Memoir Monday

I looked up at the clear sky, and saw how the sun was hiding toward the horizon . It wasn't hot or cold, just the perfect warm temperature after a usual sunny day. The harsh waves that massaged the sand caught my attention, "Why haven't you ask to go for a walk on the beach? You always ask", I suddenly asked my mom. "Well, it hadn't come to my mind... Do you want to go?", she replied with little surprise at first. Sure, why not? I thought, me wanting to walk through the beach with my mom doesn't happen everyday.
As our delicate feet walked on the soft grayish sand, and the waves occasionally kiss our tip toes, we talk, we share, we laugh, and see a couple of fish drawn by tide to the shore. It felt so good, a feeling of comfortableness, a feeling that draw me to her, and made us tighter, the feeling of mother and daughter spending time together...
I enjoy every second that goes by in these moments, and it has showed to me that if we both try hard enough, each time we would make it better and better. I wish that it could be like this at least most of the time...

Avatar

Movie review

In the movies, like in real life, people consider themselves superior than others because of skin color, economic or social issues. But once you think about it, we are all human beings, no more or less than each other. So why do some of us think that we are more superior? They go around calling some people “savages” and destroying where they live without thinking that those people that are being destroyed are the equal to them… The movie Avatar produced and directed by James Cameron highlights this issue.

There is a certain resource that is plentiful in Pandora – a jungle-covered planet where indigenous Na’vi people live—and the U.S government wants it. They had a plan of going there and take the resource, but first they had to follow a program. The program consisted of creating an Avatar – humanoid raze – that looked exactly like the Na’vi people, so that the scientists that studied the tribe could connect with the Avatar body and control it with their minds.

They’ll go to Pandora to learn about the indigenous people and interact with them so that they could manage a way to persuade them to move. Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) was part of that plan. He was a paraplegic ex-marine who had to take his dead brother’s important job. He didn’t know much about the Na’vi, but he did know that the government and Colonel Miles Quarithch (Stephen Lang) team would en up taking down the sacred tree down because it was in the rich area of the resource.

Once Jake went to Pandora with the company of Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver), he was happier because he could run, walk, clime, and do so many things that he was unable to do on Earth. In his first trip, he meets Neytiri (Zoe Soldana) who was the tribe chief’s daughter. She had received a message from Ewya – the goddess that the Na’vi believed in—so the Omaticayan tribe decided to teach everything to Jake. Everything was going great for the government’s plan…

Soon, Jake was turning into part of the Omaticaya tribe; he had learned what he was supposed to and… He had fallen in love with Neytiri.

One day, Jake and Neytiri were sleeping in the jungle next to the sacred tree, when suddenly they hear and see that the machines were destroying the sacred tree! The government had started their plan… Soon, the machines got to the home tree and forced everyone out while they bombed and destroyed it. Jake didn’t have much more to do but to confess that he knew this was going to happen and that he had once agreed on the plan, until he fell in love with Neytiri and learned about the tribe. Obviously Neytiri was angry and disappointed. But they had to stop this craziness first! And the only one that could save them was Jake… And he knew it.

James Cameron made this film so real and easy to believe that people could get to connect and be convinced that everyday you can travel to other planet. It obviously is very original, too, like nothing we have ever seen before. We can certainly see the hard work that James Cameron has been working on since 1996. Watching Avatar is like being transported to a new planet, a new world, a new dimension. James Cameron’s creation brings you into the movie with realistic looking creatures, exotic jungles, environments, and so much that you won’t imagine! Avatar is full of surprises around every corner without expectations, and the best of all is that it jumps out at you with the 3D effect!

This movie is not just talking about the environment, but about creatures and machines. James Cameron not only gives the fiction genre but also gives realism enough so you could believe in fantasy. To all people that are ready to believe in fantasy, this is your perfect movie!

Join us in the Tea Party, Again…

Another of Tim Burton’s great 3D Fantasy production coming up in March 2010, Alice in Wonderland is a film that you cannot miss! We all know how spectacular and fantastic Tim Burton’s movies are, we can highly remember The Corps Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Night Before Christmas and more, I’m telling you that you will surely not forget this one!

But as we know Tim Burton, we should know what to expect… We would know that this one it’s not going to be the same old story… This time around we are talking about an all grown Alice Kingsley (Mia Wasikowska) who wanted to escape from reality, and accidentally fell in the rabbit hole, for the second time… Once she gets to Wonderland again she founds out that it wasn’t exactly the same as it was the last time she came. She helps the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) to fight the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) with the help of the White Queen (Anne Hathaway).

