Les Misérables

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Les Misérables {2012}

Stars:

• Hugh Jackman
• Russell Crowe
• Anne Hathaway
• Amanda Seyfried
• Eddie Redmayne
• Samantha Barks
• Sacha Baren Cohen
• Helena Bonham Carter

Summary: Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption—a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

{taken from the official website}

My Thoughts: I have been dying to see this ever since I heard of it earlier this year. I saw a stage production done by a local youth theater group in the summer of 2010 {they did a fabulous job, by the way :)} and since then, I have always liked this classic story and gorgeous songs. The transition from stage to movie can be tough, but I think director, Tom Hooper and the rest of the crew, did a really fine job with it.

For those who have never seen it, Les Mis is set in 19th century France, and follows the life of Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who, through hard work and his breaking of parole, was able to become mayor of a city. From there, he is deeply affected by a factory worker named Fantine, and when she dies, he agrees to take care of her daughter Cosette. It’s hard to sum up in so few sentences, but I have to say that the movie really made the plot clear. I think it was easier than on stage because there were more resources {settings, costumes, effects} available to the cast and crew to make the story really come alive. I have nothing bad to say about the actual storyline, except that they could have made it a little clearer who was who, especially as we got closer to the battle.

To act and sing is hard enough, but with Les Mis, the actors had to sing live. Hugh Jackman was a very strong choice for Jean Valjean. He could sing and act, as well as move the story along. He really showed the emotion needed for this story, and I thought that he did a great job! :) Anne Hathaway was just as good, and  I have never heard her sing before, but she is amazing! Both deserve the praise they have received, and hopefully some awards in the future!

I know that Russell Crowe has received some criticism for his lack of depth in his singing and acting, but I didn’t see anything wrong with it. He was really good! I’m sure they could have chosen other actors for the role of Javert, but Crowe had to work with what he had, and he was able to pull it off. Samantha Barks was outstanding, and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future. I also really liked Eddie Redmayne, who I haven’t seen before, but I will keep my eye out for him now. Finally, the younger actors were fantastic, like Young Cosette and Gavroche. LOVED them! :)

Overall, although I enjoyed Les Mis, it will really come down to your preferences. Besides that though, there is no doubt that it will win quite a few awards this winter.

Pros: Strong cast.

Cons: Nothing!

Heads Up: Not for younger viewers due to violence and more mature topics. However, if you have a younger kid who is aware of the storyline beforehand and is able to cover their eyes at the more gory parts, they’ll be fine :)

Overall: I give it 5 stars {****} and I recommend it for ages 12 and up.

Have a lovely Thursday!

Breaking Dawn: Part 2

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Breaking Dawn: Part 2 {2012}

Stars:

• Kristen Stewart
• Robert Pattinson
• Taylor Lautner
• Peter Facinelli
• Elizabeth Reaser
• Ashley Greene
• Jackson Rathbone
• Kellan Lutz
• Nicki Reed

Summary: The astonishing conclusion to the series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2, illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions. {I don’t know enough to write a really good summary, but I have to admit this one is pretty bad. We’re just going to roll with it! Taken from the official site.}

My Thoughts: I’ve never read any of the Twilight books, but I have seen most of the movies! :) I saw this the first weekend it came out, and I can tell you it is a great movie to see with friends. I don’t really like the stories, in particular, but I enjoy laughing at how silly the plots are!

In this last movie of the saga, Bella and Edward have married and Bella has already had her baby girl. Bella is busy learning the powers of a vampire, when the Cullen family learn that the “evil” vampires {being really technical here :)} are not happy that Bella had a daughter. Thus, plans for a battle begin.

I have never really liked the character of Bella because of how quickly she gave up her entire life for a boy. From what I’m told, however, is that in the final book she uses her powers to save them all in battle, thus making her a little bigger than a “boy toy,” in a sense. In the movie, though, it doesn’t really work out that way. I’m not going to get to into it, because the movie ending is epic, but I just wanted to point that out. Anyhoo, Bella? Definitely not my favorite character.

Edward and Jacob are okay, but again, I felt like they could have done so much more with their lives instead of devoting it to Bella. Alice is the best, and she turns out to be very heroic… Hehe. I love the rest of the Cullen family, all for their own reasons. I also thought that they did a good job casting Bella’s daughter.

This movie probably had the most focused plot of them all, but I do think that they could have squashed the last two movies into one without much difficulty. The scenes during the credits were sweet, and it really tied everything together. Overall, this is most definitely not an award-winning movie, but for what it is, it was solid.

Pros: Better plot than the others.

Cons: Weak characters.

Heads Up: A little language, some romance, and violence.

Overall: I give it 3 stars {***} and I recommend it for ages 12 and up.

Have a good rest of your day!

