| MOVIES - AUGUST PART 2 |

ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE

"Our lives are remembered by the gifts we leave our children."

SYNOPSIS: A group of people decided to search for the long lost city of Atlantis after they found a journal telling it's location.

RATING: 7.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

I found this quite enjoyable to watch. Milo was an adorable geek who's worth idolizing because of his dedication to his work. Their whole adventure was exciting and terrible to watch (simply because they encountered a lot of things that tried to block their way). The city of Atlantis was beautifully created. Even though you could see that it wasn't what it used to be (like in the beginning), it was still an amazing city that had advanced technology. Kida was an interesting princess who knows how much trouble her kingdom is on and wants to help solve it. I love that it didn't focus much on romance and that there were no songs (I like musicals but I feel like lately there's been to much songs on Disney movies). The climax of the film was gripping and the ending was great.

• I was amazed by how much details were incorporated to create the scenes especially during the Leviathan attack and the volcano eruption. 
• I was shocked to see how many members were lost during the Leviathan attack.
• Rourke is an asshole who deserved what he got. He was greedy and selfish and I was glad that Helga got her revenge after he threw her off. I wasn't glad that she died too.

GIFTED

SYNOPSIS: A child gets caught in a custody battle between her uncle and grandmother after they found out that she was a gifted child.

RATING: 8.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

I really liked this movie. There were comedic scenes which made the movie not feel really depressing/dramatic. It had comedic scenes that will make you laugh and heartbreaking scenes that will make you want to cry. The conflict that rose was really intriguing because you can see that both parties had their points. They just want what's best for Mary. I was glad to see how the story panned out and got resolve. The actors did an amazing job portraying their roles. Plus, Mary is an adorable child who is sometimes sarcastic and can act older than her age.

• I felt sad for Fred, the one-eyed cat, but he was also pretty cute. I was shocked and sad when they found Fred up for adoption/euthanasia. I wonder what happened to the other cats that were with him.
• I found Mary quite amazing. She can be adorable but there were many funny scenes that showed her sarcastic side. I love her and I was devastated when she and Frank got separated. She thought Frank abandoned her and I just wanted to go give her a hug.
• I like Bonnie because she's a very supportive and kind teacher. 
• Roberta is a lovely character who really cared for Mary. It was funny every time she threatened Frank if he lost Mary and I like how much she helped and pushed him get Mary back.

TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY

"My feet will want to march to where you are sleeping, but I shall go on living."

SYNOPSIS: A ghost returns to earth in order to console his beloved girlfriend who hasn't gotten over his death.

RATING: 8/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This is a truly touching and devastating movie. I really loved the characters and the actors did an amazing job portraying their roles. I found Nina and Jamie quite adorable together. It was very heartbreaking to see how much Nina grieved over Jamie's death. The death of a someone is truly devastating especially if you loved that person so much. The movie was able to show how hard it is to move on. It had a bittersweet ending but I loved it.

• Seeing Alan Rickman was heartbreaking because he's dead in real life. 
• I was quite heartbroken when I saw that Nina was moving on and was starting to see another guy. I felt devastated for Jamie but he truly wanted her to move on and be happy. When I realized what Jamie was doing, I got more heartbroken because he was willing to ruin Nina's image of him so that she would be able to move on. It did not help to see that he was glad that she found someone else who could make her happy and move on from the pain and grief she was feeling.

DEAD POETS SOCIETY

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

SYNOPSIS: An English professor taught his students poetry in a way that made them express themselves more.

RATING: 6.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This was truly an inspiring movie to watch. I loved seeing the way Professor Keating taught his students. Rather than making them memorize things, he applied the poems in a more practical manner. The students were able to voice out more of what they really wanted. He was able to inspire them to break free and do what they wanted. It was also shown in the movie the negative effects to those who couldn't break free from control which was devastating. The actors did an amazing job portraying their roles especially Robin Williams. Plus, I finally know the story behind the 'O Captain! My Captain' line!

• I loved Robin Williams's portray of Professor Keating. He was very passionate about what he was teaching and he truly cared for his students. He is a great epitome of a good teacher.
• Robert Sean Leonard and Ethan Hawke looked very very young in this movie. 
• I was truly devastated when Neil died especially since he was portrayed by Robert Sean Leonard (I loved him as Wilson from House). It was heartbreaking that he couldn't fight for what he wanted and gave up entirely. 
• I really loved the scene where the boys stood up for Keating and salutes him with 'O Captain! My Captain!'. It was very inspiring and heartbreaking to watch.

MR. HOLMES

"One shouldn't leave this life without a sense of completion."

SYNOPSIS: A story of an old Sherlock Holmes with dementia who is trying to remember his last case with the help of the son of his housekeeper.

