The Lion King (2019) Review

The Lion King Movie (2019) Review

With the success of the recent live-action remakes of classic Disney animated movies, I was really looking forward to this new version of The Lion King. I loved what Disney did with Beauty and the Beast and most recently the new Aladdin movie. The later of which I find has the best soundtrack of these new remakes. So, I was hoping to be blown away by the new lion king movie. While I did enjoy the movie, I left a bit disappointed.

The new version is almost shot for shot the same as the original animated movie. Unlike the new Aladdin which added several new changes, The Lion King only had small changes that didn't actually impact the story much nor give the story a broader scope. Director John Favreau used the technology he help develop during filming The Jungle Book live action remake, and up'd the game for this movie. The visuals are spectacular, at times you forget that these are not actual lions or animals on screen. Even the landscape and environment are computer generated graphics. This movie looks better than some nature documentaries.

However, looks are not everything, and this movie falls flat for me in a few areas. First, the voice actors specifically, Scar, Simba and Nala. To be fair, the actors are not trained voice professionals, but little emotion comes through in their performances. Secondly, the story doesn't add enough new to it, making me think this was only remade to challenge the visual effects team. Lastly and most importantly the songs. The original animated movie has a some of the most notable Disney musical numbers. So, popular that the Broadway musical version is still going on to this day. And while Donald Glover and Beyonce do bring their vocal talents to the song “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” the other songs aren't as strong, and that includes the new Beyonce song “Spirit”. While the songs in the movie were fine, they didn't blow me away the way the Aladdin soundtrack did.

Now on to the positives of the movie! Three of the characters stood out, Timon voiced by Billy Eichner, Pumba voiced by Seth Rogen and Zazu voiced by John Oliver. These three make a big impact on the movie and provide most of the comedic relief. Eichner and Rogen even sing a new and longer version of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. And Eichner pays tribute to another classic Disney song from Beauty and the Beast (not the one you're thinking of). While I was disappointed In Chiwetel Ejiofor's Scar, I was impressed with Alfre Woodard's Sarabi (Simba's mom). She offered a strength to the character that was in the original but Woodard improved the character. A quick mention to the hyena's, they are a lot more threatening in this version, with Shenzi being the fierce leader.

If you loved the original animated The Lion King then you will enjoy the new version. However, don't get too excited for the musical numbers. While there is a lot of good in this movie, it's not one of my favorites from these new Disney remakes. I may watch it again, but since it doesn't added enough new changes I'd rather watch the animated movie. I'll say this though, I did cry throughout the whole movie, and as a cat person, I found young Simba to be absolutely freaking adorable! So, there you go, a good movie, but not a favorite of mine. Still something to check out if you love the animated version. 

Dracula Readings part 5 the finale

As the book starts to draw towards the ending, I find myself more engaged than ever. I have so many questions in my head. Not knowing the conclusion, I'm curious if they will succeed at killing the Count or not. I'm also curious about whether or not killing Dracula undoes the vampiric effects on Mina Harker. Will she go back to being a normal girl? Will she turn? Or will she become something in between.

Throughout the book we get small details about vampires and how they work, but I'm curious about the part where Van Helsing can hypnotize Mina and she can report on what Dracula sees or smells or hears. Is that a power that vampires have? I've never heard of it. It also seems to appear that certain times of day can have an effect on the vampire or whatever transition Mina is in.

Going into reading the book for the first time, I assumed Van Helsing would be a small but significant character, so I'm surprised that he is really the driving force behind all of this. What I love about him, is that he isn't arrogant about his knowledge of vampires. He listens to the group and values their input and truly cares about them. It's great to see them work as a team to track down Dracula. Lord Godalming using his resources to help locate the ship and gain privileges. I love how Van Helsing went back to the records to figure out Dracula's plan.

The journey to Dracula's castle felt a bit dragged out, and Dracula is not very active during this pursuit. The ending of the book, and downfall of Dracula, was anti-climatic, in my opinion. While, I do enjoy the story, I'll have to read it again to really understand the story, but I will say I do wish the story would have spent more time with Dracula and his castle.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this book, and I'm glad that I did so, however I think it will take a second reading to really understand and appreciate what Bram Stoker was trying to accomplish. Now that I know what happens my expectations will be different going into a second reading. One thing I really enjoy was Stoker's take on the vampire mythology, the story gives you want you need to know but leaves some mystery for the reader. As someone who doesn't read a lot of vampire fiction I enjoy these elements of the story. While I admit my problems with the book, I do think that it is a must read for any avid book reader, especially those interested in horror and supernatural. Someday I'll read this again, and even though it wasn't what I thought, I enjoyed Dracula very much.

