Insidious (2010)

Insidious (2010)

Creepy Ghost #1

Movie Information:
Insidious is a supernatural horror film, the first in the series, which revolves around a couple's son - who enters into an unexplained coma. Due to the coma (some how) he becomes an in between for some creepy ghosts/demons (for example, the one to the right).

Plot Summary:
"The teacher Josh Lambert and his wife Renai move with their three children, the boys Dalton and Foster and the baby Cali, to a big house. When Dalton is exploring the attic, he falls from the ladder and hits the head on the floor. On the next morning, Dalton does not wake up and stays in coma, but the doctors are not able to diagnose his problem. Three months later, weird things happen in the house and Renai sees apparitions. She is sure that the house is haunted and convinces Josh to move to another house. Sooner Renai sees ghosts in the new house and Josh does not believe in his wife. But his mother Lorraine tells him that she had also had a vision of a fiend in Dalton's room. They invite the medium and Lorraine's old friend Elise Rainier, who brings her team of ghost hunters Specs and Tucker to investigate the supernatural phenomenon. Elise explains that Dalton is a traveler with the ability of leaving his physical body and travel in astral projection. Now his spiritual body is lost in a place called Further that is not for the living and entities are gathered trying to get inside his empty physical body. Among these entities there is a demon that needs Dalton's body to cause pain to the others. Further, Lorraine discloses that Josh is also a gifted traveler and must seek out Dalton in Further and bring him back."- Written by Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil http://www.imdb.com/
Our Review:
This movie was... well, strange. The movie itself was great, well directed and brilliant for jump scares, but it takes watching it twice to fully understand what the hell is happening. We loved watching this movie, mainly because we both have a habit of becoming completely immersed in whatever we're watching. We are both people who are not scared easily, but we were screaming at almost every jump scare. This film has a way of getting under your skin, making you look over your shoulder constantly, which is one of its best features.
We watched this movie with the Dwarf, but she fell asleep half way through, so we ended up practically lying on top of her on the ground - which she was not pleased about. Our group get together to watch scary movies quite often and Insidious is, and will forever be, one of our favourite ones.
We can't wait for Chapter 3 to come out next year!
~The Elf and <Merlin>  

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

This Flashback Friday goes waaaay back. Published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is a classic novel by Jack London. The story is set in the Yukon territory of Canada, during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s. The main character of the novel, a St. Bernard-Scotch Collie named Buck, was once a domestic dog, but through the events of the novel reverts back to his primal instincts and becomes 'the Ghost Dog of the Northland Legend.'

This is a summary of the story:
Buck was just a normal every day dog, until the gardener's assistant, from the estate he had been living on, shipped him off to dog traders. Through cruelty, they taught him to obey and soon shipped him off to Klondike to become a sled dog. Working for two mail carriers who worked for the Canadian Government, Francois and Perrault, he began to adjust to the life of a sled dog. He learnt to fight, scavenge and sleep under the snow, eventually becoming the leader of his sled team.
After going through a few other masters, Buck fell into the hands of John Thornton. Buck becomes loyal to Thornton, however, he is conflicted by the urge to go back into the wild. Later on, Thornton is killed by Yeehat Indians, leading to Buck deciding to follow 'the call of the wild,' where he takes revenge against the Yeehats for Thornton. After, he meets a pack of wolves - which he eventually becomes the leader of - and becomes a legendary figure, a Ghost Dog. He lead the pack, fathered countless pups and inspired fear in the Yeehats, but every year he still returned to the place that Thornton died to mourn him.

My review:
I absolutely loved this book, when I read it a few years ago. Jack London was a brilliant author, the first I've ever read that made the main character an animal. It's a huge adventure that you go through with Buck, seeing how he changes and the things he learns. You stay on the edge of you're seat as he fights for survival in many different situations, until he finally seems to find a balance between his loyalty to John Thornton and his wilder instincts. 

Then you watch as it's all ripped away.
It's a very well told story with ups and downs from the get-go. By the end of the novel you're cheering for Buck to finally get the happy ending he deserves, but this is a story that definitely gives off the idea that there is no going back. Buck can't go back to being a normal domestic dog, he has no choice but to follow his instincts and enter the wild, becoming a powerful leader of a pack of wolves... And yet, even at the end, you still catch a glimpse of his loyalty and his domestication when he goes to mourn Thornton.

If you haven't read this book already, I definitely think it's a must read!
~The Elf

Thinking Out Loud - Ed Sheeran

Song of the Month!

