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Posts Tagged ‘Weekend Box office’

The Dark Knight Rises Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on July 23, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Directed by Christopher Nolan and Starring Christine Bale and Micheal Caine, The Dark Knight Rises is the third film in the modern “Batman” franchise.  Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, and life long friend Rachael Dawes, Gotham City does it’s best to cope with the loss of a hero.   A broken Bruce Wayne is now isolated and disconnected from a world where he was always in view of the public. Two new villans take the scene in this film, a lovely thief that makes her way in the world by kicking ass and stealing,(Catwoman, played by Ann Hathaway) and a masked protector that seeks nothing but the traditional thing that most superhero villans want; money, power and control over others (Bane,played by Tom Hardy).  As Bane terrorizes the city, a distraught Bruce Wayne aka Batman slowly but surly makes his way back into the limelight trying to protect Gotham and it’s citizens from destruction.

As Bruce Wayne continues to deal with loosing people he loves, the inner struggle he faces grows more intense.
Despite the reconstruction of Wayne manor, the scars that Bruce carry run deep within his spirit and help him to evolve into an even more complex character than we are used to seeing.  Nolan does a wonderful job continuing the telling of “Batman’s” story through the camera lens.  The introduction of the new villans and the directions they are taken  in puts an interesting twist on the overall story.  The action scenes were wonderful as would be expected from a Nolan film.  The all-star cast each played their parts well and made their roles believable and unique to their portrayal.  The special effects were engaging and appropriate for a film of this caliber.  The end has some surprises for sure, and will have the movie goer in tears and in all smiles.  This Blockbuster movie is a must see!! I give The Dark Knight Rises Five stars and hope that a fourth film may surface so that the Batman legacy will continue.

Happy Reading

L.L

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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

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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!!!

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The Cabin in the Woods Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on April 15, 2012| Leave a Comment »

 The Lionsgate production, The Cabin in the Woods directed by Drew Goddard and starring a cast of relative unknowns follows a group of five college kids on a trip.  The kids intent for a fun weekend filled with booze, sex and drug usage is cut short when two of them are attacked during a moment when they believe they are alone.  Attacked by flesh-eating zombies, their traumatic ordeal and experiences in the cabin are being filmed in real-time.  Every step they make is monitored and controlled by some kind of high functioning underground operation.   From the very beginning,  starting with their encounter with the stranger on the road, to the discovery of a torture chamber in the basement,  and the moment leading up to the initial attack prompts the movie to go  in so many different directions.  The movie simultaneously follows what is happening to the college kids and the adults responsible for their demise.  Strangely they take up bets, and route for their favorite.  In the end no one is to survive this experience.

After running and making attempts to protect and save themselves the kids die one by one with only  two to survive.  Dana and Marty aka the virgin and the fool end up underground in the official facility that has control over everything.  They learn that for some reason they are ones that have to die, in order to save the world from destruction.  At this point this is where the movie looses me completely.  The Sci Fi horror legend Sigourney Weaver makes a cameo appearance in the movie as The Director of the Facility.  She explains that their purpose is to offer up human blood to satisfy the gods, in order to save humanity.  Dana is then given the opportunity to rid the world of the fool so that the world has a chance to survive.

The hour and thirty minute flick is fast-moving but really does not stir anything in me.  The movie does keep you interested because the question of knowing who, why, how and when is always on your brain.  There were elements of 13 Ghosts, infused with Hostel, Stay Alive and Silent Hill in this movie.   The movie’s horror  intention was lost in its interpretation, even though there were some scary parts.  This movie was very hard to follow at times.  The acting was not impressive but the special effects and creature designs were very cool.  The make up effects for the zombies was also very interesting.  They didn’t appear to look like the traditional zombie but more, like a hybrid demonic creature with elements of  the classic zombie.  It was a refreshing twist on the creature.

Overall I give this movie three stars for cinematic effort and the attempts to being unique in its concept.

Happy Reading, Writing, and Creating!!

L.L.

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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.

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