Movie Review: The Prestige

Title: The Prestige
Author: Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Hugh Jackman, Michael Cane
Release Date: 2006
Genre: drama, mystery, sci-fi
My Rating: ****
Official Rating: PG-13 for violence and disturbing images
Age Group: 14+

Summary
Every magic act has three parts: the pledge (where something apparently ordinary is shown), the turn (when something extraordinary happens), and the prestige (when the ordinary thing is brought back). Or so Cutter claims.
Two young magicians, Robert Angier (the showman) and Alfred Borden (the gifted illusionist) are friends and partners on stage, working under the main magician. One night, something goes horribly wrong, and the two men are forever set against each other.
One rises to success and fame, then the other. They are constantly fighting to find out each other's secrets. Sometimes, it seems as though they will go to any ends to find out the methods of those three parts.
But what happens when you find out that they've both been living their acts? That the story itself has a pledge, a turn, and a prestige?

Word of Warning

Allow me to begin by explaining that while many of these things are present in the movie and the story, they are not present. It's incredibly hard to explain, but some of the more difficult things are not what they appear (this is a movie about magic shows, after all). This does not detract from the bad things that do happen, but it does make some things that seemed horrible much less serious. Little more can be said without risking majorly spoiling the movie, and that's something I absolutely do not want to do with this one.

•  People drink. There are a few scenes where characters are drunk, all portrayed in a negative light.
• Multiple people drown during magic tricks, apparently gone wrong.
• A young girl's future is threatened.
• A husband kisses his wife's calf during a trick, discretely but noticeably.
• Husband and wife kiss passionately, fall onto bed, scene cuts.
• A bird is killed during a magic trick, its crushed body is shown.
• A man tries to drown himself, does not carry through. A woman hangs herself, we see her limp body hanging by a rope around her neck.
• Someone mutters "Oh my God" but it sounds more like a prayer and less like a disrespectful use of His name.
• Man is shot in the hand, screams in pain, fingers are missing in a later view. Another man is shot in the arm, while quite a few are shot in the abdomen later on (and die).
• Women in magic shows wear provocative clothing complete with short skirts, tight waists, and very low necklines (think circus performer).
• A man falls, breaking his leg (we hear the crunch)
• Implication that a man is cheating on his wife. This is later confirmed, sort of. We get a scene of a couple in bed together fully clothed, nothing happens and the scene is quick, only meant to share information and nothing more.
• Man is captured, nailed into a coffin, and buried alive but given the opportunity of escape via blackmailing his partner.
• Various things (objects, animals, people) are "electrocuted".
• A man is sentenced to death and hung. We see the floor fall out, his body drops, no movement, his neck apparently broken.
• Man chops off fingers with a chisel.

My Thoughts
At the end of the movie, I stared at the screen for a good ten minutes, shocked. Calculating what I had just seen. Processing, going over the story again, seeing the pledge, the turn, and the prestige. Heartbroken. Impressed. In awe.
It's a movie that is incredible the first time, and I suspect absolutely brilliant the second time. It's the kind of movie that can, and should be watched at least twice.
It was well done. How could it not be, with such a director working with that cast?
But it was more than well done. This is one of the few movies out there today, created in the last ten years, that is genuinely a work of art.

Book Review: Legion

Title: Legion
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Release Date: 2012
Genre: Adventure, drama, sci-fi
My Rating: ****
Official Rating: adult fiction
Age Group: 12+

Summary
"My name is Stephen Leeds, and I am perfectly sane. My hallucinations, however, are all quite mad."
Thus begins a mind-bending adventure in which we meet Stephen Leeds' hallucinations, or aspects, as he calls them. He's a brilliant man and essentially what happens is he has different characters in his head. One's a SEAL, one a therapist, another a history expert, then there's the one who speaks Hebrew...and so on until he has nearly all 47 rooms in his mansion filled.
Of course, no one can see or hear these aspects except Leeds, but he still gives them actual space, and thankfully so does his faithful butler Wilson.
Leeds is a recluse, hiding away from the scientists who want to figure out his "condition" but when a woman presents to him an interesting mystery, he agrees to go to Israel to try to solve it.
Afterall, why not try to find a camera that can take pictures of the past?
Well, one reason could be the terrorist group that wants to use it to destroy all major world religions. Or that could be a motivator. Either way, Leeds is off to Israel!

Word of Warning
Very few problems with this book. I think it's not put in children's or YA fiction just because it's not structured or targeted as one, but I think it really hits the three major areas (children, YA, adult) rather well.

• Language: damn, "oh my God", and bastard. Each time these are used (as rarely as it is), one of the aspects kindly warns "Language!"
• Terrorists. They attack, blow a car up, capture major characters, and torture/beat a man almost to death before shooting him. They also cut off his hand (but that's done before we meet him).
• Speaking of shooting, there is an aspect, J.C. (the SEAL) who is practicing his aim by shooting at a picture of bin Laden. He tends to request "Can I shoot him?" quite often, but I'm not entirely sure he's serious. He does come in handy when the terrorists are in the heat of a battle.
• Essentially, Leeds murders about five people in self-defense, but it's complicated by by the fact that he attributes this to J.C.
• The goal of the terrorist group is to prove all major world religions wrong. This is nicely contrasted by another character who is trying to use the camera to prove Christianity (more specifically Catholicism) true. And it's not that this character doubts it, it's that he wants to prove it to doubters.
• One of the aspects is very impressed by the man's persistence in remaining a serious scientist and a faithful Christian (probably Catholic). While this is really great, the aspect spends a few moments making it sound like these two things actually don't go together and should in a normal world compete. Eventually the aspect tries to conclude that they can work together, but the conclusion is a little weak when put up against his speech before it.

My Thoughts
It's a fast read, really only about 84 pages, mostly dialogue since Leeds spends a good amount of time talking to his aspects. It's fun, watching a character talk to compartmentalized information in his head that is manifested as characters. Plus the adventure is a fun, fast-paced story that isn't too complicated to follow but just enough to make you think, and just when you thought you had it, turns out you didn't.
And Leeds knows his aspects aren't real. He also thinks he can't live without them. But there's a mysterious woman who was teaching him how to control them, and himself, to get his life back into order. And he's torn between how much he loves life with his aspects, and knowing that he really needs something more from life, and something needs to change.
With something this easy and enjoyable to read, I can say two things: I'm off to find the rest of the series, and I'm interested to see where Leeds goes next.

Movie Review: Earth to Echo

Title: Earth to Echo
Author: Disney
Release Date: 2014
Genre: adventure, sci-fi, family, friendship
My Rating ****
Official Rating: PG for action, peril, and mild language
Age Group: 8+ (my only concern for this age group is the bar scene, mentioned below)

Summary
Tuck, Alex, and Munch. They're best friends, and suddenly, per a government ruling that a freeway will be built right through their neighborhood, they're forced to part. The boys are devastated and are pretty sure this is going to be the end of their friendship. But when their phones "barf" the day before they're all scheduled to move, the boys decide to have one last adventure together. They're going to figure out what is going on with the phones, no matter what it takes.
Tuck will, of course, film the whole thing. Always gotta have a good home video!

Word of Warning

• The boys all lie to their parents about where they'll be so they can run off to the desert, alone. Later, they're joined by a girl, who also lies. Another issue with this is how easily the boys get away with this, and for how long. It's clear that while their parents probably do love them, they're not paid nearly enough close attention.
• The group soon learns that in order to complete their mission, they need to break into various places where havoc results--not by their direct doing, but they do enable it.
• One of the places the group ends up at is a bar. People are partying and drinking, and an older woman at the bar buys some of the boys drinks (they bravely resist, and are luckily able to escape before they're forced to drink).
• One character goes on and on about how her father is a drunk (or an addict...it was hard to hear) and how she just wants to get away from him and her poor mother....All as a lie to distract someone whom she doesn't want asking questions. The whole story is completely made up and mumbled through fake tears.
• Someone gets left behind and caught by a security guard. He's rescued, and nothing bad happens aside from a mildly-harsh scolding from the guard, but this experience is traumatizing for the kid who is an orphan and living with foster parents. He has a fear of being left behind, and this experience does NOT help matters.
• The kids are eventually "captured" by government agents. They're questioned and while the most fearful of them breaks down and sobs out every answer asked for, the others don't seem nearly as scared. The agents themselves behave as children would imagine them to, not telling their parents and forcing them to do things against their wills.
• One of the boys tells a story about how he and a girl at school kissed in the bathroom. He rates the kiss as ok, saying that "he's kissed girls in better places" but this comment seems much more related to the bathroom setting than it does to other possibilities.
• One of the boys remarks that he'll be sleeping over, "In your mother's bed. Not playing video games", a comment meant to be inappropriate but honestly just really funny to an older audience because of how innocent and ridiculous it sounds.
• The kids end up at a teen party where there is clearly under-age drinking, passionate kissing, and one guy is passed out in the bathtub (fully clothed, alone, no implications made).
• Under-age driving.
• The boys, having met an alien, decide to do whatever they can to rescue it. Sometimes this means just following a map, but eventually it means breaking into places, trespassing, and breaking various other laws. At the climax, they decide to trust the alien, at the risk of hundreds of human families, and give it what it wants. It's not clear whether they expect the alien to harm the hundreds, but they do know it's a very real possibility. While this might seem honorable in terms of friendship, it's childishly short-sighted.

My Thoughts
There are a few texts that I am honestly impressed with their make up or structure. Finding Neverland captures J. M. Barrie so well and has such a beautiful supportive structure that, as a whole, it's a wonderful work of art. Sea of Tranquility uses alternating narration to navigate difficult issues in a way that is very human but also honest and open. Chasing Shadows blends narration with comic strips to give a sense of urgency and intense emotions. Salt to the Sea uses multiple narrators, finally circling each other in a fascinating way, to tell a story so horrible and yet so full of goodness you cry at the end, even if you're not a crier for anything else. And The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society uses letters to tell a great story, adding an edge that the story could never have in classic narration form. While there are others, they are sadly few and far between.

