Harry Potter... It All Ends!

Finally, the final installment to the Harry Potter franchise has been released about a week ago and I am quite excited to see how it will all end.

I am not an avid fan, but the rave on Harry Potter was just too strong I can't help but get whirled into it.  I missed the theater releases of a sequel or two but caught it up in DVD.  That's the beauty of having siblings and friends who are die-hard fans (of the story). Hehe!

I haven't read the books, which means that after watching the movie, I had nothing to compare it with. ;)  But I do hear people comment (well, complain actually) that they were disappointed because:

a. the plot was not followed,

b. the story and fight scenes were more beautifully illustrated in the book and was not captured in the movie,
c. not all of the story highlights were shown in the movie, and

d. unlike the book, scenes were not executed creatively enough,
... and so on and so forth.

But clearly, the seven (7) installments were able to get the message across so I think the writers, directors, and actors did a very good job despite these "flaws."

I was looking into the previous sequels and just realized how young they were when the first movie was released (or how they've grown since), until I saw these photos.  Gosh, they practically grew up on the set of Harry Potter!

  

No wonder Emma Watson suddenly cut her hair short right after filming the last installment.  Imagine wearing your hair the same way for 12 years?!  Oh well, the trade-off was well worth it.  After all, they are now one of the richest celebrities in the world, or so they say.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) Trailer:

Thundercats: The Movie?

This is AWESOME!





Too bad... it's NOT real.  That's right, there really is no Thundercats movie.  Although it would've been great if there was one.

The trailer above was done by a fan. That's what is says so in the video's description in Youtube:


"The trailer was made by San Francisco graphic artist WormyTV, the same artist responsible for past photoshop classics like The Dark Knight teaser (which featured the first real image of Heath Ledger as the Joker), and the now infamous Spider-Man 3 gif (which featured the first real image of Venom).


According to Wormy, Thundercats: Sword of Omens took a year and a half to produce. The trailer splices together an array of identifiable films, including Aliens, Troy, The Chronicles of Riddick, Garfield, Spy Kids, X-Men: The Last Stand, Galaxy Quest, Underworld, Planet of the Apes, Mortal Kombat Annihilation, Stargate, and (what looks to be) Mad Max.


Its impressive mashup of clips; add to that the painstaking frame by frame photoshop work needed to transform Brad Pitt into Lion-O, Hugh Jackman into Tigra, and Vin Diesel into PanthroLets just say that Wormy deserves serious props for this (highly amusing) achievement."


Oh well, it would've been great if there really was a movie.  Thundercats, like Transformers, was one very popular action-packed classic cartoon series when I was young, together with Daimos & Voltes V.

Dang!  Brad Pitt would've been good as Lion-O

More so Vin Diesel as Panthro.

Actually, there was word going around that a real Thundercats movie should have been released last year.  But no movie came out.  So I guess, the project didn't push through.  That is so disappointing... :(

Transormed... Again!

I admit I am not an over-the-top die-hard Transformers fan.  Sure I watched the cartoon series as a kid and enjoyed it quite a lot.  But I was never hooked.  Until the first installment of the movie was released... and I was totally transformed!  The story was great, the special effects superb!  Each and every transformation was so perfectly executed I was transfixed.

I just saw the 3rd installment of the movie. And although the story, as with the 2nd installment and unlike the first, isn't something to die for, the awesome CGI is just something to behold.  The stunning action sequences and remarkable special effects more than made up for the lack of a good storyline.  So to me, it's still the best one in that regard.

The movie was 2 hrs. and 35 mins. long but it was worth it.  One thing disappointing to me though was that the transitions in the "cuts" made on the movie weren't smooth.  Some parts seem to jump from one scene to another leaving you wondering what the heck happened in between (I really gotta find me a Director's Cut.).

Once again, the respectable & fearless Optimus Prime proved to be a good leader....

And Bumblebee is just as charming as always.

The Official Movie Trailer:

Hands Down to Fast 5!

I've been waiting for this "Fast & Furious" installment for so long now and I'm so excited it's finally showing.  The first four installments were so great that I was so looking forward to this one.  And from the trailer alone I knew it would be quite an action-packed movie.  What with Vin Diesel and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson battling it out, or more like wrestling it out, in an intense bone-breaking clash of strength and muscle that will definitely leave one black and blue, or worse, handicapped. Hahaha!