Thinking Out Loud

By Ed Sheeran

I don't even know why exactly this is my favourite song right now, it just is. It's beautiful, it's cute and I love it. The part where he goes, "And the crowds don't remember my name," I immediately just like died a little inside, but in a good way (is there a good way? I dunno). I just love his voice so much and he always writes such amazing songs. I hope everyone checks this song out, like right now. It's just so beautiful. 

Not to mention the video is adorable and the dancing. The dancing. I just... I can not even begin to explain how happy this video made me. They're literally just dancing around, but I just love it so, so much. This makes me so happy, I hope it does the same for you. It's brilliant, so I really hope you listen to the song, watch the video and spread the word like wild fire. It's so amazing.

Anyway, that's all I've got, really. Hope you enjoyed. Now, what did you all think?
~The Elf

Ocean Grid (2013)

Ocean Grid

Ocean Grid are a post-hardcore, metalcore band formed in January 2013 in Cincinnati, Ohio. It's been fairly difficult for me to find information on these guys, and believe me, I have tried. In fact, I spoke to one of their vocalists, Andrew Isler to clear things up, but then right before I wrote this review, somehow all the messages were deleted! *sigh*
So, I apologize in advance if I missed any info out.
The band consists of:
Andrew Isler - Vocals
Dustin Kidwell - Vocals
Brad Kaufman - Guitar
Danny Daugherty - Guitar
Greg Gonzales(or Donald Allen on here) - Bass
Zak Nova - Drums

So far, they have an EP called Ambitions;
1. "Intro" - 1:45
2. "Resilience" - 3:29
3. "Ambitions" - 3:15
4. "Run from the Vices" - 3:43
5. "Second Chances" - 3:52
6. "A Life Worth Living" - 4:31

and they have two singles;

1. "Words to Live By" - 3:24
2. "Mind Over Monsters" - 3:55

which were both officially released in September 2014.

Now, onto the actual review! Personally, I enjoy listening to Ocean Grid. Alongside sounding great, their music also sends great messages and not only that, from what I can tell their band members are very friendly. Their most recent song, Mind Over Monsters, is definitely my favourite. On their Facebook page, they actually posted it in honour of Suicide Awareness Day, which I think is an amazing thing to do. They've so far been very successful, especially considering they aren't even two years old yet.
Just check them out on YouTube or on ReverbNation and see what you think of them.

I don't really have much else to say, but give 'em a go and see what you think.
Tell me what you think! Who do you think we should do a band review on next?

P.S. Really sorry about how long this one took. I meant to do it over a month ago :(

~The Elf

Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday!

Hey people, what's up? The Elf has been grinding my ass to do this post for the past month 'cause she's evil and I'm lazy. So here it goes;

 Ed, Edd n Eddy

This was my favourite show growing up. It's all about 3 dudes trying to make enough money to buy a really, really large jawbreaker, that all the other kids in their cul-de-sac seem to have. To get this jawbreaker they come up with random schemes to scam the other kids out of money, but they never seem to work. Personally I love this show so much, 'cause I can relate to it... kinda... I mean, I was always doing things to make a quick dollar and, like these guys, it never worked. You should go check out this show if you haven't already! If your a 90's kid you probably have, though. It's amazing and I know it will always be a special part in my childhood.

So to re-cap, Ed, Edd n Eddy was a great show from Cartoon Network that should come back.
It's original run was 10 years long and it's definitely better than any show on there at the moment, in my opinion.
So what's your favourite show from your childhood? And what should I do next week? Sweet as! Have a good one dudes and dudettes!

<Merlin>

Seven Nation Army - Glitch Mob Remix

Song Of The Month!

Seven Nation Army Remix
By The Glitch Mob

Oh my god, this song makes my ears have babies. Well, not literally, but you get the idea. This is one of my favourite songs, originally by the White Stripes, but remixed by the Glitch Mob. Another one of my favourite bands. It's more of an electric/dubstep kind of genre, compared to the White Stripe's rock version of the song.

After an hour of running/walking, this song makes you feel like an assassin, or a superhero running to your next target and doesn't everyone think that's one of the best feelings to have?

I think so, so check it out!

~The Dwarf

Undead - Hollywood Undead

Song of the Month!


Undead
By Hollywood Undead

Alright, this isn't like the other music we've posted, but we like almost all genres, so whatever. This is not a new song, but it is one of the first Hollywood Undead songs I ever heard, so I'd like to share it with you.
Fair warning though, before you click play you should keep in mind that they have very explicit lyrics for pretty much all of their songs, so if that isn't your thing - STEER CLEAR.
If you don't like rap metal or alternative rock,  then they are not for you, otherwise press play.

