In Review: "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

In Review: "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones"

To judge a book by its movie. Years ago, this was not a problem. Now, it is what controls what flies off the shelves and what develops cobwebs.

I think this movie has hurt its book series and its chances for new readers.

The Plot

Clary (Lily Collins) is just your average teenager with a dorky best friend (Robert Sheehan) who is clearly in love with her. All of the sudden (not really- it's a movie, something's gotta happen), she starts seeing people in crazy goth costumes who no one else can see, creepy looking monsters that were rottweilers, and Clary finds out she is a "shadow hunter" aka part-angel-part-human, demon hunter, like Van Helsing, minus the werewolves thing.

Like any good YA book, there is tons of sexual tension between our heroine and the mysterious, brooding, sexy Jace (Jamie Campell Bower). And the best friend looks on sadly.

Somewhere Clary's mom gets captured, she has to find this cup thing that everyone keeps talking about, and she keeps getting into trouble.

The Cast

Lily Collins goes back to the fantasy world from her latest role as Snow White in the wildly unsuccessful "Mirror Mirror" with Julia Roberts. Jamie Campell Bower, who you will recognize from the "Twilight" series as Caius, gets to play a good guy this time around. No one's performance is too horrible or too fantastic. I don't think these actors are to blame for my dislike of this film. The lack of character development and emotional connection has nothing to do with flaws in acting. It has to do with the amount of information required to understand what the heck is going on in this movie.

The Message

Uhhhh.... There was a message? I had no idea with all the shit that was happening.

Overall

This story requires a lot of background information to understand the world. What is a shadow hunter? Who and what do they fight? What is the Institute? What is Clary's mother's back story? How is Clary able to do all this stuff? What are ruins? What are the stick things all the shadow hunters have?

All of these questions and more. Thank God I went with a friend who read all of the series and was able to answer every single question I had about the story and its characters.

There was too much going on in this movie. While watching, I felt like the screenwriting had this list of events and background information that happened in the book that he/she knew he/she had to get in the film, but forget to include character development and character relationships. So by the end of the film, I am super confused and don't really care about these characters.

On top of all of this, the film and book drops a huge bomb on the audience at the end of the film. I mean, HUGE. So much so that I was turned off from every picking up the series. It was just too much to handle for the first movie of what could be a series.

A good first movie of a continuous series is "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." HP1 is a great film to start off a series of films because we get to know the characters, we get to know the world that we will grow to love, we become emotionally invested with these characters, and a little bit of action happens. No bombs are dropped on us. Nothing that will turn us away from wanting to see the next film.

"City of Bones" may be an excellent book and "Mortal Instruments" may be a terrific series, but I don't think "City of Bones" was a good choice for a film. The only people who, I think, will want to see the next movie in the series will be those who read the book before the movie came out. I don't think people who didn't read the books (and yes, ALL of them) before seeing the movie will ever pick up the book or see the next movie. Unless they are dragged to it by their book-reading friends.

I can't imagine what it was like waiting for the second book of this series to come out. Frankly, I am surprised that anyone continued reading. I am too shocked to continue my journey into "Mortal Instruments."

1 out of 4 Mortal Cups

In Review: "Saving Mr. Banks"

In Review: "Saving Mr. Banks"

There are few times when the audience is able to truly understand a filmmaker's mind and heart behind the making of a film. Why does that character look that way? How did they come up with the script and the songs? Why did they make this movie in the first place? Getting inside the head and heart of any artist is extremely difficult. It's like trying to explain why we live and breath on this earth. It is nearly impossible to truly understand, unless you talk directly to the creator.

Being a Disney fanatic means that you can put just about anything in front of me with the Disney name on it, and I will automatically fall in love with it. I will defend it tooth and nail until my very last breath. So many people have tried to get me to think badly of Walt Disney and/or Disney World for this reason or that reason, but I refuse. Disney is more than just a company for me. It's a way of life. It runs through  my very soul.

