Hello Everyone,
Spoiler Alert!!!!!
So for this review I am going to a bit lighter and instead of reviewing an action or thriller film or a Science Fiction television show this time I am going to review a romantic comedy. IN general I am not really a romantic comedy sort of person but every so often I will watch one that really enjoy. And the film that I am about to review I do enjoy every time I watch it. Not only is it funny but it also has a good message and we will get to what that message is. Now lets get started with the review of Shallow Hal.
Even though I am not a romantic person I do have to say I do like the love story because I think its really sweet that Hal play by Jack Black learns to love Rosie play by Gwyneth Paltrow for who she is on the inside. Because whether we care to admit it or not, we are not perfect; no body is. And when it comes down to finding someone to love and to love us, we want someone that will accept us our faults and all. So I thought it was clever of teh writers to have Hal be hypnotized to see whats on the inside of people, it forced him to get to know Rosie and the kind of person she is and fall in love with that person. Thus it forced the character to change because it he was able to see what was on the outside then he wouldn't get to know her resulting in no change and remaining the shallow guy he was at the beginning of the film. And we wouldn't fall in love with the story and the film would be boring and tedious. The writers did a nice job creating an compelling story and allowing the audience not to be afraid to fall in love with the characters and the story.
While being a sweet love story it was also very funny. I know it is a romantic comedy so it kinda had to be. But I find most romantic comedies are just sort of funny but Shallow Hal had some great laugh out loud moments. I think the funniest part of the film is to see Gwyneth Paltrow dressed in the fat suit and how they have her made up. Because for those of you who are familiar with Gwyneth Paltrow then you will know she is a very fit person. So to see her in a fat suit was funny because when she was wearing the fat suit and the fact that they had her so made up, she didn't even looked like herself and it gave her chance to take more risks with her acting. I thought Jack Black was funny as well. Now I am not an huge fan of Jack Black for the most part I think he is okay but in the film I think he shows off some of his best acting. And the fact that his character has to go through some kind of transformation and change really helped with his acting ability. And I also thought Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow had some great chemistry. The rest of the cast was excellent, the story and cast really comes together.
Lets talk about the message if the story which is to look beyond the outside of people and get to know them for who they are in the inside. We all know that looks do play a part in a relationship but they are not the most important part. While we want to be attracted to a person we also want to know them and have them know us. And to just enjoy each other company. Shallow Hal does a fine job at exhibiting the above statement. Because at the end when he really sees her, he doesn't care. Hes attracted to her but also loves her for her and just wants to be with her. And isn't that what we all really want: to just be with someone.
Shallow Hal is a romantic comedy but you don't have to be a romantic person to enjoy it. It has laugh out loud moments, great chemistry within the cast and a good moral to the story. Its a movie you can cuddle up with that special someone and have a good time together.
-Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!
Monday, July 20, 2015
Monday, July 13, 2015
Terminator: Genisys
Hello Everyone,
Spoiler Alert!!!!!
Now like the last review I am going to take you back in time but not all the way back to the 60's. This time I am going to take you back to 1984 when the term terminator came to be. A time where watching robot and humans fighting and trying to kill each other was considered cool. Where people of all ages came to know what exactly is judgement day. Now I take you back to the 80's where The Terminator franchise began with this review with the newest film of the franchise with Terminator: Genisys.
An interesting story is last Sunday night when I got home from work my Dad told me that him and my brother went to see this movie that day. He told me he liked it and also told me that I would like it because of a certain actor was in it that I enjoy watching. But he wouldn't tell me who but he told my Mom. Now at this point with the Internet these days I was tempted to look up who that actor could be; but, I was good and didn't. So since I was off from work on Tuesday I made time to see it and that's exactly what I did. And as soon as I saw the actor I knew that was who my Dad was talking about and I was excited and it made the movie much more enjoyable. And in case your curious the actor that was in the film that I love was Matt Smith better known as the eleventh doctor from Doctor Who. Who knew my Dad was right! LOL! Just kidding I love my Dad he knows me so well.
First thing first is that if you have not seen the first two Terminator movies in a while then it might be helpful for you to go back and rewatch them or at least read the synopsis of them. Just to refresh yourselves of the T800 and T100 model terminators. Although it not necessary, it just might be helpful for you to understand the plot of this new one. If you don't that's okay, you will be able to understand the plot just fine.
