Review: The Burning (1981)

PLOT
Cropsey was a man seriously burned in a terrible prank gone wrong. Five years have passed and now he is back for revenge while murdering the young teens of a summer camp. I wish my summers were this much fun!

REVIEW
The Burning is a movie I saw back when I was 12 or 13 years old. I didn’t remember much, other than the classic raft scene (more on that later), but I remembered loving the film. Now at 23, I get to relive this film on glorious Blu-Ray and I’m glad I did…because it holds up! Yes, the plot is unoriginal and I have to mention the film is a bit of a Friday the 13th rip off. We all know it, but that doesn’t mean the movie is bad. In fact the movie is easily as good as most of the sequels! And to be honest, in a slasher film I don’t look for originality. All the classic ingredients were there: the woods setting, an unstoppable killer, ample gore and nudity, and even the scary legend around the camp fire!

I look for a good scary time and this movie gave me just that…and with ample gore in tow. Tom Savini’s gore effects help make the movie a classic, as it not only adds to the fun, but it also adds to the brutality. Cropsey is NOT one to mess around. This film has some of the best and most inventive death scenes, including a raft scene that is now a classic. After re-watching that scene at an older age, I was truly able to understand the art in this scene and the director deserves a big thank you. He really shot this film well and in some scenes it felt almost like an art film. It looked beautiful and I have to say that even though a majority of the film took place in the day, it still worked. Many scenes took place in the woods or in darkened cabins, with bits of sunlight peaking through and it added to the creep factor.

And I have to say that the film is high on suspense! I found myself on the edge of my seat many times, and I loved it and not only that but every single jump scare got me as well! One thing I notice is that jump scares don’t usually work on me when I’m at home (only in the movie theatre), but this film had some brilliant jumps. Now the characters aren’t well developed, but they didn’t annoy me and I actually had fun with many of them. I rooted for the leads and I actually found myself caring about even a couple of them. My favourite would definitely be the lead male Todd. The actor, Brian Matthews, was fantastic and really made me care about the role and in the end I was honestly rooting for him to get away and to stop Cropsey. It also helped that he was incredibly gorgeous and I was crushing on him the entire film. Honestly the entire cast did well with their roles. The film even switched things around with having a final boy instead. Yes, there is a lead female, but she isn’t the hero. Todd is the hero who goes after the killer, and another male character gets the big ending chase scene in the climax. Props for switching things up, and the film has a BRILLIANT climax that really had me on the edge of my seat.

The editing was top notch and the film was never boring…and I must own that music score! It was fantastic and there is nothing like a good 80’s slasher film score. They were simply the best. Now the film did have some flaws as well. The Burning did take a bit too long to get going. I mean I was never bored because I was having fun with the characters, but if you’re going to take that long to get to the meat of the film, I’d rather seem some character development. I wish more of the lead characters were killed, but I’m just being greedy for more of the fantastic gore, and it has always bothered me that lead girl, Michelle, didn’t get much to do other than look hot. The actress was fine and she was definitely beautiful, but she wasn’t given much to do. I would have liked to have seen her do more in the climax (maybe even at least come face-to-face with Cropsey, which she never does…bummer), but you know what, she wasn’t the hero, so what can you do?

In the end, The Burning is a fantastic addition to the slasher subgenre (aka my favourite kind of movie). It didn’t bring anything new, and I don’t care. It was a fuckin’ good time with high gore and high suspense. Brian Matthews made for a crush-worthy man (and I appreciated his many shirtless scenes). It’s a shame there was never a The Burning Part II, because Cropsey could definitely have had his own franchise.

Verdict: 9/10

Mood: Angry

Mr.Blizzo at 04:48 PM May 29

great slasher!

sLaShEr84 at 05:06 PM May 29

Great slasher.

horrorfan23 at 09:14 PM May 29

One of the most underrated slashers ever

Read all 5 comments >>

What about us schmoes that like men???

So I just heard it's Porn Day, and I'm seeing a ton of barely-clothed women...but not all of us like women...so hear are some hot gay porn stars!

Mood: Happy

HTX0811 at 07:16 PM May 23

Some nice looking men here.

