Sunshine Blogger Award

Judy L Mohr ( +Judy L Mohr ) asked me a few questions for the "Sunshine Blogger Award". Per Judy's blog post:

"The Sunshine Blogger Award is a "get to know the writer better" type of blogging exercise, with a couple of rules attached:

1. Answer all 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.

2. Nominate eleven bloggers in return and write eleven (possibly fiendish) questions for them to answer."

Here are my answers to Judy's questions.

1.What word do you think should be deleted from the dictionary? Why?

One word that should be taken from human language is "twerk". It just sounds wrong and indicates a perverse form of "dance".

2. Writing pet peeve? (Pick the worst one, the one that makes you growl every time you see it.)

Too versus two versus to. Cutting words short, not just to save character space (what u doing 2day @ 4?). Seriously, just type it out! [Though using "5" for "five" is okay.]

3. The strangest thing you’ve ever researched in the name of writing?

How eggs are made in a chicken/reptile. The transgender process (eww for the male to female surgery!).

4. If you could name a constellation of stars, what would it be? Describe it or draw it?

I have named galaxies and star systems. A constellation would be nothing in comparison, though the name of Margem comes to mind... I wonder what the constellations would be in my galaxies and how they are named/stories behind them.

5. Greek or Roman? Aphrodite or Venus?

Both. Both Greek and Roman names are valid, though Aphrodite/Ares/Zeus seem more awesome names in comparison to Venus/Mars/Jupiter.

6. What colour is your aura? (Airy-fairy answers please.)

Aura? According to Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games, my aura is blue or red. I am okay with that, though I don't know if that is what you're talking about, Judy.

7. What is your definition of roughing it?

Sleep on floor of tent with (maybe) an air mattress. Would I enjoy it? Maybe. …toilet facilities? I have had issues with bathrooming in the forest without an outhouse or toilet. Tramatized me a bit... And with my medical conditions, I would have a hard time camping without bathroom access.

8. Jeep or LandRover?

Jeep. Nineties model Jeep, preferred.

9. Bush or city?

First time I read that, I read "Bush" as in Jeb or George W.

I prefer rural over urban. Less people, less drama. Though cops can be more picky in the countryside...

10. If the coffee bean suddenly became extinct (I know, run now screaming), what would be our caffeine replacement?

I don't drink coffee. Smells good, though, in small amounts.

Caffeine in fountain drinks / sodas / tea.

I tend to go caffeine free for my tea too, though. A good mint tea with honey is rather soothing.

11. Windows, Mac or Android? (Or any combination there of?)

Windows computer, Android phone, and I have owned a Mac laptop before as well as a iPod (2nd Gen?). Whatever does the job.

Ummm... Tagging others? Sure. I don't know if the following people have blogs but I will try anyways.

1. Bethany A Jennings @simmeringmind

2. Rebecca Chase @rebeccahchase  Rebecca's Response

3. Liza Frank @lilithepunk

4. D.H. Poirier @PoirierPages

5. seafordmath @don_lorah 

6. Victoria Greenwell @vg_acorngirl Victoria's Response

7. Aliya Dal Rae @aliyadalrae Aliya's Response

8. Enricoh Alfonzo @Alfonzowords

9. Eilis Barrett @EilisBarrett 

10. Darian Brasher @darianbrasher 

11. A.B. Funkhauser @iamfunkhauser 

Eleven questions:

1. What is your favorite movie/tv show quote? What is it from? Why is it your favorite?

2. What do you like to think about most when plotting (Characters, plotline, plot twists, villainous acts, etc.) ?

3. What is your preference of "apocalyptic" groups: zombies, aliens, or mutants?

4. What kind of food do you eat to feel decent enough to write?

5. Do you bring your own personal views (especially political and religious) into your tales?

6. Would you say you "commune" better with nature when gardening [hands on], lounging outside [kinda near], or viewing it from inside your place [far away]?

7. What is the strangest/rudest thing you have ever heard your written characters say?

8. Paper or plastic or re-usable?

9. What movie/book/show would you say has made the most impression on you? When? Why/how?

10. What is your favorite color? [Monty Python reference? ;-) ]

11. If you were able to publish one of your tales and go somewhere to showcase it (author tour, opening night for the movie, etc.), where would you go? Why?

