Back from Hiatus!

Here's an aesthetic picture as an apology

I realize it's been a while since I've posted something on here, but since high school has perished and I've gotten my footing in college, I've decided to end this two year hiatus and get back into the swing of things! I look forward writing once again. 

We Aim to Please: Fifty Shades of Grey Movie Review *Contains Spoilers*

Now, given the rating and such, my hopes to see if the new Fifty Shades of Grey movie was up to par with the book series was some to none. But the determination of my best friend knew no bounds, and she managed to get us in (much to the dismay of her older brother). So as I sit here scarfing down half a bag of large popcorn covered in oily, buttery goodness whilst I listen to readings of Creepypasta, I bring to you my review on the infamous Fifty Shades of Grey movie.

Based off of the three book erotic novel series, Fifty Shades of Grey was released on February 14, 2015. Charlie Hunnam was originally cast to play the role of Christian Grey along side Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steel, but he gave up the role, leaving Jamie Dornan to fill in his place. Now, for those who haven't read the series, Anastasia "Ana" Steel is a 21 year old college student living with her friend Katherine "Kate" Kavanagh. When Kate comes down with a sudden illness, she sends Ana to fill in to interview 27 year old billionaire Christian Grey.  After several meetings together, Ana and Christian soon delve into a dominant/submissive relationship, where Ana learns to explore her sexual limits and Christian learns to break down his hard exterior and open up emotionally...well at least to Ana.

The movie itself was pretty good, though I have to admit it was extremely rushed. In comparison to the book, multiple scenes were not included in the film. I realize that movie adaptations of novels usually cut out bits and pieces from the book, but I would've at least expected the movie to show Ana getting her job at SIP. Also, the absence of some of the characters seemed to raise a few questions to some people who haven't read the series (i.e. my friend). For example, when Ana and Christian are discussing Ana's visit with the physician after she received the contraception, her "I'm not allowed to have any sexual relations for four weeks" joke is kind of up in the air since there was no scene introducing Dr. Green and what . Then of course the fact that Ana's job at SIP wasn't scripted meant that the introduction of Jack Hyde wasn't either. Despite all of this, it seems like the movie was mostly concerned about showing the relationship between Christian and Ana. Which is alright, but still a bit disappointing.

There was some good points though to the movie. I highly enjoyed the (possibly) unintended humor that was spread out throughout the movie. From Christian Grey throwing Ana over his shoulder and randomly slapping her butt to Ana's innocent "What's a butt-plug?" line, I couldn't help but let out a few stifled giggles. Also, Ana's laidback personality contrasted well with Christian's constant monotonous business-like demeanor. Her little "happy dances" that she does is quite entertaining and helps lighten the mood a bit. Especially the drunk call scene at the bar, that had to be one of my favorite scenes.

And then there's the sex. Now, seeing as this was based off of an erotic novel, I was prepared to see gyrating hips and loud moans and grunts. What took me by surprise though, was just how much was actually shown. Yes, there was nakedness...a lot of nakedness. Especially Ana's breasts and behind. And though she was positioned in a way that she could show her naked body without exposing her genitals (and thus turning the movie into a legit pornographic film), there were brief split second moments where a small glimpse of her pubic region could be spotted. Well, more like the pubic hair. And Christian's bare butt was also on glorious display alongside Ana's. And just like Ana, no genitalia was shown whatsoever, aside from the also split second view we got from when he unzipped his pants. But as I stated before, it's mainly just the pubic hair.

Fifty Shades of Grey was truly an interesting watch. Sparking debates against my friend who wondered if their relationship counted as an abusive one, I found the movie as a whole fun to see, but slightly disappointing. I am curious, however, to see if another movie is scheduled to be released. Seeing as how Fifty Shades of Grey ended on the same note as the book, there may be a good chance of a second movie. If that's the case, then I won't doubt that I'll find some way to go see it, even if it means persuading one of my friends to go take me. Plot holes and rushed scenes galore, I kind of wonder if I set my expectations for the movie to high. Then again, movie adaptations seldom do it's novels justice.


Rating
6/10

Tap Tap Tap! App Store Recommendation: Deemo

I rarely retain the games that I download on my iPad, mainly because I don't want to use up the already limited storage space that I have, but this game was well worth the download.

A rhythm game developed by Rayark Games, the game was released on iOS and Android platforms. Now, the best I can explain the game is that it's like Smule, another popular rhythm game available in the app store. But imagine Smule with a storyline, beautiful artwork, and extremely enchanting music. The game download is free, but complete with in-app purchases if you would want to purchase more song books.

The game is centered around a tall, thin, mute, and highly adorable creature named Deemo, who plays piano music in the solitude of his castle. One day, to Deemo's surprise, a little girl falls through a window in the sky and seems to have lost all of her memories. As time goes on and as Deemo plays his piano, the pair realizes that the more he plays the larger a tree sprout seems to grow. Deemo then makes it his goal to get the tree to fully grow so that the little girl could hopefully reach the window in the sky and return to her home.

The story is very engaging and visually stimulating. Something unique about the game that I find very interesting is that there is no spoken dialogue. There is absolutely no words exchanged between any of the characters at all, unless you tap on them whist you explore Deemo's castle, but even then the characters don't converse directly to each other. Instead, we are treated with a beautifully scored soundtrack throughout the entire gameplay. Each song played from the cut scenes to title screen all set this kind of calming, mystical mood for the game and it's just music to the ears...literally.

To go more in depth into the music, the actual songs for the gameplay are riveting. When you open up the song book, the first song to greet you is called Dream, followed by a few other handful of songs. As you continue to progress in the game, you will be able to unlock more songs. Or you could click around in the rooms around the castle and be able to find songs that way. As for the genre of the music, Deemo holds a large range from melodic piano songs to dubstep. I really like the variety of songs that the game presents. The fact that we are able to play such a wide range of songs really keep up the players' interest.

