Supernatural Review: Season 10 Episode 11 "There's No Place Like Home"

By: Robbie Thompson

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

         CHAAAAAAAARLIE!

      She's got a nice little Smeagol-Gollum thing going in this episode. Or an The Enemy Within Kirk-trip. I wasn't sure how I would feel about dark!Charlie (sometimes taking beloved characters in angles like this doesn't pay off) but really I needn't have worried. Not only is the evil twin/good twin trope a staple of genre shows, but Charlie is back and more fun than ever. She's really developing into a delightful, three-dimensional character and I'm excited to see what they do with her in the future.


Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- Dean made egg white omelets. His obsession with cooking will never not be endearing to me. I can just see him sitting with Sam's laptop, watching Julia Child and taking copious amounts of notes.

- "This is crap. As soon as we get rid of this demon tramp stamp, I'm back on the booze, burgers, and more booze." I just love that Dean is on a health-food kick. Did he make seaweed shakes for the two of them?!

- I really feel like they're handling Dean and the MoC better this season. It feels like more of a threat and Dean just feels more like Dean in that he's desperate to get rid of it and to fix his mistakes.

- I still don't understand why suddenly weapons other than the Blade are triggering the Mark, though. Explain, writers! EXPLAIN!

- "You mean our Charlie tortured someone? Yea high, wouldn't hurt a hobbit, practically sparkles?"

- Celeste Middleton. Well...looks like we know Charlie's real name now.

- Dean being grossed out over his kale sandwich just made me laugh, but that was quickly dampened by Sam reading Charlie's file. It just sort of drove home the idea that, while we may look at the Winchesters and even at Charlie and laugh at the bad glamour of their lives, it isn't all that glamorous. It's not all noble suffering or heroics. It seriously messes a person up.

- Felicia Day plays a deliciously bad dark!Charlie, though. I appreciate the fact that they're pushing her character in a whole new direction, what with her going Black Widow on Dean for a while there. It keeps things interesting. She still had the presence of mind to call Sam and Dean "Rocket and Groot" though and I'm not sure if Dean being taken down by dark!Charlie was a good choice, character-wise. Still...I guess we could make the argument that he was trying not to hurt her.

- evil!Charlie slashed Baby's tires. Dean is going to KILL her! On a side note, Baby is taking a lot of abuse this season, isn't she?

- So Charlie made a Deal with the Wizard of Oz. Charlie, Charlie, Charlie...you should know better than that. Deals NEVER turn out the way you want them to. I do find it interesting that the Deal resulted in a type of Extreme Jekyll and Hyde thing.

- At least Charlie is taking responsibility for her actions.

- And we get some Charlie & Sam bonding this episode. YAY! This has been sorely lacking for a while, but it's just too cute. Sam's already a pretty decent hacker, but Charlie giving him a lesson in the type of extreme hacking that she specializes in is just too adorable for words.

- Unfortunately, Dean's still trying to fight off both an alcohol addiction and the effects of the Mark. I was hoping to God that he wouldn't relapse whenever they were in that bar and, for once, my prayers were heard.

- "Hey, dudes? Secrets are bad..." Thank you, Charlie! It's about time somebody on this show started to come clean!

- Sam's incredibly understanding about dark!Charlie. I wonder if that is because he spent about a year without a soul and so he understands better about being separated from a part of yourself.

- I love Dean on a health food kick. Seriously. It's just too funny; probably the most fun I've had with Dean's character since the turned-into-a-dog episode. (It also reminds me of It's A Terrible Life where Dean Smith was a connoisseur of salads.) The scene where he's eating almonds and listening to a self-help relaxation tape was a nice touch too.

- Dean used the alias of 'Mr. Presley'. Hahahahaha!

- "You Winchester boys and your talk. Blah blah blah repressed feelings, blah blah blah passive aggression..."

- I knew. I KNEW whenever Dean agreed to let dark!Charlie talk to the man who killed her parents that it was a bad choice. This is the dark, bad side of Charlie. They've literally been split into a tangible dual personality. light!Charlie can't do anything bad without rationalizing it away and dark!Charlie can't do anything good that lasts.

- It's interesting that Sam was hanging out with light!Charlie while Dean was having talks with dark!Charlie. Intentional parallel to something or just a coincidence?

- "The six keys from Oz were forged from Oz steel. They can only be fixed in that magical realm." Oh...so we're getting a one ring to rule them all type of deal, are we? Okay. I can totally live with that.

- Sooo...the Wizard came through a portal and tied Sam up with glow-stick bracelets. Huh.

- This episode had a tremendous climax. The fight between Dean and dark!Charlie was electrified and the tension was really amped up by the fact that every blow Dean lands on her is also felt by her other half. Not to mention the fact that Sam is bound hand and foot and he and the other Charlie are being menaced by the Not-So-Wonderful Wizard of Oz who is trying to choke Sam using an Emperor Palpatine move.

- Though, I have to say, Emperor Palpatine was a better actor...

- And why is Sam always being strangled?!

- I was guessing that, maybe to put herself back together again, Charlie would have to pull an anti-horcrux type thing where both sides of her felt genuine remorse. I was wrong, but whatever. It was still pretty cool to see the two sides of Charlie's psyche talk face to face and then meld back together. I'm not entirely sure what caused it, but I'm pretty sure they're saying that because Charlie killed the Wizard, all of his spellwork was undone.

- And Charlie had her arm broken. Again.

