Monday, June 2, 2014

MOVIE Review: Maleficent

Hi Movie Lovers!


Today I'l be reviewing the amazing Disney movie Maleficent!

Poster for Maleficent

I love Disney princesses (and villains), so when the teaser trailer came out 6 months ago, My thoughts were all:
Oh my God.
I have to watch this.
Angelina Jolie.
Oh my God.

And of course, I still couldn't believe I was about to watch magical movie when we were already comfortable in the cinema seats.

Details:

Title: Maleficent
Director: Robert Stromberg
Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure
Lead Actors/Actresses: Angelina Jolie as Maleficent
                            Elle Fanning as Aurora
                            Sharlto Copley as Stefan
                            Sam Riley as Diaval
                       
Movies With the Same Genre: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Oz the Great and Powerful

4.5/5 Stars

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Synopsis:

A beautiful, pure-hearted young woman, Maleficent has an idyllic life growing up in a peaceable forest kingdom, until one day when an invading army threatens the harmony of the land. Maleficent rises to be the land's fiercest protector, but she ultimately suffers a ruthless betrayal - an act that begins to turn her pure heart to stone. Bent on revenge, Maleficent faces a battle with the invading king's successor and, as a result, places a curse upon his newborn infant Aurora. As the child grows, Maleficent realizes that Aurora holds the key to peace in the kingdom - and perhaps to Maleficent's true happiness as well.

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"Listen well, you all! The princess will indeed grow in grace and beauty. But before the sunset on her sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle of a spinning wheel, and she will fall into a sleep like death!"


My Thoughts:

This movie was beautiful! Everyone was great in acting as their character and I could not find another person that would be more suitable than Angelina Jolie for Maleficent's role. The graphics, art and CGI were really realistic and the makeup and costume were amazing! Lots of reviews criticised the fact that Maleficent is not the Disney villain they expected, but I really liked that side of the mysterious character.

First, I'll talk about the graphics. The CGI mixed very well with the movie! It created such imaginative sets it was as if you could just step into the magical world. I also loved how the colour and aura of her magic is different before she was betrayed and after. I thought that the elegant gold swirls and the green flaming fire were both beautiful in their own way. Many fantasy movies or TV shows disappointed me because of how unrealistic the flying was, but Maleficent's wings were so beautiful and magical as you see her swoop and using it for battles so naturally. The effort they used for the graphics were clearly shown on the movie, and I would certainly be very proud of it if I was part of the graphics and art team.


The actors and actresses were great in acting as their characters, especially Angelina Jolie. It felt like you could feel her pain and emotions that turned her heart to stone, and even though she was a villain, there were bits where she left us cracking up, and parts where you can see that her heart had softened for the characters. Elle Fanning was perfect for Aurora too. Her innocent laugh and actions were a lot like a princess. But my favourite character is Diaval, Maleficent's humble servant. I first thought that the raven's human look shouldn't look like that, but slowly Sam Riley's acting changed my view of the bird and I thought that the human appearance matches well with his personality.

Elle Fanning, Angelina Jolie and Sam Riley

Why I didn't give the last 0.5 point:

Warning: This part of the review contains spoilers.

Even though this was a great movie, I still had many questions in mind:

 Why did Thistletwit never offer a gift?
 Why did the fairies not seem to notice that the princess was absent during the time she spent in the Moors with Maleficent?
 How did a seemingly caring character have the name 'Maleficent' (a name that literally translates from Latin as 'evil doer') at birth?
Why was Prince Phillip visiting Stefan's castle?

Even though the movie had left me with many questions, I still thought that Maleficent is a magical movie and will definitely be in one of my favourite movies.


Click here to watch the Official Trailer!

Thanks for reading another movie review!
I'll see you next time!

Thanks,
Nashy (●‿●✿)


Sunday, June 1, 2014

Books I'm Currently Reading

Hi Book Lovers!


This is a post about what I'm currently reading!
Have you read them?


Split Second Cover

Split Second by Kasie West
Book 2 in the Pivot Point series

Blurb:
Warning: The blurb may contain spoilers about the previous instalment in the series!

Addie hardly recognizes her life since her parents divorced. Her boyfriend used her. Her best friend betrayed her. She can’t believe this is the future she chose. On top of that, her ability is acting up. She’s always been able to Search the future when presented with a choice. Now she can manipulate and slow down time,
 too . . . but not without a price.

When Addie’s dad invites her to spend her winter break with him, she jumps at the chance to escape into the Norm world of Dallas, Texas. There she meets the handsome and achingly familiar Trevor. He’s a virtual stranger to her, so why does her heart do a funny flip every time she sees him? But after witnessing secrets that were supposed to stay hidden, Trevor quickly seems more suspicious of Addie than interested in her. And she has an inexplicable desire to change that.

Meanwhile, her best friend, Laila, has a secret of her own: she can restore Addie’s memories . . . once she learns how. But there are powerful people who don’t want to see this happen. Desperate, Laila tries to manipulate Connor, a brooding bad boy from school—but he seems to be the only boy in the Compound immune to her charms. And the only one who can help her.

As Addie and Laila frantically attempt to retrieve the lost memories, Addie must piece together a world she thought she knew before she loses the love she nearly forgot . . . and a future that could change everything.


The Fault in Our Stars Book Cover

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Blurb:
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

The Fault in Out Stars is also a movie!
The film adaption is in one of my Most Exciting Upcoming Movies This Year!


Cinder Book Cover

Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Book 1 of the Lunar Chronicles
If you have read my Most Exciting Upcoming Books This Year, you would've seen the third book of the series, Cress, in the list. Though I have said I will only start reading after all the books in the chronicles are published, I couldn't resist the temptation when I saw Cinder sitting on the bookshelf in my school's library.

Blurb:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Scarlet Book Cover
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
Book 2 of the Lunar Chronicles

Blurb:
Warning: This blurb may contain spoilers about the previous instalment in the series!

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison--even though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive. Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner.



Sorry for the short and lazy post

But later in the week there will be my Maleficent movie review because I'm watching it in 4 hours!

Thanks,
Nashy (●‿●✿)

P.S. I'm part of my sister's fashion blog again! This time I wore something more tomboyish.

Hehe this is my favourite picture from this time's photo shoot.

Click here to read the Winter Fashion post!