Chernobyl Diaries Review
When I first saw the trailer for Chernobyl Diaries, my initial reaction was apprehension because it seemed like it was just another “found footage” film. It was, after all, written and produced by Oren Peli, the man behind Paranormal Activity. For some reason I keep going back to these types of films even though I can rarely sit though them. This is a topic I’ve touched on before, and each time I keep thinking that this film will be different….which can be interpreted as the definition of insanity. So with Chernobyl Diaries, naturally I thought, once again, that maybe I’ll be able to get through it without spending 80% of the film looking away from the screen.
Thankfully, the trailer was a little misleading on that front. The film focuses on four friends, Chris (Jesse McCartney), his brother Paul (Jonathan Sadowski), Chris’ girlfriend Natalie (Olivia Dudley) and her friend Amanda (Devin Kelley), who decide to go on an “Extreme Tourism” journey to the abandoned Ukrainian town of Pripyat. Pripyat was the former home of the Chernobyl workers and their families and has been desolate since the nuclear catastrophe that occurred in 1986. The four friends meet up with tour guide and ex-special forces soldier Uri (Dimitri Diatchenko) and two other travelers, Michael (Nathan Phillips) and Zoe (Ingrid Bolsø Berdal) and head to Pripyat only to be turned away by guards at a check point. Not ones to take no for an answer (which always leads to bad things), Uri finds a back way in to the creepy town and they all go exploring. Once night begins to fall however, it’s discovered that Uri’s van won’t start and the group is stuck there. As if that wasn’t bad enough, they also discover that they aren’t alone.
Game of Thrones Recap: Episode 2.08 – The Prince of Winterfell
Only two episodes are left and with them, the war that has been raging finally looks like it’s going to hit the shores of King’s Landing. This latest episode felt like it could and probably should have been a two-hour episode. With so much going on all over Westeros, little time was given to characters who would have benefited from a little more screen time. We haven’t seen Stannis in the last couple of episodes and we only get but a snippet of him this week. However, that being said, the small scene he did have, gave us more insight into his character than the sum of his screen time as a whole.
Every story has characters that you will loathe. But for me, it’s a rare occasion where there is a character whose face I wish I could rip off. It happened in the Harry Potter books, and it’s happening again now. Theon make me so mad I can’t even see straight. The final shot of last week’s episode where he hoisted the remains of the young boys up for all of Winterfell to see left me shocked and angry. Once I calmed down however, I questioned on if the remains were actually those of the Stark boys. We get the answer to that question in this latest episode and the action picks up in Winterfell.
Once Upon a Time Recap: Episode 1.22 – A Land Without Magic
The recap is a little late, but hey, better late than never right? I said last week that ABC was tight-lipped about whether or not they would grant this series a second season. Well official word finally came down on Friday that OUaT has in fact been renewed. I figured it would be, but you just never know these days. The networks are so finicky that nothing is safe unless it’s a stupid reality show. I’ll save that rant for another day.
I was worried about this episode ending in a cliffhanger, then not getting picked up again. Turns out I had nothing to worry about because A) it did get picked up and B) if it hadn’t, a simple edit of the ending would have tied things up nicely. So kudos to the writers for that.
Game of Thrones Recap: Episode 2.07 – A Man Without Honor
After last weeks episode being so strong as far as story and pacing goes, I went into this episode wondering if we’d get another stong episode. While I still love this show as much as I did at the very beginning I have felt at times that this season hasn’t held up as well as the first. There have been a few episodes that blew me away, while others not so much. This week we get to visit several places again and even get to see a face we haven’t seen since the season premier which was great. I felt that this episode flew right by once again, but it didn’t suffer from the same jumbled feeling that episode five did.
What this episode did have however, are some very powerful quieter moments. It’s those moments that show the quality that goes in to making something of this caliber. Not to mention the talent that lies within the actors who have to carry those moments on their shoulders. This week starts in the same place as last….in Winterfell.
Continue to read to full recap…
Fox Cancels Alcatraz, Renews Touch and ABC Stays Mum on Once Upon a Time
Well crap. I hate to say that this news doesn’t surprise me, but it doesn’t. Word came down yesterday that Fox has officially cancelled the J.J. Abrams produced Alcatraz. The bad news was reported by Deadline, who also stated that Fox decided to give Touch a second season. Also on the chopping block for the network is their new series The Finder, which airs right before Fringe.
Fox also gave the order to pick up three new comedies, and two dramas. I have a love hate relationship with television comedies. If they are more sitcom-y, forget it. I absolutely detest laugh tracks and refuse to watch them. If the comedies are more like New Girl or Raising Hope, then I’m all over it. As for the dramas, I getting a bit tired of the medical / police procedurals and that’s exactly what these new shows sounds like.
The Avengers and the dogs who look like them. HAHAHAHA!
Once Upon a Time Recap: Episode 1.21 – An Apple Red as Blood
Well, next week wraps up the first season of Once Upon a Time. This latest episode was written by the incredible Jane Espenson, and the equally incredible David Goodman. Both have been responsible for some of the season’s strongest episodes of the series thus far. The same can be said for director Milan Cheylov, who also directed the episode that gave us Belle.
This week, things really start to pick up steam as we head into the season finale next week. I don’t think they can just magically make Emma start to believe in everything by the end of next week’s episode. That would be too much. Instead I think they’re going to have her slowly see things differently and that’s what will do the trick. Official word on a second season still hasn’t been given however. Fingers crossed the finale gets enough viewers to convince the network to give it the go ahead. With the way this week ended, I imagine it will be a cliffhanger. If ABC pulls the plug, people are going to be pissed.
Game of Thrones Recap: Episode 2.06 – The Old Gods and the New
Last week I complained about how quickly paced the episode was. Events moved so quickly from location to location that the viewed were treated to nice case of whiplash. This week visits several places, but at least we’re given time to absorb what exactly is happening in each place. The tension is rising as we head into the back end of the season and with only four episodes left, I imagine it’s going to continue to build.
The Old Gods and the New had me from the first scene. While I was expecting it, and was prepared for the anger it would bring, I didn’t expect the episode to jump in with both feet. I should know by now that the writers don’t hold back and Vanessa Taylor, who penned this episode, started this episode out with a bang.
The Goddess Goodie Wrap – 5/4/12
The Goodie Wrap has been on hiatus for the last few weeks, but it’s back this week because today is May 4th. And with that I have to say….May the 4th be with you. Yes yes, I know it’s a horrible pun, but it makes me laugh regardless and I figured I should get in the spirit of things. For those who don’t care about Star Wars, I’ve thrown some things non-SW related as well. But of course I had to include a little bit of Star Wars….hence the picture below. Poor dog….he probably hates his owner and I’m sure he finds your lack of faith disturbing.
The Dark Knight Rises Gets a Third Trailer
July 20th is getting closer and closer, which means that the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga will come to a close. The third trailer was just released and after watching it three times, I’m still not quite sure how I feel about it. I’m probably one of the few who prefers Batman Begins, but I did love The Dark Knight. To give an example of how much I’m looking forward to TDKR, I drove 90 minutes to see Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol on IMAX just so I could see the six minutes of TDKR footage that was attached. It was worth it even if I couldn’t understand what the hell Bane was saying. But that’s all besides the point.
