MAMA

A Mother's Love If Forever.

Here we go, as promised. Another scary movie for the month of October to celebrate All Hollow's Eve.

 

 

MAMA was released this year as a Spanish-Canadian horror film based off of the short film with the same title. Co-Written and directed by Andy Muschietti with Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) as executive producer.

The film is based on two girls who's father, at the beginning of the movie, kills their mother and runs away with the girls. On a snowy road, the father speeds through the mountainside before finally skidding off a ravine and down between two trees. He takes his daughters, one barely old enough to walk, and hunkers down in an old cabin they find along the way. The unstable father, about to kill the oldest daughter, is suddenly snatched up by a spirit of sorts and is killed.

Father of the year prize, right?

Well, Victoria and Lilly's uncle-- their father's brother-- spends years looking for them finally with success. By the time the girls are found however, they are the equivalent to wild animals. Victoria, the oldest, still retained the knowledge of the words she knew when the accident occurred and talks about a woman they call MAMA. Someone who took care of them, fed them, and kept them warm during the winters.

A psychologist who was dealing in the rehabilitation of the girls says that MAMA is a figure the children made up and that Victoria is trying to embody so they could cope with living on their own for so long. What the psychologist doesn't tell the uncle and his rock-band girlfriend is that the true purpose of his study is to actually find out about the woman who is MAMA, believing her to be a true person.

Well, against the girl's mother's sister (their aunt), the uncle fights for custody and eventually wins, letting the psychologist continue to help in their rehabilitation case work. Over a small amount of time you realize that MAMA never left their sides and has traveled to their new home with them. She, it is revealed, is the spirit of whom she was in life with some baggage left behind. Not to mention a pretty big jealousy streak when it comes to anyone else trying to take care of "her" children.

Anyway, Victoria seems to slowly want this normal life while Lilly is still very attached to the spirit of MAMA and prefers her over anyone else.

With an ending that is typical for Guillermo del Toro movies but still as heartbreaking and sentimental as ever, the movie ends.

My review? The movie was amazing.

I do have some issues with it though.

Negative's first okay?

I am never really a fan of movies that give away what the evil, supernatural creature looks like in the beginning. To me it is no fun and takes some of the surprise out of it later when you see the full figure up close.
I think the storyline also progressed very fast. You see the beginning, you see the kids rehabilitated, suddenly it is time to deal with the creature and then it is the end. I think they could have done a lot more when it came to the storyline, but as previously stated, it was based off a short movie so it was probably in their minds not to deter from the idea too much, which is understandable.

Positives?

I think the child actors who played their roles, did an amazing job. It is always nice to see child actors with the talent to act a certain way or have large lines and a good character history instead of sitting around the whole movie not doing anything.
Cudos on not killing the likeable uncle. I mean, this man spends all his own money to find his girls when the cops have given up and no one else will look. It is so nice to see that kind of good-heartedness after witnessing the douche-bag father of the year award go to someone so early.
I fully appreciate the storyline of the rocker girlfriend too who goes from thanking God that she isn't pregnant to fighting for these little girls lives. Not to mention the little girls themselves for, as I mentioned earlier, putting on some amazing roles.
The acting wasn't cheesy, which is always a plus, and the graphics were good, though they did sort of meld with "The Grudge" type of supernatural forces when it came to how the evil creature looked or acted, even moved.

The end was sad, and at the same time the little girl Lilly just makes you smile if you are the type of person to really appreciate the gentle and pure innocent smile and laughter of a young one.

My rating??



I highly recommend the movie for an October marathon of scary movies. The fear factor doesn't lie within the story itself but the moments when you least expect something to pop up or act a certain way and than it does. Nothing really involving gore, sex, or to much blood which is always a plus to me. I don't think there has to be nudity, sex, and guts flying everywhere to make a movie scary. To me it just wishes I didn't eat anything before or while watching it.

So, go out to your local Blockbuster, Wal-Mart or Family Video and rent or buy the movie for yourself. I suggest renting first, because this is obviously just my opinion, but I don't think you will be to disappointed.

Future Movie Update; Chronicle's of Narnia set to make 4th installment.

 

 

Are you a fan of the C. S. Lewis books that introduced a whole new world to us through the tales of Narnia?

If you can't remember, the stories created by C. S. Lewis are as follows in the order they were published;

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician's Nephew
and
The Last Battle

They begin by following four young children who were sent away from their war-embarked home to stay with a sort of "fosterer" and end up finding their way to Narnia.

Well, if you do not know the books than I am sure you have at least heard about the movies. Usually the cover of the DVD holds a large lion face on it representing King Aslan of Narnia.

Well, good news for the movie lovers, but bad news for the haters who want to see the franchise die like Aslan in the first movie.

The franchise has risen again! Much like Aslan also did in the first movie.



Although the first movie made a huge profit in both national and international box offices, the second and third movies didn't do as great on our side of the pond. However, with their international profit and the huge fan base that has been following and requesting another installment for a couple years now, the producers have finally decided to put the fourth book, The Silver Chair, into production.

The Silver Chair will center around two classmates. Eustace (some might remember him from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and Jill, who when trying to escape the grasp of local school bullies, end up back in Narnia where King Aslan asks them both to find Prince Rillian who disappeared years ago.

My excitement? Well, I am overjoyed.. really.. stop looking at me that way.

Okay fine, if I want to see the movie I will more then likely rent it at the local movie store after it comes out on DVD, but as far as my dvd collection of the Chronicle's goes, I have watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a million and one times and I will watch it a million more. However, I don't even own the second two.



I highly recommend it for you children though. The colors, the characters and the graphics alone should keep them busy for hours and allow them to enjoy the world of Narnia as we all did in the books.

IT

 

Yes dearies, this is IT.

If any of you out there have mild or severe Coulrophobia; I having the latter, then you know exactly what movie I am talking about the fear factor it admits.

 

For my own sanity, I added the images last so I did not have to stare at them while typing. I honestly do not think my heart could take it.

 

Now, I also have severe Arachnophobia- a fear of spiders. However, unlike my Arachnophobia, I will actually watch movies on clowns. I am scared to death of them and they freak me out, even saying the word terrifies me to the end of looking over my shoulder and hiding under the table, but alas here I am to report on the scariest clown movie I have ever seen.

