In Film: The Devil's Backbone

Guillermo Del Toro has done it again!  Another scary yet intrepid film.  "El Espinazo del diablo" or, "The Devil's Backbone," is set at the end of the Spanish Revolution.  Tensions are still high between the rebellion and the socialist sect.  The story takes place at a boys orphanage and asks the question, "What is a ghost?"  The question itself is poignant and thought-provoking, and throughout the film, there are many answers.  Aside from the philosophical agenda of the movie, there lies a ghost story.  Overall, I would highly recommend this movie.  I still prefer "The Orphanage," but this film is great as well.  I think I'm becoming quite the Guillermo Del Toro fanatic!

The Good:  The plot and story are beautifully crafted to make you think, question and ultimately understand.  All things are answered and come full circle, which is something that I love when a movie ends.  I hate having more questions than answers when the credit rolls!

The Bad:  Although the cinematography is amazing, the sets and captures aren't as thrilling as I've come to expect from Guillermo Del Toro's films.

The Ugly:  Nothing really stuck out as awful in this film.

Synopsis:  Watch this movie! Especially if you're in the mood for a good scary movie, but also want to think a little bit!

★★★☆☆

In Film: Hancock

This movie was another pleasant surprise.  Will Smith plays Hancock, a homeless drunk superhero, who always seems to cause more trouble than stopping it.  Sitting down to watch this movie, I was expecting another generic super hero movie.  I was definitely wrong!  The plot is thoughtful and driven, the cinematography is done fairly well for green screen flight.  Charlize Theron and Jason Bateman are perfect choices for the supporting cast.

The Good:  The plot and action take the cake on this one.  It's extremely entertaining to watch.

The Bad: Some of the dialogue can get really lame, but that's to be expected from any superhero movie I suppose.

The Ugly: Watch the unrated version and the trailer scene.  You'll know what I'm talking about.

Synopsis: A pleasantly surprising movie with a twist and wonderful action!  A must own for superhero fans.

★★★★☆

In WTF?: Country-Hip Hop

This is utterly amazing!

In TV: True Blood - Season 3 Episode 3

So once again, I won't spoil anything, just a quick review of the episode.  So let's start with the positives.  Whoever HBO hired as a new stylist for the show deserves a medal of honor!  Everyone looks so much better this season!  The hair, the makeup, the clothing, it's all working.  The second great thing is Alcide, yum! I'm glad he finally made it on the show.  Now for the negatives.  I'm actually pretty disappointed in the episode and hopefully it's not the direction this season is taking.  David and I were discussing, and I think he's right; they are rushing through too many separate story lines too quickly that they can't do them properly.  The ending is absolutely absurd.  Just sayin'.

★★☆☆☆

In Music: Florence and the Machine - Cosmic Love

I'm really excited that one of my favorite bands, Florence and the Machine, has released a new video.  I first fell in love with the song "Drumming" last year and since then have listened to the entire album from start to finish repeatedly.  It's really refreshing to hear music that you haven't heard before, and I don't just mean a song you've never listened to.  Florence and the Machine is a completely different sound from anything else out right now.  The band is aptly named, with an industrial sound like blue man group coupled with the sweet yet powerful vocals of Florence.  The album "Lungs" is truly amazing all the way through.  There isn't one song I don't like.  This video for "Cosmis Love" is no surprise, their videos are always visually stunning and compliment the songs for which they are made.

★★★★☆