Well, considering the first time I tried to do it I ended up crying, here is a full, very biased review of the last Harry Potter adventure.
SPOILERS FOR THE SUPA FANS AHEAD!
We start off where we left off in Part 1 with Voldemort stealing the Elder Wand from Dumbledore (small tear ensues).
Then the trio rob Gringotts, sneak back into Hogwarts, you know the story.
First all the stuff I liked:
-McGonagall (Maggie Smith) dueling Severus Snape (The great Alan Rickman) in the Great Hall and then bringing the light back to the room just made my heart swell.
-The Dragon!!!!!! DRAGONS!
-Helena Bonham Carter did a wonderful job of pretending to be Hermione pretending to be Bellatrix. That's a hard task to accomplish and she does it so well.
-Neville (Matt Lewis) really gets to step up in this part, and Matt really just topped off the whole film. It's been a joy to see him grow from scared little klutz to the hero depicted here.
- The Prince's Tale/ Snape's Death are the only places I let myself sob during. I loved it to pieces. I was so happy.
-The Room of Requirement chase scene with the Fiendfyre and everything. Oh my Lady Gaga, that was awesome.
-The awkward Voldemort/Draco hug of AWESOME! That made me laugh so hard.
-Ron's little one liner as he gets Hermione into the Chamber of Secrets. The whole theater laughed.
-Yes, you knew it was coming. THE RON/HERMIONE KISS! It was tremendous and funny and the theater cheered loudly the two times I've seen it.
-Molly Weasly/ Bellatrix. I'd been waiting for that since the first time I read the sequence in the books.
-VOLDEMORT CONFETTI!
THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE:
I think the Prince's Tale could've been a bit better, but I had such high expectations that would've been impossible to reach them in the first place.
-THEY DIDN'T MEND HARRY'S WAND!!!!!! What was this?!?!??!!??!?!/ It would've taken five seconds to film! I would rather have Harry mend his wand than Neville's motivational speech.
-As much as I like the Bellatrix and Voldemort confetti, I would've prefered the original deaths.
-What happened to the Cloak of Invisibility? Not even mentioned even though it's one of the freakin' Deathly Hallows!
I was happy with the film. It was a fitting send off. I'm gonna miss the premieres and such as the years wear on. But knowing Hollywood, be prepared for re-makes.
I'll write a report on the premiere itself when I get the time.
Much love and Sonic Screwdrivers,
Randi
Showing posts with label astonishment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label astonishment. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Sunday, May 29, 2011
YOU'VE BEEN WHO'ED!
So guess what? I'm going to catch you silly Americans up on the my favoritest show ever :)
So off we go.
WHOVIAN DICTIONARY TIME!
The Doctor- The awesome alien Time Lord dude who saves the Earth every single second, every minutes, every hour of everyday. The cool thing about the Doctor (And the main reason the show is still around and the longest running sci-fi in show in history) is that he can regenerate when he's about to die. Right now he's re-generated eleven times and is currently played be the adorable, bow tie wearing, geeky Matt Smith (small fangirl squeal). In short, he's 900 and something years old
Companion- The Doctor usually picks a couple awesome people who usually deserve a way out of normalacy along for the ride. Right now it's the supposedly happily maried Amy and Rory (Karen Gillian and Arthur Darill play them respectively) and they usually add some drama and humanitarianism to the show. There's only been a few episodes that the Dr. has traveled alone.
TARDIS- (stands for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space) is the magical time Machine the Dr. stole in his youth and has been traveling around Earth and other planets ever since. Sometimes it breaks, and it recently had a human body for a little bit in one of the more recent episodes.
Dalek- Daleks are the Dr.'s oldest enemy. They look like some kind of robot from Power Rangers, but their real bodies are on the inside. It looks like a jelly fish. Anyways, with annoying voices and unthinkable weirdness, they give the Dr. a headache (me too)
There's a bunch of other villians too (Cyberman, Weeping Angels, most recently The Silence) and a variety of other aliens and stuff.
Sonic Screwdriver- The coolest little tool ever. It doesn't actually look like a screwdriver, and it fixes a heck of a lot more. Comes in handy in a fix. I squeal everytime it does something epic in the Dr's hands.