 

I felt like punishing myself on day and decided to go to the movie store and rent every movie I could that had a horror factor of clowns. Well, of course plenty scared me, but the one to terrify me to no end and become my most hated and yet sickly most beloved clown movie is Stephen King's IT.

 

IT, also refered to as Stephen King's IT, was made into the film adaption in 1990. The story revolves around a "inter-dimensional predatory lifeform" which has the ability to shapeshift into it's prey's worst and most horrid fears. Through the movie, however, it mainly takes on the form of -shivers- Pennywise, a sadistic and wise-cracking clown.

 

The group of people that the story revolves around call themselves "The Losers Club" and were tormented by this clown when they were children. The movie then turns to their adult years and the return of the foe they thought they had gotten rid of for good.

 

-shivers- Pennywise.

 

Although this movie loosely follows the plot of the novel, it is scary on its own. No, seriously, I am still trying to get up the nerve to read the book if that thing is scarier then the movie.

 

The main cast included Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Richard Masur, Michael Cole and, starring as the lead role and the scariest clown to date; Tim Curry as, -shivers- Pennywise.

 

It was originally aired on television as a two-part mini series and received mixed reviews. The child actors and Tim Curry were praised for their acting but the second part was criticized for being melo-dramatic and not as terrifying and the first part.

 

Now there are plenty of differences, I hear, from the movie and the book.

A few examples include;

The film puts more of an emphasis on the Pen-- well, the clown's form then any other form the creature takes shape as. This is due mainly to the fact that clowns scare a very large general population.

Georgie, a main character's little brother, has a deeper and more violent death scene in the book then in the movie.

Forms that IT takes in the book include a werewolf, a leper, a mummy, and waterlogged corpses while in the movie it mainly remains a clown or "the deadlights".

 

Those are a few of the differences anyway. You can find these and more at Wikipedia.

So, now for my review.

When I first watched IT, yes, I was terrified. But, it wasn't until later, and more recently, that I found out who the actor was who played IT.
Now, I am a big Tim Curry fan. I liked him as Rooster in Annie, I loved him as Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I laughed at him as the Butler in Clue, I adored him as Cardinal Richleu in The Three Musketeers and my daughter has loved his voice overs in Curious George, A Turtle's Tale, her Barbie movies, and more.

However, while watching IT, for the second time with my fiancée, Derrick, he looked at me and said "Man, I can't believe Tim Curry plays IT."

I looked at him,
Stared.
Stared some more.
Blinked a few times.
and than said..
"Excuse me?"

He then said it again and the next time IT was on screen, I saw him. For the first time I actually saw Tim Curry through the paint and fell in love with him again as the one true actor to have ever played a clown so ferociously that it truly terrified me unlike any other clown movie before.


I mean, the movie isn't perfect. I do agree that the second part lacks, but I think it lacks mainly near the end when you see the creatures true form. It really brings you down from the terrifying high you are in for most of the movie. Yes, I am scared of what he was than, too but it just isn't the same as -shivers- Pennywise.

I honestly do not think this movie is a let down though when you look for terror, freakishness and a movie to feed your fear of clowns in that sick, demented manner that only a person who is truly afraid of clowns can understand.

Really, watch it. If you hate it than that is your opinion but if you hate it, my opinion is that you are more psychotic then that damn clown will ever be.

Well, there ya go. Remember fellow "afraid of clown"ers. Don't watch the blowing sheets on the clothes line.

And don't look down the sewer grate.



Sweet Dreams.

Paranormal Activity Series

 

 

 

 

Okay, well, not yet anyway. It sure is getting close though and what better way to celebrate the month of October than watching scary movies!?

I have currently been obsessed with Season 3 of The Walking Dead that has finally arrived on Netflix but that doesn't mean I can't watch some scary movies too right?

So, to start the month off right, I have chosen a series that I am up to date and very familiar with. The "Paranormal Activity" franchise.

Now this movie series gets some mixed feelings. You have those who love it, those who hate it, those who can't follow it and those who just want to watch it for the sake of another sexy and scared girl on screen.

Me? I personally love the series and I like the scary movies that make you feel like it can really happen to you. As far as graphics, I like what they did. I didn't see any wires, the reactions I thought were awesome, but the fact that the first movie came out without the idea of it as a series and it had an alternate ending sort of ruined it for me, esp since I saw the first one second.

So, let's start with the summary and then I will get to the reviews. Sounds good? Good. Remember, spoilers as always.


Paranormal Activity was created by first time director Oren Peli who was so scared of ghosts that even Ghostbusters terrified him. He wanted to turn his fears into something positive and took over a year to prepare everything to be filmed within his own house. He even studied Demonology and researched paranormal cases, wanting the movies to be as realistic and "truthful" as possible.

Along with the current four that are out, there is set to be two more movies. The fifth movie is set directly after the fourth one and they are both set to be released in 2014. Oren Peli only directed the first one but was a producer for the prequel and the other films in the series.

The series is generally filmed using camcorders, home videos, security cameras and webcam's and it follows a family who turns out to have a terrible secret in their history which leads the current-day members of the family to deal with demonic possession and hauntings.


 The first movie revolves around a couple, Katie and Micah, who slowly become terrorized through the nights by a demonic entity that Katie believes to have been following her all her life.

The second movie starts of several weeks before the events of the first film with the demonic activity affecting Katie's sister Kristi and her family-- a husband and a step-daughter, after she brings home her first child, a son, named Hunter.


The third movie is set to be a prequel for the whole series, showing Katie and Kristi as they were kids and what happened when they were younger to make sense of the events said in the first two movies. This is when they encounter "Toby" for the first time by name.


In the fourth, and latest, segment of the series it deals with a new family that might have something in their history that brings them into the demonic bouts of terror. It is several years after the events of the second movie and Katie is seen moving in next to the family with her "son". The events of this movie tend to affect the new family's son, Wyatt.

Alright. So here is the jist.

I love the series, I really do. I feel like after I watch it that I need to be careful when I walk around my house and that my daughter needs to be checked on because anything can happen. Not to mention my daughter watched the Labyrinth with David Bowie in it awhile ago and decided to name one of her baby dolls Toby. Yeah, that was creepy.

Anyway, I do understand the confusion though and some of the dislike for these movies. First off, if you get vertigo by watching movies that switch back and forth or move around a lot. This series is not for you. With the webcams, security feeds and so on, it can make you a little twitchy.

