Tuesday, August 27, 2013

The Walking Dead

Warning: This review will contain spoilers, sarcasm, and some other stuff, too. I'll try not to give too much away, though.

Premise: Like with any zombie infestation movie, book or anything... shit's f*cked up. People are dying, but they aren't staying dead. They're walking around dragging body parts or shuffling around aimlessly causing all kinds of trouble to the living, just trying to survive. We follow Rick Grimes, mainly as he leads a band of badass survivalist from one location to another looking for something permanent to wait out this apocalypse. On the way, there are trials, deaths and general zombie hijinks, that people ain't got the time for.

My Review: This show is the most boring and convoluted TV series I've ever seen.

HA! See, I warned you there'd be sarcasm... or is that just a lie? Hmmmm, I get back to you on that one.

Anyway, the Walking Dead is by far one of the most awesome TV shows ever made. It's rock solid in character and plot development. From the very first episode, you're captured by the settings and characters personalities. you began to care about them and you cheer them on. They are so well developed with their human flaws, courage and love for one another, they're just so endearing and engaging.

Another thing I love about this show is its unpredictability. You really don't know what's going to happen from one episode to the next. That is remarkable for a TV show, to keep you that much on the edge of your seat that you nearly fall off the chair all together.

Then there's the action. O.M.G., you all know how I feel about great action scenes! If my books can attest to that, I LOVE action!
This show gives it to you in every episode. Intense, "are they going to make it? Please don't let so -and-so die!" kinds of action scenes.
What more can any zombie fan ask for?



This show is the total package, villains that make you wish a zombie would just eat their other eyeball and heroes that make you care. If you're not watching this show yet, it's not too late to start. :D

Grade: A++++++  Now stand up and take a bow, Mr. Class President.

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Interview with the Vampire

Oh come on, you all knew this one was coming. LOL!


Warning; Spoilers galore in this one... maybe not. But just in case.

Premise: Vampires trying to find some measure of happiness in their long existence. Companionship, love and passion, this is what they are searching for. Lestat, the brat prince, turns Louis, who becomes one of the world's most depressed vampires and together they try to get along without killing each other. To save his marriage...er I mean bond, Lestat creates Claudia, a child and together they form a family. Of course, when the child Claudia becomes a full fledged adult still stuck in a child's boobless body, she becomes quite cross with her two bloodsucking fathers who mind you happen to have all of their fully developed body parts... even if one vital organ doesn't work anymore. (So sad about that).

My Review: O.M.G. this is by far my favorite vampire movie. This one actually knocked Fright Night (the original) out of it's long running number one spot.

Never before had I seen a vampire movie that was all about the vampires and not some hunter trying to kill them. Nor had I seen a vampire movie where the male vampire wasn't looking for the female of his dreams be them a reincarnation or not. This was original in every way possible. Thank you, Anne Rice for this breath of fresh air. This is why you're one of my inspirations.

These vampires are brutal, they kill within reason, but without remorse. Well, Louis is the exception. He'll kill you, but he'll feel bad about it afterward. And who can complain about a movie full of hunky vampires? And yes, the aroma of homo-eroticism made this vampire movie all the more entertaining to me. Why? Well, before IWTV, vampire movies didn't want to "go there" with the male-on -male lusting/biting  etc.

I've got to tell you, when Tom Cruise bit Brad Pitt's neck and you could see the rapture and ecstasy of his bite in Brad Pitt's expression, I damn near jumped up in the movie theater and cheered. Fortunately,  for all the moviegoers, I was too busy grinning like a Cheshire Cat, so they were spared. It was a bold move for Hollywood and I commend everyone involved in that movie for breaking down that wall and then stepping on the rubble as they walked through.



This movie was realistic as far as what you think some vampires would  do when they're together. How do they adapt with the changing times, can they? What makes them turn a human? These questions were addressed and that was so very interesting. The acting was superb and I know people had complaints about TC as Lestat, but I disagree. He nailed that role. Lestat is an intense character and TC is all about intensity. That hotel scene with the two females was amazing. It was as if they took that scene straight from the book itself. Kirsten Dunst's portrayal of Claudia was not only challenging, but it was spot on. To this day, I think that was her best performance.