Movie Review - "Alvin and The Chipmunks" 12/14/07

This is a movie review for "Alvin and the Chipmunks", released December 14, 2007.

Trailer:

Cast:

Jason Lee   ("My Name Is Earl" (TV Series, 2005-2009) Earl Hickey, "The Incredibles" (2004) Buddy Pine / Syndrome (voice))    -       Dave Seville
David Cross ("Kung Fu Panda" (2008) Crane (voice), "Men in Black" (1997) Morgue Attendant)   -      Ian
Cameron Richardson ("Open Water 2: Adrift" (2006) Michelle, "Rise: Blood Hunter" (2007) Collette / Frannie)  -      Claire
Justin Long ("He's Just Not That Into You" (2009) Alex, "Galaxy Quest" (1999) Brandon) -      Alvin (voice)
Matthew Gray Gubler ("Criminal Minds" (TV series, 2005-2016) Dr. Spencer Reid, "500 Days of Summer" (2009) Paul)    -     Simon (voice)
Jesse McCartney ("Kingdom Hearts" (Video Game series starting with "Kingdom Hearts II" in 2005, English version) Roxas, "Horton Hears a Who!" (2008) JoJo (voice))  -      Theodore (voice)

Plot:

Three chipmunks (Alvin, Simon, and Theodore) live somewhat cozy in the forest in their tree. When the tree is cut down and brought to the city in preparation for Christmas, the chipmunks are brought along. They come across a struggling songwriter named Dave Seville. They sneak into the basket of muffins that he stole from the record company and are brought to his house, where they make an absolute mess of everything. "My life is being sabotaged by talking chipmunks," he says to the next door girl Claire (that he had previously dated?).

Talking and singing chipmunks, though, are all the rage and will make the record company major bucks. The question for them now is "Should we go for fame or should we go for family?" Should the chipmunk kids push themselves past the limit of energy to get rich and famous, or should they listen to Dave's "parenting"?

Criteria:

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.

3.5/5 - I have to knock this rating down a bit because Dave didn't stand up for the chipmunks until the very end, though Ian (record company man) did pit him against the 'munks. Also, some of the music was so outrageously "pop" that I cringed listening to the chipmunks {that I grew up with} singing the stuff. Sure, Funky Town was good and partially was Witch Doctor but Witch Doctor was a bit pop-ish in the "gag me" kind of style.

It was good to hear the ol' "Christmas Song" by the Chipmunks. I remember that from my childhood. In fact, I listen to that song yearly around Christmas. Considering the movie came out near Christmas time in 2007, I think they did a good job at putting it in there.

However, to hear it botched in the pop style was TERRIBLE!! Like kill my childhood, please. *tries not to puke* See:

Not a bad kids' movie, if you can stand the pop culture references. Somewhat recommended.

Movie Review - "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" 07/31/15

This is a movie review for "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation", released July 31, 2015.

Trailer:

Cast:

Tom Cruise ("Mission Impossible" (1996) Ethan Hunt, "Top Gun" (1986) Maverick) -             Ethan Hunt
Jeremy Renner ("The Avengers" (2012) Clint Barton / Hawkeye, "American Hustle" (2013) Mayor Carmine Polito)   -     William Brandt
Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead" (2004) Shaun, "Paul" (2010) Graeme Willy)  -              Benji Dunn
Rebecca Ferguson ("Hercules" (2014) Ergenia, "A One-Way Trip to Antibes" (2011) Maria)  -   Ilsa Faust
Ving Rhames ("Mission Impossible" (1996) Luther Stickell, "Pulp Fiction" (1994) Marsellus Wallace) -          Luther Stickell

Plot:

Bad guys doing bad things and taking the IMF out of business (permanently). Ethan Hunt is "rogue" to fight against the bad guys and, after a scuffle with the bad guys in London and a scuffle in Vienna, Austria, finds his team to go after the bad guys. Oh, we have to go infiltrate this super high-tech place where you have to dive into an underwater computer system so that Benji's info will work to let him walk right into the high-tech place without having to have a mask. What's the info that they have to steal? That's for you to find out, if you survive the underwater computer system, Ethan.

Criteria:

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.

