Book Review: The Liar (Nora Roberts)

Plot: Shelby Foxworth lost her husband. Then she lost her illusions …

The man who took her from Tennessee to an exclusive Philadelphia suburb left her in crippling debt. He was an adulterer and a liar, and when Shelby tracks down his safe-deposit box, she finds multiple IDs. The man she loved wasn’t just dead. He never really existed.

Shelby takes her three-year-old daughter and heads south to seek comfort in her hometown, where she meets someone new: Griff Lott, a successful contractor. But her husband had secrets she has yet to discover. Even in this small town, surrounded by loved ones, danger is closer than she knows—and threatens Griff, as well. And an attempted murder is only the beginning … (via Barnes and Noble)

Rating: 7.5/10

Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors. She has an excellent writing style, her books are well researched and it has romance in (yay!) but not so much that you get sick of it. Her flaws are legion though. She is too fond of writing stories based either in Ireland or the South of America, and it her story arcs are on rotation where she rotates character names and occupations and slaps a new title on it. Her books can be exhaustingly long – stretched to the brink of extinction over too many pages.

I’ve been seriously grumpy with her last few books: The Beach, The Collector and that awful Dark Witch trilogy have been some of her worst work post Mills and Boon era.  They are all completely unrealistic, way too long and boring.

It would seem that she has returned to some glory with The Liar. It is well paced, intelligently written and the characters are interesting. I called the huge plot twist on page three so that wasn’t even a bit of a surprise, but the book was worth reading.

The book covered some important discussions like emotional abuse, dealing with your husband’s death when you already weren’t happy in your relationship, coping with the disillusionment that everything you had was based on a lie, mending broken relationships back at home and finding the strength to carry on when everything falls apart. I liked that, I really did, and supported Shelby all the way to the end.

I don’t really get why she named a lead male character Griffin, but okay. He seemed like a likeable character and worked well with the story. The romantic entanglement was generic and expected but not unwanted. It is hyper unrealistic of real relationships but if we can’t read books to escape real relationships, what is the point in reading a romance novel??

I found the whole inclusion of the Melody drama quite stupid to be honest. It had no point and felt like a ploy to emphasize that Shelby was the prettiest of all the girls in her town. I would have loved more book time with Forrest because I love me a grumpy male character. I think they depicted a very cute toddler in Callie, which doesn’t really fit with my ideas of toddlers but she was amusing all the same.

This book was a really good read and I can definitely see myself reading it again!

May 26, 2015May 24, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, reading, ReviewsTags: Books, Griff Lot, Nora Roberts, Reading, Shelby Foxworth, the Liar 4 Comments

Movie Review: The Guest (2014)

Plot: A soldier introduces himself to the Peterson family, claiming to be a friend of their son who died in action. After the young man is welcomed into their home, a series of accidental deaths seem to be connected to his presence

Rating: 9/10

The Guest is a slice of utter perfection that came to us in life. I went in without any idea what to expect, having only read spoiler free reviews. It makes the best type of viewing, really. The insanely high ratings are well deserved and this thriller is perfectly put together. The chemistry and sexual tension between Dan Stevens and Maika Monroe… what the fuck. It was such a strong presence and present all the time. Dan Stevens. Those eyes.The body.The attitude.The acting.The bathroom scene. Have I mentioned the eyes? The focus on the male character’s appeal rather than the female’s.THE CHEMISTRY.

Okay, now that the Dan Stevens perve is out of the way, let’s get back to the other aspects that worked: The storyline of a grieving American family still crippled by loss is a valid topic in our current world. It makes so much sense for them to immediately accept a friend of their deceased son into the family house without too much questioning. Dan Stevens delivers a perfect portrayal of a young army soldier – he’s all manners and politeness and kindness with a mix of loss that makes you want to accept him immediately. He offers the family assistance in every way, he gives advice to the youngest son Luke (Brendan Meyer) who is being badly bullied by other children, assists mom (Sheila Kelly) with things dad (Leland Orsor) is too busy for, listen to dad’s problems – it is clear that while they lost a family member, the family is still flooded with daily problems while coping with their loss. The only suspicious family member is Anna (Maika Monroe), perhaps because she is at a suspicious age and not as easily fooled as her younger brother or parents. Her observant nature alerts her that everything is not quite well (not a spoiler – this is in all the synopsis/trailers out there) even while she finds him more and more compelling.