Bella :)

Psst. Today’s featured holiday blogger is A Cup of Jo! She’s running an awesome gift guide over at her blog this week. Click here to learn more.

Wreck-It Ralph

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Wreck-It Ralph {2012}

Stars:

• John C. Reilly
• Sarah Silverman
• Jack McBrayer
• Jane Lynch

Summary: For his whole life, all Ralph {Reilly} has done is “wreck it.” The villain in a popular arcade game, Ralph is responsible for destroying a building so that the hero, Fix-It Felix {McBrayer} can fix it again. Ralph is just sick of it! Everyone expects Ralph to be a cruel, heartless character, but how can he show people he’s not? There’s only one thing that could fix his problem. Ralph thinks that a golden medal would prove to everyone that he is the good guy! With that in mind, Ralph embarks on an adventure, and makes a few unlikely allies on the way…

My Thoughts: I had been planning to see this for a while, and it was worth it! Pixar movies are always some of the best! :) First off, the whole premise was so cute. The different arcade games were fun, and I loved how they incorporated actual characters into the story. They put a lot of attention to detail in this one, and it paid off. The game central and the arcade both had plenty of added detail, and the overall visuals were pretty solid.

Ralph was a cutie-patootie. Seriously :) I felt bad for him from the very beginning! He appeared tough, but everyone could tell that he had a huge sensitive side. His character development was good, and he really changed throughout the movie. I have no idea if there will be a sequel, but if there was, I would be interested to see how Ralph continued on. Felix was pretty cool too, and his expressions were very entertaining! I thought that the relationship between Ralph and Felix was evident through the entire story, yet it changed from Felix being scared around Ralph to them being actual friends. Another well-written relationship was between Felix and Calhoun. {who was played by Jane Lynch} I did think that their feeling were a bit odd at first, but it had a cute ending.

Vanellope was my favorite, and should be on the imaginary Top Ten Pixar Characters list. She was bratty at the beginning, but she was so adorable, and you could tell why she was rude when she first met Ralph. I felt so bad for her in the middle {trying not to give too much away here.} but I’m glad things ended up how they did. The king was just plain creepy, and the ending totally caught me by surprise. I do want to mention that the characters kind of look like the people who voiced them. I don’t know if that was on purpose, but after seeing pictures of the actors, you can really make the connections!

The story was well-written, and it moved fast enough to hold even little kid’s interest. Sometimes these movies are geared more to girls, but I think this is one that everyone will like. {Case in point, my dad, my little sister, and I all saw and enjoyed it.} It probably won’t be in theaters for much longer, but this is worth getting on DVD because of all the little details. It also might help to have a video game expert around so that they can point out all of the actual characters. Overall, this was an entertaining and adorable film!

P.S. I really liked the Paperman short as well :)

Pros: Cute plot and developed characters.

Cons: Nothing that really bugged me.

Heads Up: This is a family friendly film!

Overall: I give it 4 1/2 stars {**** 1/2} and I recommend it for ages 6 and up.

Have a lovely night!
Bella

Pitch Perfect

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Pitch Perfect {2012}

Stars:

• Anna Kendrick
• Skylar Astin
• Brittany Snow
• Anna Camp
• Rebel Wilson

Summary: Beca (Anna Kendrick) is that girl who’d rather listen to what’s coming out of her headphones than what’s coming out of you. Arriving at her new college, she finds herself not right for any clique but somehow is muscled into one that she never would have picked on her own: alongside mean girls, sweet girls and weird girls whose only thing in common is how good they sound when they sing together, in the new out-loud comedy Pitch Perfect. When Beca takes this acoustic singing group out of their world of traditional arrangements and perfect harmonies into all-new mash-ups, they fight to climb their way to the top of the cutthroat world of college a cappella. This could wind up either the coolest thing they’ll ever do or the most insane, and it will probably be a little of both.

{kindly taken from Rotten Tomatoes}

My Thoughts: {Spoilers!} Let me start off by saying that I probably wouldn’t have seen this on my own. If I had the choice, I would have liked to seen The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but I was outnumbered :( Anyhoo, I surprisingly enjoyed Pitch Perfect. It was fluffy, yes, and totally aimed at teens, but what makes it good is that the movie knows its fluffy and not award-winning. It’s one of those movies that you go and see with friends, not one that you think will win an Oscar. Anna Kendrick played Beca, a strong, independent college student who would rather listen to her music than join an a cappella group. I loved how she stood her ground. It made me admire her as a character, and I think that quality was what “made” the group. She also had a lovely voice! For those who didn’t know, Kendrick appeared on Broadway and was nominated for a TONY. Random Fact of the Day! :) She and Jessie {Skylar Astin} were adorable together. It was kind of obvious that they would end up together, but when they were fighting, it broke.my.heart. The actors played the chemistry quite well, and the relationship felt, well, real. Fat Amy {Rebel Wilson} was hilarious, and I loved her one-liners. I think that her confidence in her body sent out a great message, and I will totally look for Rebel in the future. Aubrey {Anna Camp} was so so so stubborn and annoying. She got on my nerves often, because can’t you TELL that doing outdated songs will NOT get you to the competition. I warmed up to her by the end, however. Her “partner-in-crime,” Chloe, {Brittany Snow} was a little more likable. The rest of the girls in the group all had their moments, and they were all pretty funny. The plot did have a few holes here and there, but with the songs breaking it up, I didn’t think it was too bad. Speaking of which, the songs were terrific and very catchy. They were stuck in my head all day! :) I think that the casting was superb, and that Pitch Perfect deserves every praise it has been given.

