Gloria Oliver's Blog, page 104
June 22, 2012
Movie Review - Snow White and the Huntsman
Snow White and the Huntsman
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Johnny Harris, Brian Gleeson, Vincent Regan, Noah Huntley, and more.
Directed by: Rupert Sanders Screenplay by: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini Screen Story by: Evan Daugherty Original Music by: James Newton Howard Cinematography by: Greig Fraser
Premise: After having been held captive for a decade, Snow White escapes the clutches of her step mother on the eve she was to be killed to give Ravenna eternal beauty and power. Escaping into the Dark Forest, she forces the queen to seek outside help in tracking her from the Huntsman. A broken man since he lost his wife, the Hunstman agrees to find Snow White after the queen promises she can bring back his beloved. Yet when he meets her, it comes to light that all is not as he'd been told. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Charlize Theron made for a tasty evil queen. Her desperation to remain beautiful and shattered self worth were easy to see and made you empathize despite yourself. Chris Hemsworth also did a good job as the heartbroken Huntsman. Kristen Stewart also did well, despite the fact she was given little to work with.
All the dwarves were played by normal height actors shrunk to size. And while I love Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, and several of the other actors portraying the dwarves, after having seen the available talent of diminutive men as shown in "Mirror Mirror", "Special Unit 2", and "Game of Thrones", it seemed odd for the film makers to have used special effects to create the shorter men rather than pull from the awesome pool of talent already out there.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: While the special effects were top rate, it proved hard not to be a little disappointed as most of the major ones had already been given away in the previews or proved to be drug induced hallucinations rather than the real thing. It also didn't help matters that the edit on the previews created certain false expectations in plot and number of special effects, which did not materialize.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: The story of Snow White has been done many times, so it's not like viewers don't know what to expect. I must give credit in that it was nice to see them delve deeper into Ravenna and what brought her to be as she was, and that a lot of detail and thought was given to the Huntsman as well, with a twist to the original, but the character of Snow White had no real detail or flavor whatsoever.
Worse, Ravenna's brother, Finn, exhibited all the worst traits his sister loathed in men and exercised them. As long as the two were together, I found it very difficult to believe she would not have discovered his predilections and corrected them through magical surgery or other means.
One last sad point with the plot was that though there were excellent actors involved, the film lacked life. There was no spark to the story, making the whole come across as bland fare. The chosen previews in no way helped this, as they showed most of the effects used and led viewers into making false assumptions with regards to some of the combat scenes and the majority of the Dark Forest.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: Excellent spanning shots were doled throughout the film. Many of the shots allowed even comparisons by viewers of the state of things pre and post Ravenna, which made for great contrast and encapsulated how dark everyone's lives had become.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: Make sure to take a close look at all of Ravenna's dresses, especially the ones after she takes over everything - the one with a full collar of bleached crow skulls was especially impressive. Unless you looked closely, you wouldn't even realize what it was made from. Kudos for the work on all her clothes.
For Snow White, while I loved the puffed sleeves giving subtle homage to the Disney version, the rest of her main costume made no sense whatsoever, which truly distracted from the film. Here you have an eighteen year old who has been imprisoned in a tower and never let out for ten years, yet she has a dress on as well as thick pants and strong leather boots? It is implied they might have been gifts from Finn, but a lech would not have given a young girl clothes to hide her femininity from his view, especially as he liked to watch her while she slept. Unfortunately, since all the other characters and costumes were so well done, it made this inconsistency stick out even more.
Conclusion: I wanted to love this film, but despite the good acting and great visuals, it left me feeling flat and strangely dissatisfied. The previews, I feel, did the movie a great disservice and raised expectations or created assumptions that the film did not actually deliver on, prepping the viewer for unexpected disappointments.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better For Matinee.)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Sam Spruell, Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Johnny Harris, Brian Gleeson, Vincent Regan, Noah Huntley, and more.
Directed by: Rupert Sanders Screenplay by: Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock, and Hossein Amini Screen Story by: Evan Daugherty Original Music by: James Newton Howard Cinematography by: Greig Fraser
Premise: After having been held captive for a decade, Snow White escapes the clutches of her step mother on the eve she was to be killed to give Ravenna eternal beauty and power. Escaping into the Dark Forest, she forces the queen to seek outside help in tracking her from the Huntsman. A broken man since he lost his wife, the Hunstman agrees to find Snow White after the queen promises she can bring back his beloved. Yet when he meets her, it comes to light that all is not as he'd been told. (Rated PG-13)
Review:
1) Acting - Thumbs Up: Charlize Theron made for a tasty evil queen. Her desperation to remain beautiful and shattered self worth were easy to see and made you empathize despite yourself. Chris Hemsworth also did a good job as the heartbroken Huntsman. Kristen Stewart also did well, despite the fact she was given little to work with.