This was also  one of the few book to movie adaptations that was damn near like bringing the book to life.

My only complaint was the character of Armand. Antonio Banderas had his personality, but not his appearance. For those of you who may not know, Armand is a vampire forever trapped in the body of a 17 year old boy, courtesy of Marius. Still, it's a small complaint and in the end, I could care less because this movie was awesome!

Grade. A+++++  You've just been bumped to the Head of the Class!

Friday, August 23, 2013

Arrow

Warning:  There will be some point blank spoilers, but I'll try to avoid some targets so that I don't ruin the series for you. (Did you like my half-assed attempt at punning? LOL)

Premise: Billionaire Oliver Queen has just returned back home after being lost at sea for over 5 years. Family and friends are happy to have him back again, but they began to learn he's not the same man they knew who left 5 years ago. There's a darker edge to him and it leaves everyone wondering just what did he go through on that island?  Well, he made a promise to his father who died on the island to right all of his wrongs and he plans on keeping that promise and spilling a lot of blood doing so. 

My Review: First off, let me say this show came on before my beloved Supernatural and I didn't catch on to it right away. As a matter of fact, the season was already 10 episodes in before word of mouth reached my ears and told me to get my head out of my ass and tune in. "OMG, D.N. this show is RIGHT up your alley! You love action, sexy men, ass-kicking and great plots, how are you NOT watching Arrow." (Okay, they didn't put it quite like that, but it's close. LOL)

So I said, "Okay, okay, I'll watch it tonight when it comes on." Boy! Am I happy I did. Arrow is everything  I love in my TV series. Strong characters and world building. Great choreographed fight sequences and action scenes. And above all, logical and intricate storylines. There are times when I think the hero may come off a bit too stubborn to the point of stupidity. I also feel that he's a bit too harsh to those who are risking their lives to help him. What I do like is that they don't have sidekicks that remain silent about their feelings. If he does something that pisses them off, they let him know about it. I respect stories that hold all of their characters accountable for their actions. 

Another thing I love is the fact that he doesn't have an issue with killing the bad guy. This isn't your Smallville Green Arrow, he's a brand new breed the people of Star City need a hero like him. 

Of course, no superhero anything wouldn't be complete without the cliched cop who spends more time and energy trying to track down the "vigilante threat" that's actually helping to save lives, rather than the actual criminals out there who are taking lives. But hey, I guess I can't have it all my way.

I enjoyed season one and I'm looking forward to season two. If you haven't already check out this series, you don't know what you've been missing.

Grade: A - Now I'm going to need you to work on your people skills so you can learn how to play nice with others. 

Friday, August 9, 2013

The Conjuring

Warning: This review will contain some spoilers, but not many, I don't want to ruin it for ya!

Premise: Another horror movie based off a true story where a family is haunted by an evil entity. They need help, people!

My Review: First off, let me just say that I absolutely believe in this type of stuff. I've had my very own ghostly experiences and I believe anyone when they tell me theirs. So you might ask yourself, why a person who believes in demons and ghosts would enjoy seeing a movie about demons and ghosts? Well, hell, I like scary shit. As long as I don't have to see it right in front of me or happening to me. I don't know what to tell ya.

Moving right along. Now, I don't know if it was this movie or the scared shitless person I had sitting next to me, jumping and screaming at every sound, but this movie scared the hell out of me at all the right moments. I loved it! I haven't had a movie creep me out like this one since The Ring and that was only because someone's telephone rang right after the crazy movie reel finished. You can bet your ass I was counting 7 days. It didn't help that at the time the movie was playing, my companion leans over and says, "Should we be watching this film?" I laughed and the movie finish and then the cell phone rung. That's how it happened. But I digress. LOL.

The Conjuring was full of scary sounds that put you right in the mix of the fear the characters were feeling. They gave you glimpses of the threat without over-saturating it. It kept you scared and tense the entire time. It's been a while since Hollywood has been able to pull this off, that's for sure. The story line wasn't completely original, but it was well told. You felt for all of the character involved and you couldn't help but wonder how much was liberties and how much was real. My heart goes out to the family this movie is based off of.

It is well worth the price of a movie ticket to go see this one on the big screen.

Grade: A .  Congratulations on making the Honor Roll.