Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

Directed by Tim Story

This is the sequel to Fantastic Four, which is based off of a Marvel comic.

This was a good movie, especially seeing how it is a sequel. The characters continued to grow and new enemies were introduced. For a while, the silver surfer is a bad guy, but that later gets called into question. What exactly are his motives? And will Reed's passion for science conflict with his love for Susan? Jonny matures even more during this movie, even offering some deep thoughts on how he would like to "have someone" (instead of flirting with endless girls) the way that Ben has Alicia.

This movie was a good family movie, offering plenty of relationship complications, action, and special effects. As a warning, there is a scene where Susan ends up on the floor naked (though nothing super inappropriate is seen) as well as Jonny implying something inappropriate. However, the movie quality, plot, and acting are all phenomenal. In other words, I love this movie, and everyone should see it.

Review by Beckyelsie

Fantastic Four (2005)

Directed by Tim Story

Fantastic Four is my favorite superhero movie because it has a good story, well-developed characters, and is well-made. The quality of the movie is good, besides having a good plot and good characters. The movie stars four unintentional superheroes and one super-villain. There are sibling relationships, love relationships, friendship relationships, rivalry relationships, and they all work together to form a good team who learn to stick together through adverse circumstances. The characters are well-developed and are fun to watch through the movie, because they all grow and become better (or as in the villain's case, worse). The plot keeps you entertained, but is not too difficult to pick up on. There are emotional aspects, action-related aspects, and take-over-the-world aspects that every superhero movie has.

Overall, I love this movie and there is an inappropriate part where Susan is in her underwear and then is "naked" (but she's invisible so her body isn't actually seen). Other than that, it is a wonderful movie to watch.

Review by Beckyelsie

Sense and Sensebility(1995)

Directed by Ang Lee

My cousin (Christie) has always said I am like Marianne and she is like Elinor. And it is so true. Elinor's sense is so much my cousin's, and Marianne's willingness to express her feelings is much like my own way that in many things I would be like.(In love I am a little more cautious than Marianne).

I watched this movie when my moms friend came over for a girls night with her daughter. Whitney and I went down stairs to watch this and I was happy we chose this to watch.

If I am not wrong this is also my  aunt's favorite chick flick. And I can see why.

The story of two sisters who are very close, and how they cope with disappointment in men. Eventually Elinor and Marianne found their happily ever after, after much tears.

I loved this movie. It is a classic. I didn't want to stop watching it for one second. I love this movie. Everyone should see it.

Review By Sweetie Pie

Pride and Prejudice(2005)

Directed by Joe Wright

Well, I am not a classics kind of girl. Give me a fantasy book or an action movie and I'll be content.
I actually watched this movie to make it easier to read the book(which I never finished). I do enjoy some Jane Austen books and movies(one of my favorite movies is Emma) but I am not a fan of Pride and Prejudice. Nor am I a fan of Keira Knightley. Don't get me wrong she is a good actress but I don't enjoy her work, the only films I really enjoy that have her in them are the Pirate films.

Well anyway, despite those facts, I believe this was a good movie. I know a lot of people who love this movie, and it is a good movie. Whether or not it is a good representation of the book, I cannot say. But I thought movie was good despite my dislike for Keira Knightley.
Don't take my word for it, check this movie out.

Review By Sweetie Pie

Alice (2009)

A SyFy mini series

This is a fantastic movie, but definitely not the original book nor story at all. It happens in the modern day, with a grown woman. The best part of the movie is watching her grow and reconcile with her past and move on past her fears. She loses a man she thought she loved, but falls in love for real. She must choose between her past, her present, and her future, all symbolized by different men that she has varying degrees of attachment to.

On a side note, my personal favorite part of the movie is Hatter. He is an amazing character and the end makes me exuberant.

Actually, every character in the movie is well-done. In particular, Alice, Hatter, the White Knight, the Queen of Hearts, and the King of Hearts (who was given much more attention than in the cartoon version).

Overall, this is a fantastic movie and I heartily recommend it. However, note that because it's a mini TV series, it is three hours long, so prepare for a good long watch.

Review by Beckyelsie

Titanic(1997)

Directed by James Cameron

So this is the Second Ranking movie of all time, the only movie to surpass is Avatar another James Cameron movie. And Honestly I think this movie should still be at the top. I did not enjoy Avatar and I did enjoy Titanic.

Its the classic love story of a third class young man and the first class young woman. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Jack Dawson, a young artist who wins ticket for the titanic in a poker game. Kate Winslet plays Rose DeWitt Bukater, a young girl who feels trapped in her own life.
Rose is betrothed to an unlikable rich man, and meets Jack when he saves her from falling overboard. Her betrothed, Cal, then invites Jack to dinner the next night in thanks of saving Rose.

This movie is a very classic love story. And it is done beautifully in this film. Leonardo DiCaprio has made into my favorite movie actors, I love his acting. Kate Winslet is is a superb actress. This movie had a very talented cast and crew.
The only thing I would change about this film is one scene when Jack is sketching Rose, there could have been discretion for that scene, and there was another scene that I didn't really enjoy.
And the ending I wanted some how to be different, but knew it wouldn't be. And seeing an interpretation of how the Titanic went done was just unreal. We read about the Titanic and study it in school, but when I watched Titanic and when the ship went down is was chilling. I don't think we know the magnitude of the Titanic Disaster unless we were there, or had family members survive it.
This movie does have inappropriate scenes, it is not a childrens film.
This movie is a good movie nonetheless.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Peter Pan (2003)

Directed by P.J. Hogan

So I just wrote a review about a Peter Pan that I did not enjoy, well this is the opposite.
I absolutely love this film. It is a more traditional Peter Pan. The effects are reasonably good, not the greatest but they are good. The plot is wonderful, it is recognizable as a Peter Pan plot.

Jeremy Sumpter who plays Peter Pan, is, in my opinion, the perfect person to play Peter. He acted so much like Peter that it would be hard to see him as anyone else. He should the right amount of arrogance, and self-centered-ness, and acted very naive. I think that that mix with a bit of wittiness and charm makes the perfect Peter.
Wendy was good to, nothing exceptional but good.
Captain Hook was great. Exactly what Captain Hook should be.
The rest of the cast was good to.