Sometimes the Dr. goes back in time, sometimes the future, sometimes different plants, sometimes Earth, always very fun, always quirky, and better than most stuff in America.
Dr. Who is a big part of British culture like we American's really around..... Happy Days or Full House or wahtever.
Having a favorite Dr. is a hard thing to do. I constantly have arguments in my head about who's better: David Tennant, Matt Smith, or Tom Baker. (I still can't pick just one).
Anyway, I skipped over a lot of stuff (seven hundred episodes in a couple hundred words is pretty impossible).
So Whovians, feel free to add more :)
love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi
So off we go.
WHOVIAN DICTIONARY TIME!
The Doctor- The awesome alien Time Lord dude who saves the Earth every single second, every minutes, every hour of everyday. The cool thing about the Doctor (And the main reason the show is still around and the longest running sci-fi in show in history) is that he can regenerate when he's about to die. Right now he's re-generated eleven times and is currently played be the adorable, bow tie wearing, geeky Matt Smith (small fangirl squeal). In short, he's 900 and something years old
Companion- The Doctor usually picks a couple awesome people who usually deserve a way out of normalacy along for the ride. Right now it's the supposedly happily maried Amy and Rory (Karen Gillian and Arthur Darill play them respectively) and they usually add some drama and humanitarianism to the show. There's only been a few episodes that the Dr. has traveled alone.
TARDIS- (stands for Time and Relative Dimensions In Space) is the magical time Machine the Dr. stole in his youth and has been traveling around Earth and other planets ever since. Sometimes it breaks, and it recently had a human body for a little bit in one of the more recent episodes.
Dalek- Daleks are the Dr.'s oldest enemy. They look like some kind of robot from Power Rangers, but their real bodies are on the inside. It looks like a jelly fish. Anyways, with annoying voices and unthinkable weirdness, they give the Dr. a headache (me too)
There's a bunch of other villians too (Cyberman, Weeping Angels, most recently The Silence) and a variety of other aliens and stuff.
Sonic Screwdriver- The coolest little tool ever. It doesn't actually look like a screwdriver, and it fixes a heck of a lot more. Comes in handy in a fix. I squeal everytime it does something epic in the Dr's hands.
Sometimes the Dr. goes back in time, sometimes the future, sometimes different plants, sometimes Earth, always very fun, always quirky, and better than most stuff in America.
Dr. Who is a big part of British culture like we American's really around..... Happy Days or Full House or wahtever.
Having a favorite Dr. is a hard thing to do. I constantly have arguments in my head about who's better: David Tennant, Matt Smith, or Tom Baker. (I still can't pick just one).
Anyway, I skipped over a lot of stuff (seven hundred episodes in a couple hundred words is pretty impossible).
So Whovians, feel free to add more :)
love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Waiting For Superman: Review and Thoughts
If you've been watching all the good movies of 2010, you've stumbled upon Waiting for Superman. It's a relevant documentary on our school system and why it needs change, taking you inside the lives of the families so caught up in the struggle of good education.
This is an important film. This will blow your mind.
Anyway, this movie goes into areas such as:
-The inefficient things needed to be completed to fire an incompetant teacher (I believe there are 24 complicated, often un-necessary steps)
- Some of the people who are stepping up to help reform education and get the ball rolling in the right direction (People who have started KIPP and the Canada schools).
- A handful of families and their journey to a better education for their kids, sometimes ending in heartbreak, which only brings the whole reality of the situation closer.
-The politics and unions who are causing some pain in the lives of the good teachers and how the horrible teachers stay in schools.
This movie in one word is bittersweet. About half of the movie is spent in the lives of the families who are in the "lottery" to get their kids out of the "drop-out factories" (the term for thousands of schools where less than half the classes will graduate). We find out who goes in the end and who stays. IT's very powerful and hugely gripping It's insane the fuss made over this. People are screaming for a better education for their children.
That's another thing. This movie is largely saying that we get away from what this is about: Preparing kids for the future. IT becomes about the adults as it leans more towards politics, more towards correctness, and inefficientness.
Being a middle-schooler and watching this was so odd. They're talking about my peers in public school.. It's weird. In some odd way, it hits close to home.
