Wingfeather Saga Short Film!

HAVE YOU SEEN IT?

I HOPE YOU HAVE.

IF YOU HAVEN'T, WELL......

May I give The Wingfeather Saga Short Film!

Based upon the spectacular books, this 15 minute animation shows the beginning of book 1, and its intention is promotion to produce an animated series of ALL FOUR BOOKS! The author, Andrew Peterson, is heavily involved, so you can bet it is being done right.

It is so, so, so BEAUTIFUL.

Be sure to share! We need this to be a HUGE success!

A Discovery Most Surprising (Movie Review)

Something most unexpected happened.

You see, I never intended to watch or read The Hunger Games. I really had no desire to watch a movie in which teens were forced to kill each other. I knew there was a point, that the story was a societal reflection. After seeing part of the movie on TV, I knew that was quite enough for me. It didn't look all that cinematiclly great even.

But then I started hearing more about Catching Fire, the second movie. A friend of mine loved it, a cousin bashed the first movie but praised the second one, Plugged In movie reviews had positive things to say, another sweet conservative blogger discouraged the first movie and applauded the second. And okay......I also found out about a character introduced in the second movie that intrigued me.

I didn't want any surprises though. I must have read the Plugged In review and Wikia articles about half a dozen times, including finding out the ending of the last book. Some people would tisk at this, but I really can't handle suspense, especially with a story I'm uncertain of.

So I watched it. And it was really, really good.

Instead of teens caught in gladiatorial arena for the amusement of twisted aristocrats, we have former victors--broken, bitter adults--forced back into the games when they've been guaranteed safety for life--and they are angry. Very angry. And there are some that are determined that this Games will go differently. Instead of just desperate survival, we discover unexpected sacrifice, courage, and heroism. A rebellion is rising against the tyranny of the Capitol, against the sadistic President Snow, and they have found their leader in Katniss Everdeen.

This movie isn't for young viewers. It tackles a very grim story, but it handles it with thoughtfulness and respect. It's not an entertainment for the viewers, though sadly this world still treats it as such. There is violence, cruelty, some language (included a bleeped out profanity), there's a scene where it is inferred someone strips down (though this is viewed as awkward and uncomfortable), and the whole thing is tense, tense, tense.

I figured I could wait till the DVD came out for Mockingjay: Part 1. I was wrong. Saw it in theaters just the other day. While even more grim, it was also the cleanest and most emotionally inspiring. I mean, it was a really powerful story of people coming together to fight against terrible evil, no matter if they might die.

The story does cast a very interesting reflection on our society, rather sadly enforced by the way our own culture and media responds to the actors and story as little more than entertainment. Instead of taking the typical YA route of "hot" characters, it showed the damaging and abusive effects on the people who are so idolized.

It's the characters who really make this series. Katniss, incredibly portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, is a compelling combination of strength and brokenness. Our heroes, Peeta and Gale, are strong, admirable men. I understand the problem with love triangles, but this is probably the most believable and best one I've seen. Katniss obviously loves Peeta, but her friendship with Gale pushes her to try (mistakenly) to help him and herself feel better with romance, but this clearly isn't good for any of them. Not everyone in the Capitol is evil, nor is everyone from the rebellion perfect. Not everyone can be judged by their appearance or position as best shown by the foppish stylist, Effie Trinket or the Capital heartthrob, Finnick Odair. I've also read parts of the second and third books, and it brings more understanding of the characters and events, though I do think the movies are better story-wise.

So have you been interested in this series, but really didn't want to watch a bunch of kids die for sport? My advice--don't watch the first one. Look it up on Wikipedia or something. It was made on a lower budget anyway.

Now Part 2, the finale, will be coming out this year, and it has me nervous, to say the least. The ending is a bit of a downer in the book, but it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. A lot more characters survive than I expected, but the two who die are rather devastating. But nonetheless, I'm glad I watched this series. It's a very interesting study on humanity, revolution, and love.

Movie Review-The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

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Finally, Part Three of The Hobbit has arrived! What did I think of it? In a sentence, there was a whole lot more to like in here than the first part, but also a lot more to get used to. You see, Peter Jackson decided to take many liberties from the original material, introducing characters and story-lines that never existed. Is this a bad thing? For Tolkien purists, yeah, they'll be riled up. But if you're willing to accept the movie for what it is, it is FANTASTIC.

Warning: If you have been trying to know as little about the movie as possible, read no further. If however, you've been watching the trailers and hearing news about it, I don't think I'll surprise you with new information. 

Things I Had Trouble With

As I am a big Tolkien fan and absolutely adore, I was full of mixed feelings and complaints after first leaving the theater. The story had so much added and changed content! So as a book retelling, its pretty independent.

I would have loved to see more of Beorn's House and the Elven King's halls. Only glimpses of these were seen, though very pretty glimpses.

