Movie Review: Kingsman: The Secret Service

The recently released film Kingsman: The Secret Service happened to come to my local theater, so I decided to pop in and watch it. I didn't really have any preconceived notions about this movie, so my mind was totally open to taking it for what it was. And it was weird...
But first I'll give a quick summary, for those who have not seen Kingsman yet. The movie centers around the character Eggsy, a teenager whose father died during a mission when he was young. The same spy agency that employed his father recruits Eggsy into training to become one of their members. Meanwhile, tech-genius Richmond Valentine is plotting to take over the world with his mastermind plan, and Eggsy and the spy agency are the only ones who can stop him.
Overall, this movie did not impress me. I found the entire plot to be mind-numbing and extremely predictable. It was just like any typical action movie, with a bad guy that the good guy needs to stop. I also didn't like how Kingsman seemingly switched its entire aura about halfway through the film. It begins as a decent action movie with some really well-done comedy thrown in, but suddenly morphs into an overblown comedic fail of epic proportions. In other words, this movie didn't know whether it wanted to be an outrageous comedy or an action spy movie, and it bridged the two very poorly. Adding to this, the comedy in this movie was another negative aspect of it for me personally. To a degree, it worked, but especially towards the end of the movie it was just ridiculous. As someone who is very picky when it comes to the use of comedy in movies, I was not impressed with many of the funnier elements that they decided to include. I can't go into detail here without spoiling the plot, but let's just say that there were several things that were blown way over the top for me.
So after all that negativity, let me note that this movie did have some positive elements too. First, I thought that the fight scenes were very well done. They were choreographed well, and were visually impressive. I also rather enjoyed the character of Galahad, played by Colin Firth, and for me he was the only character that I really enjoyed in this film.
So, on an overall scale of things I was fairly unimpressed by Kingsman, and was disappointed with most of the aspects of it. Although it does have some positive elements, they are far outnumbered by the negatives. Perhaps if you have a different outlook when it comes to over-the-top comedy in movies you will enjoy this film more than I did, but for me personally I would not recommend Kingsman.

Rating: R

Genre: Spy/Action/Comedy

Run Time: 129 minutes

Release Date: February 13, 2015

My Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Book Review: Hysteria

Before I really get into reviewing the book Hysteria by Megan Miranda, let me preface by saying that this was quite a page turner for me. Does this fact automatically mean that I enjoyed it as a book? Not exactly, I'll get into all that later in my review. But Miranda has a certain way of writing that really got me caught up in the "what's going to happen next?" of this book. I probably read Hysteria in only three or four days, tops, due to this.
Okay, so what is this book about? It's written from the first person perspective of Mallory, a high school student who has killed her boyfriend Brian. Mallory's parents decide to send her to a prep school called Monroe, where she meets several people who know the secrets that surround Brian's murder. This ultimately puts her in grave danger, as someone is out to get her. The events relating to Brian's murder are unknown to the reader at the beginning of the book, and gradually the pieces are put into place as the plot progresses.
So, I don't really know where to start with Hysteria. To begin I will highlight what I did really like about this book. First of all, as I stated above, the pacing was done very well and I couldn't seem to stop reading. At the end of each chapter, something else is introduced into the plot that you just can't close the book on. The plot was yet another strong point of this book, in my opinion. There was some unnecessary baggage attached to the main storyline of Hysteria, but the meat of the book directly involving Brian's murder was a really unique concept for a plot. A third aspect that I also really enjoyed about Hysteria was the way that the main character of Mallory was written. Also, the relationship between her and her mother, her best friend Colleen, and Reid were all well-developed and believable as well.
Okay, so now for what I did not like about Hysteria. First of all, I felt like some of the characters were very predictable and one-note. For as developed as the main characters in Hysteria were, some of the minor characters didn't fit well within the overall context of the plot. For me, this was specifically the characters of Jason, Krista, Taryn and Bree. The plot of this book was a really intriguing, unique one that I feel was hurt by having rather juvenile-acting characters like these in the story. Also, the romantic aspects of this book took away some from the plot for me. At times it worked, but occasionally the romantic interests of Mallory, the main character, didn't really help to bolster my interest in what was happening.
So overall, this is a good book. Although it certainly has its issues and in my opinion fell short of its potential, I really did enjoy it and I read it rather quickly. I would most likely recommend Hysteria to anyone who enjoys a good teenage mystery/thriller, but don't expect to be super scared. Even though the plot makes this book a page turner, it's not necessarily a blood curdling thriller that offers a lot of plot twists or hair raising surprises. What Hysteria does offer is a decent young adult mystery that is a good read if you've got a little extra time on your hands.
Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: YA Mystery/Psychological Thriller

Pages: 326

Year Published: 2013

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Movie Review: Into The Woods

