Category Archives: Movies & Multimedia

Saving Mr. Banks: The Making of Mary Poppins

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Saving_Mr_Banks_posterI recently saw the Saving Mr. Banks movie and I thought it was fascinating! I feel that what this movie unveils is unprecedented in the multimedia world because it actually takes you into the making of the movie. However, the movie was really more about the author of Mary Poppins, and her struggles in maintaining control over her story in the film making process. I read the original Mary Poppins this past summer, and I was shocked at how different the book is from the Julie Andrew’s nanny figure we all know.

First of all, how does one put music to a book? That is amazing that the Walt Disney musicians could actually make the book into a musical‼ In the movie, P.L. Travers (played in this film by Emma Thompson) explicitly states no singing or dancing in her movie. But by the end of the process, well… let’s just say that she was inspired. You’ll have to watch the movie to see what happens!

The most important part of Mary Poppins is not the Mary Poppins character, however- it’s Mr. Banks, the father of the Banks children whom Mrs. Poppins watches over. The movie really went into the depth of Mrs. Travers’ childhood inspiration. Throughout the movie, Mrs. Travers has flashbacks to her childhood and it is revealed to the viewer the hardships her family underwent. In the current time of the movie- around the 1960s- it was very common for authors to take a pen name, especially ones that did not reveal their gender. P.L. Travers adopted her father’s name as her own because it is obvious that she greatly loved and respected him. During a few flashbacks, her father tells her to never stop dreaming despite her mother’s practicality. Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) tries desperately to understand why this woman is so hard to please in the movie room-all of their suggestions fail in the eyes of Mrs. Travers. Towards the end of the movie, Walt shows up at Mrs. Travers’ apartment in England, where he shows her that Mary Poppins is family to him also. He finally connects Mrs. Travers’ father to Mr. Banks and understands why she was having such trouble with their portrayal of him.

I love how Emma Thompson portrays this abrupt, posh English author. She does such a phenomenal job at showing the transition from this uptight woman into a fun, emotional lady at the end of the movie. I can easily connect P.L. Travers to Mary Poppins, because they are both proper, British, and inwardly kind. I really enjoyed the movie and the “behind the scenes” of one of the most classic stories of all time.

-Kelsey H., 10th grade

Movie Review: The Hobbit Part 2: The Desolation of Smaug

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hobbit_smaug_posterLast month, The Hobbit Part 2: The Desolation of Smaug was released into theaters. The movie was a continuation of An Unexpected Journey and set the stage for the next and final installment of The Hobbit trilogy. Since The Hobbit was such a short book but the film was split into a trilogy, much was added into the film that was not a part of the book.

—Spoilers below!!!—

The movie begins with Thorin sitting in a pub and two bounty hunters attempting to kill him. They are however stopped by the presence of Gandalf. Gandalf convinces Thorin that he can reclaim the mountain but Thorin claims that the only way he can unite his company of dwarves is by regaining the Arkenstone which is guarded amongst others treasures by Smaug, the dragon under the mountain. Thorin and company journey to the mountain, however Gandalf leaves them to attend to more pressing matters. He senses a darkness that he discovers to be the Necromancer. He also finds that Necromancer has been leading the orcs.

Meanwhile, Thorin and company make their way through the Mirkwood forest, where they are captured by giant spiders and later freed by Bilbo. The company is soon captured by elves. Legolas was added to the plot as well as a new elf, Tauriel. Tauriel is a “non-canon” character that is captain of the guard for the palace of Thranduil. It is revealed by Thranduil that Legolas has feelings for Tauriel but he forbids his son to marry someone of her status so he tells her to discourage his feelings for her. It is also revealed that Kili, the dwarf, falls for Tauriel.

Bilbo avoids capture with aid of the ring and frees Thorin and company. They escape the palace in barrels but Kili is shot in the leg by an orc and is badly injured for the rest of the movie. Legolas and Tauriel leave the place to pursue the orcs. Once out of the palace grounds, Thorin and company seek assistance from Bard, another “non-canon” character who is a resident from Laketown and a descendent to the bowman that tried to take down Smaug long ago. Bard takes them to Laketown to get weapons and restore themselves in order to continue their journey. The dwarves promise to share the riches of the mountain with the residents of Laketown and they leave to get them. Kili is left behind because his injury is too deliberating and Fili and Bofur stay behind as well.

Tauriel and Legolas reach Laketown just in time to save the town from orcs but Tauriel stays behind to heal Kili. Thorin and company finally reach the mountain and Bilbo is sent to reclaim the Arkenstone. Biblo retrieves the Arkenstone but does not tell Thorin out of fear of his corruption. They try and kill Smaug by drowning him in melted gold but he escapes and the movie ends with Smaug going to seek revenge on Laketown.

Disney’s Frozen vs. Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen

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frozen_movie_posterDisney has remade many classics fairy tales into movies. Their latest animated feature is based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story, “The Snow Queen.” Disney spun this tale into their newest movie, Frozen.

WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW!

In Andersen’s version, the story focuses on the relationships between two childhood friends, Kay and Gerda. In the story, trolls send an evil mirror down to Earth and it breaks into pieces and a piece of it lands in Kay’s heart which will turn his heart into a lump of ice. A piece also lands in his eye, making him aware of all of the world’s imperfections. A few nights later when it is snowing he sees the Snow Queen but she quickly fades away. The next day the Snow Queen steals him away and Gerda goes on a search to find him. The Snow Queen is made out to be the villain and Gerda, the hero. She finds Kay blue as ice and dying. Gerda’s cries and her hot tears melt the ice in his heart and Kay begins to cry, too, and the mirror comes out of his eye. The story ends when they go home and summer begins.

