Ant-Man (2015)

“My days of breaking into places and stealing shit are over! What do you need me to do?”

“I want you to break into a place and steal some shit.”

 “...makes sense.”

            One of the reasons I love superhero movies is because of all the gadgets and technology they use and all the scientific stuff goes into making some of the superheroes. Some of the science in these movies such as Ant-Man is so far-fetched but I absolutely love it. I love thinking about how intelligent the people must be, even though they are fictional characters, to have come up with the technology for these superheroes to use. Ant-Man was one of the most technological and scientific of the Marvel universe (well to me anyway. Maybe Iron Man beats him out). And, also, in my opinion, the most unique.

            Ant-Man begins with Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) being released from jail. He got thrown in jail on robbery charges. He is trying his hardest to go straight he does not want to be a thief anymore because he wants to see his daughter Cassie again. Cassie’s mother (Judy Greer) does not want Scott to come around again to see Cassie unless he can get himself together, get a job, and pay child support. Scott tries to get a job but no one wants to hire an ex-con. A thief buddy of his has a job lined up to break into the safe of some old rich guy his cousin cleans for. Scott and three of his other jail bait buddies break into the house only to find what looks like a motorcycle suit. Scott tries the suit on and it makes him smaller! The incident freaks him out and he tries to take it back to the house and of course the cops come. While in jail a group of ants bring him the suit and he can hear the same voice that was with him when he first put the suit on. The voice tells him to make himself smaller and get to his (the voice’s) house.

            The voice belongs to Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) who is the creator and innovator behind Pym Industries and the creator behind the Ant-Man suit. Pym had issues with his suit when he was younger. S.H.I.E.L.D and Howard Stark (and Peggy Carter!!!) wanted the suit but Pym refused to give it to them because he knew that they would not use it for good. Pym’s protégé Darren Cross (Corey Stoll) is obsessed with finding Pym’s formula for the Ant-Man suit and selling it. Darren has created a suit but he cannot get the right formula for shrinking human things. Pym and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly) are working together to bring down Cross so he cannot sell the technology to create human weapons.

            This is where Scott comes into Pym and Hope’s plans to steal Darren’s Yellow Jacket suit and destroy the technology. Scott had broken into a high tech building when he was younger so Pym thinks Scott would be perfect for the job while wearing the suit.

            The cast of Ant-Man is awesome. Besides the writing and the action Marvel knows to bring together excellent casts for their movies. I beyond loved seeing Paul Rudd as an action superhero. I never would have picked Rudd to be a superhero but he was so perfect! I cannot see anyone else in the role. If anyone has ever read my reviews of the Captain America movies you will hopefully know that I am obsessed with and have a massive girl crush on Hayley Atwell. When I found out Agent Carter was in Ant-Man I freaked out. She is only in the beginning for a few minutes but that is alright I never care how long Agent Carter is in a marvel movie she is just so incredible. And so is Hayley Atwell. Evangeline Lilly was a delight to see in a Marvel movie. I am so glad she is getting these big roles like Ant-Man and The Hobbit. Michael Douglas made a great former superhero. Pym was not a totally cranky old man or even a crazy nutty old man he was perfect. Pym was still with it and he was not cranky. Sure he had some demons but doesn’t everyone in superhero movies? I was also very excited to see Judy Greer in a big movie. I just like seeing her in movies in general. Corey Stoll made one of the most perfect bad guys ever! I have to give a big huge mention to the actress who plays a character simply known as “The Writer” at the end of the movie. That actress is Anna Akana. Akana is a YouTuber who also happens to be a writer and a director. She is incredibly talented and funny and insanely creative. Her videos are hilarious and the editing is goals. Go right now and check Anna Akana out and subscribe to her channel.

            Ant-Man was so much fun watching. It did not feel like I was watching a Marvel movie because it was not as serious as the others. It is not as dramatic as the others it was a great mix of comedy and action. The technology in Ant-Man was awesome. It is crazy to think about what the world would do with technology like Ant-Man where men can shrink and attack without even being noticed. It is a really scary thought actually. I have zero complaints about Ant-Man I liked it that much. I am looking forward to the next Ant-Man and seeing Paul Rudd back in a superhero suit! 

