Movie Review – Victor Frankenstein

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Author, Daniel Radcliffe, Gloria Oliver, Jessica Brown Findlay, movie reviews, Movies, prequel, SF Movies, Unveiling the Fantastic, Victor Frankenstein

Victor Frankenstein

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy, Jessica Brown Findlay, Andrew Scott, Charles Dance, Freddie Fox , Spencer Wilding, Bronson Webb, Callum Turner, Alistair Petrie, Guillaume Delaunay, and more.

Directed by: Paul McGuigan Screenplay by: Max Landis Based on the Novel by: Mary Shelley Cinematography by: Fabian Wagner Music by: Craig Armstrong

Premise: Years before the final creation of his masterpiece, Frankenstein studied medicine in London, madly researching how to bring his dreams to fruition. It is here that he run across a mistreated clown at a circus, one who despite his misshapen body, might have the spark of genius he’s been looking for. But Inspector Turpin has put some facts together and is now on Frankenstein’s trail – and the more he finds the more determined he is to stop him. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: Daniel Radcliffe proves he’s got what it takes with his great portrayal of Igor. His physical handling of Igor’s infirmities and emotional tug of wars were nicely done! James McAvoy is manic and delicious as the mercurial Victor Frankenstein. Andrew Scott as Inspector Turpin was also a lot of fun. That lovely intensity he’s used when playing bad guys are aimed at his being a good guy, yet he still ends up as an antagonist all the same. 😛

2) Special Effects – Total Thumbs Up: The awesome special effects works starts almost instantly on this film. An innocent enough sight, watching a trapeze artist ply her craft, becomes so much more when suddenly we see an underlayer showing her bones and working muscles as she works through her routine. This was delicious fun especially especially during the scene where Igor and Victor meet – because they’re both doing it at the same time! And Victor’s treatment for Igor’s hump? Ewwwww!

All the effects for the cool experiments and science equipment were marvelous. The eyes Victor shows Igor when speaking of what he’s working on were especially neat, specifically because they looked like nothing much but then they change! Add in the pulsating body parts, the first successful composite animal, and later a humanoid creature and there’s lots to love.

Throw in the gorgeous skies and storm clouds, exploding equipment, lighting, electricity gone wild – and you get a ton of super cool special effects all over the place. And wait till you see the lovely spanning views of CGI London and then the isolated castle in Scotland!

3) Plot/Story – Thumbs Up: “Victor Frankenstein” is a prequel of sorts. It basically fills in a lot about Igor and Victor before they get together in later years to create the monster we’ve seen in the book and the films. The entire thing is from Igor’s point of view – which made this a refreshing take on the old tale.

A few bits will jar a little – like the fact Igor is treated like trash yet he also becomes the circus’s medicine man, which should have garnered him some respect or respite from his peers, since you might someday end up needing him to treat you for an injury. Also, how Lorelei comes to find herself a patron while recuperating at the hospital is not quite clear. They are little things though and easily ignored.

Though the creature does not take the stage in this prequel, worry not, as there are two other patchwork monsters they get to play with. And it’s fun watching Igor evolve while Victor seems to devolve. Two halves of a whole – the two men compliment each other, making them together more than each would be alone.

While some details don’t jive as they should to fit with the later tale, you can see bits and pieces of other renditions and characters flashing by in this one. A nice ying and yang effect occurs between Victor and Inspector Turpin – both obsessive and shaped by death but pushed in totally different directions. And both somewhat mirror the very chase Victor will later have with his final creation in the novel.

As in Mary Shelley’s original, the themes of religion vs. science, life vs. death, how we are perceived and acted on vs. who we truly are, are intertwined throughout the film.

4) Stunts – Total Thumbs Up: Amazingly, the film has lots of opportunities for the stuntmen. The madcap chase in the circus, another at the medical college, and even more stunts at the castle in Scotland – the stuntmen are kept quite busy.

5) Location/Cinematography – Total Thumbs Up: Lots of real and touched up locations in the film taking us to London, to Scotland, and more. Igor’s first true view of the city of London was spectacular – showing both the good and the bad at once and also showing the thriving, human filled city. The old castle overlooking the sea in Scotland made for some great shots and doubly so when the storm is coming. The cinematography made good use of everything. Lovely!

