 I'm only linking this for info on The Twilight Zone Marathon: syfy.com/twilightzone
UPDATE:
Click on the link below for information on The 2012 New Year's Eve Twilight Zone Marathon:
Last year, I compiled a list of The Best and Worst of The Twilight Zone. Check it out and see if you'd agree with me:
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Saturday, December 31, 2011
The Twilight Zone Marathon New Year's Eve 2011
The Celtics Are Back!
 grog1138 (ME! ) |
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Doctor Who: The Prequel to The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe
 A different trailer from what I'd posted previously: A look back at the 2010 special, Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol after the "JUMP!" |
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Doctor Who: Night And The Doctor
UPDATE 12/27/12
Ever since Night and the Doctor was taken down from youtube, it's been tough to find it online. Tudou's version is HD but that's if it'll load. I found Night and the Doctor on Tumblr which is a bit laggy but, it actually loads! Then there's the Dailymotion uploads, which is the best version so far. I wonder why the BBC hasn't posted it on their youtube site? Check out Night and the Doctor in the links below which includes all five nights of the Doctor (instead of just having First Night and Last Night):
Here's the Dailymotion uploads. These are the ones I recommend:
Here's Tumblr's:
Then there's Tudou's. It's in HD but a lot of times the video doesn't load. It's flipped because of copyright issues.
When I first started this post I didn't realize how much of this would be a post about Night and the Doctor. Originally it was just a post of that one video and this ident. Right now, this Christmas ident featuring David Tennant's 10th Doctor seems out of place but, I hope you still like it. There's more of David Tennant's Doctor Who idents on the BBC youtube channel:
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Friday, December 23, 2011
Prometheus Trailer
What is that noise in the background?  Is that the Space Jockey to the far right at 0:44?! Does the Prometheus trailer look familiar? |
Happy Festivus!
I wish everyone a Festivus Miracle! apackerfan The youtube snowflakes makes it even more Festivus for the rest of us! |
Wind.Flower.Snow
風.花.雪  The forecast for tonight and tomorrow (12/22/11-12/23/11) calls for snow. It's been a pretty warm December this season. I think the snow will just turn into rain. What are the chances for a "White Christmas" this year? Just in case there's no snow, let's get into the spirit of the season with Kelly Chen's (陳慧琳) Wind.Flower.Snow (風花雪). This song blew me away when I first heard it. It kicks off with a pretty nice guitar riff then Kelly's voice smoothly flows in: "從認識 才信摯愛有不尋而覓 而你我卻也不遺餘力 每天都珍惜 就算半瞬一秒 全部放進記憶" "After realization, love can't be transcribed onto paper, Effortlessly, we're able to cherish each day, Even every instance, every second, it's all stored in my memory,"  "無吝嗇 情似細雨每天簷前滴 流進你我愛海成潮汐 似生生不息 話語也永不缺 長夜與摯愛的風花雪" "Generously, love is like steady rain, dripping down day by day, Flowing into an amorous sea, creating waves, as if it's alive, living forever, Words can not describe it, Long nights with my love, wind, flower, snow," I can never do the original Cantonese lyrics any justice. In closing, I guess I'm actually wishing everyone a beautiful and romantic Christmas. More or less a "White Christmas" but, not literally a Christmas with wind, flower and snow. 作曲： 雷頌德 填詞：周禮茂 編曲： 雷頌德 從認識 才信摯愛有不尋而覓 而你我卻也不遺餘力 每天都珍惜 就算半瞬一秒 全部放進記憶 無吝嗇 情似細雨每天簷前滴 流進你我愛海成潮汐 似生生不息 話語也永不缺 長夜與摯愛的風花雪 來一杯清風 共醉躺於天空 你我與天和地互融 拿一朵鮮花 遞到我的手中 我再借向清風相送 尋一顆飄雪 讓你掛於星空 悠悠地用愛照遍天下情夢 求一世歲月 最美(尾)的一分鐘 你我也擁抱一起 飛蹤 曾共釋 如世界到了死亡前夕 而你我也有心而無力 再不急不迫 語縱也不說 長夜與摯愛的 風花雪 |
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Trailer
 A day after the 10th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring the first trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released! More proof that The Hobbit is being made! You can follow the progress on facebook or on TheOneRing.net. Mulgorea I'm shedding tears of happiness... |
The Dark Knight Rises Trailer 2
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Monday, December 19, 2011
Happy 10th Lord of the Rings!
