"I write, therefore I am."

First off - If you haven't read Ender's Game , do so. Second, after doing so, go see the movie. If you've done neither of those, probably don't read this. Me writing about Ender is nothing new per se, but in some ways it is, so here we go again. Ender. Ender's Game . If you've forgotten the past, feel free to refresh yourself. This and this are my most important writings to date on Ender. Ender and I have been an experience and journey like no other. Years we've been on this road, and now the movie adds a new layer to that. I -against all trepidations about doing so- went and saw it. I will note here (this could easily spiral out of control into its own rant-y diatribe, so I will not let it) my extreme dislike of Card as a person for his personal agenda/beliefs. His homophobia is rampant and very problematic. However, I must say that Ender is still one of the characters that hits closest to home for me -deeply, wholly, on ALL levels of who I am- and so...

50/50 (Jan 7) - Grade: B. Triple play action! To celebrate my newly-rediscovered freedom, we went to the Dollar Theatre for a triple-flick extravaganza! Woo! First was this movie which I had seen slated as a "comedy." And Seth Rogen was in it too. So I was thinking your Superbad, Knocked Up, Pineapple Express type of comedy I don't generally appreciate. But I believe this film was mislabeled. It was serious, and actually rather heavy amid its light-hearted comedic quips. I really enjoyed this film. Real Steel (Jan 7) - Grade: B-. A lot of people have hated on this movie for being absurd, horrid, ridiculous, etc. You name the adjective, it's probably been thrown at this movie. But I don't really agree. Granted, it's not your X-men , but I didn't think any of the acting was poorly done. It's a camp story, but it was executed in the right ways, and I enjoyed this flick just as much as the next kid. The Help (Jan 7) - Grade: A. I haven't rea...

Immortals (Nov 19) - Grade: B+. This one wasn't really on my radar, and I'm pretty sure I even got invited to see it once or twice and declined, but everyone was talking about it, and then I must've been in the right mood because a friend invited me and I agreed. I'd never seen 300 so I was worried I would be lost, but I found out it was just the same director, not the same story. The story was pretty intense, but cool, though I must say that WOW, I was unprepared for all the blood and gore in this! There were some scenes where the slow-motion cinematography was cool, but GROSS! It was also interesting to me to "go behind the scenes" and read about how much the stars all worked out and how far in advance they trained so that they could have ripped, awesomely hot bodies for the movie. The preparation and dedication to a movie part can be pretty ridiculous if you ask me! Let Me In (Dec 3) - Grade: B-. This movie had always caught my eye from the time trailers...

Fast Five (May 30th) - Grade: D. We were going to see Bridesmaids but then the times were all messed up, so we ended up watching this one instead. It was a fast cars doing amazing things movie like all the others. I'll admit I haven't kept with this series (I didn't even really know it was a series... I don't even know if I've seen any of the other movies?). Reminded me alot of Gone in 60 Seconds , but I thought that one was better. Lots of glam, violence, and cars, cars, cars. Just another alright movie. SUPER 8 (June 10) - Grade: A. I was SO excited to see this movie! The trailers looked AMAZESAUCE. And it proved to be true. Went to the midnight showing and so glad I did. This movie was everything it promised in the names of Spielberg and J.J.Abrams. Definitely one to see if you haven't. X-Men: First Class (June 10) - Grade: C-. I'm sorry to be picky about X-men, but as previously mentioned I really take issue with having my childhood ruined and re...

Wow, it's taken a while to get going with Movies in 2011. Halfway through I decided to start putting the dates I saw them, so people have a better frame of reference for how soon or (more usually the case) how late I saw them. Anyway, here are the first 17 movies to cross my path in 2011. Enjoy! Charlie St. Cloud - Grade: B-. I was actually really excited to see this movie, even though it was Efron (not an oogling, drooling fan). The trailers made it look soooo good. The movie itself was alright. I was not super emotionally invested, so it didn't hit me super hard, but it wasn't completely flat either. There were a couple points where I thought they were going to ruin a good story with some crazy Sixth Sense -esque twist. Which would have upset me AND been really cool. Bottom line: it wasn't bad. Not great, but wasn't bad. The Mothman Prophecies - Grade: C. Wow. This movie was NOT what I was expecting to be at all. I am so glad that my friend A was over to watch w...

