The Return of the Living Dead [movie review]

As a zombie-movie-show-bookeverything lover, I naturally watched The Return of the Living Dead when I came across it on TV one day.

The movie begins with a group of punks partying in a graveyard (because that’s normal, right?) while they’re waiting for one of their friends to get out of work. This friend they’re waiting for happens to work at a medical supply company where a gas leak breaks out. As a result, one of the cadavers in the building is brought back to life and it’s ready to sink its teeth into some human flesh. Ultimately, the infection spreads (great time to be in a graveyard, huh?) and there are zombies crawling everywhere. As per usual, madness ensues.

As expected, the acting was pretty horrible. On top of that, there were so many unexpectedly bizarre scenes (i.e. naked lady dancing in the graveyard). But, I did enjoy the zombies… they were actually pretty damn creepy at times. I’ve honestly never seen zombies who enjoyed brains so much. They said it themselves, which surprised me because your average zombie usually doesn’t talk. I actually loved it when one of the living dead moaned: “Braaaiiinnnsss! More braaaiiinnnsss!” OK, I’ll stop. Also, these zombies were pretty fast, unlike the ones I’m accustomed to watching or reading about. That made them a lot scarier.

The Return of the Living Dead wasn’t a complete bust. I enjoyed a number of aspects about it… it certainly picked up when the zombies started attacking. But, it certainly wasn’t the best movie I’ve ever seen either. I’d give it 2.5/5 stars. It did a decent job of keeping me entertained. I laughed a number of times, too (whether that was intentional or not).

Saved! [movie review]

Saved! isn’t exactly a movie I’d go out of my way to watch, but it was on TV one night so I went for it because I didn’t have anything better to do. I remember seeing commercials for it when it first came out in 2004 and it looked like it had potential to garner a few laughs. The movie turned out to be very different from what I was expecting, but not in a bad way.

Saved! begins with a girl named Mary (Jena Malone) who attends a Christian high school and has suspicions that her boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), is gay. She tries to rectify the situation by having sex with Dean, but this obviously doesn’t change anything. Dean’s parents eventually find out that he’s gay, which results in him getting shipped off somewhere to have this ”problem” of his fixed. Well, when he leaves… he leaves Mary pregnant. Slowly but surely, Mary is ostracized by her girlfriends — headed by Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore) — because of this. Mary turns to Hilary’s handicapped brother, Roland (Macaulay Culkin), and the rebellious Cassandra (Eva Amurri Martino) as her new companions. They might not seem like your typical trio at first, but they make it work. The rest of the movie follows Mary’s pregnancy while attending a (very) Christian high school and the new friendships she formed with Roland and Cassandra.

I actually ended up enjoying Saved! more than I thought I would. Mandy Moore playing an evil character was pretty funny, especially since the first two things that come to mind when I think of her are “Candy” and A Walk to Remember. This was the first movie I’ve seen her act in and I was surprised that she actually pulled it off. I also really enjoyed Eva Amurri Martino’s character, Cassandra, who was the only Jewish girl attending a Christian high school. She didn’t fit in, she knew she didn’t fit in, and she fully embraced it… in an often offensive, yet hilarious, manner. Also, I think this was the first movie I’ve seen Macaulay Culkin in since Home Alone 2… no complaints there. Random cast, but it worked.

I give Saved! 3/5 stars. While I probably wouldn’t watch it again, I don’t regret watching it. I definitely got a few good laughs out of it.

I’ll leave you with my favorite line from the movie: “No one fits in 100% of the time.” So true and important to remember.

The Impossible [movie review]

Just from watching the trailers for The Impossible, I knew I was in for an emotional roller coaster when I went to see it on the big screen.

The Impossible is based on the true story of a family — Maria (Naomi Watts), Henry (Ewan McGregor), Lucas (Tom Holland), Thomas (Samuel Joslin), and Simon (Oaklee Pendergast) — vacationing in Thailand when the devastating tsunami in 2004 hit, killing thousands and thousands of people. It’s a story of heartbreak and inspiration all in one.