As for the storyline, I followed it until the third movie when things just didn't seem to completely follow what was said in the second when their past was more revealed, but hey, whatever. Different writers, I get it.

The fourth one was a little harder on me because, well, using the webcam all the time, keeping the computer on, hacking in to the other cams in the house, really?

Sure, I sometimes wonder "why not put the damn camera down and do something!" but that would make for a pretty boring movie.

I do like though how they learned from the mistake of the first film. These movies do not have very many special features except for, maybe, some lost footage every now and then. The "alternate ending" to the first one, whether it was supposed to be a series or not, really takes away from the affect. So, really, if you get the dvd set, please don't watch the alternate ending to the first one, cause, it just sucks.

I do recommend the series though for people who like that "I cant really see it the monster but wait, is that someone breathing cold air on the back of my neck, OMG ITS HERE TOO" kind of thing.  I know I did and I intend to see the last two to see how it all gathers together.



Oh, if you also want to see some online things they did to promote the series and you have a facebook, check out the following link. It really doesn't have to do with the original family, but they did some amazing work trying to promote the series through getting people to interact online.

https://www.facebook.com/mrjacobdegloshi?fref=ts

Well, enjoy my lovelies and feel free to leave a comment on some of the awesome and terribly scary movies you have seen before so I might review them for other's looking for some truly scary, not all about the gore and bloodshed, terror films.

xXx

 

Yeah, that's right. Triple X, baby. Not only an amazing action movie but it also has Vin Damn Diesel in it.

This movie is a 2002 American action film directed by Rob Cohen with Vin Diesel starring as Xander Cage. A cocky, rebellious, extreme sports-loving, forced spy for the National Security Agency by Samuel L. Jackson's burned, bad ass character; Augustus Gibbons.

It also features Asia Argento, Marton Csokas and a brief but always remembered appearance by Danny Trejo.

Cage is sent in to infiltraite a group of potential terrorists in Central Europe. Although financially successful, it received mixed reviews, but was allowed to make a sequal known as xXx: State of the Union.  
After the initial plot enterance in the beginning with a man killed at a concert by Anarchy 99. I love the entereance of Vin's character as he steals a California state senators car to teach him a lesson on his imorale reasoning. If there is one thing that Vin doesn't lack when it comes to his movies, it's his absolute cry for a perfect action sequence.

After being left in Columbia from a cargo plane to identify a drug cartel, Cage is given two choices: work for Gibbons or serve a pretty lengthy scentence in a federal penetentury. Against his better wishes he chooses to work for Gibbons and heads to the Czech Republic to find out more about Anarchy 99. Their leader, Yorgi, is an ex-Soviet soldier who has a grudge against authority and society in general. Xander finds himself drawn to Yorgi's girlfriend Yelena, and he negotiates a political asylum for her in the United States. It wouldn't be a good Diesel movie if there wasn't a sexy girl in there somewhere.

Cage is briefly captured before the Czech police arrive, blowing up the mansion. In the ensuing chaos, Yorgi escapes with his right-hand man, Kirill, an expert sniper.

Well, I won't spoil the whole movie for you but obviously Cage survives and Gibbons informs him that he is needed for another project. He cockily ignores him and goes for a swim in the oceans off the coast of Bora Bora with Yelena.

The charming mixture of sarcasm, action, heat, Cage's unorthodox and criminal-like way of doing things (see the club scene near the beginning of his infiltry into Anarchy 99) and all around sexiness of the characters really makes this movie appealing and in all honesty I don't know why someone wouldn't want to watch it. Not to mention the scenery and landscaping. -kisses fingers- Bella!

I love the scene where Cage is on a plane, looking over the details of his mission when a teenage boy comes along and thinks that he is playing a video game. He connects with the boy in a special way, playing as though it really is a video game and that he only gets one shot. In his voice you can tell that he might even be a little scared. He's used to extreme sport stunts but nothing like this. The boy asks Cage what he gets out of playing. You know, if he wins. Cage says he doesn't know and the boy turns to him and says, "I know. He gets to be a hero." and I think those words really touch Cage and give him some confidence in what he was about to do.

I recommend the movie for girls and guys, although I am sure it appeals more to men as it does have an extreme amount of action and of course the beautiful, sexy women. Vin Diesel, however, is enough of a reason for me to see this movie as a female despite my love for really good action films.

Go ahead, scar face, check out Netflix and put it on with some soda and popcorn at your side. You won't be disappointed, and well.. you'll get the meaning as to why I called you 'scar face', haha.

The Secret Circle

La dadadada, La dadadadada La daaa da daaaa da daaaaaaaa.

Okay, so the music to The Secret Circle show sounded a whole lot better in my head.

However, before I go about my normal ritual of explaining the show and cast to you before my personal review, I will say one thing followed by an explanation;

I HATE THIS SHOW! Okay so that was a horrible thing to say because, in truth, I actually really liked this show. However, it is one of those absolutely annoying shows that channels decide to cancel without giving the producers, directors and writers a proper chance to close out the storyline.

Yes, that is right dearies, the series ends on a cliffhanger as to what is going to happen next. A pretty tantalizing one too, if I can insert that opinion in there somewhere.

 

Reguardless, I will be a good sport and fill you in on the rest.

This show, now currently available for streaming on Netflix, was an American supernatural teen drama that aired on The CW in 2011, ending in 2012. Yup, that's right, it actually isn't that old of a series. It is also based on a book series by the same name written by L. J Smith.

Set in the small, seaside town of Chance Harbor, Washington the story surrounds a young girl named Cassie Blake who loses her mother in a terrible accident and goes to live with her grandmother in her mother's home town. There, she meets up with five other kids who's parents new Cassie's and she finds out that through her bloodline, Cassie is a witch and the teens that confronted her about it, are her coven.

The series has some great cast members playing the lead kids.

