Blog Tour: The Captive Maiden

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Genre: Fairy tale

Series: This is the fourth fairy tale Melanie has retold, and they all tie together with shared locations and characters!

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 302

Time period: 1300s

Publisher and price: Zondervan, $9.99

My overall opinion: I was thrilled to discover that Melanie was writing a retelling of Cinderella, since that has long been my favorite fairy tale. And when I saw the cover, I really couldn’t wait to read it! It was lovely to return to the time and place Melanie has so skillfully crafted, meeting up with old characters and learning to know new ones, and the same with the places. The story had a familiar and comfortable feel to it, giving new twists to the classic fairy tale! I loved the changes that Melanie made. It’s easy to be engrossed in this book, and it’s a quick read. In many ways, it’s the same as other books I’ve read, but it’s different – and better. The whole story is adorable. I really loved the heroine, Gisela – she was sweet, but strong. And it was a delight to read about Valten too! I think it’s amazing how Melanie can make these fairy tales into real-life stories and include God as a big part of it too. Highly recommend her books, especially this one!

Check out my sister Analiese's review - she read it too. :) Click HERE.

Read my reviews of Melanie's other books:

• The Fairest Beauty (retelling Snow White)
• The Merchant's Daughter (retelling Beauty and the Beast)
• The Healer's Apprentice (retelling Sleeping Beauty)

**Melanie Dickerson sent me a free copy of this book in return for my honest review. I wasn’t obligated to post positively, nor was I paid in any way other than the book for this review.**

NOTE: it's only $5.99 at this very moment on Amazon! Great deal, and I recommend that you buy it!!

Blue Christmas Comparisons

Due to finals and finally getting home for Christmas break, I’m later on getting this second post out than I intended…oh well. So it goes. So, here we go with variations on “Blue Christmas”! :)

Elvis – 8.5

{{Sadly, I'm unable to find a video of this version...weird, right? They won't work. So find your own!}} 

He starts right away, no waiting around for anything! It’s a song that you’ll want to bob your head to. There’s a nice steady beat too. The choir is an interesting touch. A pretty quick pace, and all in all, I’d describe it as cheery.

Michael Buble – 9.5

 

This version just has a newer feel than Elvis’ does. Michael has a super smooth voice, and his timing is just uneven enough to be catchy without being annoying – does that make any sense? And then that lovely instrument that has such a big part in this version – a horn of some sort? I’m hopeless with identification. After you learn it, and learn his variations, you’ll be singing along! Michael totally sings his heart out and it’s awesome. Summed up? It’s crazy cool. Love this version!

Kelly Clarkson - 9

 

A very pretty version! The piano is a lovely touch. Kelly has a stunning voice and I really like her tempo too! The song sways along in a beautiful way. This is a fresh take on this song! The musical interlude is really neat too – and this song alone makes me want to buy her newest album, Wrapped in Red! :)

Andrea Bocelli - 9

 

This version, unlike most others, actually sounds like Bocelli is feeling blue – which is appropriate for the song. It’s also pretty slow. And of course, operatic. Then too, Bocelli sings with Reba McEntire, and they have some cool harmonization. It’s a peaceful version, quieter and almost calming. Very steady.

Blake Shelton – 8.5

 

This one definitely had a quicker pace, especially since I listened right after Bocelli’s. There was some reflection of Elvis here (and also in Buble’s), but it was bad. I really love Blake’s voice and accent. This version? Fun and light.

Celine Dion – 8.5

 

I hadn’t listened to anything of Celine’s before, and was pleasantly surprised to enjoy this version! It has a very Christmasy feel from the very beginning. Celine’s voice is older than Kelly’s, smooth and slower than most of the version (except Bocelli’s), and easy to sing along to. I also really liked the background music. Her voice is also lower. A good version.

Glee – 8

I know, I know, me, listening to anything by the Glee cast? But several people online mentioned this as a favorite, so I gave it a shot – and it wasn’t too bad. The guy had a good steady voice, and I really liked the way the choir was done – barely noticeable in the background. This version was almost sleepy. I also liked the variations they included – fitting for the song.

Favorite:

Well. No way around it. Michael Buble’s version won. I really liked Kelly Clarkson’s and would list her as the runner-up, but Michael’s – it’s just so crazy and fun and I love it!

Your thoughts:

Did I mention your favorite version? If not, what version do you love and do I need to listen to it? And if so, which is your favorite?

