Movie Review: Brave (2012)

Hello, everybody!

It is now time for my post for my Pixar Blogathon!

When deciding what to review I had it narrowed down to a few options. I realized that I had never reviewed my favorite Pixar movie! So, that is what you'll be seeing reviewed today. Enjoy!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


Brave (2012):

"But every once in a while, there's a day when I don't have to be a princess. No lessons, no expectations. A day where anything can happen. A day I can change my fate."
Merida is the daughter of a high chief and her favorite thing is to use her bow and arrow. When other clans arrive to try to unite by having their sons try to win her hand, Merida is fed up with it. These traditions are usless to her! She argues with her family and wants to choose her own fate. She seeks out something that will make her parents change thier minds, but only makes things worse. Is her destiny already written, or will she be able to fix the mistakes?

Genre: Adventure, Family.
Length: approx. 95 minutes.
Costumes: 8, it's animated, so I'm not too picky about it. There are a few times when people aren't wearing shirts.
Script: 9, I don't remember any bad words!

Crew:
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, & Steve Purcell.
Written by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman, Steve Purcell, & Irene Mecchi.
Starring the voices of:
Kelly Macdonald as Merida.

Emma Thompson as Queen Elinor.

Billy Connolly as King Fergus.

Julie Walters as The Witch.
Robbie Coltrane as Lord Dingwall.
Kevin McKidd as Lord MacGuffin and Young MacGuffin.
Craig Ferguson as Lord Macintosh.
Sally Kinghorn and Eilidh Fraser as Maudie.
Steven Cree as Young Macintosh.
Peigi Barker as Young Merida.
Steve Purcell as The Crow.
Callum O'Neill as Wee Dingwall.
Patrick Doyle as Martin.
John Ratzenberger as Gordon.

Animation: 10! Have you seen the will-o'-the-wisps? GORGEOUS. All of the shots with the archery are fantastic.
"You know, some say that will-o'-the-wisps can lead you to your fate."

Music: 10, pretty much everything by Patrick Doyle is outstanding, but he out did himself here. I love how celtic it is!
Music by: Patrick Doyle.

Quotes: 8,
'"Do you think we should set a trap?"

"Try shutting yours!"'

Oscars won: 1: Best Animated Feature Film.
Content: 8, there are scary images, death, and some crude humor.
Originality: 10, I love this! Transformations in stories are awesome, and this one nails it! I haven't seen anything like it.
Good For: Families, archery lovers, anyone!

Age Range: This is PG because there is some action, intense scenes, and scary things. I would say it would be find for anyone over six, but it depends on the individual.
Overall Score: 9!

Bonus thoughts:

Ah, I love this movie. It is no secret that I am obsessed with archery! Have you counted how many times I have mentioned it in this post? That was what drew me to this movie and why I went to the theater to see it. All that involves it fits perfectly!
Like all Pixar movies, this film highlights family. It is so beautiful. How can love show through arguments? Is it possible when someone is ripped out of the family to be healed again?
Merida is a great protagonist. I relate to her fear of being pushed into things when she isn't ready. I fully understand that! None of us like to be trapped, she just wants to know that her future is undecided. Sometimes you don't want someone to do something for you. I love the relationships with her family. Hamish, Hubert and Harris are hilarious! Such troublemakers!

This movie is funny, amazing, and has such a sweet message about loving your family. Please watch this if you haven't already! It is my favorite Pixar movie for a good reason!


Thank you so much for reading! I have loved hosting this Pixar Blogathon! Make sure to check out the other entries HERE!

MovieCritic

My 300th Post: My Ten Favorite Movie Scores

Hello, movie fans!

The day has come. This is my 300th post. I have no clue where the time goes (apparently into writing all of these posts). As I have been hitting these milestones I like to do something special. For My 100th Post I said my top 100 favorite movies (where I just typed anything that came into my head. I have a more accurate list on my page My Favorites) and for My 200th Post I listed all of the movies that I had seen in the theater up to that point (now I have a lot more to add). The question was, what was I going to do for my 300th?

As you all know I love to watch movies. But, so many different elements make up films. For today, I will be listing my top 10 favorite movie scores! I will put a video for each one so you can listen and see why I love it. I promise, none of these will be over 10 minutes.

