God Of Love- A Short Film by Luke Matheny

*Won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short in 2010


The Gist

For the past couple of years Raymond Goodfellow has had a HUGE crush on the girl of his dream Kelly.  The one small problem with this crush is that Kelly has a crush on Ray's best friend Fozzie who could care less about the crush of Kelly.  Fozzie really only wants to help out his friend with getting his dream girl but doesn't want him to get hurt in the process.  One night before performing with his band at the local pub Ray prays to whoever will listen to him that they might help him with some guidance as to help him win Kelly's love.  After performing a couple of the numbers Ray heads over to the bar where the bartender hands him a gift labeled to Ray and no from address.  When he opens the package he sees that it contains love darts and an instruction book on how to use them.  Basically, whoever owns the darts throws them at their target and whoever is hit by the dart falls instantly in love with the next person that they see for exactly 6 hours.  In these 6 hours permanent feelings can develop by the end or the target will go back to their old feelings making everything quite awkward.  Instead of risking it Ray runs a test on his band mate to see if they work and by the end of the test the darts pass with flying colors.  Ray soon starts to the spend every waking moment making sure that the 10 hours he is to spend with Kelly are perfect.  The next day Ray goes to Kelly's house and tries one last time to get her to go on a date with him without the dart but when she refuses he realizes he has no choice and hits his target.  The next six hours are packed with ice-skating, love poems in foreign languages, romantic seafood themed dinners and the ballet but when the clock starts ticking and Ray has no where to turn he goes in for the big kiss only to find the love darts may not have gone the exact way that he had wanted them to go in the first place.   


What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 18 Minutes
Rating: Not Rated (Because it is a short film)
I am a huge sucker for short films if they are done well.  If you can have an audience attached to characters and a story in under 30min that is a huge accomplishment and is a sign of true genius.  God Of Love was one of the best short films that I have ever seen and is nearly perfect.  I first saw this gem when watching the 83rd Annual Academy Awards Ceremony where is won Best Live Action Short Film.  The Academy Awards had also been advertising on their website and throughout the show that all of the nominees for Best Live Action Short and Best Animated Short Film could be purchased on iTunes and so I was soon curious to know what made these films win an Oscar so I went on-line to purchase them.  One day after-school I watched this film with Dream Catcher and after it was over almost played it again it was that good.  The thing I loved most about this film was that it told a perfect story in only 18 minutes.  In every second of the short film I learned more about the characters and felt more connected to them and their problems.  This is an aspect that I almost never find in professional movies on the big screen. Hollywood has seems to have lost the idea of having a good, believable plot and it is all about special effects.  With God of Love you can tell that the production team spent a long time on the script and making sure they cut out every line that didn't drive the plot forward in some way which is something every screen writer should do. 


The other great thing about this movie was the characters.  Ray was completely lovable and you really wanted him to get the girl of his dreams and for them to live happily ever after.  My favorite character was his best friend Fozzie because he was completely dead-pan for a huge portion of the movie so it made his lines a lot funnier because he was saying it with almost no emotion.  Fozzie was also the best friend that a person could imagine for because he told you where he stood on certain issues but he still backed you up on the decision that you picked even if he didn't completely agree.  Then there was Kelly who was the one caught in the middle of these two guys and completely unaware of the craziness that she has unknowingly stepped into. She was a good character because she provided very conflict and the girl who played her portrayed her a way that made the character believable and not annoying because if someone else had read the lines only slightly differently she could have been annoying but this actress was great.


In all, I loved this short film and everyone should watch it because it is worth it.  This was better than more than half of the films that are currently in the theaters and wasn't even close to the length or budget.  This film shows how films should focus on the story and not the special effects in movies!  Congratulations, Luke Matheny on your deserved Oscar and I can't wait to see what you come up with in the future!!

Real Teen Rating~ A+ :If you haven’t seen this move you are a deprived soul!