TV Show: Once Upon a Time Season 1

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Fairy tale, fantasy, life, romance, adventure

Series or set: Once Upon a Time

Number in series: 1^st

Primary actors: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Robert Carlyle

Length: 22 episodes, each 45 minutes (about 15 hours)

Based on: Classic fairy tales. All of them.

Time period: Present, fantasy

Rating: TV-PG

Year it came out: 2011

My overall opinion: Look at this, y’all! I finally got to watch Once Upon a Time and can now say, without any reservations, that...I’m addicted. Totally, utterly, completely. Which is rather sad, but also entirely the truth. What can I even say about this show? I don’t know where to start.

I loved every minute spent in the fairy tale land. Figuring out what fairy tale was being retold was always fun, and for the most part, I loved the unique spin taken on each. And then seeing the characters, their similarities and differences, moved forward to present day was fascinating.

The evil queen was very evil and couldn’t have been cast more perfectly. She had just the right evil smile. Emma, who wasn’t a fairy tale character really at all, was also well-cast. I greatly enjoyed her as a person, and I do admire her for the most part. She’s a really neat person. I loved Mary Margaret aka Snow White - you don’t get many people sweeter than her. And she managed to be super sweet yet not sickeningly sweet, which I really appreciated. And then David aka Prince Charming - while I didn’t always approve of how he handled his real-world relationships, I did all in all like him.

Who else was of importance…oh! Henry, of course! A sweet boy, though not the best of actors, I didn’t think. He did well overall though. And Ruby aka Red – I really liked her too, strange as that may sound-seem-be. Her fairy tale was really cool, and she’s so pretty! Mr. Gold aka Rumplestiltskin - quite alarming, and a truly menacing and mysterious character. I haven’t yet decided whether or not to feel sorry for him…he seems good, and then he does something horrid and seems bad. So I don’t know.

Really, my only true problem with the show is the CG, which stuck out even to me as being quite bad. Often the use of a green screen is clear from the sloppy edges on the characters, and the animated beasts are also pretty awful. However, if you can ignore this, the show is lovely. And also, I love the music.

So, all in all? I love Once Upon a Time and can’t wait to watch Season 2! I highly recommend it for fantasy lovers, anyone with a lot of time (which I don’t have…yet I still managed to watch this somehow), and anyone who wants to know just how the fairy tales actually happened.

Movie: The Terminal

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Genre: Comedy, life

Primary actors: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Length: Two hours

Time period: Present

Rating: PG-13 (though IMHO, it deserves more of a PG rating)

Year it came out: 2004

My overall opinion: It’s a heart-warming movie, that’s meant to be a comedy but is a little too heart-touching to be that! It really ambles along quite peacefully, sprinkled well with humor and moments to make your heart smile. There is a little swearing, hence the rating, but for the most part, I’d recommend this one if you need a relaxing, easy-to-watch film.

Movie: Jane Eyre

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Genre: Period drama, classic, romance

Primary actors: Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Judi Dench

Length: Two hours

Based on: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Time period: 1800s

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2011

My overall opinion: Now THAT is a question. What did I think of this movie? Well, being me, I made
notes as I watched. So here they are. I’m assuming all my readers already know this classic story.

Possible confusion: Starting in the middle of the book (with St. John), then skipping a bit between that and the beginning was vaguely confusing even for me, and I know the book very well. I think that doing the story in order, or possibly just one skip, would’ve been better. For someone who doesn’t know the story at all, this could possibly be very confusing.

The girls: All the girls in this are frightfully plain. I know, it’s simply dreadful of me to judge them all on appearance alone, and their personalities were quite nice, but St. John’s sisters and Jane herself were all very plain girls, not pretty in the least.

The speed: I mention this several times in my notes, things that are flown over. Jane Eyre is a large book of several hundred pages, and needs a movie of some length, a minimum of three hours, I think. A two-hour movie was a bad decision and entirely fails to include a few pivotal scenes, and to really show how deep the friendship between Helen and Jane was.

Mr. Rochester: In a word, “overgrown.” And yes, I’m going purely physical appearance again. That was my impression from the first time I saw him. Having him shave, and regularly, would’ve greatly improved his appearance. At the end, too, he was far too overgrown to be appreciated, so to speak. In general, he wasn’t a very bad Mr. Rochester though, but like I said, the whole movie was rushed and we never got to know him that well.

Jane: Was plain. Not that Jane is supposed to be pretty, though. Considering that she’s the title character, she did a good job with the part. I neither loved nor hated her.

Gore: At one point, a surprising amount of blood was shown, and while that really didn’t bother me all that much, it did seem like a rather surprising amount considering this is a period drama. That may be just me though.

