Once Upon A Time is in my Top 10 shows of all time. I've enjoyed watching Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz create a world centered around fairy tale characters and other stories that we grew up with. Personally, OUAT has one of the best ensemble casts you'll find in television. It originally started in 2011 with alot of buzz. I can remember being extremely excited from the previews before it aired. With great performances by Lana Parrilla, Jennifer Morrison, Robert Carlyle, Ginnifer Goodwin, etc. the show has created storylines with a twist that have been compelling. They lead viewers on a magical journey that leaves me excited for what's next.
OPERATION MONGOOSE
I have enjoyed several episodes of the show, but I honestly believe that the two part Season 4 finale: Operation Mongoose was the best episode of the show. It really was television perfection. I think the exploration of the light & dark in heroes and villains in Season 4 was such a strong story arc. Operation Mongoose looked at the Author's alternate reality where heroes became the villains and vice versa. What was great about this was it showed the ability of the cast to flip the coin and show how talented they are. Lana Parrilla's work as Regina Mills has always been by favorite part of the show. Whether she's ruling a kingdom, running a small town in Maine, or running through the woods as an outlaw, she is the heart of the show. Watching Ginnifer Goodwin in the role of Snow Dark so to speak was intriguing. She did well speaking softly which added an extra element of menace to the Evil Queen. I thought the red dress worked well against Regina's white ensemble. I thought it was great that Rumpelstiltskin still isn't able to shake his dark nature even while being a hero. Nobody wants their destiny or story changed. Regina is the one constantly searching for a happy ending. I thought her portrayal of an outlaw was entertaining. I always root for her whether she represents the light or the dark. She's been my favorite character since Day 1.
HEROES & VILLAINS
It was great to see how Isaac Heller initially gained the power of the pen. Personally, I thought that Patrick Fischler did so well with this role. Isaac was supposed to be unlikeable. His mannerisms & voice make Fischler a perfect antagonist to shape the chaotic environment. Jared S. Gilmore's Henry was at his best here trying to change Heroes & Villains & stop certain events from happening. It reminded me so much of Bastien in the Neverending Story. If you remember, in that particular story, Bastien shapes the world's characters & events. His interactions with Regina were fun, especially considering how we first saw them interact in Season 1. It shows how much the Regina character has changed. It shows how much Henry has accepted Regina as a maternal figure. His interactions with Colin O'Donoghue's Hook were excellent, particularly when Henry uses the ship steering lessons that Hook taught him in Storybrooke. Little things like that are always cool to see. O'Donoghue's take on Hook has always been great. The only thing I would change is give him Blackbeard's attire on this show, since that is the traditional Hook look. In OUAT, it's all about changing image and twisting things around, so I get it. I think with his accent & attitude, his look works for him. I always liked the bond between him and Emma as well. Their romance is done in a way that calls to their personalities.
DARK SAVIOR
I liked how Snow Dark (Emma Swan's mother) locked her in chains in a high tower, very similar to Azkaban prison. Emma still being able to recognize the real world from the story was a great idea. Emma wouldn't have been in the story, because of Isaac's anti-savior credo. However, in some ways OUAT brilliantly incorporated that Regina knew about the savior, much like the pilot episode that introduced us to Storybrooke. I think for fans like me that have seen every episode it's great to see when episodes connect to events from the beginning in some way. The whole idea of Emma is what changed the course of the story since Day 1. It was the same type of situation here...however, what I loved the person who turns out to be the true savior is what fans wanted to see.
BLOOD SACRIFICE/REDEMPTION
Regina's interactions with Robin Hood were presented in a way that further proves they should be together in any universe. I thought it was great how they incorporated Zelena into the pages. They twisted Regina & Zelena's stories, which works really well. Parrilla really did well creating this heroic side to her character. I thought the scenes with Robin Hood & Zelena continued the arc from the past few episodes that could have destroyed Regina. I like that it actually made Regina stronger for Robin, Henry, and her search for the happy ending. Regina is the most important part of the finale. I mentioned that Rumpelstiltskin still wasn't able to change his ways completely. I feel the reason for this was because Isaac worked his poisonous words in more ways than one into his ears encouraging him to shed the light and embrace the dark in order to preserve the light. While Emma stressed that love is a big part of happiness, ultimately Regina feels it isn't everything. The church scene was brilliant as we saw a loving gaze between Regina & Robin with Zelena looking on (almost green) with envy. However, Regina choosing to sacrifice herself to save Henry from Rumpelstiltskin's sword was the ultimate heroic act. Regina would do anything to protect Henry in Storybrooke, so it was apropos that she did that here even if her prior existence had been changed. While Emma is perceived as the one to stop the chaos that is Heroes & Villains, it's the blood of a light savior (perfectly counter-balancing Emma's dark savior here) that is able to destroy the alternate universe creating a huge happy ending for Regina. She saves Henry and is able to destory a true force of dark magic. Henry taking possession of the pen was similar to Harry Potter and the Elder Wand. It was a very cool moment that many people might not have noticed.
THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
The last parts of the episode showed the power of the old sorcerer sucking the darkness out of Rumpelstiltskin's heart, which definitely is a happy ending for him. The darkness has consumed him for so long. It's what hinders his relationship with Belle & makes his heart ache with pain. Watching his heart drain of darkness was great to see. The ending scene had me tearing up. As the darknes escapes from the sorcerer's hat, we see it surround Regina trying to suck her white light out of her. Regina tries to halt Emma from coming towards her telling Emma let it take her. Emma will not let her because Regina has come to far for her to descend into darkness. Emma lets the darkness take her as an ultimate sacrifice turning into the Dark One/the Black Swan. While she ultimately will become consumed by the darkness, it was done for a good reason. That scene was beautiful in many ways as well, because you see how close Regina & Emma have become over the course of the show. Regina is able to remain in the light & be with Robin. Emma gave into the dark to preserve her happy ending. I've always been a big fan of the Emma Swan character, but that moment cemented her as a savior in my eyes. She became a savior, but in an interesting scenario she became the Dark Savior from Heroes and Villains, which I thought was extremely interesting. Even in a bizarre way, Rumpelstiltskin ultimately wanted to see Emma become dark, so this adds to his happy ending as well. It was just a brilliant ending all around. It had to be done. It was the right way to go. I would have written it the same way.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Looking through this recap/review, I think it's fair to say Operation Mongoose is my favorite epsiode of Once Upon A Time. It focused on the meaning of love, sacrifice, light, dark, evolution of characters, and created a new scenario that opens up new, intriguing doors. I think the idea of giving into the dark in order to preserve the light was such a huge motif for this Season 4 finale. Throughout the episode, it successfully wrapped up the second half of the season and ultimately had us smiling for characters like Regina & Rumpelstiltskin, while also worrying for characters like Emma. I can't be overly upset with Emma going to the dark. She totally redeemed herself for bringing Marian back with her in the Season 3 finale. The first half of Season 5 will focus on Regina, Henry, Snow White, & Charming trying to find Merlin and figuring out a way to get Emma back from the darkness. Regina is going to be conflicted as well, because she knows Emma turned dark only to help her. She'll grapple with guilt, however, in the end she'll find a way to balance it out. I am looking forward to Seaosn 5 to see how this story turns up. I honestly feel if you haven't seen Once Upon A Time, you're missing out on one of the greatest television shows. It's truly amazing from the awesome cast to the intriguing storylines to the constant evolution of the characters. LONG LIVE REGINA!! THANK YOU EMMA SWAN!! WATCH ONCE UPON A TIME!!
Friday, May 15, 2015
Thursday, May 14, 2015
The Clouds of Sils Maria Review
I saw the Clouds of Sils Maria on May 14, 2015!! This was a really interesting movie focusing on theater reflecting real life. The performances were strong. I liked watching how real life mirrored the characters and events of the play. The themes of age, maturity, celebrity, and combating obsolescence were evident throughout the movie.
In some ways, this could be considered a female version of Birdman. However, Clouds of Sils Maria stands on its own and presents a great movie laden with strong dialogue & impressive female performances. While in Birdman, you saw Michael Keaton's character trying to distance himself from the character that made him famous, you see Juliette Binoche's character, Maria Enders, returning to the play that made her famous. The only difference is she will now be playing the older character, as opposed to the younger character that launched her to fame 20 years ago.
