Reviews

If anyone dares to summarize the show like this: ,,A new take on what may have happened in Salem'' I get furious. Salem was a perfect example of mass-hysteria and now American television comes along and presents the audience with a sexist version on ,how not to handle history'. Everything I saw of this show (and believe me when I say that I watched half way through before I finally gave up) is badly written and centers on a bad-written relationship. Game of Thrones is full of porn and may sometimes be a little bit ,too much' but Salem does this AND forgets to deliver on a plot as well. It looks like something a Twilight fan would write to prove he/she has ,more guts' to show violence and dark magic. Every character behaves so out of role and so inaccurate (time-wise) that I sometimes had to ask myself if the writers opened a history book EVER.

Let's see it this way: If you just care for some exposed breasts and think afroamerican women brought witchcraft to bewitch honest white ladies, then watch this.

So here's the deal: This movie is more or less a really close look on how "Mary Poppins" went from being a book to being in theaters around the world. While you may won't like this film if you expected something "shocking", you'll see that this may be one of the most emotion-filled/ best written movies since "The King's Speech" - with much better music. Beware of the fact, that this movie deals with some heavy topic (such as alcoholism and shattered expectations on life). I really recommend watching the original "Mary Poppins" before "Saving Mr. Banks" since this filmy heavily refers to scenes from P. L. Traver's/Disney's masterpiece. Expect some really heavy scenes, some good laughter and one of the best soundtracks you have heard in any movie in a long long time.

So "Attack on titan" has been recommended by a friend of mine who has great taste for TV series and naturally I have given it a try. I really loved how the first scenes set the tone for a more "mature" and less chlichéed picture of women I so came to hate about anime (you know .. those animes in which women have so unrealistic huge breats it hurts and they always wear awfully short stuff to show every viewer how desperately lonely the creator of the manga must have felt). The pacing felt right at first and it sure knows how to make you feel excited for some twist which reveals what happened, where the titans come from and so on. Sadly like 6 episodes in you start to realize that while an episode is 24 minutes long roughly 18 of those are wasted on flat emotional melodramtic talking I start to feel Japanese are addicted to. To make things even worse they started adding some unlikeable characters that are not just "unlikeable" for the audience in a clever way but are designed to be unlikeable in a shameful way (yeah, we get it, rich people try to save their goods and sacrifice every normal citizen who comes in their way, the church is evil and there always is a commander who is like insane and needs a psychiatrist right now bla bla). Despite all of those flaws (and I admit that I'm really judging this series a little hard) "Attack on Titan" looks really good and has a imo catching opening music which features the opening line in my own language (german) ... sadly Japanese are no pronouncing experts and so I never got it until I looked it up on the internet ;-P

If you plan on watching a X-Men movie you expect some cool and latest-technology special effects, some great combat scenes in which mutants with crazy powers use whatever ability they're feeling like and of course some cold-blooded drama that sometimes is based on some real issues society faces (more often the movies ask "How society treats minorities"). X-Men "Days of Future Past" has it all .... and so much more! Almost every line spoken is excellent and deeply important and the team of actresses and actors is absolutely stunning. I can't remember the last time I've seen a movie in which every actor/actress does their absolute best to achieve entertainment on such heights. If I'd want to find a fault in this movie it'd just be how the ending is so big of a plot-twist (which can be foreseen right from the start) that it greatly influences every single X-Men movie you have seen so far. If you like X-Men, you'll love "Days of Future Past".

So here's the deal: While I know that the main gripe some people tend to have with this series is the formula that never seems to change (wrong diagnosis over and over until House saves the day) I never actually got bored. Luckily for the viewer there is so much going on in each episode and most of it really made me have a great time. I laugh at some of House's clever schemes and even cry sometimes (most of the time because of some drama-plot-twist or because someone of the main cast "dies" on screen). If you want a more comedic approach to medicine check out Scrubs which is hilarious and - thanks god - doesn't rely on background-laughter. If you want to learn some more about exotic diseases and feel "clever" (which you'll do since you kinda feel like part of the team getting all the inside information) you go with House (wath Scrubs anyways!). I'm often stunned at how far this show has come until it finally ended (with a really worthy final) and I'm happy I stayed with House 'till the end (I'm on my second run 3-4 years after I've watched the first episode for the first time).

