Harbinger_3781 Reviews

Christmas Getaway (2017 TV Movie)

No exaggeration. Fantastic movie.

[10/10 · 26 December 2017]

Moving away from the usual congrats and compliments, I'm going the details.

If memory serves, both Regan and Van Winkle were on The Last Ship. And individually - Van Winkle was on Bound & Babysitting with Tammin Sursok, and Regan was on Magic Stocking with Victor Webster. Both of 'em performed great chemistry with their co-stars, so the moment the cast was out, had a feeling these two would have great on-screen chemistry... And I was right.

This movie's fantastic, plenty of misty-eyed moments between the protagonists, and all of them looked natural and acting-unlike. Nice work with the Risgryngrot bit - at first it looks like Emory put too much effort into trying to find the almond, and as Element Fate would have it - no luck. Then in the end, after realising and confessing her true feelings to Scott and learned that he felt the same, strong way. When she tried again, Fate smiled on her true love - even if it's only a few days they were together.

I guess the only regret in this movie is that there's no "One Year Later" part where we see Emory and Scott truly get married... Still, this movie's awesome. Even as a TV movie it's very homey. I love it.

All of My Heart: Inn Love (2017 TV Movie)

I'm getting a felling that this might be a quadrilogy...

[10/10 · 17 October 2017]

Let me first make a very clear statement - I like this movie. A lot.

Could be I'm just a sucker for anything romantic, but Hallmark really gets to me. The formula was simple, but it works.

Nice to see Elliott and Chabert pair up again for a third Hallmark movie - maybe it's just me, but I sorta had the feeling that until now, Hallmark has never paired up male and female protagonists in more than two movies of different stories(not counting the SSD and all the mystery movies):

• Andrew Walker and Arielle Kebbel - 2 movies counted;

• Nikki Deloach and Andrew Walker - 2 movies counted;

• Dale Midkiff and Katie Heigl - 2 movies counted;

• Sarah Jones and Jordan Bridges - 2 movies counted;

• Erin Cottrell and Logan Bartholomew - 2 movies counted;

• Autumn Reeser and Antonio Cupo - 2 movies counted...

... plus, they have such crazy AMAZING compatible chemistry on scene, it's an enjoyment watching these two together.

And about the main topic - The first All of My Heart movie set timeline in spring, and Inn Love said "six months"; in autumn. After watching Summer - following Autumn - in the Vineyard, I'm starting to wonder if All of My Heart would also be a quadrilogy - Spring time, Jenny and Brian fell in love and got engaged; Autumn, they tackle their first hardship and re- engage; then a third movie taking place in next year's June Weddings; and Christmas time, the year after that, Jenny and Brian would be expecting their Inn's new family arrival...

It's very enticing.

Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

Can only give less than a half for this... sequel.

[4/10 · 31 July 2016]

Well, after 20 years... this happened.

There're a lot of things that just isn't right for this movie. The CGI's decent, fine - at least for an American movie, and the main theme is still "Americans unite the world to save the world"-- fine, it's their movie, and they can are entitled to do whatever they want to do to make money. And this movie got a lot hails to the first one but... where to even begin?

I'll start with the "politically correct" issue here. Hollywood has this "politically correct" views of things, and in every movie there used to had to have at least one role for an Af-Am to ensure this "equality", now they added Yang to balance the scales on the Chinese part. No problem, just... sometimes it could be a detriment.

Not sure what happened after Transformers 4, but that "Mengniu Moon Milk" close-up shot really almost gave me P.T.S.D. Seriously? Are movies nowadays all CGI and commercials now?

Then goes the real problem. The first movie held many great works: The models of the alien mothership, the destroyers and attackers - they all seemed very integrated. Very... alien. Their designs were simple but they seemed very much smooth, and like a whole unit. Unlike the human planes, which the wings and engines are two different parts, the alien crafts seem to be designed as one tight unit. In the second movie the crafts looked like they were different parts and pieces being put together like a jigsaw puzzle. The designs were more sophisticated but felt less threatening. The edged and separated models... very "earthly". As did the attackers' weaponry; in the first movie the green cannon felt like enhanced battle rifles - short fire rate but lethal hitting anywhere, and in the sequel it became like SMGs.

The shields in the first movie felt like near infinite energy and gave out that threatening green look, and it became... breakable, in the sequel? The alien plasma cannon were city-wide devastators in the first movie and when the Earthlings took hold of it it... only... smashed a tiny... hole... in the... sphere ship. What?

Then there's the actors. There were significant roles for China to play in this movie, but... Yang Ying(or commonly known as AngelaBaby), really? Of all the one-and-more-than-a-half billion Chinese in and outside China, they just had to get Yang for a role... For the first time ever I can see why folks on Baidu Forum did not like her in ID2: her acting stiff, her expressions laughable, her Chinese talking chilled the hell out of me - they sounded like she was doing crappy Chinese YA movies and not this, and she's even got that pilot crushing on her? Maybe they were right - maybe she really was better off not talking at all. And the actor playing the base commander wasn't even Chinese! Where did Hollywood find those guys? British and French movies can find better-suited Chinese than Americans! So much for the claimed-to-be "greatest country on earth"... and cannot find a native- enough Chinese. SMH

As for the others... not making a deal with Will Smith really was a mistake. Nice of Goldblum, Pullman and Spiner to reprise but... still, does not feel right without the Steven Hiller. Liam Hemsworth really just don't pack the punch Will Smith did. And I know women changes significantly over years but replacing Whitman with Monroe feels odd as well - the two brings out completely different temperaments.

The movie lacked the exhilaration and excitement the first movie brought; awesome canyon dogfight sequences that made everyone held their breaths(I even had my own version of The Nighthawk March and other music added to its background and it was awesome), and it soon became a weird hybrid of Aliens and Mass Effect, with the "hogging resources" alien reduced to a simple "harvest the planet core as fuel" alien. First movie they sent a carrier to invade, second movie they sent a miner to drill hole and harvest fuel. What's next? And the story ended with earthlings ready to go to the aliens' homeworld and counter-invade? What, "ID3: Ender's Game"?

I'm not sure what happened. Movies nowadays are like a race; much like that of the armaments during the cold wars, only with CGIs and commercials and not the true contents held within like the 80s'; this movie got very little to offer. Keeping this up and it pretty much looks like Chinese YA garbage movies.

Stuart Little 2 (2002)

Think E.B. White's got a lot of explaining to do...

[8/10 · 14 May 2016]

First off, I enjoyed this movie immensely.

Not only does this movie family-friendly - with absolutely zero content that are controversial, too high-end, derogative or political, but ,most of all, it inspired me a lot. Quite frankly, this story caused my mind to explode - with a bit of imagination Stuart and Margalo opened up a whole new universe.

