review: Brave (movie)

According to many people, this movie was only okay. Most claimed the source of the meh-ness was that the movie was too Disney for a Pixar (which is owned by Disney...) movie. And I can kinda see where they're coming from looking at Pixar's previous films (here are some of the best): Toy Story, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, Up, and Monsters Inc. All of these movies are so innovative in comparison to Brave which is kinda the new classic princess plot - i.e. a headstrong princess who wants to escape her fate so she takes it upon herself to find a way.... with the help of a witch and some magic (not the whole waiting on Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet). Nothing entirely original about that plot, but then again, what's original anymore? The thing that makes this movie seem to be a standout is the Celtic angle which is different from other classic Disney movies -- although Disney loves to come in and put their own spin on certain cultures as seen in Aladin (Middle Eastern culture but was originally Chinese) or Beauty & the Beast (which is supposed to be in France hence the opening song: "Bonjour").

Our story focuses on Merida, a spunky, headstrong, arrow-shooting princess of Scotland. As a child she was encouraged to be herself by her father, King Fergus, who gifted her with a bow. After misfiring an arrow the wee bonnie princess skips into the dark forest to collect the lost arrow. Some will-o'-the-wisp (same as a hinkypunk for all you Harry Potter fans!) lead her to her arrow but alas, as she leaves a giant bear attacks her and her father looses his leg in the process of saving her and Queen Elinor. Now, if this were a classic Disney movie Queen Elinor would hate the young princess and do everything to thwart her likelihood to make it to adulthood. Instead her mother does indeed love her and wants what she thinks is best for her daughter. Unfortunately, it's not in line with what Merida wants, namely her freedom. But Queen Elinor goes ahead and sets up a competition for Merida's hand in marriage inviting the three subordinate clans: Dingwall,  MacGuffin, and Macintosh. The eldest sons of each clan are presented to Merida and Queen Elinor proclaims: "In the traditions of our clans, the eldest child of the clans are invited to compete for the Princess' hand." When Merida hears this she knows what to make her suitors compete in: archery. After watching all the suitors go - and behold a forth suitor appears! And it's Merida. Using the loop hole that her mother exposed earlier Merida claims as the eldest child she should also get the right to compete for her own hand and with three shots she quickly defeats her suitors.

Now this tosses the entire kingdom into chaos. Traditions have been broken, relationships strained, and the clans are on the edge of war. Merida and her mother's relationship is now nearly broken what with Merida embarrassing  her in front of what seemed like the entire kingdom and Queen Elinor throwing Merida's bow (the symbol of her freedom and independence) onto the fire. Merida flees to the surrounding woods where will-o'-the-wisp lead her to a crazy old woodcarver... or at least a witch who also loves carving bears.... Merida convinces the witch to give her a potion that will change her fate by making her mother change (change what? ah, yes, absent specificity - the downfall of all magical spells). So Merida takes the spell, in the shape of a tart/pastry, and feeds it to her mother hoping to make her mother changer her opinion of her engagement. Instead she changes into a bear!

What follows is a journey of reconnecting and self-discovery. Merida is among the new Disney princesses (most recently Rapunzel and Tiana) who are more independent. There was a push in the late 90's for more modern women: Mulan and Pocahontas, both of whom were much stronger women. Pocahontas followed her own path which led to her saving her people and brokering peace with the white man. Mulan impersonated a man to join the army and spare her wounded father from being drafted - she ended up saving her people as well. Merida is the second (Pixar) princess to wield a weapon (Rapunzel being the first with her frying pan). She's also the first to NOT end up with a prince. The trend of more independence and not waiting to be rescued by one's prince charming - is a positive one that ought to be encouraged. I like the new Disney role model. Bravo Disney! I give Brave 4 out of 5 stars for positive role modeling, not making the princess sing or interact with adorable fuzzy creatures (minus the horse... and bears), having awesome accents, and convincing Billy Connolly to be King Fergus.

Check out the trailer here!

