Wow guys.  I have been MAJORLY slacking off with my blog! I'm sorry.  Things have been busy, now that I am a grown up and all.

Since my last post I saw: Cowboys & Aliens, Harry Potter (again), Shark Night 3D, and Don't Be Afraid of the Dark.  All of them were awful!!! Except Harry Potter (duh.)  Let me give a brief rundown for you.


Cowboys & Aliens - It has been a long time since I saw this one, so I'll do my best to remember how I felt after...  I'd say my expectations were met, but not exceeded.  It was an action-packed adventure with an extremely unique plot - almost like they spun a wheel to pick the elements of the story.  My two big problems with this movie: 1. there were some serious plot holes, and 2. it takes itself way too seriously.  I think the movie should have gone in one of two directions - it either should have been more funny and light hearted, or more action packed and heavy on the aliens.  It sort of lingered somewhere in the middle.  Also, it drove me nuts that Olivia Wilde was creeping in the background of every scene for the first hour. 

Harry Potter - You already know.  If you don't, read this.


Shark Night 3D -  Wow.  What do I even say about this?  I will sum it up in one sentence:  It is a corny Syfy channel quality storyline with a huge budget.  You basically know exactly what is going to happen every step of the way.  The most enjoyable parts - actually the only truly enjoyable parts of this movie were the super creative ways people get eaten by sharks.  Even though the plot is stupid and predictable, they do a great job of making you squeal and shout whenever someone gets devoured by a monster shark.  Plus the 3D is funny - you make eye contact with a shark.  It almost feels real.
..... almost.


Don't Be Afraid of the Dark - I had REALLY high expectations for this movie, and they absolutely were not met.  I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro.  The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth are two incredible adventures that scare the living daylights out of me.  The trailer for Don't Be Afraid of the Dark made it seem like it was on the same level as those two films (despite Katie Holme's presence in the film....)  Turns out the trailer shows all the best parts.  I saw the movie with three friends and we laughed out loud through the entire thing (we were alone in the theater.) The movie was visually eerie and interesting (filmed in Australia, but supposed to be set in Rhode Island!), but it otherwise failed to impress me at all.  The story, though unique, was very dull, and the creatures you are supposed to fear are laughable. I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone.


I will try and get better at posting on here......



http://www.slashfilm.com/


I'm sad to say that the one thing I have lived for for the past 14 years has actually come to an end.  No more books, no more movies, nothing new for me to anticipate.  At least they did me the favor of making the last installment in the movie series memorable, emotional, and wildly entertaining.  I had heard rumors that this was the best of all the films so far.  I can't say I fully agree with that, but it was still one of the best.  I think the past three films in the series have been top notch, and that the Deathly Hallows Part I was actually a more enjoyable film than Part II.  Part II seemed very brief (even though it was 2 hours and 10 minutes long) and very sad (but that was to be expected.)

The acting in Part II was better than the acting I've seen in any of the Potter films.  In the past the young actors seemed to think breathing heavily could make any scene more exciting/frightening.  In this film they finally learned to use their voices, facial expressions and body language to convey the proper emotions instead of just excessive and loud breathing.  I had read of a few scenes that had been added/changed in translation from book to film, and I was a little wary about how they would affect my overall impression of the movie.  In the end, I liked the changes they made.  I've learned to sort of treat the Potter books and movies as completely different things rather than compare them word for word, because I'd always just end up disappointed that way. 

They did brush over a few things that I would have loved for them to elaborate on, because for me they were the most important and memorable parts of the final book.  However, some sacrifices had to be made in order to keep the movie a reasonable length (though I think all true Potter fans would have sat through a six hour finale without a complaint.)

What else can I say? This has been an emotional roller coaster for me.  I cried through most of the movie not only because it was one of the saddest movies of the series, but because I knew this was the end.  When I finished the 7th Harry Potter book at 3am two days after it was released in 2007, I cried harder than I have ever cried in my life.  My mom came in my room to see what was wrong with me and found me surrounded by tissues just sobbing uncontrollably.  She left as soon as she found out why I was actually crying, but she would've sworn I had just found out someone had died.  In my mind it really was like someone had died.  I grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione and had grown deeply attached to them.  On completing the book I knew they would no longer be a part of my life.  Sure, I reread the books constantly, but it just isn't the same.  Now with the end of the films as well, I have a definite sense of emptiness that I just can't shake.  I may sound very dramatic right now, and most of you probably think I'm nuts, but I'm sure that some of you out there understand.  This isn't just some book or movie, or some imaginary tale.  To some of us, it is our childhood.  I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes:

...With Harry Potter...

Today was the opening day of Super 8 in theaters, and naturally I went to see it as soon as I got out of work.  I have been looking forward to this movie since last year when I first saw the preview, so I couldn't believe the day had finally come. 
I don't want to give away any of it, because I don't want this blog to be about spoilers.  I just want to share that I really enjoyed it, and it's definately the kind of movie you want to see in theaters.  The acting was top notch - a bunch of new faces and some not so new, but great performances all around.  Elle Fanning is a m a z i n g!  Also, the movie had a phenominal soundtrack! It really complemented the movie and the way it was filmed, and made the whole thing seem reminiscent of E.T. or Close Enconters of the Third Kind (funny since Spielberg directed both those films and was the producer of Super 8) Though it sounded a lot like the music of John Williams, the soundtrack was composed by Michael Giacchino, who is obviously a good buddy of J.J. Abrams because he composed the music for Lost and Alias. 
If you read the reviews by the critics, you'll notice a lot of them think the movie sort of flat lined at the end.  I will just caution you to keep in mind that J.J. Abrams wrote this movie, and it is very much his style.  Any Lost fans out there?  You'll understand what I mean.  While I do think the movie leaves something to be desired, it is overall an excellent film and most certainly worth a watch!