Le Miserables is a Crazy-Epic-Drama-Musical

                                                              

  I watch a lot of musicals (mostly because I am a wannabe actor). It started when I was a kid, me and my siblings would watch Grease and Willy Wonka and of course all the Disney movies are musicals. For some reason I never got around to see Le Mis, until this week. This is the only version I have seen, so I can’t compare it with any other versions of the film.

  This new film staring Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, and the rest, was pretty epic. I expected Anne Hathaways' character to be in the film a lot longer than she was. I thought she would be more of a main character. It's her memorable song that is why she is so popular. Why did she show up at the end? Was she a ghost, a vision?

Jean Valjeans' journey is amazing. He is a true hero. Probably the most virtuous man I have ever seen in any movie. He fought so hard to help the miserable.

   This film is almost all singing, and it wasn’t a problem. At least it was in English or it would have been one of those boring dramatic operas.

  This movie felt really long. It is sad. Somehow it is sad in a good way, because you end up caring about all the characters and what they are going through.

   There is some good comedy too, thanks to the craziness of Helena Bonham Carter and Sachaa Baron Cohen. They play the innkeepers, Thenardier, and the master of the house song is hilarious. It reminded me a lot of their craziness in Sweeney Todd. I loved their costumes too, they looked like Renaissance festival rejects.

   I like how the story is told through a period of time and through the revolution. We see all this stuff going on in the world around our characters but the characters stay true to themselves and the story still focuses on them.

   I don’t understand why Russell Crows' character had to do what he did at the end. I know he had a moral dilemma going through his brain. All I could think about during this scene was the Joker and Batman, Neither one could survive without the other.

  This is such a popular play and a popular story, I expected the songs too be a little more catchy or memorable. Lots of characters in this film were crying while singing. It makes sense for their characters, but then the songs aren’t as fun. I guess it’s not supposed to be fun though. It’s no Rodgers and Hammerstein.

  Overall, I enjoyed it. The characters are what make this movie good. They were real and the audience cared about their miserable lives. All while they are singing. Without Jean Valjean connecting all the characters together it wouldn’t have made much sense. I feel a little more cultured and classy after seeing this dramatic musical.

Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2 Review

Twilight Breaking Dawn part 2 Review

   My first thought seeing this movie was, wow, Bella is skinny! At the beginning of the film the story is all about Bella becoming an adult. It deals with the awkwardness of her change. She just became a wife, a mother, and a vampire. She has to learn about Jacob and her daughter’s love affair. Turns out, that is why Jacob has been so attracted to her. Jacobs imprinting on Renesme is really a storytelling escape in order to get rid of the love triangle. Bella also has to deal with what to with her father, all teens lie to their parents right?

  The first part of the film kind of bored me. Bellas’ life is new and awkward. I was hoping for an epic battle between her and the mountain lion but it didn’t happen. I did see Kristen Steward actually show emotion which was surprising. I actually believed that Bella was angry at Jacob for loving Nessie.

  The story doesn’t actually start until Alice has a vision about the vampire leaders, the Volturi, coming to kill their daughter. There is some miscommunication about what Nessie is. She is half human, half vampire and all mcguffin. In order for the vampire family to protect her they gather an army of vampire “witnesses” to meet Nessie and know the truth about Nessies’ harmlessness.

  Of course there is an epic battle at the end of this film, like all the twilight movies. But it just turns out to be a vision that Alice shares with the bad guy in order to scare him off. As an audience member, I always feel cheated when things just turn out to be a dream or a vision or some other plot device. (Like Sherlock and Moriarty in Game of Shadows) I don’t like the idea that these characters didn’t really have to fight as hard as they should. At the same time it is obvious that they would fight if they had to. As I am writing this I realize that is how life is, you are prepared to fight if you have to, but it’s better and smarter if you can avoid it.

 

  The Amazon guy who is half human says he was fully grown when he was 7 years old. Does that mean that Jacob and Nessie are going to get “married” when she is only seven years old? Weird.

  This film is all about growing up, becoming responsible and doing what you need to do to protect your family. I think its interesting how Bellas’ vamp power is to shield herself and others. It is probably the most nurturing thing a new mother could get, enforcing the Theme of protecting family. Breaking Dawn means a new life for Bella and her vampire family. A new day is dawning.

