HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 - trailer

I can't wait for this one. Loved, loved, LOVED the first movie!

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE

Took my son, Aidan, to see CATCHING FIRE last night, the sequel to last year's THE HUNGER GAMES.

We both liked it. I gave it 8 out of 10, while the boy gave it 7.5. Not a bad score. An A and a B+.

Compared to THE HUNGER GAMES I found CATCHING FIRE much more engaging. There was hardly a moment I wasn't glued to the screen eager to see what happened next. As with most good sequels everything was ramped up. The action, the suspense and the tension are all far greater here.

One of my favourite scenes comes during the games when Katniss Everdeen, the heroine, and her allies, are attacked by a bunch of fierce baboons. Scary stuff. Those things have teeth like the shark in Jaws!

Most of the acting is well done, especially Stanley Tucci. He is becoming one of my favourite actors. And I think Lenny Kravitz should definitely do some more acting. He has some great screen presence.

One actor that I have never seen before but who I thought did a good job was Patrick St. Esprit, who played Commander Thread. Brilliant, if short, work!

If you are looking to see a movie this holiday season, CATCHING FIRE won't disappoint.

LIES by MICHAEL GRANT

LIES is the third novel in the GONE series of books written by MICHAEL GRANT.

*scroll down for my thoughts on the first two books*

Okay, quick recap: Perdido Beach, California. Everyone over 15 years of age poofs! Disappears. Gone. Massive wall appears at the same time, twenty miles in diameter, the centre of which is the nuclear power plant. Survivors, the kids, have to figure out what is going on and also learn to survive without adults. To make matters worse there is an evil presence, a supernatural creature, that is determined to destroy them (if they don't destroy themselves first!). Oh, and some of the kids are developing X-Men like superpowers.

GONE knocked me on my ass. HUNGER blew me away.

LIES was a really really good middle of the pack book. For me it wasn't as thrilling, nail biting, as the first two books. That said, it was still damn good! Really good.

I think if you have read the first two books in the series, there is probably no way you aren't going to enjoy LIES. Probably my main beef (and I use that for lack of a better word) would be that the main story does not move forward. And that's fine. The GONE world is a big one and there are many places and people to explore. In LIES we meet some new and interesting characters and hang with some of the regulars as they face a new threat from the evil presence in the mine shaft near Hermit Jim's Shack.

The best thing about this series is seeing the changes come over the different characters as the challenges they face steadily grow more difficult and their situation becomes more and more desperate. No one here is static. They are changing. Some are growing into roles they are meant to grow into, while others are being twisted and forced into moulds they do not fit.

This is a kick ass series. I can't recommend it enough. If you are looking for something better than THE HUNGER GAMES. If you want something to keep you captivated the way TWILIGHT did. If you want something that mixes both those series and adds a little X-MEN and LORD OF THE FLIES, this is the series for you.

Get into the GONE series now!

JUPITER ASCENDING - movie trailer

This looks amazing. From the creators of THE MATRIX trilogy comes JUPITER ASCENDING:

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2 - trailer

THE WOLVERINE

THE WOLVERINE finally came out to rent this week on iTunes, meaning I finally got to watch it. This was one of the big summer blockbusters I missed and the one I most wanted to see.

I love the Wolverine. He is one of my favourite Marvel characters. Hugh Jackman is always amazing, be it in the X-Man movies or the stand alone Wolverine films.

This time around Logan is fighting to save the beautiful heir to a multi-billion dollar Japanese corporation, while dealing with his own mortality. He's got seemingly innumerable number of Yakuza mobsters after him, ninjas and Viper, all trying to kill him. Oh yeah, and I can't forget the Silver Samurai!

THE WOLVERINE is action packed with almost non-stop adamantium claw-slashing action!

I quite liked it.

HUNGER by MICHAEL GRANT

HUNGER is the second novel in Michael Grant's GONE series.

All the adults in a twenty mile radius of the power plant near Perdido Beach, California suddenly disappear. Gone. Poof! The survivors of this strange phenomenon must figure out what is going on amidst some very troubling occurrences, namely the appearance of the wall, a dome-like structure that prevents anyone from getting in or out of the Perdido Beach area.

Oh yeah, there are monsters, mutants and some kids develop X-Men-like superpowers.

If you read my review of GONE a couple weeks back then you know I really dug it. It was a terrific read. Tense. Frightening. Thrilling and horrific. It was great.

If you are a fan of Stephen King there is no doubt in my mind that you will love this series.

HUNGER starts off about three months after the events at the end of GONE and it isn't long before Grant has the tension right back up to where it was near the end of the first book. Food is running out and kids are starting to go hungry. And they aren't the only ones, either. There is a monstrous entity in the mine near Hermit Jim's Shack that is starving for it's own type of food.

If anything, HUNGER is even better than GONE. The villains are getting scarier, the situation more desperate and our hero's must delve deep within themselves to find the strength to stand up and face what seems like certain doom.

I really like the characters in these books, and they are many. The GONE series has a huge cast of characters rivalling some epic fantasy tomes. But this is a good thing. There are characters that you will fall in love with and others that you will love to hate. Some are nasty mean and others heroic.

Honestly one of the best series (so far) that I have read in some time. Check it out today!