Snow White and the Huntsman

How many adaptations of Snow White in a single year. 2 already. Mirror Mirror and now Snow White and the Huntsman. And news is that Disney is already planning a re-mastered release of the original animation this year. Technically, Mirror Mirror released last year world over and came into this country a wee bit later. So I guess it is one adaptation a year. The good news though is that all of them have been really well made and distinctly different from the other. Not just for getting news bites which say, “We have a different take on Snow White” but a serious attempt at differentiation.

Snow White and the Huntsman, is my first experience with a version of the fairy tale which is distinctly action oriented and not soppy fairy tale types. It begins with the story of Ravenna (Charlize Theron) who is saved by the king and taken back home to be the queen. But little does the king know that he is adding to the list of Ravenna’s victims to date. Ravenna’s desire to stay young forever drives her to move from kingdom to kingdom and she uses her power and magic to suck the youth out of young girls at frequent intervals. She takes over from the king and jails his daughter Snow White.

Many years later, when Snow White turns 18 and the mirror has to inform Ravenna that she is not the fairest anymore, Ravenna sends her brother to get Snow White. However Snow White escapes into the Dark Forest where Ravenna’s powers are useless. So she sends a desperate huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) after her by promising him a life time of joy and happiness by bringing his wife back to life. And so the chase begins.

This time around, the emphasis on the dwarves is very minimal. Although we have the likes of Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins playing them, their part is restricted to less than 25% of the movie. There are other aspects such as the sinister nature of the Dark Forest and the village of women who have scarred themselves in an attempt to stay alive have been given a lot of screen time.

And that’s what makes this version very watchable to say the least. Add to these twists, a finale that has an amazing set of special effects. Actually made me wonder why this was never released in 3D in India. Would have been brilliant. Something that debutante director Rupert Sanders missed out on I guess. And surprisingly too. Because he had only Charlize Theron to play with in the cast – who was brilliant as Ravenna – but the rest of the lead cast with the insipid Kirstin Stewart and plastic Chris Hemsworth gave him nothing much to play with. As such, it didn’t matter because the movie was well made and entertaining for certain. 6 on 10 and worth a dekko I say.

Trailer on http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2494275609/

The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn Part 1

What is it that could make 20 tweenage girls (people between the ages of 17 and 23 if you didn’t know) scream out in public for a good 10 seconds as if they were having the most gut wrenching orgasm ever in their lives? What is it that can get the quietest and the most simple girls out of their closets and bare themselves as if they were the most vulnerable to any external stimuli? No we are not talking about the latest stimulating device that has hit the market place. The answer my friends and I am sure you weren’t aware of it – ROBERT PATTINSON. Duh. Robert who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If these 6 questions flashed through your mind then my dear friends – Welcome to my tribe. My first tryst with the white ghost was in a movie titled Water for Elephants where he personified the term “eye candy”. My 2nd intervention was about 3 days back when I almost mistook him for a white plastic cupboard. Even cupboards would have more expressions than this so called heartthrob.

Needless to say, I had to really struggle through the 90 odd minutes that the director – whose family name can be easily mistaken for a birth control measure – puts us through. Bill Condon (with an n and not an m) is best known for his musical called Dream Girls (which I haven’t seen). And after the first part of Breaking Dawn, I am convinced on a few points – Dream Girls could have at best been average & I would need a few hundred horses to drag me to the screen when Breaking Dawn 2 releases.

Honestly, I was conned into watching this one by a friend (who I have since disowned) who told me that she had picked up tickets for “In Time”. Now the concept of Twilight is completely the kinds that I would like. I am, as you would be aware if you are a regular reader of my blogs, definitely into Fantasia and that’s the best way I can describe the Twilight Saga. Anyone who would tell you that its about a lethal mixture of romance and action doesn’t quite know his left arse from his right. Its just pure Fantasy which would, in the hands of a specialist director, turn into a superb reality. That I hadn’t read the series didn’t help much with my lack of appreciation. So as you would have gathered by now, I was dead pan bored 15 minutes into the movie and only wondering how I could take advantage of the weak legged women who were around me. But my sleep got the better of me.

There is no perceivable reason I can ask you to watch The Twilight Saga – Breaking Dawn Part 1. Maybe if you are a die-hard Twilight fan, you could take the risk. I wouldn’t be surprised if you still don’t like it much. 3 on 10 from my side.

Watch the trailer at http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2052299801/