Movie Review - The 5th Wave

The 5th Wave

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Ron Livingston, Zachary Arthur, Maika Monroe,  Liev Schreiber, Maria Bello, Gabriela Lopez, Matthew Zuck, and more.

Directed by: J Blakeson Screenplay by: Susannah Grant, Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinker Based on the Novel by: Rick Yancey Cinematography by: Enrique Chediak Music by: Henry Jackman

Premise: The Earth is attacked by an unknown and unseen alien species. Their attacks have come in the form of waves - world spanning EMP fields, mutated virus, floods, drones. A fifth wave is eminent, but no one knows the form it will take. Separated from her little brother Sam, Cassie struggles to make her way to him, even as unbeknownst to her, Sam and many other human children are being trained to fight. But more is going on than any of them realize. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Chloë Grace Moretz does a lovely job as Cassie Sullivan. Watching her transition from normal high school girl to determined survivor was fun to watch. Nick Robinson as Ben Parish/Zombie also did a nice job. Loved his understated demeanor making the 'zombie' nickname have more than one level of meaning. Alex Roe will definitely make teenage girls swoon as the helpful yet mysterious Evan Walker. I totally loved Maika Monroe's performance! Her character Ringer was a lot of fun.

2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The film has special effects in bursts, so you'll tend to forget how much there's actually has in it. Which would be a crime as they do a great job. I absolutely loved the main alien ship, especially when seen at night. Really would have liked to have gotten a closer look at one of the scout drones. The visuals on the infected humans were enticingly creepy.

The effects for the water attack were phenomenal. The tidal waves and back panned destruction came out great. I was especially impressed with the added touch of the woman in the stairwell. And the view Poundcake sees of the flooded city from the top the building really brought home the devastation.

Late in the film we get a lot of explosions and other forms of chaos. Nice!


3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: I've not read the novel this film is based on, so can't say much as to how close it matches the book. I will say, however, that all the teenagers in the audience seemed quite happy with it - at least all the Evan Walker parts. :P

There are a few bits that might give you a 'huh' feeling as the film progresses - most of these are actually hints rather than mistakes. I won't go into it, though, for fear of spoiling things for you guys. But I will say if it smells, there's likely a reason. :P

That being said, however, the plot does have a lot of the typical young adult book tropes (love triangle, good alien, etc.). Happily though, there was also the occasional surprise here and there.

One thing the film does suffer for, however, is the lack of a real reason/need for the aliens to take some of the steps they decide to take for the invasion. Showing off their ship for ten days before actually doing anything being but one of them. For creatures that seemingly don't believe in feelings, they sure like posturing and tormenting their targets. With their technology and what they already shown they can do, some of the steps they decide on later don't make any real sense as a next step.

4) Stunts - Total Thumbs Up: The stunt peeps did some great work. Some great people/tidal waves stunt moments. There's also a couple of hand-to-hand fight scenes and gun battles.

5) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: I was worried for a while that even the apocalypse wouldn't mess up Cassie's hair, but they made up for it later. Great touch having Cassie's hair look longer and less styled once she's out on her own. They even put some dirt on her! :) And kudos for not having her running around in heels!

Conclusion: The 5th Wave has some lovely special effects and good acting. Plot could have been a little more diverse, but wasn't bad. Watching Evan Walker fight is a definite highlight (the lake scene was pretty darn nice as well - for the ladies!) :P

Rating: 3.25 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review - Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2


Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Huffman, Gary Oldman, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogers, Lucy Liu, David Cross, James Hong, Michelle Yeoh, Danny McBride, Denis Haysbert, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Victor Garber and more...

Directed by: Jennifer Yuh  Written by: Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger  Music by: John Powell and Hans Zimmer

Premise: A prince who'd been outcast from the kingdom after an act of atrocity comes back years later to take his revenge, and destroy kung fu, with the use of a new and mighty weapon.

Review:  Loved the original, loved the Christmas special, and utterly loved the sequel!

As anyone with eyes could see, yet never say, Po couldn't have been the birth child of Mr. Ping. We will see some of Po's past and how it is that he came to be the son of a bird. What's really neat is how they chose to do the flashbacks, history intro, and nightmare sequences. For some it was still pictures and minimal movement. For others it was straight animation in a slightly different style than the rest of the film. This later plays into a beautiful sequence where the past meets memory and acceptance towards the end of the film.

Everything is super detailed and some of the city scape, villages, and backgrounds are utterly breathtaking. With the 3D even more so. The 3D was used more for effect and contrast than the usual "at ya" gimmicks and worked incredibly well to give the whole story more depth visually and even in the telling. This is one of the first uses of regular 3D that really packs a punch in my opinion.

