Into the Woods

It can be rather difficult to adapt a Broadway play or musical for the big screen. Not only do you have to consider how the story translates in regards to set and story progression, but you also have to deal with the diehard fans who can be very touchy about their favorite story becoming a movie. Many musicals have been made into movies over the years. West Side Story, Les Miserables, The Phantom of the Opera, Chicago. The newest musical to join those ranks is Into the Woods. It's the story of several popular fairy tales, how they affect each other, and what happens after "ever after".

Now, I'll start by saying that I have seen the musical several times. I adore it, and own both the DVD and CD. So you could say that I'm a fan. As such, I am very attached to the original Broadway cast and was wary of it being adapted. I was comforted by the knowledge that Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine were working on it, as they are behind the Broadway play. My biggest concern, of course, was the singing and how the actors would measure up. I was especially concerned when I learned that Meryl Streep was playing The Witch, as her singing in Mamma Mia is best left forgotten and The Witch is a very important character. Plus, she has the unfortunate problem of not being Bernadette Peters, who is exceptional as The Witch.

Ok, let's address the singing all at once. Overall, I think the cast did a great job. Their singing was very good as a whole. James Corden, The Baker, was the weakest singer but even he sounded good. I loved Johnny Depp as The Wolf. He's able to make his voice so gravely and perfectly wolflike. And while I think Meryl Streep did alright as The Witch, she wasn't perfect. There were times when I felt she was trying too hard or maybe not trying enough. Either way, her singing still isn't my favorite but it was years beyond her previous, better-left-unnamed performance. I thought Anna Kendrick was very good as Cinderella, especially in "On the Steps of the Palace". I loved the way they did that song. I thought both Red and Jack were good in their roles, and I loved that they sang their individual songs to The Baker instead of to themselves or the audience. And I will admit that "No One is Alone" made me cry, as it always does. I thought it was very good. I also enjoyed that "Finale" was sung during the credits. It was different but I liked it.

However, I think Emily Blunt and Chris Pine stole the show. Not only because I really like them both, but because they were surprisingly good singers. Emily Blunt was perfect as The Baker's Wife. I thought she was just as good as Joanna Gleason. For her first major, public singing role, she did so well. She also had great chemistry with James Corden and they played off each other very well. And Chris Pine was just plain wonderful as Cinderella's Prince. He was dramatic, overdone, and charming. Both the Princes were actually. Possibly my favorite song from the musical is "Agony" and its reprise, which was not in the movie. But "Agony" in the movie did not disappoint. At all. Watching the Princes fight for attention and sing over each other while dramatically splashing about in the river and tearing their shirts was, hands down, my favorite part of the movie. It was totally overdone and beyond ridiculous but that's perfect for "Agony".

As for how the story translated in regards to story and set, I think it translated very well. I think one of my favorite shots was at the end of "Prologue: Into the Woods", when you see all the characters in the woods from an aerial view as they're going about their individual journeys. I definitely loved the woods and the variety in them. They changed so easily, which is the point, and I thought they looked great. I also thought the village was adorable and I would totally live there, minus the giant of course.

Speaking of the giant, poor Frances de la Tour. First she was Madame Maxime in Harry Potter and now she's a giant. She's not even that tall in real life, only 5'7". I've already mentioned quite a bit of the cast and how well I thought they fit their parts. Mackenzie Mauzy and Billy Magnussen were great as Rapunzel and Rapunzel's Prince. I especially liked how he kept falling and that the first thing he mentioned after being able to see again was her hair. I did like their new ending, as I thought it was nice that someone at least actually got a happy ending. Lilla Crawford was perfect as Little Red Riding Hood. Red is just so nonchalant about everything and Lilla Crawford captured that attitude. Overall, the cast was wonderful and played off each other so well. They were all so comfortable in their parts and everything seemed so natural.

As far as adaptions go, I thought Into the Woods was great. I personally really liked it. Yes, there were differences but most of them were not big. And the cast was spectacular. If you are a fan of the Broadway musical or just like fairy tales, then I highly recommend you see Into the Woods. And remember, be careful what you wish for.

Big Hero 6

Marvel has taken over the movie industry in the last few years, starting with the successful Iron Man in 2008 and all the way through to this year's Guardians of the Galaxy. From movies about single superheroes to movies with teams, Marvel has created a series of highly successful movies that are both fun and endearing. And now that they are a part of Disney, they have moved into a new format: animation. Big Hero 6 is the newest Marvel movie and the first that has been animated. And it has done exceptionally well. It's adorable and fun and just a great movie.

Big Hero 6 takes place in the imaginary city of San Fransokyo. It's about a 14 year old genius, four of his friends, and a personal healthcare robot. Like all Disney and Marvel movies, it starts off on a serious note. Hiro and Tadashi are orphans who live with their aunt, and then Tadashi is killed in a fire. Hiro and Baymax, his brother's robotics project, discover that Hiro's application project to the university was stolen and Hiro suspects that the fire that killed his brother was intentionally started to steal the microbots. Hiro turns himself, his friends, and Baymax into superheroes in order to stop the villain.

