I just came back from watching Rise of the Guardians, I thought it was a stupendous movie. If you can only see one movie this year, I'd definitely recommend this one.
The writing was very well-done, especially for a Dreamworks movie. As Dreamworks tend to use toilet humor and badly written characters, this movie had scenes that made me laugh out loud and marvel at how wonderfully written the characters are.
The plot was very interesting as well, a few parts during it, I was having a little difficulty catching up to the story. But those moments were far and between.
Also, the voice work in this was extremely well-done, you could tell that the actors were very into their characters. Alec Baldwin's performance as Santa was incredible, you could hardly tell that it was his voice.
The music, although a tad generic, was fantastic as well. There were a few problems that I had with the movie though.
Chris Pine's voice sounded too old for Jack Frost, he was still good, don't get me wrong. But as a character that's supposed to be the fun-loving and reckless, Chris Pine's voice just sounded off to me.
Then there's Jude Law's performance as Pitch, I didn't like his performance as much. I wasn't quite sure what kind of voice he was trying to go with, but it sounded like he was trying to do an evil voice, a little too hard.
But those are minor nitpicks, I thought that the movie was amazing and given that after the movie was finished, everyone in the audience applauded, I think it's unanimous on what people thought of the movie. This is one movie that I'm definitely going to pick up when it comes out on DVD. I give it five out of five stars.
10/29/12
GAME REVIEW: The Walking Dead - Episode 3 (M)
I’m going to try to not give away any spoilers, also some of the
stuff that happened in the game was because of the choices that I made
in the game. So it might not be exactly the same for someone else,
anyway, here’s the review.
Episode 3 isn’t as grim as the last part, but it is certainly depressing. You start off at the motel and you find out that someone has been stealing supplies and you go off to see if you can figure out who did it.
Soon, you find yourself in a firefight which caused me a bit of grief. The controls for shooting the gun was a bit difficult to get used to, you had to move the right stick to aim and then quickly move your thumb over to the A button to shoot.
Also, a little glitch happened when I was playing the game, when everyone sitting outside the RV, Katjaa was holding Duck but he disappeared so it just seemed like she wasn’t holding anything.
All in all though, I thought this episode was great, actually liking it more than the first episode. The relationships between the characters changed dramatically by the end of the episode, everything that you thought you knew about the characters has most likely changed by the time you finish.
I really enjoyed the game and can’t wait for the next episode, if you liked the past two episodes you probably have already picked this up, but if you haven’t yet I’d recommend that you do. There’s a lot more puzzles than before and some that were actually quite difficult, so if you like solving puzzles in point and click games, I’d recommend you give the game a try.
Episode 3 isn’t as grim as the last part, but it is certainly depressing. You start off at the motel and you find out that someone has been stealing supplies and you go off to see if you can figure out who did it.
Soon, you find yourself in a firefight which caused me a bit of grief. The controls for shooting the gun was a bit difficult to get used to, you had to move the right stick to aim and then quickly move your thumb over to the A button to shoot.
Also, a little glitch happened when I was playing the game, when everyone sitting outside the RV, Katjaa was holding Duck but he disappeared so it just seemed like she wasn’t holding anything.
All in all though, I thought this episode was great, actually liking it more than the first episode. The relationships between the characters changed dramatically by the end of the episode, everything that you thought you knew about the characters has most likely changed by the time you finish.
I really enjoyed the game and can’t wait for the next episode, if you liked the past two episodes you probably have already picked this up, but if you haven’t yet I’d recommend that you do. There’s a lot more puzzles than before and some that were actually quite difficult, so if you like solving puzzles in point and click games, I’d recommend you give the game a try.
GAME REVIEW: The Walking Dead - Episode 2 (M)
I’m going to try to not give away any spoilers, also some of the
stuff that happened in the game was because of the choices I made in the
game. So it’s not going to be exactly the same for someone else,
anyway, here’s the review.
Episode 2 was a little different than the first episode, while the first one had quite a lot of puzzles to do, this one was more emotional with more tough decisions to decide.
It starts three months later after the last game with the group almost completely out of food. They introduce a new character named Mark, unfortunately they don’t really introduce him, he just shows up there and you find out more about him as the game goes on.
When you get back to the motel, you have to decide who’s going to get the last four bits of food left. Believe it or not, this is probably the easiest decision you have to make in the game.
The game was really good, however there were a few things that annoyed me. There would be some bits where you have to push the ‘A’ button as fast as you can and I kept dying because I couldn’t push the button fast enough. Also, during the first part of the game, I’d hear the characters talking but the screen would freeze for a second and then keep going.
Telltale Games certainly knows how to make a story very interesting, although it didn’t really start until you’re half-way through the game. Once it starts though, I didn’t want to put the controller down. It was a lot darker than the first episode, but I still had a lot of fun with it.
Just like the last episode, I’d recommend it to anyone who loves point-and-click games. Just like the last one, it is very short, I finished it in about three hours. So if you want a long game, you might want to wait for the entirety of the game to be released. But I think it’s worth the 4 dollars for what’s in the game.
Episode 2 was a little different than the first episode, while the first one had quite a lot of puzzles to do, this one was more emotional with more tough decisions to decide.
It starts three months later after the last game with the group almost completely out of food. They introduce a new character named Mark, unfortunately they don’t really introduce him, he just shows up there and you find out more about him as the game goes on.
When you get back to the motel, you have to decide who’s going to get the last four bits of food left. Believe it or not, this is probably the easiest decision you have to make in the game.
The game was really good, however there were a few things that annoyed me. There would be some bits where you have to push the ‘A’ button as fast as you can and I kept dying because I couldn’t push the button fast enough. Also, during the first part of the game, I’d hear the characters talking but the screen would freeze for a second and then keep going.
Telltale Games certainly knows how to make a story very interesting, although it didn’t really start until you’re half-way through the game. Once it starts though, I didn’t want to put the controller down. It was a lot darker than the first episode, but I still had a lot of fun with it.
Just like the last episode, I’d recommend it to anyone who loves point-and-click games. Just like the last one, it is very short, I finished it in about three hours. So if you want a long game, you might want to wait for the entirety of the game to be released. But I think it’s worth the 4 dollars for what’s in the game.
GAME REVIEW: The Walking Dead - Episode 1 (M)
I’m going to try to not give away any spoilers, and some of the stuff
that happened in the game was because of some of the choices I made in
the game. So it’s not going to be exactly the same for someone else, but
anyway, here’s the review.
I just finished playing the game, and it was a lot of fun but it’s way too short. I know it’s only the first episode of a 5-episode game, but the length of the game still annoyed me.
One of the other annoyances of mine is that some of the puzzles were a little too easy to figure out, it might just be because I grew up with point-and-click adventure games but the puzzles just seemed really simple. There were a few difficult ones, but none that I’d call ‘hard’.
The one last annoyance was that there weren’t as many options as I would have liked, some parts of the game I wished I could have had another option to say but nevertheless, the options you’re given are usually fine.
The rest of the game though was a joy to play, that they allowed you only a few seconds to pick a choice bugged me the first few minutes, but as the game went on, I grew to appreciate it as not making so that players would over-think everything.
The characters felt like real people and most of them were a lot of fun to talk to, which you got to do quite a bit as it was more about the characters and how they reacted to the infection than about the zombies. Occasionally, the characters would do something stupid like not know that they have to put batteries into a radio to get it to work, but those moments happened very little.
So at the end, I definitely would recommend this game to anyone who likes a point-and-click adventure game or even someone who wants to try one for the first time. Although, if you were hoping that it was going to be a zombie-shooter game like Left 4 Dead, then you’re going to be disappointed.
I just finished playing the game, and it was a lot of fun but it’s way too short. I know it’s only the first episode of a 5-episode game, but the length of the game still annoyed me.
One of the other annoyances of mine is that some of the puzzles were a little too easy to figure out, it might just be because I grew up with point-and-click adventure games but the puzzles just seemed really simple. There were a few difficult ones, but none that I’d call ‘hard’.
The one last annoyance was that there weren’t as many options as I would have liked, some parts of the game I wished I could have had another option to say but nevertheless, the options you’re given are usually fine.
The rest of the game though was a joy to play, that they allowed you only a few seconds to pick a choice bugged me the first few minutes, but as the game went on, I grew to appreciate it as not making so that players would over-think everything.
The characters felt like real people and most of them were a lot of fun to talk to, which you got to do quite a bit as it was more about the characters and how they reacted to the infection than about the zombies. Occasionally, the characters would do something stupid like not know that they have to put batteries into a radio to get it to work, but those moments happened very little.