But this movie joins those ranks. Tuck is proposed as the "author" of the story, narrating, filming, and apparently later compiling the videos to create the final product. We're given his camera, the other boys' cameras, and the alien's camera. We're convinced that these are just boys adventuring, and honestly, it's so genuine I don't even know how someone wrote this. It makes me wonder if they handed the boys cameras and said, "You find an alien and it needs help" and let them go from there.
I know that's not what happened, but that's how well-done this movie is. It fits well as a whole. The dialogue, the characters, the structure, the camera, the music, everything--it comes together as an incredible whole that is worth seeing.

Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War

Super excited to welcome a new student author, reviewing, of all things, a contemporary movie which came out less than a week ago. For the future, if we do not have a review of something you're looking for, you can usually find something at Plugged In.


Title: Captain America: Civil War
Author: Marvel
Release Date: 2016
Genre: Action/Adventure, Superhero, Sci Fi, Fantasy, drama
My Rating: 4.5 Stars!!! (****)
Official Rating: PG-13
Age Group: 13&older

Summary:
Helmut Zemo’s family was killed by one of the Avenger’s exploits, making him vengeful.  To try to get even, he devises a plan to tear the team from the inside, which would prove much more effective than trying to kill them himself.  When certain events happen resulting in deaths of innocent people (including the king of Wakanda), the world starts seeing Superheroes as more of a threat than a safety.  In an attempt to make things right, the United Nation’s government makes the Avengers decide between letting them govern their actions or to retire as a superhero.  The team divides themselves, with one side for the idea of the government judging whether an emergency is important enough for them to save people, and the other against.  After multiple epic battle scenes, Tony Stark finds evidence that the Avengers were framed just so they would fight each other.  Though there were multiple plots and countless twists, the Avengers managed to resolve it all without killing each other.

Word of Warning:
Swearing: Actually, not much swearing considering this is a Marvel movie.  Compared to most others, this one is pretty clean in this aspect.
Blood:  Lots of blood and gore. 
Violence:  Considering most of the movie is fighting, lots of violence.

My Thoughts:
Man.  This was a great movie.  I’d heard good things, I’d heard bad things, but nothing that prepared me to what I saw in the theater.  Sure, there was some questionable scenes where I was like, um, what just happened, but overall it was just a really good movie!  It had everything I wanted: Action, adventure, comedy, even some feels!  The fight from the inside had me on the edge of my seat, and although I was on Cap’s side, there was a couple times during the movie where I second guessed myself and thought that Iron Man had some pretty valid points with his argument.  Like any Marvel movie though, the pace was too fast and multiple times during the movie I was left with that feeling where you go, what the heck just happened, and then just forget it because the next scene is playing.  I loved how there were a lot of super heroes, ranging from Ant-Man to Spider Man to even Black Panther!  And as always, Marvel never fails to impress me with it multiple plotlines and how everything ties together at the end even though you have no idea what is going on in the middle.  This movie was really good, much better than I thought it would be.


Author Bio:
Hello!  I am a decent author, with a number of literature and writing classes under my belt.  In my free time, I like to experiment with my awesome tree power and my sweet Super Ninja Monkey Magical Dragon skills.  I have Master’s degrees in weirdness and eating sugar from the U of Me, and hopefully at least a minor in awesomeness.  Don’t know for sure about that one though.  You can find me fishing, hanging out with friends, being weird, eating sugar, practicing how to be awesome (have to take lessons), and perfecting my Super Ninja Monkey Magical Dragon.  My newest accomplishment is granting wishes.

Movie Review: Antman

Title: Antman
Author: Marvel
Release Date: 2015
Genre: adventure, action, superheroes, science fiction, family, fathers, romance
My Rating: ****
Brother's Rating: **** */2 (4.5)
Official Rating: PG-13 (for sci-fi action violence)
Age Group: 14+ (that's probably over cautious, but there's one line that makes me uneasy)

Summary
Scott isn't a robber, he's a burglar. He doesn't like violence, and honestly, the only time he stole was for the greater good. Rich people were ripping off their clients, so he hacked the system and got the money back.
Then he went to jail, leaving his daughter and a woman he loved behind.
But now he's out, and he's determined to stay on track and be a good guy. Unfortunately, life is hard for people who spent time in jail, and he finds himself doing just one last job with some buddies for money, desperate to see his little girl again but unable to do so without money.
Then he steals something he isn't too sure he wants. Then he returns it and goes back to jail. Then he is rescued from jail by the man he stole from.
And told there is a mission he needs to complete, to "be the hero his daughter already knows he is." He's got to break into a super secure facility and steal a tiny little suit that can shrink the wearer to the size of an ant. After all, we can't have bad guys getting their hands on that suit.
And to do that, he's got to team up with a strange old man, an apparently cold young woman, and a whole awful lot of ants.
And he has to shrink down to the size of an ant and lead the attack. No problem. Right?

Word of Warning

•  The beginning scene is a fist fight between men in jail. One is much bigger than the other, but no serious injuries are received. There are several other fist fights throughout the movie, all resulting in something similar (unfairly matched opponents, no serious injuries).
• A man mentions that "those were the first boobs I touched." (this is the line that makes me bump up the age recommendation)
• A woman died by shrinking into eternity forever.
• A character is caught in a bug zapper.
• Women in tight clothes and low shirts and short skirts. This is usually in scenes when on character is story telling (twice, that I recall) because the other times they are wearing business clothes. Also one kiss, more implied than seen.
• People get knocked out, kicked around, etc. Typical superhero violence, but nothing graphic or even that serious. However, a few people are shot (again, not graphic).
• A building blows up.
• A woman and her fiance are living together with her little daughter (who has a different father).
• A man calls another an "a**hat". S*** is used a few times, as well as d***, a**, and b****. God's name is used in vane about three times.
• An ant gets supersized. So does a toy Thomas the Train engine, which promptly tears a whole in the roof.
• A man is shrunken unsuccessfully and turns into a blob of gooey organic matter. The same happens with a really cute lamb.
• Scenes are shown where a super tiny man punches bigger men with serious power, knocking them out (or possibly killing them. this is unclear, as it is an old recorded war scene).
• A man is shrunken piece by piece until he explodes or disappears (it's unclear which).

Something to note: unlike most Marvel movies, the body count and destruction of cities is kept pretty low.

My Thoughts
Bear with me for a moment as an apparently-nonapplicable story becomes applicable.
Over the summers, I teach writing classes to local students. In "Fiction 2" this summer we delved deep into all sorts of devices, techniques, and ways to form a story. One lesson spent much time on how to deal with plot holes in a story. Plot holes can never completely be avoided, my premise was, and we can never meet fully a reader's expectation of narrative fidelity (taken from Walter Fischer's Narrative Paradigm Theory of Communication). The trick, then, is to do what we can so the reader believes us anyway. Engaging style, fast story, something just a tad too complex for the reader to completely follow, engaging character, and others. Or, you can own it.

Well this film has an awful lot of plot holes. The plot itself is honestly ridiculous, when you really think about it.
And the writers owned it. It was like they said, "Yeah, we know we got a crazy story for you that doesn't make any sense, but we're going to own it and still be totally awesome." They knew the plot was weird and fell apart almost right away. They were probably painfully aware that this worked much better as a comic (I assume, as I am sadly unfamiliar with the Marvel comic universe, other than what the screen tells me).

Well they succeeded fantastically. I had that idiotic "teacher/English nerd who is super stunned and impressed" grin on on my face the whole time.
I watched it twice. I'd watch it again, and probably laugh just as hard.

It wasn't all laughter. There were moments of heroics. Moments of great fathers learning to be great. Moments of reconciliation between characters who had no reason to be reconciled save for a little girl. There was seriousness.

But there was also an awful lot of craziness. And the writers owned it--brilliantly.

TV Show Review: The (Green) Arrow

Title: The (Green) Arrow
Author: DC Comics
Release Date: 2012 (season 4 showing now)
Genre: action, adventure, superheroes, science fiction
My Rating: **
Official Rating: TV-14 (probably PG-13)
Age Group: 16+ or 18+

Summary
Oliver Queen and his father died on a yacht trip years ago, a rich teen cut down in his prime. Well, then there was Sara Lance, Oliver's girlfriend's sister, who snuck aboard at the last moment at Oliver's urging. But that's complicated.
So they died.
And then Oliver appears again, apparently not dead after all. And what happens with billionaires who disappear for a long time? They continue their playboy lives by day, and by night they turn into epic bad-guy-beating heroes who have crazy combat skills. Far be it for Oliver to do anything but live up to our expectations. Of course, he forms a team around himself, mostly consisting of cute tech genius Felicity Smoak but suplimented by friend John Diggle, former army man.
And while others come and go, ultimately it's up to these three to save the world of Starling City from the rather messed up crime lords.

Word of Warning
Please note that while I am not reviewing specific episodes (for the most part), I am commenting on trends the show carries. I will also do my best to comment on any problems that really stand out, even if they were only in one episode.

• Comic book violence. Can get pretty graphic. People die a lot, to the point where you're numb against it.
• Torture. Sometimes this is done by the bad guys, sometimes by Oliver.
• Oliver is a playboy. Like, a lot. We get passionate kissing scenes and more than once a trip to the bedroom is implied. The only scene I can remember where we actually saw the characters in bed is in season 3 and is discrete as to what is shown, but there is no doubt what is going on.
• Evil mentors. Deception. Dark themes (death, killing, manipulation, torture, etc).
• Injuries. Blood, broken bones, etc. While painful, Oliver is somewhat superhuman in that he can take injuries pretty well (usually).
• Drinking to the point of getting drunk.
• There is a whole cult thing (the League of Shadows, I believe) where the people are very cruel. They have a Lazarus Pit which brings people back to life, but when they come back they're usually pretty messed up and go kind of crazy (having what is called a "bloodlust").

