~Movie~ Prates of the Caribbean- On Stranger Tides

Yay Yay Yay Yay!!!!! I have been waiting for this movie. This is one of my favorite movie series ever! If you don't like these movies, there's something wrong with you.

So the whole purpose of this installment is that Jack is looking for the fountain of youth. But he's not the only one. We get to meet a whole slough of new people. And they all are just amazing!

The line up starts with Johnny. Good ol Johnny. He rocks! He did just as amazing as all the other times. I cannot imagine another person playing Jack Sparrow. Can you? I mean he puts absolutely everything he has into every roll. But this is by far his best character. He had a few subtle changes to his appearance, but they aren't bad, so don't worry.

And of course, we get to see Barbosa again. He reprised his roll just the same as always. Although, he looked weird. His makeup. I dunno. It was weird for me. So that was a disappointment.

And for our new characters. Penelope Cruz. I think she is a beautiful woman. But in this movie they kind of uglied her up. And I loved that. It was nice to see her as something other than a cover girl. And I loved her character. She put everything into it.

And we have another new character. Ian McShane. Blackbeard. I have read stories of Blackbeard, and seen old movies with the character. But I've never been so happy watching this character on film. And that is a credit to the actor. I've never seen Ian in anything before. So for me, this was a brand new wake up.

There's more new faces, but I'll let them be a surprise. I thought the story line was well thought, and the dialogue was great. I was worried it would end up being cheesy, but it wasn't. And the CG was just as good as the first installments. I actually believed the mermaids were real.

Such a fantastic movie. Everyone needs to go see it.

~Book~ Water for Elephants

Hmmmmm..... Ok I'm kind of torn as to whether I like this book or not. I had wanted to see the movie, so I figured I'd read the book first. But now after reading it, I don't want to see the movie. This is going to have spoilers.

I liked the characters. They were well described. Didn't always like what they did.

This book is about a young man who loses everything and ends up joining the circus. But it's almost like the book "The Notebook". The main character Jacob is now in his 90's and the book is his memories from when he was in his 20"s.

After learning of his parent's deaths, and financial ruin, Jacob leaves Cornell University (where he was studying to be a vet), and hops a train to the circus. Where he meets a VERY colorful assortment of people. You've got an angry masturbating dwarf (flipped through those pages) who loves his little dog. A drunk stowaway that Jacob is trying to prevent from getting thrown off. A crazy controlling circus owner. A schizophrenic animal trainer. A half naked showgirl. And, of course, Marlena. The wife of the animal trainer and Jacob's love interest. One big soap opera huh? I wasn't kidding when I said colorful.

There's love, adultery, fighting, murder, illness all rolled into one big circus. The story line was good. I mean you've got 2 people fighting the odds so they can be together. But how it's done is what I didn't like. And there's also a few parts where I had to keep flipping pages because of the content. Like the masturbating dwarf. But also the scene with the half naked show girl. It was grotesque for my taste. And vulgar.

I'm glad I got the book on sale, cause I probably wont be reading it again.

But that's just my opinion.............

~Movie~ Thor

Ok I'll start off by saying that I've never read any comics about Thor. What I knew about Thor, I learned from my brother. So I found the movie enjoyable.

I think they did a really good job with the cast. Chris Hemsworth (Thor) is larger than life. Literally. This guy is 6'5'' and weighs 275 pounds. Holy crap! So I think he was a perfect choice for the God of Thunder. I mean when you think of a God, it's not a normal looking person. And Chris is not normal looking. And ladies, he's pretty easy on the eyes, and you get to see him shirtless. So if your fella wants you to go see it, and your not into these kinds of movies, keep that in mind. :) But he acted well also. I'm always sceptical of big muscle men acting. More often than not, they aren't very good. So it was a pleasant surprise to see he had talent.

Natalie Portman was her normal awesome self. She has an awesome repertoire. Love her!

And there's Anthony Hopkins, which I wasn't expecting. He didn't have a huge role, but he played it well. Although after watching Hannibal when I was younger, I have trouble getting that image out of my head whenever I see him.

The rest of the cast did a good job as well. There were people I know and some I was introduced to. Which I love. All star casts are great and all, but it's nice to see an up and coming in the mix.

