Monday, March 31, 2014

Frozen Review Part 3 "Conclusion"

So this is going to be the last part of my Frozen review. Hope you've all enjoyed!
First I'm going to start with characters. I'm not going to do all of them, just the ones I have specific comments on.
           THE KING AND QUEEN








Can I start of by saying, WORST PARENTS EVER!! I mean, the only thing they do good in this film is die. Okay, that was harsh, but really? Your daughter has a power and she doesn't know how to control it. She one day accidentally hurts your normal daughter and you lock her up...forever? So first thing, why didn't they take Elsa to someone with these powers? I'm sure there is someone else with them. She was born with them. It's not like your poor and can't pay for someone to help her, you're the king and queen! Second, you just assumed that Elsa just randomly hurt Anna. You didn't ask her what happened, you just threw her in the brig. I've already talked about Anna being locked up forever. But, why did they lock Elsa up until she was at least 18 years old (I'm assuming, that's not a fact). If she was not gaining control of this power and was actually loosing control of it, why keep her locked up? Send her to someone with these powers! Maybe it's because they didn't want anyone to know about her powers, but why? They were ashamed of her, that's why! These are literally some of the dumbest parents in the world! Maybe if we had some time to know them they would be better, but not likely. They were just bad....
                                                                             ANNA         
                                                           
Anna is an amazing character, but is overshadowed by her sister. Why? I think Anna is an awesome character that deserves more popularity. She is was just as passionate and loving as Elsa, she climbed up a huge mountain for her and only left because she was forced by the snow monster. She is also one of the funnest characters Disney has ever made! She's hilarious! Anna, I think, is the most like us. She's clumsy and crazy. Loyal and trustworthy, but also sometimes makes bad decisions. She also has doubts. I believe she actually did think her sister was dangerous after she hurt her with her powers, but even then she was willing to give herself for her sister. And that is a really good character in my mind.
                                                                              ELSA
I really like Elsa. She a strong important character, she just wasn't in the movie enough. She was in the beginning and the end, but the middle mainly focused on Anna's adventure (which isn't a bad thing) but I just wish there would have been more of her. What I said about Anna is also true for Elsa (they are sisters). She has some of the coolest costumes in the movie and she really stands out as a character. I'm really not surprised she is the most known of the movie.
                                                                         KRISTOFF
Kristoff, Kristoff, Kristoff....He's the last character I want to talk about, and I want to make sure you understand what I'm saying, so pay attention!
Kristoff serves not purpose of this movie..."WHAT!?!!"
Yes, he really doesn't. Does he save the girl? No. Is he funny? A little, but there wasn't a joke he made that made me flat out have a heart attack. Really, just what does he do? He mainly serves as a love interest, but not even that, for until the end of the movie, Hans is the love interest! Like I said he doesn't save anyone. The only thing I think that he does is take Anna to the trolls. I really think Anna could have made it up that hill without his help. And don't get me started again about him talking to himself through the "voice" of Sven! Okay, am I saying I hate Kristoff? No, not at all. I do like Kristoff, I just wish he had more of a role in this film. (And less being crazy!)
                                                                       ANIMATION

   What can I say, Disney has mastered the animation of CGI! I mean it, the animation is breathtaking, especially in theaters. The background will leave you looking up "Frozen Backgrounds" on the internet and setting them as your desktop background. The flow of everything is amazing! The only complaint I have is the characters look just about the same as in Tangled. Most other Disney movies have a very original look to them, different than any other movie. I can understand that they are trying to get used to it, so I can dismiss this.
                                                                CONCLUSION
I really like this movie. It's true, it's one of the best in recent years. But, it's definitely not the best Disney movie or the best animated feature of all time. It has it's problems, some people are able to over look them entirely and some see nothing but the problems. I'm in between. I see the problems, but I also see the AWESOMENESS that this movie has to offer. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must for animation fans and movie fans alike. Even if your not into animation, I'd say give it a go.   ★ ★ ★1/2 
                                                                   FAVORITES
Now, at the end of some choice movies I will display my opinion further by telling you my favorites..
Main Character- Anna, she just really made me laugh a lot and I liked her personality 
Side Character- Olaf, he was also very funny and..who doesn't like talking snowmen?
Song- Frozen Heart/ Love is an Open Door, I couldn't pick one. I love the message of Frozen Heart, but I also love the irony of Love is an Open Door (and it's got a catchy beat)
Scene- I love the whole scene of the song Let It Go. It has the best animation! (Also when Anna smashed Hans in the face)
Line- "I don't have a skull, or bones"-Olaf
Well that's it for me ya'll :D Please tell me what you'd like to see next. If you have any comments about anything I said, please go ahead and tell me anything you'd like. Please follow me if you'd like to. Bye-bye
                                                                                                                                 -The Filosopher

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Frozen Review Part 2 "My Opinion in Story"

WARNING! SPOILERS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE BLOG AS WELL! DO NOT READ IF YOU                                                   HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE!
Okay, where do I start? Let's start with the story...

But first, my last blog was all about the story. Many were wondering exactly why I was so lengthy in that post; so detailed. Well, for one, I wanted, like I said in the beginning, to refresh your memories if you have not seen it in a while. Another reason is because I'm going to address a lot of the little details in this blog. And lastly, I wanted to make it clear just how detailed this movie is, and I'll get to that later. 

Story- So lets began with, well...the beginning. You may have noticed I didn't talk about it in my last review, but most likely, none of you noticed. The "Frozen Heart" song is one of my favorites of this movie and here's why: It's the actual theme song! Many like to say that "Let it Go" is the BIG song of the movie, but Frozen's message is not really about embracing your true self, but about loving the others around you and putting them first. A frozen heart is someone that doesn't care for anyone but themselves. This entire story was about "thawing" the heart. Though it is clearly metaphorical, it's main message is that of the ending.
         Do you want to build a snowman? Literally one of the cutest songs on the planet; this song is actually one of the most thought provoking songs in the film. Let me explain. First off, you have this cute little girl singing about wanting her sister back after her parents locked her in her room (which I'll talk about more later). It then turns into a (maybe tween) girl wanting her sister back; equally as cute. Then, it goes from cute to very depressing. The parents leave to go on a trip (which is believed to be the wedding in the Tangled short?) and DIE! right in front of us! Is this a good thing? Yes! I have to say it was. Watching it for the first time in theaters, I had no idea the parents even die, and seeing that kinda put me off guard. But, is this not like real life? It's like walking through a lovely Spring meadow, watching the birds sing. Then, out of no where, a Hawk snatches up one of them. Yeah, mostly it's played for laughs at that point, but in Frozen, it's quite serious and it's meant to be. Happy to sad things happen all the time, and children's' movies never truly address it. This is something I very much admire about Frozen.
        I'd also like to address this: Why did they keep Anna locked up? It's not like she could tell anyone about Elsa. This would naturally have an affect on both of them, but more so of Anna. Anna has no idea why she can't go outside, Elsa at least knows that. We see exactly how excited Anna is to get out of the castle in the song "For the First Time in Forever." But, I think in reality (if I can even say that word) she would have been quite crazed and vulnerable . Imagine seeing different people, then those of the help, for the first time...well..in forever.
        Love is an open door for these perfect strangers, Hans and Anna. Did you see what I just said "crazed and vulnerable." She decided to MARRY the first man she comes in contact with! And Elsa, says "No." I have a question, why is Elsa not crazed like Anna is? I believe it's because she is so driven by fear and anxiety that she cannot think about anything else. Otherwise, she would probably be like Anna and there would be a new king and prince in the castle. So, really, Elsa's fear can keep her in line. It can keep her from doing dumb things. But, as we see it this next scene, too much fear can be destructive.
       After Elsa runs off to the mountain and the world is freezing over, Anna basically gives the kingdom to Hans (which clearly a really dumb decision). We then meet Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf.
 FUN FACT ALERT!! Haha, okay! So every once and awhile I will do one of these fun facts in a review.
Did you know....The writer of the original story, The Snow Queen,(which was what Frozen was loosely based on) was Hans Christian Anderson. Hans, Kristoff, Anna, and Sven were all named after him. If you say it really fast, you can hear it.
       Anyway, let's talk about the thing about Kristoff and Sven. I don't get. I know it's meant to be funny, but it really isn't, just awkward. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Kristoff talks to his reindeer, Sven, but not the way you talk to your dog or cat or...fish...whatever, he actually speaks for him. Yes, I know Kristoff has pretty much grown up with Sven and are really close pals, but that today would be considered...ummm...what's the word for it? CRAZY! He is crazy! And I'll talk more about Kristoff when I talk individually about the characters. 
        "Let it GO, let it go! That's all we ever hear anymore!" Let me be honest here, I really like the song, I do! But, it is not as good as everyone is making it out to be. I'd love to believe it was because of the wonderful performance by Idina Menzel or the wonderful animation that is in this scene, but I don't believe so. I think it's because everyone else likes it the most. Okay, that may not make sense at first but hear me out. Why is it that most people like things? Because they are popular. This song was made out to be the best through advertising and therefore everyone thinks it's the best. Elsa was made out to be the best character, so everyone thinks she is the best character EVER! It's all about the advertising...I'll let you absorb that...
        So, Olaf...one of the most loved characters of this film. And for good reason! He's funny, he's nice, he's simple, and.....FUN FACT ALERT!!! Did you know...The guy that played Olaf (Josh Gad) was said to have improvise a lot of his lines to make the producers laugh!
         Okay, well back to Olaf. I was actually afraid of him being annoying, but actually he was rather the opposite. I think the movie would have lost something if he hadn't been in the picture. I also found his little side joke about not knowing that snow melts in the summer very humorous and the song, "In Summer," only adds to the picture. And this also goes for Sven. He may have a crazy owner, but he himself is a very enjoyable character to say the least.
            Now, I'd talk about the trolls. I didn't see the point. They were not funny and they were not important to the plot. "But the head troll saved Anna!" you may be saying. Yes, he did. The main guy, not all of them. I wish it would have just been him and maybe a small gentle family to help with Kristoff's image. Or maybe some other creature. It's just, we did not know why they were magical, why they act the way they do, why they want to get Kristoff married so fast, we don't know anything about them other than they are magical rock trolls!
            Then we come back to Hans and find how he was the bad guys. Some people saw this coming, but I didn't. I was actually hoping that Hans and Anna would be the couple and Kristoff...I don't know what to do with Kristoff. But the way it turned out did surprise me; it was a good twist ending.
             Then we have the climax of the film. Anna turned to ice, Elsa crying over her frozen body, Kristoff just arriving, and Hans on the floor (cause he's a wimp). Then all is saved when Anna saved herself? No, that's actually what they were saying. Anna, giving herself for her sister saved herself. My take on it however was that, yes, Anna saved Elsa, but Elsa found how exactly how much she loved her sister. In turn, melting Anna. The message they were portraying, is however, very selfish. Expecting something in return for something good you did is not something that needs to be taught.
              It ends with a HAPPILY EVER AFTER.....fin

              So that's it for my opinion in story. I'll post my last part of the Frozen review about the Characters and animation later.
           
         
      
        
        
          

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Frozen Review Part 1 "The Story"

     Warning!!! This review contains spoilers! Don't read unless you've seen the movie!!!
This is mainly to refresh your memory, the next part will be my thoughts on it.
     Before I start this review, I want to make something clear. When I watch a movie for the first time I am totally sucked into it. There could be a tornado going through the building and I wouldn't notice. So, it's safe to say I don't look at details as much as I would watching it the second time unless I'm actually looking for them (as I did when watching God's Not Dead) That being said, the first time I watched Frozen I was not actively pursuing the details in the film. But this time I was...
    Many months ago a movie named Frozen came out in theaters. Just recently Frozen came out on DVD and Blu-ray. My sister bought it and it arrived a few days ago. My family and I watched it; my siblings and I the second time and my parents the first time.
    
The story goes like this: Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) are royal sisters. Elsa, the older, was born with magnificent powers. She has the ability to shoot snow and ice crystals out of her hands. Anna, the younger, is just as normal as you and me. While still very young, Elsa accidentally shoots a bit of snow into Anna's head. Their parents (the king and queen) take Anna to the rock troll people. They easily fix Anna, but tells them that if she were to ever be struck in the heart it could cost her her live. The head troll takes all the memory of Elsa's powers and replaces them with different (but the same) memories. The troll tells Elsa if she does not learn to control her powers, it could end in the most horrible of circumstances. They return home and Elsa is secluded in her bedroom away from her family. We learn from the humorous yet very sad song "Do You Want to Build a Snowman" that they grow up totally apart. When they are all grown up, they're parents perish in a shipwreck, leaving Elsa to take the throne. Elsa's powers have been strengthening, and she is loosing more and more control of them. Then coronation day comes and it is time for Elsa to take the throne as Queen Elsa of Arendale. This is the first time Anna has been out of the castle sense that faithful day (that she doesn't remember) and she is so excited she sings a song; "For the First Time In Forever." Unlike Anna, Elsa is not as enthused, she is worried about loosing control and hurting someone. They get through the coronation, no problem. BUT THEN!! Prince Hans (Santino Fontana), a gentlemen to say the least, has an eye for our Anna and professes his love to her through the lovely ballad "Love is an Open Door." They want to get married. So, they go to Elsa for their blessing. Elsa (who has more sense than just about anyone in these pictures) says she cannot marry someone they just met that day. Anna and Elsa have a fight, and Elsa accidentally shows her powers. The Duke of Weasletown "That's Weselton!" Sorry, "Weselton" is very scared and is ready to kill Elsa. She runs out of the castles toward a really tall mountain. While she does this she freezes everything in site, turning Arendale into a snow kingdom! Anna goes after her and leaves Hans to defend Arendale and keep Duke of Crazytown under way. While on her journey, Anna finds a young man name Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), an iceman, and persuades him to take her up the mountain. But not before he sings "Reindeer's are Better Than People" (he has this thing about talking to his reindeer in his own voice) *shrugs shoulders* So Kristoff, Anna, and lovable reindeer Sven run off into the woods to find long lost sister. Meanwhile, Elsa is singing "Let it Go," a strong song about not being afraid of who you really are. On the way they find a cute little snowman that Elsa made named Olaf (Josh Gad). He sings about wanting it to be in summer in the song "In Summer." They soon find Elsa, but is quickly shut down and she again strikes her sister on accident, but this time in the heart. Kristoff takes her to the rock trolls. They get the wrong idea and think they should get married and sing the song "Fixer Upper." Anna collapses and the head guy...or...troll..tells her that she will freeze solid if not by a act of true love. They take her back to Hans. Kristoff leaves, knowing he loves her, but leaves her there because she wants to be with Hans. We then find out that Hans was...THE BAD GUY!! He tricked Anna just so he could take the throne! He leaves her there to die, but with the help of Olaf, they make their way out. Before this Elsa was captured by Prince Hans and has now escaped so that she can't make anymore damage. She makes a blizzard come and Anna, Elsa, and Hans are out on the Frozen ice. Kristoff is coming on the back of Sven trying to save Anna. Hans tries to kill Elsa but Anna goes in front of her right at the moment she turns to ice. Anna is frozen, Elsa is crying, Hans is on the floor (cause he's a wimp), Kristoff has just arrived and is sad, Olaf is crying. EVERYTHING IS DOOMED!! But wait...something is happening to Anna...can it be!??! Yes! She turns back to herself! The act of Anna giving her life for her sister's was enough to make her human again. Elsa realizes that love thaws the heart. She turns everything back the way it was and everyone lives happy ever after! Anna punches Hans in the face and is sent to time in the big house. THE END...
The next part will be up in just a little while so hang on!
                                                                                                                          -The Filosopher

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

God's Not Dead Review

     You walk up to the old stone steps. You think of how many college students have walked up these stairs and through these doors. You take a left turn to your first class, sit down, pull out your books, and prepare yourself for the learning that is to come. The teacher walks in and begins with the phrase, "God is dead." He precedes to pass around a blank sheet of paper and tells you to write "God is dead" on that sheet of paper. What would you do?
     These are the circumstances that happen to Josh Wheaton (Shane Harper), a freshman in college. He takes a philosophy class and is told by the professor, Mr. Radisson (Kevin Sorbo), that God is dead. If he doesn't write those words on a sheet of paper with his signature he'll "get in big trouble." The professor challenges him to prove that God is indeed not dead. Who will judge whether he proved it or not? The class. This is the main plot of the movie, but not the only one. Believe it or not, there are many different plots, which are pretty neat. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't go into details about the other plots.
    Contrary to what some review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb say, I really liked this movie for many reasons. I enjoyed it mainly because it shows what Christians will go through throughout their entire lives. Josh was unexpectedly confronted with a "God Hater." We as Christians will encounter people like this, people that refuse to listen to reason. It's an important thing to remember, and I think that Christians forget very easily. The story (or rather stories) are quite relatable. Anyone of these things can happen to everyone of us. The real message is whether or not we will be faithful to God or take the easy way out. It really is a great message; one that we all need to remember.
     The only "bad" things I can think of are how many plots there are. I know, I know, I just said that was a good thing, but it can also be a quite annoying thing. It was hard, especially in the beginning, to keep track of all the plot lines. Also, the editing was sometimes pretty weird. Sometimes they'll cut right in the middle of scene and it was kinda distracting at times. And....of course...every movie has one...THE ANNOYING HORRIBLE REALLY REALLY NOT GOOD CHARACTER!!  This time it was the girlfriend. Josh has a girlfriend of six years. As soon as she finds out that he is going up against the professor she is totally against it, but not in a "I'm concerned for you" way, but in a "IM A CONTROL FREAK" way. It was a good thing she wasn't in there long. If she was a main character, this movie would have been unbearable!
    My last thoughts of this movie is... go check it out. There wasn't a point in the film that I was bored, it was really enjoyable. If you have the time, go watch it. It won't disappoint.   ★ ★ ★ ★
                                                                                                                               -The Filosopher
   
 
   
     
  

FIRST BLOG!! YAY!!

Hello world! My names Abbi, but you can call me the Filosopher. (Yes, I'm well aware that it's not spelled correctly). Well, this is my first blog...yep...first one....the very first....yeah I got nothing. To tell you the truth, I've never done this before. Soooo, let's see. Ah, this might help! *puts on thinking cap* Okay I got it now!
Put on your thinking cap!
My blog is going to consist of a lot of things; not just reviewing movies. I will also be reviewing TV shows, books, other blogs, people or characters from the movie or whatever the case may be, whatever I feel like talking about, and many other things. My formula for reviewing said things is this: I will exploit the good and bad. As I always say, "There's good and bad in everything, nothings perfect." Though for some it shall be hard, I will try my best. I will sort these movies (or whatever) into 1 to 5 stars. 1 (of course) being not very good at all and 5 being the very best Hollywood has to offer. Now, you may be asking yourself what kind of movies I will review. Well, that's a great question. The answer is almost anything. Though, most will revolve around family features. I may every once and a while step out of my well protected shell to a review something totally crazy!
Another thing you may be wondering is how often will I do these reviews. Well, I'm not completely sure at this point. I should try do one once or twice a week, sometimes it could be more and sometimes less, it depends on what's going on.
And the last (or next to last, I'm kinda making this up as I go along) is that I am a Christian. Thus, these reviews will be through a Christian viewpoint. If you don't like it, so be it.
Now lastly (or is it), the first review will be on the newly released film, God's Not Dead. I'm seeing it this afternoon and will "blog" about it tonight.
Okay, okay, one last thing. I want to make it clear that I will not only be doing reviews on movies in the theaters. I will also do reviews on older movies and such (just to make it clear for everyone).
Okay, so I think that's it for the first little blog thingy. Hope you enjoy and are excited. I know I am! So...how does one usually end these things...ummm. Well, th..thank you and have a good...no..GREAT...day! May God bless and...yeah...bye.
                                                                                                               -The Filosopher