The Desolation of Smaug-Are the Critics Right? (Review: Warning, spoilers ahead!)

As many of you are I'm sure aware, last night was opening night for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in the U.S.  I have to confess, because of the year long wait, I had kind of lost my excitement over the film, especially in light of Catching Fire coming out a mere three weeks before DoS.  But, I was determined to see it in theaters anyway, especially since I didn't get the chance to see LotR in theaters.  And since it's a love of the films my dad and I share, it made seeing the film in theaters worth it.  So, what follows is my review.  Take it with a grain of salt, as I am NOT a Tolkien purist (though I did think the book was rather good as it is written).  And, there are lots of spoilers ahead, so if you haven't seen it yet and you want to go into it cold, better click on something else to read. :)

Here goes.

Let me just begin this by saying that the last hour of the film was so far off of the book, it surprises me that more people aren't upset by it.  However, before I go into the negative aspects of the movie, I'll talk about the things I really liked in it (in no particular order, just as it comes to mind).  I might be a little biased, but I LOVED the appearance of Legolas in this movie.  It was the same character, but also so different.  His introduction in the film was genius and so well done. Who didn't love that little nod to Gimli when Legolas saw the picture of a young Gimli and his mother?  I giggled over that scene if only because of its irony!  I also couldn't help but like how very agile Legolas was in the movie.  The sequence of Legolas literally tiptoeing on the dwarves' heads as he shot orcs was nothing short of hysterical.  No wonder Leggy was a little snobby in Fellowship; he could do that and not lose his balance OR his aim!   Lee Pace was phenomenal as Thranduil.  I always disliked Thranduil in the book, if only because he came across as very arrogant and self righteous; Pace delivered on that very well.  And while we're discussing Elves, what about Tauriel?  I was kind of expecting to hate her, but I really liked her.  I know she wasn't in the books, and like Evangeline Lilly, I agree that there should not have been any sort of romantic angle in the film.  It's sad that the studio was pushing for that, even after Lilly signed the contract on the condition that she NOT get into a love triangle!  She did a great job of delivering her Elvish lines, as did Orlando.  I might even go so far as to say that Orlando's Elvish was better in this film than in LotR; maybe he was studying in the 10 years since?

And Smaug.  Holy dragons.  He was everything I imagined and more.  I really did like Benedict Cumberbatch's performance as both the Necromancer and as Smaug.  Smaug's design was terrifying, if only because he seemed to me to resemble a snake at times more than a dragon.  I can't believe the scale on him either; I thought he was massive when the camera first hinted at his size, but I was way off base!  Oh, and by mention of baddies, I would just like to say it was nice to see Lawrence Makoare's name in the credits this time around.  He played the Witch King in Return of the King, so it was just really neat to see his name in the credits again!  Bard.  Oh Bard.  I have mixed feelings about you!  I liked Bard; he was a likable character, even for his flaws.  But, could the filmmakers have made him look anything MORE like Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) from Pirates of the Caribbean?   If you don't believe me, look here:

See?  What'd I tell you?  When I first saw the first trailer, I had to do a double take to be sure that it WASN'T Bloom who was playing Bard.  But aside from me having to remind myself it wasn't Will Turner, Bard was a cool character.  Can't wait to see him in the next film!  I also really liked all the backstory bits.  I know some people criticize that, however, as someone who is not into all of the canon of Tolkien's works, I'd rather just see it on screen.  Peter Jackson has the opportunity to explore that backstory; he needs to take full advantage of it.  I don't berate him for that because I'm sure other fans are curious about some of these things as well (just where did the Ringwraiths come from exactly? is one question I can think of off the top of my head that has always puzzled me).
I might be leaving something out of this section, but I'm writing this review in parts so I can't remember where I wanted to go next. Haha.  Moving on.


What I didn't like:
Beorn.  Ugh.  Just ugh.  So underwhelmed by this character.  I thought he was kinda cool in the books; and he had a terrible look in the movie.  He looked like a cheesy costumed character from the 70s or something.  Or, like I originally thought when I saw the first image of him, he looks like a version of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. Was that the best they could do at Beorn?  I mean really?  Sad, sad makeup there.  And I'm kind of like some others; I wish he'd had more screen time.

