Interstellar Review

     I broke one of my rules last night, I went to go see a movie in the theatre alone. But nobody could go with me. But if I didn't go I would've broken a bigger rule. That rule being when Christopher Nolan releases a movie, go see it in theatres. 

    Interstellar is a film directed by Christopher Nolan obviously starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Micheal Caine, Casey Affleck, and Mackenzie Foy. The movie takes place sometime in the future and Earth's food supply is running out. Matthew McConaughey who plays a former astronaut has to lead a team of explorers through a wormhole to find a new home for humanity.

    I'll start off with the negatives, this movie has structural problems, I have a few issues with the script and the final 10 minutes of the film in my opinion were unnecessary. If the film ended before that it would've been perfect. 

    Now onto the positives. This movie is directed fantastically. Christopher Nolan did a phenomenal job with this project. This is by far the most ambitious movie that came out this year. Hans Zimmer's score is fantastic as per usual. Matthew McConaughey is fantastic in this movie. He really drove this movie I really cared for his character and his family back home. This is also a visual experience. I sat in the theatre absolutely mesmerized by the fantastic visuals in the film. I also didn't notice any CGI, the movie looked so real. The story was very interesting. As I stated above I was fine with many aspects of how the film ended. I just felt they could've shortened it up by 10 minutes. And it would've provided more of an emotional pull.  

    Overall this movie has flaws, but the positive aspects completely overweigh the negatives. This is definitely a day one blu-ray purchase for me. I'm going to go to the store the morning the movie gets released and pick it up. If you have not seen Interstellar I highly recommend it. I'm going to give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Comic Book Movie News Part 2

     In my last post I wrote about DC and their movie lineup. Now on to the good stuff! Marvel's Avenger's Age of Ultron Trailer and their movie lineup. All the news started with the Avengers Age of Ultron Trailer leaking online. Then DC released their lineup, and then Marvel released their lineup. This is like a cold war between Marvel and DC. I also feel it's important to mention I'm listening to Awesome Mix Volume One while I'm writing this post.

     First I want to talk about the Avengers Age of Ultron trailer. It showed more than I was expecting. We hear James Spader voicing Ultron and he sounds menacing. I think he will shake this Avengers team to their very core. He will cause divisions in the team that will affect the future of the MCU.  The trailer was great with James Spader's voice, the really dark version of the song from Pinocchio in the background, and we see the Hulk Buster armor. Needless to say, I'm beyond excited for this movie.

     Next I want to talk about Marvel's lineup for phase 3. Kevin Fiege took the stage at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, and proceeded to blow people's minds. He started off by showing the Avengers 2 trailer on the big screen. Then he showed off the phase 3 timeline. All that was on the screen were the dates, and Marvel logos. One by one, he showed off what movies would be released. Starting it off in May of 2016, Captain America Serpant Society (or so we thought that was what the title is.) More on that later. Next in November of 2016, Dr. Strange. I've had a feeling for awhile now that we would eventually get a Dr. Strange movie. Ever since he was name dropped in Captain America The Winter Soldier. It's good to have a release date for it. Also recently Benedict Cumberbatch has been announced to play the title character.

    Next up Fiege showed a recording of James Gunn who then announced that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 would come out on May 5th 2017. Guardians of the Galaxy was a big gamble for Marvel, it paid great dividends I can't wait to see the second one. Next on July 28th 2017 we get Thor Ragnarok. Ragnarok apparently means "The end of all things." Fiege said this is one of the most important movies in the MCU. Chris Hemsworth will return as Thor and Tom Hiddleston will return as Loki. This movie sounds pretty awesome. Rounding out 2017 is Black Panther. I'm excited for this I know a lot of my friends have been wanting a Black Panther movie for a long time and now we're getting one in November of 2017. 

    May 4th 2018, I'm going to skip for now. July 6th 2018 we are getting a Captain Marvel movie. It was announced that this will be the female Captain Marvel named Carol Danvers. Her origins are Earth based, but her adventures take place in the cosmic realm. Fiege said that she is one of if not the most powerful character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On November 2nd 2018, The Inhumans. I don't know a lot about the Inhumans other than what Fiege said on stage. He said this could be a franchise or a series of franchises on their own. So I'm excited about this. Now back to May 4th 2018, Fiege showed a montage of the previous movies and then we see a gauntlet and Thanos' face behind it. Then we see the Avengers 3 title "Infinity War Part 1" coming in May of 2018. with Part 2 coming in May of 2019.  

     Kevin Fiege then showed a clip that Joss Whedon brought from Avengers Age of Ultron. A scene with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers arguing. Then we find out that the real title of Captain America 3 is Captain America Civil War. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans came out on stage they stayed in character the whole time. And they brought Chadwick Boseman out who will play Black Panther. The three of them did a bit together it was great. You could tell they were having a great time.  

      I've enjoyed Phase 2 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Phase 3 is looking pretty stellar. Marvel has built an empire. I love how they make an announcement like this an event. They could've easily just leaked the lineup onto the internet and be done with it. It's so great how they treat their audience. There we have Marvel's phase 3 announcement. With the DC movies and the fact that we're getting Star Wars movies on top of that. I'm going to be very entertained over the next 5 plus years. What are you looking forward to the most comment below. Let me know.

Comic Book Movie News Part One.

     Hey guys Sorry for getting this news out to you late. I've been very busy lately but I've got some time on my hands now. I want to give you my thoughts on all the comic book movie news that has been reported over the past few months.

       I think I'm going to do this blog in two parts. This part I will do mainly about DC and the news that they released, and the next part will be about Marvel so let's start this off.

     In March of 2016, we get Batman V. Superman Dawn of Justice. I'm still skeptical about this. I'm still not sure about Ben Affleck as Batman, I'm even more skeptical about Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor. Warner Brothers can't afford for this movie to fail so it will be interesting to see if this movie succeeds. In August we get a Suicide Squad movie. The cast was recently announced, Margot Robbie will play Harley Quinn, Will Smith will play Deadshot, Tom Hardy will be Rick Flagg, Jai Courtney will be Boomerang, Cara Delevingne will play Enchantress, and Jered Leto will be the Joker. I'm excited to see Leto and Robbie work together as the Joker and Harley Quinn. We finally get to see Harley Quinn make her big screen debut. She's such a great villain in the Batman universe, and it will be interesting to see how this movie affects the DC universe in the long run.

     In 2017 we finally get a stand alone Wonder Woman movie starring Gal Gadot. I'm skeptical about this casting as well because she's a model not an actress. The fact that we're getting a stand alone Wonder Woman movie leads me to believe that her role in Batman V. Superman will be a cameo. Later in 2017 we get Justice League Part 1. If the previous movies are successful, I will be excited for this. If Ben Affleck can pull of Batman, this movie will work.

