Popular for a reason...

Yes I know... You don't hear from me for a long time and then I post twice in the same day. But I just realized that I saw possibly the biggest blockbuster of the year (TWICE) and I didn't write anything about it!
The Avengers (2012)

The Avengers was the culmination of just about every super hero film, that was based off a Marvel comic that is, and it was FANTASTICALLY done.
My best friend and her husband invited to go see this film on the day it was released and I agreed to go because I had thought that it looked good and I had basically nothing better to do. Plus I had figured I would see it eventually anyways.

I WAS BLOWN AWAY!!!

It had action. It has sex appeal. It had humour! I really couldn't believe it.

So lets name off the extensive list of heroes in this film:

1. Tony Stark/ Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.)

2. Steve Rogers/ Captain America (Chris Evans)
3. Bruce Banner/ The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo)

4. Thor (Chris Hemsworth)
5. Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson)

6. Clint Barton/ Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)

and there is also the leader of S.H.E.I.L.D who brings these heroes all together -- Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson)

The team of the Avengers are brought together when Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor's brother who was featured in the film Thor, comes back to Earth to steal the Tesseract which would allow him to bring an alien army to help him take over the planet.

I'm not really a super hero film kind of girl, although I have seem many of them, typically with the person that I'm dating, and I do enjoy them. But I have never enjoyed a film like this like this one. I laughed so hard at times that I thought that I was watching a great comedy and not an action film. I left the theater feeling very satisfied with this film.

After the movie I was able to see my boyfriend who was very bummed that I saw this movie without him. But the thing is that the movie was so good that I was legitimately good with seeing it with him-- and I did! I loved it just as much the second time as I did the first time, maybe even more!

So see it once, twice, however many times you want. But see it! Very much worth it!

Surprisingly good!

Hello everyone that I haven't spoken to in a while! Hehe :)
So my boyfriend and I spontaneously went to the movies yesterday and we saw a movie that I was not all that excited to go see. But never-the-less, I wasn't against seeing it, my boyfriend wanted to see it, and (while this may sound kinda bad) he was paying so I couldn't complain too much! Hehe, but in the end the movie was very very good!

Battleship (2012)
Yes, Battleship. Yes, it is based off of, or more inspired by, a board game. That was the first reason why I wasn't all that thrilled to go see the film. Also, the two main female characters are not even actresses. Rihanna is, as I'm sure nearly all of you know, is a singer, and Brooklyn Decker is primarily a model. In my book, hiring non-actors automatically gives some points against it. But Decker was actually a very good actress in this and, while Rihanna was not the best actress, she had minimal lines but some great one-liners and some good action which covered it up well.
Anyways, the premise of the film was a less-than impressive man named Alex Hopper becomes a lieutenant in the Navy through the encouragement of his older brother and a girl, Sam played by Decker. While this is going on NASA sends out signals to another world that has very similar climate and atmosphere to Earth. With these two story lines in hand, the main point of the film develops:
"A fleet of ships is forced to do battle with an armada of unknown origins in order to discover and thwart their destructive goals."
There was great action in this film, the storyline was well thought out, and there were also some rather funny moments and one-liners in the film.
While I would not put this as the BEST film I have ever seen, my boyfriend seemed to enjoy it a bit more that I did, it was still very good! I think just about any man would love it and it was done well enough and was entertaining enough that any woman would enjoy seeing it with her man.
I would definitely recommend seeing it and already have to one of my friends.

AMAZING Documentary if you love horror movies

Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film (2009)
So I just finished watching this GREAT documentary on American horror films, which I have almost always been a been a fan of, for the second time. I stumbled upon this film by looking through IMDb and happened to see that it was available on Amazon Instant Video. To make things even better, I saw that it was FREE to rent with Amazon Prime, which I had be considering getting for a few weeks now. So to be able to watch "Nightmares" for free I decided to finally sign up for the free trial of Prime, which lasts for a month. But I will definitely be getting the full year, which actually a pretty good price.
But back to the documentary...

"Nightmares in Red, White and Blue: The Evolution of the American Horror Film" is a 96 minute long documentary featuring some of the biggest names in the genre, such as John Carpender and George A. Romero.
Carpender, Romero, and others go through many of the the key films throughout the 20th century and into the first few years of the 2000s. They point of the cultural relevancy of these films, such as the fear of communism connecting to the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," and how these films influenced the future films.
This documentary has made me want to see a lot of films that I haven't seen as well as it has made me want to revisit horror films that I haven't seen in sooo long.
Another thing that this film was great for, for me, is that about a week or so ago I bought this great DVD set of 50 different classic horror films and there were a lot of them that I had never heard of, but I decided to get it anyways because it was such a good deal (50 movies for only $10!!!). But this documentary talked about several films that were on that DVD set that now I know a little about them and now I am more encouraged to watch these films.
After watching the documentary for the second time I noticed that it said it was based off of a book of the same name, so I looked it up and I do plan of reading it which could give me even deeper intellect on the genre.
I highly encourage people to watch this documentary if you have the least bit interest in horror films, especially if you already have Amazon Prime because you can watch it for free. It is worth while, I PROMISE!!!