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Raising Hope - FOX

Real Teen Award
- Best New Show of 2010


The Gist
Jimmy never thought he'd have to raise a baby. But then his daughter shows up. Turns out her mother - Jimmy's one-nighter - killed a bunch of people and got the death penalty. So now Jimmy and his dysfunctional family - consisting of his mother Virginia, his father Burt, and his certifiably insane grandmother Maw Maw - have to figure out how to take care of a baby. And not like how Jimmy's parents raised him. No, they have to raise Hope the right way, so she turns out normal. But with this family, you never know how things'll turn out.


What We Think
Reviewed by Dream Catcher
Number of Seasons: 1
When I first watched this show I really had no idea what it was. I had just finished watching Glee one Tuesday and it just came on afterward. It was laziness that actually kept me from turning the TV off and watching this show. Well, maybe a little curiosity. What I found was that it was a really funny show. Very quirky. Very odd. But I loved it.  By far the best thing about this show is the characters. Jimmy, played by Lucas Neff, is funny in his awkwardness. He has absolutely no idea how to be a good parent but still tries really hard to get everything right. His hopeless crush on a girl who works at their local grocery store is sad and still somehow funny. Sabrina, played by Shannon Woodward, is someone I didn't mention in the gist. She's the girl Jimmy has a huge crush on. She's great because she's completely oblivious to Jimmy's feelings for her, and always treats him like a buddy. One of my favorite characters is Virginia, Jimmy's mom. She's played by Martha Plimpton and she's one of the funniest characters in the whole show. Yeah, I'm using the words funny and funniest a lot. But it's a comedy! It's funny. Anyway...Virginia is a big part of the family, and kind of holds them together. She has some great lines and always delivers them well. The show would not be the same without her. Her husband Burt is played by Garrett Dillahunt is always hilarious. He's not very bright and always says whatever pops in his head. He has some great lines that are sometimes so random you can't help but laugh. He's my dad's favorite character. It's always my dad and I who watch this show. Sometimes my younger sister does, but usually after watching glee she'll just trudge up to her room in a half-asleep zombie state. Gotta love her. My mom actually doesn't like this show...but that's only because she doesn't like this kind of humor. You know, the kind of uncomfortable, awkward humor that some people love and others...well it just makes them uncomfortable. I think it's hilarious. ANYWAY, this brings me to the last but certainly NOT least character: Maw Maw. There are no words to describe her except maybe FANTASTIC and COMPLETELY INSANE. She's crazy. Played by Cloris Leachman, Maw Maw is like no other character in the show. Most of the time she either believes she's a young girl again, or a young woman still married to her now-dead husband. Either way she's always a little loopy. Sometimes she remembers her family and sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes she thinks she's a dog about to deliver a litter of puppies. Occasionally she's sane. Key word being occasionally. She's amazing. So for characters, this show gets an A++. They're funny and sometimes have some touching moments. Okay, maybe not touching moments, but pretty close. The script, kind of going a long with the characters, is funny and unique. A good word that comes to mind is SPUNKY. That's what the script is. Spunky. No, QUIRKY. That's the perfect word. Quirky. I never miss an episode, and am always laughing with this show. Tuesdays after Glee (even if you don't watch Glee, watch this)! Watch this for a good laugh and jokes you don't expect. 


Real Teen Rating ~ A+ : MOST DEFINITELY SHOULD WATCH!

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Burlesque - Christina Aguilera + Cher

Reviewed by Dream Catcher

Song Time: 31 Minutes 12 Seconds

Burlesque
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This is the soundtrack for the movie Burlesque with Cher and Christina Aguilera. Cher plays the owner of Burlesque and sings two of the ten songs. The rest are sung by Christina Aguilera, playing the new girl to Burlesque with an amazing voice. The movie Burlesque may not have been fantastic but the music is actually really good. Suggestive and a little inappropriate but not that bad. Most of them are covers of older songs, because that's what they did at Burlesque; lip sync-ed and danced to the songs. When Christina Aguilera comes along they stopped lip sync-ing and sang. They're pretty good. And it doesn't hurt that Cher and Christina Aguilera both have great voices.