Thought Round-Up on Marvel Avenger Movies

My brothers have been obsessed with the Marvel Cinematic Universe ever since Iron Man came out in 2008. For all those years they have been trying desperately to get me to sit done to watch at least one of them. I have always wanted to see the Marvel movies but in those years as all the movies were being released I was attending like sucking, soul crushing college. And I was also being a huge movie snob and only really watching classic films, eesh did I miss a lot. I did actually get to see The Avengers in theaters because when it was released I was working at a movie theater and got to see it for free. Now that my head is out of my ass and I am expanding my range of movie watching, it was now a great time to finally see all the Avenger movies. Well, besides the time Age of Ultron just came out last week and I hated not knowing what was going on with the characters so fire under my butt right there.

My first solo Marvel superhero movie was Captain America: The First Avenger and that was only because I started watching the TV show Agent Carter. Peggy Carter is now one of my all time favorite movie/TV show characters. I fan girl raged over her in my review for Captain America: The First Avenger so I will not go overboard here. The movie was amazing. I LOVE beyond reason the story of Steve Rogers. I love how he was this sweet kid who wanted to defend his country and help fighting the bad guys from the goodness of his heart. The doctor who created the technology to turn Steve into a fighting superhero of sorts and Peggy Carter were the only ones who believed him. I can never get enough of Captain America as a character and as a story. It is one of those movies I can watch at least once a week. Every time I see Steve Rogers in an Avengers movie I love him all the more because he is still fighting for the good of others and is never ever selfish about anything. I adore it to no end. And how in anyone’s right mind they do not love, admire, and adore Agent Carter as a character and Hayley Atwell for playing her is beyond me. GO WATCH THE SHOW RIGHT NOW!!!

            Iron Man and Thor I could not for the life of me get into. Thor I felt was quite dull except for Loki and Darcy. Maybe it has something to do with it being about gods in other realms I do not know. I could not get behind the characters or believe the actors playing the characters at all. Iron Man kind of pissed me off. Robert Downey, Jr. is incredible as Tony Stark he IS Tony Stark no one could have played the character better but the character kind of drives me nuts. I mentioned in my reviews that I cannot stand when something happens to someone and then from that something happening the person changes. That is what happened to Tony and Thor they got too cocky and annoying and then they changed after some traumatic experience. Also they started out as spoiled dicks. Unlike Captain America who is good from the bottom of his heart Thor and Tony had to go through something to change.

            The Avengers movies are very good. The first one I really liked when I originally saw it. Age of Ultron I wrote up not that long ago. I felt Ultron was a little drawn out.

            The only Avenger I would pay top dollar to see in their own movie is Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson is amazing as the character. Black Widow is just a complete bad ass fright from her first fighting scene. I go nuts watching her kick some ass effortlessly in the movies she has been in. Marvel needs to make a Black Widow movie. There is so much to that character and she is so awesome that there could be a movie just for her. Unfortunately, the writers of Age of Ultron set Natasha Romanoff and Black Widow back ten years by creating a love story between her and The Hulk. That pissed me off to absolutely no end. Great job screenwriters, great job making a great character and then knocking her down to love interest when she never should have been. I get it we need to see that Natasha is not a robot or emotionless but there were plenty of other ways to do so.

            So to round up my painfully long Avengers marathon: I actually did like them despite some short comings with the characters, some of the actors/actresses, and the stories. Captain America: The First Avenger is now one of my all time favorite movies and Steve Rogers and Peggy Carter are my idols. Iron Man 3 was the best of the trilogy. Loki/Tom Hiddleston and Kat Dennings make Thor worth sitting through.

            Not the best reviewing of all the Avengers movies, but hey I am not a professional film critic which surely you can see. I really like how all these superheroes are not perfect. They all have their own demons and dilemmas they have to work out. Even though watching all the Avengers movies felt like a drag at times I had a great time watching them. I am very glad I did because now I can say I have seen them all and now I am ready for whatever the next Marvel Cinematic Universe movie is. 

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

“If you step out that door, you're an Avenger.”

            Marvel’s newest Avengers movie Age of Ultron is an MCU fan’s dream come true. All the superheroes are given a great amount of screen time and character development and two new really awesome heroes are introduced.