The Tauriel/Legolas/Kili triangle was completely unnecessary, and at times, incredibly awkward.  I'm mainly talking about that whole hinting-back-at-the-FotR-scene-where-Arwen-appeared-to-Frodo sequence.  Seriously.  They made a very bad move by making that scene resemble Arwen's first scene from Fellowship of the Ring.  I know Elves are ethereal, and they're other-worldly, but seeing as how Tauriel is a tough chick, that didn't match her character.  Although I did like the inclusion of athelas.  And the fact that Bard referenced it as a weed.  Okay, Samwise. ;)  I could maybe see Legolas and Tauriel, but the triangle?  Not a fan of it, and neither was Lilly, especially when she signed her contract on the condition there wouldn't be a triangle!  Which I said before.  In which case, I'll move on.  I didn't like Smaug getting covered in molten gold.  That part of the film was WAY too long, and WAY out of step with the book.  Jackson could literally have trimmed off about 20 minutes of footage, and ended it with Bilbo asking, "what have we done?" as Smaug flew towards Laketown...and it would've been perfectly suitable for an ending.  Instead, we get an overextended action sequence with Smaug hunting Bilbo and the Dwarves through Erebor.  I'd like to know what made Jackson extend that entire sequence with Smaug, because I felt like it was very unnecessary and superfluous.

Overall: this movie was a vast improvement over An Unexpected Journey, if only because it was more interesting.  It plodded on, yes, but everything was pretty fast paced and it was nice to the Mirkwood elves kind of fleshed out.  I will applaud Jackson yet again for the rendering of Smaug.  It was well done and I think Tolkien would have been pleased with how they brought his dragon to life.

My rating: 8.5/10.  Now we just have to wait a  year to see the conclusion!

The World is Catching Fire. And It's Easy to See Why

I was pretty bummed that we had a severe winter storm blow in yesterday, which meant that my sister and I had to cancel our movie night to see The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Honestly, seeing it all over Twitter, Facebook, etc. made the whole thing even worse, so when a break came today from the weather, I took the chance and headed out over an hour to see the movie that's already set a domestic opening record.  After sitting through about 20 minutes of pre-show commercials, then at least 6 previews, the movie FINALLY started.  And warning, this review comes with spoilers for those of you who haven't yet seen the film.  I'll spare no details.

The movie opens with Katniss silently sitting on the bank of a lake her father used to take her to.  There is no music, no sound, nothing.  It's completely silent for the first minute of the film.  Gale soon joins her, and we quickly realize just how much the Games have affected Katniss.  Not only has it affected her relationship with Gale (more on that in a second), it has changed how she regards things around her.  When she shoots at a turkey, she thinks she's shooting Marvel again.  Katniss completely loses it, ever remaining on a delicate mental balance for pretty much the remainder of the film (probably pretty true to the book).  When I say it's affected her relationship with Gale, it's because it seems as if a lot of the scenes between the two of them are incredibly strained and awkward.  Maybe this is the result of some choppily written dialogue (even more on that later), but regardless, their scenes seem to be strained.

I digress.  THG is the only film I've seen Jennifer Lawrence in, but there is a reason Lawrence is an Academy Award nominated and winning actress.  As one of the reviews on mockingjay.net said, Catching Fire showcases her incredibly diverse talent.  Katniss is broken, vulnerable, strong, brave, etc.  I think perhaps the best moment for Jennifer in the film, for me personally, was her District 11 speech.  This was the first (but not the last time) in the film where I just couldn't keep from crying.  The acting was superb in that scene, not just from Jennifer but from Josh Hutcherson.  The dialogue was so well written, and the entire scene captured the heart of the books.  It's so rare to watch a movie but be able to feel the emotional intensity on screen as if it were your own.  The buildup to the execution of the man in District 11: excruciating.  You know it's coming (if you've read the book), but it's the trigger that I think makes Katniss choose what she'll do from there on out.  Lawrence delivers another exceptional performance throughout the movie.  I think she even more perfectly captures Katniss in this film than in the previous one.  Not that she didn't, but she proves why she was the perfect choice for the character.

