It's Tuesday night, so I have two killer movies for y'all to watch. And I highly recommend both of these. And as an added bonus, one was in "The Book" which makes a whopping 75 movies that I have seen from "The Book". I think this is quite a milestone! *Insert celebratory dance*
First movie of the night is Buster Keaton's The Scarecrow. This movie was absolutely magnificent and had everyone laughing the entire 19 minutes. Keaton's style is similar to that of Charlie Chaplin. Personally,I love them both! In The Scarecrow, Keaton and his roommate have fallen in love with the neighbor farm girl and are both vying for her attention and hand in marriage. However, her dad (played by Keaton's actual father) doesn't like either one. So the movie turns into this giant comedic chase to prevent either from getting her hand in marriage, but in the end, Keaton succeeds. (4 Stars)
The second, and final movie, is Sergei M. Eisenstein's Bronenosets Potyomkin [Battleship Potemkin]. Battleship is a visionary Soviet film that was meant to be a commemoration of the uprising of 1905, which led to the Bolshevik Revolution in Soviet Russia. Normally, I'm not a fan of these particular types of movies, but I really enjoyed this one. My film class has really changed (and improved) my outlook on these foreign classics, because I get to really understand more of a back story to these films, and what makes them so important to their time. For example, Battleship is considered a Political Montage which was very popular in both the USSR and France during the 1920s. This film is about the uprising f soldiers on the Battleship Potemkin and the reaction of the civilians in the nearby town. It has a very poetic, artistic style to it. For instance, the first soldier to call out for rebellion was the first of many to die, and his death was the symbol that started the uprising in the civilian people. I honestly would love to see a modern remake of this film, I think it would be really cool! This is definitely a classic that everyone should see. (3 Stars)
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Two Classics
It's Tuesday, so you know what that means! MORE MOVIE REVIEWS! YEEHAW.
Today I have two movies from the Classic Hollywood Age, Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant (1917) and D.W. Griffith's True Heart Susie (1919).
First up, The Immigrant! I would just like to start out by stressing how much of a cinematic genius Charlie Chaplin is. When it comes to the world of film, I hold him in very high regards and would LOVE to meet him and just talk about movies with him. First off, he's hilarious and he never even speaks in his movies. Second, he was so good that he was getting paid crazy salaries for the time. He just has this wonderful on-screen charisma that everyone can relate to, which is why people adored him so. In this movie, he plays a poor immigrant on his way to America. On the boat ride to the states, he wins a bunch of money playing poker, but gives it to this beautiful woman he meets who needs it more than him. After living in America sometime, we see that Chaplin is a poor, hungry man. He finds a silver dollar on the ground and decides to treat himself to some food, but that is literally all of the money he has. While getting food, he sees the woman once again and in the end tries to convince her to marry him, and we can see that even though they are both poor, they are happy. Needless to say, I loved it. (4 stars)
The second and final movie of the night was True Heart Susie. This movie, ultimately, was about love. The title character, Susie, is in love with the boy next door, William. William wants to go to college, but cannot afford it, so Susie secretly sells off her belongings and pays for William's tuition. William is your typical teenage boy; he cannot see what is right in front of him until it is too late. Susie is madly in love with him, but he has no clue. Not surprising, eh, ladies? So William goes off to college and comes back to become the minister of the town. While he was away, Susie was preparing herself to be the perfect mate for him. Of course, that doesn't happen, because this slut Bettina moves in and woos him for all the wrong reasons, so Betty and William get married. Little does he know (in fact, only Susie knows) that Bettina has been having extramarital affairs. Even after Betty dies from pneumonia, Susie never betrays William by letting him know. However, he finds out everything (including that Susie paid for his college) and realizes he loved her the whole time. Not going to lie, it was a pretty complicated storyline to keep up with, especially when there are no words to accompany it. Overall, I felt like I could connect with Susie, and I'm sure any girl in the world could. It's hard to watch the guy you like fall for "the wrong girl" let alone any girl at all. I gotta give Susie some props for keeping her cool. Other than that, the movie was painfully long (or at least felt that way) and I don't really plan on seeing it ever again. (2.5 stars)
More for y'all later!
Today I have two movies from the Classic Hollywood Age, Charlie Chaplin's The Immigrant (1917) and D.W. Griffith's True Heart Susie (1919).