            The latest bad guy in the Marvel Cinematic Universe actually comes from within the Avengers team. At the beginning of the movie the team has found Loki’s staff that holds one of four extremely powerful stones in a small remote European country. Back at Avengers headquarters in Stark Tower, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) figure out they can use the power of the stone to protect the world from invasion from different realms. Tony wants to do create this protective barrier after New York City was attacked by these alien things and prevent more from coming through. Bruce does not like the idea of using the stone as a way to protect the world but he goes along with Tony.

            That night there is a party at the headquarters. Since nothing is happening with the stone and what Tony and Bruce want to do with it, Tony has Jarvis scan for things that will make the stone work the way he wants it to. Well during the party Jarvis helps to bring to life Ultron (voiced by James Spader). Unfortunately and very quickly Ultron is not kind like Jarvis. He immediately hates Tony and everything that humans have done in the world. Ultron attacks Jarvis and shuts him down. He transfers his information to one of Tony’s droids and physically attacks the Avengers after their party.

            Now Ultron is a major threat to the world. He wants to bring down mankind and create a new world with machines. He takes the form of an imposing mechanical figure and recruits twin brother and sister Pietro and Wanda Maximoff with great super powers.

            The Avengers have to stop Ultron from destroying the world and deal with each other.

            I can only say so much about the cast without getting redundant. They are all amazing in their roles. Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda/Scarlet Witch and Aaron Taylor- Johnson as Pietro/Quicksilver were awesome additions to the Avengers. I liked their characters and I really liked how they played their characters. I cannot wait to see more of them in future Marvel movies and how they interact with the rest of the team.

            I am going to give a minor spoiler away here and I am sorry but I need to fan girl over it so bad. If you have read the credits list on IMDB or have read any article lately pertaining to Agent Carter or Hayley Atwell you will know that both character and actress make an appearance in the movie. I thought Atwell’s appearance was going to be through a flashback but it was not. How Peggy Carter is brought back very quickly for Captain America I will not say but I will tell you that it broke my damn heart. Seriously, Steggy is like one of the most heartbreaking and horrible ships to ship. But I cannot help myself I love them as characters and as a sort-of couple way too much. And Steve makes a mention at the end how his job now is just be a soldier he does not know any other life and his chance for a family and a normal life passed seventy-five years ago. COME THE HELL ON MARVEL!!!! YOU’RE KILLING MY FEELS!!!! (Good lord I am such a such a raging fan girl. I apologize. I'll get myself together one of these days into a normal twenty-seven year old I promise).

            Steve Rogers is emerging as the leader of the Avengers. He is the perfect choice because despite everything he has seen in mankind since he was unfrozen he is still has the same morals and values as the skinny kid from Brooklyn. He is the good, wavering man out of all the superheroes. There is not a vain bone in Steve’s body he is all about helping others.

            Natasha and Bruce are an item now. When the hell did that happen? I understand that maybe the writers were looking for a way to dig deeper into Bruce and Natasha as characters and show character development but I did not that like that all. To me showing how they are getting closer to each other was just unnecessary to the story. There are probably countless numbers of ways to develop the characters rather than having them become a couple. I applauded the writers of The Winter Soldier for not making Steve and Natasha a couple and developing them as friends and now I am going to give them a jeer for their turn around.

            While I did like Age of Ultron and where it brought all the characters for future movies I did find it a little boring. There were some parts I felt were just too dragged out and some of the scenes and story lines were just totally unnecessary. Like all of the Marvel movies there is a message. I cannot put my finger on a solid message I will say that the message was about technology. We praise technology but there are certain areas in life that technology has its limits. And then of course there is always a moral message in Marvel movies and there is one here. Age of Ultron is great to experience in theaters on a big screen but if you have trouble sitting for long periods of time in a theater like I do (thanks ADHD) than wait for the movie to be out 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

“This isn't the age of spies. This is not even the age of heroes. This is the age of miracles... and there's nothing more horrifying than a miracle.”

            Superheroes stories are fantastic especially the Marvel ones. I like how they take current events and issues and place them in this incredible world of heroes and villains. The story is told in such a way that you may not even realize it based off currents events and issues. When I watch a movie I want to get away from the real world I do not want to think about life outside of my focus of the story for however long a movie runs for.

