The Witch

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 19 February 2016
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Staring:  Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Etc...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.5 of 10
MY RATING: 5

STORYLINE

New England, 1630: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life, homesteading on the edge of an impassible wilderness, with five children. When their newborn son mysteriously vanishes and their crops fail, the family begins to turn on one another. 'The Witch' is a chilling portrait of a family unraveling within their own fears and anxieties, leaving them prey for an inescapable evil.

MY REVIEW:
I'd start by saying the movie was not what the trailer lead me to believe. This is not as much about scary moments or jump scare and more about a family coping with a lost child, and the movie trying to build suspense and just make the viewer feel uncomfortable. Because of this, I can see why some people will see it as really slow with not much happening.

Some PLUSES for me: - Anya Taylor-Joy (the older daughter) is amazing in this movie and I also think Ralph Ineson (the father) did a good job. - the score is really good, there are periods of intense silence and periods of creepy music at just the right times to build tension - the cinematography with nice wide shots combined with the score works really well in most moments. I am a HUGE fan of the “Bad Guy Wins” idea of movies.

For the MINUSES: - I felt like the other child's acting was pretty bad and over the top and just took me out of the movie in most scenes where they are the focus (thankfully there were not THAT many) - a bit too slow of a pacing during the first half even for my taste

So, just like I said in the title, KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GETTING INTO. If you go and expect your typical horror movie with jump scares and a hidden 'baddie' slowly revealing itself along the movie in scary scenes, THIS IS NOT IT. This is mostly a family drama that tries to build suspense and make the viewer feel uneasy.

Good, not great.

On a personal note: This week was my last week working at ADS. It was a long 8 years and I will truly miss all of my friends!! Last night, a large group of usual went out for drinks. I love this picture of me and my Jeff's from the office. I was only missing one of the 4 and I am so glad that they were there! I will miss having the Jeff's and always having to stop in a conversation and say whether it was about Jeff M., Jeff G. or Jeff W.! Let's be honest, it was usually about Jeff M.! I love that I had over 40 people come out on a school night to wish me well! It'll be a huge change for me. The best part is that I am literally moving to the building across the street! (Like 200 yards!)

Deadpool

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 12 February 2016
Running Time: 1 Hour and 48 Minutes
Staring:  Ryan Reynolds, Morena Saccharin, TJ Miller, etc.
Rating?A Well deserved R.
SPOILERS? No-ish

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.2 of 10
MY RATING: 10

STORYLINE
This is the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

MY REVIEW:
Let me start with this, I was never really aware of the Deadpool comics, so this was quite a surprise for me. I LOVED IT! This was kinda the anti-comic book hero that I never even knew I wanted until it was there. This movie was absolutely hilarious from the first scene to the last. I know a 10 is pushing it, and even IMDB reviewers are only at a 8.2. It was brash and honest and all of the ball jokes made me wish I had read the comics. I loved the breaking o the fourth wall, the romantic silliness and the gruesome bloody-goodness.

This is me trying to be a 
comic book heroine!

So, on  to the actual review. Right from the opening credits, you'll find that this is a different kind of superhero movie. We have Wade Wilson, who is an ex-mercenary who falls for the wrong girl in just the right way. He has a bad turn of fortune and ends up in a rogue experimental medical procedure that turns him into Deadpool! (That's the only spoiler that I will drop!)

I have a soft spot in my heart for movies that tell stories using clever moments of flashbacks to reveal just enough to get us to the next part. This movie does that well. Moreno Baccarin, who I have loved since Firefly, plays his girlfriend and a pretty dirty one at that!

Here's my desk at the office.
Think I may have a problem?

While the rest of the cast is suitably funny (don't miss the fantastically-named Negasonic Teenage Warhead, played by Brianna Hildebrand), this really is Reynolds' moment in the sun all the way. He surely has come a long way since 2011's very ordinary Green Lantern. In fact, what elevates this movie to another level is not just the snarky one- liners, but the plethora of cross-references to a lot of other superhero films as well. Supported by a very clever script, Deadpool is deliciously irreverent, subversive and uproariously funny.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 5 Feb 2016

Director: X
Writer: XX
Running Time: 1 Hour and 47 Minutes

Staring:  Lily James, Sam Riley, Jack Huston

Rating? PG-13

SPOILERS? Not really!

REVIEWS

IMDB: 5.9 of 10     
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE

Five sisters in 19th century England must cope with the pressures to marry while protecting themselves from a growing population of zombies.

MY REVIEW

This movie did not let me down! This was a birthday present to myself. I decided that since I was off, I would go enjoy a movie-- ALONE! If you go into this with the knowledge that this will NOT be Gone with the Wind or some other classical great, you'll be fine. Seriously, Pride and Prejudice was a go-to for me when I was a teenager. Love this book. Then Pride and Prejudice AND Zombies happened to my life!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• Plot and Storytelling- There was so much more to the movie with excellent storytelling and a very well-developed plot that was just different enough from the book to keep you entertained.
• Production quality of the costuming and set design was amazing for a movie like this. Excellent attention to detail with the wardrobe and I have to give credit to the vocal coach who helped this cast get prepared for this!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• There were definitely parts that I had to shake my head at that were very near the line for me with over the top drama and ridiculousness, but those were not NEARLY enough to make me feel that I had not gotten my money's worth!

On a more personal note..... Since yesterday was my birthday, I have two new gifts to show!~ Terry installed a tv in the kitchen so I could watch NETFLIX while I am cooking! He also bought a pressure cooker for me! Looking forward to some great things coming out of this guy! Finally, Baby Dexter Morgan hung out with me on the couch! Live this boy!! 

The Veil

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 19 January 2016
Running Time: 1 House and 33 Minutes
Staring:  Jessica Alba, Lily Rabe, Thomas Jane
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 4.8 of 10
MY RATING: 3

STORYLINE
Twenty-five years after members of a religious cult committed mass suicide, the lone survivor returns to the scene of the tragedy with a documentary crew in tow.

MY REVIEW:
I stayed home for my birthday and while everyone else
was at work, I watched a scary movie.

I saw this pop up on Netflix and decided to give it a shot. I mean, Yeah, it was straight to Netflix from what I could tell, but Jessica Alba, so could it be that bad? The short answer is yes.

The premise seemed to have some promise. A cult suicide that resembled the Jim Jones- Jonestown tragedy, perhaps in an intended idea leads to 25 years of life-stopping agoraphobia for Sarah Hope, played by Lily Rabe. You'd recognize her from the TV Show American Horror Story and a few other things.

A review is ALWAYS personal and there's no genre in movies more personal than Terror/horror movies - what works for me might work for a few and not work at all for many.

That being said, movie starts well, good balance between the lost-footage style that I generally HATE and normal camera view. There is definitely an eerie music and atmosphere here and this movie is good and then it starts going down and down the drain, with a very predictable story and ending.

Thomas Jane playing the cult leader Jim Jacobs (almost too close to Jim Jones for me) as a serious case of over-acting here and just gets worst and worst towards the end. Jessica Alba is almost a secondary role. Movie turns into a possession average flick, with a twist in the end that every one is expecting already.

End-shot before the end sums it all perfectly. A movie full of holes that lacks charisma, suspense and surprises.

Nothing new here, the same old "get in a shack, kill'em all" style of movie that's been tirelessly done for some decades now.

On a personal note: I got a pretty cool hat in the mail today in my Nerd Block (Link to Nerd Block Website) Pikachu! I think I look super cute!!

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