Capsule Reviews: Snow White, Moonrise Kingdom, and Prometheus

Snow White and the Huntsman directed by Rupert Sanders

When one envisions Snow White, they most likely see the animated Disney princess singing. Seeing this film changes that idea. Here, Snow White is shown as an imprisoned youth who escapes her cell and goes on a mission to revenge the evil Queen Ravenna. It is an interesting, but a little bland, story told with amazing visual beauty. I mean it, the visual effects and cinematography are completely outstanding, easily some of the best of the year.

Kristen Stewart plays Snow, with a British accent. Many may be surprised to hear that her British accent is actually very good. I know that she is a good actress based on her film roles outside of Twilight, and this will hopefully show the general audience that. She is not as good as she was in The Runaways or Welcome to the Riley's, but she is better than average. Christ Hemsworth is also good as the Huntsman. He plays the character similarly to how he plays Thor, which is fine. Charlize Theron is the real standout here. As one would expect, the main attraction of the movie turned out to be the Queen, a supporting character. Charlize embodies the idea of a completely horrendous person.

Overall, this was a very good film that made up in visual department with its minor shortcomings in narrative.

8/10

Moonrise Kingdom directed by Wes Anderson

This is one that really grew on me. At first, it appeared to be another quirkfest from quirk master Wes Anderson. Slowly, it was able to find a balance with the right amount of quirkiness. The story Anderson tells is a surprisingly romantic one: two kids run away from home to be together.

The ensemble cast is uniformly great. The two young leads (Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward) make amazing film debuts. Bruce Willis does a better than normal job as the cop at the center of the investigation looking for the children. Edward Norton is hysterical as the Khaki Scout troop leader, a role that easily be seen as a creepy role. Frances McDormand and Bill Murray are also exceptional as the parents of the runaway girl. Tilda Swinton's role is basically a cameo, but she pulls off an American accent perfectly and is hilarious.

Overall, this is an amazing film that has a lot of heart. Even if it doesn't necessarily attract you in the very beginning, you will become invested in the characters by the end.

9/10

Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott

This was easily one of my eagerly anticipated movies of 2012 (following The Dark Knight Rises, of course), and I am pleased to announce that it does not fail to meet my level of hype. From the very first sequence, I was absolutely sucked into this environment that Scott created. As the mission in space goes on, you become accustomed to this new foreign planet. It appears eerily Earth-like. Anymore of this film cannot be spoiled because it would really ruin the fun.

The performances are very strong, especially by Michael Fassbender, who plays David, a robot. Noomi Rapace tries her best with an English accent, but she still gives a powerful performance that is reminiscent of Signourney Weaver in Alien. Charlize Theron also is very good as the antagonistic character on the ship.

This film had amazing visual effects. Some of the best I have ever seen. I could not tell what was practical and what was CGI because the practical elements were so grand and the CGI so flawless.

Overall, this was a spellbinding movie that needs to be seen. It was not perfect (no movie is), but it is almost perfect.

10/10

The Hunger Games (Book Review)

The Hunger Games is the new big thing in the teen world. After being published a few years ago, this book series has gained a vast following. In March there is going to be the first, of a series of four, film adaptations of this series on the big screen.
I became interested in this book because of the movie news, so here is my review of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:

Set in a future North America, Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12. There were 13 districts, but the last one was destroyed. District 12 is the lowest class of all the districts, so when the Hunger Games come around each year, the nominees (aged 12-17/18) from District 12 is never expected to win. It has only happened once in the long history of the Games. When Katniss' sister Primrose is chosen as a nominee, Katniss steps in her place, alongside Peeta, the boy nominee. Here's why: the Hunger Game is a test where there are 2 nominees from each District who cfight to the death to survive. It gets worse, it's televised so everybody can see everything.

That is the setup of this series. When I started reading this book, I really could not put it down. I finished most of it in one day, and the rest the next. It had a perfect amount of action, suspense, romance, and survival. The story is told from the point of view of a teenage girl (Katniss), but that means nothing in the end; this is easily a book that can be enjoyed by both sexes of any age. This book series is now one of my favorite ever (behind Harry Potter of course). I cannot wait for the movie! Jennifer Lawrence is perfect for Katniss, and it could only be bad if they were to tone down the actual Games to an annoying level, which would get rid of the intensity of the situation.

March 23, 2012 cannot come any sooner!