If you hate doctors and medicine, this show won't change your opinion (it may even make things worse). But IF this kind of hospital drama is your thing, you will not find a better series out there.

When someone told me what this movie is about I didn't believe him. Of course it used to be a play and therefor the variety of sets can be counted with less than a hand but "Carnage" takes it to the extreme showing just one living room for most of the time. But while you sit there, watching like the first half and feeling "uncomfortable" you suddenly begin to realize how this will eventually turn out.

Watch this movie like this: What would happen if adults would start to say their mind about more or less anything that comes to their minds be it false assumptions, people they want to protect or ideals they try to hold up high. Oh and while you see the first line of their false courtesy crumble, get your popcorn out, this truly is one of Jodie Fosters better emotional roles ;)

I watched this show since it first came out years ago and plot wise not much has changed. The main premise may gets altered along the way a little but like any television show over the last decades that tried to be successful, The Mentalist is the best example on how to keep their viewers excited although the main plot never ever gets wrapped up more than a few feet at a time. This would be a catastrophe, lame and boring if the main plot would interfere with the normal episodes which (fortunately) it doesn't. Janes normal schedule consists of solving crimes in mostly unexpected ways which makes this series really fun to watch.

I watched this movie yesterday and it started like any other horror movie in recent years "after a true story", in an old house, unfortunate family and so on. I liked the camera, the angles and the acting of the younger crew but the script wasn't just boring, it was "ordinary". There was absolutely no way you couldn't count down to 3 and expect some shock moment. If I'd have to be honest I wouldn't have dragged all my friends to come see this movie with me. Worst of all, the underlying Christian propaganda message was so obviously strong that I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. Overall this movie was pretty forgettable .... really sad.

I at least give this movie credit for trying and of course producer want money so there is nothing wrong in giving the viewers what they crave for: Really cheesy love-stories, arrogant bad-boys and girls that behave like they can't decide whether they wanna be rude or just girlish. And that's the core: Most of the people in this movie are just RUDE. If you laugh at the opening vomit-scene there is no doubt you will love the rest of this movie but gosh was that scene in bad taste!

Worst part is: The sining is not half-bad! It's the dialogue that drags it down and these chliché group of teenagers whose try desperately to be "special" (which is good) and then fall in the same trap most other modern teenage movies like StepUp3D do.

After so many anabolic-muscles and girlish overacting girls it's just black magic to me that no one seems to question this film's message.

So everyone who has seen RED knows exactly what to expect. Awesome line-up of our favorite granddads and grandma going right at their target destroying everything in their path. And while RED's obsession with guns already reached a comedic level, RED2 is inexcusable excessive. There's absolute no wonder that Americans will love a movie with a message like "guns are sexy" and while some of the action-scenes are really good and the main characters are likable as always, this somehow caught me off guard. In this movie there is no punishment for violence whatsoever which is really really bad. Good script and idea, wrong message. Ah yea and the humor isn't all that good compared to the first one.

OK so here we've got Brotherhood, the more manga-related Fullmetal series. I've watched the original series before which I really liked but then again forgot quickly as the plot (especially in the end) became confused and just not satisfying enough. After I've heard numerous people telling how good Brotherhood is, I gave it a try and omg! What a blast! You recognize events from the other series but not just do events make much more sense this time around, everything runs on greater scale and is way better executed (don't be confused: The original series isn't based on the manga during most of its events which means Brotherhood has an entirely different story!). During a series that has like 10 more episodes than "Fullmetal Alchemist", there is a story much deeper but also way more fast-paced - in a good way. Many more fights, a little better graphics and yea, as I said before: Really good story this time around. I consider this to be my all-time-favorite anime besides Death Note (season 1) which is all the way different meaning those two animes don't struggle for no. 1 but easily share this title. Glad I've watched this show after watching the original one.

