Friday, December 30, 2016

Jem and The Holograms



Ok, so if you're like any 80's kid you watched Jem on Saturday morning with your cocoa puffs....or in my case my rice krispies. If you walk into this movie thinking that it's going to be a remake of the Saturday morning cartoon then you probably shouldn't watch this movie. If you are like the 9 billion of us that loved movies like Juneau, Saved!, and so many other quirky coming of age movies, then you're going to love Jem and The Holograms. This movie is a far cry from the Saturday morning cartoon in many wonderful ways. It's about Jem and her sisters of course, and their true and beautiful bond of love and friendship that only sisters can have. It's about finding yourself and helping others do the same. I left that movie feeling inspired and with a smile on my face. I give it a four out of five for the only purpose that I wish there was more. I was totally into watching this movie after it flopped at the box office, and I can't understand why. It's got a great feel to it and it's just a light fun movie to watch. 


Sully....What can I say? This movie is inspiring, no that's not a good word for it. Incredible...no that's not it. There are no words to describe this movie. The whole event was a miracle in itself and it was at the hands of the two men piloting that plane. I was astounded at all that happened, how just by happenstance those people were on that plain, and how incredible their stories were and how everyone made it. I was so moved by the response by the ferries in the water and the coast guard. This movie really is a movie about the indomitable human spirit. The only complaint I had, too short it could have gone so much further. The writing and acting was amazing and Hanks and Eckhardt did a great job of telling the story of these two incredible men. This movie cannot be reviewed on the acting abilities of one actor, not even by two actors, it's a great ensemble piece.  My favorite part was seeing the real people at the end it was so awesome. Highly recommended. 

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

The Shadowhunters Codex Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis



First off....the artwork....oh my gosh....there are various artworks in this book and they are all beautiful however what struck me is the artwork under the front cover and under the back cover it is so beautiful and you really see the two different storylines from the Infernal Devices and from the Mortal Instruments. 
The words are clear and concise and very different from Cassie's creative style, however it is supposed to be because this book was written by the Clave for the use of future Shadowhunters. So you can truly see the way the Clave looks at things and it really ties everything together. You see how they look at it and see things from the different series of books and things that happen and you go..."Oh I know what that is" (eg...Demon Pox nuff said). 
The little comments by Clary, Jace, and Simon are hilarious. Simon, I love his comedic remarks and Clary's answers. I personally love when she shows the book to Luke and takes notes. There's a point where Luke is mad and pacing around the room and I just rolled laughing because I understood the Clave's one mindedness and I agreed with Luke. He was taught all of this before he became a werewolf and now he's seeing how one minded the Clave is and he sees how ridiculous it is. 
It's a dry read but it's meant to be and it really is so descriptive and "in the world" of this incredible series. Cassandra Clare's writing is one of a kind and so beautiful and amazing and special. She's created this wonderfully frightening world of angels and demons and good and evil and the fine line that we all walk between the two. This is just an overall awesome read and I highly recommend it. 

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a classic in its own right



Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them... It's not Harry Potter, however it is a classic in its own right. I loved the creature creations for this movie including of course those greedy goblins which I was so very happy to see in this film as well. Eddie Redmayne did such a wonderful job as Newt Scamander and his cast of creatures was breathtaking. They were all created differently and beautifully in their own right. His deep connection and understanding of the creatures was so well done by Redmayne who seemed to be a little Autistic with his lack of eye contact most of the time while talking, which if it was done on purpose, I love it. It gives the character even more depth and beauty. The other wizards were amazing, I think my favorite was Queenie Goldstein she was so endearing and such a wonderfully played character. She had a lot of heart and that endeared her to the audience even more.
It was cool to see the differences between the American and British Ministries of Magic and the difference in terminologies between the two countries. All in all this movie gets 5 enthusiastic stars from me. The continuity was incredible and I highly recommend it.

Saturday, November 12, 2016





Hacksaw Ridge is an amazing movie. Sarah and I went to see it this afternoon and it was really true to life. I became wrapped in the storyline right from the beginning and the fact that this is a true story had me amazed at the happenings. They were very careful about making everything look authentic right down to the buttons on the uniforms. This is the story of a true hero, and I don't want to spoil it for you. Let me say that Desmond Doss is probably one of the most unsung brave heroes I've ever read about the things he did during the war are incredible.

This man with strong faith was braver than anyone can imagine. You must see this movie it was excellent!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Nerve




This movie is incredible, I can totally see an underground game going on like this. It truly could be considered a cautionary tale in my book. The game of Nerve as described in the movie is truth or dare without the truth. People run around doing dares for cash driven by people hiding behind a keyboard. In real life people are very brave behind a keyboard but if you call them out they back down. It is very similar in this movie. With plot twists a plenty it will definitely test your nerve and put you on the edge of your seats for this action packed ride. This is for a more mature audience and definitely needs the parental, just because they do it in the movies doesn't mean that you should try it in real life. 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children



I have to admit I was skeptical going into the movie because the book was very slow moving for my tastes and I did not finish it. So when my daughter said she'd treat me to see it, I said yes just to see how the movie was compared to the book. I was very pleased with this movie, it was definitely faster than the writing in the book which dragged you along very slowly. The characters from the book really came to life and I especially loved Miss Peregrine she was so well played by Eva Green. She really brought that character to life in so many awesome ways I can't begin to count them. The makeup and the set designs were incredible and the power creation effects were very well done. All in all I would definitely add this amazing movie to my collection when it is available. I thumbs up for give this movie an enthusiastic thumbs up for all ages.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Free State of Jones



Free State of Jones

This movie is Oscar worthy, this is some of McConaughey's finest work. His portrayal of a man who is just trying to do the right thing during a tumultuous time in history is incredible. I love the camaraderie with all characters black and white. During a war like the Civil War there's the people that fight against crooked soldiers, and for the rights of everyone whatever color their skin. This is what this movie is about. 

