The Princess Bride

You never forget your first time, and I'm never forgetting this movie.

I'm actually surprised at the fact that a cult movie such as The Princess Bride is not more widely recognized. It's a great fantasy movie and is a fun, awesome, and all around magnificent movie in general. I have never ever met a person, or heard of a person that said they do not like The Princess Bride. Everybody, including myself like if not love this movie! So what is the story to this highly regarded fantasy cult classic? A sick boy played by Wonder Years star himself Fred Savage is visited by his grandfather who reads him a storybook called The Princess Bride. We follow a boy named Westley and a girl named Buttercup who have experienced true love together and are seperated for several years. Westley returns and finds a prince has taken Buttercup for his own, so Westley has to jump into action with several companions to get the love of his life back. A simple story yes, but really the charm of the film is in the characters and the fantastic dialogue. The dialogue is sincere and very funny, the performances especially from our heroes are the best parts, and just the story is great. Stories can be very familiar, but how they are told is what makes them interesting. This is a prime example of that. I really want to watch this movie again, even though I just finished it. Rare have films ever had that effect on me. So obviously something is up with how good this movie is. Seriously, check this thing out. Dare I say, it is the one movie that can never ever be unliked. It is inconceivable to hate this movie! And I adore it. See if you like it as much as I do.

RANT: Why We Need Video Rental Stores

This has been coming for a while.

Okay do you guys remember when I reviewed the original Fright Night and I really didn't like it? Yeah I still own it for one reason alone because I couldn't just slap down five or six dollars to rent it for a week, review it, and then finally return it. You have no idea how easier my job would be if I could just rent. Cause I really don't get much money and the money which I do get I put towards material for this. Movies, television shows, box sets! Most if not all is very expensive, and let's be honest here Redbox really ain't worth a damn. New releases only, a dollar a day to rent which is not bad but I prefer getting my hands on older films not just new ones. Netflix and Hulu, good libraries and reasonably priced for a monthly service but they always take stuff off and replace it with different things. I wish I had a dollar every single time I wanted to watch something and it wasn't on there anymore. None of the problems I have just stated would occur if video stores would still be around. And they are out there, remnants of an empire that revolutionized the world. We need them back, like yesterday! It was an event back then you know, you went out with your parents or a group of your friends you grabbed dinner and then you went to the video store to pick out two or three movies for the week. That was ritualistic with me, and I miss that physical aesthetic of it, of being able to pick up a movie, look at the pictures, read the description and decide if you want to rent it. And I miss going to any video store, whether it be Blockbuster, Hollywood Video, both of which are now gone. But thank God I still have a video store to call home. Only can you find it in the Dallas area and it is the video store to end all video stores. The sheer amount of stuff they put into every single store dazzles the eyes. You want it, they got it and it's called Movie Trading Company. They got an online store and everything, although I do not think the website is under Movie Trading Company. I believe it is called Vintage Stock and I am correct. Check them out, mother of Christ they got good stuff. Do you follow me at all on why we need video rental stores? I hope I got through to you cause this is getting depressing at how many are left. I discovered one and it closed it's doors forever less than five months ago. That is depressing to me. Like we need to start a petition or something to get these places back open again. We need them. Alright rant over, I apologize for the length I just had to speak my mind.

Bates Motel: Season 1

Yeah I like the psychopath shows. They are amazing!

