This movie was one weird af moment after another. It was beautifully filmed, like, wow, the visuals have stuck with me this whole time. I still have nightmares on occasion that I'm pretty sure were inspired by it. Every actor in it did a smashing job. It was horrifying. And just, like, SO WEIRD??? The bit with the heart, the piece about the skin, it just. What? I can't say I remember very much about the music, but I remember the bits that were silent and I found it so unsettling, because we're so used to having music all the time, and it was so awkward and intense for a scene to play out with only ambient noise. Also I have never found another person who has seen this, but it still lives in my brain and I needed to talk about how bizarre it is.
Reviews
4 Reviews
The Wheel of Time
(2021– )
One of the worst adaptations I've ever seen
16 December 2021
Warning: Spoilers
As someone who has read the book series multiple times, grew up reading it, absolutely adore it... This show hurts me. I was bitterly disappointed. Adaptations never stick 100% to the book, and yet many of them do an amazing job of telling the same story. Good Omens? Superb. Read the book half a dozen times, watched the show at least 3x now. It felt like watching the book. Any of the BBC adaptations of Austen, brilliant. Not point for point, but the overall was spot on. Little Women? Divine. Alcott would be so proud.
The Wheel of Time, however, is a disgrace.
Yes, the landscape is epic. Yes, the music is... Fine. I adore Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, and Daniel Henny as Lan, and really all the main characters I think look very much like how they are described.
My intense dislike of the show stems from the following deviations (SPOILERS): 1. The main Two Rivers crew are significantly older at the start, which makes their flight less logical. In the books, they're terrified teenagers who also are desperate to see the great big world, and so they fall easily into the hands of Moiraine.
2. Mat is a jokester, a prankster, a delightful younger brother character who is utterly irresponsible and wayward. This makes his arc into a military mastermind that much more powerful and poignant. In the show, he's the primary carer for his sisters, due to a drunken mother and philandering father, who, it must be said, is an amazing character in the books. They did Abel Cauthon DIRTY.
3. They tore apart and restructured the entire premise of why Rand was important - he was THE ONLY ONE born outside the Two Rivers. This is a crucial point that is completely disregarded in the show. And there are only 3 ta'veren, not 5, which muddles things for no real reason. The girls don't need to be ta'veren because they're important in other ways. It completely distorts the significance of it! And has hardly even been mentioned in the show, while being a major plot point throughout the book series.
4. The show is centered around Moiraine. She is not the lead in the books, she is a crucial but only supporting character, until much later. This skews the entire plotline from the get-go. It's like leaving your home on a week long vacation and coming back to find the entire thing is redecorated and new people are living there.
5. Thom Merrilin is such a key figure, and they relegated him to a single episode and a half so far. He is just as important as Moiraine.
6. They made Loial SHORT. He is barely taller than Rand, and you can't even see his ears. In the books, he is half again as tall as even an Aiel, and this is so important for the plotline. So many instances where his height is a giveaway, or is an advantage. The Loial in the show is not going to be able to save all of the Two Rivers children from Trollocs. Speaking of, the trollocs are perfect, so I know they know how.
7. The details that make it the WoT are missing. Nynaeve never tugs her braid or sniffs angrily. Lan is a very emotional person instead of being stone faced. Mat is somber and moody, instead of being the life of the party. Rand is arrogant instead of sweet. No one is using the unique curses Robert Jordan is famous for. The White Tower looks like a Beige Pillar. Moiraine is using Weaves that aren't seen until after she 'dies' in the books.
8. The thing that tipped the balance and made me turn off the show in disgust and utter disappointment was the Ways. The Ways are darker than the darkest night, and completely silent. You cannot see anything but the path in front of you, and occasionally a railing. When I saw that they had turned the Ways into some sort of weird cave with a perpetual thunderstorm (not to mention the fact that the Waygate was entirely wrong and that Loial is the one who opened it in the books and there was no good reason for Moiraine to do it!!!), I turned the show off and won't go back. It destroyed the last vestige of hope that it would get better.
In conclusion, I do not understand why the directors felt the need to muddle the waters to the point where actual fans of the book find it unrecognizable. The reason I read those books over and over is because I love them - the way they are. I didn't watch the show to see the names and places of characters who feel like real friends to me worn by people masquerading as them, while behaving in ways that are anathema to the real characters.
I strongly suspect that the writers never read the books, only read summaries, and cobbled the bits together. The heart and soul are gutted, and I am so, so sad about it. This could have been a beautiful retelling, and instead it has become a faint echo of a magnificent story. It's like taking a sip of Lime Lacroix when you're expecting a margarita.
Tl;dr this is one of the worst adaptations I've seen. It bastardizes the entire plot and all of the characters, twisting them into unrecognizable shapes, and ruining it for those of us who have waited decades to see it brought to life. It shouldn't have been like this.
The Wheel of Time, however, is a disgrace.
Yes, the landscape is epic. Yes, the music is... Fine. I adore Rosamund Pike as Moiraine, and Daniel Henny as Lan, and really all the main characters I think look very much like how they are described.
My intense dislike of the show stems from the following deviations (SPOILERS): 1. The main Two Rivers crew are significantly older at the start, which makes their flight less logical. In the books, they're terrified teenagers who also are desperate to see the great big world, and so they fall easily into the hands of Moiraine.
2. Mat is a jokester, a prankster, a delightful younger brother character who is utterly irresponsible and wayward. This makes his arc into a military mastermind that much more powerful and poignant. In the show, he's the primary carer for his sisters, due to a drunken mother and philandering father, who, it must be said, is an amazing character in the books. They did Abel Cauthon DIRTY.