Conclusion: “Victor Frankenstein” is a refreshing take on little covered areas of the old tale. Between the costumes, the cool special effects, the lovely vistas, and the great acting, seeing it is definitely worth it.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

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Movie Review – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

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Author, film reviews, Gloria Oliver, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Mockingjay Part 2, Movies, SF Movies, The Hunger Games, Unveiling the Fantastic, ya books to movies, ya movies

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Elden Henson, Wes Chatham, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Willow Shields, Sam Claflin, Elizabeth Banks, Mahershala Ali, Jena Malone, Jeffrey Wright, Paula Malcomson, Stanley Tucci, and more.

Directed by: Francis Lawrence Screenplay by: Peter Craig and Danny Strong Based on the Novel by: Suzanne Collins Cinematography by: Jo Willems Music by: James Newton Howard

Premise: With the 13 districts united, the rebels turn their focus to the capitol. Katniss struggles with what’s been done to Peeta and also what to do about Gale. Worse, President Snow decides to turn a large chunk of the capitol into a new Hunger Games. And Katniss learns President Coin might soon no longer have a use for her. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth give great performances as the odd love triangle spins, gets even more complex. and eventually comes to a resolution. Donald Sutherland and Julianne Moore were a lot of fun as the opposing presidents. Elden Henson and Wes Chatham added some nice depth to the story as Pollux and Castor.

2) Special Effects – Total Thumbs Up: The special effects team does a superb job in the film. The scene where everyone is cut off and the black water comes, and then when we see the black water in action and chasing after them, was awesome. Loads of explosions and heavy gun fire. The close range explosions from the arrows looked great underground. The 50+ caliber guns and the devastation on the columns from the bullets looked very real. And wait till you see the special surprise the group is given by Snow’s team in the sewers. My only problem was that the marketing department gave away all the good traps in the previews! Boo! (Hubby was displeased!)

3) Plot/Story – Thumbs Up: It really would be nice if films that have multiple parts or have sequels with years in between, the movie makers would deign to remember not everyone will have rewatched the previous films before seeing the new release and give a recap. Especially for side characters! While remembering the principal people was easy, there were several side characters who’ve been in several of the films who weren’t as memorable for whatever reason and therefore it was hard to realize who they were and what their backgrounds were to get the audience to care when bad things happen to them. Jena Malone’s character Johanna Mason was one of these. I adored her performance in Part 2, but I was hard pressed to remember anything about the character at all. And not remembering anything, makes it very hard to care. (This was a major suffering point for the film “Insurgent” earlier this year.)

Aside from not knowing who some of the people were, however, I very much enjoyed the direction they took with the film. Talking with my daughter, who read all the books, I know they changed a few points for the ending, but these were improvements to the plot rather than issues. They also continued to show that actions have consequences and will affect people emotionally as they had in the previous films.

The major theme this time played with duality and perceptions. Katniss comparing Peeta and Gale. Peeta comparing remembered and altered memories. Gale and the way he viewed enemies as things rather than people and how this comes back on him. It even applied to President Snow and Coin.

Another theme they had fun bandying about pertained to hubris and pride. Also how your enemy can be your friend and vice versa. And both themes tie in to the ending at the capitol, which was well played if a little transparent.

Only thing I wished we’d gotten a little more on was Snow’s reactions when he thought Katniss was dead and then found out she was alive. Totally unexpected reaction, but it spoke back to that duality theme I mentioned before. Heh heh.

4) Stunts – Total Thumbs Up: The cast and the stunt team did some great work in Part 2. The fight in the sewers was especially well done – lots of hand-to-hand combat goodness. Between the traps and several explosions during the film, people get thrown all over the place.

5) Costuming/Makeup – Thumbs Up: While the departments did a great job as usual, there was one thing missing. A section of this film happens at the capitol. Several meetings even occurred in Snow’s mansion. But for the most part all the outrageous clothes and makeup were nowhere to be seen there. In a scene with actual citizens running to and fro, there were still no true funky clothes and hairstyles. Tigris definitely had both, but she’s just one person, and an extreme case at that. Even Effie was toned down. Seeing these people in their wild getups and makeup was half the fun in the previous films! 😛

Conclusion: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 was worth the wait though they would have benefited from a recap or releasing this one close to Part 1. Gritty and emotional and a fun ride.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Mind Sieve 11/16/15

Tags

animated films, animated shorts, Author, Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe, Facebook, Finding Dori, Gloria Oliver, Ice Age: Collision Course, movie previews, Movie Trailers, NaNoWriMo, social media, Unveiling the Fantastic, Warcraft Movie, writer's block, writing advice, writing tips

Hope you’re having a great morning!