         I'll admit that this episode made me cry a bit at the ending. I really have grown attached to Charlie and the relationship she shares with the Winchesters. It just breaks my heart to see the guilt that floods Dean every time he looks at her broken arm, though. Because this time, it really was his fault. He popped off that season and made a deal with a demon that now is making him hurt everybody that he loves. But now he's remorseful and he's working to fix it. And he's got Sam Winchester, expert hacker Charlie, AND Castiel the Angel of the Lord to help him if only he'll let them. This episode was great. It had fantasy elements and really delved into the psyche of Charlie while also showcasing both Sam and Dean. There was no angel melodrama, the story was feelsy and great, and the dialogue snapped with wit and emotion. There's No Place Like Home is a 5/5.




What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Film Review: Muppet Treasure Island

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this film, please go and do so before proceeding.


      Just like my favorite A Christmas Carol adaptation is the version done by Kermit & Co., so my favorite Treasure Island film adaptation is this Brian Hensen film starring Tim Curry. Who DOESN'T need a little Curry in their diet?

     Right from the start, this movie gets you into the swashbuckling moves with one of the most awesome and epic theme songs ever to exist in a movie...let ALONE one involving The Muppets: "And those buccaneers drowned their sins in rum. The Devil himself would have to call them scum!"

     After being kicked off by this utterly awesome piece of exposition/atmosphere in song, the story is off and running. And, for the most part, it is very much the Robert Louis Stevenson tale that we all know and love. Jim Hawkins is a poor boy who works in a tavern where an ex-pirate named Billy Bones (played to hilarious perfection by Billy Connolly) lives and imbibes a ridiculous amount of rum until the day his old shipmates catch up with him and give him The Black Spot. Bones entrusts his treasure map

    Of course there are some Muppification tropes that change the original story up a bit. For instance, Mr. Arrow does not die and Benjamin Gunn is turned into Benjamina Gunn...temptress, island goddess, and Miss Piggy. There's even a Scooby Doo style chase scene involving Gonzo, Rizzo, a bunch of angry pirates, and a gunpowder trail. Some of the slapstick moments fall a bit flat, I suppose (and I could have done without the rats) but for every bad joke there is an equally great, witty pun or reference that pokes fun at the original story...or at pirate lore in general. Tim Curry is in his element, playing the clever and enigmatic Long John Silver, bringing the level of paternal affection and unbalanced motivations that is so vital to any portrayal of the part.

       And, unlike with Muppet's Christmas Carol, all of the songs in this movie are actually quite a lot of fun and incredibly catchy. From 'Shiver My Timbers' to 'Love Led Us Here', you are guaranteed to be humming (and belting out) these tunes for weeks after you watch the movie. Which, considering it is a musical, is a good sign. The lyrics are clever and funny and the melodies WILL be stuck in your head for a long time.


         The movie builds to a very fun and energetic climax as well. We even get to see Kermit fencing! Of course there is the typical Muppet moments of fourth-wall breaking and utter ridiculousness, but it's still a lot of fun. Muppet Treasure Island is a great introduction to a classic piece of literature and is just a great experience for fans, new and old alike. Every time I watch it, I catch a new reference and it manages to mesh together the serious dramatic moments with the zany humor that makes The Muppets so wonderful. I give it a 5/5.

     "Beware the one-legged man! Aye! But also beware of running with scissors, or any other pointy objects, it's all fun and games until someone loses an eyAUGH!" ~ Billy Bones



What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Supernatural Review: Season 1 Episode 14 "Nightmare"

By: Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

         I feel like there were some definite Carrie parallels drawn with this one with its abused, telekinetic adolescent murderer. I'm not going to call Max the villain of the episode, because he was every bit as much a victim as anybody. It's just a dark, tragic story that focuses more on the tragedy of fallen mankind rather than the spooks.

        I like this episode. It's kind of an uncomfortable one to watch because of some of the themes, but I think that is good because it gets us thinking. Who was in the right here? Who was in the wrong? Who was really to blame? Did anybody really win in the end? Complex and deep and it really makes you think all while continuing the story line of Sam's psychic powers and giving us Sam and Dean dressed up as priests. This episode is awesome!



Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- So Sam's visions have moved from just being dreams to being visions that, quite frankly, look agonising to experience while awake.

Brothers...

- "I guess you never know what's going on behind closed doors." No. Nobody did. Poor Max...

- Dean just has a little bit TOO much fun playing priest. It's funny how he always teases Sam about being a dork but then he's the one who gets really into the cosplaying they do for reconnaissance.

- Why didn't we ever see them dress up as priests or use that cool little device (infra-red scanner) Dean had again?!

- "No grave yards, battle fields, tribal lands or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property."

- The scene where Max's uncle gets decapitated by the window frame STILL makes me kind of sick. But, seriously, if you stick your head out whenever the window keeps unlatching and opening itself...you're kind of asking for it. That's the sort of thing idiots in horror movies do.

- I absolutely love the scene where Sam is freaking out about his visions and Dean keeps trying to calm him down by being rational. They face the supernatural and weird every day...this is no different...they will get through this. Even though you can see Dean is scared and worried too, he's still trying to cheer Sam up. Good for him.

- Y'know...I really miss watching Sam and Dean climb up fire-escapes and slip through windows rather than trying to break down the same door forever. Going back and re-watching the first season is the best decision I ever made with this show.

- Dean was also smart and had them wipe down their fingerprints so that the cops wouldn't find them at the crime scene.

- "Our family isn't cursed!" Dean...Dean...you should have knocked on wood.

- Max's face and the slight sneer in his voice whenever he parroted the lines that they were normal and happy are downright chilling on a second watch.