This list looks a lot shorter than that of The Flash, but there are a few reasons for that:

1. This show has so many problems it's hard to be as specific as I was with the other show.
2. I don't watch this one as closely or carefully as I do The Flash, partially because I don't like how its dark themes affect my thinking (not that I would do any of these things, just that it skews my view of the world).
3. It's so dark there is no end to the problems.
4. There are a lot more seasons here to deal with.

My Thoughts
I remember describing this show to Stacy when I first discovered it. I tried to give her the intro shpeel, but eventually, since it was identical to Batman, I reached for something else. How about Oliver's character and his relationships? Five minutes in and I had lost count of the girls I'd mentioned. And while Bruce Wayne is in love with Rachel but pretending with the girls he plays, it's super hard to figure out what Oliver is doing. The one thing we know is that he's in love with Felicity (spoiler alert really isn't necessary since this is so obvious), and she's in love with him.
So of course that never actually works out for them.

Oliver's problems with girls, as well as his inner darkness, it all just hits me the wrong way. Sure, I've enjoyed the series, since I usually enjoy a DC or Marvel story, but the enjoyment is usually in the moment and mixed with so much frustration and darkness that when I step back and actually think about it, I wonder why I watch in the first place.


It's dark, very dark, and just keeps getting darker. Oliver is no hero, just as Batman and Katniss aren't heroes. Oliver does try, but not hard enough.

TV Show Review: The Flash

Title: The Flash
Author: DC Comics
Release Date: 2014
Genre: action, adventure, superheroes, science fiction
My Rating: *****
Stacy's Rating: *****
Official Rating: TV-PG (I propose a PG-13 rating)
Age Group: 14+

Summary
Harrison Wells built a particle accelerator because, well, he's brilliant.
And Barry Allen's role model.
But let's back up. Barry Allen is an orphan adopted by a police detective after his father apparently murdered his mother (Barry believes differently). The 10 year old whose mother died is now in his twenties and working as a forensic scientist--a very good forensic scientist who, in his spare time, still tries to prove his father innocent.
Alright. Forward now.
Wells' big scientific thing explodes. That same night, Barry is hit by lightening and goes into a coma. Nine months later, he wakes up with abs and the ability to run super super fast.
Cool.
But he also discovers his first love (who he never actually approached on the topic) is dating someone else and apparently does not return his affections.
Bummer.
It keeps going! Barry discovers other people have been changed by that explosion too and now they have powers. Unfortunately, he's having a really hard time finding anyone who doesn't want to use their powers to do evil.
It's a known fact that selfish people get more selfish when big sci-fi explosions happen. And nice people like Barry?
They become superheroes.

Word of Warning
Please note that while I am not reviewing specific episodes (for the most part), I am commenting on trends the show carries. I will also do my best to comment on any problems that really stand out, even if they were only in one episode.
All these problems are very spread out over two seasons. I would like to point out that the second season is more violent, a little darker (though really, you can't be the happy go lucky  hero in a city with a vortex to another world with super villains for every long), and more intense. Not so much that I need to change the rating from season 1 to 2.

General:

• Comic book violence. Relatively non-graphic. Few deaths. When they do die, it's generally very heartbreaking.
•  Dead parents. Both Barry and Iris have death mothers.
• Injuries. Blood, broken bones, etc. While painful, these clear up pretty quickly (super fast healing and all that).
• There's a running joke that Barry can't get drunk, and this seems to be a disappointment to everyone.
• Very mild swearing. So much so that Stacy had to remind me it was there.
• One character often makes rather veiled inappropriate comments. One or two are more obvious than the rest.
• Kisses here and there.

Specific:

• A mother is kicked out of her house and daughter's life due to a drug problem that puts the daughter in danger more than once. This is all in the past and is only verbally related.
• At a low point, Barry breaks a bad guy out of jail, threatens him, and then leaves him to be caught and sentenced more harshly than before.
• A man shoots himself to save the city. Heroic, but still suicide.
• Barry watches his mother die in a horrible tear-inducing scene.
• Barry's romantic relationship gets a little too physical in two episodes. Passionate kissing and, in one scene, both characters lose their shirts while kissing passionately on the couch. This is ended rather abruptly (but by chance, not because someone was actually thinking).
• A female character gets very drunk and undresses down to her underwear in front of a male character. While this is awful (and her "did you take a peek at my goods?" comment is worse), this is also one of my favorite scenes because the male character does everything right.
• It's implied that a woman and her fiance are living together.
• A few really big violent moments: a man's head is smashed against a wall and a huge blood smear is left (season 2); people's heads get blown of by implanted bombs, we see only the stumps (season 2); an innocent girl blows up off screen after dying (season 1).

My Thoughts
If there's one thing I do when life gets crazy and I'm super busy with homework and work, it's to watch The Flash. While I may be a few days ahead of Stacy, she's usually right on my trail.
Do remember we're both full time students. I have two jobs, Stacy has one really big one. And we have various other things going on in our lives.
So when we say this is a really good show, and we make sure to stay up to date on it, you should know that it is, in fact, fantastic.

DC seems to have a dark brooding side (think Batman and Arrow) and a lighter side (think Superman). Well, the Flash falls on this lighter side. This isn't to say that horrible things are made small, or that good moral points are not made. The opposite, in fact. They're there, they're just not shrouded by all the other messy things.

Stacy says: Watch it. It's awesome. Also, it's addicting. So expect to lose half your life to Netflix. But you won't regret it.

I agree.

Movie Review: Meet the Robinsons

Title: Meet the Robinsons
Author: Disney
Genre: family, adventure, sci-fi, future, animation
My Rating: ****
Official Rating: G
Age Group: 8+

Summary: Poor Lewis is an orphan who is full of great ideas for inventions that, well, just don't seem to work. He's feeling pretty down and out and is about to give up inventing altogether when he meets a strange boy named Wilbur. Wilbur informs Lewis that he (Wilbur) is from the future. Then he kidnaps Lewis into a world so much better than the one Lewis was living in.
As Lewis helps Wilbur fight off the evil Bowler Hat Man, he comes to love Wilbur's family very much, especially since he doesn't have one of his own. Time is ticking though and Bowler Hat Man needs to be stopped. Wilbur is desperate; Lewis is distracted by the family life he never had.
Can the two boys succeed in saving the world from the terrible fate Bowler Hat Man wants to bring down upon everyone?

Word of Warning

• A mother leaves her child on the orphanage steps. This being left behind haunts the child forever and he feels unwanted.
• A man turns red and swells up, reacting to peanuts. It's done more as comic relief than something serious. We find out later that he's alright, but before that his wife stabs him in the leg with an Epi-Pen (also comical).
• There is a cartoon explosion but no one is injured.
• A caffeine patch allows its wearer to stay up for days. The woman wearing it comes across as slightly crazy.
• A man is attacked by fire-ants (again, comical).
• A kid pushes another kid off a building--onto an invisible ship.
• Kids crash a flying machine but are fine.
• The line "Mom and Dad will kill me, and it won't be done with mercy" is said seriously in a mourning tone but is obviously meant to be funny.
• A kid remarks that his family is going to bury him alive and dance on his grave. He then admits that this might be a bit of an exaggeration.
• A pillar falls on a guy. We are left to assume he's fine, but really don't know.
• A frog wears a man's dentures. The owner takes them and puts them back in his mouth without washing them.
• Insults: puke face, booger breath
• Frogs go to a frog-bar and order "one dragonfly on the rocks."
• An old man is seen in boxers.
• A dinosaur tries to capture and eat a kid. This results in an episode which involves the family humorously, but seriously, trying to save the kid's life.
• A frog cries, "I gotta go pee!"
• A kid turns into smoke and blows away (because he no longer exists because the past has been changed).
• People run from mind-controlling bowler hats.
• People try to attack the main character because they are being controlled by the hats.
• A building is a giant hat which chases a kid who flees using a flying ship. The giant hat-building is clearly trying to kill the kid.
• A man claims his clothes aren't on backward, his head is.
• The last twenty minutes of the movie have a very dark tone to them as things happening in the past ruin the future and make it absolutely miserable.
  

My Thoughts
At first, I thought this was just another cute movie that involved a poor kid who doesn't feel wanted. There would be some sort of adventure, then he would learn he was wanted afterall.
And that all happened of course. But as the movie progressed it became darker. Not dark as in dark magic, but dark as in more solemn and serious and scary. Granted, it wasn't that scary, but in contrast to the first part of the movie the darkness was shocking.
Overall though, a great cute movie that can be shared with nearly the whole family. It's full of laughs, a great but crazy family, and a boy who finally learns that if he never gives up, he will eventually get something good--even if it's not what he had originally hoped for.

Movie Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent
Genre: dystopia, drama, action, adventure, romance, science fiction
My Rating: ***
Official Rating: PG-13 (intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality)
Author: Summit Entertainment
Age Group: 16+

Summary:
At a certain age, people in Beatrice's world take a test (a mental simulation of sorts) that tells them whether they tend toward one of five different ways of being, broken into five factions where people live: Candor (truthful), Erudite (smart), Amity (kind), Abnegation (selfless), and Dauntless (brave). Then, the next day, they choose (hopefully based on their test results) where they will spend the rest of their lives. It's simple.
And doesn't work for Beatrice. She shows the ability to live in more than one faction. One would think this is a good thing, but in her world it means she can't be easily controlled by the government. She's divergent--and constantly in danger of death.
Beatrice chooses Dauntless and changes her name to Tris. It's there that she encounters a crazy world where kids court death and thrive on the rush of adrenalin. Can she survive this way of life? Will she be found out as a divergent and killed?

