Monthly Archives: tammikuu 2014

Alice in Wonderland is one of my all-time favorite stories. The world of the story is really fantastic, and the amount of imagination that is required to create something like that amazes me. I think that Disney´s animation version of Alice in Wonderland is the best animation I have ever seen.
I also like Tim Burtons (director) movies, especially films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Edward Scissorhands, because he has created such curious worlds at them.
You might think that when you combine two things that you like, the result would be very good. Unfortunately that is not the case with the Alice in Wonderland movie (2010).
Tim Burton´s version of Alice in Wonderland doesn´t add anything new to the story. Actually it just keeps repeating the same things that have already been seen in Disney´s version. Original story is meant to be crazy and senseless, but Tim Burton´s 2010 version is trying too hard to make Alice in the Wonderland to a rational story. Plot is like in every Hollywood movie, it has a hero and of course the final battle at the end. This doesn´t fit to the Alice in Wonderlands “curious” world.
In my opinion computer-animation made the characters and the world look too ”plastic”, thought I have to admit that the special effects in the Tim Burton`s version were really amazing.
Only good thing in the movie is actors, thought their work is hard because of the awkward script. For example Alice is meant to be nineteen years old in the movie but the characters lines are too childish. Johnny Depp as The Hatter was lovely (of course he was, he is the Johnny Depp) and I also liked the White Queen (Anna Hathaway) very much.
All and all movie lacks this magical feeling of fairytales, and the “curiousness” of the original story. I was disappointed in it, but on the other hand, if I wouldn´t be so familiar with the original Alice in Wonderland, maybe this Tim Burton´s version wouldn´t be so bad.

The movie is about a man (Leo Collins) and a woman (Paige Collins) who fell in love with each other. Their life together was perfect until they got into a car accident. The woman got a brain trauma as a result of which she lost a small part of her memory. She did not remember her husband at all. Leo tries to help Paige to remember all that was in their life before the accident. And he decides to re-conquer the heart of Paige again. Unable to get the love of his wife for the second time, he gives up. But in the end, after many trials, they come back together again.
       Channing Tatum, who plays the main male role, was perfect. He is handsome and since the movie is mainly for girls he was a perfect choice. His character was gentle and very caring. In the middle of all the suffering he stayed patient and let Paige recover from the accident. But leading female act Rachel McAdams was not so great. They just did not look good together. In the beginning of the movie Paige was very likeable person but after the accident she changed in to a boring and annoying one. There was nothing to complain about the side characters.

The filming of the movie was good and professionally made. Music was chosen to the movie so that it fitted to different situations well. The film score, written and composed by Rachel Portman and Michael Brooks. The Vow is based on the actual relationship of Kim and Krickitt Carpenter, who wrote a book about their marriage, also known as The Vow. Chicago gets to show off in a number of shots, particularly in the Grant Park lakefront area, but most of the film was shot in Toronto.

The Desolation of Smaug is the second part of the Hobbit-trilogy, first is The Hobbit- An Unexpected Journey and the next and the final one will br The Hobbit- There And Back Again.  The Hobbit is the trilogy written by J.R.R Tolkien and movies are directed by Peter Jackson.

Plot:  The movie starts when old mage Gandalf and a Dwarf named Thorin Oakenshield meet at the Inn of the Prancing Pony. Gandalf suggests that Thorin should get mystic jewel, the Arkenstone, to himself and take the Lonely Mountain back to the Dwarves control from mean dragon, Smaug.

After year, Thorin, his 13 Dwarves, Gandalf and a snitch Bilbo Bagging start their journey at the Lonely Mountain.

On their trip they notice that the Orcs follow them. Later Bilbo notices that massive black bear is also tracking them. The bear proves to be a skin-changer named Bearn. Bearn saves them from Orcs and company get a permission to sleep in Bearn’s house.

In the morning Gandalf leaves Bilbo and Dwarves and heads his way to Dol Guldur. Before that he ushers Bilbo and Dwarves to Mirkwood.  Gandalf warns them to remain on the path and tells them to wait for him before entering the Lonely Mountain.The  Dwarves lose their way in Mirkwood and giant spiders catch them, but Bilbo uses the One Ring and frees the Dwarves.

Later Elves, who live in Mirkwood, jail them to dungeon. Again Bilbo saves them and manages to escape riding in empty wine barrels. However, Orcs attack and in the battle one of the Dwarves, Kili, wounds bad.

Bilbo and the Dwarves arrive at the Lake Town named Esgaroth. Fisherman Bard gives them bed. Later it is uncovered that Barn is a last ruler of Dale, and he own only one  weapon which can wound the Smaug: Black Arrow.

From the Esgaroth Bilbo and Dwarves reach to the Lonely Mountain. There they must meet dangerous and terrible monster: a huge dragon, Smaug.

Summary:

The movie happens in the fantasyworld Middle-earth, where lives the Orcs, the Hobbits, the Elves, the wizards and witches, giant spiders, skin-changers, the Dwarves, Nazguls and many else.