Review: The Avengers (movie)

Once again I have been super busy so my reviews have slipped (in quantity but never quality). I will try to be better folks but working 60+ hours a week makes even things like typing and seeing movies difficult.

I have already written one review about a Joss Whedon film once this year which got high marks (Cabin in the Woods) and I seem to be on a Whedon kick (I'm watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer.) That said I was a bit ambivalent about seeing The Avengers. Not that it looked bad or that the reviews were bad (quite to the contrary actually), but more because I'm not a huge fan of Marvel's Avengers.... although I do love me some Tony Stark/Iron Man *drool*. But the Hulk, Captain America and Thor or the other two (Black Widow and Hawkeye) were never heroes that I grew up with or truly cared for (neither was Iron Man until Robert Downy Jr.). I was a Batman, Wolverine, and Spider-man fan. So when my mom came to visit me in late June and offered to take me to a movie I figured The Avengers would be an excellent choice - mainly to see the big blockbuster on the big screen for free (thanks mom). And I was thrilled with it. The Avengers ended up being incredibly witty, well written, and surprisingly true to the characters' history and personalities. I'll break this down by character and then plot:

Mark Ruffalo as Dr. Bruce Banner/The Hulk: I was really worried about this actor/character pairing. The Hulk has gone through numerous interpretations starting with Eric Bana then progressing to Edward Norton but neither of whom got it quite right. Bana being way too bland and Norton being well, just an odd choice. Mark Ruffalo combines the perfect amount of brainy, compassionate doctor with the knee-jerk reaction to go from calm, civil, and withdrawn to angry and green and busting out of pants, jacket and shirt. Dr. Bruce Banner, a super smart scientist (physicist to be specific) who had an "accident" resulting in him being... well, hulking, green, and very angry. Ruffalo present his version of the Hulk as more Jeckyll and Hyde like in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen where they can hear each other in the other's dominant state, although it's not seen much in the movie. Ruffalo also plays an excellent reserved, but suffering man with anger-management issues. He is often paired up with Tony Stark/Iron Man due to their common backgrounds in science and genius statuses. The Hulk's opposites are Captain America and Black Widow who are driven by loyalty and duty which is what he runs from. 

Robert Downy Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man: Ah the perfect pairing. Sarcastic, aloof, arrogant but somehow charming. Unlike the Hulk, Stark retains his whole personality in or out of his Iron Man suit. Stark has already been redeemed in his own movies Iron Man & Iron Man 2 so this movie isn't really about him. He is however one of the brains that drives this movie. He helps Dr. Banner accept the Hulk but doesn't get along well with Thor and most notably Captain America although he will (obviously) have to depend on them sometime in the movie. 

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Capt. America: Steve Rogers was an unlikely hero being too small to actually enlist in the military - which was his desire. Instead he was allowed to enlist and participate in an experiment which would turn him into a super solider. It buffs him up and gives him better endurance and better healing.... I don't know. I really could care less about Captain (sorry Cap't.). Anyways, he got trapped in a nuclear submarine in one of the World Wars and was recovered only recently. His stint in the Avengers Initiative is his first real foray back into the real world. His gets along with Black Widow due to their mutual commitment but due to his dedication he is estranged from the Hulk/Banner and Iron Man/Stark.

Chris Hemsworth as Thor: Chris Hemsworth is a very pretty man. Well, alien.. from a planet where the Norse gods live.... kinda. Don't ask me I'm not a Thor expert. He was expelled from his home planet and crash-landed on earth and fell for Natalie Portman while saving the Earth from his evil brother Loki (who - coincidentally is the bad guy again this time around). He, like Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye are all motivated by duty - yes, to different things but it gives them the same goals. Thor feels guilty that again it is his brother (well, adoptive brother) who has put in the world in jeopardy and he has to balance the inner turmoil of the pity and pain he feels for his little brother and having to save the world again - whereas it's just professional for everyone else.