Flashbacks from the first film reminded me that first we saw Stuart was in an orphanage - and that's that, and all Mrs. Keeper mentioned about Stuart's "parents" was that they were smashed by falling cans, which, in certain aspects, raised me a flag about this little mouse: There's more to this character... WAY more.

Then questions started flooding into my head: Who exactly is Stuart? What's his history? Who WAS Stuart? Where and when's he from? How come his mouse-form able to speak languages that is understandable to humans? Was he once a human-like creature, then somehow got turned or reincarnated into a mouse(hopefully reincarnation)? If so, what happened, and who is or was his biological parents? If his reincarnation into a mouse grant the mouse power to communicate with humans, then what's his heritage? Stuart sailed beautifully in the first film and here he flies like an ace combat pilot - did he carry those on from his previous life? Stuart and Margalo hit it off pretty fast - like old flames: was there past connection rekindled, and Margalo was actually his girlfriend or fiancée from his previous life? Were there stories to that previous life? What happened? What happens next? ...

A lot of these questions overwhelmed my thoughts and I rarely see that happen even in these days' big-budget films(not even Avengers movies can spark that kind of inspiration), so believe me when I say I wanted to give a ten for this film. Though sadly, the ending's pretty harsh: Even when they are pretty much in love, the canary's still restricted by her migrant habit to the south or else she'll freeze to death in winter.

Really wish they had not been that hasty to cut off this movie that soon: turning it into a high-level sci-fi fantasy romantic drama might even explain a lot of things. Master White wrote the original script, but he didn't made preparations to my questions should they arise... and now that he's gone those questions became exploitable loopholes, don't they? Maybe instead of all the pointless Disney remakes that could potentially ruin the once-classic tales they could spare some efforts to make Stuart Little great again? And maybe the next one to make a Stuart Little film would answer my questions, if he or she ever exist?

Merry In-Laws (2012 TV Movie)

Nice movie, though the lady's dad really ticks me off.

[7/10 · 16 March 2016]

Not remembering much of the movie, except the 65%+ part(basically starts from the lovebirds falls out to end). It once again got me thinking - Why do people always have to be so scientific about everything? There's obviously good reason Santa Claus don't just casually appear in open public or on live TV, and there's good reason for the saying "Christmas is about believing". When I saw Alex freaking out at Peter, believing he's cheating on her with his Elven quartermaster at North Pole base, then how rudely her dad treated Santa afterwards, I flared. Truth be told I'm quite surprised he didn't already dispatch Krampus for this insolence - he really ticks me off.

Also, Peter's behaviour after he and Alex's fallout - (sigh) boy, he got totally emasculated. As son of a semi-divine figure I thought he'd have more dignity in him, and after his fallout he just go full-on cold disappointment mode. The story ends with Alex's family surprised at the Claus' sleigh repaired and lifted off and Alex and peter reconciled at the same time? If it were me I'd go with a story that's like:

"After the fallout with Alex, Peter went all cold and insensitive. He quickly fixes the family sleigh and Alex's family - especially Alex's father - watches in utter surprise as the sleigh lifts off. And as they prepare for hyperspeed, Glinda, the Elven quartermaster, turns her head towards Alex and her father. 'You are a nice lady,' she says, 'too bad you couldn't take the leap of faith.' And the sleigh zooms off into the darkness in a red-and-white light.

"Peter then glances back at Alex. 'Glinda's right, you know,' he says to Alex - and she sees in his eyes that there's no affection or careness; only icy cold disappointment - as he turns his head back forward, took one step, then also zoomed away without a word in a red-and-white light. Alex and her family then stood on the cold ground, stunned... speechless."

They should make the story into having the sleigh fixed during that fallout, not after reconciliation, and have the display of the Santa Magic as the Claus' family demonstration of dignity and his disappointment at how little faith his future daughter-in-law's family have, plus giving the Claus family the initiative to say the words, "I'm disappointed in you."

Okay, I know that sometimes seeing is actually believing, but there ARE times in life, where there is no evidence to certain things. I always believed that Christmas Magic is something of great divinity and sacredness, and it's not one for mortal eyes to witness. I get annoyed when adults tell young children that there "is no Santa" - do people really have to SEE Santa to believe in Santa? What makes us mortals believe we even HAVE the right to meet Santa himself in person? Santa may or may not be corporeal, but being REAL doesn't have to be CORPOREAL. Christmas itself isn't corporeal - hasn't been corporeal since day one - but do people go around and tell others that Christmas isn't real? What really happened to "taking leaps of faith", to believe in something just because you believe in it, without any evidence, eye-witness, reports, or even rumors to support that belief? I'm from the country that DOESN'T celebrate Christmas on a country-wide level, and even I, in my own ways, believe in Santa Claus to be very real. Alex's father gives me the flares: the insolence he displays in front of Santa was really the insolence of Christmas, and in my opinion, the Divine Christmas Magic - if he doesn't believe, he doesn't deserve. Even with all things end really well and smoothly the ending's treating him too kind, and he still annoys the hell out of me.

Hope 2016's Santa Claus portrayals can have more of a sense of dignity and hardness, the old man Claus can be tougher, resourceful with an overwhelming temperament, and the children Claus not always get all mopey over his or her love interest that when they fall out the young Claus can instantly re-focus on the annual courier mission.

Charming Christmas (2015 TV Movie)

Charming Movie for a Charming Christmas!

[10/10 · 16 March 2016]

This is an awesome experience. The movie was awesome, head to end.

Been a while since I saw the last young Santa Claus... that was 2006, with Master Tom Cavanaugh's Nick Snowden. He portrayed Santa really good. Man, now Master David Sutcliffe? Think I like the idea of having YOUNG Santa Clauses in Thanksgiving-Christmas movies - Santa Claus doesn't always have to be the traditional "white beard, big belly, ho ho ho, old man" figure, and getting younger males to portray Santa - as a store-costumed character or as a saintly character - really seems like a good idea.

Master Sutcliffe's Nicholas Smith character - his behaviour, his words, knowledge, actions and wisdom - they really are nothing short of saintly, and that reveal of his resume, of him being a CEO(instead of 'just a store Santa' like Meredith thought), pushes Nick to the point that he really IS Santa Claus. Also, I like Nick's temperament. Unlike some other Santa characters where their love interests fall out with them and they goes into a mopey mood, this Nick simply expresses his disappointment with deep cold and in perfect dignity, then carried on to work - something the Santa characters from movies like "Meet the Santas", "Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus", and "Merry In-laws" can learn.