Maika Monroe..great stuff. I love her gruff and sulky attitude and how her personal style fits so well into it. She has so much sense in here, and I cannot say how much I loved that they kept the integrity of her character intact. She was sleeping in the room next to an insanely attractive and interesting man who she clearly had intense chemistry with but she still stayed loyal to the man she was dating. YAY for finally putting a pretty, sexy, sharp girl on screen that doesn’t just bang the newest hot guy. THANKS TO THE GUEST WRITERS FOR THIS.

I’m just enjoying putting pictures of him all over this post

The blood and gore was on a level that worked – it wasn’t senseless and was well executed.  The action scenes are flawlessly executed and not drawn out. The film is shot very well in a delightfully clear style and the sound track complements the story and the sequence of events escalates clearly. I loved the décor and subliminal messaging and especially the theming around the last few scenes. My only issue was that David Collins’ life wasn’t really explained in detail and that part felt slightly rushed. I might have missed this, but is it ever really explained why David truly arrived at the Peterson family? If it was, I missed that part.

This movie severely disrupts my top ten for last year and I will have to review it dramatically. The Guest is everything entertainment should be: thrilling, dramatic, sexy and entertaining as hell.

This pic… is.. everything

May 25, 2015May 24, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: awesome movie, Brendan Meyer, Dan Stevens, excellent, Leland Orson, Maika Monroe, Movies, Reviews, Sheila Kelly, The Guest, thriller 15 Comments

5 Things Friday: 5 Books I plan to read in the next few months

Happy Friday everyone!

I am totally getting my book reading vibe back. I’ve been reading some Nora Roberts and John Green, as well as finishing the Davinci Code. Here’s a list of the next few books I’m planning to read. Let me know if you’ve read them and what your opinions have been about it 🙂

1. Looking for Alaska: John Green

Since this book is busy getting organised into a movie, I really want to read the book beforehand to be able to properly compare. I really enjoy John Green’s writing as well – he is such a brilliant author!

2. The Woman Who Stole my Life: Marian Keyes

I’m always really excited when one of my favorite authors brings out a new book. YAY!

3. The Ruby Circle: Richelle Mead

I just really want to finish the series and see what happens to Sydney and Adrian!

4. Angels and Demons: Dan Brown

I really didn’t like The DaVinci code. However, I’ve heard that Angels in Demons is actually much better, so I am willing to give it a try.

5. Atonement: Ian McEwan

The movie is just the saddest watching experience ever, and I just really want to see how everything unfolds in the book, even if I know the end.

What books are you planning to read?

May 22, 2015May 21, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, Five Things FridayTags: Angels and Demons, Atonement, Books, Dan Brown, Ian McEwan, John Green, Looking for alaska, Marian Keyes, Reading, Richelle Mead, The Ruby Circle, The Woman who stole my life 13 Comments

Movie Review: Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)

You want hearts and flowers? That’s not something I know.

Plot: Literature student Anastasia Steele’s life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.

Rating: 6/10

I honestly did not expect I would give this movie something higher than a 5. It was a movie doomed from the start: I honestly don’t think even J.K. Rowling would even be able to write a viable screenplay for this series. The books were written mostly for needy old women (and a surprising amount of young females got on board too). Whatever the reason, E.L. James’ books of an abusive relationship between two people went viral and inexplicably became the craze of 2013/2014. Regardless of the material, the atrocious writing was the most offensive. I was even more unimpressed when I heard about the film rights being sold, extremely uninterested about the casting and the drama surrounding Charlie Hunham leaving the cast (a wise decision on his behalf), and the subsequent choosing of Jamie Dornan.