Lots of great fight scenes. And some awesome ones. You will see Radish Fu. You will see Peacock Fu. Warring Rickshaws! You'll also see the most hilarious take on a Chinese Festival Dragon EVER! I was laughing all over the place and I'm a hard one to make laugh out loud. (Crying is something else altogether and I did some of that too!)

The soothsayer was HILARIOUS! And Shen was both menacing, cold, hot, and utterly beautiful to watch. The story also has some nice twists and turns, which were great.  

All our favorite characters are back as Po learns another lesson and sets off to save China. Definitely a must see! They will even leave you a tantalizing cliffhanger bit right before the credits.  (Though nothing else is shown after the credits, do sit through part of them - a reenactment of Po's baby journey. Too cute!)

Rating: 4.5 out of 5! (Hubby's Rating: Would pay 3D full price again! This is his highest rating, by the way! heh heh)

Price of Mercy will debut during SoonerCon! (And con schedule Listed as well)

Price of Mercy has been sent to the printers by the publisher. Below is the final cover for the book.

The novel's debut will occur during SoonerCon!


This is my current panel schedule:

Friday, 5PM —Supernatural:  What We Think

Friday, 6PM — Opening Ceremonies

Saturday, 9AM — Koffee Klatch

Saturday, 11AM —T he Art of Self-Promotion:  Marketing Tips From the Pros

Saturday, 3PM — Yard Dog Road Show

Sunday, 11AM — Faith and Fantasy:  God

Sunday, 12PM — Reading

Hope to see you all there!  Should be a BLAST!

Picture Kaleidoscope 3/16/11

Even though I was totally out of commission for most of last week, I did manage to get a few pictures before I succumbed to the evil cold. (This is also the first time I'm doing this type of blog post from the new fandangled multi loader so should be exciting how much I have to fix before you all see it! Hah!)

The flowers from the red tree in the back yard last but maybe a week. Got lucky and actually got a couple of shots of them this year.

Hubby helped out a friend in clearing out a shed from an older lady who was about to go into an assited living facility. It seems they were big proponents back in the day of having extra food and stuff in case of the apocalypse. I got the friend to send me a couple of pics as these are not things you see everyday! Thought I'd share them with you.

Look at the size of that can! John said they weighed a ton. Six to a box. And they had a whole shed full. Perma-Pak, baby!

And while I huddled in my chair, hoping to sleep away or immobilize my cold, a beautiful and unexpected picture moment appeared! Matt, Drew, and their puppy child, Serenity. Adorable!!!! (Just don't tell them! I'll be killed! :P)

Picture Kaleidoscope 3/9/11

I was actually quite surprised by a couple of pics I took in the last two weeks. I'd figured the sky was done giving me fabulous views since the sun was rising earlier than before. I was wrong...

Case in point...



Crispin Freeman shared a gorgeous photo of the Japanese Gardens in Balboa Park in Los Angeles, CA. Look at the blue!

This one is another cool view, which he entitled Floating Like A Lily Pad.

His third is of a Sakura Tree in bloom. Very nice!


I got this one from one of the vendors at the DFW Writers Conference. A Tiara Cap! Makes me wish I wore hats! lol.




From the Cassini Saturn Mission comes this super cool pic - Beyond Southern Rhea Like a globe sitting on a table. WOW.









Beth Riesgraph shares this amazing pic of way too much snow and ice. Read the Warning Sign in the back. :P

And to wrap up this week's set of pics, I'll leave you with this colorful beauty!

Mind Sieve 3/7/11

Welcome to another installment of Mind Sieve. Some great stuff to share with you all this week!
Also stirring up the format. What I had before caused a problem, so let's see if this works better. :P

Fan Fun

New Thunder Cats series! Article by Marc Bernardin over at io9.com - There's a preview video here! Looks like it might be more serious/grown-up than the original. Looking forward to see what they do with it.

Shared by Rachel Caine is GameView - a fake gaming blog by her friend Glenn. The Half-Life's Gordon Freeman speaks out entry is pretty cute. :)

Rob Thurman has a Cal Leandros Series Book Trailer at her website. Pretty snazzi! She's even got a widget! Dang. I want one for mys stuff! lol.



Social Media

Kristen Lamb's Twitter Tuesday post #7 - where she covers the pros and cons of auto reply DM's.

Nathan Bradford talks about How to Get Started on Facebook for authors. I'd already done most of what he mentions, and like him, was very excited once I realized the power of a Book Page.


Writing Advice

Chuck Wendig shared a link to this post from the National Association of Writers in Education called New Skills For Writers where they explore how the jobs of writers may be expanding.