Elizabeth Banks.  In the first film, it appears as if Effie has no soul.  Effie is just a shallow, vain person who cares about nothing but the latest trends and fashions.  Not so in this film.  I LOVE Effie in this movie.  She is everything from the book and more.  My heart just broke when Effie said goodbye to Katniss and Peeta, and I nearly cried when she pulled Katniss' name out of the bowl.  The entire reaping scene, I was just thinking how much more I loved Effie in this movie than in the first one.  Banks did an incredible job portraying those different facets of Effie, and I think that overall, it made Effie a more likable character.

Josh Hutcherson.  I didn't think I could really like the film version of Peeta...but I did in CF.  We get to see the many layers of Peeta, the one Collins wrote.   I LOVE that we get to see that Peeta in more detail this time!  I actually came away being more on Team Peeta than I was before.  In the book I'm always sorry for him because he seems to get the short end of the stick when it comes to Katniss, and that was carried over into the film.

Woody Harrelson.  Can the  man get any more perfect at playing Haymitch?  My goodness.  Haymitch was even more snarky in this film than previously, but that's completely fitting within his character.  And Lenny Kravitz?  Well...he did a good job for the minimal amount of time Cinna appeared.  I felt slighted that we didn't get to see much of Cinna in this movie, a shame since he dies before Mockingjay (at least, in the books).  That was one scene I was dreading the most, but also looking forward to.  It's so critical to Katniss' character that it had to happen.  I'm glad the filmmakers kept it in.

Now, onto the newest characters to join the club.  I'm still kind of out on Sam Claflin as Finnick; I can't decide if he is suitable or not.  I'd probably have to see the movie again to really decide if I like him.  However, Jena Malone?  Her Johanna was SO true to the book!  I didn't like that they had her yelling bleeped F words (I feel like the cussing in this film is/was very unnecessary as there's none in the book(s)), but I loved that they showed how much she hated the Capitol too.  And the elevator scene?  That was probably the best moment for Johanna, not to mention, I died laughing at Katniss' reaction(s).  It was priceless, and I'm glad they made that scene better.  Oh yeah, and I'm glad they kept in that brief scene of Chaff kissing Katniss; that was a laugh out loud moment, and it was funny to see Katniss caught off guard.  And Mags?  Who doesn't just fall in love with Mags the second you see her on screen?  Even though she didn't say a word, she was Mags.  She (Lynn Cohen) was the perfect choice for the character.  Sad that she died!  As for the others, they were all kinda 'eh' for me.  Wasn't really blown away by any of them or underwhelmed.  They were just there.  I expected to feel some sort of emotion over Wiress' death, but I didn't.  I felt like that may have been a miss on the part of Francis Lawrence, but it really wasn't a big deal in the scope of things.  And just as a random note: what about the guy playing Thread?  Perfectly cast for just about 5 minutes of screen time!

now, some things I didn't really like that much.  I didn't care for the way Katniss/Gale scenes were redone.  I felt like they lost their impact, and maybe it's the book purist in me, but I just wasn't happy with the Katniss/Gale scenes in general.  There were also some things done that were taken out of their context from the book (ex. Ripper; she's mentioned and seen, but there's no explanation of who she is to Katniss), but I guess overall, there's more context to this film than its predecessor.

