Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog

I was introduced to this today by a good friend of mine, and became instantly interested.  But, who doesn't love adding even more Joss Whedon to their lives?

Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog is a short collection of video blogs and songs by Dr. Horrible as he tells about his nemesis Captain Hammer and the girl that they were fighting for.  I loved all the music involved, and hope to find the soundtrack sometime soon.

I loved how they were to develop an intriguing story line in such short segments, and that in the end, each gets what they want.  However, I died when Penny did...

I give Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog 4 of 5 stars.

Temple Grandin

We watched this as part of a class last night, very interesting...

It tells the story of a girl named Temple who has had autism all her life and even though she didn't speak until she was four, she went on to do great things.  It shows the hardships that she endured not only while at boarding school but while getting her BA, her Masters and her doctorate degrees.  Temple sees things in different ways than most because of her autism, allowing her to see things the way that cows do and to make very creative devices for her Uncle's ranch. 

My favorite part of this movie was watching as she endured, even if she was scared she knew that everything she faced was a door to a new world, thus allowing her to change the methods used in slaughterhouses with her inventions.

I give Temple Grandin 4 out of 5 stars.

The Tenth Kingdom

Before I begin this review, I would like to apologize for having been gone for so long.  I have been working hard on getting myself ready for college, and knowing that I leave tonight is a little frightening.  I am excited and nervous, but I guess we will see how things go when I get there.

The Tenth Kingdom was originally a Hallmark miniseries, but is now available as a 3 disc or 3 video set, as well as a book (VERY difficult to track down, I think my aunt found mine in Virginia).

It tells the story of Tony and Virginia Lewis as they leave their modern day New York and head into the mystical Nine Kingdoms-each one belonging to a different kind of mystical being.  They learn of the Five Great Ladies (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, Gretel, Cinderella) who changed the future of the Kingdoms.  All they really want to do, however, is GO HOME.  They spend most of their time tracking down the mirror that transported them there, and Wolf (one of their companions) just really wants Virginia to fall in love with him...and their fourth companion, Prince, is actually Prince Wendell who was turned into a dog by the evil queen (also his wicked stepmother) and he wants to save the Kingdoms, be coronated, and go back to his human form.

I really liked how the fairy tales were used.  It wasn't the new Disney versions but the old fashioned ACTUAL stories..For example, when Snow White married her Prince Charming, they made the Evil Stepmother dance in red hot iron shoes as entertainment at the wedding, and these same shoes play a role in this movie.

The acting can be cheesy at times, but the movie is so gripping that it's length (7 hours) has done nothing to stop me from watching it ten times (and reading the book).

I have no choice but to give The Tenth Kingdom 5 out of 5 stars.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Time for a movie night with the boyfriend and the sister, so one more movie review....

I thought this was a pretty entertaining movie, definitely true to the senior year of high school drama.  Boys and girls and cheating and sex and friends and in some cases drinking.  Other than that though, there was no meaning to this  movie.

Really made me think though, it is time to focus on the bigger picture, making choices for the rest of our lives and all that jazz that seems daunting but really, just gotta have trust in what we do as human beings.  We change every day, so why do we think our future stays the same?

I loved the freedom expressed in this movie, all of the fun times had by friends and the wanting to just be in love and feel special that Norah shows. I definitely found plenty of emotion in this film.

On the bad side, it can be a little more graphic in some parts then I appreciated (a couple making love in the back of Nick's Yugo, and Nick and Norah making love in the studio) but even these parts were done in a mostly tasteful (or completely comical) way.

I would watch this movie a few more times, but is not one that I would gladly sit and watch over and over and over and over again.

I give Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Eclectica on Grand

I know that this doesn't really fit in my usual category of things that I review, but I loved this store.  I found it randomly one day on a walk with my father, and went in while I was out walking with my  boyfriend...for those of you that want to go for yourself, the contact info is as follows:
106 W Grand Avenue
Eau Claire, WI
1-715-834-7811

I was really impressed when we went in because even though it is such a small shop, they have some really neat things.  They have everything from antiques to belly dance outfits, then from exotic stones to sterling jewelry.  I even found beads with the Chinese Zodiac printed beautifully on them.