The plot itself was good. There were a few things that weren't that great. Like the kissing there were two kisses. One between Peter and Wendy, that one did not bug me so much because the whole movie was leading up to it. Then there was a kiss between Tiger Lily and John, that was the kiss that could have been left out. Tiger Lily kissed John because she wanted him to open a gate, and because he just saved her life, but it was unnecessary.

This film is one of my favorite Peter Pan stories, it is extremely good.

Peter Pan (1953)

Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, and Jack Kinney

Well I sure most of you have seen this film, maybe all of you. Peter Pan the story in of itself is a great story, but I do not enjoy this movie much now as a young adult.

I love Peter Pan, almost any Peter Pan rendition, I'll ripe apart in no time. As a little girl I loved this movie. Most kids do. But now I don't like it as much. It is very different from the book and I don't like some of the changes. Disney made a story that could be scary into a family film, and that I think is fine. But If you are like me and love the book, then this film is not the greatest.
 But for families it is a fine film.

Review By Sweetie Pie

The Dark Knight (2008)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Now my last post was one of a movie that I did not like. Well this is the complete opposite. I was bugged by the inconsistency of Tron: Legacy,  this film is the exact opposite, the consistency of this film shows true marksman ship. I can not find problems in the production of any of Christopher Nolan's films so far.

This movie is the second of the Batman movies produced by Warner Brothers. The first, Batman Begins, shows how batman started and left off with him becoming Batman, Gotham's Protector.

This movie start with the introduction of the most popular villian of all time, The Joker (the late Heath Ledger). It is not at all the introduction I would like to be apart of. In this film the Joker is not a man who had plastic surgery that went wrong. He is a psychotic man who loves to cause other people pain and fear.

Batman is in a dilemma. Bruce Wayne enjoys being Batman, but he also wants to have a normal life. A normal life with his life long friend Rachel Dawes. When a new attorney starts showing his face in Gotham City, Bruce is excited. he is the kind of man the Batman has been looking for to take his place(not as batman but as someone who will put villains behind bars).

But before Batman can retire he has to deal with the Joker, who is killings people that Batman cares about. One Night when Bruce is throwing a party for Harvey Dent(the man that Batman needs) the Joker shows his face. This scene is like one of my favorites. Rachel is talking to Harvey (they are dating) then all of a sudden Bruce comes up behind Harvey and puts him in a closest, telling Rachel (who knows he's Batman) that Harvey is in danger. He then has to go become Batman. And Rachel has a very cool scene. Because the Joker decides to show his face at the party. Rachel stands up to him, And eventually kicks him. And the Joker says something along the lines of "You have atttitude, I like that." Then Batman appears out of nowhere and says "Then you'll love me."
That is a cool scene.

This movie is absolutely amazing. I can not find production errors at all. That is why Christopher Nolan is my favorite director. You must see this movie. Well after you have scene Batman Begins otherwise it will make no sense. And also once your older and parents say its okay. This is not a little kids film. The Title says its dark(i know that is in context with Knight) and it is dark!
But it is still an awesome movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

TRON: Legacy (2010)

Directed By Joseph Kosinski

Well I had been told that this movie was so good. That is was one of the best movies. That is was so amazing.

And well, I was utterly disappointed in this film. It is not what I expected. I expected an action packed movie with great acting and great producing. Not what I got.

I don't even know how to explain what the movie was about.

Well to start there was this boy whose dad was working on something that I did not get. It was called the grid and it was like a computer world. and by world I mean world. But I never got what it really was it just confusing and annoying. They needed to explain better what the grid was. I watched the whole entire movie with not knowing what the grid was. So I wasa bit lost cause most the movie happened in the grid. That was extremely annoying.

Then the production itself was not the best. The acting was mediocre. The directing was not the best. The production was lousy. There was this big mistake in the film that I could not get past.
In the grid there are these discs, they are kinda like your database, I guess. And one of the people in the grid wants the boy's(Sam) father's disc, because it has information of how to transport someone from the grid into the real world. And well Sam's dad looses his disc. And in one scene(well in all the scenes the his doesn't have the disc) he actually has the disc on his back. And then Sam says that "we have to go find your disc" I was so bugged by that. For me a good film has to be void of those errors. If those errors occur it shows me that the people involved with this movie did not do what they were supposed too. I can not stand movies that so obviously have errors like that.

To me this was a flop. I did not like it. I expected more action more fighting and a climax, there was no climax. It was steady on no entertainment.
I know many people who enjoyed this film but I did not. My view is not in the majority. I am telling you not to trust me, because I don't want you to feel like this movie is bad and therefore not watch it even though it might be something you enjoy.
But I did not like this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Courageous (2011)

By Alex Kendrick

This is a phenomenal movie made by Sherwood Pictures, and directed by Alex Kendrick. Kendrick and his brother, Stephen, are the producers and Alex is also a pastor at Sherwood Baptist church in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the fourth movie that his company has made, and stays true to their morals while improving in quality from his previous films. In this film, the gospel is shared without reserve and it is shamelessly Christian. The movie follows the stories of five fathers, all who decide to follow the scriptures. It is neatly summed up by Adam in the movie: "I don't want to be just good enough." Throughout the film, we see God's providence and plan, and what happens when You both follow and don't follow that plan. The impact on their families that fathers have is the theme of the film and well-done. The fact that their actors are not famous, and their crew is mostly volunteers, they did an amazing fantastic job on this film. You should all go see it! It makes you cry and laugh multiple times in the movie. Their humor is funny but innocent.

The main difference between this film and their last one, Fireproof, is that Fireproof focused on one man. This last film had a lot of story, because you followed five men and their families in the same amount of time that Fireproof had. But they managed the time efficiently and one felt sufficiently connected with each family so that by the end of the movie, you thoroughly sympathized with them. One of my personal favorite moments is when one of the fathers, Nathan, takes his daughter to a fancy dinner and explains that he wants the very best in life for her. The multiple-family element is important because they have a teenage son, a teenage daughter, a younger daughter, and a younger son, hitting on everyone's situation.

It is rated PG-13 because the policemen are fired upon and deal with drugs, as well as some mature themes, but it is an excellent movie for the whole family.

Review by Beckyelsie

Fireproof(2008)

Directed by Alex Kendrick

Well there was all this rave about this movie. And It is a reasonably good movie.