Come on people...

As a continuing to my previous post about remakes and such, I have another one that I think is way too soon to be remaking...

Yes, The Crow. Originally done in 1994 and became widely known for the film that Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee and star of the film, was accidentally killed while filming. I know that there have been 3 subsequent sequels--The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000), and The Crow: Wicked Prayer (2005)-- which is bad enough in my opinion, but at least there is a variation in the storyline and the creators are just taking advantage of a profitable film.
My main issue with this is that it hasn't even been 20 years since the original came out! The original came out in '94 and according to IMDb the remake will come out in 2013. Because the film is under the category "In Development" that is really all the information I can get.
It's just a bit messing up in my opinion.

Ring of Bright Water

Ring Of Bright Water 1969

SUUUUUCH a cute movie! My mom and I got home from work tonight and just stumbled across this film and we loved it!
Ring of Bright Water is a film from 1969 UK and has no actors that either of us recognized but it didn't matter. It had one of our dream pets in it: an otter. From the second we came across the film we were oo-ing and ah-ing at how cute the otter, named Mij is. All he wants to do is play and swim and love his new master Graham.
Unfortunately I didn't get to see the beginning of the film, I would say that I came into the movie about 10-15 minutes in. I came in with the character of Graham dealing with his new pet otter in his small London apartment.
It doesn't take long for Graham to realize that his apartment is way too small for Mij. So before you know it Graham is moving himself and Mij out to a small cottage in Scotland. From here the film simply follows Graham and Mij's day to day life as well as Graham meeting the town doctor, Mary, and slowly falling in love with her.
I will admit, that the movie does get a bit sad but in the end the movie makes you smile. I highly recommend this movie; if you get to see it, DO IT!

Will It Never End???

Let me start today by stating that for the most part I have a deep problem with remakes. This is mostly because it seems like EVERYTHING that is so called "new" in theaters now a days is a remake or an adaptation or something of the sort. Me seeing a movie in theaters and seeing the previews usually ends up with me having a thought process that leads me to the same conclusion every time:

THERE ARE NO ORIGINAL IDEAS ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just look at the movies that are in theaters on a day to day basis. I would bet that at least half of them are a remake of an older film (and more and more the term "older" seems to become more brood, something could just be 10 years old and it seems like it can be worthy of a remake), is an adaptation of some television show, or is based off of a book, although the tv show and book adaptions I am a bit more forgiving with. However, the further this goes, the more "based on a true story" is starting to bug me. But even the movies that are not in one or more of these categories, you can see references to other films. There are similar story lines so often that it just blows my mind.

But these ones I can mostly forgive. The person that wrote these film could just not have realized at that very moment and somehow no one else mentioned or noticed this until it was far too late if at all.

But as I was exploring around IMDb just now, I realized something. This is something that I probably have realized 100 times before but was just reinforced again. The question is will it ever end? Will we ever reach a point that filmmakers will all say in unison that they just can't touch some sort of material.

Anyways, I decided to look up the movie Saw (2004) [which may I say could easily be another tangent of mine going off of the ridiculousness of sequels now a day]. But from Saw I looked up the actor Cary Elwes, whom I have always loved because of his portrayal of Wesley in The Princess Bride (1987), and saw that in his upcoming films is Yellow Submarine with the date of release being a bunch of question marks. The Beatles Yellow Submarine has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl although I haven't seen it in years; I even have a Yellow Submarine coffee mug. I couldn't believe that they would remake the original animated film from 1968 so I had to look into it. Please, you tell me if there is any significant difference in the descriptions:

1968 

The Beatles agree to accompany Captain Fred in his Yellow Submarine and go to Pepperland to free it from the music hating Blue Meanies.

????

A 3-D adaptation of the classic Beatles animated feature in which the British pop band traveled to a magical place called Pepperland in their yellow submarine to drive away the evil Blue Meanies.

I really do not see any difference except for the use of 3D in the adaptation! Which I do have so say that the use of 3D is one thing that I'm sick of. Its a fad that needs to pass just like it did in the 80s, even though the technology is 100x better now.

I'm not saying that Yellow Submarine is some great film that should not be touched, not by a long shot. All I am saying is that if we are going this far whats next? Before we know it will we be making a direct remake of The Wizard of Oz???? God I hope not, that is one that I think should not be touched in that way.

