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.

Unhook the Stars

Unhook the Stars is, I think, a charming movie with a great female leading cast of two. Gena Rowlands is a woman I know from The Notebook, while Marisa Tomei is no stranger to the big screen either with films like My Cousin Vinni and Untamed Heart.

This film is about Mildred (Rowlands), an elderly woman with a kind heart and mother instincts. But when her own daughter finally goes out into the world, she is left with the same predicament that many parents who spend much of their lives with children have-- no one left to care for. That is, until she finds Monica (Tomei), a young mother who's dirty bag husband leaves her to take care of and provide for her son, J.J. As the relationship grows between the two, Mildred and Monica, in typical fashion, learn from one another.

Now this is a movie back from 1996 when I was around six or seven years old. But man, did I love this movie even back then. I know I mainly write about movies I like and why, and I promise that soon I will get to something I hate with a passion, but for now, deal with me.

The movie starts off showing that Mildred, or Millie, is indeed too kind for her own good and often stepped all over as she goes about doing her daughters paper route early in the morning moaning "the last time... really the last time" showing she had done it multiple times before. I personally love Gena Rowlands and see her as a mothering figure in real life, but having read things of her off screen, as good of a mom as she was, she wouldn't be that type of push over outside the movie world! But she plays the character with the beauty and grace only an older actress, and real mother, can accomplish.

Mildred's daughter is one of the "irresponsible and free spirit" types that didn't want to go to school. She disrespects her mother and I hate that type of character because it is to close to how people treat their parents nowadays and for a long time now, without respect or gratitude.

The first time you see Monica she is getting ready for work, walking out on her husband who comes out of his house nearly naked. They are fighting, probably with their son watching from a window or something, yelling and screaming, cussing and bad mouthing each other. Marisa though, man.. I do not miss seeing her with blonde hair. She pulls it off, but barely in my opinion.

Anyway, Millie's daughter leaves with her boyfriend. Obviously a bad idea from the start since its practically running away from her problems, but Millie hugs her even through her yelling, telling her good luck and that she still loves her. Then the boyfriend actually has the nerve to come in after the daughter walks out and tells Millie that he's sorry about it all, that he didn't want to get in the middle of it and to 'take it easy'. I mean really? Then why even go inside and talk to her at all?

Well, Monica shows up early the next morning after her night at work while Millie is delivering her daughters last set of papers. She nearly crashes into the house, drunk and is yanked inside by her husband who has obviously been brutal to her before with the fear in her eyes. But let's face it, Monica is obviously not an A+ parent herself what with the drinking and all.

Anyway, the next morning or later that morning, unsure, Monica comes over all bruised up, ringing Millie's doorbell. Apparently, since they are neighbors, she figured she could come over and burden the neighbor lady. Well, she says her jerk of a husband left town and she needs her to look over J.J so she can go to work since she works the split shift. J.J is a very quiet boy who eventually opens up to both Millie and his mom.

Quick note, too, that this was the boy who played J.J.'s first film, Jake Lloyd. He did a great job, even merely being quiet. He stopped acting, or so it seems in 2005 but can be seen in movies like Jingle All The Way, Madison, and the voice of Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars video games following his feature as Anakin Skywalker in Phantom Menace.

Back to the movie, Millie eventually keeps watching J.J. taking him to and picking him up from school so his mother doesn't send him off to his grandmother.

Well, it is revealed later that Millie also has a son who is married. They come over for Thanksgiving and he seems to be more of a snobby but loving son. You can at least tell this one appreciates his mother. Her daughter however, does not show up. Monica comes over and announces she can not stay, that she has a date, but the look on her poor sons face just makes me wanna cry. Why not spend the holiday with her son??

Well, the phone rings for Monica 'cause she obviously thought it was okay to forward her calls to her neighbor, and he dumps her on her date. Well, Millies son announces that he got an offer for a new job but its in a different state. He offers to take Millie with him and his wife, so they can be close since his sister is no longer around. She says yes, but because she says yes, her son suddenly turns around and says that she needs to take her time to think about it and not rush into the decisions. This shows me that although he cares about his mother and wants to make the good gesture of inviting his mother out to stay with him, once she says yes, he is thinking "oh crap, I didn't think she would leave her long term home, memories, and actually want to come to a nice city with good weather and beautiful scenery". Some son, in the end, right?

Then, after J.J's birthday when he gets bike from his "Auntie Mildred", he gets to take over the paper route that was once his daughters, to make a little extra money for himself.

