i am. riding. harry potter. limitlessly. traversing the world.

Red Riding Hood. 

I just saw this movie after reading the book, and (obviously) I preferred the book. I almost always prefer the book, especially since my favorite part of reading is imagining the worlds and the people. Movies have to spell it out for you, and it never quite lives up to the imagination's expectations. 

Visuals:

It was definitely a beautiful film to look at. It was very Twilight-esque, which makes sense cause they are both by the same director. I am pretty neutral about the Twilight films--I am not a die-hard fan, but I definitely don't abhor everything and everyone involved. I think it's a fun romance series that is over-dramatic and over-the-top. I do think that they are beautiful to look at though. Lots of sweeping landscape shots which get over-used, but still look nice. 

Story: 

I really enjoyed the story in the book, even though the ending left me kind of confused and unsatisfied. I thought the movie slaughtered the original story. The movie was fine by itself, just a sappy period romance with a paranormal side-bit. In comparison with the book, though, it just sucks. The book had more depth and the characters were much more interesting. The movie made it all about a love triangle, which it really wasn't.

Acting:

The acting wasn't that great, indubitably. However, Amanda Seyfried is hot and the other two main squeezes were definitely nice to look at. I would love to have Amanda's body...

Writing:

I enjoyed the book by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright. I am a huge fan of dark spins on classic fairy tales or other stories, like Wicked or the Looking Glass Wars. It was a fun read, easy to get through and simple to grasp. 

Whole Package:

Sort of an "ehh" feeling, but I did enjoy it. I would recommend the book for some light reading. The movie is one of those that you really should only see if you have a craving for a movie, and it's the only thing playing that you haven't seen. Not terrible, but not worth the price of admission. Maybe 2 stars?

Limitless.

This movie had a really interesting premise, and god knows Bradley Cooper is fiiiiiine, so I was really excited to see it. I am not quite sure how I feel about it. There were some fabulous parts, and some not so fabulous parts. 

Visuals. 

Very cool. I really like the way they showed doubles of the person when they were tripping out on the drug and the way they showed his brain's inner workings was sweet. I think my favorite was when he was writing the book, and all the letters kept raining down around him. There were some really gruesome scenes, though. I felt kinda sick to my stomach in some parts. If you have seen it, I will mention: blood on the floor scene. EW! That won't ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but the people who have will understand. God, the whole thing still makes me shudder. 

Story:

Very intriguing idea. I really enjoyed the plot line during the movie. However, the ending was very strange to me. I don't really like the message of this movie. **SPOILER ALERT** It seems like he gets his cake and eats it too. I mean he is getting all these benefits and this great life, but he's off the drug? I don't approve. It was weird and confusing. **SPOILER OVER**

Acting:

Bradley Cooper was really good, but I think I got distracted by his supreme beauty. I mean, just yummy. The acting was good, nothing ahh-mazing, but nothing horrible either. 

Writing: 

I am trying to remember the writing. I think I enjoyed it. There were definitely some funny bits and lots of smart speeches. I think it was pretty good. 

Whole Package:

Enjoyable movie. Not on my Top 10 list, but still worth a trip to the theater. I give it 3 stars out of five. And if you still need convincing, JUST GO LOOK AT BRADLEY'S FACE. 

I Am.

I don't feel like giving this movie a formal review. I will just spell out my opinions on it in regular boring-old paragraph form. 

My mom loved this movie so much. She saw it about five times with large groups of friends and she was so psyched for me to see it. I am not a huge fan of documentaries but I decided to see it anyway. I didn't enjoy it that much. I thought it had interesting information to give me, but it was kinda long and repetitive. It also felt very cliche and the style was pretty crappy. 

As a movie experience, it was way below par, but the message it was imparting was great. As my mom argued after the movie, it's not really about the visuals or the viewing experience, it's more about getting a great message out to the world. I definitely enjoyed it more than The Secret or What the Bleep Do We Know!?. 

I think it is most certainly a movie that should be seen, but I am not promising that you will enjoy the aesthetic that much. That being said, I know a lot of people who adored it, so maybe you will.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World.

I just netflixed this movie. It is adorable. Michael Cera is just so cute and innocent. Sure, he plays the same part in EVERY movie, but hey, it's an endearing character! 

Visuals: 

Super fun. I loved how the whole movie was like a big video game. They did a really good job matching the sound effects we heard with cute visuals on the screen. It made me giggle.

Story:

Delightful! Clever idea with darling follow through. They made me willing to suspend disbelief and dive into the magical world of super fighting powers and exploding-into-coin-people. 

Acting:

I have a soft spot for Michael Cera. I could watch him all day. Whoulda thunk he would be the most famous one to come out of Arrested Development? Sweet, baby-faced George Michael. I also love that the girl from Parenthood was the lesbian ex. Also, Anna Kendrick! Lol. She's adorbz. I loved her in Up in the Air. Allison Pill was so funny as Kim. I loved watching her. I think my favorite part of the movie was her counting off the band. ONE TWO THREE FOUR. Also, gotta love Kieran Culkin as the gay roommate. And I just figured out that he is related to Macaulay Culkin, duh. Made my day. 

Writing.

Really captured the whole teen vibe. I also laughed really hard at the scenes with the roommate. So funny.

Whole Package:

Very enjoyable movie. Definitely put it on your Netflix queue. 4 stars.

HARRY FRICKIN POTTER.

I die a little everyday until July 15th. I think there are 98 days? I need to recount. Here's the amazing news. I am most likely going to be in Paris in July and HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PART TWO OPENS A DAY EARLIER THERE. Suck it, Americans. I actually start to hyperventilate a little when I think of it, so I try not to.

I am going to New York in THIRTY-THREE DAYS and I am going to have a Harry Potter day. During the day I will go to the massive HP exhibit that has tons of real props and costumes. I might faint before I even get inside, but here's hopin'. 

One last thing. This picture makes me majorly emotional. As someone on tumblr pointed out, look at their faces. They go from totally cute and happy to depressed and serious. Describes the way I feel as we get closer to the big day. 

xoxoleah.

Comments

[salt lake insurance]

These are movies I've always wanted to watch.

[BoleEcolo]

My first post.
http://DB89QLLciigudQMN.com

[utah bookkeeping services]

Ever since I got married I have been out of the loop on many movies that I would have seen before. My wife hates anything that could give her possible nightmares... that's ok. I'll live with it. She puts up with a lot more. :)