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow & Jermey Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye: Scarlett Johansson is carrying over her role as Black Widow from Iron Man 2 and although I think she and her alter-ego are well paired... I guess I'm just not sure she was entirely necessary for the movie (although they did try and her essential). I get the same feeling about Hawkeye... maybe it's because they seem like such second class heroes without real powers (don't shot me if I get this wrong - as I said, I don't really know much about these two). Regardless, I think that although they could have been written out easily, I like their plot lines and chemistry. 

Alright, on to plot! Loki, Thor's evil "brother", has new allies in this movie and decides that he's going to throw a major tantrum on Earth to piss off Thor. So Loki steals some alien technology which is supposed to be able to make a bridge across universes and be able to transfer matter - in this case an alien invasion. Next comes the gathering of the heroes - some of which is easy, most of which is not. From the difficulties in recruiting to the conflicting personalities and ideologies - the team fails in their original objective and must somehow pull together to actually kick some alien ass. After about 10 minutes in, I could not stop laughing. Seriously, I was the only one in the theater who would chuckle, bark out laughter, and just chortle with mirth and glee. And some of my favorite moments were with the Hulk. They took the traditional catch phrase of the Hulk: "Hulk smash!" and gave it to Captain America - making it an order. I know it sounds stupid but was hilarious. I give 5 out of 5 stars to The Avengers. 

Check out the trailer here!

review: Snow White & the Huntsman (movie)

I was on the fence about this movie. I mean sure - it looks with amazing, gorgeous, expensive special effects. Hell, even the actors are pretty (minus Kristen Stewart - ironic since she's supposed to be the fairest of them all). But, I'm not a huge fan of the Snow White story either - it was always my second least favorite of  the Disney movies (with Alice in Wonderland being my least favorite). I guess I was hopping that the awesomeness of the special effects would balance out my dislike for Kristen Stewart and my preconceived notions of the Snow White story.

So the hotness quotient is there: Chris Hemsworth plays the Huntman - a total hunk; he played Thor in both the self-titled movie Thor and The Avengers. And then there's Charlize Theron, GORGEOUS, who plays the queen, Ravenna and she's been in so many movies I'm not going to bother listing more than her two of her recent ones: Prometheus and Hancock. You already know my opinion on Kristen Stewart and, needless to say although I'll say it anyways, Kristen Stewart makes me want to hurl, particularly for her involvement in The Twilight Saga, although her performance wasn't all that inspired in Snow White and the Huntsman. She's no the fairest of them all in any stretch of the imagination. Actually this comic describes my feeling perfectly. Kristen Stewart is perfect playing a frozen, sickly, depressed, prisoner princess but hopeful or inspiring or even happy isn't exactly her cup-o-tea. 

And while Chris Hemsworth is a very pretty man, his dialogue with Stewart is less than stellar. In fact it's so jilted and awkward, it makes me wish for the silent parts where there's just pretty special effects. Stewart's mouth hangs open almost the entire movie (no covering her buck teeth for that would ruin the "fairest" bit) and there are so many shots of face and over-acting eyebrows it's a little disturbing. There's also no depth to either of them. Theron's Ravenna has a lot of depth but then she just kinda goes off the deep end which means that there are no relateable main characters - the closest of which is William, Snow White's childhood friend and other love interest.

There were things I liked in this movie: the effects, the costumes, the music, the explanation for the step-mom evilness and the Disney nods that were included. The music was great and fit well with the film's composition. James Newton Howard was the composer and he's done some great soundtrack (Treasure Planet, I Am Legend, both of Nolan's Batman movies [with Hans Zimmer], and The Hunger Games). The Disney nods within the movie included Snow White's puffy sleeves with red inserts and then the run through the dark forest with the trees with creepy faces  - although in this version it's the fault of some "magic" mushrooms. The biggest draw for this flick were the special effects. No matter how stupid the rest of the movie is, the effects were amazing. It's like Avatar, plot wasn't great but you saw it for the amazing effects or the first movie with a wide-spread 3D release. Ravenna was one of the saving graces of this film. She had Charlize Theron playing her, kick-ass costumes, and an interesting twist from the classic "evil step-mother" Disney vibe.