Word of Warning

• Mind control. Lots of characters enter a city of innocent people and usher them out, intending a mass execution. Those who resist die. Later, when the mind control ends, the characters who did this are horrified by their actions.
• Mental simulations that are induced by the injection of a serum. These are often frightening and intense but rather short scenes that feel real to the character. More on these later.
• In the simulations: a dog tries to attack Tris, then a little girl; Tris almost drowns more than once; she is attacked by birds; she walks along a few poles over a very high and dangerous chasm; she is nearly squished to death (along with another character) in a shrinking box; a man tries to beat his son (more later); she is approached in a sexually aggressive way (more later); a character is forced to kill an innocent girl (more later); Tris is forced to shoot her family and though we see nothing it is assumed that she does so; Tris is tied to a stake and nearly burned to death (she escapes before receiving any real damage).
• There is a rumor that a man used to beat his son. In a simulation, Tris encounters the same situation. The father approaches his son (now about 18) with a thick leather belt saying that it's for his son's own good, that he's just trying to make him better. The young man is clearly afraid and does nothing when Tris steps in front of him and takes the blow. Then he punches his father and the simulation ends.
• Tris is afraid of physical intimacy. In one of her simulations, she is approached by her love interest who kisses her, then starts to slide his hand up her shirt. She slaps him, and he responds by pushing her backward onto a bed. He pins her there, crouching over her, holding her down by her arms. She fights back and asks him to stop but he taunts her, asking if she's brave or not. He forcefully kisses her a few times before she kicks him (presumably in the groin) and he releases her. The simulation ends.
• Tris is practicing punches when her trainer comes by and tells her to "keep tension here" putting both hands on her abs for a moment longer than necessary. Later, Tris slips while climbing and her love interest catches her, putting a hand on her side to steady her. We see a close shot of his hand on bare skin but when the camera moves out, we see his hand on her shirt, not bare skin.
• Characters are killed (too many to count). We never see a death on screen, but we see dead bodies with blood (usually a little blood from the corner of the mouth or on the head). Most of the deaths are for shock value and not dwelt upon. However, there are five that get some screen time: a character is killed by a friend in self-defense; two parents are killed (both times when at least one child was present); a character commits suicide (unlike the book, the movie does not show the other Dauntless glorifying this act); a character in a simulation is forced to kill an innocent girl by shooting her in the head which he does, though we see nothing but her limp body (not her head). Tris shoots one character in the leg, then another in his side (presumably a graze, as he doesn't sustain serious injuries and recovers pretty quickly), all the while complaining that people over-estimate her character because they don't think she will shoot.
• Tris is shot on the shoulder but for the most part we're not even aware she's in pain. At one point someone cruelly presses down on the wound and Tris cries out. The person draws her hand away, blood on her fingertips.
• Tris is nearly executed. She comes close enough that she's on her knees, subdued, and looking up at a gun. One of her friends is lead away, presumably to be experimented on. We don't get any details, but some experimentation has been done because the character who was formerly uncontrollable is now under the influence of mind control.
• Characters beat each other up for training purposes. Bruises, bloody noses, and knock-out punches abound. All things considered, they survive with unrealistically mild injuries.
• Tris is attacked and characters try to murder her by throwing her into a chasm. She is rescued and stands aside as the other characters are beaten (some being slammed against a rock wall more than once).
• A woman is stabbed in the hand with a knife. We see the knife lodged in her hand, then her hand later, covered in blood.
• Tris is forced to stand in front of a target while a young man throws knives at her. He purposely cuts her ear (not seriously).
• Characters cut a little slice into their hands to draw blood, which is then used to show which faction they have chosen, dripping it into the appropriate bowl.
• Words: b*tch and a**h*le more than once. God's name is used in vain more than once as well. The whispered f-word.
• Dauntless people nearly all have tattoos. Tris and her friends run off for a wild night to do just that.
• A very intense zip-line trip through the towers of a city and a near-death ending (no injuries).
• As mentioned above, one of the characters commits suicide. This is very upsetting for the characters who knew him, and rightly so. It closely follows a scene in which he seeks forgiveness from Tris for attacking her (as mentioned above), to which she angrily refuses forgiveness and threatens to kill him if he ever comes close. She later feels guilty for his suicidal action.
• Tris' love interest, under simulation, beats her up. She tries to fight back but he's taller and stronger and basically throws her around the room and punches her numerous times. It ends with her holding a gun at him, which she then turns around, pressing it to her own head (in no way is this meant to be a suicidal action). He grabs the hilt of the gun and reaches for the trigger.
• Tris removes her jacket and one of the boys behind her yells "Take it off, Stiff!" (Stiff refers to her former faction), then follows up with a weak, "Put it back on" in a mocking tone. Later, she takes her shirt off to change into the clothes she is given and we see her in her bra. This scene is set up to be uncomfortable for her and in no way sexual.
• Tris and other characters wear tight fitting shirts and pants.
• All Dauntless initiates sleep in the same room (boys and girls) and share the same bathroom (which has no privacy what-so-ever). One of the male initiates says something to the effect of, "That works for me" but the other characters are wary of this set up. Nothing more is shown of this situation, only that it exists.
• Several male characters remove their shirts. Most of this is for the purpose of changing (as Tris did in the point above). One scene involves Tris' love interest removing his shirt to show her his tattoo. She runs her fingers down his back along the tattoo and we can see from his facial expression (more alert and a little tense) that he's aroused by this.
• Tris falls in love with one of her leaders. They kiss passionately once. She sleeps in his bedroom a few times. The first time, he lets her take the bed and disappears (apparently to another corner of the room), saying he'll take the floor. The rest of the times it is implied that the same thing happens.
• Tris tells her love interest she doesn't want to go too fast during their passionate kiss. He backs off and assures her that's ok, then adds that he's "already got my spawn on the floor."
• A young woman is left to hang over a chasm to teach her never to give up. She nearly lets go and falls, but does not and is pulled up. The scene is not long but feels like forever.
• Characters jump onto and off of fast moving trains, sometimes onto rooftops (some almost fall). They are shot with darts that stimulate the pain of getting shot for real--this is part of a game of capture of the flag. Characters jump into a dark pit not knowing what is at the bottom, suspecting they might die.
• Government officials are corrupt.
• For all the action, there is very little blood and gore. I'm not complaining and asking that it be added, but it feels unbalanced.
• Other minor problems.

My Thoughts
It was better than the book. Wait, did I just say that? Me, the one who always fights for the movie to follow the book as closely as possible? It was better in the sense that it was more appropriate and properly handled. I really did enjoy the movie, though the story line left it feeling like there was something lacking. It picked up at the end as the problem with the government became a main point and I believe the next installment won't feel quite so flat.

However, a warning to those who have not read the book. I saw the movie twice, both times with friends who had not read the book. I found myself explaining plot points to them not so they would understand what was going on, but so they would understand the deeper implications which were not made clear. I'm not telling you to go read the book, just trying to clarify what you'll be getting into if you go see the movie.

One final note: people have compared the kids fighting in this movie to the kids fighting in The Hunger Games books and movies. I object. In this movie, fighting is for training purposes or under the control of others through mind control. In The Hunger Games the kids know exactly what they're doing and, though they don't choose to enter the games willingly (for the most part), their actions are voluntary.

I reviewed the book this movie is based off of. You can find that review here.

Trojan Horse Book Review: Divergent

Post 100! A celebration is in order, no? Not to worry, Stacy is working on an entire week of Robin Hood media. Does it get any better than that?

A Trojan Horse Review is a review of one of those books/movies/albums/other that comes highly recommended or disguised as something good, and is a nearly deadly attack.
An unfortunate disappointment review is when the media being reviewed could have been good if only ____ hadn't been there. Those poor books/movies/albums/other. They had so much potential. If only the author could have carried it out.

****MATURE CONTENT WARNING****

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Teen fiction, science fiction, dystopian fiction
My Rating: *
Official Rating: Teen fiction
Age Group: 18+
Awards: Amelia Bloomer Book List Award

Summary:
The world was in chaos, so of course the government decided to separate people. This time, they've been separated into what they call factions. Each faction is based off a particular virtue and the people who show a tendency toward that virtue are sent there. It's not a requirement--you can stick around in your hometown or you can change factions as you will after taking the test that helps show you what you tend toward. Once you arrive, you're there forever.
Tris is divergent, which is a big problem. The government finds people who don't fit into a particular faction threatening. She chooses dauntless and tries hard to blend in and not die. But when she discovers something much more dangerous than mere separation into factions. Can she stay alive, and save others, before it's too late?

My Hopes:
They were simple. An interesting and good conclusion to the premise presented, and an appropriate romance written by a contemporary author. Both hopes were dashed against the rocks.

Word of Warning
Due to the nature of the material (book, and Trojan horse) this section is going to be less detailed and more broad. Unfortunately, I am not able to list every problematic detail here but have rated the book 18+ to give an idea as to what is present.

