Category Archives: Reviews

Reviews of books and movies

The Book Thief

This is not the kind of movie I usually watch. That being said, I’m glad I did. This was one of the more moving movies to come out recently. I admire this film in every way. The story was incredible and moving, giving a great view of a German family in World War Two, so kudos to the original novel author. The characters were believable and extremely likable, so again, kudos to the author. The visuals were great as well. The way the scenes were cut together and layered in some places was genius. The actors portrayed their characters beautifully.

I am very impressed with how Germany and the German people are portrayed. It shows how they are normal people that are likable and have normal likes and dislikes. They behaved how many of us probably would in their situation. It always bugs me when normal German people of the time are portrayed as harsh and evil.

Overall I was moved by this film. It was beautiful and is one of the best films I have seen, despite not being my usual kind of movie. Watch it. That is all.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Enjoyable. That’s what I have to say about this film. I enjoyed watching it and think they did a pretty good job with it. It is almost 4am, so I won’t elaborate much more, for fear that I will make a fool of myself. I will say that they differed from the book a bit more than the first one. As a fan, this was slightly disappointing, but from a movie maker standpoint, it was necessary. If they hadn’t changed some of the pieces that they did, then the movie would have been boring or terrible. One issue that I did have with it though was the animation. Animation is great in that it allows so much more to be done in movies, but I think it is all too common now that directors take the easy way out and rely on the animation. That was the case with this film. There was animation everywhere, and I understand that there are some things you can’t do without some effects, but I feel that Peter Jackson got tired of making the films and handed it over to the CGI artists. The worst part is: you could tell. It was pretty obvious when there was animation going on. In other films you can hardly tell that it isn’t a real actor or something, but there were many parts in this film that it was painfully obvious. I feel that they should have used more real action and less but better CGI. Despite this I am still a fan and likely will be for the rest of my life, but I may stick more to the Lord of the Rings.

Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet

I’ve been watching Sherlock Holmes movies and TV shows for a while now, so I thought I should read the original works. I just finished the first one and was honestly a bit surprised. I always thought they would be these really advanced and long pieces. This one at least is not. This does not mean it was not enjoyable. The story was good and Holmes was the Holmes I had grown to like in other portrayals. The thought that must have gone into this work is incredible. The small details that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle puts into the story that Holmes sees are well thought out and I could not have thought of. Despite these impressive details the book was a quick and easy read, which meant I could easily understand what was going on and never had to stop reading to think or reread something to better comprehend it. I like how Doyle wrote it as though Watson was writing it in the first person. I feel that this allowed for a lot more insight into the story and especially the character of Holmes. I look forward to reading the other Sherlock Holmes works in the near future.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

A quick note before I begin this review: I made the rather unwise choice of reviewing each of these films after my first viewing. I generally don’t get as much out of the movie since I’m only seeing it the first time and am too engrossed in what is happening. Given this information, please forgive any lack of real analysis.

Back to the review: This film was excellent. If you are a fan of the books, you must see this film. The movie has pretty much everything that was in the book and did a great job portraying it. The visuals were beautiful and I feel the effects were used effectively too if you don’t mind the repetition. As I’ve said for a number of movies: the futuristic technology is wonderful in this film. These hovercrafts were eye candy to me. Back to something more to do with the film. The acting was good as well. The casting of new members was excellent and the characters were portrayed perfectly, I especially applaud Sam Claflin in his portrayal of Finnick. The story was emotionally tiring, but any of you who have read the book know this. One last comment: it is decently long. I’m glad for this because it allowed them to put a very large portion of the book into this film, but it does take up a good deal of time.
In summary: Very little bugged me about this film, just one or two places that it deviated from or left out a piece of the book. Other than that I must say, this movie receives high marks from me.

Elysium

Short review: Good.