2/5 - This is pretty pathetic. Honestly, I disliked it so much that I summarized the plot above. That's what happened in the movie {*SPOILERS*}: Ethan interrogated, IMF is disolved into the CIA, the Austria head-honcho [President?] is murdered, they hack a super computer for information, Ethan chases a girl because she is cute and a former MI-5 agent of England, they have to kidnap the Prime Minister of England, and prove that IMF is a good thing. Oh, and *SPOILERS*: Ethan dies in the underwater computer system, is saved by Ilsa [the English gal], but he somehow manages to get up, get his rear in a car, go through a high speed chase, crash the car after getting shot at multiple times, jump on a motorcycle, crash the motorcycle after a high speed chase in the moutains, and still survive. Is he a TERMINATOR?! Geez!


Not even Renner, Pegg, and Rhames could save this one. Seriously.




I was excited to finish this movie because I thought it would be the last of the movies but now they say that there will be a Mission: Impossible VI movie coming out in the next two years. I am not pleased. The Mission: Impossible movies should have stayed with movies I and III. All of the other ones, in my opinion, need to be purged from the video file history.










CinemaSins:
(Spoilers! Duh.)

Movie Review - "When Marnie Was There" 07/19/14 JAP

This is a movie review for "When Marnie Was There", released July 19, 2014 in Japan. This is a Studio Ghibli movie.


I heard about this through researching for "Ringu" (1998). [My review of "Ringu" here.] The actress Nanako Matsushima played the main female character [Reiko Asakawa] in "Ringu" and also was the voice actress for the aunt on "When Marnie Was There", hence finding out about this movie. Since I thought that "Ponyo" was the last Studio Ghibli movie, I had to watch this.


I watched this movie with Japanese audio and English subtitles.





Trailer:
(Watch this with the closed captions for the English subtitles.)

Cast:
Sara Takatsuki ("Joker Game" (2012) Kana Ono, "Ishikawa Goemon" (TV Mini-Series, 2016))   -      Anna Sasaki (voice)
Kasumi Arimura ("I Am a Hero" 2015, "Flying Colours" (2015) Sayaka)  -      Marnie (voice)
Nanako Matsushima ("Shield of Straw" (2013) Atsuko Shiraiwa, "Ringu" (1998) Reiko Asakawa)   -    Yoriko Sasaki (voice)







Plot:
An adopted girl (named Anna) feels out of place at her school and at her home, especially after she finds out that her "aunt" is getting a subsidy for taking care of her. After a problematic episode of asthma, Anna goes to visit her "aunt"'s sister in the countryside. It has clear air so it should be better for her asthma.

While she is in the countryside, she finds a strange mansion on the other side of the bay across from the town. She also finds a strange girl living in the mansion. She falls in love with the girl but finds out that the girl isn't necessarily on the same level of existence as her. Who is this girl Marnie?







Criteria:
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.


5/5 - This is a wonderful movie. It has a lot of issues addressed, like what family really is (Anna's "aunt") and becoming more sure of one's self.

As a Studio Ghibli movie, I still think it is slightly below that of "Howl's Moving Castle" but I definitely rank this one higher than "Ponyo" and "Castle in the Sky". As an anime, I HIGHLY recommend this movie. If you are not one for animation nor for foreign films, this might not be according to your tastes. However, if you are okay with foreign films [and cultures and languages], I would say try this one out for the artistry that comes with Studio Ghibli movies. I would recommend watching it in Japanese with English subtitles, but that's just me.

Oh, and warning: TEAR-JERK ENDING!

6/08/16 Update on Dec 2011 Movies to Watch

Friday, December 16, 2011 Movies to Watch and Review

Corman's World's: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
Cook County
Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol
Carnage
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

Movie Review - "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" 12/18/15

This is a movie review for "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens", released December 18, 2015.