OldKingClancy at 11:44 PM May 23

Well, now I feel inadequate. Curse you sexy gay men.

goNADSgo69 at 09:06 AM May 24

OKC, it's all smoke and mirrors! So don't feel that way :)

Read all 12 comments >>

WalkAway's Challenge - 10 May

Go to Google images and type in the name of your MFC celebrity bf/gf and post the very first image. (include these rules in the post so others know what's going on).

Mood: Angry

Review: Wasted on the Young (2013)

PLOT
Zach (Alex Russell) and his two best friends are the rulers of their school. They don’t think anything can touch them and they live the life of girls, drugs, and parties. One night they lose control and now they are trying to keep it hush, but Zach’s stepbrother, Darren (Oliver Ackland) and his friend, Xandrie (Adelaide Clemens) are trying to show the world what really happened. Let the rumours spread.

REVIEW
Released in Australia back in 2010 or 2011, Wasted on the Young was met with mixed reviews, and now North America is getting it in 2013. I’ve never heard of the film, but I saw the striking cover art online and I had to find the movie, and I’m glad I did. This is one of the most striking and visually beautiful films I’ve seen in a long time, but it also packed a huge punch and was tied up with a message that is relevant to today’s society. We live in a society that lives on a crutch, and that crutch is technology. People rely on their computer or their smart phone these days, and no one can stay away from them. It is like technology is a drug, and humans are their slaves. Cyber bullying is shown and just how bad it can ruin a person. Although it could have been more delved into, what the film did do with this aspect was a nice touch. Bullying isn’t just physical anymore. The film slyly portrayed how technology can affect us as rumours spread and people trash talk one another. Technology is the way people can hide behind personas and do what they want, like they’re invincible. The lead bullies in the film live their lives this way, like their invincible. They don’t care who they hurt.

The movie starts off on the right track by introducing us to Darren and Xandrie (great name by the way), two cute high school students who are friends, but they obviously like one another. The film starts off as a cute high school romance about these two teenagers, and it works. Darren is a social outcast who likes to stay invisible, while Xandrie is this beautiful soul who raises money to help poor children in starving countries. Their chemistry is off the charts, and if the movie were just a romance film about these two teens, I’d be a happy person. Their moments are cute and rang true. They never felt cheesy or unrealistic. In fact the whole high school setting felt pretty realistic.

While Darren is the lead character, the heart of the film is truly the character of Xandrie. At the start of the film, Xandrie is happy and as sweet as you can be. She is the epitome of innocence and kindness, and has a bright smile to die for. She is the girl you want to date or be best friends with, but not sleep with. At a certain point in the movie, the hammer comes down, and everything changes. This one moment ruins people’s lives and Xandrie’s spirit is broken. Her downward spiral is a guttural experience that truly got to me. I just wanted to hug her and let her know she will be okay. I wanted to protect her.

This is all thanks to Adelaide Clemens, who gave a heart wrenching performance. She has to hit so many notes and she does it and then some. She was brilliant and to see her portray the decline of the sweet Xandrie as she loses it more and more, was a bleak experience. As Darren, Oliver Ackland is no slouch either. He is equally brilliant and I relished his more quiet moments, as he really showed so much focus. Every scene these two actors owned it, and with lesser actors, this film wouldn’t have worked at all. Their chemistry was through the roof and I so badly wanted them both to make it out okay in the end. Darren’s plot is an interesting one, as I never knew where he was going to go. He’s a fascinating character who was full of surprises and by the end I couldn’t wait to see what he’d do next. I must also add Ackland is a cute guy and is exactly my type! So he was very nice to look at. As Zach, Alex Russell is at his slimy best. He’s a douche bag who I wanted to see get his comeuppance. He doesn’t realize what he does to people, nor does he care. My favourite moments are when you see his more civil and loving moments, because they show he is a human. We are forced to see that he’s a despicable person, but he also has some love in him. That’s the scariest part about monsters. They’re human.

