The Shining

RATINGS

IMDB: 8.4

MY RATING: 10

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info:  13 June 1980
 Watched for the millionth time 15 Nov 2018

Genre: Drama, Horror
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stephen King with edits by Stanley Kubrick
Running Time: 2 Hours and 26 Minutes

Staring: Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Danny Lloyd

Rating? R

SPOILERS? YES

STORYLINE

A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil spiritual presence influences the father into violence, where his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and the future.

MY REVIEW

I decided it'd been a while since I'd watched this and well, with nothing really to do and seeing it on Netflix.. why not? I've always been a huge fan of the Shining. It was the first movie that really put a scare into me. It's brilliant. Period.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• DIRECTION- It's comedy and horror all in one. I'm not sure if Kubrick directed Jack Nicholson to do everything that he did, but his performance is haunting. Shelley Duvall is underwhelming. I still see her as Popeye's wife and I can't get that out of my head.
• EDITING and CINEMATOGRAPHY- There is something that is intentionally foreboding in the shots that lead you through this movie. It's as though you are being maneuvered through the movie under the spell of a masterful story teller.  I love the long continuous shots that are quiet and dead. It's a delight when  you move rapidly through each scene to see what you might have missed in the first, second of fifty-seventh viewing.  
• WRITING- It is Stephen King, so it's magnificent, however, the book and the movie are not the same. I think that Kubrick took some liberties but it worked for me.
• SET DESIGN- I feel like the isolation should be the main point of the set. They really drive home the idea that they have to drive so far out of the way and they are so far out from help. They are on their own until the frozen tundra defrosts in the spring. The hotel itself is a pretty amazing piece of art. The use of the large empty spaces is genius!
• SCORE- The score truly brings more tension

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• That the movie had to end. That's all I have.

On a more personal note..... 

Know what I did last night? Well, I went to see one of my most favorite bands in the whole entire world! Blue October played at the Norva last night. I sang every song. I have no voice today.

Midsomer Night's Dream

GENERAL INFORMATION

View Date and Location: 

Premiere Date:
Language:
Composer:
Director:

REVIEWS

MY RATING: X

STORYLINE

X

MY REVIEW

X

DIRECTION-
COMPOSITION-
COSTUME DESIGN-
SET DESIGN-

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• X
• X
• X

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie:

• X
• X
• X

What QUESTIONS do I now have?

• X

On a more personal note..... 

XX

Deadpool

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 12 February 2016
Running Time: 1 Hour and 48 Minutes
Staring:  Ryan Reynolds, Morena Saccharin, TJ Miller, etc.
Rating?A Well deserved R.
SPOILERS? No-ish

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.2 of 10
MY RATING: 10

STORYLINE
This is the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life.

MY REVIEW:
Let me start with this, I was never really aware of the Deadpool comics, so this was quite a surprise for me. I LOVED IT! This was kinda the anti-comic book hero that I never even knew I wanted until it was there. This movie was absolutely hilarious from the first scene to the last. I know a 10 is pushing it, and even IMDB reviewers are only at a 8.2. It was brash and honest and all of the ball jokes made me wish I had read the comics. I loved the breaking o the fourth wall, the romantic silliness and the gruesome bloody-goodness.

This is me trying to be a 
comic book heroine!

So, on  to the actual review. Right from the opening credits, you'll find that this is a different kind of superhero movie. We have Wade Wilson, who is an ex-mercenary who falls for the wrong girl in just the right way. He has a bad turn of fortune and ends up in a rogue experimental medical procedure that turns him into Deadpool! (That's the only spoiler that I will drop!)

I have a soft spot in my heart for movies that tell stories using clever moments of flashbacks to reveal just enough to get us to the next part. This movie does that well. Moreno Baccarin, who I have loved since Firefly, plays his girlfriend and a pretty dirty one at that!

Here's my desk at the office.
Think I may have a problem?

While the rest of the cast is suitably funny (don't miss the fantastically-named Negasonic Teenage Warhead, played by Brianna Hildebrand), this really is Reynolds' moment in the sun all the way. He surely has come a long way since 2011's very ordinary Green Lantern. In fact, what elevates this movie to another level is not just the snarky one- liners, but the plethora of cross-references to a lot of other superhero films as well. Supported by a very clever script, Deadpool is deliciously irreverent, subversive and uproariously funny.

Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 18 December 2015
Running Time: 136 Minutes
Staring:  Daisy Ridley, John Bodega, Oscar Isaac, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and many more!
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO
REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.3 of 10
MY RATING: 10

STORYLINE
30 years after the defeat of Darth Vader and the Empire, Rey, a scavenger from the planet Jakku, finds a BB-8 droid that knows the whereabouts of the long lost Luke Skywalker. Rey, as well as a rogue stormtrooper and two smugglers, are thrown into the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the daunting legions of the First Order.

MY REVIEW:
I guess I should begin this by saying that I am EXTREMELY BIASED towards Star Wars. I  know that any review that I write of this movie will be ruined by that fact.

I have read a ton of reviews that say this was a bad copy of the original and Disney messed it all up. More reviews that call it a bad reboot. Although the IDEA is not foreign to me and in some of it has rings of truth. I do disagree. I am happy that JJ Abrams took the time to put his efforts into giving the Star Wars fans a great ride.

This movie hit all of the emotions that I knew  I would have in the Star Wars universe. It was dark and emotional and funny and moments that transcended all of those.  The new characters introduced were pretty interesting. Adam Driver as Kylo Ren. He played the tormented tortured soul as easily as it could have been! Daisy Ridley as Rey was surprisingly great for a new actor. And finally Finn played by John Boyega was awesome. He was funny and serious and played his part so well.  Returning to the role as Han Solo, Harrison Fold and the awesome Princess Leia played by Carrie Fisher brought great joy. And yet another amazing score by John Williams.

I loved this movie.

--------------------------------------------------->
Also, I was the FIRST IN LINE to see it tonight! I think I rocked the first spot in the line pretty hard with my small Coke Zero and bag of raisinettes.

Orpheus in the Underworld

GENERAL INFORMATION

View Date and Location: 27 September 2015 at the Harrison Opera House in Norfolk, VA

Premiere Date: 21 October 1858 at the Theater des Boufffes-Parisiens in Paris, France
Language:
Composer: Jacques Offenbach
Director: Sam Helfrich

REVIEWS

MY RATING: 10

STORYLINE

There is a little difference between the rulers of heaven and hades, Orpheus has no interest in rescuing his wife Eurydice, whom he really just does not like, and the phrase "go to hell" is usually a cause for rejoicing. Her sudden death while having an affair with a handsome Acadian bring s the pair to hell, where all meats are roasted and all the guests are toasted. 

MY REVIEW

The snappy and sassy retelling of the Orpheus story by the Virginia was much needed. The original Offenbach story was a little dull and the little hints of fun that Helfrich brings are much appreciated. I loved the risqué nature of the "devils" and they did get the best songs and production numbers!

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• COSTUME DESIGN- this was likely my most favorite part of the whole opera. The costuming was a never-ending smorgasbord of amazing dress and a half-cocked circus. Loved this so much.
• DIRECTION- Master piece!
• SET DESIGN- Just look at that backdrop! It was sexual and sensual and really made sense with the story. The "songbird" that was a mix of heaven and hell was my favorite part.

Breaking the Maya Code

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 2008 Made for TV
Running Time: 1 Hour and 56 Minutes
Staring:  Documentary
Rating? Unrated
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.5 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: N/A Audience: 75%
MY RATING: 10 of 10! Awesome

MY REVIEW:
Okay, full disclosure, I am a HUGE history and documentary nerd, so I went into this movie, knowing, neigh, believing that I would not only love it but learn something amazing. I was not disappointed.

Since, there is not really a plot-line, there can be no spoilers.

I was pleasantly surprised to find the film narrated by CCH Pounder. She lent a true voice to the production. I had read some about the Maya culture and knew that the Spanish had done some damage to their culture, but I had no idea the amount of information that was lost due to the Spanish conquest and their fervent religious beliefs.