First up, The Immigrant! I would just like to start out by stressing how much of a cinematic genius Charlie Chaplin is. When it comes to the world of film, I hold him in very high regards and would LOVE to meet him and just talk about movies with him. First off, he's hilarious and he never even speaks in his movies. Second, he was so good that he was getting paid crazy salaries for the time. He just has this wonderful on-screen charisma that everyone can relate to, which is why people adored him so. In this movie, he plays a poor immigrant on his way to America. On the boat ride to the states, he wins a bunch of money playing poker, but gives it to this beautiful woman he meets who needs it more than him. After living in America sometime, we see that Chaplin is a poor, hungry man. He finds a silver dollar on the ground and decides to treat himself to some food, but that is literally all of the money he has. While getting food, he sees the woman once again and in the end tries to convince her to marry him, and we can see that even though they are both poor, they are happy. Needless to say, I loved it. (4 stars)
The second and final movie of the night was True Heart Susie. This movie, ultimately, was about love. The title character, Susie, is in love with the boy next door, William. William wants to go to college, but cannot afford it, so Susie secretly sells off her belongings and pays for William's tuition. William is your typical teenage boy; he cannot see what is right in front of him until it is too late. Susie is madly in love with him, but he has no clue. Not surprising, eh, ladies? So William goes off to college and comes back to become the minister of the town. While he was away, Susie was preparing herself to be the perfect mate for him. Of course, that doesn't happen, because this slut Bettina moves in and woos him for all the wrong reasons, so Betty and William get married. Little does he know (in fact, only Susie knows) that Bettina has been having extramarital affairs. Even after Betty dies from pneumonia, Susie never betrays William by letting him know. However, he finds out everything (including that Susie paid for his college) and realizes he loved her the whole time. Not going to lie, it was a pretty complicated storyline to keep up with, especially when there are no words to accompany it. Overall, I felt like I could connect with Susie, and I'm sure any girl in the world could. It's hard to watch the guy you like fall for "the wrong girl" let alone any girl at all. I gotta give Susie some props for keeping her cool. Other than that, the movie was painfully long (or at least felt that way) and I don't really plan on seeing it ever again. (2.5 stars)
More for y'all later!
Monday, January 21, 2013
Tarantino Classic
There is so much hype right now concerning the newest Quinten Tarantino movie, Django Unchained. Although I had never seen a Tarantino movie, I knew that his type of movies were not my cup of tea, which is why I decided I would not pay money to go see his latest film. However, I figured it's about time I finally see a Tarantino movie, especially if I want to claim "not to like them", so, I started at the beginning with his directorial debut, Reservoir Dogs. (Also, I'd like to apologize to those of you who thought you would be getting a review on Django, because you're not.)
I can tell you straight off the bat that I didn't like it. I am NOT A FAN of Tarantino. His style is just way too bizarre for me. Yes, I do think he is a phenomenal director when it comes to the logistics of film, I just don't particularly enjoy his movies. Again, I've only seen one so far, so he may prove me wrong yet.
Reservoir Dogs (RD) is about a botched robbery. The story itself is told in a sort of reverse order. At the beginning of the film, we see a man driving a wounded man to a warehouse, begging him to stay alive. Slowly, we get backstories of all the other characters. We learn that there is a group of men who all know each other by code names only, such as Mr. Black and Mr. Pink, and aer working together to rob a jewelry store. However, someone ratted and the cops knew they would be there. So now, the remaining men still alive are trying to figure out who the traitor is. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I hate to ruin it, but everybody dies. No seriously they do. This isn't some trick where I shout "Everyone dies" just to piss you off. They really do all die. Kind of depressing. Also, there are very few women in this film. I can only remember there being one... But, anyways... That's the movie in a nutshell. I feel kind of bad for Tarantino though, because he's the first one to die. But, it is his movie, so it's his own fault. OK - I no longer feel bad for him. (2 Stars)
Well, some exciting news is that this movie was in "The Book"! 74 down!! Yee Yee!
Also, I would just like to rub in the fact that
a) I had the day off today
and
b) Since I didn't procrastinate all weekend (I actually did all my HW on Saturday/Sunday) I got to spend my day catching up on my TV shows and watching this movie. So HA.
I can tell you straight off the bat that I didn't like it. I am NOT A FAN of Tarantino. His style is just way too bizarre for me. Yes, I do think he is a phenomenal director when it comes to the logistics of film, I just don't particularly enjoy his movies. Again, I've only seen one so far, so he may prove me wrong yet.
Reservoir Dogs (RD) is about a botched robbery. The story itself is told in a sort of reverse order. At the beginning of the film, we see a man driving a wounded man to a warehouse, begging him to stay alive. Slowly, we get backstories of all the other characters. We learn that there is a group of men who all know each other by code names only, such as Mr. Black and Mr. Pink, and aer working together to rob a jewelry store. However, someone ratted and the cops knew they would be there. So now, the remaining men still alive are trying to figure out who the traitor is. If you haven't seen this movie yet, I hate to ruin it, but everybody dies. No seriously they do. This isn't some trick where I shout "Everyone dies" just to piss you off. They really do all die. Kind of depressing. Also, there are very few women in this film. I can only remember there being one... But, anyways... That's the movie in a nutshell. I feel kind of bad for Tarantino though, because he's the first one to die. But, it is his movie, so it's his own fault. OK - I no longer feel bad for him. (2 Stars)
Well, some exciting news is that this movie was in "The Book"! 74 down!! Yee Yee!
Also, I would just like to rub in the fact that
a) I had the day off today
and
b) Since I didn't procrastinate all weekend (I actually did all my HW on Saturday/Sunday) I got to spend my day catching up on my TV shows and watching this movie. So HA.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Scare the Pants Off Ya
I love scary movies. I love scary movies parodies even more. However, A Haunted House wasn't at all what I was expecting. Jimmy Fallon gave it a rave review. Everyone I had talked to said it was great and HILARIOUS.