Cassie Blake played by Britt Robertson (Dan in Real Life)

Adam Conant played by Thomas Dekker (Terminator; Sarah Conner Chronicles)

Faye Chamberlain played by Phoebe Tonkin (The Vampire Diaries)

Diana Meade played by Shelley Hennig (Zach Stone is Gonna Be Famous)

Melissa Glaser played by Jessica Parker Kennedy (90210 re-make)

Nick Armstrong played by Louis Hunter (Out of the Blue)

later replaced by

Jake Armstrong played by Chris Zylka (The Amazing Spider-Man)

Cassie Blake

 Cassie comes to Chance Harbor after the horrible death of her mother. She stays with her grandmother, later revealed to be an "elder" witch. Cassie, upon finding out who she is and her mother and grandmother were, starts off in denial and the urge to want nothing more then a normal life after moving to her mother's home town. Later, she begins to accept the idea of being a witch and ends up the most powerful of the group. She has a destined connection with Adam, who starts out the series taken by Diana. They have a strong connection on the screen that rolls over well, regardless of Adam's eventual jealousy of Jake who flirts constantly with Cassie after his arrival.

Adam Conant
Adam is a male witch in the coven that is the first to grow close to Cassie. He convinces her to open up to her witch side and often tries to protect her from any harm, even with his girlfriend Diana around. He tries to hide his feelings for Cassie at first, but with his dad's love for Cassie's mother looming over his head, he gains the belief that they are truly meant to be together. Later, a dark force convinces Cassie and Adam that their love will only bring death and so they take steps to make try and erase their love. Adam is a kind hearted person who tries to do the right thing most of the time, but in the end might be just barely strong enough to ignore the draw of darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

Faye Chamberlain

Faye is the sexy and adventurous member of the group. She was once in love with Jake Armstrong but when he left town, he left her broken and closed hearted. Faye is more concerned about having her own individual powers than sharing hers with the circle, until it almost kills those she loves. Her mother is a main antagonist in the story and is aware that the children know they are witches, though she doesn't let on to her daughter that she knows. Faye is best friends with Melissa even though she had a tendency to talk down to her and try to pressure Melissa into things she normally wouldn't do. She hates the "perfect" picture of Diana and doesn't think Diana deserves to be the "leader" of the Circle, despising the fact that Diana found her families Book of Shadows before she ever could.


Diana Meade
Diana is the picture perfect girl. Responsible, sexy, smart, friendly, good grades, good girlfriend, good friend, good witch and community volunteer. The very bane of Faye's existence, she is the first to really introduce herself to Cassie Blake and she is the first of the group to discover her family were witches by discovering her families Book of Shadows, a book passed down through generations with witching secrets in it. She tries to remain friendly with Cassie even through seeing Adam's attraction to her en their eventual break-up. Diana later learns that her family line isn't what she thought it was and she has some darkness in her blood. She hates the feeling of this and tries to run from it.

Melissa Glaser
Melissa is the fourth member of the Coven. She is Faye's best and most reliable friend whom early in the series grows in a relationship with Nick Armstrong. She, too, likes to have her own powers but isn't as obsessed with it as her friend Faye is. She is terribly effected by the loss of Nick and really doesn't remain the same after it, slowly going down a dark path of supernatural drugs. That is, until her beloved best friend steps up and pulls her back. She keeps to herself and is rather timid most of the time, staying out of any real argument the circle might have but remains ever loyal to the group.

                                                      Nick and Jake Armstrong
The series starts off with Nick Armstrong completing the circle as the second male member. He was a loner type that found it hard to really connect with anyone. He was friends with Adam but their bond wasn't exactly noticeable. He hides his true feelings for Melissa under a hard cover of stone but didn't mind sleeping with her. Eventually, Nick met his demise when a demon possessed his body and it led to his death by two unlikely people.

Jake came in later with suspicion surrounding him. He was thought evil and the group was relunctent to let him in the group, but with Nick gone their circle was incomplete. Jake wasn't to fond of joining the group either, being older then the others and with Faye in the group, history was difficult to forget. He grew fond of Cassie and at first he was after her before turning around and protecting her. His history after running away from Chance Harbor is a dark one that comes up strongly later in the series. He found his families Book of Shadows before anyone else and had time to practice his abilities more.



The Past
When each of their parents were young, in love, reckless, and in their own circle, a mishap happened, causing a terrible fire. Their children were already born but it left each of the kids without, at least, one parent.

The Review
The series is a really good one, with many secrets coming out from all areas of the past in each of the children's lives dating back to their parent's and their grandparents. Near the end, it is indicated a new evil has grown and is coming, but the series was canceled before then leaving us with so many questions.

I know that really isn't a way to convince you to watch the series, but I do highly recommend it for those of you "in to" this kind of show.

I hate the fact that all of the girls are abnormally sexy, lingerie wearing teens that can get any guy they want. Really? Isn't there a group of normal, slightly pear shaped but still pretty girls out there that can be in a coven together? Of course, but what kind of television would that make.

The series, in my opinion, has a good storyline and I think it could have continued far beyond the point it did. The series winded up pretty good but still, the way it did it was obvious there were going to be other things going on and you are left wondering what happened to the characters where they were last left off.

Cancelation
In 2012 The CW decided on the shows cancellation despite the fact that it was the stations third highest-rating performer. Crazy right!?

After the show was cancelled, the fan's were so outraged that a fan-led campaign known as 'Save the Circle' was started. In the end of the donations and the letter writing to other stations, including The CW, over $7,000 was raised to bring back the show. A site states that; "The campaign targeted at ABC Family asked fans to donate money to fund a delivery of 325,000 golden plastic coins to the network's headquarters. The coins were symbolic of a 'cloaking coin' that belonged to one of the main characters, Adam Conant's grandfather in the episode "Traitor". The metaphor was that The CW 'cloaked' the show by cancelling it, and fans wanted ABC Family to 'uncloak' the show by picking it up ".

Unfortunately, due to budgetary concerns, the leaders of the campaign decided not to pursue the networks any farther. However, a different campaign was launched when it was rumored that the first season would not be released on DVD or Blue-Ray, so in 2012 The Secret Circle was available from Netflix both for streaming and on DVD. The show has been voted as the "Most Missed" and the "Most Shocking Cancellation" in a number of polls given off by a number of sources.

My personal opinion? Even with it looming over your head that you may never know what happens in the second season, knowing that it was rallied to be brought back to TV should be enough to tell you that this show is worth watching the first season and become a fan that wants the show back on as well!!

Enjoy, witching fans!