The last movie I saw that was as funny as Big Hero 6 would be Guardians of the Galaxy. And that was a Marvel movie as well. Clearly Marvel has their stuff together right now. What's great about Big Hero 6 is that it combines all the parts of other successful superheroes movies into a movie that's even more for children but is just as good. You still have the underdog hero and the unknown villain. You have the idea of revenge, of wanting to stop the villain more for what he's done to you personally than because he's bad. And you have the perfect balance of funny and sad. As Joss Whedon says "Make it dark, make it grim, make it tough, but then, for the love of God, tell a joke." Big Hero 6 is all those things and more. With animated movies, there is already the perception that they're made for children. Sure, adults enjoy them but the success of Disney has made animated movies seem childlike. The previous Marvel movies have been wonderful but can seem too old for kids. Animating Big Hero 6 was the perfect decision to make it more "appropriate" for children but from a franchise that adults love just as much. And if anyone could pull off an animated Marvel movie, it is Disney.

It was hilarious and heartwarming. Watching Baymax try to move around and his repeated "On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your pain?" along with his giant marshmallow appearance is adorable. He is the cutest robot ever and I'm pretty sure thousands of children want their own Baymax now. Baymax is the heart of the movie and he's perfect. I just love everything about the movie. From Hiro and his friends to Baymax to Hiro's aunt. The sequence when Hiro and his friends are all learning to use their suits was great and very realistic. I think many of us would have the same difficulties at first. And of course, we can't forget the other robot in the movie, Hiro's bot for the bot fights. I love the big grin and then the very angry face as the little robot attacks you. Never underestimate those "smaller and weaker" than you. It never ends in your favor. Of course, I think one of people's favorite things was the fist bump that Hiro taught to Baymax.

If you didn't get the chance to see Big Hero 6 in theaters then you definitely missed out. It's a very adorable movie and a wonderful addition to the Marvel family. Plus, Stan Lee's appearance may just be his best one yet.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

I adore Tolkien and his works. I absolutely love Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lord of the Rings but I've been a little on the fence about The Hobbit. The last movie in The Hobbit trilogy comes out today. I was expecting to see it Friday night. My parents even said they preorded tickets for Friday night. Last night, my mom said we were going to see The Homesman. She said she really wanted to see it and I'm always up for going to the movies. My dad was on the fence about going but ultimately decided to join my mom, sister and I. My mom went to buy tickets while my dad, sister and I headed toward the entrance to the theater. And then my mom comes over with no tickets and says something to my dad about getting them printed by the person who checks the tickets. Looking back, that should have been my first clue that something weird was going on. Then my mom starts whispering to the person who collects the tickets. It was about that time that my sister and I realized that we were actually going to see The Battle of the Five Armies and not The Homesman. It turns out that when my mom had gone to order tickets for Friday for The Hobbit, she noticed that there was a showing at 7 on Tuesday night. So our parents decided to surprise my sister and me, and we went to see it last night. My sister and I were crying once we realized what was going on because we both knew what was coming and neither one of us had had time to emotionally prepare. Let's just say it was a good surprise but very emotional.

Ok, now that my long story is over, let's get down to business (to defeat the Huns). I even have a list of things I want to talk about in regards to the movie. To begin, this is not going to be an entirely pleasant review. You've been forewarned. Firstly, in case you didn't know, the Tolkien family is not happy with the Peter Jackson movies. Any of them. And if Jackson had led with this series instead of LOTR, then I would fully agree with the Tolkien family.

There have gradually been more and more changes in The Hobbit movies and it's become a little unrecognizable as Tolkien's Hobbit. For example, in the book, several more of the dwarves in the company die. Bilbo is also not really a part of the battle. He puts the ring on and gets knocked out because no one can see him. Then, no one can find him so they think he died. He barely makes it back in time to make amends with Thorin, who dies off the battlefield after the battle is over. The Dol Guldur escapade is different as well. The White Council is able to send Sauron away easily because he is not strong enough to stand against them, whereas in the movie he's strong enough to fight them. I will say I found the Galadriel part interesting. In The Fellowship of the Ring when she tries to take the ring, she's still beautiful because she's in control. In Dol Guldur, she's being partially controlled by Sauron so she's a lot scarier when she loses it for a second. I also appreciated that she mentioned Morgoth, because The Silmarillion is my favorite. Another thing that I didn't like was the giant worms that the Orcs used to tunnel under the earth. The only "worms" in Middle Earth are the dragons, who were also called the Worms of Morgoth. So those burrowing worm creatures were not canon.

And now for my biggest issue that many other people love: Tauriel. I have no issue with Jackson creating a female elf because he thought the movie needed more women. What bothers me is the Tauriel/Kili relationship. No dwarf and elf would ever fall in love. It's not how Tolkien wrote them. And since he's the expert, I tend to agree with him. Dwarves and Elves are simply too different for a romantic relationship. Legolas and Gimli are proof that they can be friends but I cannot see it extending past that. Just, no. My greatest fear was that Jackson would save Kili so that he and Tauriel could be together. One of the saddest things about the end of the book is that the line of Durin is completely wiped out because Thorin and his nephews all die. I was so happy that they killed Kili because it's such an important part of the story.

