Tag: review | Amy C. Shaw

Review: Iron Man 3

May 6, 2013 • 5 Comments

I think expectations can have a great effect on how you ultimately feel about a movie (or book). Sometimes, when you set the bar low, you end up being blown away and loving something! Sometimes, you set the bar high, so when the plot or characters (or both) disappoint, you end up feeling underwhelmed. My expectations for Oblivion were super high, like, this-is-gonna-be-one-of-my-new-all-time-fave-movies high and I ended up a little bit disappointed. I was looking forward to Iron Man 3, but were my expectations for it were lower. What is actually happening in this movie? I’m sure it will be good but I have no idea what is going to happen. So of course, I ended up loving it.

Five words to describe Iron Man 3: Intense. Funny. No Nick Fury?!

Iron Man 3 is a little bit darker and more intense throughout the movie than its predecessors. Yes, that cave scene in the first Iron Man movie is a rough, and the first time we see Ivan Vanko on the racetrack in Monte Carlo it definitely got intense, but the danger always felt imminent in this installment. I found the movie well-paced, and it certainly included its fair share of wonderfully funny RDJ/Tony Stark moments and quips that help lighten the mood. We also see the aftermath of what Tony went through in The Avengers, which I liked a lot, and he takes a field trip to good ol’ Tennessee! (Since most of you are probably unaware, I live in Tennessee, so this was exciting. But boo on Shane Black for filming the TN parts in North Carolina! I mean, seriously? But I digress…) I absolutely love the kid he befriends there, Harley, and I think the child actor who played him did a great job (maybe we can recast him as Anakin in The Phantom Menance… and have someone, ANYONE rewrite the screenplay…).

Also, I feel this was Iron Man’s best foe; there’s even an interesting twist concerning the villain, but I won’t give it away! I thought Guy Pearce and Ben Kingsley did a great job in their roles. Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle also did great returning to their roles as Pepper Potts and Colonel Rhodes, respectively (Terrence Howard who?).

There are a few small problems with the movie. First off: it does not snow that much in December in TN. SERIOUSLY. OK, I’m being nit-picky, and it is possible, especially in the East, but still not very likely or common. Second, out of all the crazy things that happen in this movie that I totally have no problem believing, it bothered me so much that there was not a single conversation with Nick Fury or anyone else at SHIELD about Tony getting some reinforcements to help him out. I mean, seriously, what are Captain America and Black Widow and Hawkeye really up to? I’m hoping we find out they’re working on their own missions around this same time, like how Iron Man 2 and Thor took place right around the same time. But even a voice mail that said: “Sorry, we can’t help,” would have been nice. Of course, Tony Stark is presumed to be dead by the world for a good portion of this time, but I think someone would have checked up on that to be sure.

Also, I personally did not have a problem with this, but I know other people did/will, and that is that it can be easily perceived that Pepper is a “damsel in distress” towards the end of the movie. This is kind of true in a way, I suppose, but if you know Pepper, you know how strong she is. What happens is a by-product of her relationship with Tony and it makes sense in the context of the story, and it has nothing to do with her being weak or anything like that. And I think she handles herself pretty well. I mean, by all intents and purposes, President Ellis ends up being a “damsel in distress” too, but no one would say that because he’s a guy. But this does leave me with my last problem with the movie, which is I didn’t really think President Ellis was a well-developed character at all. He never seemed particularly strong, but I don’t think he was meant to come off as weak either. He just seemed kind of OK, and I believe William Sadler is capable of a lot more than the role offered him (just watch Season 7 of Deep Space Nine and you’ll see).

But overall, Iron Man had everything: action, fun, and good character moments, except of course, we sadly have no Agent Coulson, which just isn’t right. 🙁

whedonite problems — Curse you, Joss Whedon!

This was a great way to kick off the summer, but unfortunately, I’m afraid there really aren’t going to be a lot of truly great summer movies after May. Four out of five stars. And of course, stay until after the credits. 🙂

Have you seen Iron Man 3? What did you think?

Review: Ender’s Game

April 13, 2013 • 9 Comments

I don’t know what suddenly drew me to Ender’s Game. I had been aware of it for some time, and I think when looking into books I might possibly want to read, it stuck out to me for some reason. I think this was around the same time I was kicking around a story idea I had that is slightly reminiscent of the movie Tron: Legacy, and I was wondering how Ender’s Game compared. Well, it turned out that it’s pretty different.

Ender is only six years old when he is picked up to attend Battle School, and he quickly moves up the ranks in the school, commanding his own army by the age of 9. From conversations we see at the beginning of each chapter, those in charge of Ender are determined that he is the only one who can annihilate the “buggers” (the aliens who have fought them in two wars now), which is why they accelerate him through the ranks. They do this, however, by isolating him, breaking him, and lying to him.