- Every time we go into one of Sam's visions, it's almost like we're experiencing a bit of vertigo. I like the way we sort of get his POV in that way. We get to see through his eyes.

- Sam's vision of Max killing his stepmother is hard to watch if you have any kind of eye scream sensibilities at all. Just...ewwww. It's also very intense because of the subject matter. Max is angry and hurting because his step-mother never stopped his uncle and father from beating him. It's hard because, on the one hand, it's horrible that Max is going about murdering these people. He's gone from victim to perpetrator. But you can't help but feel sorry for him and to see it from his point of view.

- "I'm sorry!" "No you're not. You just don't want to die."

- I find Sam's whole talk with Max just fascinating. It really seemed for a moment there that Sam might be getting through. That he might be able to convince Max not to kill again. He may have gotten through if he hadn't admitted to Max that John never hurt him and Dean in the same way. Max just shut down after that, like he felt Sam could never understand him and therefore he didn't have to listen to anything Sam said or did.

- Sam. Moved. A. Cabinet. With. His. Mind.

- Another fascinating element in this all is the question of what good Sam's visions are. Can he actually change what he sees? Or are some things set in stone? Somebody did die, shot through the head. It was just Max instead of Dean.

- By the way, this episode has one of the best climaxes ever. Sam locked in the closet while Dean faces off against Max? TENSION OVERLOAD!

- "Well I'll tell you one thing. We're lucky we had Dad. It coulda gone a whole other way after Mom. I little more tequila and a little less demon hunting and we woulda had Max's childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay. Thanks to him." 

             This episode is one of the Supernatural greats. There is no clear villain or monster and it's really more about the atrocities of human nature with lots of complex twists and turns along the way. The special effects are pretty good and certainly the sheer mental tension of it stands out all on its own without any need for super flashy visuals. It's gritty and tragic and is just a reminder that sometimes the monsters are all too human. Nightmare is a 5/5.




What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Supernatural Review: Season 10 Episode 10 "The Hunter Games"

By: Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

         Sooo...does Dean not need the Blade to trigger the Mark these days? Because I swear last season it was only set off whenever he actually touched the Blade. Is it different now because he was a demon? Are they ever going to explain? (Hint: probably not...)

               But that doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy this episode. Sam and Dean were wonderful, as always, and Crowley and Rowena are just the best. I hope Rowena stays around for a long, LONG time. Even Castiel, for all that his scenes were sort of dragged down by the re-appearance of Claire, was pretty much a lot of fun. I really did enjoy this episode and I happily boo'd at the return of Metatron. He's one of those characters that you really love to hate.

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- Loved the montage of Deanmon in 'The Road So Far'.

- This episode felt very much like a continuation of The Things We Left Behind. I'm not sure how to feel about that...

- Rowena gives a new meaning to the term 'helicopter mother'. I was SO confused whenever the episode started out with Crowley biting the dust. Fortunately, 'twas all a dream. A dream brought on by one of Rowena's hex bags. I like this dynamic. Certainly it's more interesting than Dean's over-hyped angst or Castiel's attempts at being a family man.

- "She's like a wounded animal, just watching me." Gee, Castiel, I wonder why. It couldn't be because you're still walking around wearing the face of the father that you stole away from her, could it? Or that you traumatized her at a young age? Or that you told her to her face that you heard and ignored her prayers? Nah...of course not.

- I also take issue with the fact that Cas says Claire has known so little love in her life. ROT! When Castiel came to Jimmy Novak, Claire was clearly around the age eleven. So that means for the first eleven years of her life she lived in a strong Christian family with parents devoted to each other and who obviously loved her. Look at those flashbacks in The Rapture! They were happy! And she felt that Randy loved her, so there's that too. Stop being over-dramatic just for the sake of trying to make me like a character that only becomes worse the longer I think about her.

- I still don't see how Dean killing those scumbags was any different from the meatsuits that he and Sam hack through on nearly a weekly basis. Are we doing a Merlin 'let's talk up the situation because if we say it's dire enough, somebody might actually believe us' type thing? 

- While I will forever be miffed that they have decided to actually SHOW us Hell, I have to admit that Rowena is fast becoming my favorite character ever. She's certainly the most interesting baddie since Meg. 

- And her squabbling with Crowley is a thing of beauty.

- I'm going to punch somebody for freeing Metatron. WHY didn't Castiel just go to Heaven to interrogate him? They should KNOW by now that irritating little snake of a librarian will find some way to muck things up.

- The scene where Sam interrogates Metatron was just wonderful. You could FEEL the hatred and the tension radiating off of Sam (kudos to Jared) and it's a wonder he didn't just stab Metatron through the face. I rather think that the old Sam may have. But Sam's older and wiser now. Let's just hope that somebody is wise enough to extract the info from Metatron and THEN stab him. Before he can cause any more trouble!

- At least they acknowledged that Castiel is still wearing Jimmy and how hard it must be for Claire to see his face. Shame they decided to have her go vengeful on Dean instead of Castiel like it would MAKE SENSE for her to do. I really don't like the way they've developed her character.

- Sam and Dean interrogating Metatron may just have been the best scene of the entire episode.

- "I would be tickled to help you pop this Biblical zit." I still can't believe this is actual dialogue.

- Ten seasons ago, Dean felt that demons weren't their gig. Now he has the King of Hell on speed-dial. Excuse me while I go laugh over that.

- Okay. So the scene where Rowena scrys on Crowley and the Winchesters is pretty cool. If having Rowena hang around means that we get to see some more magic, I am totally on board. 