I know it sounds like I absolutely hated the movie but that's not true. There were several things I liked. Of course, the music is one of the biggest things, although the music at the very beginning was very un-LOTR sounding. However, it was definitely made up for with Billy Boyd's song "The Last Goodbye". It was the perfect song to end the series and the Middle Earth adventures. I also adored the pig and ram steeds. In Middle Earth, people don't just ride horses. They also ride elk, pigs, and ram. They were so cute and I definitely want one. And let's not forget Beorn, falling out of the sky as a bear. I thoroughly enjoyed that. One of my favorite things in LOTR is the way that enemy lines meet at Helm's Deep and Pelennor Fields. Battle of the Five Armies did not disappoint in that regard. I was so excited to see the dwarves crouched down, waiting for the orcs to attack. And then bam! Elves overhead. That made me happy. Oh, and Billy Connolly as Dain? He was adorable. And let's not forget Bard and Legolas talking. I could barely contain my laughter because they're practically twins. I also liked that Legolas was sort of sent to find Strider, because they do know each other before LOTR.

Ok, last couple comments. The burning of Lake-town. That was a really cool scene, watching Smaug destroy the city. But my favorite part of the movie was Douchebag Thorin. And yes, I have made that into his title because if we're honest, he totally becomes a douchebag. And it was handled so well and done so beautifully. I loved watching him lose his mind. He goes so crazy and nuts and it's really hard to like him. As Bilbo says, how could Thorin think that his kin would ever betray him? They are so loyal to him and love him so much. I loved what Dwalin and Kili both said to him, about not wanting to watch their kin from the Iron Hills die while they hide away. And I love that you can see the change in Thorin by how he dresses. When he's consumed by the dragon sickness he is dressed in robes lined with fur and wears a crown. But when he comes to rally the company and ask them to follow him one last time, he's dressed simply, as he was in the beginning. And it's amazing how much 13 dwarves can change the tide of a battle, simply because the King is leading them. Thorin is without a doubt one of my favorite Tolkien characters, and I am so happy with how Richard Armitage portrays him. Even though his death was different from the book, it was still just as terrible and heartbreaking.

I know it seems like I didn't really like the movie. I did, but not in comparison to the book. I really had to focus on seeing the movie as a separate entity from the book. On its own, the movie was good and a satisfactory ending to the trilogy. I love the actors (Martin Freeman is perfect), I adore the scenery, and I just love the music so much. While I will miss Middle Earth, I am glad the series is finally over.

Gone With the Wind

Today is the 75th anniversary of the release of Gone With the Wind. The massive book was adapted into an equally massive movie, at least in regards to length. The movie was re-released this year and my mom and I went to see it. It was incredible.

Before the movie started, there was a clip that explained some of the history of the movie, the actors, and the premiere. It was actually really cool to learn about the backstory of the movie. I like things like that. For instance, a ticket to the premiere of the movie cost $10 and was considered expensive. I paid more than that to see the re-release. And I was excited to learn that the movie would be played in the exact same way it was premiered. The same aspect ratio, the overture and exit music, intermission, everything. That made it even more real for me.

Now, I love Gone With the Wind. I've read the book and own the movie. I find Rhett Butler devilishly attractive and I fully agree with the sentiment that Scarlett is a royal bitch. She's terrible. She truly is. But I still love the movie. How can I not, when it's a sweeping epic about war and romance? The romantic, girly side in me just swoons. It's a little pathetic, I know. There's just something about the movie that I love though. Its characters are flawed, except maybe Melanie, but there is still something to admire about them all. They're resilient, passionate, and hardworking. And the "sweeping" part of the epic has as much to do with the scenery as anything. The plantation houses, the scene in Atlanta with all the wounded soldiers on the railroad tracks, the scene where Atlanta is burning. It's a stunningly beautiful film. And, of course, I adore the music. And the costumes. They are spectacular and I would love to wear one of those dresses.

I have to say that I love seeing re-releases. There is nothing cooler than seeing a movie in theaters that you weren't alive to see in theaters the first time. Especially when it's one that you love. It gives the movie more meaning and you notice things you didn't before. And to see Gone With the Wind in the same way it was premiered, down to the intermission, was very cool. It was a little glimpse into the past and what it was like to see movies 75 years ago.

Jurassic Park

In honor of the release of the trailer for Jurassic World today, I'm reposting my review of Jurassic Park in IMAX 3D. I'm personally crazy excited for Jurassic World. I think it looks promising and as terrifying as the original. So while we wait for June 12 to arrive, I know I'll be rewatching Jurassic Park on a regular basis. 

The first time my parents bought advanced tickets to a movie was to celebrate my mom's birthday. They weren't entirely sure what the movie was about but they had heard it was good so they said "What the heck. Let's go see it." Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw. And now, twenty years later, the movie is back in theaters. But this time it's in 3D and IMAX. So once again my parents went to see Jurassic Park in theaters. They didn't buy tickets in advance but they did take my sister and me to see it. And we saw it in IMAX 3D.

This is one of the movies that I've been watching my entire life. I'm actually older than this movie, which is really strange to consider. And it once again makes me contemplate my parent's judgment about the movies they let me watch when I was a kid. I can't remember a time when I didn't watch this movie. I've probably been watching it since it came out on video but it's never scared me.

There are so many things right about this movie. The music is one of those things. The theme is iconic and gets stuck in your head for hours. The whole soundtrack is actually good but the movie is known for the theme. John Williams is a genius. Also, the dinosaurs look incredible still. They look just as realistic as they did twenty years ago. The sweeping landscapes and the whole idea of a theme park with live dinosaurs just add to the movie's magic.