One thing that took major getting used to was how they portrayed the Elven King. I won't give away spoilers, but I will say they gave him some background that gives him a very interesting personality. My opinion on this depends entirely on the condition that they reveal the noble guy he is in Part Three.

Also, this isn't something I'm having a major problem with now, but it is probably the main sore spot for critics. Tauriel, a elf-maiden warrioress, has been entirely created for the movie. And despite what Peter Jackson said, she and Legolas obviously are interested in each other. When I first heard of Tauriel, I rebelled against the idea and snarled that she better not be a romantic interest for Legolas. Now I say that since we knew zero about Legolas's private life as prince, it's not unreasonable that he falls in love. And if he's going to fall in love, Tauriel is the girl for him. I actually really like her, despite the cheesy way in which she often enters the screen. Despite being a gutsy warrior, she's sweet and compassionate. However, things aren't going smoothly for my favorite cinematic elf prince. His dad disapproves of the girl (lower-class, you see), and plus Tauriel seems to be developing feelings for a certain cute dwarf (rather they're romantic feelings or not is as yet undecipherable) causing Legolas to get a bit jealous (but not jealous enough to be a jerk, thank heavens).

Things I Absolutely Loved!

Smaug.

Smaug was the Chiefest and Greatest of Calamities (meant in the best possible way). O Smaug the Mighty. The unassessably wealthy. The Impenetrable. Dazzlingly marvelous! Perfect! Flawless! Stunning!

I. Loved. Smaug. All I'm going to say. I won't spoil anything for you.

Also, the events within Dol Golder with a certain Necromancer is fantastically done with creepy good effects. Once again, I can't spoil too much, but it was awesome. And a certain quote from Azog in reply to a certain someone made my mouth drop open. "We are legion." Direct quote from the demon who answered Jesus. I'm pretty sure that was intentional.

Bard the Bowman was wonderful. He quickly escalated to one my favorite characters in the movie. Plus, making him a caring father added such a warmth and realness to the movie, despite that this wasn't shown in the book. I adored having his kids as characters.

And the battle scenes with the elves were really cool. We even get to see a bit of elf/orc hand to hand combat, which was surprising and also kind of fun.

Things Viewers Might Like To Know

There's violence. I've heard it argued that its the most violent one yet. I'm not sure about that, but there was some gross orc beheadings that happened smack-dab in front of you, close enough to feel blood splatter. :P Plenty of orcs are skewered by elf arrows. But here's the reason why I don't have a problem with that. Orcs being skewered by elves. Much better than the other way around, yes? I probably flinched the most when an arrow is violently snapped off while in a hero's leg. Looked really painful.

Also, there's a large scene with spiders everywhere. Kind of freaky, even for someone who isn't terrified of spiders. My dad absolutely hates them, but he handled the scene pretty well.

Final Thoughts

Did I love it? Yes, I did. And after just finishing it the second time, I love it even more! I can hardly wait for The Hobbit: There and Back Again. That will be one intense movie, considering where this one leaves off. Wait, where does this one leave off? I guess you'll have to watch it, heh, heh, heh.

Movie Review: Frozen

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Sorry, the picture's a little blurry.

I've been waiting and waiting for this movie to come out! And I finally saw it! So what did I think?

I really liked it. And as time is going on, I'm really, really liking it. It's one of those movies that you grow to appreciate as you mull over it, quote lines, and sing songs from it.

Besides a few songs that felt out of style for the time era of the movie, there wasn't really much I didn't like about it. I will say that the story felt a little underdeveloped at times, like they really didn't bother to explain or at least explore some pretty important stuff in the movie.

But this is not to say that Frozen isn't a absolute blast!

I really adore Olaf the snowman in this movie. Really, he is so amusing and adorable.

The story carries some very powerful messages of having to face your fear, not run away from it. As you might expect, it also portrays true love. But not the way you'd come to expect of Disney. Indeed, this movie makes a mock of the typical guy-and-girl-meet-and-fall-in-love-stereo-type. Not only does it make a mock, but it also shows the deadly danger of it. 

So if you're looking for a great, feel-good, beautiful movie, with laugh-out-loud humor, fun characters, and a cool climax, go and watch Frozen! Have any of you already watched it? What did you think?

Movie Review: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Recently, I've been watching some of the classic animated movies that I missed during my childhood. There were some very good reasons why I didn't watch The Hunchback of Notre Dame as a child. But how did I feel about watching it as a young adult?

Absolutely floored.

With a dramatic prologue, I was plunged into one of Disney's most complicated animated masterpieces! Quasimodo has been locked up in the bell towers of Notre Dame all his life, and though his flight for freedom turns into a disaster, he finds an unexpected friend in another social misfit, the gypsy dancer Esmerelda.

Meanwhile, Judge Frollo seeks to purge the world of sin, ignoring the terrible condition of his own soul. 