The title comes from one of the educators in the movie (it's very late here so some of it is slipping away but I believe his last name was Canada). He said one of the most heartbreaking moments of his life was when his mom told him that Superman wasn't going to be there to save the day. It works so well, 'cause I believe a lot of people really are waiting for some super hero to come in and get us out of our mess. It's relevant.
I've experianced the bad teachers of our system too. I had a third grade who used a microphone to yell at us, refused to teach sometimes, complained about how stupid we were, and couldn't teach when she did. I'm not legally allowed to mention her name, but it was bad. The prinicipa who had hired her had retired the previous year and the powers that be soon got the message that this person could not teach. Loud and clear. At least six kids requested a change of class or switched schools (I was transferred to a private school where we go to church) and soon, that angel prinicpal took steps necessary to get her out.
But the fact is, most of the time, requests like these are ignored, and kids educations are damaged forever.
So it's time to stop waiting for superman
Or the Doctor to come in with his sonic screwdriver.
Or.... well you get it.
Love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi
This is an important film. This will blow your mind.
Anyway, this movie goes into areas such as:
-The inefficient things needed to be completed to fire an incompetant teacher (I believe there are 24 complicated, often un-necessary steps)
- Some of the people who are stepping up to help reform education and get the ball rolling in the right direction (People who have started KIPP and the Canada schools).
- A handful of families and their journey to a better education for their kids, sometimes ending in heartbreak, which only brings the whole reality of the situation closer.
-The politics and unions who are causing some pain in the lives of the good teachers and how the horrible teachers stay in schools.
This movie in one word is bittersweet. About half of the movie is spent in the lives of the families who are in the "lottery" to get their kids out of the "drop-out factories" (the term for thousands of schools where less than half the classes will graduate). We find out who goes in the end and who stays. IT's very powerful and hugely gripping It's insane the fuss made over this. People are screaming for a better education for their children.
That's another thing. This movie is largely saying that we get away from what this is about: Preparing kids for the future. IT becomes about the adults as it leans more towards politics, more towards correctness, and inefficientness.
Being a middle-schooler and watching this was so odd. They're talking about my peers in public school.. It's weird. In some odd way, it hits close to home.
The title comes from one of the educators in the movie (it's very late here so some of it is slipping away but I believe his last name was Canada). He said one of the most heartbreaking moments of his life was when his mom told him that Superman wasn't going to be there to save the day. It works so well, 'cause I believe a lot of people really are waiting for some super hero to come in and get us out of our mess. It's relevant.
I've experianced the bad teachers of our system too. I had a third grade who used a microphone to yell at us, refused to teach sometimes, complained about how stupid we were, and couldn't teach when she did. I'm not legally allowed to mention her name, but it was bad. The prinicipa who had hired her had retired the previous year and the powers that be soon got the message that this person could not teach. Loud and clear. At least six kids requested a change of class or switched schools (I was transferred to a private school where we go to church) and soon, that angel prinicpal took steps necessary to get her out.
But the fact is, most of the time, requests like these are ignored, and kids educations are damaged forever.
So it's time to stop waiting for superman
Or the Doctor to come in with his sonic screwdriver.
Or.... well you get it.
Love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Dr. Who Season Six Premiere- Thoughts
French the Llama that was good!
Dr. Who is back with a bang this year. Here's a step by step evaluation!
Acting- All the actors, while still very good in season 5 have become so much better over the break. It's so much fun to watch them even when it's the saddest episodes I've ever seen (it's a two part thing instead of an hour season premiere).
Story- Does everybody remember how Inception confused you after you finished. You sat there on your couch with your popcorn and Diet Coke thinking "What did I just watch and how is this coherent?"
But it is in a weird way and it leaves a lot of stuff up for grabs. I also heard Nail Gaiman was on board with this season and that definitly makes a mark, coupled along with the genius mind-boggling writer Steven Moffat.
Scary Stuff- The Slience (lead baddies) are rivaling the Weeping Angels as the scariest aliens in Dr. Who history! Unlike the Angels though, it wasn't a non-stop scare fest with sharp jabs and electrifying shocks. The Silence pop up quickly, scare you a little bit and move on only to do the same thing again five minutes later. They're some of the scariest looking things I've ever seen, although mostly, they just stand around and do nothing (they do kill somebody once though). I do have a question though, why are they wearing suits? It's a bit confusing.