Shared by Kristen Lamb this blog post comes from Writer Unbox and was written by Donal Maas - What Are You Afraid Of explores why some novels don't go quite far enough.

Kristen Lamb shared a link to a post by Jody Hedlund - Enduring the Pain in the Quest for Publication. Some good tips to keep in mind on the long arduous journey!

Chuck Wendig dug deep and brought up the following - How Not To Starve And Die As A Writer. Some good questions and pointers here folks!

If you've ever been curious about the glamorous life of an intern at an agency, here's you chance to catch a glimpse. The Knight Agency's New Intern - how Whitney got there and the truths about slush piles.

Kristen Lamb talks about the beginning of your novel in her post "In The Beginning" Part One - Normal World.

That should keep you all busy for a bit. heh heh heh.

Have an awesome week!

Movie Review - The Adjustment Bureau

(Trying a multi site poster experiment. So let's see how this does...)

The Adjustment Bureau

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthony Mackie, John Slattery, Terrence Stamp, Michael Kelly, and more...

Directed by: George Nolfi  Screenplay by: George Nolfi Based on the Short Story: "Adjustment Team" by Philip K Dick
(And though not credited at IMDB, Eric Kripke Creator of Supernatural is associated with it as well. Shocked me!)

Premise: David Norris, and up and coming politician in New York, becomes aware of the supernatural presence of the Adjustment Bureau. Not only that, they pointedly tell him that he is to cease and desist trying to find the woman he met by chance who he direly wants to see again. If he tells anyone of what he's seen, his brain will be erased. All must follow the plan.

Review: This movie was fab! For once the previews didn't give everything away so there were several surprises. The movie is also filled with beautiful, subtle moments.

Over a span of four years, we see David Norris push and get pushed. And though free will might be only something we're led falsely to believe in, all is not as perfect or as in control as the Bureau would like to believe. Chance and Fate can throw kinks in the system too.

Mr. Damon and Ms. Blunt have great chemistry. All their moments together are fresh and heartfelt. Elisa is in no way your standard girl, and that just made the movie so much more fun.

The concept of the travel doors and a multi dimensional convoluted travel system was awesome - even the supernatural beings complained about navigating downtown New York. LOL.  Loved the concept of the hats! All the special effects are very subtle and were made all the more awesome for it.  This could be happening to anyone, anywhere, right now. (The notebooks were so cool, too!)

Didn't realize until the credits rolled that it was based on a short story by Philip K Dick. No wonder it had a little bit of everything in it! Too cool. A lot of layers and subtext. Definitely worth seeing.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 (hubby says totally worth full price of admission!)

-- Gloria Oliver Unveiling the Fantastic www.gloriaoliver.com

Moview Review - I Am Number Four

I Am Number Four

Staring: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron, Callan McAuliffe, Kevin Durand, Jake Abel, Kevin Durand, and more...

Director: DJ Caruso Screenplay: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Marti Noxon Novel: Jobie Hughes and James Frey

Premise: There are aliens amongst us. Young people with talents, being guarded by protectors, who try to blend in and not call attention to themselves. Hopefully able to elude their enemies long enough to develop their powers and protect those who are left. Except the Mogadorians don't want to let them get that far.

Review: This is a coming of age story on several levels. Not only is the protagonist having to deal with being a teenager, he also has to suffer through the changes coming as his alien gifts awaken.

Good special effects, good acting, even a nice, fast paced plot. Timothy Olyphant was great as usual as, Henri, John's protector. From him we catch glimpses of what went wrong, of the sacrifices the protectors have made to keep hope alive.

Kevin Durand as the Mogarian Commander was a total hoot. Menacing, but also quite funny. Not your usual venue for the comic relief, but he pulls it off masterfully. Almost sad to see him go.

The combat scenes at the climax were great. Even had monster against monster action. Oh yeah! (Though my daughter felt the guardian got a bad rap, since they didn't even check on him. Heh)

Nothing drastically original, but overall, a fun romp! Definitely worth catching.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby says worth the price of Matinee)

Lame Post USA!

Hi, all!

This will probably be a pretty lame post. Despite all my grand plans, life has contrived to do what it wants and not what I want! (Not that this is anything far from normal, mind you! Heh heh)

Work has been super busy, meaning I couldn't go look at blog posts or pictures, and the last two weekends have been full. Not that either is a bad thing. Just puts other things behind.

Two weekends ago it was ConDFW. I had a great time. Reconnected with a ton of friends. Was even lucky enough to have been on three panels with the Guest of Honor, Brandon Sanderson. (More books to possibly add to the already precariously tall TBR pile.)

