By far, this was the most disappointing movie that I have seen this year - and as you know, I've seen A LOT with you guys this year. But what was so disappointing was that it was just so linear! What I mean was I felt like I was sitting in Amityville Horror back in 2005! I literally could pinpoint what was going to happen as I sat in my seat. It's was so straight forward that I have no shame in telling you the entire story, but I won't because I'm sympathetic to all you "Efrans" - yes that's probably not a new fan name.
But it's not even about bad acting or bad casting or whatever, you can have the best cast and still have a bad movie. I don't know, leave me a comment about a movie you saw that was bad and tell me why it was bad.
sL star rating: 1.5 stars (Sorry Efron fans.)
What was really great about this film was that there was a great balance of politics and ballet - it wasn't one or the other. I really loves the fact that everything happens in two separate spheres - Lee's past life and then he's future - and then how the two spheres are bound by the climax. It was really heart wrenching and it was a movie that kept you interested. If you like Canter Stage and War/ Political films this is for you.
sL star rating: 5 stars
Yes ladies and gentlemen, I have managed to score a ticket to see yet another PG film, but, in my defense, this (after Toy Story 3) is one of the BEST films you will see this year. Believe me! The humour in this film isn't your usual I'll-laugh-because-it's-a-family-movie, but it's genuinely HILARIOUS! The story, characters and cast are just so believable that you sit literally thinking, "That's so true!"
With Kick Ass's Chloe Moretz and rising star, Zachary Gordon. This is one film you can't miss regardless how old you are!
sL star rating: 5 stars
Next on sL:Eat, Pray, Love – the journey of finding God, only to find out you were looking for yourself instead.
They're always saying how the kid of today have been born into the "Information Age" - a world where everything we want to know is at the click of a button. What they never really say, but too often think, is that kids are born into the world of "Virtual Alternatives" - a world where fantasy is better that reality.
With the birth of the internet also comes the birth a parallel universe. If we thought getting to know a person face-to-face was hard, imagined trying to get to know a person screen-to-screen. In a place where you private life is not so private, the world just gets smaller and smaller.
McFly's Super City - the ULTIMATE band site (2010)
I clicked on this video because I'm an active subscriber of McFly. Since the screening of Just My Luck I have loved their music, and if I was being honest I even had a crush on their lead guitaris, Danny. But I was a bit put off by their upcoming website launch. Their new band site is not the typical "get your paraphernalia, subscribe and win competitions", it's a whole new social website. It operates like any other social site where members can chat to other members, make friends with everyone and get the perks of anything the can earn (like Farmville).
McFly have given their fans the ULTIMATE gaming experience, social networking and fan access. Don't get me wrong, I mean the site isn't launching until November 1, 2010, but this is slightly over the top. I may have to review this site after the launch to give you McFly fans a chance to either agree or disagree with me. I personally think it's a bit over the top for both the band and their fans, I mean we're talking about 24/7 access to the band, the world does not wake and sleep at the same time - but I suppose they've already figured that out. :P
sL star rating: TBA - I'll have to see the FREE section first, so I'll re-evaluate the site in exactly a month. :D
NEXT on sL:Playjerise [Review no longer available.]
So I've been meaning to post a blog for a while. Well, since I finally have time to do so, I will talk to you guys about TWO amazing things that I enjoyed simply for my leisure.
1. Jodi Picoult's (author of My Sister's Keeper) novel: House Rules
2. New Release:
EASY A
Let's start with...
House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Ever thought you were, strange, odd, estranged,
detached…DIFFERENT? Well, "different" doesn't even to begin to
describe Jacob Hunt. He's an eighteen year old with a mind of a genius. He can
name several known facts in a drop of a hat and he has a fascination for crime
fiction. But what really makes Jacob different from all the other kids is his
medical diagnosis.
Jacob is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome.
It's a syndrome on the other end of the Autistic Spectrum. It practically means
unlike other children with Autism, he wants to be in “our” world rather than being
in his own imagination. But for Jacob being in our world is a little difficult
because it's full of sarcasm and odd sayings that he takes literally.
If you told him to "get lost" he
wouldn't know what you meant because he knows where he is at all times. He
wouldn't understand that you're not asking him to "go away", he'd
think you're asking him to place himself in a situation where he doesn't know
where he is – that, in it's irony, is where the complication lies. If he
"gets himself lost" how did he do that in the first place? Wouldn't
he simply re-trace his own steps to be "found" again? Hence NEVER
really being lost in the first place.
