Dawn of the Planet of the Ape (2014)

Synopsis
Caesar (Andy Serkis) and the apes are living peacefully believing that there are no more humans on Earth. Soon they encounter a group of humans and they both have to decide whether they can live knowing they both exist or not.

My Verdict
I was very pleased with this movie. This is what I expected the sequal to be like. I have to be honest and say that it was a little predictable, but not so much that I saw everything coming because I didn't. Also the CGI was so good! I mean, those weren't real apes and I had to keep reminding myself that. The only thing that made me mad was the 3D. It was pointless! I spent extra money for 3D and it wasn't even that great. There were moments when 3D would've been perfect and amazing but they didn't use it. So if you're thinking about seeing it in 3D, don't. Also, I stayed til the credits were over because I always think there's going to be something extra now, and there was nothing. There were creepy ape sounds but that was it. They didn't really make you feel like there was another movie coming out next either. I mean, it just ended. There was nothing that made you feel like "uh oh [something crazy] happened and now we have to see what happens next." I guess what I'm trying to say is that there was no cliffhanger and now I don't know if there's going to be a third movie or not.
Now on to the deeper messages of the movie. I heard a lot of people talking about how this movie is anti-gun and I totally saw that. If there were no guns than half of the conflict wouldn't have happened. Actually, there would be no conflict if there were no guns. I think the main message of Rise and Dawn is that, basically, humans ruin everything. Humans were the ones that put the apes in the facility, tested them, and ended up creating a virus that killed more than half the planet. Humans were the ones that took the apes from their natural habitat to do all this testing on them. Humans were the firsts ones to get violent. All the apes wanted to do was live separately in peace. So, the humans ruined everything and brought all this trouble among themselves.
I'm giving this movie a 8.5/10.

Spoilers
I just want to freak out a little because Koba almost killed Caesar! Who cried when that happened and who was shocked when Caesar was actually alive? *raises hand*
Also, I knew that Blue Eyes would end up finding Malcolm and let him go with the medicine for Caesar. That whole part and the part when Caesar came back to fight Koba was predictable and very reminiscent of the Lion King.
One question I have: is there really an army coming? Dreyfus said that they got a hold of people outside of their town and an army was coming, but I got the feeling he was just saying that to scare Malcolm. I guess we'll in the next movie, if there is one.

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Switched at Birth - It Isn't What You Think

Things seem to be getting back to normal for some people, I think.
Daphne seemed fine for about 30 seconds but then she went back to spiraling. She's got a new friend and his name is Nacho! They decided to vandalize the work site that Regina is working on with Wes. I really feel that Daphne is going to end up in jail (again) if she doesn't stop. I completely forgot that she was still on probation which makes everything worse. I know that there are things that she's not supposed to be doing while on probation and she's probably doing most of them. The icing on the cake is that she and Nacho are a couple now, wreaking havoc on the city, and all because she found Regina is working with Chip Coto. Let's all hope that someone finds out about Daphne's antics and gets her some help.

Bay is going through some issues herself. She finds out Tank and Toby are roommates and she's not happy about it. It's just a really awkward and random situation. On top of that she went to dinner with Tank and his dad to give Tank some moral support when he told his dad that he depledged. His dad was not happy about that. I felt so bad for Tank. All his dad cared about was him being in this fraternity and know it seems like his dad has disowned him for depledging.
On top of that the one person that Bay told about the aneurysm situation was not Emmett. It was Tank. I think the only good thing to come out of it is that she's going see a doctor, but I don't think Emmett will be happy if he finds out Tank knew before him.

Toby's relationship with Lilly has gotten pretty interesting. The slept together, which is just wow. He also had to plead with her so Sharee could take a makeup test so she won't fail Lilly's class. It's crazy. I have no idea what will come of Toby and Lilly. It seems like they will get together but they fight all the time. So who knows? 

Overall this was a good episode. From the looks of the promo, next week is going to be crazy. They really aren't wasting any time picking up the craziness. I mean, Kathryn kisses a woman and Daphne kisses Travis! I seriously have no words for what I saw. I'm just going to sit here and wait for the sneak peeks so I can get some clues as to what's going to happen.

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Prisoners (2013)

Synopsis
Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) and his family are spending Thanksgiving with their friends Franklin and Nancy Birch (Terrence Howard & Viola Davis) when their daughters suddenly go missing. Detective Loki is put on the case and tries to do what he can to brings the girls home, but when Keller thinks Loki isn't doing enough, he takes matters into his own hands.