  This movie is cheap and boring. There wasn’t anything about this film that I cared for. It started slow, and didn’t show me any character or reason to get invested in the characters plight. I think that if this movie wasn’t part of a series it would have bombed horribly. Without the popularity and hype this movie would not do well. The only thing this movie is worth watching is for fantasy escapism. The effects are cool, the fight scenes are good. We all at some point have dreamed about living forever and having special powers. This movie gives us that escape.

Josh’s thoughts on the Hobbit movie

    I got to the theater at 4:00 p.m. to buy tickets for the midnight show. I also got a ticket for Red Dawn and was planning to watch a few other movies waiting for midnight. Then I see a group of nerds dressed as hobbits. No shoes, with hair drawn with marker on their feet, wearing elvish cloaks and nice vests. In their hands were LOTR Trivial Pursuit and LOTR Risk board games. We played games and geeked out, first in line! I had a great time with those nerds and all the other people who got in line behind us.

   The first thing you need in an epic fantasy story is a good prologue, and this delivers well. I loved how it started with old Bilbo telling the story to Frodo. We get his character introducing us to the great back story of Smaug, Erebor and the King under the mountain. It immediately brings us as the audience back into the wonderful world of Middle Earth.

 Martin Freeman as young Bilbo was wonderful, he played awkward and funny and a Bilbo who has never seen adventure before. I am glad they had the dishwashing song at the beginning. It shows the dwarves aren’t that dirty and they do have respect for Bilbo… and his pantry. I don’t understand why Gandalf picks Bilbo as a burglar in the first place. Is it because dragons don’t know what hobbits smell like? Or is it because Bilbo is part Took and he knows Bilbo can handle a little adventure…

 The three trolls were pretty fun. (Troll Bogeys!) In the story I think it’s just a random encounter, they even loot the bodies afterward! I did want to see a little more first level spells by Gandalf. Where was his ventriloquism?

 I am glad they added the whole back story about the necromancer (who is really the dark lord). The ring is really just a horcrux. I think that whole story is an appendix somewhere.

  Radagast the Brown was fun to watch, his giant bunnies were… unexpected. What was on the side of his face? I hope it was mushrooms starting to grow there.

  The meeting with Elrond was pretty good. I don’t understand why they keep saying Saruman is such a great wizard when every time we see him he is being evil? He must be a Sith Lord or something. Galadriel was nice to see, we got a glimpse of how clever and powerful she really is. She does resist the temptation of the ring though, which is pretty hardcore.

  My favorite and most expected scene was of course riddles in the dark, when we get to see Gollum again. The acting for both characters was great. What I liked the most in that scene was how suspenseful it was. Gollum was very threatening and gave an intense life or death situation. In the book we don’t really feel how vicious Gollum really is. They cut a few riddles that were in the book, but it was not a big deal. “It was pity that stayed Bilbos hand”

  I am also glad they added the history with Thorin and the evil pale goblin. It gives the dwarves a relatable connection to the audience and a face to the bad guys. Like how they added Lurtz to the LOTR trilogy.

  I had a lot of fun with the escape from the goblin kings halls. The action got kind of cheesy but it was typical Peter Jackson action. The dwarves all working together was great but not very believable.

  I forgot about the eagles saving the day in the book. I don’t think Thorin had a near death experience there in the book. But for movie purposes it adds suspense and that’s all right with me.

 Overall the Hobbit is awesome. I had a lot of fun watching it, and it was great to get back to Middle Earth. I can’t wait to see what comes next. Especially what happens with The Necromancer at Dol Guldur, Beorn, and Barrels out of Bond should be fun. Or was that Kegs out of capture?

5 reasons why Avengers will be the new “Star Wars”

Star Wars is great even over 30 years later. But it’s not as cool as it used to be… Star Wars used to be the perfect franchise until George destroyed it. Now the fans just tolerate it, like we tolerate Wesley Crusher, and Dawn summers….

 And now we have Avengers, a new blockbuster for a new generation of nerds and inspiring filmmakers.

 

                                      
  #1, Joss Whedon

    Joss’s writing is spectacular. I’m not just saying this because I’m a huge fan of his and a major Browncoat. Joss creates and fleshes out characters so well that we care about them all, even the bad guys.

