Movie Review

October 27, 2014October 29, 2014

What will you watch during this #Halloween week? #ASMSG #HorrorMovies #HorrorShows #anime

While I perfect my special Halloween martini for my drunken Halloween night with my neighbors, I have several movies and shows that are a must-see every year.

ALIENS:

This movie hypes me up every time I watch it and it never gets old. Private Hudson’s epic melt down will forever be one of my favorite scenes. I don’t know how many of you watch Phineas and Ferb on the Disney channel, (Sue me, I have kids) but during their recent Halloween special, one of the characters—Buford—reenacted Private Hudson’s melt down. I could not stop laughing. 😀

I AM LEGEND:

How could you not love the realistic freakiness of this film? A deadly pathogen created while scientists sought out a cure for cancer turns the test subjects into vampire/zombie-like hybrids. And that’s not all. The pathogen becomes airborne and turns the majority of the population into those creatures. One man, who is immune to the disease, (Will Smith) takes on the task of finding a cure, and he has to do it before the creatures get to him. This film will always be one of my faves.

GOTHIKA:

This is considered a thriller, but it falls in the category of horror for me. This story is wrapped around one spirit’s need for old fashion revenge. Of course, the big mystery in the tale shrouds that underlying vengeance in a brilliant way. This story was well told, and at the end, it leaves you with the satisfying feeling for the one who sought the revenge, because they got it.

WHAT LIES BENEATH:

This one leaves me with chills. It’s yet another story about revenge, where the mystery in the plot clouds “what lies beneath.” << Hahaa, see what I did there? 😉 I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve seen this movie. The storyline was enthralling, but the last 30 minutes were gripping. I have an intense moment during those last 30 minutes every time I watch it. shudders

RESIDENT EVIL:

For some reason I’mma sucker for this film. It’s not a “Great” movie, per se, but I find myself watching it every time it airs on the movie stations. The gore, the zombies, the psychotic security system that takes the form of a little girl, and the kickass heroine… It’s an entertaining flick.

INTERVIEW WITH A VAMPIRE:

I was instantly drawn to this movie when it came out. First of all, the cast was phenomenal, which is one of the main reasons why this flick was so successful. ‘Til this day, Tom Cruise IS Lestat. He was so convincing in that role. In my opinion, it was one of his best performances. When I read the book, I saw his face as Lestat. That aside, this story was excellent. I thank Anne Rice for that.

WORLD WAR Z:

This movie freaked me the hell out, yet I keep watching it. Not only because it stars the handsome Brad Pitt, but because this film introduced a new kind of walking dead—zombies that could move fast as hell. They were leaping on people like frogs and creating huge zombie mountains to scale over incredibly high walls. It was crazy! If you got bit by one of these things, you would transform into a zeek within seconds. I admit, the ending was a little soft, but it’s still a really good film.

AMERICAN HORROR STORY (TV Show):

This is one of my binge watch shows. I used to watch it when it aired, but there are so many shows on my view list that I just don’t have the time watch them all. As twisted as this show is, it keeps you entertained. I couldn’t get enough of Angela Bassett last season. Aww man… She was flawless and dominated every time she was on the screen. She portrayed the deadly voodoo witch, Marie Laveau, like no other. I can’t believe she hasn’t gotten an award for that role. Honestly, she’s the reason I watch AHS. And she’ll be the reason I continue to watch.

THE WALKING DEAD (TV Show):

Oh my goodness, where do I start?! This show is easily one of my guilty pleasures. Though, I must admit I can’t binge on it like I do other shows. My heart can’t take the pressure. I have to watch one episode at a time. And at the end, I have to catch my breath, wait until my heart rate normalizes and then have a drink. I have invested my emotions in most of the characters on the show. It’s difficult not to because some of them are so loveable, like Daryl. Because my emotions are involved, I’m afraid for their lives. It shows the actors are doing a damn good job.

ATTACK ON TITAN (anime):

Another guilty pleasure for me! I’ve watched AOT Season 1 more times than I’d like to admit. This anime is so unique, gory and highly entertaining. What I like most about it is, it’s unpredictable and you never know who’s going to die. It’s like the Walking Dead in many ways, but in some cases you find yourself rooting for the giant zombie titan. Not all of them are mindless, and not all of them are slow. You just never know what you’re going to get. That’s what keeps me locked in.