It follows Caleb and Catherine, a couple whose marriage is at the brink. Caleb feels like he is doing everything perfect, and he doesn't respect Catherine as much as he should, he feel that since he is a firefighter and that he saves lives that he doesn't have to worry about Catherine and her feelings. He also has a problem with lust. He has been putting aside money for a boat that he really wants, even when Catherine's mother is in need of medical assistance.

Caleb's father gives him a challenge. The "Love Dare" as its called.
For forty days Caleb must go out of his way to make Catherine feel important. But it doesn't work. Catherine seems to have found someone who respects her, and she files for a divorce.
When Catherine hands Caleb the divorce papers, he is dejected. He has been trying very hard to change his ways (he through out the computer because of the lust). As the audience you see that he really has changed. Caleb has been doing the love dare for over 40 days now. He doesn't refuse the divorce papers.
Catherine does not trust him.
It isn't until Catherine finds out who paid for the medical finances for her mother, that things start to change for her.

This movie was good. It was a little preachy in some points. It wasn't that sappy. I enjoyed this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Jane Eyre (2011)

Directed by Cary Fukunga

First of all the book is one of my favorite Jane Austen type books, I wrote a review for that here. When I heard a new movie would be coming out I was in the middle of reading the book and I was so excited.

The movie follows the books events to a 'T'.
But instead of starting with Jane as a child, they start with her arriving at the house of St. John River and his sister's house.
It then goes back in time to follow through the Jane's life as Jane tells the Rivers what happened to her.

I thought that they way that they did ingenious. I loved it. For me this has got to be one of the best movies of Jane Eyre ever. No more remakes, this is the best.
Mia Wasikowska plays Jane and she is amazing at it. The first film I saw of Mia's was Alice in Wonderland, I thought she was the perfect Alice. When I found out she would be Jane, I was skeptical. I didn't think she could pull it off. But boy was I wrong. She was so amazing, I loved her as Jane.
Michael Fassbender was Mr. Rochester. And he was exactly what I thought Rochester would be like. I must admit that I like Rochester. I know he is a lying deceiver but I really like Rochester. I was completely astonished that my version of Rochester seemed to be on big screen.

I love this movie so much. It is a movie that everyone has to see!

Review by Sweetie Pie

G.I. Joe; Rise of the Cobra (2010)

Directed by Stephen Sommers

So I grew up with brothers playing G.I. Joe's. In fact I can say I played G.I. Joe's and enjoyed it.

This movie is not exactly like the old stories. Its a new take on the boy's version of barbies.

It starts with flashing back in time to some old era. We see a man, a traitor, being tortured (This movie gets a little gory).
Then is comes back to present day and to a presentation of a new weapon. Nanomites. Little robots that have multiple, evil, purposes.
McCullen (Christopher Eccleston)  is a clever arms dealer. He sells weapons to both the Allies and the Enemies.

When his Nanomites are being transferred by the army, by the one and only Duke(Channing Tatum) and Ripcord (Marlon Wayans), The team is attacked be a mysterious band of masked invincible men and one woman who happens to know Duke, in fact they were almost married. During the attack Duke looses many of his friends and it seems as if they will fail. But in the middle of the attack, a band of extremely-well-equipped soldiers arrived and they were able to help Duke keep the Nanomites. The soldiers that helped are called G.I. Joe's. Refusing to let go of the Nanomites, Duke and Ripcord head with Joes to the Joes Headquarters.
When there the General explains to Duke and Ripcord what the G. I. Joes are. Apparently Duke a couple of years ago was invited to join the Joes, but he had refused at the time. In order not to get kick out Duke reveals that he knew the woman who attacked them.

This movie was very entertaining. I loved the twist on a story I have grown up knowing. One of my favorite parts when you first meet the Joes. It was kind of surreal to see a good, live-action movie with my favorite characters from the stories. All the actors suited their characters very well. Of course you learn who Cobra could have been (no one truly knows who cobra is in the old stories). And I must say that I enjoyed the new view of the menacing villian. Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow (perhaps the most popular characters) are two of the leads in this film. And you get to learn a little bit of the back story of the two adopted brothers.
If you enjoy action films you will enjoy this movie. Be warned though, that there is some very gory scenes. This in not a childrens film. There are kisses, and in one scene you see a lady in a sports bra and workout pants working out. Other than that the film is pretty decent, but the are some frightening images.
I loved this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

I am Number Four(2010)

Directed by D. J. Caruso

There are nine of them, Aliens charged with protecting their race. They as infants are sent to earth to hide from their brutal enemies. The nine are separated and raised by the protectors.

Unfortunately the enemies have found earth and are now killing the nine off. But they can only be killed in order. And Number 3 just died. so Number 4 is next.

Number 4's protector takes him to a little town in the middle of no where hoping to hide Number 4(John) but the enemies somehow find out where John is. But John unfortunately has fallen in love with an aspiring photographer in the town. Now John's kind only falls in love once. Its like when they find someone they love, they know its their true love(convenient right). John doesn't want to leave Sarah(the photographer). So the enemies come to him and John has to fight them, and when he is about to die by one of the aliens, it is blasted by Number 6, who is going to help save John's life.

The movie was actually surprisingly entertaining. The visual effects were really good. The acting was good for the most part. Of course there was no religion in it. But for me it didn't really make that much of an impact on the actual film. It is not I repeat not a children's film, there are scary monsters in it that will give children nightmare(it gave me a creepy dream, not a nightmare but a creepy dream) and there is a very disturbing scene that is better left not described. It is not a children's film, but it is a good teen/young adult film.

Review by Sweetie Pie

P.S. A lot of my dreams are creepy, it makes the exciting.

The Last Airbender(2010)

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Based of the popular TV show on Nickelodeon.It tells the story of Aang a young boy who is told he is the Avatar, the only one who can restore peace among the four nations. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.
In this world people can bend these elements. There are Water benders, Earth benders, Air benders, and Fire benders,

The Fire benders are at war against the other three nations, the only one who can stop them is the Avatar. when Aang is told that he is the Avatar, he is scared and runs away. And ends up freezing himself and his flying bison, Appa, in an iceburg. He was in that Iceberg for a hundred years. Until a young water bender and her brother accidentally find Aang.

