Directed by: Guy Ritchie Reviewed by: Jerry, 15 Rating: Really liked it
Definitely a great movie that's worth your time. I watched it last week but don't have the time to write the review- or let's just say I attempted to but my computer failed me.
Director Guy Ritchie gave Sherlock Holmes a rather peculiar personality that placed boundaries between Sherlock Holmes and the rest of the world. Actor Robert Downey Jr. definitely did a great job playing his role.
The movie explored the conflict between Sherlock Holmes and his colleagues, Dr. Watson. The things is they need to overcome their differences and face one of their biggest archenemy, Blackwood. Unlike most of Sherlock Holmes' other cases, it was believed that Blackwood had the ability to wield magic; he had proven it by coming back from the grave after having himself hanged in front of a large crowd. Or is it magic?
Directed by: Martin Scorsese Reviewed by: Jerry, 15 Rating: Didn't like it
The movie definitely could have a potentially good storyline, but in my opinion the ironic twist in the ending messed the whole movie up. Moreover, is not as scary as I thought it would be- just a lot of mysteries. The movie is definitely a disappointment to me. Even though I borrowed the movie from Redbox for a dollar, I would rather have the money back and buy a Hershey bar instead.
The movie is about two U.S. Marshal who visit a mental hospital for the insanity in an island called Shutter Island because of the disappearance of a patient named Rachel Solando. As the movie goes on, more mysteries are uncovered and more surprises emerged. The movie had me for about more than an hour then something terrible happens- an ironic twist. In my opinion, an ironic twist can truly make a movie better, as in the movie Angel and Demon, but in the case of the movie Shutter Island, it didn't.
Recommended to: people that love Leonardo Dicaprio's film
Directed by: Christopher Nolan Reviewed by: Jerry, 15 Rating: It was amazing!
I must say that the idea behind the movie was truly ingenious. The movie can get confusing at first, but the confusion will clear away as the movie progresses.
The movie focused on people who creates a dream scenario, put people in the dream, and steal ideas from them while they were still in their dream state. But that's not the best part, not only can you steal someone's idea while they are still in their dream state, you can also plant one, which can be very devastating- think of it as creating a person that lived based on a simple idea you told them. The movie is definitely the best of 21 century; it's like introducing Harry Potter in the 80's. Also, the acting is exceptional; Leonardo DiCaprio is definitely someone to look out for, his acting has made the movie seems so real that you unconsciously begin to feel emotional for his role.
By: Sara Shepard Reviewed by: Tina R., 15 Rating: It was amazing!
Do u want to know what the best series is? Pretty Little Liars. There is tons of mystery and questions that eventually get answered, so I won't say much. All I will give away is four best friends continue to be creepily stalked by someone named "A" after their leader and friend, Allison dies, or disappears....Read the series and watch it on ABC Family every Tuesday night at 8 and you will be immediately hooked! -A
Directed By: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud Reviewed by: Felicity T., 16 Rating: It was alright...
The much-celebrated and (I think) significantly over-advertised animated film, Despicable Me, has finally arrived! This film is the story of supervillain Gru, voiced with Russian flare by Steve Carell. One day, Gru wakes up to find himself outdone by the evil pyramid-thief Vector. As Gru seeks to out-burgle Vector, he concocts a plan to shrink and steal the moon, a crime that will leave the world speechless! Moving forward with his plan to vanquish Vector has its prices, though. Gru desperately needs funding for his plan from the, er, skeptical Bank of Evil, and after he adopts three girls who can get him access into Vector's fortress as innocent cookie-sellers, Gru finds himself falling into the role of a delighted father. The ultimate conflict comes when Gru is forced to choose between stealing the moon and going to his three daughters' dance recital.
I'm going to be honest. Despicable Me was a little bit disappointing. After some truly awesome trailers and advertising, I was looking forward to something of PIXAR/Madagascar magnitude. It turns out that Despicable Me is not so much about Gru's rivalry with Vector as it is about his becoming a father. I can't really explain it, but Don't get me wrong--the movie was really cute, and it had a great premise, and some hilarious lines. But I found myself longing for something more when the credits started rolling. I've thought about it quite a bit since the first time I saw it (once at a drive-in and once at the Sierra Vista theater), and I'm not positive, but what I think Despicable Me is missing lies in the story. And it's a matter of extents. I think that maybe the makers of this film tried to stretch the characters in too many directions. It seems to me that there isn't enough duality (or maybe too much) in Gru's character. At times he isn't bad enough to be evil, but not good enough to be good, so he ends up having moments where he's just the world's biggest loser instead of a supervillain/father. I also felt that he was too compliant to his bad-guy (I thought he was a bad guy, at any rate) sidekick/resident mad scientist, Dr. Nefario, especially when the time came for him to choose between the girls and the moon. What frustrated me the most in Gru's relationship with Dr. Nefario is that they never end up truly consolidated to their sides, so to speak. One moment, Dr. Nefario is a bad guy, and Gru goes along with his compromising plans, and the next, Nefario is a good guy coming to Gru's rescue! For a children's movie, I found that element very irritating, and it left me unsatisfied. In some ways, the redeemed-by-becoming-an-adoptive-father act that ultimately makes Gru a good guy slips away, truly making Gru a despicable character in a way that isn't cute. But maybe I'm overanalyzing. I'll move on.