That being said, I was never a huge Mary Poppins fan. I was born around the Disney golden age full of princesses under the sea and loving hairy beasts. Anything that didn't have a damsel in distress and an attractive, singing love interest was not worth my time. The last time I watched Mary and her magical flying umbrella from beginning to end was probably before I was in high school.

The True Story 

After his blockbuster success of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" and popular television show "The Wonderful World of Disney", Walt wants to take his daughters' (Diane (RIP as of Nov.) and Sharon) favorite novel, "Mary Poppins", and turn it into a full-length film. After 20 years of trying to get the author P.L. Travers to concede signing over the rights, Mrs. Travers is finally willing to try and work with Walt (mostly because she is flat broke).

The two storytellers must work together to create what we know of today as the part live-action part animated film Mary Poppins. But Mrs. Travers is extremely protective of her work and puts down every idea Walt puts on the table in the snarkiest of British comments. Why is that? Why has Walt been trying for 20 years to make this movie anyway? Why is it still such a beloved film even 60 years later?

The Cast

This is the first time anyone has ever tried to play Walt Disney. As a Disney fan, you can understand my deep concern when I learned they would be having some other person try to put this man's greatness into being. But I do not think they could have chosen a better person than Tom Hanks.

As I was keeping up with all of the gossip of the film before its opening, I watched an interview with Hanks. He talked about how they didn't want to try to replicate Walt. They weren't trying to make Hanks look just like him or sound exactly like him. He knew there was no way anyone could come close to being Walt. So he studied his mannerisms and the way he spoke, but Hanks never tried to be Disney. And that really showed on screen. You felt the heart, imagination, and determination that Disney had in fighting for his films and the Disney name. I cannot say how much Hanks' performance meant to me. I never got to see Walt on TV or read about him in the newspaper. I have only experienced his legacy. But for the first time, I got to see one of my biggest heroes on the silver screen.

I cannot imagine how hard playing P.L. Travers was for Emma Thompson. One interview I watched with Hanks said that after every take she would apologize to everyone for being so mean. But she did it so well! I couldn't help but laugh at the strategic way she delivered every snarky line and scowled at the Sherman Brothers just the right way at their made up words.

It takes a lot of talent to be able to make someone so mean and yet so real. By the end of the film, the audience has done a full 360 and learns to love Mrs. Travers for every quirk she possesses. Being able to get people to hate you and then fall in love with you is quite a feat that only the great Thompson could accomplish.

The Message

We can't just assume things about people. Even though someone may seem like a bitter old woman on the outside or a money-obsessed entrepreneur, everyone has a past. But that doesn't mean that our past, our story, should control us in the present and into the future.

"Around here we don't look backwards for very long... We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."
-Walt Disney

People with the most impossible problems are able to succeed in the most brilliant ways. All it takes is faith and trust. And a spoon full of sugar.

Overall

There is nothing bad I can say about this movie. Even if I'm nitpicking to the max, I cannot come up with anything I would have changed. You might blame it on my love of all things Disney, but I think it goes quite deeper than that. I think this film speaks to all people of all ages just as all Disney films do. It speaks to us through the heart and through our inner child. It teaches us a simple but very important life lesson that we as adults tend to forget. Only the best films can speak to everyone. Only the best films make us look at ourselves and our own lives. Only the best films teach us something by the end of the credits.

I expect big awards for this one, and I implore you, even if you don't love Disney and have never seen Mary Poppins, please go see this movie. We all need to remember who we were to discover who we will become. For those who love the original film, let's all go fly a kite.

4 out of 4 Kites

A Present For Vous

Happy almost weekend my fellow movie fanatics!

Because it is Almost-Friday Day, I figured I would share this special treasure with you.

http://designtaxi.com/news/359749/99-Movie-Clips-Mashed-Into-One-Epic-Trailer/

This is a trailer of 99 movie clips from just about every epic movie you can ever think of. There is a list on this page of all the movies this guy took the clips from and there are several I have never even seen before.