Something's Got a Hold on Me - 9.5/10- This is a cover, originally sung by Etta Jones in 1962. Now sung by Christina Aguilera. I used to think this song was really obnoxious. Well, maybe not OBNOXIOUS but at the very least bland. I would skip the song whenever it came on my iPod. UNTIL the fateful day when I decided to write this review and I had to listen to the songs each a few times to give a fair grade. And I found that it's actually one of my favorites! The only thing with this song is that there isn't that much lyrical genius. But it's easy to ignore with the voice to back it up. Favorite Line: "Everything about me seems to have changed/step by step I got a brand new walk/I even sound sweeter when I talk".

Welcome to Burlesque - 10/10 - When Cher started singing this song I could only think of how much I didn't like her voice. I thought it sounded disgusting. But then she kept singing and I kept listening and her voice grew on me. Now I really like it. Weird. This is one of my favorite songs in the CD. It may be pretty suggestive but other than that it's really great. The violin-type instrument at the beginning is awesome, sounding creepy and kind of dark. It really went along with the melody of the song, which is pretty dramatic. Love it. This was another song that didn't exactly have the most amazing lyrics I've ever heard. But if I had to pick a favorite... Favorite Line: "Something very dark/is playing with your mind./It's not the end of days"

Tough Lover - 9.3/10- This was another song I really didn't like that much at first.I thought there was just too much note jumping at the beginning. But I've gotten used to it; it's really grown on me. This is another cover. In the movie it's sung by Christina Aguilera as her first real performance song. But in real life this is another song by Etta James. I love how at the beginning of the song there's this slightly-awkward but cool-sounding a capella part. Then the band joins in and the beat speeds up. I don't know exactly why but it feels like a good song to sing and dance to all at once. However this song is kind of inappropriate if you read into it, and the lyrics aren't the greatest. Favorite Line: "He'll make me laugh/ he'll make me cry" (Lame favorite line, I know, but I didn't have much to work with).

But I Am a Good Girl - 9/10- I love this song. Don't ask me why because it's superficial, vain, and suggestive.I think I just like it because of it's catchy-ness. This song is sung by Christina Aguilera. Basically she's singing about how great her life is because she has fancy clothes and shoes and jewelery. The her friends ask how she got those nice things. How? She's a good girl. Yeah. After that there's really not much else to say. Listen to the song and you'll see what I mean. Favorite Line: "You know I have found/ the word's goin' round/they all say my feet never do touch the ground!".

Guy What Takes His Time - 8.8/10- This is a pretty good song. Not my favorite, obviously, but still not bad. It can get kinda boring if you're just sitting there listening to it. When watching the movie it makes sense and it's good when you're watching it...but other that that it's just okay. Christina Aguilera's voice is great, but the song is too slow and doesn't exactly grab your attention. I still like it, and I don't skip it if it comes on my iPod, but it's not the best. Apparently, this song is a cover of something from a musical called Dirty Blonde - inspired by Mae West, some actress popular in the 20's. Favorite Line: "Wouldn't give any rushin' gent a smile,". 

Express - 8.8/10- This song is kind of inappropriate. Not obscenely in appropriate. But a little. This is not another slow song. It starts off slower than picks up a little. I like the how they're snapping at the beginning. It's cool. I'm not sure what kind of instrument it is during the little transition - maybe a trumpet or something -  but that's cool, too. Christina Aguilera's voice is great as always, but I think especially good for this song. It's a song to dance to.  Favorite Line: "It's a cold and crazy world that's ragin' outside,".

You Haven't Seen the Last of Me - 9.5/10- The second and last song sung  by Cher. Really good. I really like this song. But it is SO not Burlesque. In the movie she's singing it like she's practicing for a performance coming up, but why would you ever sing this song at a club? It's slow and meaningful. Two things that do not describe clubs. Nevertheless, it's one of my favorites from this album. It's kind of sad but it's really good. And Cher sounds great. Slow and pretty. Favorite Line: "I've been brought down to my knees/And I've been pushed right past the point of breaking,".