Trailer:

Cast:

Harrison Ford ("Star Wars" film franchise 1977/1980/1983 as Han Solo, "Indiana Jones" film franchise 1981/1984/1989/2008 as Indiana Jones) -     Han Solo

Mark Hamill ("Avatar: The Last Airbender" (TV Series, 2005-2008) Firelord Ozai (voice), "Star Wars" film franchise 1977/1980/1983 as Luke Skywalker) -       Luke Skywalker

Carrie Fisher ("Star Wars" film franchise 1977/1980/1983 as Princess Leia Organa, "The Blues Brothers" (1980) Mystery Woman)  -      Princess Leia

Adam Driver ("What If" (2013) Allan, "Frances Ha" (2012) Lev)  -        Kylo Ren

Daisy Ridley ("Scrawl" (2015) Hannah, "Lifesaver" (Short, 2013) Jo (Rescuer))  -       Rey

John Boyega ("Imperial Dreams" (2014) Bambi, "Attack the Block" (2011) Moses)   -          Finn

Plot:

MANY years after "Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi", the next generation is learning about the Force. Many have forgotten and, since the victory over Darth Vader, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker has gone into hiding. We do not know what happens between Episode VI and Episode VII right away (via the movie) and find out eventually through the unfolding of the plotline.

One Storm Trooper named Finn, not a clone of Jango Fett, turns against his orders and helps a anti dark-side pilot escape from under the new dark-side leader Kylo Ren. Of course, we don't really call it the "Empire" any more - it is the "New Order", built up from the ashes of the Empire.

Finn runs into a girl {Rey} who just so happened to find the droid that the pilot had and they run from being shot at. Boy meets nice girl; boy falls for girl; girl seems aloof and "lone wolf" but likes boy. They find a ship on the planet that she lived on and take it for a ride to get away from the bad guys. Guess what ship? The Millenium Falcon. And it gets trapped in a tractor beam and boarded by Han Solo and Chewbacca, of course! ["We're home, Chewie!"]

Blah-blah-blah, Rey is unknowingly adept with the Force and knowing what the ship can do (without training). Rey finds Luke's old lightsaber and gets images of Luke's past and his failure to train his nephew [*SPOILERS* Leia and Han had a son and Luke tried to train him; Leia/Han's son Ben (named for Obi-Wan "Ben" Kenobi) turned bad and became Kylo Ren].

Can Ben be saved and turned back to the good side? Can Rey get Luke back to train her in the ways of the Jedi? Can the Death Star, excuse me "Starkiller Base" {a death-star that was a planet that kills from a long shot}, survive the emotional spasmic outburts of Kylo Ren? Can they stop the Starkiller Base before it wipes out everyone?

Kylo Ren being angry:

Rey testing the Force ["And... I'll drop my weapon" *thunk*]:

Criteria:

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.

3/5 - 

*SPOILERS*
BAD:
- The reveal about what actually happened between Episode VI and VII was painstakingly slow.
- The death of Han Solo was obvious that it was going to happen when it did. It didn't hurt very much to see him die because it was TOO obvious.
- The fact that Rey just knew what the ship would do, the fact that Han Solo offered her a job, and the fact that she ended up flying with Chewbacca (after not that much interaction with him and yet he still wants her to fly with him?) really was f**ked up. Get your own ship, Rey! I don't care if you are a new "could be" Jedi!
- If Leia was a General in the anti First Order, then why is she still referred to as "Princess Leia" in the credits?
- Female Storm Trooper commander looks like Battlestar Galactica robot.
- Please explain how/when the Storm Troopers stopped being Jango Fett's clones?
- Rey had dreams of an island surrounded by water all around and Luke happens to be on one at the end of the movie? >.>
- Little to no back story on Rey.
- Kylo Ren was way too emotional for his age / his position.
- Kylo Ren's complex for his grandfather Darth Vader was BEYOND ridiculous. "Let's make a Death Star like what he had but make it super large and super-charged! Mwahahahahaha!!!!"
- Finn fighting Kylo Ren: Is Finn supposed to be just protecting Rey, or trying to take down the bad guy, or is he a "could be" Jedi and that's why he fought Kylo Ren?
- Special effects make a movie! That's what some think. The acting could have used a bit more and the special effects could have used a LOT less. Go back to the style of Episodes IV, V, and VI, please. Or explain why suddenly the technology is better again in the Star Wars 'verse. >.>



GOOD:
- Female Storm Trooper commander. ^.^ Awesome!
- Chewbacca and Han Solo's reaction to the Millenium Falcon!
- Finn going "Whoo!" on the Millenium Falcon after shooting down the baddies. Yes, that is what the Millenium Falcon does to you!
- They had the same actors as the original series, thank goodness! <3 to Ford, Fisher, and Hamill. I am glad they made it before those three could no longer be a part of it.
- Storm Troopers have better aim now. O.o Is it because they aren't a merc's clones?