People tend to react really hyped when it comes to movies they really enjoyed. We leave the movie theater and compare stuff we liked, which impressed us and stuff which we didn't. 7 years have passed since I watched "The Prestige" for the first time and although I must have watched the movie for several times now, I never feel totally "in control" over my emotions. The central question about ethical behavior around which this movie has been built never seems to be as clear or as easy to answer as the ones all the other movies I have watched have presented to me. The Prestige is build like a "magic trick" which consists of three acts itself (genius: The official Trailer tells you more than you could have known). The plot is told from different times and from different angles so that you never really know what is going on till the end. This doesn't necessarily mean that this is good way to tell a story, but Christopher Nolan has perfected this way of telling a plot since Memento. There will be times when you will think that you know exactly what is going on or you know what this movie is about but believe me: You don't. I don't want to spoil anything but if you like any sort of medium that really challenges your mind, you need to do yourself the favor and watch this movie. "ABRACADABRA!"

I hate when reading through reviews it seems as if for most of the people there is nothing between super-good or super-bad. Everyone calling this the worst movie of any year clearly doesn't have any idea what a really bad film looks like. Is the movie a money-grab? Propably. Does it have a really good script? No. Is the script terrible? Of course not. Is the acting bad? No way! It's just not as good as the "innovative" (as far as a movie can be innovative nowadays) stuff shown in Taken. You get more or less the same basic characters and protagonists and the antagonists seek revenge this time instead of just looking for girls to sell them for profit. While the action is - like in every blockbuster - as far from believable as it can get, Liam Neeson (as always) shows exactly what we expect him to do: God-like skill in making human lives miserable and killing everyone in his path. Never judge a movie on 1 star reviews, Taken 2 is just maybe not worth being bought on DVD which doesn't make it a bad movie. Watch it once if you can see it on TV, that's all.

So I've watched this movie some time ago and still can't get over it. It's not about the excellent performance, it's not about the tragedy itself, it's the whole picture of this movie that literally blew me away. I normally do not cry during movies and if I do, it feels kind of forced (like in "My sister's keeper" which is made so that you cry and feel better afterwards) but the final of "Prayers for Bobby" felt like "release". Not this "finally-the-movie-is-over-release" but the release you can only experience after watching a loving mother going through the hardest process of her life to accept her son for what he was. I can't imagine anyone who gives this movie a serious shot coming out and saying "Ok, so this was lame, I don't understand the process". "Prayers for Bobby" shows what a real struggle looks like. It shows love, passion and extremes without being cliché. If get your hand on it, try it, it's worth your time and interest.

Game of Thrones may be the best book-to-movie(/TV show) adaptation I have ever seen and is also the best fantasy I had the chance to enjoy. Not being able to calm myself until season 3 came up, I started reading the books (at the moment I'm at "A dance with dragons which is the latest volume in this series of so far) and can't say how happy I am to see that the TV adaptation stays very close to its roots - not only because the author of the books also helps writing the scripts for the episodes. Of course there are many events which had need to be cut or even left out but as a reader of the books I assure anyone that watching the series does not leave you with mere impression of what is delivered on written paper. "A game of thrones" aka "A song of ice and fire" is: clever in its narrative; entertaining and really complex but therefor way more satisfying than anything I ever watched; brings up political and even ethical questions in a way which doesn't make them look cheap;.... just puts a shame on every single badly-delivered fantasy series out there ...

If you haven't watched it yet - even if you're not in fantasy or knights and swords - you may want to give this series a try.

I actually never read the books. I've watched the latest movie adaptations with Robert Downey Jr. playing a more than believable and amusing Sherlock, but compared to this series the two movies feel a little uninspired, maybe even shallow. "Sherlock" has some fresh ideas, presenting Sherlock Holmes as a person living during the 21. century and since the first moment, I've been able to take a peek at the German synchronized version, I felt hooked. Of course (and by old tradition) the audience has no chance whatsoever to solve the case since Sherlock's brain is working faster than a missile aiming towards it's target. I don't want to spoil anything but I really love the way the film-makers solved the problem of showing the world through Sherlock's eyes. In the end - even though you can't point towards the solution - you feel a connection that chains you to the latest case Watson and Sherlock are working on. It's also a pleasant surprise, that none of the cases presented so far feel retarded or even like something you have seen before. Every classic "Sherlock Holmes"-character is present and given a revision.

If you like crime thrillers - and maybe even if you don't like Sherlock Holmes for some strange reasons - you shouldn't avoid at least taking a small peek at the first episode. It's well worth your while and your attention and I alway keep wanting more!

