Movieton Review: Captain America The Winter Soldier

Hey, Hi, Hello!

I'm here today with a review for what may be one of my favorite movies!

But first, let me make a statement.

I am a complete and total nerd, fan, nut and (slightly) obsessive enjoyer of Marvel movies. I reserve the right to any and all hyping that may come about.

With that out of the way, let's begin!

Just when I thought Captain America can't be any cooler I went and saw this movie. I left the theater a fully corrected person. That's about the best way to put it. The all out epic fight scenes, the special FX, and the characters were all so amazing. I'm sincerely looking forward to seeing Cap next time, in Age of Ultron.

So, I think the movie said it's been about two years since the Battle of New York. Cap is now working for S.H.I.E.L.D ( Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Department) alongside Natasha Romanoff, Brock Rumlow, and others. When a new threat arises and Cap is framed as being a part of it, he goes on the run with Natasha to save the world and find the truth about a powerful adversary, who seems strangely familiar.

The Pros: No sensual material whatsoever! I liked that. Good character development. I commend Sebastian Stan for his performance as the Winter Soldier. Plenty of funny moments between Cap and his friends. (I was falling backward in my theater chair)  The story to was well thought out, no plot holes that I remember. The FX were as little computer generated as possible, which I appreciated.

The Cons:  As is the usual with superhero movies, swearing and violence. I didn't notice it a whole lot, but there were a few uses of H, D, A, B and S (I feel like I'm just saying the alphabet wrong) and God's name is taken in vain a couple times. There is action, gunplay and intense fight scenes throughout the entire movie, which could be disturbing to younger viewers. The final battle between Cap and The Winter Soldier is especially brutal and difficult to watch.

And so, despite it's flaws, I loved this movie! Five stars!

Feel free to post a comment and let me know what you think! 

Later!

Loganna.

Movieton Review/ Comparison: Star Trek

Hola! 

I'm here with a review/comparison (didn't you read the title?) for Star Trek!!

(cheering, applause, assorted happiness) 

First up, The Original Series!

The very first Star Trek episode debuted on September 8, 1966.The series was, and still is extremely popular, holding what I perceive to be one of the biggest fandoms. I myself watch this show on Netflix, and while it's extremely corny it still has its moments. That kinda old-fashioned sense of humor gets me rolling on the floor.  Nothing bad about it, unless you hate old shows. (I'm not the person to ask, my favorite show right now is 1965's "The Big Valley")

The old show that everyone loved so much gathered enough attention that finally, J.J Abrams and numerous others got together to give us  2009's Star Trek. 

Now this one was great in the fact that it seemed more futuristic, more modern. The old show didn't quite get that. This movie was a new retelling of Jim Kirk's and Mr. Spock's origins. Unfortunately, Kirk was re-imagined as more of a ladies man. MUCH more. You'll probably want to skip that scene. 

Also SPOLERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILER Spock and Uhura are re-imagined as being in love?!?!?!??!?!!??! It worked great, but still.  ENDSPOILERENDSPOILER

Other than that, great movie! The sequel is even better!

So, that's really more of just a review, but I tried to give some comparisons. For instance, Zachary Quinto doesn't even come close to Leonard Nimoy, but he does a good job. Or Chris Pine in his portrayal of Captain Kirk. Very different from William Shatner, but very funny.

There you have it!  The review/comparison for Star Trek! Feel free to post a comment and let me know what you think!

Bye!

Loganna.

Top Ten List: Favorite Actors

Hullo!

I'm back, an I have a Top Ten List of all my favorite actors!

Number 10: Johnny Depp

I first saw this guy in The Curse of the Black Pearl, and  I was impressed by the way he managed to swagger around like that and still remember what he was supposed to say. Not to mention, he had most of the funniest lines.He's very believable in whatever role he's in and definitely one of my favorites. 

Four Stars to this one.

Number 9:  Chris Evans

I first saw Chris Evans in 2005's Fantastic Four. Imagine my shock when I found out he was Captain America! I never would have figured it out that hothead Johnny Storm was also level-headed Cap. So of course, I have to commend him on getting into character so well. I'd give him about four and a half Stars.

Number 8: Chris Hemsworth

When I saw Chris Hemsworth in Thor, I didn't understand what the world was going on. (I always spoil the plot for myself on Wikipedia, but I didn't for that one)  I did, however, appreciate the emotion he had and the way he portrayed Thor's relationship with his brother. It nearly brought me to tears, unless I'm mistaken. Another happy thing, I've only ever heard him say one swear word once. That could just be the script, but I like to think he just doesn't say them. 

Five Stars to this actor.

Number 7: Scarlett Johansson 

I've only seen her in Iron Man 2, The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Both times I've been wowed with the way she shows Black Widow so perfectly. I haven't read any of the comics, but that is exactly how I imagined Natalia Alianova "Natasha" Romanova. 

 Four and a half Stars for her!