For clarification:
I'm counting movies, so no TV shows (i.e. Robin Hood BBC, Sherlock, Pride & Prejudice) that would be a separate post.
No movies that I just like the music to but technically haven't seen the movie (The Great Escape) and no movies where I just love the score but don't the movie (The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). I mean, some times the only things I like about movies is the music, but what I'm thinking of for this list are movies that are amazing and perfect, but wouldn't be complete without the soundtrack.
And, these are scores, not soundtracks. I get the two confused all the time. Apparently, score is just instrumental, while a soundtrack can include songs with words from the film. None of these are musicals because that is impossible to pick.

Honorable mentions:
The Magnificent Seven (1960 version), Indiana Jones, Howl's Moving Castle, Kung Fu Panda.

Starting at 10 and going down to 1...

10. The Princess Diaries (2001)

So many movies were vying for this spot, trying to be here. Finally, I had to go with this one. The score is light and airy and makes me so happy because I have watched this so many times (Also, I love the soundtrack, too!). If you haven't ever seen this, you are missing out on a really sweet movie. (I noticed that this video is the one of the shortest. As I go on they keep getting longer.)

9. Pirates of the Caribbean

Besides Indiana Jones, this was the first movie that I realized had music playing through out the whole thing. This is so epic and "piraty"! I like to listen to it while I write. And, though I only put the main one here, there are so many different parts to listen to!

8. Chariots of Fire (1981)

This is so cool! I had heard it a lot before actually watching the movie, and though it seems like the wrong genre of music, it captures the fight to win the races perfectly. And it shows the joy of running. It just makes me so happy. I first heard it when I was watching the London 2012 Olympics. This score won Best Original Score 1981 at the Oscars!

7. Up (2009)

I dare you to listen to this and not cry. Pixar makes music such an important part of their films, and in my opinion, this is where they did it the best. The music tugs at your emotions, making you laugh and cry with just a few simple notes. Ugh, I love it so much! Excuse me while I go cry.

6. Sherlock Holmes

The violins pierce through and strike me of being so much like Sherlock himself. The score goes with the whole movie, and it was actually because I thought that it sounded so cool (from when my mom was watching) that convinced me to watch it. (Sorry, this video is giving me a little bit of trouble, but I think that I have it fixed now.)

5. Sense and Sensibility (1995)

It was hard to pick the top 5. This one is here because I have so much nostalgia for it. The score is not epic or loud, it is soft and quiet and pretty. The one that I have above is called "My Father's Favourite". This movie is one of my favorite Jane Austen adaptations, and this music fits it so well!

4. Harry Potter

John Williams is a master of composing music. He makes it sound so magical and intriguing and he pulls you into the world right away. Love it! As soon as you hear this you think of wizards, magic, spells, and Harry Potter.

3. Chronicles of Narnia

THE NOSTALGIA. It is kind of long, but if nothing else listen to the second half of this. It is so beautiful! "I can't take it in..." (that's from a song from the credits, so I love the soundtrack, too). The way the instruments blend is breathtaking! Ack!

2. How to Train Your Dragon

I love this score so much! What I have above is called "Test Drive" and is one of the best pieces of music of all time, in my opinion. In the third movie they were messing with me because they kept starting to play it and I would squeal with delight, but then they would go into something else. When they finally did I bawled and cried because I love it so much.


What could my top favorite of all time be?


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1. Star Wars

Did you expect anything else? Star Wars has such an epic and iconic score, it has to be number 1. I wouldn't be my grandpa's granddaughter if it wasn't! I just put the main theme, because otherwise we would be sitting here all day, but I absolutely love the score for the binary sunsets scene and the ending ceremony, and the Catina, Darth Vader's is the ultimate villain one and adds so much to his character, and the ending Ewok score for Return of the Jedi! And that's not even going into the new ones!

One of my favorite stories (and I'm not sure that it's true, but either way it is awesome), is from when they were making A New Hope. The story goes that George Lucas was directing them and saying, "We'll do this and Leia's theme will be playing."
Just joking, Mark Hamill says, "Leia gets a theme but Luke doesn't?"
George Lucas looks him directly in the eye and says, "Luke's theme is the main theme."
It is said that up until that moment Mark Hamill hadn't realized that he was the main star!


