Cindy, from Nocturnal Wonderings, has decided to join us today for some movie reviews. Yay!

Vantage Point.

I was intrigued by the premise but wasn't sure how good it would be. Turns out it had me wondering how it would all end. Basically the story is told from, wait...6 or 7 different points of view but it's not done all intertwined like one story from beginning to end. It plays one person's experience and then the clock resets back to 12:00 noon and you get to see all the same action (about 15 to 20 minutes) but from another person's POV. In all, I think one POV was not necessary but the rest were needed to get the whole picture. Even then, the characters will see something or experience something that is kept from the viewer and thus, the viewer can't really figure it all out before the end of the movie.

I would suggest renting this movie without reading the back blurb. I haven't read it yet but it might let some of the mystery out of the bag. I have to admit I figured out who one of the 'baddies' was right from the start and only because I had seen a similar set up with other films.

In a nutshell, the President of the United States is about to make a statement of peace that terrorists can't allow. They need to force the President to continue keeping the world at arms length by making him a target and forcing the Americans to bomb some place. Yep, that's about as deep as I got into it.

Shoot 'em Up

Wow. Just, WTF was that!!??

Here's what you need to know, don't go into this movie expecting the laws of physics, logic or even good taste to make remote sense.

Shoot 'em Up starts off fast and weird and doesn't ever let up. At first I was shocked at some of the perverse actions by the characters and then I decided to just see where the film went. I admit to fast forwarding when something was about to happen with a dead body. (you'll know what I'm talking about the minute the scene starts if you rent the movie). Also, I was watching this movie with my 23 year old cousin and although she is all grown up, I still feel like I should shelter her from some stuff but seriously, some of the stuff that came on the screen was so far out there I wasn't expecting it and I sure couldn't so anything about it when we both 'ewwwwww-ed' or said 'whatthefu-gross!!!'

The movie starts with the hero (I mean this is the loosest sense of the word) sitting on a bench and witnessing a pregnant woman in a hospital gown running (and grunting in labour) through some extremely bad streets. She is quickly followed by a guy with a gun. Hero gets up, heaves a sigh, and we're off!

Basically the hero kills umpteen bad guys, gets a baby, goes to a whore who breast feeds men (yes, we were shocked and grossed out) and everywhere they go, more bad men (or dead guys walking) show up until they are forced to figure out why everyone seems to want this baby dead. In the end, who cares, it's all about camera angles, shock and bullets. And some gore but not like that Tarrantino guy.

I guess if your hubby or SO wants to watch a shoot 'em up kind of movie you could rent this one and have a great time watching the wackiest sex scene ever filmed (and definitely written by some man who thinks he's all that).

I liked it despite myself. Who knew?

Awake

Turns out there is more to this movie than I thought. All I knew was it about some guy who felt and heard everything while undergoing an operation under anesthesia. Sounded like the movie was made to horrify so I ignored it and never planned to see it. My cousin had other ideas and while reading the back blurb out loud to me in the store mentioned that the hero overhears plans to kill him while under anesthesia.

Ohhhhh, a plot. Me likey.

Once the 'bad guys' were revealed I figured out how it was going to end. I thought it could have been better but it wasn't a complete waste of time either. That's probably a big ol' C grade if that helps.

Today we have a special post from Zeek of The Way I See It.



I am not a regular tv watcher. Oh, I watch enough, I just don't tune into shows that people consider "regular". I don't do Dawson's Creek and it's ilk, I don't do CSI, though I would be more likely to catch that one rather than shows like Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill. (Sorry Boob Tube Ladies!). I don't do game shows like Deal or No Deal nor reality tv- okay I lie, I do watch Bravo's Project Runway, Top Design, and Top Chef- can you blame me? So where does that leave someone raised on Star Trek and The Incredible Hulk?

With shows like Lost. A quintessential odd-man-out of a show- with a twist of the paranormal!