The movie is about a guy's girlfriend who moves into his house, and with her, bring a demon. It is supposed to be a parody of Paranormal Activity and other scary movies of its kind. When it came to stuff about the ghost, the movie was hilarious, but it had a very raunchy sense of humor. After looking back on the movie, I don't think there was a single joke that wasn't about sex. So, even though it was a funny movie, it made me, and many other people, uncomfortable. Some people like that kind of humor. Personally, I don't mind it, in doses, not 90 minutes worth of straight sex humor and sex scenes and so on. But, like I said, it was funny and it did a great job of making fun of scary movies. I also appreciated how some parts of the movie stayed true to black stereotypes while other parts proved them wrong.
That's it for today, short and sweet.
The movie is about a guy's girlfriend who moves into his house, and with her, bring a demon. It is supposed to be a parody of Paranormal Activity and other scary movies of its kind. When it came to stuff about the ghost, the movie was hilarious, but it had a very raunchy sense of humor. After looking back on the movie, I don't think there was a single joke that wasn't about sex. So, even though it was a funny movie, it made me, and many other people, uncomfortable. Some people like that kind of humor. Personally, I don't mind it, in doses, not 90 minutes worth of straight sex humor and sex scenes and so on. But, like I said, it was funny and it did a great job of making fun of scary movies. I also appreciated how some parts of the movie stayed true to black stereotypes while other parts proved them wrong.
That's it for today, short and sweet.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Best Class EVER.
I have discovered the best class at Texas A&M University. History of Film.
Every Tuesday night from 7 PM to 9:30 PM I get to sit in a classroom and watch movies. Then every Tuesday and Thursday during the day, I get to sit in a classroom and learn about how awesome movie are. This is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me.
In saying this, our first movie lab was tonight so I have loads to share with you. Yay!
*Added Bonus* - Two of the movies we watched were in "The Book".
First we watched a bunch of short (and I mean short) films by the Lumiere Brothers. They were each about 1 minute long but they were some of the first films ever made and screened in their version of a theater. These films ranged from a baby eating to a train coming into the station. Actually, L'Arrivee d'un train a La Ciotat has a really cool back-story that our professor told us. The way that the camera was set up, it looked as if the train was coming towards the camera. Since the whole "moving picture" thing was very new, many people who were watching this film jumped up, ran out of the room, and screamed. They thought that the train was going to come through the screen!
Next, we got to watch a film that was a bit longer (by a whole minute). The only difference is that this time, it had more of a story to it, rather than just a literal moving picture. Par le trou de serrure is about a peeping tom janitor who looks through keyholes of hotel rooms.
Finally, we are starting to get to the goods people. Our next film was by the famed Georges Melies, and is possibly one of the most recognized silent films EVER. It's also the very first film listed in "The Book". Le Voyage dans la lune [Trip to the Moon] is about a group of wizard-looking scientists who travel to the moon in a bullet-spaceship. It's incredible to see what they imaged the moon would be like. I can tell you, it is NOTHING like the actual moon. It even had inhabitants that the head scientist could kill by bashing them with his cane. One of the coolest things about this movie is that it was in color. OK - not actually, but kind of. This movie came out in 1902, and was filmed in black and white, but sometimes for movies (as they did for this one), they would take the film strips and literally color it like a coloring book. They would have to do this for every single frame. It's absolutely incredible in my opinion the detail that goes into making these films.
Next, we watched The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter in 1902. The title is pretty self-explanatory. This was the very first western y'all! Forget Clint Eastwood, forget John Wayne, it's all about this movie right here. My favorite fact about this movie is that they actually filmed it while on a moving train. It was also one of the first movies of the time that you start to notice the camera panning. Most films were shot from one spot and the camera didn't move a bit. Annnnnd, it used cross-cutting, or following more than one story line (kind of like, "back at the ranch..." in novels).
Alright, two more movies. Now for The Crime of Carelessness. This was actually based on/inspired by a huge factory fire in 1911 in NYC (This fire is also the likely reason we have illuminated EXIT signs). Basically, the factory owner blocked his fire exits, despite being asked to clear them, and a fire was started and 146 workers died. The movie is slightly different, but it portrays the same message. It's a very cautionary tale, similar to a public service announcement, but with much more zest.
Finally, we watched a pretty long silent film. And by pretty long I mean 49 minutes, but that is long compared to the minute to 15 minute films of before. Hypocrites was my least favorite film of the day, mainly because it starred a naked woman who was meant to personify Truth. Other than that, it had a inspiring plot/story. A priest gives a sermon on hypocrisy and then the naked woman, Truth, shows the priest that his congregation are indeed hypocrites. Then there is this long slew of vignettes in which we see how one should act and how they are actually acting. The film raised an interesting point about hypocrisy, I will admit. However, I find it a tad ironic that the director, Lois Weber, films this in an extenuation of her missionary work, yet the main character is blatantly nude, and we see EVERYTHING. Nevertheless, she gets her point across.
Every Tuesday night from 7 PM to 9:30 PM I get to sit in a classroom and watch movies. Then every Tuesday and Thursday during the day, I get to sit in a classroom and learn about how awesome movie are. This is seriously the best thing that has ever happened to me.
In saying this, our first movie lab was tonight so I have loads to share with you. Yay!
*Added Bonus* - Two of the movies we watched were in "The Book".
