Contagion by Steven Gonzales

Contagion seemed to be a movie of epic proportions when I first saw the commercials on television. And it proved to be just that.

The movie follows in the footsteps of viral related movies of the past. The virus was not one that would ultimately turns its victims into the brain hungry Undead that we all love and adore, but a virus of absolute and unavoidable death.

The movie started out absolutely confusing because of its use of chronologically timed events, but in time it became more intriguing and caused me to worry less about how the virus started, but instead to become more focused on the people dropping like flies. No matter how annoying the people who sat behind us may have been, it was a very well explained movie and easy to follow.

Now, let me begin to go on about how devastating and amazing effects of the killer virus. The story follows after Matt Damon’s wife and stepson die suddenly around the same time that a video of a man, suddenly dropping to the floor of a bus and seizing before he died suddenly dropping to the floor of a bus and seizing before he died shortly afterwards, that had gone viral (no pun intended). I found Damon’s intense denial of their deaths to be quite humorous and extremely disturbing. I thoroughly expected him to cry like a baby after he learned about the deaths of his wife and stepson.

The autopsy of Damon’s wife was one of the more interesting parts of the movie because it raised several questions but it also showed how horrible the virus had become. The virus had an apparent ability to inflame and dematerialize the lining of the brain which caused a total homeostatic meltdown of the human body, destroying the lungs and brain which shut off all ability to live. The most notable effects of the virus are displayed by the speed at which it reproduces and the sheer number of deaths that it is responsible for. So many people are killed in fact, that one northern state completely runs out of body bags. It becomes a viral holocaust.

What the movie lacked in my opinion, was chaos. There was a considerable amount of destruction around the world, yet there wasn’t as much as one would imagine considering that a plague of death is roaming around every corner. There was indeed people roaming the streets killing, looting and breaking into buildings to obtain food and supplies. And as people would expect, the government shut down major cities and quarantined people and reserved supplies for the highest bidders, causing certain people to speak out against government officials and create mass propaganda.

Overall, the movie was how I expected it to be, and it was good. Matt Damon served a very small role in this movie however, and I believe that human beings would go far more insane than the movie portrayed. As well as the fact that the movie didn’t display enough infected cities to prove how devastating or how fast the virus was. I still found the movie to be very good and recommend that everyone go and see it.


B-

This review was written by Steven Gonzales, a correspondent for Makenzie's Movie Reviews

Contagion

I am not much of a germaphob, but from the time this movie started until I finally started typing my review I had applied a generous amount of Germ-X to my hands five times and counting.

So, where do I begin? Well it is obvious that this is a film about a mysterious virus that begins to take thousands upon thousands of victims world wide, and there appears to be no known cure to stop it. Mass hysteria sparks fear into people all over the planet, and all the inflicted people all suffer the same symptoms but from where it originated is annoymous.

One thing that I particularly liked about this film is that from the get-go, the 'contagion' had already began. You didn't know how it was spreading, how people were susceptible to it, and from where it is was coming from. The theme of fear was very heavy and happened very early on. Like, Gwenyth Paltow dies within the first ten minutes. That really surprised me that people were going to start dying that fast! At first I was a little skeptical that they had done that too quickly, back after watching the entire movie it is self-evident and needed.
Also, speaking of Paltrow's death, her husband (Damon) didn't seem too upset, in some ways. He just seemed really mad and didn't show emotinal anguish. I was expecting tears and weeping when he discovered that his wife and step-son had mysteriously perished, but it was just really anger. So I wanted to see a little more reaction out of that. It is seen later on, but not initially.

The acting was pretty good. Damon was alright, Gwenyth Paltrow was great for the short amount of time she was on the screen; I think Kate Winslet did a fantastic job as the doctor driven by her goal to find a cure for the virus that she allowed herself to be vulnerable. Laurence Fishburne was also very good as the agent who worked alongside Winslet. Jude Law was also fair in the film, and overall, the acting was decent; I think it was a great cast selection, though most of them I would have never imagined in a science thriller sucha as this, so I found it slighlty ironic!

I do like how they showed the chronological order of how the virus all began and the cycle that followed. That was really good! It really showed in detail just show quickly the virus could spread, and I really liked the very end....which if you are curious you must go to the movie and see for yourself.

