Movie Monday: The Sister Act

This week for Movie Monday I’m back with a comedy film. It’s The Sister Act!

Plot: The plot is pretty silly, although there are some very serious parts to it, like the reason that Deloris needs to go into Witness Protection in the first place. Still this is mostly a Musical Comedy, so expect lots of singing and goofiness.

Casting: The casting is pretty spot on with Whoopi Goldberg being the lead star in her role as Deloris. The rest of the cast is equally well done.

Cinematography: This didn’t have much special effects in it, it wasn’t a Sci-Fi or Fantasy movie after all. But it was pretty well shot nonetheless.

Music: The music was the main draw of this film and it was pretty awesome. That’s all that need be said.

Overall: A fun, and sometimes serious movie, with plenty of songs that the whole family can enjoy.

For those who like: Musical Comedies, Whoopi Goldberg.

Not for those who don’t like: Either of the above.

Movie Monday: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory

This week for Movie Monday I’m covering another Childhood favorite classic. It’s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory!

Plot Synopsis: In a small town, children visit a candy shop. Charlie Bucket, a poor paperboy, stares through the window as the shop owner sings “The Candy Man”. Walking home, he passes Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. A mysterious tinker tells Charlie, “Nobody ever goes in, and nobody ever comes out.” Charlie rushes home to his widowed mother and bedridden grandparents. After telling Grandpa Joe about the tinker, Joe reveals that Wonka locked the factory because other candy makers, including rival Mr. Slugworth, sent in spies to steal his recipes. Wonka disappeared, but after three years resumed selling candy; the origin of Wonka’s labor force is unknown. The next day, Wonka announces that he hid five “Golden Tickets” in chocolate Wonka Bars. Finders of the tickets will receive a factory tour and a lifetime supply of chocolate…

Plot: The plot is good, although it does stray a bit from the original source material, the book by Roald Dahl. Fun fact for those unaware, Dahl disowned the film after having disputes with the directors. I never knew that until I read it while getting information for writing this post. That being said this is most definitely a movie meant for children, so don’t expect thrilling action sequences. Another fun fact, the source material and the remake of this movie are both titled “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” instead of what this film is titled.

Characters: The characters are all good, and while some are annoying it’s intentional. Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka is excellent and fits the character incredibly well. The rest of the cast is good as well.

Cinematography: Good, although with today’s special effects it does look more than a bit cheesy now.

Music: Being a musical there is plenty of music in this film, and most of it is pretty memorable, if a bit campy.

Overall: If you’ve never watched it, you probably should as it’s regarded as one of the films anyone should watch. It’s even preserved in the Library of Congress, which is highly picky of what gets put in there.

For those who like: Musicals, Fantasy, Children Movies, Good Plot, Excellent Cast.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.

 

Manga Monday: Boku wa Beatles by Fujii Tetsuo

This week for Manga Monday I’ve got a Quick Review for a series that I stumbled across recently. It’s Boku wa Beatles by Fujii Tetsuo!

Plot Synopsis: This is the tale of a Beatles Cover Band named The Fab 4 that is on the verge of breaking up due to inner conflicts in the year 2011. They all love The Beatles, but when they get into an argument in a subway….

Plot: The plot of this first chapter is all setup for the series, and while I won’t spoil the plot, I will say I was intrigued by the concept behind the series. You’ll know what I mean when you get to the end of the first chapter. Now as to the musical side I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, and their last song they played in this chapter was Yesterday. That particular song was the first ever song I sang in Choir class all the way back in middle school, so it’s got special meaning to me.

Characters: Rei and Makoto are the two big stars of this first chapter, but the entire band is pretty interesting. While we aren’t shown a whole bunch of their backstory yet, I’m sure we’ll get to see more later on.

Art: The art is awesome, and frankly I wouldn’t have been surprised to see that this was in a Shueisha publication, but it actually isn’t one.

Overall: If you love music, and especially if you love The Beatles, do yourself a favor and read this series. This first chapter was excellent.

For those who like: Music, The Beatles, Rock, Excellent Plot, Fantastic Cast of Charcaters,

Sensate Saturday: Dance with Devils Episode 01 Impressions

This week for Sensate Saturday I’m covering a series I found somewhat interesting! It’s time to play the accompanying part with Dance with Devils Episode 01 Impressions!

Plot Synopsis: Ritsuka is a rather normal high school girl going to an elite academy, when he here life is turned upside down when she’s called to the Student’ Council’s room, which happens to be one of the school’s giant librarys.

Plot: This first episode was pretty interesting, and it leaves plenty of plot threads for the later episodes to deal with, which is always good in my opinion. It ends on a pretty sharp and despairing note, which is also good.

Characters: Ritsuka isn’t as clueless as the rest of the Reverse Harem heroines I’ve seen, which is a huge relief. She’s honestly interested in finding out what’s going on and doesn’t just let other’s push her around, too much. The rest of the cast is great, and I’m looking forward to seeing them expanded upon in later episodes.

Art: Pure Shoujo and it’s very well done.

Music: Here’s where the series get’s really interesting, the characters will occasionally burst into song and while it’s full of Engrish it’s still pretty decent for an Anime. It’s not a Broadway musical, but it’s better than some lesser one’s I’ve seen or listened to. The rest of the soundtrack is great.

Overall: Well worth the watch if you love a good Shoujo series.

For those who like: Shoujo, Mystery, Romance, Drama, Action, Musicals, Great Artwork, Excellent Music, Fantastic Plot, Awesome Cast of Characters.

Not for those who don’t like: Any of the above.