But when his obsession with criminology gets him
into trouble. If he thought "getting" lost was hard, how about being
tried for murder? Accused for being his tutor's murder, Jacob has to find a way
for the judge, jury and even his own lawyer to believe his story. He has to
paint the picture in black and white where the grey lines have been blurred by
fancy colours of well manipulated sentences and over analysed scenarios.
***
I'm a big crime buff myself and I loved the concept the moment I read the blurb
in BORDERS. I thought it was a fresh take on the usual CSI, NCIS, Law
and Order cases, I mean you get the odd bipolar cases or someone with
a mental disorder, but I thought the concept of "innocent until proven
guilty" is well weaved into this novel.
I love the incorporation of past crimes that have been recorded in time to suit
the plot of the story. I love how you receive the entire action through every
single character. I also enjoyed knowing the truth and having to read the book
through Jacob's eyes, but at the same time I was asking, "Oh, but did he
do it?" The novel gives the reader that kind of suspense that constantly
has you questioning, “What's going on?”, but it also drives you keep reading
until the end is how the other characters see how the story unfolds. It reflects
Jacob's own ritual of watching his Crime Busters show, hoping
that the results are different each time he watches the same episode. As the
reader you hope that someone will pick up the clues that you’ve picked up a
long time ago.
The ending is the most chilling part though...but I won't spoil that for you!
sL star rating: 5 Stars
***
Easy A starring: Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley and Alyson Michalka
The thing about this movie it that it is freaking H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!! What makes it so funny is that it epitomizes high school. You have the annoying people, the anonymous people and the outcasts. A few things that I loved:
There were no distinct "popular" people - they were mentioned, but never really "put out there."
They took a concept - "the absolute truth" - and allowed it to develop the plot line.
They took literary works and made them understandable and let those readers out there know that they're not the only ones who do the ancient way of opening what we now call, "a book". :P
How satire was used to exaggerate Christians.
Call me a blasphemer, but I love laughing at how the world portrays us Christians; it just reminds me how so many people out there refuse to really get to see what we're about. But at the same time it makes me think, if satires exaggerate the truth there must be people out there who really get into peoples' nerves just for the sake of it. As Christians we have to remember that offending someone is never a good thing, but in saying that, there will be someone who will always be offended. We have to remember that everything has to be done with love, and characters in these movies that portray all Christians as "You're going to hell" should reminds us to do everything out of love.
Aiight people, here's the thing, when it comes to music we all know that "evolution" is NECESSARY. If you don't have anything new, you're black listed as a "one hit wonder".
McFly - Party Girl
This video is only the promotion add for the video clip. if you want to watch the real thing (and I'm warning you, it's worse than this video) click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rrn6BbM0TRQ - I'm still sitting on the fence with their techno-electric shift. McFly have been music geniuses for a long time and I was even fortunate enough to see them LIVE here in Sydney last year.
It's great that they've done this whole shift and their videos have always been inventive, but my beliefs contradict what their video portrays - regardless of the vampirical context.
sLstar rating: 2 stars
Cody Simpson - iYiYi
Ok, seriously - what is up with young boys singing about puppy love? This is annoying as! "iYiYi" - I mean seriously! - you couldn't find a better name for your song?!! This kid is like TWELVE - or something. Although tops to him for giving Justin Bieber a run for his money - Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! (Is that ironic that I'm Filipino and I'm saying that?)
Nevertheless...it IS a catchy song.
sL star rating: 2 stars - for NOT meeting the age appropriation.
Next! on sL: Getting an EASY A by following a few HOUSE RULES.
Ok, so I was suppose to see Disney's Toy Story 3 last night, but the the non-3D screening was SOLD OUT and the only other screening was in 3D. So it got me thinking...'WORTH'. What does 'WORTH' mean in a world where everything from what you wear and what you use to listen to music is all about the name?
If you're a cheapo, like myself you'll probably already know the following thing's I'm going to list, but for those who prefer to buy things either "impulsively" or because of their brands and often find yourself frustrated when you see the item you just bought $20-$50 a few months or weeks later, here's the secret.
MOVIES (DVDs and Blu-ray; New Release and Bargains)
NEW RELEASES: always, always, always W.A.I.T. The reason why movies start of with prices that range from $25-$30 is because their prices depend on how popular the movie was. If they've been on the screen usually their DVD prices will start at $20-$25, if they've been good on the bid screen then they'll cost $25-$30 (sometimes even $35) for your small screen. Often it's the same of Blu-ray.
"SALES": Sale prices range from $7-$30 dollars. Depending on what you're buying, the under $10 price range are often found in stores like Target and Big W, the only problem is, these stores don't really account for what films they have in the store - especially at these prices. JB Hi-Fi and Sanity stores account for their items, but their price range don't really go down as far as $7, they maintain the $10-$20 "sale prices". The good thing for JB Hi-Fi is the fact that their prices often reflect the quality of their sales - ie. you're paying for the rating of the film and the opinion of the store - and therefore you often find the best prices in terms of box-office quality.
