Back to the Basics

This year, there haven't been too many movies that had me super excited.  The Amazing Spider-man looked lame from the trailers (I had assumed it to be a retelling of the first Spider-man, but was pleasantly surprised with how good it was).  Madagascar 3 created some excitement, but I was also rather nervous because I didn't want to see the producers end an epic series badly (and they didn't!).  Dark Knight Rises didn't necessarily do it for me either, because Dark Knight was so... well dark!  I was worried this third one would be the same (again, pleasantly surprised).  I am somewhat excited for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and Les Miserables, however I am upset that they are splitting The Hobbit into THREE movies!  And where I haven't read the books for either of these, I don't know exactly what to expect in the movie... thus I am not as excited.

But today marks the release date of a movie I was excited to see.  Honestly, I haven't been this excited since Harry Potter 7-2 was released last year.

This movie is...

Of course, Rise of the Guardians.

Prior to today, the more I saw about this movie (trailers, TV spots, etc.) the more excited I became.  For starters, the concept of childhood myths being not only real, but also being guardians of the children was unique to me.  Then the villain entered... Pitch...

You may call him the Boogieman, Pitch Black, or the King of Nightmares.  When I first saw him I knew he was going to be a good villain!

So, the overall story theme I received from the trailers was Pitch has entered the playing field and is spreading fear across all the children of the world.  And if the children do not believe in the Guardians, they will disappear and lose their powers.  So, the Guardians must "rise" together and help protect the children of the world from this new darkness.

Well, I had the great opportunity to finally see this movie today (opening day).  I was very excited, but there was a small part of me that worried I had built it up too much, and that I would be disappointed with the final result.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

Despite all my excitement... it still blew me away.

Now, I know there are some out there who say, "This is your simple story of good vs evil."  Well yes, but you know what?  In a time when movies are so popular and everyone is trying to create elaborate and complex stories (*cough*Inception*cough*), it's rather refreshing to go back to the basics.  This was one of the main draws for me.  I'm tired of the complex storylines, the mind boggling twists and turns in plots and character development... just give me a good movie that has excellent character growth and development, with twists and turns that actually make sense but are not predictable, with little to no profanity/inappropriate material, and then I will be happy.

Tonight, I am pleased to announce that I. Am. Happy.

I found this movie to be unique (as I said earlier) and very entertaining.  The writers did a good job to keep the story flowing by adding bits of humor through-out (the elves are hilarious as is the rivalry between Bunny and Jack).  I felt the characters all experienced growth throughout the movie, and especially our main character: Jack Frost.  One of those changes actually happened within myself.  Now, how can this be, right?  I'm not in the movie?  Well, good writing creates changes in the viewer, and there's a point where Pitch "bears his soul" to Jack... and I sympathized.  (Side Note: This is key to developing a good villain in any story.)  It helped me realize what he has been through and it's no wonder he is the way he his and why he does what he does (again, this is key to developing a good villain).  Therefore, Pitch's character was beautifully crafted and well rounded in the end, as were the other main characters.  The only one I didn't see a great change in was Sandy, and if you see the movie you'll understand why.  But I loved him just the way he was anyway!  He's perfect!  (One of my favorites, can't you tell?)

Switching gears, there are many morals and messages portrayed through-out the movie (not just at the end as it is with most).  Things like who we are now is not dependent on who we were before, and that each of us has a purpose while in this life, we just need to find it.  It was one of those movies that simply leaves you feeling uplifted and full of hope and light.  I love these kinds of feel-good movies.  I believe that's what all movies should do: Uplift us and take us away from reality.  I live in reality, why would I want to see a movie that portrays the same thing?  Give me two hours away from this life to imagine something greater, something better, and I feel much happier with my reality when I return to it.