- This episode would have been PERFECT if Claire did not exist. Her story only serves to divert attention away from the main focus (Dean and the MoC) and is neither interesting nor funny, like the saga of Crowley and his dear old Mum. I liked her in the last episode okay. She is, unfortunately, one of the characters who only gets worse the longer I think about her. Maybe she'll redeem herself one day...we can only hope.

- Metatron needs to die.

- The scene where Dean starts carving Metatron up...can we give Jensen Ackles an award of some kind? Because when I looked at him, I was reminded of some of the shots where Sam was high on demon blood. You look at his eyes and it's not Dean, but it sure as heck isn't Jensen either. 

- Gotta love how Sam figured out that Dean was snapping due to the unfinished sandwich in the kitchen.

- Metatron calling Dean out on his concept of the 'greater good' was something that needed to be done. I'm still kind of upset with him over the whole Gadreel Fiasco.

- I'm starting to think that Crowley calling the Blade Dean's 'precious' was all too apt of a comparison. Seems like a lot of the dialogue and descriptions of the effects of the Mark/Blade sound very much like the way the One Ring effects its bearers.

- The whole Metatron and Dean torture scene was very intense and really showcased both of the actors through Dean's calculated, desperate rage and Metatron's slippery tongue. It calls to mind the quieter but no less potent scenes between Sam and Crowley in Sacrifice. See, writers? Whenever you give these actors a chance to just go at it, they create some of the best drama in the world WITHOUT needed to have melodrama in the dialogue!

- I still don't know why the Mark was triggered by a weapon that wasn't the First Blade. Are we ever going to get an explanation for that?

- What...but...what...WHY IN THE NAME OF CHUCK DID THEY TAKE METATRON BACK TO HEAVEN?! Was this entire venture POINTLESS?!

- I do like that we actually got a broment at the end of this episode. (Now hug!)

        Basically, this episode just felt like more glorified filler. Entertaining filler, for the most part (minus the bits with Claire) but still filler. Reminds me of Reichenbach, actually. I guess we'll have to wait until next week to see if it's actually building up to something good or not. Rowena is officially the best thing since sliced bread. I love the way she's manipulating Crowley and I'm anxious to see where this goes. Sam and Dean were awesome, as usual. Though I do feel like Sam was a bit under-used in this episode. Hopefully that will get better. All-in-all, The Hunter Games is a 3/5.

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Film Review: Young Frankenstein

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this episode, PLEASE go and do so before proceeding.

"That's FRONK-en-STEEN!"

         Now THIS is how a spoof movie is made! Take note, concoctors of the pestilence known as Epic Movie and Meet The Spartans! Frankenstein's monster has become a pop culture icon, what with his green, misshapen head and signature bolted neck. Especially around Halloween, images of the creature are practically impossible to avoid. He's everywhere. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's science fiction novel about a mad scientists's attempts to play God were brought to the Universal silver screen by the brilliant Boris Karloff in 1931. Since then, remakes, sequels, and various other adaptations of the famed story of a re-animated, patchwork man have been coming out with little sign of a waning popularity (though the recent I, Frankenstein may just convince us to put the franchise back in the coffin for a while).

       There has been everything from stage adaptations, Frankenberry cereal mascots, and a sequel titled Bride of Frankenstein that seeks to exploit the popularity of the modern Prometheus. Then, in 1974, famed comedians Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder took on the monster of a franchise and created their own cult classic hit in Young Frankenstein.

       Everything about this film is a joy to watch. The music is incredible (very haunting and yet catchy), the humour has something for everyone, and the performances by the cast only become more enjoyable the more you watch them. Determined to make it as accurate a satire as possible, they actually filmed the movie in black-and-white on the original set of the 1931 Frankenstein and used many of the original props. It is a film that seeks to poke gentle, loving fun at something that was so huge and so dramatic while also paying tribute. So much love and care was thrown into the movie and story that I really feel it stands a cut above even other Mel Brooks films. It even inspired, some years later, a Broadway adaptation.

     What's the story? Doctor Frederick Frankenstein is the grandson of the famed Henry Frankenstein (creator of the monster) who hates his family and wants nothing to do with them. He's even changed his name, insisting that it be pronounced "Fronk-en-steen". Upon the death of his great-grandfather, though, he is named sole heir to the family land and castle and must go to Transylvania in order to close the estate and claim his inheritance. Outrageous hilarity ensues from there.


Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- I absolutely ADORE the 'Transylvanian Lullaby'...the violin motif that features throughout the film as both music and a plot point. One of my greatest regrets is that the musical replaced it with another number. It's one of my favorite movie themes of all time. It's also a lot of fun to play on the violin...

- Right from the opening shots of the post-credits film, I am taken back to the era of black-and-white, classic movies. Everything from the slightly-grainy texture of the film to the fact that the props are obviously props (to say nothing of the silent, almost hokey pantomime acting and the long, still shots) is just steeped in the atmosphere. 

- It is interesting to note that Gene Wilder only agreed to be in the film if Mel Brooks agreed to forgo his customary cameo. Mel Brooks liked the idea of the project (and of having the film star Wilder) so much, that he readily agreed. This is, I believe, the only Mel Brooks film that you will see where Brooks himself does not appear.

- "...if not for this constant stream of nerve impulses, we would COLLAPSE! LIKE BROCCOLI!" 

- Frederick's fiancée is absolutely ridiculous. It makes me laugh whenever she keeps shoving off his every advance by freaking out over her appearance. They finally settle, not on a hug or kiss goodbye, but on bumping elbows.