The Impossible is undoubtedly one of the most touching movies I’ve ever seen; it truly pulls on your heartstrings. Watching what Maria and her family endured was unbelievable. As I watched this one family’s story unfold, I couldn’t help but think of the thousands of other familias and their stories… many of which will never be told. The Impossible definitely raises awareness to the severity of the tsunami and its absolutely devastating effects. This movie truly made me appreciate everyone and everything in my life; you really can’t take anything for granted.

Namoi Watts and Ewan McGregor were amazing; they both played such strong and loving spouses/parents during a time of pure pandemonium. They made the movie feel like a firsthand account at times, which made the movie that much more powerful.

Don’t even get me started on the kids. They all did such amazing jobs, especially for being so young. Out of the three, Tom Holland had the biggest role and he was such an inspiration. As the oldest brother, he really stepped up when his family needed him most. As for the two younger ones, they didn’t need to say much… they were adorable.

I give The Impossible 5/5 stars. It’s a definite must-see, but have your tissues ready.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the movie: “Close your eyes and think of something nice.”

It [TV miniseries review]

I always saw images of this creepy ass clown plastered on VHS/DVD covers as I was growing up, but I never knew the story behind it… literally, It. One rainy day, It was on TV and I finally decided to give it a go.

It is a TV miniseries — not a movie, like I originally thought — about a clown who, quite frankly, kills children. It all starts with Bill Denbrough’s little brother, Georgie (Tony Dakota), who was lured into a sewer by Pennywise (Tim Curry), the aforementioned serial killer clown, and is never to be seen again. After the fact, Bill (Richard Thomas) and his group of misfit friends are stalked by Pennywise, but they won’t stand for it. Banning together, Bill and his buddies put an end to the bloodthirsty clown… or so they think. Years later, Pennywise returns and he it means business. Bill and the gang must reunite in order to put an end to Pennywise once and for all.

Image Source: io9.com

I know It is somewhat of a classic, but to be honest, I didn’t enjoy it at all. Definitely a movie miniseries I could’ve passed up. But, now I can say I’ve seen it, right? To start, the acting was scarier than Pennywise… it was actually quite painful to watch. I know this was made in the 90s, but still. Although not extremely scary in my opinion, Pennywise did have some good one-liners. He was undoubtedly the best aspect of the miniseries. Overall, I think It moved way too slow and it didn’t do much to keep my attention.

I give It 1/5 stars solely for the purpose of giving me something to do on a rainy day.

Ed Wood [movie review]

I was always a tad familiar with Ed Wood because my sister had the movie on DVD, but I never got around to watching it until I saw it on TV one day.

Ed Wood is about… well… Ed Wood (Johnny Depp), “the legendary director of awful movies,” as IMDb puts it. For Ed’s movies, he tends to cast them with misfit actors, such as his girlfriend, Dolores Fuller (Sarah Jessica Parker), and oldtimer, Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau). As a result, his movies don’t garner too much (good) press. Ed even says it himself: “I don’t make major motion pictures, I make crap.” But, does that stop him from making more movies? No, not at all!

Image Source: DVDBeaver.com

I actually enjoyed Ed Wood a lot more than I thought I would. First, I really liked the fact that it was in black and white even though it was released in 1994. That already makes it stand out from other movies. Second, I thought this movie was really funny. I was laughing out loud quite a bit, especially during scenes when Ed was filming his movies. Each movie he created had a very bizarre concept and it was fun to have a behind-the-scene glimpse. I don’t wanna give too much away (this is me warning you about a small spoiler), but it was absolutely hysterical when Ed confessed his love of wearing women’s clothing (which ended up becoming a storyline for one of his movies; it’s safe to say Dolores wasn’t too happy about this). Johnny Depp in drag was a pretty funny sight.

While the movie was very funny, it was also weirdly inspirational at times. There were a number of nice quotes, like the following: “Visions are worth fighting for. Why spend your life making someone else’s dreams?” That was said by Ed Wood, a character I really enjoyed. Although his movies always bombed, he remained so passionate about what he did, which is admirable. Whenever Ed watched his movies, you could feel the love when he recited the lines word-for-word.

I give Ed Wood 4/5 stars. I’d definitely watch it again.

