Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Movie

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Year: 2012

Director: David Bowers

Rating (by MPAA): PG for some rude humor

Synopsis (from IMDb): School is out and Greg is ready for the days of summer, when all his plans go wrong. What on earth is he going to do all summer?

For more information you may visit Diary of a Wipy Kid's Official Page and this movie's IMDb Page.



STEPH SAID

Rating:


Review:

Dog Days continued to improve upon the books, just as Rodrick Rules did before. This movie combined the stories from The Last Straw and Dog Days to make a better story. Moreover, this movie joined the two book's stories while, at the same time, build upon the story presented in Rodrick Rules, the movie. The result is a really funny, enjoyable and entertaining movie.

Rodrick was, once again, the character that carried the story and kept it going. He was also the source of the funniest moments. Greg was, yet again, acting in opposite ways as it suited the writers. He is completely wimpy and childish one moment, and the next he acts like a grown up, making wise decisions, especially near the end. It would be acceptable if, after it happened the first time in the first movie, Greg would stay a little wiser. However, by the beginning of the second movie he was as wimpy as before. Then he had another transformation. In the third movie the cycle was repeated. Then again, this is supposed to be the last movie, so probably Greg will stay a little wiser this time.

What I didn't like about this movie was Heather; I disliked everything about her. In the movie, Heather is the complete opposite of what the character is supposed to be. She is annoying, arrogant and a huge brat when she is supposed to be an older version of Holly. On top of this, the actress that portrays Heather looks about ten years older than the character, which completely ruined my suspension of disbelief.

The ending was kind of cheesy and a bit unbelievable, yet, it was expected. It is the kind of ending you would suspect to find in such a movie. So, overall, the series had a good ending, all things considered.

The Walking Dead - Season 1

Title: The Walking Dead

Year: 2010

Season: 1

Broadcasting Station: AMC

Official Page

Official Synopsis: Wounded in the line of duty, small-town Georgia sheriff Rick Grimes wakes from a coma to find the world infested by zombie-like "walkers." Alone and disoriented, he sets off in search of his wife Lori and their son Carl.

ELL SAID

Rating:

Review:

This season was, without a doubt, FAR too short. One step into it, and I was hooked. It's characters are varied (some made me hate them) and the Walkers, which are the Series' name for the Zombies, are just downright scary. Everything is top notch, but I wouldn't suggest it to many people. It's vocabulary is strong, definitely not child-appropriate, and the series is flooded by gore. Not only the Walkers eating living people (or a rat) but also people chopping a Walker into pieces to cover themselves in it's insides. So, unless you've got a strong stomach, be prepared. I must say, this series is well worth the gore. It really does deserve all the fame it's getting.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man

Year: 2012

Director: Marc Webb

Rating (by MPAA): PG-13 for sequences of action and violence

Synopsis (IMDb): Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner.

IMDb Page

ELL  SAID

Rating:

Review:

This is, by far, my favorite superhero movie of them all. The cast did an excellent job at portraying their characters excellently, specially Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Their chemistry as Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy was just perfect. Spider-Man was funny and quirky and literally amazing. At one fight, Spider-man actually moved like a spider. The movie was excellent. But, I have to point out two things, one of them is the reason I'm not giving this movie five stars.

One of the two things I disliked, was that there was never any closure to Uncle Ben's death. He dies, and Peter mourns for him. Then, Peter embarks on a quest for vengeance, yet he never finishes it, and his epiphany about being a hero simply pushes the Uncle's death from perspective. Uncle Ben is killed, but Peter doesn't get a chance to give that part of his life a close. It might be finished up in the next movie, but the writers should have given a closure to it.

The other thing was when Doctor Connors told Peter that he was 'all alone.' He said that Peter lost his parents and his uncle, and therefore, he was all alone. But, honestly? Peter has a mega-sexy girlfriend, and he has his aunt. That, by itself, is not being alone. Flash also seemed to have a change from the bully to a friend, so Peter also has him. So, Peter wasn't all alone, and Doctor Connors' statement was moot; ridiculous; and just plain out of context. It was merely an excuse to stall for time, so that the comeback would have been 'unexpected' and 'epic'.

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

This was an amazing reboot of the series. The movie fully explains the origins of Spider-man and the main actor, Andrew Garfield, even looks like the cartoon version of Peter Parker. This new Spiderman is dorky and witty, and his story is really close to the original comic.

The movie was wonderfully written; having a bit of everything. Emotions were, also, well played: the movie made me laugh when it was funny and cry when it was emotional. There was no need for 50 explosions or gallons of blood to make the movie entertaining and interesting. The whole movie had a more realistic feel to it, as opposed to the exaggerated, cartoonish movies of old. Moreover, the characters were also realistic and marvelously portrayed.

Garfield was particularly impressive. He was fairly unknown when he was chosen and yet I'm sure he stole everyone's hearts. He is a natural. He made Peter feel like a normal teenager, with all the doubts and anger that comes with that stage. But what surprised me the most was his ability to be so naturally awkward. He managed to make me blush and feel embarrassed for him whenever he was talking to Gwen. I loved, as well, his Spider-man's enactment: his facetious personality and spider-like movements.

Some people have criticized this movie due to some technicalities, and others because they think the movie has a grave mistake: Gwen's father was attacked and dying and Peter should have given him the serum. However, if Peter would have give him the serum, he would have turned into a lizard; but, when the effects wear off, he would still have the injuries, just as Dr. Connors was still missing his arm after he took the serum. Also, if Gwen's father had taken the serum and turned into a lizard he would have turned irrational and wouldn't have accepted any help from anyone, so the let's-give-him-the-serum-to-buy-him-some-time theory is out of the question.

I disliked that the movie didn't offer a sense of closure for Peter's uncle; there was no funeral and, apparently, the murderer was never caught. I also didn't like when, near the end, Dr. Connors tells Peter that he is "all alone". I was like: "what about his aunt and girlfriend?"

Besides these, the movie, as a whole, was entertaining, amazing and interesting. It is a must watch.