Enjoy!

Happy Almost-Friday Day!

P.S. This site is an awesome waste of time if you ever need to be distracted.

In Review: "Girl Most Likely"

In Review: "Girl Most Likely"

Kristen Wiig. You left SNL for this? "Bridesmaids" was a huge hit and worth every amount of praise it received. But this one? Not worth the $8 I paid for it (But I did get free Skittles).

The Plot

Kristen Wiig starts off as this successful-like woman with a boyfriend and wildly successful friends. Quickly her boyfriend leaves her and she gets fired from her job at a magazine. She tries to look like she has committed suicide early in the film by taking a sleeping pill, complete with a very well written suicide note. She gets thrown into the hospital and eventually back into her childhood home with her gambling-obsessed mother (Annette Bening), her socially awkward loner brother (Christopher Fitzgerald), her mother's mysterious younger boyfriend (Matt Dillon), and a hunky guy who is renting out Wiig's old room (Darren Criss). The story is all about her learning to love her family, herself, blah, blah, blah.

The Cast

Wiig struggles for laughs. Struggles. I don't necessarily think it is all her fault (I think that is all on the snooze fest of a script), but I do blame her for being in this below average film.

Bening was pretty good as a crazy horrible parent, but not memorable enough for me to care to write much about her.

Dillon's character is perfect for him. Though I have this inkling that he is playing himself...

Criss IS playing himself- the happy-go-lucky talented singer who everyone loves. Yeah, that pretty much sums him up.

The Message

It's hard to see under all this depression. That is 99.9% of this movie. Wiig being pathetically depressed.  And after a while, you get really sick of it. I wanted Melissa McCarthy to come in and shake it out of her! Get this girl back on her feet because she has become annoying! I don't blame her for wanting to kill herself because her friends are evil, her boyfriend's a jerk, and she should have been taken into the foster system because her mother is such a horrible parent. But please, move on from the depression! It's killing me! People can only take so much of other people being depressed. Unless you too are depressed and then its like a free-for-all party with used tissues and boxes of chocolate scattered around the place.

At the very end of the movie, when you are just about ready to walk out of the theater, there is a moment of substance. There is a circle back to one of our original themes, and we smirk a little bit because there kind of was a meaning to this crappy movie after all. But not enough for us to care to recommend it to anyone we know. I think it had something to do with crabs and self-love?

And the title has nothing to do with anything! Nothing!

Overall

I needed to pop in "Bridesmaids" and some SNL to feel good about liking Kriten Wiig after watching this movie. For the sake of your sanity, don't see this movie. Unless you are depressed, it may help you then. If not, don't see this in theaters and forget about it if you want to laugh and feel good. It's a place where laughs go to die.

The only worthwhile scenes were when Criss and Wiig were together. They have this nice chemistry together and Criss is simply adorable in this role. I also think the ending saved this movie's butt.

1 out of 4 Crabs

In Review: "The Heat"

In Review: "The Heat"

It has been a long time since I have laughed that hard. I don't think I laughed that hard while watching "Bridesmaids" (2011). "The Heat" (not the basketball team) was probably the funniest movie I have seen all summer long. After the film, they showed images of scenes in the film and I was still laughing so hard I was crying. And they were just images.

The Plot

Sandra Bullock plays straight-laced FBI agent Sarah Ashburn who always, always, always goes by the book, and is convinced she knows everything. She can sniff out drugs better than the hounds. She has the knowledge to solve every case she is on. Her people skills though, not that great. She's a cat lady, well, sort of. On the other side of the spectrum, we have Boston police officer Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy)- the ball of fire who makes the job of a police officer look like it does in the movies complete with car chases, jumping fences, and harassing witnesses. She always gets her man no matter what. The two are thrown together when they must take down a drug lord. Ashburn's job is on the line if she is unable to play nice. Mullins finds out her family is involved with this craziness. This is your classic buddy cop story, but this time with two women.

