Book Review: The Mausoleum Murder

Review: #43
Title: The Mausoleum Murder
Series: The Seven Fabulous Wonders
Author: Katherine Roberts
Read Before: yes
My Comments: This is one of the less interesting story in the series (it’s a series although they’re each independent stories), the plot isn’t as absorbing. Nevertheless it is still a good read, but even when you’re around 100 pages into the book you’re not absorbed by the storyline yet, and the whole thing just feels… uninteresting and very detached, like there’s not actually sympathy and not much is really revealed or done. As the story progresses, the suspense becomes more, and answers are started to be revealed, and some interesting answers at that. We get to know how the magic works for the main character Alexis, and it’s quite fascinating. As you near the end, you really want to know how it would all work out, as it seems either they would lose or win (the war), and what it would do to the losers, but the way it’s resolved is quite nice. The book has a nice ending and overall it’s a great book.
Rating: 6.5/10
Rereadability Factor: 5/10

The Princess and the Frog

I watched The Princess and the Frog today, the one by Disney, and although it's not that bad, I dont think it's as great a story as Tangled. The story isnt as captivating and capturing as Tangled, and the typical gradual shift of the two leads into lovers isnt as sweet and touching, it seems just like that one moment they are neutral and not caring and the other, it suddenly dawns on them that they like the other person. The eventual moment where they both realise they like each other isnt that great either, it doesnt have that heart warming/wrenching feeling.

On the musical side of things, the songs arent very, how shall I say it, doesnt seem to fit that well with the movie, it feels a bit forced (I mean, for Tangled it was a bit forced, but at least it was 'relevant' to the current scene and story, and the lyrics are way more literal and having more meaning).

It does make a nice change to watch a movie that is traditinally animated (2D) rather than the CGI that a lot of kids movie are in these days, it's weird to think that 2D had been phased out for a while in the movies, when it feels like a classic way for an animated movie to be in.

The story was nothing what I had expected, I thought it would be about a princess in a more medieval setting and meeting the frog and eventually building up a relationship so she can kiss him (kinda like Beauty and the Beast) but instead, the girl is an everyday normal person and gets turned into a frog herself (she spends most of her screentime as a frog). Interesting, but... not my taste, as such, this movie hasnt really touched me, and doesnt live up to my expectations from what I had seen of it's reviews (84% in rottentomatoes).

Many parts of the movie I do feel is a bit... too scary for kids, and somehow it's rated G, wah?! I felt Tangled was less scary (although it did have more violence in terms of fighting) and that had a PG rating, ah well, I would never understand the ratings. The Princess and the Frog has evil demon type shadows and freaky scenes, and even some slightly offensive language (for a younger audience that is), which is very very surprising. I like the ending, how because the female lead is married to the prince(they were still both frogs), she turned into a princess and hence when they kissed they turned back to human, a very nice touch. Recommended to watch if you like the classic Disney movies back then, but have to be aware that it's nowhere near as good as those nor the Pixar movies.

Pride and Prejudice

The Pride and Prejudice 2005 movie… I reckon it’s a really great adaptation of the book, I enjoyed the movie when I watched it but of course, still felt it lacking, especially compared to the book. I mean, for a movie that’s based off a book, it’s very very well done and stays true for 90% of the content, that’s a really good effort. Since a movie is more visual, it lacks the emotional attachment created for the reader/viewer that was so good in the book. Matthew Macfadyen’s portrayal of the character Mr Darcy was superb, he had both the looks and expressive features I imagined while reading the book. Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet on the other hand, was a bit… weird, I didn't think she suited that role, but it’s nothing major. The pacing of the movie is a lot faster (naturally) and it skips a lot of emotional reflections, sometimes missing a point for the reader to understand. It’s not as good as I originally thought it was going to be from the reviews online (85% on rottentomatoes), as I felt I was bored by a couple of bits, but I still think it is a good movie.

