horseygurlz Reviews

Supernatural: I'm No Angel (2013) Season 9, Episode 3

Incredibly Done

[10/10 · 27 October 2013]

Not being American, I saw people discussing this online before I actually saw the episode and it made me very wary. Everyone seemed to be complaining about it - the main source for complaint being that Castiel sleeps with someone other than Dean. I found that ridiculous. Sure, I ship Destiel as much as any fan, but with all the fan-created stuff out there it's not like it's mandatory for it to be canon. I prepared to watch the episode with some trepidation, curious as to what was going to happen in it.

I was amazed.

The episode was amazing. It chronicled Castiel adjusting to his new, human life extremely well, focusing on lots of points that many other shows would simply have skipped over. It highlighted how he was struggling to deal with ordinary things like urinating, hunger and emotions whilst still having an interesting enough plot to keep the viewer engaged. I was captivated. Misha's acting was brilliant, and you started to see hints of 2014!Castiel, which gave a lot of things to think about. (There's another thing - there has been so much speculation that things are heading towards the season 5 episode The End. Castiel is a drug and sex addict in that episode - so how can him having intercourse with someone be unexpected?).

I was equally impressed with the transitions between Ezekiel and Sam - both Jared's acting and the special effects made that very clear, and Dean's reaction to the regular changes was perfect. Perhaps not much has been suggested about the main plot of the season yet, but this episode still advanced the series quite significantly and prepared for something big to happen in the coming episodes.

The Avengers (2012)

Absolutely Brilliant

[10/10 · 24 December 2012]

The danger with every superhero movie is that it will end up either horrifically unrealistic or unappealing to anyone over the age of ten. I am pleased to say that 'The Avengers' does not fall into either of these pitholes - in fact, it has to be awarded the title of one of the best films of 2012.

The actors were all amazingly casted in their respective roles and do an amazing job of creating intriguing and lovable characters. Many of them were reprising roles they had taken on in previous films - Captain America, Thor or Iron Man, for example - so we already had a good idea of how they would perform, but I feel they all exceeded expectations. Robert Downey Jr was incredible as the humorous yet conflicted Tony Stark/ Iron Man, and Chris Evans was brilliant as the confused, out-of-time Steve Rogers/ Captain America. Mark Ruffalo, the newbie of the cast, stepped into the role of Bruce Banner/ Hulk with great skill and dispersed all doubts as to his suitability. On the other side, Tom Hiddleston really has to be congratulated for his convincing and somehow relatable performance as the villain Loki, whose wit and tricks appealed to fans everywhere.

The special effects in this movie were undoubtedly excellent, and despite their need to be ostentatious never seemed unnecessarily unrealistic. The director Joss Whedon did a fabulous job and has created a cinematic classic that will be praised for years to come.

Labyrinth (1986)

A bit odd, but very entertaining

[7/10 · 9 August 2012]

Despite the fact that this film is quite old, it's age doesn't detract from the overall viewing experience.

David Bowie's performance as the Goblin King is extremely entertaining, and the songs are very catchy and stay in your head. The character is intriguing and very different to the normal 'bad guy' - you never really know whether he is truly good or bad.

Sarah at first seems like a complete spoilt brat, and Jennifer Connelly depicts this very well, but as she changes this is captured equally skillfully. Her character is straightforward and not terribly appealing, but I suppose some people would learn to love her as the film went on.

The main criticism for this film is that it is just plain strange - in both a good and bad way. The oddness makes it unique and appealing and is very well done, but it is also quite confusing.

A fun film to watch!

Avatar (2009)

Incredible

[9/10 · 9 August 2012]

Avatar is unlike any film I have seen before. It has a unique appeal and the animations and effects are absolutely spectacular. It truly captures the world of Pandora and makes it seem real.

All of the characters are well acted and you can really understand everyone's point of view. In many ways, it is a very emphatic film.

This film is very popular and caused a huge sensation when it was released in 2009. In my opinion, the hype surrounding it is deserved - it is certainly a film with a difference that should appeal to a very wide target audience. Obviously, the main target audience is those who like science fiction and fantasy, and not younger children due to some violence and a possibly too complex plot line.

So why not 10 out of 10? Well, while it is an excellent film it is not perfect, and it just feels like there is something missing.

All in all, an enjoyable film I would definitely recommend watching.