Here are a few other shows and movies I like to watch in the spirit of Halloween. These are in no particular order.

Knights of Sidonia (anime)
Final Destination
Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (anime movie)
Carrie
Queen of the Damned
Hellsing (anime)
Penny Dreadful (TV Show)
Blue Exorcist (anime)
Death Note (anime)
Christine
Sleepy Hollow (TV Show)
Sleepy Hollow
Constantine
Blade
Warm Bodies
Wolf
Underworld
War of the Worlds
The Wolfman

What movies and/or shows do you find yourself watching for Halloween?

For those of you who are following my Halloween free read, I’ll post another chapter this week. I was supposed to post one this weekend, but my youngest samurai came down with a cold, so I didn’t get to do any writing. Never fear though, I promise not to leave you hanging for long. 😉

**Click on the image below to begin reading CRIMSON DAYS**

July 30, 2014

My Comment to the blog post, titled – Lucy: Why I’m Tired of Seeing White People on the Big Screen written by Olivia Cole #movierant #Lucy

Earlier this week, I read an article on Huffington Post, written by Olivia Cole. This article hit the nail on the head when it points out ‘the scene behind the veil’. I find it commendable that a white woman chose to write this article, instead of ignore what’s missing from the big screen. It shows that people of color are not the only ones who notice the blatant racism in Hollywood, and apparently we are not the only ones who are tired of seeing it.

TV has made leaps and bounds when it comes to diversity and casting women of color as main characters, (God bless Shonda Rhimes) but that’s just a little piece of a very big picture. I find myself boycotting movies for the reasons stated in this article. I want to see something different. I want to see a dark-skinned woman cast in a leading role that doesn’t involve her being a maid, a slave, or an escort. Why can’t we be superheroes with super powers, or the savior of the planet? Why do roles for dark or brown-skinned characters get handed to women who are light-skinned or not black at all? Why must we settle or turn a blind eye to this? It’s not fair and it’s not right.

Rayne (a dark-skinned heroine) from The Dragon Queen Series speaks with a street slang; she’s voluptuous and has a sassy personality. She has flaws like any creature of flesh and blood, but she is the savior; she is the cause and effect; she is the beginning and the end. She IS the HERO! 🙂 If they made a movie about the Dragon Queen Series today, what type of actress do you think the casting director would choose to portray the leading character, Rayne? We all know the answer to that, don’t we?

I hope the change that’s gradually taking place in TV makes its way to the big screen. Until it happens, we will continue to see articles of this nature from people of all races.

Alrighty. Now that I’ve said my piece, I’m going to step off the soap box and crawl back into my writing cave. Smooches!

Click here to read the article! –> http://www.huffingtonpost.com/olivia-cole/lucy-why-im-tired-of-seei_b_5627318.html

April 7, 2014April 9, 2014

Let’s talk about #CaptainAmerica ~ The Winter Soldier #MovieReview

Alrighty, folks! I’ve been holding off on this post because some of my friends asked me to. Now that the weekend has passed, I’m ready to talk about it. So, I reeeally hope you all went to see Captain America because that’s what this post is about.

And YES, there are spoilers! That being said, if you haven’t seen the movie stop reading this post right now!

I’d first like to say how proud I am of Chris Evans. He has come a looong way since the flick Not Another Teen Movie. I had my doubts about him portraying the first Avenger, especially after he was Johnny Storm/ Torch in the movie Fantastic Four, but he has shown the world how versatile of an actor he is.

Bravo, Mr. Evans! I will watch any movie you’re in, my friend.

Now let’s talk about the latest Captain America flick, The Winter Soldier.

This movie was so on point and so good I don’t even know where to start. From the beginning to the end, you are served major eye candy. First of all, so many villains popped up in this movie. Arnim Zola, Batroc the Leaper, Crossbones, Baron Von Strucker… Wow.

This movie left me so excited. It was difficult to go to sleep after watching it.

The fight scene between Batroc the Leaper and Captain America had me on the edge of my seat. Cap surprised us all when he tossed the shield and the mask to the side and took it to the streets. By that, I mean he showed Batroc he didn’t need the shield to whup up on his ass.