So at the end, I definitely would recommend this game to anyone who likes a point-and-click adventure game or even someone who wants to try one for the first time. Although, if you were hoping that it was going to be a zombie-shooter game like Left 4 Dead, then you’re going to be disappointed.
MOVIE REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man (PG-13)
So I just came back from seeing the Amazing Spider-Man movie, it
definitely lived up to it’s name. It was much more realistic than the
previous three movies, and had much better actors.
The acting was very well done, Andrew Garfield was great as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Emma Stone was perfect as Gwen Stacy. Although, Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors felt a little over the top, but it still was okay.
The writing was brilliant, it had me intrigued from beginning-to-end. It also had Spidey acting just like he is in the comics, even quipping while fighting. The writers took a page out the Dark Knight’s book, and made it so that the city didn’t automatically think Spidey was a hero, which helped make the movie a lot more realistic.
There were only two problems that I had with the movie, one was that the special effects for the Lizard didn’t look that great, and that the 3D was really not as good as I had hoped.
Also there’s a few scenes where go into first-person perspective (ala Mirror’s Edge), when I saw them in the trailer, I thought they would be really tacky. But now seeing them in the movie, it actually made the movie feel more realistic.
A lot of people have been saying that the Spider-Man costume looked awful, I actually thought it looked great and liked it more than the other costume. Also Andrew Garfield looked terrific in the costume, although that could be because I have a bit of a crush on him.
The final verdict? The movie was amazingly awesome, if you haven’t seen it yet, I definitely recommend seeing it.
The acting was very well done, Andrew Garfield was great as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Emma Stone was perfect as Gwen Stacy. Although, Rhys Ifans as Curt Connors felt a little over the top, but it still was okay.
The writing was brilliant, it had me intrigued from beginning-to-end. It also had Spidey acting just like he is in the comics, even quipping while fighting. The writers took a page out the Dark Knight’s book, and made it so that the city didn’t automatically think Spidey was a hero, which helped make the movie a lot more realistic.
There were only two problems that I had with the movie, one was that the special effects for the Lizard didn’t look that great, and that the 3D was really not as good as I had hoped.
Also there’s a few scenes where go into first-person perspective (ala Mirror’s Edge), when I saw them in the trailer, I thought they would be really tacky. But now seeing them in the movie, it actually made the movie feel more realistic.
A lot of people have been saying that the Spider-Man costume looked awful, I actually thought it looked great and liked it more than the other costume. Also Andrew Garfield looked terrific in the costume, although that could be because I have a bit of a crush on him.
The final verdict? The movie was amazingly awesome, if you haven’t seen it yet, I definitely recommend seeing it.
MOVIE REVIEW: The Dark Knight Rises (PG-13)
I just came back from watching The Dark Knight Rises, it was a
good movie; however it was not a good Batman movie. Also after the
realistic Begins and Knight, I was ready for yet another realistic
Batman film. I felt a little disappointed as I left the theater, it felt
as if someone had told Christopher Nolan that he was making a comic
book movie and he had decided to make it a bit more light-hearted than
the others.
Christian Bale was great as Batman as usual, but as Bruce Wayne, it seemed as if he was getting tired of the role. Angelina Jolie as Catwoman was wonderful, however they didn’t really use her character that well, and compared to the other Catwomen, she didn’t have the same pizaz as Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns.
Tom Hardy as Bane, on the other hand was not as good, I could hardly understand what he was saying. Part of it was because of the mask and part of it was because of the heavy Russian accent that he had. Then there’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, I know he’s a great actor but with some of the lines that he had to say felt very wooden.
The action was very well-done but there wasn’t really that much fighting till the last act, most of the time, Bane would just crush someone’s face or twist their head around 180 degrees. The final fight scene between Bane and Batman was awesome; however it felt like it ended way too soon.
Also, I have to mention the new armor/costume for Batman. It looked horrible compared to the other suits; the suit from The Dark Knight was all black and actually looked like an actually crime-fighting suit. This time, it is much lighter in color, looking very blue and the cowl looked like it was too small for Christian Bale’s face.
One of the things that I like about Nolan’s Batman movies was that the police were corrupt, however in this film, you were actually cheering on the police a few times. There was one scene where the police start chasing Batman and I was expecting more scenes like that in the movie, but it was only that one scene.
The reason I say that it’s a good movie but not a good Batman movie is because Batman’s hardly in it. Halfway through it, I almost forgot that it was a Batman film and not about Blake in a city taken over by terrorists. Also it felt like they were trying to wrap up too much stuff up and were no longer focused on the story.
My verdict? It was a good movie, but if you’re expecting another amazing movie like The Dark Knight, you’re probably going to be very disappointed. There were quite a lot of problems that I had with the movie, and left the movie with quite a few plot holes that will never get filled.
As much as I’d love to give it a higher score, I give it a 4/10.
Christian Bale was great as Batman as usual, but as Bruce Wayne, it seemed as if he was getting tired of the role. Angelina Jolie as Catwoman was wonderful, however they didn’t really use her character that well, and compared to the other Catwomen, she didn’t have the same pizaz as Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns.
Tom Hardy as Bane, on the other hand was not as good, I could hardly understand what he was saying. Part of it was because of the mask and part of it was because of the heavy Russian accent that he had. Then there’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, I know he’s a great actor but with some of the lines that he had to say felt very wooden.
The action was very well-done but there wasn’t really that much fighting till the last act, most of the time, Bane would just crush someone’s face or twist their head around 180 degrees. The final fight scene between Bane and Batman was awesome; however it felt like it ended way too soon.
Also, I have to mention the new armor/costume for Batman. It looked horrible compared to the other suits; the suit from The Dark Knight was all black and actually looked like an actually crime-fighting suit. This time, it is much lighter in color, looking very blue and the cowl looked like it was too small for Christian Bale’s face.
One of the things that I like about Nolan’s Batman movies was that the police were corrupt, however in this film, you were actually cheering on the police a few times. There was one scene where the police start chasing Batman and I was expecting more scenes like that in the movie, but it was only that one scene.
The reason I say that it’s a good movie but not a good Batman movie is because Batman’s hardly in it. Halfway through it, I almost forgot that it was a Batman film and not about Blake in a city taken over by terrorists. Also it felt like they were trying to wrap up too much stuff up and were no longer focused on the story.
My verdict? It was a good movie, but if you’re expecting another amazing movie like The Dark Knight, you’re probably going to be very disappointed. There were quite a lot of problems that I had with the movie, and left the movie with quite a few plot holes that will never get filled.
As much as I’d love to give it a higher score, I give it a 4/10.
SITE NEWS: Hiatus Explanation
I know I haven't posted a review about anything since my Avengers review, and for that I am terribly sorry. I loved writing reviews, but when I started writing the review for The Avengers, I felt something that I never felt before writing a review.
Not even half-way through the review, I became tired of writing it and it started to feel like it was a job. Since I'm not being paid for writing on here, it feeling like a job was not a good thing for me to feel. I started writing these reviews for something fun to do to pass the time, after they began getting tiring to write reviews, I started wondering whether I should shut down the site.
But then, I started writing some more reviews in a different format and started enjoying writing these again. So I'm not closing this down, but the new reviews that are coming out are not going to be written the same as my old ones.
Thanks for reading this and get ready for some reviews!
Not even half-way through the review, I became tired of writing it and it started to feel like it was a job. Since I'm not being paid for writing on here, it feeling like a job was not a good thing for me to feel. I started writing these reviews for something fun to do to pass the time, after they began getting tiring to write reviews, I started wondering whether I should shut down the site.
But then, I started writing some more reviews in a different format and started enjoying writing these again. So I'm not closing this down, but the new reviews that are coming out are not going to be written the same as my old ones.
Thanks for reading this and get ready for some reviews!
5/5/12
MOVIE REVIEW: The Avengers (PG-13)
STORY:
Loki is back and he's creating more havoc on Earth, forcing Nick Fury to create the Avengers to combat the threat.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The heroes are very heroic, risking their lives to protect the civilians of Earth. Tony Stark/Iron Man, the most selfish of the bunch never shies from putting his metal-clad self in danger. Black Widow tries to free Hawkeye from Loki's brainwashing and Thor trying to make his brother stop the warmongering.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Loki and Thor are both mentioned as gods throughout the movie, but as we learned from Thor, they not actually gods, they are just aliens from another dimension. At one point, Cap tells the Black Widow that "There's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Black Widow and other women are dressed in tight, sometimes low-cut clothing. After the Hulk turns back into Banner, we see him sitting in a debris field, naked. (We see him from the waist up).