What are there prices like??? REALLY affordable, I know my beads were 2$ a piece, but I don't remember looking at anything and thinking "WOW thats expensive". That includes the henna sets and belly dance clothing.

I really loved talking with the proprietors, Sarah and John Curtis, and cuddling up to there dog, Spencer.  It truly made the store and even more incredible experience since they are so kind and friendly.

The most intriguing thing about this shoppe is the outdoor display.  It truly feels as though you are looking into someone's home, but you know your just standing on the side of a street in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.

I give Eclectica on Grand 5 out of 5 stars.

9

Another good movie.  I watched this one just last night, and I still LOVE Tim Burton.

The animation was really good, the story was fun.  I found myself getting sucked into it and really wanting to pay close attention to everything. It had plenty of twists and turns to keep the audience's attention but not enough to confuse a person.

My personal favorite character was 2.  Sadly, he was the first to go...good thing they all come back!  8 was definitely the scariest, and reminded me a bit of Fatso from the Casper movies/cartoons..oh well. LOVE CASPER too.

This movie would definitely be good for a younger and an older audience. Everyone can sit and watch it together, so perfect for a family movie night! 

Because of its strong character 9, whose daring and adventurous ways won my heart over, I know that children can also learn from this movie.  They can see that sometimes you have to face your fears and stand up for yourself.

I give 9 4 out of 5 stars.

Moulin Rouge

Yet another  movie review, I hope to have a second book review up very soon...

I LOVE THIS MOVIE!!!!

The music is not original, but has been borrowed from other sources. This, however, does not make the movie a flop.

The emotions and beliefs (beauty, truth, freedom, love) of the Bohemians is quite apparent in everything they do, especially the show that they perform.  The creativity of the Bohemians of the Moulin Rouge before Christian appears is enchanting and as he is there, increases greatly. 

There are plenty of HILARIOUS moments and characters. The Narcoleptic Argentinian falling asleep and rolling down the stairs.  Toulouse falling from the ceiling, telling Christian that they are trying to kill him and the audience thinking this part of the play was funny too. I really loved that they were able to keep the show going even through all of the stuff going on between Christian, Satine, and the Duke. IMPRESSIVE!!!

Emotionally, the love between Satine and Christian is wonderful.  It makes me think of a fairy tale the entire way through...until we reach her death at the end. ANOTHER beautifully done scene.  It is easy to feel the despair right along Harold and ESPECIALLY Christian.

I give the Moulin Rouge 5 of 5 stars.

t.A.T.u.

I love this group! I like the way that the voices mold together and it is all around pleasing to the ears. 

WARNING MAY BE OFFENSIVE TO THOSE WHO DO NOT APPROVE OF HOMOSEXUALITY! Although this is not done in a crude manner, it is definitely present in their music. 

Personal favorite songs are "All About Us", "All the Things She Said", "Gomenasai", and "Loves Me Not".

Listening to t.A.T.u. makes me want to write a whole bunch of wonderful story ideas, so for the writers and artsists out there I would say that this is EXCELLENT music for inspiration.

The only negative thing I can say is that at times some people may have a hard time understanding the lyrics, but isn't that all part of music? Can you always understand every word that every band or artist sings???

I give t.A.T.u. 5 out of 5 stars.

Despicable Me

Yeah, yeah I know I should have more variance in the things I review, but here's ANOTHER movie review....

Despicable Me is SUCH a cute movie! Great for little kids! The yellow evil minion guys are so adorably cute I honestly just wanted to bring them all home for my own. 

However, this movie had no substance for an older audience, and other than the heart warming aspects was nothing to sit and think on later.  The characters are SO cute and had many intriguing characteristics, and remind me much of those in The Incredibles. 

There are plenty of funny and cute quotes in this film, for example when Agnes and Edith were talking about Gru, the man who recently adopted both these girls and another girl called Margo.
Agnes "I like him, he's nice."
Edith "But scary..."
Agnes "Like SANTA!"
(for some strange reason I kept repeating that quote in my head...)