A Nightmare on Elm Street [movie review]

I’m sure most of you are familiar with the franchise that is A Nightmare on Elm Street, whether it’s from the original movie series or the newer movie released in 2010, which is the version I’m going to write about. Even if you haven’t seen any of the movies, you have to know who Freddy Krueger is. He’s one of the many frightful faces of Halloween.

In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley) haunts people in their dreams. Unlike normal nightmares, whatever happens to you while you’re sleeping also happens to you in real life. Freddy cut off one of your fingers while you were napping? Bye, finger. Slowly, but surely, these nightmares worsen amongst a certain group of students — Quentin (Kyle Gallner), Nancy (Rooney Mara), Kris (Katie Cassidy), Jessie (Thomas Dekker), and Dean (Kellan Lutz). As the group digs deeper to get to the root of these haunting dreams, they begin to remember things from their childhood… things that might explain the terrifying, life-threatening nightmares they’re experiencing.

Source: TheMovieBanter.com

As a remake, I didn’t expect this movie to be that great. While the acting was OK (to be expected), the fright level was pretty intense. I remember squirming in my bed a number of times. I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for Freddy to pop out with his razor sharp claw ready to slice and dice. Overall, A Nightmare on Elm Street was pretty disturbing and violent, but if you’re into horror movies, you’ll like this.

I give A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) 3/5 stars. It’s definitely a good movie to watch around Halloween and worth watching for its scariness alone. I know it’s a little backwards, but now I have to have a little marathon and watch the original films.

P.S. I love how the movie ended with the credits rolling to “All I Have To Do Is Dream” by The Everly Brothers on such a calm note after so much violence.

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you…

Rise of the Guardians [movie review]

Sometime shortly after Thanksgiving, I went to go see Rise of the Guardians with my family and it was the perfect way to start the holiday season.

Rise of the Guardians (DreamWorks) is an animated film about a team of holiday-inspired guardians — North (Alec Baldwin), Tooth (Isla Fisher), Bunny (Hugh Jackman), and Sandy (voiceless) –  and their purpose is to watch over the world’s children. Pitch (Jude Law) has a different agenda and he gives the guardians a run for their money when he starts spreading darkness and instilling fear into children everywhere. As he does this, children start to question the existence of Santa Claus (North), the Tooth Fairy (Tooth), the Easter Bunny (Bunny), and Sandman (Sandy). As faith is lost, so are the guardians’ powers. But, newcomer Jack Frost (Chris Pine) doesn’t have this problem because children never really believed in him in the first place. After being summoned by the moon to join the guardians, it’s up to Frost to help North and the rest of the crew put an end to Pitch’s evil ways. Will Frost join the guardians? Will darkness prevail?

Rise of the Guardians is one of the best animated films I’ve seen in awhile… right up there with some of my favorites, like: Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Up. This movie was filled with tons of funny, action-packed, and feel-good moments. To my surprise, there were a number of suspenseful moments. The villain, Pitch (who’s a major killjoy, by the way — who messes with a child’s happiness?), really knew how to throw the audience for a loop from time to time. Also, Rise of the Guardians was a lot funnier than I initially expected. I mean, Santa’s a total badass covered in tattoos and the Easter Bunny has an Australian accent. Not exactly what we were told when we were kids, right? There were plenty of scenes when I laughed out loud. For example, any scene involving North’s elves… or yetis. They always seemed to be getting in some sort of trouble and they managed to do so in the funniest way possible. To top it off, this movie had some really touching moments as well. As a 24-year old, I still got that warm feeling inside (you can pretend I didn’t say that).

I give Rise of the Guardians 5/5 stars. This is a movie that appeals to everyone, no matter what holiday(s) you celebrate or how old you are. It’s something for the whole family to enjoy. It’s nominated for “Best Animated Feature Film” by Golden Globes and I wouldn’t be surprised if it won.

Men in Black 3 [movie review]

I didn’t have high expectations for Men in Black 3 (even though I was a fan of the first two movies), but I have to say… I actually really enjoyed the third installment.