Meanwhile in the Fire Nation, The young prince Zuko is banished by his own father, and the only thing Zuko can do is to capture the Avatar. Zuko has been searching for Aang for a couple of years now, and he is near the southern water tribe when Katara and Sokka(the water bender and her brother) find Aang.

Zuko manages to capture Aang and strts taking him back to the Fire Nation but his is ambushed by Katara, Sokka and Appa. Aang escapes/rescued and starts heading towards the North Pole, where the northern water tribe is, so he and Katara can learn water bending.

This movie was surprisingly good, I had watched pretty much all the epsiodes of the TV show and I enjoyed watching this. There is a spirit world and Aang is the 'link' between the spirit world and the other world. So there is some stuff like that, but it isn't over powering and I was able to enjoy this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Soul Surfer (2011)

By Sean McNamara

I have finally been able to see Soul Surfer, which did not disappoint. This movie lost points for bikinis, but gained points for cinematography, plot, acting (except perhaps Carrie Underwood), dialogue, and Christian values. Mission trips are promoted, obedience is promoted, love, respect, and honor are all encouraged. Bethany is not forced to surf (she is pressured by her dad, which proves to be a good thing), but when she decides to, she does it with the full support and help of her family. AnnaSophia did a phenomenal job, showing all the emotion and determination that Bethany Hamilton had in this movie. The only points where I feel that it fell short is that the girls are constantly wearing bikinis (which makes for a more realistic viewing, if slightly uncomfortable), and that when Bethany finally succeeded (which is the climax of the film), I had been anticipating it for the whole entire movie so I didn't feel as though I was succeeding with Bethany. The plot was so obvious that I was expecting the ending the whole movie, and I felt as though Bethany could succeed and should succeed, so I felt as though she was merely doing her job, instead of overcoming great odds. Whether this is the filmmaker's fault or because this is how the real story is, I don't know. A minor detracting point that added to the too-predictable plot was that the soundtrack is not memorable, except for the credits song.

Overall, this movie was really really good, and it adds dramatically to my respect for AnnaSophia Robb as an actor.

Review by Beckyelsie

Happy Birthday

Hello ACOOF Viewers,
Today is a special day for the head administrator, she celebrates her birthday today.
Lets wish Sweetie Pie a Happy Sweet Sixteen!

~ARNACOOF Team

P.S. Let us know your birthday so we can wish you a happy birthday!

17 Again (2009)

Directed by Burr Steers
I really enjoyed this story, but it has a lot of mature adult content. There is physicality and mature themes. However, the way that the film deals with the themes is very encouraging. For instance, in one scene when Mike O'Donnell (played by Zac Efron) is in the classroom, the teacher talks about health. Mike stands up and gives a pretty inspirational moving speech about how abstinence is right and good. Even in the beginning of the movie, the film’s undertones of life are evident. In one of the first scenes, we learn that high schooler Mike can get a basketball scholarship but instead decides to get a not-so-good job in order to stay with his pregnant girlfriend.Throughout the whole film, Mike learns how his family matters more than his career and that his kids matter more than him getting his future right (which means obtaining a basketball scholarship). I loved this movie. It was clever, well-acted and had a good worldview. The only problem is the mature themes, and kissing. In short, I would recommend this movie but not for young children.
Review by Beckyelsie

The Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

Directed by Rupert Wyatt

I may know what you might be thinking 'Why in the world would a christian girl go and see this movie'. True it is about evolution and has pretty much no reference to God. But it is a surprisingly entertaining movie. The reason I saw this movie is because one of my youth leaders, David Oyelowo, starred in this film as Steven Jacobs, the man who owns the company that the testing of apes is being done on. Now again I may know what your thinking 'Why would a youth leader take a job that is about evelutionist', I don't know exactly why he took the role but I am guessing that the project intrigued him, and that he would challenge himself with this role. His Character is nothing like him and David is one of the sweetest, most-dedicated-to-the-Lord people I know.

In the movie you see Will Rodman(James Franco), a lead scientist in a company's project of trying to find a cure for Alzheimer's. Will's father is plagued with the terrible disease, and is failing quickly. At the lab Will is about to present his project to the board of the company, when the ape they had been testing on went viral and had to be killed. Will later finds out that the ape was only protecting its child, who had been born at the lab. Will takes the baby ape home to where he and his father live.
Charles Landon(John Lithgow) immediately bonds with the ape, and Will discovers that the formula they had injected into its Mother had transferred into the baby ape.
Will takes it upon himself to raise this ape. He teaches Caesar(the ape) sign language, and how to interact with other people. But apparently not enough. After Caesar attacks one of Will's neighbors, he is locked up. When Will tells him he isn't going home, Caesar plans an escape.

This movie kept me on the edge of my seat pretty much the whole time. You end up wanting Caesar to win but you don't want him to do the things he did in order to win. This film not for those who scare easily. The ending was a little disturbing and might have the cause for more Ape films. There is definetly some intense scene that are not for young children's eyes.
The evolution in this movie didn't bug my all that much, sure it was a little annoying, but I was watching a movie where Apes learn to talk. So obviously there is evolution in it. I would recommend this movie.
Review by Sweetie Pie

P.S. If you are interested in seeing my youth leader in other things (he is an amazing actor) then here is the list of stuff he is in or will be in:
The Help (He plays a preacher and had to write his own sermons that ended up changing the end of the film)
Red Tails

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

By Michael Apted

I enjoyed this movie much more than I enjoyed Prince Caspian, but it did not quite live up to my expectations. I have read this book many times and it is my favorite in the series, so I have a high standard for the moviemakers to perform up to.

The technical parts of the movie (the acting, costumes, effects, design, etc.) were all astounding and beautiful. I loved the Dawn Treader and how it looked as I had imagined it to be. The acting was quite well done; I already knew that Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, and Skandar Keynes would perform well, and was quite impressed with Will Poulter's portrayal of Eustace.

My one problem with the movie is with the plot and the storyline. The writers decided to add an element into the story in an effort to unify the plot. However, I found that it merely cheapened it and made it more of a flimsy usual story. My favorite part of the book had been that the adventures were there just to be just adventures - they had a point (to find the seven lords) but it was not a life-and-death, urgent driving force. I liked that Edmund and Lucy had been called into Narnia merely for fun and not to complete a mission, as in the other books. However, the movie does away with this element. I think that without the green mist (a people-eating evil mist) Fox would have made a good movie.