Book Review: The Maze of the Beast

Review: #42
Title: The Maze of the Beast
Series: Deltora Quest - 6th book
Author: Emily Rodda
Read Before: yes
My Comments: Another great addition to the Deltora Quest series, this one is quite interesting, although it might not top The Shifting Sands or The Forest of Silence in terms of interesting monsters and facts about the world, it is still beautifully written. Looking back, it seems there really wasn't that much happening, but yet while you are reading it, you feel compelled to keep reading it to the finish and not stop. The story was really interesting, it feels like there should be a big ‘boss’ fight at the end, like it’s building up to it, since that’s where the main characters get the gem, but the way it’s resolved in most books (no fight) is still very satisfying. You don't get to know new characters that much (until either later in the series or most likely in one of the sequel series) since there is not enough pages for you to do that, it’s more like you meet them, you know who they are, ok, they’re leaving now, you only get to know the three main characters, but they’re interesting enough. A great book in a solid series, one that I would go out of my way to try and find it to read.
Rating: 7/10
Rereadability Factor: 6/10

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

Watched The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (aka Mummy 3), and it’s not as painful as I expected. This is the second time I had watched it, the first time I was cringing a lot, and this time I had expected what was going to happen and it wasn't as bad. The whole plot, the mummy in this movie isn’t even a mummy, the closest thing to describe it would be a zombie, and this guy somehow has all these supernatural magic powers than can practically do anything. The movie really really deviates from reality, way way more than the first two Mummy movies (which were great by the way), and it has gone too far. Particularly when they are in the snow capped mountains and the yeti comes to help them, seriously, yeti?!?!? WTF, that is just the most random, rubbish idea that I have seen in a movie, the writer of the script should be fired for even handing in such nonsense, let alone produce it. Jet Li only gets like a few lines spoken in English and it’s like a third of the movie is spoken in Mandarin with English subtitles, which is questionable at best. This movie is a big disappointment and does not live up to the franchise, I would avoid this movie, there aren't really any redeeming features, the actors’ performance is very weak, and the story is rubbish. The only part of this movie I like is the movie poster, :P.

Toy Review: Transformers Universe Starscream

Review: #6
Name: Starscream
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: Universe (2008)
Year of Release: 2008
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 4)
Mold Status: minor repaint of Classics Starscream

JET MODE:

Starscream transforms into a jet that is based off the F-15 Eagle like the original toy and cartoon model. This version is a minor repaint of the original Classics toy, in colour scheme that is more accurate to the cartoon model.

He features landing gear of sorts, which are comprised of two molded front wheels that fold out and two minor lumps molded at the back. He has two null ray cannons that attach to the underside of his wings, they double up as spring loaded missile launchers, with the buttons in easy access.

The jet mode looks good from the top but there are some decently sized undercarriage kibble. That's not to mention the empty gap required for transformation under his fuselage, it's an unsightly gap and ruins the look of the plane.

Starscream is pretty much the set standard for any kind of Deluxe figure.  Above is a comparison against Generations Sky Shadow.

You can just make out the seat inside the transparent cockpit. At the time that this figure was released, this was a pretty good jet mode.  The only major flaw would be the gappy underside.

TRANSFORMATION:

Starscream has a very simple and easy transformation, you can hardly get it wrong, it's just flip wings up, fold out arms, fold in chest and extend legs. Compared to more recent toys, this is like a beginner's toy. This does make him more fun to go between the modes, but watch out for tight joints, particularly in the tailfins. The wing hinges are also a worry, as they get loose very easily over time, and feels like it might snap accidentally when you apply pressure the wrong way.

ROBOT MODE:

Starscream has a cartoon accurate robot mode, and even if you're not familiar with that medium, he looks great as a standalone robot.

Starscream's effectively kibbleless which is quite impressive.  Naturally, the wings form one of his iconic elements.

The face is painted this time around and it brings out the details much better. The white plastic is very white, creating a cleaner look. Perhaps the most annoying thing is the jet nose stuck on the back of his head, giving him somewhat like half a head.

Starscream is a little bit shorter than some Deluxes since most of the length of the jet mode is folded into his torso.

The nullrays peg onto the outside of his shoulders and form his only weapons. They are a tad bit oversized but it makes him a lot more formidable.  Compared to the Classics version, he's missing quite a bit of paint, noticeably on his shoulders and knees.

