Movie Review - "The Darkest Hour" 12/25/2011

'ello there!  It has been a while since I reviewed a movie for ya but here is one!  Straight from 2011 and with a theme kinda like this weekend (but not quite like the "Mayan Apocalypse" thing):  "The Darkest Hour", released on December 25, 2011.

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.

Let's make this short and sweet, with spoilers a-plenty:
Romance?  A bit but it is more of a "I am fond of you because you are the opposite gender than me and you have survived too" kind of thing, though two of the characters almost kissed at the end.

Invasion - the aliens come, wrapped in a force field made of energy (somehow) and start killing the humans.  We've all seen this before but this time it was like "woah, we can't see them and they're attacking us and turning us to dust" [oh, right! The dust thing was also in "War of the Worlds" with Cruise!  Original.....].  Do the humans try finding a way to survive and return fire?  Of course.  And the humans somehow, as always, start finding out the aliens' weakness and start killing them off {to have humankind survive and to protect the planet from the alien mines}.

Music - I didn't notice much.

Horror - It is scary to have an invisible hunter coming after you but it wasn't that scary at all.  Cheesy scary, if anything.

Creativity - I must say that it is creative that they made the aliens see humans according to their bio-electrical currents instead of their heat.  I thought that the alien's view was a heat reader but it wasn't because the humans managed to slide under a cop car at one point and hide from the alien.  Also, it was creative for the humans to use cell phones and light bulbs to recognize where the aliens were (since they gave off a signal that turned on electronics and when they were not nearby, everything was dead electrically).

DID NOT GIVE A GOOD DESCRIPTION OR VIEW OF THE ALIENS!  Invisible is scary but they should have shown what they really are, because sometimes that is even more frightening.  It didn't give the aliens any character aside the fact that they just wanted to mine the earth!

Good movie but rather disappointing overall.  Even the deaths of 3 characters did not phase me because the characters were not properly displayed and developed beforehand.




If you want to take your time to see another alien invasion movie [that can NO WHERE CLOSE compare to "Alien", "Independence Day", or "War of the Worlds"], see this.  Otherwise, save your time and money by skipping this.




2/5 - Little character development; a bit of interest with the alien force field making them invisible and the alien's anatomy.  Not really worth it.

So....

My question to those that read these blog posts, since I don't get comments, is this: what do you think of my reviews?
Be truthful. ;-)
~Margem

Movie Review - "War Horse" 12/25/11

Another review!  This time "War Horse", released Dec. 25, 2011.

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.

War Horse

First off, I must say that this movie had a good soundtrack.  Very wonderful and instrumental.  I have a thing for instrumental songs. :-P  Good use of trumpets, strings, etc.

Anyways, this movie is about a horse.  Yes, the main character is a horse.  We see the movie start off with his birth and then continues to how he grows up.  The second main character is Albert Narracott, who is the horse's owner.  He gives the horse the name Joey and then proceeds to train him - harness, saddle, plowing (with the plow harness), to come, to stay, etc.  However, Joey doesn't like jumping but that's fine for an English farmer boy.

World War I starts and, since the family is low on funds for paying the landlord, father sells Joey to the military.  What happens after that is Joey's travels through the war and Albert trying to find Joey.  Spoiler: They do reconnect, though Albert had to join the military to do so.

5/5 - I thought that this was a very good movie.  Definitely a tearjerker at times.  I liked one character's comment on bravery - there are many forms of bravery, not just those that go to war.   I also liked the fact that they gave the horse some character, learning as he went through his travels.  I'm not going to say anything more, since I gave a slight spoiler already.  If you are okay with movies during war times, watch this!  If you can't stand fights and guns and death and all that dramatic stuff that comes with wars, you might have a problem with this movie (slightly).

Movie Review - "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close" 12/25/11

Welcome back to another movie review, brought to you by le Margem.  :-)  This one is for "Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close", released December 25, 2011.

My rating values:

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.