Also, Alexandre Desplat produced the music for this movie.  For those who do not know, he is the brilliant mind behind several of the amazing Harry Potter Soundtracks!  The music was simply stunning and I think I know what to ask for when Christmas rolls around!  Here's a sampling of the type of music on the album:

Speaking of little facts, did you know that this movie is based off of a book series?  I had no clue!!  It is entitled, "The Guardians of Childhood" by William Joyce and includes picture books as well as young reader books.  I actually started reading the "Nicolas St. North" book online and it talks about how Pitch awoke and how Jack Frost came to be (the movie never exactly explains how Pitch came back).  The series looks rather interesting.

I simply love this movie.  I think it was well written with a good story and great characters, and excellent music is a bonus!

Now go and have your spirits uplifted and enjoy a good story of good vs. evil!

The Guardians Have Risen!!

"Adjustment Bureau" [Review]

I've opted to begin a movie review section.  I've always loved movies and I think it would be fun to post my opinions of movies I go and see, not only to share my own opinion with you but also for my own reflection so when the movie is released on DVD I'll remember what I enjoyed or didn't enjoy in the movie.

First up, I finally went and saw "Adjustment Bureau."  I originally wanted to see it back in March when it was released...

Rating: PG-13 for brief strong language, some sexuality, and a violent image.
Director: George Nolfi
Cast: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt
Theatrical Release Date: March 4, 2011
DVD Release Date: June 21, 2011

When I first saw the trailer [see below] I thought it looked like a less-violent version of Inception, which I was all for.  Granted, I like Inception, but hated the violence (hence the reason it is not on my movie shelf).  No matter, it immediately attracted my attention because The Adjustment Bureau looked like it had suspense, action, and romance all rolled into one.  Talk about my kind of movie!!  However, critic reviews I read painted a different picture.  The trailer makes the movie out to be rather intense, with a lot of action.  It is not.  There is intense chase scenes towards the end, but over all the movie is more down-played.  The movie focuses more on telling a story and the details, as opposed to the capturing of action scenes.  I personally like this technique.  The way in which the direction/producer/writer George Nolfi presents the balance between action, story, and romance really captured my attention throughout the entire movie.

Some may view this movie and think it moves along slowly, taking a while to get to "the point."  But I actually enjoyed the pace of the film as opposed to random chase/fight scenes.

The story concept is rather interesting.  The fact that your life has been planned out to the second really makes one ponder.  The whole idea is that every life has a plan and there are moments that are set in time.  However, agency and fate sometimes get into the mix and this causes chaos within the plan.  There are men (who remind me of "Men In Black") who are charged with keeping the plans in order, making sure certain events never cross.  For if those events were to happen, it would alter some plans permanently.

That is the main conflict our lead characters face in this movie.  David (Matt Damon) is currently running for a Senate seat in New York, with hopes of one day becoming President.  Elise (Emily Blunt) is a dancer with dreams of becoming a choreographer.  Their paths cross one day and that was to be the last time they saw each other.

However, David runs into Elise on the bus and she gives him her number so they can stay in contact.  But David was not supposed to be on that bus and he was never supposed to see her again.  There are multiple reasons for this.  One, David arrives at work earlier than planned and witnesses time has frozen and men are scanning his friend's head.  He was supposed to be late so he would not have seen that.  Obviously the men capture him and talk to him.

The second reason David was not planned to be on the bus was meeting Elise.  He was never supposed to see her again.  By doing so, it altered both their plans, and if the relationship continued, it would not only destroy David's dreams of becoming President, but also destroy Elise's dreams of being a national choreographer.  Thus, the plot is thickened.  David must decide to let go the woman of his dreams in order to let her's become a reality.

But there is something stronger than a plan pulling these two together.

Fate.

And thus the struggle between plan, choice, and fate is born!  Let the chaos begin!

Overall, I enjoyed the movie.  There was, however, more swearing than I would have preferred (a lot of "mild" swearing and the F-word is said once), as well as one scene of sexuality.  This, in my opinion ruins good movies (why can't writers/directors understand this simple fact?!).

My rating: B+

Trailer