The Dwarf and I discovered Hollywood Undead at 3 in the morning, at a sleepover a few years ago. We were searching up bands, clicking on the first album that showed up, not paying much attention to what they were, until we heard Hollywood Undead. At first we sat in silence, not really sure how to react, but after that we were playing their albums on repeat, singing along at the top of our lungs.
Their music isn't for everyone, but for those of us who join the Undead Army, it's brilliant. It means something, it sounds amazing, it gets your blood pumping and it's completely straight up - no bull.
If you know you like this type of music, I definitely recommend it. If you aren't sure if you like this kind of music, be brave and at least give it a chance. Undead isn't their best song ever, in my opinion, so if you don't like this one, don't immediately assume all of their music is the same - it's not. If you know you don't like this kind of music, I won't hold it against you if you don't like them, but I hope you at least have the guts to listen to a few of their songs before you say they aren't any good.
Plus, if The Elder or Merlin hear you, they'll probably throttle you.
Anyway, give it a go! You might find a whole new genre you enjoy.
~The Elf

Assassin's Creed Black Flag

Assassin's Creed Black Flag

Assassin's Creed Black Flag is a game developed by Ubisoft Montreal and published by Ubisoft. The game is set during the golden age of piracy, you play as Edward Kenway a young man trying to make his fortune, he leaves his wife and family to join privateer's working for the British navy. While on duty the ship he is on comes under attack from the rogue assassin Duncan Walpole. Both ships are destroyed in the conflict and Edward and Duncan survive and are stranded on the island together, he kills Duncan and disguises himself as the rouge assassin. He sneaks into the Templar meeting but is eventually found and must escape. This conflict continues through out the game. Edward eventually becomes an Assassin and hunts down the Templar order.

My Review

This is a beautiful game with many unique and interesting places to travel to on your ship "The Jackdaw". The game has great character development, excellent game play and an amazing story line with many twists that keep you guessing. You can customize your character's look as well as weaponry and your ships look. the game play varies depending on how you want to play it, you could run in and chop everyone down to dog meat or you can sneak through like the sneaky little assassin you are.

*The Elder* and <Merlin>

Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce

Song Of The Month!

Time In A Bottle

By Jim Croce

It's not new, it's not pop and it's not on any FM radio. In fact, the only way I actually found this song is by hearing it on the new X-Men movie, Days of Future Past. Even if the song is old, and nowhere near the usual music I listen to, when both the beautiful chords and lyrics hit my ears I couldn't resist hearing the song over and over.

 Give the song a go, you won't regret it.

-The Dwarfling

Silver Story (2008)

Left to right; Liam, Gaz, Mike and Alex

Silver Story

Having been formed in St. Helens in the UK, Silver Story are yet another English band I love. Having been influenced by many different genres, they have a very unique sound, but a very good one at that.

The band's current members are; Alex McCabe, Liam Heys, Mike Brunskill and Gaz Haigh. Alex is the lead vocalist and plays guitar, Liam is the lead guitarist, Mike plays bass and Gaz is the drummer.

EPs;

Soulmate: Eliminate (2009)

1. "Frantic" - 2:44

2. "My Empire" - 4:53

3. "Papa Bear" - 4:37

Wake Up (2011)

1. "The Otherside" - 3:58

2. "Dancefloor" - 4:38

3. "The End" - 5:41

Art & Vandals (2012)

1. "Jaded" - 4:00

2. "My Empire" - 4:53 

3. "Of Dreams & Nightmares" - 2:52
4. "The Fear" - 3:42

Cold Street Lights (2013)
1. "Bleed" - 4:02

2. "Save Me" - 3:21

3. "I'm Not a Hero" - 3:46

4. "Run" - 3:21

Album;

Cold Street Lights (2014)

1. "Bleed" - 4:02

2. "I'm Not a Hero" - 3:46

3. "Run" - 3:21

4. "Jaded" - 4:00

5. "My Empire" - 4:53

6. "Save Me" - 3:21

7. "The Fear" - 3:42

8. "Of Dreams & Nightmares" - 2:52

Silver Story currently have three official music videos on their YouTube channel, which you can check out here. 

Check them out! They're brilliant musicians and have worked really hard to get where they are now. They definitely deserve to get big.
If you like them, spread the word~!

~The Elf