Maleficent - Movie Review

Society would have us all believe that every woman grew up dreaming of being a princess, Well, I for one, did not. As the youngest of eight children, five of which were boys, and with my sisters seven and eleven years older then me, I grew up, you guessed it, as a tomboy. So why is it then that even I loved Disney's animated film "Sleeping Beauty"? First off, I was raised to appreciate fine art and beautiful music by my parents and my own insatiable hunger for enlightenment. Naturally the advanced artistry in "Sleeping Beauty's" every frame caught my young eye and captured my attention. Borrowing from the ballet version of the tale and using Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's magnificent music for the score only heightened the intensity of the movie's beauty. Yet even the story makes it stand out from other princess tales. Although "Snow White" also features an evil female villain for some reason Maleficent with her iron-clad grudge always seemed more intriguing then the evil Queen obsessed with beauty. And let's not forget the fire-breathing dragon! Honestly how many of the old fairy tales have dragons? Even though the animated film came out in 1959, it has remained a huge favorite for fairy tale lovers.

Now fast forward 55 years to the year 2014. Disney releases their new spin on their old tale with a live action film called "Maleficent". At first I was just ecstatic that my favorite fairy tale Witch was being played by my favorite actress Angelina Jolie! As the trailers kept rolling out I got even more excited because it seemed the film would center more on Maleficent's perspective of things and might give us a whole new angle to the classic story. When the movie came out May 31st I had to go see it opening day. I usually wait a while till movies go to the dollar theater or red box, but no way could I wait another day to see this one! 

Brief synopsis: A human kingdom resides on the border of a magical one called The Moors. The two kingdoms are not friendly but stay to themselves. Until a young boy named Stefan sneaks into The Moors and tries to steal something valuable to improve his meager existence. Instead he meets Maleficent the strongest of all the Fairies who makes him return his stole trinket and sends him safely home. However, when he leaves he takes with him Maleficent's heart. They grow up and while he comes to visit Maleficent from time to time Stefan's ambitions lead him to the palace and make him the trusted servant to the king. When the greedy king decides to go to battle against The Moors he finds Maleficent and an army of tree warriors in his way. His altercation with the fully grown Maleficent leaves the king at death's door. When the king announces that he will give his throne to the man who avenges him and slays the Fairy, Maleficent, Stefan is faced with a difficult choice. Suddenly his childhood friend and first love is the only thing standing in the way of his ultimate dream, unlimited wealth and power. 

I won't give anything else away if you haven't seen it but let's just say that in this version of the tale Maleficent has plenty of reason to hold a grudge. You almost sympathize with her when Aurora is born and she crashes the party to get her own revenge. As The princess grows up under the care of three very poor Fairy caretakers, Maleficent is there all along just biding her time. But whilst Aurora's guardians are a bit flighty, Maleficent finds herself having to step in from time to time to keep the little "Beasty" alive. At least long enough for her prophecy to be fulfilled. However, by the end of the movie everything seems to change and the good guy is the villain and the villain the real hero.

For me this was the most satisfying movie going experience I've had in a long time. Too often then not the trailer for a film will be better then the film itself leaving me feeling let down and a little lied to. Trust me Maleficent does not disappoint. It is almost as beautiful as the animated classic with ten times the emotional impact and richness in plot. Angelina was Magnificent as Maleficent. The rest of the cast played their parts well. One of my favorite twists on the original tale is Maleficent's faithful crow companion Diaval. In the film he is a bird she saves and then enlists to serve her. When she wants to communicate with him she changes him into a man. At other times she changes him into a dog and even a dragon! I loved the banter and the relationship between the two of them as the story unfolds. He became one of my favorite characters.  Elle Fanning, who is Dakota Fanning's little, yet taller, sister played princess Aurora. She did a fine job portraying the innocence and sweetness of the character but in my opinion she is not a great beauty. Perhaps an equally charming but more stunning actress should have been cast in this role. Honestly that is my only complaint. The visual effects were breath taking, the writing and acting endearing, and the ending inspiring. 

I give "Maleficent" a solid five star rating. I enjoyed it so much I might just go back and see it in theaters again. When the movie comes out on DVD I'll be the first to rush out and buy a copy.  