The Cast

I have read up a lot on this movie because I am in love with these two actresses. They are part of the reason women are now allowed to be funny on TV and in films. Without them, women would still be the damsel in distress or the femme fatale. Now girls can be hot and hysterical. And now, thanks to Bullock and McCarthy, girls can kick some ass too.

I don't know how these two ladies could shoot this whole movie without cracking up laughing. I have heard that the two have become the best of friends thanks to this film, and I say it's about time! They are a perfect pair and this movie proves it. They NEED to do another movie together, or a TV show or something! I need more Bullock 'n McCarthy! I need more BullCarthy! or Mcullock!

The Message

Another reason why I love this movie so much is it shows how awesome women are as cops. They are calculating, observant, and fearless. There is one character in the film who is constantly putting down the power duo because they are women. I'd like to slap this dude and anyone else who's that sexist. Where did men come from anyway? From women!!

I like that this movie has the same formula as a male buddy cop film just with two women, and much more flack from men telling them they aren't good enough. I love that the director, Paul Feig, didn't feminize the film, making them worry about their appearance or involve a serious love interest. They were just two rock-awesome women who were cops too. There were no damsel in distress moments. No "my life is horrible", periods suck, I love clothes, I need to be sexy for my man moments. But these characters were also not turned into butch, non-feminine women. Just because they were tough and good at a job that is not normally for females doesn't mean that they can't enjoy wearing makeup and being girly. It was all about the relationship between these two women, and how they grew together. Just like a buddy cop movie is.

On top of all of this, the funniest parts are not the ones you see in the trailer! So many comedies fail on this point, but this one has too many funny parts to fit into 4 trailers! Instead you are just going to have to see the whole thing!

Overall

Go see this movie.

5 out of 4 Ticking grenades

Boom sauce!

Thank you for reading!!! Happy 1,000 Views!!

I have finally reached 1,000 views!! I began this project  four months ago with no idea if anyone would be reading my work. Here I am with 20 (now 21) published blog posts and over 1,000 page views. I am overjoyed!

And I just wanted to say thank you to all you readers. Thank you for reading my blog, for commenting, for sharing it with your friends and family.

Writers have a hard life, especially in this technological world. There are times you feel like your words and thoughts are going out into this dark abyss of information where no one can find your tiny candle.

Thanks to you, my candle has gotten brighter and hopefully lighted a couple other people's burnt out candles.

I love movies and I love writing. I hope to do this for the rest of my life.

Here is a little gem of magical movie moments as gratitude. Keep reading and keep watching movies.

Stranded at the Drive In: My Tips on Going to a Drive-In Theater

This past weekend, after spending the 4th at the beach and the 5th recovering from the red lobster sunburn I received, my family and I went to the drive-in movie theater at Cascade Drive-In (1100 E. North Ave. in West Chicago).

I had gone to this particular drive-in the week before with my friend to see "Monsters University" (again). We could have also stayed to see "Man of Steel" immediately after "Monsters."

This particular theater plays two films right after each other. It seems to be that they play one kid-friendly movie, starting around 8:30 p.m., and then a more adult film afterwards, starting around 10:15 p.m.

My family and I saw half of "Despicable Me 2" and all of "World War Z." I thought it would be cool to talk to you about my experience at the drive-in instead of writing a traditional review, since I can't give good judgement on "Despicable Me 2" and "World War Z" was a snooze.

My family made the mistake a leaving our house with just enough time to get to the theater on a Friday night. We were a block away from the entrance at 8:30 and did not get in to see the film until 9:30. It took us an hour to go a block. See, the theater is on the wrong side of the median, people have to make a U-turn to get into the drive-in. There is a serious lack of organization when it comes to traffic control at this drive-in. There were three lines going to three pay stations, and it was the most painful experience getting into the drive-in, minus the fact that my 18-year-old brother can't sit still for more than 10 minutes.

