Doctor Who (2005) Special - Planet of the Dead

Doctor Who (2005)

Episode Title: Planet of the Dead

Broadcasting Station: BBC One

Official Page

Official Synopsis: A London bus takes a detour to an alien world, but can the Doctor defeat the Swarm?

STEPH SAID

Rating: 

Review:

This episode was mostly a waste of my time. I didn't enjoyed it; and that's coming from a Doctor Who fan. The story dragged on forever without anything actually happening. It wasn't funny, thrilling or dramatic. Most characters were dull and added nothing to the story. Not even the Doctor was that good, and Christina was just annoying. I can't understand how the Doctor actually thinks that they are a perfect team. Yes, they are both adrenaline junkies, but the Doctor can't be with someone that is trying to one-up him all the time. The only character I actually enjoyed was Malcom; he was just adorable. The alien enemies were actually cool too. Unfortunately, having cool enemies and one good character is not enough to sustain a whole hour of Doctor Who.

Divergent

Title: Divergent

Author: Veronica Roth

Year: 2011

Official Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself. 

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves… or it might destroy her.

Official Tumblr and Goodreads Page

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

*This review contains spoilers.*

What intrigued me the most about this story was the practical utopia at the beginning of the novel. The interesting organization of the society made sense. Especially the fact that the Abnegation were the political leaders. A society like that could have worked. Divergents could have adapted to life in a society as such, as they had done for a long time. At first, I didn't even notice the dystopian nature of the story. Some people's divergence felt forced; something had to happen to disrupt such a beautiful society, I thought. It wasn't until Tris mentioned that kids could choose from five predetermined options, that I started understanding the actual problem with the established order.

I also liked Tris' internal struggle to adapt to her new life. She may be Divergent enough to adapt to Dauntless life, yet, she was raised as an Abnegation. And, I was glad to see that traces of Tris' past life still lingered inside of her. Just because she made a choice doesn't mean that she's going to change her whole persona on a whim.

Tris' confusing relationship with Four had a weird appeal to me. Understanding it from the outside was easy enough. It was practically obvious what was going on in, say, the knives scene. However, I'm guessing that it must have been actually confusing for Tris. Still, if she would've given it some thought, maybe she would've understand Four a bit better, especially after he started letting her inside. The morning after their first kiss she was expecting him to be all love and marshmallows. She was expecting him to sit next to her and stop acting like the initiates leader. Tris' actions during that time left a bit to be desired.

Four was just wonderful. He's super smart, wise, talented and daring. He is not just a pretty face with a dark secret or past. He, alone, could be able to stand up to, or lead, the whole Dauntless compound. Yet he chose humility; he chose not to lead. Which makes him all the more interesting.  

I didn't enjoy the final moments, and more importantly, the ending. I didn't like that both of Tris' parents sacrificed themselves to save her daughter. It still doesn't make sense to me that both of them died. Also, when I reached the end, I realized that this story doesn't have a purpose or problem. The story revolves around Tris' initiation, which was resolved. However, the problem of the story was the leaders' silent threats against Divergents, and Erudite's plot to overthrow Abnegation, with the unwilling help of Dauntless. There was no closure to the latter. Dauntless dummies were left haywire, firing on each other. That is probably going to continue on to Insurgent, but it would've been better if the Dauntless' soldiers were able to go back to normal before the end of the book. That way the book would've had an ending, and the Erudite problem could be left for Insurgent.

This is the first Young Adults novel that I've read that has an actual reason behind all the elements of a YA novel. Most YA novels have (1) a beautiful girl with low self esteem that (2) is chosen to destroy the dystopian society in which she lives (3) with the help of a rugged and gorgeous guy that (4) inexplicably falls in love with her. In this case, all the elements are present, but, for the first time, they make sense. It is annoying to constantly read about beautiful girls that believe they are unworthy, or so below a guy's praise. In Divergent, Tris has some reason to feel this way. She is not pretty; moreover, she was raised believing she should not think about herself. Her confusing relationship with Four could be due to her lack of interaction with boys, or because of their student/ teacher relationship. Four's attraction toward Tris is also easily explained. And, she wasn't “chosen” to destroy her society; she was born different, like many more. Overall, the author did a great job taking all the elements of YA novels and making them her own.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Title: The Dark Knight Rises

Year: 2012

Director: Christopher Nolan

Rating (by the MPAA): PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language

Official Synopsis: It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.