• Bullying by other factions. Certain factions are looked upon as better than others.
• Kids are given an injection which them simulates rather terrifying situations (attacking dogs, drowning, shooting, etc) to determine which faction they belong in.
• Violence in the dauntless faction. Much of this comes from training and includes characters getting knocked out, bruised, knives thrown at them, and various other beatings.
• Tris comes out of the shower and grabs her towel right before two boys and a girl walk in. One of the boys pulls the towel from her but she holds up her dress so they don't see anything. They see her back as she runs out.
• Tris is captured by a few of her classmates (most of them young men) and they attempt to rape her before throwing her to her death. She fights back but is relatively unsuccessful. They succeed in "only" touching her breast before she is rescued by another character.
• After being rescued, Tris spends the night in the bedroom of one of her male leaders (the one who saved her). Nothing happens, but by this point in the book the readers are well aware of an attraction between these two.
• Tris is uncomfortable with her body shape and remarks more than once that it appears childlike.
• Tattoos are common for dauntless characters. They also pull crazy stunts (jumping off buildings and trains, climbing to dangerous heights, etc) as their faction is based on showing bravery and getting an adrenalin high.
• Government officials are corrupt.
• One character's father used to beat him with a belt and told him that it's for his own good.
• The abnegation (selfless) faction is seen as weak. They often misunderstand selflessness, always backing down in a fight and letting other characters basically walk all over them. Somehow, they have some serious power when it comes to the government.
• The concept of separating people into factions based on their strongest qualities. This is an interesting idea, but completely unrealistic, as no one person is only going to be one thing. Tris and a few other characters are great examples of this.
• During a simulation, we find out that Tris is afraid of intimacy (yes, it's that awkward). A character she's in love with appears (remember, this is all in her mind, but to her it feels real) and starts kissing her and slips her jacket off to reveal a tank top. He pulls her onto a bed and continues to kiss her. Tris realizes that he wants to have sex with her (the word "sex" being used) and resists, telling him she's not going to do that with him in a simulation.
• The romance is a huge problem. Kisses are far too passionate; Tris sits in her love interest's lap at one point during a kiss, later hands run over shoulders and neck, kisses range from various places on the face (nose, cheek, mouth) to neck and back again, and other problems. At one point the male character is without his shirt and, because Tris is too uncomfortable to make the move herself, takes her hands and places them on his abdomen, then brings them upward. Both characters confess to fear of intimacy and decide that they might do it later. Passionate kissing follows.
• The romance is the biggest reason this book is a Trojan horse book. It is put forth as something relatively chaste as the characters never have sex, but they are pretty physically involved otherwise (as noted above). A complete misunderstanding of chastity is shown here. If the author was going for abstinence, she misses the point there too as the couple is incredibly physically involved.
• Mind control.
• Characters (other than Tris) kiss. Tris finds this uncomfortable because she is unused to public displays of affection.
• A character commits suicide and is praised for his "brave" act. Luckily, Tris and her friends see right through this as a lie. Still, the leaders of the group consider his move to be one of a true dauntless member.
• Blood and gore (nothing too detailed). Characters get shot and die. Characters are forced to kill those they care about (sometimes for real, sometimes in simulations).

My Thoughts
I admit I was disappointed. While I disagree with separating people into factions based on their strongest inclinations, the premise was one that I thought would be interesting to entertain. What would happen to our world if it was separated like this?
The author followed the premise through in a way that made sense to me, but also disappointed to me. At some point, it became less about the premise and more about one particular character. Then, it became about the romance. Then, it became all about the where-did-that-come-from ending.

The Trojan horse aspect comes from the failure to follow through with the premise and from the romance. Failure to follow a premise to the end is usually seen as more of a writing flaw, but here it was dangerous. Bringing up a premise like that and then dropping it is not safe. The end did not satisfy "conclusion" requirements. As for the romance, there are more details above, but the basic idea behind it is that the romance is portrayed as safe and appropriate and the characters shown as admirable for not having sex right away. The problem is, they went so far that's almost the only thing they're not doing. And there is something wrong with a romance that excites readers (because the characters are portrayed as excited) and then stops. That's not what romance is meant to be--but it's not meant to go that far until marriage either. This is like the set up, set up, part of a three part story, lacking the pay off. In no way am I suggesting the characters engage in any more physical intimacy. I'm suggesting they do the opposite.

Why was it disappointing? Aside from the premise, the romance started out as interesting. When the author took it as far as she possibly could without frightening away the younger audience and their parents, she disappointed me. Can no one write a good romance without all of that? Granted, that's what it should become eventually--in marriage. But I had honestly hoped she'd be one of the few living authors who could write a great romance without that before marriage. I was wrong.

Do I suggest reading the book? No, I don't. For the simple reason that it's a Trojan horse and an unfortunate disappointment. Did I enjoy parts of it? I would be lying if I said I hadn't. No book can be an unfortunate disappointment without having something good in it. This one just didn't follow through.

Book Review: Fantastic Voyage

Title: Fantastic Voyage: An amazing journey through the human blood stream
Author: Isaac Asimov
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Biology
My Rating: *****
Official Rating: Fiction
Age Group: 16+

Summary: Having finally rescued Benes from Them, We have run into a bit of trouble, mainly the problem that he may die before he's able to reveal very important information. Information so important that if We don't have it, They might start a war and We might lose.
This requires a last minute and utterly fantastic voyage into Benes' blood stream in order to clear a blood clot in his brain which cannot be reached from the outside. A grumpy old surgeon and his beautiful assistant, a pilot for the submarine, a doctor who knows the map of Benes' circulatory system, and the secret agent who saved Benes and seems to be along for security are miniaturized and injected into the blood stream.
A lot of things can go wrong in a blood stream, especially when there may be a traitor along. With only and exactly sixty minutes to complete the mission, things could go very wrong.
Of course, they do.

Word of Warning

• Agent Grant makes numerous suggestive remarks to Cora (the surgeon's assistant). Since this book was written in 1966, these remarks really are only suggestive and leave much to the imagination. Still, these remarks contributed to the book's age suggestion.
• Cora, for the most part, completely ignores Grant. When she starts to pay attention to him, he slows down on the comments.
• The whole thing is full of drama involving the blood stream, which might be considered gross by some readers.
• People almost die, are tossed around and injured, and one man is hit over the head. Another man is killed by bacteria (though we don't see this happen).
• Grant hints that he planned to spend a few days (or nights) with a woman (who, we're unaware) before he's selected for this mission, and he's a bit annoyed by his change in plans.
• A car crash ends in one man being killed, a shootout (another death), and a man who is injured and has a blood clot in his brain. None of this is graphic.

My Thoughts
I rarely enjoy science fiction, and when I do, that's usually on the screen in a well-done movie. Clearly I've been reading the wrong science fiction. Though this book is anything but recently written, it's recent enough that as I read I recognized things I am studying in science classes right now, and explained how they worked as well. The characters were interesting, even Grant. At first I found him annoying, but his persistence on the mission (refusing to give up and making due with whatever he's got) and his bravery (sacrificing himself for other members of the crew often) grew on me and eventually I looked forward to his lines.
The pace was nicely done. Just fast enough to feel as frantic as the story line suggests, but slow enough that sixty minutes really does fit into about 150 pages without feeling overdone.
The adventure itself was incredibly interesting. It was fun to travel through a human blood stream in a submarine, even if it only happened in the pages of a novel.
Simply put, a great adventure that will continue to be so for a long long time.

Movie Review: Despicable Me 2

Title: Despicable Me 2
Author: N/A
Genre: Science Fiction, Crime Fighting, Comedy
My Rating: ****
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 8+


Summary: Gru retired from crime a few years ago, after stealing the moon (and putting it back) and choosing life as a father of three adopted girls. Now, he's being pulled right back into the crime business--only on the other side. Gru has been recruited to help Agent Lucy track down the thief of an entire laboratory, and, more importantly, a dangerous serum. A serum so dangerous, it turns fluffy little while bunnies into giant crazed fluffy monsters with ears.
Gru isn't entirely sure of his new job, he's still trying to be a dad, his loyal evil scientist has left him, and Agent Lucy (his partner) is a little on the crazy side. As in, he's not sure what (or if) she's thinking.
Can Gru find the criminal before it's too late?

Word of Warning
(Please note: the minions are little yellow jelly-bean-shaped creatures, some with one eye and some with two, that do not speak English.)
This movie was just as funny (if not more) as the first one, but not as child-friendly. The plot revolves around a serum that turns living things into crazed monsters that eat everything in sight. That can be a little disturbing for younger children. A brief list of the main problems:

• The humor is often a little on the sour side. There is the 22 fart gun salute, a minion who loses his clothing (left in some sort of frilly under-thing), a minion's bare backside, a minion wears a grass skirt and a coconut bikini, and several "cross-dressing" minions who have male names but put on women's clothing for various reasons.
• People are shot with a tazer (this is portrayed comically).
• Hundreds of innocent minions turn into crazed monsters that try to eat everything in sight. Gru, another man, and Gru's three daughters shoot these minions with jelly to turn them back, a pretty intense battle even if it is just jelly.
• A man injects himself to turn into a monster like the minions.
• Two characters kiss.
• A very charming boy catches the attention of Margo, who falls in love with him, only to have him cheat on her when she is not paying attention.
• Gru is an overly protective father, but comically so.
• The freeze ray gun returns, and at least one person is frozen.
• Theft, breaking and entering, and spying are shown (all done by the good guys).
• A woman and a shark are tied to a rocket, along with dynamite, to be flown into a volcano. It is suggested that another man did the same and died.
• Gru's neighbor is constantly trying to get him to go out with her various acquaintances. After being incredibly pushy, she finally succeeds. Gru goes out on a date with a woman in a very skin-tight dress. When Lucy sees this, she shoots the woman in the bottom with a moose tranquilizer, and when a concerned waiter asks what the matter is with the woman, Lucy suggests that she's had too much too drink. We see Gru and Lucy removing the woman's body in a not-so-careful way.

