The Day the Earth Stood Still 2008

Well, this movie was just plain old amazing. If your someone that loves sci-fi almost end of the world movies I would definitely suggest this movie to you. This movie was so good through and through I'll leave the intense beginning for you to find out. One thing I will comment on though through-out the entire move I was getting a major green vibe, you'll know what I mean when you see it.

Neon Genesis Evangelion Reviewed

recently I got sucked up in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion. The anime kinda just drops you off, not really informing you about a whole lot. You follow the life of Shinji Ikari, who has recently been summoned by his father, Gendo Ikari. Immediately you can tell that the relationship between Shinji and his father is not a happy one. Shinji has no idea why his father has summoned him to Tokyo-3, a militaristic city with a hidden government research/military instillation (Nerv) buried deep beneath it, but when he arrives sirens wail and a giant humanoid creature, later intoduced as the 3rd Angel Sachiel, comes into view causing destruction and chaos. Shinji is taken deep into the government compound of Nerv to discover that his father wants him to pilot an almost Gundam looking thing called Eva Unit-01 (short for Evangelion). At first Shinji refuses to pilot it but when he sees the replacement pilot, Rei Ayanami, all beat up and wounded, he takes sympathy for her and takes the job.
Without any previous training it's kinda obvious that things aren't going to go good. Once Shingi is placed inside the Eva he is launched to the surface to face the 3rd Angel. The second he takes his first step in the Eva he trips and falls. In a second the Angel is on him beating him to a pulp, things look hopeless, command central is unable to eject Shinji from the Eva and he's not moving. All readings show that Shinji is either unconscious or dead then things get weird, the Eva starts fighting back. Before you know it Unit-1 is ripping the Angel apart, in seconds the Angel is dead and Unit-1 collapses, badly damaged.
The rest of the anime continues pretty much the same way. I felt that the episodes didn't have enough body to them, they sorta started and ended without really getting the watcher into them. Also, near the end of the series things start to get really weird. Although there were some things that bothered me I think overall I liked Neon Genesis Evangelion and would suggest it to anyone who is a fan of those animes with giant robot battles.

Demon Envy by Erin Lynn

Kenzie thinks her life is pretty hard but normal. She's failed her Driver's Test, she has annoying siblings, parents who don't understand her, and a crush on a guy who doesn't seem to know she exists, despite the fact they are lab partners. Then one morning all hell breaks lose. Well, part of Hell at least. Turns out there's a portal to the demonic prison system right under Kenzie's bathroom, and dropping her zit cream down the shower drain opens up said portal. Next thing Kenzie knows, there's an escaped demon prisoner in her bathroom, and he won't leave. Levi is an Envy demon, who looks like a geeky teenage boy, and had been imprisoned for being undemonic. Now Kenzie has a snarky demon taking over her life, a portal to Hell that keeps attacking her in the shower, and some unexpected attention is suddenly coming her way.

Demon Envy is a funny quick read. It never gets very scary, despite the portal to Hell, and is rather charming for a book about demons. I'd recommend it for teens looking for a light read, or a snarky new character.

Dread Locks by Neal Shusterman

Dread Locks is the first book in Neal Shusterman's Dark Fusion triology, which are retellings of fairy tales and myths in modern times with dark twists. Dread Locks starts out as an odd version of Goldilocks and turns in to the Gorgon myths.

Parker Baer is excited to see that someone has finally moved in to the abandoned house next door, but his first meeting with Tara, the girl who lives there is rather unusual, though oddly familiar. After letting herself in to the Baer house she proceeds to help herself to breakfast, break a chair, and take a nap in Parker's bed, where the family discovers her. She's a mysterious figure with her bright blonde coils of hair that almost seem to move and the sunglasses she always wears. She soon becomes the center of attention at school, befriending the leaders of all the groups students. But before too long Parker notices that her new friends are behaving more and more oddly, such as drinking huge quanities of milk and eating dirt. From there on in, it gets creepier.

I would recommend this book for 11 or 12 year olds and up, especially for readers that enjoy creepy books but not gore. A fast read, and one that will make you shiver a little. It is a book we've had for awhile that hasn't circed as much as it deserves, so give it a try.

Bond is Back!!

Quantum of Solace was released in the USA on November 14th 2008. Of course, being an avid James Bond fan, I found myself sitting in the theater forty-five minutes early on that day. My brother and I got there early so we could get good seats, and it was wonderful.

Quantum of Solace is the twenty second Bond film made. This particular movie is sort of a sequel to the twenty first film, Casino Royale. In the movie, Bond becomes overwhelmed with revenge as he hunts down the people who are responsible for Vesper's death in Casino Royale. On his way, he finds something huge.

In my opinion, Casino Royale is a must see in order for you to enjoy this movie. If you choose not to, good luck figuring out the characters. I still think it was awesome, but there was too much action. I give it a four out of five stars!!

:]

Long Time No Review

Ok, so its been a long-o time since I have reviewed anything. Thus the title of this blog post. :]

This review is about a movie titled "Dodge Ball". Dodge Ball was a movie I picked at random for a laugh. Starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, it was sure to deliver. The plot basically consists of a good guy, an evil guy, and a problem. 

Mega millionaire and gym owner White Goodman (Stiller), tries to buy out his only competition, Average Joe's gym which is run by Peter LaFleur (Vaughn). The only way for LaFleur to save his small gym, is to compete in a dodge ball competition for $50,000.

In the end, the bad guy loses and the good guy wins. There are a few surprises though!

i'll give it a 3 1/2 out of 5 stars. 

South of the Pumphouse by Les Claypool

Is it bad that I want to grow up to be like that guy? That guy in question is Les Claypool, one of the most creative and innovative bassists of our time, frontman of such bands as Primus, Oysterhead, Sausage, and the Fearless Flying Frog Brigade, and author of the book "South of the Pumphouse" which is, coincidentally, the book I'm reviewing! Isn't it funny the way things work out?

The book opens in the small town of El Sobrante, which was the town in which Les Claypool and Primus Guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde grew up. I'm sorry, I'm getting fanboyish. Anyway, the story follows the drug fueled fishing trip of brothers Ed and Earl, and Earl's bigoted best friend Donny.

I'm going to warn you now, this book is not for the prude. I am a fairly jaded child and some of the things in this book actually made me blush. There are copius amounts of drugs consumed, sex thrown out all willy-nilly (I love that word), and plenty o' violence.

Now that that I've warned you, on with the story. The book's main storyline follows the exploits of the three boys on the boat. Conversation varies wildly between the three, from debate about homosexuality, to scat in a public restroom, but it's Earls drug fueled rampage that shifts the tone of the book from lighthearted, if explicit, conversation, into an extremely morbid tone.

I loved this book. It was well written and strange, and ended on a disturbingly unsettling note. My only complaints are the flashbacks, which often intrude on the story, and the overall length of the book. Around two hundred pages, the book reads pretty quick, especially since you can't put it down. Unless you have no arms.

All in all, this book is a definite must for any fan of Claypool and his work, and a must for those who enjoy dark and unsettling tales. I'd heartily reccomend this to ay stranger passing in the street. Course, they'd all probably think I'm insane.