This weekend, I went as an attendee to the DFW Writers Conference. There were some awesome classes and lots and lots of authors totally focused on doing pitches and networking with other writers. I had a mixed bag in that I had some not good things happen (left my suitcase at home, tried to go through the wrong toll-tag booth, set up the alarm clock at the hotel and it didn't go off so I was a half hour behind schedule, a friend got sick), and then some super awesome things (Candance let me join her and others for lunch, Pat grabbed me and dragged me to dinner, met and connected with some great peeps, met @KristenLambTX and @ColleenLindsay in person, got to tease Alex).

Meeting Kristen Lamb was a little surreal. I didn't even realize it was her when I showed up for the building a platform class. Then it was like POW! So I had to grab my iPhone and Tweet about it and threw in @ChuckWendig while I was at it. She and I talked for a minute about him and here I was holding a face-to-face and a virtual conversation with people who'd just been names and letters on Tweetdeck before. Very cool!

And for you writers out there, keep your eyes and ears open to find out about Colleen Lindsay's Sekrit Projekt. I'm trying to get into the beta of this very exciting project, which I think could be a great boon to aspiring authors and even published authors everywhere.

I did get to see a movie this past weekend on Friday, but had to get up so early on Saturday I didn't get to do a review. (Heck, I couldn't even watch the Supernatural episode for this week! And it looked like a doozy! Season 6 is better than Season 5 somewhat - yay!) But I will have this upcoming weekend to myself, so hopefully a lot of catching up will occur (despite the fact there's deadlines and unexpected projects looming! Eek!)

So wish me luck getting back on track. I've a feeling as close as several conventions fall this year, there might be more than one instance of lameness coming my way! Eek!

Have an awesome week, ya'll!

Movie Review - Gnomeo & Juliet

Gnomeo & Juliet

Starring: James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Ashley Jensen, Michael Caine, Matt Lucas, Patrick Stewart, Jason Statham, Stephen Merchant, Hulk Hogan and more

Directed by: Kelly Asbury Screenplay: Kelly Asbury, Mark Burton, and more. Music by: Chris Bacon, James Newton Howard and Elton John

Premise: A modern retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, except with lawn gnomes. And a happier ending. :)

Review: First off, this movie was totally CUTE! The unusual venue for the premise was adorable. And right off they tell you upfront it's a retelling of Shakespeare's play and almost immediately deviate from it for fun. (The 'play' begins on stage and at the end the cast does a rather unusual presentation of the characters as they would in live theater.)

There are a lot of little details when you get first shown the scene of where the play will enact itself. The 2B or not 2B was hilarious and sneaky. Many lines are quoted or should I better say misquoted, on purpose even, although they give you a little jolt of recognition all the same, which was a lot of fun. (Needless to say there's a lot in this movie directed at the adults more than the kids.) Even William Shakespeare makes an appearance! I thought the film even had a touch of West Side Story running through it as well (lawnmower racing, booyah!).

I didn't realize Elton John's deep involvement with the film until the credits. Not only was his music seeded through out, he was also an executive producer. Several visual jokes are also centered around the singer and were adorable. (Again extra bits that will mean more to the parents than the kids. But there's plenty there for the younger viewers as well.

Several minor characters make the film (though Juliet's ninja sequence had me totally falling in love with her!). Nanette, the pond frog, as Juliet's confidant, was a total hoot and added a lot of flavor. Paris, the pink flamingo, I also enjoyed very much. The tiny red hat gnomes and the super commando bunnies were hilarious. And Spot, the ceramic mushroom/dog was also very cute. Alas, the sad plight of the little red fish will have you feeling sorry for him through the whole thing. lol.

One of the best spots in the film is an infomercial, of all things! The Terrafirminator ad was awesome! (I love the page and a half of disclaimers for the thing - including not being meant for residential use. ROFL!)

One little detail that so made the movie for me was the added clinking sounds of pottery as the gnomes moved about. Firmed their reality in a strange way. So kudos for that lovely touch.

Overall there aren't many surprises, but the presentation was adorable and many of the side characters totally endearing. All the voice actors were excellent and with the added talent of the artists, you can totally immerse yourself in this little tale set in Verona Lane.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby is on the fence between Full Matinee Price and Better on Cable)

Picture Kaleidoscope 2/2/11

Welcome to another week of pics!

First I present to you a fiery sunset! (Sky is on fire! Run for yours lives!) :P




There are some cute little seasonal birds that show up around our house in winter. I put the word out on Twitter and Facebook to try to find out what kind they were. The verdict was Junco Birds. Here's a link to a nice pic of one. The one I tried to take with the phone was a major fail. Really need to learn to keep the camera charged.