My Thoughts:
It was funny. Painfully, pointlessly, funny. Isn't that what happens when good writers tell us all about a bad guy turned good now trying to live a normal life? Yes, but this is better than most of those stories.
Still, much of the humor is what could be labeled as dirty. It's not clean, but not too inappropriate for children. Instead, it's the kind of humor parents try to keep their children from exhibiting. On top of that, the plot does revolve around living things being artificially modified (by a serum) and turned into out of control crazed monsters that are rather dangerous. Though the minions still look comical, in a scary crazy monster way, the concept here is more than disturbing.
The kids that loved Despicable Me a few years ago are ready now to enjoy the sequel, and a wonderful sequel it was. But introducing new and younger fans? I would question whether they are ready for this movie just yet.
As Stacy C and I walked out of the theater, we were both a little sore from laughing so hard. I suspect we spent most of the movie doing just that. While I would not share this movie with my youngest brother (who is five), I would watch it again, anytime, and laugh again, the entire time.

Movie Review: Star Trek (2009)

Title: Star Trek
Author: director J.J. Abrams
Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: ****
Official Rating PG-13
Age Group: 16+ (with the fast-forward button included)

Summary:
Something happened a long time in the future. It appears a black hole was created. This black hole is to blame for the death of George Kirk, the father of James Kirk. Kirk (the one still alive) hasn't taken too well to the loss of a father figure. In fact, he never had one, and now he's running around with his head cut off with no direction. Until he joins star fleet. Then he gets to continue running around with his head cut off, but now he claims to have a direction.
Turns out he actually does. Romulans have come through the black hole to take revenge on Spock and Kirk is caught right in the middle of things (a result of running around with one's head cut off). What follows is a huge mess that Spock and Kirk get into. Somehow, the mess cumulates into one big problem: Nero is going to destroy pretty much everything he can (this includes planets).
Will Kirk and Spock be able to stop Nero before it's too late?

Word of Warning:

• A woman falls into space and dies.
• People die in explosions, shootings, space, and as a result of things falling on them.
• Mrs. Kirk is in labor.
• George Kirk sacrifices his life for his crew, wife, and child. The sacrifice isn't bad, but trying to watch it can be tough. The music, his facial expressions and tone of voice...everything adds up to being heartbreaking--and really well done.
• A young boy steals his stepfather's car, speeds, and drives it over the edge of a cliff. He doesn't fall.
• A boy is bullied and reacts by punching those who are bullying him.
• People drink, and get drunk, but only in one scene.
• Kirk is a ladies man of the highest degree. He flirts with a woman at a bar, uttering several inappropriate suggestions to her but nothing graphic, just suggestive. When he gets in a fight with some men, he is shoved backward against her and lands with his hands on her chest. He smirks, she glares at him and violently pushes him away.
• Kirk does get what he deserves for his flirting. He is beaten up by four men who bloody his face and leave him gasping on a table and barely conscious.
• He doesn't learn his lesson. We get a scene with Kirk and a green alien girl in her dorm room. Both are wearing underwear but both are on her bed. We get the hint that Kirk is not the only man she has done this with. The scene is cut short by her roommate arriving. Kirk dives under the bed and watches her roommate strip down to underwear before being discovered and kicked out into the hall barely dressed. He's not the least bit disturbed by all this. Hint: this is the scene to fast forward. To do this, it might be helpful to know the scene comes right after Kirk tells McCoy he's going to study, and ends right before the scene where Kirk is standing in front of a big assembly.
• A woman suggests that farm boys "only have sex with animals." Kirk counters, "Well, not only."
• Kirk cheats on a test and is more or less grounded until further notice. He justifies cheating because the test itself is a cheat and is not possible to pass anyway (missing the actual point of the test). We never get the impression that he regrets cheating.
• People threaten to throw up twice.
• Dr. McCoy injects Kirk with a vaccination in order to bring Kirk on a mission he is not supposed to be on. The injection is done on the side of the neck, and Kirk receives several more of these before he returns to a regular state of mind.
• Kirk suffers from symptoms that make him look like he has a bad case of the flu. He then has an allergic reaction to something and his hands swell, later followed by his tongue. All is fixed by Dr. McCoy.
• Kirk is disrespectful to command.
• A man is tortured. One thing we do see is a slug being dropped into his mouth. It will latch onto his brainstem and force him to tell the truth. He does survive and makes it to the end of the movie.
• Nero is out for revenge, no matter what it costs him.
• An entire planet is destroyed. Spock's mother dies before his eyes.
• A man is killed by a sort of beam that he falls into.
• There is fighting that includes punching, guns, and choking.
• Kirk purposefully gets Spock mad at him, resulting in Kirk getting beaten up (again) and choked until we're pretty sure he's not going to make it.
• Kirk is cocky but not self-centered (at least, not entirely).
• Spock and a woman share a few kisses, but none are problematic. In a sly move by the writers, Spock gets the girl in the end of the movie and Kirk (the ladies man) does not.
• Other more minor problems.

My Thoughts:
It was a good movie. I thought. And then I tried to write the summary for this post, and I realized Stacy was right when she said not much had happened. What did happen? A few things blew up, Kirk got beat up a few times, and not much else.
So why was it so good? I admit that I am not usually a sci-fi fan, nor am I a Star Trek fan (Star Wars for me, always). So what was it about this movie that was so good?
Was it the acting? The drama and excitement? The music? It certainly was not the annoying lack of sound in space (scientifically correct, yes, but incredibly distracting and not even consistent). I honestly have no idea what it was. I just know I really enjoyed watching it the first time. The second time it felt too long and I started to see there was nearly nothing to it. The third time? Well, I have yet to actually watch it a third time.
Still, aside from the scene with the green alien girl (which can easily be avoided), it was a relatively acceptable movie for the right ages.
What happened? Why did I like it? I'm not sure an answer exists for those two questions. All I know is, I fully intend to watch more Star Trek--and will remain a loyal Star Wars fan.

Movie Review: Megamind

Title: Megamind
Author: DreamWorks Animation
Genre: Science Fiction
My Rating: ***
Brother's Rating: **** (a ***** had it not been animated)
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 6+


Summary
Evil always loses--and never gets the girl. Destiny is chosen, just do the best you can with what you get handed.
When Megamind finally manages to win, and kill the superhero, he's got everything.
Or not. What's an evil guy to do when he's got no good guy to beat him up all the time?
Create a new superhero of course. He's got to have someone to fight, after all. On the side he dates the old superhero's former girlfriend, but in the disguise of some guy named Bernard.
Things go wrong when Megamind's new hero turns evil and now Megamind has to deal with a really pathetic but powerful villain. In the process, he ends up rethinking his take on life. Is super villainy really the only thing he's good at? What exactly is destiny?

Word of Warning

• Buildings are destroyed.
• People are in danger (but none seem to die or get injured).
• Guns (often science fiction ones) appear constantly.
• Evil is seen as good for most of the movie. This is because the main character (the one everyone is supposed to care for) is a super villain.
• Hal is shot in the nose with a pill. The result is similar to a bee sting.
• A character appears to die, but doesn't.
• Another character appears to die and a skeleton is shown.
• Megamind impersonates Bernard to date Roxanne and doesn't intend to tell her the truth.
• One animated kiss.
• Loud rock music and comical dramatic dancing.
• Metroman is seen in his bathrobe. Megamind dresses behind a screne (no shadow) and then snaps his skin-tight elastic pants.
• Hal gives himself a wedgie to prove his invulnerability.
• Roxanne's outfits are a bit tight, but rarely have low necklines.

My Thoughts
It's funny. It's creative. And it's sweet. By chance, Megamind ended up getting a prison as his home. Metroman ended up with the perfect life. But Megamind proves to us that just because you're dealt the short stick doesn't mean you have to be content with it. Actually, you do. You can use it as a dagger, not a sword. That's exactly what Megamind does. He uses what he has to become something much greater than Metroman ever was or ever could be. He chooses his own destiny.

Movie Review: Superman Returns

Please note that while I (Maria Gianna) wrote the first draft of this post, Stacy C. has added her thoughts in italics (not that I really needed to... Maria did a pretty awesome job already. :D).

Title: Superman Returns
Author: Warner Brothers
Genre: Action, science fiction
My Rating: ***
Stacy's Rating: ****
Official Rating: PG-13
Age Group: 14+

Summary
Have you ever heard the story of Prometheus, the Greek Titan? Well, he stole fire from the gods and brought it to the humans. Lex Luther says he wants to be like Prometheus. He wants to rule the world by bringing something to the humans. His sidekick Kitty promptly points out that he is not a god (he sort of neglects to specify that Prometheus was a Titan, not a god). He says gods are selfish beings who fly around in red capes and don't share their powers with mankind. Lex wants to share--and he wants his cut.
There is one more thing he forgets to mention: Prometheus's punishment for disobeying the gods was to hang from a mountain by chains and have his (immortal) liver eaten out every day by a vulture. The liver would grow back every night, and be eaten the next day. Lex sort of neglects to mention this in his account of Prometheus.
What a mistake he made. Superman, who has been gone for years, returns. And he's going to give Lex a run for his money. Lex wants to create land ("It's the one thing they're not making anymore") and then sell it. A small glitch in the plan is the deaths of billions of people, but Lex can move on.
Superman can't. And he doesn't. Because Superman has always stood for justice and truth and he never tells a lie. But what's he going to do when Lex builds his land out of crystals?
Out of kryptonite.


