I could show you things that could make you sick

I saw Looper this week!  Read on for SPOILER-filled reaction comics:

One of the things I liked best about the film was the slow (like, embarrassingly slow) realization that I was NOT rooting for Old Joe.  Him killing that little boy was a point of no return, but I didn't realize until the final confrontation that Old Joe was not our protagonist.  We are so conditioned to side with characters who are motivated by love, it takes time to see that Old Joe is not the wiser of the Joes.  In actuality, Young Joe comes to understand the nature of love far better than Old Joe does--he chooses self-sacrifice for the greater good over preserving one individual's experience of love.  He sees beyond himself and breaks the cycle so that others can thrive.

I mean, you all saw the movie.  You know this.  But can we talk about it a bit?  That was amazing!

At Sara's first appearance, I asked, "Is this our prostitute friend (Suzie)?"  I was not the only one in the group who assumed that it was.  Diversity please.

Okay so this movie you guys.  Two days ago I would swear up and down that Safety Not Guaranteed was the best film of the year, but now...I think I'm on team Looper.  Just.  Wow.  It almost never happens that a movie is that surprising and makes sense.  That it also makes statements about ending the cycle of violence, self-sacrifice, and the subjectivity of good/evil at the end of a shoot-em-up action movie?  Incredible.

Details I absolutely loved: Old Joe's falling-in-love montage, Sara's mimed smoke on the porch, Abe's understated death off-camera cuing that he is not our main antagonist, Joe practicing French while waiting to kill someone, frog toy booty call, final shots of Sara and Sid going through daily life together.

Read my reactions to other movies:
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, Magic Mike, Brave, Prometheus

These times are changing and reshaping into something I can't face

I saw The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (in 2D, non-iMAX, and I-can't-remember-how-many-fps)!  Read on for SPOILER-filled reaction comics~

 

I started twitching in my seat after 2 hours, but the movie held my attention throughout.  I enjoyed revisiting the rich world of The Hobbit, and appreciated the time lavished on the sets and creatures.  The designs were incredible!  The diversity amongst the dwarves' designs, the shots of The Shire and Rivendell, the gobelins and orcs and trolls and stone giants...amazing!

 

Okay, I had one big issue and it was with the horrific staging during the chase scene where Radagast leads the Wargs/Orcs away from Team Gandalf.  What the hell was going on in that scene?  Back and forth and back and forth, it felt like Team Gandalf was stuck behind the same rock the whole time, even though it was suggested that they were moving.

 

*Gollum (thanks, Ann)

It's such a gas when you bring up the past

Paranorman!  I love this movie.  The character designs in particular were just incredible.  Read on for some fan art.  One of these is kind of a spoiler, FYI.

^My favorite joke in the entire film.  Hahahaha, it kills me every time!  Along with every single one of Neil's lines and Alvin's horrible face and dance moves and Courtney's pouty-faces.

Every hour has come to this

(Other reviews: Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, Magic Mike, Brave, Prometheus)

I watched Twilight: Breaking Dawn, part 2 last night! Read on for reaction comics. As always, SPOILERS!

So...I actually really, really liked what they did with that battle.  All of  the action and drama of a full-on fight, because you believe it's really happening, and then a conclusion where A) the "villain" or hate sink doesn't need to die*, B) the conflict is resolved through discourse, and C) everyone finds a way to coexist albeit a compromise.  THAT NEVER HAPPENS IN BLOCKBUSTERS YOU GUYS.
*I mean, I guess that Irina did play the hate sink and die....but I'm counting Aro as the main one and the rest of the Volturi as next in line.

You may have my number you can take my name but you'll never have my heart

I saw the new Bond film Skyfall last night! Here are some reaction comics I made before bed.  As always, SPOILERS!

*Incongruous

*Whoops, that's "Silva"...ha ha....British accents, you know...!

^My mom and I made this joke almost simultaneously.

So okay, it's fun to poke holes in movies, but in all seriousness I really enjoyed Skyfall and will be recommending it to my friends.  It's a good Bond film.  It's a good action film.  The glass door scene?  The opening shot?  The rat monologue?  The rooftop dirt biking?  The new Q?  The use of the backhoe loader?  The word association game?  Every single establishing shot in the film? *whistle*
I was a little underwhelmed by the plot and the not-so-deep reveals about James Bond's past because my friends had built it up a bit too much, but ah well.  He's an orphan.  He hid in a cellar once.  I would have loved more character development than that, but I should have reminded myself that I was going into a James Bond film and they need to save all the time they can for the shoot-outs and explosions.  That final act...don't even get me started.  The ice scene was cool, but I was falling asleep during the rest of the fire BOOM fire shouting BOOM stuff.