And speaking of birds...
From @ChuckWendig - Titmouse - they do exist!

Shared by @ColleenLindsay - Hello Kitty Dalek. No joke! Too funny.

From by @HuffPostGreen - Artificial Reefs - cool looking stuff!

Another weird one this week...
Shared by @KimberlyRPauley - a car literally covered in grass instead of a paint job. And driving it around town!

I do these posts in advance and last week was hellish, so didn't get to troll or take as many as I would have liked. Hopefully will have plenty more next week.

I'll leave you with fiery sunset redux!

MInd Sieve 1/31/11

Life has hellish this week so not as much time to sift through links to pull out the good stuff. Hopefully will do better next week! (Wish me luck!)


Contests/Giveaways

Shared by @ColleenLindsay - Win a full edit from Del Rey/Spectra, maybe even get published! (Ooo sweet!)



Conventions

Shared by @ColleenLindsay - Comic Con Registration opens Feb 5th!



Health

From @KristenLambTX - Gluten - the evil assasin! (I am thinking I suffer from this. And maybe my daughter!)



Science

From @NASA - NASA has aSolar Sail currently working out in low orbit. This could be super cool!



Writing Advice

From @GloriaOliver - Let's Talk Dialect. My guest post over at Obscure YA Authors.

Shared by @KristenLambTX - Part Book ad but also has lots of TRUTHs about writing.

Shared by @inkyelbows - How do you know if your writing is improving? Some helpful tips.

From @inkyelbows - How to read like a writer. Why reading can prove so good for you.

From @NathanBransford - How to use Twitter.

From @CandaceHavens - There's always more to learn as a writer. Continuing your author education.

Shared by @inkyelbows - Critique Groups - be informed - what to look for!

From @ChuckWendig - Writer Reality Check from HELL! (You do have to REALLY want it, guys.) :P

From @gailcarriger - What is Steampunk. Nice explanation and tons of sources where you can see it in movies, books, and more!


Have an awesome week! And happy reading!

Picture Kaleidoscope 1/26/11

Some awesome sunrise and sunsets this past week. And a couple of oddball pics. Plus more stuff shared by others.



From @NASA - Hubble shows two dramatically different views of "the Whirlpool Galaxy" - definetly gorgeous!

At the anime store a week or more ago, I can across the weirdest bottles ever! Evangelion has gone to yet another level.






I was afraid to ask if they were selling well. :P


















From @NASA - Chandra views "starburst" galaxy M82, with stars forming at much higher rates than a normal galaxy



Baby blue and pink was the name of the game on this day!

Shared by @marthawells1 - Amazing Works of Art - talk about inventing new ways to make art. WOW

And for fun!
Shared by @torbooks - Map of the Star Wars Universe!

Let me leave you with one last sky shot. :) Look at those colors!

Movie Review - Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travel

Starring: Jack Black, Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Amanda Peet, Catherine Tate, Billy Connolly, Chris O'Dowd, and more...

Directed by: Rob Letterman Screenplay by: Joe Stillman and Nicholas Stoller - based on the book by Jonathan Swift

Premise: Realizing his life is going nowhere, Gulliver tries to work himself up to asking out the girl he likes, but instead digs himself into a hole and ends up taking a writing assignment out in the Bermuda Triangle. While traveling to the spot for the article, he's swept away in a giant waterspout and ends up very far away from home.

Review: I'd seen the commercials for this film and seeing the kid humor displayed in them wasn't sure it was for me, despite the fact I like the tale and concept and that Catherine Tate (Donna Noble from Dr Who!)and other fun actors were in it.

While it did have some of the kid humor as shown in the commercials, however, I was glad I went to see it. The film had several things going for it that made it quite enjoyable above and beyond the gags.

The first major thing was that they played a short before the start of the film - Skrat's Continental Crack-up! Yes, Skrat from Ice Age did a short right before the movie! And it was one of the best ones yet. A wonderful explanation of the splitting of the original continent of Pangea :P Too funny. Poor little guy can never catch a break.

The second major thing was the awesome attention to detail in the film. When it begins they do a beautiful rendition of the city with overhead views and everything looks miniaturized. And not in the sense that things are far away and look small, but like made up models and toy cars even as real people walk about. It almost made the 'real' world seem fake, the fantasy, while the land of the Lilliputians the true world.

The costuming, the buildings, the mechanisms in Lilliput were very detailed. The tech all had a very awesome HG Wells feel about it. Pseudo steampunkish in a way. And though we didn't learn much about the society, there was enough there to make the Lilliputian way of life feel real and structured. In some ways their lives are too structured and strict, and here comes a strange visitor who drives all to loosen up a bit and have more fun, in a manner of speaking. The changes you see as the film progresses are interesting, some utterly fun, and a few a little sad.