     In 2018 we get a Flash movie. The Flash is one of the coolest heroes in the DC universe. I havn't seen the Flash TV show that's on right now, but I've heard good things. I don't know if the actor who plays Barry Allen on the show will play him in the movie adaptation, but I'll be interested to see this movie. Later in 2018 we get an Aquaman movie with Jason Mamoa playing Aquaman. I always thought Aquaman was weak. Jason Mamoa will make him cool. I have not read the new DC comics, but I heard they make Aquaman a lot cooler than he has been in the past. Mamoa is the perfect choice for this role. 

    In 2019 we get Shazam! starring The Rock. I'm not a fan of The Rock, I don't know a lot about Shazam!, I'll have to wait until 2019 to figure out what this is. Later in 2019 we get Justice League part 2.  
 
    In 2020, we get a Cyborg movie. I don't know anything about the actor playing him. Because on his IMDB page it says he's only been in two things. One of them in Batman V. Superman so fifty percent of his filmography isn't even out yet. Finally in 2020 Green Lantern gets his shot at redemption. My question is he in the first two Justice League movies or will he be introduced in this movie? The way to make this movie good is have him fight Sinestro right away.   

     So those are my thoughts on DC's lineup. I'll write my thoughts on Marvel and the news that they have released over the past few months. This is a great time to be a fan of comic book movies.

Name of the Wind Review

     About a month and a half ago I was at my local bookstore wearing my Game of Thrones House Stark shirt. The person working there noticed my shirt and recommended that I read Name of the Wind. Not long afterword I went back and picked it up. I just finished reading it recently. 

     Name of the Wind is the debut novel of Patrick Rothfuss. It is the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles. The back of the book doesn't do a very good job of telling the plot. It's just a quote from the main character. That didn't bother me too much because I really like going into a book not knowing a whole lot about it. In short, it's the story of a man's life. The main character's name is Kvothe however it is pronounced like Quothe. He has become a legend in this world .There are so many stories people are telling about him some are true, others are completely false. A Chronicler approaches him and asks Kvothe for his full story. He wants to know the truth about Kvothe.

     This is the 20th book I've finished in 2014, and it might be my favorite. It's definitely in my top three. The book is so well written and as far as the fantasy genre is concerned, it's very original. I watched an interview with Patrick Rothfuss and he said he grew up reading fantasy and got bored with it after awhile. Because it felt like the same story over and over again. Not so with Name of the wind. It might be the most original fantasy series I've read in the last couple years. Kvothe is such a great character, all the supporting characters are great, and the villain is not likeable at all. While I was reading this book, I felt like I was maturing with Kvothe. He's not perfect, he very naïve. Especially when it comes to courting women. 

     Overall, I loved Name of the Wind. Patrick Rothfuss is definitely an author to look out for. I find it entertaining that people have asked him to write more than three books about Kvothe. That's not going to happen he's made it clear it's going to be a trilogy. I give this one 5 out of 5 stars. I'm currently reading the second book in this series The Wise Man's Fear. Also The Slow Regard of Silent Things is coming out this month which is going to be a novella about one of the side characters. I'm very excited for that. If you've read the book let me know what you thought about it in the comments below. Thanks for Reading. .

Good Will Hunting Review

     Less than a week after the passing of Robin Williams, I sat down and watched for the first time Good Will Hunting. I was so inspired by that movie I felt the need to write a review for it.

     Good Will Hunting was released in theatres in 1997. The film was directed by Gus Van Sant, it stars Matt Damon, Robin Williams, Ben Affleck, Stellan Skarsgard, and Minnie Driver. The main plot to the movie is Matt Damon plays Will Hunting who works a job as a janitor at MIT. But he's capable of so much more. He solves complex math problems in one minute that take a student there at least 20 minutes to solve. He has a criminal record, and he'll meet with psychologists who after one session refuse to work with him anymore because they don't think they can help him. Stellan Skarsgard plays a math professor at MIT, and he sets up an appointment for Will with a psychology teacher he knew from college played by Robin Williams. Robin Williams' character tries to help Will find his place in life.

     There are two things I adored about this movie first of all, the acting. Matt Damon was great as Will Hunting, but Robin Williams was absolutely phenomenal. He won best supporting actor for this movie. Ben Affleck plays Chuckie Sullivan who was Will Hunting's friend. I'm going to be honest I was never a huge fan of Ben Affleck's but he was very good in this movie. Minnie Driver played Will's love interest she was very good in the movie. Stellan Skarsgard was very good as well. I thought he was better in this movie than he was in any of the Marvel movies he's done over the past few years.

     However the best thing I can say about the movie is the script was flawless. The script was written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck and it's one of the best scripts of all-time. There's one scene where Robin Williams kept telling Matt Damon "It's not your fault." I'm going to be honest, I cried a little bit in that scene. Robin Williams was amazing in that scene.

     I cannot think of one problem I have with this movie. This is easily in my top 20 movies of all-time. It's so inspiring, and so heart felt. Good Will Hunting easily gets 5 out of 5 stars. If you have not seen Good Will Hunting, please check it out. This is a perfect movie to watch after a rough day. It's such a heartwarming movie. Thanks for reading.

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

     Finally! I have been waiting for this movie ever since the fall of 2012 when Marvel announced their phase 2 lineup. Was it worth the wait, or did it backfire? 

    Guardians of the Galaxy is a film directed by James Gunn it stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Miguel Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, and Vin Diesel as Groot. The plot to this movie is Peter Quill also known as "Star Lord" finds this orb that's worth a lot of money and a lot of bad guys want. Also looking for the orb is Gamora, Rocket, and Groot. They end up on a mission together to find it. Now we have our movie. 

    This movie is definitely in my top 3 Marvel movies. It was so entertaining, Chris Pratt was great as Peter Quill. His character has the most depth and you really get behind him. He's like a combination of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo from Star Wars, and of Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly. However the show stealer, was Rocket Raccoon. He was everything I wanted him to be but better. He was the funniest character but he was also the coolest of them all. Anyone who goes to see the movie will instantly become a huge Rocket Raccoon fan. For a moment there I forgot that he was voiced by Bradley Cooper. Zoe Saldana was great as well. I would not mind seeing a spin-off movie based on her character. Because I feel that she had more depth than the movie gave her. I was pleasantly surprised that Miguel Bautista did a pretty good job as Drax the Destroyer. Usually when Wrestlers go act in movies, it doesn't work out. I was very happy to see that. Vin Diesel definitely had the easiest role because he only has one line, but it was still entertaining. There was one scene with Groot that I will definitely not spoil during one of the battles where I could not stop laughing.