Bound to You - 9.5/10- Another slower song. This time the ballad is sung by Christina Aguilera and is a romantic type song. Again: not the type of thing usually sung in Burlesque. But whatever. She's singing about how she's never felt love and now that she has it she's bound this guy by her love for him. Or something. It's good and really pretty. Favorite Line: "I've opened up, unsure I can trust/My heart and I were buried in dust,".

Show Me How You Burlesque - 7.5/10- For a title-ish song I found it to be a disappointment. It's okay but not one of the better songs on the CD. A song with a good beat but really not much else. Christina Aguilera sings it as the final song in the movie. It starts slow and gets faster as the song progresses. It's okay but not great. Favorite Line: "Underneath the city lights/ there is a world few know about,". 

The Beautiful People (from "Burlesque") -7.5/10- This is the credits song. Another catchy song with a good beat. But not really anything remarkable. Yeah, very catchy. It gets stuck in my head really easily. And stays there for a while. Another sung by Christina Aguilera. It's pretty good. Not GREAT thought. Favorite Line: "All of the beautiful people/shining like diamonds/they've got no problems,".

I really don't have much else to say about the songs. I think it's a pretty decent CD, but that doesn't make the movie itself good...that's another review. Actually, the music was the best part of the movie because of the great voices singing. The thing with most of the songs was that they were all good beat or catchy tune, with little to no meaning. Except Bound to You and You Haven't Seen the Last of Me, which (ironically) were the two songs that wouldn't really fit in with Burlesque. It was hard to pick favorite lines because of this; there really wasn't much to pick from. But other than that I think it's a pretty good CD that deserves some checking out. At least listen to a few songs. :)


Real Teen Rating ~ B : Check it out but, really, there's no rush.

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Science & Faith- The Script

Reviewed by The North Star
Song Time: 42 Minutes and 12 Seconds 

Science&Faith
Buy it here and support our blog

You Won't Feel A Thing-6/10- This song is just OK.....  I will usually skip this if I see it come on my iPod but sometimes if I'm in the mood I will listen to it.  The chorus isn't very catchy and there is just something about it that I don't like.  I guess I just have to be in a certain mind-set to listen to this song.  Not one to buy on iTunes.


For The First Time-10/10- This was the first and only single off of the CD and I love it.  I had actually heard it on Pandora first on my Script station and loved it.  When I saw that it was actually a single I was excited but at the point the whole CD had already come out so I just got the whole CD.  Anyways, this is an awesome song with a great beat and vocal and all that good stuff but my favorite part of the song are the lyrics.  They are singing about how our world is becoming screwed up really bad and people don't know how to fix their lives.  This is something A MILLION people can relate to especially now with the economy and everything else that goes on.  They then go to sing about how they are finally seeing people as if it is the first time they have ever seen them (hence the title) and it goes to show you that when times get hard you see people's true colors and that is not necessarily a bad thing!


Nothing- 10/10- This is one of the more mellow songs on their albums...for the most part.  The versus are slow and quiet meaningful.  This song gets a perfect 10 because the chorus and versus are really thought through.  I could listen to the versus of this song all day long and not ever get sick of it.  This song really shows the lyric genius that is The Script.  It is about a guy that loses a girl but he can't imagine his life without her but his friends keep telling him that if he drinks she will get off of his mind but he keeps thinking about her.  While listening to the song I wanted to see what he would do and that is the making of a truly great song.


Science & Faith-9/10- This is the title song of the album.  I usually like it when they don't have the title of the album but this was an exception to the rule.  The chorus is catchy and gets stuck in your head and the lyrics mean something.  It is about a boy and a girl trying to figure out their relationship and the guy wants to know the science of love.  She then tells the boy that science will never be able to describe love you just have to have faith in it. The whole concept is sweet in its own little way and is a must buy on iTunes.


