Movie: GODZILLA

Rating: Hmm, I can't decide. It was the longest movie ever, which is bad when you're trying to do homework, but also good when you're trying to avoid homework. It was pretty predictable, but that might have had something to do with the fact that I already knew the story. Either way, it was a pretty good movie. I watched the one from 1998 by the way. It felt like an old movie to me, which is pretty sad since that wasn't all too long ago :S Some of the scenes reminded me of Jurassic Park... Anyway, I think it would be fun to watch the super old Godzilla from 1954? It might be even more fun to watch it in Japanese :) That shall be my goal... eventually

Book: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Andersen

Rating: 4/5 stars

Follows the story of a teenage girl who has recently lost her best friend. 

I liked this book, but I don't know about the ending. It sounded too easy. Anyways, I think Andersen made some really good points in here during the main character's rants about her eating disorder, self-harm, etc. I also thought that Andersen really dug deep to create this character and readers will find it really easy to get caught up in her story. I would recommend it:) 

Movie: Gran Torino

Rating: 5/5 stars

Clint Eastwood stars in this movie about changing neighbourhoods in which gangs are very present. 

I know this movie got a lot of hype, and I think it deserved it. It had a pretty simple plot but it told a great, but sad, story. I cried during one scene (I know, I cry too much at movies) because it was so devastating to all the characters. I thought it was pretty intense, and it is definitely worth watching, but be forewarned, it is depressing. 

Movie: Julie Johnson

Rating: 2/5 stars

Set in New Jersey, a high school drop out with two children decides to go back to high school. 

The movie was pretty good, except there is so much more to the plot. It was almost too much. Not only does she kick out her husband and therefore has no money to go back to school, she turns out to be a lesbian, and then she's a computer genius....It was certainly interesting, and the acting was believable, but the plot line was so random. 

Movie: Sunshine Cleaning

Rating: 2/5 stars

A woman trying to support her son learns that big money can be made by cleaning up after crime scenes. 

I thought it was okay, but it was missing something. It touched upon some important messages about life and personality, but I felt that it didn't share anything profound. Maybe this is too much to ask from a movie today, because you don't often see it. There were some funny moments too, and the acting was great! 

Movie: Chapter 27

Rating: 4/5 stars

The true story of the assassination of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman. 

Jared Leto is in this movie. Normally that would warrant it a 5/5 right there, but he doesn't really look like himself in this one. haha I thought Chapman's story is really interesting, even if it does seem a little twisted. I also like the allusions to "The Catcher in the Rye". It's worth watching. It was a lot better than I expected!

Movie: Lakeview Terrace

Rating: 1.5/5 stars

A young couple move in next door to a strict police man. They soon run into some trouble.

I don't know how else to summarize it, but yes it was as lame as it sounds. I think they tried to give it some sort of message against racism, but it didn't really come off that way. I didn't really like it, but the actors were pretty talented. It wasn't suspenseful, but they did try. 

PS. sorry for the lame reviews....but they're fun to write when I have nothing better to do...which is most of the time:) haha

Movie: Fight Club

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk, the story follows a man as he creates a fighting club with a new acquaintance. 

I liked how the story progressed and I think the ending suited the story:) I think the movie was well cast and had some good special effects! I would watch it again! 

"When people think you're dying, they really listen instead of just waiting for their turn to talk."


"I felt like destroying something beautiful."

Movie: Dorothy Mills

Rating: 2/5 stars

A young girl hurts a baby and a psychiatrist is hired to help her. At first it seems that the young girl, named Dorothy, has multiple personality disorder, but then she starts speaking in the voice of the psychiatrist's dead son. 

The story sounds good, and the psychological aspect was interesting, but there wasn't any more to it than that. There were some cheap scares, but unless you are really interested in psychology, i wouldn't suggest this movie. 

Movie: Little Miss Sunshine

Rating: 5/5 stars

A family goes on a trip across the U.S.A. to get to the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant, so they can enter the youngest daughter, Olive. 

OMG! Hilarious:) One of the best movies ever made! 

Movie: Psycho- Alfred Hitchcock

Probably the best movie ever made.
WOW.

Book: Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Rating: 3/5 stars

This book follows the lives of 3 teenagers admitted to a psychiatric hospital because they tried to commit suicide. Their life stories, and why they attempted suicide, are revealed over the course of the novel.

Again, I like the writing style of this author. I enjoyed discovering what led to the characters' suicide attempts and how it changed their lives. It was pretty predictable, but it had a good ending! 

Book: Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Rating: 4/5 stars

This novel follows a teenage girl addicted to Crank. 