The movie also brings up the themes of association and accomplice. Is there a line? The movie delves into this idea that if you're around and you do nothing to stop it, you're still an accomplice. If you sit there and watch a boy get beaten and just laugh. You're a bully who's a part of it. Whether you're on a computer making fun of what happened, that still makes you a part of it, and i like how the film goes into this idea as well. The movie almost makes the audience an accomplice in what is going on, as we are forced to watch all of these acts but we are unable to stop them or control them. The film takes the idea of being an accomplice taken full circle in the finale.

Now if I don’t mention the technical aspects of the film, I’d be doing this film a loss because visually this was a masterpiece. The director, Ben C. Lucas, has an amazing eye and I loved the way he played with colours. The way he presents technology is brilliant and he has a good handle on teenagers and how they act. The music score also got the job done, with a lot of techno music being used.

Any flaws? Yeah, some. One of the bullies, Brook, was just so evil that it was ridiculous. His character was also overly irritating and I just want to punch him. Hard across the face. The two female bullies were too underdeveloped for my taste, as they didn’t really add much in the scheme of things. Another minor flaw is that the evolution of Darren and Xandrie didn’t feel gradual enough. I felt like they skipped some steps to get to the way they are in the end. More depth into that would’ve been nice. The middle section did feel a bit muddled, like it was just meandering. I really disliked how Clemens seemed to disappear for a long segment in the middle. Plus where were all the adults in the flick? I guess they were trying to show how adults don’t always notice what is going on with kids, but I had to really suspend my disbelief especially towards the end. Really, no teachers were around??? I won’t say anything else.

The ending took a bit for me to digest, as it didn’t seem that plausible, but I think I liked \ it. It wasn’t what I was expecting, so that’s something. But in my opinion the film’s biggest sin, is how it was told. It wasn’t told in a total linear way. The storytelling was disjointed and for some films it works (such as 500 Days of Summer) but for Wasted on the Young, it does not work. The movie worked, but if told in a linear fashion, it would have worked so much more in my opinion.

Even with these flaws, I have to say I just watched an utterly brilliant movie about bullies, rumours, secrets, technology, and teenagers. The film boasted two amazing performances from Ackland and Clemens and had a distinct visual style. Clemens’ storyline is one that is bleak, and depressing. The movie had me fall in love with this character only for everything sweet to be stripped away. The movie shows just how cruel teenagers can be and how fast rumours can spread and ruin a person’s life. Any movie that involves me in such a way is doing something right.

VERDICT
8/10

Mood: Angry

WalkAway at 08:26 AM Mar 13

Great review, I'll check it out!

Glinda at 11:04 AM Mar 13

Great review. This does look so good. I'm going to check it out too.

goNADSgo69 at 03:03 PM Mar 13

Thank you :) I still can't stop thinking about this movie and Adelaide's performance. I'm still heartbroken :P

Read all 4 comments >>

Be Still My Beating Heart *swoon*

Mood: Happy

WalkAway at 04:26 PM Jan 30

This is a great photoshoot of him!

Glinda at 11:06 PM Jan 31

Yes it is, he sure has that James Dean thing going on in these pics, but even better looking.

I'm pretty sure this actually happened!

Mood: Shy

Anakin at 02:13 AM Jan 15

hahaha

Invidtus at 03:56 AM Jan 15

ahaha-

Waking Life at 04:47 PM Jan 15

bahahahahahaha

Read all 9 comments >>

Ode to Chandler Massey

Mood: Shy

WalkAway at 07:37 PM Jan 09

He looks good with the glasses

goNADSgo69 at 07:48 PM Jan 09

My BIGGEST weakness: a cute guy in glasses... *swoon*

MOVIE REVIEW: Struck by Lightning (2012)

PLOT
Carson Phillips (Chris Colfer) is blackmailing his school to better his chances to get into the college of his dreams.

REVIEW
Expectations are a funny thing. Anything can cause them from a good actor starring in a project to a good director or just a great trailer. Struck by Lightning has all of the above going for it. It has the director of Saved!, a personal favourite of mine, Chris Colfer in the starring role (and also writer of the script), and the trailer rocked my world! Going into the movie, I really had to lower my expectations, because they were just too high. The movie didn’t quite meet all my expectations, but I still ended the film glad I saw it. While I didn’t get an amazing film, I still got a pretty damn good film.