VIOLENT CONTENT:
We see people get punched, kicked, thrown, bashed, smashed, clunked, clinked, pounded, kneed, stabbed, shot (with arrows, bullets and ray guns) and vaporized. When we're introduced to Black Widow, she's tied to a chair for the purpose of being interrogated by a Russian general and his goons. A man slaps her across the face, and the general walks toward a table filled with instruments of torture. He says she'll need to deliver a message to someone, then he picks up a pair of pliers and says, "You may have to write it down," suggesting he plans to pull out her tongue. Black Widow promptly turns the tables, beating up and knocking out the majority of her interrogators (mostly while still tied to her chair).
When the Black Widow is questioning Loki, he says that he'll make someone that the Black Widow loves to kill her "slowly, intimately, in every way you fear, then he'll wake up just long enough to see his good work. Then when he screams, I'll split his skull."
PROFANITY:
There are five or six uses each of "h‑‑‑" and "d‑‑n," and one or two each of "a‑‑," "p‑‑‑," "b‑‑ch" and "b‑‑tard."
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Tony offers Loki a drink before pouring himself a glass of whiskey. Tony asks Bruce if he stays under control with the help of "a huge bag of weed."
CONCLUSION:
It is an excellent movie, I'd recommend it to anyone who loves superhero movies. At times, it does get a little grim, but the humor stops it from becoming too grim. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
Loki is back and he's creating more havoc on Earth, forcing Nick Fury to create the Avengers to combat the threat.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The heroes are very heroic, risking their lives to protect the civilians of Earth. Tony Stark/Iron Man, the most selfish of the bunch never shies from putting his metal-clad self in danger. Black Widow tries to free Hawkeye from Loki's brainwashing and Thor trying to make his brother stop the warmongering.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Loki and Thor are both mentioned as gods throughout the movie, but as we learned from Thor, they not actually gods, they are just aliens from another dimension. At one point, Cap tells the Black Widow that "There's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that."
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Black Widow and other women are dressed in tight, sometimes low-cut clothing. After the Hulk turns back into Banner, we see him sitting in a debris field, naked. (We see him from the waist up).
VIOLENT CONTENT:
We see people get punched, kicked, thrown, bashed, smashed, clunked, clinked, pounded, kneed, stabbed, shot (with arrows, bullets and ray guns) and vaporized. When we're introduced to Black Widow, she's tied to a chair for the purpose of being interrogated by a Russian general and his goons. A man slaps her across the face, and the general walks toward a table filled with instruments of torture. He says she'll need to deliver a message to someone, then he picks up a pair of pliers and says, "You may have to write it down," suggesting he plans to pull out her tongue. Black Widow promptly turns the tables, beating up and knocking out the majority of her interrogators (mostly while still tied to her chair).
When the Black Widow is questioning Loki, he says that he'll make someone that the Black Widow loves to kill her "slowly, intimately, in every way you fear, then he'll wake up just long enough to see his good work. Then when he screams, I'll split his skull."
PROFANITY:
There are five or six uses each of "h‑‑‑" and "d‑‑n," and one or two each of "a‑‑," "p‑‑‑," "b‑‑ch" and "b‑‑tard."
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Tony offers Loki a drink before pouring himself a glass of whiskey. Tony asks Bruce if he stays under control with the help of "a huge bag of weed."
CONCLUSION:
It is an excellent movie, I'd recommend it to anyone who loves superhero movies. At times, it does get a little grim, but the humor stops it from becoming too grim. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
4/14/12
MOVIE REVIEW: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (NR)
STORY:
Dr. Horrible is an aspiring villain trying to get into the Evil League of Evil (ELE) and tries to beat his nemesis Captain Hammer, while trying to get up the nerve to ask out Penny; a woman who washes her clothes at the same laundromat as him.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Horrible does not want to kill anyone, although it's because he thinks it isn't very creative. Both Penny and Billy (Horrible's alter-ego) try to give each other good advice. (SPOILER) At the end, Horrible realizes that being a villain isn't all he thought it was.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
None
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Captain Hammer says that his name isn't because of his fists, it's because of his penis. Later he says that he and Penny had sex, but we don't see it.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
We see Hammer and Horrible fight, but it's shown in a cartoonish way. Hammer slams Horrible's head on the hood of a car several times while he talks to Penny. Horrible mentions that Hammer dislocated his shoulder last week and that he recently threw a car at his head.
PROFANITY:
Horrible says 'balls' once as a expletive, and he says 'damn' twice.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
One of the characters; Moist says that all he can do is make people want to have a shower. Hammer is shown to be a jerk and insults the homeless at one point.
CONCLUSION:
I really enjoyed the movie, it doesn't take it seriously at all. I wish it wasn't only 45 minutes long, I feel like they could have made it a lot longer and the ending was very depressing. Nonetheless, it was a great movie filled with quite a lot of stars, I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
Dr. Horrible is an aspiring villain trying to get into the Evil League of Evil (ELE) and tries to beat his nemesis Captain Hammer, while trying to get up the nerve to ask out Penny; a woman who washes her clothes at the same laundromat as him.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Horrible does not want to kill anyone, although it's because he thinks it isn't very creative. Both Penny and Billy (Horrible's alter-ego) try to give each other good advice. (SPOILER) At the end, Horrible realizes that being a villain isn't all he thought it was.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
None
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Captain Hammer says that his name isn't because of his fists, it's because of his penis. Later he says that he and Penny had sex, but we don't see it.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
We see Hammer and Horrible fight, but it's shown in a cartoonish way. Hammer slams Horrible's head on the hood of a car several times while he talks to Penny. Horrible mentions that Hammer dislocated his shoulder last week and that he recently threw a car at his head.
PROFANITY:
Horrible says 'balls' once as a expletive, and he says 'damn' twice.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
One of the characters; Moist says that all he can do is make people want to have a shower. Hammer is shown to be a jerk and insults the homeless at one point.
CONCLUSION:
I really enjoyed the movie, it doesn't take it seriously at all. I wish it wasn't only 45 minutes long, I feel like they could have made it a lot longer and the ending was very depressing. Nonetheless, it was a great movie filled with quite a lot of stars, I give it 5 out of 5 stars.
2/2/12
GAME REVIEW: don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story (NR)
Warning: This review has some spoilers about the game, so if you want you can get the game here for free.
STORY:
You play as a teacher named Rook who has just started working at a high school in 2027, but as Rook go along he ends up dealing with teenage drama more than anything school-related.
GAMEPLAY:
It doesn't really have any gameplay, most of the time is spent reading the text that the characters say and occasionally picking your answers.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Charlotte tries to get people to treat Taylor nicer after Taylor apologizes for her bullying, and most of the school is very accepting of the gay couples in the game.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Akira mentions and explains what a shinigami is, which is kind of the Japanese Grim Reaper.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
There are about two mentions of blowjobs, and some of the times when Rook is with Arianna (his girlfriend) the wording gets a little... descriptive. And there is a story that you're told about Akira's mother seeing Nolan naked and tells Akira; 'Omedetou' which means 'Congratulations'. There's also a picture of you and your girlfriend kissing.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
On the AmieChat (the game's version of Facebook), Isabella posts "Goodbye World" and then vanishes until she shows up at the end of the story and explains that she just "committed suicide socially". Taylor (who's the bully) threatens Akira about staying away from her boyfriend.
PROFANITY:
There are about 35 uses of f***, about 8 uses of sh**, about 7 uses of b**** and about 15 uses of the slur f**, but usually it's used in a loving way.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Rook's girlfriend in the game is 17 years old, meanwhile Rook is 40 or so.
CONCLUSION:
If you can get past the profanity in the game, I'd recommend. It's a really fun game, if short as you can be finished in about 2-3 hours. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
STORY:
You play as a teacher named Rook who has just started working at a high school in 2027, but as Rook go along he ends up dealing with teenage drama more than anything school-related.
GAMEPLAY:
It doesn't really have any gameplay, most of the time is spent reading the text that the characters say and occasionally picking your answers.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Charlotte tries to get people to treat Taylor nicer after Taylor apologizes for her bullying, and most of the school is very accepting of the gay couples in the game.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Akira mentions and explains what a shinigami is, which is kind of the Japanese Grim Reaper.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
There are about two mentions of blowjobs, and some of the times when Rook is with Arianna (his girlfriend) the wording gets a little... descriptive. And there is a story that you're told about Akira's mother seeing Nolan naked and tells Akira; 'Omedetou' which means 'Congratulations'. There's also a picture of you and your girlfriend kissing.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
On the AmieChat (the game's version of Facebook), Isabella posts "Goodbye World" and then vanishes until she shows up at the end of the story and explains that she just "committed suicide socially". Taylor (who's the bully) threatens Akira about staying away from her boyfriend.
