Favorites of 2014 - The Carole Awards!

Happy end of 2014! I can't believe the year is already over and 2015 is right around the corner. Man...time does speed past faster and faster the older you get. This year I cut out the music section, so I can have more categorizes for books and movies. Now, let us hand out these imaginary Carole Awards (since i don't really have any - man, I wish I did have an award show named after me).  

Category 1 Movies:
Favorite Female Character.........Maleficent from 'Maleficent'
Honestly, I was stuck between 2 characters for this award, but Male gets it, because I think the actress did a wonderful job at making this classic baddie into a hero who temporarily lost her way. 

Favorite Male Character..........Adam from 'Upside Down'
I really adored him because he was smart and motivated. He wanted to be rich and wanted the woman he loved. He used his wits to get what he wanted and I respected that. Plus, he was pretty cute. ;) 

Favorite Baddie..........Richard from 'The Iceman'
The movie is about Richard, but he is a baddie. A baddie who gets rid of baddies? Yes, but he still was a baddie and went to jail for it. However, I loved him and the actor who plays him.

Favorite Poster..........Belle
A lovely poster with lovely colors. It really does pop. Also, the actress who plays Belle is pretty and her eyes are so intense.

Movie of the Year...........North & South
Another tough one, I watched sooooo many good movies this year. Even though this one is a "movie on TV" type film, it was still great and it deserves this award. The acting was fantastic and the story-line had me hooked. It even gave me the motivation to re-try this book. ^.^ 

Category 2 Books:
Favorite Female Character......Jasmine from 'The Dance of Spirits' 
She was a tough girl, who would do anything to survive, but keep to her morals no matter what. 

Favorite Male Character.......Robbie from 'The Bride Prize' 
He was simply adorable and funny. I loved that he could draw so well and he was such a gentleman and fought for his woman even though it seemed hopeless. 

Favorite Baddie...........Anara from 'A Cursed Bloodline' 
OOoooooh how he angered me! However, he certainly did a number on our heroes physically and emotionally. What a good baddie.

Favorite Cover...........'Dark Amelia' by Sally O'Reilly 
I love the colors. It seems simple, but it really is gorgeous. The mix of white, read, and then the peachy/red on her lips just seem to make it pop. 

Author of the Year...........Cecy Robson
I am so excited to see what she has next up her sleeve!

Book of the Year...........'The Korean Word for Butterfly' by James Zerndt
Like always, this part is always the hardest, especially after reading so many wonderful books this year. However, I must pick this one, because I loved it so much. It was a great story with great characters. 

What do you think? What were your favorites of 2014? :) Good luck in 2015!!!!!!!!!

Movie Review: Upside Down

Length: 1 hour & 47 mins
Released: 2013
Genre: Drama, Romance, SciFi, & Fantasy
Rating: PG-13
Directed By: Juan Diego Solanas
Where I Got It: My shelf (Bought it at Dollar Tree)

SUMMARY:
Ever since Adam and Eden fell in love as teens, their bond has faced astronomical odds. The pair are separated not just by social class and a political system bent on keeping them apart, but also by a freak planetary condition: they live on twinned worlds with gravities that pull in opposite directions-he on the poverty-stricken planet below, she on the wealthy, exploitative world above. Their budding but illicit romance screeches to a tragic halt when interplanetary-border patrol agents catch them and Eden suffers an apparently fatal fall. But when, ten years later, Adam learns she is alive and working at a vast corporation whose towering headquarters connects their planets, he sets out on a dangerous quest to infiltrate the company and the upper world to reconnect with her.

TRAILER:

CAST:

Adam - Jim Sturgress

Eden - Kirsten Dunst

Bob Boruchowitz - Timothy Spall

Albert - Blu Mankuma

Pablo - Nicholas Rose

Lagavullan - James Kidnie

Mr. Hunt - Vlasta Vrana

Becky - Kate Trotter

Paula - Holly O'Brien 

REVIEW: 
This was a random pick up Boyfriend and I found at the store. It was only a dollar, so we decided to give it a go since we both like Kirsten Dunst and weird/unique movies. 

Oooooh such a good movie. Yes, this is a typical love story but with a HUGE twist - they can not be together. However, the reason is because they live on opposite sides of gravity and social class; the lower side are poor and the higher side are rich. It's so hopeless, especially when Eden loses her memory...but you can't help but cheer for them. 

Poor Adam...I can't say much, but I felt so bad for him. All he wanted was love and family, but the stupid rich made it hard as hell for him. This film does really poke at the idiocy of social class and how it ruins everyone lives in the end....even the upper class themselves. The rich world is very high class and has such great technology, but since they view the lower gravity people as "inferior", so they keep them poor and missing out on the glories of the wealth and technology. It's a sad world and makes you look at the world. 

The visual effects were fantastic and beautiful. I especially loved the two mountains that connects to the two worlds. Wonderful.

The story was fun and you wanted to know what was going to happen. Honestly, I was waiting for everything to explode in Adam's face when he was trying to woo Eden and pretend to be rich and on that side of gravity. Some of the dialogue was a little dry here and there. The acting, though, was pretty good. They had a such a good cast that I am surprised this wasn't more popular. Was this in theaters? I can't even remember the trailers being on TV. Meh, oh well. 

The story was enjoyable, but the ending left me confused and annoyed. I can't say what happens, but the ending just...drops off and doesn't really answer why and how. It's not a terrible way to end it, but I wish they gave more explanation on the how and why. You'll see what I mean if you watch it.

I highly recommend people who like Sci-Fi and Romance with a huge twist in the everyday love story. It was a fun adventure and I'm so glad we randomly found it. The cast is really good and the special effects mind blowingly beautiful. I wish the ending had more explanation on the how and why of what happened. Also, there are a couple dry parts, but in total it is a movie worth watching. Out of five stars, I shall stamp this one with 4 stars. It's more like 3.5 stars, but I rounded since I don't give decimals. 

Re-Watch?: Sure. :) 

Favorite Character(s): Adam, Bob, Becky, and Albert. 

Not-so Favorite Character(s): Mr. Hunt