WILL THS PREMIERE GIVE YOU ANY CLOSURE?
NOOOOOO! OF COURSE NOT, THAT'S SILLY!
One thing that annoys me about viewing a new season as it comes out is that I don't have anyone to tell me what's up and how cool it is. I'm caught up with everybody else now and we're all on this weird rollercoaster that has lots of off angles and turns. It's quite exciting.
What were your thoughts on the premiere. Is the bowtie still as cool when it's purple? (Yes it is)
Love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi
Dr. Who is back with a bang this year. Here's a step by step evaluation!
Acting- All the actors, while still very good in season 5 have become so much better over the break. It's so much fun to watch them even when it's the saddest episodes I've ever seen (it's a two part thing instead of an hour season premiere).
Story- Does everybody remember how Inception confused you after you finished. You sat there on your couch with your popcorn and Diet Coke thinking "What did I just watch and how is this coherent?"
But it is in a weird way and it leaves a lot of stuff up for grabs. I also heard Nail Gaiman was on board with this season and that definitly makes a mark, coupled along with the genius mind-boggling writer Steven Moffat.
Scary Stuff- The Slience (lead baddies) are rivaling the Weeping Angels as the scariest aliens in Dr. Who history! Unlike the Angels though, it wasn't a non-stop scare fest with sharp jabs and electrifying shocks. The Silence pop up quickly, scare you a little bit and move on only to do the same thing again five minutes later. They're some of the scariest looking things I've ever seen, although mostly, they just stand around and do nothing (they do kill somebody once though). I do have a question though, why are they wearing suits? It's a bit confusing.
WILL THS PREMIERE GIVE YOU ANY CLOSURE?
NOOOOOO! OF COURSE NOT, THAT'S SILLY!
One thing that annoys me about viewing a new season as it comes out is that I don't have anyone to tell me what's up and how cool it is. I'm caught up with everybody else now and we're all on this weird rollercoaster that has lots of off angles and turns. It's quite exciting.
What were your thoughts on the premiere. Is the bowtie still as cool when it's purple? (Yes it is)
Love and sonic screwdrivers,
Randi
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Overnight Sensation
If you missed my previous post on the amazing Patti Rothberg in February or January (it seems like such a long time ago) you've probably forgotten about it. I did too for a while, until I finally got my hands on Overnight Sensation, Patti's latest album (yes, plug, plug plug, plug).
Let me just say it's quite refreshing to hear some good music after a while. Anyway, I decided to ask Patti a couple questions about the album. Check it out when you have the time :)
1. The first couple tracks on Overnight Sensation are quite dance-y. What was the motivation for trying out the new genre?
PR: My producer Dave and I had been writing dance tracks during my creative period with Freddie Katz' rock indie albums hoping to place them with the likes of Britney and or Kylie but ultimately decided my own voice was perfect for the tracks! I've always been a fan of late 70s disco (Donna Summer, Funkytown) so this was a chance to live out my fantasy as a disco diva! Last night my DJ friends spun "Make it REal" and I was just enraptured...people dancing and singing along, I LOVED IT and can't wait for it to happen again and again
2. When I first heard the album, I kind of thought it could be a rock musical and that it told a story. Was that intentional or a complete accident?
I'd love to see it become a rock musical. Concept albums have always inspired me even tho "Sensation" can easily be either a single oriented or storytelling one. Whatever you see in it it can be, to me that is success with an album:)
3.What were the influences on this album?
Each song has varied influences. Make it real is very "Rock with You" M Jackson and also Rhianna's "eh eh eh umbrella which was popular at the time of its inception. Personally I adore it when you record something at a time and nod to a song that is popular to a specific time or era. It dates it but only in the BEST wonderful way!!
4. What was the weirdest thing that happened while you were recording this?
The wierdest thing that happened while recording was how UN-wierd it is for Greenberg/Rothberg to collaborate again after years of missing each other; that look of suspicious knowledge between us when things just WORK like magic. It was like time standing still creating those great stacked harmonies, knowing how RIGHT it is and how much it deserves global limelight and repeated personal ipod repetitions;) Thank you and enjoy! XO P
I'll have a full album review here when I can pull it together and find time. I wanna thank Patti for answering my questions and you whoever you are for reading this :)
Much love,
Randi
Let me just say it's quite refreshing to hear some good music after a while. Anyway, I decided to ask Patti a couple questions about the album. Check it out when you have the time :)
1. The first couple tracks on Overnight Sensation are quite dance-y. What was the motivation for trying out the new genre?
