Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place for the latest match.

Director: Gary Ross
Writers: Gary Ross (screenplay), Suzanne Collins(screenplay), and 2 more credits
Stars:  Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth

 Trailer

My thoughts

I didn’t read the books and was expecting a Twilight type of movie. Then about a half hour in a child was javelined and died.. WOW, this movie wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

It had many levels and all ages (13+) could find enjoyment out of this film, love, humour, politics and action. 2.5 hours flew by and it left me wanting to see more.

I would recommend this movie.

A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge.

Director: Daniel Espinosa
Writer: David Guggenheim
Stars:  Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds and Robert Patrick

My thoughts

Go Denzel Washington! This movie is a mix of the Bourne Identity, James Bond and Training Day. Since I liked all of those movies I can say that I did enjoy Safe House. Denzel and Ryan Reynolds were both great in this film.

I would recommend this film.

I found this information on the Kodak website and wanted to share it. The tips are great for beginners like me

1. Look your subject in the eye

Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person’s eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture.

2. Use a plain background

The following synopsis is from the classic Edgar Rice Burroughs comic book novel, “A Princess of Mars.”

John Carter is a Civil War veteran, but having fought for Virginia and the Confederacy, he tries to make his fortune mining the wilds of the Arizona desert. While being chased by Apaches, he has a out-of-body experience that takes him to Mars. Because of the lesser gravity on Mars, he has superhuman strength.

He first meets the green, insect-like warrior Martians and earns their respect as a mighty warrior given his unnatural strength, especially with his smaller size. Later, he learns that there are other human-like Martians after the green Martians attack scouting red Martians and take their princess prisoner.

John Carter falls in love with the princess, Dejah Thoris, and so plots their escape from the green Martians to return her to her people. However, because of civil war between the red Martians, the escape plot fails. John Carter is then forced enlist the help of the green Martians who he escaped from against the faction of the red Martians holding Dejah Thoris against her will.

Further complicating the rescue is the damage done to the red Martian’s life support system that gives Mars enough oxygen to keep it inhabitable by its people. If the movie is anything like the book, this is going to be action-packed roller coaster ride from start to finish.

END*

My thoughts

John Carter is a great movie! I saw it in ultraAVX, although the 3D isn’t mind blowing it still was well worth the additional fees for the screen size.

OK, I love multiplayer first person shooter games (MP-FPS). I was a latecomer to this still of entertainment. However,  I fell in love with FPS immediately. The only thing I dislike about FPS is the artificial intelligence (A.I.). The A.I. is never that great, normally you can find patterns in the game and take advantage of them. I normally get bored of the campaign mode then jump into multiplayer! Multiplayer brings a new level to any FPS game. It is so much fun because it is continuously changing and people say the craziest things.. Annoying and hilarious!

The best MP-FPS games that I have played on xBox (CanDiedPunch):

1. Battlefield 3
2. Black Ops  (don’t have MW3, yet)
3. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

Out of those, I have played BF3 the most. I play it because I find it to be the most challenging. It also seems like it is much closer to real life then the other games. I don’t mean to say that I want to be in a real gunfight. I am just saying if you are going to play something as real as war then why not have the more realistic game to do that with. I just want to make sure I say that: I have not played MW3 yet.

If you are looking for a game that will keep you going for hundreds of hours, then you will love this game. I feel as though it was totally worth the cost to play (game, live account and EA account).

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-7-most-mind-blowing-places-science-has-discovered-life/

On assignment in Budapest to intercept a courier working for a person of interest code-named “Cobalt”, IMF agent Trevor Hanaway is killed by an assassin named Moreau. Hanaway’s team leader, Jane Carter, and newly promoted field agent Benji Dunn extract Ethan Hunt and Hunt’s source Bogdan from a Moscow prison. Hunt is recruited to lead Carter and Dunn to infiltrate the secret Moscow Kremlin archives and locate files identifying Cobalt. Halfways through the mission, someone broadcasts across the IMF frequency, alerting the Russians to Hunt’s team. Although Hunt, Dunn and Carter escape, a bomb destroys the Kremlin and Russian agent Sidirov accuses Hunt of masterminding the attack.