Fan Fun

Ice Age: Collision Course “Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe” – so cute! Scrat is baaaaacccck!

Warcraft Movie Trailer – they really are making an actual movie! Looks cool!

Finding Dori Official Trailer #1 – the fish are back!

Author Platform/Social Media

Facebook Retargeting Spend Increases: New Research by Suzanne Delzio at the Social Media Examiner. So that’s why I see replicated ads of places I’ve been to! DOH!

Writing Advice

NaNoWriMo Triage Center: Helping You Get To 50K by Angela Ackerman. She shares some neat ways to get out of the NaNoWriMo Funk! 🙂

The Truly Dramatic Plot—Shakespeare, Instagram, & Why Macbeth is STILL Awesome by Alex Limberg at Kristen Lamb’s Blog. Very catchy blog post title, no? 🙂

Last week was weird. Hoping this week is FUN! Here’s hoping it’s great for you as well. 🙂

Movie Review – The Peanuts Movie

Tags

3D animation, A.J. Tecce, Alex Garfin, Anastasia Bredikhina, animated films, Author, Bill Melendez, Blue Sky Studios, Charlie Brown, Family Movies, Gloria Oliver, Hadley Belle Miller, Mariel Sheets, movie reviews, Movies, Noah Johnston, Noah Scnapp, nostalgia, Rebecca Bloom, Snoopy, The Peanuts Movie, Trombone Shorty, Unveiling the Fantastic, venus Schltheis

The Peanuts Movie

Starring: Bill Melendez, Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Venus Schultheis, Trombone Shorty, Mariel Sheets, Rebecca Bloom, Anastasia Bredikhina, Alexander Garfin, A.J. Tecce, Noah Johnston, and more.

Directed by: Steve Martino Written by: Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano Based on the Comic Strip by: Charles M. Schulz Cinematography by: Renato Falcão Music by: Christophe Beck

Premise: Though bad luck and frustration have been his constant companion, Charlie Brown decides he wants to become a new, better boy when a cute red headed girl moves in across the street. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. And while most think he doesn’t stand a chance, with his trusty dog, Snoopy, and a few close friends, maybe Charlie Brown can make things change and make a good impression. (Rated G)

Review:

1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: If you look at the cast, most of them are young actors. The fabulous part about this is that the actors they chose sound very much like the voices in the old Peanut specials on TV. Everyone does a great job.

Loved Bill Melendez – he’s been doing Snoopy’s and Woodstock’s voices since 1966! Noah Schnapp was darling as Charlie Brown. Anastasia Bredihina was a perfect Peppermint Patty. Trombone Shorty took on the task of the Wahwah adult voices. (The film site has a link to a Wahwah machine. You can even share the wahwah for the words you type in. Too cute!) Lovely work by all!

2) Artwork/Animation – Total Thumbs Up: Blue Sky Studios are the same people who brought us Ice Age and Scrat! That being said, we get a new Ice Age short called Ice Age: Collision Course – “Cosmic Scrat-tastrophe” – they went all out on this one. lol. (I have a link to the short on Monday’s Mind Sieve 11/16 post  so come on back by – hint hint. :P)

The studio normally does great work, but I think they went all out for this one. Charles M. Schulz and all the TV specials have a certain style and feel. Not only did Blue Sky Studios take that on, but they also decided to do this film in 3D! And it was marvellous! Despite the textures and the 3D depth, they made sure to keep all the bits from the actual strips – thought bubbles, Woodstock’s flight trails, the facial expressions and eyes made with a drawn pencil lines, and more.

I also loved how in several places, they moved to thought bubbles and did the contents in the straight black and white line drawings of the 2D comic strip style. They really got inventive with this one. Awesome work.

3) Plot/Story – Total Thumbs Up: Peanuts is a comic strip with years upon years of content, dozens of TV specials, and more. And Blue Sky Studios managed to pick all the nuggets which bring out all the best of Peanuts and presented them in a way that would not only tickle fans of the comic strip and TV specials, but also make it easy for those who’ve never seen The Peanut’s world before to fall in love with it.

