Taking a Second Look at Movies - Drive (2011) [Spoilers]

When I first saw Drive I was 17 years old and it was only a year after the movie came out, which meant there was still a good bit of hype around it. It was one of those movies that created a cult following the moment it stopped being shown in theaters. Today I want to talk about how my opinion of the movie changed when I re-watched it this year, and how re-watching a movie can change your perception of it.

(Ryan Gosling's character drives a getaway car)

When I first saw the movie I thought that it was about a mysterious driver fighting against an evil mafia family in order to protect the woman he loves. I thought Ryan Gosling's unnamed character was for lack of a better word, an absolute 'bad-ass'. I wanted to be just like the cool, shiny jacket wearing, driving hero that Gosling had portrait.


(The unnamed character's most famous [and most repeated] line)

After re-watching the movie, I realized it's a film about an absolute sociopath, who works multiple shady jobs including robbing businesses, and kills almost everyone who comes too close. His reasoning for some of his actions at first seem honorable and justifiable, until your realize how insane those actions are. Take this scene, for example.


(Our hero protects the woman he loves from an evil suit)

Gosling's character feels that his life is threatened and pushes aside his love interest before kissing her. The poorly dressed mafia member then tries to attack the lovably dull couple and the satin jacket-toting driver defends them. Or at least, that's what you might think at first.


(The driver steps on the man's head 30 + times)

In reality, the driver attacks the man first because he noticed he had a gun on him. Instead of knocking him out and spouting a cheeky pun like you'd get in a bond movie, our 'hero' stomps in the other man's head until multiple crunches are heard and his leather boot is now touching the floor. His love interest runs off in horror, and because he doesn't know how to communicate normally with people, he stands there covered in blood. This is just one of many scenes that changed for me when I watched it recently, without as much of a need to focus on the intended story.


(The face of a hero? Gosling's character after another kill)

Now this isn't saying that I dislike the movie, I like it just as much as I did when I first saw it. What I'm trying to suggest it that some movies can change a lot after a few years. Re-watch that old favorite of yours again, and let me know how it held up today, and if anything changed.

Media Buzz New Movie Spotlight

John Wick Chapter Two 

The original John Wick release in 2014, was a throwback to classic beat’em up action movies. Movies like Death Wish (1974), Commando (1985) and a kin to more modern hits like The Raid (2011) and The Raid 2 (2014)

This film picks up just two weeks after the first film left off with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) exacting his revenge on those who murdered his dog and stole his car. John Wick Chapter two is a return to form for not only the action, but the expansive world building set up in the first film.

Director Chad Stahelski comes back to direct the sequel, too much success. The story expands the narrative and characters beyond the scenery of New York in the first movie and elevates them into to a place that sets up an interesting future for the franchise.

The Lego Batman Movie 

Warner Bros Animation established the LEGO movie franchise as not just the cash grab it was first seen as when The Lego Movie first released in 2014. With the overwhelming talent of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, The Lego Movie was well received by both critics and audience and was a financial success.

One of the breakout characters of the movie was the Lego representation of the Batman character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. A more comedic take on the character voiced by Arrested Development actor Will Arnett.  The characterization of this particular of Batman puts a positive spin on the darker elements of Batman’s history.

Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the director of The Lego Movie take an executive producer role and long-time animation director Chris McKay takes on his first feature film with The Lego Batman Movie.

The Lego Batman Movie is a celebration of the 78 year history that include a variety of villains (some more notable than others) and heroes. If you have any love for The Dark Knight himself, The Lego Batman Movie is right up your alley, but not the alley where Batman’s parents got shot …. That’s a bad alley!

Comment below on what you think of these movies or recommend some new ones .

Why Apple Music is Worth Your Money

                If you know me, you know that music is something very near and dear to my heart. But if you know me, you also know I like to save money wherever I can. The fact that I can listen to music without paying a dime really provokes me, and I must say, I got away with it for quite a long time. I started off downloading music onto my very first iPod in elementary school, using torrent websites. However, that was super time consuming, and I eventually evolved to music apps instead. Apps like Playtube, iTube, (whatever kind of tube you can think of, really) will allow you to cache songs using the internet, and then play them without internet, wherever you go. This was my ideal way of listening to music for years, up until about 3 months ago.