Yet, for all this apathy I felt I still watched the movie. Let’s call it FOMO because I just wanted to see what the people were talking about.

The movie is really, really, really bad. Yet, it could actually have been worse. I could finish the movie, surprising because I stopped reading the books near to the end of the first novel – the bad writing was just too painful.

Let’s first discuss the things that actually worked in this movie:

• The first half hour can be listed as the better quarter of the two hour long movie. It is still fairly bad, but it comes across as a developing love story between a powerful man and a naïve college graduate. No one can hate on it or claim it is the first time this avenue has been explored on screen. It is cheesy and badly directed and Jamie Dornan is stilted and uncharming, but up to that point the movie isn’t overly offensive.
• Dakota Johnson did a good job with the material she had available. Her casting initially seemed like strings being pulled by an influential mommy and daddy, thus it came as the biggest surprise that she was the only thing that worked in here. Her performance stands out above the entire cast. She manages to inject humor into scenes I would not have thought possible by such a new actress. She is able to be charming and funny and save so many of the scenes were Dornan stands as a statue. I really liked the drunk dialing scene. Everyone is very insistent that this is the best scene in the movie and I agree completely. It was incredibly funny.
• The set design is beautiful and Christian Grey’s apartment is really a beautiful and appropriate setting for an extremely rich man.
• I love Anastasia’s Bug. I’ve always loved those cars.
• The music score – there were some odd choices but overall it worked.
• This might be seen as a negative for fans of the literature, but one of the things this movie got right was displaying that this relationship is ABUSIVE. Regardless of Christian Grey’s sexual preferences, he is abusive outside of the bedroom and borders on being a stalker. His jealousy and need to control Anastasia is terrifying, and that menacing aura is something Dornan actually conveyed.
• The end of the movie where Anastasia walks out: This should be the END of their relationship, not another two books. This is where the story should end: Anastasia realizing that this man is dangerous and insane and needs to be avoided at all costs.

Okay, the list that didn’t work is quite long:

• Jamie Dornan. Erm. I have never seen a more uncharismatic performance in my life. I do agree that Charlie Hunham wouldn’t have worked either, but Dornan was their alternative? His acting is stilted and cold. It is obvious that he doesn’t want to be there. It is very obvious in places that he is pained to be taking part. It is very obvious that he doesn’t like his costar. It’s obvious that his acting is atrocious.
• The chemistry between Johnson and Dornan. It is non-existent. They do not come across as two people who would even look at each other in real life. I think if you plan to bring a movie with so much sex vibes to the big screen it is probably the most essential thing to find two people who look like they would bang each other. I felt sorry for Johnson because it looks like she genuinely hates it when he touches her.
• The supporting cast is as bad as the main cast. The producers couldn’t even get that right. The casting for Kate was such a mistake. The woman can’t act, she looks way too old to be a student and there is no feeling of friendship to be detected between Kate and Anastasia. Every single parent was miscast, Jose was miscast, Dornan’s brother is the usually very delicious Luke Grimes and he came across as a fool even. Rita Ora as Mia? With all the excitement of her being cast they had her on screen all of five minutes.
• The directing. WHAT is up with that? Sam Taylor-Johnson might just be the very worst thing to have happened to this film. The directing is unrefined and rushed. She makes it seem like a low budget project. The characters are stilted and I think with the proper directing that might have been rectified.
• The introduction of Christian Grey’s lifestyle is really badly done.
• The movie is just not sexy. For a movie based entirely on sexual exploration it lost the sexy factor along the way. The scenes seems so forced and glossed over. It isn’t classy, it isn’t natural and it isn’t even remotely sexy.