My Verdict
Overall I liked this movie but there were things that I didn't like. It started it off creepy, so it did a good job at setting the tone of the movie. I'm not going to lie, this was a slow movie and it was pretty long. It was about 2 and a half hours and at the hour and a half point I already felt like it was going on for forever. At that point I needed it to get a little more interesting. I only kept watching because I wanted to know what happened to the girls. The ending wasn't predictable to me and that's a good thing. I really didn't see it coming at all. I figured it out right when the main character did which is good because if it was predictable I would've been pissed. I just couldn't handle the information as it was happening.
Now, this movie is a thriller and is supposed to be suspenseful but I wasn't on the edge of my seat until the last 40 minutes. Also, it wasn't as thrilling as I expected. So, I'm giving this movie a 7/10.

Spoilers
I just want to talk about this ending for a minute. The fact that the old lady did it really threw me! I really didn't see it coming. I actually thought that maybe Keller did it. I mean the little girl said that he was there when she woke up and escaped and he was getting drunk all the time. I thought that had just forgotten that he'd taken them because he was drunk. He was always talking about being prepared for the worst, too. This could've been his way of preparing the girls. I know it crazy, but that's what I thought.
If Keller didn't get found I would've been pissed. He would've have always been seen as this dude who kidnapped and tortured an innocent man and then went on the run because he was guilty. I'm happy that he gets to tell his side if the story.
The big thing that still bothers me is that we never found out why the old lady kidnapped all those children. Also, how is she just going to get herself killed in the end?! She had the audacity to take all those kids and when she got caught she just let them kill her! I mean, she would've died in jail but she didn't stay around long enough to give an explanation. That just makes me so mad.

What you think of this movie?

IMDB page

Switched at Birth - Girl With Death Mask (She Plays Alone)

It's weeks after Angelo's death and everyone is trying to move on but it's not as easy as it sounds. Bay receives a letter from Angelo's mom asking her to tell Angelo's cousin in Chicago about his passing. In order to get the girls out of the house, John sees this as the perfect opportunity, so he takes them to Chicago so Bay can see her cousin and so Daphne can visit Northwestern. 

Bay's visit didn't go as expected. See, her cousin was a bit insensitive. He didn't seem upset when he heard the news about Angelo. He also almost scammed John out of $700! The trip only took a turn when Bay told him about Angelo's aneurysm and we found out that Angelo had a sister that died at 18 from an aneurysm! So this runs in the family which means that Bay may get an aneurysm at some point! That is crazy and I'm pretty sure Bay is going to freak out about the whole thing. 
Daphne's visit didn't go any better than Bay's. John made Daphne go off with the tour guide to see the pre-med buildings and she was not happy about it. All she wanted to do was cause trouble and she ended up doing coke, throwing a bench off the window, and almost killing people! This girl is spiraling out of control. I really think that she may need therapy because she is not coping well. And she's still blaming Regina for it all which is hurting their relationship. She really needs some serious help.

Angelo's daughter and her adopted father came to visit Regina but she was in no way prepared for it so Kathryn spent some time with them instead. This whole visit was kind of a disaster because Kathryn invited Renzo over as kind of a blind date thing. Renzo was too nervous to act like his normal self, tried to cook and made a complete mess of things. The only thing good about it was that Bay got to see her baby sister and, you know, Renzo came back. 

Toby had his first DJing gig and there was drama there too. Emmet was invited and it just so happened that Tank was there drinking his sorrows away. Mary Beth tried to trick Tank into thinking that Emmett was Travis but Tank soon found out the truth and things didn't go well. Tank tried to fight Emmett but he was too drunk to do anything. Toby ended up taking Tank to his place for the night and he asked Tank to be his roommate. I have no idea how this is going to work out. I'm guessing the writer really liked Tank and wanted him to stay with the cast and this was the only way that could happen. 
We were introduced to a new character, Lilly. She's Toby's new upstairs neighbor and a new teacher at Carlton. I can only wonder if this will be a new love interest for him. 

This episode was just drama, drama, and more drama. We are entering the downfall of Angelo's death and everyone is grieving differently. It's interesting that Daphne is the one that's spiraling out of control. That is something that I never expected. It's only going to get worse for her because it looks like Nacho is coming back and she gets in a relationship with him. Then they go wreak havoc and it's just not good. Come to think of it, Daphne has gotten into some pretty bad trouble before. Let's hope she gets help before things go bad and she ends up in juvie again or worse, jail. 

