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Posts Tagged ‘Movie reviews’

Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them (Movie Review)

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 21, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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Fantastic Beasts directed by David Yates and starring Eddie Redmayne follows the story of a young wizard, Newt Scamander, as he explores the City of New York and the underground world of magic. Newt Scamander is the author of the book Fantastic Beasts and where to find them, the same book that Harry reads at Hogwarts seventy years after these events. Newt Scamander finds himself in a world of trouble as some of his creatures have escaped his magical suitcase.  As Newt tries to finds the creatures, he also tries the keep the City safe from magic being exposed to non-magical beings.

The action packed fantasy adventure was exciting, and everything you would expect from a Harry Potter franchise film. There was a lot going on with multiple story lines but I still felt as though there was a clear direction in where the story was going. There were surprises at every corner and every moment was filled with thrilling elements. Eddie Redmayne displayed a soft spirited persona and made me smile almost every time he was in a new scene. Eddie’s character added a freshness to the story and created new elements to the Wizarding World.

The creatures were interesting in appearance and the concept of Newt being able to go deep inside the suitcase, to a whole new world was spectacular. The special effects were impressive and the magical elements were enthralling. The time period was authentic in its presentation and the supporting cast all added to the storytelling process.

Overall the movie is a must see. You will be enchanted throughout the entire film.

L.L.

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It Follows “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on August 3, 2015| Leave a Comment »

it follows

It Follows directed by David Robert Mitchell and starring Maika Monroe tells the story of a young college girl who is haunted by a supernatural entity after a sexual encounter with a guy goes terribly wrong.

The movie had a good story line but it just didn’t fully deliver as I expected. The guy that Jay sleeps with passes on to her some kind of entity that wants to kill her. The entity follows her everywhere and comes in the form of people that she some times knows. She and her friends spend all their time running away from the entity. On a couple of occasions they try to fight back but they quickly realize that they can’t defeat it. Jay takes into consideration and makes an attempt to pass it on, but her attempt fails.

The movie had some good scenes but overall it is a very slow-paced film. The tone of the film has a classic late 70’s early 80’s feel to it and I got the idea that the writers were going that, but that just was not enough to make it successful.

There were so many things that the writers and director could have done to make this horror magic, like coming up with a detailed plot that fully explains the origin of the entity and how to pass it on or defeat it.  The most important thing they could have done was make the haunting even more haunting, not just have people following the main character. I mean at times the appearance of the entity was more startling instead of scary. The entity should have been more  of a creature that hides in the shadows and comes for her at more of a time that is least expected. The opening scene where the girl has her legs broken forward was better than the whole film. They could have taken a more supernatural approach to this film and incorporated that type of gore and horror that the introduction promised.

I hate to say it, but i feel that modern horror is starting to die. Every movie that I give a chance lately has ended in nothing but disappointment. It seems like the film industry is becoming nothing but remakes, or shotty ideas that are not fully developed or portrayed in ways that horror movie fans can appreciate like in the decades of film and writing creativity. Thank goodness for Netflix and my classic horror collection.

The music was well done, the effects were almost not existent and the acting was mediocre. I’m happy that I didn’t spend money at the theater for this.

I give this movie two stars, if you can get through it.

L.L.

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The Conjuring “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on July 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The New Line Cinema production, The Conjuring directed by James Wan and starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga was one of the best horror films I’ve seen this year.
The movie follows husband and wife paranorormal research team Ed and Loraine Warren.
Based on true events that happened in the early 70’s, the story is about a family that moves into a new home, that is haunted. As soon as they get settled in, the paranormal activity begins. The mother(Carolyn Perron) played by Lili Taylor and their young daughter seem to clearly be targets for the haunting entity. The activity is so traumatic that Perron quickly seeks the help of the Warrens. The Warrens set up an investigation in the home to present proof to the Vatican that the house is in need of an exorcism. The team learns that the house has a horrible history and are concerned for the survival of the family.
Ed is a demonologist and his wife Lorraine is a clairvoyant. Together they use their gifts to battle the entity that eventually possesses the mother Carolyn.
Wan and his team did a great job with authentically creating the time period. The costumes and overall set design including the actors character portrayals was definitely believable.
The story was well written and special effects were tastefully done and added to the telling of the haunting story. Evil Dead remake was the last movie that made me scream. If you are looking for a great horror movie to scare the s*** out of you, than The Conjuring is your movie. This is a must must see and I give it 5 stars. Well done New Line.
Happy Viewing
L.L.
Note: I’d love to see a sequel for this film. It has great potential to begin a new franchise.