If You Ever Come Back-7/10- This is song about forgetting but remembering at the same time.  A guy is dating a girl who leaves him and he is trying to forget her but he says that if she comes back he will just accept her as if nothing had happened.  The subject of this song bother me because he shouldn't let her back that easily.  She lied to him and made him feel bad about himself but he is so eager to accept her back again.  If he would jut forget her I would have liked the song better.  The chorus and beat is just OK but I do like the chorus right after the bridge because there are cool harmonies going on.  All around just an average song, not one to really look for.


Long Gone and Moved On-8/10- This is a pretty basic song; it sounds like all the other songs on the radio nowadays but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is a bad song.  Like a lot of the other songs on their CD it is about a relationship that has gone wrong.  A guy is talking about a girl that he broke up with and now she is with a new guy and it makes him jealous to see them together and he has no idea how to act around her because he still feels hurt about the break-up.  The reason that I really love this song is the bridge.  I'm not sure why I like it, it might be the way he sings the lyrics or just the lyrics in general but for whatever reason I really like it.  This is one to have to choose between 6-7 songs from the CD but definitely not number one.


Dead Man Walking-5/10-  Ehhh....I don't really care for this song.  The lead singer sounds like it isn't him actually him singing.  The way that he recorded the song makes it seem a lot higher than his voice usually sounds.  There is also a lot of repetition in this song which is usually fine with me but I have a problem when you start to notice all of the repetition that is going on in the song.  The only way I would recommend this song would be because it is on the CD and I would recommend this song because I would recommend this CD but besides that don't buy it.


This= Love- 11/10- I absolutely love this song!!!  First off the lyrics/message are amazing.  The lyrics to the first verse are It’s in the eyes of the children; As they leave for the very first time; And it’s in the heart of the soldier; As he takes a bullet on the front line; It’s in the face of a mother; As she takes the force of a blow; And its in the hands of the father yeah; As he works his fingers to the bone yeah. So instead of having a song all about the girl he loves he sings about ALL types of love from mother to her children to a solider fighting for the love of his country.  I love that about this song because no one ever sings about the everyday loves that in some ways are stronger than the love between a teenage girl and boy.  I mean those songs are cute and all but this was a nice refreshing change.  This song is also extremely catchy and gets stuck in my head all day.  Buy it on iTunes A.S.A.P!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Walk Away(feat B.o.B)-8/10- Whenever I listen to this song I think of hearing it at a club or party.  There are some really soft parts that people can sing-along to but it has a very strong beat so that makes it a great dance song.  The rap with B.O.B is a great addition to the song and I am not someone who likes rap at all but I don't mind the rapping in this song.  If you are looking for a song with a defined beat, rap and amazing singing then this is one to buy.  The only reason this song doesn't get a higher score in my book is because I am not a fan of rap but other than that this is a very good song.


Exit Wounds-10/10- CAUTION: This is a song that will get stuck in your head days after listening to it. This song is about a guy that is dumped and doesn't know how to deal with the break-up while the girl is taking it perfectly fine.  Unfortunately, I always forget about this song but the good thing about it is that when it comes up on shuffle I am pleasantly surprised because it is such a good song.  When I first  bought the CD I listened to it non-stop for 3 days straight and never got sick of the song.  Danny O'Donoghue (the lead singer in The Script) has a fantastic voice and I never get sick of listening to it and in this song his voice really shines.  This is a song that everyone should have on their iPod/MP3 Player.    


Bullet From a Gun-7/10- This song is pretty decent.  I don't really love this song but I don't dislike it either.  I will usually skip it when it comes up on my iPod but if I listen to the entire CD then I won't usually skip it.  Like Dead Man Walking there is a lot of repetition that you notice after to listening to about 2minutes of the song.  The song is about a relationship and the guy really wants to be with a girl so he is pointing out to her about how she is in love with him too and she can't get out of the feeling.  All around it is an OK song not one I would buy individually on iTunes.  