Now go forth and see it for yourselves. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. See you next time.

R.J. Craddock

Hansel and Gretel Witch Hunters - Movie Review

I love the idea of re-vamping a classic child's tale and taking it a step further. What happens after they kill the Witch in the gingerbread house? What would Hansel and Gretel be like when they grew up? What would they do for a living? What adventures would they have? These questions and more are answered in the film "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters".

The movie starts by re-telling the story we all know, with their father leading the children into the woods and leaving them. Then they wander the forest finding a house made--rather unlikely--of Gingerbread and candy. When they enter they find that the innocent-looking home is inhabited by a Witch. Capturing the siblings, the Witch forces Hansel to eat candy to fatten him up, and Gretel to heat the fire for the stove in which she'll bake them. When the children fight back trying to escape, the Witch tries to use magic on them but they are immune to it. They shove the evil Witch into the stove and burn her alive. Thus, she becomes their first kill as Witch Hunters, a profession they carry on into adulthood.

Fast forward to present day; Hansel and Gretel (played by Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton) come to the aid of a village plagued by children-stealing Witches. But not everyone in town is confident of the legendary Witch Hunters' abilities. The town sheriff assembles his own Witch hunting party, and both groups attempted to solve the mystery. But time is running out, it appears that the children might be taken for a specific spell, one that will make Witches impervious to fire. They need one more child and the heart of a White Witch before the blood moon is past to cast their spell. If they succeed they the Witches will be unstoppable.

Although they attempted to put some modern twists into the story, I still felt it was believable in the era and style it was told. They gave Hansel and Gretel some rather advanced weaponry for the times, but I was able to look passed that and still enjoy the action scenes. Famke Janssen (Jean Gray in the x-men movies) was fantastic as the Grand Witch, a dark yet sexy villain. The performances from the two leads were at times a little weak, but overall I enjoyed this movie. It's not the greatest Fantasy film of all time, however, it did had some clever twists in the plot that made it enjoyable. 

I Give "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters" three out of four stars. It was well done, fun, and original.

Now go forth and see it for yourself, or if you have already, share your thoughts on the film with us here. Also, below I added for your viewing pleasure the wicked opening titles for the movie. Enjoy.


R.J. Craddock

Oz the Great and Powerful - Movie Review

I don't know about you but I enjoy me a good fantasy every now and again. Recently I saw "Oz the Great and Powerful". I was really looking for to this one. I'm a big fan of James Franco, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz. So, with a great cast, stellar effects, and another tale out of the land of Oz, I thought this had to be a great flick! I have to say though it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The story starts in black and white boring old Kansas at the county fair. We meet the Wizard/con artist Oscar Diggs a.k.a Oz a carnival magician who dreams of bigger things but isn't a very honest fellow. Needless to say his little white lies get him into trouble and he has to flee the carnival in a hot air balloon. Then, suddenly he's caught up in a tornado and when the storm is over he finds himself in a strange new (colorful) land. He happens to meet a very attractive young Witch called Theodora the Good. She informs him that he has landed in Oz and that it's been prophesied that a great Wizard would fall out of the sky and save Oz from the evil Witch. So she assumes he's the Wizard they've been waiting for and takes him to the Emerald City to rule as King. However, on the way, he puts the moves on Theodora and she becomes convinced their in love and she will be his Queen. At the Emerald City he meets Theodora's sister, Evanora another good Witch, of course. Oz decides to pretend to be the Wizard they've been waiting for after seeing the royal treasure. Only problem is he can't be crowned King until he kills the evil Witch. So begins his real adventure. Up to this point I really enjoyed the movie.