The two big things this film had going for it were Chris Colfer and the script. Chris Colfer, mostly known for his role on Glee, was given his first starring role…and he was FANTASTIC. He created a unique, interesting character and proved that he has a lot of range. He changed everything from the tone of his voice down to all his mannerisms. On paper, Carson Phillips should have been an asshole, but Colfer somehow kept him likable and added a lot of depth to the role. Carson has to be one of the more driven, interesting characters I’ve seen this year. To create a character who is blackmailing his entire school, but to still have me rooting for him…something must be going right!

The other big aspect of the film is the script. Damn, this film had some of the best and most quotable lines in a movie I’ve seen all year! The movie was packed with gems such as “2-4-6-8; heard you like to fornicate” and my favourite “bit me, hobbit!” Colfer really proved himself to be a screenwriter to watch out for. He not only wrote an interesting lead character, but he also wrote a great script that is both modern, but intelligent. One detail I also loved is how the movie continued to straddle the line of funny and dark…but never completely cross it. This is a dark comedy, in the vein of Heathers, and it worked! The movie sometimes found the comedy in bleak situations…but one thing I was surprised by was the emotional impact it made as well. One would never think a 22-year-old wrote it!

Director, Brian Dannelly had a good handle on the actors and even though the film was low budget he still made a film and I liked some of his camera angles. Dannelly impressed me with Saved! back in 2004, so it’s awesome to see him back directing another movie! I also must give credit to the music, because it really worked and the soundtrack was fun! Add to that a talented cast that really rocked (Allison Janney was amazing and pathetic, Rebel Wilson was adorably funny, and Christina Hendricks was so damn likable in her small role)…and we have a winner, right? Mostly.

Now, where exactly did the film fail me? I’ll start off by saying that the movie is obviously very low budget. Colfer pretty much paid for the film out of his pocket, but the low budget did harm the look of the movie. While it looked good, it did look somewhat cheap…and the cinematography wasn’t the best. I wish they took more advantage of the scenery. But my biggest issue of the film is that sometimes it only scratched the surface and never completely went as far as it could have. This most has to do with the side cast of characters. All the kids he was black mailing were pretty one-note and generic and didn’t really serve much of a purpose other than to act as foils to Carson. I would like it if they were more human. I think by Carson blackmailing them, we should have seen more of them as humans. There were hints that there was more going on, like with the closeted gay couple but they never really went far with that or their struggles. The best example is when Carson has a conversation towards the end of the film with Claire, the bitchy head cheerleader, and it is about broken dreams and being stuck where you are. That scene shed some light on her character…and I would have liked if we saw more of that with the other characters. It would not only make them seem more human but it would have actually made Carson into a more sympathetic character. I was always on his side, but sometimes he just was a bit too sarcastic that he became unlikable.

The film was actually a bit too short, and sometimes I felt that they just didn’t develop ideas as much as they could have. The movie needed at least an extra twenty minutes…but by the ending it brought the emotions and I did have some tears by the final scene. While the film wasn’t perfect, it was still pretty damn good!

Verdict: 8/10

Mood: Chillin'

MOVIE REVIEW: The Nutcracker: The Untold Story (2009)

PLOT
The classic story of the young girl with her nutcracker…but with more explosions, action, and badly done CGI.

REVIEW
If you ever thought to yourself that the classic ballet of The Nutcracker really could have used more explosions and action, then you don’t want some boring ballet with dancing. You want this action-packed extravaganza, which is a sight to be seen. It’s ingenious what these makers did! They took a classic ballet, which is both beautiful and brilliant, and took away all the boring parts like interesting characters, beautiful dancing, and replaced it with generic characters and action scenes! Amazing! In case you haven’t caught it, I am being 100% sardonic. When I am not watching horror, I can be found watching ballets. I have an interest and a love for them. I find the art of ballet to be a beautiful thing and powerful because of how much it can convey with just body language and music. The Nutcracker is my favourite ballet out there. Ever since I was a young boy, I have had an obsession with the ballet and even used to own an old VHS copy of the ballet.