All the dwarves were played by normal height actors shrunk to size. And while I love Ian McShane, Bob Hoskins, and several of the other actors portraying the dwarves, after having seen the available talent of diminutive men as shown in "Mirror Mirror", "Special Unit 2", and "Game of Thrones", it seemed odd for the film makers to have used special effects to create the shorter men rather than pull from the awesome pool of talent already out there.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: While the special effects were top rate, it proved hard not to be a little disappointed as most of the major ones had already been given away in the previews or proved to be drug induced hallucinations rather than the real thing. It also didn't help matters that the edit on the previews created certain false expectations in plot and number of special effects, which did not materialize.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: The story of Snow White has been done many times, so it's not like viewers don't know what to expect. I must give credit in that it was nice to see them delve deeper into Ravenna and what brought her to be as she was, and that a lot of detail and thought was given to the Huntsman as well, with a twist to the original, but the character of Snow White had no real detail or flavor whatsoever.
Worse, Ravenna's brother, Finn, exhibited all the worst traits his sister loathed in men and exercised them. As long as the two were together, I found it very difficult to believe she would not have discovered his predilections and corrected them through magical surgery or other means.
One last sad point with the plot was that though there were excellent actors involved, the film lacked life. There was no spark to the story, making the whole come across as bland fare. The chosen previews in no way helped this, as they showed most of the effects used and led viewers into making false assumptions with regards to some of the combat scenes and the majority of the Dark Forest.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Thumbs Up: Excellent spanning shots were doled throughout the film. Many of the shots allowed even comparisons by viewers of the state of things pre and post Ravenna, which made for great contrast and encapsulated how dark everyone's lives had become.
6) Costuming/Makeup - Thumbs Up: Make sure to take a close look at all of Ravenna's dresses, especially the ones after she takes over everything - the one with a full collar of bleached crow skulls was especially impressive. Unless you looked closely, you wouldn't even realize what it was made from. Kudos for the work on all her clothes.
For Snow White, while I loved the puffed sleeves giving subtle homage to the Disney version, the rest of her main costume made no sense whatsoever, which truly distracted from the film. Here you have an eighteen year old who has been imprisoned in a tower and never let out for ten years, yet she has a dress on as well as thick pants and strong leather boots? It is implied they might have been gifts from Finn, but a lech would not have given a young girl clothes to hide her femininity from his view, especially as he liked to watch her while she slept. Unfortunately, since all the other characters and costumes were so well done, it made this inconsistency stick out even more.
Conclusion: I wanted to love this film, but despite the good acting and great visuals, it left me feeling flat and strangely dissatisfied. The previews, I feel, did the movie a great disservice and raised expectations or created assumptions that the film did not actually deliver on, prepping the viewer for unexpected disappointments.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Better For Matinee.)
June 20, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 6/20/12
Happy Wednesday!
Sometimes Texas just has some awe inspiring skies!
Caught red handed! Serenity and her kitty litter crack habit. You can see the traces of guilt on her mouth and nose. For shame!
No idea when or why this was, but looked kinda cool, so here it is! lol.
Neat sculpture in the building where I got a CT scan. My insides feel just about the way too. :P
If H R Giger Were A Pastry Chef, His Cakes Might Look Something Like This - from iO9. Sculptures by Scott Hove. Funky but cool looking cakes, no?
Dragon Fire - Space X Falcon 9 Rocket from NASA.
Pulp Fiction Photos Using Book Covers from PetaPixel. Photos from artistThomas Allen. Cool!
27 Stunning And Creative Photographs Of Water from Light Stalking.
Opportunity's Selfie from NASA. Cool long view of Mars terrain.
May the rest of your week be awesome!
Sometimes Texas just has some awe inspiring skies!
Caught red handed! Serenity and her kitty litter crack habit. You can see the traces of guilt on her mouth and nose. For shame!
No idea when or why this was, but looked kinda cool, so here it is! lol.
Neat sculpture in the building where I got a CT scan. My insides feel just about the way too. :P
If H R Giger Were A Pastry Chef, His Cakes Might Look Something Like This - from iO9. Sculptures by Scott Hove. Funky but cool looking cakes, no?
Dragon Fire - Space X Falcon 9 Rocket from NASA.
Pulp Fiction Photos Using Book Covers from PetaPixel. Photos from artistThomas Allen. Cool!
27 Stunning And Creative Photographs Of Water from Light Stalking.
Opportunity's Selfie from NASA. Cool long view of Mars terrain.
May the rest of your week be awesome!