Aiight...IS IT WORTH IT?
HOW TO BUY DVDs and BLU-RAY
Between the two options, it depends on what you have, DVDs are often cheaper than Blu-ray, but if your new TV comes with Blu-ray, I say why waste what's comes with your screen? So here we go.
You know that a DVD/Blu-ray is worth if...
It comes with SPECIAL FEATURES. This may sound stupid, but it's the truth. You want to know why people download their movie from the internet? It's because sometimes that's all you get in the DVD/Blu-ray disc - JUST THE MOVIE. If a movie is priced $20 on a sale it's either because it was: a) a really good movie or b) you're paying for the actual disc and the cover it's in. Though this may be subjective it's the truth. Look, personally, if you want "JUST THE MOVIE" get it legally on iTunes or Graboid.
If the price NEVER changes. If you're like me and have paid $30 for a movie just because you could only to find out 6 months later it was half the price, then you know how good it feels to by $15 DVD and 6 months after that it still the price you bought it for. If the price never changes - which is VERY rare, then you know it's a good buy. Often their the ones that are popular no matter what happens, like Mean Girls or The Notebook.
Vital Tips:
WAIT until you know the price isn't going to get any lower.
Always compare the prices, if there's a lower price somewhere else, you get to save more.
CDs (Music)
NEW RELEASES: Wait, often $25 CDs go down to $15 in a matter of months. NEVER rush into buying anything.
SINGLE/ALBUM: The Album is better, but if you only want that one song, I suggest you get an iTunes card that way you don't waste $5 on 3 other versions of the song you don't even like.
HOW TO BUY ALBUMS
Be sure that the CD comes with a LYRIC BOOKLET. This may seem like another stupid thing, but think about it, you're forking out $20-$25 on a CD, I mean you could buy a lot with that, but instead you decide to use it for a CD. You want the MUSIC, and therefore, often want to SING ALONG with the songs, so that means, you're not only paying for the song, you're also paying for the RIGHTS of the lyrics. You don't want a piece of paper with their faces on it, if you wanted their face you could go to their website and save them. You want to sing along, 50% of the time the internet lyrics are wrong and take time - buying a CD with lyrics kills two bird with one stone.
Be sure that you like MOST of the songs. If you only like 5 out of 14 then you're better off with an iTunes card. Don't pay $20-$25 on something you wont even listen to that often. Get an iTunes card that way you know which ones you want and you can use your money on other songs and items too!
Vital Tips:
Find someone with the CD you want, see if it's got the lyric booklet and have a listen to the CD.
YouTube is often a good source too, you can usually ask the vloggers questions about the album/ single you want.
iTunes (Music and Movies)
iTunes is a great place to purchase your music and films. As much as I seem to promote it, iTunes is just like any store. Sometimes their prices are not the best and sometimes it's better to wait for the DVD price to go down rather than the iTune price. I prefer to get my music on iTunes because it's often cheaper, if not I buy the actual disc. Movies on iTunes are best if you just want the movie.
Vital Tips:
Just SEE the prices. If you think it's best that to buy the disc rather than downloading it's up to you.
Compare the prices. Sometimes iTunes it really good to see the worth of your items - songs especially.
I hope it's been helpful, if not just go on with your shopping ways. :D
Next on sL: "Toy Story 3" and the Top 10 CHILDHOOD classics.
So this week I decided to watch a film that caught my eye in Target a few times.
Big Fishstarring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Billy Crudup and Helena Bonahm Carter.
Will Bloom (Crudup) always though his father's stories were always the best, then he grew up. Sitting at his wedding reception, he listens to his father's favorite tale for the hundredth time - what he was doing the day Will was born. Truth of the matter is, Ed Bloom (McGregor, Finney), was not fishing for the greatest fish in the river, no, he was like any other father waiting for his child to be born.
But stories like that were never enough for Ed, he liked to tell his life stories with a bit of flare with a side order of imagination. Unable to understand his father's strange need to re-create the past, Will endeavors to find the truth for himself. But when his father is at his death bed, Will is led to share the story.
Begin with one big fish, and end with another big fish.
This movie was absolutely well written, a Tim Burton classic. I loved it! I thought it had a great delicate balance of creativity and reality. I loved how Will had to get in touch with his inner child again and in turn, become the story teller and his father the listener.
It's a really good family film, I recommend it to those who enjoy a laugh and a touch of Tim Burton magic.
