Begin Again - Measure

Song of The Month!

Begin Again
by Measure

Considering the new year, I thought sharing this song would be appropriate. I actually stumbled upon it while I was listening to completely different music, but I'm really glad that I did. 

The band, Measure, are an electro-pop band from New York. Until I heard this song I had never listened to Measure before, but this song is absolutely beautiful and I just had to share it with you, especially considering what a great message this song sends. It's quite slow and emotional, but it's also very inspirational.

This song is all about not getting stuck in the past and moving forward with your life, instead of waiting on other people, which I think is a message a lot of people need. Sometimes it's hard to move on after terrible, or emotionally draining things happen, so sometimes people need to be reminded that you aren't defined by your hardships and that there are still better days to come. All you have to do is move on and let it happen, instead of focusing on the things that make you sad.

Since stumbling upon this song, I've been listening to more of Measure's songs and I would definitely recommend checking them out! They have some really inspiring songs, so check them out if you've got the chance. I will hopefully be putting up a band review with more information on them soon, but until then, here's a link to their Bandcamp page.

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Galaxy Quest (1999)

Movie Information:

Warning: This may contain spoilers.

Parents' Guide: Generally rated PG for some action violence, mild language, and sensuality.

For four years, the sci-fi adventure series known as "Galaxy Quest" took place aboard the spaceship the NSEA Protector, with a courageous crew who set out on dangerous missions in space. The series starred Jason Nesmith as suave Commander Peter Quincy Taggert, Gwen DeMarco as sexy communications person Lt. Tawny Madison (a role which consisted solely of repeating what the computer stated, much to Gwen's annoyance), Shakespearean trained Sir Alexander Dane as alien Dr. Lazarus, Fred Kwan as engineer Tech Sgt. Chen, and Tommy Webber as child gunner Laredo.

But then the series was cancelled.

Eighteen years pass, and the cast is still donning their costumes and signing autographs at sci-fi conventions for all their many dedicated fans. Unfortunately for the cast, the series is a bittersweet memory, since they have been unable to find any significant acting work since. Only Jason seems to enjoy how things turned out for them all - until he finds out that his co-stars detest him for his superior attitude, and much of the public considers him a laughing-stock.

Disheartened and upset, Jason is approached by a group of what he believes to be convention attendees who want his help, but he does not take them very seriously or even really listen to what they have to say. He believes that they want him to reprise his role for a brief gig, a job which he does not take very seriously, but he quickly discovers that things aren't quite what they seem.

In reality, the group who approached him were a real-life alien species, known as the Thermians. These aliens intercepted the television broadcast of Galaxy Quest, which they mistook as historical documents. This leads them to believe that the series was real, with the cast truly being the brave crew they portrayed in the series. 

Excited by the prospect of working on a real alien spaceship, Jason finds his co-stars (accompanied by Guy Fleegman, who was killed off before the opening credits of a single episode) and convinces them to join him for what they believe to be a paying gig. Things quickly begin to get out of hand, as the cast discover that it is all set in reality, and they are tasked to help the Thermians in their war against their nemesis, General Sarris. Without a script or director to tell them what to do, the cast is thrown into chaos as they try to pull off the performances of their lives, while they attempt to win the war.

My Review:

A science fiction comedy poking a little fun at Star Trek (and sci-fi shows in general) is always appreciated, though I do not usually go for comedies all that much myself. I almost always find comedies hard to watch a second time around, since the jokes rarely have the same impact twice, but I genuinely think that Galaxy Quest managed to nail all the elements that make up a winning comedy.

The cast was amazing throughout the movie, whether they were playing cynical former sci-fi stars, or wide-eyed and naive aliens. The whole cast gave solid performances, which makes me wonder why more people do not know about this movie. I am not even sure where I heard of the movie, but I can tell you it probably from somewhere obscure.