Scene skipped: I wasn’t very happy that they skipped one of the most memorable scenes from prior movies and from the book. Remember when Bertha visits Jane’s room shortly before her near-wedding and tries on her veil? Here, we hardly saw Bertha, except for one scene. But I think that the scene I’ve just described is quite an important and mysterious one in the book, and definitely shouldn’t have been cut. Then too, there’s the fire scene. While it is true that in the book, Jane is told about it after the fact and wasn’t present there, there are often flashbacks in other movies to the scene so that you, the viewer, can fully picture it. Here, Mrs. Fairfax simply told Jane about it. I think this was perhaps a part where they attempted to save money, when spending a little and doing the scene would’ve resulted in a better movie.

The ending: I wrote down that it was slightly abrupt, unexpected, inconclusive, and all-around unsatisfying. I wasn’t very happy with it, I’m afraid. It left a good deal more up to chance than I should have preferred, and came around altogether too fast.

Soundtrack: It was lovely and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to such a beautiful soundtrack for a couple of hours!

So. My overall opinion? It wasn’t really a bad movie. I didn’t love it though, and was a little disappointed. And it was definitely way too rushed to really be one I loved. If you’re a Jane Eyre or a period drama fan, yes, watch it. I’m glad I did. However, I am far from desperate to go out and buy it.

TV Show: Downton Abbey Season 1

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Genre: Period drama, life, family

Series or set: Downton Abbey

Number in series: 1^st

Primary actors: Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Maggie Smith, Dan Stevens

Length: 7 episodes, each 45 minutes (except two that are about 65 apiece)

Based on: A real life story, at least in part, I believe…y’all probably know better than I do?

Time period: Early 1900s (just before World War I)

Rating: Unknown…prolly PG-13 in movie ratings

Year it came out: 2010

My overall opinion: I enjoyed it! I always knew I would, but sure enough…I was right. All in all, it was a good show and I enjoyed getting to know all the characters. And I’m definitely excited to watch Season 2! There was a little homosexual content, specifically in the first episode, that kinda ruined that whole episode for me – it was disgusting. Nothing explicit, but still enough to be stomach-turning in a horrid way. Other than that, for the most part, it’s fairly clean. Mary is an interesting leading lady, and getting to know her, and indeed, all of the family was a lot of fun. I’m definitely excited to see where it all goes in the next season! And it ended on such a cliff-hanger with the beginning of World War I – ooo yeah. Anyway, so yeah – good show! Not perfect, didn’t love it, but worth my time.

TV Show: Psych Season 2

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Crime, mystery, suspense

Series or set: Psych

Number in series: 2^nd

Primary actors: James Roday, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson

Length: 16 episodes, each 45 minutes

Time period: Present

Quote(s): There was that awesome moment when Gus’s head was described as a chocolate covered honeydew… ;)

Rating: TV-PG

Year it came out: 2007

My overall opinion: Honestly, who doesn’t love Psych?! This season was no exception. We watched a dozen episodes in two days and it never got old, at least, not to me. Gus and Shawn have the best friendship ever, and they’re comical. Jules is delightful, and really – all the episodes just make me happy. :) Look out, there are occasionally a few swear words, crude jokes, or slightly inappropriate scenes thrown in – however, these are fairly rare and this show is well-worth your time.

Movie: The Lucky One

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Genre: Chick flick, life, family, romance

Primary actors: Zac Efron, Taylor Schilling

Length: Two hours

Based on: the book by Nicholas Sparks, I think

Time period: Present

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2012

My overall opinion: Not bad! Hmmm. I guess what struck me most was the way Zac walked – it was kinda weird. But that’s probably just me. Overall? I liked it, other than a few scenes. The ending was a little melo-dramatic, I thought, but it was a sweet story and moved along at a good pace, while still being laid-back and peaceful. A good movie for filling an extra evening.

Movie: Robin Hood

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Genre: Life, adventure, family

Primary actors: Russell Crowe (who was about 49% of the reason I wanted to watch this), Cate Blanchett (who was the other 49%...and the remaining 2% was because it was Robin Hood), Matthew Macfadyen, William Hurt

Length: Almost 2 ½ hours

Based on: The classic story of Robin Hood

Time period: 1200s

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2010

My overall opinion: This was a good movie, y’all, and I was excited to watch it – and once I started, excited to finish it (as in, it was something I anticipated watching). Be advised, first of all, that there are some reasons for the PG-13 rating, so look that up before watching this. However, if you do decide to watch it, I think you’ll really enjoy it! I really liked Russell Crowe as Robin Hood and he’s definitely one of my favorite actors just now. Seriously. Then there was Cate Blanchett, who has a really striking way about her – I liked her as Galadriel, and she was good here too. But yeah. If you can get past the things it’s rated PG-13 for, this is a really great movie.