What I really wanted to see out of this movie was the fear of the virus, and the effects it had on people. This area was met partially. I just wanted to see more of the mass hysteria and more of the viral spreading; sure, I know it spread throught the whole world, but it never presented that evidence. It mainly focused on 4 or 5 major cities where the contagion was believed to be harboring and passed, but if it was infecting millions of people I wanted to see it. So I think a portion of the film was lacking in some ways. I wanted to see more. Yes, it did show some ruckess and chaos, but not what I was picturing in my mind.
I think the final destruction of the virus died out too fast; yes, it did take more than a year to finally find a cure, but I feel the contagion dwindled too quickly. I wanted to see it linger perhaps a bit longer or something. What I am really trying to say is....SHOW MORE OF THE GERM!!!

The movie just appeared to be lacking in some ways; there seemed to holes that needed to be filled. But on the contrary, the other portions of the movie were met excellently, such as the scientists working to acutally find out what this virus really was. I think that was explained pretty well. I never was confused throughout the movie, so they did a good job of explaining in full detail.

Overall, it is a good movie; I would recommend it to virtually anyone who isn't a germaphob, and you can decide for yourself. There wasn't anything astronomically phenomenal about this film, and at the same time I wouldn't mind going to see it again. It falls right in between of the two categories. So in the end, I feel they could have made some slight adjustments to enhance and improve the movie, but for what they presented I was impressed. Now I am going to go wash my hands......

B

Cloverfield

I never really had intentions to review this film, since I had only heard it a few times and had absolutely no idea about what this movie was about. However attending a friend's birthday party and this was the film of choice, I sat back in my chair and tried to watch attentively. I said tried because it was slightly hard to hear over the mingled voices and the extremely boisterous voice of my friend Gonzo shouting out the movie's plot =D. Nevertheless, I was indeed able to watch the movie, with a little help now and then from my friend Troy giving me the insight as to what was going on when I couldn't hear (lol). So I will cease my aimless rambling and begin my review.

At first, I was a little confused about the film being all from a video camera and it being a documentary. The beginning was a little slow, I have to say but it picked up tempo as the film progressed. After a while, I began to enjoy the first-hand encounter side and thought it made the movie interesting. It produced another side to the movie that I don't think a regular set film could produce. It gave the illusion that you were experiencing the horror right along with them. However, I would be lying if I said it didn't make me dizzy a few times :).

It would be an understatement to say the film was intense. I was on the edge of my seat from the time that the "earthquake" had happened at the party. It was suspenseful, and had me guessing what was going to happen next. It had a right amount of humor that thankfully wasn't too overwhelming, plenty of enough action and just a hint of romance to make a very well-rounded movie. Which leads to my next discussion topic....the plot.

I actually really liked the plot. At first I didn't understand really where this film was headed, so if one wasn't observant the whole entire time you may not understand where the film will take you. So attentivness is required for this film, but that isn't really a setback. It is pretty obvious that a huge unknown beast is completely tearing NYC to shreds. But I like how they were able to intertwine the aspects of the movie together, i.e. the humor, terror and romance.



The visual effects were pretty awesome, I must say. It looked believable, and if I was to see a HUGE prehestoric monster make a buiding fall down like it is a pile of cards, I would have had a heart attack right then and there.

So the CGI was convincing, yet I wanted to see more of the monster. I don't think they showed quite enough of it. Also, I really wanted to see the actual attacking of the monster take place. I was looking forward to the bombings and and army shooting at it and the whole enchillada! I think, too, that perhaps the origin and/or the type of species of the monster could have been discussed. I would have been interested to know things like that, but I know that would have been difficult. But overall, it was pretty well put together.

So, since this is obviously not a new movie, I am going to basically say that I thoroughly enjoyed this film and would recommend it to pratically anyone. When I say anyone, I refer to people who like horror/sci-fi films. Those who are all googley-eyed over romance movies should look elsewhere, because even though the movie does have somewhat of a love story, it is not that heavy.
My overall review of this movie is that it is really good, but I think it could have been a little longer. A little bit more length could have given it time to use more explanation and perhaps made the idea alot more clearer.
Regardless, it's a good movie where a hideous thing decapitates the Statue of Liberty...need I say more? Go see it and be terrified!

B+

New Ideas & Suggestions

The picture is just for decoration. One thing about me is that I am really random and pretty goofy. I had just sprayed down my room with this stuff and I set it down right beside me on my desk. And it smells AWESOME! But moving on....
Alright, well as y'all have noticed I have not produced any reviews lately. I try to review and critique movies that are in theatres, but since I can't go to the movies everyday I appear to be in doo-doo. So, that is why I need some consent!
Maybe there is a new TV show, novel, book series or something I could review. I can think of a few, but before I begin anything I want to see what y'all have to say. Just say what y'all what like to see and what I could do to make my reviews more interesting, ect.
I would love to hear anything I can do that would be interesting to review.
So...yeah....that's about it! I would just love to hear some suggestions and ideas =D.

