Into Darkness

Hello Readers.

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Last night my roommate and I decided to go to see the newest Star Trek movie, Star Trek: Into Darkness. I was really excited, for many reasons. I loved the first movie, and was excited for the sequel, but also because watching Star Trek, even the re-boot, gives me a nostalgic feeling. When I was a kid, my father would watch the old Star Trek on T.V, and none of that "next generation" stuff, the classic, corny Star Trek that I have come to know and love. SO while my father would watch this, me being the Daddy's girl that I am, would sit there and watch it with him. While I didn't understand most of what was happening, I thought the characters looked and talked funny, and that was enough for me. So even just the name Star Trek gives me warm and fuzzy feelings, as it brings up memories and thoughts of my childhood and of my Dad, who I don't see often enough, being that I moved away to go to school. Now, that being said, I am happy that in these new movies, they aren't doing the cheesy and terrible one-liners from before, and that the effects are much better, (as to be expected as movie technology has advanced).

The movie did little things that made me laugh, mostly the throw-backs and fan-service that was put in there. Such as the "Dammit man, I'm just a doctor not a....", and the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" sign when Kirk and Spock were pressing their hands to the glass. As well as other moments. One of my favourites was how they got the old Spock, (Leonard Nimoy) to play Spock's Father was a nice touch.

I'm not sure how I feel about certain aspects of the movie, though. Firstly, if I'm not mistaken, in the original *****SPOILER ALERT******** it was Spock who was trapped behind the Plexiglas in the radiation, not Kirk. The whole conversation about their friendship after that was changed, but it was still heart-wrenching. The scene in this movie didn't make me tear up like the original series scene did. This little change kind of bothered me, but it also allowed Spock to seem bad-ass and to allow him to go and fight Khan with his fists and seem all cool, which was awesome. Spock is my favourite character, so I was pleased with his screen time. That was pretty much the only complaint I have about that movie, but even that may be off, because I am going from my fuzzy memory about how the shit went down in the original series.

I also loved the actors in this movie. Zachary Quinto (Spock) is one of my favourite actors. I loved him in Heroes, and his part in the second season of American Horror Story, where he played the serial killer. He is just awesome-sauce. He also plays my favourite character in Star Trek, so that couldn't hurt my love for him. He plays the role well too, which makes me happy inside.

Additionally, I am in love with Bennedict Cumberbatch. He is definitely one of my favourite British actors. I love him in the BBC series Sherlock, where he does an amazing rendition of Sherlock Holmes (a hero of mine). I first saw him in that BBC series. But since then, I have noticed him in movies such as War Horse, which I was delighted to find that he was a part of. He is an amazing actor. Also my knowledge that he has been/will be in The Hobbit, makes me nerd heart sing. (the Hobbit is one of my favourite books. Oddly enough I didn't like the Lord of the Rings books, but that is another post for another day). He was also in a TV series, Parades End, where he played a count that foolishly married a notoriously unfaithful woman. I loved his character in that as well.
Now after that tangent, I'll tell you what I thought about him as Khan. Khan is arguably my favourite Star Trek villain. He is a alien with super-human strength and intelligence. I love him because of his brain. I think Cumberbatch did an amazing job of playing Khan, even though the choice of using him was a little unexpected. I loved how in the new movie, they set up the story so that Khan and Kirk show parallels to each other, both are captains and both would do anything to save their crew. That is Khan's motivation for this movie at least, he is trying to protect and save his crew (whom he considers family) who have been essentially taken by the Star Fleet Commander, in order to get Khan to help him. This motivation is understandable and sets Khan up as a relateable villain, which I love. I am a sucker for the villain in most movies, and when they are relateable like Nolan made sure Khan was, I am putty. While Khan and his people aren't really that nice (exterminating any race that they deem  not "superior") he was shown to be caring and worried about his crew, and only really motivated by revenge and fear for his family.

So overall, I loved the new Star Trek movie. It was amazing, and really entertaining. I'd definitely recommend it, even to those who aren't Trekkies (not sure if I spelled that right).  I'd give it 4.8 stars out of 5. I really loved it, and the action was good and the funny moments made the movie worth watching. I would definitely watch it again.

If you have seen the movie, let me know what you think!

xoxoxo
Becca

Tangled

Hello readers, or people I hope will start reading this blog. For my first official and actual post, I decided to talk about a favourite movie of mine, Tangled.

Tangled is a movie that is telling the story of Rapunzel, and creates a new Disney princess for the little girls to obsess over. I actually love this movie a lot. It is heartwarming and really funny. I laughed, and cried at parts, even though I've seen this movie over 5 times. It was on TV the other day and my roommate and I decided to watch it, she really had to twist my arm, lol.

I love this movie for multiple reasons. Firstly, I love the male counterpart. Flynn Rider/ Eugene is an awesome character. He is not a stereotypical "Prince Charming" as he is a thief and a scoundrel, a wanted man. It is not a real surprise that I like him, as I have always been a fan of Robin Hood, and other "bad boys". Flynn is also full of one liners which constantly and consistently make me laugh. I also love how their romance can be seen to grow over time, and is not just instant like in movies such as Sleeping Beauty, or Snow White. For me this movie reminds me more of a romantic comedy rather than a traditional romance story, which makes me love it more. I also like Flynn because he actually does something to help Rapunzel, he doesn't just get a girl to be with him, she isn't placed in his lap (I rant more fully on this in my other Blog: http://listofblasphemy.blogspot.ca/2013/05/prince-charming.html

Rapunzel is also an amazing character. She is brave and interesting, even intelligent despite being locked up and separated from the world. She is adventurous and animated, and real. One of my favourite scenes from the movie is when she leaves the tower and you can see her revolving between feeling euphoric and guilty, which is how most people would feel. I think this scene in the movie shows her reality more than any other, more than any other princess, who often seem one dimensional.

The animals are also amazing. Maximus kind of reminds me of the raccoon from Pocahontas  whose name I cannot remember. He has crazy attitude even though he cannot speak. I just love these characters.

SO the characters make the movie awesome, but so does the animation. The animation in this movie is amazing, and really beautiful. It makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

So for Tangled, I'd five it 4.5 stars out of 5. A definite watch, and a really good feel good, happy movie, that I usually watch when I'm feeling down or stressed. It is just awesome. If you haven't seen it, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU??? And you should remedy that as quickly as possible.

Thanks for taking the time to read this post, it is appreciated.

xoxox
Becca.

Fresh

So, some of you may know me from my other blog, Becca's list of Blasphemy, and if you have come over from there, thanks for making the commute. Clicking those buttons is difficult I know. (seriously thanks). This  blog is going to be different than my other one, where I just basically rant on things that matter to me, or thoughts that cross my mind. This one will center around my thoughts and feelings on books or movies that I've enjoyed, or hated. I plan on doing one of these posts once a week (as well as keeping list of Blasphemy going once a week---which I've been failing at) so if I fail at my dead line for this blog too, don't be surprised.

So basically this blog is going to be my own informal book or movie reviews, and expect tangents and rambling and ranting as well, as that is what I do primarily. This is a fresh start for me, a chance to do something a little different with my time and thoughts. My first legitimate post on this blog will be coming soon, I promise, so stay tuned.

Thanks!!

xoxoxo
Becca

P.S. if at any time you want to suggest a movie or book for me to review, or a book that you think I would enjoy reading, please feel free to do so. I love hearing about new things like that, and am always hungry for another book to read.