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Review for Jack the Beanstalk Slayer/Jack the Giant Killer ( believe it or not there are 2 titles)

LitaPitasMusings

Review for Jack the Beanstalk Slayer (Or Jack the Giant Killer)

Albert Einstein once said, “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales. “~ Albert Einstein

Needless to say that I have been a fan of fairytales since I was very, very small.  So, seeing a movie about that is essentially am electrified, revamped version of a fairytale makes me happy because it reminds me of the childhood mental adventures I would take- via fairytales. I have to admit that the tv show entitled, “Once Upon a Time..,” Snow White and the Huntsman,” “Mirror Mirror,” “The Great and Powerful Oz” and even “Tangled” makes me think that fairytales are cool again in society. But besides fairytales what is even more fashionable is the revamping of fairytales which leads them to the fantasy genre. As someone who is once in a while, a playful cultural critic, I would say that I cannot help but wonder what this means as a society that we are experimenting with the fairytale genre. Are we interested in their timelessness? Or are we interested in the world they transport us too? The happy endings? Or the beautiful worlds they take us to? I also find it interesting that 3-4 years ago, vampires were all the rage. But now, perhaps we are moving onto fairytales? One last important question might be-is cultural fodder for the books, film, television.. a bit like clothing style is in the fashion industry? In other words, is what is old, new again? From such contextual clues, I would guess so.

Now, I guess I will go on to the actual movie. I will say that unlike other film reviews I have given.. this will be more of a What I liked and didn’t like. I feel more comfortable describing the film in that dimension.

I felt a bit mixed about the story at times. In some ways, the trailer made the movie seem a lot better. So I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t as epic as the trailer described it too be. I thought that it was going to be this massive life or death battle between the giant and Jack. That is the other thing- I was shocked that there were so many giants. In the original story there was only one. But I still liked some aspects of the movie because it had a story about a kingdom which was set to medieval times, which is usually a favorite setting for me in stories.

It also had the story of two children- from different social structures- who suffered through the same issues so it helped connect the story better. The romance of the two main characters is obvious from the minute they showcase the children- it is a bit archetypal.

But I guess my favorite part was actually seeing the beanstalk grow and seeing the world of the giants. I was surprised at the story of King Eric and what his crown was made from as well as how the giants worshipped it. This piece of the story was the great fairytale or legend piece.. and it was a bit enchanting listening to it. At the same point, I thought that it was a bit weird that a crown was made from the heart of the giants. I am rather grossed out by blood and especially guts so the idea of crown made by hearts seems icky. But I am grateful no blood was shown.

I liked the adventure aspect of the film. It seemed very daring and definitely made the story more interesting. At the same point there was so much of it, that I got just in the details

The acting is also a bit mixed. The main two characters, Jack and Isabelle, are a bit weak. As I wrote earlier, you can kind of tell that they will get together but nothing too much is said about their interests, or them as people. I was also annoyed that for some significant parts of the movie, it seemed like Jack saved the day and Isabelle was once again the female in distress who needed to be saved. Yes, I understand that this is a fairytale but if it is being vamped up in the trailer as an epic fantasy, then it also needs to revamp its portrayal of gender roles.

I of course of didn’t like the character of Roderick but I thought Stanley Stucci played this creepy character well. I also thought that it was weird how they implied that the Crown of Eric was actually contained in the Crown Jewels in West Minister Abbey in London. I can see some thinking that was cool.. that the Crown of Eric still somehow exist. But I also thought that it was weird how, this evil crown ( and weird for being made from hearts) exist in a modern crown now. I know it’s fantasy.. but it just felt funny.

In sum, I give this movie about 2.5 stars. It can be an interesting distraction from doing homework, but it won’t be a great escape as fairytales usually are to many people.

Preview for Jack the Beanstalk Slayer

LitaPitasMusings

Are you interested for a dose of the fantasy adventure genre? If so then perhaps Jack the Beanstalk Slayer is for you. It is basically the story of Jack and the Beanstalk but interwoven with a legend. So if you are into fairytales and fantasy, you may enjoy this movie. If you especially like fantasy you may enjoy this because the fantasy aspect adds a “medieval, magic, and supernatural” twist to the fairy tale portion of the story. But watcher beware: If you are looking for more Lord of the Rings Quality fantasy then you might not get it. But it will still give you an entry to fantasyland for about an hour and a half. Now, is the time to watch some movies..especially before finals’ scene goes into full swing!