Number 6: Robert Downey Jr

I didn't feel particular fondness for Iron Man before I saw the 2008 movie. Then, I was hooked. I was extremely impressed by his rapid fire speech and quick thinking. And while I most certainly did NOT care for his flirtatious manner, (flirtatious is putting it extremely mildly) he was still an enjoyable character. The next time I saw his was in 2009's Sherlock Holmes. That was even more impressive, mostly because of the spot on British accent.
Five whole Stars for this amazing actor!

Number 5: Colin O'Donoghue

I've only seen him in Once Upon a Time, but I thoroughly enjoy his performance as Captain Hook. It's a very different take on the character, and (in my opinion) a good one. (Although I'm not a "Captain Swan" shipper) Anyway, I give him Four Stars.

Number 4: Leonardo DiCaprio

I first saw this one in "Inception". An excellent mind twisting, brain blowing movie, his character was Dominick Cobb, and he played him perfectly. I also loved him as "The Great Gatsby", which was sad, but, as the title suggests, great. A wonderful actor all round. Four Stars.

Number 3: Tom Hiddleston

I saw Tom as Loki in Thor, and as I mentioned before, my mind got blown to Asgard and back. He didn't even seem like he was acting. The whole thing was absolutely amazing. I still can't believe he's got such a huge fan base at such a young age. (But I totally get why everyone thinks he's cute)
Five Stars for him.

Number 2: Jeremy Renner

I saw his cameo in Thor, and even though it only lasted for about a minute, I still liked the character. The liking was intensified in The Avengers. Something about the way he always had a smile and a joke, even when under Loki's mind control. Renner was also great in The Bourne Legacy. Aaron Cross was no Jason Bourne, but he was still pretty cool.
Four and a half Stars to him.

And my Number 1 favorite: Liam Neeson!

When six I saw Star Wars Episode 1 and, I'll admit it, I had a little kid crush on him. (He was a hero, don't judge. ;)
Anyway, I think I cried when Qui-gon died., and was relieved to find out he was just acting. It took me a little longer to realize that everyone on TV was acting, none of that actually happened. I still to this day love his voice. To me, it's full of comfort and wisdom, and absolutely perfect. Liam is a great actor who uses plenty of emotion. He's almost even better as a villain, like in Batman Begins.
Five Stars to one of my favorite actors!

By the way, none of these actors are Christian that I know of, so please pray for them!

So that's it! Feel free to post a comment with your thoughts!

See Ya!

Loganna.

Movietone Reviews: The Avengers

Hallo! 

I'm here and, as promised, I have a review of 2012's The Avengers!

Bear in mind this is one of my favorite movies ever, so I get a little excited.

The story goes something like: the worlds greatest heroes must band together to stop the villainous Loki and his army of Chitauri. It may not sound that impressive, but it was.

First, the Pros. (because I'm a positive person.)

Excellent acting all around. Each actor was perfect for their role, and portrayed them with excellent emotion. Tom Hiddleston was especially brilliant in his role as Loki. The story was great, lots of team building. The graphics were great, particularly when SPOILERSPOILERSPOILER the portal opens above Stark Tower. ENDSPOILER.

The Cons. 

Swearing all throughout. No F-words, but several uses of H and D, not to mention both B's, and one drug reference. Some of the stuff I don't actually know what it means, I don't care to know either, so if you want a little more info on that, go to imdb.com and find the content advisory.

 The movie contains sy-fy action and violence everywhere. Black Widow's first scene is especially difficult to watch. 

Also, my personal favorite, Hawkeye, and a couple other characters didn't get a whole lot of development, which was disappointing. 

Other than that, this is a great movie! I recommend it to ages 13 and up!

Later!

Loganna.

Movie Review: How to Train Your Dragon

Hi!

I'm a bad girl. 

 I haven't posted in about a month. I procrastinated the whole time and I apologize. But now, I'm back with a movie review for......

(drumroll please)

How to Train Your Dragon!

(cue the cheering and applause)

Okay, so this movie came out a while ago, like 2010. But the second one's coming out on June 12 (squeals fangirlishly) and I felt like talking about it. 

So this is a story about a young viking boy who discovers a stunning secret about the dragons on his home island of Berk. With a newfound friend he sets about trying to change his tribe's mind about the dragons and bring peace to both dragons and humans.

This was a GREAT movie! Not only was the story appropriately funny and serious at the same time, but the soundtrack was brilliant, (It's John Powell, what'd you expect?) the voice acting was spot on, and it was just good, alright? My favorite character was Hiccup, but the others were great too. In fact, this movie is so beloved by me and my siblings that we memorized the entire thing word for word. (Another one that got us was 2012's  The Avengers, but more about that one next time.) And I was totally blindsided SPOILERSPOILERSPOILERSPOILER  at the end when Hiccup lost his leg. Who'd have seen that coming? ENDSPOILER.

Anyway, this movie was absolutely amazing and I heartily recommend it to all ages. (I'm looking at you, you adults who read this and think you're above a kids movie.)