Dark Water - Grade: B-. Another scary one! This one's also bee on my list for years. Finally got around to seeing it. I figured out the whole story in like 3 minutes. So not so good writing. Also, most of the "scary" parts were just thrown in. For that reason. Not to aide the story or anything like that. They were ridiculous. Inception (x2) - Grade: A++. Unbelievable. That sums up this movie experience. I went back and saw it again the very next day. It was JUST that good. When's the last time I saw such an original storyline? Such a thought-provoking plot? Such all-around phenomenal acting? I can't even tell you, that's when. This movie was MIND-BLOWING amazing. I can't say anything else other than, IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT YET, DO SO NOW. Toy Story 3 - Grade: A. The original Toy Story came at the perfect age for me, and I loved it. Toy Story 2 was eh. But this one was just beautiful. I totally cried. When the movie was done, I wanted to fly to Flo...

There's so much to catch up on! I've been seeing movies, reading books, living love, etc., etc., etc! Keep an eye out for posts soon on the Summer of '10, Into the Now circa 2010, and others. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief - Grade: C. Eh. The book was better. But isn't it always? *le sigh* They did cool things, not all the actors sucked; I enjoyed myself. Letters to Juliet - Grade: A-. This movie was cute. I like that she's getting away from role in Mean Girls , though let's be honest, I struggled sometimes to keep that image of her out of my mind. But she's not a bad actress. The storyline was very heartfelt, and I liked this movie. Would I see it again? Hrmmm, dunno. But once was okay. How to Train your Dragon - Grade: A+. This was a wonderful movie. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Laughed, may or may not have cried, really got emotionally involved. This movie was simply wonderful. The Last Airbender - Grade: F. F is for Fail. This movie was AWFUL....

Been kind of a dry spell for movies lately. This post originated back in August...2009. So it took me 11 months to see this round of 17 movies. Wow. That's kind of sad. That's like one a month. Blah. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs - Grade: B-. I won't lie, I haven't seen any of these. Movies like this fall in the senseless kid humor category where I put other shows and movies I think are inane, crass, or just plain stupid (my opinion of this). But the S kids put it on while I was "nannying," so I watched (while doing other things like playing on Facebook (of course!)). I will admit to actually laughing once or twice. But that's all I will admit. Xmen - Grade: B-. I freaking LOVE Xmen, especially as a kid. From comics to cartoons to figurines, I was an Xmen addict. So you'll forgive if I was a little upset about them ruining many things. Granted there were cool things, and the special effects were everything, and I do love some Hugh Jackman, but sti...

My summer has been rife with travel, adventure, pictures, great friends, and better conversation. But it hasn't been without it's down times, when I settle into to watch some action, adventure, or a love story. So here's to the big screen (even when it's watched on my small one)! I should also note that in this review (and subsequent) I'm expanding a bit from just movies to series that are canceled/ended I've watched in their entirety, as well as live stage plays which I've recently gotten back into attending... The Giver (live play) - Grade C. I know, right? A live production of The Giver ! We were so intrigued. We had to go see it. Had to, no options. They tried so hard to make this good. There were some things that were done okay, but really, Meggers and I agreed there was so much we would have done differently. The lead was way too old to be believable as a kid. There were scenes they did that we could have done better. They didn't even have a real...

It's been awhile since I've talked about the movies I've been seeing, so I think this post is overdue. It brings together previously unreviewed movies, ones I put by themselves in previous posts, and all the ones I've seen since. Pineapple Express - Grade: F. My brother thinks this movie is hilarious, but my cousin and I walked out before it was even over. It wasn't funny enough (unless you were watching it high), and it was soooooo slow-moving. We got bored, and so we said screw this and left. Kung Fu Panda - Grade: A. I was a little wary of this considering it was Jack Black, and I don't always find his grade of humor up my alley, but this movie was GREAT. Funny, entertaining, and a great story. Two thumbs up all the way on this one. Wanted - Grade: C. Pretty thriller. The effects were way good, and the storyline was good. Could have done without some of the blood and gore though. And the swearing. I think we pegged it at a swear word every 30 seconds, or ...

In light of my last post , I thought I would just pour salt on the wounds of my many friends and tell you about some of my freedom over the past few weeks (which will also explain why I haven't been diligently blogging...lol). I have of late, rediscovered the overwhelming joys of MEDIA (read: books and movies) which I did not have time for in college. Except for the required of course, some of which have remained on my list of excellents. Others however, I burned. Like Watt . Forgive me Samuel Beckett. I just really, really hate you. What an utter waste of paper that book is. So I thought I'd share some of my thoughts on recent viewings/readings. DISCLAIMER: SPOILER ALERT! If you're planning on reading/seeing any of these in the near future, you may not want to read my opinions... M O V I E S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: Not going to lie, there are like 5 movies that I adore (and own). And that's all. I am one TOUGH movie critic. And proud of it. Transformers - Grade: C. I wa...