8.28.2007

DVD REVIEW: Silent Hill (2006)

Silent Hill

For those of you who have played the game, the story is fairly similar. However, for those of you who haven't, I'll give you a quick rundown of what the movie is about:

"Rose Da Silva and her husband, Christopher, awake almost every night to prevent their adopted daughter, Sharon, from sleepwalking towards a cliff. After rescuing her, repeatedly, she screams the same words, before passing out: Silent Hill. Sharon has no memory of any of the incidents and Rose is getting desperate. She decides to take her daughter to the town of Silent Hill, in the hopes that she will finally be saved from her nightly terrors. However, once they reach the outskirts of the town, she is distracted by a "passerby" and loses control of the vehicle, crashing it into the side railing. When Rose awakes, Sharon is no longer in the car. She now faces the dilemma of tracking her daughter down in the destroyed town, known as Silent Hill, while facing hellish demons that appear every time the sun sets in the town."

I will say this: You don't have to be a fan of the series to enjoy *or even understand* this movie. I only played the first game and that did little for me when I tried to understand what was going on in the movie. However, that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the movie. In fact, I thought it was very good. *Story and Visual- wise* It's not very scary, however, there are a few scenes that are freaky and will keep you on the edge of your seat. The creators decided to remain true to the game, when it comes to the monsters and even the town as well, which is a good thing considering the other video-game-to-movie-adaptations. *Hint Hint House of the Dead, DOA, and Resident Evil ><* The story and a few characters are a little different, but that doesn't detract from the movie at all. For one, they decided to change the main character, Harry in the game, into a female. They also added a few more main villains that made the story a little more intense. The monster had a very creepy feel to them, but they weren't scary *Except maybe Pyramid- head* As I watched the movie, I couldn't help but feel like the the mosters were almost dancing *This was made more apparent in the Nurse scene at the hospital* This takes us to the ending. I must admit... that was quite bloody, but somewhat expected. The ending scene sort of makes sense, but if you don't pay attention to some of the earlier scenes, I can almost guarantee you that you will be lost. *Then again, it still won't make a lot of sense if you paid attention anyways, so don't be sad if you don't get it. You're not alone.* If you're a fan of the game or are just looking for a good thriller to watch, I highly suggest getting this DVD. Aside from the main feature, it has great special features that will help you better understand the concept and idea behind the movie.

Rating: ★★★★★ (Buy it. It will make game and general thriller fans very happy.)

8.27.2007

DVD Review: Stranger Than Fiction (2007)

Stranger than Fiction


"Harold Crick is an IRS auditor who follows the droll daily routine, known as his life, to the tick of his watch. Every morning, he wakes up and begins his day the same way he begins everyday for the last many years. Everything is calculated and seemingly perfect in his life. Until one day, a voice begins to narrate his life and foretell his impending doom..."

I rented this movie a while back when I started to get back into the habit of watching movies again. *DevilMan really put me off movies for a long, long while XP*. Anyways, this movie is a "Smart Comedy" but it also has it's moments of "Stupid Comedy" moments. The story is very easy to follow and doesn't require a lot of intelligence to understand and appreciate the humor in this story. However, this movie is not all laughs. There are some dramatic moments as well, which is great, because it balances the movie out. *I don't want to be tired of laughing by the end of the movie* The characters are all portrayed very well and are quite believable *as to be expected by a nearly all start cast* In my opinion, I think this movie showed that Mr. Will Ferrell can portray balance comedy and drama and make the audience believe it. There are some things you need to be advised of, however. Because this is a comedic drama, it may bore you at some points. *I know I was bored during a few scenes* Another thing that may put you off is the ending. Though it's very "Happy Ending"-y, it just comes off as kind of cheesy.

Overall, though, this is a pretty solid movie that has a creative story, interesting characters, and a plot that will keep you guessing how our main character will be snuffed out by the end of the movie.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (Only buy it after renting it, just to see for yourself.)

8.19.2007

いっらしゃい~!

Welcome to "Just Another Side Story". This log was created as a side journal to post my reviews of random things. *mainly movies and music* However, that's not all I plan to post here. There will be just random things I post as well. I reserve most of my "life updates" on my Xanga site. Feel free to check that out if you just want to see what life for me is like. :P Anyways, I will begin posting shortly. I have already created several reviews on movies I have seen and will post each on once a day. *just something to kill time really* Expect more in the future for those who actually read this. So.... yeah. That's really all I have to say. Enjoy!