PROFANITY:
There are about 35 uses of f***, about 8 uses of sh**, about 7 uses of b**** and about 15 uses of the slur f**, but usually it's used in a loving way.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Rook's girlfriend in the game is 17 years old, meanwhile Rook is 40 or so.
CONCLUSION:
If you can get past the profanity in the game, I'd recommend. It's a really fun game, if short as you can be finished in about 2-3 hours. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
11/29/11
MOVIE REVIEW: A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) (R)
(CONTAINS SPOILERS)
WARNING: CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGERY, VIOLENCE AND PROFANITY.
STORY:
A group of teenager have a sleep-over at their friend Tina while trying to calm her down after her nightmares, but what they don't know is that the monster from their nightmares are following them.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Even though she's terrified of Freddy, Nancy tries to fight Freddy and stop him from killing people from inside their dreams. And the teens go on the trip to the cabin, to try to calm each other after all of them have pretty much the same nightmare.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
nothing
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Nancy is having a bubble bath, covered up with bubbles so you can't see anything, but Freddy's hand comes up between her legs and pulls her down into the drain. And after Freddy kills Nancy's boyfriend, he calls her and says; "I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy!" and his tongue pops out of the receiver and she throws the phone on the ground and stomps on it. During the trip, Tina and her boyfriend Rod sleep together, and you can hear moaning coming from the room over, but you don't see anything.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
After Tina and Rod finish sleeping together, they're lying together when scratches start happening on Tina's body as she is dragged across the wall and ceiling. In one of her dreams, Nancy sees a figure wrapping Rod's jail cell bedsheets around his neck. And they rush over to stop the figure, but when they finally get there; they're too late and find Rod hung. Nancy has another dream where Freddy slashes her arm, and she wakes up with slashes on her arm bleeding.
We find out that Freddy was originally a child murderer, until Nancy's mother and a group of other parents go and set him on fire. Glen is lying on his bed when his Freddy pulls him down into his bed and launches him out as a gory mass of blood. A dead girl drenched in her own gore and wrapped in a clear plastic body bag shows up in Nancy's dreams. Nancy sets Freddy on fire, but then witness him Krueger smothering Nancy's mother with his flaming body, and disappearing to leave her corpse to sink into the bed.
PROFANITY:
There's about 5-6 uses of f--k, a half-dozen uses of s--t, as well as "b‑‑-h" and "b‑‑---d.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Nancy's mother is shown as always smoking cigarettes, and at one point drinking so much that she turns up as drunk. Nancy and her boyfriend have a sleep-over at Tina's without asking for their parent's permission.
CONCLUSION:
This is a very dark movie with loads of stabbings, gore and creepy things going on. But if you love classic horror movies, then you will definitely enjoy this movie. I give it a 2 out of 5 stars.
WARNING: CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGERY, VIOLENCE AND PROFANITY.
STORY:
A group of teenager have a sleep-over at their friend Tina while trying to calm her down after her nightmares, but what they don't know is that the monster from their nightmares are following them.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Even though she's terrified of Freddy, Nancy tries to fight Freddy and stop him from killing people from inside their dreams. And the teens go on the trip to the cabin, to try to calm each other after all of them have pretty much the same nightmare.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
nothing
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Nancy is having a bubble bath, covered up with bubbles so you can't see anything, but Freddy's hand comes up between her legs and pulls her down into the drain. And after Freddy kills Nancy's boyfriend, he calls her and says; "I'm your boyfriend now, Nancy!" and his tongue pops out of the receiver and she throws the phone on the ground and stomps on it. During the trip, Tina and her boyfriend Rod sleep together, and you can hear moaning coming from the room over, but you don't see anything.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
After Tina and Rod finish sleeping together, they're lying together when scratches start happening on Tina's body as she is dragged across the wall and ceiling. In one of her dreams, Nancy sees a figure wrapping Rod's jail cell bedsheets around his neck. And they rush over to stop the figure, but when they finally get there; they're too late and find Rod hung. Nancy has another dream where Freddy slashes her arm, and she wakes up with slashes on her arm bleeding.
We find out that Freddy was originally a child murderer, until Nancy's mother and a group of other parents go and set him on fire. Glen is lying on his bed when his Freddy pulls him down into his bed and launches him out as a gory mass of blood. A dead girl drenched in her own gore and wrapped in a clear plastic body bag shows up in Nancy's dreams. Nancy sets Freddy on fire, but then witness him Krueger smothering Nancy's mother with his flaming body, and disappearing to leave her corpse to sink into the bed.
PROFANITY:
There's about 5-6 uses of f--k, a half-dozen uses of s--t, as well as "b‑‑-h" and "b‑‑---d.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Nancy's mother is shown as always smoking cigarettes, and at one point drinking so much that she turns up as drunk. Nancy and her boyfriend have a sleep-over at Tina's without asking for their parent's permission.
CONCLUSION:
This is a very dark movie with loads of stabbings, gore and creepy things going on. But if you love classic horror movies, then you will definitely enjoy this movie. I give it a 2 out of 5 stars.
11/28/11
MOVIE REVIEW: The Muppets (PG)
STORY:
The biggest Muppet fan; Walter, his brother Gary and his girlfriend Mary, go the Muppet Studios and they find out about a diabolical plan. And they convince Kermit decides to get the gang together for one more show.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
With the old Muppet Studios in danger, Kermit (encouraged by Walter) decides to try to get the gang back together for one last show—a telethon to raise the money to save the place. But all the other Muppets are all over the world, but since they're a big family and they care about each other. In the end, we're told it doesn't really matter that much whether the old building survives: It's about the people—or rather, the Muppets—and the fact that the crisis brought them back together.
And both brothers, Walter and Gary care deeply about the other, and they've been practically inseparable since birth. Clearly; though, Gary can't be with Walter forever, and both realize that have their own lives to live.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
When Walter first sets eyes on Kermit, the diminutive frog is bathed in a halo-like light bolstered by what sounds like an angelic chorus. Turns out though, the "angels" are merely a busload of choir members practicing.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Miss Piggy (of course) gives a shower of kisses to Kermit, and when she sees him for the first time in a while, she flings herself on top of him and both crash on the floor. And there a couple of dancers that show up a few times; with pretty short dresses on.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
There is quite a bit of slapstick in the movie, but none of it is up there with the wackiness from The Muppet Show.
Walter pleads with Gary to throw him over a fence, Gary finally agrees and folds Walter's legs up to make him more aerodynamic. (The folds are accompanied by breaking sounds.) He then hurls him straight into the electrified fence, leaving poor Walter to spark for several moments before falling to the ground a little charred.
One of the Muppets start a huge fight during a self-control class. A celebrity has his head shrunk. A large bear is slightly injured several times in a fencing match. A car runs into an electrical pole. Kermit gets slammed into a door. A head hits a desk. A face hits a TV. Muppets fall down. A man falls off a building (but survives, apparently unhurt) and is smacked in the gut with a bowling ball. Piggy lays down a karate chop on a rival. Gonzo literally blows up his toilet business. A refrigerator full of moldy (talking) food is destroyed.
PROFANITY:
One Muppet (a bad version of Fozzy) says; "What the wocka?!" A group of chickens sing Cee Lo Green's F**k You, but it's sung ingibberish chickenese, so you can't understand it. We hear a use of both "heck" and "butt" as well as a couple misuses of god's name.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
The Muppets kidnap a celebrity, and at one point Fozzie wears "fart shoes". Characters are invited to sit on toilets during one of Gonzo's business meetings. The Muppets knock on a celebritie's door, and he yells; "I don't have my balls on!" The balls on his motion capture suit that is.
CONCLUSION:
I'm a little biased to review this movie; since I grew up with The Muppet Show. But if you can look past the more odd moments in the film; and if you love the old Muppet movies, you will definitely enjoy this movie. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
The biggest Muppet fan; Walter, his brother Gary and his girlfriend Mary, go the Muppet Studios and they find out about a diabolical plan. And they convince Kermit decides to get the gang together for one more show.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
With the old Muppet Studios in danger, Kermit (encouraged by Walter) decides to try to get the gang back together for one last show—a telethon to raise the money to save the place. But all the other Muppets are all over the world, but since they're a big family and they care about each other. In the end, we're told it doesn't really matter that much whether the old building survives: It's about the people—or rather, the Muppets—and the fact that the crisis brought them back together.