Tim Allen, who plays Jason, is put in a role that I do not think I have ever seen him portray before, but he pulls it off well in his own version of a William Shatner-like captain. Sigourney Weaver, who plays Gwen, is an absolute delight, as she pokes fun at her role as Ripley in the Alien movies and brings in a level of exasperation I can appreciate. Alan Rickman, who plays Alex, brilliantly portrays an actor stuck in a never-ending Spock-like role, all because he played it too well. His facial expressions alone make it worth it. Darryl Mitchell, who plays Laredo, is a great portrayal of an out-of-his-depth pilot. Enrico Colantoni, who plays Commander Mathesar, plays his character with such earnestness that you want to believe everything he is saying.

There is, of course, dozens of other brilliant actors and actresses in this cast, but I would like to talk about two that stood out to me; Tony Shalhoub, who plays Fred, and Sam Rockwell, who plays Guy.

From the first moment, these two characters were on screen, I was amused. 

Shalhoub portrays the lackadaisical technician, whose only reaction to the terrifying process that was being covered in goo and transported at impossible speeds through space, was; "Hmm. That was a hell of a thing." With that sort of understated humour, mixed in with a laid-back approach to suddenly being faced with an alien war, I absolutely loved this character.

Rockwell, on the other hand, plays as the terrified hack actor who pretty much only gets dragged along because he has nothing better to do. While everyone else goes about things (for the most part) as if it's just another gig, Rockwell is the one that continually shows the panic that most people would feel if they were ever thrust into this situation. He even has a bit of an existential crisis when the rest of the crew do not know his last name, stating; "Nobody knows. Do you know why? Because my character isn't important enough for a last name, because I'm gonna die five minutes in!"

All in all, this movie was very entertaining and I would recommend it to anyone who has the chance to check it out. The humour never turns cruel or even crude, but rather stays in the genuinely amusing territory of commenting on nonsensical equipment or making references to other cult series or movies.

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Movie Information: 

Warning: This may contain spoilers.

Parents' Guide: Usually PG-13 for irreverent humour, profanity, sexual reference, nudity and violence.

After an incident pollutes Lake Springfield, Lisa Simpson convinces the town to help clean up and protect the water. In the meantime, Homer Simpson saves and adopts a pig (Spider Pig), who had been about to be slaughtered for food at the Krusty Burger. After two days, Spider Pig manages to fill up a silo with waste. When Homer realizes he doesn't have enough time to go to the dump to safely get rid of the silo, he decides to throw the silo into the lake instead, polluting it once more.

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Russ Cargill, decides that Springfield is too dangerous and convinces the president to put a dome of Springfield, trapping the residents inside. Soon after the dome is put in place, everyone finds out that it had been Homer that polluted the lake, so the Simpsons are hunted down. Luckily, they escape through a sinkhole and move to Alaska.

Not long after that, it is decided that Springfield must be destroyed. After hearing the news, the Simpsons decide to head back to Springfield in order to attempt to save the town.

My Review:

The Simpsons, an American satirical, animated sitcom, has been around since 1989. It began as a parody of what an average middle-class American family life looked like, but slowly became a cultural phenomenon, that pretty much took over the world. I don't even live in America, but I can tell you right now, I'd be hard-pressed to find anyone that hasn't watched the Simpsons. 

For all of those who grew up watching the show, it was pretty much been unanimously agreed upon that the show began to decline in quality over the years, but it still has a few episodes here and there that throwback to the good old days. Due to this decline, a lot of people believed that the chance for a Simpsons movie to actually be good, had already come and gone long before the movie was even announced.  

Thankfully, for anyone who doesn't take these things too seriously, the movie actually had slicker animation than the episodes ever did, as well as the same humour and biting satire that made many people fall in love with the show, to begin with. The whole eighty-seven-minute creation was filled with exactly the kind of sly cultural references and non-stop irreverent humour that you would expect from the Simpsons, which a lot of true fans were (and mostly still are) very appreciative of after so many years of waiting for a movie to be made. It was met with mostly positive reviews, won four awards, and it was the highest grossing animated TV adaption of all time.