All the iconic stuff is there: the kite eating tree, the pitching mound, Lucy’s psychiatry stand, the football, the typewriter, even the Great Pumpkin is mentioned. But best of all – lots of the Red Baron! We even end up with a story inside the story, as Snoopy plays out some of Charlie Brown’s own troubles as the World War I Flying Ace and finds his own cute girl to fancy. Several elements were even shown as this being where they began. The way they threaded in the Red Baron was brilliant! They made him a force to fear in reality as well as in Snoopy’s imagination. Lovely!

The story itself is interesting and full of all those pains we suffered through while growing up. As ever, Peanuts is entertaining, amusing, and even thought provoking. A really nice job overall.

4) Music – Total Thumbs Up: The Linus and Lucy theme of old is brought back to help give us waves of nostalgia (plus it’s really a catchy theme!). They even brought in a clip from one of the specials – the caroling scene song – “Christmas Time is Here”. Several of these bits were from the original scores by Vince Guaraldi Trio. Christophe Beck kept his part of the score light and airy and it blended quite well with the original scores – he even gives his own twist to the Linus and Lucy theme. All the music worked very well together.

Conclusion: The Peanuts Movie encapsulates everything you have ever loved about Charles M. Schulz classic comic strips and the ton of TV specials. It will make for a wonderful nostalgic trip. For those not acquainted with the comic strips, however, this film will be a marvellous introduction to all the awesome characters and lively imagination which endeared this strip to people the world over. Tons of fun for the whole family.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Mind Sieve 11/9/15

Tags

action films, Alice Through the Looking Glass, Author, Gloria Oliver, instagram, Kung Fu Panda 3, London Has Fallen, movie previews, Movie Trailers, Preacher, social media, Unveiling the Fantastic, writing tips

Huh. Got a message when I logged in today about having reached my storage limit. I had always figured since most things were links, they did not count as using space, but I was mistaken.

May have to rethink how to do WordPress… Would be sad not to be able to do full posts anymore. 😦

Fan Fun

Kung Fu Panda 3 Official Trailer #2 – should be fun!

Preacher Trailer – looks funky

London Has Fallen Official Trailer #1 – dang!

Alice Through the Looking Glass Official Trailer #1 – looks way cool!

Author Platform/Social Media

How to Use Hashtags on Instagram to Grow Your Reach by Julia McCoy at the Social Media Examiner. Some really good tips in this one! Nice!

Writing Advice

5 Tips for Finding Point-of-View Errors – Guest post by Marcy Kennedy at Jami Gold’s Blog. Some good tips!

So I followed Marcy over to her website and found – 10 Writing Mistakes that Kill Your First Chapter – to share. 🙂
Hoping for an awesome week for all! 🙂

Movie Review – SPECTRE

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action films, action movies, Andrew Scott, Author, Ben Whishaw, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Craig, Gloria Oliver, James Bond, Lea Seydoux, movie reviews, Movies, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, SPECTRE, Unveiling the Fantastic

Spectre

Starring: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris, Andrew Scott, Monica Bellucci, Dave Bautista, Rory Kinnear, Alessandro Cremona, Jesper Christensen, and more.

Directed by: Sam Mendes Screenplay by: John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Jez Butterworth Story by: John Logan, Neal Purvis, and Robert Wade Based on Characters Created by: Ian Fleming

Premise: Though put on suspension, James continues to pursue an unofficial case left for him by M upon her death. The deeper he goes, the stranger the case gets, especially when he comes across documents relating to his dead foster family. All this on the cusp on the double O program being merged with MI5 and a huge push to get all countries to share information between intelligence agencies. Worse, all of it might be connected. (Rated PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: Daniel Craig once more reprises his role as James Bond 007. As always, he is quite smooth. Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, and Ben Whishaw do great work as M, Moneypenny, and Q. It was lovely to see the last two get some play! Andrew Scott was nice and slimy as C. Christoph Waltz created quite a presence as Oberhauser. Léa Seydoux also did a great job as the unwilling Dr. Swann.

2) Special Effects – Total Thumbs Up: Cool gadgets, explosions, planes, loads of fun treats from the special effects team. The prop plane scenes were very reminiscent of the Roger Moore period. The facility in the desert harkened back to the Sean Connery period as well. A lot of subliminal homage seemed to be going on. Very nice!

