Last of 2012 Movie Reviews

Animation: 

Here is my last reviews of the movies I watched in 2012. Hope you enjoy it.

As a rule, I would prefer any other movie to an animation. It always seems a bit silly, childish and badly produced. But there will always be cases where I am either: a) forced to watch b) get bribed into watching and c) (very unlikely) willingly watch, an animation.

Hotel Transylvania: 

Willingly chose to watch.

The story of a hotel started by Count Dracula is fun, sweet and entertaining. I did not expect to enjoy it, and was pleasantly surprised. There is enough adult humour in to make it bearable for parents to sit through, whilst keeping the fun factor for the kiddies. The only drawback was the cinema full of children – not my cup of tea. 

Rating: a well-deserved 8/10

Despicable Me: 

Got bribed into watching.

Despicable me is a story about three little orphan girls stealing the heart of an "evil" man. It was sweet, funny and very cute. One of the few animation films I would watch again. Really well done. 

Rating: 8/10

Madagascar 3: 

Got forced into watching.

I will not watch this again under threat of torture. Poorly done and a good example why certain movies shouldn't have sequels. Strictly for children. 

Rating: 3/10

Any animation suggestions?
N

LEAVE!

I AM ON LEAVE FROM TODAY!

I am so excited. It is probably obvious since I am writing this in pink, eh?

I just hope the world doesn't end today :p

It would suck if I didn't get to enjoy some of my LEAVE.

Sorry, but 2012 has been terrible. I am so happy 2013 is nearly here. I am ready for a good year.

As for my leave, I will be visiting my one friend in Nelspruit for a bit after Christmas. It is going to be so much fun! Will definitely post some pictures when I get back.

I may be a little scarce on my blog, but am planning some scheduled posts.

Have a good Christmas.

Natasha

The Hobbit - An Unexpected Adventure

I went to watch The Hobbit this weekend. I have been so excited for so long, and I have to say, it was worth the hype. Although a bit long, and at some times stretched, it is a masterpiece and deserves praise for the quality of film.

The Hobbit follows the story of what happens to Bilbo Baggins (a Hobbit) when Gandalf leads 13 dwarves to him one night. He is employed by Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the dwarves, and goes on journey with them to reclaim Erebor from the dragon Smaug. Many Lord of the Rings characters returns to this prequel. Galadiel, Saruman, Elrond, and Gollum appear in their respective roles, and I think I can justly say, that Andy Serkis deserves accolades for his unbelievable portrayal of the creature Gollum.

The movie doesn't always follow the story in the book, but I was impressed nontheless. It is a fantastic film, made to be enjoyed by many. It managed to flare up my Tolkien obsession again, and I am now reading the Hobbit, to be followed by the Lord of the Rings. 

 Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins.

 Cate Blanchett as Galadriel

 Ian McKellen as Gandalf

 Andy Serkis as Gollum

 The Dwarves

Thorin Oakenshield - Richard Armitage

Go watch it!

Romantic movies and comedies of 2012:

Here is my third instalment of Movies of 2012

Five year engagement:

Tom Solomon proposes to girlfriend Violet Barnes after one year of dating. Then things start happening, and they begin to question whether their relationship is meant to be. Emily Blunt and Jason Segel make a strangely compelling acting pair, and except Jason’s urge to be nude in every movie he starts in, they make a great team. This is definitely my favourite romantic comedy of 2012. I was shocked that it wasn’t huge box office hit. Rating: 7.5/10

The Lucky one:

Based on the book written by Nicholas Sparks, it focuses on the life of a Leo, a young soldier (played by Zac Efron) who is attempting to deal with the memories he has of the death and destruction he has witnessed in the war. He sets out to find the woman he believes saved his life. He meets Beth (played by Taylor Schilling), who has issues of her own, least her abusive ex-husband. The events in the movie are clear and well portrayed, and it never drags or moves to fast. The chemistry between the two main characters is undeniable, and really worth a watch.