First we watched a bunch of short (and I mean short) films by the Lumiere Brothers. They were each about 1 minute long but they were some of the first films ever made and screened in their version of a theater. These films ranged from a baby eating to a train coming into the station. Actually, L'Arrivee d'un train a La Ciotat has a really cool back-story that our professor told us. The way that the camera was set up, it looked as if the train was coming towards the camera. Since the whole "moving picture" thing was very new, many people who were watching this film jumped up, ran out of the room, and screamed. They thought that the train was going to come through the screen!
Next, we got to watch a film that was a bit longer (by a whole minute). The only difference is that this time, it had more of a story to it, rather than just a literal moving picture. Par le trou de serrure is about a peeping tom janitor who looks through keyholes of hotel rooms.
Finally, we are starting to get to the goods people. Our next film was by the famed Georges Melies, and is possibly one of the most recognized silent films EVER. It's also the very first film listed in "The Book". Le Voyage dans la lune [Trip to the Moon] is about a group of wizard-looking scientists who travel to the moon in a bullet-spaceship. It's incredible to see what they imaged the moon would be like. I can tell you, it is NOTHING like the actual moon. It even had inhabitants that the head scientist could kill by bashing them with his cane. One of the coolest things about this movie is that it was in color. OK - not actually, but kind of. This movie came out in 1902, and was filmed in black and white, but sometimes for movies (as they did for this one), they would take the film strips and literally color it like a coloring book. They would have to do this for every single frame. It's absolutely incredible in my opinion the detail that goes into making these films.
Next, we watched The Great Train Robbery, directed by Edwin S. Porter in 1902. The title is pretty self-explanatory. This was the very first western y'all! Forget Clint Eastwood, forget John Wayne, it's all about this movie right here. My favorite fact about this movie is that they actually filmed it while on a moving train. It was also one of the first movies of the time that you start to notice the camera panning. Most films were shot from one spot and the camera didn't move a bit. Annnnnd, it used cross-cutting, or following more than one story line (kind of like, "back at the ranch..." in novels).
Alright, two more movies. Now for The Crime of Carelessness. This was actually based on/inspired by a huge factory fire in 1911 in NYC (This fire is also the likely reason we have illuminated EXIT signs). Basically, the factory owner blocked his fire exits, despite being asked to clear them, and a fire was started and 146 workers died. The movie is slightly different, but it portrays the same message. It's a very cautionary tale, similar to a public service announcement, but with much more zest.
Finally, we watched a pretty long silent film. And by pretty long I mean 49 minutes, but that is long compared to the minute to 15 minute films of before. Hypocrites was my least favorite film of the day, mainly because it starred a naked woman who was meant to personify Truth. Other than that, it had a inspiring plot/story. A priest gives a sermon on hypocrisy and then the naked woman, Truth, shows the priest that his congregation are indeed hypocrites. Then there is this long slew of vignettes in which we see how one should act and how they are actually acting. The film raised an interesting point about hypocrisy, I will admit. However, I find it a tad ironic that the director, Lois Weber, films this in an extenuation of her missionary work, yet the main character is blatantly nude, and we see EVERYTHING. Nevertheless, she gets her point across.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Drive (Far Far Away)
I had quite a few reasons to watch the movie Drive. One of them being Ryan Gosling. Another reason was because it had been highly recommended by many of my peers. I was quite excited to watch it, honestly, but I can tell you from the start that I will NEVER watch this movie again.
First thing you need to know, ladies, is... Don't watch this movie just because Ryan Gosling is in it. Totally not worth it. Second thing you need to know is that this movie requires a strong stomach. This is definitely a mans movie, no doubt about it, but even some guys won't enjoy it. My dad, who loves all kinds of action movies - especially ones with awesome driving scenes - disliked this movie as much of the rest of my family. My sister, who had been the most keen to watch this, couldn't even make it through the whole movie. Why, you ask? Because it is vulgar, violent, and gory. I had to sit there on the couch and watch Ryan Gosling smash another guy's skull in. I saw another man stick a fork in someone's eyeball. Now, tell me if you still want to see this movie, because those two scenes weren't even the worst of it.
Now, if you're still interested, I'll tell you what the movie is actually about. It's about a getaway driver who gets stuck in the middle of a con man's deal and has to suffer the consequences. The bloody, gory, disgusting, give me nightmares consequences. The only good thing I can take away from this movie (aside from RG of course) is the awesome driving/chase scenes. Those were pretty cool. (2 Stars)
Peace.
First thing you need to know, ladies, is... Don't watch this movie just because Ryan Gosling is in it. Totally not worth it. Second thing you need to know is that this movie requires a strong stomach. This is definitely a mans movie, no doubt about it, but even some guys won't enjoy it. My dad, who loves all kinds of action movies - especially ones with awesome driving scenes - disliked this movie as much of the rest of my family. My sister, who had been the most keen to watch this, couldn't even make it through the whole movie. Why, you ask? Because it is vulgar, violent, and gory. I had to sit there on the couch and watch Ryan Gosling smash another guy's skull in. I saw another man stick a fork in someone's eyeball. Now, tell me if you still want to see this movie, because those two scenes weren't even the worst of it.
