Pacific Rim Movie Review

I have to say that I haven't been excited to see a movie like this for a while. The geek in me was just crying with joy at the trailer (being a mecha groupie and all). I just thought that nothing could beat giant robots and kaijus. I actually took my husband and dad with me to see this, they were just excited as I am. What I loved about this movie that it's a "no brainer" as my dad likes to call it. Meaning you can just enter the theater and switch off your brain and just gawk at the graphics and visual effects and have a stupid smile across your face the whole time (which was my case really). 

What most people need to understand about movies is that not all movies need to have a strong plot or script to be good and enjoyable. They can be cliched as a 70's romantic movie and still be pretty awesome. 

The movie takes place in the 2020's where an alien lifeform known as Kaiju emerge from the Pacific Ocean due to tectonic plates shifting and start attacking various countries on the rim. The monsters are huge and need to be taken down and what better way to do so than with giant robots loaded with various weapons? The nations of Pacific Rim collaborate to create the giant weapons known as Jaegers.  Each robot is controlled by two pilots whose brains are connected through a neural bridge to share the mental load of piloting such a massive machine. Several of the main characters have their own demons and reasons for wanting to be part of this war and they all come together in order to save humanity. 

While it is true that the movie lacks depth, it's not completely absent from it. Del Toro here focused on the message of how people have to put aside their differences and work together for the greater good, even going as far as sharing their thoughts and fears in order to pilot the Jaegers and they have to be in complete sync in order to be able to fight off the Kaiju.

The arcs of several characters were not detailed and were made on a need-to-know basis. Del Toro had to cut off a whole hour of material from the movie since he only wanted it to be 2 hours long and wanted to target younger viewers. He felt it was not crucial to add the extra material as it just described the characters' arcs in greater detail.

The acting was above than average considering this to be a Kaiju movie but it wasn't outstanding. Personally, it did not bother me in the slightest. Idris Elba was just epic though. The script felt like it was written in a hurry but it doesn't irk me as movies for me are not all about script writing and plots but the overall picture in the end. Watching this reminded me of my childhood as I watched old Kaiju movies and anime. Pacific Rim paid a great and fun homage to the Japanese culture regarding the mecha and Kaiju genres.  

The visual effects were to die for, I was just drooling over everything. The robots' designs were significant and unique and the Kaijus just looked very bad-ass. The fight scenes for me were not hard to follow at all, I can very clearly tell who was bashing on whom, and they didn't feel clunky and choreographed. The 3D was outstanding, just it being in 3D kind of made it for me really.  We really don't see movies like Pacific Rim anymore, nowadays everyone would rather see a serious drama filled movie than seeing a plain fun and imaginative one.  

The soundtrack was composed by Ramin Djawadi who is known for his work in Iron Man and Game of Thrones. The soundtrack balanced orchestral and electrical elements brilliantly and just gave the movie that little push of epicness. One can't help but feel like he's in a giant robot walking down the street all mighty like when listening to this. I give the soundtrack a 5/5.

The movie did not disappoint me in the slightest, flaws included, as they didn't ruin the movie for me as I knew exactly what I was going to see; a great robot/monster smash 'em up. This was even better than Man of Steel for me. I believe that most people would appreciate this movie more if it had a more serious dialogue but to me it doesn't really add anything extra to a movie in this genre. In the sense of this movie being in the mecha/Kaiju category I would give it a 10/10 but in the sense of a movie all in all I would give it an 9/10. 

If you want a real deep sci-fi movie with a Shakespearean dialogue then I would not recommend you to see this movie as you'll probably get bored. However, to put this very bluntly if you're a fan of mecha/Kaiju and anime you'll love this.

Homemade Garlic Bread

It's been months since I last posted anything here I know. I even had tons of drafts that I never published but I finally took some time away from my hectic life to update you with a little new food post. :D

So who doesn't love garlic bread? It's super easy to make at home and they'll always taste yummy. 