Rating: 8/10

The Vow

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams star as Leo and Paige, a young married couple who survives a horrific car accident. Paige loses her memory, and Leo sets out to rebuild their relationship. A true story about love and strength, the only flaw is that it seems a bit stretched at some points. But since it is based on a real life story, it is easy to forget these facts and focus on the loveliness in the movie.

I really enjoyed this movie.

Rating: 7/10

Magic Mike:

This was sadly not what it could have been. It is based on the life of Channing Tatum’s stripper days, but is alternatively rushed or too slow at certain points. This is an all-star cast, but most of the actors spoke one or two lines each. I have seen other projects from Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey that deserves much more attention than this movie. The female characters is portrayed as selfish and shallow, and I didn’t appreciate either actresses (Cody Horn and Olivia Munn)’s portrayals.

Rating: 5/10

Lovely long weekend

Long weekends are the best ever. The 16^th of December was celebrated in pre-democracy South-Africa as commemoration of the Battle of Bloedrivier (Slag van Bloedrivier), when the Afrikaners defeated the Zulu’s on 16 December 1838* Today we celebrate the 16^th as the day of Reconciliation between black and white people in South-Africa.

On Friday night we went and watched the Hobbit. I will post on it later on, but it was a good movie. Saturday I did the most of my Christmas shopping (Finally!) and Sunday it was my sister’s engagement party (outstanding success) and on Monday I cleaned out my room and closet, did my nails, and had some relaxing time.

The best thing about long weekends is that you can do most of the things you never have time for. All in all, it was a great weekend.

PS: It is my last week of work, and then I am on leave until the 14^th of January 2013!! I am just so excited!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Blood_River

ENGAGEMENT!

no, not me.

My sister and her boyfriend (now fiancée) got engaged on 12/12/12. How awesome!

I am so happy for them. they will rock this shit.

As official MOH, I am organising the engagement party. Which is Sunday.

Wish me luck!

N

Vampires, Sci-Fi, fairy tales and everything in between

Morning!

Here is my second enstallment of Movies of 2012:

Breaking Dawn part two: 

The memory of this movie is still fresh, and I can honestly say that it is the best of the franchise. It proved a lot of things, but mostly that actors can develop from mediocre to good, screenplay can be well executed, and a movie can keep to the book and still be a blockbuster. It was the best end I could have imagined for a saga I believed would bore. It stayed true to its original cast, and chose characters shockingly accurate for new roles. This movie does not deserve an Academy Award, but it does deserve recognition for evolving into a worthy tale. 

Rating: 8.5/10 

The Hunger Games 

It shames me to admit that until I saw the trailer of the Hunger Games, I had never heard of the series or of Susan Collins. I love reading, so the fact that this type of magic went by unnoticed, will leave me appalled for some time. The post-apocalyptic film followed the book to perfection. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth play Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark and Gayle Hawthorne to perfection. I am waiting anxiously for the rest of the series. 

Rating: 8.5/10 

Snow White and the Huntsman: 

When I saw this film was being released, I was excited and sceptical at the same time. Seeing Kristen Stewart in another role as Bella was like imagining Nina Dobrev playing someone other than Elena Gilbert… frightening and confusing. Kristen impressed me with her portrayal of Snow (the different facial expressions mostly) and convinced me of a future for her after Twilight. Chris Hemsworth played the Huntsman, surprising me with the excellence with which he played a more romantic part. He is the poplar standard for playing the ruggedly handsome. Charlize Theron (our home pride) gave the best performance in the film as the wicked queen. I am so proud that she is South-African. 

Rating: 7/10. 

Barnabas Collins: Dark Shadows 

For an actor of Johnny Depp’s calibre, I was rather disappointed with the quality of this movie. He still brought his magic touch to the screen, but not to an extent which I found mesmerising. Barnabas Collins seemed to share too many qualities with his Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. 

Rating: 5.5/10 

Men in Black 3: 

I saw this movie in the cinema THREE times (long story). It barely deserves to be seen in the cinema. I can’t honestly say anything about this movie; because I saw it so many times I am quite sick of it. But Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin deserve proper accolades when acting is mentioned, since they are wonderful actors. 

Rating: a biased 6.5/10

Any other suggestions?