This Walt Disney Pictures adaption from Lewis Caroll’s Alice in Wonderland , is full of suprises on every side. The cast includes Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter who had been in different films, I found that interesting because, first, these are two really good actors and, second, Tim Burton gets to know them better and so they know how to do their job because they know how the director likes it. This is good because when the films comes out they are over all our expectations.

With all that said… Why not watch another of the fantastic Tim Burton production’s Alice in Wonderland? Jump with Alice into the rabbit and don’t wait more!

Would you ever kiss a Frog?

Movie Review for The Princess and the Frog

Princesses, villains, magic, true love and happy endings are what every fairytale film is all about, and we love it, don’t we? Well, you are about to meet Disney’s lastest fairytale that you would more than love! The Princess and the Frog. This film, which is very different from Disney’s traditional fairytales, such as Snow White, Cinderella and Little Mermaid is unique because it has an inspirational theme mixed with hard work, trouble and true love.

Tiana, is a typical New Orleans hard-working girl, who always shared the dream of owning a restaurant with her father. Since she was a little girl both of them dreamed of serving their famous gombo in their New Orleans restaurant. When Tiana’s father died, Tiana’s desire to pursue her dream became more powerful. With her two jobs to keep out with, she worked long and hard to earn enough money so she could buy the place of her dreamed restaurant. However; someone out bid her and threw her plans of track…

“There is no way in the whole wide world that I would ever, ever NEVER kiss a frog! Ew”, Tiana used to say when her mom read The Prince Frog to her and her rich friend Charlotte when they were little. Charlotte loved that story and wished to kiss a frog and become his prince, but not Tiana… She was disgusted by the idea and ironically she was the one who ended up doing the kissing… When Prince Naveen from Maldonia asked her to kiss him because he had a spell that the Shadow Man -- the voodoo magician, Doctor Facilier—had put on him and the only way to fix was to kiss a real princess… But when Tiana kiseed the frog, she turned into one!

With both Naveen and Tiana desperate to go back to their human form, they turn for help to 197-year-old Mama Odie with the company of Louis – a jazz-loving alligator—and a lovesick firefly called Ray. Mama Odie tells Tiana and Naveen that Naveen needs to kiss a princess before midnight so that they could go back to normal, and Charlotte was perfect for that job because she was the carnival queen. As they got back, Naveen and Tiana discover that both of them shared a pretty unexpected new feeling about each other, but they had to concentrate to get things back to normal first…

In my opinion, this 2D animation film is different and original from the previous Disney movies, obviously because of the characteristics of how it was made and because the plot is completely original and includes the first African-american princess. The Princess and the Frog is not the same old princess looking for her prince charming and once she finds him, they live happily ever after; this one has adventure, struggles and action through out the whole film, and it still fits into the princess and prince fairytale category.

The Princess and the Frog has clever villians, attention-dragging obstacles, lots of creativity and love. I strongly recommend it for audience of all ages because everyone enjoys a Disney princess fairytale, right? This one more than the others! Trust me.

Living Between Reality and Wonderland

Movie Review on Phoebe in Wonderland

Join the tea party! Get into the world of wonderland that Phoebe (Elle Fanning) gets us in to. This entertaining movie gives you a warm feeling of magic without even noticing while little Phoebe tries to deal the real world and her imagination at the same time. It’s like living in wonderland but in a more realistic way!

Phoebe Lichten – a nine year-old girl – is not like any other kid; she suffers from tourette syndrome. She has always lived in wonderland due to her mother who was writing a dissertation about wonderland. Let’s say that that Phoebe had a different way of thinking and believing things; unfortunately no one looked at it that way. Her little sister Olivia (Bailee Madison) couldn’t stand her, her insecure mother (Felicity Huffman) wanted to send her to psychiatrist, and her dad (Bill Pullman) thought that it was too much to handle.

Phoebe joined the school play of Alice in Wonderland directed by the drama teacher Ms. Dodger (Patricia Clarkson). Phoebe relaxed and felt normal while she was on stage, however, her impulsive speech and behavior might have gotten a little out of control, and took away the one thing that she wanted the most...

You can feel the magic of the moment when Phoebe takes you to wonderland. When she enters “wonderland”, like Phoebe, you feel release of tension when you are in this magical place.

Not only do you connect with the character, but understand the problem of living with tourette syndrome. When Phoebe spits on a girl --when her classmates blamed her for killing the pet-- there is tension and stress, as a result with no control she spat on her classmate. I felt that I kind of understood why uncontrollably she spat, because I connected with the character.

Happiness, tension, joy and drama: so many emotions in only one film. You get to know the character pretty well that you go through the same feelings as they do. Phoebe in wonderland gives a delightful entertainment that will leave you wanting for more!