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Holiday Cheer (Financial) Strategy
Hello Youtubes!  Unlike Bruce Wayne..ahem... I mean Batman, I'm not financially independpent. Spreading cheer and good will can be very expensive! In order to keep my holiday spirits up, I took on a second job. My second job requires me to go through some sort of technical training: I thought just blowing into the system and the cartridge would fix it but, I guess I'm wrong. With this second job, I'm able to buy some cool stuff for myself... I mean for my family and friends:  I bet they'll love playing with MY Nintendo Action Set! Hey, I'm sharing. Only one more week to go! Seth Green in a Christmas Toy Store Commercial From 1986 |
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Dark Knight Rises: 6 Min Preview
"Bane! Bane! Matalo! Matalo!"  I didn't include a video of the IMAX Dark Knight Rises 6 min preview in this post. There are a lot of doubts for the next Chris Nolan Batman movie. People don't seem to like the look of Catwoman and Bane. Some don't like the choice of Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (Catwoman). Personally, I love the fact that I get to see more of Anne Hathaway and I think she'll be great as Catwoman. I'd always seen Catwoman as strong, flirtatious and dark. I think it wasn't until recently that she was portrayed as more of a seductress. Even if Anne Hathaway can't pull off that sex appeal, she has enough classic beauty in her to fit that old time "cat burglar" look. She kind of reminds me of Audrey Hepburn and matches up with the Adam Hughes art style. I think that's what Chris Nolan is going for. I think she's going to surprise a lot of people. Remember our discontent with Heath Ledger being the Joker before the Dark Knight preview reel was shown? Bane! Bane! Digame? Digame? The 6 min Dark Knight Rises preview focused on Bane (no Catwoman in it). When I saw pictures of Bane, I thought he looked pretty dumb. That was when my doubts for the Dark Knight Rises crept in. It wasn't because of the suspicion that Catwoman lacked cat ears but, it was because of Bane's face mask and outfit. Watching Bane in action blew those doubts away. I am very glad but... This is a pretty big BUT... I could hardly understand what Bane was saying even with the crisp sound system at the IMAX. Tom Hardy has an accent for Bane. I couldn't tell if it's English or if it's Bane's true South American accent. The mask muddled it pretty bad. I hope that will be fixed before the official release of the movie. Alright, the 6 min preview. It was awesome! Before you go on reading, there are slight spoilers ahead but, it's not going to reveal much. I didn't understand much of what was going on during the preview. I'm not sure who the characters are yet with the exception of Bane and some guy named Dr. Pavel. The preview starts with Little Finger of Game of Thrones looking for Bane. He captures 3 of Bane's henchman with bags over their heads, takes them on a plane ride and threatened to throw them off the plane if they don't tell him how to find Bane. It turns out that one of the henchman is Bane. Little Finger and Bane has some dialogue while a cargo plane eclipses the smaller plane and latches on with some cables. A team from the cargo plane zip lines out onto Little Finger's plane, shoots and kills Little Finger's guards or, were they Dr. Pavel's guards? Then the cargo plane team proceeds to take apart Little Finger's plane. This looked amazing. My jaw dropped. Did Chris Nolan film this with a stunt team or was it CGi? The Dark Knight Rises poster is right, this is "Epic." Little Finger's plane is turned vertically, the tail section is cut off and a body bag is lowered. There was a blood transfusion? The preview ends with Bane kidnapping Dr. Pavel while the cables from the cargo plane is cut and Little Finger's plane crashes to the ground. Wow! That was a fast 6 min! After the prologue, there was a sizzler reel of Dark Knight Rises. Here are the few things I remember from that reel. Catwoman in a mask (or was that just goggles) with cat ears. A hovercraft bat tumbler!!! A tank heading towards a court house. Bane and Batman facing off outside the court house. Once the preview ended it got the audience super excited. Everyone cheered and clapped. I have to