Movie Monday: Star Trek: Into Darkness

Ah, I bet you'd forgotten all about these! Well, I kind of did, too, until a couple weeks ago when I was browsing through old posts, and I realized it's been... too long since I did one of these. I'm a little rusty, so forgive me if this doesn't persuade you to watch this movie. You definitely should go watch it.

I will prove to you once again that I am an enormous geek (not the most enormous, by far, but still quite enormous) as I tell you about today's movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness.

Star Trek: Into Darkness picks up where Star Trek left off, with Captain Kirk leading his team on the USS Enterprise. On an observation mission, Captain Kirk is forced to reveal the Enterprise to the native population as Spock's life would otherwise be lost, thus breaking the "Prime Directive." Mr Spock, being the Vulcan that he is, puts this information in his mission report, and this information ends up getting Kirk relieved from his position as captain of the Enterprise.

Meanwhile, the plot is underfoot as agent John Harrison bombs a Starfleet base in London. An emergency meeting is called at headquarters with the highest ranking officials. All seems to be going smoothly... until Harrison shows up in a gunship and unleashes fire on the building. What ensues puts Kirk back in the captain's chair of the Enterprise and a personal mission that takes the team into Klingon territory and the most life-threatening situation of their careers.

Hi. Can I just tell you how much I love Benedict Cumberbatch? Look at Sherlock, being all bad guy and stuff. Awesome.

Well, really, the casting in this movie was super perfect, in both my opinion and Chris'. After we saw this movie, we watched the original Star Trek movie on Netflix (which I wouldn't recommend unless you have something else to distract you because it is the slowest movie of all time) and it was spot on with this movie.

I would recommend bringing something with you to keep your hands busy, because I was biting my nails almost the whole time. Because I'm not a Star Trek expert or anything, I didn't know anything from original movies or the tv series. So everything was a surprise for me, and I didn't see some plot twists coming. We were sitting beside some die-hard Trekkies - I should have asked them what they thought.

This is a great date night movie, something for everyone in this movie. Action, romance, hilarity, drama, etc, etc. If you haven't seen Star Trek at all or it's been a while, I would recommend watching it first before you go see this.

And now here's a picture of Benedict Cumberbatch being a sweetheart:

Movie Monday: The Hunger Games

I can't believe that I didn't write about this movie sooner. I saw it the day after it came out with my sister, our cousin, and a couple of friends. 3 of us were fans of the books, and the other 2 were totally new to the story. It was interesting to have both perspectives of the movie. I was so excited for this movie, it was all Chris heard about for weeks! Of course, he is going to be dragged to it next time I want to watch it :) And I'll likely see it a third time with another couple of friends. How horrible ;)

**POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT**

I find it so hard to explain the story without giving too much away. The Hunger Games takes place in a dystopian future nation called Panem that rose up from what remained when North America as we know it collapsed. This country is made up of 12 Districts, all with their own specialty (4 is fishing, 11 is agriculture, 12 is coal mining, etc). These Districts are under the control of the Capitol, which keep the districts under strict control after a rebellion happened over 70 years ago.

What Panem would probably look like if it was real.

 As a way of reminding the Districts of their reliance and subservience to the Capitol, the Capitol created the Hunger Games: an annual event where 1 boy and 1 girl from each District is chosen through a lottery to participate in an arena death match. The last person standing is literally the last person alive. These participants are between the ages of 12 and 18, and the lottery entries are cumulative. The Capitol sees the Hunger Games the way we see the Olympics, a fun time of festivities and cheering for the favorites. The Districts watch the games in horror, knowing that their children are not safe, and next year it might be one of their family members forced to participate.

24 go in, only one comes out.

We join this ongoing trial in the 74th year of the Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen, aged 16, is a hunter who lives in District 12. Her 12 year-old sister Prim will be attending her first Reaping (aka the lottery draw). Everyone in the District gathers where the drawing of the names takes place. Broadcasted on the screens is Effie Trinket, the announcer and guide for the District 12 tributes. Effie reaches her hand into the bowl of names, and draws out the name of the female tribute...