The chapters are all written as short poems, which makes it very easy to read. The story is captivating, as it gives an in-depth look into a young girl's life when she is addicted to drugs. It illustrates her entire journey with drugs up until she decides to quit. She hits many obstacles along the way. Overall, it is a disturbing and thought-provoking story.

Sequel: Glass

Movie: The Invisible

Rating: 5/5 stars

A teenager gets beaten up and soon wakes up invisible. Assuming he's dead, he starts trying to control the investigation into the search for his body, while following around the other characters.

I am a huge fan of this movie (along with its soundtrack)! I love the actors, I love the story, I love it all! The story is intense and draws you into the lives of each character. It contains a lot of diverse emotions, taking you on an intense roller coaster ride (oh how cliché)! Everyone needs to see this movie!!!!!!!

Movie: Grimm Love

Rating: 0.5/5 stars

A college student starts doing research for her thesis on a cannibal and the man he ate. The film illustrates what happened on the night the cannibal struck and then flips back to the researcher's progress.

If you want to see some freaky stuff while trying to understand the psyche of a cannibal and someone who wants to be eaten, then you should watch this movie. Otherwise, run away from it. It was disturbing in so many ways. The content was beyond anything found in any other cannibal movie (so I gave it .5 for being unique). Also, the main female character seems totally unnecessary because the story of the cannibal she is researching is plenty frightening without her own twisted story added in. The story was too much for me and will probably haunt me until I can repress the memory of ever having seen it. 

Movie: Obsessed

Rating: 1/5 stars

A woman starts working as an assistant in an office and soon starts stalking her boss. 

I only give it 1 star because it was so lame it was funny. It was so insanely predictable and corny that it almost wasn't worth watching. The only funny part was how the main male character dealt with the stalker woman trying to seduce him and when that same lady started a fight with his wife, played by Beyonce. It was funny, but in no way a unique film. In my opinion, it's not worth watching. 

Movie: Knowing

Rating: 3/5 stars

A kid finds a long list of numbers in a time vault at his school. His father discovers that the numbers correspond to the days of disasters all over the world. He has to avoid the next numbers, which happen in the future, and save his son. 

There were some intense moments, although I wasn't expecting this movie to be so sci-fi; the commercials are a tad misleading. For me, the ending completely redeemed the movie. I was not expecting it and I thought it was a very interesting way to finish the story. Some parts are a little bit 'out there' but overall, it is a good movie with a great ending! I'm not sure the casting was quite right (I don't think Nicolas Cage was the best man for the part) but it didn't matter because the script was well-written!

Movie: The Haunting In Connecticut

Rating: 5/5 stars

A family, including a son with cancer, move into a new house. The son starts seeing people in the house, and his family assumes it is due to his cancer treatment. They soon discover the house used to be a funeral home and accept that the people may not be hallucinations.

This movie combines hauntings and hallucinations in a shocking hollywood style film based on real events. I saw the story based all on true facts before I even knew they were making a hollywood movie out of it. Even though I was aware of the extra dramatization, I was still completely drawn into the movie. I knew how it was going to end, but I still had to watch the whole thing just to see what they were gonna do to it. The special effects in this film were beyond impressive! I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys a good ghostly scare (they keep coming in this one!).

Book: The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas

Rating: 2/5 stars

Chalk circles start turning up in the city of Paris, surrounding random objects; a pen, a book, etc. Soon bodies appear in the circles, and the Inspector must solve the crimes. 

It's not that the mystery set up by the author isn't intriguing; all the details fit together perfectly and leave no questions unanswered. It had a good plot, it was mildly interesting, but it seemed as if it was all just laid out for you, no thought required. I found it boring, which honestly made it hard to read right up until the end. I won't deny that it provides a good story for mystery novel buffs, but I simply do not prefer this type of novel. I love the characters' names!

Book: Under The Skin by Michel Faber

Rating: 4/5 stars

Isserley sets out from the farm every day to pick up hitch hikers. She tries to get to know them before she kidnaps them. The details of her kidnappings, as well as of her personal life, are slowly revealed during the course of the novel.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It is not at all what I expected from reading the back (never judge a book by its cover?). I love the author's style; how he slowly (and with perfect timing) gave readers the clues to figure out just what Isserley's life entails. It was shocking and deeply disturbing right up until the (only slightly predictable) conclusion. The book, set far from today's society, still has the power to make the reader question their morals and beliefs about society. The author has a special style that draws you in slowly and keeps you flipping the pages until the dramatic last one.