Beastly Movie Review

  By Rhea

Beastly is a modern version of Beauty and the Beast. I am not going to include a summary because there is a summary of Beastly the book in a previous review, and the plot is pretty much the same. I really like the book. However, I cannot say the same about the movie. Of course, the plot of the movie was good because it was based on the book. Yet there were many issues with the movie. First of all, the beast in the movie was nothing like the beast in the book. The beast in the book was a hairy, fanged, beast-thing. In the movie, it was just a guy with tattoos and scars. I have read the book so this annoyed me, but if one hasn’t read the book, this can be overlooked. Another issue I had with the movie is more of my person bias. The female lead is played by Vanessa Hudgens, and in my opinion she is not the best actress. Again, this is a biased viewpoint and can be ignored. The movie also moved kind of fast and left out some key points, but I guess this is true about most movies based on books. There were some other issues I had with the movie, but they are small and not a big deal. There were some funny moments in the movie which made the movie a little better. The acting by the tutor was funny, and the witch was pretty interesting too. It was an okay movie, not amazing but not that bad either. Plot-wise the movie was pretty good, but for those who have read the book, the movie may not seem as great. For those who haven’t read the book, Beastly is a good way to pass the time.

Source Code Movie REview

  By Rhea

In the movie Source Code, soldier Colter Stevens finds himself sitting on a train he doesn’t remember boarding in a place he doesn’t remember going, talking to a woman he has never met. After looking in a mirror he learns that he is not himself, but is in the body of another man. After trying to figure out what is going on, the train explodes and he finds himself in a dark chamber with a computer screen. The woman on the screen, Goodwin, informs Stevens that he is on a mission for the government in order to save many lives. As it turns out, Stevens is taking part in a government program in which he takes goes into the consciousness of a man in his final eight minutes before death using the source code in order to find out vital information. In this case, Stevens is sent to the last eight minutes of a man who died on a train that exploded because of a hidden bomb. It is up to Colter Stevens to keep going back until he can find out who the bomber is. If he can do this, he can save many people from the possible second bombing expected in downtown Chicago. If not, innumerable lives will be lost.

While I like most movies I see, there are very few movies that I truly love. However, I absolutely loved Source Code. The plot is great and surprising. The line “expect the unexpected” completely applies to this movie. It is also interesting to see how small actions greatly change the final outcome of the bombing every time Stevens goes into the consciousness of the man. All in all the plot is amazing. Many people said that the movie was not good because it was the same eight minutes repeated again and again. This is most definitely not true. While each eight minutes start the same, they all become drastically different, and are thus not the same eight minutes repeated. Also, the ending was very good. Without giving too much away, the ending had a nice surprise which was, at least for me, both happy and sad. The ending may seem slightly confusing so it is really important to pay close attention at that time. Source Code is a fantastic movie!

Soul Surfer Movie Review

  By Rhea

Soul Surfer is a movie based on the real life story of Bethany Hamilton.  Bethany was a great surfer; it was what she was meant to do.  She and her friend Alana had just gotten sponsors and she had a promising future as a professional surfer.  All her dreams came crashing down one fateful day.  While surfing with her friend Alana and her family, Bethany is attacked by a shark.  The shark manages to bite off one of Bethany’s arms before she gets out of the water.  She is quickly transported to the hospital and, even after losing one arm, holds onto life while she makes it through; her arm does not.  Along with her arm, she loses not only her career as a pro surfer, but also any chance of surfing.  How can Bethany possibly continue without surfing, the thing she loves most?