I loved this movie, I will be adding this to my collection and giving it as a gift as well. This is an incredible and based on true stories from the Civil War, which I have a huge interest in. However this did not sway my opinion of this film at all. This film is standalone awesome all on its own merits. The writing, the characters, the storyline...every piece of this movie was well done. I don't know what the budget was for this film, but it was money well spent on a phenomenal and talented cast. 

Beyond the cast choices the writing of this story was amazing, I would read this screenplay over and over again. Kudos to the writers, it was understandable and riveting. The characters were well developed and well written with well imagined backstories. 

I can't say enough how good this movie was I would highly recommend it to anyone. I haven't seen a Civil War Film this good since 12 Years a Slave, which was another movie I truly loved. 

McConaghey's character is akin to the one that Mel Gibson played in The Patriot and he played it just as well. However his character's love was not just for family, but for his community and the world around him. He protected them in a time when there were crooked soldiers and generals stealing from them.

All in all this was an outstanding film! Highly recommended.


Blair Witch




If you saw the 1999 version of The Blair Witch Project I wouldn't bother seeing this movie, it is along the same lines but now it's the brother looking for his lost sister in this movie with his friends. I came home tonight and said to my husband, "Well it was just like the first one just with more screaming and better equipment." Everything in this movie was overplayed in the previews. It had you expecting a decent plot and better written characters. Unfortunately that was not the case. With the larger budget and play up I thought this would be a better movie. Of course there were a lot of jump scares which always keep the audience going and the use of a drone instead of handheld cameras showed ho much of a reboot this really was. Honestly again, if you've seen the first one in 1999 it's the same story, different characters. All I can say is reboot, repeat, wait till it hits tv or video. Not worth seeing in the theater. I am a huge horror fan and the more b rated the better but this was a strikeout for me. 

Friday, September 9, 2016

Me before you starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke


Me before you starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke 






Synopsis:

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of color. And neither of them knows they're going to change each other for all time.


Review:

Me before you is an excellent film for all audiences it's a sweet love story involving a quadriplegic man and a beautiful young lady caretaker who was hired to raise his spiritss She soon learns that there is more to this man than she originally believed. Sam Claflin does a good job playing Will the quadriplegic man who had gotten into an accident and lost the use of his arms and legs as the story unfolds the totals of How Will's life had been before his accident ***spoiler alert he attends the wedding of his former fiancĂ© and shenanigans ensue.*** The love story itself is a sweet and tender love story and a coming-of-age for the caretaker Lou. Lou had originally gotten the job because her father was unemployed and she wanted to help her family. Will's family is very rich and out of the kindness of his heart he spoke to his own father and found a position for her father working at a castle they owned. If you love Sam Claflin he did an excellent job in this film it rivals Denzel Washington's performance in The Bone Collector. He took a very difficult role and made it into a beautiful character that you grow to love. This movie will have you laughing, crying, and smiling all the way through. It is an excellent film, and I am not normally a romantic film kind of gal but this one intrigued me. 

Saturday, August 20, 2016

Suicide Squad a great film about bad guys!



Ok folks, I don't see what everyone is complaining about I thought Suicide Squad was excellent. The beginning of the movie with most of the backstories was played out very well and was written well. It was awesome getting to know the key players that we'd be falling in love with if it's possible to fall in love with bad guys which since I did it is!
I especially love Harley she was a source of humor throughout the movie but don't let her out of your sight just yet she's in trouble ten times over but she handles herself with ladylike grace and some punk Kick butt in the middle.
I liked Will Smith's interpretation of Deadshot, you knew why he was taking part in this suicide mission and he really turned out to be the leader we expected him to be.
As for Jared Leto's Joker, I don't know why he was complaining or saying that he was fooled into making this movie. He was the complete package makeup and all lipstick fetish notwithstanding. While he had a small part in the film there are no small parts, his "death" was what gave Harley her turn into a good guy, not that she wasn't always., She seemed to play as the heart of the suicide squad.
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje did a hell of a job as killer croc I loved the cajun accent he had going on and really did the character a lot of justice.
This whole film was an excellent and fun ride and I'd highly recommend it five stars! I love the bad guys and it made me so happy to see these bad guys kickin butt and possibly taking names.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Goosebumps a classic!


So we just finished watching Jack Black and the crew in the movie Goosebumps. Need I say this movie is a clear classic in my eyes done in awesome Goosebumps style! My kids love reading the books and I loved reading them too they were done so very awesomely in this well written romp with funny characters and crazy beasts! I had the opportunity to meet the cast of this amazing film and I must say they did a wonderful job bringing the characters to life. I know that they were nervous about how this movie would be received but I knew it was going to be wicked awesome from the get go. I had the opportunity to go to the panel and see many many clips of this movie and all of them were better than the last one they showed. Every story has 3 parts, the beginning, the middle, and the twist. The twists and turns in this movie do not disappoint! I even had the chance to meet the master himself Mr. RL Stine.he was so incredibly friendly and so supportive of my writing. I was so touched when he wished me luck. There was room left open for another one and I hope hope hope they make it. The CGI in this film is incredible, with all of those characters you needed it so the brilliant folks at the studio did a stellar job at bringing these characters to life on the big screen. This is above and beyond a 5 star review!