Now at the beginning of this I did say that it was for the most part that I have a deep issue with remakes. But let me just say, that I am a complete and total hypocrite when it comes to this. While it deeply bugs me and I may bitch and moan, many of these films I so see and I do like! I also so like being able to compare it to the original. This is especially true when it comes to movies that are off of books that I have read. I love being able to enjoy a movie all the while complain about how much better the book is!

So all I'm saying is that don't judge me. I know that I am a hypocrite and that there is something very wrong with this.

Dark Shadows Trailer

So on my first post a couple weeks ago I talked about the upcoming remake of the 1966 cult tv show Dark Shadow, which will be of the same name, is done by Tim Burton, and stars Johnny Depp. Well today I logged onto my favorite website, IMDb (which you will see me reference very often, if you haven't noticed so already), and saw that there is FINALLY a trailer for the new movie! I do have to say, I still think it looks good! But please, develop your own opinion through the following link to the trailer:
Just Press On The Yellow "Watch Trailer"
Also, I'm not sure if I knew this a couple weeks ago but I have found that the release date for the film will be May 11, 2012.
I'm looking forward to it!

And, Coming up soon...
My review of the films 50/50 (2011) and Avatar (2009)

My Sister's Keeper (2009)

If you want a good cry, here is the movie to watch...

MY SISTER'S KEEPER (2009)
So I wasn't planning on watching this movie, or any movie for that matter, but I had wanted to watch this movie when it came out (on my birthday by the way) almost three years ago. But I was just flipping through channels and came across My Sister's Keeper on Lifetime litterally right as it was starting so I decided to watch it.
My Sister's Keeper stars Cameron Diaz (from such films as The Mask '94, There's Something About Mary '98, and the Shrek films), Abagail Breslin (seen in Little Miss Sunshine '06 and Zombieland '09) Alec Balwin (Beatlejuice '88 and the tv show 30 Rock '06) and Sofia Vassilieva (who I recognized from the show Medium '05).
The story follows a family of five who's middle child Kate has a rare form of leukemia. When she was diagnosed as a child her parents decided to basically engineer a third child for donations (such as bone marrow, cord cells, and white blood cells). When Kate is 15 and the third born, named Anna, is 11 Kate is still unfortunately still sick and in need of a kidney transplant from her sister. However, Anna has basically had enough and goes to lawyer Campbell Alexander (Baldwin) to represent her in a law suit against her parent to gain medical emancipation- in other words, Anna wants to be in control of her own body and not have to donate to her sister anymore. As the movie progresses we see the battles between child and parent, along with the ups and downs of chemo and radiation and even first love.
I think this movie would make anyone cry, there were several parts that I was basically a blubbering mess, but for me this hit close to home. When I was young my best friend was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia so I saw the ups and downs of the disease. Luckily my best friend went into remission rather fast and is now 23 and living a great life. But the movie, and anything that does deal with the disease, pulls at my heart string more than any other. It causes me to think of what could have happened.
Anyways, back to the film... I don't think that there was any part of this film that was not well done. There is so much love through out and moved me like no other has in a long time. I HIGHLY recomend this movie for anyone with a heart, sould, liver. Ha ha! Also, this movie is based off a book by Jodi Picoult of the some name. So if you have any interest in reading the book, or you are in the process of reading it right now, DO NOT read the trivia on IMDb. I'm not going to say what it says as to not spoil anything, but in the trivia section not only does it spoil the ending of the movie, which is fine by me because I had just finished watching the movie so I already knew how it ended, but it also spoils how the book ends which does differ. I greatly like the end of the movie better so I'm no longer sure if I want to read the book, while i was very interested before hand. I may still read it but who know.
Either way the rest of you should see this film. But my suggestion is to be prepared: Girls, don't wear much make-up as it will be ruined and anyone who sees this should have a LARGE box of tissues nearby.

Ginger Snaps

Ginger Snaps (2000)

