skatiehall Reviews

The Nine Lives of Chloe King (2011)

I love this show :)

[26 July 2011]

I wonder what the average age of the reviewers of this show have been, because their reviews have been pretty mixed. Some of them are probably young teenagers (13-14), some are probably mid-older teenagers (16-18), and then some are most likely young adults or parents of teenagers and older children.

As a "mid-older" teenager (to quote myself), I really enjoy this show. It could be construed as a summer show, but I think it will be really good during the school year when I have a bunch of homework and just need to unwind. There is a lot of drama (like all the other ABC Family shows), but that's good because I don't experience much of that in my everyday life but do like to observe it every so often.

The relationships between all the characters, especially between Chloe and Alek, intrigue me. I also love the comedic relief that Amy and Paul provide. With them it doesn't seem like the viewer is always getting bombarded with hard-hitting, violent content. And Brian is super sweet; he is just the type of guy a father wants their daughter to date.

In conclusion, this show, unlike what my cousins repeatedly tell me, is actually quite good. For being yet another TV show adapted from a novel, I always look forward to my Tuesday nights because of this show, and it makes getting to Wednesday a lot easier.

Source Code (2011)

Definitely was not expecting that!

[9/10 · 6 April 2011]

When I saw the first trailer for Source Code here on IMDb, I nearly flipped out because it stars one of my favorite actors, Jake Gyllenhaal. As I continued to watch it, I saw the 8-star rating and that Michelle Monaghan, whom I loved in Eagle Eye, plays the leading lady, and I decided that somehow I was going to see this movie. I finally got the chance today when my family and I traveled to our nearest theater and saw this film for a very discounted rate, and I could not have been more pleased!

Source Code is about Captain Colter Stevens, a helicopter pilot for the US Air Force, who wakes confused to find himself on a train and sitting across from a woman he does not know talking to him. Eight minutes later, a bomb detonates on the train and everyone, including Captain Stevens and the woman, is killed. As the film progresses, Captain Stevens learns that he is a part of a program called the Source Code, a computer program that places him in the body of Sean Fentress, which the Air Force, by finding the train's bomb and bomber, is using to prevent another bombing of Chicago that will occur later that day.

I sat on the edge of my seat through the entire movie, awaiting Captain Stevens' fate as thousands of questions flooded my mind: Why him? Will he find the bomber? I even, for a second, believed that either Captain Stevens or Christina (the woman) was the bomber. I came out of the movie with more questions than I did after watching The Matrix, but after sifting through every lobe of my brain for about twenty minutes, I came to my own conclusions and deemed the movie worthy of watching multiple times over. The plot kept me praying for that happy ending I hoped was coming, and the characters and subplots had me laughing, tearing up, and becoming immersed. The twist completed the film, and the ending (which fueled most of my questions) had me itching for more. Anyone who is willing to pay attention and wrack their brain for an hour and a half would love this film, as I did. Had I not come out so utterly confused, I would have given it a ten!