admit, I was way more excited with The Dark Knight preview reel back in 2007 but, still... I CAN'T WAIT! In the mean time, I'd attached links for the Dark Knight Rises teaser and The Dark Knight preview reel that was attached to the IMAX viewing of I AM Legend back in December 17, 2007. I don't want to include the shaky bootleg prologue of Dark Knight Rises. It's at the IMAX now and attached to a really good movie that I highly recommend, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (better than I AM Legend). If your IMAX doesn't have the 6 min preview, there are ways to get it online. Remember back then? Before The Dark Knight came out we were doubtful? That was before Chris Nolan was more established as a director. Now, with the accomplishments of The Dark Knight and Inception, I'd say, "in Nolan we trust."  (embed is disabled) ChaosEntRETURNS |
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol
 A couple of weeks ago, over Thanksgiving weekend, my friends and I had a serious discussion on who would win in a fight: Ethan Hunt or Jason Bourne? There were biases on both sides of the argument for each actor: Tom Cruise vs. Matt Damon. The favor was leaning towards Jason Bourne because not only is he a human weapon, he also doesn't need a team or any sort of back up. I tried to come at it in different directions and thought about that one scene during the Mission Impossible 2 trailer where Tom Cruise is holding himself up on the side of a mountain with his arms spread out in a wingspan. That takes strength! And to be in that predicament, he must have been crazy. Then again, my argument was invalid, it proves nothing and MI2 is best forgotten. It was a mess of a movie. MI2 almost prevented other Mission Impossible movies to be made. It took 6 years for the right creative team to get together and produce a quality movie in Mission: Impossible 3. J.J. Abrams of Alias and Lost has a high appreciation for updating older TV shows/ideas. Abrams was in the director's chair for the 3rd Mission: Impossible while Tom Cruise not only starred but was also among a long list of producers. It was nice to see that Tom Cruise still has passion for the Mission: Impossible movies. The series started off great with the first movie but the second movie... let's just say it never happened. Tom Cruise comes back for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as Ethan Hunt and once again he is among the list of producers. Oh right, who would win in a fight between Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne? Before watching the 4th Mission: Impossible, my money was on Jason Bourne but, I'm not so sure anymore. Ethan Hunt kicks ass and gets his ass kicked, blown up, hit by a car (or was it cars?), drives a car head first into the ground, hits his head more than once, falls and falls and falls but, he keeps on getting back up for more. He is the blunt intuitive weapon while the rest of the IMF team are the brains, eyes, ears and stealth. Before I talk more about Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, I want to make a small confession: I went to the IMAX not for Ghost Protocol but for the Dark Knight Rises 6 min preview. Jordan's Furniture in Framingham, MA was one of the few IMAX theaters in the U.S. to have the preview and I am extremely glad about that. Now, I am even more excited for Dark Knight Rises. When it comes out in July, I'll be fighting the crowd at the IMAX again for a good seat. I wish the IMAX theaters were more spacious with better seating arrangements. I'll talk about the preview in a separate post. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol jumps right into the middle of the action once it starts and never truly lets up. Even for some of the potential slow moments that might break the pacing of the movie, like I.D. verification, is also packed with action. Ethan Hunt and and Agent Brandt (Jeremy Renner) runs along side a train trying to get a retina scan in order to get into a secret IMF box car. Doesn't that sound ridiculous?! I wonder how it looked on paper? Brad Bird made it work. So far, Brad Bird had only directed animation and the list is not that long. But once you see the list of movies he'd directed you can see why Ghost Protocol is so good:
    Along with Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg reprises his role as Benji. Because of the promotion to Field Agent, Benji has a lot more to do in this installment and he's very entertaining to watch. Which proves once again that more Simon Pegg is a good thing. The other IMF agents introduced in Ghost Protocol are Jane (Paula Patton), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Hanaway (Josh Holloway). They face off against a couple of established actors outside of Hollywood. You will know them in the movie as: Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), Sidorov (Vladimir Mashkov), Brij Nath (Anil Kapoor) and Sabine Moreau (Lea Seydoux). Even though the movie revolves around Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, each of the actors listed above were able to bring gravity to their roles. This is a testament of their acting abilities, charisma and Brad Bird's direction.     Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocols has a few twists and turns but it is not tough to follow. The story is actually pretty simple unlike the excellent first Mission: Impossible. The trailer actually gives away the entire plot. This is another movie that proves a good story doesn't necessarily need to be complicated. With that said, I'm not dismissing the first movie, it's just a different type of story with different necessities. The entire movie is engaging. Brad Bird does a masterful job building up the action and setting the tone for danger. The action in Ghost Protocol was carefully staged with very few quick cuts. I was able to follow the insane action sequences. Even the less action packed espionage scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. During the slower character development scenes, I found myself wanting to know more about what each player in the movie had to contribute. Not one scene was wasted. There were a couple of cool and humorous references to the original TV show as well.  I highly recommend Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Go to the IMAX for it if possible. I'm so glad that my brother and Batman persuaded me to go to the IMAX for this one. Parts of the movie was shot with an IMAX camera. The scene where Ethan Hunt was climbing (no stunt double) on the outside of the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai was breath taking. Then there were the on location scenery shots of Prague, Moscow, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Vancouver... they felt like it was lifted from an Omni Theater movie at the Museum of Science in Boston. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to fight the crowds this holiday season at the IMAX and, follow the disavowed IMF team in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.  RATING: 4/5 |
Friday, December 16, 2011
No Regrets
执迷不悔    |
| 執迷不悔 (國語版, Mandarin) 作曲: 袁惟仁 編曲: 唐奕聰 填詞: 王菲 這一次我執著面對 任性地沉醉 我并不在乎 這是錯還是對 就算是深陷 我不顧一切 就算是執迷 我也執迷不悔 別說我應該放棄 應該睜開眼 我用我的心 去看去感覺 你并不是我 又怎么能了解 就算是執迷 (就)讓我執迷不悔 * 我不是你們想的如此完美 我承認有時也會辨不清真偽 并非我不愿意走出迷堆 只是這一次 這次是自己(而)不是誰 # 要我用誰的心去體會 真真切切地感受周圍 就算痛苦 就算是淚 也是屬于我的傷悲 我還能用誰的心去體會 真真切切地感受周圍 就算疲倦 就算是累 也只能執迷(而)不悔 | 執迷不悔 (粵語版, Cantonese) 作曲: 袁惟仁 編曲: 唐奕聰 填詞: 陳少琪 這次我重頭面對 過去和以後 人如何自欺 再不管這對否 人如何不捨 也放開所有 縱墮入深溝 完全不想悔疚 我決意沉迷下去 放眼迎以後 人尋求自尊 你心中感覺否 人如何長久 卻了解不夠 縱獨自飛走 完全不想悔疚 身邊的聲音祝福我的一切 我已聽厭你說我那樣美麗 若付在舊日子不再可貴 我說我這次 要痛快有我的依歸 今天且忍心一聲再會 不須傷心風中依偎 勉強與你 到底終會 在熱烈後變飛灰 今天且忍心笑笑乾杯 可知一天我會蕩回 你縱會說已早改變 獨自夢下去都不悔 |
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Sonic Trololo
Hello Youtubes!  Who knew Trololo would work with Green Hill Zone... I'm at a lost for words. Except... Trolololololo! Here are my two favorite "Mr. Trololo" videos: |
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Melissa Is Still Magical
"Expelliarmus!" "CUP!"  |
Friday, December 9, 2011
This Winter Is Not That Cold