Even though I'm not a drive-in-going expert, I wanted to share my wisdom with you.

Stuff to Bring:

-CASH-- I made the mistake the first time of not bringing any cash with me. I had to reluctantly ask my friend to let me borrow money. This place ONLY accepts cash for everything. ($9 per adult, Kids 5-11 $5, Under 5 and pets are free, about $4 for a medium popcorn and more snacks are available).
-BARGAIN TUESDAYS- $14 a carload upon request.
-Blankets/sweatshirts and sweatpants-- It does get colder when the sun goes down.
-Tall foldable chairs, like this one-- You want to be able to see the screen over the other cars and drive-in-goers

-Snacks and Drinks-- this particular theater does sell snacks and drinks, but you know movie theaters. They are all overpriced and the quality is always so-so. So pop your fav popcorn and put it in a Ziplock for later.
-Coolers-- to hold the snacks and drinks
-Bug Spray-- That's what happens in the hot summer nights.
-Directions for how to turn your headlights off-- My family had difficulty with this. They go on by themselves so we never had to learn how to turn them off.
-Pillows-- By the second movie came around, I was getting pretty sleepy...
-Kids-- You can take them to the early show and head out before the other movie starts. You definitely don't have to stay for both.

Stuff NOT to Bring:

-Pets-- You are allowed to bring your pet to this drive-in, but I would not recommend it. My pup is the sweetest thing ever and she loves people. So she could not sit down the whole time we were there. There is also very little grass patches for pouches to go. And when it is crowded, not very much room for them to stretch their legs.
-Beach chairs/low to the ground chairs-- You won't be able to see over the cars.
-Grills-- Not allowed, but they have their own you can use (Bring your own charcoal).
-Hot Food-- Have fun keeping it hot when you are waiting in line for an hour.
-Babies-- Same goes for a regular movie theater. They just don't mesh together so QUIT BRINGING THEM!

Check out Cascade Drive-In's Facebook page for more info:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cascade-Drive-In/193162970722179?id=193162970722179&sk=info

Other Drive-In Locations Near Chi-Town:

-Mchenry Outdoor Theatre, 1510 N. Chapel Hill in Mchenry (open May until September)
Website: http://cyouatthemovies.com/mchenry/

-Keno Family Drive-In Theatre, 9102 Sheridan Rd. in Pleasant Prairie WI (open April until October) 

Website: http://www.kenodrivein.net/

-34 Drive-In, Old Highway 34 in Earlville (kind of far away from Chi-town) (open April until October)

Website: http://www.rt34drivein.com/

-Midway Drive-In, 91 Palmyra Road, Sterling (also rather far) (open April until October)

Website: http://www.themidwaydrivein.net/

Overall

Sadly, there are very few drive-in movie theaters left out there. The days of Grease "stranded at the drive-in" are through. But it is still a fun experience to get to go with your family or with some friends.

If you know of any more drive-ins close to the Chicagoland area, please comment! If you have any other tips for the people, comment! Seriously!

(Ignore the subtitles. It's the only one that had the beginning part.)

In Review: "The Internship"

In Review: "The Internship"

I saw this movie the first week it came out. The reason that I have not reviewed it yet is because it really wasn't worth telling people about. But to improve my skill, I want to write a review anyway.

Here's a review on a mediocre to low quality movie.

The Plot

Billy (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Owen Wilson) are best friends and partners in the sales business. They are happily selling watches until one day they find out the company they work for has been closed down (John Goodman makes an appearance as their boss). In desperate search of new jobs and new lives, they turn to the search engines of all search engines, Google. The tech-uneducated pair somehow manages to get an internship for Google.

At the internship, the teens and very young adults are put into teams. The teams must compete in several challenges (including finding the bugs in computer code and playing a game of quidditch). The team that wins the most challenges will all be hired by Google.