On a lighter note, Despicable Me is hilarious because of the little yellow minions that work for Gru. These guys are a total source of laughs, and my dad predicts that one day, there may be a minion-themed TV show to entertain the world!
To conclude this grossly overthought review, I'd have to say that out of ten points, I would give Despicable Me seven. It's one of those movies you should rent at home to save yourself some money, but still get a few laughs. I actually really liked Despicable Me, but every time I start to think about why it made me feel a little unfulfilled, I go a little crazier. Please, watch it, with my blessing. Also, there's no objectionable content that I can recall.
Recommended to: Children 12-, Really Goofy People...
By: Paulo Coelho Reviewed by: Sue, 15 Rating: Really liked it
It wasn't a bit interesting at first so i almost stopped reading, but since i was very bored over the summer i had to read it. Later on in the book, the story got deeper and deeper into the facts and the originality of the journey the boy takes. Overall the book was quite good and advice i'd give is to give the book a chance!!!!
It’s dark. It’s cold. Feet and hands are bound together with rope. A searing pain pulsates through her left ankle. The odor of musty earth fills the small space. What has Tempe got herself into this time?
Reichs wastes no time getting into the suspense of the story. Right out of the gates she has her main character in grave peril with no recollection of how she got there. Slowly Tempe remembers snippets of memory and tries to piece it together in order to escape.
The 12th installment to the Temperance Brennan series is a satisfying story. Not as suspenseful as I expected, but good nonetheless. Forensic terminology dominates the conversations and the personal aspect Reichs’ writing style and descriptive details are buried along with Tempe in the shallow grave. The story is still interesting but a little predictable. I do, however, like the vast array of characters that we meet, from her in-laws to the detectives. And the romance between her and Ryan is still there. Overall, it’s a satisfying book with a nice ending.
Recommended to: people who like learning about forensics
By: Kieran Scott Reviewed by: Zouapa T., 15 Rating: Really liked it
The book is about high school student,Annisa Gobrowski, who moved to a new school and made the cheer leading squad. Along with dealing with the squad, making new friends, and trying not to make enemies, she also finds herself falling for a star athlete at her school. This book was really enjoyable and i suggest for young teens to read it just for entertainment.
By: Richard Holmes Reviewed by: Felicity T., 16 Rating: Really liked it
Alrighty, here we are with the second (first, really) installment of my progressive review through The Age of Wonder. If you haven't read my preface, you can view it here. I know I am behind on my reading, but cut me a little slack-it's summer, I've been busy lately...
So, I have progressed through the first two "chapters" of the book. (If they can be called chapters. They're really more like... sections. With chapters inside the sections.) Anyways, these were fairly long, about 70-80 pages each, with meaty writing style and no pictures until the end of the second chapter. To be completely honest, I'm really loving this book! It's true, though, I am a little biased because I like history a lot.
The first chapter/section of the book is about a man named Joseph Banks. I am blown away with this man, and you will be, too, if you read about him. Young Joseph grew up in a wealthy home, but he had a passion for science, and in particular, he loved botany, which is the study of plants. I know, it sounds boring and a little ridiculous. But you have to remember that this is in the 1700s, when people didn't know much about nature and hadn't even explored the world that much. Heck, this is before America declared independence, and before Australia was even discovered! So cut him a little slack. Joseph was very motivated and had alot of resources available to his studies, and he pursued botany like few others at his time. He catalogued whole museums and nurseries of newly discovered plants, and grew to be friends with the famous Captain Cook. When Captain Cook was commissioned to explore the South Seas, Joseph Banks pretty much took over the science department of the ship. He hired experienced naturalists (what they called scientists who studied a little bit of everything) and artists to paint their discoveries. From this point, the author really focuses on the ship's time on Tahiti, where they were some of the earliest Europeans to impact the land and people there. Joseph Banks, with all his passion for plants, gradually becomes a man with a passion for people. He falls in love with the radically different culture of the Tahitians, and explores it in a way that changes him forever. Later, after his return, Banks is a changed man who influences the British/European scientific community of that era in a dramatic way, opening doors for later discoveries and adding to the captivation of Romanticism.
