Magnificent Maleficent

Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie, takes a new view on the Sleeping Beauty story from the life of Maleficent the fairy. This is much like the musical “Wicked” which tells the story of the Wizard of Oz from the life of the Wicked Witch. Everything about this movie just screamed awesome. The special effects, the cinematography, and the acting were all spot on.

The magical forest. Home to Maleficent and all of the magical creatures. Almost the entire forest was computer generated but it looked as real as ever. The detail that was put into the creatures of the forest was incredible. They didn’t cut any corners when making this movie. Even with the smallest of fairies, you could still see every wrinkle, every smile, and every movement clear as day. And watching as Maleficent soars across the water and watching it ripple or as she flies through the sky breaking through clouds was nothing less than breath taking. Everything in this film looked as real as anything I’ve ever seen.

The camera angles, and lighting were also just as superb. Everything just seemed natural. It didn’t like I was even watching a movie. More that I was actually experiencing everything that was happening. The lighting for the movie was great. When it was bright, it wasn’t too bright and when it was dark, it wasn’t pitch black. But the low light scenes are what really got me. In the castle, where most of the low lighting scenes took place, the amber lights from the torches never clashed with the casting lights and blended right in. And when Maleficent’s forest was dark, they added soothing, yet eerie purple orbs of light all over the place to give the scene an ominous but peaceful feel.

The acting was as spot on as the rest of the movie. Angelina Jolie was truly born to play the role of Maleficent. She was sweet and kind but strong and vengeful while still keeping her wisdom. And she wasn’t the only amazing actor. Copley played a proud, but paranoid king who will stop at nothing to destroy Maleficent. Fanning played an innocent and beautiful (if you can get past her blonde hair and brown eyebrows) but strong Aurora. And Riley played a obedient yet free spirited Diaval (The crow).  Even the small actors in this movie did an amazing job.

This movie is one of the best non-animated Disney movies that I believe has ever been made. The acting, special effects and the cinematography were just plain incredible. You could really tell that the actors and the director put a lot of time into this movie and It couldn’t have been any better. 10/10 for sure.

The Equalizer

Fast paced action, sweet close-up slow motion shots, and a terrific story make The Equalizer starring Denzel Washington a must see for any action or drama movie lover. Unlike some action movies that tend to lean on long intense gun fights or action sequences to make up for a lack in story, The Equalizer has an amazing story to accompany the awesome action sequences viewers will undoubtedly take away from this movie. Another thing this film does well in is taking its time to explain the plot and each character. It doesn't skimp on any part of the story, especially the characters. The Equalizer explains in detail each main character and some of the sub-main characters and how they fit into the movie. By the end of the movie, if you pay attention, you can pick out each character and tell what their role is in the movie, even if the names are a little hard to pronounce.

The story flows throughout the whole movie and never leaves you bored and looking for the exit of the theater. It will make you feel connected to the characters, even some of the minor ones. The Equalizer is great at keeping you on the edge of your seat. Camera work is a big part of why I gave this movie a 9/10. The camera will get close-up during certain scenes and gives a perfect sense of symbolism. It makes great use of "power shots" when the camera is facing upwards at a character giving the sense of superior power. It also makes amazing use of dramatic shots, especially with Washington's character. You will see my favorite shot in the entire movie near the end (Don't worry, no spoilers) When it zooms close-up on Washington's face and slows down the role to show the water falling on and off of his face and head. That shot gave me chills.

The only bad thing I have to say about this movie is that you never really find out what Washington's character did before this movie took place. You find out what kind of connections he has but nothing more. But at the same time, I did like that sense of mystery around his character. It worked perfectly for the movie.

The Equalizer is a must see even if you don't particularly like action movies. There is a terrific enough story to keep anyone interested in this movie. Denzel Washington never seems to disappoint. Definitely earns 9/10.

Hope you enjoyed this review and my first blog post, Nation.
-Pat A. Sands