This movie looks at the older actress: Maria Enders, her assistant, Valentine, and the young, rising actress with the paparazzi constantly looming around her: Joann Ellis. Binoche did a wonderful job showing her frustrations with playing Helena, the older character, which is really her frustrations as getting older. She shared many scenes with Kristen Stewart. I've always been a big fan of Stewart, and in my opinion, this could be her best performance. She deserves praise for the work she did here. She's received the Cesar Award (France's version of the Oscars) for her work in this movie. I've enjoyed her work over the years, but the last two years have resulted in some of her best performances. Stewart had remarkable chemistry with Binoche. She displayed a great deal of maturity in the Valentine role. I thought it was interesting seeing how Binoche's Maria Enders character actually was more immature than the younger Valentine. I also thought her praise of Joann Ellis mirrored Stewart's early career work with the Twilight series. She discussed how there's more to Ellis than you think, much like we're seeing with Stewart. As great as Binoche is in this, Stewart is right there with her performing at a high level. Great work from these two who created the life and vitality of the movie. The movie showed a deep friendship/relationship that easily mirrored the characters in Majora Snake between Maria & Valentine. I thought it was really well done.
Chloe Grace Moretz's performance as the young rising actress was excellent. In this role, she showed how some of the younger Hollywood starlets can be rebellious & make tabloids for the wrong reason. I also thought at the same time it was taking a shot at the paparazzi who pine for the moment when the young "it" performer falls. Moretz's montage of negative headlines was intriguing. I also enjoyed her Forbidden Planet movie scenes that Maria & Valentine bickered over in detail. Moretz did a wonderful job playing that young actress that is eager to work with the veteran actress to present a special play. At the same time, you get the entitled attitude, and fake personality that some of the younger actors/actresses have. Moretz did well shaping Joann Ellis. She hit all the caricatures of a young Hollywood actress so well. The triple threat of Binoche, Stewart, and Moretz was truly special. The scene at the round table in Sils Maria was one of my personal favorites. You get interaction with all three as well as a great look into each of their personalities.
I give this a movie a 4/5 for excellent performances by Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloe Grace Moretz, a great story of life imitating art, and excellent dialogue.
In some ways, this could be considered a female version of Birdman. However, Clouds of Sils Maria stands on its own and presents a great movie laden with strong dialogue & impressive female performances. While in Birdman, you saw Michael Keaton's character trying to distance himself from the character that made him famous, you see Juliette Binoche's character, Maria Enders, returning to the play that made her famous. The only difference is she will now be playing the older character, as opposed to the younger character that launched her to fame 20 years ago.
This movie looks at the older actress: Maria Enders, her assistant, Valentine, and the young, rising actress with the paparazzi constantly looming around her: Joann Ellis. Binoche did a wonderful job showing her frustrations with playing Helena, the older character, which is really her frustrations as getting older. She shared many scenes with Kristen Stewart. I've always been a big fan of Stewart, and in my opinion, this could be her best performance. She deserves praise for the work she did here. She's received the Cesar Award (France's version of the Oscars) for her work in this movie. I've enjoyed her work over the years, but the last two years have resulted in some of her best performances. Stewart had remarkable chemistry with Binoche. She displayed a great deal of maturity in the Valentine role. I thought it was interesting seeing how Binoche's Maria Enders character actually was more immature than the younger Valentine. I also thought her praise of Joann Ellis mirrored Stewart's early career work with the Twilight series. She discussed how there's more to Ellis than you think, much like we're seeing with Stewart. As great as Binoche is in this, Stewart is right there with her performing at a high level. Great work from these two who created the life and vitality of the movie. The movie showed a deep friendship/relationship that easily mirrored the characters in Majora Snake between Maria & Valentine. I thought it was really well done.
Chloe Grace Moretz's performance as the young rising actress was excellent. In this role, she showed how some of the younger Hollywood starlets can be rebellious & make tabloids for the wrong reason. I also thought at the same time it was taking a shot at the paparazzi who pine for the moment when the young "it" performer falls. Moretz's montage of negative headlines was intriguing. I also enjoyed her Forbidden Planet movie scenes that Maria & Valentine bickered over in detail. Moretz did a wonderful job playing that young actress that is eager to work with the veteran actress to present a special play. At the same time, you get the entitled attitude, and fake personality that some of the younger actors/actresses have. Moretz did well shaping Joann Ellis. She hit all the caricatures of a young Hollywood actress so well. The triple threat of Binoche, Stewart, and Moretz was truly special. The scene at the round table in Sils Maria was one of my personal favorites. You get interaction with all three as well as a great look into each of their personalities.
I give this a movie a 4/5 for excellent performances by Juliette Binoche, Kristen Stewart, and Chloe Grace Moretz, a great story of life imitating art, and excellent dialogue.