And both brothers, Walter and Gary care deeply about the other, and they've been practically inseparable since birth. Clearly; though, Gary can't be with Walter forever, and both realize that have their own lives to live.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
When Walter first sets eyes on Kermit, the diminutive frog is bathed in a halo-like light bolstered by what sounds like an angelic chorus. Turns out though, the "angels" are merely a busload of choir members practicing.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Miss Piggy (of course) gives a shower of kisses to Kermit, and when she sees him for the first time in a while, she flings herself on top of him and both crash on the floor. And there a couple of dancers that show up a few times; with pretty short dresses on.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
There is quite a bit of slapstick in the movie, but none of it is up there with the wackiness from The Muppet Show.
Walter pleads with Gary to throw him over a fence, Gary finally agrees and folds Walter's legs up to make him more aerodynamic. (The folds are accompanied by breaking sounds.) He then hurls him straight into the electrified fence, leaving poor Walter to spark for several moments before falling to the ground a little charred.
One of the Muppets start a huge fight during a self-control class. A celebrity has his head shrunk. A large bear is slightly injured several times in a fencing match. A car runs into an electrical pole. Kermit gets slammed into a door. A head hits a desk. A face hits a TV. Muppets fall down. A man falls off a building (but survives, apparently unhurt) and is smacked in the gut with a bowling ball. Piggy lays down a karate chop on a rival. Gonzo literally blows up his toilet business. A refrigerator full of moldy (talking) food is destroyed.
PROFANITY:
One Muppet (a bad version of Fozzy) says; "What the wocka?!" A group of chickens sing Cee Lo Green's F**k You, but it's sung in
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
The Muppets kidnap a celebrity, and at one point Fozzie wears "fart shoes". Characters are invited to sit on toilets during one of Gonzo's business meetings. The Muppets knock on a celebritie's door, and he yells; "I don't have my balls on!" The balls on his motion capture suit that is.
CONCLUSION:
I'm a little biased to review this movie; since I grew up with The Muppet Show. But if you can look past the more odd moments in the film; and if you love the old Muppet movies, you will definitely enjoy this movie. I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
9/24/11
MOVIE REVIEW: Captain America: The First Avenger (14A)
STORY:
Steve Rogers is just a normal-sized man, but he wants to fight in the war that's going on (WWII) but's too thin to be a soldier. That is until he meets a doctor who has a machine that turns him into a huge body-builder, who becomes known as Captain America.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
It's shown that Steve Rogers had a lot of bravery even before he was pumped up, he stands up to bullies and later jumps on what he thinks is a live grenade. The guy who created the machine; Erskine tells him. "And knows compassion." And before the procedure begins, Erskine makes Steve promise one thing: "That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man." Steve does just that, striving to be a "good man" through the entire course of this movie—capping his efforts with an act of heroic sacrifice.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Schmidt is in possession of an energy cube of awesome power—one supposedly the stuff of Teutonic myth. We hear several times that the cube is a power that comes from "the gods." Those who saw Thor earlier this year know that the cube comes from Thor's home planet of Asgard, and that he and his kin actually aren't gods, they were just perceived to be such by ancient humans. But that doesn't wholly mitigate the references we hear here.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
USO girls wear skimpy sequined outfits and dance in short skirts. Other women sport blouses that accentuate their breasts. After Steve undergoes his transformation, he walks out of the contraption shirtless—obviously impressing Peggy.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Schmidt guns down a civilian, spattering bright-red blood. We also see a small exit wound in the man's back. Another unfortunate ends his screen time in the blades of a propeller. (There's a brief blood spray visible.) Folks fall from great heights, and one man is sucked into a weird energy vortex. Another is crushed by part of a building, and we see a bit of blood on his head. People are zapped from a giant energy gun and disintegrates right there.
PROFANITY:
Hell shows up several times, as well as ass, jeez, b--ch, damn, and a Brit interjects 'bloody'. We don't see it, but it's implied that one of the soldiers makes an obscene gesture, aiming it at Cap.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
In trying to get into the army, Steve falsifies his records. He later leaves base against orders (but does so in order to rescue 400 men from certain death, and when he comes back he gives himself up for disciplinary action). Schmidt shows disregard for the prisoners he's forcing to build weapons. "Use up what strength they have, doctor," he says. "There are always more workers."
CONCLUSION:
Since it is a superhero movie and also a war movie, there is a lot of fighting going on, and quite a few profanities, so I give it a 2 out of 5.
Steve Rogers is just a normal-sized man, but he wants to fight in the war that's going on (WWII) but's too thin to be a soldier. That is until he meets a doctor who has a machine that turns him into a huge body-builder, who becomes known as Captain America.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
It's shown that Steve Rogers had a lot of bravery even before he was pumped up, he stands up to bullies and later jumps on what he thinks is a live grenade. The guy who created the machine; Erskine tells him. "And knows compassion." And before the procedure begins, Erskine makes Steve promise one thing: "That you will stay who you are. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man." Steve does just that, striving to be a "good man" through the entire course of this movie—capping his efforts with an act of heroic sacrifice.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Schmidt is in possession of an energy cube of awesome power—one supposedly the stuff of Teutonic myth. We hear several times that the cube is a power that comes from "the gods." Those who saw Thor earlier this year know that the cube comes from Thor's home planet of Asgard, and that he and his kin actually aren't gods, they were just perceived to be such by ancient humans. But that doesn't wholly mitigate the references we hear here.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
USO girls wear skimpy sequined outfits and dance in short skirts. Other women sport blouses that accentuate their breasts. After Steve undergoes his transformation, he walks out of the contraption shirtless—obviously impressing Peggy.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Schmidt guns down a civilian, spattering bright-red blood. We also see a small exit wound in the man's back. Another unfortunate ends his screen time in the blades of a propeller. (There's a brief blood spray visible.) Folks fall from great heights, and one man is sucked into a weird energy vortex. Another is crushed by part of a building, and we see a bit of blood on his head. People are zapped from a giant energy gun and disintegrates right there.
PROFANITY:
Hell shows up several times, as well as ass, jeez, b--ch, damn, and a Brit interjects 'bloody'. We don't see it, but it's implied that one of the soldiers makes an obscene gesture, aiming it at Cap.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
In trying to get into the army, Steve falsifies his records. He later leaves base against orders (but does so in order to rescue 400 men from certain death, and when he comes back he gives himself up for disciplinary action). Schmidt shows disregard for the prisoners he's forcing to build weapons. "Use up what strength they have, doctor," he says. "There are always more workers."
CONCLUSION:
Since it is a superhero movie and also a war movie, there is a lot of fighting going on, and quite a few profanities, so I give it a 2 out of 5.
8/20/11
GAME REVIEW: LEGO Island (E)
STORY:
The Infomaniac and the Brickster are created, and then the Infomaniac creates the island, the Brickster gets mad and tries to destroy the island and gets put in the jail. And he stays there at least until Pepper comes along.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
After he accidentally lets the Brickster out of jail, Pepper bravely tries to get him back in. And even though it's not their job, the characters still go around and help the other minifigs.
GAMEPLAY:
There are some missions that you can do, like; racing your car or skiboat, deliver pizzas, and so forth. But before you can do any of the quests, you have to build the vehicles. But when you let the Brickster out, you have to look around for the bricks for helicopter, then you have to fly around in the helicopter (after you build it again.)
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
The Infomaniac and the Brickster are created and sent to the island, but it's never mentioned who or what created them.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
nothing
VIOLENT CONTENT:
If you run into another character, they will smash into pieces but then they put themselves together again. The Brickster also blows up some of the buildings, once he gets out of jail.
PROFANITY:
nothing
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Every character has something they can't do like; Nick can't smell, Pepper can't read that well, and every time they talk to the Brickster he makes fun of them.
CONCLUSION:
This is a very fun game to play, but if you are looking for a game with a great story this is not the game you are looking for. This is one of the cleanest games I've ever played, I give this a 5 out of 5 stars.
The Infomaniac and the Brickster are created, and then the Infomaniac creates the island, the Brickster gets mad and tries to destroy the island and gets put in the jail. And he stays there at least until Pepper comes along.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
After he accidentally lets the Brickster out of jail, Pepper bravely tries to get him back in. And even though it's not their job, the characters still go around and help the other minifigs.
GAMEPLAY:
There are some missions that you can do, like; racing your car or skiboat, deliver pizzas, and so forth. But before you can do any of the quests, you have to build the vehicles. But when you let the Brickster out, you have to look around for the bricks for helicopter, then you have to fly around in the helicopter (after you build it again.)
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
The Infomaniac and the Brickster are created and sent to the island, but it's never mentioned who or what created them.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
nothing
VIOLENT CONTENT:
If you run into another character, they will smash into pieces but then they put themselves together again. The Brickster also blows up some of the buildings, once he gets out of jail.
