Review: The Rewrite

The Rewrite

I picked this one up rather randomly... Which I'm apt to do sometimes. Anywho, Hugh Grant idn't my fave actor, but I do enjoy him and some of his later pieces. Oddly, the older he's gotten the better he is in the movies... Plays a lot of insufferable asses, but he plays them well.

This story ended up being one that really sparked something in me, as I watched it I saw how well it fits for art in general, and for writing for me.

It spoke to that part of you that fears your a one trick pony, who did one amazing thing and nothing else. Not just your typical story of a guy finally finding the right woman, or a man regaining his own inner strength... It managed to teach the viewer as well, give them a small lesson on dreams, achieving them, what happens next and even after.

Oddly, more than a Rom/Com, I found it something I'd rewatch and most likely learn something new from the next time.

5 outta 5 stars

Kristy C

Review... Guardians of the Galaxy

I FINALLY got to see this movie.  Normally, I aim to go to the midnight showings of the Marvel films, but this time money was tight and seeing anything at a normal theater wasn't gonna happen.  [We have one locally owned, independent theater in town.  Used to be known the 'The Dollar theater.  They show movies for $5, and on Wednesday its only $2.50.  Either way, sometimes its worth the wait for the price.]

Anywho, adding to my annoyance was that most of the times I see the movie and all my friends haven't.  This time, everyone else saw it last month and I was still waiting around.  So they're making jokes, laughing and talking about how awesome it is, and I'm left pouting.  Talked about that a bit ago.

On to the review!!

LOVED IT!!  Now, I've loved all the Marvel movies.  Ok, not the first Hulk one, but after that I have actually liked all of these films.  The stories, the characters, the actors... All of it came together for me in a great way.  They opened my eyes to this world, and as such I've been more active in my weird research vibe of Marvel, along with watching cute cartoons of them.

Guardians is a group I didn't know a lot about.  Saw them once or twice in an Avengers cartoon, and perhaps once in Ultimate Spiderman, but otherwise.... Nothing.

Mostly, I knew who Groot was and thought he kicked ass.  'I am Groot!'

To some, I'm sure the story starts a little slow, but as a writer I get why.  Just as with Thor, we're not picking up an origin story on earth where we know what's going on.  The movie has to give background information to those of us who know nothing about the Marvel world, outside earth!

So the movie shows us a bit of information about each one of the characters, broadening our world.  Most of the story, and the group, is centered around Star-Lord [Peter Quinn].  He's the heart of the group and its leader.

He's flawed, not the smartest, strongest or the 'best', but he's got what all leaders need to have.  The ability to take command, do what's needed and realize when someone else might be better at doing something.

Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Sheridan, Reynolds, Rogers, O'Neill, Janway... And others come to mind as being the same type of character.  They have something inside them that makes you want to follow and trust, even when it looks like you're most likely gonna die.

Best example of this is in Star Trek 6.  Kirk asks Sulu to help him.  As they fly to the aide of his former captain, one of the crewmembers says that they'll fly the ship apart if they keep it up.  Sulu's response?  'Then fly her apart!'

His faith and trust in Kirk was so strong, that he was willing to defy anything to get to the mans side in a moment of need.

If you watch any of these shows, you'll see just how often a good leader knows how to bring out the best in everything they do.

Sorry for the detract, but I think its important to see that they had an important role for Chris Pratt, and he did what was needed.  A little more like Malcolm Reynolds, but then the others tended to be working for a government with strict guidelines to follow, while Mal and Quinn are working outside the government with a motley band of misfits at their side.

Honestly, there's so much I could say about the movie, but I don't want to give things away.  Sure, its been out for almost 2 months now and I'm more than sure you've seen all the posts, memes and reviews out there, but I don't want to be the one to spoils it for anyone.

5 out of 5 stars for me.

Kristy C

Review! Amazing Spiderman 2

Heard a lot of people say they didn't like the movie.  I'm guessing most of those are the super geeks that over analyze the stories for their authenticity or those who don't know anything about the actual story line.

I don't want to give it all away, but the scene at the end... Its the comics line.  Its how that happened.  Not the whole build up, but that one moment.

Personally, I think its a pretty good film.  I mean, its a comic book movie so what do you expect?

No... Its a Spiderman movie.  He's the heart of Marvel.  The young man whose whole future gets turned upside down in a matter of moments, and he has to make choices to do what's best for everyone, not just himself.

He's a kid, he makes mistakes, he learns, he grows up.  And that's why we love him.  Why I love him.

Did you know that the reason YA stories are so popular, is because we enjoy seeing someone whose identity isn't set in stone just yet.  Someone like Harry Potter, who has to grow up.  Someone like Katniss, that has her views of the world changed at every interval of the stories.

Adults in stories change, but its small and more an altering of a piece of their personality... But a teen/young adult could actually have an about face on everything.

Think about Wolverine for a moment... Logan, how much has he changed over the stories?  Movies or comics, think about it for a moment.  Is there a place where he's honestly anything but an onrie jerk that just happens to be working for the side of good?

Yeah, I've gotten off topic but that tends to happen when you're aware of more than just one element of a fandom and get into a thought process about it.

Andrew Garfield is amazing as Peter Parker.  He gets the jokes, the teasing, the whole element of Spiderman down pat.  And I love it.

4.5 out of 5 stars for me.  First one was better, but this is still good.

Kristy C

Review... Only Lovers Left Alive

You most likely haven't heard of this movie.  I only did while I was surfing Redbox for movies of interest.

Only Lovers Left Alive stars Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swinton.

I'm new to the enjoyment of Tom's movies, outside of his being Loki.  This is in part because his fans are rabid twits who manage to ruin who he is, but also because I dislike the character of Loki so much.

But after some searching I stumbled upon a few scenes of him being something so much better and changed how I looked at him.  Now, he's one of my top English actors [Tom and Aidan Turner top the bill currently.]

Tilda's an actress I haven't watched too much of.  I think that's mostly because she tends to play weird parts in weird movies.  At least beyond the Narnia movie.

I'm writing this as I watch, so it'll be a little different and weird for a review, I'm sure.

Tom's character is kinda silly at times, a depressed, reclusive musician who buys lots of guitars and as he plays them, knows not just their name, but also their sex and history... In a way only a really good, reclusive and eccentric musician could.

You can tell this is a more indie film in its stranger styling, cinematography and music.  But I think that's how you can tell an actor's skill, in the weirder movies they make outside the hollywood norm.

Eve's [Tilda] fascination with books is something I adore.  I'd almost say that when you're that old, you're best at picking up an odd habit or addiction.  Beyond the whole, drinking blood thing.

Which, btw, I love how they show.  These are vampires that don't kill.  But they're still battling the struggle with it.  Blood attracts them like nothing else.  They see it and know its there.  And Adam [Tom] and Eve fight to look away and see it as no longer there.

Adam gives us a tour of Detroit that makes me want to visit.

The dialogue is surpurp.  While a little formal, it makes sense when you realize that you're dealing with being who are a couple hundred, or longer, years old.  It all makes the silliness of it great, and the seriousness of it stand out.  Best yet, it feels real.

Just the same, the film isn't afraid of silence, or movement to speak for the actors.

Any more about it, gives away the pieces of the story.

Warning, this isn't going to be for everyone.  Its plot and action are subtle and unless you're prepared for an art film, you may feel like you're wasting your time.

If you're looking for something to make you think a bit and take your mind off the world, this is a good 4 out of 5 stars film.

Kristy C