這個冬天不太冷  Along with a goofy demeanor, Jacky Cheung (張學友) has got the goofiest speaking voice I'd ever heard. Surprisingly, he's one of the most talented vocalists not only in Hong Kong but in the world. Out of the Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王) of 90's CantoPop Jacky is my favorite. He has a wide vocal range which allows him to sing in what seems to be inhumanly possible keys. With this gift, Jacky didn't just settle for pop songs, he delved into different genre of music like the blues (which he did a lot of) and opera. He also did some acting and he has talent in that practice as well. You might remember him in The Swordsman (笑傲江湖) acting along side Sam Hui (許冠傑). He won a Golden Horse Award (金馬獎) for best supporting actor in that role. This was Jacky's second award in acting. His first win was a Golden Elephant Award (金像獎, equivalent of the Oscars) for best supporting actor in Wong Kar Wai's (王家衛) As Tears Go By (旺角卡門). This is pretty impressive since Jacky's main focus was singing. In his career as a vocalist, he'd won tons of music awards. So much that I can't remember most of them. Thanks to wikipedia I don't have to: Jacky Cheung's IFPI Awards (partial list)  作曲：學友 填詞：陳少琪 編曲：楊振龍/王雙駿 從來的冷冬 迷濛也是凍 素素世界太灰太沉 令我夜裡沒有一個夢 碰上你我竟不經意不受控 愛上你氣溫也突然為我驟暖 風也未流動＊ 我與你像幻像 長長夜未冷 燈點點放肆閃得更加燦爛 而全城繁星空中千色煙花透射瀰漫＃ 我與你夢著夢 長長夜未冷 相擁中暖暖身體變得怠慢 永遠也懶放開臂彎 濃濃這冷冬 嚴寒卻未凍 猶如春天不歸來沒有夏季愈愛愈嚴重 紅紅這冷冬 霓虹裡亂碰 看到處處太多笑容 令我共你視野都震動 我與你夢著夢 長長夜未冷 只擔心痛快息間變得有限 劇烈地 熱烈地 熱熱地共你告別平淡 我與你夢著夢 長長夜未冷 只擔心痛快息間變得有限 劇烈地 熱烈地 |
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Doctor Who: Sings A Christmas Carol
 Rory, Amy and the Doctor sings a Christmas Carol. Actually, Arthur Darvill, Karen Gillan and Matt Smith are suppose to be themselves and out of character but, I can't really tell. Also, 16 days until Christmas! 16 days until the next Doctor Who Christmas Special. Until then check out the trailer to "The Doctor, The Widow, And The Wardrobe". I'd posted this before but, I didn't post this version. The intro to this one has the Doctor donating his "cool" clothes to Children In Need. Click on the link below to find out more about Children in Need: www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey |
Be Streets Ahead And Save Greendale!
Just take a look at that face in the screen cap above (no, not Jeff's). Would you want Annie to cry? If your answer is "no," please support Greendale Community College. Rumors has it that the college will be closing its doors since the NBC show Community still hasn't gotten word yet on its return. Only half of season 3 has been aired. What will NBC do with the other half? I hope they will air it in Janaury. Help prevent Greendale from closing down. Greendale is the only college that provides education to keep their students "STREETS AHEAD!" Now... how do we save Greendale? I haven't got a clue but, take a look at these videos below: Here's an old Greendale commercial to show you what the College has to offer: (that is Nathan Barnatt aka Keith Apicary with the "Slam Dunk") Reasons why Greendale Community College should stay open. Go ahead, try and find a rebuttal for "POP! POP!" |
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
UFO Sighting: New Bedford, MA
I WANT TO BELIEVE  Orange glowing lights were seen in the night skies from New Bedford, MA to Swansea, MA this past weekend (December 2 - 4, 2011). Witnesses were convinced that these glowing lights are UFO's. I want to believe. But, with anything supernatural or other worldly, I'm always a skeptic first. I believe these lights are Chinese Sky Lanterns. They move the same way and are about the right shape. southcoasttoday.com's coverage on the sightings: Odd airborne lights spark UFO talk in SouthCoast More on the Chinese Sky Lanterns after the "JUMP!" |
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Keith Apicary Underground (Again)
Hello Youtubes!  Keith couldn't get enough of Framingham, MA during his Apicarnage Tour. So, he'll be at Game Underground again on Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 8pm. I believe the charge for the Keith Apicary's Merry Keithmas Show is $10. It'll be one of the funnest 10 bucks you'll spend. Here's the link to the Game Underground Website: GameUnderground Check out the Game Underground December Events Calender for more info (be sure to click on the 18th): Game Underground December Calender Apicarnage 9/18/11: A montage of the Apicarnage U.S. tour. That's us at Game Underground chanting "Keith" at 2:55. You can catch me and RFBlues in the video if you look close enough. Don't know who Keith Apicary is? Don't worry! This video will help with your Keithducation: Links: Game Underground's Website: game-underground.com Talking Classics's Youtube Channel: TalkingClassics Talking Classics on Screwattack.com: talking-classics |
Friday, December 2, 2011
Doctor Who: River Song's Story
"SPOILERS!"
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Come Back Home
歸來吧  At the height of Priscilla Chan's (陳慧嫻) career, she disappeared from the Hong Kong pop industry and there were much controversy about her leave of absence. She ended up attending Boston University and, according to Priscilla she was fulfilling her promise to her parents of furthering her education. You can check out a bit of the story in my post over at Groggy Robot: Retrospective: Thousand Songs of the Setting Sun  namezzyzx The beginning of the song seemed to have been cut in this upload. The lip sync seems to be off. I don't remember if the video was originally like this or not. MrMusical1980 This is the first time I'd seen this video. 作詞：鄭國江 作曲：陳小霞 編曲：趙增熹 月亮下 想到他 默默地 珠淚下 記起多少舊情話 每段往事升起沉下 看流雲 不說話 寂寞吧 苦悶吧 想起當天 月明下 兩人含笑道傻話 * 心裡的他 快歸來吧 這裡才是快樂老家 轉載來自 魔鏡歌詞網 幾番離合再相敘 成功 挫敗 懶管它 悲哀因有他 快樂為有他 跟他受苦也罷 * 他知道否 我在想他 Repeat * 他呀他 那日歸家 心裡的他 快歸來吧 這裡才是快樂老家 Ga Le Ung Ah Ga Le Ung Ah 這裡才是快樂老家 Ga Le Ung Ah Ga Le Ung Ah 這裡才是快樂老家 咖 哩 牛 腩 飯 (Curried Beef Brisket on Rice)!  |
Thursday, December 1, 2011
War Horse
After watching the trailer for War Horse I thought it was going to be a sappy Oscar bait type of movie. Why did I doubt Steven Spielberg? I have no idea. Why did I doubt a Steven Spielberg war movie? I don't know. Why did I doubt the movie after seeing that beautifully shot sequence in the beginning of the trailer when the horse is running through No Man's Land? I must have been super cynical that day. My preconceptions for War Horse were shattered after watching the advance screening. War Horse is a majestic movie about the First World War told through the perspective of a horse named Joey. This type of story telling allowed Steven Spielberg to shoot the movie in new creative ways. Like that one zoomed in shot of Joey's eye in the trailer, where you see the reflection of the girl opening a barn door. That was not an effects shot, it was a practical shot! I found this out during the Q&A session with Steven Spielberg via satellite (he was at the Empire AMC Theater in New York City) after the advance screening. One of the questions asked was how many CG shots were used in the movie? Surprisingly, he only did three CG sequences and, that was only for the safety of the horses. He made sure that all the horses were safe and comfortable during shooting. Steven Spielberg went on to say that he had been living with horses for 14 years and he was surprised by their level of intelligence and loyalty. He wanted to be able to show these qualities on film. Spielberg also noticed how horses tend to have an acute awareness of human emotions and that was definitely well represented in the movie.  Steven Spielberg's War Horse is an adaptation of the book with the same name written by Michael Morpurgo. In between shooting Tin Tin, Spielberg had 10 months of free time and decided to make War Horse after being inspired by the stage play and the book. According to Spielberg, he wanted to translate the emotional aspect of the book onto film. There were moments in the movie which were extended from the book. The part with the two young German soldiers deserting the war was fleshed out more in order to add on the connection between the horses with their human counterparts. There is no question as to why Steven Spielberg is a master of his art. The parallels drawn between human and animal as they go through the brutality of combat and the discovery of humanity within each other is literal but yet, he does it in a way that is not heavy handed. The story and the characters felt organic and earned every single bit of emotion drawn from the audience. This to me is very important, if I felt like I was blatantly manipulated, I'll come out of the movie feeling cheated and my impression of the movie will not last. It's been a few days since I watched War Horse and I'm still thinking about it.  