Things that can save this franchise:

• Fire Jamie Dornan
• Fire Sam Taylor-Smith
• Keep Dakota Johnson
• Rewrite the entire novel where Grey enters the psych ward for two years and exits a rehabilitated man.
• Just fire Dornan. Seriously

May 20, 2015May 16, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Anastasia Steele, awkies, Christian Grey, Dakota Johnson, EL James, Fifty Shades, Fifty Shades of Grey, Jamie Dornan, Luke Grimes, Movies, Reviews, Rita ORa 14 Comments

Book Review: The DaVinci Code (Dan Brown)

Plot: An ingenious code hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci. A desperate race through the cathedrals and castles of Europe. An astonishing truth concealed for centuries . . . unveiled at last.

While in Paris, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in the dead of the night. The elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, his body covered in baffling symbols. As Langdon and gifted French cryptologist Sophie Neveu sort through the bizarre riddles, they are stunned to discover a trail of clues hidden in the works of Leonardo da Vinci—clues visible for all to see and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Even more startling, the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion—a secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci—and he guarded a breathtaking historical secret. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle—while avoiding the faceless adversary who shadows their every move—the explosive, ancient truth will be lost forever. (via Goodreads)

Rating: 5.5/10

I’ve been hammering on this fact for ages to anyone who would listen: Dan Brown would never have achieved fame and movie contracts on his books if he didn’t write about controversial topics. His writing style is nauseatingly flamboyant and his ideas of plot twists are just sad and unoriginal.

I would have liked the DaVinci code much more if it had been 150 pages less. That end is the longest conclusion to a story that I’ve yet found and it feels that Brown was desperate to end it with a bang and make it more dramatic than it needed to be.

Langdon, the main character, was an endless source of irritation. He’s written as a brilliant Harvard professor, the best in his field. I know people how are the best in their respective fields, I deal with them daily, and they are neither shocked, nor flustered, nor endlessly flabbergasted by an event that happens in their expertise. He would just never classify as a person I would have time for in real life, no way. I did like Sophie Nevue. She was strong and had direction and dealt better with the exhausting amounts of plots and turns that Dan Brown wrote for his central characters.

Another thing that irritated me and it is a topic that constantly irritates me, is the blatant attack on the Roman Catholic Church. Do they have a violent history? Yes, certainly. Are they likely hiding magnificent artifacts from the world? I’m not discounting it. Do they have corrupt officials? No doubt.

However, I think it is a recurring theme in modern society to constantly attack the Roman Catholics and that is not okay. I am not even part of their Church, but I find it offensive and unnecessary to constantly pick at them.  It is the easy route to go if you plan to take on a religious organization in your book – other religions do not take it lying down when false truths are spread about them. We live in a society were tolerance is constantly blasted out over social media to all forms of religion, so let’s all actually live in tolerance, eh, Dan Brown?

The last thing I absolutely hated (before I attack the flamboyant writing style), is that Dan Brown writes at the beginning of the book that all his data in his novel are factual. Can someone just film me while I go off the rocker about this? What utter bullshit. I absolutely loathe, LOATHE people who passes sensation off as fact. You can’t state something is true if you don’t have ACTUAL EVIDENCE SUPPORTING A STATEMENT.

Now, for the writing style: I would have enjoyed this book if there weren’t overly dramatic sentences of flustered emotions and stunned realizations and deep breaths everywhere by our special Mr. Langdon. The constant explanations of completely unwanted information left me incredibly frustrated. This book could have been good – I can enjoy controversial books and I can even read books that I don’t agree with and still have fun, if it is well written. The book had the possibility of being a great adventure but even that fell flat with the endless descriptions of artifacts in the book.

This book was really not one of the most moving pieces of literature I have ever encountered. Have you read it? What did you think?

May 19, 2015May 16, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Books, ReviewsTags: Books, conspiracies, Dan Brown, desperate attempts to make money, Reading, Robert Langdon, Roman Catholic Church, Sophie Neveu 9 Comments

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Plot: After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform.

Rating: 7.5/10

I’ve only seen Pitch Perfect once, and it was on while I had a massive hangover. So, it might have been a crappy movie or I might just have at that stage been at a place where I would have hated any movie, but I don’t have fond recollections of my first meeting with the Barden Bellas. So naturally I didn’t do handsprings when hearing we would go watch PP2 but the thought of going to movie with some fun female friends and having a nice girls night definitely perked me up.

