Stacy's Blog Has Got It Going On

"We create our own demons." -Tony Stark Ever since the events of The Avengers , Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) hasn't been alright.  He can't sleep and is suffering from panic attacks.  To make things worse, a new terrorist, The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), is gaining power and killing innocents everywhere he goes.  When Tony threatens the Mandarin, the terrorist becomes determined to destroy Tony's world and bring the past back to haunt him. What Works: Iron Man 3 's biggest strength is focusing less on the physical Iron Man suits, but on Tony himself.  We get to see a lot of what Tony does without the suits and the improvisation is a lot of fun.  During the attack on Tony's house, the suit isn't working properly and Tony has to find away to fight back without all of his weapons.  Later, we get to see Tony launch a one-man raid using only items picked up at a hardware store.  This movie shows us that Tony Stark is much more than jus

"You have only three choices: run, hide...or die." -Danielle Rousseau The first part of the season 1 finale of Lost  kicks off with Danielle Rousseau (Mira Furlan) arriving at the survivors camp with a warning...the Others are coming.  16 year previously, a pillar of black smoke appeared on the horizon.  That night the Others came and took Rousseau's baby.  As the survivors prepare for the launching of the raft, they see a pillar of black smoke coming from the other side of the island. Jack (Matthew Fox) and Locke (Terry O'Quinn) decide to try and open the hatch so everyone can hide inside.  Rousseau offers to take them to a place called the Black Rock to retrieve dynamite and blast open the hatch.  Kate (Evangeline Lilly), Hurley (Jorge Garcia), and Dr. Arzt (Daniel Roebuck) all decide to go with.  Before they head out, Jack gives Sawyer (Josh Holloway) a gun to bring on the raft as a precaution.  Sawyer finally tells Jack about his encounter with Jac

"I will never turn against our son." -Tori Breyer A spaceship falls from the sky and crashes at a farm.  Tori and Kyle Breyer (Elizabeth Banks and David Denman) find a baby boy inside and decide to raise him as their own.  As he grows up, they notices that the boy, Brandon (Jackson A. Dunn), never seems to get cut, bruised, or injured in any way.  Once he hits puberty, Brandon begins to change and the darker and more violent side of him begins to emerge. What Works: I love the concept of this movie.  It's literally Superman if Clark Kent was a psychotic killer.  That's an absolutely brilliant premise and this movie mostly succeeds in the execution of said premise.  It's virtually beat-for-beat Superman's origin story and it's a lot of fun seeing it play out with such a dark twist. The gore is absolutely insane.  Each kill is violent, over-the-top, and memorable, which is exactly how I like it.  One scene even has a jaw being rippe

"I understood that reference." -Steve Rogers Loki (Tom Hiddleston) arrives on Earth with plans to lead an alien army and take over the planet.  Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has no choice but to call on the Avengers to deal with the threat.  The Avengers assemble, but quickly realize they aren't so much a team, but a time bomb of personalities.  They'll have to figure out to put their differences aside if they want to save Earth. What Works: First off, the action in The Avengers is incredible.  The final battle in New York is, of course, wonderfully epic and a lot of fun, but even the smaller scale action is exciting.  I love all of the different sequences on board the Helicarrier and the three-way fight in the woods between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is also a blast. Mark Ruffalo is a wonderful addition to the series.  He replaces Edward Norton as Bruce Banner and does a much better

"I'm not kissing you." -Colonel Phillips Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is desperate to join the military to help fight in World War II, but is too weak and sickly.  After numerous rejections, he is recruited into a secret program that turns him into a super soldier.  After mostly being used to drum up financial support for the war, Rogers finally gets to go into battle and fight Hydra, a Nazi research division led by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), and an army of soldiers equipped with strange, futuristic weapons. What Works: It is really interesting to watch a superhero movie that takes place during World War II.  It's odd watching some of these superhero tropes happen in 1940's New York.  This makes for an especially engaging first half of the film.  Everything in New York and boot camp is a lot of fun. My favorite action sequence in the film actually takes place in New York.  I love Steve chasing after the Hydra spy on foot.  It's a gr

"Who do you want to die as?" -Winston The 3rd chapter picks up with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) attempting to escape New York with half the city out to get him.  John has a $14 million bounty on his head, few resources, and even fewer friends.  If he wants to survive, John has to face the biggest fight of his life. I will be giving out spoilers below, so I will simply say that Chapter 3 is the weakest of the three films, but it has the best action and is still totally worth seeing in the theater. What Works: The action sequences in Parabellum are the best in the series...and that is saying something.  The amount of work that went into this choreography really shows.  It's extraordinarily and each sequence feels unique enough that it never gets tiresome. The first act of this film is my favorite part of the series.  It starts with a countdown as John runs for his life.  Once the clock hits zero, every assassin in the city comes after him.  It f

