Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Movie)

Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord once and for all.

     Obviously, you guys know what this movie's about and that there are MAJOR SPOILERS for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the book), and well as some for how the movie turned out. This movie is very somber from the start. There is a lot of silence and stillness mixed in with the action, but it is generally true to the book and very exciting. Overall, I enjoyed Part 1 just a bit more than Part 2. 

Reasons I love this movie:

• It's Harry Potter.
• Ron- one of the 1st things I noticed was how Ron (Rupert Grint) suddenly looks every bit like an action hero
• Helena Bonham Carter- she's already a scene-stealer as Bellatrix, but her portrayal of Hermione as Bellatrix (thanks to the trio's old standby, Polyjuice Potion) was so brilliantly convincing. I was doing double takes wondering if that was Emma Watson made up to like Helena Bonham Carter.
• Neville- Neville (Matthew Lewis) finally gets his chance to shine, emerging as a hero and reminding us super geeks of how easily it could have all been Neville rather than Harry. (And in case you haven't been looking up pictures of anything having to do with this movie lately, Neville grew up quite nicely. )

• Snape- we learn along with Harry just how integral Snape (Alan Rickman) is to the entire story in a touching flashback after Snape's surprisingly violent death scene

• I can't list everything great about this movie, but some other highlights to watch out for: Molly vs. Bellatrix, Ron defending Hermione, any scene with McGonagall, and Luna making Harry listen to her

Huh, what?:

• not enough Ron and Hermione kissing- their very 1st kiss is sweet, but all we see is Ron's head blocking the kiss. I was bummed, especially after the Harry and Hermione make-out session in the locket destroying scene of Part 1. I know it's not a love story, but we've waited 7 movies for this to happen.
• Harry and Voldemort jump off the school- Harry grabs him and jumps off the roof (you've probably seen this- it's in the trailers), but then they fly around grabbing at each other's faces and their faces blur together. Um,ok...this scene baffles me- it's just really strange and unnecessary. My brother defended it by saying but it shows how closely linked they are...I'm not buying that explanation, but it does give it some purpose. 
• although I think they'd make a cute couple, Neville does not end up with Luna as is implied in the movie
• the death of important characters are unseen and don't make much of an impact on the viewer (possibly because they are unseen...)
• Harry and Ginny's son at the end, as well as the other kids just looked very modern to me- like they somehow didn't fit into the world of Harry Potter

5 Robots

I mean, what can I say? It's Harry Potter. Go see it!

Beastly (Movie)

Privileged, popular, and proud, high school student Kyle Kingsbury knows he can get away with virtually anything because of his good looks and his father's money.  But Kyle goes too far when he sets out to humiliate a mysterious and unpopular girl at the school dance.  The girl turns out to be a witch who casts a spell on Kyle, turning him into a beast who is now as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. The only way for Kyle to break the curse is to fall in love with someone who will look past his appearance and love him in return.

      This movie is based on the book of the same name by Alex Flinn. The above summary is from the book, but some names were changed for the movie (such as Kyle's last name). Yes, it's a modern retelling of Beauty and the Beast (one of my favorite Disney movies), so we all know how it ends. While all the critics' reviews I've read have complained about this, I was really interested in seeing the journey to get there, especially since it involves Alex Pettyfer. I did not read the book prior to seeing this movie.

Reasons I love this movie:

• Neil Patrick Harris- NPH plays Will, Kyle's blind tutor and gets some of the best lines, especially when he's playing darts. All of his interactions with the other characters are great, particularly when he thinks something is too mushy or corny. 
• Kyle's beast form- The makeup effects they did on Alex Pettyfer are awesome. Not very ugly, but definitely unique and interesting. Plus it looked like his left eyebrow said "suck". 
• Kendra- Mary-Kate Olsen managed to make the witch creepy and entertaining in every scene she was in. 
• Romance- I know it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but this movie has all the aspects I look for in a sweet romance movie like this. When Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens) and Kyle were falling in love it was great to watch and I couldn't wait to see how everything in their way worked out so they could live happily ever after. When they were talking at parties it was so sweet to see them kind of flirting but still having real conversations about life. 

Huh, what?:

• Lindy's dad- The whole situation that occurs to make Lindy live with Kyle seems so rushed, although it was incredibly sweet the way Kyle wanted to protect her. (I'll try to stop using the word sweet I promise!) I know it wasn't too important why she was there as long as she was, but it still bothered me, especially because her dad comes up later in the story. 
• Lindy's messages- A few times in the movie Lindy's feelings are expressed through instant messages and emails with people in the outside world. The impression I got (and I could be wrong) was that she was planning to escape with another guy, but it was kind of vague and never really acknowledged again. 

Is this the end?:

• I get the impression that Beastly is a stand-alone book, so probably, but you never know if Hollywood will come up with some bone-headed idea to make a sequel. 

4 Robots

This is a great movie and my boyfriend also really enjoyed it (he went under his own will).

I Am Number Four (Movie)

Nine of us came here. We look like you. We talk like you. We live among you. But we are not you. We can do things you dream of doing. We have powers you dream of having. We are stronger and faster than anything you have ever seen. We are the superheroes you worship in movies and comic books—but we are real.

Our plan was to grow, and train, and become strong, and become one, and fight them. But they found us and started hunting us first. Now all of us are running. Spending our lives in shadows, in places where no one would look, blending in. we have lived among you without you knowing.

But they know.

They caught Number One in Malaysia.

Number Two in England.

And Number Three in Kenya.

They killed them all.

I am Number Four.

I am next.

So I haven't read this book. Honestly the whole aliens among us thing didn't interest me. Then I saw the movie previews. Long story short: I saw it yesterday, the day it came out and now I really want to read the book. 


Reasons I love this movie:

• Action. I'm a sucker for action- fight scenes, explosions, some superpowers thrown in- this movie has it all. 
• Sam is hilarious! If the plot hadn't been so fast-paced he would have stolen the show. And he's only 15! Look him up, his name's Callan McAuliffe.
• Number 6 (Teresa Palmer) can kick some serious butt. Yeah, she's a confident girl wearing a tight outfit, but she's not over-the-top ridiculous. She's focused on fighting and surviving. 
• Number 4's guardians. Henri (Timothy Olyphant) is so funny when he's lecturing 4 on blending in- they have a good movie chemistry. And the shapeshifting dog is adorable. 
• Shirtless Alex Pettyfer is not hard on the eyes. Nor is fully clothed Alex Pettyfer obviously. Between this and Beastly he's selling me on books I wasn't interested in before. 

Huh, what?:

• The Mogadorians. Are these guys supposed to be funny or intimidating? They look silly and their dialogue is even sillier. I mean, if I saw something like that in real life I'd be concerned, but this is the movies so you have to ramp it up. 
• Sarah (Dianna Agron of Glee fame). I like her character and the connection with Number 4, but the movie had her showing up just in time to be the pretty face whenever something dangerous happened. All she got to do was run while Number 6 took care of being the tough girl in the room.
• I read a plot summary that says they can only be killed in order. Ok...is this evident in the book? The movie did not communicate that to me at all. I figured they were just unimaginative villans.  

Is this the end?:

• Nope, I'm getting my hands on this book so I can compare. I usually like the book better anyways.
• With The Power of Six coming out later this year, it's obviously just the beginning. James Frey knows what he's doing and how to make money.

Great movie, very entertaining!