This movie was really enjoyable in a lighthearted way. It contains way less toilet humor than the first which counted in its favor. It follows basically the same formula – humiliation, staggering odds against them, etc., but it is better laid out and more heartwarming than the first one.

I find Rebel Wilson so funny as Fat Amy. I wish I could have one tenth of her confidence – life would be so sweet. She’s funny and her ceaseless energy at life is so amusing to watch. She provides for most of the laughs in the movie as she is the only real comedian in there, and every scene with her in is worth watching.

Anna Kendrick entertains again as Becca, the only grungy girl with a big attitude in the Bellas. This role suits her so much better than her whole Twilight escapade as Jessica. Elizabeth Banks is hilarious as the uppity news correspondent Gail is really amusing with the banter she and the horrifically sexist co-anchor share (John Michael Higgens). Its also really nice to see Brittany Snow (Chloe) out an about again – who didn’t LOVE her in John Tucker must die?! It was also a good idea to bring in Hailee Steinfeild as new Bella addition Emily. It provides some realism because these girls do need to graduate. Finally for the character mentions: Anna Camp is such a favorite of mine. I’ve been a fan since seeing her as the religious fanatic Sarah Newton in True Blood. She’s so funny!

What really makes this movie worth watching is the girl power that is in this movie. It’s about girls working together in a team, supporting each other and sticking together when things get rough. It is so nice that there is finally a franchise that girls are watching where romance isn’t the main factor of the movie. Sure, there is a bit of romance in, but the girls have aims other than getting the guy in Pitch Perfect.

Pitch Perfect 2 is an all out fun experience and made me feel very happy. Definitely worth the watch!

May 18, 2015May 16, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: acapella, Anna Camp, Anna Kendrick, awesome movies, Brittany Snow, Elizabeth Banks, Fat Amy, Hailee Steinfeld, hilarious, John Michael Higgens, Movies, Pitch Perfect, Pitch Perfect 2, Rebel Wilson, Reviews, The Bardon Bellas 6 Comments

Top Fifteen Favorite stars in young Hollywood

Woohoo! Happy Friday!! This post was supposed to be a Five things Friday but as you can see it escalated quite quickly! Here is some love for all the young ones in Hollywood… I know some of them can’t really be classified as really young, or even really good, but I like all of these for a variety of reasons. Read, enjoy, and let me know if you agree or disagree. I might just do one for older Hollywood too at a stage. I’ve linked to the posts of the movies I’ve reviewed of these stars so go take a look if you are wildly bored!

Emma Stone

Why I admire her: She is crazy talented, extremely funny and incredibly beautiful. She also seems to have a genuinely nice personality off screen, which is quite important to me.

Best role: What’s not to love? Zombieland, Easy A, Crazy Stupid Love, the list is endless.

Worst role: Ghost of Girlfriends Past

 Benedict Cumberbatch

Why I admire him: There is such a unique and startling quality to him. He is incredibly talented and well suited to his most famous role. He has these unique looks that make no sense. I’ve never pinpointed why he is so attractive – it shouldn’t work and yet it does extremely well.

Best role: Sherlock (as Sherlock Holmes)

Worst role: har-har

Emma Watson

Why I admire her: Not only is she a staunch equal rights activist, Emma Watson has manage to exit her Harry Potter years with grace and determination. I honestly can’t wait for her to be Belle in the new Disney adaption!

Best Role: Perks of Being a Wallflower (as Sam)

Worst Role: Harry Potter (as Hermione Granger)

Chris Hemsworth

 

Why I admire him: Hehe, he’s ridiculously hot. The muscles and arms and hair and eyes and length and did I mention muscles? I’ve mostly really just liked the look of him, but he really did impress in Rush, which makes me believe that he can be in some really good films in the future.