Walk Away-9/10- This is pretty much the same song but without the rap part from B.O.B which is why it is getting a higher grade but both are songs to look for when buying songs on iTunes.

Real Teen Rating~ B+: Check it out sometime!

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By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead - Julie Anne Peters

The Gist

By The Time You Read This...
Buy it here and support our blog

Daelyn Rice wants to die. She’s tired of being bullied and called the freak.  She wants out.  She’s tried to kill herself countless times, and every time she failed.  She needs a surefire exit strategy.  And she finds one online.  Called www.through-the-light.com, the site is for ‘completers’, and people who genuinely want to die.  They receive a completion date, get ideas on how to die, and can post about what happened to them that made them want to die.  Daelyn starts distancing herself from her parents and the world, making her way towards the way out.  But then she meets Santana, a boy she can’t wrap her head around.  She makes it very clear she doesn’t want anything to do with him, but he just won’t leave.  It’s too late for Daelyn to be saved, especially by some boy pretending to like her.  No one would actually like her enough to talk to her.  If only he would understand that and let her make her exit in peace.  

What We Think

Reviewed by Living Destiny

Number of Pages: 200

I wasn’t really sure if I liked Daelyn or not.  She was incredibly cynical.  I mean, I’m cynical, yes, but Daelyn took it to a whole new level.  She trusted no one.  If someone tried to talk to her at all, she would think of some diabolical, underlying reason for it.  It could never just be because they wanted to talk to her, it had to be because they wanted to make fun of her or abuse her.  It was equally annoying and interesting.  I can’t imagine actually thinking like that, and I’m not an overly trusting person.  I definitely felt bad for her, though.  Her life was horrible.  She describes it mostly through the entries she makes on the through-the-light forums, and it sounds awful.  She’s teased for being fat, her parents don’t exactly help, and she moves all the time during her childhood because her parents hope it will help her (which it doesn’t).  The only other really big character was Santana.  Unlike Daelyn, I know exactly what I think of Santana.  I loved him.  He was such a goofy person, always telling jokes and trying to get Daelyn to like him.  He’s one of those characters that I look at and think, ‘if he was real he’d be my best friend.’  He’s that likable.  Also, one of the smaller characters really stuck out for me.  Her name was Emily, and she was a girl in Daelyn’s school who was trying to be friends with Daelyn.  She is an outcast (like Daelyn), but very sweet.  She seems a little naïve, but she has a big heart, and I liked her a lot too.  So now the plot.  The whole ‘this is about a suicidal chick’ thing is sort of a turn off.  And I admit when I would read it I’d get a little depressed.  But I think it’s good too, because everyone can relate to it.  I mean, let’s tell the truth here: everyone has felt like they want to die at one point or another.  It’s just how life goes.  There are those terrifying moments of depression where you just want the pain to end, and you start to think about how easy it would be to just exit stage left, and start over.  Anyone who says they’ve never felt that is flat out lying.  Seeing it written out somehow makes it easier to cope with.  The concept of a website for suicidal people is strange, but I liked it.  Also, I liked all the details about Daelyn’s life, and how her reasons for attempted suicide were included.  As the story goes on she opens up more, and you learn all the lurid details about her experiences with bullying.  The way the story was written was interesting.  Daelyn pretty much never spoke in the book, so a lot of it is what she’s thinking.  I like that because it gives a huge amount of insight into the mind of a depressed girl, which was a good way of telling the story.  If it had been told any other way, I don’t think I’d feel informed enough.  I was satisfied with the ending too.  It wasn’t totally perfect, but nothing ever ends perfectly (except in fiction books), so I appreciated how it was realistic.  This book is a flash of hope in a dark tunnel, and in a bizarre way it made me feel better about my life.  It’s meant for high schoolers, and I think that most high schoolers would enjoy it, but I’m sure there are lots of adults who would like and understand it too.  In spite of its dark topic choice, this book was incredibly enjoyable, and I really liked it.  