- We've got to talk about Igor...and make sure you pronounce his name with the long 'i' vowel sound. And don't mention his hump. He's in denial that he even has one. I just love the way he takes stock of Frederick and then proceeds to mercilessly take the mickey out of the doctor at every turn. Marty Feldman was MADE to play this part.

- "Walk this way." That quote inspired an Aerosmith song.

- Teri Garr plays Inga, Frederick's curvaceous and airheaded laboratory assistant who has one thing and one thing only on her mind...complete with an utterly over-the-top German accent. Fun fact: Garr was originally called in to audition for the part of Frederick's fiancée, but so impressed the casting directors with her funny take on Inga and her accent that she was given that part instead.

- There are a dozen or so funny Easter eggs in each scene...like the fact that Cloris Leachman's character carries around an unlit candelabra. Or that the horses whinny in fright every time they hear Frau Blucher's name. One really must wonder what she did to them. 

- Frederick's face whenever she kisses his grandfather's portrait is just hilarious.

- Freddie's nightmare where he eventually starts singing out: "Destiny! Destiny! No escaping that for me! Destiny! Destiny! No escaping that for me!" is pretty funny. 

- The bookcase scene still makes me howl with laughter whenever he gets stuck.

- "Wait, Master. It might be dangerous. You go first." Igor...are you related to an Egyptian played by John Rhys-Davies, by any chance?

- I get chills during the scene where they find Victor's old laboratory. Not only am I amazed that they thought to track down and use the original props and set again, but the voice over quoting the infamous scene from the original is a nice touch. I like that this film isn't afraid to be dramatic as well as just non-stop comedy. Sometimes, to be funny and effective, you have to play it entirely straight.

- Then, on the other hand, sometimes you have scenes like Frederick and Igor sneaking through town with a body, dropping the coffin, and having to shake hands with the constable (using the dead guy's hand).

- Igor going to get the brain (and, kudos to Frederick for actually learning from his grandfather's mistakes and trying for a more sophisticated brain) will never fail to make me jump and howl with laughter. But the real funny moment comes whenever Igor and Inga are raising Frederick on the platform and he's giving his great speech. Gene Wilder always looks slightly mad scientist with his wild, curly hair, but when you add in a pair of ridiculous goggles and have him screaming "LIFE! DO YOU HEAR ME? GIVE MY CREATION. LIIIIIIIFE!" it becomes downright hysterical.

- The dessert scene where the monster wakes up and starts making 'yummy' sounds...hahahaha! Peter Boyle definitely deserves some kudos for his portrayal of the creature. He gives a sweet, childlike performance that really makes you come to feel for this unfortunate creation and the world he has been thrust into. It captures a lot of the tragedy of Karloff's portrayal, while also being an excellent comic foil He also plays off of Gene Wilder perfectly, despite the fact that he can only talk in grunts and screams.

- I feel like The Unicorn and the Wasp from Doctor Who stole a lot from this movie with the pantomime syllables scene.

- The brain of Abby Normal. *snort*

- It should also be mentioned that Inspector Kemp is the highlight of the movie. Just sayin'...

- Though Frau Blucher comes in a close second. "HE VAS MY BOYFRIEND!" There's even a whole song in the musical devoted to that iconic line.

- I love how they've recreated the scenes with the little girl and the blind hermit, but infused them with situational humor by making the girl demanding or asking the question of what if the blind hermit made a few mistakes. Great stuff!

- I will never be able to look at 'Putting on the Ritz' in the same way again...

-  It's about the time that Elizabeth (Frederick's fiancée) shows up that everything starts to hit the fan. A mob comes to the castle to kill Victor, the creature abducts Elizabeth, Inga and Frederick have a rendezvous on the roof, and Frederick re-captures the monster and bravely donates some of his brain matter in order to give his creation a chance at stabilizing and having a life.

- Elizabeth also becomes a parody of Bride of Frankenstein as she gains the white stripes in her hair and falls in love with the creature whom she dubs 'Zipperneck'.

- She leaves Frederick to the tender mercies of Inga, who is more than happy to continue assisting him in his laboratory.

            Young Frankenstein is a funny, enjoyable satire that goes from a horror comedy to an existential look into the fear of being rejected and the desire to be loved without ever missing a beat or losing the plot. It features slapstick, outrageously bawdy jokes, and more loving irreverent satire than you can shake a stick at. Certainly one of Mel Brooks' more sophisticated films and one of the best spoof movies ever made. Young Frankenstein is a 5/5.

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

NuWho Review: Series 6 Episode 8 "Let's Kill Hitler"

By: Steven Moffat

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

        You know, sometimes there are episodes that really make me question myself, both as a reviewer and as a fan. Episodes that all of my knowledge about writing and characters tell me are TERRIBLE, and yet the inner fangirl in me gets bossy and starts shoving to the forefront and demanding that I enjoy it and squee over it and ignore all of the problems. (Rather like those who still enjoy the wanton destruction and zany badness of the Transformers franchise, I suspect.) Those episodes are troublesome because they really bring forth the question of what is more valuable - the quality of the product or the amount of enjoyment that it brings?

      This is my relationship with Let's Kill Hitler. My brain tells me that this is an absolute train wreck of an episode that contains false advertising, a convoluted plot, and is basically Moffat's version of a Mary-Sue fanfic. That is what my brain tells me. However, the fangirl in me is all heart eyes and uncontrollable giggles the whole way through. See my problem?