Best role: Rush (as James)

Worst role: Thor (as Thor)

Chris Evans

 

Why I admire him: He has this extremely likable boy next door vibe. I also think he is exceptionally well cast as Steve Rogers, capturing that genuine essence of good so central to the character.

Best role: Captain America (as Steve Rogers)/Snowpiercer (as Curtis)

Worst role: Fantastic Four (as Human Torch)

Tom Hardy

 

Why I admire him: Well, duh. Look at him. He’s done some phenomenal roles as well, and has the extra addition of having pulled himself from a difficult past to be what he is today. #respect

Best role: Lawless (as Forrest Bondurant) and The Dark Night Rises (as Bane)

Worst Role: This Means War (as Tuck)

Andrew Garfield

 

Why I admire him: He’s extremely cute and extremely likeable and very good in the things I’ve seen him in.

Best Role: The Amazing Spiderman (as Peter Parker)

Worst Role: I’ve only seen him in Never Let Me Go other than as Spidey, and I liked that too, so I guess I don’t have one for him

James McAvoy

 

Why I admire him: The Scottish accent, the brilliance of how he portrays Charles Xavier. The hair. The acting. Have I mentioned the Scottish accent?

Best role: X-men (as Professor X)

Worst role: Wanted (as Wesley Gibson). He wasn’t necessarily bad, I just didn’t like the movie at all.

Ryan Gosling

Why I like him: He inspired the “Hey Girl” meme. He’s pretty good at acting. He is the best Nicholas Sparks hero ever. He was hilarious in Stupid Crazy Love. He’s pretty much the coolest.

Best role: Drive (as the Driver)

Worst role: I will say as Noah Calhoun in the Notebook, but he’s actually really good in that too

Emily Blunt

 

Why I admire her: Her role as Rita. GIRL POWER. I also really enjoyed her in The Devil Wears Prada. She’s pretty cool.

Best role: Edge of Tomorrow (as Rita)

Worst role: The Five Year Engagement (as Violet)

Emilia Clark

Why I admire her: She seems like a person who enforces her privacy, and I think it is really important if you want to stay sane in Hollywood. I really like her casting as Dany – she does such a great job. And how insanely beautiful is she?!?!

Best role: Game of Thrones (as Daenerys Targaryen)

Worst role: Has she even been in anything else?

Shailene Woodley

She’s the girl who made us all cry uncontrollably last year. She’s quirky and the outrageous things she says keeps me laughing for days. She seems genuine and she has such great stores of talent that she’s busy developing.

Best role: The Fault in our Stars (as Hazel Grace Lancaster)

Worst role: Divergent (as Tris Prior)

Joseph Gordon-Levitt

 

Why I admire him: He’s the cute geeky kid who grew up. I would really like to see him lead in something now!

Best role: Ten Things I Hate about You (as Cameron James)

Worst role: Another actor that I find extremely enjoyable even when I don’t like the movie 😀

Zac Efron

did your screen also steam up for a second? 

Why I admire him: The funny thing is that this guy still needs to prove himself. I just really enjoy his looks, although he hasn’t been atrocious in his work, even if the movies have been bad.

Best role: The Lucky One (as Logan Thibault)

Worst role: Highschool musical (as Tray Bolton)

Channing Tatum

Why I admire him: He’s the extremely likable guy who finally made a name for himself.

Best role: 21/22 Jump Street (as Jenko)

Worst role: The Vow (as Leo)

 Honorable mentions: 

Ansel Elgort

Kit Harrington

Miles Teller

Chloe Grace Moretz (who recently won me over with Kick-Ass)

Rachel McAdams

Liam Hemsworth

Brit Robertson

What did you think? Let me know!

May 15, 2015May 14, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Five Things Friday, General, MoviesTags: actors, actresses, Andrew Garfield, Benedict Cumberbatch, Channing Tatum, Chloe Grace Moretz, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Emilia Clarke, Emily Blunt, Emma Stone, Emma Watson, Hollywood, James McAvoy, Joseph Gordon-Leviit, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kit Harington, Miles Teller, Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Shailene Woodley, Zac Efron 7 Comments

Life Lately and some great quotes – May 2015

Wow, I haven’t done one of these in ages! Maybe because I always feel that if I only put quotes up I am being too lazy and it is a half assed job. I totally put in links to other posts and articles to make it look less half assy 😀 Enjoy!

