreciate things I take for granted every day like love, diversity, and even color.

Jonas lives in "The Community" and everything is under the spell of sameness - it's been that way for as long as anyone can remember. There are no choices, no colors, and no real feelings. Everyone receives a bicycle when they're nine, everyone is assigned a job at twelve which you will begin training for, you can apply for a spouse and one will be assigned to you, etc. Oh everyone is well cared for, and there is no pain, war, or fear. But what are the consequences of that? Jonas is picked for a special job - the man who has the burden of the world's memories to carry with him throughout his life - called the Receiver. The man who transfers these memories is called the Giver.

This is an important book to read, and once you get into it you have to read it all the way through. I'm excited to see the movie, they're making Jonas sixteen instead of twelve, and he's played by a hot new Australian actor named Brenton Thwaites. Also, Jeff Bridges plays the Giver (he originally wanted his father to play the part, but he passed away before they could film it) and Meryl Streep plays the chief elder, which has a more prominent role in the movie than in the book. It comes out in August of this year.