Real Teen Reviews~ B+: Wait for vacation

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Sucker Punch- Emily Browning, Vanessa Hudgens and Abbie Cornish

The Gist
After her parents die and her sister and her left alone Baby Doll has no idea what to do.  The first thing that comes to mind is to protect her sister AT ALL costs.  This soon becomes a problem when her "stepfather" wants the house and land which was left to the girls in their parents will.  Baby Doll runs away to get a gun to threaten him with but by the time she comes back her sister is already dead.  Baby Doll tries to kill her "stepfather" but cannot do it so she runs to her parents grave where the police soon find her and deem her "crazy"(or in a deep state of depression).  Her "stepfather" had told the police that she killed her sister out of sadness for her parents death and he "suggests"(pays them extra) that she should get a lobotomy so she can forget her "pain".  The doctors bring her into the room for her procedure and right before they slam the hammer down she is transported to this other world.

She is now an orphan placed in a brothel to entertain a high-roller who is coming in three days to take her and she has to learn a dance to impress him so the pimp who owns the brothel can make a lot of money.  She soon discovers that when she really gets into the dance she can transport herself into a video game like world where she meets a monk.  The monk tells her that she has to find 5 things. 1). A Map 2). Fire 3).A Knife 4). A Key and 5). Something only you know what it is.  Baby Doll soon gets the rest of the girls in her "group" to take part in the journey.  She guarantees them that no matter what, as long as she is dancing they will be safe and can steal the items.  Together they will finally be able to escape the dump they live in and Baby Doll from the high roller.

What We Think
Reviewed by The North Star
Run Time: 120 Minutes
Rating: PG- 13
After seeing the trailer for this movie I thought it looked like a bunch of guys who sat around a computer and thought of how to make extremely hot girls in a movie and somehow incorporate a video game aspect in there as well with almost no story line.  Once I saw the commercial a few more times it started to sink in and I thought that it might actually be a good movie.  I should have stuck to my original thoughts.  This movie made absolutely NO sense what-so-ever.  The beginning makes sense, the middle is confusing at first and then you start to make huge assumptions on why things happened and in the end your brain gets fried and you are more lost then when you stepped foot into the movie theater.  It is very obvious that the producers/directors spent all of their time on the special effects and fighting scenes and almost no time on the actual plot.

As for the acting it was pretty decent.  Emily Browning was the best part of the movie she was believable for the part that she had to work with.  She also sang on the soundtrack (which I found out after seeing the movie) and she has an AMAZING voice!! I didn't believe it was her at first but iTunes told me that she sang it so I guess I should believe them (:  .  Back on topic, all of the other actors only acted half-heartedly and it showed.  I tried to not think of Vanessa singing and dancing around in High School Musical but her acting wasn't much better in this than in High School Musical.  In the actors defenses they didn't have to do much acting.  More than half of the movie was fight scenes, and don't get me wrong I love a good fight scene but each fight scene was to long and by the end of it I didn't care whether or not they had gotten the item.  In the end this was just a terrible movie, I have no idea what possessed people to make it and then put it in theaters.  Emily Browning's acting and the soundtrack (which was BEAST) saved the movie from an F but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone unless you want to watch a movie that makes scratch your head for a day trying to figure out what you just watched.

Real Teen Rating~ D- : I wouldn't bother at all

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Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices #1) by Cassandra Clare

The Gist

Tessa Gray is sixteen and living with her aunt when she leaves America to live with her brother in London during the eighteen hundreds. On her way there she gets kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters who are in someway in connection with the shady Pandemonium Club she gets thrown into a world of  Shadow Hunters and Downworld creatures. She learns about her past and discovers the world of the Shadow Hunters while taking refuge with them. She becomes acquainted with the two young men living there. James and Will. James is sweet and loving and sensitive but hiding a dark secret in his frail body and Will who is a beautiful mischief maker who is undyingly witty but is also hiding something. Tessa has to make choices and feels first love in this epic beginning of the Infernal Devices trilogy.