What’s happening in life right now?

Well, pretty much a nauseating amount of microbiology and physiology course work. I am right in the middle of exams, hence the absence on blog posting, reading and commenting, and no surprise, I am feeling a bit deranged. I am closing in on finishing my degree so there is no universe where it is okay for me to fail, causing me to be super stressed. Meh. However, I am only writing again on the 27th, so I do have a bit of a break before I hit the books again (and yes, I literally hit them against the wall quite often).

Reading wise I am still stuck on the DaVinci code. I am probably only fifty pages from done, but man, how excruciatingly long is that book? The story line is not strong enough to cover so many pages, let me tell you.

Watching: I am going to start a small blog run here with some macho movies. I love a good action movie, but man, some of these are dodgy. I am still playing around doing weekly installments or just one week straight, but at this point is seems better to do it weekly. I am SO excited!!

Some Quotes (and wise words quoted by no one):

How appropriate is this reminder? So powerful and true.

For us busy folks:

What have you been up to? Tell me!

May 14, 2015May 12, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Quotes, ThoughtsTags: Life Lately, links, Quotes, Thoughs 5 Comments

Blindspot 2015: The Godfather Part II (1974)

“There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.”

Plot: The early life and career of Vito Corleone in 1920s New York is portrayed while his son, Michael, expands and tightens his grip on his crime syndicate stretching from Lake Tahoe, Nevada to pre-revolution 1958 Cuba.

Rating: 9.5/10

I rated this one exactly the same as I did the first one, although I have to confess that I liked the first one just a bit more. The second film is really really good, but it took just a few seconds longer to really start running. I thought it was brilliant to provide some insight into Vito Corleone’s past that had made him the man he was at the time of his death. Robert de Niro did a beautiful job as young Vito – he had that same quiet quality to him that Marlon Brando had displayed in part one. Al Pacino was again my main man Michael – he did a great job with such a fascinating character and was utterly convincing yet again. Even though there is no way that he is above board, I rooted for him all the way through. His wife, played by Diane Keaton, turned so reprehensible at the end and I was furious about all her baby-killing antics. Robert Duvall was again one of my favourite characters with his cool head and loyalty to the people that raised him.

The change between the story of Vito and the story of Michael was done really well. I thought both were of extreme significance because it also highlights the love Vito had for Michael and the dynamics that shaped both of them. It also highlights the similarities between father and son and that Michael would always firstly believe in protecting his family and being the head of the family.

The best thing about these two movies is that three hours rush by and you barely notice that it is happening. I thought the scenes were extremely well laid out and progressed beautifully into each other. The score is also really well done, and I even liked the horrendous yellow couches in Michael’s home.

These two movies have definitely been the best of my Blindspot series so far 😀

May 13, 2015August 11, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: 2015, Al Pacino, awesome movies, Blindspot, Diane Keaton, Love, Michael Corleone, mob, mobsters, Robert DeNiro, Robert Duvall, The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, Vito Corleone 7 Comments

Game of Thrones: Season 5, Episode 4

*WARNING: Major Spoilers in post!*

What happened?

A whole lot. My only complaint so far about season 5 has been that the episodes have been rather slow. But typical of Game of Thrones, it is picking up mid-season (how are we mid-season already?!). The most notable event is certainly the attack on Daenarys Targaryen’s strongholding and the fall of Ser Barristan Selmy. Is he dead? The ending was left unclear although I am certain he will pass on whereas Greyworm will pull through. I will be very disappointed if Grey Worm falls – he is an endearing character and he and his lady crush added something completely new to the story – some chaste and sweet love vibes. I do wonder how Daenearys will react to the news and how she will address it – will it cause her to be less hostile when Jorah finally arrives with Tyrion up his sleeve? Can it ensure Jorah’s safe return to Dany’s side? I do find Jorah’s desperation really sad right now. There is no doubt that he was an absolute idiot at the start of his journey to Daenearys but he changed his ways and is totally for the queen right now. Dany can be a bit of a brat more often than not but I do hope she finds it in her to forgive Jorah and take him and Tyrion under her wing for some advice. Tyrion is infinitely more capable in charming a reluctant population than Dany is.