Besides the mist, there are only little glitches with characters that I have a problem with. First, Edmund seems to be a little jealous that Peter left Caspian in charge, in essence making the same mistake that Peter did in Prince Caspian. But it's not a major part of the movie and Edmund fixes his attitude well enough. My second character trouble (which is really just a matter of preference) is that Eustace becomes nice much too quickly. In the book, he's a positive nuisance without one nice bit at all until the island where he turns into a dragon. But in the movie, they show that he does want to be nice, he just doesn't show it (which is perhaps more realistic and makes him more likeable of a character).

Overall, this is a good movie and though it does not follow the book to all the islands, it gets a good deal of adventures in and you get to see the great lion himself. One of the best lines of the book was included in the movie, too: "In your world I am called by another name. You must learn to call me by that name," talking about how Aslan is Jesus in our world.

This was much better than Prince Caspian and I look forward to see how Michael Apted does his next Narnia adventure: The Magician's Nephew.

Review by Beckyelsie

Ocean's Thirteen(2007)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

First of all, this movie is all about thievery. Not the best subject but the movie is still intriguing.
It is the third installment of the Ocean series and I think it is the best.

It is about about eleven men all master thieves, teaming up to take down someone who hurt on of there friends(one of the eleven).
Since this is the third movie you already know the characters of Danny Ocean, Rusty, Linus, Reuben and the rest of the gang.

Well it has been a while since the gang has done a gig together. And everyone is doing small things on there own. Reuben made a deal with Willy Bank. A very rich man planning on making the granddaddy of all casinos. Reuben put everything he had into it, but Willy Bank's betrayed Reuben. That sends Reuben into a stroke. And all the other Oceans decide to have pay back.

This movie was the first I saw of the Ocean series and to me it is the best. There are some inappropriate scenes. And some cussing(I am not a big critic on the cussing but some may say that it is unbearable but it isn't that much. You would have to be very uptight) and then the whole thievery thing is the main plot.
This movie does have good acting which is surprising for me to say seeing as George Clooney is in it, and I absolutely hate his acting. I guess Brad Pitt and Matt Damon's acting is good enough to not have me focusing on George Clooney's.
I wouldn't suggest it to those who cannot not watch movies with cussing or some little inappropriate scenes. But to those who like puzzles you will probably like this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Star Trek(2009)

Directed by J.J. Abrams

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the star ship Enterprise.
This movie is a prelude to the popular TV show of the 70's Star Trek.
I never really enjoyed the original Star Trek's with William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Mainly because I did not like William Shatner's acting skills.
But in this movie its all new people playing a lot younger characters from the original Star Trek. Chris Pine plays James Kirk and does a great job. Zachary Quinto is Spock, Zoe Saldana as Uhura, Anton Yelchin as Chekov, Karl Urban as Bones, John Chu as Sulu, and my personal favorite character, Scotty is played by Simon Pegg.

The movie starts at the birth of Kirk and jumps to when he is around 10-12 years old, It also shows Spock at this age too. Then it jumps to when both of them apply to Starfleet, in completely different ways.
Three years later it jumps to when Kirk is about to take a test that is supposed to be unbeatable. The test itself was designed by Spock, a well-thought-of Starfleet Officer. Kirk cheats on the test, and while being judged a distress message comes from Vulcan. Starfleet immediately sends of many cadets in the greatest ships Starfleet has, including the recently built Enterprise.
 The movie then  follows Kirk and Spock during a rocky road of betrayal and death. Which ultimately ends in the formation of one of the greatest Starfleet teams.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. I grew up watching Star Trek: The Next Generation, so to see the beginning of the Enterprise is a really treat. It is probably even more of a treat for those who enjoyed the original.

Review By Sweetie Pie

P.S.
Hello Viewers
July was a off month as you probably noticed. I had an acting camp I was going to everyday, so I didn't have much time to post reviews but now I am back and reviews will be coming quite swiftly.
~Sweetie Pie(Senior Admin)

X-Men, First Class (2011)

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

X Men; First Class is a captivating and action packed movie. It has excellent special effects and yet still manages to maintain that special hallmark X- Men feel.

If you have seen the other installments in the X- Men franchise you will not be disappointed. However, if you have not seen any other X-Men movies this is an excellent place to start. Even though this is a prequel to the other four X-Men films it is definitely a stand alone.
This new installment is set after World War 2 and features intermittent images of Charles Xavier/Professor X, Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto, and Raven/Mystique's childhoods.

X- Men; First Class is full of spectacular displays of special effects. However, this movie isn't just tricks and lights. It is riddled with heart, raw emotion, and captivating acting performances. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence really deliver. Each of these actors bring a lot of new meaning to Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique. New actors supply a lot of comedic relief with their strong supporting roles.

However, be aware that there are some adult themes in this movie, such as some drinking and violence, as well as the pervading theme of evolution that is ever present.
Overall, this is a worthwhile watch that I would recommend.

A Review By: Christie S.

Rango(2011)

Directed by Gore Verbinski

Rango is a lizard who has lived in captivity his whole life. His only friends are a wind-up-fish, a head-and-leg-less-barbie, and other little plastic toys.
But one day when his owners are on a road trip, Rango(Johnny Depp) is thrown out of the car.
He is in the middle of a desert that doesn't quite agree with him. The desert has no water. There he meets a friendly armadillo with some wacko advice. He tells Rango to keep walking until he hits Dirt. Rango keeps walking until he meets Beans, a lizard with a panic disorder, Beans then takes him to her home town of Dirt.
Rango then becomes sheriff, and must save the town of dying from thirst.

