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.

 

 

 

My Favorite Game of Thrones Character: Daenerys

                                                                              

I’m hooked on the HBO series, “Game of Thrones.” I love the opening music and special effects as I watch each kingdom’s inner clockwork gears raise their towers and battlements. The show is based on the book, A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin and lucky for us we are now on season three. All the characters in the show have the usual epic background history, but the one character that really keeps me interested and coming back every week, and every season is Daenerys Targaryen.

                                                                 

                 

Little Girl Lost

Emilia Clarke does an outstanding job playing the character of Daenerys Targaryen. In season one, we watch as a young Daenerys suffers not only her brother’s cruelties towards her, but a forced marriage to Drogo a Dothraki khai. Deanery’s father, King Aerys, was killed towards the closing days of Robert’s Rebellion. Her mother, Queen Rhaelia died giving birth to her during a violent storm, earning the infant girl the nickname, Stormborn. She and her brother, Viserys were forced to live on the streets after their protector, Sir William Darry, died. This girl in season one, behaved shy and obedient to the men who claimed to have her best interests at hand. I foolishly thought that she would remain a victim, boy was I mistaken, big time!

                                                                      

Watch out for the quiet ones

Daenerys marriage to Drogo proved to be the best thing that happened to her. She comes out of her shell and stand up to her brutal, greedy brother.

                                                                               

 Her happiness grows when she learns that she is pregnant and all is well for Drogo and Daenerys, except for her brother’s impatience to wear a golden crown upon his head, which led Drogo to execute one of the best “Beware of what you wish for” scenes, ever!

                                                                          

When Drogo is injured gathering an army to fight the Seven Kingdoms, Daenerys has a witch perform a blood ceremony to save Drogo. When the ceremony not only causes Daenerys to lose her child, but leaves Drogo an invalid, she acts decisively and bravely and smothers the husband she loves with all her heart, but in doing this, there is nothing keeping the Dothraki from killing her.

                                                                     

 How does she react? Does she hide and whimper in the corner? Not this girl! She builds a giant funeral pyre to burn the body of her husband and that of the living witch. Then to everyone’s surprise she enters the center of the burning pyre with the three dragon eggs. Later, when Ser Jorah and the Dothraki see her emerge from the fire unharmed and holding three baby dragons, Daenerys proves to everyone that she is a kickass, super heroine, princess. Daenerys now has the loyalty of her people.

Keep your hands off my babies

In Season two, Daenerys steps up the game, constantly reminding Ser Jorah that she is not a child but a queen. When Daenerys and the starving Dothraki reach the city of Qarth after almost dying in the desert, they are refused entrance.

                                                                           

Daenerys threatens to have the dragons burn the city to the ground if they are not admitted. No one takes her seriously; she is nothing but a young girl with nothing but her young dragons to call her own. That is where everyone makes a mistake, what they think is weak, is stronger than steel.

                                                                                   

Daenerys is one smart cookie and even when she is held captive along with her young dragons in the House of the Undying by the warlock Pyat Pree, she keeps her calm. With one command to her dragons, the warlock is burnt to a crisp.

                                                                        

 

She and her dragons free, Daenerys now has the money to buy a small ship.

Hit them with your best shot

In season thee, the search for an army brings Daenerys and Ser Jorah to the town of Astapor. This town survives on the broken backs of slaves. She and Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen meet with the master of the Unsullied. The master is cruel and obnoxious.

                                                                              

                                                                           

 The training of the Unsullied is brutal, horrid, and heartbreaking, with only one in four making it to adulthood. The Unsullied are captured as babies, castrated, and by the time they are young men, forced to obey all their master’s commands. To prove their obedience, they must kill all the babies of the female slaves.

                                                                         

When the slave girl, who is translating for the creep master, tells Daenerys about the babies, you can see the smoke rise from her ears. She is pissed off. Plus she isn’t aware that the slave master is calling her vile names. Or so we think!!

This guy is a pig and has the Unsullied stand for days without food or water and even cuts off the nipple of one of the men to prove their obedience. He needs to die!!

Big wonderful spoiler alert

Daenerys not only understands everything the creep master is saying but she has her own revenge in mind. After making a deal to trade one dragon for 8,000 Unsullied, Ser Jorah and Robert Baratheons (he saved Daenerys life and swore to protect her) give her some “man” advice. “You’re making a mistake, dumb girl. Don’t give away your dragon,” they say, or something along that line.

                                                                    

To which she replies in somewhat this manner, “Bug off. Don’t tell me what to do.”

Daenerys not only shows the slave master why you shouldn’t piss off a woman who owns dragons, but she has the Unsullied soldiers kill all the slave owners and free all the slaves and their children. With one word from Daenerys, the dragon not only toasts the slave master but also the whole town like yesterday’s burnt bacon.

                                                                   

Conclusion

This is no little girl to be bullied, or counseled by men who think they have her best interests in mind. She is a true leader and with her dragons at her side, and her 8,000 loyal soldiers marching towards the Iron Throne, nothing will stop her.