            My favorite Marvel superhero is Captain America. He is my favorite because he is what America and its people should be. You could argue Steve Rogers is the ideal American man for the 1940s but I feel he is the ideal American man for any age. Steve is a good man he does not want to be a hero he just wants to do what is right and fight all the bad guys and the injustices of the world.

            Captain America: The Winter Soldier does not pick up immediately following The First Avenger. Some time has passed. Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is running early in the morning around Washington, D.C. Since he is a super soldier he literally runs laps around a fellow, much younger soldier, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). Steve is still struggling with the ways of his new world. He carries a notebook to look things up whenever he comes across something he does not know. At the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum there is an exhibit dedicated to his return and his service in the army during World War II. Everyone he served with lived to an old age and passed on except for him and his friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) who was one of the only Howling Commandoes to die in service. There is also a video interview with the love of his life Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) from 1953 discussing Steve and her founding of S.H.I.E.L.D. Peggy is still alive but not in good health. She talks to Steve and then quickly forgets him.

            Steve’s mindset and morals are still kind of set in the 1940s. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) shows him a warehouse of weapons that could bring down a small nation. Steve does not believe in weapons like the ones he is being shown and neither in how they are to be used. When Fury questions him about his service and use of weapons during the War Steve rightly says that that was different there was a worldwide threat that had to be stopped at all costs. The threats that S.H.I.E.L.D are fighting now are top secret no one outside of the government knows about them.

            While driving back to S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters, Fury is attacked. He manages to just barely get away. He goes to Steve’s apartment and covertly tells Steve that S.H.I.E.L.D has been compromised no one is to be trusted. Fury is then shot at through a window. Fury dies at the hospital. Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has been working with S.H.I.E.L.D and was close to Fury. She is upset with Steve she knows he is hiding something.

            Steve eventually tells Natasha what Fury had told him before he was shot and they partner up to find out what S.H.I.E.L.D. is doing with the enemy HYDRA. They find that the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford) has been working with HYDRA and their secret weapon The Winter Soldier.

            Throughout the events of The Winter Soldier Steve Rogers fights like the brave, loyal, protective man and soldier he has always been yet he struggles with the morals of fighting immoral people and an immoral government while his 1940s mindset still sees the black and white of a gray world.

            Marvel movies have the best casted movies ever. Chris Evans cannot in any way get enough praise for playing Steve Rogers/Captain America. I believe him as Steve Rogers as this loving, kind, good hearted soldier who wants to do what is right for others. Scarlett Johansson plays Black Widow like no one else can. Black Widow is such an awesome character. When I watch her I feel like I can see she has some emotions in her and she is not all cold as ice and tough yet she still walks around and carries herself like she is cold as ice and tough. Do not know if that made any sense. I guess I could she walks around like a boss ass head bitch in charge with this great strut and look that could kill someone just staring at her yet underneath there is a smidge of a caring person underneath all that. I loved her friendship/partnership with Steve because that is exactly what their relationship was it was a friendship and a partnership there was no love/romantic feelings between them. That was so refreshing to see a male character and a female character working together and not have all the romantic feels attached. That made me so damn happy. Bravo writers. If you go back and read my review of The First Avenger you will know that I have a slight obsession with Agent Carter … ok, ok, I lied, I’m sorry. I have a HUGE obsession with Agent Carter. I LOVE the TV show Agent Carter and I love Agent Peggy Carter as a character. Along with Black Widow, the world needs more female characters like Peggy Carter in the world. Before I get on a tirade, Peggy was not in this movie too much since she was older. The scene where Steve goes to visit an old, sick Peggy was heartbreaking! God damn Hayley Atwell and her awesome acting for hurting my feels! Evans and Atwell were just killer on the feels in that scene. You can see his longing for the Peggy he knew and for a life they could have had together on Evans’s face. Ugh, I was like just, here, take my damn heart I do not need it do with it what you will. Emily Van Camp’s character Agent 13 had so much potential. She seems like she could become another bad ass awesome female character in the Marvel Universe. Anthony Mackie… total bad ass. I loved him and his character right from his first scene. I cannot wait to see more of him in the MCU.