              I was completely fine using these apps, until I realized that you can run into a few problems. One being the most obvious reason – legality. Not only is it just illegal to download most music, but you are also stealing from the artist. Honestly, that part never bothered me too much (possibly just because I’m envious of their success and fortune), but there are definitely singers/songwriters that I respect enough to feel guilty about not paying for their music.

            Another issue I had was legitimately saving these songs. You may have them on your phone at your disposal now, but who’s to say the app won’t crash and lose everything? What if you need a new phone? What if a shit-disturber friend thinks it would be funny to delete the app? Not to mention that most of these apps get found out about and basically shut down for copyright. Music occupies about 20GB of my phone space; it just wasn’t a dependable option for me. So, without doing much research or even asking people who have experience with it, I subscribed for Apple Music.

            Apple Music is $9.99 a month standard, but there are plans for families and students as well. The student rate is $4.99 a month, which could help me a lot in the long run, but I just couldn’t be bothered to try and prove to Apple that I actually am a student. Ten dollars a month is not a lot of money in retrospect, considering I used to buy the occasional full album on iTunes if I enjoyed majority of it. Why spend ten dollars on one album, when I can pay that for an unlimited amount of music?

           Apple Music would not have been an option for me if it required internet and couldn’t actually download the music to your device (ain’t nobody got data for that). On the other hand, this means a lot of storage may be needed. I think my favourite aspect of all is iCloud. Bless the Cloud!!! This means all my downloaded music is saved in thin air and will follow me through the depths of time hopping from device to device so I may always conveniently be able to break out the Hoedown Throwdown when necessary.

          My only complaint would be that it isn’t YouTube. Apple Music does not have every song/artist/album out there. There’s a decent amount, but being the masters of innovation, I’m sure they could give us a little bit more than what we got. That being said, it’s still easy to use, reliable, and gets the job done. 

Scaredy-Cat's Guide to Horror Movies: An Editorial

My love for the horror genre runs deep. It’s almost exclusively the only thing I watch – but it wasn’t always like this. There was a time when I was a big scaredy-cat. 

For the majority of my childhood, I was simply terrified of scary movies. I couldn’t even watch a trailer without having nightmares, let alone an entire movie. I would have to change the channel immediately, or else a week of sleepless nights would follow. 

My fear of scary movies also comes with a few embarrassing stories. One time in seventh grade a classmate was having a birthday party during which all the kids wanted to watch The Vacancy. At first I played it cool, but about ten minutes into the movie I was already trembling with fear, so I did what any scaredy-cat would do – I crawled out of the dark room on my hands and knees in order to avoid detection, and spent the rest of the night in the kitchen drinking tea with the classmate’s mom. Talk about lame!

Now I can’t explain when or even why it happened, but at some point around the age of 15 I slowly started getting over my fear of horror movies. Actually it wasn’t that slow; it was more like a switch went off in my head and suddenly, I wasn’t afraid anymore. Maybe it was when I realized that reality is far scarier than some of the most notorious horror movies, but if I had to guess, I would credit my transformation to my friend, who sat me down to watch Amityville Horror one night and added his hysterical comedic commentary the whole way through. 

I couldn’t stop laughing to the point where my sides were hurting and tears were streaming down my face, and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t afraid. He taught me how to laugh in the face of fear. 

A lot of horror movies are actually quite silly; you just have to find the comedy behind it. Once I realized how funny some of these movies really are, my perspective changed entirely, turning me into the horror movie junkie that I am today.

          

Movies I'll never get sick of

Mean Girls (2004)

A movie I have seen hundreds of times in high school and in my spare time. A teen movie that we all have connected with on some level (even if we don't want to admit it.)

Rotten Tomatoes: 84%

Groundhog Day (1993) 

A classic comedy that repeats groundhog day over and over again. Just so happens to be a movie i'd watch over and over again.

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

The Mask (1994)

One of my favourite Jim Carrey movies that always makes me laugh and is a classic that I love. Never going to get sick of that laugh he does throughout the movie. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 77%

The Matrix (1999)

Probably one of the only science fiction movies I will never stop watching. Great story line, action filled, and CGI work was great for the year made- The Matrix speaks for itself.