As said before, Soul Surfer is based on a real story which makes it all the more sad and inspiring.  It is really hard to believe that this could happen to someone and the entire story is inspiring, without giving anything away.  Sadly, there is very little action in this movie, but that doesn’t make it any worse.  The only thing is that this movie is slow at parts.  The effects in the movie are really good, and it truly looks like the actress playing Bethany doesn’t have an arm.  Over all it is a good movie and I would definitely recommend this to anyone!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rule Movie Review

  By Rhea

Rodrick Rules is a movie based on a popular book series.  Greg is no longer a newbie at his middle school.  He is finally in seventh grade, and he hopes to do great things.  There’s a new girl in school, Holly Hills, and Greg wants to ask her out.  Of course, his older brother Rodrick is out to get him, and that means making sure that Greg looks like a fool in front of Holly.  Rodrick and Greg have a horrible relationship and their parents want to fix that.  Their idea is to start giving out “Mom Bucks” every time the two boys hang out.  Of course, this doesn’t help in any way.  However, the boys do bond when their parents leave town for a few days.  Rodrick throws a party which Greg and his friend enjoy.  When their parents say they are coming home early, Rodrick and Greg have to work hard to make sure no one ever finds out about the party.  This makes the boys bond together, but how long can their peace last?  Troubles will Holly and troubles with Rodrick make it hard for Greg to survive middle school.

Rodrick Rules is a terrific movie.  The plot is okay, though slightly predictable.  However, the characters’ acting is great, especially Greg’s friends.  The entire cast is great at comedic acting which makes the movie much better.  There are a ton of funny comments and jokes that had me laughing the entire time.  I haven’t read the books so I don’t know how it compares, but looking at just the movie, it was very funny.  Even though the plot wasn’t that great, the jokes were which make this movie completely worth watching.  It’s a great movie!

Mars Needs Moms Movie Review

  By Rhea

In Mars Needs Moms, Milo is a little boy who does not like to listen to his mother.  He hates to do his chores, he hates taking out the trash, and he hates eating broccoli.  One day, after he feeds his broccoli to the cat, his mom tells him that he may not watch TV.  Milo gets mad and says that he wishes he didn’t have a mom.  At the same time on Mars, a new group of baby Martians is being born and the people of Mars need a mom from Earth to take her skills as a good parent so that they can raise the new children.  The Martians decide that Milo’s mom is perfect because she is able to make her son do what she wants.  Because of this, the night after Milo and his mother’s fight, the Martians come to take Milo’s mom away.  Milo tries to stop them and in the process is put onto the spaceship and taken to Mars.  Now not only does Milo need to get back down to Earth, but he also has to save his mom.  However, it isn’t that easy to get away from these Martians.

Mars Needs Moms is actually a nice movie.  I expected it to be a lame movie, and at first it seemed like the usual Disney movie.  However, it wasn’t that bad.  The storyline was much better than expected with the usual plot twists that make the movie good.  Also, the animation in the movie was good too.  The characters seemed very realistic, not only in their behavior but also with their facial expressions.  There were also some funny moments in the movie.  Much to my surprise, the movie was enjoyable.

Hoodwinked Too! Hood v.s Evil Movie Review

  By Rhea

In Hood vs. Evil, Red and the gang are back at it again.  The witch has kidnapped two innocent kids, Hansel and Gretel, and Granny, Wolf, and Twitch try to save them.  Though they try, not only do they fail, but Granny is also kidnapped.  Granny is kidnapped because the witch needs her to make a recipe stolen from the Sisters of the Hood, a group that both Granny and Red belong to.  This recipe will make the witch super powerful and smart, which makes it even more important that she be stopped.  The witch needs Granny to make the recipe because only Sisters of the Hood know the secret ingredient.  Granny pretends to help, but she is truly looking for escape.  At the same time, Red, Wolf, and Twitchy take on the job of trying to save Granny.  But with Red and Wolf fighting, it is difficult to get anything done.  Can they overcome their difference and save Granny and the world?

I really like Hood vs. Evil.  Many people probably think that this is a lame movie because it is an animated children’s movie.  This is not true.  Hood vs. Evil was a really funny movie.  Sometimes the jokes were stupid, but they were funny nonetheless.  The plot was okay, but slightly predictable, but the two little kids, Hansel and Gretel, were hilarious!  This is a great movie!