The Legend of Korra seriously takes some steps into the right direction by throwing in some more or less "new" concepts (new as new for Avatar) such as love stories and relationships from the get go and a more "modern" world. If you watched the original Avatar (if you didn't go right to it) you may appreciate that, although Korra really has some of Avatar's good old content such as fast-paced element-bender battles, it also feels new and fresh and in no way "forced" to be a sequel on it's own. If it really will be as entertaining and as good as the prequel only time can tell but for now (seen 6 episodes so far) the story is more promising than I ever could have imagined it to be. Last but not least I really want to point out the storytelling: If you pay attention you'll notice that the script for this series is much more than just a foolish attempt to catch the fame of "Avatar": Many old characters can be "found" here, revived as new roles. Great humor and action awaits.

Avatar The last Airbender first appears to be a series for really young kids with some lighthearted storytelling and some neat action scenes - perfect example how one can be so damn wrong! Without spoiling anything it's really hard to review this series but if you get right down to it you get everything you could wish for: Expanding, complex and really developing characters with really advanced choices between "right" and "wrong" - if I would teach my children the difference by a TV-show this would be the perfect example since you even you may be adult, you'll maybe learn one or two things about being truly "correct behavior" - a good story that keeps getting promising until the end and, of course, bender-battles.

As the title may already assumes, Avatars takes place in a world populated with benders and non-benders. Those who are lucky posses the power to bend one of the four elements (and every advantage given by them as you'll later see) resulting in some serious battles. Those battles, the highlight of the series, are without doubt some of the most choreographically and astonishing once you'll seen in an animated series.

You like animated series and haven't seen this one? How dare you? Go watch it! ;)

OK so you have Marvel's most iconic superheroes, thrown together in a battle against giant creatures and evil bad guys - how may this concept fail? Lazy authors, bad budget, lame love-stories! Good to see that none of these problems are present here. What you get is maybe just the best superhero-movie of all time.

Consider this: You have had all back stories of the protagonists (minus two who barely need one to be awesome) and the movie just jumps right to the action. Of course there are some (necessary) find-and-fight-together scenes but until the end credits roll, you get it all: Good versus the bad, good versus the good (seriously! Awesome!) and good versus the bad versus the good - you better order some new pants during the show! Apart from spoiling too much (which I really don't want to) I have to tell you, that the screenplay and the graphics you'll see in the movie, are top-notch all together and especially the non-superpower-heroes really shine.

Trust the dialogue, trust the performance and last but not least trust the critics: If you like these kind of movies, you NEED to see this to die happy.

Hint: If you see this in a movie theater wait until after the final credits ..

Although I have to admit that besides all my concerns at first, PIXAR movies tend to be the most amusing and lovable movies out there. Before I've seen this movie I've been only interested in thrillers, horror-blockbusters and action-movies. Since I've seen UP, I'm checking out every PIXAR production right in a movie theater nearby. Why? I was wrong! I was wrong about this cover, this house, this old man - EVERYTHING! I don't wanna spoil the fun watching this movie yourself but I dare you to: If you want to do your soul something good, you need to check this out. You will laugh, you will cry and you will feel with the protagonists - during the first 10 freaking minutes of the movie! Until the credits rolled - and I admit it like a bos.. ehm man - I cried. The connection between every single character (not as if there are too many) and yourself is astonishing.

PIXAR? You did it, man!

The last Anime I've really enjoyed must have been Death Note which impressed my with it's overall genius plot and the character development. Although Claymore clearly cannot reach this (well actually it's kinda cruel comparing 2 Animes of different categories), it sure has some really good moments as well. The main focus of this series lies, obviously, on good old sword combat mixed with some really impressive ideas on how to swing, slash and bash a Claymore-sword in almost every way possible. While the story seems to start slow, there is definitely a certain appeal, which I've missed on several other Anime series I've tried for the last two years. If you manage to stay with the story until the first twists and turns you start to get into the characters and what first seems to be another bad half-Hentai porn (just by judging the fact that the title is presented by full-laden blonde "girls" on the cover) turns out to be less sexistic and more action-laden like any other Anime you've watched for quite a long time.