Ingredients:
- Toast or french bread (any type of bread will do really, depends on how you like it)
- 1/4 cup of softened butter
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley 
- Thyme

The thing about this recipe is that you can remove or add any ingredients that you like.  Now before making this you can take out the butter from the fridge a little early so it can soften a bit or if you're just taking it out, you can pop it into the microwave for 10 seconds. Remember to not overheat the butter, you don't want it to melt but if it does don't worry you can thicken it up with a little bit of flour. 

Take the cloves of garlic and mush them. Now put the butter into a bowl and add all the seasonings and garlic then salt and pepper to taste. Then just take a fork or spoon and mix everything together. If you're using regular toast what I like to do is cut one slice into half vertically so they're easier to munch on. Then just spread the butter on the bread and place the slices on an oven tray and put it in a pre-heated oven for 15 minutes on 180 C. And that's it! Easy peasy. :D

Oh and sorry for the lack of pictures, when I have some I'll update the post.

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes has to be one of my favorite side dishes, it goes with almost anything and you have so many garnishing options. Not to mention it's so easy and fast to make. The best thing about making your own mashed potatoes is that there are no specific measurements for the ingredients, it all depends on your own preference. Buuut in order to write this recipe I will need some measurements so this serves 2 people. 

Tools of the trade:

• 2 big potatoes or 3 medium ones
• Salt and pepper
• Milk  
• A potato masher 

Now peel your potatoes and put them in a pot then fill it with water until the potatoes are completely covered. Cook the potatoes until they're done, you'll know when they're done when a fork easily passes through one of them.  After the potatoes are done put them in a bowl and start mashing them to the consistency you want, as you're mashing add a little bit of milk also until you get the consistency you prefer. Then salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to garnish it with gravy, beacon or shredded cheese and you're done!

Oz: The Great and Powerful Movie Review

I know I haven't updated in a while but life has been hectic and internet was down for a while too, but I'm back now and with a new review! I finally got to see Oz a couple of days ago, I've been looking forward to this since I know the movie was planned to be made.  Now this is a great movie for the family and the young ones will certainly enjoy it, even though the movie is a bit long. 

I have to begin this review by saying that the 3D was beyond spectacular!! This is without a doubt the best 3D movie I've seen as of yet, I felt so immersed and regardless of whether you're enjoying the movie or not, this is something you will definitely be enjoying. 

The story is predictable sure and no Oscar worthy acting but the movie is powerfully entertaining. I enjoyed it remarkably.

 James Franco is Oz, a carnival magician and a con man who accidentally lands in Oz and meets the first resident of Oz, Theadora (Mila Kunis) and her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz). The story is a prequel to 'The Wizard of Oz' as we learn the history of the wizard and how he came into existence. I loved The Wizard of Oz and this to me was not a disappointment.  The story-line is cheesy but adorable at the same time, you can't help but to smile throughout the whole movie. The fact that it's 130 minutes long did not bother me in the slightest because I was enjoying it so much. 

And the fact that I found out it was Zack Braff who did voice over for Oz's furry companion made the movie all the more special for me.  

James Franco as Oz and Michelle Williams as Glinda

The amount of detail in this film was staggering from the beautifully made costumes to the colorful and wacky locations. Everything was magical.  The soundtrack suited the film nicely but nothing that gets stuck in your head. 

 I love how the movie stayed true to some aspects of the 1939 film such as the opening scene is in black and white during the time in Kansas and switched to color in Oz, the design of Emerald City and the yellow brick road. And of course how Oz is whisked away by a tornado as debris dangerously fly around him. 

Like 'The Wizard of Oz', this is a great entertaining movie for the whole family. Hollywood's recent obsession with re-making fairy tales (such as Jack and the Giant Slayer) should not keep you from seeing this one as it is the best of them and it's just as good as Tim Burton's 'Alice in Wonderland' if not better. An 8/10. 

Baked Potatoes

Time for another food post! I love fries! Just adore them with pretty much anything, but sometimes I feel guilty because they're fried and they're not always the healthiest option. So a great alternative is having a baked potato and you can garnish it with almost anything.