What We Think
Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
Number of Pages: 478
I would just like to put a thanks out to Dream because she bought me this book and without her I most likely would not be reviewing this book right now. Anyways, this book had a tough reputation to hold up. The Mortal Instruments series was an Internationally Bestselling book and so this was either a hit or a miss. I thought that it was a hit. I kept trying to relate the characters back to the original ones like Clary and Jace. There was of course similarities but those were subtle. Will obviously Jace but it took another route with the character. The plot was unique and learning about the history of the shadowhunters and seeing where everything comes together was cool. Of course there will be more but you can pick things out already like the Pandemonium Club, which is at the setting of the first scene in the first book. Then there are characters that come back like Magnus. I loved how everything ties into eachother. The actual characters were awesome. I love James (a.k.a Jem) he is the sensitive kid that you have to love. I also liked Will, if you like Jace you will like Will, he just will make you angrier. This book made me really emotional, I was frequently caught throwing the book on the floor or yelling at the characters in the book. I am not crazy though. That's how well the book was written. The last chapter just leaves you angry and happy and wanting more which is horrible becuase then you have to wait for the next book to come out. It's torture! If you havent read this book then you should, especially if you read the Mortal Instruments series. Loved this book and I know that you will too.
Real Teen Rating~A: Go Buy This NOW!!

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Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini- Advanced Copy

The Gist

Helen Hamilton lives on Nantucket Island in Massachusetts. She knows that she is different, especially in her small island town. She has incredible strength, never gets winded, unbelievably gorgeous, and exceptionally smart. She thinks that she is normal until the Delos family moves into town and they are just like her. Lucas Delos is drop dead beautiful and so is the rest of his family. They teach her how to unleash her powers and she discovers that she is much more powerful than she could have ever imagined. As her and Lucas' romance blossoms into something that neither wants to give up the fates have a different idea and threaten the exsistance of their love. Her life is now surrounded by Greek tragedies and a whole new world she didn't know even existed.


What We Think
Reviewed by ShoreWhisperer
Number of Pages: 496
I LOVED this book. Everything about it was good, the characters were well developed and so was the plot. The concept behind the plot, like the modern greek tragedy is really creative. It was flirty and fun and dark, I couldn't put it down, literally. Shore and Living and North yelled at me multiple times to put the book down and concentrate on more important things.

The only problem I have with this book was that there was too many similarities from other books. Most recognizably Twilight and City of Bones.

First off there is three high school age guys that live together in a big fancy house in a small town, also they are drop dead gorgeous and incredibly talented a "freak". Now who does that sound like? Edward, Emmett and Jasper? Yes you want to know who else it sounds like? Lucas Hector and Jason Delos. I am not kidding, the whole book was exactly like Twilight. I am not saying that I didn't like it I just wish there wasn't as big as it was.

What I liked most was the girl. I usually don't like leading girls in books they are whiny and annoying but she was alot better then any of the others. She was not like Bella Swan. Thank god. She was very feminine, she never knew that she was pretty she never had that realization but she grew more confident becasue she became more powerful with her newfound talents, that was awesome. There were alot of strong girl characters in this book. Yay for feminism!

The beginning was slow but that was ok because it picks up right away so it is allowed that extra pick up time. In my opinion this book was ten thousand times better than Twilight. First off there was no creepy stalking obsessive vampires, and no perfectly horrible love triangle. Take that out and add fate and the darkness of a Greek tragedy and its this book, it was scary and suspenseful and bittersweet. It's like taking Romeo and Juliet and the Odyssey and make it modern and dark and awesome and you get this book.

This book is part of the three part Awakening series, I would highly recommend that you read this book as soon as it comes out because I have a feeling that it will become big and famous, it's just that good.

Real Teen Rating~ A: GO BUY THIS NOW!!!!

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