Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

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Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015)

Director:

J.J. Abrams

Starring:

Daisy Ridley

John Boyega

Oscar Isaac

Plot:

Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a ragtag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.

Review:

***Some Spoilers***

I waited until I’d seen this movie twice before I sat down to write a review. I worked very hard to keep my expectations low for this movie. Up until the trailers that was really easy to do, still I managed and I think that helped me enjoy it better. I went in with no theories or desires and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it even more on the second viewing.

I loved the new characters, they were each so awesome that I flip flop between my favorite. I loved the fact that the main lead was a woman, I know I’ve had Leia and Padme in the last movies but it was different this time. I even liked BB-8.

What I didn’t like or really wished they’d spent more work on were the villains. Kylo Ren was a whinny little boy and I really just wanted to smack him, there was none of the fear that Vader evoked. Captain Phasma was barely in the movie which made all her merchandising misleading. Even the bad dude pulling Ren’s strings wasn’t scary. As a whole they were all seriously lacking.

I’m sure some of that will be fixed in the next movie, but I’m getting tired of movies being used to build up their sequels. Marvel is doing that way too much lately and it’s bothering me.

Anyway, this movie did not ruin my childhood and it was not the second coming, but it was a good addition to the series.

4/5

When an Omega Snaps (A Lion’s Pride #3) By: Eve Langlais

When an Omega Snaps

When an Omega Snaps (A Lion’s Pride #3) By: Eve Langlais

Plot:

Leo is the calm guy. The nice guy. The one nobody screws with. So could someone explain that to Meena so she stops driving him insane—with desire.

When Meena literally throws herself at Leo and declares he’s her mate, his first reaction is to deny—and run far, far away. This lion/tiger mix doesn’t do drama and chaos. Problem is, once he sets eyes on her, he can’t help but want the vivacious blonde with plus-sized curves, perfect for a big man like himself.

He wants her even if it breaks all his rules when it comes to women.
Wants her even if she destroys his serenity.
Wants her more than a perfectly grilled piece of steak with a dash of garlic, pepper, and salt.

Thing is, someone else wants her too.

This poor omega is about to have his world turned upside down, which means everyone better watch out because when Leo experiences love, jealousy, and frustration for the first time, he doesn’t just snap—he roars!

Review:

Loved Meena and how brash and accident prone she was, Leo was a perfect match for her. Didn’t like how she called him Pookie, probably the worst pet name ever.

I actually cried while reading this book because I could really empathize with Meena and how people treated her. I loved how romantic Leo was, he was really everything that Meena deserved.

I thought that Eve’s editor missed quite a bit and was kind of surprised by it. It wasn’t so bad as every page, but it was things that should have been caught.

Excited to read the next in the series!

4/5

 

The Hateful Eight (2015)

The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Director:

Quentin Tarantino

Starring:

Samuel L. Jackson

Kurt Russell

Jennifer Jason Leigh

Plot:

In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Review:

I was lucky enough to see this movie in 70mm during my holiday travels. We weren’t actually in a city that was playing it, but we were close enough to drive.

The visuals were great and it was kind of sad that this medium isn’t used much anymore. The score was excellent and I thought it was cool that Ennio Morricone, the dude that did The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, composed it.

Apart from those two things, though, I didn’t think this was as good as Inglorious Basterds or Django Unchained.

The movie had almost no action until the very end and a lot of dialogue. I know you’re saying, “But it’s a Quentin Tarantino film, what did you expect?” I expected better pacing, I guess. I don’t need lots of action in his movies, but I needed something other than gorgeous shots to break up all the dialogue. There were also little things that were kind of stupid about the plot, plot holes I guess. Maybe they’ll make more sense after a second viewing.

I thought the ending was a little bit lacking. I kind of hoped that they’d do a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid thing, but oh well. It was fine, just kind of there.

I loved the roadshow experience and would do that in a heartbeat and I enjoyed the film more right after I got out of it, but the more I thought about it the less I liked it. Oh well, if you’re a fan of Tarantino see it, if not I would recommend some of his other works.

3/5

Shannara Chronicles (2016-?)

Shannara-Chronicles

Shannara Chronicles (2016-?)

Network:

MTV

Starring:

Austin Butler

Poppy Drayton

Ivana Baquero

Manu Bennett

Plot:

Series of adventures, war, and evil that occur throughout the history of the Four Lands.

Review:

I don’t watch MTV so I managed to see no marketing for this. It wasn’t until I was reading a thread about upcoming TV shows that I even found out about it. On a whim I set my DVR to record and apart from the fact that it recorded a horrible SD quality version I was really impressed.

Most of the reviews I’ve read have been pretty negative, so naturally that meant I liked the show. I hate when that happens, it’s Tomorrowland all over again. Oh well, the fan reception (what I’ve read at least) has been pretty positive.

I haven’t read the source material, in fact I’m not sure if I’ve read anything by Terry Brooks, but I don’t think that made the show and less enjoyable. Which is not always the case, so that was nice.

I loved the fact that there are two kick ass female leads and of course Manu Bennett was awesome. There’s a lot going on in the pilot and at times it was difficult to watch because my cable was messing up, but I’m really excited to see what happens next.

That ending, man, I’m already looking to see if I can watch the next episodes on MTVs app.

4/5

Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries #11) By: Meg Cabot

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Royal Wedding (The Princess Diaries #11) By: Meg Cabot

Plot:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding—but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare. For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia’s gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn’t need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui. But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother’s leaked “fake” wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia’s father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone—especially herself—that she’s not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

Review:

There was a lot of nostalgia attached to this book, for me. When I was a teenager I read almost all of the Princess Diaries books and I talked about them to my girlfriends, so reading this brought back all those memories.

Mia is an adult now, but still has a lot of the same personality quirks so there are plenty of shenanigans. She’s also more polished and able to articulate herself very well.

I loved seeing all the old people and appreciated that Cabot addressed the fact that Mia’s friends are all from high school.

The ending was great and I don’t know how many times I laughed out loud while reading. I’m surprised at how excited I am at the prospect of seeing these characters that I loved growing up, now my age. I really hope that there is more to come.

4.5/5

Side Note: It would be so awesome if Lilly and Lars became a thing