Pacific Rim

     Ok, I have a critic's remark to get off my chest. Star Wars of this generation is soooo wrong. Star Wars is an off world, alien epic tale, not alien invasion of Earth. Should have said The Independence Day of this generation.
     The previews made me think not a bad alien invasion film, probably. I really liked it. It has the right balance of emotion, story, and action. Not to mention interesting alien monsters. Character connection is just as important to any story, even if its a lot of action. Not all alien invasion movies, are well balanced. Pacific Rim has great characters, great monsters, enough action, and a actual story line. A very pleasant and enjoyed surprise. Worth seeing in the theater.
   

Twice Tempted by Jeanine Frost

     This is a spin off from the Night Huntress Series. It is also the second of The Dark Prince Trilogy. The first book is Once Burned. You could read this one without the first, without being too lost, but I would suggest reading Once Burned first. The first book in The Night Huntress series is Halfway to the Grave.

     I will be honest, I probably would have not read the next installment but that it is a cliff hanger type ending. At the end of Once Burned, I had hope Leila would grow up. But I was sadly disappointed. I had hoped she’d change for the better. No such luck. Leila still gets on my nerves.

     I have like the other women from the Night Huntress Series and The Night Huntress World spin offs. Cat, Denise, and Kyra, are well balanced, feeling like real people. Leila seems to be unbalanced to me. At times, she feels real, like a character should. Relatable even if I haven’t been in that situation. At times it seems that she is another person entirely. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde. Leila is the only heroine in a series that has gotten on my nerves, I want to slap her at times. Is it too much to hope that now she has transitioned to a vampire that maybe she’ll crush her rose colored glasses, and stay in reality? I hope so. The next installment will tell.

     Overall, an alright story, though at times it felt a bit too close to Once Burned with a few changes to it. An above average story, she’s written better. Not a bad read.

The Lone Ranger

It is a rare occasion that I see a movie trailer and think, I’m not sure if I should see this or not. The Lone Ranger was one of these films. I think part of it was Johnny Depp playing Tonto.

     This film wasn't bad. Maybe a tad too long. I’ll admit Johnny Depp didn't do a bad Tonto.  The story line wasn't bad, though I didn't like the way the story was introduced and told. It would have run better without the reminisces of Tonto to tell the story.

     A pleasant surprise, but not sure if it’s worth paying theater money to go see.

World War Z

To be honest, I really wasn't interested in this film.

     It was a lot better than I thought, but I do agree with critic comments on the lack of emotional connection in this film. Any story has to have a balance. Action can only carry a tale so far. To truly grab a reader or audience, connection has to be made with the characters. I need to care if they live or die. I really didn't care for the most part.

     It did have its tense moments. I will admit gripping the cup holder of the chair and not realizing it for a while. It also had those predictable moments, when you knew that person was going to get it. The zombies over all wasn't bad, and at times could be creepy, in a Hannibal Lector way. Not bad, 3-D added to it, probably made it a bit better.

     I don’t if I would pay to see this, except for the 3-D with it, which might make it worth the money. Not a bad watch, but worth the cash, not so sure of that.

    There have been better zombie films: 28 Days Later, is one. This was mediocre for a zombie film.