Super kudos on the whole “Day of the Dead” celebration in Mexico. The parade scene and the super cool floats were outstanding! The girls with the turning dresses almost appeared to be floating along. (Hiding Segways underneath perhaps?) 🙂

3) Story – Thumbs Up: The film starts with a sentence – “The dead are alive” and aptly starts on the “Day of the Dead”. The entire film uses this theme in a myriad of ways. It also ends up tying together all the previous Daniel Craig films as pieces of a greater whole, and a much larger threat to the world than any of them ever imagined.

But more than just Daniel’s films got represented. There were a ton of tiny moments or bits paying homage to many of the previous Bond films as well. The way the prop plane was used, the thug Hinx, who was very reminiscent of Jaws in Moonraker, and more.

While the mini mission starting the film was definitely awesome, a couple of things were odd. The main being why James hit the helicopter pilot when the man was unarmed and a plaza full of people lay below, especially since the pilot was the only one keeping it in the air. Later, yes, he needed to hit him, but when he had his hands full with another man at the beginning? It was odd.

The way Christoph Waltz is introduced in glances and bits was very well played. The entire scene in the meeting in Rome was fantastic and said so much about the man, without him actually doing a lot. Later, his character is diluted a little, his explanation for his involvement and interest in James pushed as the reason he’s done certain things, yet, not quite fitting with everything. His main scheme was evident, but the group’s ultimate goal? Not so much. Or at least what was presented didn’t seem enough? I could have missed something though.

Madeleine Swann was fun. Unexpected things for her and James in the film – the past once more affecting the future. What was funny is how much is given away during the beginning song! Almost a trailer in its own right. lol. (Heck the title song “Writing on the Wall” also seemed to be an in-joke as you’ll note on a wall towards the end!)

One more bit of fun – Moneypenny, Q, and the new M get a bit of action too! Nice to see them get involved. (And that Moneypenny is NOT waiting for James. heh heh.)

4) Stunts – Total Thumbs Up: Lots of hand to hand combat, car chases, car crashes, airplanes, helicopters, and more! The stunt department was kept very busy. Shaky cam came into play during the foot chase in Mexico, but thankfully it didn’t last long and not really used again during the rest of the film. Yay!

Loved the fight scenes on the train! Talk about destruction and beat up stunts! This fight also has elements which will remind you of the Roger Moore James Bond films.

5) Locations/Cinematography – Total Thumbs Up: The film has bits all over the world, so a ton of different locals are used — Mexico, Italy, Austria, Morocco, England.

As I mentioned earlier, the “Day of the Dead” celebration in Mexico City was fabulous! The cinematography took full advantage of the parade as well as all the other locations. The giant scope of some of the scenery were perfect for grandiose sweeps to feed the eyes.

6) Costuming/Makeup – Total Thumbs Up: They totally had me on the “Day of the Dead” sequence – the costumes and masks were totally awesome. Jame’s costume is the one you see in the back on the movie poster, making several layered in-jokes since James is an assassin and therefore death, but also merges well with the name of the evil organization. 😛 Check out the cool dresses and the painted skeleton parts on the ladies, and the nice suits for the men. Loved that whole section!

Conclusion: “Spectre” is full of all the things we love about James Bond – lots of action, foreign  locals, cars, guns, and more. A nice ending to a long, unexpected story arc are things are brought together.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price to See Again)

Mind Sieve 11/2/15

Tags

Author, author platform, Dad's Army, Ghost in the Shell, Gloria Oliver, movie previews, Movie Trailers, social media, The Ridiculous 6, twitter, Unveiling the Fantastic, writing advice, writing life

Morning all!

(As I worked on this in advance, I just realized I totally forgot Wednesday’s Picture Kaleidoscope for 10/28.  Noooo!)

Fan Fun

The Ridiculous 6 Main Trailer – Netflix Movie – should be a weird one! lol.

Ghost in the Shell: The New Movie Trailer – whoa, a ramped up new version! Ooh!

Dad’s Army Official Trailer 2 – it will be either quite funny or totally not. lol.

Author Platform/Social Media

Twitter Publish: This Week in Social Media by Grace Duffy at the Social Media Examiner.

Writing Advice

Ten Art Commandments by The Writer Next Door – some great advice for us all!

Why You Should Do NaNoWriMo…And Why You Shouldn’t by Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. I can’t take the stress. Slow and steady works for me. lol.
Ack, let’s see if I forget something else this week. Nooooo!

