"Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who is fairest of them all."
June is almost coming to an end, and I haven't been diligent in writing on my blog. The reason is, that I have lacked things to write about. I am just now able to sit down and think of words that have any meaning to me, which is a great feeling.
My first blog post back from obscurity will be doing a review on a movie I recently saw at the movies, so here goes.
"Snow White and the Huntsman"
As most people know, Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame is in this movie. I have to admit, I came prepared to hate her guts when I decided to go see this movie. Yet, I found her very entertaining and she conveyed with great ease, the feelings of Snow White. So no, I actually did not end up hating her performance. Apart from some accent slip ups, she did incredibly well in this role. When that girl smiles, her whole face changes to that of a woman with an incredibly angelic face. I can not explain it, but she seems like her when she smiles. The moronic pout she sports in Twilight is not her, so when a smile graces her face, it is to be appreciated. Her screen time was interestingly sparse considering she plays one of the titular characters, but none the less I enjoyed watching her on screen. And finally we have a movie that celebrates a strong female character without having to force a romantic relationship down the viewers throats. Kudos to that feat.
For me, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron are the amazing force of this movie, besides the visuals which I will address later. Theron, gives an incredible performance as Ravenna, the evil queen who takes over Snow White's fathers kingdom. She's icy, but always on the verge of tears, and when you realize what her motives are for trying to destroy everything in her path, you understand that it's not just a quest for power, it lies even deeper. I could have easily spent more time watching what her motives were, but I understand why it only received a small nod.
On the other hand you have Hemsworth, who's a drunk and stumbles about for most of his scenes in the beginning. His alcoholic tendencies have valid reasons and you understand his distaste for the world around him. It was nice to see him out of the Thor persona, a brutish warrior who had little to nothing to add to the greater picture, aside from comic relief. Here, he gets a chance to showcase that he does indeed have some great acting chops, even in the subdued and dialogue driven scenes. I shed a few tears - as did he - during his emotional scenes, so I consider that an A+ (should be noted that I am easily moved to tears).
Now, the visuals are a real treat in this movie. Sweeping plains, waterfalls, sunshine and animals are beautiful to the point of inducing tears. It resembles Lord of the Rings, Game Of Thrones and even Willow in a lot of scenes. I felt giddy with excitement when I first was introduced to the Dark Woods. They were incredibly well done and I would be terrified of stumbling around in a forest which has come to life, dark monsters and twisting snakes ét all. The music was also masterfully composed, yet again I find resemblances to LOTR and other fantasy movies of the same kind. Beautiful and haunting lyrics during a quiet sorrowful scene, grandiose and booming orchestral movements during battle scenes. Wonderful experience honestly.
Story wise, it was on point with how I remember the old tale to be like. Should I point out some disappointing moments, it would be that the dwarfs did not have enough screen time at all. I am a huge fan of Ian McShane, Nick Frost and Bob Hoskins who are a few of the dwarfs. Their interaction with each other was not comic relief as I usually see in movies and mostly irritates me because it is not done cleverly. Instead it was heartwarming squabbles between friends who have survived Ravenna's evil rule. Their band of brothers vibe, was not fleshed out properly. Even though I was moved by their warmth and spirit, their entry into the plot and overall story was too rushed.
I rated it a 8/10 on IMDb and I would not pass up a chance to see it again in the cinema. Movies like this should be appreciated on a big screen where the sweeping images really can give off an impressive vibe. If you are just a little bit fascinated by the fantasy genre, then do not pass up the chance to see this on the big screen, in all its glory.
8/10 - would see it again...
Love + Blessings
My first blog post back from obscurity will be doing a review on a movie I recently saw at the movies, so here goes.
"Snow White and the Huntsman"
As most people know, Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame is in this movie. I have to admit, I came prepared to hate her guts when I decided to go see this movie. Yet, I found her very entertaining and she conveyed with great ease, the feelings of Snow White. So no, I actually did not end up hating her performance. Apart from some accent slip ups, she did incredibly well in this role. When that girl smiles, her whole face changes to that of a woman with an incredibly angelic face. I can not explain it, but she seems like her when she smiles. The moronic pout she sports in Twilight is not her, so when a smile graces her face, it is to be appreciated. Her screen time was interestingly sparse considering she plays one of the titular characters, but none the less I enjoyed watching her on screen. And finally we have a movie that celebrates a strong female character without having to force a romantic relationship down the viewers throats. Kudos to that feat.
For me, Chris Hemsworth and Charlize Theron are the amazing force of this movie, besides the visuals which I will address later. Theron, gives an incredible performance as Ravenna, the evil queen who takes over Snow White's fathers kingdom. She's icy, but always on the verge of tears, and when you realize what her motives are for trying to destroy everything in her path, you understand that it's not just a quest for power, it lies even deeper. I could have easily spent more time watching what her motives were, but I understand why it only received a small nod.
On the other hand you have Hemsworth, who's a drunk and stumbles about for most of his scenes in the beginning. His alcoholic tendencies have valid reasons and you understand his distaste for the world around him. It was nice to see him out of the Thor persona, a brutish warrior who had little to nothing to add to the greater picture, aside from comic relief. Here, he gets a chance to showcase that he does indeed have some great acting chops, even in the subdued and dialogue driven scenes. I shed a few tears - as did he - during his emotional scenes, so I consider that an A+ (should be noted that I am easily moved to tears).
Now, the visuals are a real treat in this movie. Sweeping plains, waterfalls, sunshine and animals are beautiful to the point of inducing tears. It resembles Lord of the Rings, Game Of Thrones and even Willow in a lot of scenes. I felt giddy with excitement when I first was introduced to the Dark Woods. They were incredibly well done and I would be terrified of stumbling around in a forest which has come to life, dark monsters and twisting snakes ét all. The music was also masterfully composed, yet again I find resemblances to LOTR and other fantasy movies of the same kind. Beautiful and haunting lyrics during a quiet sorrowful scene, grandiose and booming orchestral movements during battle scenes. Wonderful experience honestly.
Story wise, it was on point with how I remember the old tale to be like. Should I point out some disappointing moments, it would be that the dwarfs did not have enough screen time at all. I am a huge fan of Ian McShane, Nick Frost and Bob Hoskins who are a few of the dwarfs. Their interaction with each other was not comic relief as I usually see in movies and mostly irritates me because it is not done cleverly. Instead it was heartwarming squabbles between friends who have survived Ravenna's evil rule. Their band of brothers vibe, was not fleshed out properly. Even though I was moved by their warmth and spirit, their entry into the plot and overall story was too rushed.
I rated it a 8/10 on IMDb and I would not pass up a chance to see it again in the cinema. Movies like this should be appreciated on a big screen where the sweeping images really can give off an impressive vibe. If you are just a little bit fascinated by the fantasy genre, then do not pass up the chance to see this on the big screen, in all its glory.
8/10 - would see it again...
Love + Blessings
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