Adapt or Die - Hanna is a sleeper hit *no spoilers*

“I just missed your heart.”


Hanna was a pretty excellent movie.

Ok, review done.

Seriously though, Hanna was a sleeper hit. Going in with no expectations, I was completely immersed in the film. The plot moved along well enough to keep me interested - not laying all it’s cards on the table and revealing things throughout the entire film. For those that think story does not matter in a movie, this movie completely debunks that statement. The story was simple enough to understand, but the way it was told was like slowly pouring water into a glass. Only when it was full did the movie end. Even after the credits start rolling, you wonder more about what the story would have to offer. That was perhaps one of my gripes with the film, the fact it ended on a climatic scene, but the arrival to the scene was amazing. It’s just like they always say - “it’s the journey, not the destination.”

Hanna, played by a great Saoirse Ronan, grew up in the wilds with her ex-CIA father, played by an incredibly hot Eric Bana, and was trained to be an expert assassin/badass. The antagonist is a stunning Cate Blanchett, who is as ruthless in her mission.

Imagery played an important role in the movie as well. Scenery and settings had as much personality as the people on the screen. From the snowy landscape of the Artic Circle to the deserts of Morocco to an abandoned theme park in Germany, all the areas of the movie were beautiful with a lasting appeal on me. I immensely loved the haunting abandoned amusement park with its deconstructed rides, paint fading away from years of deterioration and surrounded by unkempt lawns.

This movie was not all about brilliant story and amazing settings. Although action was sparse, the fights and action sequences were very well done. There was no defying logic and death defying stunts used in this movie. It was just straight-forward, very realistic fighting that would probably be done by these agents in real life. It definitely grounded the movie into the real world instead of taking the audience out of it.

No good movie is without a few problems however. With Hanna it was mostly technical problems having nothing to do with the actually story itself. Some of the camera techniques used were unnecessary and disorienting. Every time Hanna was being chased, they decided to do a weird camera technique that did not work well and took me out of the movie - whether it be a spinning or shaky cam technique.

Hanna is certainly worth checking out if you like more story-driven films. Amidst all the sequels and adaptations, this is a shining gem.

Swords, Sorcery, and Sex - Camelot comes to Starz

Whoa.

I was not expecting to come home, plop down in front of the TV and watch Camelot tonight. Although I had interest in the series, I had completely forgot that the new Starz series premiered tonight. Lucky for me, the television was on Starz and a crawling scroll informed me that - indeed - Camelot was going to be on tonight.

Lucky, lucky me.

Highly impressed with the show, Camelot is certainly a show that I will continue watching during it's duration. And already contemplating buying a season boxset in the future. Dish Network has generously given their customers a free year of Starz so we ditched HBO in lieu of Starz...and I couldn't be happier even with the looming fourth season of True Blood (which I may or may not watch. Last season bored me.)





Taken from the Starz Website:

"In the wake of King Uther’s sudden death, chaos threatens to engulf Britain. When the sorcerer Merlin has visions of a dark future, he installs the young and impetuous Arthur, Uther’s unknown son and heir, who has been raised from birth as a commoner. But Arthur’s cold and ambitious half sister Morgan will fight him to the bitter end, summoning unnatural forces to claim the crown in this epic battle for control. These are dark times indeed for the new king, with Guinevere being the only shining light in Arthur’s harsh world. Faced with profound moral decisions, and the challenge of uniting a kingdom broken by war and steeped in deception, Arthur will be tested beyond imagination. Forget
everything you think you know…this is the story of Camelot that
has never been told before."


Incredibly stunning, the world that they inhabit is beautiful. It was filmed primarily in Ireland with bright green scenery and brilliant waterfalls.

I knew very little about the cast prior to watching the premier. It was certainly time to do a little digging after watching their amazing performances. (VERY AMAZING. I was blown away!) King Arthur is played by Jamie Campbell Bower who has appeared in such films as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, and The Twilight Sage: New Moon. Whether you a Twilighter or a Potterhead, the franchises are huge enough for everyone to know it. Although Bower had minor roles in the two wildly popular YA book adaptions, he will be returning in all the final films for the series'.