And then you add in the IMAX 3D factor. I think we can all agree that hearing those dinosaurs--the T-Rex roar and the Velociraptors calling each other--is pretty incredible. Now imagine it in an IMAX theater. I can finally understand why the characters cover their ears when the dinosaurs make a lot of noise. They are loud and it's absolutely magnificent.

There are other things about IMAX theaters that are cool. I could hear doors closing. Doors in the movie that I never considered would make noise and I could hear the sound of them closing. When Alan is scaring the kid at the beginning by describing how Velociraptors hunt you could hear every little comment that the people around were making. When the T-Rex is chasing the Jeep, Ellie is screaming but apparently she's saying "shit" repeatedly which I never knew before. Also, when they are with the sick Triceratops Ellie is so overwhelmed that she's crying. Welcome to the wonder of IMAX and every little detail that you missed before.

Actually I found myself almost crying. This movie is such a huge part of my life. It's something that I've always watched and I've always loved it. Not to mention that I recently read the books, Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton. If you love the movies then I highly recommend you read the books. I'm not a science person and I found myself having the re-read some of the sections with a lot of science jargon but Crichton does a good job of explaining things in laymen's terms. Don't let the big science factor keep you from reading the books. If nothing else, read them just so you can see the difference in the characters. John Hammond bothers me in the movie but I pretty much hated him in the book. And that's only the tip of the iceberg to the books.

So whether you are new to Jurassic Park or you've seen it a hundred times make a point to go see it in theaters while it's still out. I definitely recommend the IMAX 3D version but I think any version will capture the wonder that is Jurassic Park. This is a movie that has stood the test of time. The dinosaurs are as good as they were the first time, the acting isn't overly cheesy and the story is something that would be wonderful yet terrifying if it happened in reality.

Doctor Who: In the Forest of the Night

I've been enjoying this season of Doctor Who so far. Definitely more than the second half of season 7 and about as much as the first half of season 7. Although I've liked all of the episodes, none of them really stood out until last night's episode. This whole season has been a buildup between Clara and the Doctor, and then Clara, the Doctor, and Danny. I feel that last night's episode was a turning point for Clara and it made me like her more.

"In the Forest of the Night" begins with a young girl from Clara's school finding the Doctor in the middle of a forest. He's confused because he's meant to be in the middle of London and all he can see is trees. Well, that's because a forest has grown up overnight across the whole globe. In this episode we get to see more of Clara and Danny's students, and a different group than those we've seen before. They were adorable, as children are wont to be. And I liked that Clara called them "gifted and talented" when they were clearly not. I felt it was a good way for her to make them feel better about themselves, to remind them that they are special even if they're not incredibly super smart. She even brought up again the idea that things like fear can be a superpower. I also liked that she made a point about Danny loving his students and not leaving them for anything. I think it's one of his strong points: his compassion and caring for others.

In regards to the Danny/Clara/the Doctor debacle, it doesn't get resolved in this episode. Danny does discover that Clara is still traveling with the Doctor and asks her to be honest with him about her feelings on the whole situation. I understand that the relationship between Danny and the Doctor is strained and get why it's like that, but I love that Danny is trying to be reasonable. He just wants the truth, which he totally deserves. And I would love if they could get along with each other but that's not likely to happen any time soon. Side note, I really love how expressive the Doctor's face was in this episode. He got very up close and personal with people and his face was just brilliant.

Now, on to the 2 things I loved the most. 

1. Clara forcing the Doctor to leave when they think there is no solution. Let me start by saying that I figured out before the Doctor that the trees would protect Earth from the solar flare. You saw them not catch on fire so that should be a big hint that they would survive a solar flare. I felt really smart getting that before them. However, it takes them a while to realize that and they are under the assumption that everyone on Earth is going to die. This is when Clara says that Danny would never leave the students behind. He wouldn't escape in the TARDIS if it meant the students would die, and they would never get over leaving their parents. And then Clara says she doesn't want to leave because she doesn't want to be the last of her kind. She tells the Doctor to leave and he says that Earth is his home too. I like that he's so attached to our little planet. Clara tells him that Earth and humanity want to save him, that he needs to leave and do something worthwhile with his life. She's finally giving him up and she's content with the decision. Of course, the Doctor realizes that the Earth will not be destroyed and comes back. We're not given any indication of where this leaves Danny and Clara or Clara and the Doctor. I guess that's something we'll have to learn next week.

2.Fairy tale. This episode was so very fairy tale in nature. The dark forest, the lost children, the wolves and tiger, the red coat. Hansel and Gretel, and Little Red Riding Hood were both mentioned in the episode. It just felt so much like a fairy tale and those are my favorite. So it definitely helped me like this episode a lot. They mention sticking to the path and losing the path, and leaving breadcrumbs and the possibility of gingerbread houses. It very much appealed to the child in me. And I love what the Doctor said about forests.

"The forest. It's in all the stories that kept you awake at night. The forest is mankind's nightmare."

Side note, I also loved that the music sounded very LOTR at several points. It was a nice touch to add to the mythical, fairy tale feel of everything. 