"Don't scream." -Detective Jim Lipton After receiving a strange package a with ventriloquist doll inside, Lisa Ashen (Laura Regan) is brutally murdered.  Her husband, Jamie (Ryan Kwanten), is the prime suspect.  The ventriloquist doll is a bad omen in Jamie's hometown.  To prove his innocence, Jamie returns home to learn more about the tragic town legend and the horrible secret that connects everything back to him. What Works: Donnie Wahlberg is by far the best part of the movie.  He plays a cop (as per usual) and chews the scenery every chance he gets.  I love how he almost pretends not to care about the case at all, but still travels a long way to continue his investigation.  He's a funny character and adds some life to the film. This movie is directed by James Wan who is a very good director and, even though this isn't a good movie, his talent still shines through often enough.  There are some really visually striking shots and I lo

"I'll kill them.  I'll kill them all." -John Wick After getting a new dog and tracking down his car, hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) tries to return to his quiet retirement, but crime lord, Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scarmarcio) calls in a favor that John owes him.  Now John must kill a member of the criminal underworld's High Table, an act that will create enemies with deep pockets and armies of assassins. What Works: The film opens with a sort of mini-film, where we see John wrapping lose ends from the first film and getting his car back.  It's a great way to reintroduce us to the character and see what John is up to.  Plus Peter Stomare is fantastic as Viggo's brother. As in the original film, the action in this film is incredible.  Keanu Reeves is truly a marvel in terms of fight choreography.  We get plenty of long takes and really impressive techniques.  This film doesn't cut away from the action, but lets us bask

"Dude." -Reem Daly Well...that sucked.  I had extremely low expectations coming into Edge of Extinction and it was even worse than I could have possibly imagined.  Whatever, dude...let's get to the gameplay. Since there were four rounds of play in the finale, I will be breaking each of the four parts down and giving out four sets of awards.  Let's start with the Final 6 Redux. Who Played Well: We have to start with Chris who managed to win his way back into the game.  He did a great job of trying to work with pretty much everyone when he returned and got the target off of his back.  I think he made the right choice in giving his half of the Idol to Rick.  Devens had an Idol of his own and was the most likely to survive Tribal Council.  I also liked how he helped Julie with the puzzle.  He knew he had no chance of winning, might as well get in good with the person who was going to win.  He was a big part of getting Victoria eliminated, much t

"Are you gonna turn me into a lampshade?" -Detective Pikachu Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) is forced to travel to Ryme City, a place where humans and Pokémon live in harmony, after the mysterious death of his estranged father, who was a detective.  Tim meets his father's Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) and they are both shocked to learn they can understand one another.  Pikachu is convinced that Tim's father is still alive.  The two of team up to explore the dark underbelly of Ryme City and discover Tim's father was on the trail of a massive conspiracy that will rock the world. I will have spoilers ahead, so I will just say I don't know how much non-Pokémon fans will get out of this movie, but anyone who loves Pokémon will love this. What Works: Off the bat, I have to say I'm a pretty big Pokémon.  I loved the TV show when I was a kid and I still play the games to this day.  I've even seen a fair amount of the other Pokémon films.  Th

"You can either hand over your son or you can die screaming next to him!" -John Wick While grieving over the recent death of his wife, retired hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is pulled back into the criminal underworld when some thugs steal his car and kill his dog.  With his son marked for death, mob boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) has to throw everything he's got at Wick to try and stop him, but it won't be enough... What Works: In terms of action sequences, John Wick is about as good as it gets.  The filmmakers use a lot of long takes that allow you to see all of the action rather than cutting away.  This makes a world of difference and the results are amazing.  The fight scenes are brutal and exciting and every sequence leaves an impression.  This is what every action film should strive to be. Keanu Reeves gives one of his best ever performances.  He doesn't get a ton of dialogue, but he makes it count.  Even when he isn't spe