Gnomeo and Juliet Movie Review

  By Rhea

Gnomeo and Juliet is another spin of the original Romeo and Juliet. This time, rather than people, Gnomeo and Juliet are lawn gnomes. The two gnome families live next door to each other and have been competing for a long time. They are sworn enemies. Both gnome families have their own specific colors, which distinguishes them from each other. While Gnomeo is trying to get away from the Capulet gnomes after sabotaging their belongings, he meets Juliet. She is in disguise and trying to get take a special flower. The two fall in love even though they cannot because they are different colors. They try to meet together but it is difficult because they are not supposed to. How can their love possibly survive?

Gnomeo and Juliet was, in my opinion, not that great of a movie. I had to read Romeo and Juliet last year in English class, so I know how the actual story goes. Because of this, I did not enjoy the movie very much. The movie was much different from the book, but I expect that this is because it is supposed to be a children’s movie and thus not supposed to be as dark and sad. I must admit it was funny at parts, and in some aspects similar to the book. I did not like the movie because it differed too much from the book, but if one hasn’t read the book then they may like the movie because it is both funny and happy.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes Movie Review

  By Rhea

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is about a man named Dodge Landon who has created a drug that can make apes smarter.  Landon hopes to make a drug that will cure Alzheimer’s.  When he tries to use it on an ape in the lab for testing, it gets mad and almost bites of a man’s arm.  After this incident, Landon’s boss tells him he cannot experiment on apes anymore.  Later, Landon and his assistant find out that the ape was just being protective of her baby, who Landon now has the responsibility of keeping for a couple of days.  He soon gets attached to it and names it Caesar.  He tests the drug on Caesar and his brain function starts to improve, so Landon teaches him sign language.  Sadly, he learns that the drug does not work on humans, which was the original intent.  Still, it works on apes and makes them smarter.  However, this poses problems since because it makes the apes too smart and thus powerful, which may lead to undesirable consequences.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is an excellent movie.  First of all, the effects are amazing.  The apes look like actual apes, even though they are most obviously computer created.  This makes the movie so much more interesting and believable.  Also, the storyline is good.  It is very fast paced, and there is a ton of action.  The movie keeps one on the edge of his or her seat, even though it is not 3-D.  I really loved this movie, and it is a must-watch!

Movie Review: Adam

Movie Review: Adam

Reviewed by Olivia

Very few movies that are made now-a-days have the same charm and simplicity as the movies that were made back then. Now, if nothing is blowing up, the public just isn’t interested. Adam is a breath of fresh air. With a slightly recognizable plot to Forrest Gump, Adam focuses on the life of Adam Raki (Hugh Dancy), a man living with Asperger’s syndrome. We meet him just when he’s recovering from the sudden death of his father. The viewers will instantly notice Adam’s distaste for change as he refuses to change any aspect of his life. Yet one day he meets the beautiful Beth Buchwald (Rose Byrne), a modern day working girl who’s just moved into his apartment building.  And for the first time in his life, Adam falls in love. Yet will his social dysfunction ruin any chance he may have with a girl who very well might change his life? This touching and tear-jerking movie, with an Oscar-worthy performance by Dancy, is just one of the many factors that recommend this charismatic, charming, and unique film.

Taken

Movie Review: Taken

Reviewed by Olivia

There is only one word to describe Taken: Wow! This movie is unmercifully interesting every second from beginning to end. Nothing in this movie needs change or improvement. It just is, without question, the best movie of 2009. Taken centers around Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson), a CIA operative, who gets a terrifying phone call from his seventeen-year-old daughter who is visiting Paris with her friend. He is told that there are strange men in the apartment and they’ve just taken his daughter’s friend. Giving his daughter a series of instructions, he tells her he will find her once she is taken. And he does, and boy is it awesome. I am still in awe at just how awe-inspiring this movie is. I can continue to tell you how great the film is, though what would be better is for you to see it for yourselves as soon as possible!