The Fault in Our Film Review

The film review I read was on The Fault In Our Stars, by James Berardinelli. The movie was based off of the best selling YA novel by John Green that, even after watching the film at least 3 times, was still an outstanding interpretation of the book.  This review did give it's readers a decent understanding of the film, with few difficulties that may have caused "spoilers".

Through out his review, James very successfully states the plot of the film, without giving away too much information. As well, he accurately describes the important characteristics of each character, while giving the reader a well preserved idea of the actors.  He states that calling the film " a 'teenage cancer romance' is an understatement of the film's laudable qualities" which I agree is an excellent point.  He puts his own opinions of the story into his review, without sounding biased, which I believe is a extraordinarily important aspect of an effective movie review.

Avoiding giving away too much information regarding the plot of the film is an important part of a movie review.  For most, when you read a review of a movie, you are only reading it to get an overall idea of how well produced, or interesting the film is.  If you give away all the details in your review, then whoever has read it, will begin to see absolutely zero reason to actually take the time to watch the movie.  They will feel like they have already seen it, and that is not what you want in a well written review.  That is not the point of a review, you just want to readers to have a good understanding of the films qualities, not the whole film itself.

Taking the time, in a review, to explain the characters effectively, is another critical aspect of a film review.  You want your readers to understand the quality of acting, as well as how well the characters were produced.  Especially in a review, that has been written about a novel based movie, you want to satisfy the books readers, by providing them an idea of how strong the actors portrayed their characters.  For me, I found that the review written by James gave a decent idea of the characters.  He did not state too much involving the acting, except that is was "top-notch".

My favourite genre of film would be thriller, or science fiction.  I enjoy these types of films because they provide me with a feeling of suspense, as well as allowing me to explore some creative worlds and ideas.  If I could write a movie review on any film, I would choose to write one on the movie "Angus, Thongs, And Perfect Snogging" because it is one movie that I found I enjoyed a lot, while still being able to give a critical response also.  The film is one that I have watched countless times, so I believe I could write a very effective, well summarized, review for it.

http://www.reelviews.net/reelviews/fault-in-our-stars-the

On The Curb

The smell of gasoline fills my nose as cars race past me, none stopping to console me and my fears. Abandonment is all I feel, the fear of possibility creeping in. Our neighbours have just mowed their lawn, and the sour scent of the fresh blades overthrows my senses as I wait. What am I waiting for? Someone to stop as they scuff by on the pavement in their “fancy attire”, trying to conceal their true upbringing? Trying to flee from their past? Hands running through my sweat slicked hair as the sun beams against my back. Frustration over takes me, I know what has and will happen.




Why am I still sitting here, listening to the lives of those who currently feel alive? Like my whole world hasn’t just crumbled right under their noses? As if life is a beautiful thing that should be celebrated? My emotions control me, and I don’t have the strength to fight back. Urging to lash out, and shout at them, and tell them that what happened here isn’t something to push past as if it was nothing. Situations like this affect this community far too often. My whole body, engulfed in paralysis, as I sit on the curb. The presence of the rugged cement beneath me, digging into my tailbone more and more with each passing second. When will it end? If it ever does, this numbness, emotion, all becoming who I am in this moment. It is as if I have been injected with temporary anesthesia, only I feel nothing, and everything, at the same time. Should I turn back? Back to that fluorescently lit place where I swore I would never return? To the one who once led me to believe held the whole world upon their shoulders?




This mid-summer heat is becoming too much to handle, but still I remain under its rays. That man of whom once possessed the entire globe, has now smashed it upon myself. How could this happen? How could this happen to me? To us? We were always good people, or so we thought. Never absent from church on Sundays, and remained involved in community activities, if only he would’ve listened. It didn’t have to end like this, he didn’t have to give into those malevolent demons. And now? Just another statistic of teens who grew up in the suburbs. How this ends is undeniable, I will walk into that room, tinged with guilt and grief, and what will I see? The hollow shell of the boy that previously possessed eyes that gleamed, full of ideas, plans, aspirations, the one I used to know, the one who I once called my best friend.