Spider-Man: Far From Home - Movie Review

Spider-Man: Far From Home review

As a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe I was excited to see how Spiderman: Far From Home would deal with the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame. The movie does show how life in the MCU has continued since the end of Endgame but it doesn't linger on it for too long. Far From Home is a true sequel to Spiderman: Homecoming, focusing on Peter Parker and his classmates. While I think I prefer Homecoming, there are some great aspects of Far From Home. The first being that this is the first Spiderman movie where the primary story does not take place in New York City.

In the movie Spiderman battles creatures called Elementals which are made from water and fire. The special effects in this movie are amazing. The action scenes are great, but the overall plot of the movie falls a part if you think it about it afterwards. This includes the villain Mysterio, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. I did like Gyllenhaal's performance and his interactions with Tom Holland's Peter Parker were excellent.

As mentioned this movie does not take place in New York but rather, Venice, Prague and London, with a stop off in Berlin and the Netherlands. The fun of this movie is with Peter and his classmates traveling across Europe while encountering the Elementals. The last Spiderman movie (Homecoming) focused on Peter trying to be Spiderman, an Avenger level hero, and this new movie does the opposite. Peter just wants to be Peter, a normal teenage boy trying to ask out a girl he likes and having to be Spiderman gets in the way. It's a different take on the character that I find refreshing, but at the same time, I feel as if Spiderman the hero is not as impressive in this movie.

I would have to see the movie again to really see how I feel about this one. There's some great comedy, awesome action and brilliant character interactions but something is missing for me. While I love Holland in the role of Peter Parker, I don't think this is my favorite movie with his Spiderman in it (that goes to Infinity War). I will say that both of the end credit scenes were amazing and shocking. Hopefully they will have bigger implication going forward in the MCU. Still, if you enjoy this version of Spiderman, you will like Far From Home.

Captain Marvel vs Wonder Woman

Captain Marvel vs Wonder Woman

I recently decided to watch both Wonder Woman (2017) and Captain Marvel (2019) back to back to compare the two female super hero movies. Let me start by saying that I am a huge fan of the Marvel movies, not so much the DC movies. Captain America is my favorite super hero, but when it comes to these two women, I actually prefer Wonder Woman.

When it comes to their power sets, Captain Marvel might be more powerful, but Wonder Woman is better trained at combat, literally training for centuries. Throughout their movies each character learns more about their powers and how to control them. While Captain Marvel might glow, I enjoy Wonder Woman's accessories, the sword, the shield and the lasso.

Outside of their standalone movies, I have enjoyed both women but WW has had more screen time. First introduced in Batman v Superman and then featured in Justice League, Wonder Woman was a highlight of those two films for me.  Unfortunately Captain Marvel was not in Avenger's: Endgame that much, but she does bring an impressive assist to the team during the final battle. 

Both Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel focus on emotions as a theme. Emotions are often seen as a weakness in women, but these movies attempt to show that emotions, (empathy, love and compassion) are positive traits for a superhero. In Captain Marvel, Carol is constantly being told to keep her emotions in check (even though the only emotion is anger), and in the end she learns that her emotions (her connections to the people she cares about) are a part of her strengths. 

In Wonder Woman, Diana is presented as being different because of her compassion and innocence in the world of "man". Throughout the movie she shows empathy for the victims of the war and in the end she fights for love. In terms of the theme of emotions, I think the WW movie handles it better. It really shows that a woman can be strong, powerful and save people all while embracing these "emotional female" traits. Captain Marvel on the other hand, is more about how her emotions can restore her memories and unlock her true powers. It's not really about how she uses them to be a superhero.

Now Brie Larson (CM) is a better actor than Gal Gadot (WW) and I love everything that connects CM to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Overall, I think that Wonder Woman is the better movie. I think it has a solid narrative structure, even though the last act sort of falls apart. The first act shows Diana (WW) growing up and training and it's her call to action. The second act is about starting the journey and gathering the team. The third act escalates and then finishes the main antagonist. The fourth act reveals the true villain and pays off the character arc. Captain Marvel starts off with an exposition dump, the team is already assembled and then she literally crash lands on Earth. The movie sort of skips the hero's call to action moment and the audience is never truly invested in the characters outcome. So, the narrative is a bit of a mess, but moment to moment the movie works well enough to entertain me.