I won't tell you to much more of the plot since I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. I will tell you why it lost me a bit in the second half of the movie. (SPOILER ALERT) At one point one of the "good" Witches is convinced to eat a poison apple that will kill her heart so she will not feel heart break. One of the side effects is that it turns her from a beautiful woman into the the horrible green faced wicked Witch of the West we all know from "The Wizard of Oz". It's not a bad twist to the tale, however, the make up and fake nose are a tad corny. When the newly-turned wicked Witch of the West appears to confront Oz the Wizard the actress's performance was lacking. It's supposed to be a menacing scene but it's rather lame if you ask me. Part of the reason I say this is because of her costume in this scene. She is dressed in a black classic Witch hat and a black low-cut dress (showing lots of cleavage with tattered frayed skirt that shows lots of leg). I felt this was out of place because she decided to turn evil because she hated the Wizard, when the poison apple turned her into a hideous creature, she said she wanted to stay that way instead of fixing it, that she wanted the Wizard to see her that way and know it was his fault. So, if this is the case, I don't think her character would then choose to wear a sexy outfit to go with her new ugliness. It's not a big deal but it took me out of the film a bit. Also, I felt Michelle Williams was a little disappointing as Glinda the good Witch of the North. She looks the part but I felt she was a little stiff. Rachel Weisz was by far the best Witch in the film in my opinion. Even James Franco (the Wizard) delivered a few lines that were  sort of lame. Over all it was a good film but it definitely could have been a little better. So, all in all, I have to give this film a rating of two and a half stars. It's fun, the production quality is great, and if you're a fan of family friendly fantasy's then this movie will appeal to you. You can view the trailer of this flick below.

Now go forth and check it out for yourself. And afterwards drop me a line and let me know what you thought of it.


R.J. Craddock

The Hobbit - Movie Review

Yes! Finally, "The Hobbit" is now available at redbox! So, we checked it out last weekend and enjoyed it with our son, who loved it. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." by Peter Jackson based (loosely) on the novel of the same title by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the prequel to "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy" (in case you didn't know). I read this book right after high school when "The Fellowship of the Ring" was about to come out in theaters. Immediately afterward I read the rest of the series.

I, for one, love Tolkien's elaborate and poetic storytelling and enjoyed the books immensely. However, since I read the book over ten years ago, I couldn't remember it all with perfect clarity. After watching the film version I felt like I needed to re-read the book; just to verify whether what's in the film's plot was an invention of Tolkien or a creative liberty taken by Jackson.

The film starts off with old Bilbo Baggins writing his memories of his adventures from his youth to leave for Frodo after he's gone. (This is supposed to take place before Bilbo's birthday party in "The Fellowship of the Ring"). From there we go back into the tale and see Bilbo as a young man meeting Gandalf as he passes by his home. The conversation turns to adventuring and somehow, without even knowing it, Bilbo agrees to go on a quest. Later that night random Dwarves-- whom he's never met before in his life--start showing up at his door and inviting themselves in for dinner. Finally, when Bilbo is at his wits end, Gandalf arrives to explain everything. It turns out Bilbo is to be the 13th member of this company, sworn to take back their home, Erebor, from the evil dragon, Smaug. From there we go on a whirlwind adventure into unknown parts of Middle Earth. Along the way we learn the history of the Dwarf Prince, Thorin Oakenshield, and his fallen kingdom. I remember some of this from the book, but then they tell of the Dwarf Prince and all the homeless Dwarves trying to take back the ancient Dwarf kingdom called Moira. Only problem is there are Orcs already squatting there. So a battle ensues involving a legendary Pale Orc astride a white Warg (Giant Wolf) who has sworn to end the Dwarf royal line of Thorin.

However, he doesn't succeed in killing Thorin because the Dwarves end up winning the fight but not regaining the mines of Moira (this is all back story). Before the company of 13 finally reaches The Lonely Mountain, Bilbo the Hobbit accomplishes many things. First, he saves the Dwarves from being eaten by Trolls. Second, he escapes capture from an Orc hunting party. Then, he stumbles into the Elvish kingdom of Rivendale. Then, he escapes from the Goblin fortress. And finally, he saves Thorin's life. Not to mention he wins a magic ring of invisibility from Gollum in a game of riddles. For such a humble little fellow, Bilbo Baggins proves to be quite the hero in this tale.