"I'm not going to nuke a tsunami." -President Chambers Unemployed journalist, Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen), has a chance encounter with his childhood crush and former babysitter, Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron), who is now the U.S. Secretary of State.  She offers him a job as her speech writer to help with her upcoming Presidential campaign.  The two quickly develop feelings for each other and have to figure how to navigate the politics of both love and...actual politics. What Works: Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron have remarkably good chemistry.  I wasn't expecting to be as invested in their story as I was.  I'm not really a big rom-com guy, but Long Shot does the job thanks to Rogen's and Theron's performances.  They are both very likable, but flawed and both of their points of view make sense. O'Shea Jackson Jr. plays Fred's best friend, Lance.  Everyone needs a Lance in their life.  Jackson does an incredible job and La

"It's not your house." -Scott Howard Scott Howard (Michael Ealy) and his wife, Annie (Meagan Good), decide to leave the city and buy an isolated house in the woods.  However, after they move in, the previous owner, Charlie Peck (Dennis Quaid), repeatedly shows up at the house, unwilling to let it go and becoming increasingly obsessed with Annie. What Works: Dennis Quaid is easily the best part of the film.  The film doesn't use him enough and he doesn't get to be as over-the-top as I hoped, but there are three or four moments in the film where Quaid gets to unleash some insanity and it's very fun.  Even when he is being more subdued, he is at least entertaining to watch, which is more than can be said for the rest of the cast. I'll also give some props to the filmmakers on a technical level.  There are a few really cool choices in terms of cinematography and sound design.  There are a few excellent shots inside of the house and I really

"Jeff, I'm playing!" -Victoria Baamonde I'm glad I'm a Rick Devens fan and not one of the haters because he may have had his best episode of the season.  Watching him run through the jungle is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on this show.  While Rick was great, what about everyone else?  Let's take a look... Who Played Well: Let's get the obvious out of the way.  Rick had a stellar week.  I loved his lie about being gifted an Idol from someone out on the Edge.  It was a very clever move.  Rick also managed to find an Idol in a Driebergen-esque manner.  This guy is really working harder than everyone else.  I think the mind games were also a good move.  Wearing down everyone mentally might cause them to make a mistake.  Rick also won Immunity allowing him to hold onto his Idol.  He got to put on a show in front of the jury, which allowed him to take credit for Aurora's elimination even though Lauren was the one who tru

"Would you mind getting inside the oven to clean it?" -Nana Becca Jamison (Olivia DeJonge) and her little brother, Tyler (Ed Oxenbould), go to visit their grandparents for the first time.  Nana (Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (Peter McRobbie) seem nice, but odd.  As the week-long trip goes on, the behavior of the grandparents just gets stranger.  Becca and Tyler do their best to investigate and uncover their grandparents' dark secret. If you haven't seen The Visit , stop what you are doing and go watch.  It's not a great movie, but it's still worth watching and I will be spoiling the film below.  You've been warned. What Works: I'll have some things to say about the fact that this is a found-footage film below, but I do have to say, this medium gives us some really creepy visuals.  There are some moments that are simply unnerving and the unusual camera angles help with that.  I especially liked the scene where Becca and Tyle

"I better get back to planning my escape, here." -Ted Bundy Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile is a biographical film about infamous serial killer, Ted Bundy (Zac Efron), as the law catches up to him and he faces his trial of the century.  It's primary focus is on Bundy's girlfriend, Liz Kendall (Lilly Collins), as she comes to terms with the truth about what Ted has done. What Works: By far the best part of this film is Zac Efron.  He is terrifyingly good as Bundy.  To see this guy go from being in  High School Musical to this is crazy impressive.  Efron nails the role.  He's charming 95% of the time, but every so often, we get a peak behind the curtain at the monster beneath the surface.  The look Efron manages to get in his eyes is extraordinary. I am a big fan of legal thrillers and a good chunk of this movie takes place in a courtroom.  I love all the legal aspects of the film and watching Bundy take such an active role in

This is the Master List of rules from my podcast, "How to Survive a Horror Movie".  Updated through Episode 59, Leprechaun 4: In Space . #1. Know That You Are In A Horror Movie This can be on a meta-level like Randy from Scream , where you call out that the situation you are in is like something out of a horror movie.  This can also be on the level where you simply recognize that something strange is going on.  It doesn't necessarily mean that you need to leave the area immediately, it just means you need to be on your guard and keep a weather eye. via GIPHY #2. Constant Vigilance Once you recognize that you are indeed in a horror movie, you have to keep your guard up.  Stay on your toes, don't turn your back on the killer, don't get drunk, do drugs, or have sex.  Basically, don't let yourself get distracted in a life-or-death situation. via GIPHY #3. Do Your Damn Job, but Don't Die in the Process Follow the procedures and don&#