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Simbafan
I currently attend MJC (Modesto Junior College in Modesto, California) and am currently getting my General Education, until I can transfer to UC Stanislaus. There, I will get my liberal studies and move on to teach high school English and Choir. I would LOVE to get involved with Theatre. I sing in both Concert Choir and Chamber choir. I sing first tenor and counter tenor.
Favorite Movies!!!
I'm a very big kid at heart, and I enjoy a great assortment of animated/kid movies.
The Lion King (Simba is the BEST CHARACTER EVER!!!!!!!)
Balto
How To Train Your Dragon (Toothless is AMAZING!)
Sweeney Todd
All Dogs Go To Heaven
the Saw movies
Harry Potter Movies (i don't care what people say, I still think David Yates did INCREDIBLE on OoTP)
Star Wars Saga
Kung Fu Panda is the best Dreamworks film ever!
Wicked the Musical (yes, i know its not a movie, but i don't care! ITS AMAZING!!! AND NOW ITS BEING MADE INTO A MOVIE!!!!! ITS OFFICIAL!!!)
Indiana Jones KotCS (don't care how crappy people say it is, i still loved it!!!!)
I LOVE Wicked The Musical, and am COMPLETELY thrilled that they are officially making a movie out of it! My choice for Elphaba (just my opinion) would be to cast Anne Hathaway. Before anybody thinks i just saw somebody mention it and decide i "joined the bandwagon", let me tell you that i was ON the bandwagon before it became such a popular idea.
The Dark Knight was INCREDIBLE! a perfect movie in my opinion!
Still waiting for Harry Potter Deathly Hallows (BOTH parts)
I've read all four Twilight books (They are easy reads, really don't stimulate anything thought provoking, but damn it they're good reads!) and I'm excited for New Moon (Twilght & harry potter are NOTHING alike, END OF STORY.),
Man of Steel and Spiderman
...and an assortment of others.
Proud member of the following -
Knight Owls
The N00bist Society
Author of 4 stories. http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1675227/SimbaFan
Reviews
The Collector (2009)
Entertaining, but far too flawed
Okeydoke. I just saw this about a half hour ago. WOW.
**Some Spoilers Ahead!**
If there's one thing that I REALLY got from this movie, other than 2 hours of torture porn, its that the SAW people have NOT lost their touch (as so shown in Saw V). Just as a note, I am a very big fan of the Saw movies (save for V, which was a big letdown) The Collector was a decent film, as far as suspense, twists, and fear go, and I'll explain why a little further down. As far as a storyline...there's almost none. Basically what you know from the trailers is the story; A guy breaks into a house to rob it, only to find that a madman known as the Collector is already there, torturing the family who lives there, and he must find a way to escape while simultaneously saving them. Granted, there's a few minor details that really don't play too much into the storyline, like the fact that Arkin (the protagonist and robber) is only robbing the house, (whose owners are his employers and his job is to help with the remodel they are currently going through)out of necessity because his wife and daughter are under threat of some loan sharks for money. The owners of the house are in possession of a stone that is worth enough to pay off the loan sharks.
But thats ALL that we don't know from the trailer. Other than that, you will walk into this movie knowing EVERYTHING already. The only thing you can expect now is suspenseful moment after suspenseful moment...and gore.
Did I mention the gore? This film brings it by the BUCKETS and there are rare moments when it doesn't stop. They literally leave nothing to our imaginations, which the SAW creators have prided themselves on doing. Which is why, I reiterate, the SAW creators have NOT lost their touch. I can handle gore, blood, guts, etc just fine. But this movie had me cringing in my seat. And it takes a LOT to get me to do that. So if you see this, be prepared for some gut-wrenching (pun intended) gore.
I said earlier that this movie was a decent film because of the suspense, twists, and fear that it brings. This is simply because it DOESN'T END until the last moment when the credits roll. They establish Arkin's character at the beginning to where we care JUST ENOUGH that we want to know what happens to him. And so begins the labyrinth of suspenseful moments, faceless screams (for a bit anyways), diabolical booby-traps, and "OMFG" moments. These nonstop moments send us on an emotional roller coaster ride as we follow Arkin and wonder if he's going to make it through. That worked for the movie, which made for, while scary and gory, an entertaining movie experience.
But this movie is FAR from flawless. As stated before, there is practically no storyline. That alone is a bit of a turnoff. Another is the OVERusage of gore. It was simply way over the top on this film. And then, of course, with every horror film, we, as the audience, can say "Well so-and-so could have done...and he could have lived." or "There was a weapon within his reach that he could have used." or something along those lines. In any normal horror movie, there's a few memorable moments where we think of those ideas, but it doesn't ruin the film.
THIS FILM HAD TOO MANY OF THOSE MOMENTS.
Just off the top of my head, I can think of over 10 instances where Arkin had a weapon at his disposal to use against the Collector, one of which was IN HIS POCKET. The diamond that he steals from the safe is about the size of his fist! USE THAT TO BASH THE COLLECTOR IN THE HEAD! ...Goosefraba...goosefraba...goosefraba (Anger Management quote for those of you who don't know) But probably the WORST factor to this film was simply the Collector himself. He left me thinking one word.
WHY? Why was he doing this all? There is a moment in the film where one of the Collector's previous victims explains that "The Collector collects people he wants and kills the rest that are unworthy." ...well, WHY does he collect these people? What purpose does it serve? Is he just an insane madman, or does he have an actual purpose for "collecting" them? A villain needs a LEGITIMATE motivation for doing what he is doing other than "Because it's scary". I'm sorry, but THAT does not fly with me.
Alrighty then. All in all, the suspense and the care for Arkin propelled this movie forward through to the end, but the lack of story being replaced with the overkill of gore and the lack of a motivation for the Collector was just too much for me. It was entertaining, but I will not be seeing this film again.