I knew this book was about children, so I was very surprised by how dark and gritty the story actually was. There’s also some language in here; it probably wouldn’t bother most people, but I wouldn’t call it kid-friendly. As a story of science fiction, however, this story was very profound. Everyone in charge of the Battle School is xenophobic, they are willing to push a child to limits that would be difficult for an adult, and the child himself is capable of producing great damage that he tries to deny for quite some time. As all good science fiction does, I think the story does a great job of mirroring how we as people are, regardless of the time and setting of the story.

I did have a few small issues with the story. The pacing sometimes seemed strange while reading because the story covers such a long period of time, though once you’ve read the whole story you can understand why certain parts emphasized on and why certain parts were abbreviated. And though I understand why all the emphasis was on Ender, I would have liked to have seen more development of some of the minor characters, particularly Alai, Bean, and Petra.

I also still have mixed feelings about the end of the story. I think I would have liked it better if the book had ended right after *SPOILER* Ender found the bugger queen’s cocoon *END SPOILER* instead of dragging things out a little bit longer to the years beyond. I am curious is Card was trying to wrap things up because he was unsure if he was writing more books, yet still leaving some mystery so that he could write more.

There is also a small subplot in which Ender’s brother Peter recruits their sister Valentine to help him try to infiltrate the Nets with the way people think. It’s both difficult and easy to believe at the same time, like a few other things in the story, but the part that bothers me most is how much credibility Peter still has once the war is over.

I would recommend this book for teens and adults. I think, like all good science fiction, it forces us to take a look at ourselves and what we are capable of and what we are willing to do. And it shows how what we do affects us; we see both Ender and Graff were affected greatly, but in different ways. I might read the sequels, but I don’t feel like I necessarily have to. I’m also interested in seeing the movie adaptation coming out this year and how it will compare to the book.

As he [Ender] thought of it, though, he could not imagine what “just living” might actually be. He had never done it in his life. But he wanted to do it anyway.

If you’ve read Ender’s Game, what are your thoughts? What do you hope they will include in the movie? If you’re read the sequels, would you recommend them?

Review on GoodReads.

Review: Red Dawn

April 7, 2013 • 0 Comments

My husband and I recently rented the remake Red Dawn from Redbox to watch. I had actually not really heard any of my friends say anything about the movie, either positive or negative, which usually deters me from checking a movie out (assuming it’s not something I was anticipating to see and see it the first night it’s in theaters), but I was curious. I have also never seen the original, so this review is based solely on what I thought about this story and movie as it stands alone.

For those who are unfamiliar, Red Dawn focuses on a group of ordinary teenagers who live in Spokane, Washington, when North Korean troops come in and take over. The movie starts with media footage (some of it definitely real, but I am unsure as to whether or not all of it is) about North Korea. It hits home with what we see in the news everyday, but also in clips where you see President Obama, VP Biden, and former Secretary of State Clinton discussing the matter. From the start, the movie feels like it could be real. Unfortunately, once I saw the vast number of N. Korean paratroopers in the sky over one neighborhood, it started to feel less real.

The whole takeover seemed a little too easy, but I allowed myself to believe it as I watched the film. Jed, one of the teenagers’ older brother is a Marine who takes charge of the group of frightened teenagers and trains them how to fight as warriors. He gives them a speech about how their job is to create chaos, and how to the people they will be fighting, they are just in some place, but their group is fighting at their home, for their home. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see much of the training, as it is pretty much reduced to a montage sequence. In the montage he also tells the group to find people in town they trust to get supplies from, and I wish we could have seen more about how they integrated into this new way of life, especially considering that just a minute before they were still hiding in the woods trying to stay out of sight.

After this, however, I felt the movie was paced better. There are several times that the Wolverines, as the group calls themselves, find ways to collect gun sand even bombs to help them create chaos. Along the way, they make mistakes at times that show that they are not trained military and that they are emotional teenagers. However, you can also seen a clear transformation in their characters as they accept who they are now. I feel this is especially true of the characters Robert and Daryl, who seem very apprehensive about fighting at first, but Daryl especially shows that he is willing to make sacrifices and tough choices for the cause. By the end, we also see a big change in Jed’s younger brother Matt, who harbored a lot of resentment towards his brother for leaving their family years before after their mom died, as rises up as a leader when needed.

I don’t want to give away too many details of the film, but I think it was pretty well done. I would have liked more development in the story itself, from how the North Koreans got such a foothold to more about the training of the Wolverines. The movie ends without a sure resolution, but you are left with a small sense of hope. I think it’s a movie people should see, despite a few flaws, and there are several poignant character moments. I would rate it 3 stars out of 5.

Has anyone else seen the remake of Red Dawn? What were your thoughts on it? If you’ve seen the original, how would you say it compares?