     That brings me to the comedy. This is without a doubt the funniest movie Marvel has made. And that says a lot because The Iron Man movies were funny as well. This is definitely funnier than any of them. The jokes hit at least 95 percent of the time. I was amazed at how the movie could be so funny and action packed at the same time. The action starts pretty early on in the film, and it almost doesn't stop. It slows down a little bit for one scene, but that's it. The movie was also dramatic at times. It had some heart throughout. You will really care for the characters by the end. I also have to talk about the soundtrack to this movie. The soundtrack features pop songs from the 60's and 70's and it went perfectly with the tone of the movie. I remember in the trailer when "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede played. I used to think that song was so annoying, now whenever I hear it I think of this movie and it puts a smile on my face. Needless to say, I want that soundtrack.

    The only gripe I have with this movie was the villain, Ronan the Accuser. Lee Pace played him and I thought he did a fine job, but I thought that he didn't go well with the tone of the film. He was a darker villain and I think they should have given him some jokes kind of like how Loki gets some one liners in the movies he's in. 

     This movie was made by Disney and it got me excited for Star Wars next year because this movie had a Star Wars feel to it. There was one battle scene in particular when I was watching it in the theatre I was thinking to myself, "This was influenced by Star Wars." This movie was a combination of a lot of great Science Fiction and I loved it.

     Overall, I had an absolute blast with this movie. If you're a Marvel fan, definitely go see this movie. If you're not a Marvel fan, I think this movie will offer you some things as well. I'm going to give Guardians of the Galaxy 4.75 out of 5 stars. I want to see it again. My top 3 Marvel movies are The Avengers is number one, Captain America the Winter Soldier is second, and Guardians of the Galaxy is third. Originally this was going to just be one stand alone movie. However this year at Comic Con they announced that there will be sequels to this. That makes me very happy.

Angels and Demons Book Review

     I spent this past week on vacation with my family. In that time I got quite a bit of reading done. I finished reading Angels and Demons earlier this week, and now I'm reviewing it.

    Angels and Demons was written by Dan Brown and was published in 2000. Robert Langdon is a Harvard professor of religious symbology and he's summoned to a Swiss research facility to examine a symbol branded into a murdered victim's chest. What he discovers is the Illuminati, an ancient adversary of the Catholic church has returned and plans to destroy Vatican City with a powerful time bomb. To make matters worse, The pope recently died and the College of Cardinals are meeting in the Sistine Chapel on conclave in order to elect a new pope. Langdon is working with Vittoria Vetra the daughter of the murdered scientist, together they hunt through ancient crypts and catacombs in search for the long forgotten Illuminati lair.

     This is one of the best books I've read this year. This book has a very surprisingly high IQ. Very early on into reading this I started keeping a journal about this book alone. There is so much history, and mythology in this book. The reader will learn a lot about certain historic people. Another thing I found very interesting in this book is that it goes into detail about science and religion and the big gap that divides the two. The other thing I loved is that this was an incredibly fast paced thrill ride. It starts very early on and it never slows down. You get several different viewpoints about what's happening in the book. You get Robert's perspective, Vittoria's, a reporter from the BBC's, and the "Hassasin's," and the Camerlengo's. The Camerlengo is the pope's assistant who is in charge of the Catholic church before a new pope is elected.

    Overall I really enjoyed Angels and Demons. This was a thriller that never slowed down. If you love great thriller's with a shocking twist ending, You will love Angels and Demons. I'm going to give this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. I also started reading the first Percy Jackson book. I'll have a review for that when I finish it. Also on Wednesday I'm going to see Guardians of the Galaxy. I'll have a review for that as well.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Review

     Finally! I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows earlier this week. I've been looking forward to reading this book ever since I started the first book back in April. I can't even imagine having to wait a full year before the book was released in 2007.

     In the Deathly Hallows Harry, Ron, and Hermoine must continue on with the mission that Dumbledore left them with. They must find and destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Also Harry struggles with the stress of being "The Chosen One." It was said in a prophecy that he was the chosen one to get rid of Voldemort for good. it was said that "one could not survive while the other lives." If he fails then Voldemort will take control of the wizarding world. Which leads me to my next plot point. Voldemort infiltrated the Ministry of Magic and they begin hunting down Muggle born witches and wizards. The parts of the book that mention that are arguably some of the darkest parts of the book. It's reminiscent of the Holocaust when the Germans passed the anti-semetic laws and the Jews were losing their jobs and homes. Everything has been set into motion. Either Harry will triumph and defeat Voldemort once and for all, or darkness will reign at Hogwarts.

     There were two parts I loved about the book. The first one was the Battle of Hogwarts. I remember before I read that I texted my brother "I'm about to read the Battle of Hogwarts. I fear very soon there will be a lot of dead characters." My brother texted back "Say goodbye to your favorites." Yes two of my favorite characters died in that battle. But it was so suspenseful and so well written. I was able to enjoy it. My other favorite part of the book was that final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Harry's taunting him by calling him Riddle which is his real name. When he finally triumphs and kills Voldemort, it was such a great moment. It's what fans were waiting for so long.

     The other thing I have to say is that for the first six books, I didn't like Professor Snape. However there's a chapter in the book where you learn a lot about him. Not only did I understand him more, I actually grew to love him. He just might be my favorite character in the series. He's the one who sacrificed the most in the fight against Voldemort. I really grew to respect him a lot.

    When I finish a series and I'm sad that it's over, I know I've read a good series. The Harry Potter series will live on forever. It's right up there with The Lord of the Rings for the most influential fantast series of all-time. I don't know why I didn't read this when I was younger. Of course Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows gets 5 out of 5 stars. I'm currently reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. I'll have a review for that when I finish it. I thought of a fitting way to end this review of the Harry Potter series with a quote from Alan Rickman who plays Severus Snape in the movies. "When I'm 80 years old and sitting in my rocking chair, I'll be reading Harry Potter and my family will say to me 'After all this time?' And I will say 'Always.'

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Book Review

     I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I'm very emotionally drained after reading this.

     This book opens with Harry back living in Privet Drive with the Dursleys. Dumbledore comes to get him and takes him try and recruit Horace Slughorn, old teacher at Hogwarts to come out of retirement and teach again. He teaches Potions and Professor Snape finally gets the job he's always wanted, teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. Throughout the year at Hogwarts Harry gets he gets help from the mysterious "Half-Blood Prince." Also, the war against Voldemort rages on. Hermoine checks the obituary section of The Daily Prophet every day for familiar names. 

     There's also a lot of mystery in the book as well. The reader will continue to wonder who the Half-Blood Prince is. I thought it was Voldemort at first. Because his mother was a witch and his father was a Muggle so he was a Half-Blood. Also when Dumbledore comes to pick up Harry, his hand is injured and you'll wonder how that happened. All this leads to a very interesting and shocking twist ending.

     I would say this is the darkest book in the series thus far. Mainly because of the final climax of the book. There's a big battle at Hogwarts between some Death Eaters and the Order. It was very suspenseful and that's why I'm so emotionally drained right now. This book is the only one in the series that has a sad ending. The characters are at the lowest they could possibly be. I keep thinking to myself that this is the "Empire Strikes Back" of the Harry Potter series. Because without spoiling too much I feel as if Voldemort and his Death Eaters have won a huge victory.  Professor Umbridge is not in the book too much which I was extremely happy about. But the way the book ended left me devastated.