I know you are all wondering, "Where is The Lord of the Rings?" Well, my sister loves the score for that, but I've only seen the first movie (I'm going to fix that, soon), and after I've watched the other two I'll be more attached to it.


Thank you so much for reading/listening! Let me know if you like these, and tell me what your favorites are!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Gosford Park (2001)

Hello, everyone!

My younger sister and I watched the series Downton Abbey (we started it in 2016 and just finished a few weeks ago. It takes us a long time.), which was written by Julian Fellows. Back in August my older sister and I decided to watch one of his first movies, which we've owned for a while. Definitely not one of my favorites, but it was fun to see so, so, so many actors that I recognized!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

Gosford Park (2001):

When a man invites family and friends over to go hunting, it seems to be a fun thing, but we find that everyone has a secret. Upstairs and downstairs clash and through it all we see all classes. The last night of the visit ends with an even bigger surprise: murder. Few people liked the murdered person, but did anyone have a strong enough motive?

Genre: Mystery, Period Drama.

Length: approx. 138 minutes.

Costumes: 6, there are some good outfits, but there are low things or people aren't wearing anything.

Script: 5, quite a few bad words.

'"You'll be providing a lot of entertainment for nothing."

"Morris, I'm used to it."'

Crew:

Directed by: Robert Altman.

Written by: Julian Fellows.

Starring: (Remember that I mentioned a lot of actors? Well, here comes the list.)
Maggie Smith as Constance, Countess of Trentham.
Michael Gambon as Sir William McCordle.
Kristin Scott Thomas as Lady Sylvia McCordle.
Camilla Rutherford as Isobel McCordle.
Charles Dance as Raymond, Lord Stockbridge.
Geraldine Somerville as Louisa, Lady Stockbridge.
Tom Hollander as Lt. Commander Anthony Meredith.
Natasha Wightman as Lady Lavinia Meredith.
James Wilby as Freddie Nesbitt.
Claudie Blakley as Mabel Nesbitt.
Jeremy Northam as Ivor Novello.
Bob Balaban as Morris Weissman.
Laurence Fox as Lord Rupert Standish.
Trent Ford as Jeremy Blond.
Kelly Macdonald as Mary Maceachran.
Clive Owen as Robert Parks.
Helen Mirren as Mrs Wilson.
Eileen Atkins as Mrs Croft.
Alan Bates as Mr Jennings.
Emily Watson as Elsie.
Derek Jacobi as Probert.
Ryan Phillippe as Henry Denton.
Richard E. Grant as George.
Jeremy Swift as Arthur.
Sophie Thompson as Dorothy.
Meg Wynn Owen as Lewis.
Adrian Scarborough as Barnes.
Stephen Fry as Inspector Thompson.

Ron Webster as Constable Dexter.

Cinematography: 7, there is a dark feel, but nothing really spectacular.

Cinematography by: Andrew Dunn.

Music: 8, I can't remember anything special for the score, so a neutral. BUT, the singing made me happy.

Music by: Patrick Doyle.

Quotes: 6, "I haven't a snobbish bone in my body."

Oscars won: 1: Best Original Screenplay. (It was nominated for Best Picture).

Storyline: 2, yikes. I believe this is the worst score I have given so far. There is a lot of smoking, drinking, and a lot of suggestive things, and that aren't just suggestive. If you are looking for a clean and fun mystery, don't watch this. (More later.)

Good For: Downton Abbey fans, mystery lovers.

Age Range: This movie is rated R. Definitely not for anyone under 16. 

Overall Score: 4.5.

Bonus thoughts:
I know that this movie won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (good for them!), but if you watch enough of one person's films or read enough of their books, you start to understand how their mind works. Some people like Agatha Christie, you think that you understand her system, but then she completely surprises you! As I said, I have watched all of Downton Abbey (well, not the new movie), and because of that I completely guessed the mystery. Sometimes I can guess the correct person but not the motive, but I had both this time. My older sister hasn't watched Downton Abbey and she was thoroughly surprised, though. It was fun to watch it with her and to see all of the famous people in it. The absolute best thing about this movie was hearing Jeremy Northam sing, it was worth watching it just for that!