The IMF extracts Hunt from Moscow. The Russians have called the attack an undeclared act of war and the US president activates “Ghost Protocol”, a black operation contingency that disavows the entire IMF. Hunt and team are to take the blame for the attack, but will be allowed to escape from government custody so that they may operate to track down Cobalt. Before Hunt can escape, the IMF’s secretary is killed by Russian security forces led by Sidirov, leaving Hunt and intelligence analyst William Brandt to find their own way out. The team identifies Cobalt as Kurt Hendricks, a Swedish-born Russian nuclear strategist who believes the weak must die for the strong to survive, and so plans to start a nuclear war to start the next stage of human evolution. Hendricks bombed the Kremlin and acquired a Russian nuclear launch-control device, and now needs its codes from the Budapest courier in order to launch a nuclear missile at America.

The exchange between Moreau and Hendricks’ right-hand man, Wistrom, is due to take place at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. There, Hunt’s team-members separately convince Moreau and Wistrom that they have made the exchange with one another. However, Moreau identifies Brandt as an agent. While Hunt chases Wistrom only to realize Wistrom is actually Hendricks in disguise as Hendricks escapes with the codes Carter detains Moreau. Moreau attempts to kill the inexperienced Dunn, and Carter throws her out a window to her death. Brandt accuses Carter of compromising the mission for revenge against Moreau, but Hunt accuses Brandt of keeping secrets from them, as he has displayed fighting skills atypical of an analyst. While Hunt seeks more information from Bogdan, Brandt admits he was assigned as security detail to Hunt and his wife Julia while on assignment. Julia was killed by a Serbian hit squad, prompting Ethan to pursue and kill them before he was caught by the Russians and sent to prison.

Bogdan and his arms-dealer cousin inform Hunt that Hendricks will be in Mumbai. Hendricks facilitated the sale of a defunct Soviet military satellite to Indian telecommunications entrepreneur Brij Nath (Anil Kapoor), which could be used to transmit the order to fire a missile. While Brandt and Dunn infiltrate the server room to take the satellite offline, Carter gets Nath to reveal the satellite override code. But Hendricks has anticipated Hunt’s plan and takes Nath’s servers offline before sending a signal from a television broadcasting tower to a Russian nuclear submarine in the Pacific. The submarine fires on San Francisco. Hunt pursues Hendricks and the launch device while the other team-members attempt to bring the broadcast station back online. Hunt and Hendricks fight over the launch-control device before Hendricks jumps to his death with it to ensure the launch. Dunn kills Wistrom, allowing Brandt to restore power to the station and enabling Hunt to deactivate the missile. He is confronted by Sidirov, who sees Hunt has stopped the missile, proving the IMF is innocent in the Kremlin bombing.

The team reconvenes weeks later. Hunt issues them new assignments. Brandt refuses to accept the mission, but Hunt reveals that Julia’s death was staged, as he knew he could not protect her and used her death as a pretext to infiltrate a Russian prison and get close to Bogdan, an IMF source on Hendricks. Relieved of his guilt, Brandt accepts his mission while Hunt watches Julia from afar. They share a smile before he goes off on his next mission.

From: IMDB

My thoughts

I am a huge fan of the MI series. Ghost Protocol is an amazing addition! I love that they are only still making these films and that the quality is still outstanding. I also really appreciate that they don’t forget what transpired in earlier films. The fact that they make mention of past characters, situations and bring back past characters for cameos is superb.

Tom Cruise has really built a legacy with this series. Of course they will not win him his Oscar, but this series will keep all the fans happy.

If you are on the fence about watching this movie in a theatre, get off the fence and into a cinema soon! I would recommend spending the additional $$$ for iMAx. The additional screen and visual quality is well worth it.

I rate Mission Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol 4/5

Synopsis

True Blood season 3 premiered Sunday, June 13 at 9pm on HBO and got off to a quick start with Bill in Mississippi and werewolves on the loose.

True Blood added a whole lot of new characters for season 3, including Alcide Herveaux, a werewolf.  That’s right, True Blood is stepping up its game and adding the age-old vampires vs. werewolves debate into the mix.

From: buddy tv

My thoughts

I am still in like with this series. It does continuously hit the same notes and actions over and over again. I guess why shake the boat if it is still floating well.

This season introduced some werewolves that are pretty.. pathetic. They are more like idiot dogs then powerful supernatural creatures. I guess after watching movies like Underworld and how they made werewolves seem so dangerous and powerful. True Blood kind of made werewolves look more like an annoyance.. Yes, I like werewolves.. HA!