The thing that really bothered me was the Christian prayer that Snow White says in the tower. It sets the theme for the entire movie. Any good magic is then considered righteous and probably one of God's miracles while Ravenna is seen as evil (well, to be fair she is) but her magic is a perversion. The only exception is the weird, Mononoke-esque deer in the forest which is obviously a good portent. That and the weird fairies... So, basically only Christian miracles are good magic. Ug, pissed me off so much.

Anyways, I give Snow White & the Huntsman 2 out of 5 stars for beautiful special effects but crappy plot, bad acting, and stupid, unnecessary Christian overtones.

Check out the trailer here!

review: The Hunger Games (books)

So I've already talked about Hunger Games the movie  - this is the book the movie was based on. And although this book (and movie) were classified as a young adult (or PG-13) there are many adult themes and it is intensely violent. So if you've got young ones and aren't sure if this is the book for them, here's my rule: if you can't enter the games (age 12) you can't read about them either. Although a lot of parent obviously ignored this warning for the movie (stupid crying children). I will also trying to be more plot/character heavy on this review, rather than film/acting/musically focused.

This is my second read through of this trilogy by Suzanne Collins. It consists of: The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. All three are written in first person point of view which is, upon the second reading, actually quite refreshing. Instead of feeling like someone is a telling you a story, Collins uses the first person which makes you feel more like you're there despite the out-of-this-world situation.

The Hunger Games takes place in the distant but not unbelievable post-apocalyptic future in what was once the United States. Now called Panem, and ruled by the high-tech and fashion obsessed and bored populace of the Capitol, is comprised as twelve districts (well, once thirteen, but the thirteenth rebelled and was quickly put down), each one responsible for different goods/services (coal, agriculture, tech, etc). Each year to remember the day of the uprising, the Capitol requires two tributes from each district, one male and one female. These tributes chosen in "The Reaping", are forced to compete in a battle to the death in "The Hunger Games".

Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year-old girl from district twelve. She lives with her mother and younger sister - her father died in the coal mining accident when she was eleven. She is well....  stubborn, quiet, rebellious but all without drawing attention to herself (or so she believes). She spends her time taking care of her sister, mother (who spiraled into a deep depression after her husband's death) and hunting with her best friend Gale (male - not female). Anyways, due to some horrible luck, her little sister Prim gets chosen as tribute and instead of letting her go to her death, Katniss volunteers as tribute. The other tribute is Peeta Mellark, the baker's son. They are whisked away to the Capitol where they are beautified and judged as they prepare for the 74th annual Hunger Games.

In the Capitol the tributes are subjected to the whims of the populace and their odd fashions. The games and its contestants are constantly scrutinized and judge both by the populace, game masters, and politicians. These perverted games are Collins' way of reflecting her disgust of reality television and intense scrutiny of the media.Collins' said she was inspired by the Japanese movie Battle Royale, footage from the Iraq invasion and a reality tv show she saw while flipping channels. The use of media through the movie is twisted - from needing sponsors for the games, televised interviews of the champions and the publicly mandated viewing of the intense violence of the games.

One of the things I really liked about this movie was Katniss' insistence on finding herself and doing what feels or is right for her. And although she allows herself to be swayed on a few issues - she does not adamantly deny or refuse them. More focus on establishing self. Doing what's best for herself, figuring out what she wants and who she wants. She doesn't want to be pushed or pulled by people (slight problem seeing as how the Capitol runs their lives). Whether this be how she trains, who she falls for, or how she wins - Katniss wants to do it on her own terms.

In comparison to movie there's a lot more development of Katniss' feelings for Peeta. the movie makes it kinda seem like she's just playing a long but in the book there are real moments where she feels connected to him and where she even starts having feelings about him right back. There's more time spent with Prim and her mother and more history there (which is nice sense the absence of this background was one of my pet peeves in the movie).

