Sunday, 1 October 2017

| MOVIES - SEPTEMBER PART 1 |

THE ROAD TO EL DORADO


SYNOPSIS: Two thieves managed to find their way to El Dorado, the city of Gold.

RATING: 7.8/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This movie is full of fun and adventures. It is full of funny scenes, lines, and interactions and the songs are catchy. Also, El Dorado is a beautiful city. I liked Miguel and Tulio's friendship. Even though they had their issues, they manage to resolve things. Although they were kind of greedy, they managed to do right things. Plus, Altivio, the horse, is so adorable.


WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

"I don't know if I picked that circus. But something told me that circus picked me."
SYNOPSIS: A man decided to run away and accidentally stumbled upon a traveling circus which he joined

RATING: 9/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 


    I avoided this movie for a long time because I thought it would be boring. I was very wrong. The movie was beautiful and it was very interesting to watch. The cinematography was great and Rosie was fun to watch. I really loved seeing the story unfold and the life in the circus was also intriguing and mesmerizing to see. 

   The actors did a good job portraying their roles and they had a lot of chemistry. Robert Pattinson was amazing as Jacob who is an amazing and caring character. I love how he fought for what he wanted and he took great care of the animals. Reese Witherspoon as Marlena was also amazing. She was beautiful and her stunts with the animals were also beautiful. Lasly, Christoph Waltz was intimidating and charming as August. I was legitimately scared of him at some point but he was mesmerizing.


OKJA


SYNOPSIS: Mija decided to go on a journey to get her bestfriend, Okja - a genetically engineered pig, back from a company that took her.

RATING: 8/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 


    I loved this movie. It was really interesting and it dealt with an interesting topic: animal abuse. Even though the animal (superpig) was fictional, the events that happened to them could be true in real life and it could open our mind about what is happening with the meat we eat. The way the story unfolded hurt me so much because we saw how much Mija cared for Okja and Okja suffered so much throughout the film. I wanted more justice in the end but we could see that the movie showed a more realistic approach with how it ended. 

    The cinematography of this movie was beautiful. The superpigs looked scarily realistic. Seo Hyun Ah was a great cast for Mija because she was amazing. She was able to touch the hearts of the watchers (at least for me) and you could see how genuine her love is for Okja.


INCEPTION

"What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere."
SYNOPSIS: A group of people who uses dream technology decided to plant an idea in someone's mind.

RATING: 8.3/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

It took me years before I finally watched this movie and it was worth it. The movie was very interesting. The use of the dream world was very tricky. If you don't focus much while watching the movie, you will get lost. There are many little interesting details and unexpected twist and turns. I loved seeing how the story unfolded.


GROUNDHOG DAY

"Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn't one today."
SYNOPSIS: An arrogant weatherman had to repeat a day he hated over and over again.

RATING: 9/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

At first, I thought that the movie was going to be boring since it had to repeat the same day over and over but it wasn't. I loved the movie. It had a lot of funny lines and scenes which made me laugh out loud but there were also serious ones (especially after Phil got over the fun part and lost his mind). Phil had a much needed character development and it was amazing to see him change.


TO THE BONES

"Bad things are going to happen. That's not negotiable. What is, is how you deal with it."
SYNOPSIS: A story about a girl who has anorexia.

RATING: 7/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

The film had beautiful cinematography. The topic it talked about was difficult to see. I couldn't relate to it but it was hard seeing Ellen. She was so scarily thin and I felt scared for her. I felt that the movie was lacking something and it ended in an abrupt way. I kind of wish there was more. Still, Lily Collins did an amazing way portraying Ellen.


WHAT HAPPENED TO MONDAY?

"What happens to one of you, happens to all of you."
SYNOPSIS: In a world where there must only be one child in a family, a set of septuplets must avoid the government discovering the truth about them.

RATING: 8.5/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This movie had a very interesting concept about what could happen in the future. It was interesting seeing things unfold. It was full of action, mystery, and deceit. I feel bad for all the family who had many children especially after the twist was revealed. Plus, Noomi Rapace did an amazing job portraying her roles.


DESPICABLE ME 3


SYNOPSIS: Gru finds out that he has a twin brother named Dru.

RATING: 6/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

The movie still had it's funny moments but it's not the same as the first ones. You can really feel that the franchise has simply been extended for far too many films. The plot including Gru's twin brother was kind of fun but not enough and Balthazar Bratt was just annoying. Still, the minions and Agnes are there to make you want to see it because they are just too adorable.


Sunday, 17 September 2017

| 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.


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.


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.


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!


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


Saturday, 16 September 2017

| MOVIES - AUGUST PART 1 |

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 2

"He may have been your father, boy, but he wasn't your daddy."
SYNOPSIS: The guardians continue with their adventure and they encounter a man who claims that he is Quill's father.