 

            The script was fantastic. The characters remained the same as we knew them before but they were given a chance to grow. I really liked the story because it really was a good guys versus the bad guys which was black and white. The gray was all the ethical and moral issues with everything the good and bad guys did. The direction by Anthony and Joe Russo was incredible because it captured all the emotions of every single character and all those moral and ethical issues they were all struggling with or working against.

            Captain America: The Winter Soldier perfectly expands and continues Steve Rogers’s and Captain America’s wonderful, truly patriotic story. Like The First Avenger I absolutely loved The Winter Soldier and I cannot wait to watch it again. 

Mansfield Park (2007)

“No on meant to be unkind, but I was the poor relation and I was often made to feel it. Only Edmund put himself out to secure my happiness. He became my one true friend. And as the years passed, I came to love him as more than a cousin.”

            Mansfield Park is one of those movies I just watched because of the actors in it. It is otherwise a movie and a story I probably would have stayed far away from. I do not mind English literature one of my all time favorite novels is Jane Eyre that at the time of this writing I have read twice and plan to read again in the future. The reason I would have stayed away from Mansfield Park had it not been for the cast is because stories about the rich versus the poor in English society at the time the book was written drive me crazy. I cannot stand injustice or when people are looked down upon as unworthy or stupid because of their class. So as not to be bored out of my misery or bore you to death I will try to keep my summary write up short.

            At ten years old Fanny Price (Billie Piper) is sent to live with her wealthy relations since her own family is having trouble keeping her. Her relations, the Bertrams, are stuffy upper class people. Another relation, her mother’s other sister Aunt Norris, lives in the home as well. She has always seen Fanny as a nuisance unworthy of anything pleasurable. The only family member to give Fanny love and attention is the youngest son Edmund. Because Edmund is nice to her Fanny develops a deep love for her cousin.

            Years later, Fanny is still looked down upon, Edmund wants to become a clergyman, Tom (James D’Arcy) the oldest son is a gambler, and the two daughters Maria (Michelle Ryan) and Julie are snobbish and pretty. Trouble comes one summer in the form of the Crawford siblings. Mary (Hayley Atwell) and her brother Henry have moved in next door. They know the Bertrams are rich and they plan their attack of marrying into money. Mary has her eye set on Tom since he is the oldest and the heir but he is too much of a partier and not around as much so she next sets her sites on Edmund. Mary’s plan works she is irresistible to Edmund. Fanny is the only one in the family who can see what Mary and Henry are planning. She hates seeing Mary flirt with Edmund when she is the one who has loved Edmund for the longest time but she does not say anything.

            Henry is unable to sway Maria away from her fiancé. He tells Mary he plans to flirt it up with Fanny since she has become a pretty young lady. Sir Thomas would like Fanny to marry Henry but she refuses since she knows what Henry is truly like. Sometime later the family is given news that Maria has left her husband and run away with Henry. Edmund has a talk with Mary. She is not mad at her brother she is just upset that Maria and Henry got caught. She goes on to say that she does not believe that Tom, who has been sick, will survive which will make Edmund the heir. Edmund finally sees through Mary’s BS and finally takes his drunk goggles of and realizes it is Fanny whom he has always truly loved.  

            So four of the cast members come from two shows I am currently massively obsessed with: Doctor Who and Agent Carter. Billie Piper played the wonderfully amazing Rose Tyler on DW and Michelle Ryan played Lady Christina in the episode Planet of the Dead (although I knew her from the very short lived reboot of Bionic Woman a few years ago. I liked it and was probably the only one who did). Hayley Atwell is queen of the universe Agent Peggy Carter and James D’Arcy plays Jarvis in Agent Carter. Atwell and Piper were fantastic. Ryan and D’Arcy were not in the movie too much so I cannot really comment on their acting. It was just cool to see them all together especially Atwell and D’Arcy since this was obviously before Agent Carter. It is interesting to see how much of a range Billie Piper has as an actress. I am so used to seeing her as Rose in Doctor Who and now I am watching her in Penny Dreadful and Secret Diary of a Call Girl. She is not bad in any of them.