June 18, 2012
Mind Sieve 6/18/12
Been sick all week, starting this later than normal, and still having issues sitting at the computer for long periods, so let's see how far I get. Bwahahahahahaha!
Spiffy article and video from EW.Com PopWatch on 'Batman: Arkham City' - interviews with Kevin Conroy (Best Batman voice ever!), Mark Hamill (Best Joker voice ever!), and Stana Katic as Talia al Ghul.
From Clever Movies - Tom Cruise To Lead "The Magnificient Seven" Remake. This could be fun.
The Guild: I'm The One That's Cool - music video. Geek is the new Cool! Watch till the very end, will crack you up!
Face To Face by Weird Al Yakovic - Interview with Patrick Stewart at ComicCon. Watch for the doubled headed baby in the background. Heh.
42 Tremendous Video Game Wallpapers from Pelfusion. Oooo!
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer 3!
New Images from Les Miserables from Total Film. Russel Crow, Hugh Jackman - I am there!
4 Ways To Immediately Improve Your Book Marketing Efforts from Jane Friedman. Good points here!
And her follow up post called Yes, E-mail Still Works For Book Marketing.
Pinterest For Novelists: Can Pinterest Inspire Your Writing? guest post by Laura Harrington at Women's Fiction Writing blog.
From Rachelle Gardner - What Does A Publishing Contract Cover? Nice info to have!
25 Things To Know About Writing The First Chapter Of Your Novel from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Great stuff as always!
Get Thee To An Editor! 7 Reasons You Need One by Sarah Baughman from the Write It Sideways blog. Word!
All About Advances from Rachelle Gardner. Good info!
Hope you have a great week!
Spiffy article and video from EW.Com PopWatch on 'Batman: Arkham City' - interviews with Kevin Conroy (Best Batman voice ever!), Mark Hamill (Best Joker voice ever!), and Stana Katic as Talia al Ghul.
From Clever Movies - Tom Cruise To Lead "The Magnificient Seven" Remake. This could be fun.
The Guild: I'm The One That's Cool - music video. Geek is the new Cool! Watch till the very end, will crack you up!
Face To Face by Weird Al Yakovic - Interview with Patrick Stewart at ComicCon. Watch for the doubled headed baby in the background. Heh.
42 Tremendous Video Game Wallpapers from Pelfusion. Oooo!
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Trailer 3!
New Images from Les Miserables from Total Film. Russel Crow, Hugh Jackman - I am there!
4 Ways To Immediately Improve Your Book Marketing Efforts from Jane Friedman. Good points here!
And her follow up post called Yes, E-mail Still Works For Book Marketing.
Pinterest For Novelists: Can Pinterest Inspire Your Writing? guest post by Laura Harrington at Women's Fiction Writing blog.
From Rachelle Gardner - What Does A Publishing Contract Cover? Nice info to have!
25 Things To Know About Writing The First Chapter Of Your Novel from Chuck (NSFW) Wendig. Great stuff as always!
Get Thee To An Editor! 7 Reasons You Need One by Sarah Baughman from the Write It Sideways blog. Word!
All About Advances from Rachelle Gardner. Good info!
Hope you have a great week!
June 17, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic 6/17/12
Life has been chaotic lately. Whee!
Alderaan pics from the Empire's side.
Cultivated plants
I saw that log and was so sure it led to something. No, really! But it didn't. Pooh.
Killick left overs. Not something to make you look forward to entering the cave beyond.
Spooky cave system taken over by the Killiks.
Killik nests with Imperials in armor stuck to the walls. Ick.
Ulgo Defenses and ships
The Ulgo Family banner
This poor bot was in sad shape. Vengeful little bugger though.
That's as far as I got. Heh. Have a great Father's Day!
Alderaan pics from the Empire's side.
Cultivated plants
I saw that log and was so sure it led to something. No, really! But it didn't. Pooh.
Killick left overs. Not something to make you look forward to entering the cave beyond.
Spooky cave system taken over by the Killiks.
Killik nests with Imperials in armor stuck to the walls. Ick.
Ulgo Defenses and ships
The Ulgo Family banner
This poor bot was in sad shape. Vengeful little bugger though.
That's as far as I got. Heh. Have a great Father's Day!
June 15, 2012
Movie Review - Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pickett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cranston, Martin Short, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, and more.
Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, and Conrad Vernon Screenplay by: Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach Original Music by: Hans Zimmer
Premise: Alex (the lion) starts feeling home sick for New York and decides they should find the penguins, who finally were able to make the airplane from "Madagascar 2" flight worthy. Things take a bad turn as animal control is called when Alex and the others track the penguins down to a casino in Monte Carlo and get spotted. Captain Chantel DuBois is like no one they've had to face before, and she's out to get a lion's head for her trophy collection no matter what. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: The chemistry between all the regular actors is still there and as always increases the fun. The new additions of Brian Cranston, Martin Short, and Jessica Chastain also work very well. But the most amusement comes from Frances McDormand's portrayal of Captain Chantel DuBois. The captain was an incredibly neat character and a worthy adversary for our heroes.