In short, Catching Fire outshines The Hunger Games just by one thing: better scripts.  The dialogue, while awkwardly executed in several areas, is spot on.  Instead of being Francis Lawrence's story, it's Suzanne Collins' story that is seen on the big screen.  This is something lacking from the first film, as I have always felt that it was more of Ross' story than what was written.  It's refreshing to have a director who clearly cares about the material as much as the fans do, and it assures me that he can do an equally good job on Mockingjay 1 and 2.   Unlike some directors who clearly have no understanding, respect, or appreciation for the material they're adapting (like, ahem, a certain Michael Apted), Lawrence demonstrates that he respects the material/fans.  Many of the scenes adapted could have been deemed unnecessary, but they remain.  What few changes have been made were made probably because of time and streamlining.  Truthfully, if they didn't make any changes at all, this film would have taken much longer than 2 1/2 hours.  The last few minutes of this movie, before Katniss discovers the truth about D12, contains some of the most beautiful cinematography found in this franchise so far.  The montage of Katniss being lifted into the hovercraft: exactly like the book and just as satisfying.  The film ends with Katniss learning of the destruction of District 12; she turns to the camera, tears streaming out of her eyes.  Then, the final shot: Katniss takes a breath, grits her teeth, and you can see truly she has now decided the Capitol must go.  All of the anger, bitterness, hurt, frustration, and emotion Katniss feels toward the Capitol is all summed up in about 10 seconds of her looking solidly at us, the audience.  As the credits fade to black, we see the Hunger Games logo of the Mockingjay, which catches fire and becomes the Catching Fire Mockingjay, which then turns into something else entirely (I haven't decided if this is their interpretation of Mockingjay's mockingjay, but someone else is free to give their opinion on that), at the last second or two of the Catching Fire logo transformation, we hear the infamous mockingjay 4 note call, giving the audience a spine chilling feeling of what's to come in films 3 and 4.  I had goosebumps as the credits began to roll, knowing it's going to be a full year before we see the start of the war between the rebels and the Capitol.

If Francis Lawrence can repeat Catching Fire's heart and soul with both Mockingjay films, I have no doubt that fans of the books will be satisfied that Collins' work is finally being given the film treatment it deserves.  Catching Fire *almost* makes up for the first film's shortfalls.  On another note: I'm still not really happy with the music, soundtrack or inspirational soundtrack.  It's not what I'd like to hear for the franchise, but I guess we're stuck with it.

My rating: 4.5/5 stars.

P.S. I feel like I'm not doing the movie justice, but I'm starting to forget everything I wanted to talk about, so maybe when I see it again, I'll write a better review.

National American Indian Heritage Month-Days 6 and 7

I usually post these on Facebook, but I missed a day, so I have to combine them.  Plus, this may help quit flooding people's feeds with my statuses several times a day.  So, here are days 6 and 7 of NAIHM!

November 6th: I've been talking about several of my favorite actors, so now I'm going to switch gears and talk about an actress I love.  Her name's Tonantzin Carmelo, and she is most known for her role as the younger (not teenage) Thunder Heart Woman in Into the West (2005) and as Shayla Stonefeather in Imprint (2007).  I haven't seen as much of her stuff as some of the other actors I like, but she's still very talented and I enjoy watching her films.  I think my favorite role of hers so far is as Thunder Heart Woman.  Just watch the first 3 episodes of the series and you'll totally get WHY I like her so much in the series!  More recent roles include Shouting Secrets and The Activist, though I have yet to see Shouting Secrets (and I'm DYING to see it!).  I also really liked her in Imprint, as she was able to realistically portray someone who is caught between two worlds, and someone who really is unsure of where she stands in each.  I love the movie in general, and the wonderful cast/writing just helps make it better!  She is an underrated actress in today's Hollywood, Native or otherwise.  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0138371/?ref_=nv_sr_1

November 7th: Another actress I love is Irene Bedard.  You probably would recognize her voice from Disney's Pocahontas (1995), but she has been in a ton of other things, like, oh, Smoke Signals (1998), Lakota Woman (1994), Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (1994), Love's Long Journey (2005), and...oh yeah!  Of course Into the West as the older Margaret Light Shines.  Of all her roles, Margaret is my absolute favorite.  There is a depth to the way Irene plays the character that is simply captivating.  Margaret experiences so much of the injustices done to various tribes by the US Army, and Irene conveys that incredibly well.  Of all the scenes that speak for her the best, it would probably be found in episode 4, near the end.  Margaret has just gone through the pain of the Washita massacre, and is found by her younger brother (who is an Army scout), who later tries to free her from the makeshift prison of Custer's.  I just dare you to watch that scene and NOT feel emotional over it.  Margaret staunchly refuses to abandon the Cheyenne women and children, who she now feels responsible for.  Another enjoyable actress that is worth watching! http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065942/?ref_=tt_cl_t2

Dances with Wolves-Yes, I've finally seen it!