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%  

Step Brothers (2008)

The newest movie I have on my list even though it came out 9 years ago. Don't know what it is about this movie but makes me laugh every time I watch it. Will Ferrell and John Reilly working together was a great way to make this movie a rewatch. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 55% 

The Lion King (1994)

Of course I had to throw in a animated movie. Best classic Disney movie to this day (in my opinion.) Everyone knows this movie and loves it, no doubt a movie no one can ever get sick of. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% 

White Chicks (2004)

Having a stupid funny sense of humour is one of the reasons why this is in my top 5 movies and the reason why I will rewatch it, just to make me laugh. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 15% 

Back to the Future (1985)

Giving us a glimpse of the future, this classic movie I watched growing up and will continue to watch. Out of the movies I chose it has the highest rating according to Rotten Tomatoes and I couldn't agree more. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 96%

The Dangers of Singularity

         Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a steadily growing trend in television, movies, books, and technology. Ever played a video game? Ever asked Siri a question? AI is everywhere and constantly impacts our lives whether you are aware of it or not.

             Video games are one of the most commonly known forms of artificial intelligence considering video game AI has been used since the first games were invented. However, technology is rapidly advancing and so is the intricacy of the games. I don’t think we have truly appreciated the fact that we currently have video games with characters that are able to learn and adapt themselves based off of your own behaviours. Anything that involves computers thinking for themselves just spooks me, really. Not to mention that you can also experience these things in a Virtual Reality….

             Despite how cool these technological upgrades may seem, they could also be putting us in danger of Singularity. To put in simple terms, Singularity is essentially the event where/when technology outsmarts humans. The development of this “superintelligence” is closer to us than you’d think.

            Unfortunately we can’t predict the future (nor the technology that will be around in 5, 10, or 20 years) so it’s hard to say that the day superintelligence is created will be day the human race is doomed forever. However, almost any information you can find on singularity anticipates it to be a disastrous event out of our control. But I guess there is only so much we can do as individuals to stop this.

          Regardless of all the horror that now harbors inside of my bones, Artificial Intelligence is still an undoubtedly fascinating concept. The ever so popular (and one of my favs) Black Mirror TV series, demonstrates many profound repercussions that could come of all this futuristic technology (definitely a must-watch). Technology is cool to use, scary to think about, but an undeniably strong force. 

Samsung is better than Iphone

The Samsung vs IPhone debate, is a debate that can go on for a decade. I mean IPhone’s are cool but they are very limited compared to all the things you can do with a Samsung. Samsung opens you up to a whole new world. IPhone’s are known to be delicate phones, that break easily when dropped. Samsung overcomes this issues by being a little bit thicker but just as light, durability is key when manufacturing these phones. Customization is also a big part of owning a phone, you want your phone to look and operate how you want always. 

Samsung gives people the ability to make each phone different from the other. With customizations, such as third party keyboards that allow you to change the design, font, and colour of your keyboard. OR if people want to a drastic change they can make their phone look identical to a windows computer layout. With an IPhone the only customization that can be made is moving apps around and changing screensavers…. Samsung also has multi tasking tool that allows you to have two applications open at once. Watching a YouTube video and texting a best friend at the same time is possible with Samsung, people no longer have to pause their video to reply to a message. 

The last thing that makes Samsung ahead of Iphone is the fact that there is an option for expandable memory. Instead of using a storage cloud which isn’t always trust worthy. You can back up your images on external memory devices. The IPhones come with limited storage and it was proven in 2014 that Apples I cloud Storage is not that safest source of Storage. This was proven when numerous celebrity pictures were leaked online because they put their trust in Apples Cloud Storage. Apple gets credit for having processors in their phone that are a little bit faster and for having I message but other than that Samsung takes the cake.

Snowpiercer Review

Snowpiercer is science fiction movie set in the years following a great climate disaster which has set the planet into a deep freeze. The only thing that can still harbor life is a fully equipped train that circles the globe fully once a year. The train is split into different parts and each part houses a different class of people. There is the poor in the back of the train, who live in squalor under tyrannical rule in order to keep them in line and from rebelling and there is the higher classes closer to the front of the train who live in luxury. Finally the mysterious conductor at the very front. The protagonist Curtis Everett played by Chris Evans plans to lead a revolt to the front of the train and overthrow the established order.

The film covers intense action scenes of violence as well as the twisted and heart wrenching world in which the people of the train live. If you are a fan of action movies or thrillers do not miss this film! It's not often an idea so original is brought to the big screen and I highly encourage you to watch it. It is available on Netflix for the time being so watch it while you can.