In Men in Black 3, Agent J (Will Smith) travels back in time in an attempt to stop a monstrous psychopath, Boris The Animal (Jemaine Clement), from killing his partner, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). In order to do this, J must acclimate to this new time period (the 60s) and do his best to stop Boris in his destructive path.

The Men in Black trilogy is just one of those series that works. As with the first two movies, I enjoyed the acting, especially Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. Their characters are so different; J is young and fun-spirited while K is a bit older and rather emotionless. They couldn’t be more opposite, but they still make quite the duo. Their on-screen relationship is always funny to watch. It was also fun to see the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) in action, who was practically a different person from the (present day) Agent K we’re used to.

The ending was the icing on the cake for me. Everything came to a full circle and I really enjoyed it. It was one of those moments when you kinda just stare at the screen with your mouth open, trying to process what just happened. It was actually quite touching. Pretty deep for a Men in Black movie, huh? Overall, the movie was well-rounded… it was funny, touching, and action-packed all at the same time.

I give Men in Black 3 4/5 stars. If you liked the first two movies, you definitely need to check this one out. Even if you haven’t seen the first two movies, you can certainly enjoy the third one as a standalone.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower [book/movie review]

I’ll start off by saying The Perks of Being Wallflower instantly became one of my favorite books and movies.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is about a shy boy, Charlie, who’s starting his first year of high school. For the most part, Charlie is shunned by his peers and — after his best friend committed suicide — he doesn’t really have anyone to talk to, other than his family. That is, until  he meets Patrick and Sam (step-siblings) and their group of friends (or The Island of Misfit Toys, as referred to by Sam in the movie). Charlie is welcomed by the group and he takes a particular interest in Sam from the very beginning, but he struggles with expressing his feelings to her. As time goes by, Charlie starts to experience things he never has before; things like going to his first high school party, experimenting with drugs, his first kiss, having a girlfriend, etc. We find out that Charlie had something traumatic happen to him when he was younger and — because of this — he gets “bad” sometimes.  By “bad,” Charlie means getting in these depressed moods, which usually happen around Christmas and his Birthday. When he was younger, his Aunt Helen, who was his favorite person in the world, died in a car accident around this time of year.

First of all, Charlie is probably my favorite character in a book or movie. I always felt for him. He’s just a genuinely nice, selfless kid. I don’t understand why he didn’t have any friends (at first) because I’d be his best friend in a heartbeat.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a quick read and I really enjoyed the unique format. The book is told in a series of letters that Charlie writes to an unknown recipient. He tells this mysterious “friend” of his everything he’s been going through in his first year of high school and his newfound social life. I think this is a story everyone can relate to. Kids can be cruel and — if you’ve been to high school, which I’m assuming most of you have — you know what it’s like. You might’ve been bullied or maybe you were on the other side as the bully. Maybe you’ve just been a witness to it. Regardless, it’s (unfortunately) something that’s bound to happen in every high school. The Perks of Being a Wallflower brings the issue of bullying to the forefront and will make you think twice before you make fun of someone just because they’re a little different. Sure, Charlie was a little quite, but did his classmates take the time to get to know him for who he really was? Did they take the time to put themselves in Charlie’s shoes? No. But, if they did, they’d probably realize what a sweet, smart, and lovable person he was. I can relate to Charlie because I was the quite kid in high school who always did his homework and never gave the teachers a problem. There were times when I could’ve participated, but I chose not to because it was “uncool” and I cared too much about what other people thought about me. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is all about embracing who you are and not being afraid to participate, which is something I’ve welcomed more and more over the years. It’s not about caring what other people think about you, it’s about finding the people who like you for who you truly are. Those are the people who matter. Those are your friends.

I think the movie stayed true to the book and I absolutely loved it. Logan Lerman was outstanding as Charlie. As I mentioned before, Charlie is one of my favorite fictional characters ever and if he was ruined in the movie, I woud’ve been devastated. Low and behold though, I think the movie made me like Charlie even more. I was also very pleased with Emma Watson‘s performance as Sam. No complaints there. I was a little worried about Ezra Miller playing Patrick because I saw some promotional interviews with the cast and there was just something about him that annoyed me. He was just a litte too much. After seeing the movie though, I came to realize that Miller was a perfect match for Patrick’s part. He was still a little over-the-top, but hey, that’s Patrick. All the other supporting characters did great as well, including Dylan McDermott (Charlie’s father), Nina Dobrev (Candace, Charlie’s older sister), and Paul Rudd (Mr. Anderson, Charlie’s English teacher). It was really fun to see the characters come to life and not disappoint. It’s hard to bring movies to life sometimes, but I think this particular film was so effective because Stephen Chbosky, the author, played such a prominent role in the movie by directing it.

