Sarah Bolger's film Emelie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Thursday, April 16. I was lucky enough to get rush tickets and see it. The whole cast attended and there was a Q&A after the film.

Plot
After their regular babysitter can’t make it, the Thompson family turns to her friend Anna to supervise the children while they go out to celebrate their anniversary. At first Anna seems like a dream come true for the kids, as she allows them to play with things that are usually off-limits. But, as her behavior becomes increasingly odd, the kids soon find out that her intentions are dark and twisted, and that she is not Anna at all.

Understanding that the scariest villains have relatable motivations, director Michael Thelin imbues realism into this story and its characters. As the sitter’s emotional wreckage comes to the surface, the children react in the only way they know how. Emelie’s slow burning first act soon escalates dramatically into a multidimensional, nail-biting thriller.
https://tribecafilm.com/filmguide/emelie-2015

( Thoughts on the film WITH SPOILERSCollapse )

( Q&ACollapse )


( photo with SarahCollapse )

I got my EW Fall Movie preview. Here are the movies I'm interested in seeing whether it be in the theater or Netflix:

The Maze Runner - 9/19
Tracks - 919
Jimi: All Is By My Side - 9/26
Gone Girl - 10/3
The Good Lie - 10/3
The Book of Life - 10/17
Horns - 10/31
Interstellar - 11/7
The Theory of Everything - 11/7
The Hunger Games Mockingjay pt 1 - 11/21
The Imitation Game - 11/21
Wild - 12/5
The Hobbit The Battle of the Five Armies - 12/17
Into the Woods - 12/25
Unbroken - 12/25

May
10th - The Great Gatsby
17th - Star Trek Into Darkness

June
14th - The Bling Ring
Man of Steel


Wow, only four movies to see this summer. Hollywood is going to hate me.

NaNo is done. I got 8809 words, which is pathetic. But at least I tried.

The Cripple of Inishmaan by Martin McDonagh



Synopsis:
Set on the small Aran Islands community of Inishmaan off the Western Coast of Ireland, c. 1934, the inhabitants are excited to learn of a Hollywood film crew's arrival in neighbouring Inishmore to make a documentary about life on the islands. "Cripple" Billy Claven, eager to escape the gossip, poverty and boredom of Inishmaan, vies for a part in the film, and to everyone's surprise, the orphan and outcast gets his chance.

( Dark Comedy? More like a tragedyCollapse )

Summary
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway: a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Has anyone ever read this book? I loved it. The story is creative and enchanting. Every character was interesting to read about. I enjoyed how the chapters were short, jumped to different points in time, and showed different points of view. The book was written in a poetic way, and the descriptions of the circus made me able to picture everything in my head. I read there's already a script being written. I can't wait to see this on the big screen because it will be really pretty to see.

The Sorting Hat placed me in Hufflepuff. I am shocked! I thought I'd be in Slytherin, but I was really hoping for Gryffindor. Ha.

I just signed up to Pottermore. My username is ErisedWillow31386. I can't wait to be sorted. I'm afraid of being a Slytherin.

I finished the series! I'm still trying to process everything I read. A lot happened in the book. So much happened during the war. I liked the book. I think it can make a good movie.

My spoilerish thoughts right now are

( Here it's safe, and here it's warm Here the daisies guard you from every harm Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true Here is the place where I love youCollapse )

Okay Chapter 7 through 9 of Mockinjay are so damn sad. I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes. The moment where Katniss visits the hospital, when she sings to the mockinjays....they're both beautiful moments, but realistic and heartbreaking.

*SOME SPOILERS*


I finished the second book. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm trying to decide if I liked it even more than the first book.

It was good to see what life is like in the other Districts and how the citizens are getting pissed. My favorite part was when Katniss and Peeta went to District 11 and made the speech to Rue and Thresh's families. But it was ruined when the Capital shot everyone. The Capital is really sadistic to send a "pregnant" lady into an arena, I have to add. I really liked the brilliant idea among the victors to search for a way out of the arena rather than fighting to the death. I LOVE Finnick. Someone on ONTD said Garrett Hedlund should play him. Now I can't get the idea out of my head and will be disappointed when he doesn't get it.


( My FinnickCollapse )

The cliffhanger was great. It reminded me of the end of Empire Strikes Back when Han is taken and Luke has to rescue him. I had a feeling the tributes would try to escape the arena, but I had no idea the Gamemaker would be on their side. I liked the clock detail being of more importance once in the arena.

I unfortunately read a spoiler on wikipedia about Finnick's fate and now I'm pissed that I know where his story is going.

There was so much information in this book. I'm curious how it's going to transfer to the screen. I'm afraid they're going to end up cutting a lot of scenes :(

Gale still needs to be developed more, though. I really want to see him and Peeta bond.

I watched the Dark Shadows trailer and am HUGELY disappointed.