If you don't want to read my long and rambling post on all things Lost you can catch up with this:
Lost in 8 minutes and 15 seconds.




Catch all that? No? Well then you're gonna have to read on:

From the get go, Lost hooked me. On the very first episode, after our intrepid characters crash land on a mysterious island, an abstract monster appears and kills the pilot.

What was that monster? We have no idea- although we find out later it could be the polar bear spotted roaming the tropical island not long after. (Btw, three years later and they STILL haven't told us what a polar bear is doing on a tropical island!)

More unknowns: One man who was crippled before the crash can now mysteriously walk. Others have died- and come back! There's complexes left over from a group from the 70's called The Dharma initiative and somehow this is connected to a magnetic pull on the island. Does all
this make any sense? Heck no, but I, like many, keep watching to see if it ever does.

Yes, strange things are definitely going on, and it only gets more inexplicable as time progresses.

The other part of this show is the weird psychological games being played on each of the characters. Not only is there inner struggles- very much ala Lord of the Flies- but something out there is messing with their minds and emotions as well. Leaders are born and destroyed. People are killed and some have even escaped! (Supposedly. Can we please find out what happened with Michael and Walt? Please!) Messing with them, (and us!), I tell ya!

In the first couple seasons, along with what's going on on the island, we got flashback's of each of their lives. Who they were and what led them to get on Oceanic Flight 815 from Sydney, Australia. And with each flashback, we began to see that these people are all interconnected- in small ways for some, in big ways for others- and they have no clue that this is the case. All
this is leading us to believe there is a reason why the plane went down and that there are no coincidences. Something sinister is behind it all- and, after three years, we still have little idea why ... and who!

This season we got a different twist. Instead of flash backs, we get flash forwards! Yes, some have made it off the island. (They are called "The Oceanic Six".) These six are hiding the fact that others survived and have stayed behind- and some (JACK!) are desperate to get
back to the island.

So why do we keep watching? Because they lead us along, dropping tidbits and leaving a trail for us to follow. For many of us, each little kernel dropped is grabbed up and crowed over around the water cooler (or on blogs!) the next day and another round of suspicions and suppositions are dragged out with the dearest hope that next week, maybe NEXT week, they'll give us more!

What also keeps me coming back are the characters. Jack, the defacto leader, is the archetype hero. He knows what's right and, for the most part, his motives are true. Sawyer is the bad boy- a con man who's only out for himself. And there's Kate, the girl next door with a murky past ... and, for all you romance junkies, she's caught in the middle of these two.

(Pick JACK! Pick JACK!)

Aside from them, we get Sayid, the ex Iraqi Guard, lethal but sensitive enough to fall in love- repeatedly! Hurley, otherwise known as "The Comic Book Guy"- he's got that look and says "Dude" a lot. Charlie, the heroin addict who falls for the lovely Claire who delivers a baby on the
island- something that we find out later is nigh unto impossible. Sun and Jin, the Korean couple with an interesting history of their own, and ... well, many more.

We also have the others. They were on the island before the crash landing and are led by the thoroughly eeeevil Ben. He's a master manipulator and he seems to know everything about our not so deserted islanders.

Confused yet? Lost, maybe? (hee! I'm sorry, had to go there!) Oh but there's so much more!
Unfortunately, it's just that hard to catch someone up on the show unless you start at the very beginning.

It is my recommendation that you run out and rent Season 1 on DVD. Believe me, it won't take you long to catch up to the rest of us because, they've shortened the seasons and with the writer's strike, this third season isn't going to be long. You'll be all caught up with us in no time- and just as hooked! Guaranteed!

I leave you with 3 good reasons to be watching Lost, if you are not:

'Nuff Said!


Lost airs Thursday Nights at 9:00 PM EST.

So, when my friend first told me I had to watch Supernatural I was a bit skeptical. I hadn't really heard anything about it and to me it looked like a Buffy or Angel wannabe. But my friend lent me the entire first season and the dudes were hot so I figured, why not?!

