Sherlock Holmes

So I just now got around to seeing the new Guy Ritchie. This was an interesting movie for me. It was tons of fun, but pretty predictable. As much as I wanted to LOVE this movie, it was only alright. By no means was it a bad movie, but it was nothing new or special.

The actors in this movie were spot in. Robert Downy Jr. as Holmes was fantastic. He was just strange enough to pull it off. Jude Law as Watson was also good in his role bringing a more sane side of Robert Downy Jr.’s Holmes. I think Rachel McAdams was a little off; she really didn’t ever seem to mesh into her role for me.

I know my mom hated the filming style, but I quite liked it. Ritchie did a lot of filming with a blue cast to it, giving it that cold, mysterious even dingy London in the Victorian age kind of look. I think it fit the movie and the story line well, but my mom hates not seeing true color. That may be something that turns people off on the movie.

There are some really great fight scenes (the boxing ring scene) and some really cool effects (the glass sword), but all in all it was a pretty typical movie. It was a fun watch and enjoyable, but it didn’t leave me in awe as I had hoped.

If you liked any Guy Ritchie movie, or any sort of mystery movie, I think you will enjoy this.

3.5/5 stars

Young Victoria

Young Victoria is about just that, the young Queen Vitoria. It is a pretty straightforward movie. Victoria was very young when she took the throne and political powerhouses try to take control of her believing she is vulnerable. Victoria in true British monarch movie form proves she can handle things. We also see the beginning of the famous royal love story between Victoria and Albert.

I don’t know about you, but I knew absolutely nothing about the beginning of Queen Vitoria’s rule. To me, I found this movie to be very interesting because of that. The beginning of her rule was quite the scandal and the relationship between Victoria and her mother was absolutely insane. If you already know all about that, then I might skip this movie. If you don’t, the story will be fresh and interesting for you. The same can be said for the story of Victoria and Albert. Their love story is pretty cute. Albert is so sweet, talented and protective that it’s easy to see why Victoria chose to marry him. Try to ignore the fact that Victoria and Albert are first cousins.

The costumes won an Oscar, so obviously they were stunning and the setting is beautiful as well. I love when movies just look pretty and this one fit the bill for sure.

Overall, I really liked this movie. It was a good movie just to sit and watch and relax. I watched it with my mom, who liked it as well, so a wide age range may enjoy this movie. There is a great all star cast of Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, and Paul Bettany to name a few so you know the story is going to be well acted. I don’t think this is a must see kind of movie, but it is certainly worth the watch if you are at all interested.

If you liked Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth I, The Tudors, or Marie Antoinette I would suggest this movie.

Bright Star

This movie is about John Keats who is one of the Romantic poets of English literature. He only every published work over a four year period, and this movie is in that time span. The movie centers around the love story of Keats and Fanny Brawne. This is one of those unstoppable love stories that most girls I think will like.

When it comes to movies, I have a type. Well, actually two that will very quickly become apparent. I love period pieces surrounded by a love story and superhero movies. This movie was right up my ally. Fanny is a want to be fashion maker and John Keats is the tortured artist who posses a power over words. Keats is so sweet and quirky that it’s hard not to love him in the movie. He is also poor beyond all imagination while Fanny’s family has money, so we can see why in that time period they would not be allowed to be together. A lot of the information to create this story comes from the surviving letters from John to Fanny that are read in the movie. We also see the process of John Keats writing his poem Bright Star which is his love poem to Fanny.

The scenery and lighting in the movie are wonderful. I love how the English countryside adds to the movie and gives a mood for the love story. As the love blooms, so do the flowers, as typical in these movies. The costumes are fun and interesting and the actors play their parts well. At the end of the movie, Abbie Cornish, who plays Fanny, has a very emotional scene that she plays wonderfully.

Overall: I think this is a great movie. I loved the story and the look of the movie. It is a simple movie with a simple story line and I think the beauty of this movie truly lies in that simplicity.

If you liked Pride and Prejudice or Young Victoria I think you should check this movie out too.

Kiss and Tell Reviews: Glee Episode 20

Episode 20: Theatricality

The Lady Gaga episode sure didn’t disappoint, and it had nothing to do with the Gaga songs at all. The boys, minus Kurt, chickened out on the Gaga part and did Kiss instead, which I think was a good choice. My pick for best song of the night was “Beth”, proving that Puck may one day grow up.