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World War Z “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 23, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Paramount Pictures production World War Z directed by Marc Forster, and starring Brad Pitt was not the zombie horror flick I thought it would be.
The film opens like most zombie films do, with people living their ordinary lives and going though with their daily routines.
As a family starts their day with preparing to go to school and work, everything is disrupted as a sudden unknown emergency sweeps the area of downtown Philadelphia.
Survival mode quickly settles over Gerry Lane(Brad Pitt) as he struggles to keep his family safe from the threat.
As an employee at the U.N., he is soon recruited by government officials to try and track down and identify the origin of the “So called zombie plague”.
Lane sets out on a global quest to learn the answers about what’s happening.

World War Z was based on a book by Max Brown(which I haven’t read yet) but according to what I already know about the book, the film is very different.
I thought the film was interesting, and had quite a few scenes that were intense, and very engaging. This is of course not the classic zombie flick, but the concept of killing them was traditional. The origin of where they come from is unknown, in the movie (they mention rabies’) and the zombies seem to be much more amplified than the “rage” filled 28 Days Later zombie. There wasn’t much zombie killing and gore like I like because I think they were just too darn fast, one of the major pit falls the movie has. The solution they came up with at the WHO was innovative and creative.
The effects were entertaining and the zombie makeup was awesome. I really appreciated the hard work and talent that went into that aspect of the film.
It’s hard to not compare the movie with other zombie films. I clearly understood what the writers and director was trying to go for but I don’t think their interpretation came off well. The last really good Zombie movie I saw was Dawn of the Dead.
I’m a big fan of Brad Pitt’s so I gave this movie 3 stars for overall good entertainment.
Enjoy L.L.

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Summer Blockbuster Movies

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on June 12, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The official summer Blockbuster movie season kicked off with the release of Iron Man 3 this past May.
There is a long list of movies expected to be released this summer, but I have compiled a list of a few that I think will be worth watching.
I’m a big super hero fan, so the first movie on my list is
Man of Steel-June 14 starring Henry Cavill

World War Z- June 21 starring Brad Pitt

White House Down-June 28 starring Jamie Foxx

The Lone Ranger-July 3 starring Johnny Depp

The Conjuring-July 19 starring Patrick Wilson

Elysium-August 9 starring Matt Damon

I’ve seen all of the trailers to these films and feel that they will all take their audiences on a thrill ride of adventure.
I expect that they will do very well at the box office.
As I continue to search for summer movies I may add to my list in the near future.
Enjoy your weekend at the movies!
L.L

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Ironman3 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on May 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Marvel Studios production, Ironman 3 starring Robert Downey Jr. and directed by Shane Black was a good film considering some of the negative reviews that have been written about the film. Black is fairly new to the directing scene and is known for writing for the popular 80’s action flicks Lethal Weapon, Lethal Weapon 2, and Lethal Weapon 3.
Ironman 3 picks up sometime after the Avengers have saved the world from an intergalactic alien invasion. A disturbed Tony Stark is in the process of trying to deal with the shock of knowing that other worlds and beings exist. He is also adjusting to being in a steady relationship with Pepper.
The normalcy of life quickly comes to a halt when Tony learns that the world is once again under attack by a terrorist. The Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley. He is a vicious killer and will do anything to get what he wants. The government acts quickly and sends Colonel James Rhodes out on a mission to search for the terrorist. An old acquaintance of Tony’s surfaces Aldrich Killian, and makes Pepper an offer for Tony to be a partner in his DNA altering project. Pepper declines and little do they know that Killian has a more malicious agenda in mind. Tony calls out The Mandarin and soon his home is under attack. Barely making it out alive Tony and Pepper survive, but their home is destroyed. As Tony searches for The Mandarin he quickly learns that he is a fake, an actor and that his real enemy is Killian. Killian has developed a way to heal the physically disabled, but has changed them into heat resistant mutants. He has created these beings to destroy Stark and the world. His plan is to become the world’s most powerful terrorist. He kidnaps the President and Pepper and tries to use Tony’s love for her to get him to work for him.
Tony and Killian battle it out in the traditional fight between good vs evil.
Overall I thought that Ironman 3 was a good movie. The first two were better, but that still doesn’t take away from the film. Black was creative in his representation of Ironman. There were a lot of action pact scenes and creative concepts that haven’t been done before with Ironman. The effects were good, the score was disappointing.
I give this movie 3 1/2 stars.

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Anger and Frustration

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Anger and frustration are emotions that every human being experiences during their lifetime.
The cause of these emotions could be as simple as sitting in traffic jam, to a garbage truck blocking your passage down the street,or someone not calling you back, to people not listening to you when you have something important to say. The list goes on and on.
How can you as a well grounded person in this society handle anger and frustration? For me the answer is not as simple as you think,but I think that trying to focus on something positive helps. I try to look on the bright of most situations. Deep breathing and thinking things through when you have clear head is also good. This can help with some of the more complicated causes of anger and frustration. And most importantly, its always good to have some kind of outlet to let go and burn off some steam. Writing, reading,walking, running, a day at the spa, doing something that takes you to another realm mentally and physically are all things that will help you regroup and handle those emotions better.