2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Dreamworks' animation is 'top notch' as always. Their recreations of Monte Carlo and the country side of France were beautiful. The chase scenes flowed very well, almost as if watching an animated "James Bond" or one of the "Bourne" films.
The remade circus acts were also quite spectacular and creative.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The story for "Madagascar 3" was just plain fun! Not a lot of surprises, but one doesn't normally expect such things from a children's film. Still, they got in a couple. A nice fast pace, and they were able to get in a lot of character building more effectively than many longer adult aimed films.
As I mentioned previously, the character of Chantel DuBois was a lot of fun. Between her awesome skills, her dedication to duty, and her style, you almost can't help but admire her and fear her a little at the same time. There are also a lot of in-jokes slipped in for the parents to enjoy from "Star Trek", "The Matrix", and more. The bar for 'suspension of disbelief' was set higher than usual, but works just fine for the film. It's what animated movies were made for.
Conclusion: A thoroughly entertaining film for kids and adults. Has everything you normally expect from a "Madagascar" film and more. Though I will warn you, you will not leave the theater without Marty's song ringing through your head for an hour or two after. A lot of fun.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pickett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Tom McGrath, Frances McDormand, Jessica Chastain, Brian Cranston, Martin Short, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, and more.
Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, and Conrad Vernon Screenplay by: Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach Original Music by: Hans Zimmer
Premise: Alex (the lion) starts feeling home sick for New York and decides they should find the penguins, who finally were able to make the airplane from "Madagascar 2" flight worthy. Things take a bad turn as animal control is called when Alex and the others track the penguins down to a casino in Monte Carlo and get spotted. Captain Chantel DuBois is like no one they've had to face before, and she's out to get a lion's head for her trophy collection no matter what. (Rated PG)
Review:
1) Voice Acting - Total Thumbs Up: The chemistry between all the regular actors is still there and as always increases the fun. The new additions of Brian Cranston, Martin Short, and Jessica Chastain also work very well. But the most amusement comes from Frances McDormand's portrayal of Captain Chantel DuBois. The captain was an incredibly neat character and a worthy adversary for our heroes.
2) Artwork/Animation - Total Thumbs Up: Dreamworks' animation is 'top notch' as always. Their recreations of Monte Carlo and the country side of France were beautiful. The chase scenes flowed very well, almost as if watching an animated "James Bond" or one of the "Bourne" films.
The remade circus acts were also quite spectacular and creative.
3) Plot/Story - Thumbs Up: The story for "Madagascar 3" was just plain fun! Not a lot of surprises, but one doesn't normally expect such things from a children's film. Still, they got in a couple. A nice fast pace, and they were able to get in a lot of character building more effectively than many longer adult aimed films.
As I mentioned previously, the character of Chantel DuBois was a lot of fun. Between her awesome skills, her dedication to duty, and her style, you almost can't help but admire her and fear her a little at the same time. There are also a lot of in-jokes slipped in for the parents to enjoy from "Star Trek", "The Matrix", and more. The bar for 'suspension of disbelief' was set higher than usual, but works just fine for the film. It's what animated movies were made for.
Conclusion: A thoroughly entertaining film for kids and adults. Has everything you normally expect from a "Madagascar" film and more. Though I will warn you, you will not leave the theater without Marty's song ringing through your head for an hour or two after. A lot of fun.
Rating: 4 out of 5 (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price of Admission)
June 13, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 6/13/12
Weather changes are killing me, but let's see what I can dig up for this week.
From Photographers.co.uk comes a Wedding Photograph Exhibition. Some of these are too cute.
From Examiner.com - May 20 Solar Eclipse Pictures slideshow.
From NASA - A Supernova Cocoon Breakthrough.
[image error]
Creative Portraits of Celebrities Created Using Colored Wooden Pins from PetaPixel. Funky!
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Solar Eclipse Sunset by Bobby Hitt.
From Its JBoy - Waking Up To This...
From Kate Brown.
That's it. Now to go back to bed and get over my cold. :P
From Photographers.co.uk comes a Wedding Photograph Exhibition. Some of these are too cute.
From Examiner.com - May 20 Solar Eclipse Pictures slideshow.
From NASA - A Supernova Cocoon Breakthrough.
[image error]
Creative Portraits of Celebrities Created Using Colored Wooden Pins from PetaPixel. Funky!
[image error]
Solar Eclipse Sunset by Bobby Hitt.