See y'all later!

Loganna.

Bookland Review: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

G'day!

(Or evening, depending on where you are.)

Time for a new review! As the title suggests, Percy Jackson and the Olympians!

Alright, I'm going to be honest with you: I only got interested in this because I saw a trailer for the second movie and thought Logan Lerman was kinda cute.

There. I said it.

But this series actually turned out to be great!

So, the story is about young Percy Jackson, a slightly troubled boy with ADHD and dyslexia, who's been kicked out of every school he's ever gone to. That is, until he hits sixth grade and finds out that he's the son of one of the Olympian god from ancient Greece.

Now, don't get me wrong, the whole ancient gods thing is totally wrong. It's the reason I didn't like the idea before. But, you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. This series is great! I didn't mind after reading the first book. Percy's first person narration is hilarious and totally what I would be thinking!

Annabeth and Grover (his best friends) are great characters too. I was surprised to find a little surprise villain in there. (hint: you'll never guess who it is!)

I was glad for Percy's added maturity as the series went on. His and Annabeth's friendship was fun to read and the monster fighting is totally awesome!

The Cons: As I said, the entire series is centered on the fact that, in their world, the Greek gods are still around, and still have demigod children. That's completely wrong.

Another thing is, the characters use Ancient Greek as a substitute for modern swearwords. Not that often, but still. I have no idea what any of them  mean, but I still don't say them.

Other than that, this was great, and I recommend it to ages 11 and up!

Ta ta for now!

Loganna.

Movieton Reviews: Disney's "Frozen"

Hallo there!

It's finally time for a review! To start, I chose something simple, one of Disney's newest movies, Frozen.

SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!SPOILER!

The following content contains spoilers.

Premise: Anna and Elsa are two sisters and princesses of their realm. When Elsa one day reveals stunning powers over ice and snow, she runs off into the mountains in fear. With the whole kingdom frozen,  Anna sets out to find her sister and bring her home.

This was an excellent movie! Filled with enjoyable characters, cool music and hilarity, I immediately loved it. The songs were just right for their characters. (I especially enjoyed the song "Love's an Open Door.")

Anna is the main protagonist and thoroughly enjoyable. Bouncy, fun loving, yet at the same time, lonesome. She hasn't had contact with people for years, due to her parents closing the palace gates when she was little.

She is more than ready, to meet people, and perhaps a little to eager to find true love, being willing to marry someone she had only met that very day. (She saw sense, thank goodness.)

Elsa is her sister and very nearly the villain of the story. She was gifted at birth with powers over ice and snow. Gifted....until one day they went beyond control. When she hurts her sister by accident, her parents decide to lock the gates, and limit her contact with people until she can control her powers. (Creepy parents, am I right?) 

Elsa appears to be a major introvert at the palace, but once she strikes out on her own, she becomes a daring, bold queen of ice.Her solo song, "Let it Go" was very enjoyable. She was very loyal to her sister and I loved that. An incredible girl, really.

Prince Hans of the Southern Isles was Anna's initial love interest in the beginning of the story, but later(SPOILERS!) revealed himself to be at the center of a plot to take over Anna and Elsa's kingdom. (Being thirteenth in line for his own couldn't have been fun) 

Despite being the villain of the story, I genuinely liked Hans. He was so nice and kind, it seriously threw me off. When he did reveal himself, I was glad for the fact that he was a good villain. 

Kristoff is Anna's true love. (Although neither of them figure it out right away.) An iceman by trade, his business is ruined by the sudden winter caused by Elsa.

Well, Kristoff sort of bugged me because of his grumpy outlook. Even still, he was funny in the way that, he supplies a voice for his pet reindeer, which makes him look as though he has a hilariously split personality.

He comes to care greatly for Anna, and has deep respect for Elsa. (Mainly because of her skill with ice.)

Olaf is a talking snowman that Elsa created when tested out her powers. He's mainly there for comic relief, and they did a good job.  His best moment can be found on Youtube, the song, "In Summer." 

He is loyal and willing to melt for his friends, a real cutie.

All in all, a great movie filled with great moments. A movie I would recommend to the whole family!

That's it for now! Let me know what you think!

Loganna.

Greetings and Salutations!

'Ello there!

I'm Loganna Cross, and I'll be posting movie and book reviews, alongside some strange ramblings.

I won't trouble you with any reviews 'till next time, but I'll still try to have fun! First, some random facts:

             1.) I'm EXTREMELY new to this. Bear with me.

             2.) I love stories. Superheroes, fantasy, even mild romance. As long as it's good.

            3.) I'll listen to almost any kind of music. I generally draw the line at '80's songs. (Although Stryper had a good thing going.)

             4.) I love animals. Especially cats and horses.

             5.) I have a big family.

             6.) I'm running out of stuff to say.

So, let me know what you think in the comments. Any opinion welcome!

Loganna.