      Let's start at the beginning. 

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- I absolutely LOVE the start of the episode with Amy and Rory making a crop circle to contact The Doctor. Funny stuff. Shame Mels ruins it the minute she Mary-Sue's her way into the episode.

- Okay, so I THINK I should explain a bit what I mean whenever I say that Mels is a Mary-Sue because I know sometimes people will just accuse female characters they don't like of being one and, no, I don't do that. Mary-Sue is a fanfiction term that arose from the Star Trek fandom. It is used to describe OC's (original characters) in fanfiction that are just a little bit too perfect in the eyes of their creators. These characters are usually sassy, strong, independent women with a penchant for inserting themselves into the past lives of the actual main characters where they weren't before, warping reality to revolve around them, being extremely flawed but always having an excuse, being flashy and over-the-top just for the sake of it, having long descriptions of their appearance in the most flattering tones, being someone that the audience is just EXPECTED to love, breaking the rules but rarely getting in real trouble, and basically hooking up with the main character and being someone that the author WISHES they either were or that they could date. Mary-Sue's can also appear in original fiction. 

- That describes Mels. She comes right out of nowhere, is over-the-top rebellious, has an attitude that any sensible person would call her out on, is obsessed with her appearance, falls in love with The Doctor, is shot and everybody instantly sympathizes, warps reality by being inserted into Amy and Rory's childhood where she wasn't before, and there is literally no explanation for why she has never been mentioned before or seen whenever we are in Amy's home town. Everything about her just feels like I'm torturing myself with a bad fanfic. They could use her scenes as a PUNISHMENT in The Matrix! 

- Yes I just said that. I really do loathe her character that much. It gets a little bit better once we're back to Alex Kingston (because her performance is less bratty) but Mels is still just about unbearable.

Awww...widdle baby Rory!

- That being said, I really do enjoy the little peek we're given back into Amy and Rory's childhood (also what a great friend Amy is) and the adorable way that they grow up together. Rory is just so totally besotted...but he's so sure that Amy could never notice him that he never says anything. Which, to be fair, I don't really mind that Mels was the one to get them together. I get the feeling that both Amy and Rory would be so equally oblivious and awkward that they wouldn't go and confess their feelings for each other without a bit of help. So that wasn't out of character. It's nice to have little Miss Blackwood back as young!Amy too. Those parts were just adorable and I kind of regret that we didn't get to see more of Amy and Rory when they were kids. That would have been enjoyable.

- Mels shot the TARDIS. Why? What was the purpose of that?

- "That's right, Adolph. The British are coming!" Haha...okay. That line was pretty funny.

- And it was highly satisfying to watch Rory sock ol' Hitler in the jaw, sass him, and then lock him in a closet for the rest of the episode. Good on you, Rory!

- Unfortunately, Hitler being locked in a closet is a pretty good indicator of the rest of this episode. It has almost nothing to do with Nazi Germany or the time-travel-kill-Hitler-when-he-was-a-baby question. The story could take place in 78'th Century Poosh and still be almost exactly the same.

- Rory did get a chance to be a real awesome husband and father in this episode. I'm glad to see that all of the character development building up to that UTTERLY EPIC entrance in A Good Man Goes To War was not squandered. He punches Hitler and steals motorcycles from Nazi's and takes being sucked into a giant, robotic version of Amy in a matter-of-fact, cool-as-a-cucumber way that is just so RORY.

- I think I'm in love...

- Matt Smith and Alex Kingston were as on-point as ever. They really have a lot of chemistry on-screen and they make the banter between River and The Doctor a lot of fun to watch as they dance around each other. So I do enjoy some of their interactions in this episode. I still think the Graduate joke was a bit much. That was a funny little aside joke from one episode. Don't kill it, Moffat!

- The Teselecta (forever getting confused and thinking I'm talking about the Tesseract) is a pretty cool concept. I could split this episode up into two separate stories: The Mels Saga and Let's Kill Hitler. And both would have been fine in their own episodes.

- I really like the morbidly cheerful antibodies. They weren't exactly scary, per say...but they did make me laugh even while I shuddered. It's a shame they haven't appeared again in the show. They were fun and they certainly created a lot of suspense whenever they started going after Amy and Rory.

- The fact that they're like robotic jellyfish also cracks me up for some reason.

- I'm not entirely sure what the point was of having The Doctor be poisoned? I mean...the Kiss of Death was kind of cool. Almost James Bond worthy, even. And I laugh that it was sap from the Judas Tree that did him in...nice bit of reference irony there.

- But, seriously, what was the point? We KNOW that he doesn't die here! WE KNOW THIS! So the fake-out just kind of felt like padding.

- Even if it DID give us a chance to see Rose, Martha, and Donna again. That tie-in back to the past era of the show was nice.

         I just don't know what to think about this episode. On the one hand, it's awful and painful and kind of annoying. On the other hand, it is an episode that I will watch again and again and again. Rory is awesome. Amy is wonderful. The ending is actually quite nice. But it's such a mess! *sigh* Do I review it based on enjoyability or do I review it on how well-structured it is? The answer is: a combination of the two. Because something can be extremely well-written and visualized and created, but still as dull as a brick. Let's Kill Hitler is a 3/5.

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Film Review: Unbroken

SPOILER ALERT

THIS REVIEW *WILL* CONTAIN  SPOILERS

That's right folks I'm writing a movie review! So without further ado, here is my perspective on Unbroken.