They turned my beloved show into a comedy :( I know the original one had funny parts because bugs would fly around, crew members could be heard dropping things, and actors would flub their lines, but none of that was intentional. I was highly anticipating Dark Shadows, but now I am not going to watch it. Maybe if I had not been a big fan of the original series then the movie would've been OK? But the remake does not capture the tone of the original at all Depp claims to be a fan. I'm not sure about Burton, but you'd think Depp would've told his buddy that their project was turning out all wrong. They should've made Dark Shadows a scary thriller. The sad thing is, now when people talk of Dark Shadows they're going to immediately think of the ridiculous remake rather than the classic 1966 series.

'Dark Shadows' Trailer Is More Funny Than Creepy. But Will It Be Good?

Minor Spoilers

I finished The Hunger Games last night. It took about two days to read it. I enjoyed it a lot, obviously. I like all the main characters so far. Katniss is a cool heroine. I really liked Rue and Peeta. Poor Peeta. The whole time he really loved Katniss, and at the end he became convinced she only returned affection because it was part of the game. Someone needs to hug that boy.
I wasn't sure how both Katniss and Peeta would survive the games in the end. I thought they'd convince the other Tributes to ban together and basically say F-U to the Capital. But the berry part was a good bluff on K/P's part. I like how in this book the characters actually lose something. Katniss lost her hearing for a while and Peeta lost his leg. There are sacrifices made unlike another series involving vampires.
The wolf part made me say, "They DID NOT just go there." I thought they turned the dead Tributes into wolves. I don't think that's the case anymore, but that part made me think the book was really going into sci-fi territory.

I look forward to reading the next two books and seeing what the HG world is like away from the games. I also want to see Gale developed more.

Now I'm excited for the movie. I think the film can be really good because when reading the book it was easy to visualize the games.

I just read that JK Rowling is going to publish another novel. This time it's for adults. I'm really excited to read it. I have no idea what the plot will be, but I really like how she told the Harry Potter story. She has a very creative mind, so I'm sure this new story is going to be fantastic.

http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/j-k-rowling-to-publish-first-adult-novel_b47473

I saw The Woman in Black last night.



It's a spooky movie. I need to see it again. I admit, I didn't expect to be scared because the trailer wasn't that freaky to me, but I did end up jumping a few times and covered my eyes two or three times.

( During afternoon tea there's a shift in the air, a bone trembling chill that tells you she's there. There are those who believe the whole town is cursed, but the house in the marsh is by far the worst. What she wants is unknown, but she always comes back. The specter of darkness. The woman in blackCollapse )

So basically, if you don't like scary movies that rely on gore, if you prefer scary movies like The Others or The Shining, I would recommend The Woman In Black

My friend spg_spn_girls and wildpages created a new graphics community tasteislife. They're great artists, and are looking for other makers, so feel free to apply/join/watch the community.

Last night I went to a screening for Country Strong with my sister (Stephanie), and Garrett Hedlund was the surprise guest <3. BEST. SURPRISE. EVER!

I knew he was in NYC, but I didn't want to get my hopes up that he'd come to the screening.

A former DJ said a few things to the audience first, and then he said he had a special guest. This was about the time when my heart stopped beating. I kept thinking, "Is it Garrett or Tim?" Is it Garrett or Tim?" (Tim McGraw was also in the city). So the DJ said Garrett's name, and I said out loud, "Oh, Jesus." I swear, my brain shut down at this point.

The below video is a quick clip my sister took of Garrett introducing the movie.


Video courtesy of frostbit_sky

So then Garrett left, and my sister and I were lucky enough to be sitting on the side where he entered and exited, and I had an aisle seat, so when he passed us (God, he was sooooo close) my sister - who was somehow and thankfully able to think - said, "Hi Garrett." He heard her and replied, "Hey, how's it going?" GAH! It was a two second exchange, but it was the best exchange. And his voice is sexy. I'm glad one of us said something, and I hope if I ever do see him again, my brain doesn't turn to mush.

I was on a Garrett-high while watching the movie.

( Review. BEWARE OF SPOILERSCollapse )

Final Say: It's a good movie and definitely worth seeing. Even if you're not a fan of country music (the songs are good, btw) the story is good enough to draw you in. I will be seeing it again.

I went to see Black Swan tonight and thought it was very good. I've never been impressed by Natalie Portman, but I think she did well in this film. Her character, Nina's, slow descent into crazy town was believable. When she played the docile personality and constantly apologized to people, she made me want to scream. I guess the audience is supposed to react that way.

The film was actually more normal than I thought it would be and less difficult to follow. The ending was actually more realistic than I expected, too, and not as sad as I imagined it would be. It's a very arty movie. The costumes were gorgeous. Certain scene were gross, though. Like when Nina is pulling the skin off her finger and a whole strip of it comes off.

Black Swan is definitely worth seeing at least once and Natalie should be nominated. Not Mila, though. She was good, but her role wasn't difficult enough to warrant a nomination.

I saw The Social Network today. It was a good movie with good performances. Now, I'll look at Facebook in a whole new way. Mark isn't a hero or a villain, I feel. And I do think Facebook was (mostly) his idea. There were funny parts in the film. The part that made me perk up the most was when Mark used Livejournal. HA! I suggest this movie be seen cause it's not really about Facebook, but about friends being backstabbed.