PR: My producer Dave and I had been writing dance tracks during my creative period with Freddie Katz' rock indie albums hoping to place them with the likes of Britney and or Kylie but ultimately decided my own voice was perfect for the tracks! I've always been a fan of late 70s disco (Donna Summer, Funkytown) so this was a chance to live out my fantasy as a disco diva! Last night my DJ friends spun "Make it REal" and I was just enraptured...people dancing and singing along, I LOVED IT and can't wait for it to happen again and again
2. When I first heard the album, I kind of thought it could be a rock musical and that it told a story. Was that intentional or a complete accident?
I'd love to see it become a rock musical. Concept albums have always inspired me even tho "Sensation" can easily be either a single oriented or storytelling one. Whatever you see in it it can be, to me that is success with an album:)
3.What were the influences on this album?
Each song has varied influences. Make it real is very "Rock with You" M Jackson and also Rhianna's "eh eh eh umbrella which was popular at the time of its inception. Personally I adore it when you record something at a time and nod to a song that is popular to a specific time or era. It dates it but only in the BEST wonderful way!!
4. What was the weirdest thing that happened while you were recording this?
The wierdest thing that happened while recording was how UN-wierd it is for Greenberg/Rothberg to collaborate again after years of missing each other; that look of suspicious knowledge between us when things just WORK like magic. It was like time standing still creating those great stacked harmonies, knowing how RIGHT it is and how much it deserves global limelight and repeated personal ipod repetitions;) Thank you and enjoy! XO P
I'll have a full album review here when I can pull it together and find time. I wanna thank Patti for answering my questions and you whoever you are for reading this :)
Much love,
Randi
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Waking Sleeping Beauty
So, as I've stated before, I'm somewhat of a Tim Burton fantic. And a Pixar fanatic (Chicken Little is my homeboy)
So I was looking for another movie to rent and I found what looked to be an awesome documentary called Waking Sleeping Beauty.
I almost died when it credited John Lasseter and Tim Burton right next to each other.
So I rent the movie, watch it all the way through, and give a huge sigh.
I have one question to the people who credited the movie.
So, if you get approximatly four scenes with two of the people mentioned (two for each visionary), can they really be credited as actors in the movie!?!?!?!
I swear, I got ten second facefuls of two of my favorite directors pretty much twice during the movie.
Don't get me wrong, WSB was a good documentary, I just wish they would've spread it out more equally. It spent way too much time on the fighting big wigs at the time. I felt it set this huge goal that the directors were MILES short of.
It was kind of like when I bought Patti Smith's biography JUST KIDS. I was expecting a tale of life on the road with a rock and roll band and on what being a punk rocker poet chick would be like.
Instead I got a beautiful story of two artists in the Chelsea Hotel, surrounded by the likes of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jefferson Airplane.
In both cases, I like the story, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
So yes, if you're looking to see it, just remember you're going to get something different than described.
So I was looking for another movie to rent and I found what looked to be an awesome documentary called Waking Sleeping Beauty.
I almost died when it credited John Lasseter and Tim Burton right next to each other.
So I rent the movie, watch it all the way through, and give a huge sigh.
I have one question to the people who credited the movie.
So, if you get approximatly four scenes with two of the people mentioned (two for each visionary), can they really be credited as actors in the movie!?!?!?!
I swear, I got ten second facefuls of two of my favorite directors pretty much twice during the movie.
Don't get me wrong, WSB was a good documentary, I just wish they would've spread it out more equally. It spent way too much time on the fighting big wigs at the time. I felt it set this huge goal that the directors were MILES short of.
It was kind of like when I bought Patti Smith's biography JUST KIDS. I was expecting a tale of life on the road with a rock and roll band and on what being a punk rocker poet chick would be like.
Instead I got a beautiful story of two artists in the Chelsea Hotel, surrounded by the likes of Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jefferson Airplane.
In both cases, I like the story, it just wasn't what I was expecting.
So yes, if you're looking to see it, just remember you're going to get something different than described.
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