The journey that Joey goes through in the movie is a very familiar one. We had seen it before in movies like the original Star Wars trilogy or, if we go further back to an even older story, The Odyssey. It is the classic story of a "hero's journey". Once I recognized this while watching War Horse, I feared what was to come for the last act. In a "hero's journey", the hero either dies or find his/her way home. Sometimes, "home" is a metaphor for death ("death" can also be a representation for change). No matter what the outcome is, the hero is changed. But we are getting ahead of ourselves... The movie begins with Joey's birth and then it goes on to develop his friendship with Albert (Jeremy Irvine). They go through a bunch of hardship while living on Albert's family's farm but that doesn't compare to what was installed for Joey later in the story. His adventure begins when he gets enlisted into the British army as part of a cavalry. He meets a black stallion named Topthorn in the cavalry stables and they become brothers in arms throughout the rest of the story. It's amazing how Spielberg is able to represent the themes of brotherhood and loyalty through Joey and Topthorn. Joey is the factor that connects all the different characters in the story and through his point of view, we get to see how these characters are affected by the ugliness of war. Even with the harsh story setting in War Horse, the movie is filmed in a way that it's suitable for all audiences (with some discretion of course). The subject matter of war is still kept brutally honest but, handled with creativity and skill. Deaths were handled off screen and gore was absent. This did not diminish the importance of the sacrifices made because of the war. In a way, this made the causalities a lot more tragic since the graphic shock value was not there to distract me. Within this honesty it also made the benevolence and the hope shining through the indomitable spirits of the horses so much more beautiful and heartbreaking. With this said, War Horse is grounded in reality. There was never a moment when Joey winks at the audience or possess any magical abilities.  War Horse was filmed with a wide lens which makes the movie feel old fashioned. Spielberg also did not shy away from the grainy quality of film. He left them in the movie because he felt that film grain makes the movie seem alive (I have to agree). The cinematography was excellent and well... majestic. Spielberg wanted the scenery of the movie... "the land to be a character in the movie" and with the help of the director of photography, Janusz Kaminski, he was able to accomplish this. John Williams score was just as beautiful and heartbreaking as the rest of the movie. Steven Spielberg and John Williams goes together like bread and butter. The acting was excellent as well. There are a few somewhat familiar faces, if you are familiar with British television and movies. Here are some names you might recognize:
 The trailer opens with a horse running through a war zone, dodging artillery fire and wanton destruction, determined to find a way home. A valiant spirit representing hope rushing through a bullet ridden night during the brutal warfare of the First Great War. That sequence is the most beautiful film moment I had seen this year and, it is quite possibly one of the most awe-inspiring sequence caught on film. When the story got to that point shown in the trailer, it was exhilarating and very moving. I was afraid that the horse wouldn't make it past between the trenches of No Man's Land. The audience was cheering for Joey to be able to make his journey home but, as I said before War Horse is set in reality and Joey... I'm not going to give it away! In order to find out you'll have to go watch the movie (or you can find spoilers online). I highly recommend War Horse. I know I had "highly recommended" movies on this blog before but, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WAR HORSE! There is something in this movie for everyone. It seems as though Steven Spielberg is the only director alive who is able to speak to every demographic through his film making. It could be because his films are honest enough to the audience also, his creativity behind the camera doesn't hurt either. Once War Horse hits U.S. theaters officially on December 25, 2011, I'll be there for my second viewing. It's on my favorite movies list.  RATING: 5/5 |
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