Also, it's really cool to see Master Julie Benz portraying Meredith Rossman and costumed as Mrs. Claus alongside Master Sutcliffe, their chemistry was really good. Meredith gave an aura of "icy snow queen" first time she appears, as Nick commented, "Brrr, did it drop ten degrees in here?" Then for the most part, she's this typical "Christmas means sales" character like a lot of fictional and real-life business figures. But boy is Nick's Santa magic effective - slowly, under his influence, Meredith slowly begins to really accepts what the true essence of Christmas really is. Meredith said Mrs. Claus should be "kind, motherly", and should be "older-ish"... but as Nick's influence affects her more and more, her "motherly" side really starts to show, and that eventual kiss at the finale - my gosh, that was SO beautiful. I don't think I'll ever get tired of watching that - or any Hallmark Christmas movies, for that matter. Amazing. Awesome.

The rest of this cast goes - without a doubt - some of the best. Matsui and Leggat, perfect Mrs. Claus shifters, Grey and McNally, portrayal of a very happy elderly couple(with great names in rhymes too!), and young Master Aiden Wojtak as the "rambuncious" Tyler... simply the best.

Great movie. Great cast. Great story. Great Santa portrayal. Wishing for way more this year.

Krampus (I) (2015)

Think I found my Christmas Blackwing

[10/10 · 4 March 2016]

Aww yeah. I think I got a new hero for Christmas.

This is incredibly satisfying. Sometimes, some people need their rude awakening to see what's wrong in front of them.

From what I learned, Krampus is like the Anti-Santa Claus, like Satan the Anti-God. First I heard of this guy was in NBC's series, Grimm, and I distinctively remember Nick Burkhardt turning zombie and knocked him out cold in one punch, just WHAM! But instead of the good characters, I find the "bad" ones more fascinating. Instead of sitting on the sidelines observing humanity tearing each other apart, Satan put himself on the front line to force them to see their mistake, it's like a father grabbing the hair of his extremely naughty son and pressing him against the door glass of his messy room and say, "Take a look! Look at the mess you done!" Well, Krampus is like Satan: Christmas version. I guess he was dispatched only when the Christmas Spirit hits a critical mass beyond below a certain level; public knowledge: Good children receive gifts(some poor children may receive coal for emergency warmth) and bad children gets nothing, but having Krampus dispatched... whoa, that's gotta be one heck of a negative spirit.

Krampus was a bit chilly, but I really like his method of actions. Sometimes, punishments are really more effective than reprimands. For the family in the movie, they really need this. They won't and never will see what really matters, or ever synchronize well, until they really lose it. Krampus demonstrated a really fine shock-and-awe, teaching everyone the consequences and price to witness when Christmas spirit hits a certain low level, and I found my new Christmas hero - an unconventional Angel Blackwing.

Well, that being said, surely wish Hallmark will never have to dispatch him for the holidays - That'd probably be REAL scary.

Northpole: Open for Christmas (2015 TV Movie)

Excellent Christmas movie with some additional ideas...

[10/10 · 4 March 2016]

Story was great, plot heartening, and spirit-uplifting. No doubt a 10/10 score.

Though one thing about Clementine... From Northpole to the sequel - does she make a habit of bringing her mission- related outsiders to the city in the North? Master Bailee Madison did fantastic work portraying the optimistic, cheerful elven operative, but sometimes her smile and frequent excitements... that was a little bit much, along with a lot of cold puns(reminded me a bit of Master Schwarzenegger's Mr. Freeze). Wonder if there's a second sequel, will there be someone stoic, stern and serious intercepts her mid-air and asks her, "Okay, Clem. This is, like, the 20th outsider you've brought inside our perimeter over these years. Do you really enjoy making a habit out of it?" Think someone should bar her access back to Northpole homebase while Clementine's on assignment; think if anything can up the difficulty and challenge of her assignments, this can.

Do these protagonists REALLY need to see the Northpole city to believe in Christmas, to meet Santa in person to believe in Santa, to actually witness something magical to believe in the Spirit? What happened to taking leaps of faith and believing things based on absolutely nothing but blind faiths? I'm from one of those countries that DOESN'T celebrate Christmas like the rest of the world do, and even I miss those days! The mere term, "Christmas Spirit", sounds sacred, and the first time I hear it, it gave me a strong feeling that this is nothing to be seen, but to be believed in. It's like taking leaps of faith, believing in something that I might never witness just because I believe it, with no evidence to prove it true. In my mind, these Christmas magic are things of unconventionally high purity and divinity that it does not belong in the presence of the mortals or in front of mortal eyes. If everything has to be seen to believe then there's gonna be a lot of stuff gone.

Christmas was never an item materialized. It never was, is, and it never will be. I hope the future Santas in the Christmas movies - they display their magic at 65% runtime(basically when the male and female protagonists falling out) to show disappointment, and not in the finale to show their magic to make the grumpy characters to finally believe - if they are doubters and don't believe they don't deserve to witness the sacred magic.

A line I've been working out:

'He looked back. In his eyes there's no benevolence, love, joy or warmth, but only cold disappointment. "You are a good kid. Shame you couldn't take the leap of faith. Goodbye." Then he turned on his sleigh, galloped his reindeers and flew away, without even a backward glance.'

Love on the Sidelines (2015 TV Movie)

Gotta hand it to Laurel!

[10/10 · 25 February 2016]

Holy football, this was good.

Star of this movie was no doubt Master Emily Kinney; not only for her reputation, but also her core performance. Gotta say, since her first appearance, she's got this "I can do a perfect romantic comedy" vibe. And she did. Her portrayal of Laurel Welk truly brought constant chuckles, and her hair's amazing! Think I'm gonna use her hairstyle my next sketch model.

From Laurel Welk's first appearance and comments on athletes her voice got me smiling I couldn't stop. Laurel's first introduction to Danny Holland - that was bright and funny mixed with a little... badass; she held up amazingly nice against Danny's gender-biased arguments(The Notebook line was an awesome touch). Her comments about "athlete dating model a cliché". Her dog skills reminded me of another Hallmark movie character, Gridley Maxwell(Surprised by Love, 2014). Her encounter with Isaiah totally LIFTED the funny level, and all Isaiah's comment on Laurel was, "I need a new publicist"... ha, ha, ha.

And the comedic fair continues. Against Danny's "Girl" comment Laurel replied with a "Jock" - the mere sound of the word sounds comedic, and spoken from Master Kinney's voice, in that tone - multiple comedic stack-ups. And - wait. Ron Lucas gets Danny's nerve every time he chats with Laurel, even to the point Danny pains to think Ron's seeing Laurel? Think anyone can get what that means. Then a fifty-pound dog food? Sure, "stronger than she looks" - she's Beth from the Walking Dead! Funny carry scene, though.

