The Last Witch Hunter

Starring: Vin Diesel, Elijah Wood and Michael Caine
Directed by: Breck Eisner
Rated: PG13
Running Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes
Summit Entertainment

My Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

I am not a Vin Diesel fan. I've only liked one movie that he's made and overall I find his acting to be wooden which worked when he played Groot (ba dum tish). This may or may not make me biased towards this film, but at least I'm being honest. Diesel plays Kaulder, a man whose purpose is to protect the world (*cough* United States) from witches.

We meet Kaulder way in the past when he and his fellow group of witch hunters are on their way to defeat the Queen. Kaulder is able to defeat her, but not before being cursed with immortality. Fast forward to now. Kaulder still hunts witches, but he no longer kills them. If they pose no immediate threat, he leaves them alone otherwise they are taken to the witch counsel to face judgement. If they are committed of a crime they are imprisoned. Dolan 36 (Caine) is about to retire as Kaulder's priest protector when he is murdered. Kaulder is suspicious of the circumstances and discovers that Dolan 36 has been killed by witches. Kaulder sets out to hunt those that killed Dolan 36 with the help of his new protector, Dolan 37 (Wood) and a dream walking witch, Chloe (Rose Leslie).

This isn't the most terrible film I've seen, but it's not okay either. I give it a solid "meh". Michael Caine is the standout performer in this film although the rest of the cast does try. Their performances weren't bad, but the script is awkwardly written. The romance between Kaulder and Chloe is forced, the twist ending is oddly underwhelming, attacks against Kaulder come out of nowhere, and it can get confusing with the dream sequences.

Overall I say you can skip this film.

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" directed by JJ Abrams is a fun, thrilling ride.

Possible spoilers ahead. I'm going to try and review this without giving too much away, but if I do you can't say I didn't warn you.

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is the newest film the in the Star Wars saga. It reveals new things about the force and how it works. We are reunited with beloved characters while being introduced to some awesome new ones. George Lucas' creation gets new life breathed into it, and while it is so far getting more favorable reviews than the prequels, there are still plenty of fans who are disappointed with the outcome. Is the film an overly-hyped retelling of "A New Hope" or are fans never going to be happy with anything that is not the original trilogy?

There are plenty of things in the new story that can keep fans happy. The overall use of the force by a character who is not aware how much flows within them. An epic lightsaber fight between new characters. The Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca. The list goes on. However there are also a lot of similarities between this film and the original Star Wars film "A New Hope". The use of the force against a simple-minded Storm Trooper. A character who is destined for greatness despite a childhood of suffering. The death of a mentor.

Wow. Way to go JJ Abrams. Way to remake a film.

 Yet I find it to be more than that. Yes I see the similarities, but they don't bother me too much. Of course, that may be because while I like Star Wars, I'm not necessarily a huge fan. Harry Potter is my franchise, but I digress. I've seen all the films before this one and I think JJ Abrams and Disney decided to go back to the roots since that was the basis of the entire story. Could they have taken more risks in telling the story? Absolutely, but if they needed a firm base to build upon, that was the way to do it especially since it seems they now want to add episodes 10-12. This was the way to get fans excited for the story again, while bringing in the love of a new generation. Now if episodes 8 and 9 are just a rehash of "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" then we have a problem, but for now, I think the films are headed in the right direction.

Luke is missing. Foes want to find him in order to get rid of the Jedi once and for all, while friends want to find him in order to fight against the new threats of tyranny. The key to finding Luke is within BB-8. He is entrusted with a map to Luke after he and his friend, pilot Poe Dameron, are attacked while meeting with the one ally who is aware of Luke's whereabouts. BB-8 flees the attack and is then trying to reunite with those who need him.

The protagonist of the film is Rey, played by Daisy Ridley and she is fantastic. While there have been other females in the Star Wars franchise, this is the first time I was truly excited to see a female character in the saga and to find out she's the lead was the cherry on top. Rey is a scrap-metal scavenger waiting for the family that left her in Jakku to come back. She is strong, smart and not afraid to stand up for herself. The life she planned for herself changes when she meets Finn.

Finn (John Boyega) is a stormtrooper with a conscience. Despite being raised to believe that there is no other life to be had except that of a stormtrooper, he sees the wrong they are doing and decides he does not want to be a part of it. He flees his former life with the help of Poe Dameron. They steal a tie  fighter, but crash in Jakku after being shot. Finn makes his way to the nearest town where he meets Rey.

BB-8 is with Rey and since it is now known that he has the map to Luke, an attack on him, Rey and Finn ensues. They have to get off the planet and quickly. This is when we see the Millennium Falcon for the first time in years. They board and escape Jakku only to be captured by none other than Han Solo and Chewbacca.

The nostalgia continues as the fans are later reunited with Carrie Fisher, no longer a princess, but a general now. There's a lot more stuff that happens in between, but I don't want to give too much away.

JJ Abrams does a fantastic job of reuniting us with our favorite characters, while making it clear that the new films are not about them. The new story line is about Daisy, Finn and my personal favorite, Kylo Ren. Adam Driver is the perfect person to play the part. He transitions easily from emotion to emotion. He is commanding one moment, while struggling within himself the next. He is evil and it all culminates into a major moment.

The final lightsaber battle is spectacular and it involves two of my favorite characters. It's unexpected and kicks total butt. If you've seen the film, we can discuss the details of this battle in person, but just know that it is breathtaking for more reasons that great fight choreography.