If you read the reviews and actually pay attention to the critics then you already know that the film is getting mixed reviews. But for me I did not think that it was bad at all. Here is the thing about any of the Terminator movies, you cannot take them seriously. I mean think about it they are about robots and humans trying to kill each other and also about time travel. You can't take that too seriously they are not meant to be taken that way. They are meant for you to watch them and have fun doing so. So yeah I quite enjoyed the entire film, I thought it was funny, had plenty of action and had talented actors in it.
Speaking on the acting I thought this was one of the best performances done by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a while. This film and his acting made me realize just how good of an actor he is. He took me back to the first and second terminator when he was the good robot in the second but also the bad ass killer in the first. By now you all should know how I feel about Matt Smith I just love him. But after watching him in Doctor Who and seeing him play the good guy, it was a nice change to watch him play the villain for once and he was remarkable as always. Lastly another actor I really like that was also in this movie was J.K. Simmons. I think his character was really funny especially when he was trying to figure out what was going on from the main characters. And the ending was great because it was the first time and spoiler alert here that John Connor died and Kyle Reese lived. Sorry about the spoilers for those of who whom haven't seen it let.
And on that note to avoid giving away any more spoilers I shall end this review here. All I asked of you is see the movie first before you judge it. It might come to a surprise to you that you will really enjoy it like I did. I hope you go see it and I hope you will find it entertaining.
-Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!
Spoiler Alert!!!!!
Now like the last review I am going to take you back in time but not all the way back to the 60's. This time I am going to take you back to 1984 when the term terminator came to be. A time where watching robot and humans fighting and trying to kill each other was considered cool. Where people of all ages came to know what exactly is judgement day. Now I take you back to the 80's where The Terminator franchise began with this review with the newest film of the franchise with Terminator: Genisys.
An interesting story is last Sunday night when I got home from work my Dad told me that him and my brother went to see this movie that day. He told me he liked it and also told me that I would like it because of a certain actor was in it that I enjoy watching. But he wouldn't tell me who but he told my Mom. Now at this point with the Internet these days I was tempted to look up who that actor could be; but, I was good and didn't. So since I was off from work on Tuesday I made time to see it and that's exactly what I did. And as soon as I saw the actor I knew that was who my Dad was talking about and I was excited and it made the movie much more enjoyable. And in case your curious the actor that was in the film that I love was Matt Smith better known as the eleventh doctor from Doctor Who. Who knew my Dad was right! LOL! Just kidding I love my Dad he knows me so well.
First thing first is that if you have not seen the first two Terminator movies in a while then it might be helpful for you to go back and rewatch them or at least read the synopsis of them. Just to refresh yourselves of the T800 and T100 model terminators. Although it not necessary, it just might be helpful for you to understand the plot of this new one. If you don't that's okay, you will be able to understand the plot just fine.
If you read the reviews and actually pay attention to the critics then you already know that the film is getting mixed reviews. But for me I did not think that it was bad at all. Here is the thing about any of the Terminator movies, you cannot take them seriously. I mean think about it they are about robots and humans trying to kill each other and also about time travel. You can't take that too seriously they are not meant to be taken that way. They are meant for you to watch them and have fun doing so. So yeah I quite enjoyed the entire film, I thought it was funny, had plenty of action and had talented actors in it.
Speaking on the acting I thought this was one of the best performances done by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a while. This film and his acting made me realize just how good of an actor he is. He took me back to the first and second terminator when he was the good robot in the second but also the bad ass killer in the first. By now you all should know how I feel about Matt Smith I just love him. But after watching him in Doctor Who and seeing him play the good guy, it was a nice change to watch him play the villain for once and he was remarkable as always. Lastly another actor I really like that was also in this movie was J.K. Simmons. I think his character was really funny especially when he was trying to figure out what was going on from the main characters. And the ending was great because it was the first time and spoiler alert here that John Connor died and Kyle Reese lived. Sorry about the spoilers for those of who whom haven't seen it let.
And on that note to avoid giving away any more spoilers I shall end this review here. All I asked of you is see the movie first before you judge it. It might come to a surprise to you that you will really enjoy it like I did. I hope you go see it and I hope you will find it entertaining.
-Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!
Monday, July 6, 2015
Star Trek: The Original Series (Season 1)
Hello Everyone,
Spoiler Alert!!!
For this review I am going to take you back to a simpler time for television. A time where the writers had to be at the top of their game in order for their show to be successful. A time where depended more on stories and less on special effects. And a time where those stories reflected on what was going on in the real world. So I take you back to 1966 with this review of Star Trek: The Original Series season one.
Now those of you who are not into science fiction or those who have only seen the spin-off series. Star Trek: The Original Series depicted the space adventures of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise and his first commander Mr. Spock, a half human, half alien being. Portrayed by William Shatner as Captain Kirk and the late Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock respectively. And rounding up the main cast was the late Deforest Kelly as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, the late James Doohan as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, George Takei as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov starting from season two. And also staring was the creator Gene Roddenberry's wife Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel.
Here is the thing about star Trek whether it be the original series, a spin-off or one of the reboot films directed by J.J. Abrams, the premise is about people traveling through space and meeting other beings or creatures from other planets so you can't take it too seriously. You just have to have fun watching. I think that is why some people do not like the reboot films, they take it too seriously. But we are not talking about the reboots at least not right now. I am talking about the original series that first premiered in 1966 and was cancelled in 1969 after only three seasons.
Let's first start with the production value of the series which is by today's standards very cheap. As you watch the series you will realize that Gene Roddenberry and crew had almost no budget. Its funny as I was watching season one I was no more than about five episodes in when I realized that they used their greens screen as part of their set. I noticed they decorated the green screen set with fake cliffs and plants to make it looked like another planet. When you as the audience can noticed the green screen that is a pretty horrible set. The set was not the only horrible part of the show, the special effects was also pretty bad. I know for the 60's they were top notch special effects. But by today standards they do not hold up. Most of the special effects were strobe lights and anything they can get their hands on for a few bucks. Now it was not their fault the special effects were terrible, they just didn't have the technology that we have now. Imagine if the creators has today's technology back then that would have been great effects for the 1960's.
Next lets talk about the choreography for the fight scenes which were incredibly cheesy. When the characters fought each other, they fought like ten year old's and not like two different species trying to kill each other. I think the reason for the corny choreography was because television executives back then were a lot more limited to what they could show then they are now. Don't get me wrong executives are still limited today but they can show a lot more hence the fight scenes are a lot more violent now then back then. Bottom line is the set, special effects and choreography is not what makes the series hold up. What makes it hold it are the stories.
Star Trek: The Original Series has a big fan base but it really didn't start to get that big fan base until it was already cancelled. But the stories sort of mirrored the real life events that were going on. which is why I think the stories still hold up today. I mean if you think about it the overall story is Caucasian men, and Asian male, a Russian male, an African American woman and a mix race male all living and working together on one ship. And they all cared deeply for each other. During the 60's you had the Civil Rights, Feminist movement, Black Panther Party etc. going on and everyone was trying to get along. The stories reflected real life! Now the first season was a times hard to get into but it still had engaging episodes. One of the most entertaining episodes was the Khan episode because it had one of the better villains and it served as a back story for Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, the second film with the original cast. And the fight scene between Kirk and Khan was actually pretty good. As good as that episode is I think my favorite episode is episode five titled The Enemy Within which was Star Trek's take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The idea that everyone has a good and bad side to them. I like it because its true we all have light and dark, good and evil in us. I think this episode was also some of William Shatner's best acting. This episode also marked the start of Spock's famous neck pinch. The original script called for Spock to come up behind evil Kirk and hit him with the butt of the phaser. And it was Nimoy developing his character and Shatner's acting that established the neck pinch. It was an excellent episode!
If you ever take a film criticism class and learn about gay/queer theory and homoerotic, then you will realize there is some homoeroticness between Kirk and Spock. For the most part the relationship between the two is that of best friends/brothers but if you analyzed the show you will realized the relationship is also of two characters having unrequited crushes on each other and are gay in a way. For me I don't care I like the relationship between Kirk and Spock.
Even though the production value doesn't hold up today, and the first season was a time hard to get into, season one of Star Trek: The Original Series was a good start to a show that will spring more than one spin-off and an entire reboot film series.
-Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!
Spoiler Alert!!!
For this review I am going to take you back to a simpler time for television. A time where the writers had to be at the top of their game in order for their show to be successful. A time where depended more on stories and less on special effects. And a time where those stories reflected on what was going on in the real world. So I take you back to 1966 with this review of Star Trek: The Original Series season one.
Now those of you who are not into science fiction or those who have only seen the spin-off series. Star Trek: The Original Series depicted the space adventures of Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise and his first commander Mr. Spock, a half human, half alien being. Portrayed by William Shatner as Captain Kirk and the late Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock respectively. And rounding up the main cast was the late Deforest Kelly as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy, the late James Doohan as Lieutenant Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, George Takei as Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Walter Koenig as Ensign Pavel Chekov starting from season two. And also staring was the creator Gene Roddenberry's wife Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel.
Here is the thing about star Trek whether it be the original series, a spin-off or one of the reboot films directed by J.J. Abrams, the premise is about people traveling through space and meeting other beings or creatures from other planets so you can't take it too seriously. You just have to have fun watching. I think that is why some people do not like the reboot films, they take it too seriously. But we are not talking about the reboots at least not right now. I am talking about the original series that first premiered in 1966 and was cancelled in 1969 after only three seasons.
Let's first start with the production value of the series which is by today's standards very cheap. As you watch the series you will realize that Gene Roddenberry and crew had almost no budget. Its funny as I was watching season one I was no more than about five episodes in when I realized that they used their greens screen as part of their set. I noticed they decorated the green screen set with fake cliffs and plants to make it looked like another planet. When you as the audience can noticed the green screen that is a pretty horrible set. The set was not the only horrible part of the show, the special effects was also pretty bad. I know for the 60's they were top notch special effects. But by today standards they do not hold up. Most of the special effects were strobe lights and anything they can get their hands on for a few bucks. Now it was not their fault the special effects were terrible, they just didn't have the technology that we have now. Imagine if the creators has today's technology back then that would have been great effects for the 1960's.
Next lets talk about the choreography for the fight scenes which were incredibly cheesy. When the characters fought each other, they fought like ten year old's and not like two different species trying to kill each other. I think the reason for the corny choreography was because television executives back then were a lot more limited to what they could show then they are now. Don't get me wrong executives are still limited today but they can show a lot more hence the fight scenes are a lot more violent now then back then. Bottom line is the set, special effects and choreography is not what makes the series hold up. What makes it hold it are the stories.
Star Trek: The Original Series has a big fan base but it really didn't start to get that big fan base until it was already cancelled. But the stories sort of mirrored the real life events that were going on. which is why I think the stories still hold up today. I mean if you think about it the overall story is Caucasian men, and Asian male, a Russian male, an African American woman and a mix race male all living and working together on one ship. And they all cared deeply for each other. During the 60's you had the Civil Rights, Feminist movement, Black Panther Party etc. going on and everyone was trying to get along. The stories reflected real life! Now the first season was a times hard to get into but it still had engaging episodes. One of the most entertaining episodes was the Khan episode because it had one of the better villains and it served as a back story for Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan, the second film with the original cast. And the fight scene between Kirk and Khan was actually pretty good. As good as that episode is I think my favorite episode is episode five titled The Enemy Within which was Star Trek's take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The idea that everyone has a good and bad side to them. I like it because its true we all have light and dark, good and evil in us. I think this episode was also some of William Shatner's best acting. This episode also marked the start of Spock's famous neck pinch. The original script called for Spock to come up behind evil Kirk and hit him with the butt of the phaser. And it was Nimoy developing his character and Shatner's acting that established the neck pinch. It was an excellent episode!
If you ever take a film criticism class and learn about gay/queer theory and homoerotic, then you will realize there is some homoeroticness between Kirk and Spock. For the most part the relationship between the two is that of best friends/brothers but if you analyzed the show you will realized the relationship is also of two characters having unrequited crushes on each other and are gay in a way. For me I don't care I like the relationship between Kirk and Spock.
Even though the production value doesn't hold up today, and the first season was a time hard to get into, season one of Star Trek: The Original Series was a good start to a show that will spring more than one spin-off and an entire reboot film series.
-Katiejayforever
P.S. Stand by for next review!
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