Official Page and IMDb Page

STEPH SAID

Rating: 

Review:

This movie isn't even a Batman movie, it is more of a compilation of sidekicks who battling many bad guys, who turned out to be the same bad guy. Batman is mostly absent through the movie. When he decides to make an appearance (even thought he knows he's not ready) it is only to get his behind brutally kicked. In other words, all the awesomeness that is Batman, and the reasons we loved The Dark Knight, are gone.

Catwoman was the bright side of this movie. Her smarts and wit carried this whole movie. Which leaves a lot to be desired considering how easily she believed the restart program actually existed. Then again, If witness protection is possible, then Catwoman's wish was possible.

Tom Hardy's transformation into the huge beast that is Bane would have been the movie's greatest asset if it wasn't so difficult to understand him. I had to rely on subtitles every time he talked. It was frustrating. Nevertheless, Hardy's acting was remarkable and endearing. I couldn't understand why I found Bane endearing, I mean, he certainly wasn't. Then, when I learned his background story, everything became clear.

Blake's assistance wasn't that important, and his ending was meaningless considering what we know about the franchise.

Overall, the story didn't give me a superhero feeling or battle. Much less a Batman feeling or battle. After watching The Dark Knight and meeting The Joker, the expectations were really high for this movie, and, unfortunately, it didn't live up to them.

Arrow - Season 2

Title: Arrow

Broadcasting Station: The CW

Season: 2

Number of episodes: 23

Official Synopsis: Starling City has been torn apart by the Undertaking, so the need for the hooded vigilante archer – now known as The Arrow – is more urgent than ever in the explosive second season of the hit action series based on the DC comics character. After retreating to the island where he was once stranded, Oliver Queen returns to protect his mother, sister and besieged corporation – but comes to realize that allies and enemies have switched sides, and the stranglehold of evil on family, friends and city is diabolically linked to his fateful shipwreck. A comrade-at-arms from the island and a mind-warping, strength-enhancing serum developed there may prove to be the mightiest adversaries The Arrow has ever encountered. [...] 

Official Page



STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

There's not much to say about the second season of Arrow, and in this case, that is a good thing. Almost everything about this season is great.

The new characters, and the further development of old minor ones, are this season's best presentation card. For starters, Thea gave a turn for the best. She stopped whining, became all mature, and started being understandably reasonable.  In the end of the season, everyone betrays her, and she rebels again. Though this time, instead of whining and doing drugs, she actually stood up for herself, talked straight and demanded the truth. When none of those worked she took the only route she saw as possible. At this moment I realized I cared for her. And, of course, shooting Merlin was just the cherry on top. 

Sara Lance as “The Canary” was simply badass. (I apologize if you find this word vulgar.) She always had the right mind-set and attitude. It is really sad that she is not the real “Black Canary”. Her sidekick Sin, was adorable. Sin's attachment to Sara, and subsequently to Roy was endearing. I only wish I would have seen more of her.

Another character I would have love to see more of is Deadshot. I found about Deadshot through Smallville, and immediately became a fan. I was glad to see him in the first season of Arrow, and to see him return to the second season. Still, he deserves more.

Some that did appear more this season were Roy and Slade. Their evolution through the season was a sweet surprise, and their respective endings were unexpected. Slade's ending is amazing because it leaves the door open for him to appear again on the show. Roy's ending, on the other hand, left a bit to be desired. After struggling for more than half a season with the effects of Mirakuru, Roy ended up Mirakuru-free. This, along with the fact that Roy didn't achieve much tanks to it, makes the storyline seem useless. It takes a turn for the worst when you realize that if Roy hadn't have the Mirakuru Thea would still be with him. Fortunately, something good came out of it, and now we will see Roy join Team Arrow officially.

On top of all of this is the Special Appearance that stole everyone's heart: Barry Allen, as the future Flash. Grant Gustin was excellent as the awkward, nerdy scientist. I'm definitely looking forward to his own spin-off series.

The overall writing of the season is better than the first season's. This time every episode was good. And the background story as good, if not better, than the present-day story. Although you could guess how the Island story was going to end for Slade and Oliver, it was never boring, it always kept me at the edge of my seat.

Two things I didn't enjoy about this season. Firstly, Laurel. During this season she behaved as Thea did on season one. Even though Laurel went through an ordeal, she made it really hard for me to understand her or feel sorry for her. Secondly, I didn't like Oliver's decision to not kill. I understand why he did it, but I don't support it. Take Slade for example. Oliver left him alive, that means he could escape at anytime and finish what he started. It's not an easy decision to make, but he knew he had to kill ever since he decided to “clean” Starling City. Also, his end-justifies-the-means attitude is one of his traits, otherwise he'd be another mild-manner Superman.

