I visit Disney World! I go to both Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom with revrezner.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Red Dragon (2002)
Title: Red Dragon
Series: Hannibal
Based on the Book: Red Dragon
Written By: Thomas Harris
Director: Brett Ratner
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, and Ralph Fiennes
Rated: R
Released: 2002
Personal Rating: 5/5
Oscars: N/A
Plot: A retired FBI agent with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down "The Tooth Fairy", a mysterious serial killer; aiding him is imprisoned criminal genius Hannibal "The Cannibal" Lecter.
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My First Hannibal Movie
Now I know it's a crime to not have seen any Hannibal movie before this one. But I haven't seen a lot of movies (when I was younger I hardly watched movies and instead spent most of my time reading books). I started getting interested in the Hannibal series when I started watching the new show Hannibal. In short, I was basically going into this movie without any preconceived notions that Red Dragon had to be like The Silence of the Lambs. I think this might've helped in my enjoyment of the movie. If you're wondering: No, I haven't read any of the Hannibal books by Thomas Harris. But I plan on reading them all in the future.
The Interaction Between Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter
In the beginning of the movie it is implied that Will and Hannibal had had previous meetings. That they had worked together before (or at least Will had consulted with Hannibal about cases before). The first scene between the two ends with Will finding out the truth about Hannibal and then both nearly killing each other. So in the meat of the movie, Will is mentally scarred about what happened between himself and Hannibal (makes mention of this to Reba) and Hannibal is angry with Will. So each of their meetings is very tense with you seeing that, even though he's behind bars, Hannibal is the one in control. I saw that they both valued their past friendship (some of Hannibal's jabs seemed to be testing/teaching Will), but both know that any chance of them becoming friends is long gone. Will, being the one who has more normal human feelings, may be partially afraid because he remembers Hannibal as he used to know him. Hannibal, who is able to put emotions aside more easily, is able to have feelings for Will but at the same time seek revenge when the opportunity presents itself.
Buildup and Reward
Red Dragon has good buildup. It sets up this very eerie tone from the beginning (Hannibal serves his dinner guests human for dinner) and continues throughout. The whole movie relies much more on atmosphere than outright gore factor. I like this. Gore is good, but just because you have gore doesn't mean you have a horror movie. But a big thing with atmosphere is you need a good payoff. And this movie did that part well. The movie managed to give a good ending to the RebaXD plotline, Will having a showdown with D, and Hannibal's own musings on the outcome of what he put Will through.
Final Thoughts
I loved this movie. Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter was a great sight to see. Remember, this is my first FULL Hannibal movie and so I've only seen bits and pieces of the other ones. It's one thing to see clips of something, it's something else to see the whole movie. Edward Norton as Will Graham was good. In the scenes he had with Hopkins I could tell he was trying to hide his emotions. But he couldn't fool Hannibal. I liked seeing the villain being conflicted and so wasn't a fully evil character. He killed and had twisted views of the world, but he was also capable of feeling love. However, his mental instability won out in the end (though it seems he did truly care for Reba until the end). I can't wait to see the other movies in the series as well as read the books (yes, I'll probably even check out Manhunter).
Sunday, May 5, 2013
The Following (Season 1)
Series: The Following
Season: 1
Episodes: 15
Created By: Kevin Williamson
Released: 2013
Rating: 4.5/5
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Anyone Can Die
A lot of shows/movies/ect. like to tease the premise that anyone can die. This show starts off with Sarah Fuller dying. The fact that Sarah died isn't anything to write home about. It's the fact that the actress who played her, Maggie Grace, seemed to hold enough creds to warrant it very unlikely for her character to die. Starting off with killing off a character played by a film actress, just made The Following's point that anyone could die very clear. There are some very surprising deaths in this season. Some deaths are a good shock and others seem to be a tad bit lazy.
Emma
Here is yet another character I love and everyone else hates. Here is a character who has less humanity than Joe Carrol (the leader of the Cult). Emma's main traits are her cruel ruthlessness (she has killed and left fellow cult members to die) and her obsession with Joe (they have a brief affair, well it all depends on what happens next season). I think it is her pure inhumanity that attracts me. There are some characters that you love to hate and she is one of them for me. By the way this season ends, it seems that it is possible that she will play some big part come Season 2.
