Friday, March 21, 2014

Documentary: National Geographic: Ultimate Cat

I am a huge big cat fan. Love anything to do with them. They are magnificent creatures and so beautiful, dangerous, but beautiful.

That being said, I didn't really like this documentary about them. The way it was formated, I felt it is all about their dangerous side, although I think their intentions were to show how these dangerous features make them supreme, but I really just didn't like the way it played out, felt too negative.

They went through the different parts of the big cats that make them formidable creatures. They did not really talk much about cheetahs, but leopards, lions, and tigers really.

Their claws

Their jaws

Their muscles

Their skull

Everything about a big cat is what makes them able to do what they do.

Documentary: National Geographic: Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West

I haven't always loved history, at least not when I'm at school. I have liked certain History Professors I had, but a lot of time hearing just doesn't give you the best image. That's why I like a lot of these documentaries.

Everyone in the United States know that Lewis and Clark are the two that went west all the way to the Pacific. It was a dangerous journey at this time and no one in their time expected them to return.

This documentary explains this. It goes through the different parts that Lewis and Clark go through. They start when Lewis and Clark are asked to travel west until they reach the Pacific ocean. They accept the challenge, and it is just that.

Through boat problems; boats running into logs and flipping and all of those dangers. Then problems with bears and sliding off cliffs. It was a challenge to navigate the landscape they were to cross.

If the landscape wasn't hard enough they had to deal with Native Americans too, not all were hostile, but telling these natives that their land no longer belonged to them, didn't exactly create friends.

One Native American tribe helped Lewis and Clark in their journey by giving them a guide and another member, Sacagawea who had a son during their expedition.

Woman or not, Sacagawea helped Lewis and Clark imensely during their journey and this documentary explained that as well.

Through rough turns they finally made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Time to head back... Fame and Glory here we come!

Movie: The Hobit: The Desolation of Smaug

I read this book and I really did like the book, but the book I felt was a lot more happier then what Peter Jackson makes the movie. Granted had I not read the book I wouldn't have had anything to complain about. It is a very good movie and recommend it highly, you just have to remember that it's not exactly the book.

It starts off where the first movie left off. The group is just getting off of the Owls and they are still trying to get away from the pack of orcs coming after them. They go to stay at a house, problem is a bear is chasing them into the house, they need to close that door before he gets there. This bear, is actually the friend that keeps them safe and helps them get to their next destination. The forest. Gandalf cannot follow them into the forest.

Gandalf goes off on a mission to find out who this new enemy is that is appearing. He and his other wizard friend, Radagast, go to a tomb where the nine men with the rings (the ones they mention in the Lord of the RIngs) The tombs reveal that they, well aren't there.

Back with the dwarves and Bilbo, they get lost pretty early and when Blibo climbs a tree to see if he can find anything, when he comes back down spiders are out and getting at the dwarves. After being all wrapped up, and then getting out and the spiders are coming at them, elves chime in and kill the spiders and take the dwarves with them back to their kingdom. They don't get Bilbo, however, who uses his ring to get into their locked doors.

Gandalf is now at a very creepy like castle where he tells Radagast to leave and tell the other what they have found out and enters the place alone. He is surrounded by orcs and although he is able to get away from them he comes upon a very dark force that burns his staff and is actually Sauron.

Bilbo gets the dwarves out of their  cages by stealing the keys and then brings them to the basement and puts them in empty barrels that are dumped into the rivier. They are soon pursued by orcs and those orcs are then pursued by elves that are actually after dwarves, but refuse to let orcs live in their territory. They get to the end of the river when they meet a barge man that they ask to take them with him. He does at a price. They need a ride and weapons now.

Back in the lake city, Bard doesn't have the weapons that the dwarves want and so they go to the weaponry to get the weapons they want and get caught. Although through a wonderfully formed speech, the dwarves are able to get to the mountain before the last light on Durin's day. A few of the Dwarves have to stay behind. The brothers stay behind because the one is injured, one is to stay with the sick, and the last missed the boat.

At the mountain, they cannot find the key hole and the sun is quickly setting, but then when all hope is lost, the moon rises and there is the key hole, that Bilbo finds.

Now Bilbo is to go into the mountain, face the dragon and find the arkenstone. He puts his ring on, but the dragon, Smaug, can smell him, although he sees the stone he can't seem to get close to it because of the dragon. When he gets back to the group, the dragon comes after all of them. This is the best part of this movie, in my opinon. The special effects used look amazing and they do very well with it. At the end the dragon is flying over laketown, scary.

The movie itself wasn't bad, but as I said before, I don't really think it should be called the hobit, there's too much in it that makes it a Lord of the Rings movie rather than a Hobbit movie.

Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

This is the second part to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. This is my favorite of the three movies.

