"Dead Season" Review

I have decided that today is going to be a rare treat. Two reviews in one day as I will be seeing "Ted" later tonight. I am still in the process of watching "Dead Season," which I can best describe as a B-movie knock off of popular AMC show "The Walking Dead." This movie stars James C. Burns as Kurt Conrad, Scott Peat as Elvis, and Marrissa Merrill as Tweeter.

This movie takes place after a viral outbreak that leads to a zombie plague where two survivors, Elvis and Tweeter, flee America and end up on what they assume is a deserted island. Not too long after they come upon the island they are greeted by a hoard of zombies followed by men with guns who save their lives.

Elvis and Tweeter's highly uncooperative nature when it comes to the people who saved them from certain death seems unfounded to me, as well as how quickly they are welcomed into the group. The house on the island where they congregate is too neatly kept, but what did I expect from a B-movie really?

As far as I can tell a lot of people who rated this on IMDB feel the same way I do about it. It was rated a 4.3 which I would have to agree with. Story line is inconsistent and way to cheesy for my taste. The acting seemed alright for the first ten minutes of the movie but the farther along it goes the worse it gets. The camera work is shotty at best. The characters in this are too willing to use a gun to solve their problems and an old woman with a broken leg is met with scrutiny even though it is obvious she hasn't been bitten.

The familiar term of Walker is used to describe the undead just like in the beloved show "The Walking Dead," which I will admit I'm a fan. The characters aren't as complex as you'd expect from supposedly good writing, which I would think would be the reason they got funding for this movie to begin with. Well, I don't see it.

I will be completely honest here. The action had no rhyme or reason and there was no suspense at all. I think we've all come to expect those three very important things from other zombie movies. I couldn't continue to watch this movie because of sheer boredom and a just out right horrible movie that I had to stop watching after the first fifteen minutes and began to write this review. To anyone who doesn't want to feel like they wasted an hour and twenty-five minutes of their lives watching this movie, don't waste your time.

"The Dark Knight Rises" Review

Now, everyone I know it's late, but I just got home from seeing "The Dark Knight Rises." I also know that the recent events that took place opening night have scared a lot of people away from movie theaters and all I can say is that this is definitely worth seeing. Not trying to be insensitive, but this is the kind of thing that would usually scare me but after all of this and a lot of thinking I decided I wouldn't let a homicidal manic keep me from enjoying my life as much as possible and I was going to go see this movie. Also...I'm a HUGE Batman fan.

In all fairness I know it's hard to sit through a movie that's almost three hours long, but if we all could make it through every single Harry Potter movie then we can sit through another Batman flick. Of course, this stars Christian Bale as the billionaire Bruce Wayne a.k.a. Batman who protects the fictional Gotham City from evildoers. Michael Kaine still takes his rightful place as Alfred, where he will forever hold my heart. I am aware that a lot of people were iffy about Anne Hathaway playing Cat Woman a.k.a. Selina Kyle, and I'll admit I was as well no matter how much I absolutely adore this woman. Bane is played by Tom Hardy, and of course, Gary Oldman continues to play the famous Commissioner Gordon.

As far as the plot for "The Dark Knight Rises" goes, the most basic way I can put it without giving away too much seeing as it's opening weekend is that Bruce Wayne has been out of the game for eight years when Bane (renowned terrorist and mercenary) comes into the picture, promising revolution through terror in Gotham City, completely overwhelming the local police force. Bruce Wayne, even though it wasn't easy, decides to become Batman once again to save his fair city he had fought to protect for so long. During his eight year "vacation" his company had been seriously neglected and he loses everything except his gorgeous home.

But, of course, as Bruce Wayne always does. He falls into the clutches of yet another woman, as well as Cat Woman. One thing I can definitely say about this trilogy is that the bad guys are what I can best describe as based in reality. Bane wasn't a science experiment gone wrong like in the original, but an injured man who needed the mask to be able to function. Cat Woman wasn't a woman brought back to life by her cat, but was a very talented cat burglar who wanted a fresh start and a clean slate. I have to say I really do appreciate the "realness" of the characters and their complexity, and the actors and actresses in this movie have really outdone themselves. This was one of the best performances I have seen in a long time.

Now, I will admit this. A few parts of the story seemed to drag on just a little bit for me, but I do feel in some stories it is necessary to be able to give you the complex characters that we all come to know and love. "T.D.K.R." was no different. The length of time they took to make sure we knew these characters was well used and even though I felt it was a little slow in some areas I wasn't disappointed. There were no holes in the story begging to be filled. Everything we needed to know was there, and there was even a slight twist to indulge in our curiosities.

From one human being to another though, I would definitely say that anyone who really wants to see something they think, as well as I do, that they would thoroughly enjoy that this is worth the time and the slight amount of anxiety anyone may have at stepping into a movie theater right now. I know it's tough when you have so much fear in you that you can't even go out and enjoy something as simple as a movie. But one thing I learned from going out and doing it myself is that we can't let anyone dictate how we live our lives and we can't let anyone keep us from enjoying the simple things in life that make it more tolerable.

"Friends WIth Kids" Review

Well, I have now watched this movie twice and, yes, I still really enjoy it. This movie is based in New York. The movie, of course, is "Friends With Kids," as is obvious by the poster I have posted above, which I'll be doing with every review.