Anyways, this season was still enjoyable. I will continue onto the 4th season.

I rate True Blood – season 3 a 3/5

Synopsis

Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective.

Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty.

Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads him and Watson out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

Filmmaker Guy Ritchie returned to direct “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows,” the follow-up to the smash hit “Sherlock Holmes.” The sequel also reunited producers Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey and Dan Lin. Bruce Berman and Steve Clark-Hall served as executive producers.

In her first English-speaking role, Swedish actress Noomi Rapace, who gained international attention in the Swedish film “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” plays a mysterious Gypsy named Sim, who becomes allied with Holmes and Watson in their quest to stop Moriarty. Jared Harris (TV’s “Mad Men,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”) joins the cast as the notorious Professor Moriarty. Stephen Fry (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire”) plays Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s decidedly eccentric older brother.

Returning from the first film, the cast also includes Rachel McAdams as Irene Adler; Kelly Reilly as Watson’s bride, Mary Morstan; Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade; and Geraldine James as Holmes’s long-suffering landlady, Mrs. Hudson.

“Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows” was written by Michele Mulroney & Kieran Mulroney. Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson were created by the late Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and appear in stories and novels by him.

Ritchie once again collaborated with the behind-the-scenes team from the first movie, including director of photography Philippe Rousselot, production designer Sarah Greenwood, editor James Herbert, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and composer Hans Zimmer.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Silver Pictures Production, in association with Wigram Productions, a Guy Ritchie Film, “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Opening nationwide on December 16, 2011, the film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

This film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some drug material.

From: http://sherlockholmes2.warnerbros.com/app#page=about

My thoughts

This was a pretty good follow up to the last Sherlock Holmes (2009). Guy Ritchie followed his vision and presented a lot of the same witty banter and action sequences. The writing seemed to have moved his main characters forward (Robert Downy Jr. and Jude Law). The timeline did feel as though it was a year or two since the last film. Although, I am sure that Robert and Jude both had a hand in the development of the characters! The addition of a few supporting characters (Madam Simza Heron, Mycroft Holmes) didn’t really make the movie better or worse. They didn’t damage the film, they just didn’t go into enough detail about the characters to make them important in any way. This movie was all about Robert and Jude! No complaints from me! They are both fantastic actors.

I did prefer the story of the 2009 Sherlock Holmes, or, maybe it was the fresh delivery of the film. All the same you should feel very comfortable spending the time and money on seeing this film in the theaters.

I rate Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows 4/5 

The second season of the television series True Blood commenced airing in the United States on June 14, 2009, concluded on September 13, 2009, and contains 12 episodes. It is loosely based on the second novel of The Southern Vampire Mysteries, Living Dead in Dallas.

The second season explores telepath Sookie Stackhouse’s relationship with her vampire lover, Bill Compton. It also introduces a number of sub-plots involving the anti-vampire Fellowship of the Sun church and Jason Stackhouse’s indoctrination into the church by its leaders, Rev Steve Newlin and his wife Sarah. It also expands the role of Maryann Forrester, a powerful supernatural creature, who slowly gains control over the people of Bon Temps. Sookie and Bill travel to Dallas to help Eric find his maker, a two-thousand-year-old vampire named Godric, who has gone missing and is believed to have been kidnapped by the Fellowship of the Sun.

The second season aired Sundays at 9:00 PM in the United States. The season finale aired on September 13, 2009.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My thoughts

This season was OK. I will say this, watching the episodes back to back can really take away the sexiness from all the sexiness. This season kind of goes into repeat. Each episode is kind of the same only with different characters. If you have watched this season you can probably relater… Couple fights, one of them cries, danger happens and they make up and cry some more.

The addition of new type of supernatural was nice to see. I had never heard of a maenad before this show. The fact that I was learning something made me feel better about watching all the sex and crying. Overall I would recommend this season to people.

In fact, I will make some recommendations right now: If you are a fan of the vampire phenomena then this season is right for you. If you are a fan of hot bodied people then this show is also for you. If you are a fan of people crying over everything and often appearing to be forced then this season is for you. However, if you are a fan of the books then you might want to bring one of those squishy stress balls, you will need it!

I rate season 2 of True Blood a 3.4/5