I love both of these strong female superheroes, although I actually consider Buffy(the vampire slayer) to be my favorite heroine. If I had to chose one of them to fight side by side with, I'd pick Wonder Woman. Because I feel like she would care more about me not getting hurt. Both women are kick-ass and strong but I feel like WW takes more of an emotional interest in the people she is saving. It all depends on where your personal moral values lie, but for me, WW in more inline with my moral compass. This is the 5^th time I've seen WW and 2^nd time I've seen CM. I enjoy both of these movies, and look forward to seeing their sequels.

PS:(Looking up photos for these characters, I could not find a dynamic pose for Captain Marvel, whereas Wonder Woman has several poses to chose from. Partially, because of her accessories).

If you like to read stories on WattPad, then you're in luck! Because I have recently posted some short stories on WattPad! Get ready for Halloween by reading my spooky/thriller inspired stories!

"Grave Little Witches"

"Through the Blackout"

Dracula Readings Part 4

Dracula Readings part 4

Chapters 17 thru 21

After the revelation that Lucy was turned into a vampire, my interest in the story went up. I like that when the group came together, they figured out to compile all of their journals and diary entries into a database, so that they can put all of the pieces together. I like that we finally reveal Renfield's involvement in all of this, because that was a big question that I had early on in the story.

There were things that I must have missed in the reading because I'm not sure why they are looking for these boxes that the count has shipped over. Are the boxes filled with his special dirt? Does he have more than one house that he has purchased in England? I'm not really sure what they are looking for when they are out hunting for the Count. Other than that, which is probably just something I missed, I'm really intrigued with how the story is going to unfold.

After the last chapter I read (21) the story took a dark turn that I did not see coming. Having the Count feeding off of Mina Harker. It was a nice subtle hint that I didn't pick up on with Mina being pale. As the story has gone on, I've grown to like Mina, so I'm curious as to what is going to happen to her now, if she becomes a vampire. Will Jonathan turn also? Will she kill Jonathan? And who is going to kill the count? If he dies at all? There's a lot of questions still left. I hope that Van Helsing (who is my favorite character, and now one of my favorite characters in literature) gets to stake Drac.

The only thing I'd have to say that I don't care about are the three suitors of Lucy: Dr. Seward, Quincy Morris and Arthur Holmwood. I don't feel that they a re distinct enough from each other to justify there being three of them. But maybe there is something that I am missing, still.

Next post will be chapters 22-27, finishing the book. If you have any thoughts on Dracula, please I want to hear them. If you have any insight into the questions I've asked, let me know. Comment below or tweet at me. Until next time, beware the mist!

Dracula Readings part 3

After about 8 chapters that had somewhat lost my interest in the story, it has finally regained my attention. A somewhat shocking revelation about Lucy has finally come to light. Although the book still has not used the term vampire. There was a story about a woman in the night preying on kids, and some died. The kids all had puncture wounds on their necks, yet no one knew what had caused it. Reminds me a bit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, people trying to make excuses for these neck punctures, anything other than vampire bites. At first I thought that this mysterious woman might have been maybe one of the three sisters of Dracula, or someone that had bit Lucy. But I loved the shocking reveal that the woman was Lucy herself. So, we still don't know who bit Lucy, but I'm starting to enjoy the story again.

I love the interactions between Mina and Van Helsing, and how she turned to him to help Jonathon. After reading Jonathon's journal, I assume Van Helsing, has figured out that the Count is a vampire. I'm curious to see if this is what draws the characters back to Castle Dracula. I'm still not sure how Renfield plays into the story, or if we will return to his character again.

Back to Lucy, I like that Van Helsing was clever enough to catch vampire Lucy in a trap by laying garlic on her grave. The book is doing a good job of setting up the mythology of how vampires work. As a big fan of Buffy, I thought it curious when Van Helsing said to drive the stake through the heart using a hammer. It had just occurred to me why it is called a “stake”. Buffy makes it look easy to stake vamps. Anyway the mystery is finally coming together, and I'm starting to enjoy the story again.