In saying that, the movie was pretty much just like watching a really long Simpsons episode. There wasn't really anything about it that made it any more special than what you'd see if you just stayed home and watched an episode, and for many fans, eighty-seven minutes wasn't long enough after such a long wait. Although the film had some of the better qualities of the earlier TV episodes, it still felt like an episode. When you've had to go to the cinema to watch it, then you want something epic and unique, which the movie fell short of.

Still, if you like the Simpsons, now or in the past, then you'll most likely enjoy the movie! And if for some strange reason you've never watched the Simpsons, then watching the movie is a great way to see if you'd like the type of humour that's usually seen in the TV series, so I would recommend watching it at least once.

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Bohemian Rhapsody 

by Queen

Don't even pretend like you don't know this song, it's legendary. It was originally released on October 31st, 1975 for the band's album A Night at the Opera and was initially met by some mixed reviews. Many critics believed that Bohemian Rhapsody was far too long and was too much of a mash-up to become successful. At six minutes long, with five sections that were in completely different styles with no real chorus, the song was like nothing that had ever come before it. Because of this, there was a lot of doubt surrounding its release, but soon after being released, the song became number one in the UK and remained that way for nine weeks straight.

Despite the doubts, in the beginning, Bohemian Rhapsody became one of the most successful songs ever and continues to be popular now. It was number one on the UK singles charts twice, 15 years apart. It even became the UK's third-best-selling single of all time, and one of the best-selling singles worldwide, with 6.7 million sales.

Personally, it's not a song I would listen to too often, but I gotta say; it's pretty darn catchy. Whenever it comes on, I can't bring myself to skip it because it's just such an up-beat and fun song, that everyone can get into. It's also one of those songs you can recognize anywhere, just because of how unique and distinct it is. Freddie Mercury definitely knew what he was doing when he wrote this masterpiece, even if neither he nor anyone else could have predicted it's eventual prosperity.

Another thing I love about this song is just how many people know it, no matter where they come from or what sort of music they would normally listen to. It's a song that everyone recognizes, even if they don't recall how they learnt it.
Does anyone actually remember when they first heard Bohemian Rhapsody? 

~The Elf

Update!!

Update!!

Hello again everyone, long time no see. Happy New Year to you all, and I hope that 2018 will be better to you all than 2017 was. Hopefully, everyone is having a great start to their year, hangovers and all.

This year I will not be going to school, which means that until about February, I should have time to keep up with projects and that throughout the year I should be able to post more regularly. On that note, I already have quite a few of the upcoming posts written up and in the queue, and I am busy writing up some more. So for at least the next couple of months, posts should be coming in as scheduled.

In my year off from posting, I've seen and learnt quite a few new things that I would love to share with you all, which I am excited about. Hopefully, you will all enjoy the next posts as much as I have enjoyed writing them.

Thank you to anyone who has stuck around to check out the posts that we have put up, I hope you are not disappointed. New year, new me, right?

~The Elf

Update!!

Update!!

Hey everyone,

Happy New Year! I hope everyone's having a good year so far. I just wanted to write up a quick update concerning posting this year, as well as wishing everyone a good holiday season.

First of all, I know posts have been sporadic at best in the few years that we've been posting, but I am trying to continue writing up posts so that they can be uploaded on a regular basis, instead of every now and then. I can't promise anything yet, but I'm hoping this year it will be easier to keep up with everything.

Second of all, I won't be posting this year, though I will be queuing up posts for next year. This way I'll be able to focus on school, but still be able to write up posts whenever I have the time.

That's all I have to say right now. Thank you to everyone who has continued to read our posts when they come up, it's much appreciated and I hope that you'll still stick around for next year!

~The Elf

Smooth Sailing - Queens of the Stone Age

Song of the Month!

Better late than never, the song of the month is here! Smooth Sailing is a kick ass song to listen to when you want to empowered. Just try listening to this sick jam while walking anywhere and you'll really feel the difference in your stride. Queens of the Stone Age know how to make people feel bad ass, so try they're other songs too! This song may not be new, but it is by far, my favorite song for this month. What's yours?