So far, my summer has been fairly busy: graduation in May, Vacation Bible School at the beginning of June, then youth camp a couple of weeks later.  In the middle of all that, I was busy studying for the Veterinary Technician National Examination (VTNE) that I took this past week (and PASSED!), and helping my sister, brother-in-law, and niece move back to Texas!  In just a couple of days, I'll officially move out of Mississippi and back home where I'll soon start a new job...more details on that to come. :)

But somehow in all that, I managed to have time to sit down and finally see Dances with Wolves all the way through, with a few stops.  I mean after all, Netflix's version is 3 hours long (the extended cut), and be honest: this film is boring at times.  Now, I will say that I can tolerate violence.  "Yellow Rock" and "Into the West" have their share of Western violence, which is pretty descriptive of the era.  And yeah, some of the violence was pretty graphic.  The Old West was a dangerous place to live since you had enemies of all kinds.  But, I suppose my main issues with the film was that of language and nudity.  Was it really necessary to see Costner's backside several times?  Is it necessary to have a somewhat graphic sex scene between two [unmarried] people?   Is it necessary to include crude and vulgar language?

I'm not sure how this film earned all its awards in 1990.  Much of it was overacted, and I can't say I'm a fan of Costner after this movie.  I admire him for wanting to bring the story to the screen, and for funding the majority of the film in order to get it made...but all the crap marred what could have been a very beautiful story of the West.  It is one of the few films in mainstream Hollywood which does NOT portray the stereotypical Indian (as a savage, though the Pawnees were pretty fierce and they are showed as such).  The woman playing Stands with a Fist was surprisingly good at speaking the Lakota language; it sounded very natural and easy for her.  However, the kissing scenes between her and Costner were just downright comical (just watch those parts and you'll see what I mean).

So my rating is about a 2 out of 5 stars.  This film deserved an R rating, but is only rated PG-13.  Use a lot of caution when watching this movie.  It's really not worth the time.

Graduation!

(This entry will be posted on May 11, 2013.  Because I can't ever remember from week to week what I'd like to say, I'm writing this entry as the days come.)

4/25/13: Last Day!

As I type this, I'm waiting to finish my last day of college: forever! Well, at least I hope forever.  People keep asking me if I plan on going to vet school, and my answer is always a quick "NO!".  It would require at least 5 more years of school, the extra year just for pre-requisites.  Then it requires an interview and programs are competitive.  And I would have to declare residency because frankly, out of state tuition is ridiculously high.  Did I mention the school loans that would have to go along with all this?  I mean, I'm not silly enough to think that, if it were really God's plan for me to move on to vet school, He would not provide what I need to get there.  But I definitely don't feel my heart leading me in that direction, at least not in the near future.  Plus, I'm just not sure I have what it takes physically and mentally to make it through vet school; it's extremely taxing on your body and mind, having to keep up with the case work/load as well as the stress of how expensive it is and not wanting to fail anything because if you fail you are done.  While I don't wish anything bad of a vet student, I will say that there is a surplus of new veterinarians and graduating veterinary students, and the economy is just not there to support the many graduates that will permeate the job market.  Some of my classmates are going on to vet school, and I hope they do well and enjoy their time in school.  It's just not for me!