This movie was cute, but not great. It is just a little wacko, I'm not sure that kids as young as four would be able to follow this movie that well. I wouldn't recommend buying the movie until after you seen it.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Inception (2010)

By Christopher Nolan

It’s very intense, but good. It plays around psychologically and gets faster and more intense as you progress into the movie. It is one of those movies that you have to watch multiple times in order to catch everything. The movie follows the life of Dom Cobb, a man accused of murdering his wife and who must therefore do illegal brain extraction (extracting secrets from a person’s mind via dreams). Saito hires Cobb and his team to perform inception-to plant an idea in someone’s mind without the subject realizing that the idea is being planted. The mission can be easily compromised by Cobb and the secret he holds. Will they complete their mission and get out safely? And will Cobb finally face his secret and get back to his family?
This movie had a lot of death and some issues with language. Life does not appear to be valued in this film, as can be seen by the fact that the only way to get out of a dream is to kill yourself. Predictably, there is a lot of dying in this film that is not seen as a problem.

Review by Beckyelsie

Phantom of the Opera(2004)

directed by Joel Schumacher

The Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind.
So I had been wanting to see this movie for a very long time, and was so excited when I got it from netflix (netflix is amazing). And well I was entranced during the whole movie.
It is a story of a young Dancer for Opera Populaire, Christine Daae (pronounced Die-ee), who has been learning to sing by her 'angel of music'. When Opera Populaire changes ownership, and one of the people invovled is her child-hood-sweetheart, Christine (played by Emmy Rossum) is suddenly haunted by The Phantom of the Opera(played by Gerald Butler).
Christine is forced to chose between the man behind the mask(literally) and her love from long ago.

This movie is excellent as long as your older than 13, it is definitely not a kids movie. There are quite a few murders committed by the title character. And there is a lot of touching of the skin and kissing(not exactly going together). If you have a problem with kissing and touching then this probably isn't a movie for you.

But the Pros for me way out weigh the cons. First of all, the music. I had never heard Andrew Lloyd Weber's music before this and was captivated. it was not like what I thought of an opera. In fact it isn't much of an opera as a very extravagant musical. Everyone singing is superb. And the music is just fantastic. And the whole story is very intriguing, exciting and amazing. And the acting(acting police here) was phenomenal , and I don't usually say that, but seeing as all the actors sang their own song, and were completely in character.
This movie is a must see for any one who loves very extravagant musicals.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Hey ACOOF Viewers

Hello Everybody,
So this is a late post but earlier this month one of our contributors had her birthday.
I meant to post this earlier but I didn't have a chance.
So lets all wish Beckyelsie a very Happy Birthday!!!!

~The ARNACOOF Team

Avatar (2009)

By James Cameron

This is a thrilling adventure set in another world. James Cameron takes you to another planet where there is human outpost but the outside jungle area is wild wilderness. When Jake Sully (a man with paralyzed legs) finds himself able to live again through an avatar (there is a technology that allows him to inhibit a native’s body), he relishes and enjoys himself immensely. Over the course of a few days, he falls in love (where would a blockbuster film be without romance?) while finding out that the humans are grossly manipulating Pandora, the world in which they are. He and a few of his human friends choose to side with the natives, and leads a rebellion which ends successfully.

There were a couple of things that bothered me with this film. First of all, every living thing is said to have a right to live. There are overt environmentalist messages in this film that make it more believable in Pandora, but because of their biological structuring, ought not overlap into our world. There is a prevalent idea that everything is connected to everything else. The trees all coexist and mix roots, and when the natives ride their bird-like creatures, they send commands via a connection using their hair. It is reminiscent of Disney’s Pocahontas when she sings, “...every rock and tree and creature, has a life, has a spirit, has a name,” which can be a very dangerous idea. Second of all, there is rampant killing of life. Many many people and natives die in the battles that rage and the destruction that occurs, but life is not viewed as precious. It is an inconvenient necessity in order to obtain something (in this case, monetary profit). Thirdly, the natives are built as humans but wear scant clothing. This could be a minor point because they are aliens and blue, but they have similarities to humans, nonetheless.
Overall, the effects are stunning, the plot is overly simple, and though it is fun to play in their world in one’s imagination, it has some problems with it.

Review by Beckyelsie

Gnomeo and Juliet (2011)

By Kelly Asbury

This was an adorable movie with wonderful endearing qualities and I believe that it appeals to adults and children alike. The gnomes and their feuding family lines are funny to behold but it holds to the basic storyline of Shakespeare’s timeless tale (as can be expected from the title). The Reds and the Blues are constantly fighting each other, but they race using lawn mowers and a horrible punishment is to have your hat knocked off. So when Gnomeo, a Blue, and Juliet, a Red, fall in love, only outrage will ensue. Gnomeo meets Shakespeare himself while a flamingo and a frog add comic relief to the mix. In the end, after thoroughly destroying their gardens, the Blues and Reds see how foolish they’ve been and make up to each other, leaving the viewers presuming a happily-ever-after ending. I loved this film-it was sweet and told the tale simple enough so that a child will understand, but entertaining enough for an adult to enjoy it as well.

The only objection I have to this film is that one gnome wears a very unbecoming swimsuit (aka, it covers nothing and looks horrendous) but this is the only issue I have with this film.

Review by Beckyelsie

Super 8 (2011)

By J.J. Abrams
The movie opens with Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) on a swing-set holding his mother’s necklace, because his mother had died in an explosion at the mill and the necklace is one of Joe’s only links to his mother. Over the course of the movie, as a mystery unfolds, he grows and comes to grips with his mother’s death and by the end is able to let her (represented by the necklace) go and continue to live his life. His development as a person works as a plot-mover and successful feel-good ending because the mystery by itself doesn’t move the plot well enough (it’s simple and similar to other movies). Joe’s life and growth, as well as involvement with Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning), also helps move it along. The mystery character of the movie gradually becomes known and at the end, Joe is able to help him continue life, which helps Joe himself continue to live. There is a train crash that lasts for a long time and a few other violence issues, as well as a lot of blood because the kids in the movie are making a zombie movie. So Joe does makeup on Alice that makes her look like a zombie and she pretends to bite him, but that’s really the only things that are bad violence-wise. Language-wise, it’s not that clean. Every five to ten minutes there is a bad word, usually from one of the kids. I really really enjoyed this movie and recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind violence or language.
Review By Beckyelsie

Eagle Eye(2008)

Directed by Jerry D.J. Caruso

Jerry Shaw, a lazy man who's twin brother was smart athletic and in the air force. Jerry and his brother Ethan hadn't spoken in over three years. They had nothing to do with each other. But when Ethan dies in a car crash, Jerry's life turns upside down.