3. They tore apart and restructured the entire premise of why Rand was important - he was THE ONLY ONE born outside the Two Rivers. This is a crucial point that is completely disregarded in the show. And there are only 3 ta'veren, not 5, which muddles things for no real reason. The girls don't need to be ta'veren because they're important in other ways. It completely distorts the significance of it! And has hardly even been mentioned in the show, while being a major plot point throughout the book series.
4. The show is centered around Moiraine. She is not the lead in the books, she is a crucial but only supporting character, until much later. This skews the entire plotline from the get-go. It's like leaving your home on a week long vacation and coming back to find the entire thing is redecorated and new people are living there.
5. Thom Merrilin is such a key figure, and they relegated him to a single episode and a half so far. He is just as important as Moiraine.
6. They made Loial SHORT. He is barely taller than Rand, and you can't even see his ears. In the books, he is half again as tall as even an Aiel, and this is so important for the plotline. So many instances where his height is a giveaway, or is an advantage. The Loial in the show is not going to be able to save all of the Two Rivers children from Trollocs. Speaking of, the trollocs are perfect, so I know they know how.
7. The details that make it the WoT are missing. Nynaeve never tugs her braid or sniffs angrily. Lan is a very emotional person instead of being stone faced. Mat is somber and moody, instead of being the life of the party. Rand is arrogant instead of sweet. No one is using the unique curses Robert Jordan is famous for. The White Tower looks like a Beige Pillar. Moiraine is using Weaves that aren't seen until after she 'dies' in the books.
8. The thing that tipped the balance and made me turn off the show in disgust and utter disappointment was the Ways. The Ways are darker than the darkest night, and completely silent. You cannot see anything but the path in front of you, and occasionally a railing. When I saw that they had turned the Ways into some sort of weird cave with a perpetual thunderstorm (not to mention the fact that the Waygate was entirely wrong and that Loial is the one who opened it in the books and there was no good reason for Moiraine to do it!!!), I turned the show off and won't go back. It destroyed the last vestige of hope that it would get better.
In conclusion, I do not understand why the directors felt the need to muddle the waters to the point where actual fans of the book find it unrecognizable. The reason I read those books over and over is because I love them - the way they are. I didn't watch the show to see the names and places of characters who feel like real friends to me worn by people masquerading as them, while behaving in ways that are anathema to the real characters.
I strongly suspect that the writers never read the books, only read summaries, and cobbled the bits together. The heart and soul are gutted, and I am so, so sad about it. This could have been a beautiful retelling, and instead it has become a faint echo of a magnificent story. It's like taking a sip of Lime Lacroix when you're expecting a margarita.
Tl;dr this is one of the worst adaptations I've seen. It bastardizes the entire plot and all of the characters, twisting them into unrecognizable shapes, and ruining it for those of us who have waited decades to see it brought to life. It shouldn't have been like this.
Snow White and the Huntsman
(2012)
The Queen totally carried the film
2 June 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I was hesitant going into the theater, since I am not a Kristen Stewart fan (in Twilight or anything else). Have to say I was pleasantly surprised that the film was so good despite K-Stew's lackluster performance! Queen Ravenna was brilliantly played by Charlize. She was seductive and strong and perfectly balanced beauty and mayhem. She did a stunning job playing the part of tragic-lost-soul turned eater-of-souls. It's worth watching just for her.
The Huntsman was charming and brutal and wounded, and seemed very real. Hemsworth was a perfect choice, and I honestly couldn't see anyone else in that role.
Snow White- hahahahaha, ohhhhh K-Stew. She was stiff and didn't have much expression throughout the film. I wasn't surprised, since I saw Twilight (against my will) and saw all three faces she can make. She's really good at dying and shouting, but cannot look normal during a conversation to save her life! It's like she's guarding her spirit so closely that the audience can only catch the occasional glimpse of it.
The film itself was really well done. Reminded me of LOTR in a great way. Very sweeping, epic feel, good music, interesting landscapes. I will be surprised, though, if it lasts longer than the summer. This probably won't be one that people will still talk about after it's out of theaters. I think it would have been better if they'd split it in two parts and gone into a lot more detail, let the character development happen a little slower. Would have been a great novel.
Bottom line: Definitely worth the $5 I paid to go to the matinée!
The Huntsman was charming and brutal and wounded, and seemed very real. Hemsworth was a perfect choice, and I honestly couldn't see anyone else in that role.
Snow White- hahahahaha, ohhhhh K-Stew. She was stiff and didn't have much expression throughout the film. I wasn't surprised, since I saw Twilight (against my will) and saw all three faces she can make. She's really good at dying and shouting, but cannot look normal during a conversation to save her life! It's like she's guarding her spirit so closely that the audience can only catch the occasional glimpse of it.
The film itself was really well done. Reminded me of LOTR in a great way. Very sweeping, epic feel, good music, interesting landscapes. I will be surprised, though, if it lasts longer than the summer. This probably won't be one that people will still talk about after it's out of theaters. I think it would have been better if they'd split it in two parts and gone into a lot more detail, let the character development happen a little slower. Would have been a great novel.
Bottom line: Definitely worth the $5 I paid to go to the matinée!
Lifted
(2010)
Great family movie, good tribute to our Soldiers
16 September 2011
Heartfelt, entertaining and very sweet. Starts out a little slow, but quickly catches your attention. Rather than keeping you on the edge of your seat with anticipation, Lifted takes a closer look at the passion behind the music, and, more importantly, gives a glimpse into the life of a soldier's family. There was no profanity, no scanty clothes, and no innuendos, which is probably why it hasn't gotten much attention. This is safe to watch with any audience. The purpose of Lifted might have been to show viewers something of what soldiers sacrifice every day, and they did it beautifully. The song "Letters from Home" came to mind several times. Definitely worth watching. Do come prepared with Kleenex.
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