ABC's Amazing Fall Lineup

(A Postcrossing.com postcard I got,

 illustrated by the sender from Russia "Svetlana.")

Once Upon A Time in Wonderland

This series is a spinoff from Once Upon a Time, focusing on Alice and her adventures in Wonderland, and back home again in Victorian England.  When I heard about this show several months ago I was a little nervous, but after seeing the trailer I am beyond excited.  

It looks like it's going to be very good, maybe even better then Once Upon a Time.  Hopefully they'll keep the story concise and character driven, which OUAT got right in the first season, but struggled with in the second.

From what I've read across the net it looks like Sebastian Stan isn't reprising his role as the Mad Hatter, since he's busy with other projects (Captain America: Winter Soldier), and so forth.  And there's rumors that Cora, Barbara Hershey, may make a guest appearance as the Queen of Hearts.  That would be cool if it works out.

Originally Wonderland was going to be a mid-season show, airing when OUAT was taking brakes to fill the gaps, but the show was so strong that ABC is bringing it to us sooner as a Fall show.  That's hopeful!  As it stands the show will air on Thursdays.  Fingers crossed that it's really good, and gets a large audience to keep it going.  (Nothing's worse then getting into a show and having it get canceled with no conclusive ending.)

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

It's a Marvel television series developed by Joss Whedon, the writer and director behind  the mega blockbuster The Avengers.  The show is going to be about S.H.I.E.L.D., headed up by  Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg!  And we all thought he died during the Avengers!  The show looks interesting and fun. 

It will air on Tuesdays.

And of course Once Upon a Time is going to be on Sundays . . . unless they change it.  I really don't like when they start shifting shows around.  Many a canceled show that makes.  

So, to sum up:

Once Upon a Time: Sundays

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Tuesdays

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: Thursdays

Yeah, it's going to be Epic!

Snow White and the Huntsman: Movie Review

"Oh, how I wish that I had a daughter that had skin white as snow, 

lips red as blood, and hair black as ebony"

Rating: 3 stars out of 5

I just finished reading my Grimm's copy of "Little Snow White."  In this version Snow White is seven when she comes of age and is sent into the woods to beg for her life, only to be tricked three times by her wicked step-mother and die by poison apple.  She awakes not by true loves kiss, but by the jostling of her glass coffin causing the apple to dislodge.  The Prince bought the coffin from one of the guarding dwarfs (no idea how old he was) after falling in love with her beauty.  

All throughout Europe there are different variations to the Snow White tale.  In some her heart is wanted by the queen, in other versions it's her lungs.  The dwarfs are even, in one incarnation, robbers.  And as we've seen this year, Snow White has been retold three times, in three entirely different ways, and I'm sure we haven't heard the last of Snow White.  She's been around since the 1800's after all.

 

So what makes this retailing different?  Snow White and the Huntsman, according to the title, highlights the connection between these two characters, but by the end of the movie you can't help but feel this wasn't achieved.  Charlize Theron as the evil Queen is clearly the star of the movie, and it seems a movie title "Fairest of them All" would have been more accurate.  

Charlize steals the movie with her screen presence and beauty.  She commands attention and gets it, though I feel at times her need for control comes off temper-tantrum like, garnered through years of getting her way

In the movie, after Snow Whites true mother dies, the King is a total wreck, and like the great father figure he should be, he runs off to battle, leaving his daughter to be raised by others.  Because his pain obviously is greater then Snow White's.  They're fighting a dark army when a carriage pulls up.  A prisoner has been captored!  One prisoner!  It's a beautiful women!  Marry her tomorrow!  And he does, which leads to his immediate demise after she kills him.  

I have to stop and wonder how great a King he really was.  Everyone says he's great, and yet he selfishly and foolishly leads his Kingdom to darkness and ruin.  But he's great!! We need to honor him!  And of course Snow White, at the tender age of seven or eight, is thrown into a tower, because the queen doesn't want to kill her.  Let her live and grow old in a tower . . . just because.

Enough of that, back to the review.  Snow White comes of age and is fairer then the Queen, not necessarily thanks to her looks, but her heart.  Snow White has a pure heart, and that gives her magic powers.

 Snow White flees to the forest, a Huntsman is sent to follow, only for them to become love interest!  Well, the movie is called Snow White and the Huntsman after all. We expect it.  Only Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth don't have believable chemistry.  And the plot misses opportunities to bring them together more often then not.  Then you've got the Duke's son trying to find Snow White, running with the bad guys as an archer.  Honestly I like Sam Claflin's William, the Dukes son, and by the end of the movie I felt real bad for him.