PREVIEW: U-M SOUP

nina.j

U-M SOUP

If you haven’t already heard of UM SOUP, I’m sorry to tell you that you are one step behind. The good news, however, is that now you know! And now that you are IN the know, you can attend of the most inspiring, student organized events in town.

Inspired by DETROIT SOUP, Junior PiTE student Izzy Morrison decided to arrange Ann Arbor’s very own UM SOUP. The way it works is this: all semester long, locals and students have been submitting proposals for community oriented projects that need funding. Those who attend the dinner enjoy a great evening and vote on the project proposal with the greatest potential.

Here is a blurb about the event that Izzy wrote for AnnArbor.com:

“For $5, A2 residents and UM students can have a fun evening learning about local projects, eating a local meal, jamming to live music, and voting on their favorite community project! The event will take place March 23rd at 7pm at LIVE Ann Arbor. At the end of the night, the winner will receive collected funds. These grants support start-up community projects that might have no other means to get off the ground. All SOUP applicants have the opportunity to make connections and talk to potential supporters over dinner. There are no rules for proposals, except that they benefit the greater community.”

For a list of project proposals, click here. Some propose to address educational, health, and environmental prospects, while others focus on transportation, discrimination, or crisis aversion. Live With food donated from Zingerman’s, Crazy Wisdom, The People’s Food Co-op, and Izzy’s mom,  the dinner will surely be delectable. Live entertainment will include Music School student Gabirel Wilk’s Latin inspired band, Gabriel and the Keystones, and spoken word artist Carlina Duan. This is not a community event to be missed!

February 23rd, LIVE  Ann Arbor on 102 First St., 7pm, $5 tickets at the door. All are welcome.

Check out the Facebook event for more info. See you there!


Untitled

LitaPitasMusings

So everyone or at the very least a lot of people love this movie. Maybe that’s why I initially was annoyed to see it. I felt like this was a movie that a lot of girls would swoon about.  Especially girls who loved to sing, dance, and who dabbled ballet- because let’s face it, it is musical theatre. Or that they would be drawn to it because of the romantic notion of Fantine- who has a bit of a cinderella aspect to her. I mean I knew that the story was never really just about that, it showcased the misfortunes of people who were living in pre-French revolution standards yet 30 years post French revolution. I should also add that I have never been a super fan of musicals. I mean I have liked them.. but never totally been in love with them. So I was a little prejudiced.
But I ended up liking the movie. I take that back- I ended up loving the movie!! I loved it because they showed they were afraid to show the gritty strife of some of the characters. They showed Hugh Jackson struggling as a convict and they also showed the gut-wrenching suffering Fantine had to endure. And as I mentioned in the preview, this was a truly ensemble cast.  They truly transformed themselves physically for the role, most of them sang greatly ( or at least one of them..Russell Crowe gave a good effort), and they also hit the emotional notes well with their acting and singing combined.
Th Cinematography was superb, the way it was done made it seem like this was more of an action movie. It seemed like the camerawork zoomed in on Jackman’s face and it just seemed so dynamic and as if we were rowing along with him. I believe the camerawork added this thrilling quality to the film.                                                                                                                                                                         The costumes were great and so was the art direction. Fantine’s beautiful pink dress was lovely and I love how art direction made everyone else in the factory wear gray but hers was this sweet, innocent, angelic pink. Which exemplifies Fantine and makes her standout from the crowd. Great work!                                                                                                                                                                                                   In sum, this movie was a great and was so much more than what I originally thought- which was a film whose was poetic gestures would capture the mind and hearts of romantics. But it is something which captures all of life’s important moments- love, sorrow, sometimes torture, loss, triumph, a good fight, and of course redemption.

