Teen Cafe’

This is the fourth movie in a very good series of films. All the movies in the series so far have been very good and true to the original stories, and this one does not disappoint. I would not suggest watching this if you have not read or watched the first three, because you can’t really enjoy the story if you skip them. If you are not watching the movies, I recommend reading the 5^th and 6^th books in the series.

The book transitions very well to a movie, and I have to say, being able to watch a 700+ page book in about 2 hours is very nice. The movie cleverly adds small scenes and removes unneeded parts from the book which makes the movie flow better. This keeps the movie interesting, even if you have already read the books.

The actors do an amazing job of playing the parts and feel just like the characters from the book. The supporting characters are also surprisingly good which in turn makes the movie better. The supporting characters add little bits of fun and humor in between the conversations of the main characters.

The special effects of the movie are really stunning, and make one of the most amazing ending scenes I have ever seen. The spells and creatures are beautiful and look very dangerous and real.

The movie does a great job of recreating the suspense in the book, and does so magically. Overall, the movie was really an amazing film.

Special Effects: 9/10

Acting: 9.5/10

Story: 9/10

Cleverness: 9/10

Trueness to the books: 8/10

Pros: Great special effects and acting. Stunning new performance from the supporting cast, Each story gets better than the last

Cons: None

Overall: 9/10

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Widescreen Two-Disc Deluxe Edition) (Harry Potter 4)

Good books come in threes

This is a perfect example of a good series. Each one builds on the one before it, and each one is better then the previous. The story is set in present day London, infused with magic. The story follows a magician named Nathaniel, his djinni (genie), and a girl without magic that has certain powers that allow her to see magic. The three books are told from three different points of views for the three different main characters, each with there own style of telling the story.

After reading the first two books, The Amulet of Samarkand and The Golem’s Eye, I was really hoping that the third book would be different than the “Object gets lost, Bartimaeus finds it,” routine of the first two. Fortunately the third book in the does not disappoint and takes the series in a new direction while keeping all the humor and fun from the first two. The character Bartimaeus is funny and quick witted and is great next to the seriousness and melancholy of the other characters points of view, which keeps the book funny and original, while still telling an amazing story.

The books of the trilogy are the only books in a long time, similar to the humor present in On a Pale Horse, which have made me laugh out loud while reading them. Jonathan Stroud, the author, obviously knows what he is doing and I can’t wait to read more of his works.

Creativity: 7/10

Absolute Hilariousness: 10/10

Character Development: 9/10

Pros: Hilarious, Great Characters, Great story that can be humorous and funny, great story for school, very hard to put down

Cons: Not really taking any leaps and bounds in its genre

Overall: 8.5/10

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1)

Revive the old Books put to death!

This is the first Piers Anthony novel I have read, and I was amazed at how amazing Anthony made this story, On a Pale Horse. The series, titled The Incarnations of Immortality, has to do with the aspects of things like Time, Mother Nature, or, as in this one, Death. The first few chapters or two turned me off, as it seemed a little too serious and melancholy, and did not at first notice the humor of the book, even though I had been previously warned about it. He makes the jokes so subtly and artistically you almost have to look to find them. The idea of the story is the only thing that kept me reading in the beginning, as I thought that a story about the Grim Reaper would certainly be interesting. I have really did enjoy the story, and liked learning, as Zane did, about the challenges Death must undertake throughout his “career.” Anthony manages to blend together many religions and myths flawlessly, and creates a novel that just can not be put down. I would be going to bed and finishing a chapter, and then all of a sudden I was halfway into the next chapter.

Anthony creates the perfect character for the story, which happens to be perfect. The character, Zane, is described as having a horrible life, but Anthony really makes it impossible to pity him. Until you learn about his past through him telling it to Luna, the woman he loves, he is portrayed as someone who deserves to be in that situation. He killed his mother, gambled away his inheritance, and now has nothing. Doesn’t exactly sound like someone deserving of pity, does it? Anthony convincingly wove the story into my head, and I can’t wait to pick up the next one in the series.

Pros: Hilarious, Interesting take on the role of Death, Great writing style

Cons: You really need to understand the humor or you won’t like this book, You need some sort of knowledge of mythology to recognize a lot of the names and characters.

Overall: 9.5/10

On a Pale Horse (Incarnations of Immortality, Bk. 1)