Articulation is lacking by today's standards but decent at the time. The biggest hurt is the lack of elbow swivels.  His knees are ratchets but there's only three clicks (straight, 45 degrees and 90 degrees) so they're not terribly useful.

The nullrays can be detached and held in his hands as guns, which is a nice option. It's a shame that the panels the shoulders are attached onto are held only by friction, makes posing just that bit more annoying.

This is a strong and fantastic looking robot mode that's a great update to the character.  However, the reduction in painted details does hurt.

OVERALL:

A great little toy that pretty much every fan should own at least some sort of variation of this mold (which is more than likely since this is the most repainted figure ever). This figure is a really nice and simple rendition of G1 Starscream.

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If you're interested, check out other toys reviews in the 'My Transformers' page which you can access at the top of the blog.

Book Review: Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost!

Review: #41
Title: Ghosthunters and the Gruesome Invincible Lightning Ghost!Series: Ghosthunters - 2nd in series
Author: Cornelia Funke
Read Before: no
My Comments: A thin and small book, so I cannot expect much of a deep or interesting plot here. Although I do tend to find this series to be quite an enjoyable read, perfect if you’re looking for something quick. The latter books (I have already read the 3rd and 4th books in the series) are more interesting, but this one isn’t bad either. I like how the author had represented the ghosts in this way, and it’s a really fun way to see them. This book is not scary, and even though it’s supposed to be comedy, there isn’t too much that made me laugh. Story is good enough, just the typical “got a call about a ghost, turns out it’s really powerful, now we gotta catch it” style (I know I'm not in the intended audience, but I am amused by this so it’s a great job on part of the author). Only reason it got such a lot mark is because I’m starting to tighten my standards of giving the ratings, by no means a bad book, only read if you like simple stories.
Rating: 5.5/10
Rereadability Factor: 3/10 (pretty much no point rereading it)

Transformers Cyber Missions Webisodes

I had a watch of the Transformers Cyber Missions Webisodes, it was in a VCD I think, that came packaged free with some stuff I got in the mail. I had watched a few episodes online before since I was curious and so I wasn't expecting much. Still, it’s pretty bad, not much of a storyline or plot, and the animation (low level CGI) is pretty basic and static, so not that much fun to watch, actually the background and colour was killing my eyes. Luckily it only runs for around 45 mins, and what I found annoying was that almost every episode started with Optimus Prime (in a very weird voice) speaking the same phrase. One nice thing I do like was seeing the animation models of toys, it brings otherwise just toy-characters to life, and I really like how I can see them move and not just in my imagination. The early episodes are pretty bad, and some of the latter ones as well, but the final one was a bit better and was actually a good enough end, too bad about the limited cast, they had so many toys to choose from, but I guess for budget reasons they could only do a few, anyway, for something that’s free it’s something to watch, but I wouldn't hunt it down or even go onto the internet and waste my downloads watching the whole thing. I probably will leave the VCD somewhere with my other DVD’s, and never touch it again, leaving it to collect dust, as I have no interest in watching it a second time (bad enough the first time!).

The Pacifier

Watched The Pacifier and I really like the movie, even though it didn't get great reviews when it had come out (20% ‘rotten’ at Rotten Tomatoes), I still think it’s worth watching and was quite funny. I mean, it is a typical movie with a typical plot, but it’s a family movie, not much to expect there. I do like how the characters’ relationships grow stronger as the film progresses, and it’s the journey that is most fun to watch. The action sequences (where they fight) isn’t too bad, and I’ve seen it four times now (since 2007 when I first watched it I think), and it’s still not that boring to me, I still enjoy it a lot.

Toy Review: Transformers PCC Smolder w/ Chopster

Review: #5
Name: Smolder w/ Chopster
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Decepticon
Line: PowerCore Combiners (Wave 1)
Year of Release: 2010
Size Class: Scout with Minicon
Variations: Stakeout is a repaint of Smolder, while Razorbeam is a repaint of Chopster

VEHICLE MODE:



Smolder is a fire department truck with the back half of the truck being a boxy affair. It's very attractive and quite realistic, although it's not based on any real life vehicle. There's a transparent yellow strobe light and a flaming Decepticon insignia near the back. A Decepticon as a fire truck, there's some irony there, and I like it. Chopster can plug on top in his gun mode, although it does ruin the realism, but without him Smolder seems to be lacking, as there would be a Minicon port sticking out.