Primrose Everdeen.

Katniss goes into panic mode, and yells out "I volunteer! I volunteer as tribute!" This outburst changes her life forever.

Katniss and fellow tribute Peeta Mellark go to the Capitol, where they undergo beauty treatments, interviews, and training for the arena. They are guided by Effie; the mentor of District 12, Haymitch Abernathy, a previous victor; and Katniss' stylist Cinna. Then the day comes where they enter the arena, and they must literally fight for their lives. Only one can live...

Katniss with Effie and Haymitch

I thought this movie was really well done. The first few minutes, until Katniss and Peeta leave for the Capitol is extreme closeups and shaky shots, which make for a very panicky feeling opening scene - exactly how those in the District feel. That being said, I was kind of annoyed at that, because I wanted to get a good look at the Seam, the Hob, the places in this world where Katniss lives, but the camera angle was changing every few seconds - not long enough to really focus on anything.

Jennifer Lawrence is Katniss. She is so perfect for this role it is a bit ridiculous. She portrays the emotions so well, you feel like you are going through everything Katniss goes through. She makes you feel the horror that Katniss does as she goes in the arena and watches people die.

I seriously teared up during this scene!

There were a couple places where they took creative license from the books, and it worked very well. For example, they show you the tension in the Districts after one of the tributes dies (which was one of my favorite scenes for the fact that they did it so well). It wasn't described in the book, but it is a preview of what is to come in the next couple of movies.

Some of the characters were downplayed in the movie, which disappointed me a bit. You don't really get a sense of how close Katniss is to her hunting partner, Gale. And their relationship is not romantic at all, but because they don't go into depth with it in the movie, you assume that they have a bit of a thing going on when they don't. And I felt like Effie played a bigger role in the books as well. (I realized after the movie that she didn't say her famous line: "If you put enough pressure on a piece of coal you get a pearl!")

Of course, this movie is of a violent nature, and there is some blood. However, the thing that is disturbing is the way some of the tributes really get into killing the others. As well, the Capitol just thinks it's good fun, but in reality they are taking humanity away from these kids. And that is the part that is supposed to disturb you. The scene I found the most disturbing was a playback of a previous year of the Hunger Games. That being said, if you watch forensic shows or action shows on tv, the blood won't disturb you too much.

This girl will kick your butt!

I love Peeta. I thought Josh Hutcherson played him brilliantly as well. He just captures Peeta's character, his strength and his patience.

The boy with the bread.

Another highlight of this movie for me was Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman, the interviewer and announcer of the broadcasts. I've come to realize that I just think he's brilliant in everything. Is it weird that I have a bit of a crush on him?

I loved this movie. You can tell because I'm just going on and on about it :P I seriously was playing this movie over and over in my head for days after I saw it. It just stuck with me. I can't wait to see it again.

Movie Monday: Charade

I've had a goal for a long time now to watch every Audrey Hepburn movie. Since there are several on Netflix, I can get a few movies closer to reaching my goal. (I should probably get a specific list of all of her movies so I know which ones I have left, though...)

Last week I watched Charade, in which Audrey stars with the delicious Cary Grant (seriously, silver fox alert!). Audrey plays Reggie, a woman who arrives home from a ski trip and finds out that her husband Charles has been murdered. In the events that follow, she finds out that he had a big secret - he was a special agent for the CIA, and during World War II his team stole $250,000 worth of gold from the US government. Charles double-crossed his team, took the gold, and sold it, keeping the money. Now the remainder of the team is after the money and they believe that Reggie has it. Along the way she enlists the help of Peter (Cary Grant), a mysterious man who has some secrets of his own, and together they try to find the money before Charles' old team does.

 

I thought this movie was really fun. An old-fashioned spy thriller with lots of humour. Audrey and Cary had tons of chemistry, and being set in Paris helped make the movie even more wonderful. The story was pretty good, and there was a plot twist at the end that I really didn't see coming. That's all I'm going to say on that :)

Movie Monday

Hey kids, I haven't done one of these in a while! Yesterday Chris and I went to the cheap seats to watch a movie with his family. We hadn't been to a movie in ages so that was nice! We saw We Bought a Zoo, starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson.