RATING: 6.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This is a very interesting take on the character of Sherlock Holmes. It seemed different to his usual uncaring self. He wanted to know the reason why he decided to retire and as the story progressed, we find out why. The case was a very interesting and devastating one. It made Sherlock realize that what he says and what he does can seriously affect the life of someone. The character development and realizations that Sherlock had in this film was very nice to watch. I loved seeing him bond with Roger. Ian McKellen is truly an amazing actor and he was able to portray Sherlock amazingly.

• It was interesting to see how much older Laura Linney looked now compared to what she looked like in 'The Exorcism of Emily Rose'. Frances de la Tour also had a different appearance to her Madame Maxime look in Harry Potter.
• I was glad to see that the Munro's stayed and that they bonded with Sherlock. He was able to have someone with him during his old age.
• Roger is a very interesting boy who's very eager to learn and I liked watching him get closer and closer to Sherlock.

STILL ALICE

"Live in the moment."

SYNOPSIS: The story of Alice Howland, a linguistics professor, who was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's disease.

RATING: 6/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

It was a very interesting movie that showed a realistic point of view of a person suffering from Alzheimer's. It also showed the reactions of her family about what is happening to her. It was very devastating to see Alice lose her memories and become dependent on others especially since she was a linguistic professor. It was also devastating to see how much her family wanted to help but couldn't. Julianne Moore did a really job portraying Alice and you could really feel her dedication to the role. The other characters also did an amazing job which made the movie better. Overall, this is a very heartbreaking but good film.

• I can't help but think of the Boss Baby whenever I see Alec Baldwin in this movie. 
• I was really scared at the scene where Alice found her suicide video. I was glad someone distracted her and she lost that trail of thought.
• I felt that the ending was quite abrupt.

BATMAN BEGINS

"And why do we fall, Bruce? So we can earn to pick ourselves up."

SYNOPSIS: After training with the League of Shadows, Batman starts to fight crimes in Gotham City.

RATING: 7.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

I haven't read any comics about batman but this was a pretty good movie. The story is interesting and it's full of action. It was kind of slow in the beginning because it needed to build up the story of Bruce Wayne. It was all pretty serious stuff. The gadgets that were used by Batman were all amazing. Plus, the cast were wonderful. Most of them were able to portray their character very well especially Christian Bale as Batman. He was amazing at it. I also loved seeing Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson here as the villains.

• I really love that Alfred is Michael Caine and Lucius is Morgan Freeman. They are both amazing actors.
• I did not think that Katie Holmes was a proper cast for Rachel Dawes. She seems fragile for the role of an attorney.
• I really really love Cillian Murphy and so I was really happy that he was here. The beautifulness of his eyes were very much seen in the movie.

THE DARK KNIGHT

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

SYNOPSIS: A villain named Joker started causing chaos in Gotham City and so Batman must stop him.

RATING: 7.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This is a strong sequel to the Batman Begins. The story was full of chaos created by Joker and it was interesting to see how they dealt with it. Joker is an interesting character and I wished we found out his true background (I don't know because I didn't read the comics). Like the first movie, it continued on focusing on being serious and dark. The cast still did a pretty great job portraying their roles. I felt really devastated because of the ending.

• I did not like Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. He seemed pretty plain compared to the supposed image of Harvey Dent. I wished they casted someone else.
• I like Jared Leto's version of Joker more. Heath Ledger's version was interesting but it was too serious for me. He was indeed creepy though.
• I really felt bad for batman in this movie. He saved the city but he was deemed as the villain in the end because they couldn't let Harvey's image get ruined. They built peace based from a lie. 
• I knew that Gordon was just faking his death but it was still a tragic part.
• I felt terrible for Bruce and Harvey when Rachel died. It was also terrible that Harvey couldn't handle it and Joker managed to convince him to join the dark side.
• I hated Harvey because he almost killed an innocent child.

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

"A hero can be anyone."

SYNOPSIS: A new villain, Bane, sets out to destroy Gotham City and so Batman must once again put on his outfit and save Gotham.

RATING: 7.8/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

Even though this movie probably had the weakest plot, I liked it the most because it was less serious and had a brighter tone than the previous ones. It still had an interesting plot and I liked seeing how it panned out. It ended in the best way possible. The cast still portrayed their roles amazingly. Plus, I liked seeing Bruce's interactions with Catwoman.

•  I did not like Bane's voice. I thought it sounded wrong and not suitable for the character he is playing.
• I really liked Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. She was strong and sexy. She also made the movie less dark.
• I really felt bad for Gordon because he had to uplift the image of someone (Harvey) who tried to kill his son for eight years.
• I really liked Alfred's character. He was a wonderful person who stayed by Bruce's side and supported him in his endeavors. I was glad that he saw Bruce in Florence which fulfilled his dream.
• It was fun seeing Cillian Murphy again as Scarecrow. The punishment was really absurd because it was death or exile and the exile would just end in death.
• It was great to see that Bruce's character developed into someone who cared about himself and feared dying.