As a fan of Star Wars, I was super excited to see this movie. However, it was more of a let down than Episodes I, II, and III. It was a glorified "hunt for Luke" movie, and that was practically it. Sure, a bit of bumps in the road on the way to Luke but still... Compared to Episodes I/II/III, this gets a lower recommendation. Blame it on Disney? I'm not sure... Will I see Episode VIII? Yes, but not necessarily in theater.







SPOILERS:
CinemaSins:

Movie Review - "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" 12/21/11

This is a movie review for "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol", released December 12, 2011.

I watched this on DVD [with subtitles yay!].

Trailer:

Cast:

Tom Cruise ("Mission Impossible" (1996) Ethan Hunt, "Top Gun" (1986) Maverick) -             Ethan Hunt
Paula Patton ("2 Guns" (2013) Deb, "Deja Vu" (2006) Claire Kuchever)  - Jane
Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead" (2004) Shaun, "Paul" (2010) Graeme Willy)  -   Benji
Jeremy Renner ("The Avengers" (2012) Clint Barton / Hawkeye, "American Hustle" (2013) Mayor Carmine Polito)   -     Brandt
Michael Nyqvist ("John Wick" (2014) Viggo Tarasov, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series franchise (2009) Mikael Blomkvist)    -    Hendricks

Plot:

A while after "Mission: Impossible III", Ethan Hunt is called for another impossible mission. A different team breaks him out of a prison in Moscow and he receives the mission to break into the Kremlin ["the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation" and a "fortress within a city" says Wikipedia] to get a file that contains very important information. While Ethan and his team are in the Kremlin, they hear another voice on their channel which throws them off and says that someone is waiting for Team Leader's command to detonate an explosion in the Kremlin. [Long story short: a bomb sequence goes off in the Kremlin and Ethan is captured. He escapes the hospital and the Russian military/intelligence to go get another mission to fix the f**ked up relation between USA and Russia.]

Oh, and to add interest into the movie, let's also throw in the possibility of nuclear war, a smoking hot woman out for revenge to avenge the death of her lover/coworker, exotic traveling, and the consequence that if they fail they will not only be disavowed (as all IMF are already disavowed due to the Ghost Protocol) but will be labeled terrorists. Can Ethan and his team save the world from nuclear war? Can they fix the relation between the USA and Russia? Can they survive the impossible mission?

Criteria:

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.

4/5 - Pulling all the stunts that the Mission: Impossible movies are known for, this is one of the best movies in the franchise since the Mission: Impossible (first movie) was released.

There are a few things that make me just shake my head and say "WTF were you thinking, Cruise?" like making Jane be a babbling idiot when she's trying to point out that Ethan is about to run into a herd of camels. Jane, use your words!

Another thing was the title opening because it made absolutely no sense when viewing it, until the end. The title opening is a summary of the whole movie. Want to watch a movie without watching it? Here you go...

The "fight the bad guy" scenes were better than those of II and III, but not by much. One unbelievable scene was that of Ethan chasing a baddie through a sandstorm. Like, seriously? Oh, and he flipped a car but both he and the baddie were able to get up and run away from it.

Another was the fight in the parking ramp. Yeah, let's just keep jumping for this briefcase that is falling from one level to another and being lifted up with a car. But then, the case falls to the bottom level and Ethan *SPOILERS* takes a car and drives it down into the shaft, smashing nose-first into the ground. He walks away from it, surprisingly, and ends the nuclear warhead from exploding in the USA via a button in the case RIGHT AS Benji knocks the sh*t out of a baddie and Jane plugs in the board into the circuitry to gain connection with the nuclear warhead. ...seriously, that's what happens.


I honestly was more interested in this movie because of Simon Pegg and Jeremy Renner's appearance in this movie. I just think Pegg is a wonderfully awesome actor and he did not disappoint, though they should have made him shut his trap when they were in the Kremlin (because he didn't randomly ramble later in the movie). Renner was also amazing in this movie and had a deeper character than any of the other IMF agents, as revealed closer to the end of the movie. I think that Pegg and Renner were honestly the redeeming qualities/elements of this movie, comparing to everything else in this movie.

