Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘New Movie reviews’

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

Read Full Post »

“The Hobbit” Movie review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2012| 1 Comment »

The hobbit

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit starring Martin Freeman is the spectacular genesis of an epic adventure that follows a small hobbit a young “Bilbo Baggins” as he sets off on a journey to help a clan of dwarves reclaim their homeland at the Lonely Mountain which was stolen from them by a fierce dragon called Smaug. Recruited by the great wizard Gandalf, Bilbo is approached by the dwarves and their King Thorin to assist in their efforts. Labeled as a “thief” Bilbo is Reluctant to leave the comforts of home and branch off into the world. As the dwarves try to convince Bilbo to take on the task, he continues to let his fears of the outside world get the best of him.
Once the dwarves make way out the Shire, Bilbo soon decides that he will not be a product of his own fears and sets off on “an unexpected journey.”
Bilbo’s travels open him up to a vast array of possibilities that Middle Earth has to offer including the most important aspect of his journey which is his encounter with the creature Gollum and finding “The Ring of Power.” Bilbo and the dwarves encounter trolls, orcs, and even battles goblins on the journey to recapture the dwarf land.
The opening of the film was just wonderful. Bilbo starts off as the Bilbo we know and love in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He and Frodo (yes Elijah Wood makes an appearance!) are preparing for Bilbo’s birthday party. Bilbo is in the process of writing his book An Unexpected Journey.
This movie is the most perfect prequel that I have ever seen. I was looking at this movie as if I hadn’t seen the others. We learn more about the character that makes up Bilbo, as well as the relationship between Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond and Galadriel. It amazing how well Jackson tells this story.
Without giving away anything else, this movie is a must see and fans will be in awe once again over this cinematic experience.
The cast was stunning in their collective performance which included Ian Holm, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian Mckellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, and Christopher Lee. Howard Shore graced the musical scene for The Hobbit and Jackson’s team of creatures and makeup artists ultimately created a film of sensational measure.
I give “The Hobbit” five stars.
L.L

Read Full Post »

The Possession Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The LionsGate and GhostHouse production of the film The Possession directed by Ole Bornedal opened this Labor weekend.  The so-called “Based on a True Story” was not the horror movie that it claimed to be.  Starring Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffery Dean Morgan, the movie tells the story of a divorced couple, making an attempt to raise their two daughters in two separate homes.  One weekend as the girls spend time with their father in his new home, he takes them to a local yard sale to find items for the house.  His youngest daughter Emily is drawn to a large antique box and ends up buying the box.  Curious over the box it’s self and the possible contents inside the box, the daughter quickly becomes obsessed with it.  Slowly her father notices that his little girl is demonstrating odd behavior at home.  Her life at school is also affected to the point where her dad tries to separate her from the box.

Her downward spiral and her social and physical demise is fast-moving.  The obvious psychiatric evaluation is recommended as well as doctors appointments and MRI’s are scheduled in order for the parents to seek answers in what is wrong with their daughter.  Once medical issues are ruled out the father puts two and two together and learns that his daughter is possessed.  As he familiarized himself with the concept of possession, he realizes that his daughter must have an exorcism.  Finally embracing his heritage, Clyde makes contact with a Jewish priest to seek advice and plead for him to exorcise the demon.

This movie was not what I thought it would be.  The Sam Raimi element of the film to me was non existent.  The special effects were minimal and  the demonic transformation was disappointing.  The movie was not original and had elements of The Unborn, Emily Rose, The Devil Inside, and The Exorcist wrapped up into one film.

The acting skills were pretty basic, and that was not a negative reflection on  Sedgwick and Morgan.  I think it was the lack of commitment and passion from the writers.  Just because the story is “based on true events” does not mean that the writing can be dull.  Just the idea alone is not good enough.  The writing must be passionate so it can transform the story into something that will “Pull us in”.  It was a nice surprise to see Melrose Place’s bad boy Grant Show make an appearance as Stephine’s new man.  The character was really pointless, he took up space in the house and that is all.  The score was not that impressive and did not enhance the movie.

Overall this movie would be best to watch on Dvd or Netflix on a Friday evening when there is nothing else much else to do.  I give this move two and a half stars.

Happy Reading and Writing

L.L!!