Pros: Developed characters and entertaining plot.

Cons: Nothing that bad, but I don’t think it was the best movie I’ve seen, if that makes any sense?

Heads Up: Language, for sure. The PG-13 rating was fair, and the movie was obviously aimed at the teen audience, so just keep that in mind.

Overall: I give it 4 stars {****} and I recommend it for ages 14 and up.

I now really want The Sing-Off to start! :)

Have a lovely evening!

Bella :)

Psst. The next two movies on my list? Wreck-It Ralph at Thanksgiving and Les Misérables at Christmas.

Brave

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{via}

Brave {2012}

Stars:

• Kelly MacDonald
• Billy Connolly
• Emma Thompson
• Julie Walters

Summary: Princess Merida {MacDonald} would much rather be shooting arrows in the forest than sewing in her room, but it’s not up to her. Her mother, the queen {Thompson}, insists that Merida practices the skills she will need to rule a kingdom, such as public speaking, dancing, and finding someone to marry! Three potential suitors have agreed to strut their stuff to the princess, so that she may choose her favorite to marry. The only problem? Merida absolutely, does NOT want to marry anyone, especially the princes she has to choose from. The three boys are either obnoxious, impossible to understand, or weak. And so, when Merida meets a witch in the forest, the princess decides that she might as well ask for something that will change her fate. She just wasn’t expecting to change her mother into a bear…

My Thoughts: Before I talk about Brave, let me just say that it had a TON of good previews. I even made a list of them all! Hehe :)

• The Hobbit
• Despicable Me 2
• Monsters University
• Wreck it Ralph
• Hotel Transylvania

Can.Not.Wait. to see them all. That LaLuna short was adorable too!

Anyhoo, Brave was too cute. Seriously. I know many people felt that after Cars 2, Pixar was slowly getting worse, but I think Brave was up to their standards. Merida had spunk and an adventurous spirit, which I LOVE seeing in Disney’s princesses. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, a skill that is valuable to little girls, a good chunk of the target audience. I do think that she was pretty stupid accepting the witch’s potion, but its a movie, so I’m not that concerned about it. I enjoyed watching her relationship with her mother grow as they spent more time with each other, but it made me a bit sad that her mom had to turn into a bear before Merida realized just how much she needed her. Not only did the relationship grow, I thought Merida matured a bit herself. The speech she gave to the princes was incredible, and she seemed to have more confidence, even though she already had a self-assured manner in the beginning. And, did I mention how adorable Merida was as a little girl?! Aww :) I think the only “flaw” with Merida was her unruly hair. I found myself focusing on the hair more than her at times, so it was awfully distracting. I understand what Pixar was going for, I just think that they could have improved on it. The queen was a tad strict, but you could tell that she really cared about her kids. {although maybe she was more concerned about her reputation? don’t really know} I do have to give credit to her for actually being active in her kid’s lives. I feel that more and more, in books and movies, that the parental figures are just… absent. What’s wrong with a mom and dad? My favorite scene with the queen was in the forest, when she tried to make breakfast as a bear. It broke my heart to see that she tried SO hard, yet she messed up. Oh, silly queen :) Angus, Merida’s father, was hilarious, and the fact that he was completely oblivious to what was going on was so funny. Her little brothers were the cutest things on the planet. EVER. I do wish that the trailers gave us a better idea of what was going to happen because I went in not knowing anything. That, and Merida’s hair are my only “real” complaints. Can it compare to Up or Toy Story 3? No, but was it a delight to see? Yes!

Pros: The story was interesting, and it was well-thought out.

Cons: Like I said above, I wish the audience was given some clue to what was going to happen before the movie started. If this wasn’t Pixar, I have to question whether so many people would go see it. And the hair. Only two minor problems!

Heads Up: None!

Overall: I give it 4 stars {****} and I recommend it for ages 7 and up.

I felt weird going to see this. I must be the only teen left who actually enjoys seeing Disney and Pixar movies :) *sigh*

I do apologize for my mini break! I just started this AHmazing camp, but I’m having trouble finding the time to post. Totally worth it though!

Bella :)