N

12/12/12

If you have managed to take your sparkling eyes of the fact that it is DECEMBER, you will notice that today is a pretty special day. Today is 12/12/12 – the only time we will ever see a date like that again. Wow!

Here is a list of random things that make me happy. We could all use a little happy in our lives.

Modern family: by far the best show I have watched lately. 

Nail polish: Nothing feels better than looking down at your pretty nails.

Buying stuff: It doesn't need to be expensive, just getting something small has a major cheering up factor.

Taking a walk at the end of the day. I don’t even care about the exercise – it is a great way to clear your head.

Music

I have started drawing again. Talk about free therapy!

I am in a phase where I am planning everything. It makes me extremely happy, so I am not over analysis it too much.

My clean room. it is so fun to get home each day and walk into a clean room. I am trying really hard to maintain it!

What makes you happy?

Movies 2012 Part 1

The fact that 2012 is drawing to a close is unbelievable in itself. the year has had its ups and downs, and one definite up is the quality of the movies that were produced. I am will be posting a few articles around this topic, since one would be insufficient.

Today's genre is any type of Action Hero movie, or that falls under the genre of Action or Drama. I do not usually watch Action, but saw some good films this year. I have been getting into comic books being produced into films in the past few years, but it has really exploded this year (lucky me). It is surely due to the fact that the hype around vampires are slowly dying, and the market is needing new money makers.

Side note: Most of the movies on here were released in 2012, but I am also mentioning movies I watched on DVD for the first time.

Avengers:

My favourite movie of all time – this is a most honourable award, since I love watching movies. I was mind blown by the graphics, characters, events and execution. It rather deserved breaking nearly all movies records in history, and cemented my love for super heroes permanently.

Rating: 9.5/10

The Dark Knight Rises:

While finding the movie a tiny bit too long, I enjoyed seeing Christian Bale as Batman. This was the first movie of the franchise I watched, and afterwards saw the others as well. Tom Hardy was unrecognisable as Bane, and I think he has truly developed into a fantastic actor. The tragedy involving this film at Colorado, US, nearly overshadowed the hype of the film, but Christian Bale rose to the occasion and proved that he really was a superhero by visiting the victims in hospital. You have earned my eternal respect, Mr Bale.

Rating: 8/10

Safe house

Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds brought their acting to South-Africa for this movie, and I was duly impressed with the landmarks I recognised in the background. I am of the opinion that this is a strong storyline and was excellently executed. I am all for the rumours I hear about a second instalment.

Rating: 7/10

Thor and Captain America

Both films weren’t released in 2012, but deserve mentioning because they led up to the Avengers. I am not sure if I enjoyed Thor for the correct reasons (Chris Hemsworth and those shoulders) but it seemed like a pretty good movie. I wasn’t overly impressed with Captain America, but enjoyed it to a certain extent.

Thor: 7/10

Captain America: 6.5/10

Iron Man (one and two)

Robert Downey Jnr. is superb in everything he does, and he continues with his stellar reputation in these two instalments. I am sick with excitement for Iron Man 3 next year.

Both: 8.5/10

What are your thoughts on this?

N

The reason I couldn't sleep last night

Strawberry cheesecake from Mugg & Bean.

Was worth it.

N

happy december

I just can't believe that 2012 is in its last month.
Here is my list of things I love about December:

Summer time

December is full summer season here in South-Africa. We get to have Christmas under a sunny sky, and while I would love a white Christmas, I will always think of summer and warmth in December.

December was made just to have fun. Everyone winds down, reconnects and parties like crazy. I love being with everyone that I care about, and just having the best time ever.

Planning for the New Year:

Getting everything in order and thinking about what goals you want to achieve is part of the fun for me.

Reflecting on what has passed:

I think about everything I experienced this year, and no matter how sad I have been, I wouldn’t change a thing. Everything happened for a reason, and now I am a better person for it.

I get to spend time with all my family members. Nothing can ever beat this. I regularly want to throw someone with something in my household, but I love them so much. Spending time with them, respecting our age old traditions of sleeping downstairs Christmas night, eating delicious food and opening presents is definitely something I will pass on to my children.