Word of Warning
All things considered, I was very impressed by how clean this movie was. The PG-13 rating is for violence, and even that is low. Very few people die. Here is a short list of the biggest problems in the movie:

• Five sexual references. An old woman mentions Lex has shown her "pleasures she had never known", though this reference is easily missed. Mr. White says that three things sell newspapers, one of these things being sex, but Ms. Lane cannot "write a d**m about sex." Ms. Lane wrote an article titled "I Spent the Night With Superman" but insists it was only the title of an interview when her fiancé asks (SPOILER: turns out it wasn't, but more on that later). Ms. Lane says "I did Superman" but intends it to mean that she interviewed him and worked on his story. She clarifies this quickly. A woman is referred to as a hooker, but in passing and it is not entirely clear what the word means (for those viewers who don't know).
• The words a**, h**l, and d**m. A few were used more than once (maybe three times?) but I believe that was all of them. God's name was taken in vain one or two times.
• A man uses a huge automatic weapon to shoot at police officers and their cars. We don't actually see their deaths, but we can assume the outcome.
• The same man shoots at Superman but the bullets do nothing. He then pulls a handgun and shoots right at Superman's eye, but the bullet crumples upon impact in a beautiful slow-motion moment and falls to the ground.
• People fall from buildings but are saved by Superman.
• A plane full of people ends up in space after a technology problem and Ms. Lane is tossed about the plane rather violently but never actually injured. She does pass out at the end, but it is assumed to be from shock, not from injuries.
• Ms. Lane and Jason (a young boy) are caught. Ms. Lane is beaten (but, strangely, physically fine) and a gang member is killed by a flying piano. Later Ms. Lane, her fiancé Richard, and Jason are trapped and almost drown. Ms. Lane is knocked unconscious and it looks like it's all over.
• Superman is kicked and beaten very badly and is stabbed twice. He is left with a piece of the weapon in his body and falls, drowning. He is rescued and the piece of the weapon is pulled from his body with a pliers--this does not go over well (as can be expected) and he cries out more than once.
• Superman is rushed to the hospital where his super suit is stripped off (at least, the top is) and they medical personnel attempt to poke him with a needle and shock his heart--both of which fail. They remove a small piece of the weapon which had been embedded within his side.
• It is implied that a dog eats another dog.
• Superman uses his X-ray vision and super-hearing to do a few questionable things, including observing Lois' personal life; this is more sneaky than really wrong. He also uses his X-ray vision to "scan" a hurt woman for internal injuries, which ends up being kinda awkward.
• Lex, in a fit of anger, says he would trade many things, including all of Kitty's blood, in exchange for a quart of gas for his helicopter.
• A gang is killed by a falling rock, but they are under it and no sound is heard.
• Ms. Lane is not married to Richard but lives with him. She has a son--who turns out not to be Richard's (though both the son and Richard are unaware of this).

My Thoughts
All things considered (including the date this movie was made--2006) this movie was very clean and a great adventure. The beginning is rather slow and boring, but it really picks up and keeps going at high speed until the very end. One thing that was neat was Superman's similarities to Christ. He comes from a father who sent him, he is different from everyone else, and he suffers to save the world. Really, it's a great reference--until we find out that Superman has a son. Oops. Yeah, that sort of went in the wrong direction. As the wonderful people over at PluggedIn pointed out, we all expect Superman to be above that sort of thing. Not having kids (nothing is wrong with that happening--within wedlock), but having them without getting married and then leaving. I guess this particular instance of Superman's weakness reinforces a really cool truth: true heroes can reflect Christ, but Christ is the only one who can be a Perfect Hero. Our superheroes' weaknesses only magnify His Perfection. For the record, I though Superman's story was one of the best modern secular allegories for Christ I've seen in a while. :)
One particular line was especially beautiful. Lois Lane wrote in an article that the world doesn't need a savior. Superman objects, saying that he hears the world crying for one.
Yes, we cry for a savior like Superman. If only we could see we already have one.

Author Alcove: Mike Lupica and Bryan Davis

Author Alcove is more about authors and less about one particular work. Since these two are a bit short and slightly different than the regular Author Alcove format (these here were pre-written for a different purpose and I am short on time), I am posting them together instead of separately. Here are two authors more (who have almost nothing in common):

Author Mike Lupica:
Why I read The Underdogs: because it was about football and I needed to know more about football for my own novels. At the time, I didn't have a whole lot of time to actually research with nonfiction books so a novel was a good way to go.
What I thought: AMAZING!
Why: His style is perfect for what he writes. It's simple and to the point and yet it does some comfortable pacing now and then. The voice he uses is clear and matter-of-fact. His girl characters seem to always be tough on the outside and sweet on the inside, but unfortunately are almost all identical. His boy characters sound very real and are funny and yet serious and honest and over all very realistic. And the way sports are worked into the story.....I believe every story (at least the ones I've read so far) has a character conflict (not enough funding for the football team and now a girl joins the team, a friend going blind, death of a father, etc) along with sports things worked in. It's smooth and great. Plus, his conversations. I would have to say the dialogue in his books beats nearly all dialogue I've read in nearly all other genres.
Overall: simple but lovely in a mud-and-grass-stain way. Plus, can't forget the dialogue. :)
Read it: if you want to read some good dialogue, strong characters, a good voice, and some sports mixed in. I've never played football for real but when I read it I sure felt like I was right there on the field.

Author Bryan Davis:
Why I started reading: a former soccer teammate told me I just had to read the first Dragons In Our Midst book and wouldn't tell me anything else. So I read. And I fell in love. Ok, maybe that's a bit of a strong word, but I really do enjoy Bryan Davis's books to the extreme. I can't seem to stop reading them and I'll be very sad when there aren't any more. The only problem is one has to be in the right mood for his books. Sometimes, I simply cannot stomach his writing. Other days, I can't get enough.
What I thought: WOW! Unlike Mike Lupica's books, Bryan Davis's books have quite a few unbelievable speeches. You know the kind. The kind that make you think, "Awww. I love that. Why hasn't anyone said something like that to me?" and then you realize, "That's not realistic. It would take a few rehearsals before anyone in real life could get that out." But have you ever read a book where that just doesn't matter? Where the realistic-ness isn't really compromised because that isn't the point. The point here is beauty, I think. These books are beautiful. They're C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien beautiful, they're Madeline L'Engle beautiful. Yes, they are that kind of beautiful. The first time I read is for the plot and the stuff with music (Echoes from the Edge) or the King Arthur references (Dragons In Our Midst) or the mythology (Starlighter). The second time is for the Christianity hidden just below the surface. The third time is because I know I will never be able to get everything out of it. The fourth is because there are so many quotes I love. And the fifth is because I just can't get enough. The girl characters are strong but gentle and sweet. The boy characters are gentlemen, strong and gentle, caring and protecting, and yet they still make mistakes. I hate a book where the girl or boy is too perfect. Even these characters make mistakes. But in all, a must read.
Overall: beautiful. Absolutely beautiful and deep and containing so many layers that I'm afraid no matter how many times I read it I won't find the bottom. Incredibly creative. I have never read any thing like what Davis has written.
Read it: for King Arthur, for dragons, for strong guy characters like Paul Fester and Alex O'Donnell (Regina Doman's characters, not Bryan's), for good girl characters (no comparison here), for music, for family, for faith, for depth. For beauty.

Movie Review: Zoom: Academy for Superheroes

Title: Zoom: Academy for Superheroes
Author: N/A
Genre: Adventure, Science Fiction
My Rating: **
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 10+

Summary: Zoom's, er, Jack's team went over the edge years ago. Bad things happened and only Jack survived--but he lost his powers. He blames it all on the Gamma 13 dosage his team was given. No, not the loss of the powers, just the implosion of his team.
So when Jack is recruited some thirty years later to train new superheroes, he's not as thrilled as we might expect. In fact, he's downright disinterested (and not the virtuous kind). He doesn't try. He's got his own problems to deal with.
Then, slowly, the kids get under his skin. Slowly, they become more than a team. They become a family.
The big question remains: will they be ready in time to face the major threat they've been training for? Or will they too suffer from a massive dose of Gamma 13?

Word of Warning:
Where to start? There are a lot of problems, but all rather small, all things considered.

• Jack is constantly flirting with Ms. Holloway, who is oblivious for a while (no, she's not ignoring him, she's just that oblivious).
• Jack makes a comment like, "Gee, for a guy who's straight, you sure are dramatic." Pretty much the only remark in that area.
• Summer remarks that Dylan is hitting on her and suggests he stop. He shakes his head, smiles, and says "I can't do that."
•  When Dylan is testing out his mental abilities, he sees Summer in her room dancing and she doesn't know he's watching. Or maybe she does...it's hard to tell.
• Summer and Dylan kiss. It's not necessarily brief (the scene closes, then opens again later, but it's presumed that it was paused, not continuing) but not deep or passionate either.
• The kids constantly disobey and for the most part do not get into trouble.
• Cindy is a little girl who has super strength and throws giant things when she doesn't get her way. Needless to say, people are happy to do what she wants.
• Jack is focused on his own life problems and almost completely neglects the kids for much of the movie.
• The kids have a serious disrespect problem when it comes to the adults at headquarters. To their credit, most of the adults are jerks, but that doesn't give the kids an excuse to be disrespectful.
• Dylan says "That's hot" when Summer lifts a guy into the air using her mind. He's referring to Summer's power, but it's a bad choice of words no matter what he means.
• The general is harsh and self-centered. He doesn't seem to change much, if at all.
• Jack breaks rules constantly, and his actions are nearly glorified because the rules broken are often on behalf of the kids.
• We know very little of the kids' parents (who are almost completely nonexistent) but do get the hint that at least a few of the kids were abandoned by them.

My Thoughts:
Honestly, the reason I gave this movie two stars instead of one is because of the family concept. No, they're not just a team, they really do form a family. Summer looks after Cindy, Dylan takes Tucker aside more than once to talk to him. The four protect each other and look out for each other. Ms. Holloway is motherly but a little quirky (in a nice way) and Jack, while being far from a good father, does attempt to take on the role. He ends up more like that fun uncle who never got married and drives the parents insane. You know the type: the one the kids love.
The problem with this whole family idea is that close to the time that they really get big into using the "family" word, Dylan and Summer start to get a lot closer. In some scenes, right after we see a shared glance between them, we get the family thing. Awkward to fall in love with a girl who happens to be part of your makeshift family, no?
Overall, it wasn't a bad film. The reason I rated it 10+ was because while the problems are minor, they're probably not the influence many people want for younger kids. The problems may be small, but they are numerous.
This almost feels like Sky High, but closer to the "failure" end of the spectrum.