I'm so glad I did! I LOVE this show! The first night I started watching it, I was home alone and it was already dark out. I was about half way through the first episode and I started looking around all freaked out and paranoid. I texted my friend who'd lent me the series and I was like "This is actually kinda scary!" I was really surprised.I didn't think it would be scary.

I also underestimated how HOT these guys are. Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki (Gilmore Girls) as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles (Days of Our Lives) as Dean Winchester and as an added bonus their dad, John Winchester, is played by none other than Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Denny!)

Talk about a FINE looking family. And who knew Jensen was so freaking hot. I just remember seeing pictures of him from Days and thinking he was cute but still a little to girlie; kind of like Leonardo in the early days. Now though, wow Jensen got a hair cut, grew some stubble and hot-damn he is one sexy specimen! Jared ain't half bad either!

So, now that I've gushed about the eye candy, I have to say that is not the only reason I watch ( I swear!). You've got a good storyline, humor, fabulous music and, again, it's SCARY! (Not Saw or Hostel scary but Sixth Sense and Exorcist type scary.)

So is Supernatural about you might ask, well aside from the obvious supernatural stuff it is about the Winchester's quest to hunt down the demon that killed Sam and Dean's mother.

WARNING there are Spoilers.

I also took some information from the Supernatural Wikipedia page.

The first episode begins with an infant Sam and a 4-year old Dean the night their mother is murdered by a demon. She dies pinned to the ceiling, stomach sliced open. She then bursts into flames.

After learning that his wife is murdered by some supernatural entity, John is focused on one thing: finding and destroying the thing that killed his wife. He raises his boys to recognize and defend themselves against supernatural forces.

They often accompanied John on missions to hunt and destroy supernatural forces. Sam, however, rebelled against and butted heads with his father which lead to a falling out between the two when Sam decided to head to school to pursue a "normal" life while Dean remained behind as an obedient soldier in the hunt for all things paranormal.

Years pass and not a word is exchanged between Sam and his father. Sam is living happily at school with his girlfriend, Jess, when Dean arrives with the news that John has disappeared while in the middle of a "hunt". Sam unwillingly agrees to assist Dean in locating the whereabouts of their father.

So, Dean and Sam ride off in Dean's sweet ass black '67 Chevy Impala. I have to mention that the Impala functions as another character. John gave it to Dean and he loves it. (Maybe a little too much!)

But I digress, back to the plot. So they're off in their sweet car to search for their Dad.

Their first stop is Jericho, California, the last known whereabouts of John. While there, Sam and Dean solve the ghost mystery that John was working on before his disappearance. Although they solve that particular supernatural case, they are no closer to finding their father than before and Sam opts to return to school and his girlfriend rather than continuing with Dean on the search for their Dad.

When Sam returns to school he finds his girlfriend, Jessica, pinned to the ceiling, stomach bleeding and then she bursts into flames, just as Sam's mother did. Dean rescues Sam from the burning building and Sam, heartbroken about Jessica, joins Dean in continuing to search for the Dad who he hopes has some answers regarding the demon that has killed not only his mother, but now his girlfriend.

The majority of the episodes follow Sam and Dean as they criss-cross the country (in their badass car) tracking their father and solving supernatural mysteries involving ghosts, demons, vampires, and a variety of urban legends.

The boys finally locate their father and learn all that he knows about the demon that killed their mom and Jess . They learn that there is only one thing that can kill the powerful demon; a gun. Not just any gun but The Colt which was created during the Battle of the Alamo by the legendary Demon Hunter, Samuel Colt.

The gun, with a well placed shot, will kill ANY supernatural entity. After recovering the gun from a group of vampires the Winchesters unite to hunt down the demon in earnest. However, a variety of events lead to the demon possessing John who almost kills Dean but Sam is able to shoot the deamon (who has possessd John) in the leg releasing it from John's body. The season ends with Sam racing John and Dean to the hospital when a semi-truck, whose driver has been possessed by the demon, plows into them leaving all three Winchesters injured and vulnerable.