This was no simple story. The cruelty of humankind is revealed in some people's treatment of Quasimodo, but mercy and love shines from others. Persecuted for many years, the gypsies are quite willing to return the same treatment on their enemies. Esmerelda is a street dancer, but she seems to wish for another way to survive. Her heart to help others is truly touching. But Quasi isn't the only one who falls for her. Captain Pheobus, lately returned from war, also notices her beauty and courage. And as if things weren't complicated enough, the evil Frollo simultaneously burns with lust for her and the desire to destroy her and all gypsies.

The music in this film is stunning. The opening and closing songs gave me chills. In another beautiful scene, Esmerelda sings a song to God, which while not entirely accurate, still shows an honest desire to know Him better.

The characters were incredibly well-developed. Though I adore Quasi and Esmerelda, Captain Pheobus became my favorite. Quite honestly, he left the Disney princes behind in the dust.

And I found so many Rapunzal vibes throughout this movie. Someone locked up in a tower because of a lie... As if that wasn't enough, Maximus from Tangled wasn't the first animated horse to take orders like a dog. Ha! Pheobus's horse, Achilles, doesn't show up often, but is awesome. And in one brief scene, Pheobus tells him, "Achilles, heel." I didn't even get it until my mom started laughing.

For those of you who have watched this movie and have read the Goldstone Wood books, didn't Esmerelda's goat remind you of Beana? Hee, hee, hee.

While this movie definitely was not for kids with the villain's raging lust and a surprising amount of casualties, I was simply delighted to discover this magnificent story. I don't understand why I've barely heard anything about this movie, because it topped so many of the Disney classics in so many ways. Was it just me who hadn't watched this movie or did you not know much about it either?

If you haven't watched it yet, I strongly recommend it! :) Who is the Monster and who is the Man?

Epic--Movie Review

For long ages, the Leafmen have fought back the forces of Rot and Decay despite the villain's greater numbers-- for the forest has Queen Tara on their side. She keeps the forest alive and grows back the greenery. Now, for the first time in a hundred years, Tara has a chance to give some of her power to a special plant pod in case anything ever happens to her...

Of course, that really is ridiculous. A desperate battle being waged between minute but no less heroic warriors and goblinish creatures called Boggens? Yeah. Mary Katherine, now known as M.K., doesn't believe a word of her dad's far-fetched theories. She's returned to build a relationship with him after the death of her mother--a relationship that fell apart ever since her parents separated over her dad's crazy obsession.

But one stormy night, M.K. finds herself shrunk to only a few inches tall...and surrounded by teeny little soldiers and talking slugs. Furthermore, she's commissioned to help save the forest and stop Rot and Decay from spreading even further. Will she ever find her father again and repair the damage between their hearts?

~

I love this movie!!!

The animation is GORGEOUS. The plot is engaging, humorous, dramatic, and touching. The characters are wonderful. M.K is easy to relate to. She's trying her best to mend things with her dad, but he just seems to have lost it. Has he? Despite his hummingbird attention span and his craze over little people in the forest (or perhaps it is because of these things), her dad is a very lovable character. There's the courageous warrior Ronin, the hot-headed but noble rookie, Nod, and oh, yes...the slug and snail. They are hilarious. While the thousands of Boggens are dumb enough, the main villain has a chilling personality that makes him worthy of his evil role. 

It was almost as if this movie was made for my family, because a guy running through the forest, slugs and snails, bats, rot and decay, and a pug all have something to do with my brother's job. We laughed so many times over so many inside jokes.

Epic has to rank amongst my favorite animated movies. Do not miss out. It is charming, delightful, and well...EPIC.

*  5 Stars  *

Tag Time! Favorite Movies

So I've been tagged by both Clara and Beka to list my favorite movies. So here we go.

#1
Obviously, this is my first choice. And as a matter of fact, I'm in the middle of watching it for the umpteenth time. Once again, I was really struck with the deep messages displayed throughout, and the actors' brilliant job of bringing the characters to life. 

But after my #1 movie, I have no order to my favorites. So I'll just list a couple that come to mind...

I was surprised to love this movie so much, and it remains a complete joy!

I also really love this inspiring film based off the true story of Bethany Hamilton.

Dragons...taming dragons....riding dragons....What's not to love? And do you know that a second one is coming out??? I hear it will be a trilogy. Ahh!

Probably one of the most 'epic' movies of my childhood...and is still firmly placed as one of my favorite animated movies. The story is awesome, the music is gorgeous, and I adore the humor.

So that's a few of my favorites. I also really love the historical movie 'Amazing Grace', 'The Kung Fu Panda' movies, and 'Secretariat'.

Now I get to tag people to list their favorite movies.

Rebekah at Backing Books

Sarah at Dreams and Dragons

Rayne Spyrell at Writing in Rivendell