Date night with Hunter clearly got sabotaged, and Laurel was really like, Dennis from Dennis the Menace, got caught after playing a mischief then nervously say, "hi..." Also, "Trade secret" was truly nice touch.

And later, with the comedic and romance going more balanced, Master Kinney's Laurel character still makes me smile uncontrollably(maybe I smile a lot but it doesn't matter), and that's pretty amazing. And when they hit critical mass and kiss - even though in a movie, with a fictional story, through a screen - sparks still fly, and a romance blast wave still ignites. That's amazing.

This new gig truly made me like Master Kinney. Hope I can see more of her in Hallmark later on - Oh, she's gooood.

Cupid, Inc. (2012 TV Movie)

New Cupid in Town!

[8/10 · 15 February 2016]

Boy, not for other reasons, Master Jamie Kennedy.

After his big disappointment to the audience with his Son of the Mask, a "hilariocity" review, way-beyond-negative Nostalgic Critic review, Jeremy Jahns review, along with a hell of a lot of other reviews, a Top 10 Worst Movies on WatchMojo, even a Cinematic Excrement episode... this was a direct hands-up flip compared to that! It's really nice to see him playing this really dignified deity character, stoic, takes his job quite seriously, yet also mixed with a really fine portion of quirkiness and comedic temperaments... rather than that pathetic character with no male dignity or spine, and his on screen alter ego being a horrifically CGI'd freak of nature... waste of a real good actor.

His version of a corporeal Cupid inspired me to make a sketch of my own Cupid, a mixture of a dignified deity and a no-nonsense militarized operative using real-deal equipment and gadgets...

This movie's real good. Just wish I could witness what Vernon's wife - or should I say, Psyche? - looks like.

Mr. Miracle (2014 TV Movie)

Well, to summarize and put in the best of the good words...

[3/10 · 12 February 2016]

All right. Ten stars for every movie.

Let's see - deduct 3 stars for direct insult to Master Doris Roberts' Mrs. Miracle by naming this character a "Mister": the master was talented, seasoned, experienced, and her character just plainly struck cords with audiences. The lady portrayed Emily Merkle - a real-deal Angel dispatch - so well and visceral that it made a lot of us believe that the character along with the actor truly IS an Angel. While this... Harry Mills character-- they call him "Mr. Miracle"? What a joke.

2 more stars for the horrifying comparison between Mister and Missus Miracle: At first I thought, with the record of the fantastic, lovable and radiant Mrs. Miracle, the Mr. Miracle would presumably be her husband, a MISTER Merkle, or at least an also-seasoned, high-ranking wise, old- timer Angel from above, with wisdom and guidance and influence that can spread hope and joy and happiness to the world, bring families back together and broken relationships mended-- I even thought, "Wow, a MISTER Miracle? They sent Emily's husband on Earth?" I got really so excited. Instead I saw an actor with few talent playing an obnoxious twerp whom I hate every time he does that idiotic smile and just wants to rip that right off his face - and last time I said that was on Kim Davis! - so that's saying something. For this character I'd just like to see a movie where he got all cocky and made Christmas messed up so bad that he pays for the mistake for it and his smile on his face gone entirely. Sadly, this was not it.

2 more stars gone for that guy's behaviors. And whatever being an Angel should all be about. Emily Merkle played the part truly well; caring, loving, motherly, willing to take direct actions - sometimes even uses her power with Fate well to complete her assignments, also mixed with a fine bit of badassery - the two snowball trick entrance was awesome; trajectory, counter-blindsiding, projectiles, calm... instantly silenced the kids. She played the part so close to the heart that we the audience truly felt the heartbreak when she had to leave and disappears into the silence of the night. Mr. M-- screw that; Harry Mills(he does not deserve the name) - on the other hand, was like this parasite, this adult- child, a stalker and a total peeping tom that frequently steps into the off- limits zones and meddles with affairs that should not be his to go near to, and looks like he's more like a horny loveless idiot who just can't keep it in his pants. And don't get me started on his weird walk - I thought the Angels' group got their dispatches throughly debriefed and trained so they'd blend right in and know exactly what to say... what the hell? In opening he just walk in and talks what mortals say as "rambling nonsense", he doesn't know what the simple expression "Sit down" or knock or any earth slang means, and he's like a cocky arrogant teenager who thinks they know everything and declines assistance... it looks like he didn't even take his manners, behavior, linguistics or intervention method courses before he's dispatched. Think whoever is in charge of those Angels should really be fired. Surprised no one has got suspicious of him and call the police, and spare us the pain of enduring his obnoxious smile for the next 2 hours. True Angels don't do direct approaches!

Really don't understand how the group that brought us High Angels like Emily Merkle has stooped so low, and if the story was that Mills was a new recruit and he got a lot to learn then I just don't see why they recruited him in the first place! And the movie ended with Mills getting more assignments? Och... Jesters help us.

That leaves the movie with still three stars. The redeemable quality was that Nora Allen was playing a character that's got much more wisdom and was so much smarter. HER character, Celeste, should be performing this assignment, and Henry Mills should be an Angel that belongs in the circus or sh*t. Yet still, when Celeste said something about "Addie's dad requested divine intervention" I laughed. Emily Merkle's influence, her behavior, her words, her actions... all of them pointed to what resembled a true divine intervention, giving the audience thoughts whether it was Pamela, and the fact that they did NOT mention it made it more likely, and Celeste's words just broke the mystical temperament, leaving only a sense that some mortal organization ordered adjustments for someone, and they sent some obnoxious, expendable recruit for the task. Sometimes, less is more.

I don't usually view a Christmas movie - or a movie, in general - with that low a score, but this... ugh.

My Fake Fiancé (2009 TV Movie)

Yet Another Super Fun Movie that Proved Me Correct... Again.

[10/10 · 11 February 2016]

Man, that was fun.

That was still typical romantic comedy. But even with that said, personally, these are really, significantly much more enjoyable to watch- - Yep, I said it; these made-for-TV movies are much more enjoyable than mass commercial movies on silver screens(even those from Disney, Dreamworks, Marvel, DC, Warner Bros., 20 Centruy Fox, etc.), particularly in rewatchable and collectible aspects.

I've always said, "While giant commercial movies may have silver screens, big budgets, better effects and/or actors, sometimes the REAL treasures lie in areas that are mostly forgotten, in the low-budget, smaller-scaled, close-knit small movies that are independent or made-for-TV." Dance of the Dead proved me correct, Not Safe for Work proved me correct, countless Lifetime and Hallmark holiday movies proved me correct, and now this movie along with plenty ABC Family proved me correct... again. Maybe I just totally enjoy those close-to-home type, romantic comedy stories, but I just love those really a lot.