I do think the character Monica is a strong willed one though despite her failed attempts at trying to prove she is the perfect mom. She makes mistakes but when her husband comes back, telling her that she is the only one for him from outside the house as she hides behind the front door, she doesn't give in. She knows hes bad for her and remains quiet, proving she can make the best choices when they really count.

One night, Monica gets a babysitter and decides to take Mildred, the perfect house wife, out on the town. To a rowdy bar where she is used to drinking. Wow. It must have been terribly awkward for her. However, she does pick fun at the fact that when her husband was alive in her younger days she could drink more then him and "he was a very large man". Haha, I think it is cute the way she tries to fit in to everything. She tries so hard to make everyone her friend. Well, at this bar she meets a large, exotic german.. or Russian.. I think German, who is one of Monica's friends. He is young, maybe in his late thirties, early forties, but can't help but stare at her like hes in love. This makes her think about her age and wonder what could someone see in her. I think this part actually opens her up a little more which is important to her character.

In the bar scene, Monica says she still loves her husband. But if he hit her once he will keep doing it and she can't have that. So she has been busting him trying to punish him so that when she does accept him back, if he does, he won't do it again. Mildred tells her that love is like a weed. Temporary but if its there it is easy to ignore. If you really try though, you can get rid of it for good, and it won't come back.

Later, Mildred goes out to see her son who has accepted the job in San Fran and through discussion has decided that if his mom likes it out there, to keep her eye open for a place in case she wants to move out there. He even shows her that the full upstairs of their new condo can be hers. Bathroom, bedrooms. I can not make this guy out. I know he loves his mother but would he really be happy if she said yes and moved out there? Or is it another ploy just to be the good and perfect son? Ugh, I hate unreadable types. Then at lunch they reveal that her son's wife is pregnant and that she will be a grandmother. Then, the real motive is revealed in the kindest way her son can. She can move out and help because his wife knows nothing about babies. When Mildred realizes this, she says no. I gotta hand it to her for the lesson building motherhood. She claims she doesn't think she could handle anymore babies right now, and as honest and loving as the wife seems to be in understanding it, her son takes it badly and Mildred basically says she gave him too much attention growing up and spoiled him into getting his way. He can't understand why she doesn't want to move out and help them, instead stay where she is helping the woman he calls a "Tramp" and her kid. Mildred knows why.. cause they need her more.

When Mildred returns, Monica has her husband back after taking Mildred's advice. They are going to try it again because J.J needs a father and tells Mildred that she is off the hook for watching him. She says Mildred still can if she wants, but Mildred understand that the boy needs his father and understands that she might not always be needed by someone, or the right someone.

In not being needed anymore, Mildred heads back to a bar, taking solace in a drink or two. Double Vodka Martini being her drink of choice. It is slowly revealed that maybe she wasn't the best in the attitude department when she was drinking. Having no one to care for, she slowly dwindles back into the alcohol world, yearning for the need to be wanted.

One night she comes home after drinking, her daughter sitting in her living room in the dark and tells her mother that she wants to come home. She got a job, and is beginning to grow up. Mildred tells her that she is selling the house after getting an offer and Mildred tells her that the house is a part of her past that she has held onto for a long time. When asked what she is going to do, Mildred says she doesn't know. Her daughter leaves, peaceful in the fact that things are going to change.

Near the end, things seem to be going good for Monica. Her and her husband are finally working while Mildred is busy packing and about ready to leave her beautiful house. Man.. I really want this house. Well, Monica is talking and talking trying to keep herself from getting emotional over Mildred leaving. It's a touching scene that makes you want to cry over the pure aspect of it. J.J and his dad come over so J.J can her can talk, he can say his goodbyes, both parents worried that their little boy won't be able to take it. He sits down with her and tell her thank you for being there for him and his mom. She tells him he doesn't have to say anything if he doesn't want to, because she knows how he feels and he knows how she feels, that she loves him. When he asks if he is ever going to see her again, she says "I sure hope so". I love this part because knowing that this little boy is in his first movie, he plays this part so well and so heart breaking at the loss of his Auntie Mildred. Sitting in the back yard, reminiscing over memories, he stares at her and after a while says "Well, goodbye." like a real grown up man, and he runs off.  How can that not break your heart?

Standing outside the moving truck, Monica and Mildred share their last moments together. Monica gets teary eyed, knowing how much this woman truly helped her and her family.