Ex Machine Review
Justin, Dad, & I saw Ex Machina on May 6, 2015!! This was a brilliant look at artificial intelligence blended with the ego of humanity. This year hasn't been a particularly great one for good movies thus far, but this was a pleasant surprise. This shows us how great independent movies can be. Blockbusters, in my opinion, are usually the worst movies of each calendar year. Movies like this place an emphasis on story/substance & acting performances over special effects and empty plots.
In this movie, we follow Caleb, played by Domhnall Gleason, a computer programmer that works at a large Internet corporation. He is selected to a competition to spend a week long retreat with Nathan (who is the CEO living in recluse), played very well by Oscar Isaac. Oscar Isaac is one of the best actors on the scene. I've enjoyed all of his work. He always plays a great dark character. His reclusive nature & eccentric personality made Nathan such an awesome character to watch. Isaac's chemistry with Gleason felt natural. The dialogue was strong throughout between these two. Nathan has put all of his scientific knowledge into creating a state of the art robotic female named Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. Vikander stole the show. She's a beautiful girl that has a tremendous future in the industry. Her ability to differentiate between being a robot and a human female was amazing to watch. Her chemistry with Gleason was great. I like movies like this. Much like Hard Candy, it's a focus on very few characters that allows the performances to sell the story. That's exactly what happened here. You have three characters: Nathan, Ava, & Caleb.
This is one of the most intriguing movies of 2015-I'd rank this as one of my favorite movies in a while. I enjoyed every second of this movie. The acting was excellent. The twists were presented in an intelligent manner. Caleb uncovers so many secrets in Nathan's house. Ava ultimately ends up being the definition of artificial intelligence. I really liked the Ava character. Where Isaac's Nathan created the universe, it's Vikander's Ava that gives the movie it's voice. Gleason's Caleb provides the bridge between two characters, while also adding his own substance bringing out the voice of Ava and exposing the eccentricity of Nathan. I give this movie a 5/5 for an excellent plot and incredible performances that place an emphasis on acting. I highly recommend this movie. It might be too early, but considering the Oscars should be celebrating the entire year of movies, then Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, & Domhnall Gleason all deserve nominations for their work on this film. I can see Vikander possibly getting a nomination, though, which would be awesome if it happens. Ex Machina is one of the best movies you'll see in 2015. As far as I'm concerned, it was my favorite movie this year so far.
In this movie, we follow Caleb, played by Domhnall Gleason, a computer programmer that works at a large Internet corporation. He is selected to a competition to spend a week long retreat with Nathan (who is the CEO living in recluse), played very well by Oscar Isaac. Oscar Isaac is one of the best actors on the scene. I've enjoyed all of his work. He always plays a great dark character. His reclusive nature & eccentric personality made Nathan such an awesome character to watch. Isaac's chemistry with Gleason felt natural. The dialogue was strong throughout between these two. Nathan has put all of his scientific knowledge into creating a state of the art robotic female named Ava, played by Alicia Vikander. Vikander stole the show. She's a beautiful girl that has a tremendous future in the industry. Her ability to differentiate between being a robot and a human female was amazing to watch. Her chemistry with Gleason was great. I like movies like this. Much like Hard Candy, it's a focus on very few characters that allows the performances to sell the story. That's exactly what happened here. You have three characters: Nathan, Ava, & Caleb.
This is one of the most intriguing movies of 2015-I'd rank this as one of my favorite movies in a while. I enjoyed every second of this movie. The acting was excellent. The twists were presented in an intelligent manner. Caleb uncovers so many secrets in Nathan's house. Ava ultimately ends up being the definition of artificial intelligence. I really liked the Ava character. Where Isaac's Nathan created the universe, it's Vikander's Ava that gives the movie it's voice. Gleason's Caleb provides the bridge between two characters, while also adding his own substance bringing out the voice of Ava and exposing the eccentricity of Nathan. I give this movie a 5/5 for an excellent plot and incredible performances that place an emphasis on acting. I highly recommend this movie. It might be too early, but considering the Oscars should be celebrating the entire year of movies, then Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander, & Domhnall Gleason all deserve nominations for their work on this film. I can see Vikander possibly getting a nomination, though, which would be awesome if it happens. Ex Machina is one of the best movies you'll see in 2015. As far as I'm concerned, it was my favorite movie this year so far.
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