I wouldn’t say it is my all-time favorite, but it still gets a positive rating. The style of the film was great, mirroring the setting. Can’t really bash much on this film. I’ve always been a fan of Damon and this film doesn’t disappoint. The film is definitely not one for the kids or the weak of stomach. There is some gore involved in this movie and they don’t really hold back. This movie also appeals to the geeky side of me with some wicked technology. This is not a great review, but forgive me, I’m tired and sick. In short, I recommend this movie for those interested in this type of thing, but view only at your own discretion.

Thor: The Dark World

This movie is one of my all-time favorites. It has a perfect balance of humor and seriousness and epicness. Yes, I just said epicness. The storyline was epic and heroic. The characters were epic and heroic. But there was also a lot of humor thrown in there. The entire theater was brought to the point of tears at some parts. You can always count on Marvel to find that perfect recipe.

On a more serious note, they did a great job with this film. The storyline is similar to previous superhero movies, and continues the story well, but it has its own twists and is fresh and unique. The characters are as great and believable (as much as any superhero can be) as always and there is a lot of growth where there needs to be. The visuals in this movie are amazing as well, I love how our animation technology has progressed. The geek inside of me also loves the alien technology as well.

Before you watch this make sure you have seen the other recent Marvel movies. If you do not have time to watch them all, at least make sure you have seen the original Thor and the Avengers, otherwise you will not understand what is going on or understand some of the references. Not that I believe anyone thinking about seeing this movie hasn’t seen them already.

That’s all I have to say on this movie, I’d hate to give any spoilers. Now I cannot wait for the next Captain America, keep cranking them out Marvel!

Gravity

First off, let me tell you: watch this in 3D if possible. This movie is all about the visuals and those visuals are made so much better by 3D. How good are the visuals? Let me put it this way, if it doesn’t win and Oscar for them then those awards are seriously messed up. Very few, if any, films come close to this one in terms of visuals.

Now, I realize visuals aren’t enough to make most people watch a movie, so I will also tell you that it is great in other areas too. The story kept me engrossed and tense through the entire movie. The characters were real and believable and played excellently by the actors. This is another one of those films that I was skeptical that they could make it good, but once again I was proved wrong, this is an excellent movie.

Captain Phillips

I must admit, when I first heard that they were making a movie of this event I thought “How could they make a whole movie out of this and keep it interesting the entire time?” I see how now. This movie is amazing. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the film and was emotionally invested in the story and the characters. The acting was amazing and you could see what was going on in their heads. The filmography was beautiful. I know I say this on pretty much every review, but I can truly say, this movie is amazing. It should make it into the history books, and not just for the subject.

The Death Cure

A great ending to a great series.  I will refrain from giving me feedback on specific places in order to avoid spoilers.  The story is great and constantly moving, I never once lost interest.  The characters are deep and interesting as well.  A couple of times I was taken completely by surprise.  I don’t think it could have ended better either.

From word one to the end I was engrossed and never once wished I had picked a different book.  I have been a fan of the Maze Runner trilogy since I first discovered the first book a couple of years ago and this was an exciting end.  The characters introduced in The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials as well as new introductions continued to grow and change.  I was emotionally invested in the story and characters as well.  I cried during the sad and trying parts and cheered during the happy moments, at least internally.

If you have not read the rest of the series, definitely go back and read them.  If you have, then I’m sure you will agree that this is a great ending.

On a side note: I can’t wait for the Maze Runner movie!  Expect a review on here within days of its release.

Red 2

This movie was great.  I laughed pretty much the entire time and really enjoyed myself.  The actors did a great job and story was great with a comical twist.  If you expected a serious action movie then first: Did you not watch the first one? and second: Action movie; yes.  Serious; No.  For those of you who enjoy a good action movie and those of you that enjoy a comedy and those of you who like both, you’ll enjoy this one.  Great cast as well, I always enjoy watching Bruce Willis and John Malkovich and Helen Mirren as well as the others.  Of course Anthony Hopkins always puts on an excellent performance.  I absolutely recommend watching this.  Not a great one for the youngsters, but good for teenagers and older.  If you are looking for a good movie to go to at a second-showing theater or to grab when it comes out on DVD, this one should certainly be at the top of your list.