    Overall I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It's not my favorite of the series thus far. It's a tie between The Goblet of Fire and the Order of the Phoenix. But this book was very suspenseful and it leads right into the Deathly Hallows. I'm going to give Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 5 stars out of 5. I'm looking forward to reading the Deathly Hallows and I'll have a review for it whenever I finish it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Review

     Last night I finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was the longest book in the series thus far and it took me about two weeks to read.

     This book opens with Harry and Dudley getting attacked by dementors. Harry has to use magic to save them but since he's underage, he gets expelled from Hogwarts for underage use of magic. However he gets a hearing and he beats the case. He also finds out about a secret order of witches and wizards who fought Voldemort in the last war called the Order of the Phoenix which Ron, Hermoine, and he joins. The main plot of the book is Harry starts teaching his fellow students Defense Against the Dark Arts. Harry must teach them because they are not allowed to practice the counter curses and jinxes under the order of the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher; Delores Umbridge. I must say Joffrey Lannister has serious competition for my least favorite literary character. Umbridge was just awful. I don't want to spoil too much in case anybody hasn't read the series but I will say this, you will hate Umbridge more than you will hate Voldemort. That says a lot because Umbridge is not a dark witch she's technically on the good side. She's the undersecretary for the Minister of Magic. But the Ministry on Magic is so full of Bureaucrats I can't say I like any of them.

     One thing this book does really well at is just when you think things couldn't get any worse for Harry and his friends, they do. I would say this was the darkest book in the series so far. It seems to get darker and darker every book. I also loved the direction J.K Rowling took with the characters of Fred and George. There's a scene when they start a riot to get back at Umbridge. I felt a similar feeling when I was reading "A Clash of Kings" when Tyrion slapped Joffrey. It's just so satisfying when a character you cannot stand gets humiliated in some way. 

     I don't think I have any problems with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. In my opinion it didn't beat the Goblet of Fire that's still my favorite of the series. But I still will give The Order of the Phoenix 5 out of 5 stars. I have not yet started The Half-Blood Prince however I will review it when I finish it.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Book Review

     Sorry I'm getting this review to you guys a little late. I finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire about a week ago.

     This book begins with Harry back at home on Privet Drive with the Dursleys and he gets invited to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasleys. While there they see some of Voldemort's old supporters called the Death Eaters return. When they return to Hogwarts, they find out that the Quidditch season has been cancelled to make way for the Triwizard Tournament. Where two other wizard schools from Europe come to Hogwarts, where a champion is selected, and they have three events and whoever has the highest score at the end of the three events wins. Dumbledore set an age limit on the Goblet of Fire where people submit their names so only sixth and seventh years are allowed to enter. The Hogwarts champion was Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff  But somehow Harry's name got entered and he was selected to be in the Triwizard Tournament as well. Someone is trying to Kill Harry but who and why? 

     I don't even know where to begin this book was so good. The chapters where the events from the Tournament were so compelling and the last four chapters were so white knuckled. Harry gets transported to a graveyard and he witnesses something. That was one of the most intense endings to a book I've read in a long time.    

     The other thing I need to mention is that I had heard that J.K Rowling kills off some of her characters in this series, while the first three books had no casualties, someone dies in this book. I've been told where I am in the series, I shouldn't get attached to any characters.

    Overall I really enjoyed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. This series gets better and better every book. I'm going to give this book 5 out of 5. I'm halfway through the Order of the Phoenix I promise I won't procrastinate to write a review for it when I finish it.

X-Men Days of Future Past Review

     Last night I saw X-Men Days of Future Past. Nowadays whenever I go to a comic book movie that's not made by Marvel Studios, I go in a little skeptical. Especially for an X-Men movie because X-Men 3 The Last Stand and X-Men Origins Wolverine were terrible movies. However Bryan Singer is back directing Days of Future Past and that got me excited. 

    The movie opens and it shows the future and it is grim to say the least. It's similar to Terminator in the sense that war is desolating the whole world. The only way to stop it is to send Wolverine's consciousness back to 1973 and get Charles Xavier and Magneto to get together and stop the grim future from ever happening. 

     I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. Bryan Singer still makes good X-Men movies. If this movie was bad I would remember him as the director who made Superman Returns. This movie did a great job at humanizing the characters. James McAvoy is great as Charles Xavier. In the first two X-Men movies you looked up to Charles Xavier but you couldn't relate to him. In this movie you can because when you see him in this movie he is at his lowest low. Micheal Fassbender is awesome as Magneto as well he is one of my favorite actors working today. As is Peter Dinklage who plays Trask in this movie. In the comic book Trask is not small like Dinklage is but he was still perfect for the role. Size doesn't matter for the role what does matter is acting ability. Jennifer Lawrence is also in the movie and without spoiling anything for those who have not seen it she is one of the most important characters in the movie. Another thing I love about this movie is it has a very clever sense of humor. The jokes were really well timed.

     Overall this movie took the problems of X-Men The Last Stand and X-Men Origins Wolverine and it corrected them. I loved this movie, I don't know if it's the best X-Men movie we've had but it was definitely a great X-Men movie. I'm going to give this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars. If you're an X-Men fan, you'll love this movie and also I should mention there are some great Easter eggs and a great post credit scene.

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban Book Review

     One thing I love about the summer season is sitting outside on a nice day reading a book. Today was such a nice day out so I sat on my back porch and finished reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. 

    Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was written by J.K. Rowling and it is the third book in the Harry Potter Series. The book begins with Harry on holiday he's back at home with the Dursleys and as usual they treat him terribly. To make matters worse, Uncle Vernon's sister Marge is visiting and she's even worse. Finally, Harry packs his bags and leaves. He goes and stays on Diagon Alley, a street where a lot of wizard shops are. Harry hears reports that a prisoner has escaped from Azkaban named Sirius Black who apparently was the heir apparent to Voldemort. Guards at Azkaban kept hearing Black mutter in his sleep "He's at Hogwarts... He's at Hogwarts." Harry isn't safe not even at Hogwarts. 

     In my opinion, this series is getting better and better with each book. I love the Prisoner of Azkaban more than I loved the first two books. And the first two books were really good. The Prisoner of Azkaban was intrueging, exciting, had a great twist, and a gripping climax. It also had a very satisfying ending. 

    Another thing I love about this series is that the first book was written on an eleven year old reading level, the Chamber of Secrets was written on a twelve year old reading level, and so on. So with each book you read, you're growing with the characters.

     Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite on the series so far. Of course it gets 5 out of 5 stars. I've already started reading The Goblet of Fire so I'll have a review of that as soon as I finish it.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Book Review

     This week I finished reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. As I promised when I reviewed The Sorcerer's Stone, I will now review The Chamber of Secrets. In my last review, I mentioned how I should've read this series a long time ago. To that I still hold because I really enjoyed this book.

     This book starts off with Harry back home living with his Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and his cousin Dudley. Because they treat him so badly all Harry wants is to go back to Hogwarts. However shortly before his term starts, he gets a mysterious visitor who tells Harry that if he returns to Hogwarts disaster will strike. And strike it does. The mysterious Heir of Slytherin has been causing attacks on students at Hogwarts.

   One thing I loved about the first book is that it was a fantasy novel as well as a mystery, and it had comedic moments as well. This book had all that going for it as well. It was also a darker book in my opinion. Three quarter through the book and the characters were at there lowest low. The attacker still hadn't been caught, the Quidditch season had been canceled, and Dumbledore was going to shut Hogwarts down. Which meant Harry would have to go back to live with the Dursleys. That brings me to another thing I loved about this book. In my Sorcerer's Stone review, I made a point of how much I cared about the characters. The Chamber of Secrets brought that to a whole new level. You really feel bad for these characters when they're at their lowest point. Also The Chamber of Secrets had a very interesting twist, and a satisfying ending which I will not spoil in case there is anyone like me who's reading this series for the first time.  

     Overall Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is right on par with the first one. I don't have any problems with it. I'm going to give it 5 out of 5 stars. I'm about halfway through the Prisoner of Azkaban right now. I'll post my review of it when I finish it.
    

Star Wars Episode VII Cast Announced!!

     Finally! Ever since it was announced that J.J Abrams is directing Star Wars Episode VII, we've had almost no other news about who's going to be in this movie. It's been a brutal year. but after more than a year of rumors we finally have the official cast of Star Wars Episode VII. The Cast of the movie will be as follows; Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Oscar Isaac, Domhall Gleeson, Max Von Sydow, Adam Driver, and my personal favorite addition, Andy Serkis. I can't wait to see who they end up playing.

     I have to say I'm very excited about these castings. The Andy Serkis casting alone was enough to get me excited. I don't know if he's going to have an actual acting role, or if he's going to have another role where he does motion capture work. Either way I think he'll do a fantastic job. Disney went for great actors and they nailed it out of the park. I will say I think Disney did a better job at casting for their big movie than Warner Brothers is doing for theirs.  

    As many people know the movie will be directed by J.J Abrams, Produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Abrams, and Bryan Burk. The screenplay is written by Lawrence Kasdan, and Abrams, and John Williams is returning to do the score.  

   I am even more excited about this film than I was before I heard this news. I think Disney knows what they're doing, and they seem to know what the fans want to see. The movie comes out on December 18th, 2015. It can't get here fast enough.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Review

     I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone this afternoon. This was the 10th book I have finished this year. My goal is to finish 30 books so I'm happy to say I'm right on pace.

     A few months ago I was out with my brother and I had let it slip that I had never read the Harry Potter series. Upon hearing this he told me that he was begging me to read the series. This past Tuesday I finally picked up the first book and I finished it today. I was skeptical at first but like I said on Twitter, I am man enough to admit when I am wrong. I should have read this a long time ago.

   For those of you who don't know, the book is the story of Harry Potter who's parents were killed when he was a baby by the Dark Lord Voldemort. Voldemort then tried to kill Harry but somehow could not. So a few high-ups at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry send Harry to live with his Aunt and Uncle and their son. To say that they didn't treat him very well is an under statement they hated him. But on Harry's eleventh birthday he gets a letter that invites him to enroll at Hogwarts. One thing leads to another and he ends up going to Hogwarts. And he gets caught up in finding out about the Sorcerer's Stone, and he has to stop Voldemort from coming back. 

    What made this book so great to me was the characters. Before you even meet Harry in the first chapter you care about him. You feel sorry for him because his parents are dead and he has to go live with his Aunt and Uncle who don't treat him right. Two chapters in and I cared about the character. Also there's an interesting twist as to who's helping Voldemort. That was an interesting twist, and it had a very satisfying ending.
  
    Overall I really enjoyed this book, I'm looking forward to reading the second one. I'm going to give Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 5 out of 5 stars I don't have any problems with it. I'll post my review on the second book when I finish it. Also I heard a rumor that the cast of Star Wars will be released on May 4th. If that's the case I will post my thoughts on that as soon as I know any details.

Captain America The Winter Soldier Movie Review

     I just saw Captain America The Winter Soldier yesterday. I was super excited for this movie because as many of my readers may know, I'm a huge fan of the Marvel movies. Also this movie was getting great reviews. 
   
    Captain America The Winter Soldier is directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. It stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie, and Cobie Smulders. It is the sequel to Captain America The First Avenger. I don't want to spoil too much so if you have not seen the movie, you're safe with me. The basic plot to this movie is that there's an assassin called the Winter Soldier who is sent to kill Captain America and he has to figure out who sent him, who he is, what his past is, etc. How is Captain America the Winter Soldier? It's really good.

     In this movie S.H.I.E.L.D gets turned on itself as an organization, and Captain America is suddenly hunted by this organization that he felt was good. One thing I absolutely loved about this movie is that Nick Fury and Black Widow are more relevant than they have been in any Marvel movie previously. Captain America's chemistry with Black Widow was very entertaining. Also his chemistry with Sam Wilson a.k.a Falcon was great as well. Sam Wilson is a war veteran like Steve Rogers and they have that kindred spirit. That was very entertaining as well.  

    The other thing I loved about this film is that with S.H.I.E.L.D getting turned on itself and the Winter Soldier hunting down Captain America. It had the feel of a spy movie. I really enjoyed seeing that in this movie. The Winter Soldier was not in the movie for a long time. I would have liked to see more of him. But the scenes with him were my favorite scenes in the movie. The fight scenes between Captain America and the Winter Soldier were very gritty, and visceral. Overall the Winter Soldier was an awesome villain. 

    Overall, This is the best stand alone Marvel movie. It is my second favorite Marvel movie only to the Avengers. This is also one of the best sequels we've gotten to any movie. I'm going to give Captain America 5 out of 5 stars.

Allegiant book Review

     Yesterday afternoon I finished reading Allegiant. It was the fifth book I read this year. That's not bad considering that I only read about four books last year. I've already eclipsed my total from 2013. That being said let's review Allegiant.

     Allegiant starts out with Tris and her friends fleeing the city. After the events of Insurgent, Tris and her friends decide to leave the city and see what's beyond the fence. They find this compound where Tris' mother worked before she came to the city. They find out where she came from, and what kind of work she did before the events of Divergent. However Tris and Tobias soon learn that there's not a lot of good people who work at this compound. It's smart not to trust anyone who is in a high position in this compound because they only care about keeping their experiments going. They don't care what the cost is.