In the movie there also only one or two moments of joy or laughter. The book offers many more examples, adding levity and charm to what could have been such a dour book. Many of these moments are with Peeta (granted she is with him for the majority of the book....) where they tease and joke with each other even in the face of the looming games. These moments made Katniss feel more real and highlighted her youth which could be lost at moments in the movie.

I did really like this book - in fact it's my favorite out of the trilogy. I give The Hunger Games (the book) 4 out of 5 stars! How did you think it compared to the movie?

review: Cabin in the Woods (movie)

Cabin in the Woods is the newest creation from the team of Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon. Whedon is hugely popular in the nerd circles as he is responsible for a lot of TV cult classics including: Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Dollhouse. And such movies as: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, Toy Story and one of my personal favorites: Titan A.E. Needless to say, Whedon's got movie/TV cred.

First scene is not exactly terrifying. Two technicians (Richard Jenkins and Steve Hadley - both acting veterans and so great for their sarcastic humor) are walking down in all white corridor in some office/factory building prepping for the night's special operation. Suddenly - flash! - evil music and dark red words: THE CABIN IN THE WOODS appears on screen. Bum bum ba!!!!! If the quick switch doesn't make you laugh, this is not the movie for you.

We switch focus now to out young heroes. They are walking cliches, well - modern versions of them. "The athlete" has become a jock; "the fool", a stoner; "the scholar", a nerd; and "the virgin".... whatever passes for virginity in this day and age. "The whore" doesn't really change - after all, it is the world's oldest profession. These five head into the woods - a cabin in the woods - for a long weekend away from school. Along the way they are warned about the woods by a creepy gas station attendant. If this sound cliche - it is. But don't worry, the clicheness it awesome. And the cliche continues: once they get to the house they notice some creepy things - a 2-way mirror in the bedroom, disturbing paintings, weird feelings but they commence with the drinking and of course: the get-to-know-you game, truth or dare. However, midway through the game a cellar door opens abruptly and in true horror movie form, they file on down. Each person is drawn to a different object: a diary, a locket, a picture, a toy, or a globe. Each object triggers a different monster.

Now this is really where the two technicians shine. They are watching everything - even triggering the cellar door to open. And when the virgin, Dana, reads some Latin our of an old diary, the technicians release "[their] zombified, pain worshiping, backwards, idiot, rednecks". Needless to say, there's lots of pain and death with lots of surprises thrown in. The twists and turns between the college kids trying to escape and the technicians trying to have the zombies kill them are hilarious and cliche. But worry not! Almost everything gets explained as the story ends but it doesn't get wrapped in a neat little bow. Which is perfect!

To make this really short - I loved everything about this movie. I don't think I've laughed this hard and so much in a movie in.... well, ever. 5 out of 5 stars. Easily. Go see it.

Check out the trailer here!

review: The Fall & Eternal Night (The Strain Trilogy vol. 2 &3) (books)

  

So this is a combined review because I read these two in such quick succession. I'll try not to give away many spoilers however - seeing as it is the last 2/3 of a trilogy and it was awesome... well, I'll try. No guarantees thou. 

A refresher - these books are volumes 2 and 3 of The Strain trilogy by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan. It is a modern day vampire/horror story. 

Let's start with vol 2 - The Fall (as I deem this the most logical course). This is my favorite out of the three. There's less of a OMG-are-those-vampires? and more of a OMG-vampires-how-do-we-kill-them? attitude. The characters are also really well developed at this stage so you can easily see which ones you'll like and which ones you won't by the time the series ends. 

And although there's a lot of character and plot development, my FAVORITE PART OF THIS ENTIRE SERIES is the mythology that was developed. As mentioned in the end of vol 1. The Strain there is a book of great importance to both the humans and Ancient vampires call The Lumen (literally: the light) in which there's a detailed history of the creation of the vampire species and possibly a key to how they can be defeated. Much of the book is spent trying to achieve The Lumen either through duplicity, alliances or strength of arms. The mythology within The Lumen is what makes this story amazing... arg! I really want to share all of this with you but I don't want to give you spoilers! GO READ IT and then we can talk about it!