It seems like ages ago. Before the accident, the blood, the drugs… All things that have destroyed our lives. Why couldn’t he listen? Him, the boy with plans, the one who always had problems against authority. Where did that get him? No where but attached to hundreds of machines, tubes fishing in and out from underneath his gown, attempting to savor what little life he has left in him. This fact causes me to use every ounce of motive in my body to restrain from screaming. I wrap my hands through my hair once again, caving in on myself, trying to gain even a little control. My shoulders shudder with the effort.


In the end, I give up, alone now. With quivering hands, this is probably best for us all. Cars have neglected the street, and families have returned to their own shreds of perfection. I succumb to my emotions, and allow myself to go temporarily insane. Watching my shadow as it shifts positions every so often, I hope. That is all I can do at this moment, that and pull myself back together, piece by piece, until I can ever so slightly call myself whole once again.

Writing Inventory Reflection

During days in which I spend the majority of my time alone, often I write entries in a journal. I enjoy expressing my thoughts on topics, as well as simple opinions of my day. When I write, similar to when I pass my time reading, I can escape the real world for a little while. As well, like writing and reading, I can be found participating in school activities involving student council, and drama club also. These extra curriculars I frequently take pride in are simple ways that I pass my time joyfully.


My favourite authors could range from writers like John Green, and Veronica Roth, to Stephen King, and James Dashner. I prefer novels based on fantasy, with a futuristic style, as well as something with action involved. Although, reading romantic stories is also something I enjoy, I will only read this style if there is some sort of relevant plot to it. These different types are some of my favourites because they can get my heart beat to race, as well as capture my attention with details.



The form of writing that comes more easily to me would have to be narrative, descriptive, or formal writing. I tend to use an extended vocabulary when I write, so formal and descriptive writing are easily obtainable for me. Also, narrative writing can be simple for me in the case that I have a story to tell that I understand completely. In my opinion, descriptive and narrative require much more brainstorming compared to formal writing in my understanding. A more challenging form of writing for me would be essay writing. Attempting to plot out all of my ideas in a brief amount of time does not come as naturally to me. Knowing that I am limited in a time frame stresses me out far too much for me to complete a well written essay.



When I write I primarily get my ideas from my everyday life, or my opinions/feelings on topics. I use writing as a form of expressing myself clearly, so it is necessary for me to use my own life experiences to create pieces, unless I have a clear understanding of the topic so that I am able to give my personal views of it.



On my private time I constantly am writing in my journal. It is not the kind of journal in which I discuss my life or anything of that sorts, but I frequently take concepts I do not comprehend and create my understanding on the paper. I use my writing to create ideas, and for my own personal understanding/expression. Currently I have been writing a series of excerpts involving the actions of people, and the way we handle certain situations. It is something that interests me immensely!




A piece of writing I have done in my life that I am especially proud of would have to be the essay I created in eighth grade about my oldest brother’s graduation. It was a story full of excitement and emotion for both my family and friends, for him to become a high school graduate as an non-verbal, Autistic child. That was one of my favourite stories to write, and my teacher at the time even had asked permission to send it into a Autism Awareness website that publishes people’s personal stories involving Autism. I do not believe it ever got published, but the fact that it was even seen as eligible for the cause is what matters most.




If my assignment for school is given an especially long due date, usually I will produce at least two draft copies before finalizing my ideas. It gives me opportunity to improve my writing even more than completing only one draft does. I prefer to check over my work markedly in order to create well thought out ideas. I am frequently told that my writing is full of voice, and description. When writing I put as much thought into the voice and way I am describing my ideas as I do the main idea of the story. I believe some of my weaknesses as a writer include sentence structure, and my ability to avoid sentence fragments, as well as abbreviations in formal writing.




If I had to choose a topic that I enjoy writing about most it would have to be anything involving my family, or other topics I have abundant knowledge of. Some things to do with my opinions are also things I find more interesting, for me, to create. As a writer this semester, my hope is to improve on my sentence structure, and ability to plot out my ideas more efficiently. I expect that this course should help me to improve in all of these areas, especially ones involving quick thinking.