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars for children's comedy.

The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Ummmm.....wow....don't know where to start with this one.  So we'll go with the ending.

The ending was cool. But so very, very predictable.  The guy gets the girl.  The bad guys die.  True lovers after long waiting through centuries are finally reunited. The main guy gets his girl.  The way that they did this however, had cool effects and cheesy lines, so that was pretty neat.

The rest of it though?  WHAT WAS THAT????? Honestly, the only parts of the movie I really remember, the ones that really struck a chord, were at the end. 

I liked his coil experiment, that was delightful, and there were a few witty lines.  But as for the rest of it? It was all very easy to forget. 

I would not care if I watched this movie again or not, as I am disappointed that it had SOOOO much potential but this was no where close to how amazing it could have been. 

I give The Sorcerer's Apprentice 2 out of 5 stars.

Repo! The Genetic Opera

Movie reviews now, huh? Well, why not?

I found this movie to be very gripping in the sense that I loved all of the emotions displayed so strongly by the characters.  Luigi's rage, Nathan's pain from losing Marni and his love of his daughter Shiloh.  Especially Shiloh's pain because she is "infected" and not allowed to escape her bedroom prison.

I also really loved all of the costumes and the music.  the voices were haunting and really fit the parts and emotion that they needed to portray.

The repo man himself was haunting.  Can you imagine the terror and despair one must have felt upon seeing him ANYWHERE near by?  What if he had come to collect your organs? No pain killer, nothing but the pain.

When Blind Mag dies in the end, I was shocked.  Even though I knew it was going to happen, I had not been expecting her to pull out her own eyes, nor was I expecting Rotti to slice the rope that held her, causing her to fall to her death and be impaled on the fence.

The idea of the entire thing being an opera symbolizes to me that life is a show, there is what we put out on stage (the death of Nathan and Blind Mag, also the humiliation of Nathan as Rotti tells Shiloh that he had been poisoning her to keep her sick and that her mother's death had indeed been her father's fault) and there is what we hide from the world, what we don't want to be seen (Rotti does not announce that his illness is terminal until a few short minutes before he dies, on stage.)

Even though there is much good to say here, I will also have to admit the negative aspects.  I truly didn't understand the necessity of some (OK, most) of the gore.  Why did we need to see the repo man's hand inside the bodies tearing out the organs?  Why did Shiloh have to wake up on stage after Blind Mags death in a huge sea of blood (which, by the way, where did that ALL come from???)

There were also some things that I couldn't understand.  What did Rotti mean when he talks about how Marni forged his hand?  She signed something for him, but what??? And why did Nathan tell Blind Mag that Shiloh had died? Hadn't he known all along that Marni had wanted her to be present in Shiloh's life? Was this just a way to keep Shiloh safe from GeneCo?

I give Repo! The Genetic Opera 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Gaelic Storm

I know that many of you reading this blog may have the idea that I will only be reviewing books....WRONG!!! Why limit myself?  So, why not a music group?

I recently began listening to a very talented band by the name of Gaelic Storm.  As their name suggests, it is indeed Irish music.  I really love how boisterous it is, how easy I find it to get stuck in a song, especially "Scalliwag" and "Johnny Tarr" and to laugh at the lyrics such as in "Kiss Me I'm Irish".  I know that some people aren't especially fond of Irish tunes, but even if this is true for you, GIVE THIS BAND A CHANCE!!!!

One thing that I'm not always too crazy about with this band is that sometimes, the lyrics can be a little hard to understand, but this is true with many bands and solo artists.  Others may not enjoy the loud, raging tunes, but I am definitely addicted here.

I give Gaelic Storm five of five stars.

"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

I truly loved this book, and often found myself unable to let this anywhere out of my sight! Carroll's ability to pull the reader into the book is amazing. Even though this story was originally for children, it does not feel as though it was meant to be that way. The only negative thing I an think of to say is that in a few places I had to reread sections just to make sure that I really understood what was happening... I give this book 4 out of 5 stars!