Review: Unbroken

March 30, 2013 • 2 Comments

I don’t read much non-fiction, but I have been long interested in WWII history. Unfortunately, once I was finished taking history classes, it seemed I decided I was finished reading on it as well. I don’t think I was consciously thinking that, but keep in mind that it took me until last year to start reading for fun again. I asked for this book for my birthday and received it, but it took me a few months to get around to it because it was more intimidating that the young adult literature I had ready to read as well. But after hearing another high recommendation from a friend who doesn’t even care much for reading, I decided it was finally time to delve into it.

The story focuses on a guy named Louie, who got in trouble a lot as a kid. That is, until his brother helps him focus his energy into running. Louie isn’t wild about running at first, but after a while, it consumes him. He beats high school records, gets a college scholarship, beats more records, and start setting his sights on the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. He makes it to the Olympics, though he does not medal, but he starts setting his sights once again for the 1940 Olympics.

But then war begins, and international turmoil causes the Olympics to be cancelled. Louie ends up joining the service. In 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked. Louie was going to war. As an air serviceman, he was sent to Hawaii. He formed a bond with the men on his plane and other men in his camp, but it was a daily, pain-staking reality that many men would not return from their missions. And one day it was his plane that did not return. But Louie and two other men from his plane survived.

I don’t want to share too much more, because there is a lot to be said for going into this story blind. But I will say that after the plane crash survival, the story is all downhill for quite a while. Louie faces an extreme amount of hardship for the duration of the war.

I knew this book was supposed to be amazing and have a hopeful ending, so I kept pushing through it. It was exhausting and grueling to read through all Louie’s trials, and Hillebrand does such a great job of putting you in Louie’s head and helping you understand the gravity of the situation. I like how she had not just his point-of-view though, but combines what he knows with what people on the outside knew then or what we know now from history, to paint a very descriptive picture that really defines the gravity of the situation. She seriously did her research. And then when he gets home and things seem to get better, things go wrong again.

But, in the end, there is hope and redemption. And it makes everything before it worth it, both for the reader and for Louie. It is emotional and amazing, and it made me respect our servicemen and women ten times more than I already did, especially my grandfather, who also fought in the Pacific during WWII. This is a book that I believe everyone should read (well, everyone about 18 and up I would say). It’s a story about the human spirit and history and how twisted man can become but also how forgiving man can be. It’s a story for everyone. If you haven’t read it, seriously, READ IT. And buy the printed version so you can get a good look at the great photographs scattered throughout.

“If you will save me, I will serve you forever.” – Louie’s promise to God while he was lost at sea.

Have you read Unbroken? What are your thoughts? Have you read any other great WWII books I should add to my TBR list?

Review: The Giver

March 2, 2013 • 3 Comments

After hearing so many good things about The Giver, I decided to read it late last year. It’s a children’s dystopia read and a very easy read, but that did not lessen the impact of the story. In fact, after reading the likes of Matched, Divergent, and other dystopia series with complicated intricacies about them, The Giver really was a breath of fresh air. The society in which the main character, Jonas, lives in is fairly simple. As they grow, children reach certain benchmarks at certain ages that teach them certain lessons (example: children are given a bike at age 9, which allows them to travel independently of their parents). Then at the age of 12, a child is given his job assignment and starts training. As they reach adulthood, they can apply for a spouse and up to two children.

When it comes to his 12th year ceremony where he will receive his job assignment, Jonas grows nervous when he is skipped over his place in line for an assignment. It is not until every other 12th year child has received his or her assignment Jonas learns why he had to wait: he is to inherit the very honorable position of the Receiver of Memory, the one who keeps all memories from the past, before everyone lived in “Sameness.” The process to receive the memories is grueling when he receives the painful memories of war, starving, and sunburns. But he also gets to experience the joys of Christmas, grandparents, and snow sledding. Though he recognizes the dangers of the way the world used to be, he starts to believe it would be worth it to experience the pleasant things life can offer. He also starts to recognize the importance of knowledge and choice. He asks the preceding Receiver, who is now The Giver, if there is a way to go back to the way things used to be; if there is a way he can share the memories with others.

My only complaint about this book is that I feel it ends too soon. I wish I could know more and find out what happens after Jonas implements his plan (I’m keeping this vague so I don’t spoil anything). There are three other books in the same universe that follow this one, but they follow other characters, and I have read mixed reviews on them. I don’t want to read them unless I feel like they really add to The Giver and give it a sense of completion so I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to read them. (If you have an opinion about this, please let me know!) But overall, this really is a great little book that I think is a great introduction for preteens start to think about life differently… or for adults as well.

I probably won’t review it on here, but if you’re looking for another great and fast read about a dystopia society but is more geared towards adults, check out Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem.

If you’ve read The Giver, what are your thoughts on it? Is there someone you would like to see playing Jonas in the movie adaptation that is supposed to be coming out? (Jeff Bridges is already confirmed to play the role of the Giver)

Great quote from The Giver: “The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It’s the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.”

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