This is a prequel to the famous movie Psycho but strangely it is set in the modern day. I mean, I kinda get why cause it is much easier to make than set it before 1960 and it still works just fine. And that is what I was most surprised at, that it was set in modern day and it does not screw around with the mythos of the original movie. There are many, many nods to the film but trust me it has a plot all of it's own and my God it's great. It's a mystery show at heart so it is very difficult to explain without spoilers but basically Norman Bates and his mother Norma move to a small town and purchase the motel to start their own buisness. And during the course of opening the new Bates Motel our mother and son duo put up with some serious garbage and learn that the town they live in may have a few dark secrets Why is that such a common feature in shows? It's a perfect town on the surface, but everyone is in on whatever the hell is going on the down low there. But anyway, it's time to talk about the performances. Vera Farmiga just...oh lord have mercy, she is stunningly gorgeous and she's an awesome mom I'm not going to lie. She's protective of her son, but is a bit manipulative to be honest but really what mother isn't? And for Norman Bates himself we have Freddie Highmore. Yeah...Charlie from Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. He does a good job really. He gets that good son side down perfectly, and he gets chilling in this show, he freaks me out. A lot. It's unbelievable! He tries to do a Anthony Perkins impression in the first episode and that's kind of distracting but he thankfully drops it after that. He's just a great actor in this. I would say watch it if you are a fan of either of the main actors, or Psycho, or you just love a good mystery show. It's very much worth your time at least for the first episode. And everytime an episode ended later on in the season, I seriously could not wait for the next episode to start up. This is how you do episode cliffhangers! If I had to change a disc after an episode I flipped, that is how good it does it! I implore you to watch at least the first episode and if it grabs you, you got two more seasons after you finish this one. So have a blast and go crazy.

Hannibal: Season 1

Oh yeah, here it goes. First television review. Woohoo!

I have actually decided to review television shows, specifically in a season by season format. Because there are many television shows to be talked about just as much as movies, and I think it would be rather fun. So with that comes the review of an exquisite television show, with murder and cannabalism for all. So Hannibal is the hit TV show that proved 3 things: One, Mads Mikkelsen is an amazing Hannibal Lecter if not the best. Two, you can have a different kind of police drama that makes you want more because of the vastly different cases. And three, it proved me entirely wrong. When I first heard about this show being made I thought it would be a disaster. Come on the main villain from Casino Royale is going to be Dr. Hannibal Lecter? You people have lost it! But I bought this show on a pure gamble near Christmas time years ago, and I was a devoted fan after the third episode. This show combines mystery, horror, atmosphere, and great characters all set in the world that Thomas Harris created. It follows behavioral scientist, Will Graham as he is hired by Jack Crawford of the F.B.I to hunt down various psychopaths and killers. And he has a partner in crime-solving that follows too closely in the footsteps of the people they apprehend. Dr. Lecter has been assigned to analyze Will and see if he is fit to work for the F.B.I but has an ulterior motive to help drive Will over the breaking point. And I have to be honest, I enjoy the series almost more than the films with the exception of Silence Of The Lambs. Through nothing more than how the characters interact and the choices they make which shapes the future of the entire series, plus the dialogue is friggin' awesome too I find myself more invested as to what is going on and what could, and will happen next. The series does take notes from the novels but mainly follows it's own story and I highly applaud them for that because they didn't just make a straight up television series of the novels. This show is freaky man, like you cannot be faint of heart or sheltered when it comes to blood and horrible murders. Like it shocked me that they included so much gore in a public televised series. This was not made for HBO or Showtime or something like that, this was made for NBC! That took some guts and they pulled it off. If you are a fan of crime shows, or anything Hannibal Lecter you might really like Hannibal! It's for a specific crowd but anyone can join. Give it a watch and see if you are hungry for more.

This Shit Has To Stop.

First David Bowie and now Alan Rickman...this is a depressing ass year. We lost both of them to cancer! This is unacceptable! You think after this, we find a newfound passion and force to rid cancer from the world? Cause I think we do. I think from now on rather than just focusing on one simple film an actor or actress who passed away made, I should talk more about just their roles in general. And while it greatly pains me that I cannot do much more than just remembering them from the films I love, I still feel as if I should do something for them. And in the case of Alan Rickman he's done surprisingly few movies and that bewilders me because he has such great talent and acting prowess that I really expected him to be in tons of films, I think he did just barely over 50 movies in his career as an actor which he started when he was in his 20s. I remember him personally in three roles, Hans Gruber from Die Hard which I love that movie a lot already but Alan Rickman elevates the enjoyment for me, Marvin the Robot from The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy in which he is absolutely hilarious and is really the most important character in the entire film even though he is a depressed robot, and of course his most famous role as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. This is THE role he will always be remembered for. And yeah, he's pretty damn great in those movies and I don't think anybody could play Severus better than him. I mean you just have to look at that one scene. You know the scene. Only the pinnacle of his entire character and quite possibly the most emotional moment in the entire series! Yeah that scene. Shit Alan Rickman could be remembered for all time by just one line that's how great he is! And God knows I am going to miss him. Always.