END SPOILERS

What is missing from this summary of Season 1 is all of the complicated relationships between the three Winchesters; the tension between Sam and John, Dean's resentment for Sam's abandoning the family for school, not to mention the love and loyalty that, despite their differences and grievances, is so apparent in all three Winchesters.

The other thing I love about this show is the soundtrack. It is all classic rock and whom ever is in charge of the music does a fabulous job of selecting music that fits the characters and the overall mood of the episode. This site has a list of all the music on the show broken down by season then by each episode.

Dean is my favorite character on the show. He is not only sexy as hell he's hilarious, he drives a badass car, and listens to some rockin' music. He's my dream man :)!

Now, some for your viewing pleasure, the Winchester men:

John Winchester

Our first guest blogger!! Woot. LOL Nath has given into my pleading and written a movie review for us.

Directed by Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman…

Movie Description: Fifteen years ago, Benjamin Barker was sent away for a crime he didn’t commit by Judge Turpin, who was in lust with Benjamin’s wife. Now returning to London as Sweeney Todd with the help of young sailor Anthony Hope, Sweeney’s only desire is to reunite with his wife and daughter. Upon learning that his wife has poisoned herself with arsenic and that Judge Turpin has adopted his daughter, Johanna, Sweeney now thirsts for revenge. With the help of Mrs. Lovett, Sweeney puts his plan into motion by opening a barber shop above Mrs. Lovett’s Meat Pie Shop where you can find “the worst pies in London.”

This is a musicale and it was based on a Broadway show… and it’s not a funny movie ^_^; Fair warning: Johnny Depp plays a serial killer in this movie and the entire title is: “Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” Personally, I didn’t know what to expect when my friends dragged me to this movie. All I knew was that Johnny was in it, which was a good reason for me to go see it, and that he was singing. It’s only when I sat in the theater and the movie started that I realized it was going to be very bloody… and when Johnny sang his first line, I knew that I wouldn’t understand half of the movie. I don’t have a good ear and I’m used to listening to foreign music, so I never pay attention to the lyrics… so even if the movie was in English, I had difficulty understand everything. However, it didn’t ruin the movie too much for me.

The plot is quite simple, but interesting… if not a bit disgusting… My only complaint is that I would have like to know what happened to Anthony and Johanna at the end, although I understand that they were not the focus of the movie. Also, I did find it a bit unrealistic that Johanna would trust Anthony that much by simply seeing him once. Perhaps it was because he was the complete opposite of Judge Turpin and his dog, Beadle Bamford.

The actors all did a great job. I loved Helena Bonham Carter’s interpretation of Mrs. Lovett, she was perfect with all those facial expressions and emotions while singing. The pillar of the movie was obviously Johnny Depp, but if it wasn’t for Helena Bonham Carter, I think the movie wouldn’t have been as good. She was the comedic relief element in the movie and was very much needed. I applauded Johnny Depp for taking this role. The great thing about Johnny is that he varies his roles and appearances for the movies. All his roles have been very distinctive and that proves how great of an actor he is. Again, he pulled out a great performance in this movie and his singing is quite interesting LOL. However, he must be careful, because we do see some of “Jack Sparrow” movements and demeanor at odd moments during the movie. Some people do not mind, others will. Alan Rickman did a good job as well as Judge Turpin and bad villain as well as the little actor for Toby.

Finally, I’d like to say that the costumes and make-up were great as well as the grey-ish color of the movie… it all added up to make the movie very somber and “unhappy” just as it should be. It puts the viewers in a better context I think. Big warning though is that there is a lot of blood in this movie, very bright, liquid-y and fake-looking… but I think that was the goal of the movie… and the noises they make when the victims die can be disturbing.

So I’m giving it a B+ and hope you all enjoy it…