Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II

The first official trailer for Part II of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has been released! The end of the series is coming soon, only a few months to go. This trailer is such a tease! I can hardly stand waiting any longer for it, but I know it's worth the wait. I'm definitely seeing it during its midnight release! I might even dress up for it, which I would never do for any other series. I love Harry Potter!!!

Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus 2010

I watched a full 16 minutes of the worst movie ever created: Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus. Once I saw the awesomely bad trailer and the equally terrible movie poster, I couldn't help but watch some of the movie on Netflix. The movie is about an evil crocodile and a ferocious shark who cross paths and wreak havoc on each other, while destroying basically everything else around them. Meanwhile, scientists are desperately trying to find a way to stop them before things get too catastrophic. In the end, the scientists eventually find the solution by using the assistance of a volcano.

I am positive that the people who created this movie did not take it seriously. The story line is appallingly idiotic, the acting is over-the-top, and the special effects are extreme crap. Mega Shark and Crocosaurus are not frightening at all, but they certainly are hilarious. I'll give the movie points for making me have a good laugh, but it's too much of a crapfest for me to waste any more of my time watching it. I do, however, recommend that everyone watch the trailer. I've posted it below. 

Happy Birthday: Shirley Temple

Happy 83rd birthday to Shirley Temple! I grew up watching a lot of Shirley Temple movies with my grandma. She just loved her, mainly because she loved Shirley's tap dancing. I tap danced when I was younger because of this and I was actually quite good. If it wasn't for that kid Paul who was always stepping on my toes with the tap shoes, I probably would have continued to tap dance. Darn you, Paul! If you haven't seen many Shirley Temple movies, then you're going to have to see one soon! My favorites are: 'The Little Princess' (1939), 'Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm' (1938), and 'The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer' (1947).

The Spirit of the Beehive

The Spirit of the Beehive (El espíritu de la colemna (1973)) is a beautiful Spanish film directed by Victor Erice. The film is based in a small Castilian village in 1940, during post-Spanish Civil War. A young girl Ana attends a showing of Frankenstein (1931) with her older sister Isabel. Ana becomes entranced by the monster and the film itself, although she doesn't quite understand the reasoning behind the deaths that occur in it. She asks her sister about the deaths, but Isabel explains that the deaths didn't really occur because it was only in the movie; she then claims that the spirit of the monster lives nearby them. Ana becomes obsessed with meeting the spirit.

This film is slow-moving at first, but trust me, it's definitely worth sitting through. The cinematography is breathtaking, especially the images of the countryside and throughout the house. The film tells its story through symbolic imagery and from the perspective of an innocent child as she views the world. I highly recommend watching this film.

Happy Birthday: William Holden and Me!

I love that I share my birthday with Bill Holden! I like all of the movies that I've seen with him! My favorites are Sabrina (1954), Sunset Blvd. (1950), and The Country Girl (1954). Holden won an Oscar for his performance in Stalag 17 (1953), which is a movie that I haven't seen yet. It's on my list to see though!

Weary Wednesday: Suspiria

I'm currently sick with a horrible cough and I have a fever, so how do I make myself feel better? I watch a horror movie of course! Suspiria (1977) is about an American ballet dancer, Suzy Bannion, who is moving into a prestigious dance academy in Europe. Once she arrives to the academy, she witnesses a girl yelling in the doorway and then fleeing away from it. The film follows the fleeing girl and we witness her brutal murder. Meanwhile, Suzy is trying to adjust to life at the academy. However, after she falls sick, hears strange noises, and witnesses a series of bizarre events, she begins to realize that something is quite right about the academy or the people who run it.


Suspiria is an all right horror movie. I liked Suspiria, but I didn't love it. It was an extremely bizarre film. The story was intriguing at first, dragged on a bit in the middle, then got interesting again towards the end. It reminded me a bit of the plot in Rosemary's Baby (1968), but it wasn't as good. I was not impressed by the acting and I found it to be comical during scenes that were definitely not meant to be funny.

The best parts of the film are the score and the set. The score is haunting and fits the film perfectly. Also, I loved the set that was used in the film. The colors used were vibrant and looked amazing, especially when illuminated by different lights. I read some trivia regarding the film and it mentioned that the director Dario Argento had cinematographer Luciano Tovoli watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) in order to model its color scheme in Suspiria. I recommend watching this film in order to see an amazing use of color in film and to see a few extremely creepy scenes coupled with a wacky score.

