RIP Roger Ebert

As most of you probably know, Roger Ebert passed away on April 4th from his long battle with cancer. I'm already missing his tweets. He was always posting on Twitter and I always thought it was funny how he'd always try to win the New Yorker caption contest. I also loved reading his movie posts, even if I didn't agree with some, but I did agree with him most of the time. Even if you weren't a fan of his reviews, you can't deny that the man knew how to write. Rest in Peace, Roger, see you at the movies.

Bond: My New Found Love for Agent 007

Ok, apparently I had been introduced to Bond movies by the wrong person because after Skyfall (2012), I decided I needed to rethink my stance on James Bond films. This past week, I was able to checkout some of the originals with Sean Connery. Why the person who showed me my first Bond film didn't start with Dr. No (1962) is beyond me.

Sean Connery is so sexy as Bond, it's ridiculous. The movie is enjoyable because the storyline is fun because it's so goofy. I do think that seeing all the Austin Powers movies prior to Bond movies is what made the movie so humorous, but I think that's why I was so entertained by it. I'm in the middle of watching Goldfinger (1964) right now and I'm loving it. His wardrobe is great and the inappropriate names for the characters are fantastic. I can definitely tell that the premise of Bond was influenced by the dashing Cary Grant. He would have been a wonderful Bond, which I think is obvious if you've ever seen Notorious (1946), North by Northwest (1959), or Charade (1963).

I've been a big fan of Daniel Craig for a while now. He's a brilliant Bond. I like how manly he is, with his chiseled abs and rugged facial features. He's in fabulous shape, so all those action scenes were fun to watch. The casting of Javier Bardem as the villain Silva was a wise choice. That guy is so good at playing creeps, that'd I'd probably be afraid of him if I met him in real life.

James Bond is a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to watching more of the movies that have already been made and those that are coming in the future.

EVIL DEAD: The Evil and the Not So Evil

I went to see the remake of Evil Dead tonight. I found it to be disgusting with loads of unintentional humor. There was some believable acting, mainly by Jane Levy, but she didn't have much to go off. The remake takes the film into a different direction than the original, focusing more on a gross overuse of blood and guts. Overuse of gore does not scare me, it just grosses me out. I actually gagged a few times and I wasn't the only one. People were not screaming often watching this movie, only gagging and laughing. Due to this, I prefer the 80's version.

I love the original from the 80s, it's disturbing, yet oddly hilarious at the same time. Fantastic horror movie on a small budget. Yes, it does get a bit gross as well, but not to an extent of what the new version has. I did not gag watching the original because the blood and guts didn't seem as nasty. I'm sure when that movie first came out, it was gag worthy, but not if you see the gore they come up with today. However, it was rated NC-17 for a reason...

I like horror movies that have humor in them, so both versions have that working for them. Who knew duct tape was so damn useful? I liked the way the woods and the set looked in the new film because it looked crisp and dark. The old one has a nice creepy look to it, as well, but with a drastically different budget. If you are a fan of the original, don't go to the new Evil Dead expecting something similar. The demons in the original were a lot more fun than the ones in the new version. The old demons were big time tricksters, whereas the new demons were just extremely gross. I did not hate the new version, but I do think it's a big downgrade from the original.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I hope that you did something Irish today or at least yesterday! Whether it was eating some delicious Irish cuisine, drinking something green, doing an Irish jig, or watching an Irish-themed movie, it doesn't matter, anything Irish is necessary on St. Patrick's Day! I watched a bit of the old Disney movie, The Luck of the Irish (2001). I also celebrated with friends yesterday and wore green both days. I even had some luck because I found a dollar! Would have been more exciting if it was a higher bill amount, but I'll take it! Now, to end the night, I'm watching part of The Quiet Man (1952) on TCM.

American Horror Story: Season 3 News!

I have completed Season 2 of American Horror Story, which was incredible. I can't decide which season I enjoyed more because both are deliciously horrific and very different. I can't believe that we have to wait so long for Season 3, but fall is my favorite, so I guess it's fitting!

Before, I mentioned that Frances Conroy and Taissa Farmiga were returning for Season 3. I didn't realize, until I was watching American Horror Story: Asylum, that Frances Conroy was a character! I try not to look too much at the IMDB page when I'm watching something for the first time because I'll accidentally figure out if a character dies by looking at how many episodes they'll be in. That's why I try not to do that anymore. She plays the Angel of Death and that character is very interesting. I like the music they play when she appears and I like the dark wings!

