One of my favorite movies in 2008 (of the few I watched) was Kung Fu Panda. It is an animated movie about an unbalanced and rather uncoordinated panda, Po, who is the biggest fan of kung fu. The Valley of Peace is protected by the Furious Five: Tigress, Monkey, Viper, Mantis, and Crane. All 5 are up to be the Dragon Warrior and have been trained for ages by the red panda Master Shifu, who is the protégée of the wise and respected tortoise, Master Oogway.
When the Dragon Warrior is about to be picked by Oogway, Po rushes from his father’s noodle shop to go and watch, but arrives too late and is blocked from entering. After attempting every possible way of getting over the wall, Po straps fireworks together and launches himself into the air…only to land in front of the finger that was choosing the Dragon Warrior. Disbelieving that a slightly overweight panda could really be a kung fu master, Master Shifu does everything he can to get Po to quit, which has the opposite effect.
When Master Shifu gets word that snow leopard Tai Lung has escaped from the high-security prison he had been kept in. With the plot set, the story unfolds with Tai Lung as the antagonist and Po needing to shape up and master his king fu skills.
This animated movie incorporates a mix of drama and comedy which comes out especially in the voiceovers of excellent, well-known actors. Jack Black voices Po; Dustin Hoffman is Shifu; and other characters voiced by actors including Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogan, Lucy Liu, and David Cross, among others.
If you’re a fan of Kate Hudson or Luke Wilson, or even both of them, you’ll definitely love Alex & Emma. Released in 2003, this romantic comedy doesn’t seem to have gotten as much attention as I think it deserved. The story unfolds as novelist Alex Sheldon must complete his next novel within 30 days or be killed by loan sharks. They have broken his computer, and he must hire a stenographer to write it up for him. Problem is, he’s got a serious case of writer’s block.
He tricks stenographer Emma Dinsmore to coming to his apartment and convinces her to type his novel for him. As Alex’s writer’s block begins to dissipate, we also see his novel unfold. The movie goes between him and Emma together, and their relationship growing, and then between the relationships of the characters in his novel; 2 of which are played by Hudson and Wilson. It’s an interesting contrast that is built between the two worlds, and a new way to watch a movie.
The comedic aspects of it start from the beginning of the movie until the end, and it just might leave you watching it over and over again like it has for me.
What does one do to create hype on a movie filmed for only 15,000 dollars? They release it in less than fifteen theaters, of course. By playing the trailer on MTV (which doesn’t seem like it’s really music television anymore) and asking the public to “demand it” in theaters near them, Paranormal Activity seemed like the buzz everywhere. The hype didn’t disappoint in this incredible movie.
When Katie and her boyfriend Micah move into a new home, Katie finally reveals that ever since she was a child, she had believed that a ghost was haunting her. Micah doesn’t think it’s too big of a deal, except for the fact that she kept it from him for so long. When they get settled into their new house, the mysterious activity flares up, and Micah continuously dismisses it until Katie continuously expresses concerns. When they are informed that the entity is a demon- not a ghost, Micah continues to reject Katie’s fears- and provokes the demon entity even more.
The DVD versions come with an alternate ending, which was suggested by Stephen Spielberg. If you haven’t seen this movie yet, I highly suggest it. It was great in the theater, and at home I’m sure it will be even scarier…you might notice similarities between things happening in the movie and in your own life…maybe you’ll have a friendly visitor too. Who knows? The movie just might provoke them enough to show themselves.
I know it’s already been a month since New Moon appeared in theaters, and it feels like it’s been so much longer. There was a lot of controversy about this movie, mainly because so many young girls who haven’t even hit their teens have become screaming, fanatical so-called “fans”. The reason I am so passionate about this topic, especially at the moment, is because I was a fan of the books before they became popular. Yes, before. When the movie first became super-popular, it wasn’t too bad. Fans of the books knew about it, and many people were upset when Robert Pattinson was cast as the main character, vampire Edward. Then suddenly, he was seen as this hunky guy that young girls fell in love with.
I’m not saying he’s a bad actor- he’s not. But these girls are so young (and their moms old- no offense) to be going so insane over him. And the movies? Not that great. Especially for someone who has read the books, they are disappointing. I touched more on this in the first part of my review.
Entertainment Weekly was producing so many articles a week (ahem, a day) about this, that that alone got people irked. Especially people who were not fans of the series- books and/or movies. One of the most debated things was about whether or not these young girls should be so obsessed with something that is fictional. People on one side stated it was unhealthy and not good for them to be exposed to a role model (main character, Bella) who was a “bad” role model. If these girls only see the movies, yeah Bella is a terrible role model. The movie portrays her in a way that isn’t healthy for young girls to be looking up to. In the books, even her character gets more developed than in the movies; it is written in her POV, after all.
