Alice In Wonderland

☞ Trailer

If you don't know the premise of Alice In Wonderland, you must have missed out on a childhood. I'm pretty sure everyone knows the story. A girl falls into a hole that leads to a new world (Wonderland or in the movie's case: Underland). In the movie, Alice has to figure out how to defeat the Red Queen with some help from her insane friends like Johnny Depp. Not actually him of course, but he plays the insane or "Mad" Hatter.

Anne Hathaway looks bad/creepy in this movie. Either she looks horrible with white hair or it's just that anyone looks terrible when they have white hair and black eyebrows. I'm pretty sure hair and eyebrows should be the same color. And what was with the caterpillar who must have thought he was at a hookah bar? Although he had a monocle, he creeped me out.

Overall though, the story was okay but nothing special. The movie is pretty straightforward and you always know what's going on, but what's going on is sometimes boring. I don't remember how the original Alice In Wonderland was, but I do know that the Cheshire Cat is supposed to be purple and he wasn't purple in this movie. Some people must be either colorblind or ignorant. Tim Burton directed the movie, so it can't be horrible, but it's not one of his better works.

I give it: 6/10

30 Rock

If watching the entire first season in one day doesn't show how quickly I got addicted to this 30 Rock, I don't know what does. After hearing a lot about it, I decided to start watching it one weekend. And it didn't take much time after that for me to catch up to the new episodes. 30 Rock has a mix of crazy people, awkward people, and people who are just plain insane. 30 Rock is based on a show originally called The Girlie Show, but after an adjustment in management, the character of Jack comes in and changes everything.

One of the highlights of the show is Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey. And every time I see Tina Fey I can't help but see Sarah Palin. Liz is a really awkward character who frequently talks about cheese and her awkward life stories. I love the flashbacks to little Liz because they're hilarious. Liz's awkwardness is about half the show (at least to me): "If I have learned anything from my Sims family: When a child doesn't see his father enough he starts to jump up and down, then his mood level will drop until he pees himself." Her obsession with food is also one of the best parts of the show: "I'm gonna go talk to some food about this".

Jack (Alec Baldwin), the head boss of the show, tells things like they are. He's not afraid to say what he wants to say:  "Women your age are more likely to get mauled at a zoo than to get married". He always tries to help Liz with her problems (and she has a lot of them).

Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is the insane character. "I don't want to disappoint my Japanese public. Especially Godzilla. Hahaha I'm just kidding. I know he doesn't care what humans do". He believes in strange things and makes up things that are just weird. Along with him is the other star of the former Girlie Show, Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) who is also insane. The other characters on 30 Rock have to cater to Jenna and Tracy because they are the stars and there is no show without them. So even when the two act like small children, they have to find some way to get them on stage.

The character of Kenneth (Jack McBrayer) cannot be forgotten. Kenneth is a page at the show so he has to do everyone else's dirty work. He's another awkwardly funny character: "I want to see a show where women get their hair cut while listening to salsa music". He also takes everything literally and doesn't understand simple things very well.

My favorite thing about 30 Rock is it's quotability. It's almost like every line from the show is funnier and funnier. It also has all different types of humor which I love. I also relate it to being creepy and stalking my life, although it might have been more that my life was 30 Rock for a period of time. Kenneth offering to serve paninis right before I actually go eat one for dinner was a little bit creepy. And there's no such thing as a post about 30 Rock that doesn't include the Muffin Top Song.

I give it (I wish I could go over 10): 10/10

I Know What You Did Last Summer

This is an older movie (1997) and it's a horror. I don't get too scared at these types of movies, I only don't like when they all of a sudden get loud when something pops out at the characters. There are so many movies like this one that it's pretty ridiculous. But this was one of the first that started the type of scary movies we have today. I wanted to watch it because it's a 90's movie. Reason enough for me.

I think I'll start just putting the trailers on here for the plot synopsis unless I actually want to take the effort to do a little summary because I'm not very good at summarizing things.