Despite these unsavory situations, that did put a bit of a damper on the story, the season was thrilling, dramatic and intense. It had many plot twists and touching moments. In the end it was all worth it.

New Girl - Season 3

Title: New Girl

Season: 3

Broadcasting Station: Fox

Number of Episodes: 23

Official Page











STEPH SAID

Rating:


Review:

*This review contains spoilers.*

The beginning and the ending of this season was terrible; I was even tempted to give it a one-star rating. Although, upon looking back at the episodes in the middle of the season, I was reminded they are good. Unfortunately, not New-Girl-season-1 good, just good. Like I said in the review of New Girl's first season, with this series is not about the “what”, is about the “how”. The question is why does a TV series that was amazing and new and innovative, now sucks big time? Because even though the series, and Jess herself, were described as offbeat, they now march to the same beat as everyone else.

The first few episodes made no sense, and didn't go along with the offbeat, regular New Girl we are used to. Schmidt playing with the feelings of two girls was not funny and completely out of character. Schmidt is a guy with self-esteem problems that comes off as a d-bag, but is, in fact, sensitive and caring. He is not the type of guy that would go out with two girls at the same time. I reminisce the first episode when Schmidt decided to not hook up with a girl so he could go console a friend. That is was Schmidt is.

Along that line follows Jess. She has turn (or is she just now showing her true colors?) into a selfish, sex crazed teenager. (“'Cause I'm going through a sexual awakening. It's like I'm tapping into this raw sexual energy [...] And it's kind of like I'm a young nun and Nick is my sexy monseigneur.”) The series' producers are wasting Zoey's unique and charming quirkiness and goofiness to focus on something that anyone else can do.

The selfish part of Jess is more evident near the end of the season, especially in the episode “Big News”. I know a breakup may involve a long and painful process where each person needs time to heal. However, for that to happen Jess and Nick needed to let everyone know about their breakup; that way they could have received some time and space to figure things out. Instead they decided to not tell anyone and focus on celebrating Winston's big news. Nick was succeeding in his attempts to focus on Winston. On the other hand, Jess was all about herself and ended up ruining Winston big night. I understand what she is going through, but she made a decision and she should have gone through with it. 

This gets worse when you realize that this breakup is, almost in its entirety, Jess' fault. She knows how Nick is from the beginning, and decides to go into a relationship with him anyway. And then, she can't be with him because he is not the way she wants him to be. (“I just want you to take a little more responsibility.” Also,  “Nick... if I was always honest with you then we would never stop fighting.”) In the breakup episode Nick tells Jess that he is not the type of guy to assemble a toy before giving it as a present. Jess says that's O.K.; she wants him to be himself. Yet, a few minutes before she was pestering him about not assembling the toy. I mean, a relationship in which both partners know they need to get literally away from everything and everyone they know, in order for the relationship to work, is an obviously doomed relationship from the very beginning. 

Unfortunately, she is not the only one that has changed for the worst. Every character's age has apparently been downgraded from 30-ish to 15-ish. The characters are behaving so immature that it's annoying. There were some episodes that actually felt like a burden when I was watching them. The actors just make a fool of themselves, say some crazy lines and that's it.

A clear example that will summarize my feelings is Coach. He was the only character I liked this season. He wasn't great, but he was definitely better and funnier than the rest. Yet, in the last episode I lost the last shred of respect for the character and the whole series. Coach, along with the whole group, went on a cruise. The thing is, coach is afraid of boats, apparently. He could have stayed behind, but let's say that the peer pressure got to him and he decided to go. Next thing I know he is in a small boat on the deck of the cruise, "rowing" for his life and screaming, completely out of touch with reality. It was so ridiculously exaggerated that it wasn't even funny. Less is more with this sort of thing. Why didn't they just made him cry? Or suffer from paralyzing fear? That could have been hilarious. Then again, fake crying to make people laugh has been a constant in this season, so maybe the writers were bored of their own work. 

Then there's Miller as a lawyer. I understand that he can forget about procedures and regulations, but a five year old could have behaved better than Miller did as a lawyer. Heck, even Winston behave brilliantly and he didn't even knew what he was doing. You only need to watch one episode of law drama to know how to behave in a court or an official meeting, like the one they attended.

Like I said earlier, the episodes in the middle of the season were good. Unfortunately, they weren't good enough to overshadow the decline in this series' quality.

Maleficent

Title: Maleficent

Year: 2014

Director: Robert Stromberg

Rating (by MPAA): PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images

Synopsis: A vengeful fairy is driven to curse an infant princess, only to discover that the child may be the one person who can restore peace to their troubled land.