RATING: 7/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

I did not love this as much as the first one. It was still a pretty interesting and had a decent plot but I did not like that the whole movie focused on trying to be funny. Sure, there were a lot of funny parts but there were also parts that I thought that it was just trying to push that it was funny. I didn't get why the characters were so amused (especially when in comes to Drax).

Still, the animation was on spot. The scenes had designs that are pretty amazing to look at. It was so bright and colorful. The interaction of the characters were fun to watch. The actors did a great job portraying their roles. Plus, baby Groot was very very adorable. I loved watching everyone protect him and carry him around.

Overall, the movie was still enjoyable to watch just don't expect to much from the story.



LIAR LIAR

"The goddamn pen is blue!"
SYNOPSIS: A lawyer can't lie for 24 hours because of a birthday wish made by his son.

RATING: 9.5/10

NON-SPOILERY REVIEW:  

I have watched this movie a lot and it still makes me very happy. I even remember some or maybe most of the lines. It's a very entertaining movie especially since Jim Carrey is the lead actor. Jim Carrey is one of the actors that doesn't annoy me if/when they overact a character. His performance here was very fun and appropriate for the character and the scenarios he play. I think that the movie had a deeper meaning especially towards father who prioritize work over their family. It was such an entertaining and feel good movie.


BEDTIME STORIES

"Your fun is only limited by your imagination."
SYNOPSIS: Skeeter Bronson, a hotel handman, was able to change his life because of the bedtime stories that his nephews created which magically came true.

RATING: 9/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

I have already watched this movie many times and it still made me happy. It had a strait forward and light story but it was really enjoyable. It was full of comedic and touching scenes. The children were very adorable and entertaining to watch. The story that they created and the way that it was shown in the movie was magical. I love the twists that reflected on Skeeter's real life based on the stories. Plus, Bugsy was pretty funny to look at.


THE BOSS BABY

"If there isn't enough love for both of us, I'd like to give you all of mine."
SYNOPSIS: A boss baby was forced to work with his older brother to uncover the plot of the CEO of Puppy Co.

RATING: 9/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

I really loved this movie. The story was not really that unique but the way it panned out was very entertaining to watch. The relationship between Tim and the Baby was very lovely to watch develop. They had many hilarious interactions all throughout the movie. Many scenes made me really laugh out loud and the scenes including many many babies (in the Baby Co.) made me squeal a lot because they were too adorable. I couldn't stop grinning. Plus, it was hilarious to listen to the Boss Baby especially since he was voiced by Alec Baldwin. It was a very feel good and heartwarming movie and I don't understand why there were many bad reviews for it.


GOING IN STYLE


SYNOPSIS: When a group of old men lost their pension after a robbery in their bank, they decided to rob the bank.

RATING: 7/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

The movie was quite entertaining. The veteran actors such as Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine portrayed their characters appropriately and amazingly. The lead characters had so much chemistry that it was very funny to see them interact. You would also worry about them because they seem like fragile old men. It was such a fun and feel good movie.


ROUGH NIGHT


SYNOPSIS: Things go wrong on a bachelorette party.

RATING: 4/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

It felt like a female version of Hangover only things really did go wrong. It wasn't really that bad but I did not like any of the characters (I felt that Scarlet wasn't really suited for this movie) and the places the story went. Some parts even made me cringe. It's also supposed to be a comedy but I did not find most of the scenes funny. The only good thing about the movie was probably the ending.


RUROUNI KENSHIN: KYOTO INFERNO


SYNOPSIS: Kenshin was sent to Tokyo in order to fight Shishio, a man who is attempting t overthrow the Meiji government.

RATING: 6.8/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

The movie wasn't bad. I just had an issue with it because of three things: the change of background for Aoshi, the non-existent fight with the Juppongatana, and the way that the movie ended. Also, I did not feel anything for majority of the casts especially with Sano and Sanosuke. I felt that they could have found someone better. They also wasted the potential of some characters like with the Juppongatana and the Oniwabanshu.

Still, the movie followed most of the events in the anime. They also did a great job with the choreography of the fights and the cinematography. The people who have no background in the anime and/or manga would probably enjoy this better.

Overall, the movie was still good but it could have been better.



RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE LEGEND ENDS


SYNOPSIS: Kenshin is still trying to finish his mission to defeat Makoto Shishio.

RATING: 6.5/10


NON-SPOILERY REVIEW: 

This movie had a very slow pacing. I got bored in the beginning. I had no expectations from the story line prior to the final battle because that was not included in the anime but it was alright. I still did not feel anything for majority of the characters especially Shishio.

Still, the movie maintained it's excellent cinematography and wonderful choreography for the fighting scenes. The final battle was able to satisfy the expectations from it (though sometimes I felt that Aoshi was just randomly slashing at the air).

Overall, the finale did not disappoint but it did not amaze me.



| BOOKS I READ IN 2020 |

I managed to finish my Goodreads reading challenge this year. Hooray! I re-read 15 books, but still, I managed to read 30 (8 are manga). Als...