Movie Review – Crimson Peak

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Author, Crimson Peak, film reviews, Gloria Oliver, horror movies, Jessica Chastain, Jim Beaver, Mia Wasikowska, movie reviews, Movies, Tom HIddleston, Unveiling the Fantastic, Victorian murder mystery

(Hubby has a cutover so Movie Friday is out this week…luckily I saw 3 movies last week! Woot!)

Crimson Peak

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam, Jim Beaver, Burn Gorman, Leslie Hope, Doug Jones, Jonathan Hyde, Bruce Gray, Emily Coutts, and more.

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Written by: Guillermo del Toro and Matthew Robbins Cinematography by: Dan Laustsen Music by: Fernando Velázquez

Premise: Edith knows ghosts exist. But aside from a warning from her dead mother to beware Crimson Peak when Edith was a child, she’s not had much to do with the supernatural. But when she meets Thomas Sharpe, an earl from England, she receives a second warning, but still doesn’t understand to what it pertains. Will she be able to decipher the warning before it’s too late? (Rated R)

Review:

1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: Loved Jim Beaver as the overprotective, self made, American tycoon. Mia Wasikowska was perfect for the modernized, idealistic, yet still naive/inexperienced Edith Cushing. Tom Hiddleston was very suave as Thomas Sharpe. Jessica Chastain gave the story plenty of edgy and oily subtext. Nice!

2) Special Effects – Total Thumbs Up: The special effects teams came up with a lot of lovely items for the film. From the semi-opaque ghosts to the recently deceased, they did some really nice work. The bathhouse scene was graphic, shocking, and nicely detailed.

The rickety elevator and the workings of the different sized digging contraptions were great. Add in the slow hints of the snow absorbing the clay’s reddish color, then culminating it in a gorgeous scene as the whole mountain changes, gave a lovely visual for what is going on inside the house.

The house itself is marvelous! Half rotted, half maintained, it screams of the state of those who live there and those who are still there.

3) Story – Thumbs Up: If you like slasher films, this movie is not for you. Crimson Peak is a combination of creepy Victorian  Hammer film like horror and murder mystery rather than a slash/fright fest with mounting body counts and creative new ways to kill. The fun in this film is knowing things will get bad, seeing how they’re going to get there, and then going along for the ride as the events unfold. Like any good Victorian drama, it builds over time.

That being said, the who is pretty obvious right away, but the details and some of the subtext do keep it interesting. The ghosts just add to the excitement and anticipation. (Though the previews hinted at other supernatural happenings being connected/wrapped up in the reason for the murders, there aren’t any. A little disappointing…)

The only major let down was a contrivance (or outright visual lie) of a reveal shown to the audience in the bathhouse scene which is not actually true. I can only assume they did it to curtail any sympathy the audience might be feeling for one of the characters and to keep hidden the true force behind certain decisions. And while it worked in that capacity up front, it also leaves you with a sour taste when the scene is replayed later and the true culprit shown. (Also, Edith turning weird at the autopsy room didn’t entirely jyve with the young and ‘modern’ woman she was portrayed to be.)

The house is a character in the film all its own, used several ways to symbolize the souls of those who live there and the horrors it has witnessed. There are several interesting dichotomies between the characters as well, so kudos for that.

4) Locations/Cinematography – Total Thumbs Up: Filmed in Dundurn Castle, Casa Loma, and Victoria College as well as other locations in Canada, the film crew had some awesome places to pull from for the different homes of the American rich as well as for Crimson Peak itself.

Panned back views of the grounds and that first initial introduction to the house were done exceptionally well. Between the locations and how we’re shown them, a nice sublayer of story and symbolism were skillfully incorporated into the whole.

5) Costuming/Makeup – Total Thumbs Up: As the house was used to give visual subtext and story, so were the costumes and makeup. A lot of subtle touches in the clothes used worked to elevate Edith from young modern girl to white innocence and purity clashing in direct contrast with Lucille’s almost opposite dispositions – Edith as a conduit of love, future, hope and Lucille’s stiffness, always looking to the past, and shrivelling ever deeper into the darkness.