            Masfield Park was quite a bore. As I said I hate this type of story but in movie version the story did not drive as nuts as it would have if I had read it. I am only going to tell you to watch Mansfield Park if you like Billie Piper, Hayley Atwell, James D’Arcy, Michelle Ryan or if you are weird and really love Jane Austen and the novel of Mansfield Park. Otherwise, this is a movie that does not need to be seen.

            Did I watch Mansfield Park and want to write it up so I can fan girl over and confess my undying girl crush on both Billie Piper and Hayley Atwell… ABSOLUTELY!

Cinderella (2015)

           The story of Cinderella has never really been my favorite. I feel so terrible for Cinderella the way her step-mother treats her. Remember the movie Ever After with Drew Barrymore? It is a great movie but I cannot watch it because of how the step-mother treated Barrymore it drives me insane! Oh my god I go crazy thinking about that poor girl and how she was so awfully treated. I just really hate seeing characters in an unjust situation where they are treated like dirt for no reason. Now I do like the cartoon Disney version to some degree. I am not all up on the Disney princesses except for Belle I love Belle. I was not a girly girl when I was little and Cinderella was really girly. So why, you may be asking yourself, did this silly blogger go see the live action Cinderella? How could I pass up a movie where Cate Blanchett plays the evil step-mother and Helena Bonham Carter is the Fairy Godmother? And also Hayley Atwell plays Cinderella’s mother at the beginning and I am girl crushing so hard on her at the moment.

            I am hoping we all know the story of Cinderella from our childhoods when we watched the cartoon version. If you have never seen the cartoon Disney version your life was an unhappy wasteland. Google it if you don’t you uncivilized person!

            There are however a few differences. Much more was added to Cinderella’s story such as her background with her parents and their home and why Cinderella did not just leave when she was suffering so much abuse. The house had been in Ella’s (Lily James) father’s family for two hundred years. Her mother and father loved her very much and created such a wonderful fairytale-like childhood for her. Her father was a merchant who sailed around the world. Wherever he went he brought home gifts for Ella and she cherished them unconditionally. Their beautiful home was filled with beautiful objects from his travels all over the world. Her mother becomes sick. She tells Ella to be brave and courageous and to always be kind no matter what.

            Over the years Ella’s grief and pain over losing her mother become memories. Her father tells her he would like to move on and marry someone else. The father brings her new Stepmother (Blanchett) and two stepsisters to the house. All three of them hate it because it is in the country surrounded by animals. The Stepmother immediately begins to invite her friends over for parties. The father is constantly away. His latest parting is bittersweet for Ella. He tells her he always thinks of her and her mother and their home whenever he is away.

            Months later a note comes to Ella that her father has died of an illness away from home. With no money coming in the Stepmother relieves all the servants of their duties and places the duties onto Cinderella as Ella is now called. One day Ella becomes furious and rides away on her horse. She comes across a hunting party. The party belongs to the prince (Richard Madden). Ella does not recognize him as the prince so using his real name, Kit, he tells her he is an apprentice at the castle. They part ways without Ella ever having told him her name. After their meeting, Ella is all Kit can think about. His father wants him to marry a princess. Kit comes up with the idea for a party where princesses will come as well as the common people so he can find Ella.

            So if you do know the story you know what happens. But here there is another added storyline with the Stepmother finding the glass slipper and making a deal with the Grand Duke (Stellan Skarsgard) that she will be made countess and her daughters will marry into nobility if she keeps Ella out of the way.

            As much as I hate Disney sometimes for how much money they make and throw around money for their movies they always have amazing, top notch casts. Lily James deserves so much credit for her Cinderella. She was perfect. She is exactly how I would picture a real Cinderella to be. I am just going to say that Cate Blanchett is Queen of the Universe. Well, in my book she is one of several Queens of the Universe but right now because of this movie she is Queen of the Universe. I hope she is somehow nominated for some awards next year. I do not mean an Oscar but for like a Golden Globe. Blanchett just did a bad, scheming, conniving woman too well to not be recognized. Helena Bonham Carter actually narrated the movie. If life was fantastic I would want Helena Bonham Carter to be my Fairy Godmother like she was in the movie. What type of character doesn’t this woman make her own and dominate? For the few minutes Hayley Atwell was in I adored her. As I said I have a raging girl crush on Atwell right now. When she died in the movie I was like “no Peggy Carter come back!” I was not too crazy about her being a blonde with horribly dyed eyebrows. I will say that the casting of Atwell and the actor who played the father and James as their daughter was great. Good job Disney casting. Richard Madden as Kit… hot damn that man can be my Prince Charming any day! That man is gorgeous!

