The Amazing Spider-Man

*This review  contains spoilers.*

For someone who claims not to like superhero movies, you may be wondering why I go and see so many of them. The answer to that is I never usually pick the film, I just sort of go....but I'm glad I did, because this was AWESOME.

I just want to say that Andrew Garfield is the best Peter Parker/Spiderman ever. Okay, genuinely, not only is  he absolutely gorgeous, but he just plays it so well. If I had to choose a superhero that was my favorite, it would be Spiderman, even though I hate spiders, because of how awesome Peter Parker is. Seriously, the adorably nerdy factor in this movie was through the roof. I liked Avatar because it was an emblem of nerd power when the doctor and her fellow scientists worked with the Navi to defeat the evil corporate army people, and that's what I got from this movie, at least a little bit: nerd/outcast power.

Also, Peter asking out Gwen, with all the stumbling and awkwardness...that was just too cute. I love cute awkward nerdy guys (not that I don't also like hunky bad boys, but that's a story for another post), and this movie delivered. It really, really delivered. I know that the cute romantic parts of movies like this aren't really supposed to be the focus, but it's what I focus on, okay? That scene in Gwen's bedroom after the lizard thing slashed Peter's chest was absolutely adorable....and the end! With the promise to her father and the best promises being broken, that was just heartwarming.

So, I've told you why I love Andrew Garfield as Peter/Spiderman and why I adored his relationship with Gwen (and I loved Emma Stone in Easy A, so I was like "YES!" when I knew she was in this), but I really liked the movie as a whole. I don't know if it was the music or the tone or what, but I just really felt like this was a great movie.

I'm going to suggest this for everyone, because if you come to it like "Yes, superhero movie, woo!" you'll like it, in my opinion, of course, or if you're someone like me who is pretty indifferent about these types of things, you should just go, because I think it was just a well made movie, and Andrew Garfield is an amazing Spiderman. (That pun on the title was actually not intended...I'm embarrassed, but not going to delete it in the interest of full disclosure with you.)

Disney Pixar's Brave

*This review contains spoilers.*

Today, two of my friends and I went to see the new movie Brave at the theater. (No, we were not the oldest people there. Not even the oldest people without kids.) I don't normally review movies, but I feel like I have enough to say about this one to review it.

• First off, they had a little short film at the beginning called La Luna, I believe, and it was too cute!
• The animation was flawless - from Merida herself to the surroundings, I just loved it. It was a very beautiful, breathtaking landscape, and I really go for stuff like that, so I enjoyed the scenery a lot. 
• I laughed a couple of times, so it is not absent humor in the slightest. 
• I loved Merida's speech about legends - it was really beautiful in an inspirational kind of way. 
• Setting it in Medieval Scotland was really nice. I love all the castles and such, and the accents are fun. 
• My main problem with the movie is the lack of romance. I was raised with Disney classics like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Beauty and the Beast, so when I set down to an animated film about a princess, I expected a romance. She made a great speech about finding love when she's ready, then didn't. Maybe I'm missing the message, and maybe every movie doesn't need a romance, but I watch movies and TV and read books pretty much to vicariously experience the romance of the characters. I was pretty let down, to be honest. 

Overall, the movie was a sweet one, with gorgeous scenery, funny moments, cute children and a beautiful soundtrack. I certainly wouldn't say I wasted two hours or the money I spent on tickets and popcorn, but I doubt I'll see this movie again. I did like it, so...

Final Verdict: Go see it! 

Thanks for reading!

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)

I sat down to watch this movie because I had an awful weekend and nothing, I repeat, nothing, makes me feel better like old movies. I have quite a collection, many from Half-Price Books and I love them. Here's why.

1. First off, the sets are freaking real. This stuff is filmed on location, in actual centuries old castles. I firmly believe that you can feel that and I LOVE it. 
2. Likewise, the rooms are always so small, and the lighting is always the same but it's just so perfect because its affectation is so genuine.
3.  I feel about this the same way I do about 1968's Romeo and Juliet, you know? I absolutely love that the costumes look like costumes. Everything is so bright and vibrant and Technicolor and the lack of CGI is amazing. 
4. And the acting! It's classic, that's what it is. I guess I like old movies like this because they just bring up warm, fuzzy nostalgic times. The people look like they are acting, it's like a play, only I'm watching it on a screen. I can't put my finger on it, but I love, love, love old movies like this one, and recommend you check out at least one. 

The Avengers

So, ever the slave to media hype, I watched The Avengers this weekend. I've never touched a comic book in my life, so this is really not my thing. Then again, I do try to watch most major movies.  I didn't particularly like the Captain America one or The Hulk...but I did really like Thor...perhaps because of Chris Hemsworth ... as well as Iron Man...though definitely because of Robert Downey Jr. ... so I decided to try this movie.

*This review may contain SPOILERS, so read at your own risk if you haven't seen the movie.*

1. The special effects were, as expected, excellent...but was the flying aircraft carrier really necessary? 
2. Okay, that old man standing up to Loki and then Captain America rescuing him, even I have to admit, was pretty cool. 
3. ...Chris Hemsworth is still ridiculously attractive, in case any of you were wondering. And fairly funny, too. Particularly the "He's adopted." line. 
4. And, of course, Robert Downey Jr. was Robert Downey Jr., AKA phenomenal! 
5. I didn't get bored once, like I usually do during explosion-a-second flicks like this one. 
6. If you haven't been able to tell, I came into this movie expecting to hate it: big budget action flick with tons of special effects, CGI and Scarlett Johannson as eye candy. But, for some reason, I didn't! It kept me engaged, and, while, obviously, there wasn't as much focus on the human aspect as in, say, a film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel, I still cared about the characters. A lot. 
7. This did have some humor interspersed with the action, and the enemy ships at the end, shaped like fish or whatever, were really cool. 
8. As much as it pains me to say that I enjoyed a movie that didn't have romance in it, I really did like this movie. Well, I mean, technically, there was witty romantic banter and some kissing between Tony Stark and Pepper Potts (that name!), but I don't really count that as romance per se. I'd say the best example of a romance in a movie like this was between Natalie Portman and Chris Hemsworth in Thor. Considering the genre, I thought that was adequate. But, hey, you can't have everything, and I really was surprised by how much I liked the Avengers. 

The Verdict: You should definitely see this movie. Even if you're romcom/epic romance/period drama fanatic  like me, you should still see this movie once. It's worth the time, even if you don't love it. 

Thanks for reading!