Atmosphere:

Everyone is just so damn happy and festive. The shopping malls are lined with trees, lights and decorations. That feeling no one can describe perfectly. Everything is frantic leading up to Christmas, and then it stops, hushes and becomes so magical on Christmas day.

Food

This is the season where you can eat anything you like, without feeling guilty. I refuse to believe that Christmas food will make you gain weight. It is a lie, so don’t believe it!

Presents

I love presents. Giving, Receiving, shopping for them, wrapping them, and making cards, looking at them under the tree, opening them. I LOVE IT.

Finally, I love the fact that it is resting time. I get to sleep late, do anything I want, loaf, and suntan and drink cocktails. December is the best month there is, to my mind.

My Thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey

I know an incredible amount of people who loved these books, so I will try to be as gentle as possible with my description. Now, if that sentence didn't alert you to my very obvious stance on it, let me make it clear: the books were terrible.

I wouldn't under any circumstances claim that I am a literary expert, but having read a lot of books, I think I have some sort of understanding what it takes to make a good novel. Firstly, it is incredibly important to use the correct language. There were so many repetitive sentences and phrases, that I would get nauseous after a few sentences.  Some opinions indicate that it was written in this way to indicate Anastasia’s youth, but frankly, I am more or less the same age as her, and I find those comments rather insulting. I will never think phrases like “Holy Fuck” and “Oh my”, more than once in a train of thought, no matter how attractive someone is.

Also, it would seem that Fifty Shades of Grey is amassing a fan base to rival Justin Bieber and One Direction. I have never understood these extreme types of fanaticism, but I do get that teenagers love to have idols. But these books were written for an age group much older, and it seems unacceptable that people are freaking out like this. No social network is safe from countless women who gushes about reading “Fifty Shades”. It is really okay to be interested in a book, but to focus your entire existence on it is more than a bit sad.

The books started out as fan tributes to Twilight. While not the most wonderful books, Twilight uses much better English, is appropriate to its age, and found a niche market to conquer (and turned Vampires into a billion dollar empire) Sorry, Fifty, but BDSM is not a niche market.

Lastly, it annoys me that the books create ridiculous expectations with women. I already know people who furiously believe that they will marry sport stars/celebrities, and here comes these books, claiming that a seemingly stupid girl, with no personality or ambition, can catch the world’s most successful bachelor? Get real, ladies. There isn't a man on this planet that is rich, handsome, obsessively jealous and protective, that will drop his roughish ways just to be with you. Rather find someone who is imperfect but has enough stability to make things work, ‘kay?

I hope you noticed that I didn't mention any of the crazy sex happening in these books. It doesn't bother me all that much, only that it is the main theme rather than the side dish. I would much rather have preferred if they had made a strong female character, a normal man and a relationship that wasn't toxic from the start.

But obviously I am in the minority with that opinion, since the trilogy was part of the best sellers of the past year…

Wonderful leave

I have been neglecting my blog this week, but I am now back! I imagined writing early this morning when I got to work, but alas, the workload chained me to my desk and away from any internet related activities. It is nearly 15:00 now, and taking a quick break to update.

Where have I been, you ask?

Well, I took leave for two days. Just for a bit of rest and to find strength to finish the year. It was so much fun. I can’t wait for the end of December – for so many reasons! I will be on leave again and visiting my best friend with my other best friend!

This weekend was rather hectic. We went to Doors Friday night for the Movember party. It was startling to see Jack Parow perform in a heavy metal club. I was rather entertained after the shock, and have to say that he certainly knows how to entertain.

Saturday I had a movie night with friends. We watched PS. I Love You and Snow White and the Huntsman. I love watching both movies over and over again.

Sunday I had the urge to clean my room – which I did very successfully. It was so wonderful to realise that I could go to bet late since I didn't need to go to work for a few days. I loafed, ate a lot of bad stuff, and did absolutely nothing. And I am not even feeling guilty about it.

This weekend was so rainy in Johannesburg. I love the sound of the rain on the roof and it helped me sleep much better. At this point I am ready to finish the year with a bang!

How was your weekend?