And there really are a lot of totally comedic-off-the-charts parts in this movie. I mean, I nearly laughed to death watching them. Their make- out part? Man, my downloader software - in a REAL excellent timing - dinged when their hands touched, EXACTLY one second before the kissing starts. And the part when his groomsman told him that ties are just "shoelaces around the neck", he LITERALLY tied his tie shoelace-style. Boy, the volume of my laughs...

This is a totally fun movie, recommended for anyone who reads this.

The Little Rascals Save the Day (2014 Video)

A Truly Underrated Remarkable Children's Movie

[10/10 · 9 February 2016]

Wow.

If I am a truly, inside-and-out matured audience, I'd probably give it a medium-standard score. Fortunately, I'm retaining my inner child and all its perks, and I say holy smokey-oly this movie is good! Not only did it brought back old memories, made me want to reverse the time and be back to the simpler days, it also inspired me a new story -

"The later matured Alfalfa married Darla, but one day he felt they were about to hit a rough patch, so he went to his boss for wisdom, and his boss happens to be expert at solving these problems, so he sent Alfalfa back to the time where he and Darla first met, and let him resynchronize memories to find the couple's 'Keynote Point' and recover the feelings he had for her way back then." Figure out the rest.

• So, yeah. Despite what ever anyone else say, a movie that is enjoyable AND inspiring - this movie is awesome, and is definitely worth re-watches and/or encores.

Though I gotta say, the children's - or should I say, the younger ones'(since I'm not that old yet) - acting do look like kids, and looks like they made their acting more over-emotional than just natural. However, even with that being said, actors their age giving performance that a level; man, they did infinite times better than my old senior high drama club(jeez), and all the young actors are definitely earned the title I refer to, respectfully; as "Masters". And by the High Angels, Master Doris Roberts is here? I just couldn't see her as anything else after her amazing, beautiful role as Angel Mrs. Miracle in her two superb Debbie Macomber Christmas movies. So yeah, I can also very well say the Rascals got Angel over their shoulders. Angel.

Oh, one thing about that story//SPOILERS!// - Why the hell does Ms. Crabtree doing still dating that sticky jerk?! For all the rascals' efforts and they only got scolded by him? He should have walked away the moment she said "school teacher".

Plenty of references to the '94 original, and I just can't believe Master Bug Hall was here as well! Pity Master Brittany Holmes and the rest of the gang couldn't also show up, but... maybe I could be wrong and at least half the original gang showed up... I dunno if anyone noticed this:

In at least two blink-and-you'll-miss scenes during the talent show, right after McKible the Magnificent's performance, there were four audience in the audience seats: From right to left; a black man with Stymie's signature hat, a white man with Alfalfa's signature hair, a slightly chubby white man that resembles Spanky, and another black man with an afro- hair style that's an exact match to Buckwheat's! Am I seeing a present/future rendezvous here, or was that truly the original Rascals making a final cameo? There were no records of the actors played those two audience members, and it got me really excited, so I'd really like to know.

All in all - Wow. This movie is truly amazing. Even the color went rich enough and not over-saturated like Speed Racer. Fantastic movie for kids(and adults with their inner child retained). Annnnd how!

Great work, young ones. May fortune guide all your future careers. In hoc signo vinces.

Flower Girl (2009 TV Movie)

Plenty of hard spots to find in this movie

[9/10 · 8 February 2016]

Just want to vent some of my stacked-up thoughts about one aspect of this kind of movie.

So glad there's another review on the "best" page that's got the exact same direct thoughts I did! Man, that grandma was SO friggin' annoying. This movie would have been yet another 10/10 perfect movie for Master Marla Sokoloff had it not been for that meddling and nagging grandma! Years ago, during college, there was a reading class, and the article was a story about a poor boy and a rich girl in love, then the relationship ended in tragedy after her parents intervened. When the teacher asked us what did we learn from the article I immediately jumped out, "Parents are jerks."

True, parents do want what's best for their children, but sometimes they intervene way too much, they presume to know everything, and even stepping into off-limit zones unauthorized. My temper just flares every time Laurel's grandma says that Laurel's "not gonna be happy with Steven", that he'd "undermine her plan", and she "had to protect her, and couldn't let her get hurt", or sh*t like that. Don't these parents ever get the irony? That's exactly what causes those tragedies, what hurts them, and loses those who are closest to them!

Parents want to set their children up with people THEY deemed suitable and do everything in their power to ruin their children's relationship with their own true love... what is this, inland China? Didn't Jiao Zhongqing and Liu Lanzhi tragedy, or more popular - Romeo and Juliet tragedy - manages to tell those intervening parents to f*ck off? Wonder when the hell children are gonna tell their parents, once and for all, "Basta! Enough is enough! Stay off my personal life; it's off-limits!" I personally detest parents who presume to think that forcing their children with the ones THEY deem suitable a good idea. This isn't ancient China no more, and liberty to love is what keeps the essence of Humanity going, and if all marriages are done via arrangements, then I'm guessing Humanity would extinct emotionless and cold.

Although, on the other side, Stephen's partner, Elsa, was indeed helpful. She seems always supportive of Stephen's relationship with Laurel, and the first time this confirmed was when Stephen told Elsa about Laurel, she spotted the fact Laurel's grandmother intervened and replied(paraphrased), "nothing is as important as love." That is true friendship right there. Then when she figures out the yellow tulips Laurel brought, first question she confronted Stephen with was, "Why didn't you tell her about me?" As in, "Why didn't you tell her that YOU were the one writing the books and I'm only a public face?" A friend that puts her partner's wellfare first and not being overwhelmed by public fame - that is rare greatness. Clearly fate rewarded her with her next personal book a success.

Gonna end this review on a funny note: There's a guy at the Bridezilla wedding that just suddenly went "Pffv" laughing, that was really fun. Wonder if that was in the script, or someone on the filming set actually cracked...

Just in Time for Christmas (2015 TV Movie)

Fantastic Movie - Enough said.