I watched this back in August for Pure Entertainment Preservation Society's (PEPS) #AMonthWithoutTheCode65!. This weekend they have been hosting their Third Annual Great Breening Blogathon, and I thought this would be the perfect time to review it! I have seen them host this the last two years, but I couldn't come up with anything to do, so I am very excited to participate in this for the first time.

I actually reviewed this for their last blogathon!

PEPS specializes in all things about the Motion Picture Production Code that was in place from 1934-1954. The purpose of the Code was to make decent movies that anyone could watch. To learn more about the Code, click HERE! But, what is "Breening"? Joseph Breen was the man who put the Code into place, and PEPS will "breen" movies, which means that they will take a movie and say what would have needed to be taken out to have it acceptable under Mr. Breen's admistration. (Here is a list of movies that the writers at PEPS have "breened").

For this blogathon, they invited anyone to join them by "breening" a movie. With that all explained, I will now attempt to breen Gosford Park! One observation first: As I said, the Code was in place from 1934-1954, and Hollywood is infamous for the fact that the movies before the Code were scandalous and risque. This film is set in 1932, so in that time period. Would things have been better if it was set in a different year, or in was filmed in the Code Era? Let's find out!

SPOILER ALERT! From now on I will be going into a lot of details from the movie, so if you want to watch this movie and be surprised by the mystery, don't read any further!

I did a bit of research on this movie to see what the main theme/point of this movie is (it wasn't obvious to me!) to make sure that I kept that intact. What I found was how dependant the upper classes were on servants.

A big thing is consequences. A crime was committed, but what are the consequences? Through out the movie we see different things taking place. At first I thought that there were no consequences, but while  I was writing this, my older sister and I talked about it and I actually realized that there are some.
The mystery is this: Sir William McCordle was stabbed by Mr. Parks, who was his illegitimate son that he didn't know he had. It is found out later that by lack of blood, Sir William was already dead when he was stabbed. It turns out that Mrs. Wilson, who was Mr. Park's mother that he didn't know, realizing that he was her son and knowing his motive, she poisoned Sir William.
In this movie the case goes unsolved and no one is ever arrested for murder.

Doesn't sound like there are consequences, right? But, through out the film we see Mr. Parks growing to love Mary, maid to Countess of Trentham, and then she was the one who found out that he was the murderer. Mr. Parks, as a consequence, never gets to be with her. Well, this isn't really touched upon in the movie, but I think that for breening purposes we would highlight it more.

What about Mrs. Wilson? She poisoned Sir William to save Mr. Parks from being arrested, but she also saved Sir William from being brutally and painfully killed by his son. I think that in our breened version Mrs. Wilson would turn herself in with a feeling of remorse. When Mr. Parks learns this, he vows to make his life better.

As I said in my review there are a ton of suggestive, and more than suggestive things. In order for this to have been a Code movie, we are going to have to take out most of this. Sadly, most of it is related to the storyline.
The easiest one to take out is an affair between a maid and one of the guests. No need for it at all.
The biggest thing that needs to be removed is the interaction between Lady Sylvia and Henry Denton. Mr. Denton is valet to Morris Weissman, and is (as I say) a horrible person and (as my sister says) an ectothermal invertebrate [cold blooded and spineless]. We learn at the end of the movie that he is really an actor who was doing what he calls "research" for a movie, which is probably the most vulgar thing I've ever heard. He tries to get every girl in the house to love him and even forcibly tries to kiss some of them. This is part of the story to show that some like Lady Sylvia are easily fooled and taken advantage of, while others, like Mary and Elsie, are smart and have nothing to do with him. To breen this, I would say that it would be better to just mildly suggest these things, instead of showing us. I know that people usually say "Show, don't tell", but in these cases we would all be much happier if they would just tell, not show.
One of the guests is trying to get Lady Isobel to give him money, and threatens to blackmail her. It is very suggestive and could be taken out.
Sir William's past is more than suggestive. The consequence was that he was murdered, but we understand that that is wrong because no one deserves to die. Besides the basic storyline (which is kind of impossible to breen) anything else suggestive should be removed.