The Christmas Song Comparisons

Last year, on each Saturday before Christmas in December, I did Christmas music comparisons – one song, several versions, and chose my favorite. It was a lot of fun, and I loved doing it, so I’m doing it again this year with four different songs! Here we go with the first song. :)

Frank Sinatra – 8.5

 

Quite an old-style version of this song, naturally. Almost in a style like a musical. Sinatra has great vibrato, and is very melodic. And the background choir – that’s what makes it old-style. Loved the touch of “Jingle Bells” melody. The choir was a neat touch! This one is relaxing.

Andrea Bocelli – 8.5

Sung with Natalie Cole. She has a really throaty voice for a woman. Bocelli’s voice is smooth and luscious though! I quite disliked Cole on here though. It’s got a very steady beat. I like the variations and I really like the ending. It’s slow. I gave it an 8.5 because of the gal, which I dislike.

Celtic Woman – 9

Such clear voices! A piano background, very lovely. Their voices are smiling and sound happy which I love! A very smooth and flowing song. I like the high parts – sparkling and lovely! Beautiful variation.

Blake Shelton – 9

A rather different beginning from most versions! Blake’s voice is quite similar to Bocelli’s, but with a country accent. A steady slow beat, and a classic feel. It’s a very peaceful and soothing song, especially during the music interlude.

Scotty McCreery – 9.5

Finally, a version that doesn’t have a piano background, but instead, guitar! I really liked that. Scotty has such a smooth and satiny voice, young, and I love it. Definitely easy to listen to. I love the tempo. Not a huge fan of the ending high note, but all in all? I love this version. A Western feel!

Katherine Jenkins – 9

As usual, a soaring and lovely voice! Again, I must use the word smooth and say her version is smoothly gliding. And her vibrato is great. I love the background music, and I love her soprano part as well!

Favorite:

Scotty McCreery wins. I love his version a lot. It’s absolutely wonderful.

Your thoughts:

Did I mention your favorite version? If not, what version do you love and do I need to listen to it? And if so, which is your favorite?

The Merchant’s Daughter

Author: Melanie Dickerson

Genre: Fairy tale, life, romance

Series: Melanie has retold multiple fairy tales – this is the second, of four so far. (See my reviews of the first and third!)

Number in series: 2^nd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 284

Time period: 1300s

Publisher and price: Zondervan, $9.99

My overall opinion: This is the true story of Beauty and the Beast. It’s the classic fairy tale, brought into our world, made into an entirely plausible and believable story. Love it! One rather silly thing about this book that I didn’t particularly love was the name of the heroine, Annabel. There’s nothing inherently wrong with it…I guess I just feel like it’s too “pretty” and fancy and all. However, despite rather disliking her name, I did quite like Annabel herself. She was plucky and stood up for her family in an admirable way. Ranulf, aka the hero, was awesome as well. The whole book was easy to read and I greatly enjoyed it! Melanie has great skill with taking a fairy tale and working it into a realistic setting. I also really love how she includes God in each of her books. Her characters are clearly Christian through their actions, conversations, and thoughts. This is a most enjoyable read and I can’t wait to read “Captive Maiden,” book four! I’m definitely glad I bought this book.

Fifteen Minutes

Author: Karen Kingsbury

Genre: Life, family (and really…priorities. And fame.)

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5 high

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 353

Time period: Present

Publisher and price: Simon & Schuster, $22.99 (hardcover)

My overall opinion: Reading a book by Karen Kingsbury after several months without reading any felt, well, familiar. Rather like coming home. Which sounds horribly stereotypical, but I don’t know another way to describe it. I love her writing style and her characters so much, and they touch my heart like no other author yet has. This book is almost a cautionary book, warning about the pitfalls and hardships of being famous. I really like how Karen has this huge TV show in her book that’s super popular here in America (like The Voice or American Idol currently is) and she makes it totally believable, and also manages to work in a few cultural references to other TV shows or famous people. This book was easy to get into and read, and hard to put down! I’m definitely recommending it to everyone.