Movie Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Title: The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Author: Disney
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
My Rating: *
Official Rating: PG
Age Group: 16+

Summary -
Long ago, in the time of King Arthur, the great sorcerer Merlin defeated the evil Morgan Le Fay and trapped her in a doll. The act killed him, and with his dying breath he commanded his three apprentices to find the Prime Merlinean who would ultimately defeat Morgana.
Fast-forward about 1300 years... Balthazar Blake, the only faithful apprentice, is still searching for the Prime Merlinean in New York City. He finally discovers him in the form of a very nerdy, very wimpy boy: Dave. And Dave adamantly refuses to get mixed up in the magic war raging around him. That is, until Balthazar practically kidnaps him.

The Good -
Dave eventually overcomes his own self-consciousness and becomes brave enough to fight the evil that has been unleashed on the world.

The Bad -
There was a bit of minor swearing, including one softly-muttered b***h.
Dave falls in love with a girl that he knew in grade-school. While the romance is usually sweet, at the end they kiss very passionately. He suggests that they run away to Paris (with no mention of marriage).
There is some violence, but it is usually confined to sorcerer's duels.
The main problem with the movie is the magic that runs helter-skelter throughout the whole thing. In a movie about sorcerer's, it's pretty inevitable that there will be magic, but this magic was not fairy-tale magic. It was full-blown Satanic babble. Balthazar does explain that sorcerer's have the capacity to manipulate matter because they are able to use 100% of their brain power instead of just 10% like normal humans. This concept, however, gets buried beneath the obviously occult symbolism that pervades the movie. We see pentagrams, pictures of a magician tattooed with other evil symbols, a picture of him being worshipped by a woman, and his house is full of other evil things. Merlin states at the beginning that they are mere servants of a greater power. Morgana chants in Latin (although I wasn't able to translate the whole thing, it was basically Morgana calling the spirits of the dead to rise) and we see long-dead sorcerer's begin to come back to life. Several character's become possessed by Morgana's soul.

My Opinion -
My review is extremely incomplete mainly because I didn't want to have to go back and rewatch the movie in order to catalogue everything that was wrong with it. My "bad" list could go on for pages if I did.
I really don't recommend this movie for any age group. Besides the obvious evil of the Satanic magic gunk, the story-line and the characters were just blah. It was not a good movie. I'm sure there was something redemptive about it somewhere, but I just couldn't see it.
I'm sorry if this review is more subjective than it should be, but I have big issues with magic unless it's the fairy-tale kind, so I tend to be biased. If you watched this movie and liked it, I give you full permission to rant at me in the comment box.

Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

Title: The Amazing Spider-Man
Author: Andrew Garfield as Spider-man, Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy
Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure, Drama
My Rating: ****
Age Group: 16+

Official Rating: PG-13

My Summary:

It's simple, really. It comes down to this: what’s in a hero? What does it take to be one? What kind of hero do you want? Do you want a guy like Clark Kent, whose only human traits are love for Louise Lane and a real talent for being clumsy? How about someone like Iron Man, who is sarcastic, pretends to have no weaknesses, and whose power comes from a suit of metal? Or would you like a boy, who can’t seem to decide what he is?

That is the true story of Spiderman. It’s not the plot, it’s not Curt Conners and the giant lizard, it is who Peter Parker actually is. Because, you see, Peter doesn’t know.

Take your typical science geek with posters of Einstein hanging in his room, a brain that churns out scientific equations, and a mouth that shoots of scientific jargon. Mix all that with a senior in high school who isn’t exactly at the top of the totem pole, enjoys photography, and has a crush on another senior (who happens to be cute and a tutor/science nerd).

But don't forget one thing: Parker was left by his parents with his aunt and uncle. His parents died when he was a very little boy.

Peter doesn't know who or what he is and we watch him struggle with that. He seems to waiver on a line between typical uncaring high schooler and kind nephew who really does love his adoptive parents. He has his tender moments and they're heart-wrenchingly sweet. Then he has his high schooler moments where he gets into fights, is late to class, and neglects various duties. Those are also heart wrenching, because as the viewer we see him trying to figure out which way to fall.

The biggest wound Peter has is far deeper than any gouges or bruises he gets during fights with a giant lizard. His wound comes from the lack of a father. He's lost, needing that guidance, and it's not there.

He's on his own, or so he thinks.

Then we have the plot with his dad's old partner in the science business, the little problem of a police chief wanting to capture Spider-Man, and the whole crush-on-Gwen thing.

Yes, Peter has a bit more than he can handle without the guidance that he needs so badly. He watched his uncle die, he's responsible for creating a monster with his scientific "genius", he's dating a girl whose father wants to arrest his other identity, and Dr. Connors wants to create a world where everyone is equal. Oh, and the little ordeal where Peter becomes part spider. Poor guy.

For the viewer, this all adds up for a fantastic movie filled with excitement, a few romantic scenes, lots of epic battles, awesome spider-man moves, and a great finding-self story. Does it get any better?

Mr. Stacy might not realize it, but his first positive words to Peter are just what Peter has needed to hear all his life from a man: “He’s not alone.”

His aunt states, “Peter Parker, if there’s one thing you are, it’s good.” And she’s right. He does have good in him—but he can’t seem to figure out what to do with it. And that's where all his troubles seem to come from.

Is he going to take responsibility?

Word of Warning:

This is a PG-13 movie, and rightly so. Here is a list of the negative elements:

• Peter is beaten up by fellow high schoolers (kicked, punched, etc), and bloodied by his various fights with the lizard, falling from buildings, and crashing into things. He is also shot in the leg by a policeman.
• Peter flees the law.
• Peter starts out on a quest for revenge, desperate to fix something he's sure he's responsible for: Ben's death. At first, he's quick and ruthless. Check the guy's wrist of the tattoo, move on. But then, when he gets the spider suit, he starts to enjoy it, making funny comments and taking his time.
• Peter accidentally rips a woman's shirt off when he is still getting used to his powers. To his credit, he is horrified and turns away, shielding his eyes and apologizing. That doesn't save the viewers, however, and we see the woman standing there in her bright pink bra.
• Peter kisses Gwen a bit too passionately the first time(s). In a different scene, she pulls away and protests quietly, he insists and pushes forward. Nothing more than kissing, but he did not respect her refusal.
• An unknown couple at the high school kiss rather passionately in front of Peter's locker, making it hard for him to open it and get his books.
• In an attempt to get some privacy, Gwen lies about having cramps and says that she feels emotional and it's very brutal, all to her dad, who backs away and says he doesn't want to know.
• Peter dates a girl whose father clearly doesn't like him and who wants to arrest Spider-man (Peter's second identity).
• A man suggests bringing war veterans into a scientific experiment regarding limb regeneration. This idea is shot down by another man, who is horrified at the thought.
• Cars hang from a bridge and we know at least one is occupied: by a little boy who is terrified. The car starts on fire. (The boy does survive.)
• Peter replaces an unknown word with "Mother Hubbard", which he spits out angrily and in a moment of frustration, anger, and terror.
• The word "a**" is used at least once, as are a few other words.
• There is shooting done by the police.
• A giant lizard is shot at and appears to be dead but is not.
• Men turn into lizards.
• A man seems to be possessed by something evil, which is embodied in a lizard, almost as though a lizard's mind is taking over the man's mind.
• Animal experimentation (human experimentation is mentioned, but is held off until things are mostly grounded and sure)
• Uncle Ben is shot and we see blood, which does a scene jump with Peter and remains on his hands.
• Peter promises to stay away from Gwen in order to protect her--the last thing Mr. Stacy asks of him. But Peter reveals at the end of the movie that the best promises are the ones you can't keep, shooting a look at Gwen.

My Thoughts:
No, this isn't the Spider-Man we saw in the original movie. This is a troubled boy who is trying so hard to grow up but just can't seem to figure out how. He needs his dad. He staggers around, empty, desperate, lost, trying to make sense of everything on his own. He gets so close to the good, but gets knocked away, and even the end of the movie isn't satisfactory. Really? Making a promise you don't intend to keep? Not something that should be done, especially to someone who is dying.
Yet we feel for Peter. How could we not? Even as he rides his skateboard around in the school after being told not to, he stands up for a kid being bullied even though Peter is well aware he hasn't got a chance. His humorous comments to the criminals are enough to make us smile, but we wonder, when did he start enjoying this? At first, we felt like he was blindly searching for a way to deal with Ben's death. But when he starts mocking the criminals he attacks, we know he's gone over the edge.
He's not all bad. I found Garfield's portrayal of a high school guy to be very well done. So well done that it hurt.
But Spider-Man is not fully redeemed by the end of this movie. No, he still has a lot of learning to do. He's no Spider-Man. Even as a senior in high school, because of his inner struggles, he's very much a Spider-Boy.
That's a dangerous thing.

So we come full circle: what’s in a hero? What does it take to be one? What kind of hero do you want?
Do you want a Spider-Boy? Are you willing to let him spend more than one movie turning his life around?
Realistically, it should take him more than that. I think it's reasonable to wait for more development, as he really has started to show some progress by the end of this movie. Personally, I enjoy a story about a hero who finds it hard to be a hero.
Who knows? Maybe by the end of the next movie he'll have moved on from being Spider-Boy to being a real Spider-Man.