Apple AirPods - From NOPE to DOPE.

Apple AirPods. You know, those toothbrush looking fully wireless earbuds that everyone makes fun of online? Well, guess what... They are Apple's tech product sleeper hit of late 2016 and early 2017.

When I first saw them, I thought "yeah those look cool, but they probably won't even fit in my ears". While I do like Apple's wired EarPods, they tend to always fall out for me. When I'm sitting still, walking or running, they ALWAYS fall out. That was the biggest concern for me, especially at $200+ CAD. The reviews came out and people said these earbuds were amazing, and they did in fact stay in for users that had trouble with EarPods. So, I bought them. But let's talk about the price first. So the fully wireless headphone market is quite sparse, and all options either suck, or actually cost MORE than Apple's AirPods - The Samsung Gear IconX, Bragi Dash and others for example. So when people say AirPods are too costly, wait till you see the alternatives.

The AirPods actually do work for me very well. They stay in, are light and the overall hardware package is very well designed. The earbuds sound surprisingly good, and do a lot of things right. Sure, they look a bit weird - well very weird when in your ears - and for most consumers are a bit costly, but regardless, this is the future. The future is a fully wireless world where struggling with untangling things and plugging things in is a thing of the past. For now it'll cost a lot and it'll piss off a lot of people, but trust me, In the long run this is what you'll come to love. That's how my view on the Apple AirPods went from NOPE to DOPE.

Top 3 Movie sequels of 2017

My top 3 movie sequels coming out in the theatres this year hves fans on edge. Over the last decade companies such as 20^th Century Fox, Sony pictures and Walt Disney have put out films that kept fans engaged and wanting more. The movies coming out in 2017 are destined to top their predecessors in the box office. Movie titles such as; Pirates Of the Carribean, War Of The Planet Of Apes and Guardians Of The Galaxy

3.

Pirates of the Caribbean Will be coming to theatres May 26,2017

This movie will be the 5^th installment of the franchise and it will continue to be centered around Protagonist Jack Sparrow ( Johnny Depp). Just like in the last movies Jack Sparrow will take you on an adventure full of laughter and confusion. Sparrow never fails to have somebody on his tail and in this movies as seen in the trailer, Sparrow stays true to character.

2.

War For The Planet Of The Apes will be coming to theatres July 14, 2017

The Planet of the Apes movies have come along way from the 1970s, in 2011 the first  reboot of the franchise appeared. I’m sure after watching these films people thought twice about looking at any Ape. These Films made people wonder if a Monkey Apocalypse was really possible. War For the Planet Of The Apes continues to show a thrilling feud between Ape and Man, and from the looks of it this movie is set to be even more action packed than previous films.

1.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2 will be coming to theatres May 5, 2017

Guardians Of The Galaxy is a little different from your typical superhero movie. The unorthodox group of heros come together for a second installment offering a humorous action packed movie. Who would’ve thought the fate of the Galaxy would be in the hands of some the Galaxy’s most wanted criminals. Marvel Studios have yet to fail us and this movie is an absolute must watch in 2017.

Why video games are good for you!

Why video games are good for you!

Guess what, am here to let you know why your mother is wrong about video games. Because in reality its making your life better! Ok better in certain ways lets explore them.

1.   Problem-solving skills

Ever thought of a problem you weren’t able to solve! Well guess what start playing video games now and it can actually help with boosting your problem-solving skills. Am sure all gamers can relate, have you ever been in at one boss fight or a level that frustrated you so much you were about to break your controller, and you just kept on dying and coming up with the new strategy every time. Well, that also problem-solving and video games can actually help improve yours.

      2. Help with stress

Ever felt stressed about life, and turned to your nearest liquor store. Instead of drinking and possibly going berserk why not just play video games. Video games just like movies offer and escape from reality, video games are also shown to improve mood and it helps you relax, games like angry birds well help you do that if you are looking to relax games like ninja gained black or dark souls won't help your cause.

3.      3. Teamwork & cooperation

So, you see your self-working with a team in the near future, that could be an advertising agency or your next major school project. Video games can actually help you in teamwork and cooperation if think it’s a joke then Seriously ask any League of legends or Dota 2 player, these games take a certain level of teamwork, in order for you to be successful at them, without teamwork you can only go so far in those games!

Ladies and gentlemen that’s it for this blog, so go nuts play video games because of its good for you.