Now, if you're still interested, I'll tell you what the movie is actually about. It's about a getaway driver who gets stuck in the middle of a con man's deal and has to suffer the consequences. The bloody, gory, disgusting, give me nightmares consequences. The only good thing I can take away from this movie (aside from RG of course) is the awesome driving/chase scenes. Those were pretty cool. (2 Stars)
Peace.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Under the Radar
Man, I love breaks. They give me so much time to catch up on all my TV shows, and of course, go and see a lot of movies, which I have.
I've got two more movies for y'all to check out, both of which I was pleasantly surprised with: Jack Reacher and Silver Linings Playbook.
I'll start with action packed Jack Reacher. This movie is about a man who is accused of murdering five random people and he calls in ex-army police officer Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). Reacher works with the man's attorney, Helen (Rosamund Pike) who is the daughter of the DA (Richard Jenkins) that is trying to put the murderer on the deathbed. Helen and Jack are trying to find a way to stop the DA from killing the man, rather they would like to put him in prison. Of course there's a bit more to the murder than what meets the eye. I really enjoyed this movie because it really makes you think, and those are some of my favorite kinds of movies. I was sitting there trying to figure the murder out along with Jack and Helen. I would definitely recommend seeing this if you have the time.
What happens when you stick a bunch of characters with mental illnesses in one movie? Silver Linings Playbook. These characters were all borderline crazy. First you have Pat (Bradley Cooper) who brutally beat the man who his wife was cheating with. He has just been let out of the mental hospital and has just learned that he is bipolar. His father, Pat Sr. (Robert DeNiro) has extreme OCD and a gambling addiction. Pat soon meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is depressed and a used-to-be slut who is a recent widow. Pat and Tiffany soon become close friends and Tiffany agrees to help Pat try and win his wife back if Pat will be her partner in an upcoming dance competition. I found this movie to be extremely hilarious, even though I was expecting it to be a bit depressing (don't worry, it had some of those moments too), but overall the story was very well executed. I really liked that it was different from the typical story usually told and I think the acting in this movie was superb. Rumor has it, Jennifer Lawrence might snag her first Oscar win with this role, and I think it's a good possibility. Warning, this movie has a LOT of vulgarity - we're talking an f-bomb dropped every few seconds almost. However, I think this a movie everyone should see at least once, but not something you should necessarily buy to keep watching over and over.
More to come soon!
I've got two more movies for y'all to check out, both of which I was pleasantly surprised with: Jack Reacher and Silver Linings Playbook.
I'll start with action packed Jack Reacher. This movie is about a man who is accused of murdering five random people and he calls in ex-army police officer Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise). Reacher works with the man's attorney, Helen (Rosamund Pike) who is the daughter of the DA (Richard Jenkins) that is trying to put the murderer on the deathbed. Helen and Jack are trying to find a way to stop the DA from killing the man, rather they would like to put him in prison. Of course there's a bit more to the murder than what meets the eye. I really enjoyed this movie because it really makes you think, and those are some of my favorite kinds of movies. I was sitting there trying to figure the murder out along with Jack and Helen. I would definitely recommend seeing this if you have the time.
What happens when you stick a bunch of characters with mental illnesses in one movie? Silver Linings Playbook. These characters were all borderline crazy. First you have Pat (Bradley Cooper) who brutally beat the man who his wife was cheating with. He has just been let out of the mental hospital and has just learned that he is bipolar. His father, Pat Sr. (Robert DeNiro) has extreme OCD and a gambling addiction. Pat soon meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) who is depressed and a used-to-be slut who is a recent widow. Pat and Tiffany soon become close friends and Tiffany agrees to help Pat try and win his wife back if Pat will be her partner in an upcoming dance competition. I found this movie to be extremely hilarious, even though I was expecting it to be a bit depressing (don't worry, it had some of those moments too), but overall the story was very well executed. I really liked that it was different from the typical story usually told and I think the acting in this movie was superb. Rumor has it, Jennifer Lawrence might snag her first Oscar win with this role, and I think it's a good possibility. Warning, this movie has a LOT of vulgarity - we're talking an f-bomb dropped every few seconds almost. However, I think this a movie everyone should see at least once, but not something you should necessarily buy to keep watching over and over.
More to come soon!
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Family Friendly Fun
Another Family Friendly Movie, YAY, my favorite!
Parental Guidance is such a cute movie, I just want to get that out there from the start. Billy Crystal is a genius in the world of comedy and this movie was no exception. It's just an all-around feel good family movie. It's about a set of grandparents (Billy Crystal and Bette Midler) who are taking care of their grand kids for a week, even though nothing can seem to go right and their daughter Annie doesn't trust them.
There's not much else to say about this movie, but I highly recommend you going to see it with your family. It'll make you laugh out loud and it may even make you cry (happy tears, of course). This movie has a little bit of everything from coming of age, to new beginnings and overcoming fears and expectations, along with good life morals.
And one little surprise, the Asain kid from Sixteen Candles is all grown up and a supporting character in this movie!
So what are you waiting for? Grab the Fam and head over to your nearest movie theater!
Parental Guidance is such a cute movie, I just want to get that out there from the start. Billy Crystal is a genius in the world of comedy and this movie was no exception. It's just an all-around feel good family movie. It's about a set of grandparents (Billy Crystal and Bette Midler) who are taking care of their grand kids for a week, even though nothing can seem to go right and their daughter Annie doesn't trust them.