Evan Peters, Jessica Lange, Lily Rabe and Sarah Paulson are all returning to Season 3, as well! Along with a new addition, which I'm so excited about I can hardly stand it, Kathy Bates! Thankfully, Misery (1990) was not the first movie I watched with Kathy Bates in it because I would have been terrified of her forever. It amazes me that a character who uses the word "cockadoodie" could be the least bit frightening, let alone one of the most psychotic characters I've ever watched on film. If Kathy Bates was capable of delivering Annie's cockadoodie line so well and making her beyond terrifying, then I'm convinced she could end up being one of the scariest characters American Horror Story has seen so far!

Now, if they announce that Denis O'Hare, Kate Mara, Naomi Grossman, Jamie Brewer or Zachary Quinto are returning for this season as well, I might pass out from excitement. Bring on the fabulous acting and the killer horror!

Fearful February: American Horror Story

Thanks to Netflix, I have discovered 'American Horror Story' and have become an 'American Horror Story' addict. I'll admit it! At first, I was opposed to watching the show, but not I don't even know why I was opposed to it. Maybe I thought it'd be like the usual horror movies of today, which aren't, in my opinion, as frightening as older ones. Too much gore, too little of psychological horror. I'm a psychological horror junkie! Nothing is scarier or as attention grabbing as that sort of horror!

The opening credits scare the hell out of me, much like the opening credits of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' frighten me, and I'm in my twenties. Unfinished, dark basements in older homes are so scary! I grew up in a house that had one of those and I always felt like something was lurking in the shadows down there, which is why the basement in season one of American Horror Story scares me so badly. Of course, deformed monsters weren't lurking around in our basement, unless you consider mice deformed monsters... The opening credits were created by the same guy who made the opening credits to Se7en (1995). The theme song is awesome and it was created by sound designer Cesar Davila-Irizarry and Charlie Clouser from Nine Inch Nails, who actually collaborated on Se7en's theme song. All around genius choices for ensuring great opening credits!

The horror stories about the house and the characters are something else. They remind me a bit of 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' mixed with pieces of various horror movies, such as Rosemary's Baby (1968) and It (1990). There's even some hitchcockian homage in the show, which is always appreciated. I was impressed by all of the actors in the show. I already knew how talented Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy and Denis O'Hare were before I started watching, but it was great to see that they weren't the only ones giving damn good performances.

I've just started watching 'American Horror Story: Asylum' this past week. I'm addicted to this season as well and I don't think the show lost any of its momentum, in fact, I think this season might be even better. I like that they switched from the stories of the Murder House to an insane, insane asylum. Definitely was a smart move to do this and keep a lot from the cast of season one. They'll also be keeping on some for season 3 and a couple from season 1 who didn't return for season two will be coming back! Frances Conroy is one of them! Taissa Farmiga is talented as well, but her character in season one bothered me with the overly sulky teenager bit, which isn't her fault. The character was a sulky teenager and, let's face it, overly sulky people are annoying, especially when they're hormonal teenagers.

I'm hoping that American Horror Story continues its excellency. I think it has the chance to stay along for a long time with its horror focus changing every season. There are plenty of opportunities for horror focuses besides haunted houses and insane asylums!

Looper (2012)

If you're looking for a Sci-fi action movie that's well done, then look no further than Looper. I really liked this movie. It has an interesting storyline, action, but not too much blood.

Looper is set in the future around the year 2042. Time travel has been created and a lot of shady business goes down because of it. By the year 2074, mobs begin using the time travel devices to capture those who they want to murder and send them back to an assigned Hitman (the Looper) who shoots and kills whoever is sent back. However, things start to get weird for some of the hitmen if the mob decides to transport hitmen's future selves back to their present selves, which is called 'closing the loop.' Joe the Looper has to deal with this experience, but his experience gets a bit out of hand when his former self arrives.

I don't want to go too much into the story because I don't want to ruin it for anyone. I hardly knew anything about this movie before deciding to watch it. I had watched a few trailers, but didn't read any reviews before watching and I'm happy I did that. All I'm going to say is that the little kid in the movie who plays Cid gives a brilliant performance. One of the best I've ever seen and I've watched a ton of movies. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Jeff Daniels, and Emily Blunt all give great performances, too, but not as great as the kid. He was the star!