Movies

Crimson Peak (2015) [Movie Review] 10

 in Holiday / Movies by

Starring

Mia Wasikowska – Edith Cushing
Jessica Chastain – Lucille Sharpe
Tom Hiddleston – Thomas Sharpe
Charlie Hunnam – Dr. Alan McMichae

Summary

“In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds – and remembers.”

– From IMDB.com

Review

I originally saw this movie about two years ago but never really thought, or connected, it to the fact that it was a Halloween movie, so everyone was talking about it recently so of course, I had to get it again.

Visually stunning.
The colors in this movie are just gorgeous. It’s so atmospheric with some of the scenes, with the reds and the teals. And I mean the house, ugh, so photo worthy. I would move in, not caring about the ghosts, just wanting to take photos everywhere. It’s got this perfect old feel, that it has aged well, without it being too dilapidated – barring the massive hole in the roof. The colors were so beautiful and then you had the ghosts themselves, unlike any other one that I have seen before. Keep in mind that it was made by Guillermo del Toro, who is known for “dark, fantastical films such as Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy” (Architectural Digest).

The actors were good.
I did really quite like the actors who were chosen to portray the characters, although a few times I wanted to smack Edith for some of the things that she did. It was silly little mistakes and you wanted to shake her for being so naive, but sadly, it’s a movie and you can’t do that. Tom Hiddleston was perfect as this charming male who was supposed to woo all of these women for their money and their souls. He’s an attractive actor and that, coupled with the accent, was the perfect combination to be this kind of ‘bad guy’ who grew a conscience.

The story had a few holes.
There were a few holes in the story that did bother me, such as the machine they were building to extract the clay. It was a silly little reason for Thomas Sharpe to be traveling around, but it was an excuse for him to meet women around the world. For me, I think a better reason could have been chosen but it kind of worked, although it ultimately wasn’t talked about later in the movie.

Quite dark, but perfectly proportioned.
It was a dark movie, overall, with some of the themes. There was some violence and blood involved, so that’s the reason it was rated R. There is two sex scenes, probably the main reason it is R as it was quite…adulty. But, other than that the movie was pretty okay. The ghosts were definitely creepy but this wasn’t a jump-scare kind of movie. It was all about the deep message behind what it happening and the psychological issues this Sharpe family has.

Overall, I thought it was a fantastic movie. Sure, it had a few holes in it and I would have loved for them to have ironed it out, but the music was fantastic, the cinematography was beautiful and the story, overall, was really well done. It’s a perfect movie for spooky season and I definitely recommend!

I give it 4/5 teacups!

4 Teacups

Happy Watching!

Fahrenheit 451 Trailer – Thoughts?

 in Books / Movies by

So this trailer for Fahrenheit 451 by HBO. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the movie. I mean, in honesty, I hate it. Like I don’t know, something about the trailer seems off to me.

Like when I read the book I visualized a very simple world and this trailer makes it seem all futuristic. While it was in the book, I never had the idea that it was ANYTHING like that.

I don’t know….it will take me a while to digest this but my first opinion is one of dislike….sadly. Maybe it will grow on me.

Opinions?

Movie Review: The Dark Tower (2017)

 in Movies by

Starring

Matthew McConaughey – Walter
Idris Elba – Roland
Tom Taylor – Walter

Summary

“The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain, has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black, determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black.”

-From IMDB.com

Review

I’ve been waiting a while to see this movie, especially after I had read the first book of the series last year. After the first book, I was really wondering how they were going to put all of that into a movie, especially with how complex and confusing it was. I really struggled to write the book review for it because it was one of those books that was quite difficult to summarize and turn into words. So how would they visualize it all?

Well I got my answer. They dumbed it down….a lot. While the basic idea was there, it was nothing like the first book. I mean they started to play around with what was given to them. In the book, there was a lot more of it based on a derelict world with everything destroyed. It felt like a wild west kind of book, but the movie was based more in NYC and a little bit in the waste land around the other universes. I mean, sure it worked, but if you read the book you would most likely be a little disappointed.

Don’t get my wrong, I did really enjoy it and I absolutely loved the cast. Idris Elba was a perfect Gunslinger and Matthew McConaughey was an amazing Man in Black, but I felt like there just could have been so much more. It quickly explained who the Man in Black was, and that he was magical, but in the book you never really understood. Of course I only ever read book one. But considering how many books that the movie series had to work with, with each book averaging about 500 pages (and some as long as 800!) they honestly could have done so much.

The movie was also only 95 minutes too. Harry Potter Book 1 was the same length and it got a movie that was over two hours. Of course, it was much more popular but I feel when you make a movie based on a book, you need to stick a little closer.

Movie Review: The Dark Tower

They answered a lot of questions that were left unanswered, or made you wonder, in the book. It was clear the movie ended in a way that meant that another one wasn’t needed. So if you watch it, you wouldn’t be waiting for a second movie. With the book, it had a similar way to end, like you could just not continue to read, but there were so many questions left unanswered. The movie was a nice neat package.

Visually the movie was incredible. it was beautiful and the gun-work rivaled that of John Wick 1 and 2 (which I thought was impossible)! But the Gunslinger is supposed to be incredible with weapons. It was just impressive to see that.

But the idea of the book, the deeper psychological and philosophical idea seemed to be completely ignored in the book. So I was a little upset about that.

C’est la vie…nothing you can really do.

If you haven’t read the book, it’s a good movie. If you have read it, you might be a little underwhelmed.

For a more detailed technical review, check out here!

Happy Watching!