Incredibly Loud and Extremely Close

Set in New York city, this is a movie about a fatherless child and his search for meaning.  A year after his father [played by Tom Hanks] died in the towers of the World Trade Center in 2001, Oskar Schell finds a key in his father's closet.  Mom [played by Sandra Bullock] had not moved Dad's things so when Oskar reached to grab his grandfather's camera from the top shelf, a blue vase fell to the floor.  Inside of the vase was a small envelope with a key on it.  The envelope said one thing - "Black".  Thinking that his father had set up an investigation excursion, Oskar decides to find this Black and figure out what the key is for.  Along the way, he finds that he must overcome his fears, meet people {which had previously been very difficult for him to do} to ask them about the key, and let each person he meets to share their story.  Though he has over four hundred Blacks to find in the city of New York and wants to get the mystery solved quickly, he finds that everyone took more of his time than he planned to spend with them.  When he sits down and talks with his Mom about them, he finds that each person was missing something or someone also.  Each person made an impression on him, for good or for bad.  They are a community, even if connected through the commonality that each is missing something or that they live in the city of New York.

It was rather saddening to watch the scenes about the WTC attack on September 11, but it made me think about what happened back then.  It has been so long (over 10 years, can you believe it?!) and not living near NYC helps dull the memory of that day.  But it was interesting to think about how one event can easily traumatize a person.  Oskar was painfully aware of sounds, planes, towers, ambulances, sirens, bridges, places to be trapped, etc.  These fears can be seen as a part of his experience with the towers, though he was not personally there when it happened.  However, living in the city of NYC and having lost his father in the WTC, the event definitely would have changed his life.  I would not be surprised if I heard about many people from NYC being traumatized from that day ("The Worst Day", as Oskar called it).



5/5 – I cried, I laughed.  It was interesting watching this kid trying to solve a mystery and run all over NYC.  I was also very glad to hear that his mother had gone to all the places before he did just so the people would have been warned about Oskar coming to stop by.  It showed that she was a good mother, worried about her son, though in the middle of the movie she seemed to be "absent".  Oskar did learn about a lot of things, though his father was definitely not coming back to them.

Warning: This movie has vivid emotional flashbacks to the Sept. 11, '01 WTC attack.

Movie Review - "Newlyweds" 12/26/11

Third movie review of the weekend!  "Newlyweds", released December 26, 2011.

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful movie all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.



Newlyweds
This is a movie that makes one think about what marriage really is, since there are five marriages in this movie.  Buzzy and Katie are newlywed, both on their second marriage [marriages #1, 2, 3].  Katie's sister Marsha is married to Max (one of Buzzy's fitness workout clients) [#4].

Buzzy made a comment to Marsha and Max that 18 years married is a successful marriage, since many marriages do not last that long nowadays.  Marsha and Max had married because they were expecting a child {married 4 months pregnant} and since their kid was in college, both Marsha and Max started doubting and mistrusting each other.

Buzzy's half sister Linda flies in from L.A. to visit Buzzy (living with him and Katie while she stays, much to Katie's dismay).  She finds out that her ex has already married [#5], though they've been separated for only 10 months.  On top of that, he still loves her but his now-wife is expecting their first child.  Of course, Linda needs company so she goes for a one night stand with Katie's ex named Dara.

The emotions fly and the questions are asked.  What is a marriage and how should it be?  How can a couple survive together?  Should one marry just because a child is coming in to the world and, if so, should they divorce and move on once the kid is on to college?  What should be told between a husband and wife?  What should be kept secret and what should be told right up front?

I think this was a very good movie.  Very thought provoking and insightful.  It was a comedy drama movie but it was not very "comedial" since they constantly had the characters talking to the camera telling what they thought about situations and people.


5/5  - Highly recommended, especially for those who want to eventually get married.  Marriage is a hard thing to do and hard thing to keep together in this world - one needs to think thoroughly about it before jumping into wedlock.  This movie helps one think about marriage and what it should be.

Movie Review - "Pariah" 12/28/11

Another movie review this weekend!  This time it is the movie "Pariah" released December 28, 2011.

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful moving all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.

Pariah

This is a very interesting movie.  It is about an African American high school female named Alike "Lee" , set in New York (Brooklyn).  She is the oldest child of her parents.  The main issue in the movie is the fact that she is a lesbian.  Her mother tries to force her to wear frilly feminine clothes (including a skirt for church), get different friends, and stay away from clubs.  Her father doesn't say much as he is typically at work for the police or drinking a little bit with his food [seen with beer multiple times as he eats].  One attempt to get Lee to get different friends ends up hurting Lee emotionally because she gets attached to this gal and the gal rejects her eventually.  Her family then learns that she is actually a lesbian and her mother snaps.