As far as the movie goes, the production value is just as excellent as "The Fellowship of the Ring". The story is well told if only a bit off course from time to time. The only things that really bothered me were the parts that turn out aren't in the book. The Pale Orc astride a white Warg is a Jackson invention to give us more of a definite villain. In the book it was always Smaug the dragon. However, since Peter Jackson decided to break this tale up into a trilogy, Smaug seems more like a mythical creature instead of an imminent threat. Also, the whole thing with Moira confuses me. This is why: in "The Fellowship of the Ring", Gimli, son of Glóin, takes Frodo and the Fellowship through the mines of Moira expecting to meet his kinfolk who rule there. However, they find out that the Dwarves are all dead, and Balrog, the fire demon, and his orc minions, now inhabit it. Now if "The Hobbit" happened quite some time before "The Fellowship of the Ring" then how come no one knew Moira was inhabited by evil until they got there? Why didn't Gandalf warn anyone? (Listen to me, I sound like A Tolkien fanatic!) I was confused a little, yes, however these plot holes did not take away from my enjoyment of the film.

Overall I give "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" three and a half stars. It was well done and definitely got me excited to see the next film in the series. Now go forth and see it yourself (if you haven't already). Or, go re-read the book that inspired it. Either way you'll be having a good time.

R.J. Craddock

www.rjcraddock.com

facebook.com/RJCraddockAuthor

Favorite Movie Quotes - Classic

Here’s another post of my favorite movie quotes. This one is of American film classics. By this I mean films from the golden age of Hollywood. I’ve always enjoyed older films, whether black and white, Technicolor, comedies, or epics.  So here are some of my favorite classic movie quotes.

1)      “Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.” – Rick Blaine, Casablanca (1942). Starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid. During the beginning of World War II, Rick Blaine (Bogart), an American without a country, owns a bar in unoccupied Casablanca (Africa). He helps refugees escape from the Nazi’s for a price. Until one day the girl that left Rick without a word in Paris shows up at his bar with a husband, and in need of his help.

2)      “I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.” - Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). A young New York socialite (Audrey Hepburn,) becomes interested in a young man (George Peppard) who has moved into her apartment building. There really isn’t a whole lot to the plot of this film, but the writing is good and the characters are interesting. The performances by both leads (especially Audrey) are fantastic. It’s one of my favorite movies of all time. 

3)      “Great balls of fire. Don't bother me anymore, and don't call me sugar. “- Scarlett O’Hara, Gone with the Wind (1939). Starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. Based off the novel by Margaret Mitchell, a two hundred and thirty-eight minute long epic about an equally epic love story during and after the civil war. I loved the book, I love this movie, and I even love the sequel “Scarlet.” And the mini-series spin off of that book, too. There are plenty of good quotes in this film, but this one sounds a little like something I might say myself, so it makes me giggle.

4)      “He wouldn't have died of pneumonia if I hadn't shot him! “ - Jonathan Brewster, Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). A drama critic (Cary Grant) learns on his wedding day that his beloved maiden aunts are homicidal maniacs, and that insanity runs in his family. A very funny movie. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. The whole film, start to finish, is a gold mine of comic timing and great one- liners.

5)      “Boy. When you come on, you come on.“ - Cary Grant “Well, then, come on.” - Audrey Hepburn, Charade (1963). Romance and suspense in Paris as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune that her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust? This film also stars a young Walter Matthau, and a lot of great performances from a great cast. Audrey and Cary are great together in this romantic thriller. Again if you haven’t seen it you should. They tried to remake this movie a while ago. Perhaps you’ve heard of the awful Mark Walberg flick called “The Truth about Charlie.” Yeah, it’s pretty bad. Tim Robbins does a pretty good version of Walter Matthau’s character from the original, and Thandie Newton was okay as a modern take on Audrey Hepburn, but Walberg was, well… just terrible. So watch the original, Charade. It’s by far superior.

If you have a favorite movie quote please share it on this blog, or else go forth and check out these ones. Well, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading.

R.J. Craddock

Dark Shadows – Movie Review

Some of you out there may not know this but Tim Burton's film "Dark Shadows" is based off of the popular daytime soap opera. With Vampires, Witches, Warlocks, Werewolves, and other supernatural creatures, it was the phenomenon that ran on ABC-TV from 1966-1971.

With two Dark Shadow films, multiple tries at re-vamping (pun intended) the series, a score of fans and even a Dark Shadows Festival, the show's legend has lived on in various forms. I, myself, am an old fan of the soap opera and watched the re-runs on the Sci-Fi Channel in junior high. When I heard that Tim Burton was remaking "Dark Shadows" with Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins, I was out of my mind with ecstasy. Burton and Depp are the perfect pair to tackle this project, and I knew they would do it justice. I have to admit if I had millions of dollars I might have done a "Dark Shadows" movie myself.