Winnie The Pooh

Cute, Funny, Charming, Enlightening, Heartwarming....need I say more?
Of course, this movie entails the adventures of everybody's favorite bear and all his animal friends, and their human owner, Christopher Robin.
This movie was just so cute and adorable; I laughed so hard until my makeup was smeared across my face and my jaws hurt from smiling so widely.

I feel this movie is suited for all age groups-obviously little kids will love this movie, but one thing that surprised me about this movie is that the humor in this film was not sappy or cheesy at all. It was down right hilarious and I found myself on several occasions gasping for air. Then again, I laugh at anything pretty much, but you get the point. I went with my Sunday School class and we are all big Winnie The Pooh fans, and people at the movie basically consisted of High Schoolers and adults, with a few little kids, too. So, don't feel like one can be too old to go see a Winnie The Pooh film; I am actually attempting to convince my 14 year old brother and 9 year old cousin to go see it, and I think they really want to go see it, but they fear their masculinity is at stake if they are caught at this film.
OMG-Go watch this funny movie and enjoy yourself.

The plot was very easy to follow, and the film possessed a very good story line that was, once again, too cute and entrancing. The movie actually had a moral to it, and I just credit Disney for this wonderful adaption of Winnie the Pooh.
People who grew up loving Winnie The Pooh, such as me, will absolutely love this movie and should not be disappointed in the slightest.

That's really all I can say. Just a fantastic movie about the world famous bear and the "rumbly in his tumbly". I recommend this movie to anybody, and I am sure that no one can't possibly not laugh and find this film extremely heartwarming. I am a big kid at heart, so you can only imagine how loud my laughter was in the small theatre. GO SEE WINNIE THE POOH!!!!

A+

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

After ten years of movies, magic and worldwide phenomena, the Harry Potter series will have finally came to a bittersweet closure. This last movie will inevitably be the final installment of this amazing franchise, and it saddens me to know that Monday, July 11, 2011, would have been the last time I step into a movie theatre to see a HP film opening. This melancholy reality makes HP fans everywhere upset over how the end has finally come. I will never forget the first time I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  I started to read and read, and quickly found myself transported to a magical realm that only imagination could bring someone. The first time I saw a HP film, I was only at the mere age of ten, and was completely memorized by the film where wands casted spells, a school of wizardry was real, and a boy with a lightning bolt scar defeated the odds to beat the bad guy. HP has been a huge part of my life, especially as an inspiration for me as a writer. It has expanded my imagination, and has given me many wonderful memories, such as my obsessed friends and I having HP trivia contests. Oh...good times.
But now, I cannot keep reminiscing down memory lane. HP has captivated the world, and it shall do it one last time. So without further ado, here is my last review of a HP film.

Synopsis:
In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry Potter who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort.
(cited from http://www.harrypotter.warnerbros.com/)

WOW. That was all my brain could process during the movie. WOW. It was absolutely fantastic! It inquired all the important scenes in the book, and made them all beyond what I ever thought of them to be.
The fight scenes were epic, the stakes were high, Harry either had to surrender himself to Voldemort in order to beat him, or...what? Oh, the irony!
The chronology of events in the movie was easy to follow, and benefited the movie greatly. The transitions were smooth, and very understandable. Bottom line, just a fantastic movie.

The Battle of Hogwarts scenes were fantastic. Death Eaters V.S. Good Guys was pretty evident. Not only that, but they were just brilliantly created and directed. They were awesome! This was pretty much the climax of the film, so you could literally just feel the tension as it rose for Harry to either continue to fight of surrender himself to Voldemort.
At first, I thought that when they did the airal shot over Voldemort and the Death Eaters, I thought they were trees! I did not expect that there would be so many of them! They just hightened the drama, especially when the fight scenes began. Woo! Even though I had read the book several times as the obsessed HP nerd like I am, I was still anxious and on the edge of my seat, and I knew how it would all work out!

If any of the HP movies made me almost cry, it was this one. Especially when Harry walked through the Great Hall to find some of his best friends dead-thank goodness I am not one to cry much, or it would have been water works. And when Harry says goodbye to Hermione & Ron before venturing into the Dark Forest, there were a good number of people tearing up in the theatre. Especially when Ron wept for his brother Fred-I didn't cry in the theatre, but I cried when I read the book!
The point is, the book had very emotional and sad parts, so I am glad that they made the dramatic scenes heart-pulling and made you feel for the characters. So when a movie can connect with its audiences, we know that the film was doing something right.