El Laberinto Del Fauno

Or for those of you who don't know Spanish, Pan's Labyrinth. The direct translation is actually The Labyrinth of the Faun or The Faun's Labyrinth, but those titles weren't considered cool enough and it was changed to Pan's Labyrinth. This leads some people to believe that the faun in the movie is Pan but that's not the case. He's just a faun. Part of the reason people believe the faun's name is Pan is because of Greek mythology. Pan was the god of the wild, flocks, and hunting music. He was depicted as a faun. Actually, the Roman equivalent was even named Faunus. So you can understand why some people would be confused by the title Pan's Labyrinth.

Ok, mythology lesson over. I saw Pan's Labyrinth for the first time recently. It's a movie that I had always been interested in seeing but was wary of since it looked scary and I don't do scary. I can happily say that I was not scared by the movie. On the contrary, I was enthralled. It was beautiful, both story-wise and film-wise, and it was dark. It was certainly a creepy movie, very creepy in fact, but I loved it. It's quite possibly one of my new favorite movies.

Now in case you missed something from the title, Pan's Labyrinth is a Spanish film. Unlike some other foreign language films, there is no English version. If you don't speak Spanish, the best you can get is a version with English subtitles. Personally, the subtitles didn't bother me. It wasn't an issue having to read the subtitles and follow what was happening visually. Honestly, I liked the film in Spanish. I think it made it more authentic. That was the way the film was made and is intended to be seen, and it works.

What really draws me to the film is the story. Pan's Labyrinth is, without a doubt, a fairy tale. But it's the way fairy tales are supposed to be, meaning it's dark, violent, and not always happy. In fact, the story has very few happy moments and quite a lot of violence. So if you want a happy fairy tale, watch a Disney movie. Don't get me wrong; I love Disney and I love their Princess movies. But those are not the original fairy tales. Disney makes everything nice and happy, and that's not the way things really are. If you want something a little closer to the original, see Into the Woods this Christmas. That at least follows the original tales until what happens after "Ever After" (seriously, go see Woods.). So the fact that Pan's Labyrinth is dark and what a fairy tale is intended to be makes me very happy.

One of the "fairies"

Pan's Labyrinth is actually two stories woven together. The fairy tale centers around the princess of the underworld, who went to the human world, forgot who she was, and died. Her father, the king, believed that one day the princess would be reborn and find her way back to the underworld. In the real world, it's 1944 in Spain. Ofelia, the main character, is traveling with her pregnant mother to stay with her new stepfather. Her stepfather is a Captain in charge of finding and eliminating the nearby rebels. Nearby is an old labyrinth, and Ofelia is lead there by a fairy. There she meets the faun and learns that she is the reincarnated princess of the underworld. She is told she must complete 3 tasks before the full moon or she will never return to her real home. Ofelia works to complete these tasks while Captain Vidal gets closer to finding the rebels. During this time, Ofelia's mother has her baby, a son, and dies. More stuff happens but I don't want to give the ending away. It's surprising and I think has more of an impact if you go into it without expectations. 

I will say, however, that you wonder by the end if Ofelia is making up the fairies and faun as a way to cope with the world around her, or if it's all really happening. There are several things that happen throughout the film, though, that lead one to believe everything was real and that Ofelia really was the princess of the underworld. Plus, it's nice to think that she is the princess after everything that happens in the film.

As for the violence in the film, I hope you have a strong stomach. I can handle a lot but I had to look away a couple of times. Captain Vidal is cruel, sadistic, and evil. In fact, my mom and I both thought that Vidal and his soldiers seemed very similar to Nazis, except Spanish. Even their uniforms reminded me of Nazis. As far as allusions go, that was a perfect one to get across just how evil Vidal was. 

As for the visual aspect of the film, it is perfect. The film actually won 3 Oscars: Art Direction, Cinematography, and Makeup. And all three are amazing. The faun, fairies, and Pale Man are all incredibly realistic. The lighting between the different worlds, between the human world, the underworld, and the labyrinth, are very different yet flow so well. And the way that scenes change is beautiful. They flow seamlessly from one scene to the next, from one world to the next. It's amazing how perfect and real the movie feels. It's part of the reason the movie is so good.

I highly recommend seeing Pan's Labyrinth if you haven't yet. It's not as scary as it seems; I personally find it quite beautiful. Just remember that it is a real fairy tale. It's dark, gruesome, and creepy. But if you look past all of that, you will find the beauty in the story. To end, here is the story that Ofelia tells to her brother, to give you a taste of the beauty and sadness in the film.

"Many, many years ago in a sad, faraway land, there was an enormous mountain made of rough, black stone. At sunset, on top of that mountain, a magic rose blossomed every night that made whoever plucked it immortal. But no one dared go near it because its thorns were full of poison. Men talked amongst themselves about their fear of death, and pain, but never about the promise of eternal life. And every day, the rose wilted, unable to bequeath its gift to anyone...forgotten and lost at the top of that cold, dark mountain, forever alone, until the end of time."

The Blob

"Beware of The Blob

It creeps and leaps

And glides and slides

Across the floor

Right through the door

And all around the wall

A splotch, a blotch

Be careful of The Blob"

So opens the classic 1958 horror movie, The Blob. Let me start by saying that I don't do horror movies. I don't like slashers, I don't like scary, I don't like horror. I can tolerate suspense and once I've seen a movie I can usually watch it again since I know what's going to happen. However, classic horror movies are a different story. I find them hilarious. Especially the Universal monster movies. They're cheesy and ridiculous and I love them. So you can understand how excited I was to watch The Blob, an excitement that only increased once I heard the theme song. It's totally my new favorite song; I even bought it on iTunes after we finished the movie. 