☞ Trailer

Generic plot right? The usual horror film. Except this one has almost no twists at all and the few it does have are lame things that hardly even affect the plot. If you want to make the audience surprised make it something interesting. Lots of screaming and death which I guess is the point of these types of movies, but I enjoy a good plot. There are a lot of well-known actors/actresses in the movie like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr, and Ryan Phillippe. No complaints about the acting, but the script didn't impress me at all.

I give it: 5/10

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (The Movie)

☞ Trailer

Let's just be perfectly clear that I'm only talking about the movie here. Not the TV show. I could go on and on about the TV show. This movie, released in 1992, is a sort of precursor to the TV show. Luke Perry is probably the only thing that saved the movie at all.

It starts out as a complete chick flick which made me automatically wary of it. That is, until a creepy guy with horrible (or no) fashion sense shows up. After a few comments about his horrible attire and some more cheesy chick flick scenes, the first vampire appears. He needs a new wardrobe too. And bam, first death of the movie; though it is completely offscreen. The movie gets kind of confusing at points because it switches between current time and some time way in the past.

Overall it's kind of like a movie contradiction. It seems like a chick flick but at the same time there are deaths and vampires. And the style of the TV show is almost completely different than that of the movie. The TV show has much more comedy, although it's difficult to compare them because they were made almost 10 years apart. The comedy of back then is different than the comedy we have now. Because the movie was made almost 20 years ago, it's hard to rate it based on the ideas I have of movies now. I could point out the lame special effects, but maybe those were advanced effects back then. Sadly I'm not a 90's movies expert. The plot kind of drags on with seemingly no point, but once it gets rolling it's pretty good.

Judging the movie against the series is unfair because nothing can compare to the show. As a stand alone movie, it is pretty good, just kinda cheesy. The acting isn't too great either but it's clear the movie wasn't high budget.

I give it: 6/10

Tosh.O

This is yet another "here watch an internet video so I can try to make funny comments about it" show. It's not that it isn't funny, but how hard can it really be to base everything off of videos you show? Just like RayWilliamJohnson on YouTube, but he doesn't get paid for it and isn't on an actual network. The "here's a clip -insert 'funny' comment here-" shows just annoy me. Maybe it's just me who thinks it doesn't take any kind of talent at all to stand there and comment on videos.

Whatever parts of Tosh.O you do remember are the videos that you go to look up after the show. His comments aren't nearly as funny as the clips he shows. One segment of the show is "Web Redemption" in which he gets someone who made a fool of themselves and put the video on the internet and he brings them there to make fun of them. This is just annoying. As if they haven't had enough people making fun of them because of something that got caught on video, now national television gets to see them even more humiliated. Then there's how he uses half the show to make fun of certain races and/or genders for stupid stereotypes that are way overused in the first place. I know there was some other show exactly like this on Comedy Central before (at least I think it was Comedy Central) and I don't know what happened to it. Maybe it horribly failed just like I expect Tosh.O to in the pretty near future. Personally I'd rather watch RayWilliamJohnson because it's easier to find the videos after you watch his video. Even though both Tosh and Johnson annoy me, I would only watch them to find funny videos.

I give it: 5/10

Serenity

☞ Trailer

This movie is based on the series Firefly. Firefly was a short-lived show that only lasted a single season. Even with only 14 episodes, the show managed to gain a dedicated fan base.

Throughout the almost 2-hour movie, it shifted through ups and downs. The beginning had me laughing and the end had me crying. Not going to spoil anything here, but Joss Whedon sure does love making his viewers crazy on the emotional roller coasters he so loves to create.

The movie centers around the character of River, insane 17 year old female prodigy of well... everything. The antagonist tries to kill her because he believes she is a tool of destruction. He's not wrong. She goes completely insane at a few points in the movie at times knocking out entire rooms full of armed men singlehandedly. How is it that a show that's not really centered around a teenaged superpowered girl has more of her killing people/kicking ass than a show that is? I have no idea. Anyways, the movie has some pretty awesome fight scenes, but at times they just get really confusing and everywhere. Some scenes themselves seem to be randomly inserted and have hardly any relevance, but they actually do because those are the scenes where River is being her usual insane self. I was glad to see the whole original cast from Firefly in the movie, because I hate when movies are made off of TV shows and they use different actors.