The back is Smolder's downfall, its an open gap, and really disappointing, all it would take is some panels and he would be fine. As such, it ruins all realism, I have turned his head around because it conceals it better, but you can clearly see the bright blue combiner pegs, hands, and that gap is just hideous.

Still it's a nice little vehicle (keep in mind he is Scout sized, so he's small), he just really appeals to me. I guess if you really let your imagination run wild, you can flip back the combiner pegs to act at some sort of rocket boosters (and also can rearrange Chopster into some sort of wing pack).

TRANSFORMATION:

He's really simple to transform, so he's really fun to play with and going between the two modes. It gives a nice break from the complexity of the recent Movie toys. The simple transformation does create liabilities for the vehicle mode, particularly the open back and the obvious hinges on the side.

ROBOT MODE:



A very nice robot mode, some people might be bothered with the huge shoulder pads, but in real life, he does look a lot better (remember, he is a small size, so naturally they look worse in pictures). Here he is holding Chopster in axe mode, and it's an ok axe, there are a few gaps but it does its job. The front of the truck that forms his legs is very natural and looks good there, and the two Decepticon logos on either side of his shoulders is a great place to put them.



The bright blue pegs really stand out against the black and red and ruins the colour scheme, but you would get used to it. His knee joints are set lower than normal and looks weird when you bend them too much (they're mainly set that low for transformation to work and also for the torso mode to work).



The head is a bit simplistic and lacking in good detail, while it's also a bit small, it tends to be overwhelmed by the huge shoulder pads.



He has good poseability, with a lot of joints everywhere. The hinge coupled with the balljoint for his elbow is really useful, legs might be a bit limited. I think the robot mode could be a bit better, it's mainly lacking paint on some of his sculpted details.



Now onto Chopster, he's a nice little Minicon, actually my favourite out of the Wave 1 (and in general, the whole PowerCore Combiner line) figures. He supposedly have four modes: a vehicle weapon (gun), robot weapon (axe), robot and chest armor. As such, he's lacking a real defined alt mode like the original Minicons of Armada. He is a good proportioned robot, with guns for hands, and knees joints too.



In my opinion, he has one of the better chest armour modes, looks quite... regal. If you're really desperate, you can always point his arms and central cannon forward to create a three barrelled gun. You can attach Chopster like this via a flip out Minicon port in Smolder's chest. As with all chest armour, he sticks out somewhat from the figure's chest, so it doesn't really look like armour from the side. I like to point the combiner pegs up so he looks a bit different and more powered up.

A good robot mode, with good articulation and aesthetics. He has a lot of playability owing to his Minicon Chopster.

COMBINED MODE:



Being a PowerCore Combiner, he has a third mode, being the torso of a combined form. He can combine with any arm or leg drones in the line, here I have combined him with the Combaticons. He's actually quite attractive in combined mode, although not the best, very wide shoulders though, and head is set lower, so he looks like a hunch back.



He is a bit hard to stand, and on my Smolder at least, it seems that his left leg's port is a bit too big, causing the Jeep drone to keep being pushed out, annoying to say the least. What I found was elegant was that his arms do plug into slots dedicated for this mode, making his arms more stable.



I don't really like his head, looks more like a dog's to me, with the prominent nose, his head is supposed to look like he's wearing a gas mask. It is light piped yellow, but it really needs more paint, some silver detailing would do wonders.



He's got all the standard articulation, only lacking elbows since the arm drone's automatic transformation don't really allow for that. You can cheat a bit and move the shoulders so Smolder does have two distinct parts for his arms.

A nice combined mode, but it's not terribly stable, he's really hard to stand, and so all the articulation is somewhat wasted as he can only really stand properly in a neutral pose. Still, this makes a nice display piece and adds another dimension to his funness.

OVERALL:

I love this toy, and I still find myself to this day fiddling with him from time to time, going between the three modes. He really is a fun toy to play with, I can see the dislike from some people because of all the gimmicks they tried to pack into the one small Scout sized toy, but he is really well designed. Only liability is the lack of proper elbows and hands in combined mode, but that's more to do with the drones than Smolder himself.