Their work with the special effects department for a scene close to the end with Thomas was so well done it will make you cringe to see it. 😛

Conclusion: If you enjoyed The Woman in Black, you will probably like Crimson Peak. It’s an old fashioned murder mystery with ghosts added for extra flavor. The ghosts and house look fabulous in IMAX.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)

Movie Review – Bridge of Spies

Tags

1957, Author, Bridge of Spies, Gloria Oliver, Mark Rylance, movie reviews, spy exchange, spy films, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Unveiling the Fantastic

(Took a day off with hubby and we went movie watching! In order of awesomeness – Bridge of Spies, Crimson Peak, The Last Witch Hunter. Only have time to review one though, so picking the best of the three.) 🙂

Bridge of Spies

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Domenick Lombardozzi, Joshua Harto, Alan Alda, Austin Stowell, Dakin Matthews, Mikhail Gorevoy, Sebastian Koch, Will Rogers, Nadja Bobyleva, Michael Gaston, and more.

Directed by: Steven Spielberg Written by: Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, and Joel Coen Cinematography by: Janusz Kaminski Music by: Thomas Newman

Premise: After a Soviet spy is caught on American soil, James B. Donovan is asked by his firm and peers to represent Rudolf Abel in a criminal trial for espionage. Accepting, Donovan tries to fight for Abel as he would any other client, believing that a fair trial and due process encompass what makes America and Americans what/who they are. When one of our own is shot down over Soviet Airspace, Donovan gets asked by the government to act as a mediator for negotiations for a prisoner exchange to had Able over for Powers, but he must do so as a private citizen. The murky waters he swam in before, just got deeper and darker. (PG-13)

Review:

1) Acting – Total Thumbs Up: Awesome performances all the way around. Tom Hanks was very likeable as the “boy scout” James B. Donovan. Mark Rylance was fantastic as Rudolf Abel – he is one capable spy! “Cool as a cucumber”, too! And a nice guy to boot. Lots of fun give and take between Tom Hanks and Mikhail Gorevoy and Sebastian Koch.

2) Special Effects – Total Thumbs Up: From drive by’s to exploding spy planes, all the special effects were top notch.

The train scene will stay with you for a while. 🙂 The building of the Berlin Wall was disturbing in all sorts of ways.

3) Plot/Story – Total Thumbs Up: The film is based on “true events” but these occurred a little before my time, so I can’t state on the accuracy one way or another. But it seemed thorough, giving multiple sides of a number of issues. I liked the fact you didn’t get a lot of ‘cutout’ characters in the story. If anything, they surprised me several times in this area and they even gave unexpected depth to side characters which made them seem more real, and this in turn added to the believability and depth of the story as a whole.

People are people – and the plot doesn’t shy from showing that. Even the good guys can be bad and the bad guys be good. And what the public or others believe is not always the truth. Also shows plainly how the interests of different parties can make even simple things extremely complicated. Oi!

As good movies do, you feel fully invested and moved by what’s going on by the end of the film. The fact they show how Donovan’s home life and family were affected by the decisions he made, added a nice touch, and some depth to what he might lose. There were also a ton of little moments full of levity, which just made the movie all the more fun.

4) Locations/Cinematography – Total Thumbs Up: Filmed in multiple locations in Germany as well as in the US, the camera work was excellent. Lots of attention to detail in recreating the late 1950’s at home and abroad. As I mentioned earlier, the train scene (you’ll know the one, you can’t miss it) will stick with you – and the cinematography for it worked extremely well there and again when done in a different but correlating way in Brooklyn.

Following Pryor as he bicycles down the road looking for a break in the quickly rising Berlin Wall and the chaos on both sides made for a subtle but strong scene. Especially when he comes back.

5) Music – Total Thumbs Up: The soundtrack by Thomas Newman is very reminiscent of John Williams’ work, which Spielberg has used on a lot of his films (and for good reason!), and was the perfect touch for setting mood and pacing during several places in the film.

Conclusion: Bridge of Spies is a thought provoking, fascinating film on a topic and period of our history not often talked about. Strong actor performances and plenty of little touches and surprises make the whole work a definite worthwhile experience.

Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby’s Rating: Worth Paying Full Price to See Again)

Mind Sieve 10/19/15

Tags

animated films, Author, Back to the Future 4, Comics to Movies, Gloria Oliver, movie previews, Movie Trailers, Ratchet and Crank, SF Movies, Suicide Squad, Unveiling the Fantastic

Morning!

Ugh. Morning… 😛 Between all the OT at work and having a show at the same time this weekend, life has been more than full. So a quick post Monday it is!

Ratchet and Clank Official Trailer #1 – looks adorable!

Back to the Future 4 Trailer – Whhhaaaaaaaa????

Suicide Squad Comic Con Trailer – Ooooh!

May your week be fabulous!