Not everyone is happy about the changes Gulliver has brought about due to his presence though. Not happy at all!

I appreciated seeing how Gulliver brought with him the means to his own destruction - within himself and without. Of course in the end he comes through, but there were a couple of unexpected twists along the way I very much enjoyed.

Overall the film was entertaining and at times even humorous. And with Skrat doing the lead in, it was definitely worth seeing it.

Rating: 3.5 (4 with Skrat) out of 5 (Hubby: Matinee price w/o Skrat, Full Price with Skrat):P

Picture Kaleidoscope 1/19/11

Let's start this weeks picture-rama with super cute!


Ran across this scene by pure accident at my brother's home. It was too cute not to grab a pic and share. :)

Now for something scary. Shared by @marthawells1 - An ice covered lighthouse You'll catch a cold just looking at this thing! Brrrr

Then back to something awe inspiring! Shared by @BadAstronomer - Milky Way's (almost) identical Twin. (Real nice Galaxy pic!)



Tiny footprints in the snow! We had a White Christmas on 1/9/11 (Sickness, travel, and other issues forced my side of the family to have a late get together) and we found these little foot prints. Thought they might be the squirrels, but then saw these tiny black birds with white bellies actually moving by hopping around rather than flying. Too cute!






From @ChuckWendig - I swear his Chihuahua is saying "How chu doing?" Brows rising and falling. Hee!

From @Nasa - Green Glob Space Oddity! Or a Space Frog!

Shared by @torbooks - Ghost Busters Wedding Cake! For reals! So cool!



Subaki and Mythril sleeping and propping each others with their heads. Adorable!













And speaking of cats... Shared by @torbooks - How to Steampunk Your Cat! Steampunked kitty drawings and pics

Shared by @petapixel - Deep Space photos taken from a backyard. Totally awe inspiring!

And because we can NEVER have enough CUTE! Shared by @JaneLebak - It's so tiny! Cutest baby possum EVER!



The sunset looked like a rainbow. Not sure that the camera caught that though. :(



From @Nasa - Triungulum Galaxy! Pretty!

On a sadder note... Shared by @petapixel - Queensland, Australia flood pics. Way way too much water. Reminds me of the floods in New Orleans after Katrina. Brrrrr.

And last but not least...the train that got in my way after work. :P
















Have a great day! Feel free to share some of the pics you've taken or been impressed by in the comments section.

Movie Review - Green Hornet

Green Hornet


Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, Cameron Diaz, Tom Wilkinson, Christoph Waltz, David Harbour, and more...


Directed by: Michael Gondry Written by: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg


Premise: After the death of his father, rich playboy, Britt Reid, meets his father's genius auto mechanic, Kato. While playing a trick on the statue of the man they both loved/hated and never truly understood, they find themselves helping a couple being mugged and are so pumped after the adventure, they decide to take it further.


Review: We went and saw the Green Hornet in IMAX 3D. While the 3D piece didn't have much to do with the film except for a couple of fun, key scenes and the end credits, seeing the fast paced action in the crisp IMAX was great.


If you're a fan of the original show with Bruce Lee and Van Williams you'll find plenty of fan service. But this isn't a cookie cutter of the original. Several things are shaken up and twisted on their ear. Though it did totally retain the two best parts of the original - Kato and Black Beauty. The film is totally worth it just to watch those two. (The green headlights so rock!) :)


The hero is definitely flawed and slowly learns his lessons even if it's the hard way. A lot of the bumbling when they first start out might jar but made it even more precious for being realistic. We see the true origins of their partnership before they became a suave and well oiled fighting pair.

Britt Reid is working through a lot of issues, some which he's been carrying for twenty years or more. In Kato he finds a confidant and someone to aspire to. For Kato, Britt is someone who sees and understands his potential and by doing so makes him push to be even more so, to be all that he can be.


Of course, they're both kids at heart, so egos start to get in the way when things get tough.


Christopher Waltz was a hoot, and disturbing. He's a bad guy that only wants to be bad. And feared. So he can't understand when he's not. His confusion is so child like it's kind of sad and you almost feel sorry for him. (Personally I thought his original coat was pimp!) Fun stuff from this guy!


Not a young kids movie. The violence is not extreme but you definitely see dead people. Bad guys get shot, crushed, or flung from high places. So be advised.


Action sequences are pretty good. The big battle showdown has car chases, gun battles, elevator fu, rockets, explosions, and more. Some cool effects. Lots of verbal jokes and double meanings.