Complexity of Some Characters
Some characters are shown to be more than one dimensional. Joe Carrol is shown to be a loving father that cares for his son and wife. Cares for his wife so much that he doesn't want her to feel guilt for what he's done. Joe Carrol is also shown to be a killer who is willing to kill his own wife just for the sake of writing a book. Jacob is one complicated character as he is both ruthless but has his own doubts about the cult. I really wish that the rebellious Jacob plotline was given more time. Ryan Hardy (played by Kevin Bacon) has a lot to him. But he's the "man who has seen too much and just wants to quit, but gets pulled back in to his old job because of a new case". This isn't to say Ryan is a flat character, but he isn't the most fleshed out character in the show.
Final Thoughts
I don't know how the series will go on without Joe Carrol. This is because Season 1 had him being very important. So important that him surviving until the end is just as important as Ryan Hardy surviving until the very last episode. I hope every character's death next season will be as good as Sarah Fuller and Debra Parker's and not as bad as Roderick's. The gore in this series is good, though if this series was on HBO it would've been much better. The hiatus until Season 2 will be very painful, especially because of the killer cliffhanger Season 1 gave us.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Elementary "A Landmark Story" Review
Someone tries to kill a person with killer bees and Moriarty appears...well...his voice does.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Let's Play Silent Hill: Shattered Memories (Parts 72-74)
I finally complete Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Sushi, Sake, and Tanuki: Love and Leaving 2
My former sparring buddy ate the fresh wolf meat greedily. He savored each bite with a lick of his lips and then went down for another bite. In another time, when Hijunaki was still alive, Jirou would not resort to eating one of his own kind. Well, a very distant relative at most. But Hijunaki was dead and Jirou seemed lost.
I ate some meat of a recent catch and Yomosa did the same. I could tell she was uneasy, though she tried her hardest to hide that fact. I had fear too. Fear that I would have to kill a friend to protect someone that I loved. A choice between the past and a possible happy future.
I pretended to focus on guarding Yomosa and Jirou from anything that would try and pose a threat to us. But I was really just focused on Jirou. Watching as he enjoyed his food and tensed up when he looked at Yomosa.
He seemed happy of the food given to him, but he saw a much better meal in my lover.
Once I finished my food I put an arm around Yomosa's shoulder. I looked Jirou in the eyes. He just smiled back at me.
"You are a good friend, Rig." Jirou said and held out a hand to me. This despite the fact that we were at least three feet apart. "You gave me food and didn't attack me when you had every right to."
"Don't remind me." I replied and let out a sigh and stood up. "But you are hungry and I trust you. Your stomach is a different matter altogether."
"Do you want me to leave?" Jirou asked and his expression became one of pain as he put has hand down. He had lost everything and was worried about losing me. We would have to part ways, I cared about Yomosa's safety as well as my own, but I didn't have to part on bad terms.
"I don't want you to leave, but I have to." I said and sat down beside my old sparring buddy. "Akumie is seeking revenge on me and I can't stay here. Yomosa has agreed to come with me even though she doesn't have to."
From the moment I had sat down by Jirou, Yomosa was doing her best to ignore us. Though I knew she'd always be watching Jirou. Making sure he didn't attack her.
"She's still angry?" Jirou asked.
"Yeah, turns out goddesses have a very long memory." I replied and tried to smirk. "Yomosa and I are heading out for a harbor that's-"
"A little far away because you can't find one closer?"
"You do remember me."
"Yes, I do." Jirou paused for and then continued. "And I am willing to help you."
Over the next few hours Jirou discussed with me, and later Yomosa also joined in the discussion, about another harbor. It was indeed closer and would help the two of us get off the only land I had ever known faster.
As Yomosa and I packed up our things to go, Jirou touched my shoulder and I turned to face him.
"If you are ever able to get back, will you visit me?" He asked.
"I will do my best." I said and grasped her arm.
After that exchange Jirou ran off into the vast forest and my lover and I continued our journey to the new harbor.