We also see different parts of the lesbian life as Lee's friend Laura is rejected and disavowed by her parents.  No matter what she does to try to earn their respect and love, they still turn her out.  So through this the audience might have expected what was to come of Lee's situation with her parents and why another lesbian friend doesn't want anyone to know that she might (potentially) be lesbian.

Watching this movie made me realize that I am so glad that I am no longer in high school (due to the groups and whatnot).  I did not approve of Lee's mother because she made me furious - why would you put your child through so much torment to become someone you approve of when he/she does not want to be that person?  Why would you make someone do something, wear something, or be something they are not?  Even without talking about homosexuality, I still think that people [especially parents] should let people be who they are.  Don't deny someone the right to be their self!

4/5 - Good movie, well presented.  The mother was a b**ch and I despised her but the characters were all well thought out.  I didn't like some of the music but then again, that's not my culture and it did a very good job portraying her culture.

Movie Review - "A Separation" 12/30/2011

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the long wait but I have a full time job now (one that I love) and I haven't been able to get over here to critique or blog at all since the last post.  [Duh.]  Anyways, here's another review!  Going along with the trend, this critique is for "A Separation", released December 30, 2011.

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful moving all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.

A Separation

This is a foreign-language film.  Set in "modern Iran" (according to the description of the movie).  I did not know this right away when I started watching this, since it does not say it in the subtitles though it is implied through references to Arabic, the Qu'aran, and the Middle Eastern culture of women's attire.

I watched the movie in the original language - Persian?!  That's what Wikipedia says that it was.  Huh.  Anyways, Persian with English subtitles.  I like the language and how it flows out of the characters' mouths [linguistic at heart].  It kinda hurt my eyes to watch the subtitles and the movie at the same time, especially since it was not a language that I am familiar with, but I liked the language.

It was about two Iranians getting a divorce (Simin [female] and Nader [male]).  Nader didn't want to leave the country because he had to take care of his father with Alzheimer's though Simin wanted to take their daughter Termeh away from there.  With Simin out of the house, Nader finds a caretaker for his father.  However, things go downhill when grandpa goes out for a walk (without remembering what was going on and almost getting hit by a car!), the caretaker starts feeling unwell, Nader finding the caretaker tied grandpa to a bed so she could step out for a bit, Nader and the caretaker getting into a heated debate, and the caretaker miscarrying her second child.  Charges of murder, lying, theft, etcetera occur after this fiasco and it really heats up from there.

It was a very interesting movie and I'm glad I got to hear that language (Persian, really?) through the video.  It was a slow starter, esp for nowadays, but after the first hour, it picks up.  After trying four times to watch this movie, I finally was able to sit down and finish it.  I cried at times, I cringed, I gasped, and all that.  The ending was a let down because it didn't tie things off but then again, it was a realistic movie with realistic situations.

I give this movie a 3.5/5 - had a hard time catching my attention; didn't give the conclusive ending I was hoping for.  A decent movie.  I guess I didn't like it as much as the big-time critiques liked it :-P.

{Viewed 10/13/12}

Movie Review - "Angels Crest" 12/30/2011

·    Another review of a movie, this time Angels Crest.  Released December 30, 2011.

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful moving all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.

    Angels Crest

            “Based on the book”.  I have never read the book and had never heard of the movie until I started this quest of reviewing movies.  Anyways, this was a sad and depressing movie.  In a small town called Angels Crest, a three year old boy Nathan Denton goes missing and *spoiler* is discovered frozen to death.  So the question is whether or not his father, Ethan Denton, is guilty or not for negligence and ultimately the boy’s death.  Along the path of the movie, we find Nate’s drunkard slutty mother Cindy, a few of Ethan’s friends, the local diner owner Angie and her daughter Rosie, a District Attorney, and a few other characters.  Long story short – it kept my attention and made me cry a few times, especially to see the loss of the young boy.  The ending was abrupt but to be expected.

            4/5 – Kept my attention, made me cry a few times.  Story was very good and made me very glad not to be living in a small town.  Recommended.

            {Viewed 3/3/2012}

Movie Review - "The Iron Lady" 12/30/2011

As I am currently unemployed and have gotten a bit bored silly searching, I have decided to work on my blog during my spare time (when I'm not job searching).  So, what I have decided to do is to watch released movies and review them for you.  What a treat, I bet you're thinking, to hear Margem rant and rave about whatever she watches.  Well, thanks to free streaming movies online, that's exactly what I'm going to give you.