 

Roswell (TV Show)

 

    On October 6, 1999 The WB debuted Roswell, a television series based from the Roswell High young adult book series written by Melinda Metz who also became one of the staff writers for the television series.
     The series is a creative take on years after the supposed spaceship crash in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947.
     The main cast consisted of seven members with frequent appearances of friends and villains that would come and go throughout the show.

Shiri Appleby as Liz Parker
Jason Behr as Max Evans
Katherine Heigl as Isabel Evans
Brendan Fehr as Michael Guerin
Majandra Delfino as Maria DeLuca
     and
Nick Wechsler as Kyle Valenti

Strong appearances by other cast members included Colin Hanks as Alex Whitman, William Sadler as Sheriff Valenti and later in the series Emilie de Raven as Tess Harding.

The series gained mainly favorable reviews with an outspoken fanbase. However, in reaction to some rating issues the first season received, The WB ordered that the show add more science fiction themes and more multi-episode plot "arcs" in the remaining seasons. This however didn't work completely in the shows favor when some fans didn't adjust well to the changes in season two which showed to The WB in the ratings the following year, causing the cancellation of the show after only two seasons. However, 20th Century Fox was able to persuade UPN to bring back the show for a third season following directly after Buffy the Vampire Slayer, hoping this would bring in more fans for the series. It however, did not, and so the show was able to continued its third season to the end where it wrapped up the storyline the best they could for not being renewed another year.

What is the storyline you may ask? Well, my friends, it is about aliens. Who couldn't guess from the title, right?

Season One

Have you ever had a secret that could very well change your life as you know it if anyone found out?
Have you ever been injured and your very life was in the hands of someone with one of these secrets?
Could you hold your tongue?

The first lines in the first episode of the season: "It's September 24th, I'm Liz Parker and five days ago I died. But then the really amazing thing happened. I came to life. "

Season one of Roswell begins pretty dramatically. You first meet Liz Parker as she writes in her journal about the day Max Evans saved her life. She was working with her best friend Maria at The Crashdown, a diner with an alien theme that the Parker's own. Suddenly, an argument between two customers ends with gunfire in a random direction and everyone flinging themselves to the floor. Including Liz, who lays bleeding to death from a stomach wound where the bullet went in. Max and his friend Michael were in the diner eating that day and risking everything, Max tells Maria to call 911 and places his hand over her bleeding wound, healing her. He asks her not to tell and runs off before anyone can question them.

This opens up the short but compelling story of seven teenagers and a sheriff who's lives change the day two strangers shot Liz Parker in The Crashdown Diner.

Through out the season Sheriff Valenti, who's father first discovered the original crash in Roswell and was an alien fanatic and his son Kyle, who very briefly dated Liz and fell in love with her, try to figure out just who Max Evans is and the secrets he keeps along with his sister Isabel and his best friend Michael. Liz, on the other hand, spends her time trying to hide who they are at all costs, but with the support of her crazy and, at times, paranoid friend Maria.

Throughout the season a romance of uncontrollable feelings begins to surge through Max and Liz. A Romeo and Juliet type feeling of knowing that they are not supposed to be together because of their differences but that very static of adventure and destiny end up pulling them together even harder. Watching them together on screen will make your heart beat within your chest.

Along with them-- who remain in a tender and delicate relationship, other romances begin such as the odd pairing of wild Maria and untamable Michael who engage in a wild and passionate relationship and the brief unlikely coupling of Isabel and Alex, a good friend of Liz and Maria's who is slow to find out just what is going on.

The season continues with the revealing of how Isabel, Max and Michael came to be in Roswell and gain their current adoptive families. Michael, however, who is also in the worst situation of the three, is constantly trying to figure out where they came from, who brought them to Earth, how they could crash so long ago and only recently emerge. He has questions, and he wants answers not caring just how he gets them.

Near the end of the season you meet Tess and the very alien that escorted the group to earth, Nasedo, who is a shape-shifter. Tess is revealed to be the fourth alien they have been looking for, but unlike the other three she actually has knowledge of their past life and information on their supposed destinies; one of which might just tear Liz and Max apart.

Season Two

Did you ever have to watch someone you love with all of your heart try and love someone else?

Season two is filled with Liz's insecurities about her feelings for someone who is "destined" to be with someone else even though Max assures her that his heart only truly beats for her.

Tess, who looked forward to finally meeting the group of aliens she had known in a past life, finds it difficult to be included in the tightly knit gang of people especially when her one true passion was to finally be re-united with someone who doesn't feel the same for her. Not to mention, this season really dips into the sci-fi side when just as we think Liz and Max will be together even though destiny said it wouldn't be so, a Max from the future arrives to tell Liz that if her and Max are together, it will destroy the lives of everyone they know and care about and so she must find a way to get Max to fall out of love for her. This eventually leads to the beginning of a relationship for Max and Tess with Liz on the sidelines keeping faith that they will still be together one day.

This season also introduces a new enemy for the group, the Skins. These creatures are also aliens and were affected by the civilization Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess came from. Not to mention, with the end of Nasedo near the beginning of the season, Tess-- with no where to go, moves in with Sheriff Valenti and Kyle.

This season also brings much doubt and a deeper storyline to Isabel who finds out who she was in her past life; a secret that causes her to doubt who she is and the good heart she has within her.

You also find out, again in typical sci-fi fashion, that the quartet are not the only clones of alien's from their past list but that there is another group of clones out there that look identical to the four known as the "dupes" who live in New York City and grew up differently. These four, however, have always had knowledge of their past lives and who they were meant to be. They arrive in Roswell, having knowledge of their clones, after killing their copy of Max, or Zan as he is known as, trying to get him to come with them in a way of getting home by representing them in a summit meeting with other aliens. It is around this time that Tess's twin "Ava" tells Liz that because Max healed her, she is different and will soon find that out.

This season, however, is not just filled with love and confusion but also sadness. For part of the season Alex is in Sweden on a trip, and after he returns to finally get Isabel to see him as more then a friend, he dies tragically. You find out later though that there might have been more behind his death then meets the eye.

Because of Max's anger towards Liz and everything having gone on, Max and Tess grow closer, Max finally sleeping with Tess resulting in her pregnancy that she informs Max about and the information that alien gestation periods are only about a month where they come from. After Tess becomes ill, it is revealed that the baby can not survive on Earth and so they make a collective decision to leave the planet.