Overall, it was a fun flick and well worth it. Even a mystery reveal!


Rating: 3.75 to a 4.0 out of 5. (Hubby rated it - worth full price of admission)

Picture Kaleidoscope 1/12/11

As threatened, here is the first of my picture blogs. Heh heh. Some I took others are links to awesome pics shared through different means I thought you might enjoy.

Took this one on the way home from work. The colors are amazing!




This is from earlier in the year. One of our rose buds. The wind was not letting the camera or flower cooperate.




















Yes, I have some ways to go before doing good pics on the phone. lol. Work in progress.

From @petapixel - First Solar Eclipse of 2011 - some truly awesome pics!

Cloud Tsunami! Texas is flat so when we get a cloud bank like this, it's really a little scary looking! :) (That is not a mountain range or hill, that gray background is all cloud!)




From @starwars - Rare backstage photo of Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher

Fiery sunset...














From @JerryJDavis - Nice joke for a cold picture

This is a picture of some of the most fabulous bread EVER! It's called White Chocolate Orange Royale. It's sweet and super yummy! Found it at Whole Foods.





Looks at the trees on this one. Those are not leaves, they're mostly birds! Like something out of the old Hitchcock movie. Hee!
















And last but definitely not least...

From @Nasa comes the Andromeda Galaxy from Nasa's Image of the Day. (Totally Awesome!)


Enjoy!

Movie Review - Season of the Witch

Season of the Witch

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman, Stephen Campbell Moore, Ulrich Thomsen, Claire Foy, Robert Sheehan, Christopher Lee and more...

Directed by: Dominic Sena Written by: Bragi F Schut

Premise: A veteran crusader and his fellow knight desert their duty after their latest skirmish sanctioned by the Church involves the massacre of women and children. They're found out during their travels and are given a choice: serve the Church one last time or be killed for desertion. Though at first Behmen refuses, despite the fact he will be killed, as he learns more about the mission and those involved, he changes his mind.

Review: I'd been looking forward to this film for a while. It didn't look like your typical fare. But what we ended up with didn't go far enough.

Most of the characters are minimally constructed. No real depth. (Which could have been resolved with a little more movie time - the film is short at only 95 min) Only the good acting skills of the cast actually drive it along despite the lack of character development. Cage and Perlman have a good rapport, even switching buddy roles as true buddies are bound to do. (One acts out while the other is calm, then vice versa.) Claire Foy looked to have fun in her multifaceted role, which came across well most of the time. Did disturb me though that the farther the movie went along the cleaner she got though it should have been the other way around.

Despite the fact we're in 1344 the language was very anachronistic. "Hello. Is anyone home?" just rang of glaring 20th Century. Overall it's not too noticeable, yet for the one scene with the above it glared and glared hard. :P

Beautiful scenery with some CGI enhancements. The sand dunes for the Crusades looked pretty fake though. The far off monastery (I believe it is a real place) was gorgeous! (Filming locations were Hungary and Austria).

The film is creepy in places. The special effects and makeup people did some outstanding work. The plot tries to keep you guessing about the girl, but not too hard. The opening sequence with the women accused of being witches was good. There's even a hint here of what will turn out to be the film's main mystery/shocker bit. That actually worked pretty well, until they had to do the physical flashbacks to show the audience (who'd be too stupid to put it together or remember, right...) the bits the characters are talking about as they reach the important conclusion.

The fight scenes were mediocre. They used a filming style for them which I think is sad, where they shimmy the action so you can't quite see what's going on. I'm sure they feel it ratchets up the tension, but to me it just comes across as lame. If you do a good fight, the action will ratchet its own tension up just fine! Heh.

Overall it was entertaining. The costumes and locations really added to the overall medieval feel.

Rating: 3.75

Movie Review - True Grit

True Grit

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Hailee Steinfeld, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper, and more.

Directed & written by: Joel & Ethan Coen

Premise: After her father is killed, Mattie Ross comes to Fort Smith to collect her father's body. Seeing that no one is pursuing the murderer to bring him to justice, she decides to take matters into her own hands and hires a local marshal to go after him.

Review: It's been forever since I saw the original True Grit with John Wayne so I can't make any valid comparisons with the original, so I won't. I can only say what I felt about this film on its own.

Hailee Steinfeld was spectacular! Prim, proper, with a core of iron yet still showing a vulnerability on occasion that was great to behold. She fired her dialogue with just the right amount of confidence and sharpness that made her such a fearsome force to deal with. A guided missile on a mission! One that would not be stopped.