My rating system may change but maybe not.  We'll see...  Here is the standard rating system that I came up with (tonight) so it might work out for the long haul:


My rating system:

0/5 – No value whatsoever. Absolute waste of time.

1/5 – Barely worth any time.

2/5 – Pathetic but has a bit of something to hold the attention a little.

3/5 – Somewhat kept the attention but could definitely have used more.

4/5 – Good, but not awe-strikingly amazing. Could have maybe used a bit more to the movie.

5/5 – Go see it! Wonderful moving all around – characters, music, theme, storyline, etc.

For knowing what movies were released and when, I am going to use www.movieinsider.com, which tells what was released and when they were released.  (Yes, that "sentence" was repetitive.  Sorry.... But I'm not changing it.)  The first date that I will focus on is December 30, 2011, which includes: The Iron Lady, Angels Crest, A Separation

I may have links to the other day's reviews once I have finished reviewing the day's movies, but we'll see about that.  Anyways, let's start off with "The Iron Lady", released December 30, 2011.  :-D

·        The Iron Lady

            Good “documentary” styled film about the first female prime minister of Britain.  I had never really heard about Margaret Thatcher until this movie came out.  Of course, once I saw it, I understood why she was so ‘popular’ because she was able to show that women can do an important job just like men can.  Eleven years in office though there were wars, union strikes, and economic downturn.  A few things can be learned from this movie, like standing one’s ground and doing what is right even when it is the harder of the things to do.  The ending, however, was lacking.  It just had her washing a teacup and coming to terms with the fact that she was not the Prime Minister anymore and that her husband was actually dead.  A very disappointing ending.

            Meryl Streep was a very good actress, though she seemed to only do reflective work (remembering the past and dealing with her “ghosts”).   Her co-actor was Jim Broadbent whom, I found out, plays an excellent part as Zidler in “Moulin Rouge”.  He did a good job also, though he was a ghost of her husband – died of cancer, I think they said. 

 

            3/5 – needs better ending, a few “bland” parts where I ended up playing a game on the side while I listened.

     {viewed 3/2/2012}

SUBNORMALITY

I found this website via the blog "The Beauty of Life" ( http://ladystiles.blogspot.com/?expref=next-blog ).  You might like it.  I'm going to watch that blog.  ;-)


Anyways!  The website found via that blog is this: Subnormality!.  I find it hilarious!  Especially check out #21, #39, #40, #46 (SO TRUE!!), #50 [I've always wondered about this...].  :-D

More to add to the ones to check out: #73, #82

I'm on #85 now....  1/27/12

~R/Margem

Rise from the "Dead"

Hello, peoples.
Again, I rise from the dead silence. It's been like three months since I've posted anything up here.  Well, not much has happened since then but then again, a bit has changed.

Changes:
- lost job with USB Lending Support Services [as I said in the post a while ago]
- lost housing in Maplewood (due to lack of funds and difference in viewpoints)
- found a job working in the Receiving department at a different bank, dealing with mortgages [from my Wednesday interview mentioned in the post a while ago]
- found and moved to a place {townhouse} which happens to be closer to my family and a lot of my friends, though I still haven't gotten in touch with many of my acquaintences
- my boyfriend went down to visit his family and to see if he could find a way to start off our future down there but push came to shove and he said 'screw this' and came back up here to MN
- had Thanksgiving with my family while my boyfriend spent it with his family down in GA
- had Christmas Eve with my family and spent Christmas Day with my boyfriend
- went to Old Country Buffet for my birthday with my family and spent the evening with my boyfriend [best birthday ever!].  I irsh 25 now. :-P
- I attempted NaNoWriMo this last November but keyed about 35,000 words, instead of the 50,000 word goal.  Oh well. It was a good experience and I really would LOVE to finish this story!  Here is the link to my blog with that story: http://graciemae-nanowrimo-2011.blogspot.com/   Enjoy the little bits that I have up there!



That's pretty much my life as of the last few months.  I am looking for a computer monitor that isn't expensive or heavy because I don't have one... Once I can get one, I hope to type some more so you can see my stories.  :-P  Who knows, eh?
~M