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bugdog
Reviews
True Blood (2008)
Follows the first book well
I like it. I just picked up the books on recommendation from a coworker and ended up reading nearly the entire series in 2 days (I'm halfway through From Dead to Worse right now). It's rare that I can sit down and read a book in a few hours and even more rare that I can read an entire series without a break, but these books are that good.
I didn't expect that the TV show would be so close to the books, frankly. I was stunned to see how close the first episode is to the first book and even more stunned to see the locations looked pretty damn much like what I had in my head. That's just weird. (The kitchen in Sookie's grandmother's house was just dead on and that made my jaw drop.)
I like the characters. I like the settings. I know I love the books. If the rest of the series plays out like the first episode, then I'll be a happy camper.
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God (2005)
The movie that should have been made
If the first D&D movie had been half as good as this one, well, I might actually watch it again.
A little about me - I'm married to a long time gamer - he's got the white box set for D&D and has been playing for as long as he can remember. I know a bit about D&D just from being married to him, but I'm not a player.
The first movie was horrible. It was poorly paced, it was not well written, Irons was just awful and Birch was so amazingly whiny that I was rooting for her death. That's just as a movie goer. My husband was just speechless - for about 5 minutes. After that I got the whole rant, but the thing I remember most was how incredibly annoyed he was that throwing a rock would fool a Beholder. Heh.
This movie was great. It was fun, there was adventure, there were traps, there were dragons, there was a lich (even I know what a lich is). The characters were engaging and the actors were good enough that I believed them in their roles (something else the first movie was lacking). I liked the older cast, too. That was a nice change. I just couldn't have believed that untried adventurers would be sent on such an important mission. So as a non D&D fanatic, I enjoyed this movie.
My husband was thrilled enough that he did not nit pick it to death, a bad habit he has during most movies. He was very happy to have D&D well represented in the movie, was pleased with the over all effects and the fact that the cleric didn't use edged weapons, that the elven wizard couldn't cast everything just because she was a wizard...and more things that I can't remember off hand.
This movie was good fun and kept my attention - something that is quite difficult sometimes. The pacing was great, which helped a lot. The characters were likable and believable and the story was good. I'd recommend this one without reservation, where as I'd never EVER recommend the first movie.
Straight from the Heart (2003)
Great for a Saturday afternoon!
I really liked this movie. I ran across it while looking for something to watch, saw who was in it (Andrew McCarthy) and stopped to watch it. I only have two problems with the movie - one, no one who wears a ball cap wears it with their ears tucked in (like Terri does) and her camera makes a noise as if it was had an auto winder on it, yet she advances the film with the lever.
Watching McCarthy ride was a great thing, too. It's funny, though, because I knew from the description that this was from a romance novel - and one I'd probably read a while ago. Had this thing for cowboys, you know. Never really got over that...
(As a woman who frequently wears ball caps and who was a 35mm photography nut - before digital got good - I guess I'm picky.)
Sixteen Candles (1984)
Still great after almost 20 years.
Wow, am I really that old? I saw this movie when I was 14 and it was in the theaters. It's high on my list of ultimate 80's movies. I still remember going with several of my friends and my mom (who loved the movie too). We were all in junior high and convinced that this movie was the end all be all record of what high school would be like. It's still my romantic view of high school and a movie I still daydream about. The birthday cake and the glass table and Jake and that kiss.... *sigh* Sometimes I think that 14 was the perfect age and that this was the perfect movie.
Naturally, today when I see that particular scene, I worry that the table is going to break and they are both going to be horribly wounded.
My husband has never seen Sixteen Candles and I plan to spring it on him this winter. I know he'll like it :)