Just one more reason to love Captain America.

Marvel has it together when it comes to making superhero movies. The direction, the storyline and the action… All in all, the movie was dynamic! Right when you think Hydra is eliminated or at least in hibernation due to the absence of their fearless leader—Red Skull, they rise up again and infiltrate SHIELD. Who came up with that brilliant twist? This is not something that just happened over night. This had been going on right under SHIELD’s noses from the very beginning. The mad bioscientist Dr. Arnim Zola encrypted SHIELD’s system and Hydra continued its assault from behind the enemy lines.

“If a head is cut off, two more will take its place.”

Those words held true meaning in this movie. Hydra multiplied their forces and took over the biggest espionage and law-enforcement agency in the world. They were everywhere, and they were out for blood!

Head spy, Nick Fury noticed a few odd things going on in the SHIELD agency that didn’t include him, so he devised a plan to uncover what was lurking in the darkness, which ultimately resulted in his death. Or so we thought. A friend of mine said the Nick Fury car scene was a movie in itself—a mini movie within the Captain America movie. Boy, was he right. I was literally holding my pee and my breath during that whole scene.

Nick Fury showed us why he was the HNIC. He was not easily taken down, even when we thought he was dead.

One of my favorite scenes of the movie is when Captain America went in pursuit of the Winter Soldier after he’d shot Fury. Instead of going around the building, like a normal person would, he WENT THROUGH THAT BITCH! I was out of my seat! Whoa! He was blowing holes through walls, sending doors flying off the hinges… straight Hulk-like tendencies. That’s what you do when you’re chasing someone and you want them badly… Don’t let a building stand in your way. Run right through that bitch!

My next favorite is the elevator scene. *smh* A whole bunch of men packed in a small space, trying to handcuff Captain America… I’m sorry, that scene did it for me. I can’t even talk about it without feeling some kind of way. 😉

Moving on…

The Winter Soldier, who turned out to be the fallen soldier from the first movie aka Steve Rodgers’ best friend—BUCKY, was incredible, not to mention a fucking BEAST! I wanted to root for him because not only was he hawt, he was our beloved Bucky, but ooo, he was such a bad guy. He had a mission to kill and he did it very well. Remember in the first Captain America movie when Cap found Bucky strapped up in some room within Hydra headquarters, drifting in and out of consciousness and talking to himself? Well, when Hydra had him then, they were experimenting on him. Now fast-forward to when he fell from the train. Hydra found him after that fall, and turned him into a weapon, an indestructible assassin. A perfect enemy for Captain America. He had the speed, he had the strength, and he had a killer’s instinct.

When he and Cap went toe-to-toe for the first time, I had an eyegasm right there on the spot. It was a well plotted and well directed scene. It was easy to follow and there wasn’t a whole bunch of shaky camera action to confuse the flow of things. I loved it!

Once Captain America saw that the Winter Soldier was his old buddy Bucky, that flipped his world upside down. He was stuck on pause for a hot minute. And it fit so well with the moment, even though most of the people watching the movie knew it was Bucky to begin with.

The last fight scene between them was epic. There was a lot of emotion fueled in that scene, and when it ended, it pulled at my heartstrings. I wanted Bucky to remember his friend so badly I was in tears. When he did finally remember, and saved Cap’s life, it was an awesome moment.

Sebastian Stan, you made me want to kiss you.

Now I’m wondering if Bucky will make an appearance in the next Captain America movie. The scene after the ending credits suggests he will. And he’ll be going after Hydra. *fingers crossed*

Anthony Mackie was a great Falcon! I hope they plan to incorporate his character more in the upcoming movies. He wasn’t a “key” member of the Avengers but when he came onto the scene he became an important asset. I adored his relationship with Steve Rodgers. Bromance. Although they’d just met each other while jogging, they had an instantaneous connection and liked each other right away. Their friendship played a big role in the movie because Cap was faced with the dilemma of not knowing who to trust when the shit hit the fan.

I can go on and on about how amazing this movie is. There were so many parts that blew my mind, but I have to cut it short because I have quite a bit of writing to do. 😀 You know how it is. Deadlines and all…

Feel free to leave a comment. If you saw Captain America, the Winter Soldier, I would love to see your thoughts on it.