TV Show: Psych Season 1

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Crime, mystery, suspense

Series or set: Psych

Number in series: 1^st

Primary actors: James Roday, Dule Hill, Timothy Omundson

Length: 15 episodes, each 45 minutes

Time period: Present

Rating: TV-PG

Year it came out: 2006

My overall opinion: This show is one of my favorites. Up until this point, I had only seen most of Season 7, so it was really neat to go back to Season 1 and find out all the beginnings! There are occasionally scenes (or words) that could have been left out, but for the most part, Psych is clean and full of good fun. The mysteries are awesome, and I laughed so much throughout this season – I love it!

Bethany House Blog Tour: A Talent for Trouble

Author: Jen Turano

Genre: Romance, adventure

Series: Ladies of Distinction

Number in series: 3^rd

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Type: Fiction

Number of pages: 346

Time period: 1800s

Publisher and price: Bethany House, $14.99

My overall opinion: This book did not disappoint in the least – and I had high expectations, both from reviews of Turano’s earlier books and just from the fun cover. But this one was delightful and full of humor! Felicia was a beautiful heroine, inside and out, and she often was quite amusing. And best of all? She’s always full of shenanigans, some wince-worthy and some just plain funny! Grayson was a steady and strong leading man to counter her, and they seem a perfect couple. The whole book was a light and relaxing read overall. I laughed more than once! There was never a dull moment, as the whole book was filled with adventures and action and wit. I would definitely recommend this book!

**Bethany House publishers sent me this book for review purposes. I was not recompensed for this review in any other way, nor am I required to post positively.**

Movie: The Amazing Spiderman

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5

Genre: Superhero, adventure

Series or set: Spiderman

Number in series: 1^st

Primary actors: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone

Length: Two hours

Based on: The comic books, I suppose

Time period: Present

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2012

My overall opinion: First off, if you have any arachnophobia, don’t watch this, and especially not on a big screen. You’d die. There are spiders everywhere. However, provided that you don’t have arachnophobia, I think that if you’ve enjoyed other superhero movies, you’ll probably find this one to be a great movie! The graphics are good, and the whole film is packed with excitement and adventure and even a little mystery. This is an enthralling movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole thing! I definitely recommend this one for anyone who has previously enjoyed superhero movies – definitely glad I watched it.

Movie: Thor: the Dark World

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 9

Genre: Superhero, adventure

Series or set: Thor

Number in series: 2^nd  

Primary actors: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston

Length: Two hours

Based on: The comic books, perhaps?

Time period: Present, fantasy

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2013

My overall opinion: I enjoyed it so much! Do take into account that I’ve only seen the first Thor movie once and that was almost two years ago. I do intend to watch it again someday – I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. All in good time. However, despite comparing this one to a movie I haven’t seen for two years, I think this one was better – the graphics etc were amazing, the story kept me watching, it was just plain a good movie. Really good. Now, here we go on a few things I made notes to write about…because that’s how I do some movie reviews.

BE WARNED – THERE WILL BE SPOILERS. I HAVE WARNED YOU.

Darcy that girl: Apparently acted by Kat Dennings. She was awesome. She was just random and sometimes so annoying and such a pain and still so cute and fun and awesome and best of all – funny! Yeah, I really liked her. A lot. She was one of my favorite parts of this movie.

Mother: Oh, she was so sweet. Thor and Loki’s mom? Yup, her. I barely remember her from the first movie, but she was so lovely and elegant and such an amazing fighter. Her (I told you there would be spoilers…you’d better stop reading if you don’t want them) but her death was so sad…definitely the most touching and sad part of the movie. How her sons acted towards her made me sad. But she seemed like a beautiful woman inside and out. And did I mention I loved her fighting skills? I did.

Clothes: I really enjoyed seeing the clothes on a few of the characters in this film. Most notably, Thor and Loki’s mother had some lovely blue dresses that I am quite in love with. Then too, Jane had some pretty flowy dresses – and let’s face it, I’m really in love with Thor’s red cape. Because if I could have a cape/cloak like that? My life would be complete. Well, not quite, but seriously, it’s really cool.

Thor in general: What to say? I can’t write a review without mentioning him. He was a good hero, a little stupid at times, but hey – he’s Thor, what do you expect? ;) My favorite thing about him this time through was his voice. So deep, so rough, so Thor. I loved it. A lot. Listening to it for two hours? Wasn’t hard at all. And he’s not bad to watch for two hours either. I’m pretty sure they threw in one scene towards the beginning just to make the teenage girls swoon, and honestly, he’s a little too ripped for my personal preference. But I legitly don’t have any problem watching him on screen on a couple of hours. Oh he’s got problems for sure. But all in all, he’s super awesome. I think.