PROFANITY:
nothing
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
Every character has something they can't do like; Nick can't smell, Pepper can't read that well, and every time they talk to the Brickster he makes fun of them.
CONCLUSION:
This is a very fun game to play, but if you are looking for a game with a great story this is not the game you are looking for. This is one of the cleanest games I've ever played, I give this a 5 out of 5 stars.
7/19/11
MOVIE REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (PG-13)
STORY:
As Voldemort's grip tightens on the magical world, the end is upon everyone Harry holds dear should he fail in his quest to vanquish his adversary. It's a last-ditch race against time as Harry, Ron, Hermione and assorted allies seek to unravel the few final mysteries that might tip the balance in Harry's favor in a final showdown.
[Spoilers are in the following sections]
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Everyone who sides with Harry, risks everything to confront the evil Voldemort. And they do so with full knowledge of the possible repercussions. Repeatedly the Dark Lord speaks in a horrific whisper that everyone can hear, tempting them to abandon Harry … and the dire fate awaiting them if they don't. Yet no one defects (except the Slytherins, of course.).
Harry learns about Severus' past and discovers that Snape had been acting as a deeply planted double agent striving to protect him. During this, Harry finds out that he must let Voldemort kill him, for the Dark Lord to die, and he goes off to sacrifice himself for the sake of the whole wizarding world.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Magic is still used during the movie, but the magic is used for warfare purposes. When Harry opens the snitch, just before he dies he sees the spirits of his parents and his godfather. And when Harry dies, he finds himself in a place called "Limbo" that people end up in before getting sent to the afterlife. He meets Dumbledore there, who tells him that he could 'hop on a train', Harry later asks where that train would take him, Dumbledore responds, "On". Dumbledore implies that the afterlife is a good place for those who have chosen to love, saying, "Do not pity the dead, pity the living and all those who live without love."
SEXUAL CONTENT:
One of Hermione's outfits, especially once wet reveals quite a bit of cleavage. She and Ron kiss passionately. Harry and Ginny steal a quick kiss during the battle.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
The Battle of Hogwarts is a no-holds-barred battle between Voldemort and his Death Eaters against the students and professors of Hogwarts. The battle for Hogwarts begins with magic — both offensively and defensively. Those within create a shield around the school that keeps arrow-like spells from the Dark Lord's forces at bay — temporarily. Several ground troops unwisely try to penetrate the shield - and get incinerated.
Using the Elder Wand, Voldemort overwhelms the shield. Soon, the school's defenders are overrun by his bloodthirsty forces. A bridge full of Voldemort's minions explode, meanwhile the Death Eaters are destroying the castle, and a werewolf can be briefly seen feeding on a dead student. A flaming body hurtles past our view. Upon death, some of Voldemort's soldiers (Bellatrix Lestrange among them) explode. We hear Nagini repeatedly pummel Snape.
When each Horcrux is destroyed, Voldemort feels pain. Not enough, however, to stop him from killing Harry with his wand. Finally, after the last remaining Horcrux, gets destroyed, Voldemort withers into tiny bits of ash floating in the wind.
PROFANITY:
Mrs. Weasley steps between Bellatrix and her daughter, Ginny, spitting fiercely, "Not my daughter, you b‑‑ch." We hear the British vulgarity "bloody" four or five times, twice paired with "hell." There's another use of "hell" on its own, and an utterance of "blimey" as well.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
The Dark Lord occasionally vaporizes his own troops when they displease him. The camera shows the corpses of some of the students. Griphook entraps the trio inside Bellatrix's vault, while he runs off with the Sword of Gryffindor.
CONCLUSION:
This movie is darker than any of the others, and the body count is much higher than any other, I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
As Voldemort's grip tightens on the magical world, the end is upon everyone Harry holds dear should he fail in his quest to vanquish his adversary. It's a last-ditch race against time as Harry, Ron, Hermione and assorted allies seek to unravel the few final mysteries that might tip the balance in Harry's favor in a final showdown.
[Spoilers are in the following sections]
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Everyone who sides with Harry, risks everything to confront the evil Voldemort. And they do so with full knowledge of the possible repercussions. Repeatedly the Dark Lord speaks in a horrific whisper that everyone can hear, tempting them to abandon Harry … and the dire fate awaiting them if they don't. Yet no one defects (except the Slytherins, of course.).
Harry learns about Severus' past and discovers that Snape had been acting as a deeply planted double agent striving to protect him. During this, Harry finds out that he must let Voldemort kill him, for the Dark Lord to die, and he goes off to sacrifice himself for the sake of the whole wizarding world.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
Magic is still used during the movie, but the magic is used for warfare purposes. When Harry opens the snitch, just before he dies he sees the spirits of his parents and his godfather. And when Harry dies, he finds himself in a place called "Limbo" that people end up in before getting sent to the afterlife. He meets Dumbledore there, who tells him that he could 'hop on a train', Harry later asks where that train would take him, Dumbledore responds, "On". Dumbledore implies that the afterlife is a good place for those who have chosen to love, saying, "Do not pity the dead, pity the living and all those who live without love."
SEXUAL CONTENT:
One of Hermione's outfits, especially once wet reveals quite a bit of cleavage. She and Ron kiss passionately. Harry and Ginny steal a quick kiss during the battle.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
The Battle of Hogwarts is a no-holds-barred battle between Voldemort and his Death Eaters against the students and professors of Hogwarts. The battle for Hogwarts begins with magic — both offensively and defensively. Those within create a shield around the school that keeps arrow-like spells from the Dark Lord's forces at bay — temporarily. Several ground troops unwisely try to penetrate the shield - and get incinerated.
Using the Elder Wand, Voldemort overwhelms the shield. Soon, the school's defenders are overrun by his bloodthirsty forces. A bridge full of Voldemort's minions explode, meanwhile the Death Eaters are destroying the castle, and a werewolf can be briefly seen feeding on a dead student. A flaming body hurtles past our view. Upon death, some of Voldemort's soldiers (Bellatrix Lestrange among them) explode. We hear Nagini repeatedly pummel Snape.
When each Horcrux is destroyed, Voldemort feels pain. Not enough, however, to stop him from killing Harry with his wand. Finally, after the last remaining Horcrux, gets destroyed, Voldemort withers into tiny bits of ash floating in the wind.
PROFANITY:
Mrs. Weasley steps between Bellatrix and her daughter, Ginny, spitting fiercely, "Not my daughter, you b‑‑ch." We hear the British vulgarity "bloody" four or five times, twice paired with "hell." There's another use of "hell" on its own, and an utterance of "blimey" as well.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
The Dark Lord occasionally vaporizes his own troops when they displease him. The camera shows the corpses of some of the students. Griphook entraps the trio inside Bellatrix's vault, while he runs off with the Sword of Gryffindor.
CONCLUSION:
This movie is darker than any of the others, and the body count is much higher than any other, I give it a 5 out of 5 stars.
6/15/11
MOVIE REVIEW: Brave Little Toaster (G)
STORY:
A band of appliances; a toaster, a blanket, a vacuum, a radio, and a lamp go out to find their 'master' who was a little boy. However, their 'master' is now a man who is getting ready to go to college.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The appliances band together to overcome freaky obstacles; and their grumbling about each of the other's faults doesn't get in the way of them sticking together through thick and thin. There is a nice message about the value of the tried and true over constantly needing newer, better things.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
The way the appliances talk about their 'master', you would think that he was some type of god.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
A line in one of songs says that there were: "bikinis and buns filled with weenies." And also there is a tape recorder that shows up for about 30 seconds, that seems to have breasts.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
The appliances are dropped into waterfalls, sucked into quicksand, and chased by a malicious supermagnet at a dump. There is also cars getting crushed into unbelievably small cubes. There is also an owner of an appliance parts store, that takes apart appliances, and we see a silhouette of him 'killing' a blender by ripping it's motor out.
PROFANITY:
There is one misuse of 'god', and also a character says 'darn' once but that's the worst of it.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
There is a dream sequence where Toaster is dreaming about the 'master', and it is a rather frighting scene. There is also a line in one of the songs that says: 'I took a man to a graveyard, I beg your pardon, it's quite hard enough, Just living with the stuff I have learned.' At the end of the aforementioned blender scene, you see oil or something dripping off the end of the wire like blood. There is a scene where a flower falls in love with Toaster, but Toaster has to leave and the next time we see the flower; it was dead. One of the cars in the junkyard, commits suicide by driving into the car crusher. And then you can see one car's wheels turning trying not to get crushed.