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Extant

Extant is about Molly Woods (Halle Berry), an astronaut who spent 13 months alone in space and has finally returned home to her family. Two main things we learn is one, her son is a robot made by her husband, John (Goran Visnjic). Their son is the prototype of this Humanichs program that John is the head of. The other thing is that Molly is pregnant. We really don't know how this happened because she was in space for over a year and she was supposed to be alone. These are the main things we know or find out going in to the first episode.
After seeing the first 2 episodes, I am very intrigued. This is very much a Sci-Fi thriller. It has a creepy kid, paranoid people running around, people keeping secrets and many questions that I'm hoping get answered. There were many things seen in the 2 episodes that brought about a lot of questions. I mean for one Molly is pregnant and it's basically impossible, so how did happen and what is she pregnant with? Also the people she works for are very shady. They know things and they speak too vaguely for me. Hopefully as the season goes on we start to get some answers.
I will continue to watch this show and I recommend it especially if you like Sci-Fi. This show is interesting and it's so cool seeing all the new technology, but not all the technology has advanced. They can make it so the animals in a museum looks and act real but for some reason the ultrasound looks like the ones we use today. So, I will still watch and be amazed by the tech and making up my own theories. Check it out and do it fast. There are only 2 episodes and it looks like it's going to get even more crazy next week, so catch up. If you've seen it , what are your thoughts?

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The Divide

Synopsis
The Divide is about Christine Rosa (Marin Ireland) who works for the Innocence Initiative which helps people who are on death row but are innocent. She thinks Bankowski, a man on death row for killing a family over 10 years ago, is innocent and comes across some evidence that may prove that. The only problem is that he is set to be executed in less than 20 days and Adam Page (Damon Gupton), the man who put him behind bars, is not too happy when he hears of this.
This show isn't a race against time for them to prove his innocence before he's executed, but more what happens when a person behind bars may be innocent and the effect it has on everyone involved.

My Verdict
This show is so interesting and so different. It's not like your procedural crime drama but it has those crime/law aspects. It also isn't a law show because for one Christine isn't a lawyer. The only job that she has that's close to law is The Innocence Initiative and you don't have to be a lawyer to work there. She is working to become a lawyer though. This show really is about what goes on outside of the courtroom that affects certain cases.
I will be watching and will definitely be tuning in week after week. It was nothing like I expected it to be and that's a good thing. It could have easily been a race against time type of show and they find out the guy is innocent during the season finale, but that's what happen. Bankowski's DNA results is really what puts the season in gear. Also, stuff like this happens all the time. There are so many people in jail and on death row being executed that are innocent. This show is definitely art reflecting life. The fact that it takes place in my city, Philadelphia, is the icing on the cake.
I am recommending you watch this show. If you've checked it out, what did you think?

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Repentance (2013)

Synopsis
Tommy Carter (Anthony Mackie), a life coach, is now a successful author. When his brother Ben (Mike Epps) has money problems, Tommy decides to take on a patient, Angel (Forest Whitaker). Angel ends up putting Tommy, and his family, through something that will change their lives forever.

My Verdict
When I heard about this movie and saw the previews I thought it was going to be a thriller/horror movie, so I was prepared to be scared out of my wits. But, this was very much a psychological thriller. Sure there were moments when I was scared and creeped out but this movie is smart and really makes you think.
I thought is was really well done. It's a shame more people didn't know about and see it because it was a really good movie. I must praise all of the actors in this film. They did an amazing job, even Mike Epps. He's usually seen doing more comedic roles, but he really surprised me in this movie. Forest Whitaker also did an amazing job (no surprise). He did a great job of making you feel for the bad guy. He and Anthony Mackie are on the list of some of the most underrated actors.
The end of this movie is really something. I'm going to talk about it more specifically in the spoiler section but I will say that you will be talking about for a while after watching. I watched with family and friends and we were still talking about it the next day. The whole movie really sparks a discussion that will last hours, days after watching.
I watched the "making of" special feature and you can tell they put a lot of thought into this movie which makes me like it even more. Also, I thought it was great that there were POC's (people of color) in front of and behind the camera.
I'm giving this movie an 9/10.

Spoilers
There are 2 specific things I want to talk about.
First, the whole "bad guy" thing. The obvious choice of the bad guy is Angel because he kidnapped Tommy and his family, and put them through all this turmoil. But, Tommy and Ben were sitting on a lie for years. They were responsible for Angel's mom's death. Tommy was driving drunk and hit her. The kicker is that she wasn't dead and it was Ben who threw her into the bayou that killed her. They kept this a lie for so many years and it was Angel that finally got them to tell the truth. So who is the bad guy, if there is one? Or are they both bad guys?
Second thing I want to talk about is that ending. Tommy had the gun pointed to himself and we heard a gunshot but we don't know who was shot if someone was shot. At first I thought Tommy killed himself and I hated that. But after thinking and talking about it with the people I watched with, I don't know what happened. There are so many possibilities. He could've shot his brother or his wife. The gun also could've misfired and no one got shot. I really loved how ambiguous it is. Everyone I watched with had different theories and we came up with more. Viewers can have their own theories and choose the one that makes them happy. What are your theories for the end.