    Anyone can make a mindless action move, but only an elite few can make you care about everything in the film.  After Serenity, Avengers is Whedon’s second movie that he has written and directed.  These characters might be already in our cultural consciousness through the comics and cartoons and so forth, but Whedon brings them to life on the big screen.

    Unlike lame characters in movies like Transformers, we will remember Tony Stark, and Phil Coulson long after the opening weekend. Caring and connecting with characters in movies is one of the most important aspects of story telling. Characters make the movie memorable; they help the audience connect to the film. Especially in a movie with gods and monsters, Joss makes the characters believable, relatable and human.

   Only Joss Whedon could have put so many different characters from different worlds in one place, on one team, and have them work so well together.

    Joss is also the only writer/director who could have made the Hulk beat up Loki like a rag doll and make it realistic enough to be funny without being cheesy.

#2 Agent Phil Coulson

     Phil Coulson (played by Clark Gregg) brings the Avengers together, literally in the story and in the extended movie marvel universe. The audience connects with him even before he is in Avengers because of his appearances in the previous films.

     I should have known Agent Coulson would die. I was hoping this would be the first show Whedon would create without killing someone. Boy was I wrong. He made Coulsons death the entire plot point of the story!

 

     Joss Whedon made us care about him with only a few lines, giving him a first name, making him a fan of Captain America, and creating small scenes with him so the heroes would care to avenge him. His character was so well made and put together in such a short amount of time. It’s amazing that we as the audience did care so much. It would have been easy to make him just another red shirt, without a first name, but we love him. Of course I have to give credit to the amazing actor Clark Gregg who played him so well.

     

#3The Marvel Universe is huge.

     We have a reason to get excited about comics again. Finally they are making movies based on superheroes that aren’t lame! We have writers, directors and actors who actually care about the characters, care about the audience and franchise to make quality movies. They are making movies that people will actually feel good about going to the theater and spending some money on.

     I hated every single Superman movie. I think There is only one Batman worth watching (Michael Keaton), and Green Lantern? Really?! Spiderman was cool for a minute, then his movies got worse, and now the audience is indifferent about him. We nerds try to care so much about new movies with characters we love, just to get disappointed when they come out. The Worst disappointment for me was the Last Airbender (Great cartoon, horrible movie). Avengers is one movie that didn’t let us down.

     Now Marvel (and Disney) have made something the audience actually wants. The Marvel universe from the comics is huge. If they do everything right, Marvel movies could get even bigger than Star Wars! There are so many existing characters, villains, and stories from the comics that they could make movies out of, the possibilities are endless. Just keep doing what you are doing, Marvel!

#4 It appeals to a general audience.

      A comic book movie would usually be criticized about being only for nerds, but I think that stereotype is finally being worn away. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars and even Hungers Games have become so much a part of our culture now that it is acceptable for us to love these books and movies. It appeals to more and more people, and we don’t need to know what the cosmic cube is to enjoy the Avengers.

       Any movie that can be on the level with Star Wars has to have good quotes. In Avengers almost every line is quotable. Movie quotes are such a big part of our culture because everyone can readily connect with them. I could say, “We need a bigger boat” and everyone would know exactly what I was talking about. Every quote in Avengers is fun, memorable and you know right away what character said it.

 

      A major quality of any sci-fi or fantasy film is having a sense of wonder, seeing something we have never seen before. In filmmaking we see new things through the eyes of the characters who also haven’t seen them before. A great example is when we first see the Helicarrier rise out of the water. Since Bruce Banner and Steve Rodgers see it for the first time, the audience is also seeing it for the first time. The audience is just as amazed as the characters. Because we see it through their eyes, and get their reaction, the audience can connect with the discovery and it feels more real. It gives us a sense of wonder. If the audience saw it through Nick Furys’ eye, it wouldn’t have been as effective because he has been there, seen that. The Marvel universe is so vast, we won’t run out of anything new for quite a while.

#5 A New cultural mythology.

   We will grow up with these movies and Avengers will become part of our culture just like Star Wars did when you were a kid. I am happy there is a new movie universe and mythology we can escape into. Thank you, Marvel, for making movies the right way.

   Blockbuster directors like Lucas, Spielberg, and Peter Jackson grew up with the sci-fi serials of the past, and now the new writers and directors of the future will grow up with, and be inspired by watching The Avengers.