Official Page and IMDb Page

Official Trailer



STEPH SAID

Rating:


Review:

*This review contains spoilers*

Since this movie is a retelling of the Sleeping Beauty story, from Maleficent's point of view, I expected a few changes from the original Disney story. However, this movie doesn't have just a few changes; it is a completely different story. I didn't enjoy that. I mean, if they wanted to do a different story, then why sell it through a classic's name. The only similarities are the character's names and the curse; which seems like everything, but, when put into context, is not much.

Maleficent started as a young, good fairy who fell in love with a human boy, and grew to be the protector of the Moors, the magical realm where she lives. After being betrayed by the man she loved, she grows to be the bitter, vengeful creature we all know and love. So far so good, right? Well, not quite. The first thing I noticed about the Moors is that there are no other fairies. Maleficent's parents are dead, and even though she talks as if there are other fairies in the Moors, we never see them. She is, supposedly, the most powerful fairy. But, how can we know that, when we can't compare her to anyone? As I imagined, we don't see much of her magic in the movie. Just the curse she casts on Aurora and some transfiguration charms.

Also, I didn't like the fact that once Maleficent turns evil, she bounds the Moors, and everyone in it, in her darkness. I understand why she turned bitter and vengeful, and I would have understood if she shut everyone off. However, I can't understand how she betrayed her whole country; everyone in the Moors loved her and trusted that she would protect them. Instead, she ensnared them, literally and figuratively, when she started a dark, oppressive reign over the Moors, and surrounded it with gigantic thorns.

These are just small details, yet, as the actual story started to develop I encountered bigger problems with this movie. The firsts of which have to do with the curse. Stefan made Maleficent miserable, so she wants to return the favor, and curses Stefan's daughter, Aurora. The curse scene tries to be grandiose, key word being “tries”. The scene looks forced. Especially when Maleficent doesn't even know with what to curse Aurora and starts looking around the room. She notices a spinning wheel that happened to be in the christening ceremony and thinks “Ehh... What the heck... This can work as well as anything else.” Stefan, with all the power he has as king, decides to gather every spinning wheel of the kingdom and hide them in the castle, instead of burning them to ashes. 

Maleficent suddenly is not as evil and starts looking after Aurora, who was sent to live with three pixies. Maybe, Maleficent wants her to grow up safely so she can die at the right moment. No matter why, she looks after Aurora. When Aurora is a teenager Maleficent reveals herself to Aurora, and Aurora immediately names Maleficent as her fairy godmother, even though Maleficent doesn't even have wings. They start to bond and care for each other. But, the day before her sixteenth birthday Aurora finds out about her curse and the fairy who cursed her. She went to talk with her fairy godmother and immediately says that her fairy godmother is the evil fairy who cursed her. Five minutes before she thought that Maleficent was the greatest of the fairies, the one that had protect her her entire life. Now, out of the blue, she knows that said fairy is the evilest of fairies, the one that cursed her as a baby.

The following scenes are about the curse being fulfilled, and Aurora being awaken by a kiss. Some expected changes are made from the original story. I don't mind those. The ensuing battle, on the other hand, lefts much to be desired. That was the perfect moment to showcase Maleficent's true magical powers. Instead, she transform someone else into a dragon and that's about it.

The resolution of the story is the worst. If the ending of this movie had aligned with Disney's Sleeping Beauty's storyline, I would have given it a higher rating. Except it did the complete opposite. Maleficent ends up as a good guy and she unites the Moors and the kingdom of men through Aurora. Which seems nice considering Aurora's good nature, but isn't. The inhabitants of the Moors were free and now aren't. Also, we don't know who will reign after Aurora. What if they don't share her kind nature? What will happen to the magical creatures of the Moors?

One of the things I disliked the most about this ending is that it is implied that Aurora ends up with a prince that she only saw once. I know Disney is trying to distant itself from their love-at-first-sight-with-a-prince-charming past. Yet, of all the things they could change from their initial story, they left that part intact.

If this movie gets a two-star/ok rating, instead of a one-star/bad rating, is due to the amazing magical creatures of the Moors. Among them: the Ent-like guardians, the pixies that took care of Aurora, and, most importantly, Diaval, the raven.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Year: 2014

Director: Marc Webb

Rating (by MPAA):  PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action/violence

Synopsis (IMDb): Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of super villains against him, impacting his life.