Nick ends up meeting a girl (Bridesmaids' Rose Byrne) and Billy struggles with his self-esteem. It's about them growing and learning and becoming better people.

The Cast

Vaughn and Wilson are back after their latest hit as a team, "Wedding Crashers"(2005). And the guys are struggling for laughs. They are trying way too hard to fit into the narrow character-type of old guys who can't learn new tricks. So much so that it damages the chemistry the two clearly have together.

I don't think they have stopped being funny, but I do think this film and this script did not help them get better from "Wedding Crashers". And it's sad to see because that is the only reason half of "The Internship"'s viewers went to see the movie.

I really enjoyed all of the performances of Billy and Nick's team. The team includes: Josh Brener, Dylan O'Brien (MTV's Teen Wolf) , Tiya Sircar, and Tobit Raphael. They all played relatable characters who grew well on screen and were each funny or attractive in their own way. I see bright futures for these kids. Some already have followings (O'Brien).

Aasif Mandvi played the strict head of the Google interns. I wanted to laugh at him so bad. I'm just so used to laughing when I see him. It was hard to take him seriously. 

The Message

You can teach an old dog new tricks. Try telling that to all of the people out there who really don't understand computers.

Overall

The only scene I really enjoyed with my whole heart was the quidditch scene but mostly because I wanted to be playing it with the characters. I also liked the scene where they party in a strip club.

But in terms of laughs, I can't think of any worth it. It had heart and only a few chuckles. Rent it. It was too painful to waste my money on what I thought was going to be the second installment of "Wedding Crashers."

1 out of 4 Nap Pod

(This is a nap pod. Yeah, I want one too)

In Review: "Monsters University"

In Review: "Monsters University"

The classic pitfall for any movie franchise is the sequel/prequel. Nothing can every out do what was originally done. Please, if you know of any sequel/prequel that outshines its original, tell me. I really can't think of one.

"Monsters University" does what I think a prequel should do. It pays homage to the original without outshining it and giving us more of what we loved from the original. "Monsters Inc." (2001) had spectacular characters, as Disney has become known for. The idea was creative and innovative, yet something that everyone could relate to. We all thought we had monsters in our closets at some point in our lives, but what do those monsters do when they're not scaring us?

The Plot

James P. Sullivan aka Sulley (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) were the best scarers at Monster Inc. in our last movie. Now we are going back to the greatest four years of their lives, college. Mike and Sulley had to learn how to become scarers.

Before Mike ever knew Sulley, Mike wanted to be the best scarer ever. One day when he was little, he went to Monsters Inc. on a field trip. One of the scarers told him Monsters University was the best scaring school. That day getting into MU became Mike's dream. When he did, he never expected Sulley, the lazy, famous-father-having bully to come along. The two did not get along at first. But we all know they end up becoming the best of friends.

This movie includes the normal crazy college happenings, in a G rated way. No drunken parties to worry about exposing the kids to.

The Cast

(This is Dean Hardscrabble)

Our original furry friend and one-eyed buddy are back with the same great duo. But mostly, that's all the returning talent. There are tons of new characters though, including Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble. There were moments I was so convinced it wasn't her. Helen Mirren could never be a scary monster. But she is... Charlie Day, Sean Hayes, and a returning Disney-goer Dave Foley also lend their voices to the film. Foley played Flik in "A Bug's Life" (1998).

The Message

College is a time to discover yourself. Discover your passion, your true friends, and who you really are. This heartfelt movie is about being yourself no matter what anyone else tells you. It's a great message for anyone- no matter if you are entering the wonderful world of college, saying goodbye to it, or hanging on in the real world. 

In this world, we have forgotten to dream with our whole hearts. This movie gives us a little reminder that no matter how rough things get and no matter how many times someone says you can't do something, you just gotta keep trying and dream big.