Fun Fact: An 8-year-old MILEY CYRUS stars in this movie, she plays the character "Ruthie".
Listen up LADIES! This list doesn't come from any magazine of TV broadcast, no this came straight from a couple of my friends from facebook. I understand if you don't agree, but nevertheless, I thought it'd be fun to let you know. :D
So without further a do...
stricklyLEISURE's TOP 10 CHICK FLICKS
No# 10: NEVER BEEN KISSED (Drew Barrymore and David Arquette)
Who disagree that this film deserves to be in the list? I mean it's the story of a copy-editor of the Chicago Sun Times who landed her big break as a journalist. But in her undercover feature, she doesn't just get to be 17 again, she finds out that no matter what era you go through high school, nothing truly changes. But of course - who can resist the fact the the title holds the promise of the PERFECT kiss?
No# 9: CLUELESS (Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd)
The typical teen movie that took the 90's by storm. From the fashion trends to the quirky lingo, Clueless changed the rules of teen films. Who could forget Cher Horowitz and her band of popular, yet eloquent friends? From her long blond hair to her classic platforms, Cher ruled the school. But for someone with great ideals and the wardrobe to match it, how could she be so Clueless?
No# 8: DEFINITELY MAYBE (Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Banks and Rachel Weisz)
Love...hmmm...it's hard to define. There's a love that you share between your parent and siblings; love between you and your spouse; love between you and your children; heck! - there's even the love between you and your pets! But Will Hayes never thought he would fall in love 3 times in his life, fact of the matter is, love could be right in front of you.
No# 7: 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU (Julia Stiles, Heath Ledger, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Larisa Oleynik)
Ahh, Shakespeare. Who can deny that he could write things straight through history? This modern adaptation of the beloved play, The Taming of The Shrew has captured all our hearts. The natural story of bad boy meets good girl - with a bit of money on the side - and (hypothetically) fall in love. No wonder we love it so much! - talk about D.R.A.M.A.
No# 6: THE PROPOSAL (Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds)
We've heard the story before, no green card, no America. But when Margaret Tate gets the boot, she decides to dig her heels and loop an engagement ring on her assistant's finger. Andrew Paxton is not happy, not only has he been sucked into this dead-end job, but now he's marrying the Devil. But who says love doesn't spring from...strong dislike? No# 5: THE NOTEBOOK (Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling)
This list will not be complete with the Nicholas Spark classic. The story of a rich pretty girl falling in love with a strong-broad poor boy being torn apart by society and her family. But against all odds, they finally make it together in the end - and then we realise that she's forgotten everything, but he is by her side, till death brought them back together.
No# 4: A WALK TO REMEMBER (Mandy Moore and Shane West)
Another Sparks classic that cannot be overlooked. The tale of a good Christian girl who witness the miracle of her bad-boy boyfriend's attitude change. Jamie never gave Landon the time of day to insult or even involuntarily acknowledge her existence, she was an image of perfection. But when her righteousness intrigues him more than he intended, Landon finds himself so in love that he is by her side till the day she dies.
No# 3: SHE'S THE MAN (Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum)
So girls aren't as good as guys are they? Well, Viola decides she wants to prove her coach and ex-boyfriend wrong by pretending to be her brother Sebastian. When girls decided to dress up as guys, you know it's a recipe for disaster! But when push-comes-to-shove, Viola has to show her...umm...true form...in order to untangle the web of deceit that she's weaved!
No# 2: JOHN TUCKER MUST DIE (Brittany Snow, Jesse Metcalfe, Arielle Kebbel, Sophia Bush and Ashanti)
When a guy cheat's on you once it's harsh, but when a guy cheats on you 3 times, it's a war zone. Carrie, Beth and Heather all though the school stud, John Tucker was theirs. The all thought that they were the "only girl for him", but when new-girl Kate sees him for what he is, they decide that she has to become the ULTIMATE John Tucker charmer in order to pay-back all the hurt that John's inflicted on them. But Kate got cold feet...so what now? - definitely not ready to put up the white flag!
stricklyLEISURE's NO# 1 CHICK FLICK is....
MEAN GIRLS(Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried and Tina Fey)
Who can deny this ultimate chick flick the right to number 1? It's got the best quotes from, "That is sooo FETCH!" to "If you're from Africa, why are you white?" The Clueless for a whole new generation, Mean Girls takes "girl world" into serious considerations. With the reality placed before our eyes, behind all the humorous scenarios and outrageous rules, the message is loud and clear for all the ladies in the world - DON'T BE MEAN!
Hope you enjoyed!
Next on sL: "Big Fish" and why fantasy is always easier to grasp than reality.