New Ideas for The Hunger Games Prequel Book

According to Lionsgate Studios and author Suzanne Collins, a new book set in the world of Panem will be coming out May of 2020. Following that release a movie or more, will be made based on the book. Here is the link to the news article, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/books/hunger-games-prequel.html

As a big fan of The Hunger Games franchise, I am super excited for this new book. It will be set 64 years prior to the first Hunger Games books. So, it will take place during the 10^th Hunger Games, a part of the “Dark Days” period that was mentioned in the books. For years now I have been wanting a prequel to The Hunger Games that explores more of the society of Panem and how everything came about, leading up to the circumstances found in the trilogy.

Not knowing exactly what the story will be, here are some things that I would like to see show up in the book.

1. The “Dark Days” - We've only heard about (briefly) what the dark days were, but I hope the book further explores what lead to the dark days and how the actual “hunger games” were formed.
2. More districts – The second book and third books Catching Fire and Mockingjay gave readers a glimpse into some of the other districts outside of district 12. But there are still several districts that we no little about, so I hope the new book can provide more details about the other districts, and maybe even be set in a different district. Was district 12 always the poor district or at one point was it more equal, and at what point did things change? Questions that I've had for a while, let's see if they get answered.
3. Old Characters – Now there are a couple of characters that we meet in the original trilogy that were old enough to be alive during the 10^th hunger games. I, personally, would love to see a younger Mags. I love Mags from Catching Fire, and I believe Katniss says she is in her 80's meaning she would have been the right age for the reaping during the 10^th games. Also, president Snow was in his 70's and would be a young boy during this time. It would be fan service sure, but maybe there could be a way to add in some familiar characters organically to the new story. Also, there is mention of Haymitch's mentor in the first book, but that he died years before. So, perhaps however Haymitch's mentor was, maybe he shows up in the new book. 
4. The Capital – We get to spend some time in the Capital in the original trilogy, but not really with any of the people from the capital outside Katniss' prep team. It would be curious to see what the Capital was like, if it was different and how so, back during the 10^th games.
5. The Hunger Games – The description says that it takes place during the time of the 10^th Hunger games, but not that it necessarily will be about the games. I would certainly like to see the evolution of the hunger games. What was the technology like back then, and were sponsors still a huge factor? Also, I believe that the “Careers tributes” were not yet a thing, so what was the actual competition like for the tributes? How has the spectacle of the event evolved? There's a lot that I would like to see in an old version of the actual games.

So, there's my list of the things that I want to see happened in the new prequel Hunger Games book. What are some of your theories, or ideas that you would like to see included? Leave a comment below or tweet me. Thanks!

Dracula Readings part 2

Still working my way through Dracula. Right now it's all about Lucy and Dr. Seward. At first I had trouble switching between characters while listening to the audio narrator. His Dracula voice is similar to his Van Helsing voice. But eventually I sorted it out. At first I was not interested by the Lucy storyline. I still have no idea how Renfield plays into the story, so that's something I hope gets paid off. But I think I have finally cracked the Lucy story! She's slowly turning into a vampire and Van Helsing is trying to stop the transformation, without telling anyone. Still not sure how she got infected or what they will do with her.

It was also mentioned that Mina and Jonathan got married and that Mr. Hawkins died, leaving Jonathan his fortune. My question is when and how the story is going to get back to the Count and the castle. The book is titled Dracula and it's spent the last 10 or so chapters talking about these other (seemingly ancillary) characters. I also want to know what Mina's reaction to Lucy' fate will be. Is that what drives them back to castle Dracula?

I gotta say that I have, for the most part, enjoyed the story so far. I really do want it to pick back up with Dracula though, because I found him to be the most fascinating character so far. I still have about half of the book to go, so I'm hoping everything will wrap up and my questions answered. I am curious about he Van Helsing character, because I know of him as being this legendary vampire hunter, so I want to see how he will factor in with Dracula. I have about half of the book to go still, so I'll see how things turn out. 

If you've read the book, feel free to post your comments and thoughts. Go ahead and tweet at me, also. 

Bram Stoker's Dracula pt 1

While I have taken several American Literature classes, I still have major gaps in my readings of classic American literature. However, I don't have enough time to read long novels. Instead, I found an online resource that offers several classic works in both ebook form and audio book. It's called Lit2Go, https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/books/.