5/10/2013: Pinning Ceremony and Graduation

Well, I can FINALLY say I'm officially done forever with school/college.  Today was an extremely full day and started out early after a night of not actually sleeping very well or at all.  Honestly, the last few weeks have felt very surreal for whatever reason, and I'm not even really sure if the reality of being forever done with the program has fully sunk in yet.  Today was difficult in some ways because I had to say goodbye to some awesome instructors/mentors within the program AND in the CVM health center.  It was also difficult because I think I realized just how comfortable I had become with the school and most of the people there;  I had some great mentors and teachers downstairs (Jamie, Maggie, and Tonya: you guys ROCK!) who taught me ways to not only improve the skills I already knew, but also how to improvise new ways of doing things or looking at things.  Now, knowing I probably won't see them or most of my classmates again/for a long time is hard because graduation means having to kind of start over from scratch.

But starting over from scratch has given me the chance to think back over the last two years.  I was looking through some of my older blog posts and I thought: "Gee.  I was definitely stressed out when I wrote THAT entry."  Indeed, there were a lot of times I let my stress get the better of me and I broke down into tears certain that I would fail, had failed, or wanted to leave the program.  There was one time over a year ago where I literally had to ask myself if I wanted to stay in the program or not.  I'm so glad I had people talking me out of it because I would have been giving up something good if I had left.  I remember vividly my first night in my dorm and the emotional meltdown that followed with it.  I ended up getting so upset that my sister had to come get me and drive me around campus (after getting a drink from Sonic) to reassure me that what I was going through was normal.  Okay, maybe I should have tried to control my emotions a little better and not gotten quite so worked up about being in the dorm, and I had a major tendency to let my emotions get the best of me.  I still do unfortunately (trying to work on that).  Anyway, the first week in the dorm was difficult especially when I had a difficult roommate, had never lived in a dorm, had never lived away from home until then, and had to learn to make it on my own.  I can't even imagine what those 10 weeks would have been like if my sister and brother-in-law had not been in the same town/state.  I don't think it would have been very pretty!!! I also remember my first night in my apartment: it was scary! I kinda remember the first week of the program.  It was hectic and orientation left my head absolutely spinning, but I was excited to start studying the things that I WANTED to study instead of NEEDED to study.  There were hard classes in each block, and each block left me feeling like I would fail at least one class if not more.  Even if I just scraped by, I still made it.  I tried not to focus on what was ahead, but on what was now: the first half of the spring semester, I had to force myself to keep focused on that block (even though I was taking 3 classes that extended the entire semester, adding up to a total of 22 hours for the spring semester).  Summer kind of left me unable to really worry about the coming fall: I was too busy with anesthesia in May and surgery in June to really care what was ahead of me.

Senior year beginning in August is really what has reaffirmed in me what I believe to be true: this is the job I was made for.  I honestly think that any person who loves animals and can work with them on a daily basis for years and years is a special person.  Like human medicine, there is ALWAYS potential for emotional burnout and compassion fatigue.  If anything, it may be more pronounced in veterinary medicine because of humane euthanasia and the technician's active role in that procedure.  Whether it is comforting someone who has lost a beloved pet who was 15 years old, or preparing someone for accepting their animal's condition and helping them decide what is best in the long run for the animal, or just being there for someone to grieve with, it isn't easy.  Having been on both sides of the glass (i.e. having participated in humane euthanasias for very sick animals and having a pet euthanized because of advanced heartworm disease) I understand both viewpoints.  I'm not exclusive in that understanding for sure; I think most of my classmates have also experienced a euthanasia at one time or another.  It's when you can pull yourself out of your technician uniform and into that of an owner that your clients really trust you to do what's best for their pet.  It's what causes them to trust YOU because you know what they're going through: you've been there.  It never gets easier, but you have to learn to cope.  There was one week during the fall where it was bookended by life and death: Monday an animal died suddenly, and that same Friday, I helped deliver 7 adorable piglets through c-section.  It was a terrible start to the week, but a wonderful ending.  Participating in my first ever c-section/birth made me realize how important my job is.  It isn't just keeping pets healthy: it's helping an animal to start life off on the right paw/hoof.