Labyrinth

David Bowie (1947-2016)

It greatly saddens me to hear the news that David Bowie has passed away, and while I can honestly say I haven't heard much of his music I was always quite fond of him. So in memory of him I shall be reviewing probably one of the best cult classics of the 80s, that of course being Labyrinth. Starring Jennifer Connelly when she was only 16 years old and the glorious David Bowie. The story follows a girl named Sarah who tired of her unhappy life and annoying baby brother wishes for The Goblin King to take him away forever. Wish granted, and she soon changes her mind and the hunt is on for her brother before he himself is turned into a goblin. Needless to say, David Bowie steals the whole damn show and God knows you can't take your eyes off him. His performance is very subdued and relaxed, but then again it is much more than that. You really have to witness it to fully comprehend it, and David Bowie has some real great songs in this movie too. Jennifer Connelly is very believable and relateable in her character, and even has quite a bit of a coming to age story at the center of it all which certainly does elevate the movie. The awesome animatronics and puppetry by Jim Henson is timeless, my personal favorite being Ludo. He's just too darn cute. The script was actually written by a former Python so the movie does have really good comedy and dialogue in it. It's a really good movie and David Bowie is the high point of it all. Definitely would recommend you see it, even if it is odd and different but in the best way possible.

The Lego Movie

Yeah not quite what you were expecting for the first review of the year. But a great movie nevertheless.

The story is actually not that original at first but grows and grows the deeper you delve into it. It follows an everyday average guy who gets swept up in a grand adventure through a case of mistaken identity. Sound familiar? It should but because of the characters themselves and the unique setting you really don't mind that the plot is like that because it takes you for turns and different scenarios that make the film great. Everything and I do mean everything is made out of Legos! Not just the characters, but the ground, the sky, the water, everything! And the animation style itself is kind of blocky (ba dum tss) like it's not exactly Harryhausen style of stopmotion to where it is so fluid and looks completely real it is more like how little Lego videos are made online. They can't move that fluidly because they are made of blocks so it seems stilted and that is by no means a bad thing. In fact, people loved it so much so that they screamed betrayal when the Academy Awards did not feature The Lego Movie for Best Special Effects and Best Animated Movie. The humor is great and some of it does rely on how the whole world is made of Legos so they can build different and crazy stuff but not entirely. The acting is great and we got a hell of a cast in this movie. We got Chris Pratt as our hero, Elizabeth Banks as our heroine, Will Ferrell as our villain, Liam Neeson as a corrupt cop, and even God himself Morgan Freeman as the mentor to our heroes. So quite a bit of star power behind this fun little movie. Bottom line, it's a great movie and I never get tired of watching it. If you want a visually different movie or just like Legos I highly recommend you seek this movie out. You'll like it and your kids will love it.

And I'm Back!

Alright I'm back. And I'm all refreshed starting a new year of reviews. I have decided to do a few television shows, both animated and live action cause good stuff is good stuff regardless of what it is, and if it is worthy of me bringing it to your attention then I'm going to tell you about it! I'm hoping to do not just reviews but really just talk about different things like my Evolutionary Viewing Of The Internet Critic that I did around the time I started this. That was a lot of fun, I may do just pure rants and that could be a series in and of itself so I will give fair warning if I do like I'll put RANT in the title. But anyway, first review of the new year tomorrow. It's a fun movie, an animated one with a lot of great comedy. So I will see you then.