There's not much else to say about this movie, but I highly recommend you going to see it with your family. It'll make you laugh out loud and it may even make you cry (happy tears, of course). This movie has a little bit of everything from coming of age, to new beginnings and overcoming fears and expectations, along with good life morals.
And one little surprise, the Asain kid from Sixteen Candles is all grown up and a supporting character in this movie!
So what are you waiting for? Grab the Fam and head over to your nearest movie theater!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Challenge Excepted
I think I just like to torture myself. That, or I really just love movies, and making lists. Oh wait, I love both of those things. I think the making lists is just me being OCD though.
I guess I should explain my blabbering, huh?
So yesterday, my mom and I were playing Disney Scene It, and since I love movies, and Disney, she challenged me to watch all of the Disney movies ever made. I figured that would be no big deal, super easy, blah blah blah. Nope. Not easy. There are WAY more Disney movies than either one of us had anticipated. A few hours and 8 pages front and back of notebook paper later, I have now listed out every Disney movie known to man. Now I am going to tell you which movies I have actually seen, and my rating. To make it easy, I'm just going to the put the number of stars like this - (2) for two stars.
Alright, here we go.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (4.5)
Pinocchio (4)
Fantasia (4)
Dumbo (3.5)
Bambi (4)
Fun and Fancy Free (4)
Melody Time (5)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (3)
Treasure Island (3)
Cinderella (5)
Alice in Wonderland (4.5)
Peter Pan (5)
Old Yeller (4)
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (3)
Sleeping Beauty (5)
Pollyanna (5)
Swiss Family Robinson (4)
101 Dalmatians (5)
The Sword in the Stone (4)
Mary Poppins (5)
That Darn Cat! (3.5)
The Jungle Book (4)
The Love Bug (4)
The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes (4)
The AristoCats (5)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (4)
Robin Hood (5)
Herbie Rides Again (4)
The Apple Dumpling Gang (4)
The Rescuers (4)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (5)
Pete's Dragon (4)
Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (3)
The Fox and the Hound (4)
The Great Mouse Detective (4)
The Brave Little Toaster (2)
Oliver and Company (5)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (5)
The Little Mermaid (5)
The Rescuers Down Under (3)
Honey, I Blew Up the Kids (5)
Beauty and the Beast (5)
Aladdin (3)
Hocus Pocus (4)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (3)
Angels in the Outfield (4)
The Santa Clause (5)
The Lion King (4)
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (5)
Heavy Weights (3)
A Goofy Movie (5)
Pocahontas (4)
Toy Story (5)
James and the Giant Peach (4)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2.5)
101 Dalmatians (4)
Beauty and the Beast: An Enchanted Christmas (3)
Under Warps (3)
Air Bud (3)
George of the Jungle (5)
Hercules (2.5)
Flubber (3)
Brink! (4)
Milan (2.5)
The Parent Trap (5)
Mighty Joe Young (3)
A Bugs Life (4)
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (4)
Smart House (5)
My Favorite Martian (3)
Tarzan (4)
Inspector Gadget (5)
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (5)
Fantasia 2000 (4)
Toy Story 2 (4)
The Ultimate Christmas Present (3)
Phantom of the Megaplex (4)
Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire (3)
Quints (4)
Miracle in Lane 2 (3)
The a Color of Friendship (3)
An Extremely Goofy Movie (5)
Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (4)
Remember the Titans (4)
102 Dalmations (3)
The Emperor's New Groove (4)
Halloweentown (4)
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (3)
The Luck of the Irish (4)
Zenon: The Zequel (4)
The Thirteenth Year (5)
Michey's Magical Christmas (5)
Motocrossed (3)
Lady and the Tramp (5)
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (3)
The Princess Diaries (5)
Max Keeble's Big Move (3.5)
Monsters, Inc. (5)
Gotta Kick It Up! (3)
Get a Clue (3)
Cadet Kelly (5)
Double Teamed (4)
Return to Neverland (3)
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (3)
Lilo and Stitch (3)
The Country Bears (2)
The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause (5)
The Rookie (4)
The Cheetah Girls (2)
Edie's Million Dollar Cookoff (4)
The Even Stevens Movie (3)
Brother Bear (2)
Inspector Gadget 2 (3)
Piglet's Big Move (3)
Holes (3)
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (4)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (4)
Freaky Friday (5)
George of the Jungle 2 (3)
Finding Nemo (3)
Pixel Perfect (3)
Zenon: Z3 (3)
Halloweentown High (4)
Stuck in the Suburbs (3)
Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement (4)
National Treasure (5)
Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas (5)
The Incredibles (4)
The Greatest Game Ever Played (4)
Valiant (3)
Life is Ruff (3)
Twitches (2)
The Pacifier (5)
Ice Princess (3)
Sky High (3)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (5)
Chicken Little (2)
Herbie Fully Loaded (3)
Air Buddies (3)
Read It and Weep (2.5)
Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2.5)
Cow Belles (3)
Turn to Halloweentown (2)
High School Musical (3)
Glory Road (4)
The Santa Clause III: The Escape Clause (4)
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (4)
The Shaggy Dog (3)
High School Musical 2 (3)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (5)
The Game Plan (3)
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (3)
Bridge to Terabithia (3)
Jump In! (1)
Meet the Robinsons (5)
Bedtime Stories (4)
Camp Rock (2)
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (3)
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (3)
A Christmas Carol (2)
The Princess and the Frog (4)
Up (5)
The Hannah Montana Movie (4)
Secretariat (4)
Tangled (5)
TRON Legacy (5)
Toy Story 3 (5)
Alice in Wonderland (4)
Geek Charming (3)
Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas (1)
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (4)
The Suite Life Movie (3)
Wreck-It Ralph (5)
Brave (4)
Princess Protection Program (2)
Now, I realize that this seems like a lot, but its not. Out of the 480 Disney movies I've only seen 178 of them. That's only 37%. Man I have a long way to go.
