In the Heart of the Sea

The story of Moby Dick first published by Herman Melville in 1851 inspired another book written by Nathaniel Philbrick in modern times; In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex won the National Book Award in the year 2000.

From this epic tale Ron Howard decided to produce a very interesting film in 2015 starring Chris Hemsworth, Brendan Gleeson and Benjamin Walker among others.

The movie tells the story about Herman Melville visiting Thomas, the last survivor of the sinking of the whaleship Essex, wanting to write down the story of how the tragedy really happened. The man doesn’t think he’s ready to speak, but after a while he narrates to the author how everything went. The story is set in the beautiful Nantucket, where a very young Thomas decides to follow the adventure of the whaleship Essex signing on as a cabin boy. In 1820, in fact, the whale oil trade was very gainful. Herman Melville could not believe what he heard Thomas narrate about, because this is for sure the most amazing adventure he has ever heard about.

If you love adventures, deserted islands, ships and storms, you have to watch this movie. In my opinion the film wants to focus on how difficult it was for every member of the ship to leave behind their life and their families, to sail in the ocean and risk their life every day to provide a living for them and their loved one, and how much ambition man has, and how many sacrifices they have to make, because in the end they really don’t have a choice. They even think they will die of starvation at one point.

One of the most interesting fact I found during my research on this movie is that the actors were really on a highly restricted diet during the shooting, they had to spend four weeks in the open ocean on a ship and they did an incredible real physical transformation.

 

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The third Harry Potter novel that follows Harry, Ron and Hermione during their third year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is one of my favorites. I think that’s because it begins with the belief that a terrible criminal, Sirius Black, has escaped from the scary magic prison of Azkaban, and then, at the end, nothing is at it seems to everyone; the book ends in a very surprising way. J. K. Rowling describes as usual everything with her unique, ironic and captivating way that makes you want to continue reading page after page without stopping. Here we meet for the first time the eccentric professor Remus Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor that turns out to be a werewolf;

Also, Harry has to deal with the Dementors, dark creatures that have the capability of sucking happiness from people, and during one of his loved Quiddich matches, he faints and fall off his broomstick. He will find a way to find back thanks to Professor Lupin.

As the title of the book let us know, this is the first time the prison of Azkaban is introduced: what’s the story of this dark prison?

Azkaban was built on an island in the North Sea and at the beginning the place never appeared on any map, Muggle or wizarding, and it is believed to have been created by magical means. Azkaban is considered to be the prison of the darkest and worst criminals of the wizarding world, but also home of the Dementors.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

A beautiful story of a friendship between a boy called Angus and a legendary sea creature, this fantasy movie is a must-see for everyone who is interested in the Scottish legend of the monster of Loch Ness, or interested in history. In fact, the film begins with an old Angus telling the story of the Loch Ness monster to a young couple in a Scottish pub near the lake. When he was a little boy, Angus found a strange egg with beautiful pearl-water blue colors; from the egg came a little sea monster that he called Crusoe and that at a certain point he has to free into the lake, because it will be bigger and bigger, and no one can know this secret.

The story is set during World War II, precisely in 1942; Angus is living in a beautiful mansion on the Loch Ness shores with his mom and his sister, but one day troops of the Royal Artillery arrive at the house and an artillery battery is set up near the lake for protecting the area from possible attacking from German U-Bots.

The major themes of the movie are the atrocity of war and the constant fear people lived in, risking their lives every day, the relationship between man and animal, that can be a beautiful friendship in the case of Angus, but the film focus also on how man destroy nature and betray the trust of all other creatures.

The Water Horse is produced by Jay Russell and is based on a fantasy children novel with the same name written by Dick King Smith, the English writer of the famous The Sheep-Pig, or Babe the Gallant Pig, that was adapted as the movie Babe in 1995 (one of my childhood favorite movies, loved it).

The actors are amazing in this film; among others we have the great Emily Watson in the role of Angus’ mother, the soundtracks of the film are beautiful in my opinion, you can hear all typical Scottish Celtic music during the movie, and the setting is astonishing. Scotland is wonderful.

Plus, the visual effects were made by the same New Zealand based companies Weta Digital and Weta Workshop that made also the visual effects of all The Chronicles of Narnia films.

 

A Series of Unfortunate Events top 5 Funniest Characters

Based on the first book of the famous series by Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events is a huge Netflix success right now.

The story tells the strange and incredible adventures of the Baudelaire children after a mysterious fire that kills their parents, as they try to escape from the claws of a distant relative, Count Olaf, that is only interested in their inheritance, and will stalk them wherever they go.

I love the fact that this black comedy tells a story not in an ordinary way. If I have to think about just one word that can describe this series, the first word that comes to my mind is tragicomic. This is exactly how this entire series is! A mix of unfortunate events, told in a strange and ironic way.  Here are my 5 funniest characters.

