Starshine5050

As just a regular, hard-working work, often-stressing, procrastination-mastering history and journalism student, I often turn to the silver and small screens for relief, even though I'm only an average cinema-and-television loving viewer, commenting on what, and does not, makes good entertainment. I love horror everything - book, TV shows, games, movies - even though they frighten me terribly. I'm a long time believer of the old saying "When life gives you lemons, don't take life's lemons! Give the lemons back!" So, onward I go, returning lemons and logging an unhealthy amount of screen time for your enjoyment. So please be sure to read my stuff and let me know what you think, I'm alway looking to improve and be the best, most cynical critic I can be!

Why Kyuubey is More Evil Than Anyone Even Imagined

 Analysis, Anime, Random  1 Response »
Oct 102012
 

By now, everyone on the Internet knows more or less who or what Kyuubey is – the adorable looking alien from the mega-hit anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica that will grant your wishes in return for your service as a magical girl (apparently, no boys are allowed) fighting off witches that cause depression, suicide, and all types of terrible awful things. And yes, the implicit deal is all types of messed up since we find out later the conditions are way more terrible than implied by said cute alien making these contracts, who just wants to help save the universe.

But is Kyuubey as evil as he/it seems? Or perhaps his plan far, far more dastardly than ever imagined? Let’s take a look at some facts. (AND BE FOREWARNED THIS THING IS LITTERED WITH SPOILERS)

Public Enemy Number One

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Manic Movie Magic: Seven Psychopaths

 Movies, Review  2 Responses »
Oct 052012
 

There are times when you see a film poster with an all star cast lining the top and you wonder how they got all of these people in this movie. All these A-Listers wanted to be a part of this movie? It’s got to be at least decent, right? Sometimes, it works, like Oceans Eleven. Sometimes it doesn’t, like Batman and Robin. When studios line up their top-of-the-hill gang at the peak of their careers, it can sometime be a little suspect.

This was not the impression I got from this movie – Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson were the big names that jumped out at me. Not exactly men at the height of their careers, but certainly great actors in their own right. I  was able to catch an advanced screening of the film, and I thought I might be in for a shlocky, B-film (which can be fun) but my overall expectations were low. I was completely and utterly wrong. Let’s take a look at Seven Psychopaths.

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Objection! – The Future of Comic Book Movies

 Comics, Commentary, Movies  1 Response »
Oct 042012
 

Silverwolf: Hello everyone! Silverwolf here with another exciting edition of Objection! Some of you may remember Starshine’s intriguing article concerning the future of comic book movies a few weeks ago (and if you haven’t read it yet, you really should). While I thought she made some great points, I’m here because I think that some of her assessments aren’t entirely accurate, or are just plain wrong. Starshine, would you care to give a brief synopsis of your position on these films?

Starshine: Sure! While I think that comic book films are great, and the fact that they are gaining some serious attention, not just from audiences but also from filmmakers, is fantastic. But my greatest fear is that in the wake of the Avengers is that we will adopt a more comic book style format for movies – ie that we will have contuinity driven mess, alternate universes when the actors get too old, and a lack of original films in the wake of making popular adaptations.

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Manic Movie Magic: Dredd 3D

 Movies, Review  No Responses »
Sep 282012
 

Once upon a time, the 90s happened. And man, was there a lot of shit floating around in the water then. Yes, amongst all the crappy offerings the cinema doled out between all the classics of the era was a comic-book adaptation entitled Judge Dredd. It starred everyone’s favorite muddle-mouth Slyvester Stallone and Diane Lane for whatever reason (probably it was in her contract with the studio) as two “Street Judges” in one of the last bastions of human civilization, dispensing justice wherever they went. Fans of the comic hated it. Critcs hated it. General audiences hated it, but laughed their asses off anyways. The film became a cult classic, but was always remembered for its huge financial loss by the studio, and the intellectual property was never touched again…

…that is until someone decided a reboot was in order. Yes, Dredd hit theaters not but a week ago, nearly 17 years after the original film’s debut, and almost 35 years after the comics first started publishing. Will it go the way of The Amazing Spiderman, and be a terrible, soulless reboot, or will it be a newer, better very of the original’s trainwreck? Let’s prepare to pass judgment on Dredd.

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Manic Movie Magic: The Future of Comic Book Movies

 Analysis, Movies  2 Responses »
Sep 212012
 

So, now that the Avengers has become the single biggest thing not only of the summer, but also the entire year, and X-Men: First Class having garnered huge amounts of praise, comic book movies are now the popular consciousness and studios can now make millions adapting entire libraries of content that’s been building up for decades. Finally, fans will have their favorite characters and stories come to life on the big screen and their hobby that had been previously spurned will now be enjoyed by all.