The second chapter deals with an incredible man by the name of William Herschel. I thought this chapter was even better than the first one! William Herschel grew up in tough circumstances, a middle child with an illiterate and imposing mother who doted upon her favorite, the oldest son, and with a father who was gone for long breaks as a military man. Despite his rough upbringing, William was a gifted musician who applied himself to music with uncanny diligence. Not only was Herschel a great musician--even as a youngster, he devoted himself to developing his mind by pursuing high-level mathematics, and all kinds of philosophical theory. As I read this, I was blown away by the passion and hard work that this young man poured into his studies! I mean, this guy was my age, a few years older, and he was pushing his mind in ways that no teen would today. What does that say about our culture, huh? It provokes more questions about the future of our society when you read about the k!
inds of things Herschel did. When he grew up and moved away from home, William worked as a concert musician and a music tutor for several different instruments. He studies music theory and even wrote some of his own compositions, like this symphony:
At this point, he developed an interest in astronomy. He built his own state-of-the-art reflector telescopes, which had magnifying power beyond anyone else's telescopes at the time. Herschel had a quick mind and he rapidly developed his own system for identifying heavenly bodies. He discovered hundreds, thousands of new stars and made bold suggestions about the nature of space. Interestingly, he was convinced that there was life on the moon. William Herschell went on to discover the planet Uranus, which was the first new planet discovery in centuries.
At this point, the author makes a huge statement about science, and its relation to literature/art. Herschel's discovery of Uranus wasn't the typical "Eureka!" moment that springs forward in your mind. It was a cautious, months-long system of observation that eventually was accepted as fact. And this is true about science today. In real life, these discoveries are long, grueling, and tough, although they may not be portrayed that way artistically. This contributes to some of my biggest thoughts in the Age of Wonder so far: Where is the wonder of our generation? Why don't people my age get fired up over science the way that guys like Banks and Herschel did? Why does popular culture portray this kind of passion as simply nerdy? Why doesn't it show the intense products of hard work and fearlessness? What am I doing with my life? These guys are long dead, but they've left their mark on the world-so what am I doing? What is my generation doing for the earth? What kind of legacy will we leave?
This is an exceedingly long review, I know, so let me leave you with something to make you want to read this: Holmes, the author, is a masterful writer. He knows what he's talking about. And there's way more than just what I included: he goes into depth regarding these people's personal lives and the way they were in real life. I mean, they've been immortalized as fantastic men of science, but they actually had lives and love interests and family and friends. They were human.
Recommended to: people who love to be inspired, people who like to read biographies, people who enjoy reading about science and history together, people who are into Romantic literature
Directed By: Edward Zwick Reviewed by: Felicity T., 16 Rating: It was amazing!
Based on a true story, (with real photos during the credits), and made in 2008, Defiance is a dramatic account of years of Nazi occupation in Belarus during WWII, and the incredible survival, and defiance of hunted Jewish people there. The film begins by showing German soldiers and local collaborators herding off, splitting apart, and killing Jewish families in Belarus. (Belarus is a medium-sized European country just east of Poland.) In one family, a group of four brothers, whose ages range from around 12 to the 30s, is orphaned when their parents are killed by a local policeman who has collaborated with Nazi authorities. The film goes on to document their escape into the vast forests of Belarus, where they encounter more Jewish refugees. The oldest brother, Tuvia, eventually becomes a key leader in this sort of forest refugee camp that saves thousands of Jewish lives from death and persecution.
What makes Defiance such a great film is its moving, true story, its dramatic and artistic film style, and its powerful acting. The makers of this film have done an excellent job in their portrayal of strong, concrete human characters and their very horrendously real circumstances. I mean, these people are being hunted in the middle of dense European forests, sometimes during freezing winter! And they're surviving alongside hundreds of other people who are truthfully doing more than just surviving-they're living, growing, making love and friendships. It's an incredible statement about humanity. All this human drama is moved along by a great cast: Daniel Craig, who plays the lead role, is a convincing actor, along with the rest of the cast, which includes Mia Wasikowska in a role that I think is far better than her unassuming Alice in Wonderland gig. Beyond its strong characters, I love the artistic technique that is used in the filming of Defiance. The filmers have a powerful way of juxtaposing the events of the story. For instance, in one of the movie's climactic moments, scenes of a wedding are played in between cuts of a partisan attack on a Nazi convoy. The way that the sounds of both scenes are intermingled proves thought-provoking and says alot about the irony of human life in celebration and war. "All's fair in love and war."