Official Page

Official Trailer

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

Do you know how Hollywood likes to mess up a really good movie, with an awful sequel? They take already big movies and try to make them even bigger to make them "better", and they fail miserably. Exhibit A: Two Fast, Two Furious; Exhibit B: The Matrix Reloaded; Exhibit C: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I was scared that might have happen to the new Spider-man, but I'm happy to say it didn't. This is another win for Spider-man, yet again; it was a truly amazing movie. This sequel follows in its predecessor's footsteps. It had a perfect balance between drama, action, comedy and romance; it managed to create perfect moments of dramatic intensity, followed by carefree moments filled with Peter's charisma and charm.

In this instance we get to delve into Peter's past, or technically, his parents'. We find out why they left Peter behind, why they disappeared, and about Richard's involvement with Oscorp. However, I'm sensing that what we find out is merely the tip of the iceberg.

The newcomers, Jamie Foxx and Dane DeHaan, and their respective characters, are literally at the center of this movie; the movie revolves around these two. And they deserve it. Their enactments were amazing and their characters, brilliant and astounding. Their gradual progression from good to evil was gripping and exciting. If I didn't know how things were going to turn out, I could have been completely fooled by Harry's good boy haircut and Max's pity-inducing Spider-man obsession. In fact, I was captivated by their good counterparts. I couldn't believed that they were going to turn evil eventually; maybe the trailers were mistaken, I hoped. Unfortunately, my hopes were extinguished.

Harry's transformation from a world traveled brat to the Green Goblin, the specific moment of the transformation, was chill-inducing. (In a great way!) That is one of my favorite parts of the movie. DeHaan's acting afterward was even better that before. He literally created a completely different character for the Goblin. As he said, Harry was dead. There was no trace of him in the Goblin.

One thing that I usually don't notice in movies, but adored in this one, is the soundtrack. The music for this movie, especially the original music, dazzled me. The effects it was accompanied by helped increased its impressiveness.

The movie's critical and climactic plot-twist was undoubtedly surprising. Even though I was expecting it, and knew what was going to happen, I was caught off-guard. It was beautifully made, with no room for mistake. I like that the movie didn't portray it as it happened in the comics, that way it was more visually easy to understand. Most people that say the movie wasn't as good as the first one is, probably, because they didn't like or understand this twist. To those people I say: review the story developed through Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3.

iPhone apps - Secret Folder Apps

Secret Folder Apps

*These reviews were made based on the free version of the app which have a limit of photos and videos you can store.*

It happens all the time. One person’s phone or iPod gets "borrowed" by another friend and many crazy posts appear on Facebook. During those precious minutes that the phone wasn’t in possession of the owner, the friend could have looked through pictures, videos or documents. And even though those are our friends, there are some things we like to keep to ourselves. That’s where a secret folder app comes in handy. These apps are, basically, a folder, protected by a password, where you can store videos, pictures, documents, contacts and other things. There are many out there, however, most have the same huge fault: their icon includes an image of a lock. What’s the point in having a secret if you’re going to be screaming "I have a secret!" at the top of your lungs? Fortunately, there are a few apps that have a discreet icon and, coincidentally, those are the apps that offer the most features. I chose the best two because one has what the other lacks, and vice versa. The one best suited for you will depend on why you want the secret folder app.

HiDisk

As other apps of the same style HiDisk lets you use a full password or a dot pattern to protect pictures, videos and notes. It has the ability to create a decoy password that leads to a completely different secret folder and it has a Q&A to help you when you forget your password. HiDisk lets you transfer you data via bluetooth, usb and Wi-Fi.

The features that make this app stand out are the ability to create folders and sub-folders, and the ability to create .zip files from within the app. The latter is very useful when sharing multiple, say, pictures, through e-mail. Also, this app lets you create, edit and share .txt documents and record audio notes.

Though the icon you see has a keyhole, once the app is installed the icon will look like this:

KYMS

With KYMS you can save pictures, videos and notes, which can be organized in different folders. These can be transferred through usb and Wi-Fi. This app also has a double password protection. For iPhone user the app includes an additional feature: the Panic Gesture, that let's you log out of the app by covering the phone with your hand.

What makes this app stand out is its ability to go unnoticed and its online browser. Though the promo icon for this app is pretty obvious, the icon that appears on your screen once you have the app installed, looks discreet. To make it even better, when someone opens the app they will see a fully functioning calculator. On top of that, the online browser keeps an independent history from Safari's, and has a downloader. 



Both are great apps to save private media and information. In the end, the app that will work for you will depend on whether you want to save your own pictures and information, or whether you want to browse for new ones. Having both apps is, definitely, the best option.