This comedy stars Adam Scott as the egotistical womanizer named Jason Fryman, and Jennifer Westfeldt as Julie Keller who can never seem to get past the second date no matter now much she wants a relationship to work. Their friends are all in long term relationships, which kind of makes them the outcasts of the group (and we've all felt this at some point). Leslie (Maya Rudolph) and Alex (Chris O'Dowd) are the loving couple who are thrilled to announce their pregnancy. Missy (Kristen Wigg) and Ben (Jon Hamm) are the couple who can't seem to keep their hands off of each other. Jason and Julie both have disdain for people who bring their children to high-end restaurants, which I would agree with as far as a place like the Four Seasons goes, but not when it comes to your local McDonald's.

After about 4 years they see how having children has effected their friend's relationships and make a pact.They decide to have a child together while only remaining friends so they can avoid the toll having kids have on romantic relationships. I found this hilarious for two reasons.
1. This kind of thing would never work because of that bond two people have when they have a child, which is unavoidable;
2. To me, if you are willing to have sex with someone, there must be some kind of feelings there to begin with that would keep you commited to this kind of arrangement.

I was surprised to see that throughout this whole film Jason is 100% committed to her and their son and is actually great with children. While Julie falls apart because she can't get him to stop crying, Jason flies in and saves the day (well night considering she wakes him up in the middle of the night to come help her).  Their friends talk about how Jason and Julie didn't realize how hard having a child would be, but when they walk into Julie's apartment it's clean and beautiful, the baby is quiet, and Julie had even made quiche. Also, they are extremely happy.

The amazement  and shock is written all over their faces and I couldn't stop laughing during their visit. I know, when my sister had both of her boys that their house had boxes of diapers and bags of wipes all over the place. The house definitely wasn't what it used to be. During this visit though it is completely obvious that Jason and Julie have some chemistry, but it was something they are both choosing to ignore without even realizing it.

Now, because I am trying my best to avoid a complete spoiler I will only say that Jason meets Mary Jane (Megan Fox) and Julie meets Kurt (Edward Burns). Considering it's a parenting comedy with some romance mixed in it's completely obvious where it is going as soon as they make their pact.

On IMDB the rating was a 6.2 which, for me, I'd have to say should be a little bit higher. While it's not 10 star material by any means, the movie had me laughing and ooohing and awwing as everything unfolded. I definitely have to say Adam Scott and Jennifer Westfeldt did a great job. Their acting was definitely believable and if you forget it's just a movie you'd believe these people were actually living this life.

Now, I noticed this within the first few minutes of the movie, that most of the cast in the movie were also in "Bridesmaids" together. This had me remembering parts of that movie and laughing when I'd see certain actors like Maya Rudolph or Kristen Wigg. Kristen Wigg is always good for a laugh, but surprisingly she didn't do anything memorable besides her phenomenal break down when we realize her and Ben's relationship is obviously failing. Now, that does hit home for me since I have experienced this myself so I was almost in tears watching that.

As far as re-watching this movie, I would watch it again. It's not a movie I would watch all the time, but definitely one I would pop in on those nights where you want a semi-romantic comedy along with a pint of ice cream and a wine cooler. So, I am going to go ahead and admit that's exactly what I did the first time I watched it. "Friends With Kids" is a great movie to sit down with your beau and watch, and since it has something in it for everyone, he will enjoy it too.

Jennifer Westfeldt is witty and definitely a wonderful writer, seeing as how she directed and wrote this film. It shows us all that no one can escape when it comes to what children can do to even the most healthy of romantic relationships. I couldn't have done it better myself.

Announcing My First Review!

Hello, all!

 My name is Kindra and I am new to this blog thing, but I figured I could take a stab at it. I will soon be posting my first movie review and I am extremely excited about it. All I can hope is that I don't leave anything out when it comes to any movie or book I will watch or read in the future. I'm hoping everyone feels they can count on my opinion as someone who is constantly reading books and watching movies. This will work for me, especially when it comes to a book that has been turned into a movie.

For anyone who would actually like to get to know me at least a little bit before I start on  my journey as a "critic" of sorts I am a 24 year old unemployed college graduate. Yup, graduate. Anyone who knows me will tell you that I bitch about this all the time. I have a degree in Abnormal Psychology that, so far, has done me no good, but then again, it's an associate's so what did I really expect?

I live in South Carolina, but am originally from Los Angeles. Why make such a move one would ask? And, trust me, I have been asked this quite a bit. Divorce, custody battle, and then a huge move 7 years later just about sums that up so I won't dwell on that too much. Went through tons of hell in high school, but I think I'm a better person for it. At least 5 failed relationships. The most recent being the second worst, where my first ever relationship takes the number one spot.

At least I can say that one thing I flourished in  in High School was English (secondly art, thirdly psychology). Hence, this is why I decided to start a blog. It just happens to pertain to two of my passions, literature and film. Which is why I hope I can help you enjoy these things just as much as I do.

My first movie review will be posted very, very soon and I have already chosen which movie I will be reviewing. I watched this movie the other night and really enjoyed it, and I hope I can help you entice you to watch it so you can enjoy it just as much. I will be sharing that with everyone hopefully by tomorrow night. I'm shooting for tomorrow afternoon to tell everyone the truth.

If anyone has any suggestions for any book or movie they would like for me to review I will be taking suggestions by email, which is kmkrbook2012@gmail.com.Please do not hesitate to write me.

Not only do I plan on this being entertaining, but also useful. If there's anything I can't stand it would be useless places, things, or people. Thanks guys for reading my first EVER post on my blog and I hope you will continue to do so.

For all of you who are wondering which movie I will be reviewing first I'll tell you. I will be reviewing "Friends with Kids." For anyone who has seen it already, please try to avoid spoilers in any comments because I will be trying to do the same in the review.