Staring opposite of him as his step sister, Eva Green plays Morgan. Ruthless. Ambitious. Morgan is certainly a force to be reckoned with. Green has appeared and starred in such films as The Golden Compass, Casino Royale and Kingdom of Heaven.



As the CEO of Starz Chris Albrecht said "The story of Arthur isn't history, it's mythology, and Camelot isn't a place but an idea of hope that has resonated at different times throughout history." This ten-episode series - with hopefully more seasons to follow - is a creative re-imagining of the tale, taking it and realistically redefining it expertly. I am looking forward to seeing more of this very adult, very dark, and very real tale.

Coming Soon 3/11 - Red Riding Hood, Mars Needs Moms, Battle:LA

This weekend we have three movies, two about aliens and one about the color red.

Red Riding Hood stars Amanda Seyfield and Gary Oldman and appears to be a gritty, dark, and twisted version of the classic fairy tale. From the trailer, the movie seems absolute gorgeous in my opinion. I love the usage of the "red hood", how it is always the brightest color and juxtaposed against the surrounds - especially the snow scene where it is a brilliant red spot and almost symbolizing a loss of purity. The movie seems to be taking on the sexual awakening analysis of the old story and throws in the werewolf. The trailer seems a hodge podge of about three storylines and I'm interested to see how they merge together.

Mars Needs Mom is a Disney movie with Seth Green voicing Milo, a young boy who must save his mother who has been abducted by aliens to raise Martian children. This animated film is going to have to compete against Rango, which released last weekend, and seems to be a pretty hilarious and standard Disney movie. It seems quite entertaining and would be perfect to take children to see.

Battle:Los Angeles is a movie I have wanted to see for a very long time, ever since I first saw a teaser trailer. Alien invasion movies are some of my favorite to see and Battle:La's trailer is really good for a trailer. The concept is, of course, simple. Aliens are attacking Earth to steal it's resources and will destroy all human kind to do so. Michelle Rodriguez is in the film and I am a huge fan of hers. Explosive and riveting, Battle:LA is sure to be better then the last alien invasion film, Skyline, which was highly disappointing. Whether humans win or lose, Battle:LA is a must see this weekend.

Here is an interview from Attack of the Show with Rodriguez. She is certainly a very intelligent woman and talented actress.

i Am Number Four - review with slight spoilers

With all the remakes and reimaginings and sequels and prequels, the industry is becoming saturated with original content that has existed in some form or another.

And with that, I recently saw I Am Number Four, a movie adapted from a book written by Pittacus Lore. I went into this movie blind as sometimes I do on purpose, having not read its source material.

Number Four was, in short, a well-rounded movie that could potentially appeal to all different age groups - as many young adult movies and novels tend to do.

The story is quite simple. John Smith (played by Alex Pettyfer who also stars in next months Beastly as, er, the "Beast") moves around a lot with his guardian Henri who is played by The Crazies Timothy Olyphant. Basically, hunky John is an alien. Him and nine others are being hunted down by an alien species and being murdered, in order. John is, obviously, number four.

There was not much that bothered me at all about the movie as it was highly enjoyable and kept me invested the entire time. There was something for everyone whether it be John without his shirt on (which happened very often and could have happened way more in my opinion) or the crazy action sequences that were intense. The movie had its heartwarming moments that made you Aww and the heartwrenching moments that made you cringe.

The one fault in the movie, despite how rounded it indeed was, was how apparent it seemed that the book needed to read. The movie glosses over something that were probably expanded on in book form. The key thing that bugged me was the reconciliation of John and his rival, football star Mark. Out of nowhere, at the end of the movie, Mark helps John and it was so jarring and made no sense, especially where we last saw Mark. Anything that can pull me out of a movie that I had been so into for the entire running time is certainly not good. Apparently, from what I know of the book, there was something that led to them making amends, but the movie did not even hint at that.