With only 24 hours to say goodbye, and every one's way of coping with the departure of their friends and lovers, important information is found out about Alex and the way he died and how exactly it connects back to one of their own.

How does it end you ask? Well you will have to watch and see, but the theme for next season? Max wants to save his son.

 

Season Three; The Final Season
Love. The true love of a parent for their child and the revealing of secrets to those who had no idea all along.

Season three, and the final season of the series, is still filled with plenty of new action.

It involves Max and Liz's arrest in Utah after holding up a convenience store. They both get out of jail, but the consequences for what they did affect the entire season.

Liz is sent to boarding school because of her father's continuous disapproval of Liz's relationship with Max and he fears the only way to be a good parent is to keep them as far apart as possible.

During the hold up of the store, Max finds a space ship-- the original from the 1947 Roswell crash, but it isn't there when he goes back later. Michael and Max are told not to continue their search by a man who is later killed mysteriously by a fifth alien who is also a shape-shifter who is disguised as a film-producer. It is revealed that he is actually Max's protector who, against his wishes, is forced by Max to help them get the space ship from a military base. Because the ship is to damaged to fly, Max leaves L.A. thinking he let down his son.

Isabel, who is still grieving over Alex's death in her own subconscious sort of way, soon begins a relationship with a man named Jesse Ramirez, an attorney several years her senior and who works with Isabel and Max's adoptive father. Throughout the season, their father begin to dive deeper into the past of his children.

Midway through the season Isabel and Jesse get married against the wishes of Max, Michael and her parents. While on their honeymoon, Isabel comes in contact with Kivar, a very dangerous enemy from their past lives, but someone who used to be very close to Isabel's past life Vilandra, a woman who was a traitor and responsible for all of their deaths the first time around. He awakens her past life within her and tries to compel her to travel through a portal back to their home world with him. The ending results are quite surprising.
During this season, Maria breaks off from the group after having troubles dealing with the whole "alien" thing and tries to have a normal life without all of the drama the group possesses. Michael gets a job as a security officer for a pharmaceutical company that is secretly after him as they are trying to find the "healer" of the group (Max). Max ends up saving Valenti from a bullet wound that could have killed him, but is taken by the owner of the company's wife and is coerced into healing the dying millionaire. While doing so, Max inadvertently transfers his youth and the millionaires body transforms into Max's body, killing Max in the process.

Yes.. you read that right. Take a moment to "Oh my god" and cry.

Meanwhile, as Michael and Isabel try to come to grips with Max's death, Isabel gets shot and Michael is forced to fill Jesse in on their secret.

Max, well-- the millionaire, has memory flashes of Liz and can't stop thinking about her because of Max's soul inside of him.

Take a moment and rejoice.

So, the millionaire decides that he must kill Liz to fully control the body and mind he has now for himself. He travels to find Liz with is reluctant wife. Her reluctance eventually ending her. When Liz is about to be killed, Max's soul takes control of the body and uses his powers to save her life, then hitting the ground. The millionaire dies, leaving Max's soul to control the body that looks like his own.

Meanwhile, the FBI group that has been watching them for many months is getting closer to what they need. Liz begins to see what Ava meant by not being normal and begins to experience supernatural powers such as premonitions.

With the sudden arrival of Tess and Max's son Zan, everyone decides that it is time to leave Roswell. Tess decides to sacrifice herself for every one's escape because of all the bad that came from her, not to mention the forgiveness that Liz bestows on her. She turns herself in to the FBI and blows the military base. Zan is revealed to be fully human, not alien, and with Max knowing that his son can have a chance at a normal life, gives him up for adoption.

The season closes up with Liz getting a premonition of the deaths of her, Michael, Isabel and Max so they decide to leave Roswell after their high school graduation. Michael, knowing they will probably never return to Roswell, professes his never ending love for Maria who than decides to be with Michael forever, leaving with them. Kyle, who knows everything and Max having saved his father's life, decides he can not live normally in Roswell and leaves with them, escaping after graduation, where the FBI setup is.

There are several emotional goodbyes, especially between Kyle and his father. Isabel leaves Jesse behind, knowing it will save his life and loving him to much to be selfish enough to ask him to come with her.

The final scenes show Max and Liz getting married and Liz's father reading her journal that she had been writing in throughout the whole series of every happening that went on.

The final words of the series are;
"I'm Liz Parker and I am happy."
I tried to keep some interesting and important details out of the mix for you so that way you can be surprised when certain things happen. But now you know that there was a show called Roswell, and it didn't get the fanbase it deserved.

Now for the review.

First, I love the twist on aliens in the history of Roswell, New Mexico. I think it was a very creative way to go and not something usually done. It was a bold move and I think it worked really well, despite the ratings it got causing the shows cancelation.

Second, the characters and their history are beautiful. These are aliens meant to be rulers on a different planet but had to make difficult choices. It eventually caused their death and their rebirth on another planet for protection to one day return. While here though, they don't know what their destiny was supposed to be or how to act. They create their own destiny and become their own people.

Third, I love the relationship between Max and Liz. It's a different take on the whole "forbidden relationship" thing and in the end you honestly don't know if they are going to be together or not, especially when you find out that Max is a king destined to be with another of his kind. They both actually begin to give up on each other and I think that can be so true and real in a relationship. But hey, as Liz grandmother says in an episode in season one, "if the relationship isn't complicated then maybe he's not your soul mate." er.. well, something like that.

I also love the twist on alien powers, quirks (tabasco sauce), and don't forget about the mysterious white handprints!

There are also other relationships that bloom as well, and of course what show would be good without a little heartache, hm? Trust me, there is plenty of that especially in the later seasons.

Not to mention, if you like Dido, you will love the opening theme song.

So, if you have Netflix or an urge to look up an old television show from the 90's, Roswell is available to you in many places. I really think that if you like Buffy the Vampire Slayer or other shows from the 90's like Dawson's Creek with a sci-fi twist on it, Roswell is a good show for you. I have found myself watching the short series over and over again for some comfort that it's okay not to want to be normal and to risk everything for something more. Not to mention, I was pretty happy with how the series ended. A lot of the time, it's hard for me to admit that about shows.

Enjoy! And remember, the truth is out there!!

Roswell that ends well!!

Throwback Thursday; Cowboy Bebop

 

Okay, okay you got me. Technically while writing this, it is indeed Friday. You know what? Deal!