After browsing their immense catalog, I finally decided to give Dracula by Bram Stoker a shot. While I know of the character Dracula, I have not read the book, nor have I seen the 1930's film staring Bela Lugosi, or the 1990's film with Gary Oldman. The Dracula that shows up in Buffy the Vampire Slayer season 5, is a character that I did not like. But after recently trying to read Mary Shelly's Frankenstien, and stopping after a few chapters, I thought maybe I should give Dracula a shot. My ultimate goal would be to read all of the books, that the Universal Studios monster movies are based on. Then watch the original films.

So, going into Dracula, I did not know what really to expect. I didn't know any of the characters, or what their encounters with Dracula would be like. While, I am still early on in the book, I'll say that I really enjoyed the first 3 chapters, telling Jonathan Harker's story of traveling to Castle Dracula and meeting the count. He slowly figures out there is something wrong, and puts all of the clues together. The first few chapters do a great job of building the mystery and suspense of Count Dracula. It sets an eerie atmosphere around the castle, and kept me quite intrigued. However, once the story shifted to Mina Harker's journal, I began to lose interest. Not sure what Dr. Seward, Renfield and Lucy have to do with the rest of the main story. Perhaps it will all be revealed later on, but for now, it doesn't captivate me. I did enjoy the story about the ghost ship, I thought it was eerie and tense. Would love to follow up with that story again. Since, I listening to the audio version, I do find the constant change of characters to be a bit confusing. The introduction of Van Helsing, I got mixed up with the Count, since the accent the reader uses for both sound similar. I know of the Van Helsing character, so I'm curious to see how he factors in with Dracula.

Seeing as this book is over century old, I do not mind if the story gets spoiled for me, so if anyone has read Dracula and can tell me whether or not the stuff in Mina's journal will have relevance later on in the book, I would like to know. I'll continue on, but hope that it picks the pace back up with Count Dracula. If you have read the book, feel free to tell me your thoughts on it. What did you like most? Do you enjoy the characters? Leave your comments below.

Aladdin (2019) Movie Review

The original Disney animated Aladdin movie was for a long time my favorite of the Disney classic animated movies until I re-watched the 1991 Beauty and the Beast. The musical numbers from Aladdin are some of the best that Disney has done, and my love for the original made me very excited to see the live-action version. Even though I was really hyped, I toned down my expectations after the first five minutes of the movie. I told myself, "this isn't going to be the animated movie, so I should stop expecting it to me and judge it on its own merits."

Now, going into the movie, I was most concerned about the actor playing Aladdin, but luckily I ended up really enjoying Mena Massoud in the role. I loved Will Smith as the Genie and loved the idea when he was first cast. While Smith doesn't have the best singing voice, he makes up for it with sheer charm and enthusiasm. Plus accompanying visual spectacles. I even enjoyed the "Friend Like Me" hip-hop remix that plays over the end credits. The new song by Princess Jasmine was also a surprisingly excellent addition to the movie. While I did miss Jafar's reprise of "Prince Ali," I also understand why they didn't add it in. It wouldn't have fitted with this version of Jafar.

Which brings me to the changes to the characters and overall story. Like the other Disney live-action remakes of the animated movies, Aladdin takes a slightly more grounded approach to the world. Yes, there is magic, but the animals, in particular, do not have the same amount of personality that they had in the cartoon. Iago only speaks in the sense that parrots are known to mimic what humans say. Rajah looks extremely badass, and Abu is still cute. Jafar is not the same colorful character from the animated movie, but much more uneasily calm, and at times a bit one-dimensional. The additions to  Princess Jasmine's character, give her more depth and ambitions than merely being trapped in a palace. There is also mention of her mother, and the addition of her handmaid gives her a human character to discuss her goals with.

One of the reasons I have enjoyed the Disney live-action remakes is that they expand the stories, and in Aladdin's case, it builds the relationship between Aladdin and Jasmine, making them have a connection before he even finds out she's a princess. Also, it develops a genuine friendship between Aladdin and the Genie. The real strength of this film, however, is simply the fact that it is a fun and exciting journey. While the music is not the quality of the animated version (some song lyrics have been changed), I have been listening to the soundtrack a lot! I had such a great time watching this movie, altogether singing along and a grin on my face the whole time. Will Smith was delightful as the Genie, Aladdin was charming and Jasmine stunning. Director Guy Ritchie adds his signature style to the film, and overall I'd say it's a good, fun, entertaining movie, on par with the 2017 Beauty and the Beast film. Can't wait to see what Disney has in store for the rest of its live-action remakes of its classic animated movies.