But is all of this a good thing? Do origin stories, big universe wide team ups, and putting the most genius minds to work on these project mean great things for the cinema to come, or is it a curse in disguise? I’m going to properly get a lot of hate for this article, but it’s gotta be said. Let’s talk about comic book movies.

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Oda Sakura joins Morning Musume as the Only 11th Generation Member!

 Music, News  No Responses »
Sep 172012
 

Yes, the 11th generation auditions are over, and on Friday, Oda Sakura, a year 13 year old Kanagawa native, was chosen as the only contestant to join the group on it’s 15 year anniversary. She had attempted to join another Hello!Project group, S/Mileage, but didn’t join. However, she become a part Hello! Pro Kenshuusei, a unit where promising talents are being given free dancing and singing lesson in the hopes they can one day join a group. She will be the third person in the group to be one-member generation, following 7th generation memeber Koharu Kusumi, and 8th generation Mitsui Aika.

Having looked at some footage of her training during the auditions and she is pretty great. There are even some murmurs on the Internet that she could be the ace of the group (i.e. the singing, dancing beast of awesome that everyone falls in love with) but for now, we’ll have see since she won’t be on the upcoming single. Either way, it’s good to see that Morning Musume is going strong and adding lots of new talent to the mix.

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Manic Movie Magic: Surrogates

 Movies, Review  No Responses »
Sep 142012
 

There is little worse than when a really inventive, interesting concept is made into a sub-par movie. After all, when you match a stupid premise with a stupid movie, it just seems like a natural fit. Hell, even a semi-ridiculous concept can be neatly tucked away by the drama and flare of a good movie, like Inception. But when it’s a unique plot with tons of potential that gets squandered by poor craftsmanship, a limited script, and lack-luster payoffs, the audience is left with less than a bad movie, they are left with a movie that could have been.

And for better or for worse, that’s what we find in Bruce Willis’ latest sci-fi feature Surrogates, a film all about when human beings decide that life is safer when you live it through an expensive metal toy…and takes it to the logical extreme of making those toys actually fully functioning robots.

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Manic Movie Magic: Donnie Darko

 Movies, Review  No Responses »
Sep 072012
 

Ah, right now, I’m nose deep in test prep, so unfortunately I have not ventured down to the cinema in order to find a new movie to watch and review. As far as I know there’s nothing good on anyways. Ergo, retro-review!

One of the most critically-acclaimed sci-fi/horror films of the last twenty years, Donnie Darko is dark, creepy, and cynical about the fake and plastic world – everything that clicks with the majority of sci-fi fans of today and yester-year. But let’s talk about whether it’s appeal is as large as it seems, or if it’s just another movie whose praises are sung for some of the wrong reasons?

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Objection! – Wall-E

 Commentary, Movies  2 Responses »
Sep 062012
 

Starshine: Hey everyone! Welcome to another Objection. I’m Starshine!

Fenrir: And I’m Fenrir, famous for being neutral on just about everything except for animated feature films

Starshine: Which brings us to today’s topic: Wall-E. Animated classic for the ages, or a cope out from Pixar. Fenrir, why don’t you start by talking about the film?

Fenrir: Well, I wouldn’t say it’s a “cop out”, persay, it certainly was a pleasure to watch if only for the graphics and the heavy-handed enviromentalist/general commentary on the state of our health. But, it doesn’t strike me as the most memorable of Pixar films because — as we observed with Brave — pretty pictures are not everything. With a dragging story that is moved by cute scenes of robots speaking in a very Pokemon-nese language, it’s a bit tiring. I mean, I get it; they’re cute robots, doing cute things, saving the world and all of humanity, coupled with stellar graphics. But for me, it didn’t have that Pixar spark that comes with that profound mixture of great dialogue, along with art direction, and musical score — sorry, but the ‘bot language barrier was a big turn off for me and only made the movie drag on.

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Review: Silent Hill: Downpour

 Review, Video Games  No Responses »
Sep 012012
 

Finally, right? Yes, it’s my long-time coming Silent Hill: Downpour review! Yes, the latest installment in the famous and infamous horror game franchise. After multiple staff changes and developers over the years, the series hard-core horror fans came to know and love slowly began to lose it’s amazing reputation with shitty game after shitty game, rehashing the old characters and tropes in an attempt to keep it alive.

So, now after another major change, does this new game serve to bring any glimmer of hope back tot he franchise, or is it just another disappointing failure on a long line of failed game? Let’s take a look.

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