Les Miserables Preview

LitaPitasMusings

So I am guessing that by now, everyone and their mother has seen Les Mis. Awards.
But for those of you who haven’t there is still a chance as it plays in theaters and I should provide my reason as to why you should see it.
This a movie some years ago people have said would 20 hours to see… that is if they were going to follow the book. Some have even said that the musical on stage has equated to some splendor of the book but never a movie. I am not sure why, especially because these persons were not film snobs. But the truth is that the movie has done critically well. So for those who have seen the musical, this is a great way for you to compare and contrast.
I feel as if Les Miserables is what should have been the Best Picture Winner for the 2013 Academy . I love this movie because of the physical transformation of Hugh Jackman, the singing effort of Russell Crowe, all the different emotional performances ( whether nuanced or very obvious) by all the cast, the meticulously detailed period costumes were great, and so was the cinematography.
The dynamic cinematography is what really carried this film! The aerial view of Jean Valjean on top of the hill as he vows to change his life, as it zooms into him as he sings ‘Look down,’ even as the film opens and says 30 years after the French revolution there is a king on the throne the movie seems dynamic and vibrant, or even when Russell Crowe drowns the camera captures it from such a faraway angle that the scene echoes the lonely immense quality of a speck of a man drowning in such a depth of water.
So, yes.. if you are looking to see the movie beyond the fact that everyone has seen it.. then you will definitely find some in this preview. But why take my words for it? Go see for yourself!

Review for Argo

LitaPitasMusings 1 Comment

Review for Argo

Well when I wrote the preview for Argo I was in the position of defending Argo because some people have said that Argo is good but not that good. I myself have felt that Argo is rather great but I don’t exactly see it on par Citizen Kane. Which actually is ironic because Citizen Kane went on to not win Best Picture whereas Argo just won Best Picture? But now with the Best Picture win for Argo, I am worried that some people might feel that Argo is really good because of the label of Best Picture linked with its title. Of course there are also many people who can see a movie and regardless of an award can independently judge whether or not a movie is worthy of high praise. Nevertheless, I will still explain why I think this movie can is great and can have a great reputation without the praise from the academy.

Well I will say that the movie is good because of many reasons:

The movie has the ability to really connect emotionally with audiences. You can feel Ben Affleck’s character’s frustration at the round table meeting trying to get a plan approved for the CIA cover up plan. You can feel the Hollywood producer’s easygoing lack of seriousness towards the structure of Hollywood. You can feel the Foreign Service workers stagnant and intense fear about their fate. The can feel the first hint of suspicion the housekeeper has when she suspects that her Canadian embassy employers are harboring Americans.

In terms of costumes, the movie is very accurate to 1970’s fashion: the trench coats, the prints, the tweed jackets, the large square sunglasses, etc. I once heard a director say in a DVD commentary that in period movie from a recent time period can be harder to show, because audiences are a lot more judgmental about such movies displaying accuracy. I definitely feel that this movie won the contest for fashion accuracy!

People want to believe that what they are seeing is in the 1970s, and so the same goes with set design as it does for costumes. People want to be lost in the world of the film, and nothing shows the world better than the art direction. In this movie, art production is no easy feat because 3 different worlds are shown: That of Iran, Washington DC, and Hollywood. Well, Hollywood was obviously a very believable set because my guess is that… It was shot in Hollywood! The studios and trailers all look rather believable! The rooms in the CIA looked like the engine room and where the “heart” chamber of the movie was. People were bustling talking on the phones, and the energy was palpable and vibrant!

The set of Iran was probably the most difficult to recreate. But from the walled houses with gates, with the market scene, and even to some of the gardens by people’s houses- the neighborhoods of Iran seemed realistic. On that note, the movie seemed culturally appropriate. Often you see movies about the Middle East where everyday people are not shown as everyday people. They are often showed in a mystified way- either as snake charmers, women in harems, and even terrorists. Ironically, when Ben Affleck is trying to get a visa into Iran from Turkey in order to make “Argo,” the man says, “Oh is this another orientalist classic you westerners want… with snake charmers…” It’s ironic because this movie… the making of Argo is not orientalist classic! But this showed everyday people in the market and on the streets. Yes, some of the people were revolutionaries- but not everyone- which was typical of the Iranian revolution and honestly most revolutions. There are only some radicals. I even loved the angry reaction of the stall keeper in the market who got angry when “Argo’s costume consultant” took picture- because it seemed authentic. Some might say that this is yet another representation of “the angry Middle Eastern man” in film. But I disagree. I felt that this was an authentic response since many people wouldn’t like their picture randomly taken!

My last remaining thoughts about what makes this movie good are the one liners and the last 30 minutes of this movie. My favorite one liner is, “You can teach a rhesus monkey to be a director!”
The last 30 minutes of the movie is really worth waiting for because it is an ultimate thriller! So I speak for the last thirty minutes and the entire movie when I say, GO AND SEE IT!!!