    Before I read this book, I had heard some pretty mediocre reviews. So I was interested to see what that was all about. One thing that's different is that this book is split so that Tris has point of view chapters, and so does Tobias. I thought that was interesting and it was cool to see things through his eyes. I have to say about 440 pages in, I had a bad feeling about how it was going to end. I thought to myself, "The axe is going to drop and I don't know how." I was enjoying the book until I got to the very end. The end completely ruined the book for me. I don't want to spoil anything for those who have not read it, but I almost didn't want to finish it. I wanted to stop reading right then and there and start reading something else. I'm sure people who have read the book know what I'm referring to. That's how distraught I was. You know when these movies come out there going to split Allegiant into 2 movies because they always do. I'm not going to see it whenever it comes out.

    Overall Allegiant was good until the final ten chapters or so, but those last chapters where brutal. I'm going to rate Allegiant 2.8 out of 5 stars. The series as a whole is worth reading I'll rate the series as a whole 3.8 out of 5 stars. I'll be reading the first Sherlock Holmes novel "A Study in Scarlet" over the next few weeks. I'll probably be posting a review for that whenever I finish it.

Insurgent Book Reivew

     This weekend I finished reading Insurgent. This was the second book in Veronica Roth's dystopian Divergent series. For those of you who have not read the first book yet, I will try not to give too much away. 

    After the events of the first book, Beatrice and her friends are on the run from the Erudite. They go to other factions who were neutral in the conflict seeking refuge. Beatrice also deals with lots of guilt and depression. People have lost their lives because of her, people have died that she cares about so needless to say she is having a difficult time.

   If I have any complaints about Insurgent, it is the same complaint I had about Divergent. It's that it takes awhile for the book to get really exciting. I think back to the Hunger Games series where it was exciting from the first chapter and it held that for the most part until the series was over. In my opinion, these books don't get really exciting until the second half. I was hoping that Insurgent would be a little darker than Divergent, kind of like how Catching Fire was darker than the Hunger Games, but I would say Divergent and Insurgent are equally dark. There is one scene in the book I don't want to give it away, but it was really dark and when it happened I thought to myself, "I don't see this ending well." I read that part last week and it was at that point when I couldn't put the book down. I read almost 100 pages in one night. For me that's a lot. 

    Overall, I thought this was a very good entry in the Divergent series. I can't decide which one I like more, they're very close. so I'm going to rate Insurgent 4.5 out of 5 stars. Despite what some critics said about Allegiant, I'm still looking forward to reading it. After I finish that I will be reading more Sherlock Holmes novels, and I will finally read the Harry Potter series.

 

Sherlock Series Two Review

     Last night I finished watching series two of the BBC series Sherlock. As you may know I really enjoyed series one of the show. I will say right now series two takes it to a whole new level. I will take each episode and break it down starting with the first one. Don't worry I won't spoil anything in this review.

    The first episode is the Scandal in Belgravia. The Irene Adler episode. There's a really great scene when Sherlock looks at her and he can't size her up. He looks over at Watson and starts sizing him up. You can see cliff notes appear on the screen and he looks back at Irene Adler and you just see question marks appear. At that moment I knew it was going to be a great episode, I knew she would be great competition for Sherlock. There's also a very funny scene in this episode with Mycroft, who is Sherlock's older brother.

    The second episode was The Hounds of Baskerville episode. In this episode Sherlock's and Watson's client is a man who claims his father was murdered my a giant hound. At first Sherlock thinks his client is crazy, but as he digs deeper in the case he realizes that he is not. There's a pretty interesting twist in this case I don't want to give it away. Even though it was a very good episode, I think it was the weak link of the three. It's not necessarily a gripe with the episode I just feel like the other two episodes where so much better.

    That brings me to the final episode of series two, The Reichenbach Fall. This is the Jim Moriarty episode. This episode was intense to say the least! I knew going into this episode that Moriarty was crazy. But by the end of the episode I thought to myself, "This guy is so insane!" He's not just trying to kill Sherlock Holmes, he's going after his legacy and reputation. He's trying to take everything Sherlock has. Moriarty reminded me a lot of the Joker from the Dark Knight. Which is fitting because Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty are the original Batman and Joker. Moriarty keeps telling Sherlock "You're just like me." It reminded me of when The Joker told Batman "To them you're just a freak like me." 

     Overall I loved series two of Sherlock even more than series one, and I loved series one. If you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes I highly recommend this show.  I'm going to give Sherlock series two 4.7 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to see series three. I believe it comes out on blu-ray on Tuesday. I will also be posting my review of Insurgent within the next couple days. So be on the lookout for that. Thanks for reading everybody

Divergent Book Review

     I just finished reading the first book in the Divergent Series now I'm reviewing it. Don't worry no spoilers in this review you're safe with me. 

     Divergent was written by Veronica Roth and it takes place in futuristic Chicago where society is split into five factions Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. The story follows a sixteen year old girl named Beatrice and she like everybody else in her class is required to take an aptitude test. This determines what faction they are best suited for. However Beatrice's test results were inconclusive and she is labeled as Divergent. Now she has to choose which faction to join.

     I was very excited to read Divergent. People have compared it to The Hunger Games series and I really enjoyed reading the Hunger Games series. I can see why it get those comparisons because there are similarities. The story is told through the eyes of a sixteen year old girl like The Hunger Games, It has the same style that the Hunger Games had where the story is told in first person. I love first person narratives because that brings you along for the ride. It makes you feel like you're in these environments. There's a love story brewing between Beatrice and someone from the faction she chooses to join that is also similar to the love story in the Hunger Games. There are also some other characters in Divergent that are similar to some of the characters in the Hunger Games. I don't want to spoil those of people who have not read the book. 

     If I have any gripes with Divergent it's that it takes awhile for the story to get going. But at the same time it was never boring. It takes awhile for the story to take shape. However in the final five chapters that's when the big action scenes happening and they were very enthralling.

     Overall I really enjoyed Divergent. It was intriguing, it kept me guessing, and the final action scenes were awesome. If you enjoyed reading the Hunger Games series, you will enjoy Divergent. I'm going to give it 4.4 out of 5 stars. Be on the look out for my review of series two of Sherlock, and I will start reading Insurgent as soon as tomorrow. I will have a review up when I finish reading it. Thanks for reading.

Sherlock Series One Review

     Tonight I finished series one of Sherlock. As I promised in my last review I'm now writing my review of it.  

     I have heard many good things about this show before I watched it. Finally I had enough so I went out and bought the first two seasons on Blu-ray. And I will say right now I should have watched this a long time ago. Sherlock is very good. 

     Benedict Cumberbatch plays Sherlock Holmes and he did a stellar job. I've come to expect that from him every time I see him in something. He just never disappoints. Martin Freeman plays Watson and he also does a great job. The next time I watch The Desolation of Smaug, I will enjoy the scenes when Bilbo and Smaug have dialogue even more than I did the first time. Because Cumberbatch voices Smaug and Freeman plays Bilbo.