This film has a little bit of everything; I didn't expect the film to be so funny! There were some parts that were just hilarious! I was a little afraid that incooperating humor into a very dark and serious film would make the film quality suffer. However, it did the opposite! They added comic relief when it was avaliable, made me laugh, then continued on.
The action was fantastic, highlighting the most important scenes, but still showing brief parts of scenes that may not have made much into the film.
I absolutely love how they showed the depth of the internal conflict Harry is enduring. He has so much pressure & stress on him, and he has to race against the clock to find all the Horcruxes to finally destroy Voldemort. You can defintely see the emotional & internal fights he is facing within him. Fantastic!
I am glad that they showed Ron & Hermonie's gradual relationship; I always had a feeling that they would end up together in the end while reading the book, so to finally see it, I was happy!
Oh, I can't forget about Harry & Ginny-all I can say is...awwww =D.

The acting was phenomenal. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, & Rupert Grint were absolutely fantastic as the 3 main characters throughout these 10 years. They could not have found a better Harry Potter, Hermonie Granger, & Ron Weasley. Their acting in this film was just fantastic, especially Radcliffe's, since it is focused on him. This film's role defintely presented many challenges in its complexity, but he nailed it! He has never failed as Harry Potter. The three of them just bring so much life into their characters; just fantastic.
Ralph Fiennes was also fantastic as Voldemort. He defintely creeped me out and I could almost feel the evil come off of him. Since he was also a lead role, I wanted to praise his performance.
Besides the main four, people such as: Matthew Lewis (Neville), Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix), Alan Rickman (Snape), Bonnie Wright (Ginny); David Thewlis (Lupin) & Maggie Smith (McGonagall), Michael Gambon (Dumbledore), Evanna Lynch (Luna), and Tom Felton (Draco) all performed very well.
The more minor characters: Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley), Warwick Davis (Griphook/Flitwick), Helen McCrory (Narcissa Malfoy), Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy), and Ciaran Hinds (Aberforth), also delivered very good performances.
Overall, the acting was flawless.
Now, unfortunately, I did find a few miniscule things that I must put on the table that I felt the movie could have done a little better.

1) When Voldemort died, it wasn't very monumnetal. He just withered away and that was the end. What the heck!? Hello! Voldemort, the appitamy of evil and destruction who had just tried to take over the world, is dead! I think more of a reaction from the remaining people at Hogwarts could have celebrated as they did in the book, or something of the sort. It just seemed a little too not emphasized enough for me. They should have made it a little more excited & a really big deal, which it was.

2) They didn't exactly focus much on the Deathly Hallows. Even though the movie is mainly focused on the Horcruxes, the Deathly Hallows is still an important aspect of the film/book. However, for me, the Deathly Hallows seemed pushed in the shadows and barely visible in the film at all. Yes, the Elder Wand is obviously a big part of the film, but what happened to the cloak of invisibility? I know that the Resurrection Stone appears when Harry is prepared to go into the forest, but why leave the invisbility cloak out of it!?
I think they should have elaborated a little more on the Deathly Hallows, since the name of the film/book is called The Deathly Hallows .

3) When Harry died, I wish there could have been more of a reaction out of the Hogwarts crowd. Ginny screams and looks distraught, and Hermione tears up a bit, but no one really freaks out much. I mean, their best friend & potential hero is now dead (or they think he is). I think there should have been more tears and a dramatic effect from them, instead of showing initial shock, then not doing much after that.

Other than those tiny little things, this movie was fantastic and defintely did the book justice. They closed this series out on a very high and great note, and I am more than pleased to say that this film blew me away, and it just may be the best HP film ever made. This has everything a devoted HP fan will want and expect out of this film: action, trial, death, romance...ect. I believe no one could possibly not love this film, and although the movie was awesome, I can't believe it is finally over! (Pathetic sobbing).
C'mon, J.K. Rowling! The whole world would be so over-joyed if somehow, you could come out with another magical book series! We can only hope =D.
Bottom line: GO SEE THIS FILM. You will not be disappointed, especially all those HP fans out there, like me. It really was fantastic and stupendous! David Yates, and the HP direction crew, job well done. Fantastic finish to end the franchise....oh how much I really hate saying "the end."
Oh, and by the way, I started a group on facebook called "I am a Harry Potter Nerd." I assume it was a spur of the moment thing, in the midst of still being fired up about the early press screening on Monday. But, if I could get more people to join, instead of just me, that would be great! So check out.....please =D !