First of all, the daughter in the movie is the most adorable little girl of all time. She's cuter than Shirley Temple. I think she should be the next Shirley Temple.

Look at that smile! So adorable!

In this film, Matt Damon plays Benjamin Mee, a recently widowed father of two. The family wants to move to a new home, and after driving around all day with the real estate agent, the last place they come to is perfect. The moment Benjamin and his daughter Rosie see the house, they know that they are going to live there. But there's a catch - if they buy this house, they are also buying a zoo! A real zoo, with a lion, some tigers, and a grizzly bear named Buster. Looking for adventure and thinking this is a good one, Benjamin buys the property and takes over the zoo. There is a lot of work to be done to bring it back to what it once was, but together with the dwindled staff of the zoo, the family gets to it to get ready for opening day.

I was a bit surprised by this movie. It was a really good story, and pretty appropriate - except for random moments of swearing! It happened enough times that I was bothered because of the "family movie" title it has. But otherwise it was pretty good. And did I mention the daughter was adorable?

Back to the Future trilogy

Hello, my lovely readers. Time for another edition of...

The Back to the Future trilogy

Chris and I watched these movies a few weeks ago. I had never seen them before, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

In the first movie, Doc Emmett Brown invents a time machine in 1985, and asks his young friend Marty McFly to help him document the first run. Through a series of unfortunate events, Marty gets sent to the day in 1955 that his parents were supposed to meet... Note "supposed". Because Marty shows up in the past, he prevents his parents meeting, and thereby could prevent their marriage, and eventually his own birth. He finds Doc, and with his help they work out a plan to set future events right.

Doc and Marty trying out the time machine

 

Marty playing at the dance where his parents are supposed to fall in love

Bit of an Oedipus thing going on here with Marty's mom, Lorraine

The iconic time machine

The second and third movies were just as funny and action-filled (although I think the first one is my favorite of the three). In Back to the Future II, Marty and Doc go the year 2015 to help change Marty's loser kids path. However, someone from their '85 past recognizes them and "borrows" the time machine to go to '55 and change his own future. When Doc and Marty arrive back in '85, they find that things are much different than they left them. After realizing happened, they must again go back to '55 and prevent things from going into the wrong hands to return their present to the right state. (Make sense? I'm trying not to give too much away if you have never seen them!) At the end of the movie, a fiasco happens with the time machine, and Doc gets sent to 1885 with Marty left behind in 1955.

 A moment with the McFly family

Hahaha! Evil will never prevail!

The third movie picks up where the second one left off, with Marty alone in 1955. Since Doc was farther in the past with the time machine, he left it somewhere where Marty would be able to find it in his time. Doc also writes Marty to leave him be in the past, he likes his life there, but Marty is determined to bring him back. Of course, things happen that cannot be left as-is in the past, otherwise their future will be ruined. Along the way, Doc finds love for the first time in his life, and he must choose whether to stay with her or return to his rightful place in time.

The final chapter

In every movie there is a photo that plays a key part in the plot. (Love Doc's doofy face here!)

I recommend these movies for a fun movie night with friends, where everyone can sit back and just laugh. Pour some Pepsi, pop some corn, and settle in for a wild ride.

Have you seen them? What did you think? Can you recommend some movies I should watch and possibly feature?

The Help

The Help (2011)

I'm going to keep this one short, because I can't even describe how amazingly powerful this movie is. Seriously. One of the best movies I have ever seen.

An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960's decides to write a book detailing the African American Maid's point of view on the White families they work for, and their hardships they go through on a day to day basis. (description courtesy of IMDB)


This description does not even begin to warn you how emotionally engaging this film is. I sat there the whole time, completely involved in the story taking place in front of me.

Also, here is another indicator to tell you how involved you will be in the story:

I have never cried in a movie before. Honestly, never. Not one time. Because even though they're sometimes sad, they are never real to me.

I cried during this movie. It was real.