Overall, I feel this is another way for fans to nitpick on the franchise. While more risks could have been taken, I think the filmmakers mainly wanted to bring Star Wars back to its core, wash the bad taste of the prequels out of peoples' mouths and start with a familiar slate. I'll start complaining that there is nothing original about these films if the next two films really are completely unoriginal.

The Good Dinosaur

PG 3.5/5

The Good Dinosaur is beautiful to look at. It's one of the first things you notice about the film. The other thing you notice? It's not as good as other Pixar films. It's not bad, it's just not as good. The story follows Arlo, a dinosaur who is afraid of everything. His dad tries to get him to get over his fears, but is unsuccessful. It isn't until Arlo is separated from his family that he has a chance to grow up and grow brave. It's a simple enough plot, but there isn't as much heart as there usually is. Seeing the dinosaurs farm and live as humans do is creative, but I'm not sure it worked in the film's favor. I think it worked in Cars mainly because, we had never seen it before and cars do need to get fuel to survive. Dinosaurs live off of planet earth and there is an abundance of food (especially since the humans in this film are more animalistic than the actual dinosaurs). I just found myself asking why there was any need to do that. Spot is by far the best thing about the film. Had he not been in it, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. I enjoyed the film and would watch it again, but it does have its flaws and especially when you have other Pixar films to compare it to, it's lackluster.

The Silkworm (Cormoran Strike, #2) by Robert Galbraith

Great read of course! I bought this book eager to read it and follow Robin and Strike on more adventures.

What you may or may not know is that J.K. Rowling is the author of this book. She published the first novel without anyone knowing it was her until a few weeks after it was released. After the success of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling said she would be taking a break from writing youth novels and focus on more adult stories. The first adult novel she released is The Casual Vacancy, and it did okay critically. Even though she stated that: 
1. This was a novel for adults,
2. There would be no magic involved whatsoever,
people still expected this to be Harry Potter for adults. Critics gave the novel lukewarm reviews and the general public rejected it because it contained none of the magic of her previous books. It is for this reason I believe she chose to write her next series under a pseudonym. She needed to prove that she was an excellent writer capable of writing more than just kids' books.

“The whole world's writing novels, but nobody's reading them.” 

This is a mystery series which follows a private detective and his secretary. In the first novel, Strike must discover the killer of a famed model and in this one he has to find the location of a missing writer.

The Silkworm begins eight months after the ending of The Cuckoo's Calling. Cormoran Strike's private investigation is booming after solving the Lula Landry case. His assistant Robin has become his permanent secretary and is determined to be a detective like Strike. Both of these characters are fantastic. Robin and Strike have great chemistry and they are both likable despite the fact that they are completely different. Anyway, business is booming, but most cases are boring. Nowadays Strike is paid to find out whether or not people are cheating on their spouses. When Leonora Quine walks into Strike's office asking that he find her husband who has been missing for days, Strike readily agrees as it's the most exciting case he has had in a while.

“...writers are a savage breed, Mr. Strike. If you want life-long friendship and selfless camaraderie, join the army and learn to kill. If you want a lifetime of temporary alliances with peers who will glory in your every failure, write novels.”

I love J.K. Rowling and have loved all of her novels (including The Casual Vacancy). I could see why The Cuckoo's Calling became popular and this book is just as exciting, maybe even more so, than the first. I didn't want to put the book down whenever I had the chance to read it. I wanted to solve the mystery as quickly as possible. Being a clever writer, she milked Strike's theory about the mystery with our revealing it until the last possible moment. Way to keep me on the edge of my seat! Anyway, I think the novel was the right length although I actually could have done without the milking. I wanted to know how he solved the mystery. It began to annoy me how much longer I had to wait for it to be revealed.

“We don’t love each other; we love the idea we have of each other. Very few humans understand this or can bear to contemplate it. They have blind faith in their own powers of creation. All love, ultimately, is self-love.” 

J.K.. Rowling continues to prove that she is a great writer and I will never tire of reading her books.

“There are always loose ends in real life.” 

Her writing style is detailed that you get sucked into the story regardless of the content. Harry Potter has a huge fan base and Cormoran Strike is starting to get his own, too. I for one, will always be a Rowling fan girl and promote her novels. I may be biased, but overall I think she deserves it and there are not many authors I like enough to push their novels on people. Definitely check the book out yourself and tell me if you agree.

"You know, there's pride, and then there's stupidity.” 

If you think Harry Potter is too childish, check out J.K. Rowling's fiction novels. Don't let your pride keep you from a great story.

War Room

I'm slightly on the fence about this one. As a believer, I believe prayer is a powerful thing, but I do not agree with everything the film portrays. I appreciated the insight into prayer the film gave. I am working on my relationship with God and one of the things I am struggling with is prayer. I am not sure how to go about it or how to do it. I mean I know how to pray, but it always feels empty for me. Not because I don't believe in what I am asking for, but because it feels like I am not doing anything. I will be taking into consideration what the film says and I want to create my own war room. However, the ending prayer in the film showed school kids praying in the classroom. Unless it is a private Christian school, I disagree with this completely. I am aware of thee fact that others believe other things than I do, and I do not think my religious beliefs should be forced on them. School and religion should be kept far apart. Other than that I did enjoy the film.