 

   Of course Star Wars will still go strong long after Disney takes care of it. I’m glad Disney has it now because there are already rumors about Brad Bird directing. How cool would that be?!! Wait a second… Did Disney just make us excited about Star Wars again? Maybe. It’s like politicians promising us to be excited for their future tyranny. I hope it won’t be a false promise. You hear that Disney?!

Why "War Stories" is the best episode of Firefly

If you haven’t seen the TV series Firefly, this won’t make much sense to you.

   War Stories is the best episode of Firefly ever. I will prove it here. My second favorite of course is Out of gas, and then Jaynestown and Shindig.

   War Stories is the best episode of firefly because of the characters. My favorite scene is of course when Mal and Wash are getting tortured by Niska. Wash is definitely out of his element here, and Mal knows it. So to keep wash focused he brings up the elephant in the room. The tension and insecurities that Wash has are played out and realized in this scene. Mal brings those feelings up on purpose to distract Wash so he won’t give in to the torture.

 

  

   There are actually two scenes going on here: The character and relations between Mal and Wash, and the bigger story about Niska and Mal.  The amazing thing about this episode is that it wouldn’t work without all the characters being themselves and all of them trying to get what they want.

   Wash wants to be a part of the crew besides just being a pilot. He also wants more control in his relationship with Zoe. Wash wants to be part of the action so he can tell ‘war stories’ and fit in with the crew. Wash sees Mal as a threat to their marriage and he is scared of loosing Zoe. She has known Mal a lot longer and has a fierce loyalty to him.

   Mal wants to just get out of the torture situation. He wants to protect his crew also. Mal cares a lot about Wash because he talks about Zoe just to keep Wash’s focus away from the torture. It also helps Wash to talk about what is going on.

    Niska wants to keep his reputation as a bad guy, and wants to use Mal and crew as an example that nobody can cross him. He tries to manipulate Mal and Wash during the torture scene and later when Zoe comes to rescue them.

    Niska tries to manipulate Zoe by making her choose who she should save, but Zoe doesn’t even have to think about it. She knows Mal can last a lot longer in such an intense situation because they were both soldiers in the war. Mal has done this before. Wash hasn’t and won’t last as long. So of course Zoe chooses Wash right away. They are in love. Zoe doesn’t let Niskas manipulation affect her. She doesn’t even react when he cuts off Mals ear.

 

  The torture scene wouldn’t be so amazing without all these character motivations. If Niska didn’t know who Mal was or if Mal had completed the train job for him it would have been a lot different scene. If Zoe was there being tortured with Mal instead of Wash, the scene wouldn’t have been as interesting. If Wash wasn’t there,  he would have felt powerless to save his wife. This is why I love this episode and the show in general. The entire story is motivated by the characters. They are making things happen instead of things just happening to them.

  War Stories also gives us a lot of insights in the other characters as well. We see the whole crew come together to risk their lives to save Mal. Even Kaylee, the most peaceful of the group, is willing to pick up a gun and fight to save her captain. We learn about Shepard Book, who is surprisingly very knowledgeable about weapons and ships. He picks up a shotgun and there is a line about the bible being vague about kneecaps…

Simon is also willing to fight. After Ariel he seems to be an actual part of the crew.

  The biggest reveal though is the scene where River saves Kaylee by shooting three men. Before this we knew she was really smart, crazy, and could read minds. But we didn’t know how good a fighter she is. It also shows us how much River cares about the crew. She has no hesitation when her friends are in danger.

 We learn for the first time in this episode that Inara takes female clients. She has good taste. And “one cannot always be ones self in the company of men.” We see Jaynes’ wonderful reaction to the girls being together. “I’ll be in my bunk”.

  

   I love the part where Mal and Niska are fighting and Zoe tells the crew not to help Mal. It’s a great comedic scene but it also gives us insight into Mal and Zoe’s relationship.  Zoe thinks Mal has so much pride that he needs to defeat the bad guys alone but Mal says he can use all the help he can get. Mal will always fight the hardest for himself and his crew.

   That is why I think ‘War Stories’ is the best episode. There is good action and a great emotional core. Firefly works so well as a show because there are so many characters all working together but at the same time all the characters are very different. Just the characters themselves make so many opportunities to tell different stories. What other TV series do you know of that has 9 lead characters that tell such good tales?