Something I love about this film, beyond the obvious, critical matters like acting quality, is how deep and thought-provoking it is. Themes like the meaning of manhood, coming of age, the satisfaction (or lack of) of revenge, the role of faith in community, camaraderie (comrade-ship), the definition of leadership, and HOPE are all significant to the story, and to our own lives. It is rare to find a piece of entertainment that goes beyond its own little screen to add meaning to its own viewers' thoughts. Right alongside these weighty thematic elements is the abundance of conflict in the story, which really brings out all of the key ideas. In Defiance, we see conflict between brothers, between sides in a war, between philosophical persuasions, between ways of life, between one person's idea of courage and another's, between lovers, between one idea of survival and another, between leaders and bullies, between truth and deceit.. Truly, this movie is full of meaty conflicts that drive you to realize what is right on your own.
If you haven't seen this movie, I really recommend it. Just so you know, there is a fair scattering of profanity and other bad language, with a handful of f-bombs. There are one or two crude jokes made by an antagonist, and vodka flows aplenty throughout the movie, even in the hands of children. I think there is one subtle "bedroom scene," in which you really don't see anything except the couple lying together. Just in case you're sensitive about those things.
Recommended to: People who like history, WWII buffs, people interested in learning about the Holocaust, people who like war movies, people who like human dramas..., teenagers
Directed by: Wilson Yip Reviewed by: Jerry, 15 Rating: It was amazing!
A stunnig and intense martial art movie! The movie is about a Chinese martial art master, Ip Man, who try to establish a martial art school in Hong Kong. But, unfortunately, due to his lack of reputation, he didn't get much students. More problems emerged when other martial art masters refuse to let him establish his school because he refuse to pay a fee. But the real problem comes when an English boxer kills a Chinese martial art master and insults martial art. Ip Man couldn't take it anymore, so he challenged the boxer...
The movie is intense and interesting as the storyline unfolds. It will leave a deep scar on you when the movie ended.
Even though Ip Man 2 is produced in Hong Kong, they also have the English version of the movie- so that a good thing. For those who don't know, Ip Man is a real person, and one of his most famous pupils is Bruce Lee.
I had always admired Nelson Mandela for his work and I still do. In this movie, I actually predicted that Morgan Freeman would play Nelson Mandela someday, and he did in this movie.
The movie is basically about how the South Africa rugby team always had a losing streak and Mandela wants to fix it up for the good of South Africa's image. The team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) takes honor in Mandela and does all he can to improve the team. There were still struggles in apartheid even after Mandela is elected president.
About Matt Damon's role as Francois Pienaar, I saw this extra that talked about how he had get down and dirty while playing rugby and how he got to improve his role by talking to the real-live Francois Pienaar. I guess that explains why he got the Oscar Nomination in 2010 for Best Supporting Actor.
Directed by: Garry Marshall Reviewed by: awesomeVia, 16 Rating: Didn't like it
I watched Valentine's Day in July! Well, Garry Marshall, the same director who directed Pretty Woman and The Princess Diaries is back with another romantic comedy flick called Valentine's Day. This time, he brought back Anne Hathaway from Princess Diaries, now in this movie playing some lady who has a wierd job as a phone seductress, and Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman, now in this movie playing a captain in some war who's visiting her family in only one night.
The movie is supposively an all-star cast with Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Ashton Kutcher, Jamie Foxx, George Lopez, Taylor Lautner, Jessica Alba, Anne Hathaway, Julia Roberts, Shirley McLaine, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Garner, Taylor Swift, and too many other to list.
The plot is very confusing since Marshall tried to jam every possible love story into this movie. Even the youngest of them and the oldest of them too. Including the Valentine's Day Haters' story. The best part is where towards the ending, it all comes together which is not surprising because it would happen sooner or later in the movie.
Recommended to: Fans of Chick-Flicks, Valentine's Day, etc...
We all have experienced zoning out of a conversation, even when someone is talking to us. Our minds become oblivious to that person and we focus on that thought that interrupted the chat. Poet Alfred Lord Tennyson describes it so well. “Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack’d from side to side: ‘The curse is come upon me,’ cried The Lady of Shalott.”
American film actress, Marina Gregg, greets her guests with a handshake and a cocktail. Her open house in St. Mary Mead is going well. She meets her next guest, Mrs. Badcock, who rambles on about how Mrs. Gregg is her idol. But something she says makes Gregg have the look of Lady Shalott. Then not ten minutes later Badcock is dead. Who killed this woman? How? And why didn’t someone see them do it? Miss Marple investigates.
This book is another one of Miss Marple’s brilliant mysteries that keeps you interested in the whole story. It is well written, but takes a little bit of reading to get to the mystery. So don’t be discouraged after reading the first few chapters. Overall, it is a good mystery with some interesting allusions.
Sherlock Holmes