There are also a lot of bad words, and some low costumes.

This is my first time trying this, so I am sure that I have missed a lot of the smaller details, but I have covered all of the important plot lines. Breening is really hard. I am very impressed by the Brannans who do this almost every week!

Sorry for the lack of photos, I am exhausted from typing, but I'll put some in when I have the time.

Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you like about this movie if you've seen it.

MovieCritic

Older vs. Newer Review: Cinderella

Hello!
Today, February 26th, is National Fairy Tale Day! And, it is still February, so Cordy's Lovely Blog Party is still in full swing!

If you have read this blog for awhile, you know how I am with doing things "in the spirit of" an event, so I have found the perfect thing to celebrate both! (Hint: look at the button or the title of this post)

Also, when I started this blog, one of the big ideas that I had that I was going to do a lot was my Older vs. Newer reviews. My current streak is one a year, so let's remedy that.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.


Cinderella (1951):

Based on: The story by the brothers Grimm, and Cinderella - by Charles Perrault.
(Do I really have to put the plot? I think pretty much everyone knows it.)
After a girl's father dies, she has to be a servant to her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. The king announces that there will be a royal ball, and at that ball his son, the prince, will choose a bride. Even though everyone is invited, the girl's stepmother, Lady Tremaine, won't let her go. The girl, Cinderella, receives help from a place that she never would have looked for it.

Genre(s): Fantasy, Family, Romance, Animated.
Length: approx. 74 minutes.
Costumes: 7. My sisters and I joke about how we always thought that Cinderella's head band were earmuffs.

Script: 8, there is not a lot of talking, but what is there it is all good.
Crew:
Directed by: Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, & Wilfred Jackson.
Written by: Ken Anderson, Perce Pearce, Homer Brightman, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, & Ted Sears.
Starring the voices of:
Ilene Woods as Cinderella.

Eleanor Audley as Lady Tremaine.

Verna Felton as Fairy Godmother.

Lucille Bliss as Anastasia Tremaine.
Rhoda Williams as Drizella Tremaine.
Jimmy McDonald as Jaq and Gus.
Luis van Rooten as The King and the Grand Duke.

William Phipps as Prince Charming.
Mike Douglas as Prince Charming (singing).
June Foray as Lucifer (just cat noises).

Pinto Colvig as Bruno (just dog noises).

Betty Lou Gerson as the Narrator.
Animation: 9, this is just so classic! I love it! They say that it is in this movie was Walt Disney's favorite piece of animation. If you have seen it, you know which part I'm talking about.

Don't tell me that you didn't love this.

Music: 9! The song "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" is one of my favorite Disney songs.
Music by: Oliver Wallace & Paul J. Smith.
Quotes: 8, "Well, there's one thing. They can't order me to stop dreaming."
Storyline: 9, there is some smoking, but I think that's it!
Good For: All Disney fans!

Overall Score: 8.5!
Bonus thoughts: Considering what it is, if I saw it for the first time now I don't think I would really like it, but it is so nostalgic for me, I love it!


VS.


Cinderella (2015):

Based on: The story by the brothers Grimm, Cinderella - by Charles Perrault, and the 1950 version.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl named Ella."
This girl named Ella lives in a happy world. After tragedy, her father marries again and she has a cruel stepmother and stepsisters. More tragedy strikes, but Ella fights on, looking for good. One day, she meets a young man who is unlike any other, and only wishes to see him again. She hopes to do that at the royal ball, but her stepmother won't allow her to go. Ella learns to always believe, but will it be enough?
'"I believe in everything."
"Then I believe in everything, too."'

Genre(s): Romance, Fantasy, Family.
Length: approx. 105 minutes.
Costumes: 10! Costumes don't often get a full rating here, but these are outstanding!
Costumes by: Sandy Powell.
My favorite: Everyone ever!!

Script: 10, there is some name calling, but it is shown as bad.
"Names have power, like magic spells."
Crew:
Directed by: Kenneth Brannagh.
Written by: Chris Weitz.
"Kindness is free, love is free."
Starring:
Lily James as Cinderella. "Mystery princess? What a charming notion."

