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Maleficent, a review by Dragonfire

Maleficent

I actually saw this one twice in the theater and almost went a third time.  I will definitely be getting it once it is out on Blu-ray.

The movie starts showing Maleficent as a young fairy and she becomes friends with a young boy named Stefan.  When she is older, is a protector to The Moors, the magical land where she lives.  The King of the human land next to The Moors feels threatened by Maleficent.  Stefan betrays Maleficent so he can become the next king.  Maleficent changes because of the betrayal which also causes changes to The Moors.  When she hears that Stefan and his wife have a daughter, Maleficent turns up and curses the baby Aurora.

I really liked this movie.  I know that some people have complained about it changing Maleficent too much from the animated movie version of the character.  I did see that some claimed this movie made the character weak.  I don't feel that way at all.  This version of the character is different which will disappoint or bother some people.  I choose to look at it as an alternate version of the story that doesn't ...ummm...diminish or negate the animated version of the story.  Other characters are a bit different as well.  I think the differences are interesting and make for an entertaining movie.  There are dark moments in it that may upset or scare younger children. 

I saw both the 3D and the 2D version of the movie.  The 3D added depth to scenes, especially those in The Moors.  I did notice things, but there really weren't any images coming out of the screen.

I loved Angelina Jolie as Maleficent.  She was perfect in the part.  There are times when she looks like the animated character come to life.  She is deliciously wicked in some scenes.  It is a very powerful performance, especially when Maleficent realizes how Stefan has betrayed her.  None of the other characters receive as much attention as Maleficent.  The other characters are interesting and all the cast does a good job.  Imelda Stanton plays one of the pixies that looks over Aurora.  I didn't fully recognize her at first since some kind of special effect was done to make her look smaller.  She, and the other pixies, get bigger for part of the movie.  Once I realized who she was, I did think Umbridge is a pixie. 

Maleficent is a wonderful entertaining movie with a magnificent performance from Angelina Jolie.  It is one of the best movies I've seen this year.  It is definitely worth checking out.

5 out of 5 stars

I did post a longer review to my movie blog.

Maleficent
   

(From Maleficent on August 3rd, 2014)

Big Fish, a review by addicted2dvd

Big Fish
An adventure as big as life itself.

Throughout his life, Edward Bloom (Ewan McGregor) has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, portrayed by five-time Best Actor Oscar nominee Albert Finney (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Erin Brockovich, 2000), he remains a huge mystery to his son, William (Billy Crudup). Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures in this marvel of a movie.

My Thoughts:
OK... bear with me on this one. As I just finished watching it... and I sit here still not 100% sure what I thought of this one... well aside from the fact that I did enjoy it. This movie is definitely on the weird side... but it is a fun watch. That being said I am not sure this one has very much replay value... atleast not to me. It just felt like something that was fun to watch once... but I don't  think I could enjoy it as much the second time around. But who knows... if I let enough time go by I may enjoy it again.

(From Weekend Movie Marathon: Unwatched DVD Collection on April 18th, 2008)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. Conviction
Original Air Date: 10/1/2003
As the Angel Investigations team moves into the L.A. law offices of Wolfram and Hart, two old friends from Sunnydale come back into their lives: Harmony and Spike.

Guest Stars:
Sarah Thompson
Jonathan Woodward
Dane Northcutt

My Thoughts:
A pretty good start to the new season... though nothing really mind blowing. It does however give you a good idea of the turn the series has taken. I remember the first time I saw this I wasn't sure how I felt about what they did to Gunn... and to this day years later I am still not sure I am all together happy with it. But it isn't something terrible either.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 22nd, 2010)