The 2014 musical and fantasy film Into The Woods was all over the place. I originally decided to see this movie because many actors that I know to be good in other movies were starring in this one. However, in leaving the theater after watching Into The Woods I was left feeling fairly disappointed with the film overall.
First I'll give a brief synopsis of Into The Woods, for any of you that have yet to see it. Basically, the movie tells the story of a baker and his wife that are desperate to have a child. It is revealed that a witch has placed a curse on them that prevents them from ever having children, and the only way to reverse this curse is to fetch the witch four items. Their quest for these items leads them on a journey that crosses paths with several characters from classic fairy tales, such as Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.
Let me start with what I did like about this movie. I thought that the musical aspect of it was well done, and all of the actors did a solid job of singing their respective lyrics. I also thought that the transitions between the songs and the main storyline of Into The Woods were executed well. For example, there was one scene in the movie where the sound of an approaching giant cuts a musical number short in a way that I thought was well done. However, one shortfall of the music was that I felt that all of the songs sounded very similar to one another. That is, there wasn't a lot of musical variety in this film.
I also thought that the entire storyline of Into The Woods was a lot more complicated than it needed to be. It tried to bridge too many classic fairy tales into one main plot, and this made the whole movie a big messy web of interconnecting characters and storylines.
To sum up my overall experience of watching Into The Woods, I would say that it was somewhat of a letdown and I left the movie theater unimpressed. I was underwhelmed with what I saw and I probably wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone that I know, even if they're a musical lover.

Rating: PG

Genre: Musical/Fantasy

Run Time: 124 minutes

Release Date: December 25, 2014

My Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Movie Review: The Theory Of Everything

I recently watched the 2014 biographical film The Theory of Everything, with actor Eddie Redmayne portraying Steven Hawking and actress Felicity Jones starring as his wife Jane Wilde. The movie itself provides a lucid look into the life of theoretical physicist Steven Hawking, and it did a really good job of incorporating both the scientific achievements and also the personal elements of Hawking's life.
I was thoroughly impressed with all of the aspects of this film, but the acting was especially brilliant. Redmayne's portrayal of Steven Hawking was not only a stunning physical transformation for the actor, but he also was able to truly capture the personality and emotion of Hawking. Redmayne was able to do this effectively even in scenes where there was no speaking on his part; all of Hawking's thoughts and feelings had to be portrayed through facial expressions and physical movements. I can only imagine how difficult this must have been for Redmayne to achieve, but he managed to do it seemingly effortlessly in The Theory of Everything. His recent win of Best Actor at the 2015 Golden Globe Awards was totally deserved, in my opinion. The acting on the part of Felicity Jones should not be overlooked either, however. Her portrayal of a wife trying to cope with a husband slowly degenerating physically was truly impressive. Although both Redmayne and Jones did a great job acting their individual roles, what truly made this movie shine was the relationship between the two characters in the film. Both managed to elevate each other in scenes where they were together on screen.
Perhaps the only criticism I can give this movie is that to me it started out a little slowly. It took some time for me to get really interested in both the characters and the storyline. However, I gradually became more and more invested in what was happening on screen as I watched it. Overall, I would without a doubt recommend this movie to anyone, especially for those who enjoy dramas or movies portraying an individual's life. It may start off a little slow, but give it a chance. I bet you'll walk away with no regrets on investing two hours of your time in order to watch The Theory of Everything.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Drama/biographical

Run Time: 123 minutes

Release Date: November 7, 2014

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Molly's Recipes: Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal

Lately I cannot get enough of this recipe, and I've had it for breakfast three days in a row now. Not only is it a tasty recipe, but it's healthy, filling and extremely quick and easy to make as well. So give this oatmeal a try and let me know what you think!

Cinnamon Bun Oatmeal:
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup instant oats
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon 100% pure maple syrup
1 ripe banana

1. Begin by heating the water over high heat until it comes to a boil. Stir in the salt and the oats and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until most of the water has evaporated.

2. Add the cinnamon and maple syrup to the oats, and stir thoroughly to combine. Continue to cook on low heat until the oatmeal is the perfect consistency.

3. Once the oatmeal is cooked to your liking, turn the heat off and thinly slice the banana. Add the slices to the oatmeal and stir gently to combine.

4. Finally, pour the oatmeal into a serving bowl, let cool a few minutes, and enjoy with your favorite cup of tea or coffee!

Serves: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes

Notes: as the banana gives this recipe a natural sweetness, you may not need to add a lot, if any, of the maple syrup. I just like things on the sweeter side, so that's why I add it to mine.
I also am a huge cinnamon lover and I probably add well over 1/2 a teaspoon of the spice to my oatmeal. So feel free to add more if you feel that your oatmeal needs more flavor.