Despite that, the movie was pretty good and has me excited to read the book. It is definently worth checking out if you like young adult action mixed with drama but there was a certain lack of "sci fi" in it except for the glossed over alien parts. Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

Getting Stung: Green Hornet starts 2011 Right

Seth Rogen is a funny guy. Even with plaster and bullets flying around him there is still hilarity - never a dull moment with that guy. And even while kicking much ass, flipping over criminals heads, and punching them in the jaw, Jay Chou can be a funny guy himself.

After seeing the Green Hornet trailer attached to nearly every movie in late 2010 and the quite comical Hardees commercial featuring the two masked vigilantes, January 14 did not seem to be getting here fast enough. Finally, Green Hornet was in theatres and the movie did not disappoint.

The movie was pure fun. If you're looking for some deep movie with multiple layers, complex characters, and twists woven through out...then this isn't the movie for you. But if you're looking for - to quote Seth's character Britt Reid - "balls to the wall" action, hilarious dialogue, and brilliant coreographed fight scenes then please go see Green Hornet. It's amazing.

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The End is Near - Harry Potter's finale brings memories

I was twelve years old when I first read The Sorcerer's Stone. My good friend and partner-in-geeky-crime presented me with the book when we should have been listening to our teacher. I begin reading it right there in class - the rest is history as they say.

Now, nearly twelve years later, the series still enchants me and its millions of other fans across the world. From the books to the movies to the video games to the toys to the shiny new amusement park, Harry Potter is a phenomenon to be reckoned with.

And now the final movies are being release.

On November 19th, Part One of what is sure to be an amazingly accurate and action-packed finale begins. Deathly Hallows has Harry and company on the run from the powerful and intense Lord Voldemort. Part 1 will not show their final showdown, but it will not be a snooze. The first 24 chapters of the book is packed with situations and settings ranging from fight scenes on broomsticks to weddings to emotional deaths. Part 1 is sure to not dissapoint.

I am devoting the entire week to Harry.
November 15 - watching Sorceror's Stone and Chamber of Secrets
November 16 - watching Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire
November 17 - watching Order of the Phoniex and Half Blood Prince
November 18 - relaxing all day, taking an after noon nap, and going to a midnight release of Deathly Hallows Part 1!!!!
November 19 - possibly seeing the movie again with sane people who do not go to midnight releases

There are plenty of things I have left to do in this fandom, like visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida, but this movie brings tears. What has been twelve years of my life all comes down to seeing the seventh book come alive on the screen. It's incredibly, hauntingly beautiful, and I can not wait till midnight strikes on the 19th.

movie review - Explosive Manilness

If ever there was a manly man movie that grew hair on the chest of everyone in the audience - male or female - it is The Expendables.

The movie is excellent for what it is - putting together a dream cast of action stars in one over-the-top, balls-to-the-wall action flick with explosions, killing, guns, and knives. Whether or not the story makes sense is up to the viewer, but we’ll get to that. Let’s talk about that cast.

Punched in the Face - Preview of Sucker Punch

I can not exactly remember when I heard of Zack Snyder’s latest creation. All I know is that it excited me beyond anything…and as more information comes about the film which debuts in March, I can not stop grinning.

The story goes a little something like this:

Amazing New Series: Avatar The Legend of Korra

There has been speculation that a new Avatar series would be happening.

Speculate no more.

It was just announced that Avatar: The Legend of Korra is now a go and we can expect to see it sometime next year. This is a blast of fresh air after the incredibly failure of a live action movie, The Last Airbender. Now, fans can rejoice that we have a new series to look forward too.

Here's what we know about Avatar: The Legend of Korra so far:

First Solid Movie of the SUMMER - Inception

*spoiler free!*

Sitting here in the food court, I wonder if I'm dreaming. Are all these people projections of my mind? If I tip this chair over will I jolt awake? Or am I took heavily sedated and it won't work?