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Switched at Birth - The Image Disappears

I think I said that last week's episode was the most emotional episode but I was wrong. This was the most emotional episode I've ever seen of this show. I only have a few things to say about specific moments in the episode before I talk about the whole episode. 

First off to John, that was a really awful thing to think. How can you be glad that he spent the $5 million?! Okay, you were right but don't feel happy about it! Second, that SAT procter was very insensitive. I'm pretty sure they would at least let Daphne answer her phone or they could answer it for her and let her know what's going on. It was an emergency for goodness sakes! Third, why would they mention suicide? I know it's part of their jobs but gosh it's awful. To be honest, I thought about it for a split second but then I thought, 'he wouldn't go that far?' Lastly, I could not take those visions of the future. I mean, it just made the heartbreak so much worse. 

Now this episode as a whole was fantastic. I know it was extremely devastating, but it was very well done. The acting was also very well done, especially Katie Leclerc. Why a death? Well, I felt like something this dramatic needed to happen or the show would've fallen flat and Bay getting pregnant wouldn't have done it. The characters have been through so much and death was the only thing we haven't seen them go through, except for the "what if" episode, but that wasn't real. Now, why did it have to be Angelo? Well, it had to hit hard. A student/friend dying would have been awful but he's one of the parents and neither girl had spent much time with him compared to their other parents. I think they needed something that would really shake up the dynamic of the show and effect every character. Yes, Regina, Bay, and Daphne will be most affected but how they react will affect Toby, John and Kathryn. So, I'm looking forward to this arc in all the characters and can't wait to see how they react to it all. 
Another thing I want to mention is the choice to show visions of the future as well as  flashbacks. Usually with episodes like this you only see flashbacks and/or people reminiscing of old times, but this was the first time I saw visions of the future. I think that this gave the episode another level of emotion. I think it was a fantastic choice and I applaud the writers for that.

So overall this episode was well done and I'm very interested in seeing how the rest of the season plays out. I think it's going to be their best one yet.

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The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Synopsis
This movie is about Gustav H (Ralph Fiennes) and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the concierge and lobby boy of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Moustafa tells the story of all the shenanigans he and Gustav got into and how he eventually became the owner of the hotel.

My Verdict
I saw a preview for this movie a while ago and was very interested. I'm really glad I got around to seeing it because I really enjoyed it. This movie was very entertaining and I loved how it was a story within a story. The storyline was kind of ridiculous but in a good way. They did a good job of not making it completely over the top so you were left saying "this is too much, I can't take it." It was great and I thought it was very funny.
I also liked how unique and fun it was. I haven't seen anything like this before, so it was like a breath of fresh air. It reminded me of those absurd genre plays I read in high school but this movie actually made sense.
I'm giving this movie an 8/10. This was my first but definitely not my last Wes Anderson film.
Have you guys seen it? What did you think?

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Switched at Birth - And We Bring the Light

They weren't lying when they said this would be the most shocking episode ever! 
First off, Bay didn't get accepted into Pratt. I felt so bad for her. It really sucks when you don't get in to the school you really wanted to go to. Let's hope she applied to other schools. On a happier note, her little art project was amazing! Also Toby's back, with facial hair, and he wants to be a Dj now. I don't know how I feel about that; the Djing and the facial hair. Actually I don't like the facial hair. I just hope he's really good at Djing though. 

The biggest shocker came with the Vazquez's. Wes got Regina a gun. (Bad news) Then he made Regina go to this dinner meeting with some local politicians and guess who was there, Chip Coto! Where did they did him up from?! Of all people to bring back it's him! And he did learn his lesson from before because he was low key hitting on Regina. At that point I was like 'maybe she shoots him?' That was just wishful thinking. 
Now Daphne was freaking out because she could find her SAT book so Angelo took her to his restaurant to take her mind off things. This whole scene was super adorable until Daphne found out that his restaurant is in foreclosure! This is when the tears came. Angelo felt like a failure because everything he tried to do in life didn't work out. Then he started crying and saying he failed as a father and that messed me up. I seriously can't take him crying, or any man crying. 
And now for the shocker of the episode. Angelo and Daphne go to K&D because that's where her SAT book is. Meanwhile, Regina is there cleaning up graffiti on the outside window. Daphne comes in a scares Regina and she pulls her gun out and almost shoots Daphne! I was freaking out because I really thought Regina was going to shoot her. Thankfully it didn't happen but it all pissed Angelo off and he and Regina got in a huge fight that ended with him speeding off in his car. In the end it seems like he  got in a car accident and it was pretty bad because he was unconscious and they were talking about internal bleeding. It was awful and there were more tears. And that was the end! 