So, are you ready for this? Okay, 3, 2, 1, Let's Jam!

Cowboy Bebop has been one of my favorite anime's for a while and one of the first I saw on Adult Swim before I was introduced to the 'after ten' anime showings on Cartoon Network where I also watched Outlaw Star, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho and many more. You know, before Adult Swim went to crack in a pipe. Okay, maybe that wasn't really age appropriate for some readers but hopefully I didn't step too far over the boundaries of my normal readers.

Anyway, Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 Japanese anime series developed by Sunrise. It had some amazing people working on it like; Shinichiro Watanabe, Keiko Nobumoto, Toshihiro Kawamoto and Yoko Kanno for music collectivity.

Because of the shows rather adult theme, Japan's Tokyo TV broadcasted only twelve episodes and a special but later the entire set of twenty-six episodes aired on WOWOW in 1999. The anime was adapted into a two part manga series with a film released later worldwide and has been labeled a "gateway series" after winning numerous awards.

The anime takes place in the year 2071 when our entire solar system of the Milkyway has been hooked up to hyperspace travel. Something we all wish would really happen, hm? Anyone get flashbacks of drawing flying cars in their first grade classroom when asked what the millennium was going to bring??

Well, in 2022 in the anime series, there was an explosion when the gateways of hyperspace travel were still new and experimental severly damaging Earth's moon which lead to meteors and debris killing and destroying most of the Earth's residence and populated cities. As a result, many of Earth's survivors evacuated it and began to colonize on the inner planets like Mars and Venus along with creating habitats in the asteroid belt and on Jupiter's moons. Mar's became the central location for human life and trade routes and along with it, some of the solar system's worst crime syndicates. One, mentioned often in the series, being the Red Dragon Syndicate. An inter-solar police force was created as was an old west themed bounty hunter ring for capturing the large amounts of criminals all over open space known as Space Cowboys. The currency is known as woolong which could be assumed as the modern day equivalency to Japanese yen. Oh, and don't forget, you guessed it, flying vehicles. The technology is actually kid of a mix between modern and futuristic. There are still wheeled cars, zippo lighters, hand guns, fishing rods, etc. But there are also flying ships, flying cars, identification tattoos, jump gates and cybernetics.

So, the main characters of the story to star off with are Spike Spiegel, 'god's gift to bounty hunting' who used to work for the most dangerous ranking synidicate in the solar system, the Red Dragon, with his partner Vicious and his woman, Julia. He is tall, fairly well built, with puffy dark green hair. He also only has one real eye while the other he says "sees the past", and is pretty much cybernetic since his other was shot out, I believe, when escaping the syndicate and the partner he once trusted and watched become as black as the universe. There is also his current partner in bounty hunting, Jet Black. He was once an officer for the ISSP, the intergalactic space force. He has a few cybernetics on him from when he was attacked in the line of duty. But he doesn't let that get him down. He is older then spike, balding, and the captain of the Bebop. The ship the whole series is run out of.

Later you gain other main characters such as Faye Valentine, a "romani", as she calls herself who is on the run from debt collectors. She is actually far older then she looks, having been in a frozen sleep for so many years after the original space gate experimental blast when she was younger. She aged slower and therefor is quite a bit older then she looks. But, she doesn't let her true age pilfer that sex appeal she has which often gets her into trouble. Then you meet Ein, a very intelligent Pembroke Welsh Corgi that was originally stolen from a lab who was testing his intelligence. He gets close to Jet until a new character comes alone named Ed. Or, Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivruski IV as she claims to have renamed herself. Oh, and trust me, I wouldn't have known it was a female either if the series didn't say so. Turns out her real name is Francoise Appledelhi, (I see why the name change) who was left at an orphanage on Earth while her father traveled around to study meteors falling to earth and try to learn to predict them. She is a genius computer hacker who met the rest of the Bebop gang by hacking into their ship and bringing it down for a landing. The way her story ends is so sad, and yet so grown up. Makes me wanna cry!

There are minor characters such as the main villain Vicious, Spike's love who wouldn't leave the syndicate with him, Julie, Jet's old flame, Faye's past lover. But mainly the story revolves around these five and their history. Their own individual ones and the history they make together.

What I love most about this series, as weird as it may seem, is it's short but creative story. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Dragon Ball Z/GT, Inuyasha, and Sailor Moon, not to mention I hated seeing Cowboy Bebop end, but it kept my interest for as long as it has (I have all the episodes on dvd) because of it's short story that did not run on forever to the point where you wonder how the hell they are going to keep it going or who is going to die but you found out they didn't die and then they do but they come back somehow kind of thing. I love a good ending and I want my attention to be held long enough to see it.

Not to mention the music. Oh dear Buddha! The Music! Songs such as The Real Folk Blues,Tank!,  Space Lion, Blue, all performed by The Seatbelts. It will have you remembering the songs forever! I still know the words, English and Japanese to The Real Folk Blues and I haven't watched the anime in forever!

The characters also all have a very spicy history which I love. I like the potential romance that you think might happen but never does, the loneliness in some characters, the fake smiles and devastating pasts that make them who they are in the show. Not to mention the detailed history of why everything came to be the way it did while still keeping the mystery of some things until the very end. I love that! And honestly, I am disappointed that it isn't one of the shows that is on Netflix. A lot of those anime's are highschool girls, half naked, no real story line, yadda yadda. It disappoints me when old and good anime series like this one are not on for everyone to see and remember.

I highly recommend the anime if you actually like storyline, action, sarcasm, despair, drama. However, for those who like seeing nearly naked woman who throw themselves on every guy and a whole lot of romance after romance that the anime is pretty much a hentai made for television? You won't like this. Not that Faye doesn't show a bit of cleavage in each episode she is in, but this is more for the grown ups and not the childish high-schoolers that drop jaw and spend "quality time" with themselves and their favorite anime girl.



I give this show, 5 PAWS!

Once Upon A Time...

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Fairytale Land where all of man's beautiful and horrible stories, were real. These stories, however, often had twists that had created themselves, expanding far from the original versions man had created from imagination.
One day, the evil queen and Snow White's step-mother cast upon the land a terrible curse that brought most of the residence of Fairytale Land to the modern world in a created illusion of a town called Storybrooke in the state of Maine. Here, the fairytale characters did not remember who they were, except for the evil Queen Regina who had become mayor. All of the town's occupants had their new lives written for them for twenty-eight years. How would this curse be broken, you ask? How else, but by none other then the pure product of True Love. 