However, I must say to these people: IT’S FICTION. If parents (especially those Twi-moms) are allowing and encouraging their daughters to look up to characters who are fictional, they need to take a look at their parenting skills. It’s a parent’s job to provide good role models in their daughter’s lives, not an author of a fictional vampire story. These girls should not be looking to fictional characters for a role model. Even the book-Bella isn’t too bad of a role model, if you actually take the time to read the books.
And for the record, many of the younger-not-yet-teenage fans shouldn’t even be reading these books. They have not reached the maturity level to fully understand and appreciate the story. Yes, it’s great that it’s getting younger people to read. But there are TONS of great books out there that their parents should be providing and encouraging them to read. The series has gotten way too blown out of proportion, and it’s annoying to someone like me, who actually enjoyed the books, and only watches the movies for a way to escape for awhile in comedic fluffiness.
Returning once again to the screen in this second adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling saga, the sparkling vegetarian vampire coven captures our attention once again. The new director, Chris Weitz, focused on creating a visually stunning and impressive setting, veering away from the darker scenes Catherine Hardwicke brought us only a year ago.
Obviously geared towards the “Twi-hard” fans, it has been claimed to be the new Harry Potter. However, unlike the first 3 HP movies, New Moon does not follow the book well. Last year’s Twilight did not do the book justice either. For those fans who have read the book, the blanks and details are easily filled in, while viewers who have not read the book are left confused and unimpressed.
The actors did excellently at portraying the characters and bringing to life what one can only imagine. The CGI graphics created terrifying wolves that looked as realistic as an oversized wolf can look. Disappointing was the fact that nearly the entire movie was only Jacob and Bella; no development of other characters, which Twilight also lacked, being only the characters of Edward and Bella practically the entire movie.
Viewers don’t see goofball Emmett, serious Jasper, pigheaded Rosalie, pixie-like Alice, compassionate Carlisle, or motherly Esme. Bella’s relationship with her father Charlie is also sorely lacking. We don’t hear about the pasts of the vampire coven, nor do we hear about the Quiluete legends around a campfire (or any legends, anywhere in the movie). The movie is pure fluff.
The ending “fight” scene with the Volturi seemed rushed, and the Volturi is also lacking in development. For the five minutes we see Michael Sheen, Jamie Campbell Bower, Dakota Fanning, Cameron Bright, Charlie Bewley, Daniel Cudmore, Christopher Heyerdahl, and Noot Seear, we see that each of them would have played excellent vampire villains. The wolf-pack and all their attributes are not elaborated on at all. And where was that memorable scene with Edward reading Jacob’s mind, and seeing how much he hurt Bella?
The movie lacked important information that is relevant in future segments, a problem which I also saw occurring in Twilight. Overall, it was good entertainment and fluff, with rushed drama that did not capture Stephenie Meyer’s vampire-world, and it is needless to say there are much better vampire books out there. However, it is pure fantasy, so authors can do with it what they want.
Check back in the next few days for part two of my New Moon Review.
Alright, if you're going to pay $10.50 for a movie, let it be this one. I had to dig through my pockets to pay for my ticket, and part of my friend's (who didn't even watch :/) but it was worth it because it was so good. Basically, the entire thing from beginning to end is a spoof on the Bible, so if that offends you, or you don't know the Bible too well, it's not gonna be too funny. But if that kind of hilarity suits you, then this movie is a good one to watch.
The beginning started out slightly ehh, and I wasn't laughing too much, and then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, it actually got really funny and I was laughing quite a bit. Jack Black is practically the king of comedy, and Michael Cera is super-funny also. Plus he's pretty cute ;]
Okay, I saw this movie on Friday night, and I forgot to write my review on it yesterday. So here it is:
A very enjoyable movie, Ghosts of Girlfriend's Past, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, and many other people to make up the amazing cast and crew. The movie had funny moments, sad moments, cute moments, dramatic moments, along with many others.
It is about a man, Connor Mead, who gets women to fall in love with him, and then he breaks up with them before moving on to another woman. When he goes to his brother's wedding, he finds that he has slept with all of the bride's maids but one, and when he is visited by the ghost of his uncle-who was just like Connor- tells him that he will be visited by three ghosts that night.
The first is the ghost of his past- the first girl he ever slept with
The ghost of his present- the only consistent woman in his life, his assistent
The ghost of his future- you'll have to just watch the movie :]
Overall, I thought that it was a very cute movie, and Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, and Michael Douglas are incredible in the performance of their characters.
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