The ending (which was the same in the book and the movie) threw me for a loop. You find out what happened to Charlie when he was younger and it explains why he is the way he is. This story is truly touching and I couldn’t recommend it enough.

I also have to say that the soundtrack for the movie (inspired by songs talked about in the book, of course) is awesome. I can’t stop listening to it. My favorite is “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners, which will forever remind me of one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It just makes me happy. Other artists on the soundtrack include: David Bowie, The Smiths, Cracker, and more.

I give both the book and the movie 5/5 stars. I think it’s an absolute must-read and must-see for everyone. However, I strongly recommend that you read the book first. Like I said, it’s a quick read and I think you’ll be able to appreciate the story more.

I’ll leave you with my favorite quote from the book. ”So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.”

Pitch Perfect [movie review]

One of my friends was always talking about Pitch Perfect, but — at the time — I wasn’t even sure what it was about. I started seeing commercials for it on TV and I definitely became interested. Then, I saw a sneak peek of the “Right Round” performance (on GMA, I think), which solidified my decision (yes) to go see the movie.

Pitch Perfect is about an aspiring DJ, Beca (Anna Kendrick), who is forced — by her father, Dr. Mitchell (John Benjamin Hickey) — to go to college instead of fulfilling a music career in California. Beca doesn’t try too hard to make friends at first, but Chloe (Britanny Snow) changes this when she gets a little too close for comfort in the bathroom encourages Beca to  tryout for their school’s all-girl a cappella group, The Barden Bellas. In addition to The Bellas, there are three other a cappella groups on campus, but the true rival is the all-boy group, The Trebelmakers. Treblemakers-newcomer, Jesse (Skylar Astin), takes an interest in Beca, but the feeling doesn’t seem to be mutual (which might be a good thing since it’s forbidden for Treblemakers and Bellas to date). I mean, they are rivals and there’s only one spot for first place.

To put it simply, Pitch Perfect was perfect (pun intended). Not only was it absolutely hysterical, but the music was fun and catchy as well. Acting-wise, I loved everyone. First of all, I love Brittany Snow (remember American Dreams?). This movie is an automatic win since she had a prominent role in it. She did a really great job (and I’m not just saying that because I’m obsessed with her… OK, maybe a little). Anna Kendrick was never really on my radar, but I’m a definite fan after seeing her in this movie. Skylar Astin did an awesome job as well. His name has been floating around swarming the Internet lately and you can just tell he’s going to be the next big thing. Don’t even get me started on Rebel Wilson as Fat Amy (quite possibly one of my favorite characters in any movie ever created). She had me crying from laughter. She could be walking and I’d be cracking up… she’s that funny. Anna Camp played a great a-ca-bitch, Aubrey. She was never really on my radar either, but I’m interested to see other movies she’s been (and will be) in. I could go on and on, but before I stop, I have to say I really enjoyed Hana Mae Lee‘s character, Lilly. She was another one who had me laughing every time she was on screen. OK fine, one more (short) shout out: Elizabeth Banks. Although she had a small role as one of the performance announcers, Gail, she had some great one-liners. All in all, everyone involved was fantastic.

The acting was enough for me to love this movie, but the song choices and talent (singing-wise) blew me away. I have the soundtrack and I’ve been playing it on repeat. Don’t believe me? Just walk by my office; I’ll mostly likely be playing it on loop. Songs include: Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” Flo Rida’s “Right Round,” Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone,” Miley Cirus’ “Party in the U.S.A.,” and much more, including some awesome mash-ups.

I give Pitch Perfect 5/5 stars. I can’t wait to buy it on DVD and watch it again (and again).