The watcher begins with a guided informational  brief of the history of the Maya culture and their complicated artistic hieroglyphic, or glyphic, writing. Beginning in 1181, when an Englishman began to photograph the glyphs leading to more and more students of the culture into a desire to KNOW what it said.

Many years passed with very little understanding of the Maya language culminating in the greatest of all collaborative works that I have ever seen. The group of researchers were able to decode the Maya language and glyph system and reunite the modern Maya with their historic language.

I wholeheartedly give this documentary a full 10 Stars on the Michelle Scale of 1 through 10.

Ex Machina

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: Theatrical Debut 24 April 2015
Running Time: 108 Minutes
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, Alicia Vikander,
Rating: R
SPOILERS? NO WAY! You need to see this one for yourself!

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.8 of 10 Link
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 91% Audience: 87% Link
MY RATING: 10 fo 10! Perfection!

MY REVIEW:
I am not going to say too much about this movie and do not want to ruin it for anyone.

I describe this movie as Kubrickesque. That's the only description that even makes sense in my head! Painstaking perfection in every detail. Ultimate care in each scene to make every angle a work of art. The quiet dialogue between the characters is beautifully unsettling. There are so many feels that this film gave me during the short 108 minutes that I left the theater with a sense of awe.

See this movie! See it now! You will be amazed by every piece of visual art.

Evita

GENERAL INFORMATION
Staring:  The Governors School for the Arts Musical Theater Department
Rating? Unrated
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
MY RATING: 10

MY REVIEW:

This was a performance put on by the Governor's School for the Arts Musical Theater Department. (http://www.gsarts.net)

Just knowing that some of these students were younger than 15 and performing a wonderful story such as Evita with the fervor and thoughtfulness was the most amazing. These high school students were absolutely amazing in telling the story of Evita Peron.

Originally, an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, it tells the story of a young Argentine woman's early life, rise to power, charity work and eventual death.

The staging was a work of art and the acting/singing was well above par. I was lucky to have been able to see this wonderful musical!

The Imitation Game

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 25 Dec 2014
Running Time: 114 Minutes
Staring:  Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightly, Matthew Goode...
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 8.1 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 89% Audience: 92%
MY RATING: 10 of 10! Perfection!

MY REVIEW:
X\As a student of History, I've come across the name Alan Turing on multiple occasions and with each one, I am saddened to hear of the atrocities done to him. {Read about him here at Biography.com} I had to wipe the tears away more than once in this movie.

Back to the movie, it was a masterpiece. The story of the Enigma has been told a few times.. {Enigma-2001, All the Queen's Men- 2001 and U-571-2000}  Alan Turing was brilliant and Benedict Cumberbatch plays him to perfection.

This film speaks to the early days when Prof. Turing was recruited as a last resort to end the war. The movie spends the majority of the time watching him crack the code and build a special relationship with Joan Clarke, played by Keira Knightly. It was in Turing's brilliance that the code was cracked and then the second act hits like a bomb as you see Turing exposed as a homosexual and at the time, it was a crime in England and he was rewarded for his efforts to save England and all of the other Allies with Chemical Castration in lieu of prison. The film ends with what those of us who know about Turing was the end of something amazing.

See this movie. I cannot give a strong enough reccomendation!

Birdman

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 14 Nov 2014
Running Time: 119 Minutes
Staring:  Michael Keaton, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Risenborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts...
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NOPE

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.9 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 92% Audience: 78%
MY RATING: 10 of 10

MY REVIEW:
This movie is a symphony on film. I loved every minute of this movie! It's art.

The movie starts of with these words: "And did you get what you wanted from this life? Even so, I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the Earth." 

The most interesting piece is the use of the single continuous take technique of film-making in this movie. Seamless and interesting.

If you have not seen this movie, please do yourself a favor and see it at the next most convenient time.

I will say that the performance by Michael Keaton as Riggan Thompson, a washed-up has-been actor trying to break back into the lime light is amazing. He is being hit my the pressures of life at every angle... ex-wife, daughter, his past, etc..

Some people think and see themselves in a very different way than the world around them. This movie is an exploration of that theme. If you are one of the few who did not think this was a good movie, then you are exactly why this movie needed to exist! Perfection!