KevinMariblanca Reviews

The Magicians (2015–2020)

Just Excellent!

[9/10 · 20 January 2017]

It takes me a long time to warm up to a new series, but after the first episode I was instantly hooked. Thanks Netflix for the recommendation.

Margo and Eliot are both revelations! They provide just the right amount of humor without making it feel forced.

Quentin - I only really saw this actor on a brief role in Madam Secretary, another one of my favorite shows, as POTUS' son and was rather unremarkable really. As a lead, he is pretty good but not really someone I would really root for. Waiting a few more episodes to see if I can get more invested in him.

Jules - Out of all the characters, this one is someone I hate the most! And, that speaks volumes since I hate her more than the actual villain (Marina - more of an annoyance than a villain, if you ask me). Back to Jules/Julia, girl has got to learn to accept when she isn't cut out for it. Being kicked out twice of a magic group has got to be more than enough to consider another career move! Hopefully her arc changes to something more likable.

All in all, this whole show is impeccably written. Having not read the books, I am going to start reading it very soon!

A definite must-watch!

Train to Busan (2016)

What a roller coaster!!!

[9/10 · 23 November 2016]

I was enthralled by this movie! I am so used to South Korean movies being cheesy chick flicks, but man this one was definitely not it! The whole premise of a zombie apocalypse has obviously been done a million times over, but the execution, the concept, the characters got me really invested.

The acting could've improved a little, although, it is hard to judge completely since it is in Korean making it hard to hear the nuances of emotions being portrayed.

The ending was such a splash of ice cold water after what was undeniably a roller coaster ride of emotions and thrill!

Nicely done!

Scorpion (2014–2018)

Some scenes could've been better...

[7/10 · 23 September 2014]

I watched this show mainly because of Katharine McPhee. Anyway, I found the bad reviews too premature to find them a good source to base the show on. Overall, it was a good pilot not the best and most logical of sorts but still it grabbed my attention for a light and fun show that could lead us to a great adventure.

I love tech-savvy shows, and this one shows promise. If they continue on a back story that would make us love the characters more, I would be fully invested in this show.

One thing I did not like watching though was the mechanic prodigy (I even forgot her name). She needs to work on her delivery cause she sounded more like a robot, and from how she was egging Walter into helping with the LAX problem I figured she was the most emotionally sound of the group before Paige (McPhee) entered the picture.

All in all, I liked it but am not totally sold into it yet. But, I am willing to give it a few more episodes before I can truly judge.

World War Z (2013)

Awesome... Pure Awesome!

[9/10 · 25 June 2013]

I came in with a bunch of friends with respect to all the hype this movie was generating and boy are we ever glad we followed the flow. The movie was excellent, granted, it wasn't a rather unique idea but the way it was portrayed helped it in standing out from the slew of zombie movies that are coming out these days. One of my favourite scenes was in Jerusalem. The wall was both impressive and creepy and the part where the zombies started to climb made that part one of the best ones in the movie. All-in- all I wouldn't mind watching this movie again albeit I wish I could forget what I saw as I want that surprise and thrill to be as fresh as I had watched it last time. To hell with all the other reviewers out there, learn to have fun will you?! It's a rare gem where in zombie and gore did not really depend too much on each other for excellent delivery. Kudos to all those involved in this movie. I hope you don't make a sequel for this one though as I think the end was enough making a sequel might be too dangerous of a gamble.

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

I was compelled to write a review on how good this movie was!

[9/10 · 13 January 2013]

I went to see this movie because of how many nominations it has garnered for the past month and also my one and only Ms. Jennifer Lawrence is in it. I loved it... I don't get when people say they were bored or the story was weird. It's supposed to be weird (They're crazy!!!) At first, I was skeptical with the Bradley Cooper and J Lawrence pair up but damn they fit quite well together. This is one of those movies that tell you how life gets so crazy you just gotta live with it. Acting was nothing under amazing! No one was out of place everyone did their job whether it be to provide comical relief or to add drama to the screen they all did wonderfully.

This movie is ALSO NOT ONLY FOR GIRLS! I put it in Caps since most guys will probably think this movie (looking at its poster) is positioned towards women but no it is not. You'll enjoy it nonetheless.

Kudos for a wonderful movie from 2012! And Congrats to all the nominations and wins this movie has gotten so far!

Resident Evil: Retribution (2012)

Not Oscar-worthy (dur?!) But still epic...

[9/10 · 16 September 2012]

I understand what all the hate for this movie is all about. But for the heck of everything I loved the movie. I watched this with my family expecting absolutely nothing! I mean come on RE does not really pride itself with witty one-liners or insane plot twists. Its a simple story about a bad corporation who wanted EVERYTHING! Even if it meant eradicating the human race then comes our heroine Alice who never dies (which I find cool and silly at the same time) and fights this corporation GUNS FREAKING BLAZING!