~The Dwarf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Captain Caveman 

and the Teen Angels

This used to be one of the many Hanna-Barbera Productions' shows I watched when I was younger. The story revolves around the adventures of the Teen Angels - Brenda, Dee Dee and Taffy - and their partner Captain Caveman, who they thawed out of a block of ice. The plot was supposed to pretty much be a parody of Charlie's Angels, but with elements from other Hanna-Barbera shows and some of it's own unique twists. The show was always a little strange, but it was funny and as a kid, that seem to be all that really mattered.

The show only had 40 full episodes, around 11 minutes long each, but it was a great show that many people actually still remember. Captain Caveman and his son Cavey Jr. were actually also on The Flinstone Kids, as characters on a show that Fred, Barney, Welma and Betty watched frequently. Captain Caveman also starred in segments of The Flinstone Comedy Show, where he played a role parodying Superman.

Captain Caveman makes a lot of random cameo appearances in some more modern shows, too. For example; in the episode "Perfect Castaway" of Family Guy, Peter talks about Captain Caveman. He also appears in an episode of Robot Chicken, "Ban on the Fun," where he solves a mystery with Shaggy Rogers. He makes a cameo appearance as one of the toys in Finn's room on Adventure Time and he can also be seen in the background in South Park - Imaginationland: The Movie (2008).

If you haven't seen it before, or you haven't seen it in a while, you should watch one of the episodes. It only takes 11 minutes, so why not?

~The Elf

Suits

Suits

So, yet again, I've gone on a binge-watch. This time, I watched Suits. My friend recommended it to me, so I thought; I've got a few days of free time, so why not? I've just started watching season 3, though the show is already halfway through season 4. The show is a legal drama created by Aaron Korsh, based in New York City.

Here is the plot summary:"While running from a drug deal gone bad, Mike Ross, a brilliant young college-dropout, slips into a job interview with one of New York City's best legal closers, Harvey Specter. Tired of cookie-cutter law school grads, Harvey takes a gamble by hiring Mike on the spot after he recognizes his raw talent and photographic memory. Mike and Harvey are a winning team. Even though Mike is a genius, he still has a lot to learn about law. And while Harvey may seem like an emotionless, cold-blooded shark, Mike's sympathy and concern for their cases and clients will help remind Harvey why he went into law in the first place. Mike's other allies in the office include the firm's best paralegal Rachel and Harvey's no-nonsense assistant Donna to help him serve justice. Proving to be an irrepressible duo and invaluable to the practice, Mike and Harvey must keep their secret from everyone including managing partner Jessica and Harvey's arch nemesis Louis, who seems intent on making Mike's life as difficult as possible."- Written by USA Network

It might not sound that exciting yet, but I assure you, it's brilliant. It's full of so much drama, it's insane, but totally worth it. So much happens in this story, it's just so busy, one thing happening after another. If you're not into drama, you won't like this, but I urge you to give it a chance. At first, I thought it wouldn't be that interesting. I mean, why would I want to watch a bunch of people at a law firm? But, it got really good.
Seriously, just watch a few episodes, see if you like it.

Anyway... the main cast:

Harvey Specter
played by Gabriel Macht

Mike Ross
played by Patrick J. Adams

Louis Litt

played by Rick Hoffman

Rachel Zane

played by Meghan Markle

Donna Paulsen

played by Sarah Rafferty

Jessica Pearson

played by Gina Torres

As usual, if you haven't watched it yet, do it now! This show is so worth watching once you get into it. They have an amazing cast and a brilliant story. It's funny, it's intense. You have to try it! There's so much swagger in the show and so much bickering and drama. It's worth the watch, all the way.

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Hey guys, how we all going? Today ill be doing a review on one of my favourite movies; Pulp Fiction, directed by Quentin Tarantino. If you haven't seen this movie, you need to. It's awesome!