Rachel Holloman, mother of a young son who is going off with his orchestra to perform trumpet for the president in the Kennedy Square, is just scrapping by.

Both Rachel and Jerry get a call from a woman they have never met. And are thrown into a series of events the gets more and more dangerous as it goes.

I love this movie, it was very entertaining. The one problem was the cussing. If you van not stand movies with cussing then this is not a movie for. I am able to still enjoy this movie cause I can block out and ignore cussing.

Finding Neverland (2004)

Directed by Marc Forster

First of all I love Peter Pan. So to watch a movie about the author of the book is really exciting. Then to have one of may favorite actors play the lead role its pretty cool.

The movie Follows James Matthew Barrie, a playright who's plays aren't getting the publicity they need. Barrie's plays are often boring and dry. But one day, after an opening night failure of one of his plays, Barrie was in the park with his dog, when he met the four Llewelyn Davies Boys and their mother, a widow.One of the boys who's name was Peter was the Inspiration for Peter Pan.

This movie is a very sad but touching movie. It is not all that accurate. To start the Llewelyn Davies boys did not lose their father until after they became good friend with Barrie. And other things like that. But it is still an amazing movie! Be prepared to cry.

Review by
Sweetie Pie.

P.S. Note from the admin(Sweetie Pie)
A Christian Outlook on Films and A Reader's Nook now have an Official email, ARNACOOF@gmail.com
So please if you have any questions or suggestion then feel free to email. but remember to put what blog your emailing about. There is only one email for both blogs.
Thank You
Sweetie Pie

Tangled(2010)

Directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard

"Rapunzel! Rapunzel! Let down your hair!" Says the dashing prince from this well known story.

Well lets mix it up a bit. Lets the Prince who isn't a prince but a fugitive is running from the law. Then lets say Rapunzel was taken from her mother and father on account of her magical hair, by a old hag who wants to stay young for ever. Then lets say that old hag pretends to be Rapunzel's mother. And that on Rapunzel's eighteenth birthday eve, lets say the fugitive, who's name happens to be Flynn Rider, lets say Flynn stumble upon a hidden tower after being chased by a horse. Well he needs a place to hide from the law, so why not a hidden Tower?

What Flynn doesn't know is that a girl with hair that glows and that is 70 feet long lives it that tower.

Flynn and Rapunzel are plunged into a magical adventure with glowing hair, aliases, fake mothers, lost princesses, dying hero's, strange dancing rats, and so much more.

I loved this movie! It was very unexpected the first time I saw it, it was as if we suddenly said that we were going and we went. But I went to see in theaters again, and loved it just as much the second time over. Rapunzel, my favorite Disney princess, Flynn favorite Disney prince. You must see this movie.

Review by Sweetie Pie.

Chronicle of Narnia; Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)

Directed by Michael Apted

First I must let you know that I am not a fan of the Books, I think they are amazing books but I am not a fan.

This movie is the third one, and it is very good. A lot of things changed from Prince Caspian to Dawn Treader, Disney dropped out of filming, and Fox stepped in. Many production hands change, and the composer changed. And a new director came in. So many things were different.

But the movie itself was spectacular. I think most of the acting was good, some actors had their moments of being out a character. But overall the acting was good.

Most everyone knows the tail of the Dawn Treader, and how in the book every chapter was its own plot. Well that does not make a good movie. It would have made a horrible movie if they had left it. So instead they came up with an idea of green mist, temptation. Which I thought was ingenious.

The green mist inhabits the Dark Island, and it makes the Dark Island a bit more scary. The green mist is also meant to introduce the Lady of the Green Kirtle from Silver Chair. So for me the green mist was not a bad thing.

Also I felt that Dawn Treader did NOT lose its christian point, I think it was heightened with the whole temptation thing.

For me this movie was wonderful, and I would suggest it to anyone and everyone.

Review By Sweetie Pie

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time(2010)

Directed by Mike Newell

This was the first movie I watched after watching Clash of the Titans, and I was a little concerned, I was a bit worn out on those kind of movies. But I had hopes for this one, at least I hoped it would be better than Clash of the Titans. Well it was better. Much more exciting and enthralling.

I liked the plot and the way the movie went was very easy to follow.

There of course was the whole thing about more than one God. But it is hard to get away from stuff like that.

This movie had really good acting and directing, and overall production. Each actor new what to do to become the character, which was good.

This was a good movie, not amazing but good, if you wanted to see it then you should, but its not on the top of my list.

Review By Sweetie Pie

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

Directed by Dean DeBlois

This is an adorable movie that captured my heart immediately. The characters are lovable and pull you right into their story. This movie follows the adventure of Hiccup, a Viking living in a village that has a pest problem; a big pest problem. As in a dragon problem. So while Hiccup tries to prove his manhood, he discovers an interesting thing about dragons. He can't tell his dad (who happens to be the boss of the clan) so keeps his knowledge a secret. But eventually secrets come out and his nearly costs the lives of his entire clan. But, as this is a children's movie, everyone ends up happily ever after. Hiccup, his friends, and even the dragons are all good characters that warm your heart as they fight together against the evil monster who is controlling the dragons, who exert fear over the vikings. I loved this movie and in the end, the best thing about Hiccup's village is the pets (dragons, who used to be the worst part of the village).

There is some violence; dragons breathe fire at each other and humans try to kill dragons, but other than that there are no problems (no language problems, sexual content, or other kinds of violence).

review by Beckyelsie

Soul Surfer (2011)

Directed by Sean McNamara

You have probably heard the story of Bethany Hamilton, the Hawaii native who had her left arm bitten off by a 14-foot tiger shark, off the shore of her home town, while surfing with family friends. Bethany was thirteen that year, 2003.

Soul Surfer is about Bethany Hamilton, and her recovery from the shark attack. Bethany(played by Annasophia Robb) goes out at the crack of dawn on Halloween, to go surfing with her best friend and her best friends brother and dad. Her mother(played by Helen Hunt) was at home along with her brothers, Noah and Timmy. Her father(played by Dennis Quaid) was at the hospital getting a knee surgery.