It starts right where it left off, Sam and Frodo are climbing a mountain and looking over the landscape they have left to travel to be able to get the ring to it's destination. And then on the other end, Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli are on the trail of the Orcs that have Mary and Pippin.

In the early part of the movie you meet a new cast. In a castle a old king who looks awful and when they bring in his son who is mortally injured it's as if he has no idea what is happening. The kings right hand tell sthe king to send away those that "oppose" him (aka his army). This army then goes to kill off the orcs, you know, the ones that have Mary and Pippin.

When Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli get surrounded by the Riders of Rohan, they are told that they left none alive. Even still they go to check out the battleground. The evidence they first see isn't good and leads them to believe that the hobits are dead, but then they see tracts of the hobits that lead into the forest. In the forest they find an old friend they didn't expect to ever see again, Gandalf. He is the one that tells them that they have to help Theoden, the sick king.

When they get to the king, the only weapon they enter with is Gandalf's staff, which he claims is his walking stick. After the spell is broken, Theoden is then made aware of the army of orcs is coming for his people. Gandalf leaves to find more help because Theoden refuses to ask for aid. They retreat to Helms Deep which is a fortress that has never been breeched.

Well there's a first for everything. The orcs blow up the wall and end up getting in. There are a lot of deaths and it looks as if the battle is over in the worst way, when Aragon is reminded the sun is rising on the fifth day since Gandalf left... They rid out and down the hill comes Gandalf with the Riders of Rohan. Too bad for the Orcs, better luck next time.

On the Frodo and Sam side, they run into an unlikely friend, Golem. He's the one that had the ring before Bilbo and he had it for hundreds of years. He wants the ring back, but then in the battle against himself Smeagol pushes Golem out and wants to help Frodo get to Mordor.

After being captured by an army, lead by Boromir's brother (you remember, the only one of the fellowship that actually died in the last movie). He wants the ring just as his brother did, to use it to make his land stronger. Coruption is taking over him. After Smeagol is captured after Frodo went to get him to protect him for his own safety, Golem returns. They create a nasty plan to get the ring back and all it takes is leading Sam and Frodo to Mordor as they want.

 Faramir lets Frodo and his group go at the end of the movie, he was able to do what his brother was not able to do.

This movie is action from beginning to end. There is no introduction and no wrapping up in this movie, which I really like.

Movie: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

I haven't read this book yet, so my opinon of book to movie hasn't been formed. I do like the way Peter Jackson directs his movies.

It starts with a brief overview; there are a bunch of different kind of rings, they went to elves, dwarves, and man. Then one made a ring to rule all others which started a war. The war ended with the death of Sauron but the ring survived and thus so did Sauron's spirit. The ring would corupt those that held it. It was found by a hobit, Bilbo, in "The Hobit" and now in this movie he is reaching his end with his time with the ring and gives it to his nephew like hobit he took in, Frodo. Frodo has a strong heart, and thus the ring doesn't corupt him the way it would men.

Gandalf, finds that this ring is the ring Sauron had and tells Frodo he must get it far away before they find it. Frodo starts his journey with his gardener and good friend, Sam. While they are getting out of the Shire, Mary and Pippin run into them and join them on their way to the Prancing Pony where they are to meet Gandalf.

When they get to the Prancing Pony (after nearly getting killed), Gandalf isn't there, but there is a ranger there, named Aragon, who actually ends up being a friend, not foe. He is able to help keep them safe. While they are trying to get to Rivendale, Frodo gets stabbed and is dying when an elf comes to help them get to her father. Don't worry he survives.

While there, they create a counsel to figure out who will bring the ring to the fires of Mordor (not exactly safe) Frodo takes up the challenge and is accompanied by Gandalf, Aragon, Legolas (an elf) and Gimli (a dwarf), and of course his other hobit friends. There is one other that goes with them, but he is already corupt by the ring and you can tell he's gonna start trouble, Boromir.

They set off on their journey. They have to go through the mines of moria and find it was not going to be a safe passage. After a battle with some orcs, they run into a firey shadowy monster. Gandalf stops the monster from going any farther to catch the fellowship, but in the process falls off the ledge into the darkness.

After the loss of Gandalf, the group gets some help with some elves. And set off again. This is where Boromir is truely corupt, while Frodo is trying to get away as he was told that the ring would destroy them all and he would lose all of his friends to its corruption, Boromir tries to take the ring from him. Boromir comes to his senses after Frodo uses the ring to escape (makes him invisible). Then the real trouble appears. Orcs come swarming in with orders to kill all of them except the halflings (the hobits) Of course no one knows this. Boromir fights the Orcs trying to protect Mary and Pippin who he got along with well and dies after three arrows pierce him (and he fights even then) but before the leader of the orcs can shoot another arrow, Aragon appears and kills him.