Read Full Post »

Snow White and the Huntsman “Movie review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on June 9, 2012| 3 Comments »

 Snow White and the Huntsman directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, and Charlize Theron tells the classic fairy tale with a very dramatic twist.  The struggle for power, beauty and immortality are the basis that supports the over all theme of good vs evil.  Kristen Stewart plays a Snow White that is rarely portrayed when it comes to fairy tale princesses.  The character demonstrates strength and perseverance as she sets out on a journey to survive being hunted, avenge her father’s death and to save the kingdom from permanent darkness.   Unfortunately  I feel that Stewart was not a good choice for the role of Snow White.  I understand the goal of  the casting director but Stewart did not do a good job with the character portrayal.  I just saw her as a modern girl who was thrown into period costume, making an attempt to portray a fairy tale princess.  Her mannerisms were way too Bella like, and I kept seeing Bella push through the Snow White character.

On the other hand the Queen played by Theron was a perfect choice of casting right along with the Huntsman played by Hemsworth.  Both characters had a very interesting story that continued to draw movie goers deeper into the fairy tale.  The darkness within Theron was extremely engaging, the more you saw her on camera the more you wanted to learn about her character.  Charlize was by far one of the best evil queens I have seen on silver screen.

The special effects and costumes were stunning and engaging.  They did not over shadow the mood of the movie or the storyline.  They both added to the realness of the environment.  The effects were used in methods that told the story in a way that our imaginations could only visualize.  The fantasy world demonstrated a vast array of creativity and innovativeness.  I was completely drawn into the elements of the magical land.

One major down fall in the movie was the portrayal of the dwarfs.  Played by various known actors, collectively they were not a major component to the story line like in the classic story.  The casting director should have picked real little people to play the seven dwarfs.  There are lots of little people actors out there that should have the opportunity to demonstrate their acting skills.  They would have also presented a more authentic feel representing their part of the story.

The movie has some good action that will keep you interested.  I give this movie three stars.

Happy Reading and Writing

L.L

Check out this movie clip

Read Full Post »

Marvel’s The Avengers Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , on May 6, 2012| 1 Comment »

 The Avengers movie presented by Marvel Comics and directed by Joss Whedon,  stars a cast filled with household named Hollywood actors.  There is a major threat that looms upon the Earth and it’s survival.  Recruited by Nick Fury, The Avengers aka Iron man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow, Hawk Eye and Captain America come together to battle Thor’s great enemy, his step brother the God Loki.  Loki plans to take over the Earth and rule over the human race by any means necessary.

The movie takes the theater goer on an action packed thrill ride that comic book fans and fans of just plain great entertainment will never forget.  The writers and director blend the perfect amount of unique individual character development while staying true to The Avengers storyline, as well as their goal as a unified group.

Joss Whedon does a wonderful job with presenting the movie in a visually stunning manner by exposing the movie watcher with a variety of stimulating scenes and worlds without loosing focus in over exaggerated special effects.  The themes of strength, perseverance, survival and team work are combined in ways that work well together.  It tells a well written story and leaves the movie goer completely satisfied, entertained, and contemplating what is yet to come in the sequel.

This movie is a definite must see and worth the extra cash for the 3D experience.  I give this movie five stars.

Happy Reading, Writing and Creating!!!

Read Full Post »

Movies That Are Released Straight to DVD

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , on April 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I understand the whole idea behind production companies releasing movies straight to DVD, but at this point in the business, these companies need to let the public know when they are releasing a film directly to DVD.  They should if they want to make some kind of money and expose their creations.  Now I pretty much consider myself a movie buff and I think I am in the loop when it comes to viewing new movies, old movies and everything in-between.  Now I must admit that with writing my new book series I have been devoting a lot of my time working but that still does not mean that I am clueless in what is going on in the movie world.  Last night while I was resting and playing on my NOOK I decided to find a movie to watch on Netflix since there was nothing on television.  I stumbled upon a horror that was released last year called “Hellraiser: Revelations”  starring Steven Brand.   I knew nothing about this movie.  This movie is the ninth installment in the franchise.  It basically had the same concept as the other movies.  A couple of teens come across the box, one opens the box and then they are unwillingly sucked into the demonic world of the Cenobites.  As a fan of Clive Barker, the original and the sequel, I had to follow in suit and watch them all, just to stay true to the series.  It is an unspoken devotion to the genre and the craft as a whole to watch these movies even if the casts, directors and overall storylines are altered in such ways that may not appeal to the average movie goer.  Remember A nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy’s Dead?  That was horrible, but most of us who love classic horror had to see it.  I know there are so many more movies out there like that, but it can be hard to just turn your back on a series that you have invested years of faithfulness and devotion to.