Watching movies with my family is always an experience. With The Blob, it started early in the movie. My dad asked what year the movie was made and my mom responded "19cheesy". She then equated the Blob sticking to the old man to the spray-on shoes in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. She preceded to gasp in (fake) horror throughout the rest of the movie whenever the Blob grew larger. I, on the other hand, struggled not to laugh through a large portion of the movie. "Campy" comes to mind when I think of the film, along with "cheesy" and "ridiculous". Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie. It was great and I'm glad I finally got the chance to watch it. But movies like The Blob or Dracula or Frankenstein just make me laugh. They're the kind of horror/monster movies that I would marathon-watch on Halloween. Note to self: spend Halloween watching old, ridiculous horror/monster movies. I'm also glad that I can finally say I've seen a Steve McQueen movie. And yes, he was certainly attractive. Now I just need to watch one of his more serious movies. 

Two things that I found especially funny in the movie: 1. Movie tickets were much cheaper back then; they were complaining about leaving during the movie and wasting their 80 cents. I wish tickets were still that cheap. 2. The fact that the Blob is so scary. To me it looks like a giant ball of jello or something. It's not scary at all. But you have to enjoy the solution to stopping the Blob: freezing it. They send the Blob to the Arctic so it stays frozen. Too bad the polar ice caps are melting and global warming is happening. Guess the Blob is going to make a comeback. 

Other than the theme song, my favorite thing was one of the options on the DVD menu. It said "color bars". And yes, it meant the color bar test pattern. If you clicked on it, an image of color bars showed up. They created a whole option on the DVD menu for color bars. How authentic. 

Divergent

I never had the chance to see Divergent while it was in theaters. I kind of wanted to but I was afraid it was going to be like half the other YA series out there. I still haven't read the series, although my mom keeps begging me to, but I have finally seen the movie. I can definitely say that I'll be reading the series soon now. I really liked the movie. It was interesting and thought-provoking but not overly YA. It was a good mix of sci-fi and reality, in a manner that is different from other books or movies like it. There are several points that I really liked about the movie which I'll be discussing after a brief summary.

The story is set in the future, in post-apocalyptic Chicago (no explanation behind the apocalypse is given but that's ok). Society is split into 5 factions, each one based on a disposition: Abnegation (selfless), Amity (peaceful), Candor (honest), Dauntless (brave), and Erudite (intelligent). Every year, all 16 year olds take a test to determine which faction they belong in. They can chose to ignore their results and just pick a faction, but either way, if you leave your birth faction you cut ties with any family. Faction before blood. Beatrice takes the test but the results are inconclusive. She is one of the few people who is Divergent. She makes the choice to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless, where she changes her name to Tris. Things aren't good in the beginning but she manages to toughen up and become top of her class. Then Erudite goes crazy and tries to wipe out Divergents and Abnegation. Tris and Four, her instructor in Dauntless and then boyfriend who is also Divergent, stop the attack on Abnegation and go on the run. There, brief summary.

So, what I liked about the movie. First off, there was no love triangle. I'm sick and tired of every YA story having a love triangle. Heck, I'm tired of any chick flick or romantic movie having a love triangle. It's cliche and annoying. But Divergent had no love triangle. And the romance wasn't even a major focus; it was clear that they had feelings for each other but it happened slowly and over time. I'm all about romance; I'm a hopeless romantic at heart. But that doesn't mean I necessarily want a girly "Oh my gosh, I love you and I'll die without you and I want to have your babies" kind of movie. Unless it's Jane Austen, I generally need more than just romance. So the fact that Divergent is about more than the relationship between Tris and Four is very appealing to me. Now as I've said, I haven't read the books yet so for all I know that changes in the later books. But for now, it works for me.

Now it's possible that the words "post-apocalyptic YA series" brings to mind another series that you've probably heard of called The Hunger Games. Divergent is similar; it's post-apocalyptic, people are split into different groups, someone is trying to wipe out one of those groups. However, the premise is different (and I almost like it better than the premise for The Hunger Games). People aren't split just randomly and assigned something to mine or create or catch. Instead they are split by dispositions, by a personality trait. Then, based on that trait, the Factions work in jobs that need that trait. Candor are judges, Dauntless are police, etc. I love the idea. It's original and brilliant. And it would work except for Divergents, for the whole point of the series. The problem is that people aren't just one thing. People are kind and brave and intelligent. The system sounds plausible but people aren't made like that. The Erudite leader, Jeanine, keeps saying that the real enemy is humanity and free will. She's all about conformity but she wants things to be her way. For someone in the Faction of intelligence, she is very ruthless and hardhearted. It's interesting; I like it.

I really did enjoy the movie. The story moved at a nice pace. If it had been a standalone movie it might have seemed slow, but as the first movie of a series it was the perfect setup. I liked being able to watch Tris go from a weak girl from Abnegation to a strong young woman of Dauntless. I think the casting was perfect. I was afraid I wouldn't like Shailene Woodley because of her association with The Fault in Our Stars, something I have neither seen nor read and have no inclination to. However I really liked her as Tris and thought she did a good job going from naive to serious. And of course I can't complain about Theo James too much, although I'm also a fan of Jai Courtney. But overall, I really enjoyed the movie and I'm excited to finally read the series.