I give it an: 8/10

Invader Zim

This is an old cartoon that aired on Nick but was cancelled for who knows why. There aren't very many episodes, but it's hard to watch them only once.

Zim is an alien who is made fun of on his home planet because he is known to be a screw-up. Also, in his society you're thought of to be better the taller you are and Zim isn't tall at all. So, as a joke, the leaders of his planet send Zim to Earth which they didn't think was inhabited. Turns out, Earth is inhabited by people (what a twist) so Zim embarks on his journey to take over Earth. His nemesis is a human boy named Dib (no I don't know what up with the 3 letter names; oh and Dib's sister is named Gaz) who does everything he can to expose Zim as an alien. Zim even attends human school to try and fit in and nobody in the school ever suspects that Zim is an alien no matter what Dib does to try and expose him. Zim doesn't bother covering up his green skin yet people think nothing of it.

The main part of the show to me is GIR, Zim's robot accomplice to destroying the world. If this little guy does not make you go "aww" something is wrong. GIR squeaks when he walks. That's just the cutest thing ever. He also has an obsession with tacos, taquitos. and cupcakes which is really funny. The video shows every reason why GIR is the cutest thing ever so I don't have to write a long thing about why I love him.

I admit the show is pretty immature, but that's because it's intended to be a kid's show. And it excels at doing that. Plus who doesn't love going back and watching old cartoons for laughs?

I give it a: 10/10

Dead Like Me

I first found this show surfing through random things on Netflix and I'm glad I did. I like shows about death, just because I find death interesting, and this one is good on that aspect. The show ran on some obscure network (I don't even remember which one) and only has two seasons... plus a movie. Admittedly I don't plan on watching the movie just because I read the reviews on Netflix and not a single one says anything good about it. I'd rather not waste my time. Plus I saw that not all the original actors were in it, which I typically don't like because it's comparable to changing the character entirely.

Anyways, Dead Like Me is a show about a teenaged girl named George (she goes by George her real name is Georgia) who gets killed in the first say... 20 minutes? of the show. By a toilet seat. From the space station. Flying down to earth and hitting her. Within a few moments of dying, George discovers that she is destined to be a Grim Reaper. Basically, her job is to take the souls out of bodies before people die. They get their assignments through a highly secretive and new-aged way: Post-Its. The Grim Reapers in this show can still be seen and interact with the living, although their appearances are changed for obvious reasons. George has trouble dealing with her death and often finds herself going back to watch how her family deals with the event. She's also someone who hides behind sarcasm and is a straightforward person who hardly ever smiles (though she smiles more and more as the show progresses). I especially like the character Mason who is another Grim Reaper. Or more I like who plays the character which is Callum Blue (look that's him on the left). Cute and has a nice accent going on but he, or rather his character, can be a complete jerk. The writing on the show is good and I like some quotes I can use often from it like "Who was using the defibrillator paddles to make grilled cheese?". But there's also some serious thought-provoking stuff in the show too.

The strange deaths in the show are worth mentioning too. Not one episode goes by without anyone dying except the one where the Gravelings (the ones who plan out how deaths happen) take a vacation. Seriously though, death by flying toilet seat and having to be known by other Reapers as "Toilet Seat Girl"? Sorry George. Other weird deaths that I remember include having the sign from "Der Wafflehouse", a restaurant the group of Reapers visit a lot, fall on the cashier and kill him. There's also a death by falling piano, getting run over chasing a dog across the street, and a lot of other ones I don't remember. The show is well written, it just drags on at some points and at times it's almost like there is no purpose to the episode.

I give it: 8/10

Hellsing

What do you get when you put vampires in the 1940s during World War II? Hellsing.

It's an interesting idea that's executed generally well in this manga. The main character's name is Alucard, and he's basically the strongest vampire in the world. Alucard and co. typically don't fight against Nazis, they mostly fight against other supernatural forces. The Hellsing organization only care about defending London, and they do whatever they need to do so they can keep London safe.There are only 10 volumes and the series doesn't seem too dragged out. It does get extremely gorey at points, but hey it's a war what do you expect.