[10/10 · 6 February 2016]

Wow. Can't believe there's only one review on this. Casting was superb, and the story was sweet. Can't believe myself didn't notice the movies from this channel sooner. Always have been a sucker for romantic comedies - even more so when a holiday is added to the mix. First saw Master Eloise Mumford was in Not Safe For Work, and she totally grabbed me in that low-budget movie, then Christmas with Holly - oh, that was awesome. She did excellent job here, and I sure hope to see more of her in Hallmark's holiday stories(Though, for this particular movie - the Dalai Lama part was a tad bit redundant. Just saying). Master Stahl-David... his performance with Master Zoe Kazan in In Your Eyes totally inspired a new story out of me, and in here, his chemistry with Mumford was really amazing. However, even with these amazing protagonists(even with Legendary Master Bill Shatner), of course the top spotlight stealer goes to Master Christopher Lloyd - I seriously did not expect to see him here, and I can't even begin to describe the excitement whenever I even think about his line; "Time travel?" Reference to Back to the Future - man, already made me excited with his cameo in A Million Ways to Die in the West, and now here - top score. The story goes really great: it's really helpful(even with all warnings against knowing too much about the future) to see what happens(or what would happen) in the next few years, to actually know the every step of your way, the ramifications every move you make would bring... then go back to the point of origin, and do things in according to your true self's heart. It's like the story Big Fish - the boy saw how he would die in the future, and learned that he would survive everything else that he came across - it's very helpful. Gosh, I just love so much about these Hallmark stories. Hope they never end. Fantastic work from this kind, open-minded twenty-five-year-old here in China, and may the wonders never fade, and the arrows of Cupid always aim true and find their marks. Congratulations.

A Christmas Wedding Date (2012 TV Movie)

Really Enjoyed This

[10/10 · 5 February 2016]

Of all the "restart from checkpoint" movies I've watched - the OG version: Groundhog Day, the war version: Edge of Tomorrow, the growing-up-and-maturing version: Premature, the Valentine version: I Do, I Do, I Do, the other Christmas version: The Twelve Dates of Christmas - this is the one by far I liked the best. Man, Master Sokoloff killed it here. The story was obviously fairly cliché yet somehow it still struck cords with me even after all these years and times. The comedy tone of this movie was tuned so high for a holiday movie that I once thought this belonged on April's Fools, not Christmas or Valentines'. I got lots of laughs over several parts of this movie. Loved how these folks enjoyed the "restart from checkpoint" function Fate had provided them, and the hilarity they causes. Boy, that was fun. Maybe I was just a big sucker for all these stories, but I enjoyed every nano-bit part of them. Although my people here in China doesn't all celebrate Christmas - maybe some of them even boycott it, on behalf of all open-minded younglings with kind-heart and tactical mind, wish all the world a merry Christmas whenever the time arrives, and may the Cupid's arrows always aim true and find their marks.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Classic and Inspiring Disney Love Story

[10/10 · 2 February 2016]

One of the timeless classics of Big D, ever. Also, the movie is quite an inspiring starting point, because it started a pattern apart from traditional romantic film relationship buildings - i.e. the two meet, spend time together, open their hearts, starts emotionally affectionate(maybe a first kiss), things fall apart and the two separates, but they then manage to salvage the relationship and be never more in love before. Not this movie, though - this one started a unique pattern, one which I call "The Three Catalysts(or 3C)". 3C goes like this: Rescue, Sacrifice, Death, and exclusively in that order. The catalysts go off in these relationship buildings, and every time a catalyst goes off, the two people's relationship level surges upwards. But every next catalyst goes more dangerous than the previous one. So far Disney's Beauty and the Beast was the only pair to survive all three, and the only other pair was Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D's Fitz/Simmons relationship, and two of their 3C has already went off, and I really wish the third one won't. This movie is seriously inspiring, and I really hope to see more like this in the future.

The Longest Ride (2015)

About The Longest Ride

[10/10 · 17 July 2015]

The Longest Ride. The romantic drama film. I know a lot of people would say Mad Max: Fury Road is the most awesome movie ever made, but to me, this Ride made MM: FR looks like Shooter - good, but not *that* good. When I put ten stars on here I didn't even think - it was a no-brainer. This movie takes the "Best Movie in All Movie History Ever Made Yet" cake. The cast was awesome, the acting was extremely well done, the soundtrack struck chords with my deep thoughts, and the story-- oh my god the story. Truth be told, I've rarely seen love stories as pure and/or as beautiful as this one ever, and even less so in recent years. From the story I can say this: This one story - this ONE story - can bring literally ALL the Disney live- action reboots to their knees. The traditional love story brought out in the most beautiful way possible. Two pairs of paramours - two old- timers, two younglings - inheriting the torch of love - the first, last and the best thing that's holding Humanity together, and I firmly believe this movie deserves its credits.

Among the cast are: the male protagonist, played by Scott Eastwood. The son of the legendary actor is as handsome as a man could get - he's like Clint Eastwood returned to his 20s! Yet the maestro is clearly way more than a name and/or a face; his acting truly brings out the best in Humanity; of decency, compassion, bravery, courage, integrity... love. Everything good about a human being, he delivered, and it was freaking awesome.

Female protagonist was played by Brittany "Britt" Robertson, who most people most recognize from the CBS hit, Under The Dome, and the 2012 rom-com movie, The First Time. I know I followed UTD show for the story, but I guess some of the audience followed because of her, eh? Anyway, they really chose the best casting director for this - casting Brittany alongside Scott was the-- THE perfect choice. The chemistry they displayed was truly genuine; the exact opposite of the Hayden Christenson/Natalie Portman pair in Star Wars Episode 2. Their acting displayed the purest of all love, something that rarely remained in this world. Fictional as it may be(and yes Nick Sparks, I'm referring to your stuff), there's redeemable qualities in Humanity, and this is the topmost of them all.

I guess the award for best spotlight stealer would be the young Ruth, played by Oona Chaplin. The moment I saw her name I checked - and by heavens I was friggin' right; she's the granddaughter of the legendary comedian Charles Chaplin(two legendary actor descendants in here!)! And just like Scott, Oona also displayed the same tremendously spectacular talents and acting abilities her grandfather have. Her performance in this movie is amazing - and that's an understatement! Charles - your family is awesome. I'm jealous. ^_^ The Old Man, Ira Levinson, played by Alan Alda... I always got a feeling I've seen him somewhere, yet it infuriates me that I can't remember. I'll be direct - his character portrayed the perfect husband. All his talks of his "Beloved Ruth" really sums up everything a married man's mind is and should be focused most upon - the one that walked down the aisle with him. A strong sense of warmth passed through me whenever his character remembers the love of his life, and I'm really moved.

This movie is about the young ones and old ones passing the torch of love - the one element that held Humanity together. Ben Affleck's split with Jennifer Garner may break numerous people's hearts, but the love portrayed in this movie - not only did it negated all the negativity of the Ben/Jen split, but also made my faith in Humanity stronger than ever. Fictional novel or not, we are still capable of love; regular sense or weird sense, bright side or dark side. We are still capable of speaking "the most beautiful language of all Humanity", and I salute this story.

The DUFF (2015)

A little review on the characters from The D.U.F.F

[8/10 · 15 June 2015]

Hmm. I gave this movie an eight... probably because the topic synchronizes with the current age and mind sets I'm in. The comedy, the acting, and especially the casting choices contributed to the eight. For now I won't talk about the plot, because they'll *definitely* give out spoilers, so I'll just chat about some of the stand out casts.