Cate Blanchett as Lady Tremaine. "My story would appear to be ended."
Richard Madden as Prince Kit.
Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother.
Nonso Anozie as the Captain.
Stellan Skarsgård as the Grand Duke.
Holliday Grainger as Anastasia.
"Such dear, affectionate girls."
Sophie McShera as Drisella.
Derek Jacobi as the King.
Ben Chaplin as Ella's father.
Hayley Atwell as Ella's mother.

Eloise Webb as a young Ella.
Jana Perez as Princess Celina of Zaragosa.
Alex Macqueen as the Royal Crier.
Rob Brydon as Master Phineus.
Cinematography: 10! It is so beautiful! I'm not a fan of CGI, but it is all amazing here.

Cinematography by: Haris Zambarloukos.
Music: 10!! Oh. My. Word. This music is so amazing! I love the theme of "Lavender's Blue".
Music by: Patrick Doyle.

Quotes: 10!

'"Why are you crying?"

"Oh, it's nothing."

"Nothing...nothing...what is a bowl of milk? Nothing, but kindness makes it everything."'

Storyline: 10!!
Good For: All Disney fans, all fairytale lovers.

'"Oh, I do love a happy ending, don't you?"

"They are quite my favorite kind."'

Overall Score: 10!
Bonus thoughts: This movie is so beautiful. Very few movies have such a huge effect on my life.
"Have courage and be kind."


Character comparison:

Cinderella:

1950: Do you know what is amazing? I never really liked her, but the 2015 has made me appreciate her more!
2015: Lily James does such a perfect job, no one else could have been better.


Prince Charming/Kit:

1950: We never hear a name, and this guy really has no personality.

2015: Ahhh!!! Richard Madden does such a great job! The best character ever. No buts about it.

Lady Tremaine:

1950: So evil, and that works in the 1950 version.

2015: Cate Blanchett doesn't usually play the villain, but she is amazing at it. I love the back story!

Anastasia and Drizella:

1950: Is is weird that I always liked Anastasia better? I don't know. Both are pretty cruel.

2015: Holliday Granger and Sophie McShea are two of my favorites. They were perfect for these roles.

Fairy Godmother:

1950: The classic! Whenever someone says "Fairy Godmother" this is who you picture!

2015: I am so used to seeing Helena Bonham Carter as the villain, that I was really surprised that she was cast in this part! She does a good job, though. The only thing I would remove is all the dark eye make-up. It's just a little weird.

The King:

1950: My sister tells me that he was her favorite character, which, I think, is relatable for a lot of kids.

2015: Yes!! I love Derek Jacobi as the king! So wise.

The Grand Duke:

1950: He is very funny! When I was little he was always my favorite.

2015: They completely changed his character, but I love it! Stellan Skarsgård does such a good job.

Comparing Outfits:

Well, it is only one outfit, but we have to have pictures of the classic dresses!

1950: This, this is so pretty! I loved it when I was really young (up to 6) then when I got a little older I didn't (7-13), but I don't know why! I love this!!
2015: That skirt has 12 layers. Wow! Blue is my favorite color ever, so to me this is so gorgeous!


The winner: Based on the scores, the newer one should win, but I can't choose. Tell me what you think!


Spoiler Alert! From here on there will be spoilers, but I don't know who hasn't seen this...

For the blogathon:

Cinderella and the Prince (1950):

You know, I am really not a big fan of the "love at first sight" trope. And I remember from an early age being exasperated by this. If we ignore that, then it is very sweet. The main point is that no matter where you come from, you are beautiful and you can be loved. I do love all of the animation here!


Ella and Kit (2015):

Ah!! This just makes me so, so, so, so, so happy!! Disney took what I didn't like about the original, and fixed it. I just love this so much I can't think to type anything out.
I love:
How Kit says:

"She isn't just a pretty girl! I mean, she is a pretty girl, but there is so much more."

That during the ballroom scene his eyes never leave her face.
The secret garden.
That she gives up her happiness to save him.
When Kit says: "I just have to see her again."


Also, this goes with my current header, because Ella and Kit are the bottom center!

I am so sorry that this is so scattered. Please tell me what you think!

Thanks for reading! And be sure to check out Cordy's Lovely Blog Party!

MovieCritic