 

The White Faced Women

• I don’t know how they found someone so perfect for their role, but these two are just hilarious! 🙂  The amazing Jaqueline and Joyce Robbins play the role of two white faced twins, member of Count Olaf’s theater troupe. They always speak a few words, and they talk always at the same time, and move at the same time. The funniest thing about them is that they pop up in different situations and scenes very inexplicably.

 

Arthur Poe

• The banker in charge of the Baudelaire children is played by Kenneth Todd Freeman. Mr. Poe is amusingly unaware of deliver the children every time to a disguised Count Olaf and he is distinguished by a cough, that appears in the strangest situations.

 

Count Olaf

• Neil Patrick Harris did a great work portraying the unscrupulous Count Olaf. The funniest part about the Count Olaf is that he always disguises himself, but it’s always clear that it’s him, and the children always find out about it immediately. And, he has some problems with grammar sometimes. 🙂 

 

Aunt Josephine

• Another distant relative to the Baudelaire children; she lives in an isolated old house on a steep cliff surrounded by the ocean. Aunt Josephine is played by Alfre Woodard, one of the best American actresses at the moment (she has been nominated for different roles for the Academy Award, the Grammy Award, and 18 times for the Emmy Awards, winning four of them, and she has also won a Golden Globe!). Aunt Josephine is hypochondriac and she has many irrational fears, she eats only cold food because she is afraid of lighting the stove and never turns on candles in the house. The fun fact about her is that she is obsessed with correct grammar and tend to correct everyone who’s talking and is spelling something the wrong way.

 

Phil

• Phil is a hilarious and extremely optimistic and friendly worker at the Lucky Smells Lumbermill; he will help the Baudelaire children during their stay there. He is portrayed by the English-born Canadian actor Christopher Gautier. When he’ll have an accident that injures his leg, he’ll continue being optimistic and he’ll say: “Oh Boy, half-price pedicures for life!”.

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children

Ransom Riggs did a great work writing the New York Times best seller book Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and I can’t imagine someone else but Tim Burton as director of the film with the same name.

Jake is a boy that has a very close relationship with his grandpa, that used to tell him wonderful and scary goodnight stories about his childhood during World War II; grandpa Abe told Jake about a place where everyone could be themselves, a place for peculiar children, children with paranormal abilities, run by the wise and good Miss Peregrine, a woman with the peculiarity of being able to transmute in a beautiful bird, and also, she can manipulate time!  But, he also told Jake about horrific monsters that chased them, so they could not live a peaceful life.

Unfortunately, grandpa Abe dies in mysterious ways and Jake cannot get over it. So he decides, with the help of his psychologist, to make the trip that will change his life, the travels to Wales with his dad to investigate and find out more about the children’s home. Maybe, it wasn’t only goodnight stories his grandpa told him?

Once again Eva Green did a great work playing the role of Miss Peregrine; but, there is also other amazing actors in this movie, like Samuel L. Jackson, Terence Stamp and Judi Dench.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for peculiar Children is one of the most seen movies in 2016 worldwide.

This is a movie with lots of hidden meanings, and I loved all the locations. The beautiful Wales landscapes and the wonderful castle – home for children, with its magic green garden.

Penny Dreadful’s Soundtracks: Abel Korzeniowsky

One of the most powerful and expressive scores of TV series shows in modern times, the man and musician that composed all the beautiful and meaningful music on Penny Dreadful is Abel Korzeniowsky; Abel is one of the most brilliant Polish musicians, he was born in Krakow and graduated from the Academy of Music of the same city.

Abel composed only scores for Polish movies and theater plays initially, but after some time he became known also in the rest of the world, winning the San Diego Film Critics Society Award in 2009 ad being nominated for the Golden Globe.

The tells that he had always loved music, since his mum played the cello in opera. He also plays the cello; in a very interesting interview he tells also about his anxiety problem; he was not happy playing in front of an audience, too much stress. So, he thought that composing for movies was more his thing, and he was totally right I would say.

He always had the dream of coming to Hollywood, so he contacted several agents in Los Angeles, and finally, he succeeded.

Here is the link to his music, from the first season of Penny Dreadful. You can also listen to his scores from the second and third season.

 

Frankenweenie

This is a beautiful, sweet, dark, 3D stop-motion animated film directed by Tim Burton and clearly inspired by Mary Shelley’s horror novel Frankenstein.

What makes the movie beautiful is that it’s entirely made in black and white, but you’re so focused on the plot that you forget that there are no colors while you’re watching.

Here Burton analyzes feelings like friendship between animals and humans, loneliness and the important balance between science and faith.

Victor is a strange boy with no friends and a huge interest for science. His only friend is his dog Sparky. But Sparky dies in an in an accident, and Victor cannot accept that.

He wants his friend back, so he uses his scientific abilities to resurrect the dog. The dog comes back, but things will not go as Victor expected, and at the end he just has to face the fact that things changes.