The show started with Victoria Winters, the outsider who comes to Collinwood, to be the new governess. She soon finds out that the Collins family has more than just skeletons in its closet. In the soap opera Barnabas Collins wasn't introduced to the cast until nine months into the show, becoming the first Vampire with a conscious in pop-culture history. However, in Burton's film version the story begins with Barnabas Collin's mortal life before he was cursed by Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green)--his jilted Witch lover--and transformed into a Vampire and entombed for two centuries. We jump a head in time to 1972 with Governess Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote, on her way to Collinsport Maine. When she arrives at the old gothic-style Collinwood mansion she meets the Collins played by an all-star cast.

Michelle Pfeiffer plays her employer, and head of the Collins family, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard. The family's live-in-shrink, Dr. Julia Hoffman, is played by the very talented and always awesome Helena Bonham-Carter. The brother, Roger Collins, a drunken widower and negligent father, is played by Jonny Lee Miller (who was once married to Angelina Jolie just so you know). The Collins children are played by Chloë Grace Moretz (also seen in "Kick-Ass" and "Hugo") and Gulliver McGrath (also seen in "Hugo" and "Lincoln"). The family has plenty of personality all their own, but things get even stranger at Collinwood when Barnabas Collins is accidently released from his coffin. He returns to his home to find that Collinsport has changed considerably.

His family's fishing company is all but extinct and his family manor in shambles. Luckily, he has a hidden stash of wealth in the mansion and goes about trying to reconnect with his family and return the family business to its former glory. Only problem is his wicked Witch of an old flame is still alive and owns the rival fishing company and pretty much owns the town. What ensues is a hilarious farce of dark magic, Vampires, and 1970's culture. There's even a part where Barnabas kills a bunch of hippies (awesome)! I loved this movie and laughed out loud all the way through. However, they never explain exactly how Angelique Bouchard managed to live two hundred years. The film likewise does not explain where the modern day Collins descendants came from. In the beginning of the film, they portray Barnabas Collins as an only child; his parents both killed by one of the Witches' curses before he became a Vampire. These two plot holes bugged me a little but not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the film. I would recommend this movie to anyone who likes Tim Burton, Jonny Depp, supernatural beings, and has a dark sense of humor. You don't have to be an original "Dark Shadows" groupie to love the movie, but it doesn't hurt.

Below is a link to the movie trailer and a dark shadows fan site for you to check out as well. Now go forth, children of the night, and view this flick. Love it or hate it, I'd love to hear what you thought of it.

Till next time,
R.J. Craddock

http://www.collinwood.net/info/

Favorite Movie Quotes - Comedy

So, I noticed the other day that my movie quoting turrets doesn’t seem to be carrying over into my blog. Apparently, I only suffer from this condition verbally. However, to make up for this oversight I have decided to do a series of my favorite movie quotes from different genres. Today’s genre is Comedy. The following will be the quotes and a brief description of the film and why I love these lines. These are in no particular order so let’s get to it shall we?

1)      “There’s a shortage of perfect breasts in this world, t’would be a pity to damage yours.”  - The Princess Bride

Released 1987, it stars Cary Elwes, Robin Wright (before she was married to Sean Penn) and Mandy Patinkin. It’s got fencing, fighting, giants, monsters, revenge, chases, escapes, true love, and Miracles. It’s a med-evil comedy not to be missed. Honestly, if you haven’t heard of this movie then you might have been living under a rock for the last thirty years.

2)      “We’ve got a piper down. I repeat, a piper is down!” – So I Married an Axe Murderer

It stars Mike Meyers, Nancy Travis, and Anthony LaPaglia, with Alan Arkin in the supporting role. This hilarious comedy/mystery came out in 1993. About a young poet with a phobia of marriage and a tendency to find strange flaws in all his girlfriends, who suddenly falls in love only to find out that his dream girl just might be a husband killing maniac!

3)      “I was in love once… she was Brazilian, or Chinese, or something weird.” – Anchorman

It’s a 1970’s period piece about a legendary anchorman suddenly having to share his spotlight with a female co-anchor. With an all-star cast including: Will Farrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, and Steve Carrell (along with many famous cameos). This film just might be one of the funniest and most quotable movies of all times.