There were some great fight scenes. The choreography of the moves was just right. Not too much and not too little. And I'm in favor of the special effects. Since I had no previous knowledge of the characters, I was able to just enjoy without thinking "oh that's not how they're supposed to look". I'm trying to be vague so I don't give anything away. Sorry. I'm a "spoiler" by nature. :)

It did feel a little rush. But it made sense when my brother explained some things to me. This movie was mainly to establish the Thor character. So there was a lot of history explaining him. And it did feel like it had a blunt ending, which was a bummer. But we'll be seeing Thor again in 2012 when "The Avengers" comes out. Along with Iron Man, The Hulk and Captain America. That's a LOT of on screen testosterone. Wow.

Overall I'd say it's worth the box office price. It was cool to see on the big screen. I didn't see it in IMAX or 3D so I can't give any info on what those are like, (I'm cheap). But if your looking for a good action flick and you haven't already seen it, go.

(And guys, there was only one kissing scene)

But that's just my opinion........

~Movie~ Fast Five

Oh. My. Goodness!!!!!!!! This movie ROCKED!!!!! I can't even begin to do justice to this movie. I am sitting here still on edge from it. It was friggin awesome!

There's going to be spoilers so watch out!

Well to start, they have everyone from previous movies. It was a Fast and Furious all star cast. But there was also some new faces that added to the splendor. Like The Rock. I am a big fan of Vin Diesel and The Rock. So, for me, having them both in the same movie was like hitting the jackpot! And I'll admit I was kinda worried about it. I mean these are 2 very big action heroes, yet they didn't seem to get in the way of each other's creativity or spotlight. They played well off of each other. And man wait until you see their hand to hand combat. There is one major scene where they just go head to head. And it was a sight to behold! I don't think I've ever been that pumped up for a fight scene in any movie I've ever seen in my life!

But, man oh man, the fights weren't the only spectacular thing. The car chases/races. Now this series has done a pretty bang up job when it comes to this area, but this was by far their best work yet. I don't even know how they could top the stunts they pulled in this movie. No joke! Now the whole premise of this movie is they are trying to steal 100 million from a bad guy in Rio. 100 mil that happens to be locked up tight in a 7x11, 18 inch thick re-enforced wall, pass code and palm recognition locked, safe. Oh and by the way, the safe is in a police station. Not exactly the easiest heist right? Wrong! They take an armored truck, bust down the wall into the safe room, attach steel cables to the thing, and drag it out with 2 smoking hot black Chargers. And the fun didn't end there! They pull this safe all through Rio, destroying everything, and using it as a wrecking ball for any enemies that got in their way. My heart was racing! And they pull off one of the most fantastic swicharoos I've ever seen with this safe. Holy cow!!!

I can find only one single thing wrong with this movie. One. And that's the fact that they said the F word once. There wasn't any sex or naked bodies (just a few scandalous outfits). You didn't see any blood or gore. It was just a downright action movie at its best. Its does not surprise me in any way that this has beat records and is the #1 movie in America (and I'm betting other places as well).

I was on the edge of my seat with exhilaration and excitemeant the entire time. You MUST go see this movie. I wish I had seen it in IMAX. That would have just made the experience SOOO much better. It is worth the box office fee. I promise you!

But that's just my opinion......

~DVD~ Morning Glory

I LOVED this movie. It made me laugh so much! I didn't know what to expect going into it. I had heard good and bad reviews. But it gets a big 2 thumbs up from me!

It has an amazing cast. I mean you've got Diane Keaton, Rachael McAdams, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson and.... Drum roll please. Harrison Ford!!!! I love this cast. You've got amazing old and new (in experience not age) actors wrapped into a feel good comedy.

So Rachael plays a producer that's trying to pull a morning new show out of the gutter. And she doesn't exactly have an easy time of it. Especially when she's dealing with two news anchors (Ford & Keaton) that are giving her a run for her money. Not to mention juggling a love interest at the same time.

This movie I would completely recommend to watch. The men in your life may night enjoy it, but get your gal pals together, grab a pizza (or wine if your into that kinda thing) and embrace the laughter.

All the actors did a stand up job playing their characters. But I will say that Mr. Harrison Ford was my favorite. Every time he walked onscreen I thought of my Dad. They really have similarities. But that's beside the point. He was awesome. Even when he's being a complete jerk, you love him.

And Diane Keaton is the queen of the hissy fit. And you want her to do it over and over. And I must say, that woman just gets better looking with age.

Oh Patrick Wilson, how I like to look at you.  Ha ha. He also has a range in his repertoire. Love him.