From Its JBoy - Waking Up To This...
From Kate Brown.
That's it. Now to go back to bed and get over my cold. :P
June 11, 2012
Mind Sieve 6/11/12
Happy Monday! (Or is that an oxymoron?) :P
This Week In from Charlie. He's just too cute. Though I have to disagree about Cars 2. He might be too young to appreciate all the jokes. Heh heh. (I feel old now.) :P
Call Me Maybe Parody from The Key of Awesome. (Possible brain damage - but cute. You've been warned.) :P
Rockelbel's Canon (Pachebel's Canon in D) - 4 Cellos - from the Piano Guys. Awesome upbeat version of the old classic.
Simon's Cat in Tongue Tied. So cute!!!
Prince of Balls Game Video Preview - looks like they currently have it for web with apps coming soon. Looks really cute.
The Good Doctor Movie Trailer - looks very trippy.
1st Skyfall Poster for the next 007 Film from Total Film
From the Huffington Post - Europe History Time Lapse. Pretty darn cool. When the Mongol Hordes hit, there is no doubt!
New Skull Made of Typewriter Parts by Jeremy Mayer. Check out the second skull pic at the site. The back of the head is too cool as well.
Designing From Bones - Enigma and the Iron Thunderbolt from Gene Lempp.
Won't Back Down Official Trailer. Loads of talent on this one.
Social Media Is An Imperfect Sales Tool. Use It Anyway from Nathan Bransford. I totally agree with him, though at times it drives me crazy that I can't keep up with everything everyone shares, I have definitely stumbled on new friends and cool stuff to share because of it. :)
From Mashable What Twitter's Do Not Track Feature Will Mean For You.
How To Instantly Boost Your Twitter Appeal from Cassera Communications.
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Reasons You Should Quit Writing.
7 Reasons To Be Grateful You're A Writer from Victoria Mixon.
From The Write Practice - Three Times You Should Use A Comma. One can never have these rules pounded enough into ones brain. :P
See you next time!
This Week In from Charlie. He's just too cute. Though I have to disagree about Cars 2. He might be too young to appreciate all the jokes. Heh heh. (I feel old now.) :P
Call Me Maybe Parody from The Key of Awesome. (Possible brain damage - but cute. You've been warned.) :P
Rockelbel's Canon (Pachebel's Canon in D) - 4 Cellos - from the Piano Guys. Awesome upbeat version of the old classic.
Simon's Cat in Tongue Tied. So cute!!!
Prince of Balls Game Video Preview - looks like they currently have it for web with apps coming soon. Looks really cute.
The Good Doctor Movie Trailer - looks very trippy.
1st Skyfall Poster for the next 007 Film from Total Film
From the Huffington Post - Europe History Time Lapse. Pretty darn cool. When the Mongol Hordes hit, there is no doubt!
New Skull Made of Typewriter Parts by Jeremy Mayer. Check out the second skull pic at the site. The back of the head is too cool as well.
Designing From Bones - Enigma and the Iron Thunderbolt from Gene Lempp.
Won't Back Down Official Trailer. Loads of talent on this one.
Social Media Is An Imperfect Sales Tool. Use It Anyway from Nathan Bransford. I totally agree with him, though at times it drives me crazy that I can't keep up with everything everyone shares, I have definitely stumbled on new friends and cool stuff to share because of it. :)
From Mashable What Twitter's Do Not Track Feature Will Mean For You.
How To Instantly Boost Your Twitter Appeal from Cassera Communications.
From Chuck (NSFW) Wendig - 25 Reasons You Should Quit Writing.
7 Reasons To Be Grateful You're A Writer from Victoria Mixon.
From The Write Practice - Three Times You Should Use A Comma. One can never have these rules pounded enough into ones brain. :P
See you next time!
June 10, 2012
Virtual Tourist - Star Wars The Old Republic 6/10/12
It's Sunday, the weather is changing again, and I am dragging. :P
From the Republic side - Hoth:
A valley full of volcanic geysers.
Heading towards a valley filled with giant crystals.
Imperial occupied space within the crystal zone.
Better look at my map emote
New kind of artifact harvesting node. Funkiest looking thing. Had not had a new configuration in a while and none so interesting looking!
Pirate base. Loved the giant ice sculptures! Can you spot them?
Reminiscent of movie Superman's Fortress of solitude. (Smallville's too!)
About to arrive at a zone full of downed ships. Who knew Hoth had these many visitors!
Inside one of the larger pieces of wreckage.
Now for my Imperial Spy on Anderaan.
Do love these flying fish. What's interesting here is the grass nest.
Approach to House Alde.
House Alde's Banner.
They have this huge holographic projector. A bit ostentatious no? Heh heh.
