Welcome to the Slant, where you'll find reviews and original writings by the members of Martin Library's Teen Advisory Board.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Review of Jason Reitmans' Juno By Jocelyn H.

After one time, Juno MacGuff becomes pregnant with the child of her best friend, Paulie Bleeker. However, Juno and Bleeker aren’t dating and they definitely don’t plan on raising a kid. So Juno decides to get an abortion without even telling her parents. Juno couldn’t go through with the abortion and told her parents and she decides to resort to adoption. The adoptive family is Vanessa and Mark Loring, but there then become issues with that too. And of course what happens to Paulie Bleeker and Juno’s friendship. Juno is an amazing movie! It really is, Juno (the character) is very unique and awesome and I think that’s why people took to her so quickly! It’s very unique and now the whole amazingness of the movie will probably be lost because more people will want to steal this idea! I give Juno 9.3 out of 10!!!!

Review of Jim Hensons' Labyrinth by Joselyn H.

Sarah is a fifteen year old still trying to live her live in a fairytale. She’s very misunderstood by her wicked stepmother and her father. It gets even worse she’s always stuck home babysitting her baby half brother Toby! Toby continuously cried and would not stop, driving Sarah insane! Sarah calls on the goblins, characters from her favorite book, to take Toby away…but it actually worked. When Sarah realizes what she’d done she meets with the Goblin King. The Goblin King took Toby to his Castle in The UnderGround. Sarah is more determined than The Goblin King would think to get her baby brother back. But she only has thirteen hours to try to find the castle and rescue her brother before he’s turned into a Goblin himself and the only way to get to the castle is by solving the labyrinth that surrounds it! Plus, there are many traps and enemies along the way!

I love this movie so much! It’s very long but it’s very worth it. Sarah’s a bit of a spoiled brat, but it’s ok! This is an amazing movie and its by Jim Henson! Some parts are very weird but that only adds to awesome! In conclusion, I wish the Goblins would come and take me away right now!!!!
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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Sweeney Todd: A Review by Jocelyn H.

Benjamin Barker Returned to London as Sweeny Todd for one mane reason, to get revenge on Judge Turpin. Judge Turpin transported Barker for life and stole his wife.

Barker moves back to London as Todd into his apartment above Mrs. Lovett’s meat pie shop where she sells the worst pies in London due to her inability to pay for meat! After learning about his wife’s death Todd is more determined than ever to get revenge on the Judge.

After killing someone who recognized him as Benjamin Barker, Sweeny Todd and Mrs. Lovett contemplated what to do with the body. Then they came up with the brilliant idea that Todd will slit the throats of every man who comes for a shave and Mrs. Lovett will use the meat from the corpses for meat pies!

Sweeny Todd is a very strange & twisted movie. Tim Burton did wonders to that=2 0musical! Johnny Depp is a pretty good singer too! I admit, towards the end I was disappointed. But Tim Burton redeemed himself 30 seconds later! If you are touchy about the subject of cannibalism then this is not the movie for you. The gore and blood isn’t that bad but it is something to take note of! This movie was made for the sick and strange! I give it 8 out of 10.

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Sarah Dessen's "This Lullaby" Review by Alexis M.

Remy doesn’t believe in love, at all. Every relationship she has, she knows to end right after that initial romantic rush, before things get too serious. Plus, she has a very useful resource… her own mother. She’s been married 4 times and is in the process of wedding number five. However, when she meets Dexter, things change.

Suddenly Remy finds it hard to follow her own relationship rules. He’s everything she hates; messy, disorganized, impulsive, and worst of all, a musician like her father. Remy never knew her dad. The only connection they have is his one and only famous song, “This Lullaby”, that he wrote the day she was born. Dealing with her relationship with Dexter, she finally starts to realize what all those love songs are about.

“This Lullaby” was incredible. I totally loved it and didn’t want to stop reading. The connection between Remy and her friends alone is over powering. Let alone her and Dexter. Truth Squad was an interesting group as well. I definitely would like to see I sequel to see what happens after Remy goes to college and Dexter goes to pursue his music.

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Saturday, December 6, 2008

"Penelope" Review by Jocelyn H.

Penelope (Christina Ricci) is cursed with the face of a pig!!!! Her family, The Wilherns, was a family of bluebloods. They were once used to attention from the press. They were ok with it until this attention was drawn to Penelope, Where her mother had to fake Penelope’s death to hide her! The only way she can break the curse is if one of her own kind can lover as she is… or so they think.

Determined to find someone for Penelope, her parents hire a matchmaker! They also offer an enormous dowry to any man who marries her. Unfortunately, every man who sees her face runs! One man, Edward ends up teaming up with Lemon, A newspaper photographer to get a picture of her. Where they Hire Max (James McAvoy) to get a picture of her. Max likes Penelope for who he is but he knows he can’t break the curse!
I loved Penelope! It was a very unique idea for a fairy tale and it was wonderfully done! Christina Ricci looked gorgeous even with a pig no se! 9.9 Out of 10!

If: A Poem by Anthony W.

If it snows,
can you see it?

If it rains,
can you feel it?

If leaves fall,
can you rake it?

If flowers bloom,
can you smell it?

If you never leave your house,
can you live with it?

Guitar Hero Tournament 2009 Pictures

Thursday, December 4, 2008

"Final Destination 3" review by Jocelyn H.

A high school senior named Wendy goes to an amusement park with all of her friends one night. They’re about to get on a rollercoaster when Wendy has a vision of a terrible accident and They all ended up dead. So she begs them to let her off and they do. Several others follow her. However, Wendy’s boyfriend and the boy she was sitting with, Kevin, had a girlfriend remaining on the train and they did not survive. A few days after the accident, Wendy uploaded the pictures she took that night to her computer and finds clues to those who have di ed. What will happen to everyone who got off? They all are destined to die in the order they would’ve if they were on the rollercoaster. Wendy and Kevin use clues from the pictures to prevent this from happening.

I thought this movie was ok! I love roller coasters and no horror movie will ever contradict that. It ended very suddenly which made me sad. I’d give it a 5 out of 10. It was just ok. There was just something about it that made It seem very “b” rated to me. The filming quality and actors were good but something with the storyline just didn’t wow me.
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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

"Marie Antoinette" Review by Jocelyn H.

The movie “Marie Antoinette” is modernized in a good way.It’s about the Queen of France. Marie marries Louis XVI when she’s fifteen. The king dies when she’s 19 and that’s when he and her husband come into power. Marie doesn’t hesitate to spend France’s budget on herself. Marie Antoinette spent all the money she could on clothes, shoes, trees for her garden, and most of all gambling. The movie didn’t really emphasize how much of this was really effecting France . The only time it really showed it was when there were riots outside Versailles. The movie seemed a bit slow in the begininning but as the time went on it got more and more interesting. The movie definitely emphasized the glamorous life Marie Antoinette had and I think it deserves a 8.9 out of 10 for the movie and a 10 out of 10 for the wardrobe!