4)      “It’s called a day spa! D-a-i-y-e… Daiye. – Zoolander

Released in 2001 starring Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, and Will Farrell. A ridiculously funny film about the hard life of a male model, and the pressures of being professionally really, really, ridiculously good looking. One of my favorite movies to quote.

5)      “He can’t forgive me and I can’t forgive him for that.” - Money Pit

A young couple desperately needs to find a new place after the girl’s ex-boyfriend returns from Europe, kicking them out of his apartment. They end up being conned into buying a beautiful disaster of a house and the story follows their renovation nightmare and the havoc it wrecks on their romance. Released in 1986; starring the very funny Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, in what is perhaps the best comic performance of either of their careers.

There’s my top five. Each of these films had multiple great quotes but these are the ones that come to my mind the most readily. Unfortunately, I had to leave a few of my other favorite comedies off this list, so I might end up doing a part two Favorite Movie Quotes - Comedy later on. Anyhow, there they are. I hope you enjoyed the quotes and share my excellent taste in comedy. Or, if you haven’t heard of or seen some or all of these flicks, perhaps you’ll go check them out after reading this. Now go forth and share the cinematic love.

R.J. Craddock

The Host - Movie Review

While out on a movie night with my mom I saw "The Host", a film based off of the novel by Stephanie Meyer. After reading the "Twilight" saga I was all Stephanie- Meyered-out, so when "The Host" came out I couldn't have cared less. However, seeing the film has changed my mind. Perhaps Meyer's talent lies with Science Fiction instead of YA Paranormal Romance.

The movie begins with a voice over of Uncle Jeb (William Hurt) telling how wonderful the world is now that the human race has been taken over by alien parasites. Yeah, sure the world finally has peace but it's no longer our world. The Seekers of this Alien Race seek out the last of the Human resistance. Amongst these last remaining few is Melanie Stryder, played by (Saoirse Ronan) of course; she gets nabbed by The Seekers at the very beginning of the film. In her attempt to get away from them she tries to kill herself. However, The Seekers just take her near-lifeless-body and heal it with their advanced alien medicine. Now her body can play Host to another alien soul, called Wanderer or Wanda for short. But unlike other humans who give in to the invading souls and lose control of their bodies, Melanie refuses to give in and fights Wanda for control of herself. Especially, when Wanda is asked by The Seeker (Diane Kruger) to access Melanie's memories and finds the rest of the human resistance. Melanie will do anything to protect her boyfriend Jared Howe (Max Irons) and her little brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury). Melanie plays on Wanda's sympathy and convinces her to help her protect the ones she loves.

Wanda escapes The Seekers at Melanie's directions and goes in search of Melanie's uncle Jeb, the one place she knows Jared and Jamie would go to be safe. What proceeds is an emotional journey for both alien and host. Wanda learns to care for humans and their spirits and Melanie learns to Love Wanda. I can't tell you how the rest of the movie goes, of course, but it is an interesting tale of survival and the human spirit. Also, this story has the classic YA love triangle but with a twist. Melanie still loves Jared who she met while she was on the run. On the other hand Wanda begins to have feelings for Ian O'Shea, (Jake Abel) one of the humans living in the cave-like refuge on Uncle Jeb's property in the desert. This is a conflict since Melanie won't let Wanda do anything about her feelings, but also can't stand to let Jared kiss her because he's also kissing Wanda. Confused yet?

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I enjoyed all the casts' performances, even Saoirse Ronan whom I'm not particularly a fan. However, she felt like a good fit for this role of dual personages trapped in one body. I loved the location of the Human's cave hideout, not a bad place to live in a time of peace let alone during a global takeover. The ending was a little corny but not so much as to turn me off. Anyway, they kind of leave it open at the end for a sequel. I didn't know the book was part of a series but now that I do, I might end up reading this one after all. I'm still not a Stephanie Meyer enthusiast, and I'm most definitely not a Twihard (someone who is a die-hard "Twilight" fan). Still, I found this storyline far more to my liking than the melodrama that is "Twilight".