Funky death pic. His buddy disappeared on me or they'd have been two in the pic. Hee!
Hope you had a great weekend~![image error]
From the Republic side - Hoth:
A valley full of volcanic geysers.
Heading towards a valley filled with giant crystals.
Imperial occupied space within the crystal zone.
Better look at my map emote
New kind of artifact harvesting node. Funkiest looking thing. Had not had a new configuration in a while and none so interesting looking!
Pirate base. Loved the giant ice sculptures! Can you spot them?
Reminiscent of movie Superman's Fortress of solitude. (Smallville's too!)
About to arrive at a zone full of downed ships. Who knew Hoth had these many visitors!
Inside one of the larger pieces of wreckage.
Now for my Imperial Spy on Anderaan.
Do love these flying fish. What's interesting here is the grass nest.
Approach to House Alde.
House Alde's Banner.
They have this huge holographic projector. A bit ostentatious no? Heh heh.
Funky death pic. His buddy disappeared on me or they'd have been two in the pic. Hee!
Hope you had a great weekend~![image error]
June 8, 2012
Movie Review - Prometheus
Prometheus
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliot, Benedict Wong, Kate Dickie, and more.
Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof Original Music by: Marc Streitenfeld Cinematography by: Dariusz Wolski
Premise: Dr Elizabeth Shaw and Dr Charlie Holloway believe they've found messages from a race they call the Engineers in multiple engravings and cave paintings spanning over 35,000 years. Gaining the backing of major corporate player Weyland Industries, they've been able to use the drawings to narrow the location depicted in the paintings and carvings down to a specific solar system. After her crew spends over two years in cryogenic sleep, the Prometheus finally reaches the system. But not everyone's motivations for this trip are what they seem and certain assumptions made are about to be proved terribly wrong. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Noomi Rapace made a very convincing Dr Shaw. Michael Fassbender was excellent as the android David 8. He gave great depth and nuance to the character of David, a being both mentally superior to humans and enslaved all the same, in many ways having the same issues as the interesting Meredith Vickers. Charlie Theron was a lot of fun as Vickers. She showed both the woman's strengths and insecurities quite well.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects in this film were amazing! Seeing them in IMAX 3D just made me appreciate their efforts all the more. The HUD and bridge screens looked fantastic in 3D.
The 3D imager compiling data from the scanner spheres made for a fabulous visual. Overall, the Earth equipment looked advanced yet usable by every day people. The filmmakers even managed to keep and expand on the 'look and feel' of the original alien technology seen briefly in the original film Alien, tying the two, at least visually, together.
The sequence at the very beginning of the film was grand and even a clue to the reason of further events. Don't blink or you might miss the last tiny bit and what it implies.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: If there was one place the film proved disappointing, it would have to be the story. Syncing anything to preexisting material can be difficult - that is a given. And while several items did get set up to relate back to the 1979 Alien film, there were too many other places where the story had no cohesion or explanations that made sense.
There were a couple of sub story plots that were interesting with regards to Dr Shaw and Dr Holloway as well as between David and Vickers, but the general story and the direction it takes failed to hold up. We meet a lot of people in a short time, but most don't get filled out before they're gone. The investment of the audience in what happens to the film characters wasn't solidified enough before things happened to them.
A lot of the issues stemmed from the 'convenience factor'. You have a group of people all going together to unknown areas of space yet before they come out of cryo-sleep, most have never even met before. And while several of those on the exploration team are scientists, they make some of the most unbelievable choices possible.
It could be that a lot of the footage which might have helped the story hold together better ended up on the cutting room floor or perhaps not. Either way, this most pivotal of items for a film was very lacking.
What answers the audience is given with regards to what is going on, and why, are few, and several don't actually make sense when looked at closely. Definitely a negative point for the film.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: From the moment the film begins, the audience is mesmerized by gorgeous sweeping scenes. Real or imagined, the movie watchers are given beautiful awe inspiring images throughout. Between the 'top-notch' Special Effects and the wonderful Cinematography, Prometheus should definitely be getting any number of awards.
Conclusion: Worth seeing purely for the fantastic visuals. Don't expect many answers, and those you do get may not necessarily make any real sense. Left open for a sequel.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 (Visually 5 out of 5!) (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price Of Admission.)
Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliot, Benedict Wong, Kate Dickie, and more.
Directed by: Ridley Scott Written by: Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof Original Music by: Marc Streitenfeld Cinematography by: Dariusz Wolski
Premise: Dr Elizabeth Shaw and Dr Charlie Holloway believe they've found messages from a race they call the Engineers in multiple engravings and cave paintings spanning over 35,000 years. Gaining the backing of major corporate player Weyland Industries, they've been able to use the drawings to narrow the location depicted in the paintings and carvings down to a specific solar system. After her crew spends over two years in cryogenic sleep, the Prometheus finally reaches the system. But not everyone's motivations for this trip are what they seem and certain assumptions made are about to be proved terribly wrong. (Rated R)
Review:
1) Acting - Total Thumbs Up: Noomi Rapace made a very convincing Dr Shaw. Michael Fassbender was excellent as the android David 8. He gave great depth and nuance to the character of David, a being both mentally superior to humans and enslaved all the same, in many ways having the same issues as the interesting Meredith Vickers. Charlie Theron was a lot of fun as Vickers. She showed both the woman's strengths and insecurities quite well.
2) Special Effects - Total Thumbs Up: The special effects in this film were amazing! Seeing them in IMAX 3D just made me appreciate their efforts all the more. The HUD and bridge screens looked fantastic in 3D.
The 3D imager compiling data from the scanner spheres made for a fabulous visual. Overall, the Earth equipment looked advanced yet usable by every day people. The filmmakers even managed to keep and expand on the 'look and feel' of the original alien technology seen briefly in the original film Alien, tying the two, at least visually, together.
The sequence at the very beginning of the film was grand and even a clue to the reason of further events. Don't blink or you might miss the last tiny bit and what it implies.
3) Plot/Story - Neutral: If there was one place the film proved disappointing, it would have to be the story. Syncing anything to preexisting material can be difficult - that is a given. And while several items did get set up to relate back to the 1979 Alien film, there were too many other places where the story had no cohesion or explanations that made sense.
There were a couple of sub story plots that were interesting with regards to Dr Shaw and Dr Holloway as well as between David and Vickers, but the general story and the direction it takes failed to hold up. We meet a lot of people in a short time, but most don't get filled out before they're gone. The investment of the audience in what happens to the film characters wasn't solidified enough before things happened to them.
A lot of the issues stemmed from the 'convenience factor'. You have a group of people all going together to unknown areas of space yet before they come out of cryo-sleep, most have never even met before. And while several of those on the exploration team are scientists, they make some of the most unbelievable choices possible.
It could be that a lot of the footage which might have helped the story hold together better ended up on the cutting room floor or perhaps not. Either way, this most pivotal of items for a film was very lacking.
What answers the audience is given with regards to what is going on, and why, are few, and several don't actually make sense when looked at closely. Definitely a negative point for the film.
5) Locations/Cinematography - Total Thumbs Up: From the moment the film begins, the audience is mesmerized by gorgeous sweeping scenes. Real or imagined, the movie watchers are given beautiful awe inspiring images throughout. Between the 'top-notch' Special Effects and the wonderful Cinematography, Prometheus should definitely be getting any number of awards.
Conclusion: Worth seeing purely for the fantastic visuals. Don't expect many answers, and those you do get may not necessarily make any real sense. Left open for a sequel.
Rating: 3.25 out of 5 (Visually 5 out of 5!) (Hubby's Rating: Worth Full Price Of Admission.)
June 6, 2012
Picture Kaleidoscope 6/6/12 - The Akon 23 Edition
Prepare yourselves! A ton of costume pics to share from A-kon. The bar was truly high on costumes this year. Totally awesome! (And who knows how many I didn't get shots of too) (And my camera settings go bumped...so some of these did not come out as they should have - waaaaahhhhh! Deleted the worst ones out. Sniff.)
Izzit (Sp?) from a game.
Ack, this came out fuzzy. She had a really cute dragon familiar at her hip.
Old Spice Commercial Man!
Deadpool! There were several through the convention.
Willie Wonka I pressume?
Look at that scythe!
Another game character
A group of horse heads. There was a giraffe in there somewhere too.
Umbrella Corporation
A gaggle of demons.
Nice kitty.
Lord Phantomhyve from Black Butler. A very popular character this weekend as well as Sebastian.
Beautiful Princess.
Loved all the bling! :)
Bad kitty!
So dapper!
Dr Who baddies! Run for it!
Took this one for the drawn on tattoo on his chest.
So cute! She needs some sheep!
Loved her Maleficent costume!
Warrior Chic from the Guin Saga? Anyone? Anyone?
Tigra from Kung Fu Panda! Sweet!
Wished I could have gotten a better one of the demon, it looked really good!
Awesome Pokemon costume.
Captain Weaver from Falling Skies. He really looked a lot like Will Patton!
More demons! Loved the look of the semi insectoid one.
Steampunk weapons of massive destruction!
A Rattataki Sith from SWTOR? He looked really good.
Black Swan of Death?
Too adorable!
Tetsuo from Akira. Talk about a flash from the past. Look at that arm! Is that cool or what?
From Naruto. The face looks so creepy!
