Captain America: Is the first avenger movie any good?

Image by Daniel Semper via Flickr

Walking into the theater opening day Friday to see Captain America, I was a bit apprehensive as to what this movie would be like. Would it be similar to Green Lantern (cheesy)? Or would it be near identical to Iron Man 2 (okay, but could’ve been better)? Sitting and watching the ending credits of the movie, I decided it wasn’t too cheesy, as most comic book movies are, but the ending was definitely a let down.

 

The opening with Steve Rodgers getting beat up was eye catching. It seemed like everyone just loved the tiny, downtrodded little Rodgers boy. And talk about his friend? During the beginning when Rodgers didn’t have any muscles, Bucky made up for him. I absolutely loved Hayley Atwell as Peggy. Unlike other damsels in distress Peggy is

a) not stick thin

b) works in a postition of authority

It’s not just her who needs to be rescued, but the whole country. Another thing that made Captain America pretty good was how he wasn’t automatically a superhero once he got muscles. He performed on stage and made an idiot out of himself even when he was supposed to be a hero. Instead of being used for his initial purpose in the war his commanding officer denied him and told him to shove off.

I guess I also liked how it wasn’t “happily ever after” too. Rogers was found frozen and slept in a coma right past all of his friends’ death and Peggy’s. Though, they could’ve ended Captain America better than having Steve busting out of a fake room and into a modernized New York setting.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I’d give it a 7

 

 

Image via Wikipedia

 

 

The Book Thief Review

Cover of The Book Thief

While I haven’t actually finished the book yet, I am half way done so I figured I’d just write a review now. The Book Thief opens with a prologue about death and colours, and then a little boy dead and his sister finding a book in the snow.

For me, personally, I found the prologue odd. What was the narrator getting at writing about colours? And then the “Here is a small fact: You are going to die?” Albeit a bit confused I was intrigued and wanted to know more. So I kept reading.

Markus Zusak does a good job of keeping the readers hooked. He writes brilliantly, almost never using a linking verb and often incorporates alliterations like, “shivering snow” in his paragraphs. His writing style is intense! He personifies many things in The Book Thief that makes everything just come alive.

Another thing that I like about The Book Thief is that it didn’t focus entirely on the gloominess of the Jewish concentration camps. Sure it has some parts about her mother and the beginning where Liesel was forced to go to foster parents was upsetting but it’s nowhere near upsetting as some other stories I’ve read during the WWII era. Maybe that comes later though.

I also love his characters. Liesel is amazing. And her best friend Rudy? He’s adorable. Even her foster family doesn’t seem too bad; especially her father who traded sixteen cigars for her books and he was the one able to coax her out of the car.

Well, I got to keep reading but maybe in a few days (or hours) there’ll be a new post about The Book Thief.

Ipod Nano 6th Generation

When my ipod touch broke down I was devastated. This meant a whole new ipod with different songs (since my computer also broke around the same time) and different settings. As the normal human I am I dislike change but I didn’t want a new ipod touch. Instead I tried out the new ipod nano 6th generation (the really tiny touch screen one). My first intention was that it would be great for running.

My second intention was it was small enough to fit comfortably in my pocket (unlike the ipod touch which usually stuck out and looked like I had a massive wallet in my pocket). Unfortunately though, th ipod nano is not all it’s built up to be. It’s cute and small but there’s not that much of a difference when running. Half the time I’m worried that the clip will somehow slip off my shirt on one of the trails and there goes my new ipod!

What I do like about it though is that it fits comfortably and there’s no distractions. With my touch I would go to listen to music and then get distracted by emails or other websites that I was previously on or the apps. The ipod nano is almost exclusively for music. But if I had to choose now, I would save up another hundred dollars and just get the ipod touch.

Yan Yan!

I recently tried pocky and found it to be AMAZING!! Okay, well maybe not that great but it was still pretty good. Then when I looked in the super market isle I found something else called Yan Yan, and since it was strawberry flavoured I got it instead. It was so cute with biscuit sticks and animal imprints on them. It reminded me of animal crackers. I would recommend buying Pocky over Yan Yan though because Yan Yan can get messy with the dip on the opposite side and all. Plus, I feel like Pocky is almost involved in every anime/manga show. For more about Yan Yan vs. Pocky check out

http://goingforseconds.wordpress.com/2009/02/04/yan-yan-vs-pocky-battle-of-the-ages/

Review 1: Spiderman Movie 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Spiderman, or any other heroes mentioned or any other products associated with the name. All rights go to their respective owners.

 

I know the first spiderman movie came out in 2002, so writing a review about it now is a little late. But something about the first spiderman movie recently came to my attention. Spiderman is one of my favorite movies. Why? It would have to be because he’s so easy to relate to. Unlike Superman who has x-ray vision and superhuman strength or Batman who has tons of money and a helpful butler, Spiderman has an aunt and an uncle who seem to act more as grandparents/parents. And with all parents and sons comes a bit of friction. Here’s the first reason why people can relate to Spiderman so easily.

1) He has problems with society.

*His family members

*His classmates

*His crush

I know most people have some sort of problem with their parents. I’ll never forget the part at the beginning of the movie when Peter says to his uncle, “Stop lecturing me!” I couldn’t count the number of times I’ve said that one to my parents and other family members because I just didn’t want to listen anymore. It’s clear Peter didn’t want to hear it either. Peter feels like he can’t relate to his uncle, in the same scene Ben says, “I know what you’re going through” and Peter replies with, “You have no idea.” Again, another instance where the parents think they know best, but Peter doesn’t listen. He’s anxious and excited; he doesn’t care. I’m sure not just me, but a bunch of other teens and adults have felt the same way at times.

Here’s the second part, his classmates are total jerks. He’s the geeky, chess master with glasses. His best friend: one of the cooler guys with a dad who has tons of money. There’s always that one person (or a few in some cases) where the kids get all the cool stuff because their mommies and daddies hand it straight to them, whereas Peter has to work to get money as shown in the wrestling scene. Peter doesn’t just want something and have it magically appear. He had to search for a car a little less flashy, a little more worn down, and then he fought for the money (literally). I remember working as soon as I became sixteen. In my household, if we wanted something other than the necessities we had to pay for it ourselves.

Third part, his crush. Everyone, absolutely everyone has had this predicament; where they like the girl but can’t seem to win her. It happens all the time. He’s simply too shy and doesn’t quite know how to approach her.

Second reason why people can relate to Spiderman: he’s not rich! He has a working job like everyone else and (going a little bit into the second movie now) has bad days and good days. It seems Peter Parker is just one minute too late to deliver that pizza just like at other jobs where if you’re late a few times in a row you’re out of there.

The third reason is (getting really into the second movie) Peter doubts himself. He has this uncertainty about who he is, what he’s suppose to do, and how to do it. There’s no denying it, everyone, absolutely everyone has had doubts about something. The questions and insecurity about whether or not he’s made the right decision or doing what he should be in life.

The final reason would be because Peter has a choice. Does he want to be Spiderman or just a normal person? The world needs him, sure, but so does Mary Jane and his studies. The choice to be the better person and do the right thing or walk away is what makes Peter so good. Because everyone knows he doesn’t have to put on the suit, but he does anyway. He fights for a better tomorrow, chooses what’s right and shows that one good person can make a difference.