Stand at front and center is our lead lady, Bianca Piper, played by Mae Whitman. It was fun having having Whitman as the "Ugly- Duckling-Turned-Swan" character(we all saw that coming; the Chinese translation of this movie was "The Springtime for the unattractive beauties"), but I gotta say that in a certain sense, Whitman was a questionable choice. True, the casting made her a character that's average-looking, kinda round-shaped, in order to make her two companions stand out, but even with all her figure and no makeups, isn't she still, like, the prettiest girl in that school? I mean, she's smart, funny, makeup-free, a total brainiac... Maybe it's just me being preferential - have been liking her since her minor role in Independence Day, but her talents really did brought us amazement - From Scott Pilgrim to Parenthood, this lady really keeps surprising us in both acting and comedic performances. In short, to me, it's more like Samuels and Santos brings Whitman's character out.

The male lead was one of the main reasons I started following this movie. Wesley Rush, played by Robbie "Firestorm" Amell. I'm not kidding - he's really like a firestorm these days, both his professional and personal lives are quite awesome. Ever since his days as Stephen Jameson on The Tomorrow People he bilped on my radar and never dropped since. Then his Firestorm role was amazing - especially so during that The Flash episode when he teamed up with his real-life cousin Stephen, who plays Green Arrow on Arrow. Before that he was in smaller movies like Picture This, Struck by Lightning, and even a guest starring on Pretty Little Liars. Since that he seems to have started his intro into the big leagues. Hope to see more of his performances in more renounced movies in the future.

Next is the movie's main antagonist, Madison Morgan, played by Bella Thorne. This is not her first significant role as a self-centered lady jerk already - her first checkpoint as a really awesome movie antagonist was during her days on Alexander and the Terrible... Day. Her portrayal as the movie b*tch shows that she can be amazing at literally any roles. Besides, bad guys get the best lines.

Skyler Samuels and Bianca A. Santos plays the left and right wing in Bianca's holy trinity group of girls. Not much about Santos(this movie marks Santos' first blip on my radar), but Samuels was great. Before this movie I watched Helicopter Mom, with her as female lead, and she stunned me. Totally the possible legit next-gen acting gem. She got the looks, she got the skills and she got all tools of the trades. The group looks really inseparable any ways - Samuels portrayed the looks, Santos the strength, and Whitman the wisdom.

And finally in the end part - which means the most important one - Mr. Arthur, played by Ken Jeong. I gotta say, watching Jeong here was really neat - he changed his outfits, and his portrayal here was phenomenal - best one in the movie. Truth be told, his role here; not only did he successfully portrayed a legitimately wise teacher - the wisdom, the care, the just, the calm... but the main reason I said "best one in the movie" was because nothing but his role here successfully and completely washed off the smudge he caused in my mind with that idiotic Asian role in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I mean, him in a Michael Bay film(no offence to the director - he still makes neat movies), drinking Shuhua Milk and saying it out loud(WTF?), then that scene at the toilet with Shia LaBeouf... jeez. Admit it, this one Ken Jeong role can totally clean up that "Deep Wang, Deep Wang, Deep Wang..." mess ten times.

Alright, Think that's about all the significant ones. This movie is very fun to watch, so if you get a chance, try not to hesitate.

Into the Woods (2014)

On Movie: Into the Woods

[4/10 · 23 April 2015]

If you are reading this - Don't Go Into The Woods! Rarely have I been this disappointed in a regular movie, let alone Disney's. Think I just got a new least favourite mov-- oh wait. Nope, the original one still stands. *One* of the least favourite movies. At first I thought with Kendrick, Blunt and Pine, and knowing it was Disney, this was gonna be pretty much happy romantic-family-comedy movie, but Nooo! Jesus. With Streep I knew there's less than likely to have chances of romance, and Oh no they seriously did not put idiot Planchet from The Three Musketeers into this! Lots of reasons to have hatred in this movie. For one, this movie is just like a Disney version of Les Mis - and I Really hate the 2012 Les Mis. Honest Trailers got it right on the money - All those things could literally be easily done Just By Talking Normally. I know it's a musical, but man, The Sound of Music was a musical too, and I don't find THAT weird! Next, the colour tone really is anti-Disney. Looked like a regular drama movie from a low-budget or direct-to- DVD film with close-to-zero plot points(and even those have better ones than this!). It already pained me to see the new Disney opening sequence changed/evolved on movies Pirates of the Caribbean, and now this! Wonder how long before they get a "shattered-and-broken Disney castle on fire with anti-air flak cannon and surface-to-air missile firing as fireworks" sequence: Disney is truly going dark. Then, from the moment I heard the tune "I Wish", I immediately lost interest in the movie. Especially when I heard Red's tune "I wish~" Man I just wanted to send an orbital artillery to the baker shop. Seriously? The plot was like any old clichés - someone got some powerful ones furious and their progeny have to undo the aftermath and to achieve that they have to obtain some collectibles/quest items which have to be obtained via certain conditions with will have to be achieved via certain conditions... Jeez. After that it's the dark version of some of the most classic Grimm Fairy Tales(Seriously, Jacob and Wilheim would totally puke up there), and funny enough, they took away all the supposedly happy endings and replaced them with... well... "boing"s. That one scene I remembered the most - When Prince Pine brings Lady Kendrick her shoe(oddly it's gold and not glass or crystal) and asks her to be his wife, she declined-- Ashputtel, what happened to you? Also, in the end the idiot baker got what he set out for - but at what cost? Disney used to make movies about perfect victories, not pyrrhic ones. This really is a d*ck move. Ashputtel, Beanstalk, Red... Disney took all these Ancient Classics and flushed all of them down the toilet. And that's not all. The hell happened to Disney's old concluding one-liner, "...and they lived happily ever after"? This is the line which created movies that gave people hope! That's the creed that led to tons of Disney successes! What happened to all that? The old belief and faith all lost? No one believes in "happily ever after"s anymore? Well, I do, and I'm crazy disappointed with this. All in all, I think my endings would be better - "After the events occurred, camera pans up, song stops. And all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a cruise missile flew in and detonated on the ground of the Woods, zeroing in on where the main characters were. A blinding flash, a enormous explosion - the kind visible in orbit, and... silence. Fade out. Roll credits." Boom! Nailed it. Disney, stand aside.

Snow 2: Brain Freeze (2008 TV Movie)

My new favourite Clauses just ascended to new level!