Learning they made a live-action adaptation was interesting to learn, and the fact Elle Fanning plays the lead girl (named Mary, instead of Clara, for some reason I do not know) just adds to the allure. I was hoping for a beautiful film that captured the beauty and the fantasy of the ballet. Then I saw the trailer…what a clusterfuck it was. The movie came and went with no word…I don’t think anyone even knew this was made. The film took away everything that made the ballet so powerful and added in unnecessary action and some awful CGI. Most of the time the acting was overdone, and the script was really lacking. To add further insult to injuring, they felt the need to add the lamest musical numbers (usually accompanied by Tchaikovsky’s score)…and boy did these songs suck! By adding lyrics to the music, it took away the power of the music. Also was it just I, or did the film even somewhat rip off Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland at times.

Is there ANYTHING good to say about this mess of a film? Yeah, a couple good things. First of all, Elle Fanning is a very talented girl. She impressed me BIG TIME in Super 8, and when the script didn’t let her down too much, she came out looking good. Props! At such a young age, she ended up giving the best performance in the film. I thought the waltz of the snowflakes were pretty to see. And no matter how you cut it, the music by Tchaikovsky is a masterpiece. While I felt the movie was an insult to the masterpiece of a ballet and music, I will never tire of this beautiful orchestration, so I was able to listen to that at least.

But this doesn’t change the fact that this is a terrible mess of the film. It was badly made, badly written, and just awful. A new holiday classic this is NOT! I want to know who saw The Nutcracker and decided it could use some explosions and action…they should be fired. I have one thing left to say: FUCK THIS MOVIE!

VERDICT: 2/10

Mood: Angry

goNADSgo69 at 02:34 PM Dec 03

Forget what existed??? ;) I NEVER watched anything today :P

horrorfan23 at 06:25 PM Dec 03

Nathan Lane can't get a break

Strider at 10:53 PM Dec 03

This film sounds terrible, with exception of the use of Tchaikovsky's wonderful music, of course.

Read all 4 comments >>

MOVIE REVIEW: SMILEY (2012)

PLOT
If you go on a chat roulette type chat room and type “I did it for the lulz” (no joke) three times, a killer with a creepy mask shows up behind the person on the camera and stabs them to death…Bloody Mary this is not!

REVIEW
SMILEY is a movie that caught my attention a while back when I saw the minute-long trailer online…and then YouTube sensation Shane Dawson showed up in his first real acting role. The trailer was kind of silly, but it got my attention, so I guess it did its job. I was hoping to be surprised by this film. We have a sorry state of slasher films, and this film was bringing some originality to the slasher sub-genre and seemed to boast an awesome killer. Now that I saw the movie, what can I say about SMILEY? To put it bluntly, I thought SMILEY sucked.

I feel bad for ripping on the film, because the makers obviously tried to do something original...but they sadly failed. They tried TOO hard to make something "special" but fell right on their faces. They brought up many good ideas and aspects, but never truly went anywhere with them. They brought up the lead girl’s mindset (is she going crazy, or is this real), the hints of technology, and even ideas of psychology…but the film really only scratched the surface. They didn’t truly delve underneath to give us a good film. At some points the movie actually felt like it was smarter than it truly was. Everyone knows that one person that tries to act smart, but you know they aren’t really. When they try to act it, they fall flat on their faces…well SMILEY is that person. And for an R-rated film...there wasn't much gore. I was expecting more…I mean this IS a slasher film after all. The suspense was non-existent and the movie tried to rely on jump scares (which none of them worked). Even that AWESOME mask, heavily portrayed on the posters, is hardly used. Way to waste an awesome mask! Finally the ending did nothing for me. I actually hated it to be honest. They threw in a twist and while it may work for others, it did not work for me. It didn’t make sense and it was just silly. What was the point? The chain of events didn't feel organic to me and the flow of the film felt kind of forced to get to the next scene. Then we have a killer named Smiley who comes when you type “I did it for the lulz”…WHAT!? I’m sorry, but I just can’t take that seriously. I know the film is trying to connect with the younger “hip” audience and the famous online slang…but that is just silly…and that is only the beginning of the writing for this film. The script continues to go downhill from there. Red herrings were thrown about, and many of them didn’t make sense. Why was that one teacher so creepy? Oh right…because the film thinks the audience is made up of morons, that’s why. The acting was a mixed bag. I don’t know if the actors were actually bad, or if it was the script…because the script definitely gave them NOTHING to work with. Many of them came off as annoying and their lines were as far from organic as you can get. No one felt like a real teenager. They felt like caricatures to me…and the fact that EVERYONE was a moron didn’t help. A killer is on the loose, so a girl goes across town on her own (and she KNOWS the killer is after her)…and this same girl is attracted to the creepy boy who seems to get off on the idea of murder. By the way, this is our heroine, Ashley. I dare you to root for her. Trust me, it’s difficult when she is such a moron.