Overall

This movie was very cute. It did a good job referencing the original material and making something new. But it could not outshine the original. I liked the film, but wasn't in love with it. There was a lack of a real villain which always causes plot problems. Although this film was creative, I don't think it was able to bring anything significantly new to the Monsters Inc. world. It was only referencing the old stuff.

2.5 Out of 4 Screams

(These are scream canisters. They hold children's screams that power all of Monstropolis)

In Review: "Man of Steel"

In Review: "Man of Steel"

I'm telling you Superman movies are cursed. Yes, cursed. They do not do well in the box office ever. And look at Christopher Reeves! Cursed!

In my personal opinion, it is because Superman is a hard character to sell because the human race cannot and never will relate to him. He is perfection personified. He is the god among men. He is the golden knight. He is Superman.

And we, as humans, can never ever be Superman. No matter how many red bed sheets we tie to our backs. No matter how many times we ride the roller coaster dedicated to him. I'm sorry, but we cannot be Superman. So how do you sell a movie that the audience cannot relate to?

You don't!

Here, in "Man of Steel", is the solution to the Superman movie problem. (It also shows by how much money this movie got in its first weekend open- $113 Million (a June record- it beat out Toy Story 3 in 2010 with its $110.3 Million)

The Plot

This is the pre-Superman. We find out that our hero's father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), wants to save his dying planet Krypton. The core of the planet is exploding because they used all their natural resources *cough America cough*. Jor-El is begging the high council people to start inhabiting other planets. He thinks Earth is the best candidate to save their race.

In comes General Zod (Michael Shannon) who is all for saving their race but not cool with the whole living with humans thing. Jor-El tells him that his son, named Kal-El by his parents, is the first natural born child in centuries. He wants to encode his son with "the codex" which is like the DNA of all the Kryptonians. Kal-El is sent in a spaceship to Earth and Zod says he will find him one day. Of course he says this as he is captured and imprisoned in a black hole.

Then we meet Clark Kent- raised by a farmer and his wife, picked on a lot as a kid, and told by his stepfather not to reveal his powers because the world wasn't ready for him. The kid grows up and longs to find his true identity, which he knows is not of this world.

The story is about how Clark Kent/Kal-El becomes Superman, how he meets Lois Lane, how he gets a job at the Daily Planet, what happens with General Zod, and all that jazz.

The Cast

Henry Cavill... I don't know if I have words for you. Not only was I blown away by your incredible and unbelievably real physique, your acting gave me chills. The difference between this movie and any other Superman movie is the focus on Superman's humanity and vulnerability. But we all know, he still has to save the world. Cavill was able to give us both- the hero who could save the day without breaking a sweat and the alien who could never fit in to the place he called home. (As a side note, Cavill played the Count of Monte Cristo's son in the 2002 version. He was even good then!)

Amy Adams also played a different kind of Lois Lane. This reporter was ready to walk into danger and face challenges, not just for her career but for humanity. She was still a little bit of a damsel in distress, but who wouldn't be. These are aliens that are all like Superman. No one could battle that!

Kevin Costner shows up as Jonathan Kent and I really liked his portal. There were times I was mad at him for holding his son back from his true power, but there were also times he helped me to understand. There were times I saw his loving nature.

The Message

One of these things is not like the other. This Superman movie is nothing like the 2000s version, the 80s version, the TV show. I have never seen a Superman like this. And I love it. This Superman speaks to the generation of outcasts and underdogs. Try finding a movie in theaters not about the underdog overcoming all odds. This generation of people do not know what it is like to have everything. We have lived through depression-like economies, massive job losses. During this time in history, we don't need someone who can do it all. We need someone to tell us that we can make it through the hard times. We need someone to tell us that we are perfect just the way we are. This Superman does just that.

Kal-El is an alien and he is rejected his whole life from the human race for it. And he will never be human, but his humanity, his vulnerability, his rejection from society is always present. He is not perfect and he knows it. But even though the human race doesn't accept him for who he is, he loves them anyway and will fight to save Earth, the place he calls home.