In Remembrance of Robin Williams

As I'm sure you all know, Robin Williams died earlier tonight. He was definitely one of the funniest actors I've ever seen, not to mention being a good actor in general. I can't remember the first movie I saw him in. Obviously Aladdin is up there but I wouldn't have known at the time that Williams played the Genie. However it remains one of my favorite movies of his.

Williams was known for being incredibly funny. When Christopher Reeves was in the hospital after his horseback riding accident, Williams visited him pretending to be a Russian doctor. Reeves said his visit was one of the first times he laughed after his accident. During filming for Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg frequently called Williams and had him tell jokes over the phone to cheer up the cast and crew. This was during filming for Aladdin so Williams mostly spoke as the Genie. He also improvised most of his lines in Aladdin, and did a very good job at it as his lines are some of the best.

I think we can all agree that his role as Genie is one of our favorites. Not to mention Mrs. Doubtfire, which is incredibly hilarious and heartwarming. I also love him as Peter Pan in Hook. It's one of my favorite versions of Peter Pan and I think Williams did a great job of portraying a grown-up Peter. I also love Jumanji, especially his scraggly beard near the beginning. The way that Williams gave some of the lines in the movie and his absolute fear of the game make the movie seem more real and are part of what I love about the movie. His turn as Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum and its sequels is adorable, and I'm glad they were able to finish the last movie before his untimely death. One of his funniest roles is as Bob Munro in RV, a movie that is guaranteed to make my family cry from laughter. But possibly my favorite role of his is as John Keating in Dead Poets Society. I know some people think the movie is unrealistic, which yes it may be a little, but what I love so much about it is the idea that a professor can be that influential in a student's life. And for someone who is so well known as the funny man, Williams is a very good professor.

I'm not sure about everyone else, but I think a Robin Williams marathon is going to happen in the near future. What better way to remember Williams than by watching some of his best movies again? Although his death was unexpected and sad, we can always remember him as a brilliant, funny actor who managed to make us laugh at the drop of a hat.

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."

John Keating, Dead Poets Society

Guardians of the Galaxy

SPOILERS! Part of the reason I like The Avengers so much is that it's about a group of people who struggle to get along because they're constantly butting heads and arguing, yet they have to get along in order to save Earth. It's such a ragtag team of superheroes, several of whom think they should be the ones in charge or know more than everyone else, and yet it works. The chemistry between the characters is wonderful, and the movie is the perfect combination of funny and dark. My other favorite Marvel movie is Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Not only was it better than its predecessor, it was just a fun movie. The cast was great, the dialogue was good, and the plot was spectacular. It was fun, it was dark, and it was amazing. Now, what does all of this have to do with Guardians of the Galaxy?

Well, you've probably heard people and critics say that Guardians is the best Marvel movie yet. I can honestly say that they're not wrong. Even my sister, who loves Marvel but wasn't that concerned about seeing Guardians in theatres, said that it is probably now her favourite Marvel movie. It's seriously that good. It's funny and dark and absolutely ridiculous and two of the main characters aren't even real, but it works. It works so well that at San Diego Comic Con they announced the release date for the sequel. And this from a movie that looked like it had the potential to be as completely ridiculous as Galaxy Quest. I also think it was brilliant to release it at the end of the summer. I know part of the reasoning was they were unsure how the movie would go over, but I think it's good to end with such a strong movie to usher the summer out. They start with blockbusters so why not end with one?

Let me start by saying that the cast was brilliant. The five main characters were perfect and even though one of the characters was a talking raccoon and one was a walking, talking tree, you had no problem believing they were all real. The animation for Groot and Rocket was great and they ended up being huge fan favorites. Drax was hilarious due to his inability to grasp sarcasm and metaphors. Gamora was awesome and further proof that Zoe Saldana is seriously badass. And for someone who hadn't really been a main character yet, Chris Pratt did a wonderful job as Peter Quill/Star-Lord. He was funny, he was a smartass, and he was relatable. And even though the 5 characters start the movie fighting each other, they were able to come together eventually.

As for the bad guys, you didn't really see them a lot in the trailers so you weren't sure what to expect in the movie. I loved Ronan's contacts and thought that he was a good villain, although he wasn't the real villain as he was working for someone else. I didn't expect to see Thanos in Guardians; our first glimpse of him was at the end of The Avengers and he was definitely a surprise in Guardians. And I loved Nebula. You could hear how they'd changed Karen Gillan's voice to be a little metallic but I didn't expect that to mean that her entire character was metallic and malleable. And the Collector was as creepy as always. I don't trust him and I knew that his appearance in this movie would not be a good thing.

Visually the movie was amazing as well. As I mentioned, Groot and Rocket were both incredible. So were the rest of the characters who were different colors and such. I loved the bright colors of some of the characters' skin, from Gamora's bright green and Nebula's blue to the bright pink of others. It's a cool and simple way to set humanoid aliens apart. And speaking of aliens, I loved how much of the galaxy we got to see. In Thor: The Dark World we got to see a little more but it was still centered around Earth and Asgard. And honestly, Guardians had almost no reference to the previous Marvel movies so it was almost possible to forget that it took place in the same universe. I also liked the whistle-guided arrow thing that Yondu had and thought it was cool how quickly he could trigger it. One of my favorite visual effects was the ship-net that the Xandarian's created to try to stop Ronan. It was really cool how their ships interlocked and formed a barrier, although I feared it would only work for so long and I was right. And Ronan's ship was pretty impressive and much larger than the Xandarian fleet so it clearly wasn't going to end well.