This was actually the fist movie I've seen in a theater in quite a while. I was trolling the internet out of boredom and stumbled onto what looked like just my type of movie. I am a huge World War II history buff. I guess that's what happens when you grow up watching too much Hogan's Heroes. As my usual history focus it toward the Allies/Germans side of the war, I eagerly looked forward to perhaps learn about the Japanese side of things.

This movie focuses on the early life of Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini, and his truly amazing story of spending 47 days lost at sea followed by two years in a Japanese POW camp. The movie opens with "Zam" (As he's called in the movie and as I will refer to him starting now) on a bombing mission. His earlier life is shown to us in a series of 'Life flashing before my eyes' flashbacks. Say what you will about this filming style, I actually like it.

While on a rescue mission, his crew's absolute lemon of a bomber ends up crashing into the Pacific. Out of a crew of 7(?) only Zam, and two others, Phil and Mac survive. So begins their epic 47 days on a raft. I found it quite funny that when some sharks appear at the beginning of their voyage when some sharks appeared, I actually said "It would be cool if they could catch one, They could eat for a week easy!" and lo and behold, that's what they do. At the beginning Mac ends up eating the majority of the rescue rations and I completely hate him for it. however I truly shed a tear over his untimely death as he redeemed himself quite well.

"I have good news and bad news"

Despite the terrible implications of what is happening, that line was so perfect I couldn't help but laugh at it. Zam and Phil are captured by the Japanese navy, beaten to a pulp, split up from each other, and shipped off to a grimy POW camp. Here we first lay eyes on "Bird".

                                             

I'm just going to say it right now. This actors facial expressions are the most meme worthy I have ever seen.

Zam is brutally beaten and tortured by this man and for some of you that might be hard to watch. It didn't bother me but I have seen that quite a good number of people found this movie extremely hard to watch. If you get squeamish over harsh injustices, this movie is not for you.

He does however get a break from all this when a Tokyo radio station offers him the chance to broadcast to his family that he is in fact alive. However we find out afterward that there is a catch. The broadcasters would like him to stick around for propaganda broadcasts. He refuses to which he gets the response "Do you want to go back to camp?"

I found it interesting how after Bird leaves the camp, everybody just seams to get on with life and the beatings and mistreatment stop. What I get out of this is that the whole 'I was just following orders' excuse just doesn't hold up. 

Truth is stranger than fiction, as the old saying goes. And if this wasn't based on a true story I would have had serious problems with this film. The unbelievable coincidence of being sent to another camp under the same commandant is crazy. What are the chances?! clearly Zam shared my thoughts as he quickly fainted. Life in this prison camp actually made the old one look quite cushy by comparison. Forced to work coal barges, his condition goes down quickly and the beatings get more severe. It is here that we get the title picture where Zam is forced to lift a heavy piece of timber under threat of death if he drops it. He not only keeps it up but also bravely defies Bird by looking him square in the eye.

The ending of the movie showing how our hero eventually did get to run in the Olympic games in Japan, albeit at the age of 80 gave me the biggest smile I've ever had in a movie. He could take it, and he did make it.

Overall I thought this movie was extremely well made despite only being Director Jolie's second time directing a film. The story was great and I even learned some things along the way. Yes this film could be hard to watch for some people but I still completely enjoyed it. It made history so real for me, and I loved that. I give this film my seal of approval and a solid 5/5.

Film Review: The Outsiders

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this film, please go and do so before proceeding.

          There are two versions of this movie - the theatrical release and the special "Complete Novel" edition. I advise that you check out both of them because while the theatrical release doesn't have all the scenes, it does have the original score. The "Complete Novel' edition has had certain parts of the score replaced with Elvis Presley songs. Which, y'know, isn't a terrible thing. But there are scenes that lose something without the original score.

      The Outsiders is a prime example of how a book-to-film adaptation CAN be done almost word-for-word and scene-by-scene without being either boring, tedious, or terrible. I am a huge fan of the book (and one of my friends played Ponyboy in the play) so whenever I heard there was a movie made (a Francis Ford Coppola film, no less) I jumped at the first chance to see it. And I was not disappointed.


    The film stars C. Thomas Howell, Mat Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, and Emilio Estevez as The Outsiders, a makeshift family/gang of boys and young men from the north side (east side in the book) of Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is a coming-of-age story told by a star-studded cast, set in a time when there is basically an ongoing war between the Socs (the rich, privileged kids) and the Greasers (the poor, wrong-side-of-the-tracks kids) and one of the greasers accidentally kills a Soc. From there on all Hell breaks loose, climaxing in the rumble between the two factions.

      It's a very raw and depressing story, full of hopelessness and anger and gritty questions about prejudice and growing up. And the movie captures it very well, being - as I said - an almost word-for-word adaptation of the source material.





     Sometimes things can be a little bit off (Johnny and Pony spend an almost ridiculous amount of time crying and hugging, for instance) but that doesn't really detract from the experience. The cinematography is gorgeous too...particularly in the scenes containing the sunset themes...and the colors and lighting really go a long way to sweep you up in the emotion of the story. All of the actors bring the unique personalities of the characters from the book to life and their performances carry through even in potentially-clunky scenes. This is also, to date, one of the few movies that can actually make me cry. I highly recommend this film (both version) to anyone. The Outsiders is a 5/5.

 

What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?

Merlin Review: Series 2 Episode 13 "The Last Dragonlord"

By: Julian Jones

**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

"Merlin, I am your father." "NOOOOOOO!"

        Yeah. My work here is done. That just summarized the episode for you. Good night! Au revoir! See ya!

