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Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Owl City~ All Things Bright and Beautiful

Owl City. The name alone makes me smile. Adam Young, the brilliant young man behind the music is a genius. The music he writes is so moving, and the lyrics are beautiful, painting such beautiful pictures with words, that at times, it makes me want to cry.
In "All Things Bright and Beautiful" Owl City does not disappoint the expectations of his fans. This album is everything we have come to expect of Owl City and more. Beautiful metaphors woven with magical music work together to create a tapestry of emotions and pictures that leaves one feeling satisfied as if one truly has seen "all things bright and beautiful".
Sound quality gets a 5. Lyrics get a 5. And of course, the music gets a 5. All three categories of content get a 5. This album is totally family friendly, anyone could listen to it without fear of being slapped in the face with inappropriate content.
Adam Young is a brilliant young man with an amazing gift. I look forward to seeing how his career progresses.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

To be completely honest, when I heard that they were making another Pirates movie, I was a little skeptical. Alright, very skeptical. They've already made three, and that was pushing it, but a fourth? How much longer can Hollywood beat a dead horse?
BUT! I am happy to say that I was very wrong in my expectations. "The Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" just might be the best Pirates movie yet. Mermaids, ships, swords, swashbuckling pirates, and even a missionary. There were two things that I really loved about this movie. The first one was that they portrayed the *Christian* missionary in a complimentary light. He was good, and had character, integrity and honor. He was NOT hypocritical, nor did he walk away from his faith. Such a portrayal of missionaries or Christian characters in movies is rare. The second thing that I loved was that they were able to re-invent the story in such a way that one doesn't miss Will and Elizabeth. We all know that we watched "The Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" the first time to see Orlando Bloom, but we watched it a second time, and all the subsequent movies for Johnny Depp. Now, this Pirates movie is all about Jack. Which is fine with me. I have really enjoyed watching Jack's character develop over the course of these movies, and this one was no exception.
Overall, I'm giving the story a 5. I think that is was highly original, and did a great job of building on the first movies, while at the same time re-inventing the story in such a way that they can continue the series.
How well it's made gets a 4. The effects were great, but there were some times when it just seemed obviously CG'd.
Sexual content gets a 3 1/2. There were a lot of innuendos and sexual jokes, and there were some inappropriate outfits. And the mermaids are very risque.
Language gets a 4. There were a handful of swear words scattered here and there.
Violence gets a 3 1/2. There was some fighting.
Overall, the movie gets a 4. It is very well made, interesting and fun. However, due to the violence and innuendos, I would not suggest anyone under the age of 15 watching it.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

The Tourist

Starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. She's a beautiful and mysterious woman, he's an unsuspecting American tourist. They meet on a train. Perfect chemistry for an intriguing and fascinating movie.
 I have to give the plot a 4. It was intriguing, and fairly unpredictable, but I personally thought that the characters could have used a little more development.
 I'm going to give how well the movie is made a 5. The effects, style and everything about how it was made was superb in my opinion. 
Sexual content gets a 3. In the beginning there is an inappropriate reference, and later on there is a passionate kissing scene. 
Violence gets a 3 as well. There are some gun chases and other types of violence, but it wasn't too bad. 
Language gets a 2. There was a lot of swearing.
Overall, I really enjoyed this movie, and I would not mind watching it again multiple times. But, because of the content, I am going to have to give it a 4 instead of a 5. I would also say that this movie is definitely not appropriate for anyone under the age of 13.