 

Once Upon A Time is a TV series that began its first season in October of 2011 by writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz who also created Lost and Tron; Legacy. It follows the story of Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, Emma, who was sent to the real world for her own protection no more then a few minutes after she was born. There, she grew up alone, fell in love, was deceived, and had a child of her own who she gave up for adoption. The series beginning takes place 28 years after Emma arrives in the real world and she is pulled to a town called Storybrooke by her eleven year old son, Henry, who came to look for his real mother. Little did she know that this would begin the explanation of her past, her future and where she truly belongs in the world.

In typical Lost fashion, the series takes place with flashbacks connecting the dots for everyone. While it shows the current time and the storylines of all the characters in Storybrooke, it also goes back in random but organized order to show how everything came to pass and how characters began relationships back in Fairytale Land.

Season one's plot is all about Emma coming to Storybrooke to return Henry Mills, the son she put up for adoption, back home with his mother Regina Mills after he ran away to go find his real mother, believing that she was some sort of savior from his fairytale book that he got from his teacher. He had it in his head that the residence of Storybrooke were fairytale creatures sent to that world by none other then his adoptive mother. While there, events take place that make Emma stay and grow closer to her son, causing friction between her and Regina. At the end of the series the curse is broken and all of the residence regain their memory of their former life while still holding the memories they were given by the curse.

Season two's plot revolves around the after effects of the curse being removed. New characters are introduced, other's are taken away from us and some remain on the border. It is discovered that if anyone leaves the boundaries of Storybrooke into the real world that their fairytale life will be erased from their memory forever and permanently and they will forever be the person the curse put them as. This unfortunately happened to more then one character in the season. This season also offers the realization that there is more then one realm in Fairytale land, also including a world where there is no magic but science in its place, Wonderland, and even Neverland. There is also threat from the outside world now that Storybrooke is no longer hidden from the real world. Near the end of the season their secret is at risk of exposure as someone from the past comes back to make good on a promise. The season ends with some of the main characters heading to Neverland to get back one of their own taken by those from the real world.

Season three will be airing in October of 2013 with the next chapter to this Fairytale story. The following that this how has gotten in only two seasons has allowed the creators to make a spin-off series based in the same timeline as OUAT but this one takes place in Wonderland, many years after the original story of Alice in Wonderland takes place and revolves around Alice, a genie she loved, and other characters. This too will have flashbacks of how they were effected by the curse and have crossover episodes with OUAT. The number of episodes the first and/or only season of Once Upon A Time In Wonderland will have is still unknown.


                                        
I absolutely love this show and personally thought it took far to long for season two to come on Netflix, but knowing that season three hasn't even started yet makes me feel better and a bit more caught up to all the fascination with the show.

Characters that have been seen include;
The Evil Queen, Snow White, Prince Charming, Jepetto, Pinochio, The Blue Fairy, Jiminy Cricket, Pongo, Mulan, Princess Aurora, Captain Hook, Granny and Little Red Riding Hood, Malifacent, Lancelot, The Huntsman, The Mad Hatter, Belle, Cinderella, Smee, The eight dwarves (you read right and yes I know there are seven), Dr. Frankenstein, Jack and the Giant, and so many, many more! Even a few made up to create a history for the other characters such as Cora, The Evil Queen's mother.
One of my favorite things is the twists put on normal fairytale stories. I won't reveal them all, nor will I tell you all that happens in the series, but some of the twists are;

*Little Red Riding Hood, or Ruby, has a furry secret.
*Regina the Evil Queen's history is revealed and how she became Snow White's mother.
*Snow White actually becomes a pretty big bad ass in the Fairytale realm.
*The Mad Hatter has a pretty special hat.
*Belle from Beauty and the Beast was locked away like a crazy person.
*Captain Hook has a far more intriguing history then one would ever think, not to mention the crocodile who took his hand.
*And the Beast from Beauty and the Beast, is actually a fairytale character we do not hear much about.. Rumplestiltskin. Yes, you read that right. Good ol' "guess my name, give me your first born, straw into gold" Rumplestiltskin.

Actually, on that note, I have to say that my completely favorite part of this show is how much they connect a character who I have only heard one story about-- and not a very liked one.. with the entire world of Fairytale Land. I mean really, this character has, in my opinion, the biggest part of all. His history is connected with everyone, and all to complete a good-hearted yet tragic goal. To find his son. Which he does eventually, but it isn't what he thinks and even that connects him to more people then he thought possible. Really, this whole series would not have happened if it wasn't for Rumple. Not to mention, Robert Carlyle, who plays Rumple and some people might remember as the unlikeable character on Stargate: Universe, has given me a new love for the word 'deary'.

The other actors and actresses, I might add, play their parts very well. Ginnifer Goodwin plays an endearing and yet strong-willed Snow White who will do anything to protect her family. Josh Dallas plays a strong Prince Charming and perfect soul mate to the beautiful Snow. Lana Parrilla make's your spine tingle as the Evil Queen Regina, Jennifer Morrison plays the part of a closed-hearted daughter of True Love all to well and Jared Gilmore plays the loveable and faithful Henry Milles to perfection. There are some characters who I think could have been played or casted better, or just don't play the part well, in my opinion anyway, such as Sarah Bolger as Princess Aurora from the tale Sleeping Beauty and Emilie de Raven as the 'I see the good in the beast' Belle from the tale Beauty and the Beast but I will let you judge them and their counterparts for yourself. I really don't find them as appealing in the show as I do in the fairytales or their Disney re-makes. Speaking of Lost earlier, there are actually a couple actors from that very show playing parts in this beloved tale of Good vs. Evil. 

I still, however, highly recommend this show for the fantasy and science fiction lovers out there. Not to mention for those who enjoyed Lost and like a good drama series that makes you think, "You have got to be kidding me" or "Wait.. what? That's how that happened!?". I know I saw those often and I am sure you will too! The costumes are amazing, the special effects are outstanding and the choice of actors to characters and the stories they play are heart stopping. I personally can not wait until the third season and I hope eventually to see Wonderland  come on Netflix as well!

But until then..

...they might live Happily Ever After,

 

 

 The End.