Off to watch more movies!
I guess I should explain my blabbering, huh?
So yesterday, my mom and I were playing Disney Scene It, and since I love movies, and Disney, she challenged me to watch all of the Disney movies ever made. I figured that would be no big deal, super easy, blah blah blah. Nope. Not easy. There are WAY more Disney movies than either one of us had anticipated. A few hours and 8 pages front and back of notebook paper later, I have now listed out every Disney movie known to man. Now I am going to tell you which movies I have actually seen, and my rating. To make it easy, I'm just going to the put the number of stars like this - (2) for two stars.
Alright, here we go.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (4.5)
Pinocchio (4)
Fantasia (4)
Dumbo (3.5)
Bambi (4)
Fun and Fancy Free (4)
Melody Time (5)
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (3)
Treasure Island (3)
Cinderella (5)
Alice in Wonderland (4.5)
Peter Pan (5)
Old Yeller (4)
Darby O'Gill and the Little People (3)
Sleeping Beauty (5)
Pollyanna (5)
Swiss Family Robinson (4)
101 Dalmatians (5)
The Sword in the Stone (4)
Mary Poppins (5)
That Darn Cat! (3.5)
The Jungle Book (4)
The Love Bug (4)
The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes (4)
The AristoCats (5)
Bedknobs and Broomsticks (4)
Robin Hood (5)
Herbie Rides Again (4)
The Apple Dumpling Gang (4)
The Rescuers (4)
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (5)
Pete's Dragon (4)
Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (3)
The Fox and the Hound (4)
The Great Mouse Detective (4)
The Brave Little Toaster (2)
Oliver and Company (5)
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (5)
The Little Mermaid (5)
The Rescuers Down Under (3)
Honey, I Blew Up the Kids (5)
Beauty and the Beast (5)
Aladdin (3)
Hocus Pocus (4)
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (3)
Angels in the Outfield (4)
The Santa Clause (5)
The Lion King (4)
Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (5)
Heavy Weights (3)
A Goofy Movie (5)
Pocahontas (4)
Toy Story (5)
James and the Giant Peach (4)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (2.5)
101 Dalmatians (4)
Beauty and the Beast: An Enchanted Christmas (3)
Under Warps (3)
Air Bud (3)
George of the Jungle (5)
Hercules (2.5)
Flubber (3)
Brink! (4)
Milan (2.5)
The Parent Trap (5)
Mighty Joe Young (3)
A Bugs Life (4)
Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (4)
Smart House (5)
My Favorite Martian (3)
Tarzan (4)
Inspector Gadget (5)
Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (5)
Fantasia 2000 (4)
Toy Story 2 (4)
The Ultimate Christmas Present (3)
Phantom of the Megaplex (4)
Mom's Got a Date With a Vampire (3)
Quints (4)
Miracle in Lane 2 (3)
The a Color of Friendship (3)
An Extremely Goofy Movie (5)
Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (4)
Remember the Titans (4)
102 Dalmations (3)
The Emperor's New Groove (4)
Halloweentown (4)
Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge (3)
The Luck of the Irish (4)
Zenon: The Zequel (4)
The Thirteenth Year (5)
Michey's Magical Christmas (5)
Motocrossed (3)
Lady and the Tramp (5)
Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (3)
The Princess Diaries (5)
Max Keeble's Big Move (3.5)
Monsters, Inc. (5)
Gotta Kick It Up! (3)
Get a Clue (3)
Cadet Kelly (5)
Double Teamed (4)
Return to Neverland (3)
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (3)
Lilo and Stitch (3)
The Country Bears (2)
The Santa Clause 2: The Mrs. Clause (5)
The Rookie (4)
The Cheetah Girls (2)
Edie's Million Dollar Cookoff (4)
The Even Stevens Movie (3)
Brother Bear (2)
Inspector Gadget 2 (3)
Piglet's Big Move (3)
Holes (3)
The Lizzie McGuire Movie (4)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (4)
Freaky Friday (5)
George of the Jungle 2 (3)
Finding Nemo (3)
Pixel Perfect (3)
Zenon: Z3 (3)
Halloweentown High (4)
Stuck in the Suburbs (3)
Princess Diaries 2: The Royal Engagement (4)
National Treasure (5)
Mickey's Twice Upon A Christmas (5)
The Incredibles (4)
The Greatest Game Ever Played (4)
Valiant (3)
Life is Ruff (3)
Twitches (2)
The Pacifier (5)
Ice Princess (3)
Sky High (3)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe (5)
Chicken Little (2)
Herbie Fully Loaded (3)
Air Buddies (3)
Read It and Weep (2.5)
Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2.5)
Cow Belles (3)
Turn to Halloweentown (2)
High School Musical (3)
Glory Road (4)
The Santa Clause III: The Escape Clause (4)
The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (4)
The Shaggy Dog (3)
High School Musical 2 (3)
National Treasure: Book of Secrets (5)
The Game Plan (3)
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (3)
Bridge to Terabithia (3)
Jump In! (1)
Meet the Robinsons (5)
Bedtime Stories (4)
Camp Rock (2)
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (3)
Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie (3)
A Christmas Carol (2)
The Princess and the Frog (4)
Up (5)
The Hannah Montana Movie (4)
Secretariat (4)
Tangled (5)
TRON Legacy (5)
Toy Story 3 (5)
Alice in Wonderland (4)
Geek Charming (3)
Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas (1)
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension (4)
The Suite Life Movie (3)
Wreck-It Ralph (5)
Brave (4)
Princess Protection Program (2)
Now, I realize that this seems like a lot, but its not. Out of the 480 Disney movies I've only seen 178 of them. That's only 37%. Man I have a long way to go.