    One thing I love about this show is that when Sherlock is investigating a crime scene, cliff notes appear on the screen to show you what his mind is processing. That brings the viewer along for the ride. That's one area where the Sherlock Holmes movies directed by Guy Ritchie starring Robert Downey Jr. let me down. The other thing I love about the show is that it does a great job showing how disconnected from reality Sherlock Holmes is. For example there's a scene when Watson yells at Holmes and says "Do you realize that there are lives at stake?" Holmes just said "Does that help me solve the case? No? Then I don't care." That shows that it's all about the game for Holmes. He works the cases for the sake of it giving him something to do because he gets bored really easily.  

     I don't consider Moriarty as spoiler because you know he'll be in a Sherlock Holmes Story. Kind of like how a good Batman storyline will have The Joker. You get introduced to Moriarty in the third and final episode of the season. He had a great introduction and I can't wait to see what he does in Series two. Although so far I prefer the Moriarty in "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes" book by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Mainly because it was very clear that Holmes was afraid of him in the book. So far that hasn't happened yet. However this is by far the best version of Sherlock Holmes put to screen. I'm going to give Sherlock Series one 4.5 out of 5 stars.
    

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Book Review

     Before I got my kindle, I had a few books on my to read list. That list has now multiplied that is what owning a kindle does.  


    The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes was written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1894. It's a series of short stories that chronicle various adventures of Sherlock Holmes. All the stories are narrated by Sherlock's friend and sidekick Dr. Watson.

    The book is very well written, even if the adventure that Holmes and Watson are on is not that exciting, it's still an entertaining read because the characters are so great. The book does a very good job showing what kind of person Sherlock Holmes is. He is very intelligent, and he is a very good person. However Sherlock Holmes is not perfect by any means. One chapter begins by telling the reader of how Holmes had a drug addiction. But he uses is intellect and skills for good purposes. So he does have redeeming qualities. 

    My favorite adventures of the book were the last two. The Naval Treaty, where Holmes and Watson are helping a man who had some important documents stolen from his office. This was one of the most challenging cases in the book because there was not a lot of evidence left behind. The person who did it didn't leave any footprints or anything of the like. The last adventure the villain was Professor Moriarty who is the most well known Sherlock Holmes villain. The book did a really good job showing that Moriarty was the only villain Holmes feared. I don't want to spoil how it ended, but it was the most gripping chapter in the book.   

     Overall, I thought this book was well worth reading. To anyone who owns a kindle I got it for free. I highly recommend that you read it if you're a fan of Sherlock Holmes. I'm going to give The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes 4.4 out of 5 stars. I will begin reading the first book in the Divergent series this afternoon. I will post a review for that when I finish it. And I will start Watching The BBC Sherlock series within the next couple days. I will review each season as a watch it.
   

Most Anticipated Movies of 2014 Part 2

     This is my most anticipated movies of 2014 part 2. In part one I gave my numbers 10 through 6 picks. Now I'm going to do numbers 5 through one. 

     5. X Men Days of Future Past 
    
     I'm a little bit skeptical for this movie just because I feel it might be too cluttered. The cast from the first three X Men movies are going to be in it and the cast from X Men First Class is going to be in the movie as well. However I'm excited that Bryan Singer is back he's directed two good X Men movies in the past, and Peter Dinklage is going to be in it as well. This Movie comes out on May 23rd.  

     4. Interstellar

     To be honest I don't know too much about this movie. Other than it might involve time travel, and it's directed by Christopher Nolan. For that reason alone I'm excited. The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception are 4 of my favorite movies of all-time. Matthew McConaughey is going to be in the movie and he had a great year in 2013. I'm very excited for this movie, it comes out on November 7th.  

     3. Guardians of the Galaxy

     I'm looking forward to this movie for a number of reasons. First of all it's a Marvel movie that's going to tie into The Avengers 2, and second of all I don't know anything about these characters. So this is a very intriguing movie for me. Also I'm positive there's going to be an Avengers 2 Easter egg in there there's always one in these Marvel movies. Guardians of the Galaxy comes out on August 1st.

     2. Captain America The Winter Soldier  

     In the light of my number 3 pick, I'm going with Captain America The Winter Soldier for my number 2 pick. I got really excited when I saw the trailer for this movie especially the scene when he's fighting in the elevator. I've heard this movie is going to be like The Avengers 1.5 so I'm very excited to see this. This Movie comes out April 4th.

     1. The Hobbit There and Back Again. 

      I don't think this comes as a surprise to my readers. I loved the first two Hobbit films, This one is going to continue the story of the dwarves fighting to get their home back. The Desolation of Smaug had a big cliff hanger ending. I can't wait to see this story wrap up. I have to wait all year for for this one it comes out on December 17th.  

     These are my 5 through one picks. I want to give a special shout out to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes it just missed my list that comes out on July 11th. As always thanks for reading.

Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2014 Part One

     Since We've entered a new year, I thought I'd give a list of my most anticipated movies of the year 2014. There may be some movies that come out this year that I like more than these, but I don't know about them yet. I'll do my numbers 10 through 6 movies now and I'll do 5 through 1 either tomorrow or Saturday.
    
     10. Divergent 
     I have not yet read the Divergent books but I've heard it's similar to the Hunger Games in a few ways. I want to read the books before I see the movies, but in any case Divergent has my curiosity. I believe it comes out in theatres in late March. 

     9. Dumb and Dumber To

     The first Dumb and Dumber is one of my favorite comedies of all-time. I'm kind of skeptical about this movie as well. Part of me thinks that they should just let the movie be a classic, but maybe Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels can bring the magic back. Dumb and Dumber To comes out on November 14th.   

    8. The Muppets Most Wanted 

    The Muppets are one of my favorite childhood franchises. This is the sequal to the Muppets movie that came out in 2011 which was a movie I enjoyed. There's going to be a new cast in this movie but that doesn't matter to me. I go to Muppets movies to see the Muppets. Even though I'm excited that Tom Hiddleston is going to be in it. This movie comes out on March 21st.


   7. Godzilla 
      
     I was skeptical at first when I first heard about this movie. The 1998 Godzilla movie was not a successful film. Then I saw the trailer for this movie and it looks very good. Bryan Cranston is going to be in the movie. It just looks like they're making this movie right. This movie is going to be released May 16th 

   6. Mockingjay Part 1

     I missed out on Catching Fire in theatres. I'm not proud of that because I'm a fan of the Hunger Games books, I liked the first movie, and I liked the Catching Fire book more than the first book. I heard the movie was very good. I'm going to buy it on blu-ray when it comes out. I heard there was no shaky cam in the Catching Fire movie and the director is coming back to do this movie. It comes out November 21st.   

     Those are my 10-6 picks, I will do a 5-1 list in the near future either tomorrow or Saturday so make sure to look for that. Thanks for reading.