Though not the best movie ever, I am pleased that I have this one on DVD. It was a very entertaining movie [I laughed a lot!] and I would recommend this for those action fanatics out there. ;-)

4/5




Spoilers:
CinemaSins:

Movie Review - "Ringu" 01/31/98 JAP

This is a movie review for the movie "Ringu", released January 31, 1998 in Japan.

This is a Japanese audio movie, with subtitles if you want to go with the original language. ;-) I watched in Japanese with English subtitles.





Trailer:

Cast:
Nanako Matsushima ("Shield of Straw" (2013) Atsuko Shiraiwa, "When Marnie Was There" (2014) Yoriko Sasaki (voice))  -   Reiko Asakawa
Rikiya Ôtaka ("The Sea Is Watching" (2002) Boy, "Kuroe" (2001) Jiro)   -     Yôichi Asakawa
Hiroyuki Sanada ("The Wolverine" (2013) Shingen, "47 Ronin" (2013) Ôishi)  - Ryûji Takayama
Rie Ino'o ("Inugami" (2001))     - Sadako Yamamura





Plot:
A rumor of a cursed VHS tape is floating around Japan. The viewers watch the creepy video, receive a phone call immediately after the tape is finished, and they are given seven days to live. At the end of seven days, they will die.

The movie starts off with two high school girls chilling out at one of their houses. The hostess' parents are at a baseball game and there will be extra innings so they will be late coming home, so says the mom over the phone. As the friend goes to the restroom, the hostess gets something to drink. The TV in the living room turns on, which freaks her out. She turns it off and it turns itself back on, completely frizzing her out. The movie cuts there and turns to the hostess' aunt (a reporter) interviewing some girls. Turns out that the aunt is wondering about this video because her niece died previouisly, due to the tape?

As the reporter Reiko Asakawa investigates into this situation, she watches the video and feels an urgency to solve it so that she doesn't die. Of course, she manages to wrap her ex, Ryûji Takayama, into the situation by asking him to come over and give her advice. He watches the video (on her second day of the seven left) and they search for the meaning of it. Their son, Yoichi Asakawa, accidentally views the video claiming his cousin told him to take it and watch it.

*SPOILERS* We learn that Ryuji has supernatural powers and sometimes can see into others' minds, if he touches them. When he touches a man related to a woman in question in their investigation, he learns that the man was present when the woman was questioned for ESP abilities. We also learn that she had a child and that the child was the cause of a sudden death (heart attack). If the child can cause someone to have a heart attack, would she be the one to kill those that watch the video? Why would this video be out there, as a warning or as a method to simply let the child live past her human life? Can Reiko, Ryuji and Yoichi survive the curse of the VHS and of the Ringu?








Criteria:
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.

4/5 - Based on a tale of the same nature, this is a very interesting movie. The plotline and the characters were all wonderful. There were no "loose strands" of plot in the movie. The suspense and the gritty-ness (low budget?) of the film were not lost as the film's style and helped to make the movie more creepy, in my opinion.

"The Ring" (2002) was either based on this movie, as a remake, or was based on the same story that "Ringu" was based on. It was probably just a remake because much of what happens in "Ringu" took place identically in "The Ring". In my opinion, I do believe that "Ringu" did a better job at explaining what happened. For example, Yoichi preparing his mother's clothes for her is explained by the fact that he is a respectable young Japanese boy and they are always supposed to be respectful of their elders (parents, etc.). In "Ringu", the phone doesn't ring after Ryuji and Yoichi watch the video because, according to Reiko, the cabin phone [above the well] would have rung instead; "The Ring", in comparison, had the phone ring but it didn't ring after the main male watched the video and it rang after the child watched the video ["Leave him alone!" screams Rachel into the phone when it rings after Aidan watches the phone]. There were no nightmares by the main female during the movie {"The Ring": pulling a cord out of her throat, water seeping from the phone, seeing the psych ward where the child was held and interrogated} and the one interaction with the past was explained by Ryuji's ability.