Overall

The only negative thing about this movie for me was the ending. It went on for a really long time. The final battle between Zod and Kal-El took what felt like decades. I also didn't really like the combat between any of the characters. It was always cloudy and I couldn't see the action. The action was also not very creative. These are super beings who can stop a speeding bullet. You think they could have had some cool fight scenes.

But I liked the villain, General Zod, and I loved Kal-El's character and the movie's message. Just needed better action scenes.

Please go see this movie. If you are like me and have not felt attached to Superman at all (I've always liked Batman a whole lot better), then give him a chance to show you how awesome of a superhero he is by watching this movie.

3 Out of 4 "S"s aka Kryptonian Hope Symbols

In Review: "Now You See Me"

In Review: "Now You See Me"

"Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you will actually see."

This quote from the film describes exactly what the movie does to you. It does just what a great magic show can do- shows you something and convinces you that you know what is going to happen, and then completely surprises you. Great magic is used for wonder and amazement, but always keeps you guessing. How did he do that? This movie does the same thing- not just with its visual magic and CGI spectacles but with its plot twists and surprises.

The Plot

Four struggling street magicians are called to an abandoned apartment in New York City. We have the hermit- Merritt McKinney (Woody Herrleson), a hypnotist and mind reader whose only job opportunity is exposing cheating husbands for cash; the high priestess- Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), a magician's assistant turned one-woman show complete with piranhas; the lover- J. Daniels Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), a magic card specialist and women charmer; and death- Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a conman of all con men who uses his talent of bending spoons in front of tourists to scrape by. The four are brought together and call themselves, The Four Horsemen.

They become famous enough for Vegas with the help of their benefactor Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine). They perform a trick where it looks like they have robbed a bank and given the money to the audience. The FBI is all over that. Magic non-believer Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is put in charge of the case along with Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). Along the way they meet a professional magician-exposer Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman).

So did they rob the bank? What is this grand final trick they keep talking about? Will the police be able to expose the magic?

The Cast

There is a stellar cast here. Morgan Freeman in almost any movie is guaranteed to be a blockbuster. No one did a bad job acting. Let's face it, they are all legends. But there was really only one performance that stuck with me. 

I have not really liked Jesse Eisenberg until this movie. I hated, hated "The Social Network" (The Facebook Movie) where he played snotty, self-absorbed Mark Zuckerberg. "Zombieland" is hysterical but not because of his awkward character. I was starting to think he could only play socially awkward nerds. But in this movie, he blossomed into a hunky, charming, suave con man. And he could con me all he wanted. His witty banter between any one of the characters had me thoroughly entertained.

The Message

You know how when you are a kid and you still believe in all that magical stuff? The Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy? Magic? This movie takes you back to that time and tells you the magic isn't over when you grow up. It actually gets way cooler. This movie made me want to go to a magic show so bad.

Overall

This movie was very enjoyable. The message was clearly presented, the acting was great, the script was funny, and the plot was fantastically elaborate yet simple enough to follow when watching the first time. I just got a little bored in the middle. The thing about a magic show is they are always doing the next best trick so you have to try to figure out how that one was done and then the one after that. Until you are simply content to being amazed. Well, my brain doesn't work that way. I got very tired of waiting to see the next best thing and straining my brain to figure out how they did that trick.

But by the end of the movie, I didn't care. I was able to completely forget about the fact that I was once confused and a little frustrated by this film. The ending makes this movie.

3.5 out of 4 Magic Playing Cards

Audience Participation: Like I have mentioned, I have this blog because I like to talk about movies, and to talk to people about movies. So once you see this film (which I highly encourage you do), post your answer/comment to my question below. For those of you who haven't seen it, DON'T READ THE POSTS, SEE THE MOVIE FIRST:

Explain the meaning behind each of the four horsemen's playing cards and aliases from the beginning.