Loki’s humor: I mean, I could just do Loki in general, but since I’m still to decide if I feel sorry for him at all or not, I don’t know what to say. He’s very interesting. But. I do know? I love his humor. A lot. It gets me every time, even when it’s rather horrible. I mean, some of what he says is so offensive and making-fun, and yet, it’s still hilarious. And I still laugh. Even without meaning to. It’s just so cool. So yeah, I love his humor. And I really loved when he was Captain America for a little bit. That was…yeah. Funny. Poor Thor. I laughed.

Clown elves: For those of you who may not know, I can’t stand clowns. At all. I hate them. A lot. Like, a huge lot. So the elves who had faces that were almost like clowns were really freaky, especially the eyes. It wasn’t as bad as Dark Knight, but we all know from Lord of the Rings that that’s not what elves look like, silly. Not even bad elves. So yeah, I didn’t like the clown elves at all. But I suppose they weren’t bad as far as villains go.

Endings: For those of you who went to see it, did you see BOTH endings? Because guess what – not only does Marvel add ONE ending during the credits, they added two, same as in Avengers. Thankfully, some people clued us into that and we stayed all the way through the second extra ending. Make sure you do, especially if you like happy endings, because that one is and it made me happy. Very happy. Extra endings are cool.

So, there you have it – what I thought of Thor 2. Have you seen it? What’d you think? Comment and tell me! :) And just a word to the wise, long comments are my favorites. :)

 

Movie: The Dark Knight Rises

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8.5 high

Genre: Superhero, adventure

Series or set: Batman series

Number in series: 3^rd

Primary actors: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Morgan Freeman

Length: Two and a half or so hours

Based on: The comic books, I think?

Time period: Present. Or maybe future. But basically present.

Rating: PG-13

Year it came out: 2012

My overall opinion: So. I’ve seen the first two Batman movies (Batman Begins and Dark Knight), the latter twice. I didn’t love them. Didn’t hate them. But yeah. Not a huge fan. However, I knew I needed to see this one and am so glad I did! I feel like I’ve seen a lot of not-so-positive reviews for this third Batman movie. I don’t agree with those reviews. This one was hands-down my favorite. Action scenes were amazing and gripping. Mystery was intense.

And then. There was Anne Hathaway. As a general rule, she’s not one of my favorite people. Not that she’s bad. But I haven’t been a big fan of any movie in which she starred. Until now. Let me just say…Cat Woman is amazing. Aka Anne Hathaway. She’s my new favorite superhero. If Cat Woman is a superhero. And here we take a short break…Captain America is my favorite superhero. Then Thor…and I think he ties with Iron Man. And THEN Batman. But if Cat Woman can count as a superhero, she pushes them all down a notch and takes first place. Now, back on topic. Cat Woman was amazing. She was a strong and fierce woman. And while I can’t fully emulate her way of doing things or her fashion, she was pretty awesome. And I think she deserves her own movie…does she have one yet?

So. Because Cat Woman was in this one, it was amazing. Batman…well, he was kinda old and not with it as much as in the earlier films. Understandable, perhaps. I don’t know. But this movie was good and I liked it a lot and it’s definitely one I want to watch again someday. Do take note: it’s got one scene in particular that’s worth skipping. Otherwise, it’s not too bad, but as always – research this one before you watch it.

Movie: Becoming Jane

My rating on a 1-10 scale: 8

Genre: Period drama, biography, life

Primary actors: Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, Julie Walters, Anna Maxwell Martin, Maggie Smith

Length: About two hours

Based on: Jane Austen’s life

Time period: 1800s

Rating: PG

Year it came out: 2011

My overall opinion: I enjoyed this movie rather more than I expected to! Anne Hathaway wasn’t bad as Jane, though younger and prettier than the real Jane, I think. And James McAvoy as the main guy! Never did decide exactly what I thought of that. It was certainly a very interesting casting choice. I just know him as Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe so. The movie seemed well-filmed and moved along at a good pace – kept me watching. Not riveting, but. Unfortunately, due to a problem with my ear-buds and my DVD player, I had trouble hearing – the music way overpowered the dialogue. I didn’t realize this problem was fixable until quite a bit later. This hampered my enjoyment. Thus the very average rating. There was, as is warned about, brief nudity – not sensual, just a bit awkward. All in all? I’ll watch it again so I can hear the dialogue. Didn’t love, didn’t hate.