I won't go into more detail about the movie but I must say that, tit for tat, "Ringu" is a better portrayal of the story than "The Ring". The scene where they child's father was less special effects in "Ringu" (except coming out of the television, of course) than in "The Ring", which I think made it more scary and thrilling. "Ringu" also cut out a scene of boredom from "The Ring" where the mother shows the child how to copy a VHS tape; "Ringu" had her gather the equipment and head to see her child about recording it. As the camera pans out from her, audio goes into the interview that Reiko had with the high school girls talking about the "chain letter" effect of the tape; which was better than Rachel simply talking about it with her son as they recorded a copy.

Of the two ("Ringu" and "The Ring"), I recommend "Ringu" over "The Ring". "The Ring" is shameful in comparison. As a stand alone video, I rate "Ringu" a 4/5. In comparison with "The Ring", I rate "Ringu" as a higher recommendation than "The Ring".




Horror/supernatural fanatics: View "Ringu"! HIGHLY recommended!

Movie Review - Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" 04/01/83

This is a movie review for Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" movie, released April 1, 1983.

I watched this on a VHS tape.




Trailer:

Cast:
The Monty Python crew, as per usual. I won't go into it because they each played like twenty roles in this clippits-pasted-together movie. ;-)



Plot:
The Monty Python crew trying to figure out what is the meaning of life through many short skits/scenes. Birth, War, Sex, Death, etc. are all talked about in this movie.




Criteria:
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.

4/5 - As this is the second Monty Python video that I have seen (The Holy Grail) being the first, I found this to be interesting but not necessarily "cult" worthy. Have your own opinion! There were bits that were dreadfully dull and others that were side-splitting funny. My two favorite bits were "Every Sperm is Sacred" and the delivery room scene.

Not a bad movie. Good stand-alone movie. Not for everyone, but recommended.






Bonus song: "Every Sperm is Sacred" [NOT for everyone!]:

[Even my mister thought this was funny.]

Movie Review - "A Beautiful Mind" 01/04/02

This is a movie review for the movie "A Beautiful Mind", released January 4, 2002.

I watched this on VHS tape.





Trailer:

Cast:
Russell Crowe  ("Gladiator" (2000) Maximus, "Cinderella Man" (2005) Jim Braddock)     -   John Nash
Ed Harris     ("The Abyss" (1989) Virgil 'Bud' Brigman, "Apollo 13" (1995) Gene Kranz)  -    Parcher
Jennifer Connelly ("Requiem for a Dream" (2000) Marion Silver, "Hulk" (2003) Betty Ross)    -    Alicia Nash
Paul Bettany ("Iron Man" (2008) Jarvis (voice), "A Knight's Tale" (2001) Geoffrey Chaucer)   -   Charles







Plot:

A southern man goes to Princeton to prove that he is a wonderful and brilliant mathematician. He comes up with a theory which changes his whole field and tries to continue his life, being brilliant and trying to be social, but comes across a problem. (The trailer does injustice to the problem, so spoilers.) The problem is schizophrenia. How can he deal with being social when he doesn't know who is real or who isn't? How can the one thing that makes a man (his mind) backfire on him and how does he recapture his life and his mind to be sane?






Criteria:
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.


5/5 - Based on a TRUE story about the Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor Nash, this is an amazing story. There are so many things that you have to deal with in life and they don't necessarily have to be outside of yourself. There are physical illnesses and mental illnesses. Though physical illnesses can be quantitfied and mental ones cannot, that doesn't make mental illnesses less real. People need to face the true and realize that yes, schizophrenia and similar illnesses are out there and are real. Just because someone doesn't show physical signs of illness doesn't mean they aren't fighting it. Don't judge a person by their outward appearance because they could be a stronger person than you are for the depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and other stressors that they have had to fight to get to where they are.

This is a very good movie and I really suggest it, even if it were a regular movie not based on a real story. You should watch this, especially if you don't understand mental illnesses.

Send Help - What is that movie?

I have had a movie stuck in my mind of "need to re-watch" proportions. I don't know what year it was but I am sure that I watched it latest Spring 2009. It probably would have been in Spanish or English, though I watch other languages with subtitles.

The movie is about a group that lives together in an underground bunker and is filmed like Big Brother for a reality show. However, one of them flips his s**t and starts killing the others off.




What I know:

Released: (Latest) Spring 2009
Language: Most likely Spanish or English
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Psychological
Setting: Underground


ANY help will be awesome and appreciated because I want to re-watch this again! Thank you!!
~ Gracie