CONCLUSION:
This is a surprisingly dark film, I wouldn't recommend it to a kid. But I think that a tween may enjoy it. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
A band of appliances; a toaster, a blanket, a vacuum, a radio, and a lamp go out to find their 'master' who was a little boy. However, their 'master' is now a man who is getting ready to go to college.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The appliances band together to overcome freaky obstacles; and their grumbling about each of the other's faults doesn't get in the way of them sticking together through thick and thin. There is a nice message about the value of the tried and true over constantly needing newer, better things.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
The way the appliances talk about their 'master', you would think that he was some type of god.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
A line in one of songs says that there were: "bikinis and buns filled with weenies." And also there is a tape recorder that shows up for about 30 seconds, that seems to have breasts.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
The appliances are dropped into waterfalls, sucked into quicksand, and chased by a malicious supermagnet at a dump. There is also cars getting crushed into unbelievably small cubes. There is also an owner of an appliance parts store, that takes apart appliances, and we see a silhouette of him 'killing' a blender by ripping it's motor out.
PROFANITY:
There is one misuse of 'god', and also a character says 'darn' once but that's the worst of it.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
There is a dream sequence where Toaster is dreaming about the 'master', and it is a rather frighting scene. There is also a line in one of the songs that says: 'I took a man to a graveyard, I beg your pardon, it's quite hard enough, Just living with the stuff I have learned.' At the end of the aforementioned blender scene, you see oil or something dripping off the end of the wire like blood. There is a scene where a flower falls in love with Toaster, but Toaster has to leave and the next time we see the flower; it was dead. One of the cars in the junkyard, commits suicide by driving into the car crusher. And then you can see one car's wheels turning trying not to get crushed.
CONCLUSION:
This is a surprisingly dark film, I wouldn't recommend it to a kid. But I think that a tween may enjoy it. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.
5/2/11
GAME REVIEW: Ben 10 Ultimate Alien: Cosmic Destruction (E10+)
STORY:
Ben, Gwen and Kevin are at Rome fighting the Forever Knights, when they find out there is an evil To'kustar coming toward Earth. And Azmuth tells them that they must find some Galvan tech; called the Potis Altiare.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Even though the news says that he is a menace to society, Ben goes around the world saving people from aliens, giant REDs, and annoying clones.
GAMEPLAY:
You are gong to end up fighting against hordes of enemies, but when you aren't doing that you'll be doing some interesting puzzles like; figuring out which alien to use to start a fire, using Humungosaur to move blocks, and other puzzles.And during certain parts of some stages one of the aliens can go Ultimate, that makes the alien super-powered.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
In a flashback, you can see the Galvan seem to be worshiping the Potis Altiare.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Gwen wears a mini-skirt that covers her thighs; she is also wearing black stockings covering her legs.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Like I said in the Gameplay section, there is quite a bit of fighting but it is not very realistic as you are either punching, zapping them, throwing fireballs and other stuff like that. But when you're playing as Humungousaur and Armadrillo, all of your attacks are melee that involves punching the ground and causing a shockwave.
PROFANITY:
Ben once says 'heck' and Kevin says 'shoot' once but that's the extent of the language.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
At the beginning of the game, Jimmy is trying to contact Ben about an oncoming cosmic storm and when his mom calls him for dinner, he yells 'I don't have time for that Mom! I have the fate of the world in my hands!"
CONCLUSION:
This is a very fun game and is a pretty clean game, I would recommend this game to anyone wanting to spend a couple of hours but if you're looking for a long game this is not the game you are looking for. I give this game 4 out of 5 stars.
Ben, Gwen and Kevin are at Rome fighting the Forever Knights, when they find out there is an evil To'kustar coming toward Earth. And Azmuth tells them that they must find some Galvan tech; called the Potis Altiare.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Even though the news says that he is a menace to society, Ben goes around the world saving people from aliens, giant REDs, and annoying clones.
GAMEPLAY:
You are gong to end up fighting against hordes of enemies, but when you aren't doing that you'll be doing some interesting puzzles like; figuring out which alien to use to start a fire, using Humungosaur to move blocks, and other puzzles.And during certain parts of some stages one of the aliens can go Ultimate, that makes the alien super-powered.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
In a flashback, you can see the Galvan seem to be worshiping the Potis Altiare.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Gwen wears a mini-skirt that covers her thighs; she is also wearing black stockings covering her legs.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Like I said in the Gameplay section, there is quite a bit of fighting but it is not very realistic as you are either punching, zapping them, throwing fireballs and other stuff like that. But when you're playing as Humungousaur and Armadrillo, all of your attacks are melee that involves punching the ground and causing a shockwave.
PROFANITY:
Ben once says 'heck' and Kevin says 'shoot' once but that's the extent of the language.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
At the beginning of the game, Jimmy is trying to contact Ben about an oncoming cosmic storm and when his mom calls him for dinner, he yells 'I don't have time for that Mom! I have the fate of the world in my hands!"
CONCLUSION:
This is a very fun game and is a pretty clean game, I would recommend this game to anyone wanting to spend a couple of hours but if you're looking for a long game this is not the game you are looking for. I give this game 4 out of 5 stars.
3/15/11
MOVIE REVIEW: Battle: Los Angeles (14A)
WARNING: THIS MOVIE HAS A LOT OF VIOLENCE AND SWEARING.
STORY:
There appears to be thousands of meteors heading toward the Earth, and looks like they're going to smash into several cities but then they realize that they're not meteors they are UFOs! And they are coming to blow up the Earth and take our resources.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The film shows the value of human life, as the squad puts themselves on the line to protect the civilians. Several times Nantz is willing to strike out on his own to draw away the alien fire, and a civilian and his son go over personally to Nantz to thank him for saving them and the rest of the civilian. A civilian bravely picks up a gun and shoots it at as many aliens as he can.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
None
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Some of the platoon members joke about a comrade's virginity. A Marine cracks a sexual joke after a female soldier is splashed with a dying alien's bodily fluids.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Battle LA is pretty much one firefight after one firefight, with humans vs. whatever the aliens can think up.
A Marine is shot through his helmet, and we see the burning and bleeding results. Dead bodies litter the streets. A man's skin is crisped and cracked by fire. A helicopter full of the wounded is blown to smithereens—sending the dead and large chunks of shrapnel flying in all directions.
Perhaps the goriest scene takes place when Nantz determines to find a way to kill the seemingly indestructible enemy. He finds a wounded alien and, with the aid of a civilian veterinarian, begins to cut and stab into the creature, exposing its internal organs and searching for a weak point. After several gooey and spurting attempts, they finally hack into the creature's heart and it gurgles its last.
Armored vehicles smash through groups of aliens, crushing them beneath their wheels. A dying Marine detonates a bag full of C4, igniting a bus's fuel tank and tearing the vehicle (and surrounding enemies) to pieces. Several soldiers bury the barrels of their weapons inside a large enemy before unloading clips of ammo.
PROFANITY:
Two f-word. About 35 s-words. Twenty or so uses of "hell" Over a dozen each of "d‑‑n" and "a‑‑." About 4 uses each of "b‑‑ch" and "b‑‑tard." God's name is misused well over 20 times.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
One Marine gets so drunk he vomits, and partyers down bottles of beer and other alcohol, too.
CONCLUSION:
If you loved 'Independence Day' and/or '2012' you'll love this movie, the movie had the best effects I've seen since 'Transformers'. Unfortunately; it has a bad camera, and it seems to go on a little too long. But I give it 2.5 stars out 5.
STORY:
There appears to be thousands of meteors heading toward the Earth, and looks like they're going to smash into several cities but then they realize that they're not meteors they are UFOs! And they are coming to blow up the Earth and take our resources.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The film shows the value of human life, as the squad puts themselves on the line to protect the civilians. Several times Nantz is willing to strike out on his own to draw away the alien fire, and a civilian and his son go over personally to Nantz to thank him for saving them and the rest of the civilian. A civilian bravely picks up a gun and shoots it at as many aliens as he can.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
None
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Some of the platoon members joke about a comrade's virginity. A Marine cracks a sexual joke after a female soldier is splashed with a dying alien's bodily fluids.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Battle LA is pretty much one firefight after one firefight, with humans vs. whatever the aliens can think up.
A Marine is shot through his helmet, and we see the burning and bleeding results. Dead bodies litter the streets. A man's skin is crisped and cracked by fire. A helicopter full of the wounded is blown to smithereens—sending the dead and large chunks of shrapnel flying in all directions.
Perhaps the goriest scene takes place when Nantz determines to find a way to kill the seemingly indestructible enemy. He finds a wounded alien and, with the aid of a civilian veterinarian, begins to cut and stab into the creature, exposing its internal organs and searching for a weak point. After several gooey and spurting attempts, they finally hack into the creature's heart and it gurgles its last.