But my favorite part of the movie was the soundtrack. I'm being completely serious when I say that I'm going to buy the soundtrack. It was awesome. It's full of classic songs that are just fun and perfect for dancing. Other than Rocket and Groot, it was the highlight of the movie. Plus, the first time we see Chris Pratt as Peter he puts his headphones in and starts dancing around, and it's when he strikes a pose that the title of the movie comes up. The music was just perfectly incorporated into the movie. Heck, they used it at the end as a way to distract Ronan. The music helps make the movie and the movie is incredible.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I've seen the original Planet of the Apes, as well as the remake. I found the original highly amusing and the ending probably would have shocked me if I hadn't known the plot twist to begin with. The remake mainly just confused me, as I had seen the original already and was expecting it to be a straight remake. Instead they kind of changed things around somewhat and it wasn't exactly like the original. Up until Rise of the Planet of the Apes, those were the only two movies in the series that I had seen. And I loved Rise. It was dark, it was new, and it was amazing. And I can honestly say that Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was almost better than its predecessor.

Where to start? First off, I appreciated that the apes still spoke mainly using sign language. Although they have the ability to speak, it's something that the first generation of apes had to learn to do, which means it would not come as naturally to them as it would to future generations. Plus, it made a distinct difference between the humans and the apes. But enough about genetics. The apes in the first movie were amazing to watch. They were so lifelike and realistic, and they continue to be that way in Dawn. I think Andy Serkis is a brilliant actor and it never ceases to amaze me what emotions he can convey and how much he puts into his performance without physically being on screen as himself. Also: horses; the apes were finally riding horses and for some reason I really love that.

On the human side of things, I continue to love Jason Clark. If you haven't seen Lawless, find a copy and watch it. It's a great movie and part of the reason I like Jason Clark. I thought his performance as Malcolm was really good. He had to deal with this crazy new world he found himself in, while also taking care of his teenage son and worrying about his future. His remark that no kid should have to see what his son had seen was sad, because his son would have been 6 or 7 when everything happened and his mother died. I also enjoyed the dynamic between Keri Russell, who played Malcolm's second wife, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, Malcolm's son. Having a new stepmother is awkward enough without the extra stress of the end of the world and super smart apes. I thought Smit-McPhee was adorable in his awkwardness and I liked the quiet and calming personality of Russell.

As for the relationship between the humans and the apes, I find it interesting and a little sad. Malcolm and Caesar try so hard to keep the peace but other humans and apes ruin it. Gary Oldman's character was all about power; in this case, literal power to bring back the electricity. The humans needed a source of power, and the search for that inadvertently lead them to the apes. It also lead the apes back to the city and the humans' home. The search for power ended up being the downfall of the humans and what sets off a war between apes and humans. However, there is another component in the creation of the war. And that is what I find so fascinating about this movie.

The concept of betrayal and having your own agenda, which you'll follow without caring who may die along the way, is something that is very human. For centuries humans have been stabbing each other in the back, turning on one another, and pretending to be something we're not to convince others to trust us. The apes in Dawn believe that all humans are bad and all apes are good. They cannot even fathom the idea that there may be good humans and bad apes. Which makes the betrayal of Koba all the more poignant. Caesar says that Koba learned only hate from humans, after his time spent as a lab rat, or chimp. But Koba also learned about betrayal. Yes, Caesar is foolish to continue trusting Koba when he is clearly losing his mind a little. But that doesn't mean that Koba had to act in the manner he did. He abused Caesar's trust, manipulated Caesar's son, attempted to kill Caesar and blame it on the humans, and then took over as the leader of the apes and started a war. That is such a human thing to do. And I think it was a brilliant touch.

I found Dawn to be as good as Rise in every aspect. The music was amazing, the apes were incredible, and the story was brilliant. It was one of the best sequels I've seen in a long time; Winter Soldier is the only other recent sequel that I thought was as good as its predecessor. I can't wait to see how they're going to wrap up the series, although we all know how the story ultimately ends. And while I would like to see the same humans in the next movie, I kind of liked having a new set of humans who had to interact with the apes and learn to understand them. And if the majority of critics can find almost nothing wrong with the movie and think it was amazing as well, then you know it's a good movie.

Same Content, New Look

It has been quite a while since I blogged about anything. I've certainly seen movies during that time but between graduating college, starting a full-time job, and moving, I've been very busy. Even before my life went a little crazy I was not totally happy with the direction that my previous movie blog was going in. Clearly, those of you reading it didn't mind as there were over 4,700 views, but I felt that it was stagnant, for lack of a better word.

So here I am. I'm starting a new blog about movies. It'll be a little different in look and content but the main idea, movies, will still be there. And with the new way I'm planning to go about things, I'm hoping I'll be blogging a little more often. I can still make no promises about my book blog, as books are even harder to keep up with when your life is crazy (http://turningpages92.blogspot.com/).

I hope you enjoy this new blog. I certainly look forward to getting back into blogging about one of my favorite things. And to keep your curiosity, here's a hint about the next post: