(Movie) Heart of Stone...a look at Song of the Sea

This review was recommended by Nicky (flourishtodecay.tumblr.com)

For those of you who don't know, Nicky is one of my best friends.

So one night when were talking, she asked me, "WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO WATCH SONG OF THE SEA!?!" (It was honestly like that. All caps. You know it's good when people are asking you to watch something they love in caps.)

Credit to Nicky Costi (flourishtodecay.tumblr.com)

This wasn't the first time and I'd been putting it off due to reviews and writing. But after this request, how could I possibly say no?

So I said that I'd review it.

Is it as good as Nicky made it out to be?

Let's review!

Story/Dialogue: The story is based heavily in Irish folklore. A young boy named Ben loses his mother when she gives birth to his little sister, Saoirse. When she is grown, she cannot speak, but after she dons a cloak that turns her into a seal, her father, Conor puts the cloak into a lockbox and throws it into the sea. The two kids are sent away with their Grandmother, leaving their father and their sheepdog, Cu, behind.

The rest of the movie is about Ben and Saoirse trying to get home and so Saoirse can don her outfit once more to fix the world of the good neighbours.

Now, I'm trying not to spoil this for you, dear reader. I can't add more to this without ruining the story and the significance of the folklore.
My only suggestion is...if you decide to watch the movie, you look up the creatures in Irish folklore.
The dialogue is very natural. You could meet these kids, adults and elderly folk in real life and aside from hashtags, they would speak as they do in this movie.


Animation: The animation style touched on something nostalgic. It makes you think of a movie, tv series or a children's book you'd seen/read as a child. It fills you with emotion to see these character come to life as if by magic.

Each of the textures of both characters and landscape is unique. It's as if Elmer the Elephant was used in a South Park style construction of setting and characters.

The wonderfully odd thing though is that the frame rate doesn't move in the same way that stop motion would. It's as though it was scanned into a computer and had the frames move so smoothly that it was visually satisfying to watch.

It was as though it was filmed on a dolly.


Audio: Irish music is so soothing. The drums and the whistles and the soft harmonising of the voices. It made me think of an old Gamecube game called Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. The music in that game and Song of the Sea are incredibly similar.

It also draws a lot on the song that was in the story, The Snowman. I don't know. Every time I listen to the tracks I think of Walking in the Air.

It was memorable and it gets stuck in your head. Infectious, even.



Overall: This movie (after much prompting, thanks Nicky!) was absolutely delightful visually, audibly and in terms of storytelling. It drew on folklore that didn't convolute the story and allowed you to be immersed in the world as a gradual experience, rather than simply chucking you in the deep end. Another thing that Nicky mentioned and I'm inclined to agree with is the fact that it's highly rewatchable. If you're a visual person, you may need to watch it again so you can keep track of the story rather than simply looking at the textures. If you're a story person, then you can rewatch it and be taken in by the visuals. The audio is impossible to ignore as it's ingrained in the story and you may just want to rewatch it for that.

Song of the Sea was a fantastic experience that's self contained in its story and is overall incredibly satisfying. Which is why I'm giving it the Ravensmark (Picture pending,) as this symbol is reserved for media of the highest caliber.

Thus ends this review.

If you can, please share this review around as the movie is highly underrated and warrants exposure.

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(Comic) Not for kiddies....a look at the Mask Omnibus

Growing up, the movie starring Jim Carrey and introducing Cameron Diaz was a favourite of mine. It came out in 1994 and at that point I had no idea it was an adaptation.

Now, I'm looking at Dark Horse's website to try and find a job as a writer and see one of the comics they produce (Aside from Hellboy, Umbrella Academy, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles AND Star Wars,) was the Mask.

Established in 1982, the Mask was created by Mike Richardson, the owner of Dark Horse comics. He's also written for comics like Godzilla, among many others.

I went into this comic expecting it to be like the movie.

But, like the title says, it's not for kiddies.

Our main character for this story is not a who, but a what. It is the Mask; a mysterious object that when put on, brings out the wearer's deepest desires and warps them.

Oh, it also stops you from dying from unnatural circumstances.

While we see Stanley Ipkiss, he is a mere piece of a much bigger puzzle.

As for the Mask itself, it trades hands between Ipkiss, his girlfriend Kathy, Lieutenant Kellaway and a young punk kid.

Throughout the process where it's being worn, the Mask cracks jokes and has a slapstick comedy routine.

Unlike a slapstick routine, however, it contains a lot of blood.

If you need a modern comparison, think Deadpool with less breaking the fourth wall and multiple personalities.

While Deadpool has a randomness where even he doesn't know what he's doing, the Mask operates on the desire of the person who wears it. Want justice? Want to be noticed? The Mask will amplify these feelings an enormous amount.

As a story, this was a fascinating read. I must admit I was a little shocked by the amount of gore the comic contained. I'm by no means squeamish, but I suppose that ties in with my expectations for the comic to be like the movie.

The art style is reminiscent of the 60's Marvel comics, which is something I appreciated. The explosions were well drawn and the more comical aspects (Such as that big stupid grin on the Mask's face, which I adore,) actually work better than the live action movie. Though, Jim Carrey's makeup in the movie was exquisite.

The main point of this review is to ask the following questions:

Did I enjoy this comic?
Would I recommend this comic?
Did it meet or exceed the expectations I had?

I enjoyed it, though it was matched by a morbid horror and great unease that I found within the pages.

I'd recommend this comic.

It was not what I expected. Though, I want to continue reading and find out what happens next.

That alone warrants a solid 3.5 stars.

The score is not a reflection of my enjoyment or the quality of the comic.

Yet something in it set me askew and I can't quite put my finger on it. So that is why it earned the score you see.

Thus ends this review.

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(Movie) The darker side of business....a look at the Social Network

First of all, ugh.

This movie is recommended by Maia (uzuyucky.tumblr.com)

Let me preface this by saying that I was suitably miffed about watching this film. When I first heard about the release in 2010, I found myself saying, "They'll make a movie for just about everything these days!"

It's not because I don't like Facebook. I'm a user, after all.

It's because Hollywood thought it important enough to make it into a movie.

So while I was dragged kicking and screaming to watch this movie, (I can still hear Maia's voice in my head as my fingers slam the keys and my eyes are narrowed,) the question is:

Did seeing the movie change my mind?

Let's begin.

Story/Dialogue: This story jumps between Facebook's inception and the period in which Mark Zuckerberg is getting sued by both the Winklevoss twins and his close friend Eduardo Saverin. I'm not sure how true to the original story this movie was, but I get the feeling you're not supposed to like Zuckerberg. If you are supposed to, it's a Sherlockian like. What I mean is, he's an asshole, but because he's brilliant, he gets away with it.

This arc that Zuckerberg takes ends on a strong note with a satisfying touch for the audience, who by this point aren't overly fond of him. As it is with most films, the ending will be the opposite of the beginning. The Social Network showed this remarkably well.

The dialogue is intelligent (They're at Harvard, so I suppose it's a given,) and throws a lot of numbers and statistics around.

They use the tagline in the movie, which would seem tacky in most other films, but worked well in raising the stakes.

I'm not going to go into too much more detail about the story for spoiler reasons (plus, finding out who Justin Timberlake plays is pretty freakin' awesome if you haven't seen this movie already. A great introduction,) but we'll say that it was well written for a story that is not yet finished. (I feel as though the rise of Facebook must be contrasted by its fall, which it is yet to have. Only then will we have a complete movie in a story sense.)


Cinematography: Visually, this movie was excellently framed. You see multiple instances where you have characters in three or more different perspectives...very Citizen Kane.
I love the stylistic choice of having low tungsten lighting contrasted with natural outside light everywhere else.
A lot of the movie is shot at night, so you see a lot of tungsten bulbs being used and gives everyone that artificial look, which would also be a representation of everyone wearing a mask. Hiding their true intentions.

Audio: THIS IS THE SEGMENT I'VE BEEN MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO!!!

TRENT REZNOR.

THE SCORE WAS WRITTEN BY NINE INCH NAILS!!!

While there was a recurring theme song that played throughout the film, there was some heavy industrial music that sounded awesome. It only enhanced the scenes by adding arpeggios and digital sounds. The music was brilliantly composed and I'm actually going to look at getting my hands on the OST for this movie because I'm so psyched about it. (You know a score is good if it makes you scour the internet looking for it.)


Overall: Firstly, as I wrote this all I could think of is this video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMRBYkg5jmg

It never fails to make me laugh. Now that I've seen the Social Network, I laugh even harder.

As for the movie, I was surprised at how poignant the story was. It was a tale of betrayal and power and how the things you can create can get out of hand. Eisenberg played a great Zuckerberg, though I have to wonder if Zuckerberg himself really is that much of an ass in real life.

I wish I could hate how much I enjoyed watching this movie. It was compelling and the story was excellent.

5 stars.

Goddamn it Maia. 5 stars. I_I

Thus ends this review.

Feel free to leave a comment recommending new comics, books and movies. I read and reply to all of them. Unless they are bots. 

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I'll see you guys on Friday with a comic review!

(Movie) Misery Guts....a look at Blue Valentine

I swear to you I don't have a thing for Ryan Gosling.

This movie was suggested to me by Hannah (readingfreak.tumblr.com)

For the record, to my knowledge, she does not have a thing for Ryan Gosling either.

In my recent experience with Ryan Gosling, I've come to the conclusion that Ryan Gosling is in fact a younger Nicholas Cage clone who had facial reconstruction surgery and somehow managed to have cat DNA integrated into his system.

At least, this is how his acting comes across. Not that that's a bad thing. Merely an observation.

But this movie is not about Gosling alone.

So, let's review.

Story/Dialogue: This story juxtaposes two events that coil around each other like a double helix. The beginning, where Dean meets Cindy and the end, where the love between Dean and Cindy is lost. When Cindy and Dean are just getting together, Cindy learns that she is with child with no thanks to a guy she was seeing previously. Dean takes responsibility and becomes a painter of houses. Cindy works as a nurse and together they have a life that Dean is desperately trying to hold onto and Cindy feels she's suffocating in.
The best thing about the dialogue is that even though there wasn't a lot of it, the lack of it conveyed more than a load of dialogue could ever do. Though, what dialogue there was wasn't overly profound.
The story says a lot about a realistic love and how passion can wane. I recall a post that showed this movie as one amongst a few movies that showed an excellent representation of love.

Cinematography: This movie's juxtaposition of two stories bleeding into each other is shown through the types of camera movement. As Dean and Cindy begin with their relationship, the handheld style and rich colouring shows the rose coloured glasses stage of a relationship. The one where everything is happy and upbeat. The other end of this story shows more steadycam and dolly shots, with a lot of colour bled out of them. This is to represent the routine and structure (however unsteady) that the relationship has developed. It also shows the fact that the love is gradually fading away.

A final note, but the last shot of the movie where Ryan Gosling is walking away while fireworks are going off reflects the intense emotions felt when breakups occur. Passionate people are explosive and when those people collide, it often reflects poorly in the aftermath.

Audio: I had some trouble with the audio and while I'm not sure if it was the copy of the movie I had or whether it was intended, it forced me to focus on the character's faces and watch how they communicate rather than the words they said. Ryan Gosling has a habit of repeating a lot of his lines and while it's not bad, you start to focus more on what he's doing rather than what he's saying, which I think is a good thing. Movies are visual, after all.

The tracks in this movie were so subtle that they were gone from my memory even as I heard them. "You and Me" by Penny and the Quarters was the most memorable track, but only because of the significance of it to the movie.

Overall: Blue Valentine was a movie that showed better than told. Had I not gone in knowing the premise of the movie, I would have been dissatisfied with the end result. Knowing what I do, though, made the movie an enjoyable watch.
I've been informed that Blue Valentine's director actually had Ryan and Michelle live together with the little girl so that their chemistry appeared genuine. Which it most certainly did.

A great, if sad movie. Cathartic, almost.

4 stars.

Thus ends this review.

If you had thoughts about the review or the movie itself and want to discuss it, I'd love to know what you think down in the comments. 

Recommendations are always welcome!

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Stay tuned, as this isn't the only review out today!

(Comic) Apolkalypse Now...a look at Umbrella Academy

I've never been a fan of My Chemical Romance.

It was never a, "I hope they go die," kind of dislike. More like, "I don't feel anything towards this."

With this disconnect in mind, I went into Umbrella Academy with that same headspace. I was expecting something that would appeal to teens in a way that Welcome to the Black Parade did.

I will say this. The taste of humble pie is strange and bitter.

The story introduces an alien wrestling match, which somehow spawns many gifted children, born to different women who were not expecting. Seven of these children survive and are adopted by an alien who is disguised as a man.

After a brief introduction of the children fighting a rather aggressive Eiffel Tower, we are taken to the future to see the children reunite as adults. Each of them have gone their separate paths and have only returned after they have received a letter saying their 'Father' has passed away.

In the meantime, their sister, the one said to be without powers, is shunned by the rest of the group and is tempted by an orchestra made of madmen and murderesses. It is learnt that her ability is to destroy people with her song.

She is destined to bring about the apocalypse.

In six issues, which make up the Apocalypse Suite, Way has carefully crafted a story that introduces the heroes in an original fashion. Initially, you meet them when they only have numbers, but as time goes on, they gain codenames and names given to them by their 'mother.'

What you see of the powers are original, but aside from Vanya (their sister,) you don't really witness their power.

Story-wise, if I were to compare it to something, it would be Young Justice Season 2. A lot has happened and you're not 100% sure how it's all changed. It doesn't make sense at first, but as you read it starts to dawn on you.

The art style is reminiscent of Hellboy, with dark gritty backgrounds and characters that are minimal in their lines of detail. It's a style that may look a little unrefined, but it perfectly represents the chaotic world that the children live in.

While I didn't have any major grievances with the volume, it left me with many questions that I suspect will be answered in later volumes.

Umbrella Academy surprised me with its humorous dialogue and varied cast with an ending that left you wanting more. A tasty slice of the Umbrella Academy cake.

I look forward to my next slice.

4.5 stars.

Thus ends the review.

Did you like Umbrella Academy? Have any thoughts on the matter?

Feel free to comment and recommend new comics, books and movies! 

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(Movie)Little Things...a look at Amelie.

I'd heard the name, I'd seen the gifs, but nothing emotionally prepared me for this movie.

Amelie was released in 2001 and won many awards at film festivals. Let's see if we can't find out why.

Story/Dialogue: Amelie follows a protagonist of the same name through her home city as she interacts with the people in it. Known to be a dreamer, she tweaks the lives of those who are miserable to make them better.

Though, we all know that the kindest people are the ones who are reaching out for someone else to take notice. So who will take this dreamer's hand?

Amelie is a delightful character who reminds you of the brownies from old stories. They would clean your house so long as you treated them with kindness. Though they show her backstory of how she was exposed to so much death and pain, she faces it with a small smile and a can do attitude. Armed with her imagination and wit, it's impossible to not want the best for this well rounded young woman.

While each of the key players in this story get a small amount of time dedicated to them, you see how important it is as you see the community around Amelie change with her help.

While the story itself is immersive, some might find it difficult to keep track of everything. There are a lot of characters to pay attention to and every one of them is important to Amelie's development.

Cinematography: Did you know that Vincent Van Gogh used to eat yellow paint in the hopes that he'd be happy?

Amelie shows a lot more storytelling through visuals than any dialogue. The rich yellow filter in each scene makes you feel happier and take joy in the smaller details of the movie.