The final thing I would like to touch up upon is the artwork. Everything in the game is hand drawn and done beautifully in my opinion. Especially the cut scenes. Since Deemo relies on pictures to tell the actual story, each scene is separately drawn and fluently combined and feels like one is flipping through a collected book of artwork. The simplicity and earthy tones of the design really adds to the magical feel that the game already has.

Deemo as a whole is one of those app store gems. With outstanding artwork, story, and music, it's as addictive as it is captivating. I would highly recommend this game to those who especially love rhythm games. Now if you don't mind, I think it's time I go back to immersing myself in beating all of my top scores.

In the Name of the Moon:Sailor Moon Crystal Trailer Thoughts

So I was eating some Chinese take out and then it hit me like a plate of Kung Pao chicken, I didn't watch the new trailer for the new Sailor Moon Crystal!

Okay, I'll be completely honest here, I was jumping insanely in my seat throughout the entire video. The animation is really smooth and I love the colors. The art style really gives a really fresh new take on something so familiar.

My hope for this new series is that its more up to par with the manga series. Not to say that the original wasn't awesome, but I think it would be good if the new series pulls more elements from the manga. My suggestion is that they make the villains darker. The thing I loved about the manga is that the villains looked so sinister and like something I'd genuinely be afraid of.

But suggestion aside, I have a feeling that this new Sailor Moon will be undoubtedly awesome. I look forward to its debut on July 5th at 7:00pm. And do you want to know the best part about this debut? All of the new merchandise that will be released! Time to start saving for those collectibles.

Too…Much…Popcorn: Captain America: The Winter Solder Review

 

I honestly don’t know if it’s because I’m just hyped up on half of a large Coke slushy, but I feel like the awesomeness level of this movie was just amplified by fifty. I just need to say that Captain America: The Winter Soldier pretty much made my day way cooler that it already was.

 

Name: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Release Date: April 4, 2014

Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Producer: Kevin Feige

Studio: Marvel Studios

 

 

Summary

After the events in the Avengers, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America lives a somewhat quiet life in Washington D.C. and slowly adjusts to modern life. But as a new emerges, Steve, S.H.E.I.L.D, and the world, are caught up in an intricate web of secrets that needs to be uncovered. Captain America must team up with Black Widow and a new friend to expose the evil, and all the while, try to not be killed by a powerful assassin.

My Thoughts

I was very happy with the characters, especially since Black Widow got way more fight scenes as opposed to the Avengers. It really proves that women can kick just as much butt as men do and still have time to make a snarky comment. Personally, with all of the publicity Scarlett Johansson got between the Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, she should get her own movie. I mean, I think Hollywood is way overdue for a superheroin movie and a Black Widow movie will be their best bet. Here’s an idea, make one about her back story. That’ll definitely fill in some unanswered questions I have about her.

But butt-kicking female aside, I was thoroughly impressed with Captain America, Falcon, and Nick Fury. The Captain did his job and yet again saved the mass of people, one muscular punch at a time. Falcon made me want to grab a pair of mechanical wings, do away with my irrational fear of heights, and glide effortlessly in the sky while dodging the millions of raining bullets trying to bring me to my demise. And to be honest, it wasn’t really Nicky Fury himself that made me go “OHHHHHH!!!!!!” (Though he did have his moments), it was his car that I loved so much. I won’t give away to much detail about it, but I will say that the roads will become a much safer place. Well…minus the guns.

The plot was well written, but to the dismay of some hardcore “must be exactly like the comic” fans, it doesn’t really follow the comic, though it does pull certain elements from it. Take the Winter Soldier’s costume for example. It’s pretty much the exact same as from the comic. I really liked the overall story of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. There’s just something about how Marvel Studios does the Captain America movies that just really hit home for me. Not saying that their other work isn’t good, I just find that the Captain America movies have more of a “story”. I mean, all of the movies have a well developed story, I just feel like it makes me care less about (debatably) hunky, muscular good guys fighting (also debatably) hunky, not so muscular bad guys. But that’s just my opinion.

When I woke up this morning (or more like afternoon), I wasn’t expecting to go watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but I’m not complaining. I enjoyed the movie a lot. The plot, the characters, the soundtrack, the fighting, they all combined to create a totally butt kicking film. And there is one element that I just really made me totally freak out about. (WARNING: I’m pretty sure this counts as a spoiler) After the credits, let’s just say some surviving bad guys begin devising a new evil plan and they mention having to “use the twins”. Once the camera pans over, we see two separate children, both in their own separate rooms. One child, a boy, is frantically speeding around the room and the other child, a girl, is using telekinesis to make what looked like blocks fly around. Eventually, the movie ends with the camera on the girl sending out a surge of energy and the screen saying that “Captain America will return in the Age of Ultron” . My point?  Well, those wonderful twins were Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver!!! But the Quicksilver in the Avengers: Age of Ultron isn’t going to be played by Evan Peters (who plays Quicksilver in the new X-men: Days of Future Past). Even though the Avengers and the X-men are both a part of the same universe, it doesn’t seem like they are. Which if it continues on like this, I’m afraid I won’t get to see my Avengers verses X-men movie. Nevertheless, my excitement level is still on overdrive due to the fact that Scarlet Witch is going to be in the new Avengers movie. The only downside is that I have to wait until next year to see it. Oh well, in the meantime I can occupy myself with watching the new Godzilla and Guardians of the Galaxy.

My reaction to 3/4 of the movie

Rating

8.5/10