After two hours I finally smelled the ocean. The salty air was breathtaking to my nose. I turned to Yomosa and yelled, "Race you to the harbor!"
It was a childish thing of me to do. But once we reached the harbor we'd be so close to getting away from Japan. We'd be away from the land I had been created on. Safety, though, made the heart break worth it.
As I started to run Yomosa ran after me. We shouted at each other. Teasing each other in a way that only couples were capable of.
A roar sounded and I stopped. I saw the danger and stood in front of Yomosa. While she also saw the danger and knew the chances of me defeating it were slim, she allowed me to feel like I was protecting her. That I could protect her.
I heard the humans in the harbor yell as the Eastern Dragon got close to my lover and I.
Its scales were silver and it had purple fur running from the back of its neck to the tip of its tail. On any other occasion I would call it beautiful. But not now.
Its angry eyes showed that it was a predator and all I could hope to be was prey.
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Sushi, Sake, and Tanuki Links
I ate some meat of a recent catch and Yomosa did the same. I could tell she was uneasy, though she tried her hardest to hide that fact. I had fear too. Fear that I would have to kill a friend to protect someone that I loved. A choice between the past and a possible happy future.
I pretended to focus on guarding Yomosa and Jirou from anything that would try and pose a threat to us. But I was really just focused on Jirou. Watching as he enjoyed his food and tensed up when he looked at Yomosa.
He seemed happy of the food given to him, but he saw a much better meal in my lover.
Once I finished my food I put an arm around Yomosa's shoulder. I looked Jirou in the eyes. He just smiled back at me.
"You are a good friend, Rig." Jirou said and held out a hand to me. This despite the fact that we were at least three feet apart. "You gave me food and didn't attack me when you had every right to."
"Don't remind me." I replied and let out a sigh and stood up. "But you are hungry and I trust you. Your stomach is a different matter altogether."
"Do you want me to leave?" Jirou asked and his expression became one of pain as he put has hand down. He had lost everything and was worried about losing me. We would have to part ways, I cared about Yomosa's safety as well as my own, but I didn't have to part on bad terms.
"I don't want you to leave, but I have to." I said and sat down beside my old sparring buddy. "Akumie is seeking revenge on me and I can't stay here. Yomosa has agreed to come with me even though she doesn't have to."
From the moment I had sat down by Jirou, Yomosa was doing her best to ignore us. Though I knew she'd always be watching Jirou. Making sure he didn't attack her.
"She's still angry?" Jirou asked.
"Yeah, turns out goddesses have a very long memory." I replied and tried to smirk. "Yomosa and I are heading out for a harbor that's-"
"A little far away because you can't find one closer?"
"You do remember me."
"Yes, I do." Jirou paused for and then continued. "And I am willing to help you."
Over the next few hours Jirou discussed with me, and later Yomosa also joined in the discussion, about another harbor. It was indeed closer and would help the two of us get off the only land I had ever known faster.
As Yomosa and I packed up our things to go, Jirou touched my shoulder and I turned to face him.
"If you are ever able to get back, will you visit me?" He asked.
"I will do my best." I said and grasped her arm.
After that exchange Jirou ran off into the vast forest and my lover and I continued our journey to the new harbor.
After two hours I finally smelled the ocean. The salty air was breathtaking to my nose. I turned to Yomosa and yelled, "Race you to the harbor!"
It was a childish thing of me to do. But once we reached the harbor we'd be so close to getting away from Japan. We'd be away from the land I had been created on. Safety, though, made the heart break worth it.
As I started to run Yomosa ran after me. We shouted at each other. Teasing each other in a way that only couples were capable of.
A roar sounded and I stopped. I saw the danger and stood in front of Yomosa. While she also saw the danger and knew the chances of me defeating it were slim, she allowed me to feel like I was protecting her. That I could protect her.
I heard the humans in the harbor yell as the Eastern Dragon got close to my lover and I.
Its scales were silver and it had purple fur running from the back of its neck to the tip of its tail. On any other occasion I would call it beautiful. But not now.
Its angry eyes showed that it was a predator and all I could hope to be was prey.
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Sushi, Sake, and Tanuki Links
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