The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug Review

     Hey everyone sorry I'm getting this one to you late, but now I'm reviewing The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug. 

     The Hobbit The Desolation of Smaug is a film directed by Peter Jackson starring; Martin Freeman, Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, and Benedict Cumberbatch. It's the second installment in the Hobbit trilogy.  

    As you may remember there were problems with the pacing in the first movie. I think that problem was addressed in this one. It starts out exciting and it stays that way until the end credits. Everybody gave a good performance in this movie. Martin Freeman is great as Bilbo, Ian McKellan is still awesome as Gandalf, Richard Armitage as Thorin was very good. He's like the Aragorn of these movies, but at no point did I find myself thinking that it was forced. It was good to see Legolas back in this movie. Even though I'm not a huge fan of Orlando Bloom, he had some very cool scenes. Evangeline Lilly's character was not in the original Hobbit book. They just put her in the movie for the sake of having a female character. I'm okay with that if they make it memorable and she was memorable. There is a love story brewing between her and one of the dwarves, I wasn't a huge fan of that but it didn't overshadow the main parts of the film.  

    Now need to talk about the dragon at this point. He's awesome. I've heard some fans complaining that he was in the trailer. People said that it wouldn't be as memorable when he first came on screen. The most memorable scenes with Smaug where not in the trailer. He sounded so menacing I loved it. Smaug is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch he's one of my favorite actors working today. He was the perfect choice to voice Smaug. 

    One area where this movie wasn't as good as the last one was the soundtrack. The Desolation of Smaug has a good soundtrack. I just didn't feel the need to own it after walking out of the theatre. I have the soundtrack to An Unexpected Journey I listen to it actively. I don't feel the need to own this one.  

    Overall this movie was an improvement over the first film which was still a movie that I enjoyed. It's exciting from start to finish particularly during a barrel chase towards the beginning of the movie. I'm going to give this movie 4.8 out of 5 stars. I loved this movie, I'm looking forward to the next one. Thanks for reading everyone.

Dance With Dragons Review with SPOILERS

     This is a review of "A Dance with Dragons" with spoilers. Coinsider this a spoiler warning. Let's talk about the awesome stuff. 

    As I said in my spoiler free review, Tyrion met someone very interesting in his travels east. That man was Jon Connington who served as Mad King Aerys Hand during Robert's Rebellion. He was traveling with Prince Rheagar's son Aegon the sixth. Who was assumed to be killed by The Mountain during the sack of King's Landing. That was such a big moment because that changes everything. We're left wondering how Daenerys will react to finding out that her nephew is still alive. Will she continue to push her claim on the throne, or will she give way to him? We'll have to wait until "Winds of Winter" to find out.  

     Another big moment in the book was when Daenerys flew on the Drogon's back. That was the dragon's first appearance in the book he was out hunting until that point. We didn't know if he was still alive or not. speaking of the dragons, Quentyn Martell was killed trying to free the other two dragons Rheagal and Viserion. I'm wondering if that will impact Dorne's alliance with the House Targaryen. Will Dorne be able to confirm Aegon's identity?

   The big character drop I was referring to in my spoiler free review was Jon Snow. However as I said I'm not sure if he's truly dead. Even if he is he could be brought back to life. At the end of the third book we find out that Catelyn Stark was brought back to life by a red preist. Melisandre is still at the Wall, and I've heard speculation that Jon Snow will be resurrected as Azor Ahai. Who is spoken of in certain prophecies that he will be the Lord of Light's instrument to defeat the Great Other. She often said that Stannis is Azor Ahai reborn however Jon got a raven from Ramsay Bolton saying Stannis is dead. Obviously Ramsay is completely crazy so we don't know if he's telling the truth.   

    Also After retaking Griffin's Roost, Jon Connington and Aegon are planning to lay siege to Storm's End. Aegon informed Connington that he wanted to lead the assault. Obviously Connington wants to keep Aegon safe at all costs so will he lead the attack or not?

  Lastly There is a lot of unrest in King's Landing. Three of the Sand Snakes are on their way to King's Landing. Nymeria Sand is coming to take the Red Viper's spot on the small council, Tyene is going to pose as a septa to gain information from the High Sparrow the same High Sparrow who Cersei had to confess to. Sarella is posing as a Maester in training at the Citadel, and Obara is hunting down Darkstar who maimed Princess Myrcella after their plot to crown Myrcella queen failed. This is all part of a big espionage mission to find out about the Lannister's plot to get rid of Prince Doran.


   Those are all the major plot points and cliffhangers that I wanted to cover. I'm so excited for "Winds of Winter to come out." I'll probably be doing more book reviews in the future. I'm gonna be reading some of the Sherlock Holmes books I'll review those as well. Tomorrow I'll post my review of the Desolation of Smaug. As Always thanks for reading this review.

   

A Dance With Dragons Book Review

     Today I finished reading A Dance With Dragons. The fifth and latest book in George R.R Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. It's been a fun seven months for me reading these books, I don't remember ever being so invested in a series of books like this.
    
     As you may remember I pointed out in my Feast for Crows review I mentioned that key characters such as Tyrion, Jon Snow, and Dany were not in that book. That is because George R.R Martin's fourth volume became too long, so he had to split it up into two books. The first half or so of A Dance with Dragons is not a sequal to "A Feast For Crows," it runs parallel to it. "A Feast for Crows mainly focuses on the events of King's Landing, The Iron Islands, and Dorne. The first half of A "Dance with Dragons" focuses on The North, The Wall and beyond, and in the East.  

     I'll give a brief overview of the characters who were not in "A Feast for Crows," I'll start with Tyrion because he's my favorite character. He's fled King's Landing and is heading east. his storyline has a few twists and turns. at one point he's on a ship and he meets someone who will have a big role in "Winds of Winter." I won't say who he is because it's a pretty major spoiler.  
    
     Jon Snow is still on The Wall. He has to face some powerful foes from beyond the Wall, and he also has enemies within the Night's Watch, and Stannis is at the Wall in this book. I don't coinsider that a spoiler because he was on his way to The Wall at the end of third season in the show.  

    Daenerys Targaryen rules in Meereen. She had one of the most complex storylines. There's a lot of things happening in the east. For those who remember when she freed all those slaves in the third book, she made a lot of enemies by doing that so they all want to get rid of her.   

     In my opinion, I think this is the second best book in the series only behind "A Storm of Swords." There are quite a few cliff hangers at the end of this book. There's one big character drop, however I'm not positive if the character is dead. However this book is extremely well written, it's intense, and I had a blast reading it. I'm going to give "A Dance with Dragons" five out of five stars. I'm looking forward to the next one. I'll be doing a spoiler review of this book that should be up in a few days, and I'll probably post my review of the Desolation of Smaug in the near future as well. Thanks for reading everybody.