I'd run out and rent or buy this. I think I'll be adding it to my DVD collection. Great funny!

But that's just my opinion........

~Movie~ Red Riding Hood

Oh man...... This movie was a disappointment. I went into it hoping for a good suspenseful goth flick. Not what I got. The biggest problems? Well... Bad acting, bad costumes, bad directing, bad dialogue and a crappy storyline.

As far as the acting goes; Amanda is a very pretty girl. I loved her in Mama Mia and Letters to Juliet. But those were cute little love stories and she does well at those. But this movie called for fear and angst. Not 2 emotions she plays very well. Widening your eyes and breathing heavy doesn't make fear. This definitely wasn't her genre. She should stick to the chick flicks. She's good at those.

I was excited to see that Billy Burke was going to be in this movie. I like him in the Twilight series. I didn't in Riding Hood. He seemed very forced in his acting and they didn't present him with very good dialogue.

Now we've got 2 attractive guys. "Peter" and "Henry". They're supposed to hate each other, but as I watched, it seemed more like they wanted to grab a beer together rather than fight each other for a woman's heart. The actors Shiloh and Max were great when they weren't onscreen together. I think they did a good job of picking 2 very different looking male leads. One is very dark and rugged while the other is more clean and polished. That made dynamics better. And they were nice to look at. :)

Now Julie Christie did the best job of everyone. But she's been in the business long enough to know what she's doing. She was an awesome "Grandmother". I loved er when i was supposed to , and hated her when it called for it. Had she not been in this movie it would have been a COMPLETE wash!

But I can't place all the blame with the actors. I mean your only as good as what you have to work with. And they didn't have a whole lot. Twilight fans out there, does the name Catherine Hardwicke ring bells? It should. She was the director of the first movie. And Twilight fans might also remember that the movies got better AFTER she was replaced with someone else. Sooo.. need I say more?

David Leslie Johnson was the screenwriter for this film. And his dialogue sucks. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. It was cheesy. I was expecting more. Got WAY less.

Okay so I guess I should say something good. Something good.. Something good... Yep can't think of anything else. Basically, they took a classic children's story, and made a miserable movie out of it.

But that's just my opinion.....

~Movie~ Beastly

So this movie is based off of a book. And as far as sticking to the book, they did a bad job.  But as far as making a decent movie, I enjoyed it. I will say that Vanessa Hudgens isn't my favorite actress. I'd like to see her take a few acting classes. It would be good for her. Alex Pettyfer was great. He is proving to have a good range. And I like to see that in actors.

So onto the movie. And there will be spoilers. So beware if you don't like that sort of thing.
So in the book he's actually turned in to a beast. Fangs and all. But in the movie he's just deformed. And I have to say I like that. Because, really, making a man into a hairy beast on real life film would either come off as scary and gruesome, or fake and cheesy. And the make up artists did a good job making him deformed. It looked real and plausible. And I will say he looks good with his shirt off even when he's all "beasty". But they should've made Vanessa look a little more plain. She's a beautiful girl, and the actual character is rather plain and ordinary looking. But life goes on... :)

Mary Kate Olsen was awesome!! I'm so happy to see her in a role that isn't some sweet little teeny bopper. She needed a break out role as a bad ass and I think this was a great start.

Neil Patrick Harris portrayed the tutor role really well. He was a great addition to this cast lineup and made me laugh more than once. I think I may have even snorted a time or two.

Now some of the BIG differences between the movie and the book; and these are spoilers!
The opening speech that Kyle gives is different. And the one in the book was way better.
How the 2 main characters meet is different, but not bad.
Now in the book, Vanessa's character comes to live with the "beast" because her Dad breaks into his house and gets blackmailed into giving over his daughter. But in the movie, the father kills someone and is blackmailed that way. I would have preferred the books take on things just because then there wouldn't have been any death. But oh well, no biggie.
The ending was WAAAYY off, and I really wish they had stuck to the book. The movie ending just didn't seem to have as much heart and depth to it as it could have.
I do wish it had been longer. It was only an hour and a half and had they extended it to 2 hours, they could have told a little more of the story. There were times when it felt a little rushed.

Overall I'd say it's worth it to see in theaters if you want a cute chick flick to see with your gal pals. I went with 3 of mine and we had a good time. But some might want to wait for the DVD.

But that's just my opinion.......