Overall this was a really shocking and emotional episode. It really didn't disappoint. The only thing is I thought for sure that someone was going to get shot, but it didn't look like Angelo got shot. It just looked like he was in a bad accident. Other than that, this episode was amazing. They aren't skimping on the drama this time around and I love it. Now let's all start our prayer circles for Angelo. I'm really scared for him because in that promo it looked like he flatlined and that's not okay! He can NOT die. This wait is going to suck. I hope you make it through.

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How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Synopsis
Hiccup's (Jay Baruchel) one goal in life was to be a true Viking, fighting and killing just like everyone else in his town. He tries so hard but no one believes he can do it, especially his father the leader of those fighting the dragons. Things really change when Hiccup takes down a dragon and instead of killing it, they become friends.

My Verdict
I really had no intentions of seeing this movie when it came out, but I heard it was really good so I finally gave it a shot. I really enjoyed this movie. Everything about it was better than some of the Disney/Pixar movies I've seen. There wasn't any singing which I didn't mind at all, but the music that was in the film was epic, Narnia epic. I loved it.
Of course there was a moral to the story which was great. Basically throughout the entire movie people keep telling Hiccup to be everything but himself. And yes, in the end he learned that being himself was all he needed to do and I figured this out early on, but this is a message that's so necessary but I don't see it that often.
There also seemed to be and old generation v. new generation theme and both working together for one common goal. I like how the younger generation came up with the solution and they needed everyone to help out.
Lastly, I really liked the characters in the movie, especially the female characters. I loved how everyone was a Viking and trained to be a Viking. It wasn't just for the men. Astrid (America Ferrera) is awesome! I love a female character that kicks butt!
I'm giving this movie an 8.5/10 and I now I need to see the second one.

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Switched at Birth - Oh, Future!

This episode brought some crazy plot twist and some scheming. 
First, Bay overhears Melody on a conversation about a new job offer in another state. So she gets all worried that Emmett will move away and she starts scheming. Emmett's dad is having a housewarming party and Bay thinks that it would be a good idea to go so if his mom was to take the job, he would feel better about staying with his father. Well, the housewarming party turned into a surprise wedding and the surprise wedding turned into a pregnancy announcement! Emmett was not happy about any of this, but in the end he was able to make strides to patch things up with his father. I'm glad about that, but I can't help but think "really Bay?" I mean, I know it's important for Emmett to have a better relationship with his father but that's not why Bay persuaded him to go to that party. She did it because she didn't want Emmett to leave. I'm glad good things came out of it, but the intention was wrong. 

A couple things are going on with Daphne and college. First, J&K want to pay for her tuition but Regina won't let them. On one hand J&K are Daphne's parents so they can pay for school if they want, but Regina wants Daphne to learn what it means to work hard for what she wants. They both have a point but J&K shouldn't just dictate what happens with Daphne. It was like they asked Regina, she said no, and they said we're going to do it anyway and that's not right. 
Second, Daphne is applying to scholarships and one of them was for Latinas. This brought about an amazing conversations about who can say what ethnicity you identify with. I love it! Now I'm not going to say if I think Daphne is Latina or not because I think it's her decision to make but here's the deal. Daphne grew up thinking she was Latina her whole life, even though she doesn't look it. But, she was switched at birth and is really a Kennish. I understand both sides and that's why I'm leaving it up to Daphne to decide. 

Lastly, I don't trust that Sarah Lazar. I don't know why but I had a bad feeling about that whole situation between her and Kathryn. She told Kathryn about the movie, then she dropped the lawsuit but she still got Kathryn to change the character in the book. I don't know if I'm reading too much into it but there was something weird about that whole thing. 

Overall this was a really good episode. I can't wait for next week because Toby is finally back and we get to hear all about his trip. I read the description for this episode and it said something about Toby having new career goals and Bay's college dreams not going the way she planned. I hope it's not Toby wanting his college fund so Bay can't have one anymore. That would bring on some serious drama. Also Regina has a gun and it seems like she shoots some dude. Hopefully no one dies. 

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