Title: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
Director: Brad Peyton
Studio, Year: New Line Cinema, 2012
Actors: Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, Vanessa Hudgens, Michael Caine

In a Nutshell: Sean Anderson is back, and he misses his adventure days. The trip to the centre of the earth with Trevor and Hannah seems like ages ago, and Sean is dying to go on another exploration. He finally gets his chance when he receives word from his missing grandfather about the mysterious island that Jules Verne wrote about. Sean sets off to find him and the island along with Hank, his stepfather, Kailani, a super pretty native, and Gabato, Kailani's crazy, funny dad.

The Good Stuff: The effects were awesome (especially in 3D!), and the actors portrayed their characters well. The movie had a good mix of adventure and humor.

The Not-So-Good Stuff: There were a few values in the characters that I didn't really agree with. Of course, there was kissing.


Viewer's Ratings:
Story: 3/5 - I liked it.
Execution (effects, etc.): 5/5 - It was amazing.
Characters: 4/5 - I loved it.
Character Values: 2/5 - It was okay.
Overall: 4/5 - I loved it.

Inkheart

Title: Inkheart
Director: Iain Softley
Studio/Year: New Line Cinema/2008
Actors: Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Andy Serkis, Paul Bettany
Viewer's Rating: 4

Quote: "Since the dawn of time, storytellers have enchanted audiences with their words. But there is an even rarer gift. There are those, who by reading out loud, can bring characters to life. Out of books and into our world. Most of these Silvertongues, as they are known, prefer to keep their skills a secret but some do not even know this gift is theirs, until it is too late."
In a Nutshell: Inkheart. Mortimer, or Mo, as Meggie called him, knew that book well. She knew that there was something special about that book, from the way he always seemed to search for it. She sensed its being different from other books from their first encounter with the man called Dustfinger. She sensed its danger when men dressed in black clothing suddenly appeared. Silvertongue, that's what they called Mo. Taken captive, Meggie discovers that Mo, her father, is a Silvertongue. He could read characters out of books and bring them to life. When she learns that a freed villain has come back to life and is planning to destroy what she loves most, she must find a way to stop him, using something that she has discovered about her own self.

 

The Good Stuff: This movie is about books and stories and characters. Need I say more? (I also loved the scenery, Elinor's library, and the fact that Mo is a bookbinder.)

The Not-So-Good Stuff: There were few, if any. I really liked the plot and the characters.

Viewer's Say: This is one of my favorite movies. Also, it's based on the novel by Cornelia Funke (it also has a series). The movie was really good, but it missed out on some details and events so I recommend you read the book first. :)

[photos from Google Images]

Lemonade Mouth

Title: Lemonade Mouth
Director: Patricia Riggen
Studio/Year: Disney, 2011
Actors: Bridgit Mendler, Adam Hicks, Hayley Kiyoko
Viewer's Rating: 4

Excerpt: "Poets, geniuses, revolutionaries. Lemonade Mouth has been called all of these things. But the real story, the story of our band came to be, is a mystery to them all."

In a Nutshell: Five unlikely friends--Olivia, Wen, Stella, Charlie, and Mo--meet in detention and, like destiny, find themselves playing music together like it was the most natural thing in the world. Upon being heard by the music teacher, they decide to become a band, Lemonade Mouth, and join the school's talent show to prove to the sports-fanatic principal and to the whole school that sports isn't the only thing that matters. The five friends are amazed at how the students gradually accept--and need--them. Lemonade Mouth was their voice, their way to be heard.

The Good Stuff: I may or may not have made Lemonade Mouth sound cheesy but, trust me, it really isn't! I like the message of this movie. Also, there was a budding romance between two of the characters and, because of its being a Disney movie, I thought there would be...*dun dun dun*...kissing. Surprisingly, there was none! :)

The Not-So-Good Stuff: The message of this movie is that everyone has a voice, even children, and everyone has a right to be heard. I personally like it but it may encourage rebellion sooner or later. At least, that's what I think.

Viewer's Say: It was pretty good. It's definitely not just another breezy teen movie. (Also, it's based on a novel by Mark Peter Hughes!)

How to Train Your Dragon

Title: How to Train Your Dragon

Director: Chris Sanders and Dean deBlois

Studio: DreamWorks Animation Studios

Actors: Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson

Viewer's Rating: 4

Excerpt: "This is Berk. It snows nine months out of the year, and hails the other three. What little food grows here is tough and tasteless. The people that grow here, even more so. The only upsides are the pets. While other places have ponies, or parrots... we have dragons"

In a Nutshell: Hiccup is a gawky teenager in the world of Vikings. While everyone around him is big and beefy, he’s a talking fishbone. While everyone around him is fighting dragons, he’s given a job at the armory instead. Hiccup wants more than anything to make his dad (who happens to be the chief of the village, by the way) proud. But to do that, he must pass Dragon School and kill a dragon with his bare hands. As he’s thin and weak, he obviously doesn’t stand a chance. Until he meets a Night Fury, a kind of dragon no one’s ever killed—or even seen—before, supposedly the most dangerous dragon. He ends up befriending it and naming it “Toothless.” Hiccup passes Dragon School by using techniques he learned while studying and playing with Toothless. He even finds out a shocking surprise that no one has ever discovered about dragons before.

The Good Stuff: How to Train Your Dragon is a movie you’ll want to watch over and over again! The story is very nice. It’s the kind of movie the whole family will enjoy, not just the kids. It’s kind of heart warming in a way.

The Not-So-Good-Stuff: There’s a kissing scene (gosh, does every movie have to have one?!). Totally inappropriate! I also don’t approve of Hiccup’s dad’s parenting skills. Haha.

Viewer's Say: As I took my seat in the theatre where I first watched the movie, I thought it was going to be just another movie—you know, typical story, typical characters, happy ending, blah blah blah. It may be that How to Train Your Dragon is that kind of story, but I really enjoyed watching it. It turned out to be a bit different from the other stories. It’s action-packed, touching, heart-warming, and very funny! Hiccup is awesome and so are the dragons.