Disney’s adaptation, Frozen, is a much more emotional tale. It is a story of sisters, Anna and Elsa of Arendelle. The girls were best friends as children but Elsa had a secret: she had ice powers that she could not control. Once, when playing with Anna, she accidentally struck ice into her head. Their parents rushed her to the trolls and they wiped her memory of her sister’s powers and that saved her life. Elsa was from then on, forced to keep her distance from Anna to protect her. The two became estranged and enclosed. Their parents closed the gate to their castle to shelter their children. They soon after passed away, leaving Elsa to the throne. The castle is reopened for the first time in years for Elsa’s coronation. Elsa becomes nervous and accidentally reveals her powers in front of the kingdom and sets off an eternal winter. She runs away and Anna goes to find her. She tries to convince her sister to come home and bring summer back. They begin to argue and Elsa accidentally strikes Anna in the heart with ice and only an action of true love can save her.

I personally preferred Disney’s rendition of “The Snow Queen.” The movie was heart warming and magical. It brought so much emotion into the story and gave it a depth that the original story lacked. It quickly became one of my favorite Disney movies. The animation and the soundtrack to the movie were phenomenal. The cast was flawless and the film was absolutely fantastic! I’d recommend everyone to see it!

-Sarah B., 12th grade

Movie Review & Book List: Gravity, with Sandra Bullock & George Clooney

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gravity_posterRecently I watched the movie Gravity in which Sandra Bullock and George Clooney are the main characters. In the beginning Sandra and George are in a space station. They are just doing routine check ups on the ship until they get a warning. The warning says that a foreign satellite broke and pieces of it are moving rapidly across the atmosphere. It was going to hit them! Sure enough it hits the ship and SPOILER ALERT—- kills George and another guy on the ship. Sandra is the only survivor, but does she have the equipment to get home? Will she ever see her home again?

I personally thought that this movie wasn’t dynamic enough. Example, in the trailer it was full of action, but the movie was filled with action for 15 minutes. The rest of the movie after the ship wreck was very dull and boring. But many people older than me thought this movie was very engaging and fun. All I know is it didn’t appeal to me. I wouldn’t say don’t see it. But I would say do not waste your money to watch it in theater. Just wait for it to come on dvd. I think many people of my age group, 7-15 years, would find this movie to be boring, because most people my age like action. But is you are not the total-action type or the Avengers kind you might have an interest in watching this movie.

All in all I would rate this movie a 6.5/10. It lacked many things to my mind. Gravity disappointed me… but just in case you’re a fan and would like some book recommendations that pair well with this movie, I recommend the following:

  • Space, by Roger Reid
    Fourteen-year-old Jason accompanies his father to the annual reunion of long-time science colleagues at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and finds himself involved in a dangerous and complicated mystery.
  • Geronimo Stilton #52: Mouse in Space!
    When an evil professor begins threatening New Mouse City with terrible inventions, Geronimo Stilton is enlisted by local authorities to embark on a top-secret mission to outer space to thwart a nefarious plot.
  • Space Pilot Connor Grant, by Todd Templeman
    In a future that embraces humanity’s desire to explore and exploit the Solar System, raiding pirates have managed to hide their enormous strange base somewhere inside it. Space Pilot Connor Grant is about to learn just how immense it can be out there.

-Satej B., 7th grade

Looking Forward to The Fault In our Stars Movie

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fault_in_our_stars_coverWe’ve all read and fallen in love with the book, but will the movie live up to our expectations? John Green’s bestselling novel The Fault In Our Stars is finally being made into a movie, set to hit theaters on June 6, 2014.

Award-winning actress Shailene Woodley has been cast to play the main character, Hazel Grace, and Augustus Waters is being portrayed by the actor Ansel Elgort, and although he isn’t as famous or well known as Shailene, he seems to fit the role just as well. And of course, many of us remember him from the Nickelodeon TV show “The Naked Brothers Band,” Nat Wolff is going to be playing Augustus’ best friend, Isaac. With this cast performing as the main characters, it’s sure to be a hit.

Not to mention author John Green has been tweeting his anticipation for the movie since it began filming. Updating us with pictures, videos, and tweets on set, it’s clear he is as excited as the rest of us.

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I think The Fault in Our Stars will be quite similar to the Perks of Being a Wallflower movie. Although the two books are completely different, they both reached a wide audience and perfected the cast and movie and gave the fans of the book something to be happy with (which is usually very rare). All in all, the movie will no doubt be a success, and I am very much looking forward to seeing it.

-Sara S., 10th grade

Movie Review: Iron Man 3

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ironman3_posterThis movie starts in Switzerland. When Tony Stark is in the elevator to exit the building on New Year’s Eve, he meets a guy, Kingsley, with a new idea. So Tony told Kingsley that he will meet him on the roof of the building. Tony leaves the man standing there waiting without showing up. Then thirteen years later Tony Stark takes his titanium suit as a hobby. Kingsley returns with years of therapy and tells Pepper, Tony’s girlfriend, about his excellent idea about redeveloping the brain to recover itself almost instantly. Pepper comments that it would be a great change, but it may be used for very harmful things, and refuses to work with Kingsley…

I think that this amazing movie is fun for older kids and is very entertaining. This movie is very adventurous and intense. I believe that this movie is perfect for every kind of child, 10 and older, and adults. If you enjoyed the first two Iron Man movies, go see this one, based on the Marvel comics.

-Samantha S., 7th grade