Jeff Bridges was a total hoot as Rooster Cogburn. He was gritty, quirky, funny, rough and watching him deal with Mattie and also LeBoeuf was a hoot. Matt Damon as the Texas Ranger was prissy and stiff and a wonderful foil to clash with Rooster. Like two sides of the same coin, one shiny, one scarred both stubborn.

Beautiful cinematography. You truly felt these people were out in the middle of nowhere. Everything was desolate. The multiple layers of desolation for the landscape, the people, and their cause, it made a very nice image both visually and subliminally.

The film was a lot of fun especially in the beginning. Then as things move along it grew grimmer as they knuckle down to the task at hand. All actions have consequences. And when you push past where you should, be prepared to pay the price.

In someways that was the scariest thing about the film. Mattie Ross grew up in many ways though she was already mature beyond her years during this adventure. But the biggest lesson learned and one she wore like a badge of honor - was that all actions have consequences. There is always a price to pay and you have to want it bad enough and pay it. She did and I can't say she was ever sorry for doing it though at the time she felt some regret but there was way to take it back. It was a very poignant thing watching her come to realize the price she would pay for that one moment of triumph. A price she'd never expected and could do nothing about since it was too late. But eventually resolved there was no point crying over spilled milk. What was done was done. A lesson you got the feeling her two companions already knew quite intimately themselves.

And while you'll hold it together throughout, it's the ending years later that gets you. It's where you see just how much that short period of time made a difference in a young girls life. (Tearing up just thinking about it. I am a sucker! Heh)

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

Movie Review - Tron: Legacy

Tron: Legacy

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, Bruce Boxleitner, James Frain, Beau Garrett, and more

Directed by: Joseph Kosinski

Premise: Sam's father disappeared twenty years ago. As Sam continues trying to deal with the abandonment and pushing his father's legacy along on in his own way, he's told an old friend got paged from a phone that's been disconnected for almost as long as his father's been missing. With a little prodding, Sam goes to check it out and his adventure begins.

Review: Hubby and I saw the original Tron way back in the day. We were some of the privileged few who got to see it with the stagnant then energy infused apartment belonging to Yori when she meets secretly with Tron. So you could say we've been somewhat looking forward to this sequel.

Visually, the new film is stunning. Absolutely MUST be seen in the IMAX 3D. All the old vehicles are there with a makeover, looking shiny and new. Though no tanks were seen shooting (major bummer) and only glimpsed from afar. There were all sorts of new personal vehicles to watch being played with though - like personal fighters and wing backpacks. The planes even leave the same deadly trails as the motorcycles (though I wasn't sure that made much sense as it was not in a game scenario). The motorcycle game went multi level, but they removed the 90 degree turns that proved so deadly in the original.

Jeff Bridges and Tron (who we saw very little of per say) were taken back to their original youth by utilizing digitized renditions taken from the original film. This works, for the most part.

Plot wise, they went a weird direction. In many many ways the new film follows the same steps as the old one. Clash and shenanigans with Encom (they had the HUGE door from the original that led to the lab. I so enjoyed that!). Dillinger's progeny is there though he has nothing really to do, just a gimme of sorts - I figured since they'd bothered to bring him in they'd do something with him, but no. Dumont's name is flashed around as fan giggle fodder. Once Sam is unwillingly sucked in to the grid he is promptly captured and thrown to the games (Very nice and mechanical seeming scene where his clothes get taken and him changed: like an assembly line) - first discs and later cycles just like his father. And more. If you've seen the original film, keep an eye out and you will see what I am talking about. (Don't want to give all away!)

As if to make up for the deleted room scene in the first film, you'll get a nice long look at Flynn's place in the digital world. Though it's been humanized. They make up for this later when you see Programs bumbling about looking at the strange things he's made. (Almost like Flynn had made his own programs for his furnishings like you can in Second Life Online.

While they keep the lingo from the original film, it is used a lot less and almost thrown in as an afterthought. I was somewhat bothered by the introduction of a bar in this digital world. Somethings were turned too much into normal human things - while it fit Flynn and his home, it did not fit in the grid. These are Programs. There should have been more originality in how they differ from us in their downtime and general life IMHO.

They introduce ISOs but really don't give you much about them. (Really it's but a crutch to give us a specific turnout at the end.) Also the falling out that turned everything so nasty was very vague. Just because your interest shifts does not mean betrayal or that you aren't looking towards that end anymore. It felt lame?

So while visually fulfilling, story wise it was a little lacking. Oh, and there's no BIT. You see him as a firework and as a couple of toys, but no BIT. Was really hoping they'd have BIT in there! :P

So overall, it was entertaining and beautiful if not totally satisfying.

Rating: Visuals 4.5, Story 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby rating: worth full price of admission)