TV SERIES REVIEW: Grimm

Fridays at 9 pm on NBC

This show is about a police detective named Nick who starts seeing things, unexplainable things! For example, he sees a girl walking down the street and suddenly her face morphs into something demon-like! Back at home he finds his aunt there to visit him to give him a warning about his family history. He is a descendant of the brothers Grimm. They were fairytale writers, but the stories were based on real life creatures. Nick inherited the power to see these creatures when no one else can. It's his duty to get rid of all the bad ones. There may be scenes with blood or violence. You have been warned. If you can handle scary, I definitely recommend this show. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Watch the episodes you missed at the NBC website.

MOVIE REVIEW: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Released in 2011, rated PG-13

This movie is about a scientist who raises a chimp he rescues from the lab where he works after an experiment goes wrong. Caesar, the chimp raised by the main character (James Franco. He's in everything!) becomes too smart due to the drug his mother was given and passed on to him. He becomes upset with the scientists and breaks out all the other monkeys. They try to find freedom. The computer graphics and special effect were well done. This movie seemed very realistic. This could happen. The moral is... Do NOT experiment on animals or ANY living thing! I recommend this movie to anyone who likes action. Warning: there is a tiny bit of gore, so make sure you are mature enough to watch this. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

MOVIE REVIEW: Arthur

Released in 2011, rated PG-13

Arthur (Russel Brand) is about a childish man who is SUPER rich and always wastes his money. He has a nanny named Hobson (Helen Mirren) who takes care of him. One day his mother (who hates him) says he must get married or he will be cut off from the money. The only problem is that he meets the love of his life on the street and does not want to be forced to marry the woman his mother has chosen for him. I love this movie because it is a comedy with serious moments and a bit of romance. I recommend you watch this cute movie. I give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

ANNOUNCEMENT: My New Blog for Stories!

I have created a blog just for my stories and poems. They were taking up too much space here. Please visit Storytime With Gen

MOVIE REVIEW: Cowboys & Aliens

Released in 2011, rated PG-13

This was about a man who wakes up to find that he is wounded with a suspicious looking bracelet on his wrist and only has half his memory. Then he comes upon a town to find that he's a wanted man. But then the night he is to be taken to prison, UFOs attack the town and they abduct some of the people. So the people who were left in the town decide to track down the aliens and bring the man with them. I love this movie because it has funny moments and it's also action packed! It's actually a lot like Indiana Jones and Firefly, but taking place in the wild west! This movie should be seen on the big screen while you still can! Well, go on then, go buy your tickets before they're all sold out!!! I rate this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars.

VIDEO REVIEW: The Duck Song

This is probably the most annoying song I've ever heard! There's a part 1, 2 and 3.

MOVIE REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2

Released in 2011, rated PG-13

This was a lot better than the first part (see my review of  part 1). It had great special effects, you could understand what was going on (even if you haven't seen the other movies) and it had a great story to it. My favorite part was seeing Professor Snape's memories. There were some funny moments as well as sad moments in the movie. It was awesome seeing it in the theater and I recommend you see this on the big screen, too. I rate this movie 4.5 out of 5 stars!

MOVIE REVIEW: Green Lantern

Released in 2011, rated PG-13

This was one of the best movies I've seen. It showed how Hal Jordan became Green Lantern and had great special effects. For people who love Green Lantern and know all about him, don't expect everything to be perfect in this movie. I recommend you watch this movie. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

GAME REVIEW: Poptropica

This online computer game is very fun. I like it because there are a bunch of different book genre related islands you can go to and run around trying to solve the one big puzzle. First you create a character, then enter Poptropica, click on any island on the map, and start playing! Some things in this game can be a little frustrating, so if you are getting nowhere go to Poptropica Cheats and Secrets and do the walk through. You can either take some notes or watch it all, but if you are not the cheating type just change to a different island and try the other one later. This is for everyone age 6 and up. I rate this game 4 out of 5 stars.

Visit Poptropica

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Pasta Pomodoro

This review isn't really about the restaurant, but about one meal: Baked Rigatoni. It might not be on the menu, but you can ask your waiter for the Baked Rigatoni with meatballs. The meatballs are delicious. They have beef and pork. The pasta is SUPER good with all the cheese and meat sauce they put on it. Maybe get a Mista salad, too. If you want dessert, be sure to get either the mini or the regular size tiramisu. It's one of the best I've ever had! I definitely recommend this to people who are Italian food lovers. I rate this meal 3 out of 5 stars!

FOOD REVIEW: I Can't Believe It's Not Moose Munch!

I was finishing off my chocolate Easter Bunny when I asked my mom if I could have some popcorn with it. When I tried them together, it tasted like Moose Munch! (That's Harry & David's caramel corn with chocolate covered nuts.) But there is no caramel or nuts needed to make it taste delicious!

MOVIE REVIEW: I Am Sam

Released in 2001, rated PG-13

A man with the mind of a seven year old tries to raise a daughter on his own. He gets into some trouble and she runs away. She is taken away from Sam by the police because they don't think he is responsible enough to take care of her. A lawyer lets Sam hire her pro bono (for free) and tries to help him get his daughter back. This movie has a lot of sad parts. It's the first movie that ever made me cry. I rate it 4.5 stars out of 5.

GAME REVIEW: Epic Mickey

Released in 2010, rated E for Everyone

Mickey Mouse falls through a mirror and is transported into the Sorcerer's castle. Mickey then accidentally stumbles upon one of the Sorcerer's creations, a special land where all the forgotten Disney characters live. But Mickey messes it up by creating a dangerous creature called The Blot, who pulls Mickey into the forgotten land. Now Mickey tries to get back home with dangerous creatures, crazy scientists and much much more trying to steal his heart. In the game you play as Mickey with a magical paintbrush that will restore all that has been destroyed and fight odd creatures with the help of a little gremlin. I would have to say this game should be for ages 10 and over because it can be frustrating and intense even for adults. Although this game can be frustrating, it is still a lot of fun. I rate this game 3 out of 5 stars.

MOVIE REVIEW: 127 Hours

Released in 2010, rated R

A man, played by James Franco, goes for a hike one day and gets his hand crushed between a boulder and a cave wall. He stays there for 127 hours, trying to survive. The movie is rated R, but only because of bad words and the guy had to cut off his own arm (I closed my eyes during that part). Other than that, I thought it was a very interesting movie. I recommend this to anyone who doesn't throw up from the sight of blood or get offended by really bad words. I rate this movie 3.5 stars out of 5. I want to give a big thank you to James Franco's face. It made the whole movie a lot more interesting to watch. =]

MOVIE REVIEW: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1

Released in 2010, rated PG-13

An underage wizard named Harry is being chased by an evil wizard named Voldemort. With the help of his friends, Harry goes into hiding, while trying to find a powerful amulet before it falls into the wrong hands. In the starting of the movie, at first I didn't understand what was going on and I thought the scenes were going by a little too fast. Most of the time the dark lord Voldemort was trying to track down Harry. But other than that there wasn't really any story behind it. I don't really recommend this to anyone unless you are a big Harry Potter fan. 2 stars out of 5.