Good Luck to everyone and remember try to relax. Life is too short to deal with things beyond your control. Stress is still the number killer in the U.S.

Embracing something new
L.L.

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Evil Dead excitement!!!

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

The new Sony production Evil Dead will be released in theaters this Friday. The movie tells the story of a group of friends that go to a cabin in the woods to help one of their friends quit drugs cold turkey.
That part of the story is very different from the original, but there are many elements that are the same. The same concept of possession is the foundation of the storyline. This movie doesn’t seem to have any elements of comedy like the original, which makes me very happy.
One by one the friends become victims of possession, as a consequence of reading the book of the dead.
Blood,gore, body dismemberment all make up the basis of an excellent, horror movie experience.
I was surprised to hear that Bruce Campbell wasn’t going to make an appearance, but learned that he would have a role behind the scenes as one of the producers. I am so excited about this movie, and my husband just purchased the first tickets for Saturday night’s showing!! Enjoy everyone, and my review will be coming soon.
L.L.

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone: Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on March 26, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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The Incredible Burt Wonderstone Movie Review
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone directed by Don Scardino, known for directing many popular television shows including 30 Rock, stars Steve Carell and follows the story of a middle aged Las Vegas Magician as he struggles to remain one of the top magicians in Sin City.
Wonderstone and his partner/best friend Anton Marvelton played by Steve Buscemi have had an act based at Balleys hotel and Casino for over ten years. Stuck in their old school magician ways, their careers and friendship is put to the test when fellow magician and rival Steve Gray portrayed by Jim Carrey attempts to show the world a fresh new form of creating illusions.
The team of magicians try to keep up with the competition by creating a stunt that hopefully will boast ticket sales, But Burt and Anton soon part ways when the idea of the new stunt goes terribly wrong and Anton gets hurt.
Burt struggles to maintain the show on his own, but the show sinks without his partner. As a result of the act loosing money Burt is fired. Unable to properly adjust, Burt is faced with living in a motel with accommodations that do not suit him.
During his travels and transition he meets the king of magic and learns that throughout the years he has lost his passion for the art of magic.
As realizes that the passion he once had can be regained, he reconstitutes his friendships and opens himself up to new ideas.
The movie was funny but still was not 40 Year Old Virgin funny. That is what I was expecting. Jim Carry’s character was very funny and it was nice to see him back on the screen doing what he loves. Carrell and Buscemi were a great team and had great chemistry.
I give this movie 3 stars and recommend it to anyone that wants to laugh and enjoys the combination of all actors.

Happy Reading and Writing
L.L

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Oz The Great and Powerful:Movie review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

oz poster

Oz The Great and Powerful:movie review
Oz The Great and Powerful directed by the talented and creative Sam Raimi and starring James Franco tells how the origin of the Wizard of Oz came to be. Franco plays a struggling magician part of a traveling circus. A good man at heart, unfortunately Oscar learns how to live his life by tricking the people around him in order to make ends meet. After a day of creating illusions for a show Oscar is swept away in a hot air balloon when he is caught in a tornado.
(The introduction of the movie starts out in black and white just like the original Wizard of Oz.)
Oscar prays that if his life is spared he will change. And suddenly everything stops and he enters another world, Oz. From there on the movie is (shot in color.)
Oscar is memorized by the magic and uniqueness of this place. He soon meets a beautiful woman (Mila Kunis) that admits she is a witch and charms her just like he charms every beauty that walks into his life. In no time Oscar learns that this beautiful land is in trouble and is in search for the one that will save the people of Oz from the wrath of a wicked witch. Oscar quickly makes the people believe that he is the Great Wizard that the prophecy predicted. He uses his charms,wit and ability to create illusions to claim a throne of riches and fame that does not truly belong to him. Once he learns that he is in the middle of a great battle for power among three powerful witches (Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams) he backs out trying to turn his back on the people and the mission to save the land. Forced to demonstrate his true nature of good he soon teams up with Glina the good witch and utilizes his trickster ways to create the ultimate illusion to defeat the two witches.
This movie is actually a prequel to the Judy Garland original. Sam Raimi did an excellent job directing this epic adventure. It was different than the classic Sam Raimi films that his fans know so well but he did not disappoint. The movie was filled with special effects. The effects were created with skill but there were times that I felt I was in Tim Burton’s world. Overall the movie was very entertaining and thrilling. The 3D version of this film did not enhance the cinematic experience for movie goers. That component was pointless. I would not recommend spending the extra money to see this film in 3D. The writing was creative and the make up was artistically developed. Mila Kunis’ makeup as the wicked witch was over the top with added laytex and construction considering the original witch had an elongated nose, warts and green face paint. The costume design was another element that added to the magic of this film. My goal for this review was not be long and obviously I did not meet that goal. ( LOL) The movie is a must see for adults and children to enjoy. I give this movie four stars.
Happy Reading!
L.L

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