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."