The story revolves around a group of separate characters and their lives. All through the movie there are a mix of funny and serious parts, witch show the genius of Quentin Tarantino. The movie is made up of six separate stories, some of which crossover. The first one is about "Hunny Bunny" and "Pumpkin," two small time criminals who are robbing a diner where they were having coffee.

The second one is about Jules Winnfield and his partner in crime, Vincent Vega, who are going to collect a package from some people who owe there boss, Marsellus, some money. After Jules and Vincent collect the package, they kill the entire group, except for one.

The third chapter is mainly about Vincent. In this part of the movie, Vincent has been asked to take Marsellus' wife, Mia, out to dinner. On his way to get her, Vincent picks up some high-grade heroin, which Mia later overdoses on.

In chapter four we meet Butch as a child and his father's friend, who just got back from Vietnam, and tells young Butch the story behind his father's gold watch. Later in the chapter, we see Butch accepting money from Marsellus to throw a fight for him. Butch double crosses Marsellus and runs from him.

In the fifth chapter we go back to Jules and Vincent, who are now driving back with the survivor, when Vincent accidentally shoots him in the head. Needing to get off the road and clean the car, the pair call "The Wolf," a notorious gang member, to help them clean up the car.

In the final chapter, we see Vincent and Jules in a diner, which just happens to be the same one Pumpkin and Hunny Bunny are robbing.

In conclusion, Pulp Fiction is a great movie, one that is definitely worth watching. If you haven't seen it yet, you should watch it now!

<Merlin>

Update!!

Happy New Year to everyone!

I hope your year so far has been great and I hope the rest of it will be, too. 

I'm sorry, I've been very busy the last two weeks, but I swear I'll get back to work on the blog in the next few days. 

I finally got around to writing new chapters of Saviour, so there are now 18 published chapters. I'm starting with chapter 19 sometime this week, so hopefully it will be ready by the end of this month or early next month, but I make no promises.

I'll be writing up new reviews this week, so expect them from Friday on wards. Sorry for being so incredibly inconsistent, but we're really going to start working on that this year and updating at the right times and posting when we're supposed to.

If anyone has any ideas on things we could review, feel free to e-mail us or just leave a comment. We'll be happy to hear from you and your opinions are always welcome. 

~The Elf

Update!!

Update!!

Hey everyone,
Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and New Year!! The Dwarf is still having internet troubles, but hopefully that'll be fixed in the next couple of days.
I just wanted to let you guys know, I've published all chapters up to Chapter 16 already on Wattpad. I hope everyone likes it! If you haven't checked it out, please do; http://www.wattpad.com/
I'd love to hear from you guys, so just message me or comment.
Thanks guys, please vote if you like it!
Byyyeeee
~The Elf

You & I - One Direction

Song of the Month!

You & I
By One Direction
Don't deny it, this song is good! It's a beautiful song! This song is obviously about getting through the bad stuff and staying together despite it being difficult, that love is stronger than the obstacles you have to face.
It's one of the few slow songs on their new album, since most of them are more fast paced and rocky.
I love this song, especially the instrumental part it's amazing and I recommend more people listen to it! Their new album is fantastic! Louis' and Niall's voices come out a lot more on this album and they sound slightly different from the last, but it definitely sounds great!
All of you Directioners out there, do you think Ben Winston did the song justice or no?
~The Elf

Update!!

Update!!
Sorry for the delay on Part Two of the Christmas tale, we're having some technical difficulties again (or in other words, The Dwarf doesn't have internet at the moment), so we'll be posting that as soon as possible, but sorry it isn't up at the moment.
I just posted Chapter 14 of my story, please go check it out!! :)
I'd love to hear from you guys! Comment or message me any suggestions or criticism, I appreciate it either way.
Please, be patient for the next post and keep checking our blog!
Thank you guys so much! Message me if you have any ideas on what we should post about after the Christmas post is up!
Happy New Years! Hopefully this year will be better than the last.
~The Elf