I found it really interesting that Rhaegar Targaryen was mentioned twice in one episode. While visiting the same crypt in Winterfell that Ned and Robert visited back in season one, Littlefinger tells Sansa the story of how Rhaegar ignored his wife (Elia Martell, Oberyn’s sister) in favor of Lyanna Stark at a tournament. This provides significant insight into Rhaeghar and other possible bloodlines, a theory that has been stuck in my head for ages now. The other mention of Rhaeghar is when Barrister corrects Dany’s impression that her brother loved murdering and tells her that although her father was indeed insane, her brother had a great love for music and not piled up bodies. It is a very sweet scene that gives Dany something to hold onto and is also crucial information about Rhaeghar – he certainly does not sound half as bad as the legends make him out to be. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if Littlefinger did something wrong to start the war between Robert Baratheon and the Targaryens. It would not be the first time.

Stannis Baratheon is heading to Winterfell to reclaim the land from the Boltons and I am ridiculously excited. He even promised to make Jon Snow the Lord of Winterfell and Jon Stark, and that gave everyone the chills in the first few episodes of the season. However, Jon opted against it, and I would actually love if Sansa got to rule Winterfell. Sansa is currently betrothed to Ramsay Bolton, and that is not sitting well with me. I can’t wait until Ramsay and his father are beheaded, because bloody hell, the North Remembers.  I’ve never really liked Stannis because of the way he treats his daughter, but right now he is the only leader actually capable of overtaking the Boltons at Winterfell. I also have a reluctant admiration for him – he is a warlord and quite capable of warfare, despite his emotional detachment to his only child. The scene between him and Shireen helped thaw a lot of my irritation with him – he seems to be a much kinder man than his warlord persona and actions towards his (bat-shit crazy) wife might suggest.

Continuing the plot developments at the wall, I can’t help but worry about Jon Snow being seduced by Mellisandre. That woman is just no good and I was so tense with her whole booby flashing with Jon politely declining. It might be just because Jon is the only fine man at the Wall, but I think that the Red Psychopath is up to something and knows that Jon’s blood is regal – whoever’s son he really is at the end of the day. Great points to Jon for telling her where to get off, quite literally. He’s the man right now! (How chilling was her words to him after she rejected him???)

Jamie and Bronn are still sneaking through Dorne to rescue Myrcella. I really enjoy the relationship between these two guys. Jamie is disappointing now with his left hand in battle and I would really enjoy to see him reclaim some of his former glory. Oberyn’s daughters are terrifying and badass and I sincerely hope that poor Myrcella is rescued before they reach her.

I really enjoyed this episode. It felt like the show finally found its direction and began preparing for their major last few episodes, as is the norm. I personally hope to see the Boltons die, but am also anxious to see Sansa Stark in a safe location. I would also like to see more of Arya’s journey in the next few episodes and what the elusive J’agen Hghar has planned for her. Also, what exactly is crackelacking with Bran Stark? Where is the other Baby Stark? Also, wouldn’t mind seeing more of Daario Naharis. I wouldn’t mind one bit.

#ForScience

May 6, 2015May 5, 2015 by Natasha Categories: Game of Thrones, Reviews, SeriesTags: Arya Stark, Cerise van Houten, Cersei Lannister, Game of Thrones, Jon Snow, Jorah Mormont, Kit Harrington, Lena Dunham, Maisie Williams, Mellisandre, Peter Dinklage, Sansa Stark, Stannis Baratheon, Tommen Baratheon, Tyrion Lannister 2 Comments