I'd give this film a three and a half star rating. Below you'll find "The Host" trailer and the cover art from the book. Now go forth and read the book or go see the film if you're interested. I thought it was fun. You might, too.

R.J. Craddock

Beautiful Creatures - Movie Review

All things seem to go in phases in the mainstream entertainment industry.  For a while Vampires ruled the world of entertainment. Although, for the die-hard Vampire enthusiasts, bloodsuckers always have and always will rule! However, it seems that Witches might be the new Vampire. This is good news for me, since my book, “The Forsaken” dabbles in magic. Perhaps my book couldn’t come out at a better time.

When I think of Witches, I think of the Salem Witch Trials, I think black cats, All Hallows Eve, superstition, and black magic. I don’t think of English kids goofing off with a wand saying, “Oh, gee whiz, magic is fun!” Don’t get me wrong Harry Potter is a brilliant series, and J.K. Rowling has a unique voice that makes her books rather entertaining. But after all, it is written for a young audience; hence the true darkness of Witchcraft is lost. Never fear, if you’re like me, and you like your Witches on the dark side, there is still hope.

“Beautiful Creatures” by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl is book one in “The Caster Chronicles”, a Young Adult series. Although I haven’t yet read the books I did see the film, and am happy to report that dark magic is on its way back.

Set in a small backwoods town in South Carolina, the film begins with the male lead, (this is his story really) Ethan Wate, played by Alden Ehrenreich. (I like having the movie start with the guy since it makes it feel like a general film instead of a chick flick) He’s bored with his life claiming: “There are only two kinds of people in Gatlin, those who are too stupid to leave, and those who are too stuck to move.” Not wanting to be trapped in this dead end town for the rest of his life, he dreams of something more.

Then enters the dark mysterious new girl in town, who as it happens is the same girl he’s been having ominous recurring dreams about. Her name is Lena Duchannes, played by Alice Englert. Drawn to each other by some unexplained force they start to fall in love. Ethan discovers that Lena is a “Caster” (essentially a Witch with a cooler name). It turns out she has been dreaming of him, too. At first their romance seemed a little forced because of the need to speed things up for a two hour movie, but over time the character’s natural chemistry made the relationship believable. They even have a fight, a real one, which is refreshing because reality couples fight all the time, especially teenage ones. Neither of the two leads is very attractive in my opinion, but they seemed to fit the characters well, and you grow to like them as the film goes on.

Of course there are the typical popular girls who treat Lena as the outcast and try to harass her, not to mention that the whole town is convinced that she’s evil. The teenage bullies were a little stereotypical and lame, but they’re just side characters really. God fearing town member, Mrs. Lincoln, who is adamant that Lena should be expelled from the high school because of her dark nature, is played by the very talented Emma Thompson (who I adore). Her character is neither a stereotype nor quite what she seems. Opposite her and the mentor/guardian of Lena is Macon Ravenwood, brought to life by the great Jeremy Irons. These two characters don’t see eye to eye when it comes to Lena and her future. Will her powers be claimed for the light or the dark? Is she an inherently evil Witch or a good Witch? And how will Ethan and Lena stay together when it comes to light that Casters are forbidden to love mortals? You’ll have to watch the film/read the books to find out.

Over all I love the dark moody tone of the film. Having it set in the South lends it some personality, especially with the legend of the Caster Curse coming from the civil war time; it even features a civil war reenactment. The set production and costume design are all rather excellent. There is a particular costume worn by Lena’s cousin Ridley, played by the beautiful Emmy Rossum, that is to die for, very Victorian, chic, and sexy (I kind of have a thing for the whole Steampunk fashion movement). The film’s visual effects are stunning; not too overdone and realistic. The “tornado in a dining room” scene, I thought was very well done. Although for me the ending was a little anti-climactic, they try to leave you with a cliff hanger, setting it up for the second film, but I think it lacked the impact they were going for. Still it was an enjoyable flick that I would recommend to any paranormal/ fantasy movie fan.

I give Beautiful Creatures three out of four stars.

If you want to check out the cast here's the Beautiful Creatures IMDB page http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559547/?ref_=sr_1

Also I added the trailer for Beautiful Creatures below. Enjoy.

Now go forth and see this film. If you do, make sure to come back and share your thoughts and impressions of the movie in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

R.J. Craddock