Armored vehicles smash through groups of aliens, crushing them beneath their wheels. A dying Marine detonates a bag full of C4, igniting a bus's fuel tank and tearing the vehicle (and surrounding enemies) to pieces. Several soldiers bury the barrels of their weapons inside a large enemy before unloading clips of ammo.
PROFANITY:
Two f-word. About 35 s-words. Twenty or so uses of "hell" Over a dozen each of "d‑‑n" and "a‑‑." About 4 uses each of "b‑‑ch" and "b‑‑tard." God's name is misused well over 20 times.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
One Marine gets so drunk he vomits, and partyers down bottles of beer and other alcohol, too.
CONCLUSION:
If you loved 'Independence Day' and/or '2012' you'll love this movie, the movie had the best effects I've seen since 'Transformers'. Unfortunately; it has a bad camera, and it seems to go on a little too long. But I give it 2.5 stars out 5.
2/12/11
GAME REVIEW: LEGO Batman (E10+)
STORY:
Batman's villains have escaped from Arkham Asylum, and they're running around Gotham City to finish their plans and only one person can stop them. The Batman.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Batman and Robin run around trying to save the day, and Batman never kills any of the major villains.
GAMEPLAY:
What you're going to be doing when you use Batman and crew, you'll punch, kick and throw your way though each level until the end. but when you play on the villain side you'll have to solve a few puzzles along the way, and occasionally there is a 'vehicle level' where all you do is drive and shoot.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
In the Joker episodes, the final showdown with him takes place at a cathedral.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Poison Ivy shows up in an outfit that looks entirely made out of nothing but leaves, and Catwoman shows up and during every cutscene she's in makes anything she does 'interesting'. Catwoman kisses Batman for a long time after he finishes fighting her, but they're all LEGO minifigs so there's nothing too odd.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Batman’s known to be quite a martial-artist, and he still carries a bit of that into the LEGO world, limited as it is. He and Robin attack with punches and a kick or two. They can also grab enemies and either hit them or throw them. Since this is all with LEGO figures, the enemies just literally go to pieces. Some bad guys bring guns into the fight, but the result is still the same as it is when combat is hand-to-hand. You have to punch the female enemies to get rid of them, which may upset a couple of players.
PROFANITY:
none
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
The Joker use a joy buzzer that zaps his enemy into skeletons until they break apart, Scarecrow uses something called 'fear gas' to make his enemies see their worst fears and when you use it they curl up into a ball. Then there are a couple of goons in some of the levels that try to get a girl to kiss them, that is until you get rid of them.
CONCLUSION:
If you can get past the fact that it's darker than any of the other LEGO games so far, and that though half of the game you don't have any weapons. You'll realize that Traveler's Tales fixed up what was wrong with LEGO Star Wars II, and made a very fun game. I give it a total of 4 out of 5 stars.
Batman's villains have escaped from Arkham Asylum, and they're running around Gotham City to finish their plans and only one person can stop them. The Batman.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
Batman and Robin run around trying to save the day, and Batman never kills any of the major villains.
GAMEPLAY:
What you're going to be doing when you use Batman and crew, you'll punch, kick and throw your way though each level until the end. but when you play on the villain side you'll have to solve a few puzzles along the way, and occasionally there is a 'vehicle level' where all you do is drive and shoot.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
In the Joker episodes, the final showdown with him takes place at a cathedral.
SEXUAL CONTENT:
Poison Ivy shows up in an outfit that looks entirely made out of nothing but leaves, and Catwoman shows up and during every cutscene she's in makes anything she does 'interesting'. Catwoman kisses Batman for a long time after he finishes fighting her, but they're all LEGO minifigs so there's nothing too odd.
VIOLENT CONTENT:
Batman’s known to be quite a martial-artist, and he still carries a bit of that into the LEGO world, limited as it is. He and Robin attack with punches and a kick or two. They can also grab enemies and either hit them or throw them. Since this is all with LEGO figures, the enemies just literally go to pieces. Some bad guys bring guns into the fight, but the result is still the same as it is when combat is hand-to-hand. You have to punch the female enemies to get rid of them, which may upset a couple of players.
PROFANITY:
none
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
The Joker use a joy buzzer that zaps his enemy into skeletons until they break apart, Scarecrow uses something called 'fear gas' to make his enemies see their worst fears and when you use it they curl up into a ball. Then there are a couple of goons in some of the levels that try to get a girl to kiss them, that is until you get rid of them.
CONCLUSION:
If you can get past the fact that it's darker than any of the other LEGO games so far, and that though half of the game you don't have any weapons. You'll realize that Traveler's Tales fixed up what was wrong with LEGO Star Wars II, and made a very fun game. I give it a total of 4 out of 5 stars.
2/3/11
MOVIE REVIEW: Aliens vs Predator (14A)
WARNING: This movie has a ton of violence in it.
STORY:
A squad of scientists and archaeologists arrives in Antarctica to investigate a strange pyramid that was found underground unknown to them, inside the pyramid is a nest of Aliens that are waiting for other aliens called the Predators to come and start the war.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The explorers are led by environmentalist and expert ice climber Alexa Woods. She’s brave and loyal. She’s also the voice of reason who thinks it foolish to run headlong into the potentially dangerous unknown out of pride and greed. One of her colleagues courageously saves her life, only to lose his in the process. (SPOILER) A Predator shows mercy to a man with a weak heart who is not deemed a threat.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
none
SEXUAL CONTENT:
none
VIOLENT CONTENT:
One man gets stabbed in the stomach by huge, retractable claws which emerge, bloodied, through his back. A man hides while watching a Predator walk right by him, next thing you know another Predator shows up behind him and stabs him off-screen (you see blood fly onto the snow). A Predator slices a 'face-hugger' into two, and also snaps a newborn alien's neck. The Aliens get brutal, too. Newly hatched face-huggers leap onto the faces of their victims and dispatch an Alien embryo into the person’s esophagus. Those critters grow until they eventually burst forth from their living hosts’ abdomens. A woman writhes in pain, torso bulging (the camera cuts away just as the Alien emerges). Alexa shoots one of her colleagues to spare him the agony of “giving birth.” A full-grown Alien penetrates the skull of a Predator, killing it. On several occasions they drive their sharp tails through the bodies of their enemies. In a flashback, swarms of Aliens and Predators fight each other until a nuclear-size blast annihilates everything.
PROFANITY:
Alexa uses the f-word once, and starts to say “mutha------” before the second half of the obscenity gets drowned out and also she uses the b-word. There are also about seven s-words and a few milder profanities.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
none
CONCLUSION:
If you don't mind seeing a load of action and a bit of blood and if you can find the 'mute' button before the f-bomb comes on this is the movie for you, I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars.
STORY:
A squad of scientists and archaeologists arrives in Antarctica to investigate a strange pyramid that was found underground unknown to them, inside the pyramid is a nest of Aliens that are waiting for other aliens called the Predators to come and start the war.
POSITIVE ELEMENTS:
The explorers are led by environmentalist and expert ice climber Alexa Woods. She’s brave and loyal. She’s also the voice of reason who thinks it foolish to run headlong into the potentially dangerous unknown out of pride and greed. One of her colleagues courageously saves her life, only to lose his in the process. (SPOILER) A Predator shows mercy to a man with a weak heart who is not deemed a threat.
SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS:
none
SEXUAL CONTENT:
none
VIOLENT CONTENT:
One man gets stabbed in the stomach by huge, retractable claws which emerge, bloodied, through his back. A man hides while watching a Predator walk right by him, next thing you know another Predator shows up behind him and stabs him off-screen (you see blood fly onto the snow). A Predator slices a 'face-hugger' into two, and also snaps a newborn alien's neck. The Aliens get brutal, too. Newly hatched face-huggers leap onto the faces of their victims and dispatch an Alien embryo into the person’s esophagus. Those critters grow until they eventually burst forth from their living hosts’ abdomens. A woman writhes in pain, torso bulging (the camera cuts away just as the Alien emerges). Alexa shoots one of her colleagues to spare him the agony of “giving birth.” A full-grown Alien penetrates the skull of a Predator, killing it. On several occasions they drive their sharp tails through the bodies of their enemies. In a flashback, swarms of Aliens and Predators fight each other until a nuclear-size blast annihilates everything.
PROFANITY:
Alexa uses the f-word once, and starts to say “mutha------” before the second half of the obscenity gets drowned out and also she uses the b-word. There are also about seven s-words and a few milder profanities.
OTHER NEGATIVE ELEMENTS:
none
CONCLUSION:
If you don't mind seeing a load of action and a bit of blood and if you can find the 'mute' button before the f-bomb comes on this is the movie for you, I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars.
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