I’m still up in the air about Rachel’s mom. It seemed a little weird the way it all played out, but I think in some strange way it worked. Again, Glee took the more realistic way with this whole scenario, not the cheesy mother and daughter happy together all at once route. Their “Poker Face” song at the end was very cool. It gave the song a whole new vibe, so I suggest watching this scene if you love Lady Gaga songs.

However, the best scene of the whole episode was by none other than Kurt’s dad again. SOME ONE GIVE THAT MAN A MEDAL!! Burt Hummel is the best dad in the world. The way he stood up for Kurt to Finn like that was absolutely incredible. I honestly think that this was one of the most important scenes in TV history for our generation. Glee does an amazing job of putting the tough guy father and gay son relationship into a whole new light, and I think this show is really positive example for our society.

Overall, I loved the entire show. It was fun, exciting and emotional. I would highly recommend that anyone watch this episode. Again, I think this is a really great moment in TV history that our society should take note of so check it out!

Update

Hey everyone! Just and update for everyone, expect a lot of movie reviews coming up. I have seen quite a few good ones as of late, so I want to get those up for you guys to see. Look out for those and let me know what you think.

Also, I just want to just take a moment to say that all of these views are my own. If anyone has had an impact on these reviews, they will be mentioned in the post. Please feel free to leave your opinion in the comments, I would love to hear them. Please be respectful! Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

If there is something you would like for me to review, let me know by emailing me. This email address is purely for this blog, so they will not get lost in the shuffle. I plan on doing some beauty product reviews as well, but those are still in the works.

-Kristen

Kiss and Tell Reviews: Glee Episodes 18 and 19

So let's catch up on Glee shall we? Rather than from the beginning, we'll just jump right into Episode 18. If you haven't seen the show, I highly suggest it. This is not Lost, you do not need a novel to catch up to speed. There are full episodes from 15 on and clips from episodes before that at , so check them out if you are interested.

Episode 18: Laryngitis

What I loved about this episode was Kurt. His story line is currently a heart wrenching one. Kurt has told his father, Burt that he is gay and his dad is having a hard time dealing with it. Not being able to relate well to Kurt, Mr. Hummel bonds with his girlfriend’s son, Finn. Finn is in Glee club with Kurt, so things have been a little awkward for them. When Kurt sees how easy it is for his dad to talk ‘guy stuff’ with Finn, Kurt decides to try and be straight. It doesn’t work out. In the end of the episode, there is a tearjerker with Kurt and his dad where Burt tells his son that he loves him no matter what and he only ever wants him to be himself. It is quite the touching scene. Bravo to Glee for giving a positive example of how parents can deal with a gay/lesbian child. I was really impressed by this.

Also, I loved that Finn got Rachel to stop whining at least for a little bit. As much as I love hearing Rachel sing, I really hate listening to her talk about herself and complaining. Kudos to Finn for that one.

What I didn’t like about this episode was the Mercedes and Puck thing going on. I loved Puck’s song in this one, but the whole relationship thing between them is just really not working out for me. I think it’s just awkward between the two of them.

Over all: Great episode! A must watch in the Glee season.

Episode 19: Dream On
After such a great episode, this one seemed a step backward. Neil Patrick Harris finally showed up as Bryan Ryan, the Glee star from Mr. Schuester’s past. This episode was all about if achieving a dream of being a star is really possible or not.

What I liked was Artie, for the most part. I was not happy when he blamed his falling on Tina. However, I loved that being paralyzed didn’t stop him from dreaming of being a dancer. The story again was pretty sad, and him watching Tina dance with out him in the end was tragic, but I liked seeing this new side of Artie. I think one strong point of Glee is that they don’t play by the rules. The kid in the wheelchair battles his dream of dancing. He has to go through some ups and downs in this episode of whether that is actually possible or not. It was very interesting. Also, Rachel is searching for her mom. It seems Jesse is working for Rachel’s mom and trying to get Rachel to search her out and lead her in the right direction. We’ll see how Rachel takes it when she finds out.

What I didn’t like so much was the new character. He just didn’t fit well for me. I guess we’ll see what happens. The only good part with him for me was the song battle between him and Mr. Schuester to Aerosmith’s Dream On.

Over all: This was an okay episode. Certainly good, but not as good as some of the others.

Next week, GAGA! Get ready for some awesome outfits, singing and dancing. Maybe even who Rachel’s mom is and what Jesse is really up to. Rumor has it that Rachel and her mom sing Pokerface.

Welcome

Welcome to Kiss and Tell Reviews. Here you'll find my personal reviews of all sorts. Look forward to reviews on makeup, books, movies and anything else along the way I feel worth reviewing. Hope you enjoy!

-Kristen