You'll notice that everything about this movie is soft. Soft lighting, soft speaking and soft camera movements. They make it easy for your eye to follow and indulge visually in this feast for the eyes.

During the character introductions, it feels as though Amelie had her hand on your back, guiding you quickly toward the other characters so as to introduce them, as you have many a name to remember. 

One final note is the blending of fantasy and reality. While the VFX are not fantastic, they reflect what's in Amelie's head well. Those moments where you wish you could be swallowed up by the ground or turn to water because you're so embarrassed. The suicidal fish was fantastically done, even though you know it's fake, it doesn't destroy your suspension of disbelief. 

Audio: The musical score that accompanies Amelie throughout her journey is reflective of the character. Sweet and mischievous. It times well with her walking and the woosh sounds when you're introduced to new characters are delightful. While the tracks weren't memorable, they reflected their characters well. 

Overall: Amelie is a feast for the eyes that takes you by the hand, sits you down and shows you how to look at life's little enjoyments. Steam coming off coffee of a morning, indistinct chatter at a cafe, hands going into grain, breaking the skin of pastry. All of these little things that people neglect to appreciate. 

It's a movie that you either love or don't understand. You can't just like this movie. It's not exactly possible. Plus once you finish it, you feel satisfied, the same way you do once you finish a filling, home-cooked meal

To quote John Green, you fall in love with it the same way you fall asleep. Slowly, then all at once.

This movie warrants a Ravensmark. Reserved for only the best movies, books and comics.

Thus ends this review.

Please feel free to recommend new movies, comics and books and share your thoughts in the comments!

Special thanks to Hannah (readingfreak.tumblr.com) for this recommendation.

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(Comic) Non-Compliance....a look at Bitch Planet. (4 issues)

Knowing nothing about this work other than the writer, Kelly Sue DeConnick was a feminist, I went in curious and excited. I'd not read a comic written by a woman before.

Needless to say, it exceeded my expectations (and might I say, my expectations were high,) and left me with a lot to think about.

The story jumps between an earth in the future and a prison planet for non-compliant women. These women do not follow the law of the patriarchy and as such are sent to bitch planet, where they are monitored and manipulated by the government employees who run the prison.

What's really surprising is that we don't see the main character until the end of the first issue. But I won't spoil that for you. Her introduction is arguably the most badass I have ever seen.

The art style makes me think of a mix of the Walking Dead and Invincible with dark gritty characters and backgrounds with brighter colours to make the characters stand out. The shots are dynamic and are visually beautiful to look at.

The audience is thrown into the deep end of a compelling story where it is not the individual that is the issue, it's the system driven by the many that is the problem. Though I've only been introduced to two characters by name, I'm hungry for more.

I'm be proud to say I'm non-compliant.

This comic is like eating your favourite flavour of Pringles. You can't just have one.

Read it. You owe it to yourself.


Edit: As I'd only read the first issue, I'd not realised that this is a fairly new series. There are currently only 4 issues out and they are all exquisite works. 

While I understand that Ms. DeConnick wasn't satisfied with Penny's story, it worked out well and it was great to see a bigger person of colour love herself for who she was. Penny is the embodiment of non-compliance.

Furthermore, the mystery has deepened. Ms. Kogo, our protagonist and a former track star, has gotten roped into playing a violent game called Megaton. It's like American football with more hand to hand combat. 

As I've read on, I see that it not only draws a lot of influence from Orange is the New Black, but the Longest Yard and Even V for Vendetta. 

Even in reading up to the fourth issue, I have only added more questions to my list of many questions. 

What's more, I love the essays at the end and the notes from Kelly Sue. Plus the letters and the final page that shows a bunch of fictional advertisements that look as though they're from the fifties.

This comic is definitely worth the read and warrants 5 stars. 

Thus ends the review. 

Let me know your thoughts and please don't forget to recommend volumes for comics, movies and books! 

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