Honestly, I read this series quite a while ago so I don't remember many details from the story itself, but I do remember that it gets confusing at times. There's also an anime version of Hellsing, but I haven't watched it and truthfully I'm not planning on it. My favorite part of the manga is mostly just the idea of it; at times there is way too much talking when you're expecting blood and death. Overall though, it's not a bad series.

I give it a: 6/10

Pretty Little Liars

When I first saw the name of this TV show, I instantaneously thought "Oh great another girly gossip show", but I still gave it a shot solely because I saw that Holly Marie Combs (Piper from Charmed) would be on it. I'm glad I watched it and now I'm hooked.

Pretty Little Liars is based on a series by the same name by Sara Shepard. In regards to how accurate the show is to the books, I really don’t know because I have not read the books yet. The show is based on a group of girls whose friend Alyson recently died. But not very long after Alyson's death, the girls begin  receiving messages all from the notorious "A" which makes them think it is Alyson. "A" knows all their secrets and sets out to ruin the girls' lives. This sets up the series’ premise of finding out just who “A” really is. After the first episode, I became immersed in the series. Originally, I lamented over another great show that would never get the respectability it deserves. That was until I realized that this show wouldn't be passed over and that people actually were watching it.

So if you wrote off this show because of the cheesy-sounding name, remember that saying everyone rolls their eyes at; "Don't judge a book by its cover". Give the show a chance and you may be surprised at how good it actually is.

I give it: 8/10

Little Big Planet

System: PSP

The oxymoronic title of this game makes it seem cute and cuddly and innocent. It's not really like that. Touch anything that looks shiny/electric and you die with a firecracker-like sound. Fall into lava? Dead. Hit a thundercloud? Dead. Accidentally get somewhere you're not supposed to be? Well that's when the "retry" button comes in handy. Sure you respawn (usually close to where you died), but it gets frustrating when you get to a spot and you don't know how to not die. The secret keys used to unlock extra levels are pretty difficult to find, and some of them are really hard to play. While the game may be frustrating a little bit too often, it's nice that it's not extremely easy. The point of the game is to try and collect bubbles, stickers, and costume items scattered through the levels, and it's challenging to find all of them because there are a lot. Through all the frustrating levels, though, they are all possible even though they may not seem like it the first 20 times you die in the same spot. The only thing that I can complain a lot about is the short storyline. It doesn't take long to finish the few levels.

Personally I loved dressing up Sackboy (the character you control) in some funny costumes. Giving him dreadlocks and a monocle is an interesting costume choice, and there are a lot of possibilities for costumes. The option to create your own levels is nice, but it's hard to figure out at first, and I myself most likely won't spend much time on this. The music of the game is good, but it gets annoying after you've heard it for too long when you get stuck on a level. Graphics wise, the game is nice to look at. Once the game is finished, as in you've played all the levels once, there's definitely replay value of them so that you can collect all of the items in each level, even though that's difficult to do.

I rate this a: 9/10

TRON: Legacy

☞ Trailer

Synopsis: While investigating the mysterious disappearance of his father, Kevin (Jeff Bridges), techie Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) lands in a beguiling computerized world of enslaved gladiators, where his dad has been living for the past 25 years. Joined by Kevin's trusted friend (Olivia Wilde), the father and son must journey across a breathtaking -- and perilous -- cyberscape in this 21st-century update to the beloved 1982 sci-fi classic.  (This is from Netflix; I'm bad at writing summaries)

Thoughts: This was my first 3D movie so I can't compare the 3D graphics of this movie to those in others, but it didn't seem very 3D to me. Although I could have guessed that from the part in the beginning that said the film was mostly shot in 2D and the fact that live action movies typically aren't as 3D as animated ones. It's easier to convert to 3D with a CG film, so it's more effective that way. I never saw the first TRON, so I can't compare the films, but I did like the storyline. The acting was pretty good, but it did seem sort of dragged out as it kept going. I was falling asleep at the beginning in what was pretty much a wasted 20 minute scene of Kevin playing a prank on his father's company (Encom), but it did pick up after a while. The fight scenes were nice and not dragged out. I didn't notice any plot holes which is always nice because plot holes really bother me even if they're only little things.

I give it a: 7/10