Sunday, July 19, 2009

Baby Mama [2008] [dvd rental] (mini-movie review)

***
The premise for the movie itself was not what made me want to watch this- it was the leading ladies. The movie did it's best not to drag, and the over the top comedy that Saturday Night Live (of which Faye and Poehler are pretty big parts of) is known for was not too present in this movie. Big plus! This was a hearwarming movie that was actually able to teach a small lesson in the end. Go watch this when you need a decent movie to watch =D

Friday, July 17, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince [2009][movie theatre] (movie review)

***
~Summary~
Emboldened by the return of Lord Voldemort, the Death Eaters are wreaking havoc in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that new dangers may lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. He needs Harry to help him uncover a vital key to unlocking Voldemort's defenses, critical information known only to Hogwarts' former Potions Professor, Horace Slughorn. With that in mind, Dumbledore manipulates his old colleague into returning to his previous post with promises of more money, a bigger office, and the chance to teach the famous Harry Potter. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Harry's long friendship with Ginny Weasley is growing into something deeper, but standing in the way is Ginny's boyfriend, Dean Thomas, not to mention her big brother Ron. But Ron's got romantic entanglements of his own to worry about, with Lavender Brown lavishing her affections on him, leaving Hermione simmering with jealousy yet determined not to show her feelings. And then a box of love potion-laced chocolates ends up in the wrong hands and changes everything. As romance blossoms, one student remains aloof with far more important matters on his mind. He is determined to make his mark, albeit a dark one. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again. [official website]
~Impressions~
This movie is most definatly one for the fans of Harry Potter (more specifically the ones who have read the books) because there are many moments that non-readers will be confused on. Several of the actors did a superb job with playing their characters while others just didn't cut it. I have to point out Tom Felton's portrayal of Draco Malfoy in this film because in past films I found his acting to be too over the top while in this one he played the distressed 'chossen one' that the character in the book version was suppose to be. What I am saying is that Mr. Felton has finally become the Draco I've read about.Daniel Radcliff continues to be a very annoing Harry, but he did hit the mark when having to force Dumbledor to drink.... oh crap. That would be a spoiler, so you'll just have to go see the movie to know what Akia is talking about :]~Film~
This film in the Harry Potter series has the same feel as the previous one. If you're looking for the magical feel the first few films had, well, you will be dissapointed. This film is much darker than others, but it is also a little too light hearted. I bet this is the reason HP 6 got it's PG rating when, if the book was followed, the movie should have at least been rated PG-13.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Bakemonogatari [ep.1&2]

Bakemonogatari is the product of SHAFT.
~Episode 1~ [screencaps]
Episode 1 of Bakemonogatari definantly made me want to continue on with the series not only because of the interesting story of a girl who had her weight stolen by a crab (which is later revealed to be a "god"), but also because of the animation approach which reminds me of the Ef series! The episode ended on a note that made me want to watch the second one ASAP.
~Episode 2~
The second episode solved the problem the first one presented, and also made it look like the anime was over with only two episodes. If it was not for the next episode preview, I probably would have mistake this series for an OVA anime (it's actually scheduled for 12 episodes). I warn people who plan to watch this that episode 2 deals with the topic of rape; it gets pretty deep.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

[3/50] Chasing Yesterday #1: Awakening (review)

[book 3 out of the 50 books in a year challenge 2009/2010]
[this book was checked out from a library]
***

"At first, there was nothing but the pain. It began as a low rumble, background noise. It was almost soothing, the way it folded around her like a blanket. It made her mind dull, gave her a place to hide. It throbbed. It hummed. It came in waves, tossing her up, dragging her under, washing over her, carrying her away from herself, from everything." Awakening; pg. 1
Awakening opens up with a girl laying on the ground in the aftermath of major explosion. She is without memories... yet she knows how to move her eyes, how to speak, how to function. Once the girl is found and taken to the hospital, her story is show on the news and she is now known as "little girl lost." This girl does not like being called this, nor the name she has been given by the media- Jane Doe. She, instead, wishes to be called J.D. J.D. is soon shipped to a home for kids no one wants any longer. Here she meets a boy named David. At first the two don't hit it off, but eventually she ends up telling her the few days worth of a life story she has....
I ended up reading this 207 page book in a few hours. It is a book for those 8 years of age and older, but I really enjoyed it and can't wait to read the second book (which I checked out from the library when checked this one out). Overall, the book had a story that kept me interested- made me want to read untill I finished.

50 bk Challenge [2009/2010]

I originally started this challenge back in Febuary but never really got around to reading books as I had planned... so I've decided to restart the challenge this month (july) and go to next year, this month (july 2010). The rules are simple. I can't read how-to books, non-chapter books for this challenge. The book has to be AT LEAST 250 PAGES IN LENGTH. That is all. If you're going to participate in this, let me know :]

I'll do my best to review most of the books I complete.

I'm counting books I read last month as ones towards the challenge... yep.

Completed books in the challenge (in order of being completed):
1- Skinned [review]
2- Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Darkside
3- Chasing Yesteray #1: Awakening [review]