Maleficent With Angelina Jolie

                                                                  

My daughter invited me to go see the new movie Maleficent, Disney’s new take on the evil fairy from the Sleeping Beauty Tale.  I said yes because I love Angelina Jolie and I heard this movie would be different than the earlier Disney version. Holy spells was it ever!

At first my grandsons Nathan and Joshua weren’t interested. “We don’t want to see any girly Disney movies!”

“But Angelina Jolie is in the title role,” I countered, receiving blank stares. “There is lots of fighting and bloodshed,” I added.

“We’re in!” Was their reply.

                                                               

I’m not going to tell my readers the plot. We’ve all read the books and seen the original animated movie. What I wanted to talk about was Angelina’s portrayal of one of the most frightening Disney characters ever. Who could ever forget the original animated version when Disney Studio has the evil fairy turn into a dragon? I bet there were a lot of children having nightmares over that scene


Maleficent 2014

Maleficent was directed by Robert Stromberg who in my opinion did one hell of a fine job getting both Maleficent’s anger and then subsequent change of heart across to the people in the theatre. The actor who played Stefan (Sharlto Copley) was an excellent villain. Maleficent’s familiar, Diaval (Sam Riley), a crow, who is bewitched into serving Maleficent, added to the humorous and tender moments in the film. The three bumbling pixies, played by Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple and Lesley Manville, often failed in their caring of the infant Aurora, but they were so comical to watch; we easily overlooked their goofiness. Phillip (Brenton Thwaites) is the handsome charming prince that is charged with releasing Aurora from the spell, but…..

                                                                         

                                      

It is Maleficent’s tale of true love betrayed and Aurora’s learning that sometimes an enemy is more than she seems that made the movie so worth seeing. Elle Fanning’s portrayal of Aurora is mostly the same as in the fairy tales, but with one big difference. She knows her enemy. I love watching Miss Fanning on the screen and she did not disappoint me in Maleficent.

If Angelina Jolie does not receive an Academy Award for her portrayal of Maleficent, then the judges need to be retired and quick. I don’t want to spoil the film and tell you too much, but I will say this, I don’t ever want to piss off Angelina Jolie.  So how good was the main star, you ask?

Damn Good!!! Angelina was able to make the audience hate her and pity her at the same time. Even stranger…was the cheering and clapping when Maleficent got her point across via magic. I especially loved the scene where the toddler Aurora, Angelina’s real life daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, interacts with the person who cursed her.  Priceless!!

                                                                      

Go see the movie! I’m giving it a 4 star review and for all the little girls out there and even us big girls...sometimes we need to remember just how powerful we are.

 

 

 

Elysium, Science Fiction for Adults

                                                                

This year, I was fortunate to see two great science fiction movies: Oblivion with Tom Cruise and Elysium starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. It’s about time that we’re getting movies with good acting and story lines from Hollywood.
                                                                       

Elysium

Elysium is a frightening vision of earth’s future in the year 2154. But, it’s a future where the classes are severely divided; almost like what’s happening now; the haves and the have not’s. The rich people of earth have the means to relocate to a space station that includes a large city, suburb and parks. They have no disease because they have the technology to manipulate the genetic make-up of Elysium’s citizens and erase all diseases. I wonder if they have something for age spots; one can only dream. The citizens of Elysium have it easy and life is one big party where the smallest chore is handled by robots.

                                                                  

Jodi Foster (extremely talented actress) plays Jessica Delacourt the head of Elysium's Security. Let me tell you right up front that she’s a real bitch when it comes to keeping the filthy poor from reaching her floating Shangri-La. She cold heartedly blows up any ships filled with desperate immigrants. The poor citizens on Earth only want proper health care (like what’s happening now in this country) but, the filthy rich aren't interested in sharing their technology.
                                                                             

 When the weapons on the floating space colony fail to shoot down an approaching unscheduled ship, Jessica has Kruger, (Sharlto Copley)  a sadistic bastard, finish the job with  ground to air missiles. By the way, Sharlto Copley also starred in District 9 as Wikus Van De Merwe. I'm waiting for the sequel to this movie!

                                                                         

Earth

What do the poor have? Nothing! Earth has been polluted beyond recognition and disease is rampant. The cities and suburbs remind you of the movie, District 9, in which the alien immigrants were forced to live in abject poverty. The hopelessness of the survivors on future earth, hits the viewer like a two by four plank to the face. The viewer is forced to identify with the present day suffering of the poor masses living in India and Africa, and yes, even in this country. If you watched District 9, there is a common thread between the two movies, but I’ll cover this in the conclusion.

                                                                       

 Matt Damon plays Matt, an orphan raised by kindly nuns. Matt gets into lots of trouble but the nuns like him; they think him special. His goal from a young age was to get the chance to live on Elysium. Matt works in a factory that makes the robots for Elysium, but under brutal working conditions. Matt is exposed to dangerous radiation and only has five days to live. His only chance of survival is to get to Elysium.
                                                                              

With the help of a tech savvy smuggler, Spider (Wagner Moura), Matt is fitted with an exoskeleton and must save himself and the daughter of his childhood sweetie. Does he succeed? You need to watch the movie and believe me, you won’t be disappointed.

Conclusion

Neil Blomkamp wrote, co-produced and directed Elysium with the same precision in story telling that he did with District 9. Blomkamp’s stories can stand alone; without the overuse of special effects that I found so disappointing in this year’s Superman. I can identify with Blomkamp's stories, be it alien immigrants or wealthy people content with making money from the crushed and broken bodies of the poor. This is a good movie and there is a message; we may look up and yearn to go to the stars, but Earth is a gem in its own right.