The Desolautio of Smaug publiced 2013 in November. Main are Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Gandalf (Ian McKellen), Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), Smaug (Benedictus Cumberbatch) and Bard (Luke Evans)

Evaluation:

When I saw the movie, my first reaction was surprise. The special effects were awesome. If I had to choose one character which I would  identify with, it would be Thorin Oakenshield because he is brave, tough and fundamentally goodhearted.

Maybe my favourite part was the part when the Dwarves and Bilbo escaped from the Elves castle. It’s unexpected and thrilling.  Film evokes an ” I can’t wait the next part”-feeling. The movie ends with an exciting scene.

However, sometimes the movie isn’t easy ro follow.  There are so many character and places and all of them have so difficult names.

Still I loves the movie and I want to see final part of the trilogy.

Safe Haven is a movie adaptation from Nicholas Sparks’s novel of the same name. The movie is directed by swedish film director Lasse Hallström. As a fan of his films, I was very excited about this one. He has also directed movies like Dear John, Chocolat and Hachi: A Dog’s Tale. Safe Haven is an American romance film starring Julianne Hough and one of my favorite actors Josh Duhamel. Hallström’s movies seem to never let me down; this one goes straight to the list of my favorite films with all the exciting plot twists, romance and suspense.

Safe Haven tells a story about a young woman who leaves her house after being shown in possession of a bloody knife. The scene leaves an assumption for the viewer that she has murdered someone. She is being wanted by the police. She escapes to a small town called Southport, North Carolina. She introduces herself as Katie and acquires a job as a waitress and buys a small house from the edge of town. Katie becomes friends with her neighbor Jo (Cobie Smulders) and meets Alex Wheatley (Josh Duhamel) who owns a local convenience store. Alex’s wife has died of cancers a few years ago, and he is left alone with his two young children, Lexie and Josh. Alex immediately shows interest towards Katie, and keeps doing small, helpful things for her. They go on a canoeing trip together and soon fall in love after that.

The story goes on like any other romance film, before Alex finds out about the reports saying that Katie is a wanted murderer. Later Katie explains to him that the man he had stabbed with a kitchen knife was his husband and she was only protecting herself from his drunken assault. She also reveals her real name, Erin. Her husband, Kevin, who worked as a police and had made the reports of her being wanted was only an excuse to track her down. This episode is followed by some serious events as Kevin finds Erin’s location and it causes a fire on Alex’s store and his house, destroying them all.

The fact that the viewer sees at the beginning of the movie the scene of Erin with the bloody knife keeps the tension going on all the way. Assuming that Erin’s a murderer, it is a real surprise to find out what the situation really is. I hardly managed to stay on my seat with all the excitement. As things calm down at the end of the movie and you wait for the happy ending, there comes another twist at the very end, which leaves you speechless staring at the ending credits, just thinking like ”what was that all about?!” Keeping up with the movie’s plot twists makes a good time, but an unimaginative denouement turns the whole thing upside down, leaving you with a feeling of incongruity. Safe Haven was universally panned from critics, but from my point of view I think it was refreshing to experience something new and exciting comparing to the usual romance films.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a movie about two long-time friends, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson), who spend a summer in Barcelona, Spain. They meet a painter called Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem), who introduces the girls to the Spanish lifestyle – especially love. Both girls are fascinated by the man’s confidence and his art. Eventually they find themselves enamored with him, but Juan Antonio’s ex-wife Maria Elena (Penélope Cruz) has her own intentions. Their love drama is extremely complicated, just like people in Spain.

If I had to identify myself with one character in the movie, it would be Vicky. She has planned her whole life ahead and has a clear sense of direction. She is going to marry her fiancé, live in a fancy apartment with him and start a family. Then the unexpected happens: she falls in love with another man. Needless to say that her whole life changes its course. Cristina is her opposite, she is fearless and passionate. She is what every woman wants to be. She throws herself into adventures with an open-minded attitude. Juan Antonio depicts the idyllic Spanish lover: charming, passionate and just a bit arrogant. Penélope Cruz does an amazing job bringing to life the ex-wife, Maria Elena. She is capricious, dangerous and breathtakingly beautiful. There is something hypnotizing about Cruz’s acting that brings out the soul of the film. Her astonishing performance even earned her a handful of awards, including an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

One thing I personally would change about the film is the narrator. It feels like the cheery voice telling the obvious is just unnecessary for the plot. The narrator’s voice doesn’t work well with the romantic feel of the rest of the movie. Sometimes the narrative is almost childish, as if the viewer couldn’t see what is just happening in the movie. Maybe the narrator was intended to be a unique, artistic approach to a sensitive film, but in my opinion the attempt fails miserably.

Before seeing the film I had very high expectations, after all it was directed by the greatly praised Woody Allen. And he didn’t let me down. The movie is very dreamy, almost fairytale-like, but still manages to maintain its reality. The milieu is carefully chosen and the casting fits the ethereal atmosphere perfectly. Everything from the costumes to the setting has been handpicked with a close attention to detail, but rather than standing out, the elements blend together seamlessly. The result is a romantic setting with realistic characters, but just enough fantasy to spice things up.