I had only a few bad experiences within my rotations, but overall, I had some of the best learning experiences during the past year.  It's amazing to think how much I know now compared to the start of the program or even to what I knew last year.  This journey has been difficult.  It's had ups and downs.  I couldn't have made it to this point without my family who supported me every step of the way.  It was so nice to have my sister and niece nearby who I could hang out with when I needed a break or just needed to take a step away from the school (not to mention getting to watch my niece grow up AND getting some good home cooked meals. haha).  I'm also thankful to my friends who supported me and who I could talk to when I needed to vent (Callie, you know what I'm talking 'bout!).   I'm thankful for the things I've learned, but am ready to get out on my own and apply those in a real world job.  I don't know where or when that will be, but I'm trusting that God has the job HE wants for me.  One chapter has just closed, but another is about to start.  And in the meantime, I'll always and forever be a Mississippi State Bulldog! :)

Hail State, and Forever Maroon and White!

One Month!

So, as I write this entry, I'm currently watching an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise coming off a long day of doing laundry and working on an academic elective.  What kind of elective?  Well, basically, I have to create a course for the veterinary technology program (either re-design a current course, or create an entirely new course) complete with assignments, lab handouts, and a lecture powerpoint.  Silly me, I chose the anesthesia course as my project, but I've actually enjoyed going back over the information.  I'm no longer afraid of anesthesia or the calculations that go along with it.  I mean, after spending 2 weeks in anesthesia a while back, I realized that the rotation made me stress out over nothing.

Anyway, as I write this entry, I have just one month and one day left in this final semester!  It's so hard to believe that I'm standing staring at the last few weeks of my college life.  This journey has been incredible in so many ways.  I'm going to save all that for an entry when I officially graduate, because I want to put all my feelings into one entry instead of two.  Did I mention that I've gone back to [more] faithfully writing my Star Wars fan fiction?  Oh, didn't know about that?  Well, yes, I have.  It's actually a long re-write of a story I'd previously written,  but if you want to check it out, go to: www.figment/com/users/281852-AravisKenobi to check it out ("Left in the Shadows" since the other one is needing major revisions).

Check back in about 6 weeks as I'm sure I'll have photos and more regarding graduation.

Short Review of "Les Miserables"

Because I've never read the book or seen the play of the same name, my comments about content may or may not be accurate.  However, I think I'll be commenting less on story subject than story presentation. I'm not going to lie: the music in this movie was really good.  Well, when they were actually singing songs, not singing dialogue to each other in a conversation.  This movie had all the honest hallmarks of being an epic and wonderful film.  Unfortunately, hallmarks is all this film had.  Epic in scope, sure.  Epic in being emotional, being moving, and being a powerful story?  No.  When a musical resorts to converting dialogue into song, the result is pretty shallow.  It's also close to being really silly and corny.  There were moments in the movie where, even though it wasn't a funny moment, I wanted to laugh because I couldn't believe they were being sing-songy with dialogue and keeping straight faces!

Don't get me wrong.  During the moments that it counted, each actor brought their best voice to the table.  Hugh Jackman had some really great moments.  Anne Hathaway's "I Dreamed a Dream" was gorgeous and I really felt her pain come across in her voice.  Who knew Amanda Seyfried could sing?   In spite of these bright spots, I found it difficult to follow the plot, I felt as if the movie skimmed on being really emotional, and I felt like the pace was almost too quick.  I mean, things shifted like crazy, and it was kind of hard to follow.  Also, character development was barely in existence.  I feel that a movie like Les Miserables, with its apparently deep dealings with the poor, the rumblings and machinery of the French Revolution, and the deep personal tragedies of the main characters (namely Valjean and Fantine).  why did they adapt the musical instead of the book?  I feel as if the movie had the potential to be an epic film.  But I also feel as if people haven't really connected to the film (if box office numbers are any real indication, Les Mis fell behind Hobbit, and barely surpassed Django Unchained).

In conclusion, it was an $8 I felt was wasted.  I would have personally benefited from peering deeper into characters' lives, learning why Javert was the way he was, and seeing the REAL undercurrent of the French Revolution and the people who fought in it.  I give it a personal rating of 2/5 stars.