            The costumes need a major mention. They were beautiful. The colors in every costume just popped and fit the characters so well. Sandy Powell was the costume designer. She is one of my favorite costume designers. Powell is most noted for her many collaborations with Martin Scorsese. The mark of a good costume designer is when their clothes they created add more the characters on screen. That is exactly what Powell’s costumes did: they made the stepsisters looks eccentric and out of their minds, they made the Stepmother look regal and 1930/1940s glamorous, they made Richard Madden’s beautiful blue eyes glow and also added warmth to Kit. I would love for there to be a book written about the costumes for this movie… if someone who make something like a book about the costumes in Cinderella happens to read this MAKE IT HAPPEN!!  

            I really enjoyed this live action version of Cinderella. It was just perfect. Every character gave you the feels in some way (if you do not know what “the feels” are then obviously you have never been a true passionate fan of anything in your life. How can your life be that sad? Do you not like anything?), they moved you either into feeling sad or happy or annoyed or angry. Even the sets were moving they were warm, loving, and inviting. What I liked about this Cinderella was that, yes I was angry with how unjust Ella was treated by the Stepmother but the story did not drive me crazy like Ever After. I guess because one, it is a Disney movie and the characters cannot be totally evil and two, how on earth can I ever hate a character Cate Blanchett plays? She is just was to amazing as the Stepmother to hate the character. Hell, I do not even dislike her, Blanchett was that good.

             I absolutely recommend going to see Cinderella in theaters. It was so wonderfully and creatively made all around. 

Jimi: All is By My Side (2013)

 “Knowledge speaks. Wisdom listens.”

            I do listen to Jimi Hendrix. I am just putting that out there so I do not look like a pretentious asshole just writing about this movie and his music to make myself look cool. I love music. I listen to so many types and genres of music it could make your head spin. If it sounds good I will listen to it. Jimi Hendrix I started listening to about two or three years ago. When I listen to a song I listen for everything in it: vocals, the actual music, and lyrics. All three things blend perfectly together. I did not think I would like Hendrix all that much when I started listening to him and I was actually surprised that I did. Also when I listen to his songs I feel like you can hear Hendrix’s passion for music. You can hear it in his lyrics and his guitar playing. It was so different from what was around at the time and what has come after him.

            Jimi: All is By My Side tells the story of how Hendrix (Andre 3000 from Outkast) was discovered in New York and was then brought over to England by his manager.  He had been discovered by a groupie of sorts named Linda Keith (Imogen Poots) in New York. Linda knew a few managers but none of them were enthusiastic about Jimi. She finally found someone who was looking to manage an act. Linda and the manager brought Hendrix back to England with them. Jimi breaks things off with Linda for another woman named Kathy Etchingham (Hayley Atwell). As his career starts to take off his relationship with Kathy becomes violent from drugs and jealousy.

            Jimi’s becomes well known around England. All the big acts such as Eric Clapton and The Beatles begin to take notice of him.

            That is the best description of the movie I can give. Most of what the movie portrayed happened from what I had researched about Hendrix and his time in London so you can Google the facts yourself if you would like to know more.

            I greatly enjoyed Jimi: All is By My Side. I liked all the performances. I am in no way going to lie that I watched this movie for Hayley Atwell and that I watched this because her show Agent Carter has just finished for the season tonight (which if you have not watched WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! GO DO IT NOW!). Atwell was great in the movie. There was one scene she was fantastic in. Kathy was sitting alone on a couch crying after an incident happened. Atwell just killed that scene she was perfect. I liked hearing her drop quite a lot of F-bombs and speak with a bit of a cockney accent. Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 made an excellent Jimi Hendrix. I did not know what to expect with him as an actor and he did very well. The direction was also really good. It was different and I liked the detail that was captured such as Jimi and Kathy holding hands or some item in a shop. Jimi: All is By My Side is a very well made movie. It actually made me more interested in Hendrix to find out more about his life and to explore his music.