Was that entire movie a dream?

Inception clearly blew my mind. The concept of the movie was remarkably fascinating. Dreams are intimate thoughts our mind conjures up. Interfering with dreams seems very invasive and that is just one of the themes this multi-layered movie presents.

The acting was superb. The most surprising performance coming from Ellen Page, or Juno as you probably know her by. She holds her own amongst people that have been at this acting game far longer then she - and she does it well.

Visuals and the musical score accompanied the story and action expertly. I would not expect less from the likes of Christopher Nolan, the director who has done such films like The Dark Knight, The Prestige, and Memento.

After such a lackluster summer of movies, Inception has redeemed my faith in the industry. Not all movies have to be remakes or sequels to be absolutely brilliant.

Summer slump

As the summer treads onward and movies are being released steadily, I find myself worrying about the movie industry. while I've found enjoyment and solace in sitting in a theatre week after week, no movie released this summer has really been incredible.

Mostly, this summer has been stacked with sequeals. This probably contributes to the high numbers, but, as a movie fan, I really want something that will WOW me.

Inception might do that.

I love Nolan. Two of his movies make my top 5 list (The Prestige is my absolute favorite movie and I love The Dark Knight). This probably makes me automatically love Inception, but others need to love it too.

The movie seems genius to me and I hope I'm not dissapointed. I love the concept, captivating ads, and awesome trailer. Surely, this movie will save this summer from the movie slump.

It has too.

Jaden Smith Interview - The Karate Kid

In the recent issue of Ebony magazine, Adrienne Samuels Gibbs conducted an interview with 11 year old Jaden Smith, son of remarkable Will Smith and Jada Pinkett- Smith. Here is the interview:

Gibbs: Why did you take on the challenge of The Karate Kid?
Smith: Well, I’ve always really been interested in the martial arts. I started taking karate when I was 3. So when my dad mentioned the idea to remake the movie, theres no way I was going to pass that up! And the story is really great. Its inspired by the original film, but different. In this one, I play Dre Parker. He’s a cool kid, but he has to move from his home in Detroit when his mom gets a job in China.

Movie Review - The Karate Kid

I've been around martial arts my entire life. My father is a karate instructor and so are his two brothers. I've taken karate before and it still runs in my family. I've been to tournaments my whole life and have seen some amazing competitors.

So it was only natural that we went to see The Karate Kid, remake of the 1984 original, as a family.

This movie was an excellent, solid remake. It was highly entertaining and the training montage would even give Rocky a run for his money. Jaden Smith certainly proved himself as an actor, something he has not had an oppurtunity to do in his past films. The movie ran the gauntlet of emotions - from fear to anger to sadness to joy - and Jaden did not miss a beat. When he needed to cry, he did. When he needed to crack some classic Smith wit, he did.

Jackie Chan was spectacular as well. But he's Jackie effin Chan...what else can be expected?

The story progressed very well, but the characters outside of Jaden/Dre's training bubble were not very well developed. I'm not sure if it really mattered, however.

Very good movie. Go see it.

This Weekend in Movies

I'll be seeing The A-Team tomorrow and The Karate Kid on Saturday.

Born in 1987, neither of these remakes' original sources are fresh in my mind which is - in my opinion - good because I can go in with no preconcieved notions. My boyfriend, a very big fan of A Team and Mr. T, will be unable to accompany me to the movie so I will try to read up a little on the A Team tonight, just to get a feel of what fans loved about the show.

My family will be accompaning me to see The Karate Kid or, as I affectionately call it, The Kung-Fu Kid. Our family business seems to be karate. My father and two uncles have been Karate instructors all my life. They even own a Dojo here in town. It's my dad's idea to go see this movie and I happily oblige. The trailer's look entertaining for this movie and Jaden Smith is adorable.

I also owe this blog a Prince of Persia review. I loved that movie so much.