Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance coming soon

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance Movie Poster

A sequel to the original Ghost Rider, starring Nicolas Cage. I am looking forward to this and I imagine my husband will be glued to the screen - he purchased the first movie, if that tells you anything!

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)
PG 13,  Action | Fantasy | Thriller - February 17, 2012 (USA)

Synopsis:

As Johnny Blaze hides out in Eastern Europe, he is called upon to stop the devil, who is trying to take human form.

By day, Johnny is a die-hard stunt rider... but at night, in the presence of evil, he becomes the Ghost Rider, a bounty hunter of rogue demons.
The sequel to the smash-hit comic book adaptation from 2007 that saw Nicolas Cage as a stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze who gives up his soul to become a hellblazing vigilante, to fight against power hungry Blackheart, the son of the devil himself. 
This movie picks up eight years after the first film. It's a bit more stripped down and has a darker tone.

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Ciarán Hinds and Idris Elba

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2556337689/  Official Movie Trailer

http://www.thespiritofvengeance.com/ Official Movie Site (Warning: you better have high-speed internet access & the latest Adobe Flash, etc. to view this site!)

TRIVIA:

Eva Mendes turned down the option to reprise her role.   
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The Ghost Rider's skull has been redesigned for this sequel. The new skull appears to be black and charred, indicating that the skull is actually on fire as apposed to the clean fleshless skull simply cloaked in fire in the previous film.

Cool Quotes: [from trailer]
Nadya: I'm not afraid of you.
Johnny Blaze: You should be.

"Bag of Bones" thoughts...

"Bag of Bones" movie poster

Taped "Bag of Bones" by Stephen King to watch at my leisure. Since it was a two night mini-series, totaling four hours (packed solid with sleep-inducing commercials), my husband and I didn't manage to stay awake (mainly hubby) to get through all four hours of it. Most likely tonight we will finish the last two hours.

I find it awkward watching Pierce Brosnan in this movie. Perhaps I keep expecting him to act like James Bond...which the character he portrays is nothing like the scene-stealing, mesmerizing 007.

I have not read the actual novel by Stephen King, so I cannot make comparisons. So far (and I still  have another two hours to watch), I'm not 100% loving the mini-series, but not hating it either. Average, I'd say, using many common scare tactics and nothing mind-blowing with the plot. Then again, as I've said before, everything has already been done - movies, books, etc.

I am confused (which doesn't take much) with portions of the storyline, although that is also what keeps me watching to find out what happens next. Definitely mysterious...And what's with Pierce/Mike Noonan kissing 3 different women in like 3 minutes?! OK...so he was dreaming! And let's not forget that two of those women were dead! And did his wife (dead) get pregnant by him or someone else? And what's with the one movie trailer showing the little girl immersed in the lake and her mouth opens and I swear I see fangs?!? Fine...I'll have to hit the Play on my tape tonight to get my answers - at least I better get answers! I despise movies that end with tons of UNanswered questions and new mysteries thrown in our faces as we sit on our couches saying, "Huh?!"

I've read reviews on Internet Movie Database and "Bag of Bones" has been ripped apart with many critical comments. Viewers who read the novel especially were not pleased with changes made to the movie. With the Stephen King name plastered everywhere, people expected better quality. I'm not sure that I'll post on the second half of the movie. We'll see...I don't want to bore you :)

If interested in the official website, click here. (Very interactive, best viewed with high-speed connection.)

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (DVD)

Amazon Link

I absolutely LOVED this movie! I don't care if someone says they hated it to my face or thought it was so-so because to me it doesn't matter - (and that is a rare statement from me as I'm always worried about what other people think) I say again - I LOVED "Rise of the Planet of the Apes"!!!

I'm also a huge fan of the entire "Planet of the Apes" movie franchise. Over the summer my husband and I watched all the original movies filmed/created way back starting in 1968. I purchased through Amazon the "Planet of the Apes" Legacy Collection. I'll admit, a few of the movies in between the first one and the last one were a tad weak and even bordering on weird...but we watched and absorbed all the good with the bad.