[10/10 · 6 March 2015]

This time it gets better! The new young Mr. and Mrs. Claus are still very amazing in this sequel, and they are clearly experiencing the same problems we ordinary families do, too. Domestic dispute opened up a new adventure, amnesia and wrong allies... Cavanagh is amazing and Williams is beautiful, and together they brought transcendence to the new Clauses. The sequel is heartwarming, inspiring, and lovely, and the ending gave a lot of hope and additional happiness - Nick's final "Yeah!" brought surges of joy to the entire world, I daresay. Marry Christmas to all and to all a good night, indeed. 2008 has brought the world a lot of wonders, and to close the year with Snow 2 - that was the icing on the cake, the cherry on the sundae. Thank you, Tom and Ashley.

Snow (2004 TV Movie)

My new best favourite Santa Claus is in town!

[10/10 · 6 March 2015]

I can't believe it - this is fantastic! After watching Master Cavanagh's two Snow movies and a Trading Christmas, I can't hold in my silence anymore. Can't believe these amazing Christmas tales are only broadcast on TV. I believe I just got my new favourite Mr. and Mrs. Claus! Masters Tom Cavanagh and Ashley Williams has given brand new face to the traditional Father Christmas - all "Ho, ho, ho" and elder and chubby and with white beard old man-like... "Nick Snowden", the name is very cool, and Doctor Reverse-Flash's portrayal of Santa Claus is both fresh and sexy. Nick and Sandy are really in perfect harmony and their story might just beat literally every other Santa Claus stories... Very well done indeed, doc.

Also, this movie is the start point of an inspiration that drove me to make a sketch of a young, Generation-1 Santa Claus, one young, unmarried, husky, tall and handsome, charming and charismatic... even with a sword in his hand, his Santa suit a Christmas hoodie infused with an armor set, and himself not needed for any reindeer rides - he soars the air himself.

It's really rare to see a young Santa Claus in portrayal, with the only other one being Nicholas Smith Claus in 2015 Charming Christmas, and it's really, REALLY exciting.

Top Gun (1986)

On Top Gun

[8/10 · 17 February 2015]

Well, this was a pretty fun experience, especially after the barrage fired by Honest Trailers. "America, f**k yeah!" This is one of the "Cruise" missiles' earlier and harder hits, and it surely pays off. And later I played the video game Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, and it kinda feel like a later modern version of Top Gun. Plus, I find the opening background music loop, "Ready Aurora", seriously suitable for the opening sequence of Top Gun, from Paramount logo to debrief back on the Carrier. Honest Trailer fired on the fact that they used Kenny Loggins' Danger Zone three times... well, figure they'll have one less spot to hit if they dubbed the first part with looping Ready Aurora. Too bad Tom Salsa didn't compose that for Top Gun in 1986, that would have been epic. I tried that, by the way, and it was good. The story was great as well, even though the closing scene would look really better with a kiss. And Maverick chose to become an instructor in the Top Gun Academy... probably the one(or one of his trainees) that trained David Crenshaw, the top pilot from H.A.W.X. This is an enticing thought.

Beauty and the Beast (2012–2016)

On Beauty and the Beast (Heavy Spoilers!)

[10/10 · 14 January 2015]

I dunno what to say. After two seasons, this show looks awesome. While watching season 2 finale, I jokingly said "A lion turns into a kitty when he encounters one"... I was only kidding at the time, but it seems I was correct, and this is a hard testament to that statement. Really, Catherine *really* has successfully turned Vincent; a tough, sharp, cutting-edge fierce, hardcore soldier, into a soft, loving and caring, ultimate gentlemen dream. And I like it. I don't know what lies ahead for these two, but I can assume it sure as hell not going to be flat-line sunshine and peace. When Agent Thomas mentioned "worse threats", all I could think of were like the Hunters in the "Resident Evil" and "Prototype" franchises - though I really hope it won't be like that. These two fought against literally- impossible odds to be together, they deserve the sunshine and peace. Although I gotta say, season 2 finale made it looks like there's no more story to tell. Rundown was: Vin and Cat are alive, back together stronger than ever. Vin's name cleared and his normal life earned, and is offered a very exciting position in a secret division. Cat got reinstated and enjoying the happy time with Vin. With Gabe the Hunter Boss gone, it seems that the only Alpha Hunter gene-carrier is no more. Also, Professor JT Forbes still lives and continues his romance with Tess, and I certainly don't detect hostilities from either Thomas or Barnett - it sounds like they are someone sent from *my* stories... All loose ends were tied, all relationships resolved, all primary enemies defeated, and no cliffhanger? This looks like the "best- case scenario" ending for full story conclusions, not for a renewing series. Perhaps it's like, creators thought season 2 is the concluding season so they wrapped it up, but then afterwards news came that they been renewed for season 3? Anyway, as far as TV series finales go, this is, by far, the best finale of all. Congratulations for the renewal, and may the Lion and Cat be ever romantic!

Video Game High School (2012–2014)

On Video Game High School

[10/10 · 3 October 2014]

Okay... so where to begin? This show is awesome. I couldn't believe this network show also came in seasons - first time I watched it I thought it was a pure direct-to-DVD movie. Can't believe it's a show that got renewed to season 3! Figure it got widespread audience acclaim. Not surprising.

Somethings I'd like to point out:

1. This show displays a world where gaming is the way of education. This is not exactly the world that *our* society would agree with, though I gotta admit; this is a pretty good alternative way to settle wars and conflicts(the first one being the one-on-one between two best warriors).

2. This show's about the games, and the bulkhead concentrated on the FPS - where the protagonists Brian and Jenny are most specializes in - and it somehow follows a Call of Duty cliché, where all the other minor ally characters can be killed off, and the protagonists always stay alive.

3. The emblems of each character is precise: BrianD the sharpshooter, Jenny Matrix the champion, Ki Swan the brawler, Ted Wong the racer, Mary Matrix the coach, and Law the professional.

4. Clearly the chemistry between Brian and Jenny were brought beyond the screen, as they dated and married in real life - before the second season aired! They were so young, and my best wishes to them.

5. Wonder how much military support - or any support - Freddie Wong and others got. Apparently this much shooting scenes require extensive military training, the drifting races requires driving skills, and Mortal Kombat-style brawling requires martial arts trainings and one heck of a Kung Fu fight choreography. And where did they get those awesome guns and gears? I want some... XDDD

6. Special effects are also one of the marvels of this show. The blue- and-red "comfirmed hit" effect, the heads-up display on the cars' windshield, and the fire-and-ice effect in brawling games? Can't believe they only did that in under $70,000. Take that, Hollywood.

7. One of the show's creator, Brian Firenzi, plays a major role in the show as its on-and-off antagonist. There's no bad words from me about his acting skills - his character is both annoying and amusing. Wonder what would he become in season three. Speaking of which...

8. This show is super awesome. I'll give it 20 stars if available. But when will season three be up in the air?!?