Any positives? The little we got of the mask was cool to see. That really is a creepy looking mask…I wish we got to see more of it. The movie did have good IDEAS. I appreciated how it was trying to create a new modern urban legend ala Bloody Mary or Candyman, so I liked that...but it just didn't execute it well. The main girl was OKAY. Her character was dumb, but she TRIED her best to make her likable...but sadly the script failed her many times. I also like how the film used today’s technology like YouTube, smart phones, and chat roulette affects society. Technology in pop culture really plays an important fact and there was a neat voyeur aspect to the film. If the movie did more with these ideas, we could have had a truly great slasher film.

In the end, good ideas just don’t cut it. A film needs to have good execution as well, and this film did not have it. Flat direction, bad writing, weird editing, mediocre acting, and a stupid plot. If you feel the need to see this movie, wait until its on Netflix Instant, because that is where it belongs. Smiley the next slasher icon of horror, he is not!

Verdict: 3/10

Mood: Angry

JohnLocke2342 at 07:04 PM Oct 02

the plot synopsis sounds like a bad joke

YoshioKun13 at 06:14 AM Oct 03

This is, not such a good sign...

timmyd at 12:32 PM Oct 03

yeah , it really did blow . too bad .

Read all 6 comments >>

An ode to Matthew Mitcham

Mood: Shy

horrorfan23 at 09:30 AM Aug 05

I scroll down and I see the first picture and I was in awe. Someone made a bitching sculpture of David.

goNADSgo69 at 09:34 AM Aug 05

and he is 100% real and also openly gay ;)

Christopher Palu, of Project Runway: Season 10, is so darn adorable!

Mood: Happy

JenGirl824 at 10:25 PM Jul 30

This helps out my Chris theory......

goNADSgo69 at 08:27 AM Jul 31

It really does; it really does...

So I have a new guy to add to my crush list XD

BOOK REVIEW: The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (2012), written by Chris Colfer

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell (2012),
written by Chris Colfer

PLOT:
Alex and Conner Bailey are a pair of twelve-year-old twins who are given a book of fairy tales by their kind grandmother. But when it turns out the book is magical, the young kids are transported to the land of stories and they must find a way back home.

REVIEW:
Oh Chris Colfer, what am I going to do with you? It is no secret that I have a TINY bit of a crush on the actor, now writer, mostly known for playing the role of Kurt Hummel on Glee. Chris is a funny guy, who has overcome a lot in life, and has become an inspiration for so many people including myself. He is only 22-years-old, but he is openly gay, won a golden globe, been nominated for many awards, he has written and starred in a movie, and now here we are for his first novel. It is a children’s book, and for many first time writers, they fall into usual problems. Colfer thankfully avoids the usual pitfalls, and has crafted a wonderful children’s book that could be the beginning of the next fantasy franchise.

One thing I must say is that I was rather impressed by his prose. His sarcastic, witty personality really shined through with the dialogue and the way the characters were written. Colfer has been outspoken about his love for J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter, and it really shows in this book. His writing brought to mind Rowling’s Harry Potter books. While the book isn’t quite the masterpiece those books are, Colfer has some good inspiration. Land of Stories reminded me of the early Harry Potter books, but with Rowling’s later writing style. One thing many authors fail to do is show and not tell. They’ll say something, but then they won’t show you it. Colfer, thankfully, strays away from this. He crafts some pretty nice scenes and imagery and he has a lot of imagination and then some to spare.