Another thing I like about The Fall is the non-traditional hero arc for almost all the characters. Well, on some accounts it's very traditional - mainly in the death department (I'll let you discover who and how for yourself.) But the journey of self-discovery that has to be made is a little different from most other characters in fiction primarily due to the huge role religion ends up playing through the last two books. It's not a preachy book but more of a spiritual and physical importance in the series.

Anyways, book 2 The Fall ends excellently, with the Master (and evil) pulling ahead of Eph (and good). Book 3, The Night Eternal, begins 2 years after the events of The Fall. Eph is rather estranged from his companions through his self medication (*SPOILERS* to blunt the absence of his son who gets kidnapped by the Master at the end of book 2 *END SPOILERS*) and alcoholism. Fet and Nora have grown closer but have yet to really move any closer physically due to Fet and Nora's guilt over "betraying" Eph for each other. 

I really can't tell you much about The Night Eternal without giving away major spoilers.... so I guess the second half of this review is kinda bust. I will say that I go back and forth between liking and really disliking the ending. On one hand I understand why they did it, on the other I think it's a total cop-out. 

I give Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain Trilogy (on the whole) 4 out of 5 stars for an excellent interpretation of vampires. Now - go read it so I can talk to you about it!

review: Gotye (music)

Sorry for the prolong absence folks! I am in the process of moving and a lot of things have gotten pushed back in the great shuffle that is currently my life. I also have been working a lot. 46+ hours so things have been busy there too. I also just got PROMOTED!!! I'll now be working about 52+ hours a week. So things will probably be a little hectic and delayed until I really figure out my new schedule. Sorry again. But I digress, on to the review!

I'm pushing through all the crazy stuff and putting off finishing The Strain vol. 3 (holy hell - so good!) because I genuinely think this music is awesome. And yes, it's another alternative band (blame Portland if you must). And yes, it's even another band NOT from America! Gotye is one man, a Mr. Wouter De Backer who hails from Melbourne, Australia.  He is a Belgian-Australian and Gotye (pronounced Go-tea-yay) is derived from the french version of Wouter - Gauthier.

Having always been musically inclined, Gotye has learned numerous instrument, in particular the piano and drums. With these skills he formed his first band in highschool called The Downstares. Lucan Taranto, a highschool friend and bandmate, still plays with Gotye on his live shows. Gotye (the band... or man, I'm never sure what to call musicians who don't use their name....) was first inspired by over 80 LPs given to him by an elderly neighbor who used to hear him play. In college, he and two other fellows lived in "the Frat House" where people would just come drop by to hang out or play music.

Gotye has release a total of three albums, however only Making Mirrors - his third release - has made it to the US. His second album, Like Drawing Blood, did receive critical fame in the UK and Australia - being one of the top albums of the year with two hits in the top 100 songs of the year. However, I can only really speak to Making Mirrors, as that's all I've listened to. Gotye's first single was "Easy Way Out" which really hasn't had taken off. However, the second single released "Somebody That I Used to Know" featuring Kimbra, took off like a rocket - at least it did in the states. It's really odd that this particular song made it so big here. It's not what typically makes it big in the states - instead of being loud, energetic, and rock/pop-ish "Somebody I Used to Know" is quiet, but powerful, kinda whiny... in a good way. He reminds me a lot of Sting with his quick crescendos and breathy voice. The really odd thing about this song/album is that their big hit, "Somebody I Used to Know", sounds exactly nothing like the rest of their album... which is filled with loud, fell good music.

Regardless of the mismatch of his hit single versus his album, Gotye's Making Mirrors is an excellent album that makes me dance while cleaning at work. This album is also another rare one where I can actually listen through the entire album. I give Gotye's Making Mirrors 5 out of 5 stars!