Off to watch more movies!
The Two Most Anticipated Movies of Last Year
I know it took me a while to review these movies since I saw them a while back, but I promise I had a good excuse. The good news is I have two killer movie reviews for you, for two of the most anticipated films of 2012, Les Miserables and The Hobbit!
The reason it took me so long to review The Hobbit (because I actually saw it over two weeks ago) is because I wanted to read the book so I could give y'all an accurate review. My overall opinion is that it was a wonderful movie and has the same feel to it as all of The Lord of the Rings films. And by that, I mean LONGGGGGGG, but very good, and definitely interesting. Now, if compared to the book, I would say that the movie is extremely similar to the book, but many of the supporting details are very different. I know this must sound confusing, but if you've read the book and seen the movie, you'd probably understand. The movie has a lot of background history that isn't in the books, and some of the history is changed, liked the fact that the dwarves do not like the elves. Yet, the dialogue at times is taken straight from the book. They also added a lot of details that weren't in the book, which is, I'm sure, part of their ploy to make this ONE book into THREE movies. But, like I said, the movie is amazing. One of my favorite aspects is the incredible attention to detail. The set, costumes, props, everything has such immaculate detail, it is absolutely profound. I recommend this movie highly, but maybe not worth the watch in 3D.
As for Les Mis. AMAZING. In my opinion the best movie of the year. The music, the casting, the acting, the set, it was all absolutely spectacular. A little warning, it is a sad story, so you might want to bring some tissues, but its a good sad story that you want to watch over and over and over. Also, it's an opera, which means there is virtually no speaking, only singing, which I was perfectly fine with. My only complaint: Russell Crowe. He was AWFUL. You could tell that everyone cast in the movie could sing, which they did. When the movie was filmed, they sang live, they didn't lip sync to prerecorded music like most musical movies. That shows you the amount of talent the cast held. However, like I said, Russell Crowe sucked. He could not sing a note to save his life. It was like listening to Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! but on a larger and longer scale. Thankfully, the rest of the cast way outshines his horrid caterwauling. In my opinion, they deserve every award they were nominated for (except for Crowe of course).
And on a side note, Happy New Year!
The reason it took me so long to review The Hobbit (because I actually saw it over two weeks ago) is because I wanted to read the book so I could give y'all an accurate review. My overall opinion is that it was a wonderful movie and has the same feel to it as all of The Lord of the Rings films. And by that, I mean LONGGGGGGG, but very good, and definitely interesting. Now, if compared to the book, I would say that the movie is extremely similar to the book, but many of the supporting details are very different. I know this must sound confusing, but if you've read the book and seen the movie, you'd probably understand. The movie has a lot of background history that isn't in the books, and some of the history is changed, liked the fact that the dwarves do not like the elves. Yet, the dialogue at times is taken straight from the book. They also added a lot of details that weren't in the book, which is, I'm sure, part of their ploy to make this ONE book into THREE movies. But, like I said, the movie is amazing. One of my favorite aspects is the incredible attention to detail. The set, costumes, props, everything has such immaculate detail, it is absolutely profound. I recommend this movie highly, but maybe not worth the watch in 3D.
As for Les Mis. AMAZING. In my opinion the best movie of the year. The music, the casting, the acting, the set, it was all absolutely spectacular. A little warning, it is a sad story, so you might want to bring some tissues, but its a good sad story that you want to watch over and over and over. Also, it's an opera, which means there is virtually no speaking, only singing, which I was perfectly fine with. My only complaint: Russell Crowe. He was AWFUL. You could tell that everyone cast in the movie could sing, which they did. When the movie was filmed, they sang live, they didn't lip sync to prerecorded music like most musical movies. That shows you the amount of talent the cast held. However, like I said, Russell Crowe sucked. He could not sing a note to save his life. It was like listening to Pierce Brosnan in Mamma Mia! but on a larger and longer scale. Thankfully, the rest of the cast way outshines his horrid caterwauling. In my opinion, they deserve every award they were nominated for (except for Crowe of course).
And on a side note, Happy New Year!
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