The Matrix (1999)

Fantastic - A must-watch film

[10/10 · 26 June 2011]

This movie has got to be one of the best films ever made. It has it all - great characters, good actors, plenty of action and incredible special effects. The plot is brilliant - everyone is living inside a computer programme so nothing is actually real? You would need a superb director, great actors and a bucket load of fantastic special effects to carry that off. However, this film manages it brilliantly. One of my favourite scenes is when Neo stops the bullets dead in front of him - absolutely legendary. The stunts in this movie are breathtaking, and despite how unrealistic the plot is, you find yourself wanting to believe it! This is one of the films that everyone has to see at least once in their lives - no matter what their taste in film is. A definite ten out of ten.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

The perfect ending

[10/10 · 26 June 2011]

I must admit, I had my doubts whether this film would live up to the incredibly high standards set by the first two films, but it has spectacularly succeeded. Once again, Viggo Mortensen delivers a polished and convincing performance as Aragorn, Orlando Bloom remains a very good Legolas, and Elijah Wood puts in a fantastic performance as Frodo Baggins. The special effects and computer generated scenes remain incredible and very difficult to tell from the real scenes, especially during the epic final battle. I always think that the final film in a series is the most difficult as the director has to tie up any loose ends, but Peter Jackson makes it look effortless - this is definitely one of the best films he has ever made.

While the trilogy doesn't exactly follow the plot of the books, and this film is no exception, it still captures all of the ideas laid out in the books by J.R.R.Tolkein. A must-watch film.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Incredible

[10/10 · 26 June 2011]

The second film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is just as good as the first. It has all the right ingredients - great actors, brilliant characters and bucket loads of action - to make it one of the best films ever made. Viggo Mortensen once again makes an amazing Aragorn, with a huge natural authority that translates brilliantly into the film. Orlando Bloom, Elijah Wood and John Rhys-Davies are also excellent as Legolas Greenleaf, Frodo Baggins and Gimli respectively. The special effects and computer generated scenes remain just as good as in the first film, and the use of models to create difficult scenes works absolutely incredibly. I would giver this film a definite ten out of ten - I just can't fault it. A must-watch film for everyone, no matter what your tastes in film are.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Absolutely brilliant

[10/10 · 26 June 2011]

This movie was absolutely incredible, I can't fault it. It has good characters, excellent actors and an all-round amazing plot. This is one of the only films I have ever seen where the film is just as good, if not better, than the book. I think Viggo Mortensen was one of the best actors - his portrayal of Aragorn was just incredible. He really captured Aragorn's personality perfectly and delivered a performance that was practically flawless. Orlando Bloom also made a very good Legolas, and Elijah Wood's portrayal of Frodo Baggins was brilliant. In fact, all the actors were amazing so it is hard to pick out the best ones! The special effects and computer generated scenes were magnificent to - sometimes it was hard to tell what was real, what was done in a studio and what was completely fake! This movie is one of the best I have ever seen - only matched by the other films in the trilogy, 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return of the King'

The Towering Inferno (1974)

A good movie

[6/10 · 25 June 2011]

For an aged film made when disaster movies were really only beginning to be appreciated, this is a great film. The actors are absolutely superb and this film is full of big name stars (of the time), and the special effects are pretty good considering the films age. Some parts of the film aren't particularly entertaining but mostly this film is pretty good. It doesn't compare at all to modern disaster films like The Day After Tomorrow or 2012, but even if it was made in the 21st century like these films you couldn't really compare it - both of those films feature absolutely huge disasters, whereas this only features a small one. So if you like older films, don't mind that some parts of this aren't very entertaining, and enjoy watching disaster movies, this is the film for you. If I had the choice I would have given this movie a 6.5 - but as it is it will have to settle for a 6.

Daylight (1996)

Not that great

[5/10 · 25 June 2011]

I didn't particularly enjoy watching this movie. The plot is okay and the characters are alright, but it doesn't stand out as a great movie. In fact, this movie doesn't really do anything at all - it doesn't appear especially good or especially bad, it just sits in a pile with all of the other 'half-decent but not very good' movies. Sylvester Stallone tries very hard to make his character more human and mortal in this film but he really isn't a particularly good actor and certainly doesn't do anything to make the film better. Perhaps this film is just aimed at a different target audience but I certainly didn't enjoy watching this movie and wasn't entertained - and as the point of a movie is to entertain I wouldn't recommend this.

Dante's Peak (1997)

Truly Awful - but sort of entertaining

[4/10 · 25 June 2011]

Now this is a truly awful film. The plot is bad, the characters are worse, and not even a cast off fairly well-known actors can save this film.