Boromir confesses to Aragon that he tried to take the ring from Frodo and dies a little after. It ends with Frodo and Sam getting onto a boat and sailing towards Mordor alone (Frodo wanted to go alone, but Sam (good old Sam is my favorite character) won't let him). The other two hobits were taken by the orcs so Aragon, Legolas, and Gimli set out to save them...

Pretty good movie. There's a lot of introductory stuff in it, which is needed to understand a lot of it. I do warn you, it's a long movie.

Show: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers

I grew up on shows like "Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" and "Sailor Moon" and all those shows. I was more of a tom boy growing up, might have something to do with the fact that my sister wanted to be a princess, and I didn't want to be -anything- like my sister.

That being said, as a kid, I LOVED this show. Going back to watch it now I laughed a lot of it for the lack of technology and lack of acting, but at the time this thing was made, it was pretty good given those factors.

It is about 5 teenagers who are picked to be the Power Rangers (something like a superhero) to protect the earth against the evil forces that Rita would send to take over the world. Through the help of Zordon and Alpha (the ones that gave the powers to the Power Rangers).

You wouldn't think they would be able to do a good job, 5 teenagers against a load of bad guys, but they do, every episode has a different monster and often they are a little stronger then the ones before so that they get new weapons or equipment that helps them defeat the monsters. Or its one of the teenagers having a moment in their life (good or bad) that separates them from the team until they learn the lesson they need too and through this lesson they are able to overcome the monster when none of the others are able to.

After about halfway through the first season a new Power Ranger shows up, Tommy, the Green Ranger. Though when he first appears, Tommy is under Rita's spell and is evil. It's okay though, the other Power Rangers get through to him and tell him he doesn't have to be Rita's pawn. He's actually gets really close with Kimberly, the pink ranger.

A little later in the season (the first season is the longest, but also the best (my opinon)), Tommy has his power coin taken and drained of a lot of it's power. Although they get Tommy back, the damage was already done. He is the green ranger for a little longer before he runs out of power and disappears from the show for a while leaving the five original rangers. Then he comes back as the white ranger. This is where I start to dislike the show. Things are the same until the second season where the red, yellow, and black ranger are replaced with other people because they leave to go to Switzerland.

I didn't really like the three they replaced them with. It kinda lost me in the spirit of things. Tommy was now the leader after becoming the white ranger. Again the system was the same, a different monster each episode and different factors affecting the reason they could or couldn't beat the monster. There is also a differnt bad guy that comes in season two... Lord Zedd. Later in season two, Rita gets free and tricks Zedd into falling in love with her and marrying her so that they can rule the earth together.

Season three, I was reluctant to watch this, and it was a struggle to make it through it, but I made it. Zedd and Rita are still the evil team, but Rita's brother Rito shows up and is now in charge of bringing the monster to earth to face the power rangers. The team doesn't change until well late in the show when Katherine replaces the pink ranger Kimberly. The series is just about over here when  Rita's father comes to join the team and he turns back time and makes the power rangers little kids to where they never met Zordon or Alpha and never became the power rangers. This is where the series ends.

Although I thought the first season was good, I didn't like the second season or third season. So I don't recommend those two seasons, but the first season is the longest and the best.

Movie: Christmas Cupid

Most Christmas movies I find are about losing the Christmas spirit, or being visited by the Christmas spirits... Christmas with the Kranks is one of the few -not- like this. This movie is being visited by the Christmas Spirits.

Caitlin Quinn is a movie star like all movie stars. She likes to party and get a little wild. Well her public relations manager, Sloane Spencer, is doing everything she can to keep Caitlin out of trouble before her big premier of a family movie. Doesn't exactly go the way she plans... Caitlin dies at a party from chocking... odd...

Anyway, Sloane isn't exactly the nicest person in the world and definitely not at Christmas. She has everyone working and really doesn't care what they have planned for the day. Sloane is visited the night Caitlin dies from Caitlin's spirit who tells her that she's gonna have three visits. Sloane brushes it off and takes it as a figment of her grieving imagination...

Caitlin (unlike Marley's Ghost) sticks around with Sloane during this process, while Sloane creates a magical remembrance for Caitlin on Christmas. Caitlin picks spirits that will look like Sloane's boyfriends, ex-boyfriends to be exact.

She relives her past, present, and her future of her love life and forced to understand how love can help her lead a better life.

She meets one of her ex-boyfriends during this time and at this time she is hurt by the guy she was dating so decides to go on a date with Patrick. He was the love of her past and she is the love of his life; the one and only one for him. She hurts him when he finds out the truth and he doesn't want to talk to her. She finds this is the guy of her dreams and wants to be with him.

Is it too late? Time for the Ghost of Christmas Future (yet to come) to come see her, who is her future ex-boyfriend? Is it too late for Caitlin to go to heaven and get her wings?