Bethany was resting on her board when the shark attacked, she was pulled under momentarily, then her friends rushed to help her. Her left arm and part of her board was in the belly of the shark. Her friends pulled her, on the board, on to the coral reef, where the shark could not get at. Her friend's dad immediately took control and started shouting commands, telling his son to go and call the hospital. The brother ran across the coral reef to get to shore. The friend's dad wrapped her bleeding shoulder in his swim shirt. The friend's brother called the hospital and Bethany's mother. Bethany's dad had to leave the room he was going to have his surgery in so it would be available for Bethany. Talk about scary.
Bethany was taken by the ambulance to the hospital, with her friends behind the ambulance and her mother and brother behind them. The worst part was that during all of this Bethany was conscious.

The movie then follows Bethany after the shark attack and until she got back on her board at the Rip Curl National Surfing Competition.

Bethany's story is a very inspiring one. This movie was amazing. I centered on the attack, but in the movie the whole thing I just described couldn't have lasted five minutes.

Bethany stayed true to God during that horrible time in her life. Trusted in Him, and was extremely brave.

Bethany is now 21 and a pro surfer along side of her best friend Alana Blanchard, the same friend who was there for that horrible time.

If you haven't yet seen this movie, you need to. It is amazing!

review by Sweetie Pie

Bourne Identity (2002)

Directed by Doug Liman

I absolutely love these movies (so far there are three, with a fourth slated to come out in 2012) because of several reasons. One, they are wonderfully made, well-acted, and the plot has enough movement that it is not all action. Two, the action is awesome. It is not one of those movies that has only gun-shooting action or sniper-style action, but good ole hand-to-hand wrestling/fist-fight. Three, Jason Bourne is a good man. He wakes up with his memory completely gone and through several circumstances discovers that he was a trained killer working for the CIA. Once he discovers this, he determines to leave that life behind and make a new one for himself, but in so doing must stop the CIA from trying to kill him. So he kills a few bad guys, and finds a girl that he falls in love with. One interesting aspect of this story that is different from most spy-action movies is that he does his best to not kill anyone. He kills the bad guys so that they stop hurting other people, but in the car chases, he makes sure to not run people over, and multiple times throws away a gun so that he will not be tempted to use it on harmless civilians.

Overall, a wonderful movie! Note: there is one scene that has sexual content, most of the movie has violence, and a couple bad words are said, but when compared to other movies, this is amazing.

P.S.-the sequels are amazing as well.

-Beckyelsie

Inception(2010)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

There is this machine, a dream machine, a machine that can send you into a dream and you still be conscious of where you are.

Inception follows the tale of a man named Dom Cobb. Dom Cobb is a widower and the father of two, and the only thing he wants is to get back to his children.
Cobb has been on the run ever since his wife died.
Cobb has the dream machine. He is part of a team that goes undercover to get information from people. He is the leader of the team. He is a convict in the U.S. where his children are.

While going undercover for different people, Cobb is always trying to find a way back to his family.

After someone Cobb and his friend Arthur tried to deceive in a dream comes and tells them he needs there help to perform inception on a business man who is currently planning to go through with something that will put that person in bankruptcy.

Inception, a terrifying word, it is where someone puts and idea into your head without you knowing. Doesn't sound that bad but it is terrifying.

Cobb isn't keen on performing inception on someone who has done him no harm, but if he does it successfully, he will be able to back to his kids.

Cobb agrees to perform inception. He and his team goes deep into the dream world, possibly never to come out of it for a very long time.

I like this movie immensely, it plays with or head. There is some cussing in it, but for me it wasn't that much. You can ignore it.

The morals of this movie were very interesting. Going inside someone's head is obviously wrong, but the morals of love and romance and stuff like that was actually really relieving. I didn't have to shield my eyes at all. There was one kiss, but it wasn't like they went on kissing for hours. it was just a light little kiss.

This movie was extremely good, at least in my eyes. If your parents let you I suggest seeing it.

Review by Sweetie Pie

Gnomeo and Juliet(2011)

Directed by Kelly Asbury

Shakespeare's classic tale of love is being told again, this time by...garden gnomes?

Gnomeo; A young blue gnomes, son of the Queen of the blue gnomes. Adventurous and totally awesome...in a gnomish kind of way.

Juliet; A young red gnome, daughter of the King of red gnomes. Pettied and pampered, but outgoing and not-at-all-delicate.

What do they have in common? Nothing. But what happens when an accidental meeting plunges them into a head-over-heels-romance? A Secret.

The red gnomes and the blue gnome have forever been at odds, blue destroys that of reds,red destroys this of blues. But things will get complicated when and blue gnome and a red gnome fall desperately in love.

Gnomeo and Juliet are trying ever so hard to stay together and not have to hide their love from those they know.

The movie follows these two gnomes through many adventures. From garden frogs to lawn-mowers to tea pots to a talking statue of William Shakespeare, this movie is one you'll want to see again and again.

I really loved this movie, it gave a twist to the tale of Romeo and Juliet. I suggest seeing it.

review by Sweetie Pie

Clash of the Titans(2010)

Directed by Louis Leterrier

Now this movie to start with is about Greek mythology. But I was curious, I had learned about Greek mythology and about Perseus(Hero of the movie) and how he cut of the head of Medusa. And I even was in a little skit about Perseus. I played Medusa, so I was very interested in how they made this movie.

Well I was utterly disappointed. The tale of Perseus was changed so much that is was horrible(the tale a Perseus was wrong to start with). It was if they liked the name of Perseus and decided to try to make it into a good movie. They failed.

I know that this is the remake of what was thought to be a great movie back in the 80's, and I really truly hope that the on is better than this one.

The only enjoyment I got out of this was seeing how they did Medusa. Medusa has a head full of snakes and that if you look directly into her eyes you will be turned to stone. Medusa before the snakes was gorgeous, absolutely stunning, and Athena was angry at her for that, so she cursed Medusa and turned her hair into snakes and made her a hideous sight. The way the movie did it was very clever. Medusa was a CGI(computer generated images) character. And they were able to make her look gorgeous and hideous at the same time. That was the only thing that got me through the movie.

I do not suggest watching this movie at all. It is a waste of time. As a Christian I know that Greek mythology is false and can usually think of these type of things as more fantasy than reality. But Clash of the Titans went to far. Not to mention it being completely boring.

Do not waste your time watching this movie.

review by Sweetie Pie