And the unexpected funny scenes were so hilarious! Four words... I HAD A BLAST!

 

My 9-year old daughter enjoyed it so much she wants to watch it over and over again... Seriously!

I heard "Fast & Furious 6" has been given the green light and is now in the way.  Hmmm... Will there be a revenge for Han in Tokyo? Or, will it be in Europe this time?  This is going to be awesome!!!

Hammered by Thor

I'm not a movie buff - y'know, one who will watch each and every new movie that screens.  But I do know a good film when I see one... most of the time. Hehe! The trailer got me so much interested in Thor that I was looking forward to watching it but didn't have the time.  Until a week ago, that is.

The characters were typical roles seen in so many great movies but which you never get tired of -- like the relationship between the powerful & loving father misunderstood by the arrogant and stubborn son, the jealous & greedy half-brother, and loyal friends willing to give their lives for you.  Chris Hemsworth was so perfect as Thor.  He was so natural in playing the character of the arrogant, stubborn god.  And Anthony Hopkins, without further elaboration, was regal and mighty (as always) as Odin, Thor's father.

The film is more than just your ordinary action-drama-fantasy movie.  It tells of the bond & value of true friendships & love, of a father's unconditional love and pride for a son, and that greediness and evil will never triumph no matter what. 

Nicely done! Visual effects were superb especially in the Asgard realm. 

3 Idiots... Hilarious!

 

3 IDIOTS:  This movie made me laugh BIGTIME!!! Watched it alone and I really felt stupid laughing like crazy by myself.

But more than being funny, the film was a breather from the usual comic banter of most comedy films.  It offered more than that...

As wildly hilarious and entertaining as it was, one will learn a thing or two about creativity, wisdom, and the intrinsic values a person should have to achieve their life's goals.  It presents insightful life lessons in amusing ways, as well as the meaning and value of true friendship.  The movie is also about persistence, righteousness, helpfulness, and selflessness.  That intelligence and the constant hunger for learning & excellence, coupled with these values, can reap great successes and rewards; and when handled wrongly, can be your greatest failure in life. 

THE KING'S SPEECH: A Great Speech Indeed!

I finally had the time to watch this award-winning movie... Boy! Was I touched!  It had me crying throughout THE SPEECH.

It's the true story of monarch King George VI (Queen Elizabeth's father), who struggled with a terrible speech defect (severe stammering) since he was five years old.  The movie is about one man's determination to overcome this impairment that has prevented him from achieving so many things in his life, through the help of one man who believed in him and saw in him the makings of a great leader.  When everybody else was expecting him to fail, he so greatly succeeded by overcoming the fears and insecurities brought about by the experiences he had as a child, inflicted upon him (intentionally or not) by no less than the people closest to him, those he cared about and loved the most.

It also shows how a woman's love, strength, and support for her husband, despite his shortcomings and the speech impairment that is most often an embarrassment for most people, can be greatly essential to a man's success or failure.

For me, this is one "must-see" movie for husbands and wives, and couples alike.

Official Movie Trailer:

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

The movie “I am Number Four” has been recently shown in theaters and I read reviews that it does not do much justice to the book. I was curious but didn't watch the movie yet as I want to read the book before I do.  It’s actually a story/book meant for young adults but I was so into it that I didn't put it down until I was through!

It's the story of John Smith (Number Four), one of the 9 Gardes tasked to save planet Lorien... or what's left of it.  When the Mogadorians attacked Lorien, Number Four & eight other Gardes like him, together with their mentors (called Cepan), escaped to Earth and scattered in different places in the planet.  The Mogadorians followed them to Earth to kill them. But protected by the Lorien charm, the nine Gardes can only be killed in order.  The first three are already dead.  Number Four is next.



I breezed through the book because the events, as they unravel, keep you glued to it and make you look forward to what’s going to happen next.  The alien fight scenes were described in detail that you can imagine them as if you were watching a movie.  But more than being a book on alien invasion, it also speaks of lasting friendships, teenage love, trust, courage, and hope.  Over all, a very good read - for someone who is interested in fantasy, that is.

UPDATE: Finally got to watch the movie and I must say that although a lot of circumstances in the book were not adapted to the letter, the movie turned out great!  Very nice CGI effects, too!  A must-see for every fantasy geek.