So I just finished watching a Canadian horror film from 2000 called Ginger Snaps. I had first heard of this film while watching some horror film countdown like 100 Scariest Movie Moments or something, I'm not quite sure. But ever since I saw a clip of this movie on this countdown I knew that I wanted to watch it.
The premise of the film is using werewolfism as a metaphor for a young girl going through puberty.
The main characters are Ginger and Brigitte Fitzgerald, played by Katharine Isabelle and Emily Perkins, who are "suburban goth girl outcasts" who are obsessed with death and suicide to the point that they set up faux suicides and photograph it. They have also made a pact to die together if they don't get out of their town saying, "Out by sixteen or dead on the scene, but together forever."
While out in a park one night with her sister, Ginger begins here first cycle without truly knowing it and is then attacked by something large and dog-like, which turns out to be a werewolf. Slowly but surely Ginger begins to change, starting with a surge of new-found sex appeal as well as some animal-like hairs growing from the scratches on her shoulder from the werewolf, which had started to miraculously healed by the time they got home after they attack.
Trying to help her sister as she changes, Brigitte comes into contact with a local drug dealer named Sam, played by Kris Lemche who some of you would recognize from the short lived TV show Joan of Arcadia as the 'Cute Boy God' and from Final Destination 3 (2006). Sam hit the original werewolf with his car as the sisters were running away from it. Because of this, Sam does believe Brigitte when she needs help, only she lies and says that it is she, not Ginger, who is turning into a werewolf.
As Ginger slowly transforms, which leads to several deaths (human and animal) as well as the infection of a "love" interest of Ginger's, Brigitte try to contain Ginger while she and Sam try to find an antidote. This erupts in a final struggle on Halloween night, a month after Ginger is attacked.
I don't want to give too much away so I'll just leave it at that, but I was pleasantly surprised at this movie. While I wouldn't put it as "scary," but then again it takes a lot to actually scare me with movies, it was very good and rather creepy.

So another actor that many of you would recognize is Mimi Rogers from such movies as the remake of Lost in Space (1998) and as Mrs. Kennsington in Austin Powers (1997). I even found the character of Jason, played by Jesse Moss, familiar and after looking him up on IMDb I found out that the only thing I recognized him from his small role in Final Destination 3.

One tid-bit that I found interesting is that the director refused to use CGI for the monster special effects, choosing to use actual make-up and prosthetics, and this was done very well. I had read this bit of trivia before I actually saw the movie so I knew that it was prosthetics, and there is also the fact that it is of a werewolf and it is very hard to find one of those that can act! Ha Ha Ha!

But anyways overall I found the film very good and I'm glad that i finally got around to watching it. I highly recogment it!
For more information on the film go here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0210070/

Welcome/ Dark Shadows

Welcome to my brand new blog!
I love movies, as well as a few select television shows, so I have decided to write down my thoughts on the films and shows that I watch as well as my opinion on films that are yet to actually come out.
And that is what I am going to start with, a movie that is yet to come out:

Dark Shadows (May 2012)

So tonight I was just going through one of my FAVORITE websites, imdb.com and I went through the Coming Soon section and came across Dark Shadows in May. Wondering if it was the same concept as the gothic soap opera from the late 60s, I selected it. Turns out that it is an adaptation of the tv series.
Now first off, I will admit that I have never seen the show, but I had heard what it was about and heard references to the show, primarily in an episode (#5.12) of Gilmore Girls (2000-07) where the character of Sookie, while pregnant, sneaks off the one of the Dragonfly Inn's empty rooms to watch Dark Shadows. I will also admit that on first view of most films that are remakes or adaptations of other films, tv shows, or books, which now a days are many, MANY movies, I am a bit annoyed at the lack of original ideas out there. I'm not saying that I have any original ideas that I would see as great for a film, but I just feel that the ratio is way off kilter.
So on that note, after looking through the pages for the original series and for the up coming film, I think that this might actually be good. I think enough time has passed since the series aired, which was from 1966-71, and I also think that since it had more of the cult following that the mass pop culture following, there are enough people that this would still be new for them. For instance, although I have heard of the show, I have never seen any of the episodes nor seen that it is on on general cable.
So for those of you who never saw the show or that are like me and too young to have seen the show this is the basic synopsis of the movie:
"A gothic-horror tale centering on the life of vampire Barnabas Collins and his run-ins with various monsters, witches, werewolves and ghosts."

Possibly the primary reason the I think that this could be a good film is because of who is involved with the project. It is directed by Tim Burton and the main vampire, Barnabas Collins, is played by Johnny Depp. Other actors who are starring in the film are Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloee Grace Moretz (who many of you would recognize as Hit-Girl in Kick-Ass), and Helena Bonham Carter. Apparently Alice Cooper also does a cameo in the film!
The colaboration of Burton and Depp does give me great hope for this film. This will be the eighth film they have done together. I have seen five of the seven that have already come out, and of those five films, the only one that I am not a huge fan of is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) which frankly, that just freaked me out. The other films that they have done together are Edward Scissorhands (1990), Ed Wood (1994), Sleepy Hollow (1999), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeny Todd (2007), and Alice in Wonderland (2010).

The film comes out on May 11th of this year, however there is yet to be a trailer for the film which I am looking forward to. I plan on making a good effort on seeing this movie when it does come out and I will keep you all updated when I do!
For more information of the film and the tv show I highly recomend the imdb pages from the links here:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1077368/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059978/

Thank you all!