He has a way with crafting interesting characters that I actually wanted to know more about and while the two lead characters were only 12, they were thankfully not annoying. I know that if twelve-year-old me read this book, he would have adored this book to death. Even at twenty-two, I can say I loved the book quite a bit. One thing that really surprised me with the characters were how nothing was black-and-white. Colfer showed how people are a grey moral area. Take the Evil Queen for example. No one has ever questioned her motive for trying to murder Snow White…but Colfer shows another light on her. While she is definitely a villain, she is also a well-rounded character. She isn’t just evil for the sake of it. Her back-story was actually the best part of the novel, and even quite heartbreaking. I MIGHT have let out one tear, but just one. I love this, because since it is a children’s book, it is teaching young children that not everything or everyone is simple. Some people might be bad, but they can have some good in them…and it also teaches kids that we don’t know the entire story about everyone.

Colfer didn’t just stop at the Evil Queen though. He even gave many of the fairy tale characters a personality, like Cinderella is actually quite funny and sarcastic! I loved that. My favourite though would have to be Goldilocks who was a badass with a sword on the run. Another great aspect of the book is that he goes by the ORIGINAL dark fairy tales, and not the light Disney-fied ones most people knows today. Reading the book, you get a sense that Colfer really loves these tales and he shows them the care that a fan would.

Sadly the book isn’t perfect. Colfer’s novel does have a few flaws. A small personal flaw is that since the main characters are 12, I did have a bit of trouble truly connecting to them…and it let to a more juvenile book in places. But that isn’t a flaw, because this IS a children’s book, so I had to let that go. Even with that though, Colfer shows a mature handling of the characters by actually developing them. Colfer has so many great ideas, and I loved what he did with the fairy tale characters…but I don’t think we got enough of them. We got very tiny doses, but the book mostly focused on the twins. They were supposed to be our guide into this magical new world. We know as much as they do, but honestly the fairy tale characters were so much more interesting that I was disappointed we didn’t get more time with them, especially Goldilocks who BEGGED for more page time. Maybe Colfer was planning to show them more in the sequel, which he is writing now.

The Evil Queen also didn’t get the time she deserves. She is the villain of the novel, but she wasn’t threatening enough. Not because she wasn’t scary, but because she was honestly hardly in it for the first ¾ of the novel. She would pop in for a few pages and then disappear for a HUGE portion of the novel. Her character didn’t really come into play until the end. By doing that, I just never felt the threat of her character and it also took away the “beat the clock” aspect the novel was going for. If the Evil Queen was more present throughout the novel, then the threat would have been felt more. Finally there was one twist that I guessed early on in the novel…but this one didn’t bother me so much, because the novel was full of other twists that I honestly didn’t see coming.

Overall, this was a great book. If you have young children, or even if you want to read it yourself, I definitely recommend it. Colfer has crafted a wonderful children’s book that really shows love to the classic fairy tales, and may create a new audience of book lovers, and lovers of fairy tales.

VERDICT: 8/10

Mood: Shy

Derek237 at 09:15 PM Jul 21

When the balls did he find the time to write a book, who does he think he is, Ethan Hawke?

goNADSgo69 at 11:06 AM Jul 22

Because he is perfect, that is why :P

How can you not vote Chris Colfer as sexiest four-eyed man? ;)

Yes he isn't wearing glasses here, but just look at his adorableness :P

Mood: Happy

JenGirl824 at 02:59 PM Jul 17

if he just changed "cat" to "dog" hes be one of the most perfect men ever.

goNADSgo69 at 03:05 PM Jul 17

The best part of watching this is my name is Bryan, so hearing him say "Hi Bryan" (although he spelled his cat's name wrong ;)) was so awesome lmfao

Andrew Garfield Appreciation Thread

Mood: Happy

razgriz21 at 07:54 PM Jul 08

He has a sense of humor. I like that in a celeb.

horrorfan23 at 09:30 PM Jul 08

This is perfect. Now you can have Garfield while I go for Stone.

goNADSgo69 at 08:10 AM Jul 09

I'll have to get back to you! If things don't work out with Chris and I, then I'll be more than happy to help you horrorfan!

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