Happy Birthday: Oleg Cassini

Oleg Cassini was born on April 11, 1913 in Paris, France. He died on St. Patrick's day in 2006 from complications of a stroke. He was well known for being a fashion designer and for being a ladies' man, having relationships with stars such as Gene Tierney, Grace Kelly, Lana Turner, and Betty Grable. He designed costumes for 20th Century Fox and other studios during the 1940s and 1950s. He was married to actress Gene Tierney from June 1, 1941 to February 28, 1952 and designed her wardrobe in The Shanghai Gesture (1941), The Razor's Edge (1946), The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947), That Wonderful Urge (1948), Whirlpool (1949), Night and the City (1950), Close to My Heart (1951), The Mating Season (1951) and On the Riviera (1951). In 1960, he was appointed as the Principal State robe designer for Jackie Kennedy, making her into a fashion icon.

Santa Sangre: Terrified Tuesday

Santa Sangre (1989) is the scariest psychological horror film that I have watched in a while. I loved it! I didn't think it was freaking me out much until I finished the whole movie and had to quickly turn on the light. I'm still not sure what about it scared me so much. I think it was the overall bizarreness of the film that got to me. 

Santa Sangre is about a man, Fenix, who is being confined in a mental institution. He is deeply troubled and behaves like an animal. However, through flashbacks of his childhood, when begin to understand why he has become unstable. He grew up in a traveling circus as a boy magician with circus performing parents. One night, his parents get into a fight after his mother realizes that her husband is cheating on her with the disgusting cobra woman. She reacts by throwing acid on him in a sensitive area, which causes him to freak out and slash off her arms and then he commits suicide in front of Fenix. Back in the present, we see that Fenix escapes the mental institution and rejoins his armless mother who forces him to become her arms.  

This film is extremely twisted and it is not for the faint of heart. Do not watch it if you frighten easily or are quickly disturbed by bizarre scenes. I've seen some weird films in my life and this is one of the strangest I have ever watched. It is well done, full of emotion and it incorporates some dark humor at times, which is why I enjoyed it. If you are a fan of psychological horror films, then this is definitely a must-see. 

Hop

So, my nephew was having a bad week and I allowed him to pick a movie to go see because I'm the best aunt in the world. I was praying that he would say he wanted to see Rango (2011), but he decided that he just had to see Hop (2011) because of how funny it is that the rabbit poops out jelly beans. My nephew is 5 years old. 

Overall, I'd describe Hop as being crap. It had some funny moments, but it was all just completely ridiculous. It is about E.B. (Russell Brand), the Easter Bunny's teenage son, who is expected to be the Easter Bunny this year. E.B. does not want to be the Easter Bunny because he dreams of becoming a drummer, so he decides to run away to Hollywood. Once there, he tries to find a place to live and gets hit by a car. The owner of the car is Fred (James Marsden), a 30 year old slacker who has been living at home with his parents and doesn't have a job. E.B. fakes an injury so that Fred takes him in. The two become friends and both learn to grow up and face their responsibilities. 

I didn't completely hate this movie. Why a human would want to become the Easter Bunny doesn't make much sense to me, but the movie had some cute and funny parts, which made it bearable. I'm not saying that you should go run out and see this movie, but if you have a kid that wants to go, you won't feel like you are dying a slow and painful death while watching it. The kids will love it; my nephew and the other kids in the theater did. 

Catch Me if You Can

Steven Speilberg's Catch Me if You Can (2002) is a fantastic movie. It is inspired by the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio), who successfully created and cashed in millions of dollars worth of fraudulent checks. He traveled all over the world and hid by impersonating different respected career types, such as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. An FBI agent, Carl Hanratty (Tom Hanks), tracks, chases and eventually catches the young con artist.

The film is full of humor, suspense, and drama. The atmosphere of the film is vibrant and full of color; bringing the 1960s back to life. The acting is superb by everyone, but DiCaprio and Hanks definitely steal the show. It is interesting to watch the relationship between their two characters gradually develop throughout the movie. If you have not yet seen this film, now would be a good time to do so. It's fun and intriguing!

Catch Me if You Can has now been made into a Broadway-musical. Preview performances started on March 7 in New York and the official opening night is April 10. I'm not sure how this story will translate into a musical, but I love the film and I've heard great things about Abanale's autobiography. Therefore, it may be worth checking out the Broadway version!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Above is the first poster that has been released for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Harry Potter shows no fear when staring fiercely into the eyes of the evil Lord Voldemort! I absolutely love this poster!  

I've also posted a first look at the film itself. It looks spectacular; true to the book and full of emotion. This is a film that I'd like to see during its midnight release.