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If you need any more pictures, check out Seibertron's gallery here.

Credits: linked a few TFwiki.net pages in this review if you wanted more info on the respective links

Check out other toys reviews in the 'My Transformers' page which you can access at the top of the blog.

Catch Me If You Can

Finally bothered to watch Catch Me If You Can, I have delayed watching this for ages, and it is an older movie, so I deliberated. Apparently it is a great review, but after watching it, I do not think it's like amazing, like the universal reviews praising it. Sure it was entertaining and funny at times, it was also interesting to see what other things the main character is going to do, but I didnt think it was such a masterpiece. It's a long movie too, and you could feel it, yet it wasn't boring as such, and I think it is worth watching, I had too high expectations from the reviews.

Monsters, Inc.

Watched this today on tv, I think I watched it just not too long ago so it was a bit boring for me, as I knew what was going to happen, I remembered with such clarity. Anyway I loved this movie, it's so funny, and very original, I mean, how do they even come up with these awesome ideas?! Even though this movie is ten years old (I know, where does the time go...) it doesnt even feel a tiny bit old, nor outdated, Boo is actually pretty cute (once you get used to her), and quite funny, while the two monsters Mike and Sully is really awesome as well. I love the ending, it's very well done and sad and happy at the same time, with Sully opening the door and then a happy and hopeful expression fills his face, classic.

Just learnt that there will also be a sequel planned for end 2012, awesome!

Tangled

I watched Disney's Tangled today, and it is simply an AWESOME MOVIE. I loved it, I had seen on the internet that it had really good reviews (88% at Rotten Tomatoes) and so I was all hyped up on it, and was really looking forward to watching it (only got released in my country on January 6th), just before it started and I was sitting down in the cinema, I had a strike of doubt, thinking would it live up to the expecations I had created for myself from the hype. Sure it did! It is sooooooo good, one that I had even liked more than Wall.E.

The humor was really well done, funny in a lot of places, it was a musical as well but it didnt take up too much of the movie, around five songs and it was done perfectly, the songs werent that bad. Tangled had superb animation and although the ending of the story is a little predictable, the rest of it is really good. Each character had their charms and actually quite easy to like, I was totally absorbed into the movie, just forgetting I was in the cinema at times. Of course, always love the whole "bad guy turned good and helping the protagonist" thing, just perfect, the antagonist, evil stepmother wasn't too bad, and I thought I would cringe at the whole typical “bad guy turned good protagonist, who really loved the girl having to betray her and evil stepmother saying I told you so” thing, but no, it was done a little bit differently and I loved it! It is such a good movie that I'm even considering to buy it on dvd when it comes out! It’s just perfect!

In my list, its really high on the list along with the Disney Pixar movies (the last Disney movie I watched was 2008's Bolt, and that wasnt too good). I guess not really knowing the full story of Rapunzel may have helped, coz all I know about her is her long hair, the tower, and “Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down you hair”, but yeah, man it was just really funny and good, a lot of action too, I guess the kids will really like it too.

There wasnt a large cast of characters which makes it less confusing, and I love the non speaking roles of the pet Charmeleon, Rapunzel, soo cute and funny, haha. The horse, Maximus is also pretty funny and awesome (originally against the protagonist Flint, but changed sides after Rapunzel treated him well), but man, it is just amazing, I cannot get this through enough. The lantern scene really touched me, and I thought that was really well done as well, just the whole build up to the climax was very well done.

Just overall, a superb movie with a great blend of humor, action, and stunning visuals, a definite must see movie, one that I wholeheartedly recommend, seriously one to not miss. When a movie gets this good to make me want to buy the DVD, it's really worth watching.