Mildred's daughter takes Mildred to the airport, leaving her daughter with some money, and not one word as to where she is going. Miami, San Fran. It is a mystery that only Millie knows about.

In the end, that is where it all matters. When you see these two woman who have grown and grown together. One taking off on her own, the other becoming more responsible and a better mother. They helped each other. There was real chemistry in the cast and the movie couldn't have ended better with the symbolism that everything will be okay but as much as we don't always want them to, change happens and sometimes its our choice that it does.

Coyote's Comparison; Willy Wonka vs Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a dear childhood book for many who traveled through the pages to the amazing and mischievous Chocolate Factory of Willy Wonka and his Oompa Loompa's.

The book was written in 1964 by Roald Dahl about an poor but lucky boy named Charlie Bucket.
There was also a sequel to the book; Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator that was written by Roald as well and published in 1972, a year after the first film adaption Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder, came onto big screen. Dahl had planned to write a third book to the series but it was never completed-- with that information who wonders what the third book would have been like, hm!?

Well, on to the subject of this blogs first comparison writing!

 VS



Overviews
        Both movies do follow the book's storyline. It is about a boy named Charlie Bucket who, down on his luck, happens to find the last of the five Golden Tickets that the mysterious chocolatier Willy Wonka has sent out after many years held up within his factory. The other tickets were found by children as well, albeit they all had better conditions of life then Charlie ever dreamed of having. These children were; Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Violet Beauregard and Mike Teavee.
         Upon entering the factory many mishaps happen after a while, perfectly fitting the flaws in each spoiled child. Augustus gets swept away by a chocolate river that he gorged himself upon, Veruca's greed for a goose, or a squirrel, proves to much for her, Violet can't help but chew on forbidden gum and Mike Teavee want's to be the first person sent by television, or Wonka-vision in this case. Charlie and his grandfather, in the end, end up winning more then just a promised lifetime supply of chocolate (a prize I wish I had won at times). Charlie also won ownership of the Factory as well. As Willy Wonka put it in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, "I can't go on forever, and I don't really want to try. So who can I trust to run the factory when I leave and take care of the Oompa Loompas for me? Not a grown up. A grown up would want to do everything his own way, not mine. So that's why I decided a long time ago that I had to find a child. A very honest, loving child, to whom I could tell all my most precious candy making secrets. "         Now each movie goes into different detail. While Willy Wonka tells about his adventures in the land of the Oompa Loompa's and how he got them, Charlie's Willy Wonka shows more detail, in a rather hilarious way. The detail goes even further in Charlie's Willy Wonka by showing some of Wonka's childhood with a dentist as a father while Willy Wonka makes the movie all about the factory and Charlie Bucket.
Comparison To Story
         I have read many online comparison's of each movie to the book, not to mention what parts of the book I remember myself, and I have to say that even though I favor the first movie and it does follow parts of the book, the second movie, sadly, does insert more from the book then the first one does. The squirrels instead of geese, the way they exit the factory, some things that are said or shown. These are in the second movie while fewer but still similarities that are not in the second movie but in the first are shared from the book as well.
Details
     As most of you know, the book is called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but only the re-make was named directly after the story. The first adaption was going to be called such, but a chocolate company was making Wonka bars that were due to be released about the same time as the movie, so to boost sales of their chocolate and candy, the movie was renamed. Before release though the company found out that the chocolate was not staying solid on shelves and began melting, so the movie was released before the chocolate so they could fix the issue. This was not the only chocolate company with this issue, by the way.
     There are many differences in details between the movies. For instance, in Willy Wonka, Charlie does not have a father, while in Charlie, his father works in a factory putting lids on toothpaste.
     In the first adaption of the film, Charlie and Grandpa Joe drink Fizzy Lifting drinks while in the remake, they remain closer to Charlie's character in the book as he remains honest and a good, whole hearted child.
     There is the obvious difference in the movies when the spoiled brat Veruca wants a goose that lays golden, chocolate eggs while in the second adaption she wants a nut chucking squirrel.
     While in Willy Wonka, Gene Wilder portrays the proper adaption of Willy Wonka as a bit older man (though Gene Wilder was no cane-walker himself), Charlie's Willy, portrayed by Johnny Depp, makes him younger and more eccentric.

There are plenty of more differences ranging from words said in one movie and not the other, the fact that you can see the children coming out from the factory in the Charlie one and all the way to how well and how differently the movies portrayed the book.
    