In an interview Burton explained that this is one of his most autobiographical movies, and that he was like Victor when he was a little boy.

Once again Danny Elfman did a great work with the score of the movie, and on September 2012 Frankenweenie: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released by Walt Disney Records, winning the Saturn Awards as Best Music in Animated Film.

Frankenweenie’s Award nominations and won prices are countless.

 

 

 

 

Penny Dreadful Top 5 Characters

The horror-fantasy drama television series of the year, Penny Dreadful has been one of my favorite shows to watch in 2016. Entirely created by John Logan – who had already won an Academy Award for co-writing the best picture winner for the amazing Gladiator, among other great recognitions – Penny Dreadful is unique in his genre, a voyage through life and death, literature and science, ancient times and progress, depicted in both realistic and fantasy ways. Every character in this series is so well made, and never predictable. Here is my top 5 great characters. But, if you haven’t watched Penny Dreadful, I highly recommend to do it before reading this, because there may be some spoilers.

 

Joan Clayton

• Portrayed by the very talented Patti Lupone, Joan Clayton is a talented witch living in a place that I adore, a dark-gothic house on an isolated hill and surrounded by mystic woods. Joan will become one of Vanessa Ives’s best friends, and the only one that truly comprehend her peculiarities. Brilliant character, Joan Clayton.

 

The Creature

• I think Rory Kinnear, who portrays Doctor Frankenstein’s creation, is one of the best actors of this show. His interpretation of this troubled, enigmatic, dark and deep character is perfect. The Creature, also named John Claire, reflects and experience human hate and cruelty, but also the greatness of human kindness. His best friend is literature, where he tries to find answers, and a support in his loneliness.

 

Brona Croft / Lily Frankenstein

• Brona is a woman with a brutal and very troubled past, who at the end of her life experience true love for the first time in her life. After her death, Doctor Victor Frankenstein will create a female creature so that the monster can have a mate, and after her rebirth Brona’s new name is Lily, symbolizing the new life. But this time she will not be humiliated or submitted by any man, and as a consequence of her past life, she decides to fight for herself and chooses to live the life that she wants. Brona represents feminism, in a period in which – the Victorian Age – women had not the same rights as men.

 

Dorian Gray

 

• One of the most amazing things about Penny Dreadful is that you have many characters that you already know from literature, deeply described and all in the same show, and this makes this series unique. Dorian Gray is apparently a sybarite, one who loves beauty in every aspect, he is beautiful and want to surround himself only with beauty. But, this character is so much more than that. He organizes impeccable parties, balls, he is fond of music and art, but, at the end of the day, he is lonely. I think his character symbolizes the fact that if you feel lonely, you can be surrounded by different people, but you will still feel lonely, if you don’t have someone you really can trust.

 

Sembene

 

• A long-time ally of Sir Malcolm and the butler of the mansion, the wise Sembene will be a good, honest and trustworthy friend to everybody in the first and second season of Penny Dreadful. He has a mysterious past and will give support and help, both physically and mentally, with lots of useful advices. He will fight for his friends until the end.

 

Have you watched Penny Dreadful? If so, what’s your favorite character? I made a top 5,  but I think every other character not mentioned was also great, and loved  the various locations. Plus, the visual effects are amazing!  

 

 

 

 

Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie

During the 19^th century several stories and poems have been made depicting children, always so pure and beautiful, almost like angels. Peter Pan, the story of the child that never grows up, has been considered since the Victorian Age the most famous children novel ever written.

The Scottish novelist and playwright James Matthew Barrie (1860-1937) is the creator of this popular novel, he had a great career during his life, and decided, before his death, to give the rights to the Peter Pan works that made him famous all over the world to the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London.

Peter Pan is the story of a boy that shows to his new friends a world that only children can see, the mystical island of Neverland, an island where kids can have a never ending childhood, a world of nature, fairies, pirates and ships, as well as marine creatures and different animals in the woods.

Several movies and different adaptations have been made from the original novel; the animated film produced by Walt Disney is by far the most famous and watched adaptation. But, the 1991’s sequel directed by Steven Spielberg has also captured the attention of many children – and adults- around the world, starring the unforgettable Robin Williams as the adult Peter Banning.

The novel Peter Pan is an allegory of how beautiful the childhood is, and the author focus on the fact that we always have to carry with us the wonder of children, and their beautiful vision of the world, in every aspect.

In my opinion the novel reflects the adaptations, and Barrie explains this story in a very natural and fantastic way, focusing on children adventures and wonderful fantastic surroundings, in a voyage through life.

This is a winter reading that fits also adults, and the last book I’ve read in 2016. Can’t wait for all the new exciting books I’ve planned to read in 2017.

I wish you all a great New Year Eve and all the best wishes for the new year! 😀