A

The Dark Knight

Blown away. Extraordinary. Epic. Phenomenal. Need I say more? This film has a little bit of everything and more: action, drama, thriller, superhero, romance, and just down right awesome! The Dark Knight is definitely to-date, the best "super-hero" movie my eyes have yet to witness. This film is in its own category, and nothing has yet to come close to the supremacy of The Dark Knight.

How can I even begin to describe The Dark Knight? This film just totally blows out every other super-hero movie ever made. It's epic, fantastic, on the edge-of-your-seat thrilling! I believe that it is truly one of the best films of all time, and most of the world's population would agree.

The first thing that I admire about this film is that it isn't a predictable film at all. It always leaves you questioning what's about to happen and keeps you wanting to know more. Whenever I thought a particular thing would happen, I was completely taken by surprise. Most superhero films in the past were extremely predictable; the same chronology of events can always be seen-bad guy wrecks havoc, good guy saves the day and gets the girl. The end. This is not at all the case in The Dark Knight.
For example, whenever everybody was under the impression that Gordon had been killed by the Joker at the parade, everyone gets blown away when he comes back from hiding to reveal himself capturing the Joker. I would have never suspected that at all! I thought he was dead and done for.
I absolutely love how Chris Nolan used the element of surprise in this film. It always left you guessing and on the edge of your seat!

The story line was incredible. It amazes me how this entire idea was all devised and invented within the mind of Chris Nolan. He has some imagination! What I liked the most about the movie is that it had a real-life possibility to it, as in it seemed like it could actually happen in reality. It wasn't at all your usual super-hero film. It involved mobs, anarchy, vigilantism, police and things that have problems in reality. I love how they incorporated Batman and the Joker into the mix of all these real life dilemmas.
I also like how they molded the character of the Joker, the twisted and psychotic genius villain. His mission was not to kill his opponent or to actually take over a city. His sole purpose was to pin everybody against everybody and send Gotham into spiraling chaos and anarchy. He got into people's minds and even got the most noblest of people to fall, such as Harvey Dent.
I also loved the internal struggle that Batman/Bruce Wayne faces: he is torn between the duty to protect the city from this madman, but his very actions are what hurting people and in so, damaging him, as well. I just can't describe enough how excellent this film was!
The entire knitting of the film is remarkable. The aspect of the film is just incredible and simply just has an amazing story line that blows me away.

I love how they ended The Dark Knight to set up the next film. Gotham is literally in chaos, Gotham's finest have fallen, and Bruce Wayne finds himself fighting an internal conflict as the entire city points the finger of blame at Batman. It was a bittersweet and rather depressing ending, but a fantastic ending it was!
The entire film was prodigious and there is nothing negative I can say about it at all!

The acting was phenomenal. Christian Bale was flawless as the tormented Bruce Wayne and delivered an outstanding performance.
Heath Ledge blew me away. This was such a dark and challenging role to take on, and he could not have done it any better. It was absolutely amazing how he tackled the Joker, and I wish I had more to say but I can't form into words how awesome his performance was!!
Micheal Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman also delivered fantastic performances. I personally feel that Gyllenhaal was a much more suited Rachael Dawes then Katie Holmes. Nevertheless, she performed exellently. They all did stupendous performances.
I was very impressed with Aaron Eckhart as the D.A. Harvery Dent. He was an excellent selection for this role and did a great job; he turned from being the noble leader to a twisted and bent on revenge "two-face."
Quick fact: I like how they did Two-Face and Joker in the film. I liked how you really don't know how Joker came to look as he did, especially the scar indented to resemble a smile.
I love how they still incopporated Two-Face's coin into the film, which actually worked very well into the film with a burnt side and a normal side! Fantastic! I also like how he became Two-Face with half his face consumed by burnt flesh and bone. Much better than the dipiction of Two-Face in the '90s.

I am a big fan of Gary Oldman & Michael Caine from previous films, and like the others, did not disappoint me at all!

Bottom line: this film cannot be compared to any other film every made! It has everything that any person of any movie taste will enjoy. It is just an incredible film that happens to be my favorite movie!
Warner Brothers-there are high expectations for this next sequel, and will be quite an obstacle to top The Dark Knight, but anything is possible and I wait in eager expectation for its premiere in 2012!! This film towers high above all other superhero movies!! I wish I had more to say on this film, but it is hard to form into words how epically awesome this movie is!! Go watch it!

A+