Toy Review: Transformers ROTF Sideswipe

Review: #4
Name: Sideswipe
Brand: Transformers
Allegiance: Autobot
Line: Revenge of the Fallen
Year of Release: 2009
Size Class: Deluxe (Wave 1)
Variations: Repainted later as ROTF Strike Mission Sideswipe, also retooled into ROTF Swerve

VEHICLE MODE:



Sideswipe transforms into a fully licensed 2009 Corvette Stingray concept car. Sadly, I do not think this would ever be made into production, but this car looks very sleek and fast. Too bad on the toy he has too many transformation seams to pull off the fast look, maybe if the sides weren't so choppy it would be better. Still it's a very nice vehicle mode, and all the proper details are there, even better, he's doused in silver paint.



He has side mirrors that are made of bendable plastic, and the plastic colour is a very good match. He has tail lights, and four grey exhaust pipes, molded details include a rear license plate, indicators and the Corvette badge on his hood. His wheels roll (to be expected) with silver hubcaps, and clear headlights, seriously, you'll be hard pressed to find something that could be painted better, and overall, pulls off the look of the sports car really nicely.



The underside is another matter, you can clearly see the robot folded up, with very obvious legs. I find that the front half of the car is mostly empty space, leading you think that most of the car is a shell (and you'll be right). He has a low clearance for rolling, he would only roll on smooth surfaces, carpet won't work (he'll get stuck). A great vehicle mode, but the seams might be a bit too much, ruining the aesthetic.

TRANSFORMATION:

Transformation is not too ingenious, basically you pull the hood halves apart and fold out the legs and arms, with four major panels that you'll have to manipulate. Getting the wings right the first time might be a bit confusing with the twisting, and clipping the chest may seem a bit impossible too, but it does work.

ROBOT MODE:



A good robot mode, if you can get past all the kibble on his back, but he does look very awesome. The rear of the vehicle mode acting as his chest looks very natural, and the blades on his arms look plausible, at least it doesn't look as ridiculous as it sounds (the blades are actually the side panels of his car). Too bad most of the robot mode is now unpainted grey plastic, which somewhat ruins the look, especially after the vehicle mode.



Less said about the back, the better, although not as ugly with kibble as BT Tracks, he's still not beautiful.



Please note that there are a few ways to position his 'wings' (which is the vehicle mode's hood halves), as there are many joints in them due to transformation. The picture above show the official transformation, I do not like it, that's why I have followed another configuration I have seen on the internet, as the official way makes the hood halves jut out too much off the back.



As seen in the picture about, the wings really do jut out the back, which really doesn't look good.



Head sculpt is great, but could use a bit more silver, although his eyes are lightpiped blue, they don't work very well. His head is on a balljoint, which is rested on a spring (as his head springs up during transformation), it's quite restricted, if you turn his head it will tilt down. He also has a stamped Autobot symbol to the right of his head.



His swords actually look better head on rather than the side, from the side, if I didnt know better, I wouldn't know what they are. The front wheel placement on his forearms, on the other hand, looks very good there.



His legs are attached to some rubber pieces, which is sculpted like pistons, and seems like it's what's keeping the legs attached. However, there are actually balljoints, casted in transparent plastic, so it's 'hidden' from view, a nice touch. His also has a Mech Alive gimmick which is if you bend his knees, the blue panels extend out, not the best gimmick, yet not the worse, at least it doesn't impede his engineering.



His feet, by the way, isn't your traditional affair, just like in the movie, he has wheels for feet (which means he goes FAST), it's succeeded to a certain degree here, but you still have silver pieces at the front ruining the look, and it makes him hard to stand.



He has ok articulation, I'll mention what he doesn't have since it's easier that way, the only things that he's missing would be elbow swivels, a waist swivel (although this is no biggie) and some knee swivels (but this might actually be a bit hard to include). Still he has a wide range of poses... provided you can get him to stand, as his feet really makes him unstable.

OVERALL:

I think Sideswipe is a very worthy toy to own, he does have quite a few flaws in both modes (seams in vehicle, feet and kibble in robot), which stops him from being perfect. He has a lot of elements that indicate he is a shellformer, but still good looking in both modes. I would recommend him only if you can get him cheap, as I dont think he's worth the full price.

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Check out Seibertron's gallery here for more pictures.

Credits: review and pictures are mine, I've linked a few TFwiki.net and Wikipedia in the review for your reference.

Remember, you can always go to the My Transformers page for my other Transformers reviews.