       No, no. I wouldn't do that to you. But that is what this episode feels like sometimes. We've known for a while that Merlin lives with his mother and that his father wasn't in the picture, but I (and lots of others like me) just assumed that Daddy Emrys had long since gone to the happy Hogwarts in the sky. Apparently, we were wrong. Turns out, Merlin's dad was a Dragonlord (a specialist sorcerer who can speak and control dragons...this is starting to feel like Eragon) who fled from Camelot during the great Purge. This is where it starts to get interesting and where I really got excited about the episode. See, Merlin's father and Uther were once on good terms. Balinor was even hired by Uther to call Kilgarrah to Camelot because Uther said he wanted to talk to the dragon and to understand. Merlin's father had been opposing the purge, so he agreed. But Uther betrayed him and THAT was how the great dragon was captured. Balinor fled the country (presumably with the help of Gaius) and met Merlin's mother. They fell in love, but Uther's men pursued Balinor (funny how THEN Uther had no problem with sending troops into Ealdor...) and Balinor had to leave without ever knowing he had a son.

      Not a particularly original story, but it was one that I was very eager to see them tell. And this is just about one of the best season finales that this show has ever done. It's campy in places, yes, (and I STILL can't believe Arthur believed Merlin's story about the dragon being dead whenever there was no body) but the actors really shine and things are kept simple enough that it manages to be heartfelt and touching, despite the issues.

Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- This episode picks up right where The Fires of Idirsholas left off with the dragon terrorizing Camelot.

- While this is supposed to be dramatic and scary and all that, there are plenty of goofy moments in this part of the episode. Here's a little gem from the official wiki episode transcript: ARTHUR: "Guinevere!" [Gwen turns and sees her peril. She runs, Arthur runs to help her. Dragon swoops and catches Arthur, causing both of them to fall. Arthur grabs Gwen's hand and they run for cover. Merlin jogs out into the square.] MERLIN: *spell* 

Arthur's face is a treasure...

- Also, I love the way the dragon and Merlin are screaming at each other about his magic, yet none of the knights (or the proverbially useless guards) seem to notice.

- I'm slightly confused as to why, when the dragon was so determined that Merlin must rescue Camelot, that he's now trying to burn it to the ground. Attacking Uther's bedchamber I would get (seeing as how Uther was the one to trick and imprison him) but he's been going on and on about the prophecies about Arthur, so I don't get why he's attacking like this.

- I do love how Arthur's "I'll go alone." always seems to include Merlin too...

- Anyway, so, after the two boys stop for the night in an inn, they finally reach Cenred's country and start their search for the dragonlord. The only problem is that Arthur's shoulder wound is acting up and has become infected.

- I love how Gaius gave his mothers' rabbit foot to Merlin. He may always be scolding, but he does care. (I kind of wish the rabbit's foot and its significance had come back at some point too, y'know, maybe as a plot point?)

-  "All right, I know I'm a prince, so we can't be friends. But if I wasn't a prince...well, then...I think we'd probably get on." Stop waffling around and just admit it already, Arthur!

- The scene where Merlin meets his father is just heartbreaking. I really appreciate that there isn't really any dialogue. For once they play it subtle and Colin Morgan just KILLS it.

- In fact, any scene with Merlin and Balinor is just heartbreaking.

- "I had a life there. A woman. A good woman. Ealdor is beyond Uther's realm, but still he pursued me. Why would he not let me be? What was it that I had done that he wanted to destroy the life I built, abandon the woman I loved? He sent knights to kill me. I was forced to come here, to this! So, I understand how Kilgharrah feels. He's lost every one of his kind, every one of his kin. You want to know how that feels? Look around, boy. Let Uther die. Let Camelot fall." Balinor may be a bit of a rough jerk right now, but I really feel for him.

- Awww...Merlin's father made him a carved dragon!

- I confess I actually screamed a little bit whenever Cenred's men stabbed Balinor. It's just such a raw and emotionally-charged scene as he dies in Merlin's arms. What hurts even more is that Arthur doesn't know who Balinor is to Merlin and, in a misguided attempt to comfort the younger man, tells him that nobody is worth his tears. I think I need to borrow Clara Pond's shock blanket...

- Did the show burn up all of their SFX budget with the first two series finales? I love the scene with Kilgharrah and Merlin facing off...especially the moment whenever Kilgharrah bows to Merlin.

- Arthur really is oblivious. His spear was nowhere NEAR the dragon's heart and he should have known it, big shot warrior-hunter that he is! HOW did Merlin get that lie through?!

- The grin they share (and Arthur's little laugh) is pretty infectious, though.

- Sir Leon dies in this season finale. He totally dies. There's NO WAY he survived...unless he was laying there listening to Merlin scold the dragon and then just conveniently forgot it all afterwards.

- I can just see it now: "Guuuuys! I'm still ALIVE! Yoohoo! Merlin? Arthur? No. Nooo. Don't just walk off and leave me here. I'm not dead! I'm not dead!" 

- Love, love, LOVE the way that this season finale ends with Arthur and Merlin walking back into Camelot together, shoulder-to-shoulder. It's a really great image (especially since, as a servant, Merlin is supposed to walk behind Arthur) and seems to look forward to the day when they will rule Camelot side-by-side.

        The Last Dragonlord is a great episode and an action-packed, emotionally-charged series finale that more than builds on the promise of Le Morte d'Arthur. It gives us some more clues about Merlin's heritage and past, introduces some awesome new powers, and is infused with just enough humor to make it highly enjoyable. I give this episode a 5/5.


What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?