There. Go watch it. It is intense. It will be the most powerful movie experience you will have, probably ever. And if not, then you do not have human emotions. Or something else seriously wrong with you.

Okay, this post is ridiculous and doesn't nearly do such a terrific movie justice, but I just want to tell you to watch it now!!!!!!!

Notting Hill

Wow, 2 months since I've done one of these? Terrible! Well, I've seen so many movies lately that I had a hard time picking one to do today. But since it's been a while since I've seen a new-to-me chick flick, I decided to pick that one.

I have to say, I am a sucker for Hugh Grant movies. And I don't know how I went this long without seeing it. I love British comedies - I just totally get that humour.

 This scene was fantastic. Definitely made me smile.

So Notting Hill is about a bookstore owner, William, who has a big surprise one day when Anna Scott, movie star of the moment, walks into his store. They have a connection, and after a few mishaps, they find themselves in something resembling a relationship. However, Anna's fame is huge, and Will is just an ordinary man - will their romance be able to survive their differences?

Of course, because this is a Hollywood movie, there is sexual content that I find inappropriate (and is actually featured in a prominent way in this film - Anna is a famous movie star, after all, and scandal seems to follow them like a puppy). However, I still enjoyed this movie. Will's character was sweet and kind - maybe he could have shown more aggression at times, but generally a very likeable man. I think this movie is great to watch alone with a big bowl of ice cream (or whatever your movie watching snack is) when you just need to wind down.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

Today's movie shows how much of a geek I truly am.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters  is a documentary about the arcade game community and how seriously they take those games. In the 1980s, a man named Billy Mitchell set the world record in the Donkey Kong arcade game. 20+ years later a man named Scott Wiebe set out to break the world record.

The rules in that world are just hilarious. I mean, look, the record-keeper is wearing a striped referee shirt! I love it!

The movie seems to focus on the character of Scott Wiebe versus Billy Mitchell's. Scott Wiebe is a man of integrity, whereas Billy Mitchell is a terrible person. He holds a lot of control over other people in the video game world, which is one of the things that shows his terrible character.

Chris and I really enjoyed this movie. It was actually recommended to us by our wedding photographer, and since it was on Netflix it made a nice movie night in. If you want to get your geek on, then watch this movie :)

Between the Folds

Today's movie is Between the Folds. Chris and I were just browsing on Netflix, and we found this documentary that looked interesting. Yes, we are geeks and think that documentaries look interesting.

This movie was actually really interesting. It highlights the relationship between science and art, and the different ways that people who practice origami use the art in their everyday lives. For example, there is a math teacher in Israel who uses paper folding to help her students understand geometry. I tell you, that technique probably would have helped to understand math in school. I actually really recommend this movie, it is quite interesting. If you like art then you'll like it. I'll show you some examples of what you'll see in the movie.

Blast From the Past

For my first Movie Monday in ages, I'd like to review a movie I watched a few weeks ago on Netflix. I know that a lot of the movies recommended on the home page are not movies that interest me at all. But years ago I saw a few scenes from this movie on tv, and it looked like a fun movie, so I gave it a try when it popped up.

Brendan Fraser plays Adam, a man who was born in a fallout shelter his eccentric father built in the 60s during the Cold War. After 35 years of knowing nothing but this shelter and his parents, Adam ventures to the surface to find the world drastically changed from the one his parents knew and taught him about. In his excursion, he meets Eve, and he enlists her help to gather more supplies for the shelter. Now, with characters named Adam and Eve, you probably don't need to guess too hard at how the movie ends...

I thought this movie was going to be super lame; and granted, it was lame in parts. However, I actually really enjoyed it. I absolutely loved Adam - he was such a gentleman, and he treated Eve in a way she had never been treated before. That was super sweet.

I don't have any huge negatives about this movie. There is a character who is a total burnout, and when Adam comes out of the shelter he takes him to be Jesus. This becomes a running joke for the rest of the movie, and I did feel that it got a little overdone toward the end. But overall the movie was really funny. Since it's free on Netflix, give it a try next time you want a silly, light-hearted movie.