I actually cannot believe that some people review this better than Volcano. At least Volcano is entertaining, has good characters and a decent plot, and doesn't get on your nerves. This film does. I'm not even going to go into how unrealistic it is - most disaster films are and that's okay, but this one is so much less realistic than any other disaster film I've watched that you can't avoid noticing it - if I started talking about that this film would get a rating zero. As it is, I'm going to give it a four - only because it's so stupidly awful that you keep watching it so that you have a film to moan about afterwards, and a film that you can compare to any other film and say "compared to this, that movie was brilliant!"

2012 (I) (2009)

A great disaster movie

[8/10 · 25 June 2011]

This isn't exactly the best film in the world - but for a disaster film it's pretty good. The plot is exciting with plenty of action and drama, the characters are nice and varied and although the ending might seem decisive it actually still allows you to decide what will happen. Will the arks sink before they reach Africa? Will the people be thrown out - they weren't exactly nice to the Africans before, were they? Or will they reach Africa safely and have a nice happy-ever-after ending - that's probably what most people expect to happen. I thought Amanda Peet made a great worried mum character - and she was also a good sceptic before the disasters got worse. Probably one of my favourite parts of the film was when she was on the phone while watching the TV and laughing at any suggestion that the disasters were going to get worse. The reporter on the TV went "I'm happy to announce that the worst is over" (or something along those lines) and the entire state promptly starts cracking up. Brilliant. I would recommend this movie to any disaster or action film fan.

The Core (2003)

Entertaining with some great actors

[7/10 · 25 June 2011]

Like most disaster movies this has been picked apart because it isn't realistic and doesn't follow the laws of science - but it's a film so it doesn't have to follow the laws of science. This movie is entertaining, the disaster is original and the actors are absolutely superb. What more do you want from a film? If you want something realistic then look outside - that's real life. That's realistic. No movie is realistic if you think about it so stop complaining about realism.

If you enjoy watching disaster movies and want a movie you can just sit down and watch, this film is perfect. It might not be as good as The Day After Tomorrow or 2012, but for a disaster movie then it's great and certainly worth watching. I would recommend it.

Tsotsi (2005)

A good film

[8/10 · 25 June 2011]

'Tsotsi' is set in Johannesburg, South Africa and follows six days in the life of one man, Tsotsi. Following an argument with a fellow gang member, Tsotsi storms off into the night and steals a car. However, he soon discovers that the car contains a baby, and this baby changes his life.

This is an excellent story of redemption and has been superbly acted and directed. The only thing that I don't like about it is that it is a little bit blunt - as I normally watch Hollywood films this film was a little bit shocking in places - however I must say that I didn't find the dog scene shocking like some people. In my opinion, the scene actually showing Boston being physically sick was worse than the dog scene - the dog doesn't even look like its back is broken.

Some people complain that the final scene is not decisive enough but I think that it is one of the films strengths - it leaves it up to you to decide what happens to Tsotsi.

I think that this is a good film and I would recommend it - although if you are squeamish or really love animals it may not be the film for you.

The Day After Tomorrow (2004)

Excellent - for a disaster film

[8/10 · 25 June 2011]

I watch a lot of disaster movies and I can honestly say that this is one of the best I have ever seen. Okay, so it isn't exactly particularly realistic, but it's a movie not real life so it doesn't have to be realistic. You couldn't call Avatar or Lord Of The Rings realistic either. Dennis Quaid is superb in the role of Jack Hall and Jake Gyllenhaal makes a pretty decent Sam. The special effects are excellent and really blend together, so while the science may not make sense on screen it looks brilliant. There are definitely better movies out there - but for a disaster movie it's absolutely fantastic. If you like disaster movies it's definitely worth a watch - but if you just want to pick apart every movie you see for not being realistic then this is not for you.

Volcano (1997)

A good 'just sit down and watch' film

[7/10 · 25 June 2011]

I'm not going to pretend that this movie is realistic. It isn't. But if you want to just sit down and watch a film with action, drama and entertaining characters, then this is the film for you.

Most disaster films are unrealistic, have no science behind them and if you think about them too much just get worse and worse. This movie is no exception. However, it is still a brilliant film if you want to sit down and not think too hard, or if you want to put a movie on without having to give it your full concentration. Personally, I think this film is great. There are better films out there, including better disaster films, but there are so many films that are ten times worse yet get better reviews. That's probably because they have better actors or are more realistic - but the job of a movie is to entertain, and this film does that brilliantly.