Actors
    The biggest differences in the movies is, of course, the actors. Obviously the same actors were not going to be used for the re-make, but an interesting fact is that almost none of the child actors from the first one continued on with an acting career much after the movie, nor did most of them have any real acting career before hand. Before starting, I must add that in all of these characters where I show what is different or the same, I have to admit that I fully like the children in the first movie better. They gave realistic performances and even the rotten eggs came across true to form on screen, while in the re-make everyone seems so forced in character and it doesn't have the same flow.
     Peter Olstrom played Charlie in WWCF while Freddie Highmore played him in the CCF version. While both Peter and Freddie played convincing, good hearted children as Charlie Bucket is I will have to go with the original every time. Peter had the act down and it came across less like acting and more real when he played the character then Freddie, not that I do not like his acting in some of his other movies. Finding Neverland for one, another Johnny Depp movie as well, I might add.
      Veruca Salt was played by both Julie Dawn Cole and Julie Winter. In both movies she is accompanied by her father, who needs to give her a good smack in the ass every now and then, but instead caters to her needs and desires. Whether it be trying to get her a golden egg-laying goose or a nut-chucking squirrel.
       Violet Beauregard is portrayed by Denise Nickerson and AnnaSophia Robb. In both films, she is the competitive little girl who took up a world record for gum chewing. She is rude and lacks certain manners, but in the first film while she is a bit of a portly girl who is accompanied by her business-grabbing father, in the second rendition she is a skinny, athletically advanced girl who is brought to the chocolate factory by her mother.
        Augustus Gloop, in both films, is not only a heavy-set eater but also accompanied by his mother. One could old guess from seeing the first one that if he had brought his father he would have eaten the factory itself. I have to say though, the second Augustus was terribly more creepy then the first.
         Then we come to Mike Teevee, or Teavee as the spelling is changed for the second movie. The character was played both by Paris Themmen and Jordan Fry. While in the first movie Mike is obsessed with TV and has a problem with authority not to mention a love for guns that his father said he can't get until he is a whopping 12 years old, but in the second one he is obsessed with video games (changing with the times, I guess) but is also a rather smart boy who created a math formula to devise where the ticket was located! (Cheating much??) This time though he is accompanied by his dad and not his snooty mother.
    

Willy Wonka, in both movies, however, left their mark as the character in their own ways.
     After the re-make was made, Gene Wilder made his feelings on the re-make well known. Slamming it and calling it an insult, but that didn't mean that many people did not like the re-make better then if not the same as the first one, if not only for their love of Johnny Depp. I mean, come on, Tim Burton was directing the re-make. Who ELSE would he get to play his Willy Wonka, the eccentric chocolatier, other then JD?

     While Gene Wilder played a very gentle and alluring, albeit sometimes creepy and strange, Willy Wonka, Johnny Depp added a boyish and down-right, sometimes, unlikeable aspect to the man.
       Each Willy made their memorable entrance though into our hearts the first time we watched the movie. Gene Wilder had our sorrows at the poor, hobbling Wonka until he surprised us to life and made the movie a bit more exciting with his rolling entrance that Gene Wilder, himself, asked to put into the film before he even accepted the role he was asked to play.
        Johnny Depp however, made us think he was going to pop out of a very, very creepy display that began to catch fire and melt, and cracked us up by popping up next to the children with a bit of logic. How could he watch the show from the stage? Good appearance right? And it made some logical sense too!
        I think I speak for a lot of people though when I say that comparing the creepiness between both Wonka's, Johnny Depp won by a land slide. His looks matched up with his germ phobias and odd facial twitches made him a great deal more terrifying then the gentle Wonka who terrified us by taking us through the black hole on the way to the Cream Room.

Overall, I think both movies are good. While the first movie shows a kind hearted but stressed Willy Wonka, trying to test each child for their good souls, the second shows a scary and evil Wonka in Depp's portrait of him. I mean, lets face it, Gene's Wonka accepted the fat that the children were going to ignore him and they would be punished, and he was a bit sarcastic about it, but Depp's character flat out enjoyed the torture the children put themselves through. The colors in the second movie are also a lot brighter and might capture the attention of a child more, but the songs and likable characters in the first movie are sure to overwhelm the kiddies as well.

In my opinion, the classic wins every time (regardless of how big of a Johnny Depp fan I am), but don't let that stop you from liking who you like or hating who you hate. If you have not seen the original Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory though, I highly suggest you take a leap back in time, sit down with the family and a bag of popcorn and let the film role. I hope it captures your heart like it did with my family and I!