I suggest that these companies invest more money and time in advertising.  A real movie buff is willing to give a movie a chance just as long as they are aware that the movie is floating on a shelf.  That shelf could be part of Netflix or Blockbuster or any other movie distribution company.

Cabin in Woods will be released this weekend and I am curious to how it will do considering Hunger Games has been on top for last few weeks.  Stay tuned for a movie review.

Happy Reading, Writing and Creating!

Read Full Post »

Movies That Are Released Straight to DVD

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , on April 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I understand the whole idea behind production companies releasing movies straight to DVD, but at this point in the business, these companies need to let the public know when they are releasing a film directly to DVD.  They should if they want to make some kind of money and expose their creations.  Now I pretty much consider myself a movie buff and I think I am in the loop when it comes to viewing new movies, old movies and everything in-between.  Now I must admit that with writing my new book series I have been devoting a lot of my time working but that still does not mean that I am clueless in what is going on in the movie world.  Last night while I was resting and playing on my NOOK I decided to find a movie to watch on Netflix since there was nothing on television.  I stumbled upon a horror that was released last year called “Hellraiser: Revelations”  starring Steven Brand.   I knew nothing about this movie.  This movie is the ninth installment in the franchise.  It basically had the same concept as the other movies.  A couple of teens come across the box, one opens the box and then they are unwillingly sucked into the demonic world of the Centabytes.  As a fan of Clive Barker, the original and the sequel, I had to follow in suit and watch them all, just to stay true to the series.  It is an unspoken devotion to the genre and the craft as a whole to watch these movies even if the casts, directors and overall storylines are altered in such ways that may not appeal to the average movie goer.  Remember A nightmare on Elm Street: Freddy’s Dead?  That was horrible, but most of us who love classic horror had to see it.  I know there are so many more movies out there like that, but it can be hard to just turn your back on a series that you have invested years of faithfulness and devotion to.

I suggest that these companies invest more money and time in advertising.  A real movie buff is willing to give a movie a chance just as long as they are aware that the movie is floating on a shelf.  That shelf could be part of Netflix or Blockbuster or any other movie distribution company.

Cabin in Woods will be released this weekend and I am curious to how it will do considering Hunger Games has been on top for last few weeks.  Stay tuned for a movie review.

Happy Reading, Writing and Creating!

Read Full Post »

Wrath or Titans Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , on April 2, 2012| 2 Comments »

 Wrath of the Titans directed by Jonathan Liebesman and starring Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fienness is the sequel to the 2010 remake Clash of the Titans.  The action adventure movie takes place ten years after Perseus defeats the deadly creature the Kracken unleashed by Hades.  Now a widower Perseus continues his life as a single father fisherman.  Determine to live life as regular human Perseus is soon approached by his father Zeus.  A humbled Zeus explains to his son that the Gods are  in danger of extinction and only a few survive within the shadows of the underworld.  The demigod quickly realizes that the world he lives in is in danger of destruction and his father is now a prisoner of the underworld.   Betrayed by his other son Ares and his brother Hades, Zeus’s immortality is at risk.  Hades and Ares band together to resurrect the ultimate power Cronos.  Perseus embarks upon the adventure of  a lifetime to save his father from death, and to save humanity from destruction.

The hour and twenty-nine minute movie moves pretty fast and is filled with lots of action, theatrics and really cool creatures and monsters that makes this movie a must see.  The weakness that Perseus shows throughout the movie is a disappointment to me.  At this point in the franchise the writers should have given Perseus some kind of active powers that reflect that he is a demigod.  I don’t think that his strength should just come from a weapon forged for the Gods.

The overall storyline is very interesting. It shows the evolution of the main character and how his life has changed and been impacted by being a father himself.  The movie ties a lot of loose ends together concerning the relationship between Perseus and his father Zeus.  It also explores the difficult past among Hades and Zeus and follows the transformation of their brotherhood.  It eventually turns into a heartfelt reconciliation that starts with the reoccurring theme of teamwork and forgiveness.

The movie was visually intriguing and is must see, but make sure you see Clash of the Titans first.  I give this movie four stars.

Read Full Post »

« Newer Posts