The tragedy of this movie is that there was a lot of promise.  I loved the darker tone, but it was a little too much at times.  Too many battles.  And the movie felt long.  A mark of a great movie is that you don't feel the time pass, but I did with this movie, and it was painful at times.  

The movie clearly wants the Huntsman and Snow White together.  He teaches her a fighting technique that helps her defeat the Queen.  He kills the Queens brother which weakens her.  At the end it's the Huntsman's kiss, not the Duke's son, that awakens her, only she never learns this.  Snow White just wakes up and gives a rousing speech which leads everyone to battle.  The last shot of the movie is Snow White being queened and the Huntsman looking on from the back of the hall.  It feels empty, hallow even.  

I like the idea of the Huntsman getting together with the princess.  Like I said before, there's so many versions of this tale that this would be an interesting twist, and in the story I read Snow White doesn't even get kissed.  (And if you think I read a version that appeals to children, you should read Rapunzel.  That girls got problems!!)    

What the movie gets right is the incredible CGI.  The visual affects are amazing, and I loved the fairy forest.  The dwarfs were fun.  And I heard other people say Chris Hemsworth's Huntsman felt like Thor was cosplaying.  I didn't feel that way at all.  I liked his portrayal.  I didn't care so much for Kristen Stewart's Snow White.  Gennifer Goodwin, from Once Upon a Time, wins the Snow White wars.  She is hands down my favorite.  

I can't really say I recommend anyone see this movie, though I must admit I have seen it twice.  I'm sure the producers and studio was hoping this movie had the same success as 2010's Alice and Wonderland, which grossed over a billion worldwide.  Snow White and the Huntsman, since June 1st, has only grossed $151,630,800 domestic and $370,430,800 worldwide.   Not bad, but not great. 

One last comment.  Florence + the Machine's end credit song "Breath of Life" is epic.  I've been listening to it on loop.

                     

 Have a great day!

Sarah

Battle of the Snow Whites!

I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a lot of Snow White action going on in the entertainment world.  A major, successful television series where Snow White is the star, and two movies coming out this year, one of which came out just last week.

The first movie I ever remember going to the theaters and seeing was Snow White.  Before the Disney Vault meant the movie being sold on VHS, DVD, Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D, etc, every few years, Disney would re-release the movie to theaters every 7-10 years, so that a new generation got to experience the movie on the big-screen.  In 1987, which was the 50th anniversary of the original 1937 release, my parents took me to see it.  I remember loving it, and I remember being in awe of the theater.  I don't know where it was, but we were in Santa Barbara, and the theater was beautiful.  Funny how we remember little details like that.

Disney's Snow White set the standard, but how are the other Snow White's going to fare?

Once Upon a Time:

  (Show Trailer)

Once Upon a Time came out on ABC for the Fall 2011 season, and is still going strong.  I'm such a fan!  Actually, I'm getting quite obsessed.  The show is brilliant and marvelously written.  Each week it's amazing to see how they blend all the fairy tale worlds so flawlessly.  Ginnifer Goodwin is a wonderful Snow White, and I've got to admit, my favorite Snow White I've seen.  The show hasn't been renewed yet, which makes me nervous, but ABC hasn't renewed any of their shows.  It does make me worry, because, sense this show is shown on Sundays, and the fact that ABC bumps Once Upon a Time for grand events like the Oscars, I hope all the push backs won't lose audience.  For whatever reason the next episode isn't scheduled to air until April 22, and that's a little depressing.  I just hope this show gets a proper end, and lasts as long as possible.  here's a behind the scenes video:

   

Mirror, Mirror:

I saw this movie last weekend, opening weekend, and you know what's sad?  I keep forgetting I've seen it.  Not proof of a great movie.  Lily Collins was a cute Snow White, but really that's what I'm left with.  The visuals and costumes were fun, and some scenes made me laugh, but there were moments verging on the absurd that I found myself mentally checking out.  I really, really wanted to like this movie, but in the end I'm fine seeing it just once.

Snow White and the Huntsman:  

This movie hasn't come out yet, but I've gotta say, I can't wait!  The trailer is amazing, which is promising.  But I love the dark tone and the Tron like music in the beginning, though I doubt that style of music will be in the actual score.  I'm counting the days for this movie.  Though, I'm not so sure how I feel about Kristen Stewart as Snow White, but I will withhold judgment until I see her play the part.

Now, it's interesting to note that Snow White isn't the only fairytale getting makeovers. Jack the Giant Killer, based on Jack and the Bean Stock, is being released in 2013.  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is being released January of 2013.  And there is a NBC show called Grimm, which has been renewed for a second season. 

Now, on a final note, I leave you with a really fun Once Upon a Time fan video I found:

Happy Ever Afters!

Sarah