Warriors from a cute game. Duaghtyer and Son-In-Law played it a lot.
Was trying to get her lit up hair. Was partially successful.
He threw me kisses after I took the pic. lol.
From Soul Eater.
This was incredibly creative.
Winged Furry!
She was such an adorable Nine Tails!
Is this hat not the cutest thing????
From Bleach. Super impressive.
Golden robot man.
More Steampunk gadgets.
Look at the blue funnel gun thing with Deadpool. Looked wicked.
A winged Sailor Moon!
This staf was so cool looking!
The nut job reaper from Black Butler.
Mothra!!!! Should have a pic showing him with open wings somewhere in here. Totally impressive!
Sana-chan and her Mom from Kodomo no Omocha - squirrel and all!
Star Trekking Across The Universe! (Had that song stuck in my head off and on all weekend! Whee!)
Lady Trigun.
Giant Teddy!
That is one HUGE 20 sided die.
Tinker Bell!
Disney's Fantasia - The pose is so cute!
T-shirt says "Don't Fear The Creeper" Lol. Go Minecraft!
A close look at Steampunk Creeper. :P
Johnny Bravo!
Giant Size Sonic!
Necklace from Chibi Chains that made its debut at A-kon.
Red Ribbon Lunacy!
He did a great job on the cape!
Naruto's Nine Tails.
A gift from Shonuff Studios. So awesome!
Furries! Loved the jacket.
Mothra showing off his wings at the Monster Attack Team booth.
Just look at that detail!
Spy vs Spy!
Pokemon's Rattata. So cute.
This year everyone really stepped up on the costumes. There were so many I didn't get a chance to snatch up pics of. Awesome job ya'll!
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Izzit (Sp?) from a game.
Ack, this came out fuzzy. She had a really cute dragon familiar at her hip.
Old Spice Commercial Man!
Deadpool! There were several through the convention.
Willie Wonka I pressume?
Look at that scythe!
Another game character
A group of horse heads. There was a giraffe in there somewhere too.
Umbrella Corporation
A gaggle of demons.
Nice kitty.
Lord Phantomhyve from Black Butler. A very popular character this weekend as well as Sebastian.
Beautiful Princess.
Loved all the bling! :)
Bad kitty!
So dapper!
Dr Who baddies! Run for it!
Took this one for the drawn on tattoo on his chest.
So cute! She needs some sheep!
Loved her Maleficent costume!
Warrior Chic from the Guin Saga? Anyone? Anyone?
Tigra from Kung Fu Panda! Sweet!
Wished I could have gotten a better one of the demon, it looked really good!
Awesome Pokemon costume.
Captain Weaver from Falling Skies. He really looked a lot like Will Patton!
More demons! Loved the look of the semi insectoid one.
Steampunk weapons of massive destruction!
A Rattataki Sith from SWTOR? He looked really good.
Black Swan of Death?
Too adorable!
Tetsuo from Akira. Talk about a flash from the past. Look at that arm! Is that cool or what?
From Naruto. The face looks so creepy!
Warriors from a cute game. Duaghtyer and Son-In-Law played it a lot.
Was trying to get her lit up hair. Was partially successful.
He threw me kisses after I took the pic. lol.
From Soul Eater.
This was incredibly creative.
Winged Furry!
She was such an adorable Nine Tails!
Is this hat not the cutest thing????
From Bleach. Super impressive.
Golden robot man.
More Steampunk gadgets.
Look at the blue funnel gun thing with Deadpool. Looked wicked.
A winged Sailor Moon!
This staf was so cool looking!
The nut job reaper from Black Butler.
Mothra!!!! Should have a pic showing him with open wings somewhere in here. Totally impressive!
Sana-chan and her Mom from Kodomo no Omocha - squirrel and all!
Star Trekking Across The Universe! (Had that song stuck in my head off and on all weekend! Whee!)
Lady Trigun.
Giant Teddy!
That is one HUGE 20 sided die.
Tinker Bell!
Disney's Fantasia - The pose is so cute!
T-shirt says "Don't Fear The Creeper" Lol. Go Minecraft!
A close look at Steampunk Creeper. :P
Johnny Bravo!
Giant Size Sonic!
Necklace from Chibi Chains that made its debut at A-kon.
Red Ribbon Lunacy!
He did a great job on the cape!
Naruto's Nine Tails.
A gift from Shonuff Studios. So awesome!
Furries! Loved the jacket.
Mothra showing off his wings at the Monster Attack Team booth.
Just look at that detail!
Spy vs Spy!
Pokemon's Rattata. So cute.
This year everyone really stepped up on the costumes. There were so many I didn't get a chance to snatch up pics of. Awesome job ya'll!
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