 

Ingredients:

• Big potatoes
• Salt 
• Vegetable or olive oil or butter

Preparation:

Heat the oven to 17oC. Take the potatoes and wash them thoroughly under cold running water, use a brush if you have one. Make sure to wash them very well and cut off any dark spots, you're going to be eating the skin after all.  Then dry them well with a clean towel. Now take a fork or a sharp knife and make 4 holes on each side of the potato almost an inch in so the steam can escape while cooking. It's very important to do this since if you don't, the potatoes can explode. 

I'm sure you noticed we're not using foil but using foil will make the potatoes soft and technically speaking, it won't be baked but steamed since you're trapping the steam inside. 

You can choose whatever you want to 'spice up' your potatoes, whether it's oil or butter and then cover it up with salt. Yum! You can even use rosemary. Then place your potatoes in a tray and put it right in the middle of the oven and let them bake for about an hour. If you feel the potatoes aren't quite done then leave them for another 10-15 minutes. 

After they're out of the oven just use a fork or knife and make a dotted line along the potato and just squeeze and it'll pop right open, be careful, it'll be very hot. Then you can add sour cream or butter over the opening and they're ready to eat! 

On Pottermore

So I have been a Pottermore member since October 2012. When I first heard about this project I was beyond psyched! Finally, something for all us hardcore HP fans! The website's design is beautiful and full of vibrant colors. You get to unlock new material by J.K. Rowling herself throughout the books. 

As you can tell by this screencap, I got sorted into Hufflepuff. I was bummed at first but I came to love my house. (:

Pottermore lets you go through all the Harry Potter books and each chapter will contain one or up to three key moments in this chapter with amazing detailed artwork of moments in the book. You can interact with a few elements in each moment and you can even collect some items to help you throughout the story such as ingredients for potions, books or galleons for spending in Diagon Alley. You gain points for everything you collect but none if you're recollecting them. 

Like in the book when Harry first learns he's a wizard, you get to go to Diagon Alley and buy your school supplies and your wand. Once you're in Hogwarts, you get sorted into a house by answering 7 questions as truthfully as you can. Once you're in a house then that's that and you can't change it. These are the best experiences on Pottermore as you truly feel that J.K. Rowling placed the sorting hat on your head.

Your potions book.

You can brew potions and duel with other users and that's pretty much it. It's a lot fun at first but you get bored after a while as there's nothing else to do and not all the books are available to be explored. Even brewing potions can be frustrating as if you don't follow the instructions exactly, you have to start over and you'll need to buy more ingredients. Sometimes there's a lag and even if you do the whole potion correctly, the lag might make you start over. And once your potion is done, you get house points and that's pretty much it, you can't even use them. But a lot of people are pretty good at them. Not to mention most of the Diagon Alley shops are still locked. 

As members accomplish certain things on the site, they will gain points for their house and at the end of the year, of course, the house with the most points wins the house cup. 

Also, at the current moment (Only the first few chapters of Prisoner of Azkaban are available), most of the spells are locked and you can only perform a few. Same thing applies to potions, you can only brew 8 potions, including the polyjuice potion. 

To make this website more suitable for children, all members have usernames and it's not possible to upload your own photos or directly message other members. Because of that, you won't know who added you and if you have friends on Pottermore the only way to know who's who is if you talk off the website to tell each other your usernames'. 

I hope that sometime in the near future that more games will be available, maybe taking quizzes to determine your patronus charm or more fun games like the ones you played throughout the story (catching pixies or tossing gnomes out of a garden). Maybe having more moments in each chapter and having more interactive things to do in each moment. Also maybe challenging another member to a friendly game of wizard's chess. And being able to read the books you've purchased would be great too. 

The website is beautifully done and the hard work and effort put into it is very apparent. As you go more and more into the books, you can tell how the Pottermore team is trying make the experience more enjoyable.