By this time, I am pretty sure you know how the story goes and how future sequels will go through with this (which I am sure there will be MORE)unless some outlandishly good and creative writer and/or director comes in to play and decides to revamp this series (I will welcome that person with open arms hopeful that with a new approach the old action scenes are kept with the same intensity)

Acting is okay... I mean what do you expect? HELLO?? Get out of your hole for one minute and just enjoy! The actors were just full of bad- assery I didn't mind it that much that none of those performances were in the levels of Meryl Street or Philip Seymour Hoffman but still it complimented the show's playfulness and brute.

Story - mentioned this before already, ITS A NO-BRAINER!

WORD TO THE "SERIOUS" CRITICS: Stop being to harsh on this film. It wasn't made to satisfy your insatiable longing for the next Slumdog Millionaire and frankly, I don't think they care much about what you say. They just shoot some zombies, monsters, etc. and just have some damn fun with it! If you want a morally upheaving movie don't watch this. It will not get you anywhere.

FINAL NOTE: I gave this a 9 not because of its story, acting, or anything that I would consider if I am seriously critiquing this movie but my rating is based on how much I enjoyed myself and not once did I yawn or even lean on the back of my chair it was a fun ride and I wouldn't mind watching RE6.

The Exes (2011–2015)

Its good!

[7/10 · 9 August 2012]

I won't necessarily write that this show is anything like Friends (let's be honest, what is?) or How I met Your Mother but still it has the comedy down. Kristen Johnson certainly carries most of the comedic element of this show.

The Acting however could use to tone down a bit. There were scenes which gave goosebumps out of pure overacting.

The writing needs a bit of work as well. Some lines were too cartoonish and too far off reality.

But otherwise, if you want a good time and feel good after a hard day's work then this shows is good!

The Girl Next Door (2004)

Sex Education at its finest

[8/10 · 4 April 2012]

The great thing about this movie is that it does not really fortifies itself with the SEX but rather it gives us a sense of what high school is like and the challenges we face during, and that moment where our parents pressure us to tell them what course and which school we want to take our college degree in. And most of all, thinking of ways to make that awesome SENIOR YEAR last. TGND highlights all these concepts in this amazing hour and a half movie. Ms.Cuthbert is mesmerizing as the famous porn star Danielle aka Athena. The lead guy also gives an amazing performance along with his two friends. All in all, I would definitely recommend this film although this film would not be in the ranks of a family film but if you want a feel good film then this is the one for you.

The Tourist (I) (2010)

It was JUST okay

[6/10 · 27 March 2012]

I watched this movie just recently. The acting was fairly good. I mean with the likes of Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in one movie you would think it would be exceptional. But for the first half of the movie I was already bored. I was very confused as to whether this would turn out to be a full-blown action movie or a romantic film. I think the main problem of the movie was its complacency to the execution of both main actors. The story could have been better but it really fell short.

One scene was very disturbing for me:

Why did Angelina Jolie seem like she was a damsel-in-distress? I mean if she was an Interpol agent she should've at least shown some skills in defensive maneuvers but in the time where she was dragging Depp's boat she even squealed. It was annoying and weird.

Overall I found this movie a failure.

The Hunger Games (2012)

It was nice

[9/10 · 21 March 2012]

I wouldn't say the movie gave the full embodiment of the book. There were some scenes that I wish were still included like the part where Peeta and Katniss fight near the end that would have been quite nice as a follow-through for the second movie. Anyway, the movie fell short on quite a number of things:

1) Some scenes shifted way too fast - for me, seeing those transitions were a little disturbing but on the perspective of the filmmakers the burden of introducing the story to the non-readers is hard which is probably why they had to do it in that pace.

2) Action scenes felt fake - I guess this is what you can possibly work with when you only have a PG 13 rating. But I for one, found this annoying because one of the reasons I loved the books was how graphic Suzanne described the fight scenes. In the movie, in order to preserve the rating, they kept on muting the sound which was very irritating. They should consider increasing the rating next time although I doubt this is remotely possible.

But when there are downsides there are some great things about the movie:

1) Ms. Lawrence as Katniss - She was impeccable. I loved how she embodied the Katniss that we loved in the books. She was hot-headed, charming, and had the right mix of emotions to just emulate Katniss from the books.

2) Time lapse - there was no tension of being bored. The time just went on by, which for me is a great consideration in choosing awesome movies.

All these ups and downs of the movie made it awesome as it was. I could not give it a perfect no matter how long I've waited for the movie but the entirety of it was more than satisfactory. Hopefully, we will get more in November of 2013. See you again Tributes!