Link to Amazon for Legacy Collection.

Official Synopsis for "Rise of the Planet of the Apes":
During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom.

Here's the official movie trailer link.

Click HERE for an official movie clip.

From Internet Movie Database:
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" (2011)
Stars: James Franco, Andy Serkis and Freida Pinto

PG13 - 105 min - Action | Drama | Sci-Fi - August 5, 2011 (USA)

Ratings: 7.7 score out of a 10 from 95,903 voters

Back to my thoughts: It was exciting to see tie-ins to the older movies; an example: the water hose scene -- in the old movie, the human was blasted with the water vs. in this new one, it was the ape. The facial expressions and emotions of the apes (mainly Caesar) completely ripped open my own heart and played with my feelings. Several times I found myself crying. Throughout the movie, I kept making connections to the original films, so anyone who is a major fan and remembers and loves those old movies, will be thrilled watching this new one. Clues or even full-blown explanations are presented about what humans did...what caused the end of life as we know it now. If you can recall important "Planet of the Apes" plot details and the storylines from the old movies, then this new "Rise..." works out perfectly and makes sense. Even if a viewer didn't watch or doesn't remember any of the old movies (which would be a shame, but) they should still enjoy "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" for the engaging plot, the awesome & realistic special effects, of course what it does to mess with your emotions plus realizing what the consequences are when things go terribly wrong with lab experiments.

'Breaking Dawn' shines bright at theaters

Yes, I've read all 4 books in the Twilight Saga, and the Bree Tanner one, and have the Twilight Companion book and purchased the DVDs as they've become available. I congratulate Stephenie Meyer on her success! Oh, and I've also read her other book, 'The Host' which is supposed to be made into a movie, too. And now onto the 'Breaking Dawn' excitement:

'Breaking Dawn - Part 1' is #1 for third box office weekend in a row. Since its Nov. 18 release, it's made $247.3 million, of which that number is increasing as we speak! 

I love trivia! Here's some fun stuff (credits to www.imdb.com):

>According to Bella and Edward's wedding invitations, the address of the Cullen residence is listed as 420 Woodcroft Ave Forks, WA.   
>Kristen Stewart has said in an interview that filming Bella and Edward's honeymoon sex scene was very awkward, and that by the end of the shoot, she didn't even feel like they had just filmed a passionate scene.
>Robert Pattinson went through a strict diet and exercise regime for six months in preparation before filming. He stopped his routine after filming the much-talked-about sex scene.
>Stephenie Meyer, the author, has a cameo role as a wedding guest. She can be seen as Bella walks down the aisle.
>One of the key elements in both the book and the movie was is how Edward tries to distract Bella with activities in order to keep her from thinking about having sex again. In the movie, one of the activities is a game of chess, with both red and white pieces, just like the pieces on the cover of the book.
> Shortly after the credits roll there is an additional scene. (There is no extra scene at the very end of the credits.)
>Edward and Bella are vacationing on Isle Esme and are seen playing chess in broad day light under no cover of trees and Edward is not shown to be sparkling.
 
Taglines: Forever is only the beginning.

Official Movie Trailer
Official Website

Here's a very cool site: http://www.eonline.com/news/vampires  Hollywood's Hottest Undead & Total Twilight coverage. Oops, I need to go back and bookmark that site to indulge my fondness for vampires! (and look for a similar site to entertain my passion for werewolves!)

Author Site Down for a Day

My author site address: www.ginamarielong.com may be down for a day or so as I transfer/redirect the domain name to my blog:  http://www.ginamarielong.blogspot.com . I've tossed out my original author website hosted by Microsoft in favor of using the Blogger site as my permanent author website because of massive changes Microsoft will be enforcing come about February. I've spent the last few days spiffing up the new official author site (copy/pasting, uploading, arranging, trying to figure out the redirecting process, etc.). The blogspot address will still be functional, too. Just wanted to update in case you couldn't access www.ginamarielong.com over the next day or so. Thanks!