WAR HORSE IS A SWEEPING EPIC

FINALLY!!!!!! It's been a while since John Williams and Sir Steven have tag teamed on a film ( It's been 3 years since their last collaboration). These two visionaries used to create magic together on the silver screen (with classic films like E.T., Jaws, and Jurassic Park). While their last effort, the just plain bad Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, failed to ignite that old spark their newest project, War Horse, recreates the magic that millions have missed so much.

War Horse is the story of a young horse that is ripped away from his mother and sold to a poor family, where the adolescent son, Albert (Jeremy Irvine, who does a really good job here), falls for the horse and volunteers to be the one to break him in/train him. Together the two form a strong bond. Unfortunately times are hard for the family, and to alleviate some of the stress, the father sells the horse, named Joey, to the British Army ( and to a British soldier played by Tom Hiddleston, who is great here as usual) which is preparing for WW1. It is this event that will set the horse on a collision course with several individuals who he will make an impact on and help, meanwhile Albert embarks on a journey to find joey and bring him home.

The first half of War Horse is where the film struggles to find its footing. There was little to no emotional connection made for me, the film didn't flow very well, was choppy, and characters were introduced only to be abruptly dropped ten minutes later. It is here where one of the main problems with the film takes shape, does it want to be a sweeping war epic or a tender heartfelt sentimental journey, does it want to focus mainly on Joey or does it want to focus mainly on the human's stories? the film can't make up its mind and it's only well into the end of the first act/beginning of the second act that it finally is able to find somewhat of a balance.

While the first act tested my patience (if i wasn't with my family, I may have given up and walked out of the film) , the second half of War horse is where the film swallowed me whole. It is here where the film begins to finally pick up steam, where the music melds into the film so I didn't even notice it, where the emotional connection was finally made that the film so badly needed. In short, the second half is where War Horse finally gets good.

War Horse is one of Steven Spielberg's most mature, sad, and tragic films. It deals with several very adult aspects of war, and treats both the British and German sides as equal. Not one is good or bad, both are viewed as victims of sorts. The film also deals realistically with the treatment of horses during war. There is a scene where a battlefield is strewn with the dead corpses of both humans and horses, and the setting for most of the second half, an area referred to as No Man's Land (a war torn field), is beautifully realized, actually taking my breath away in the ugly beauty of it all. Steven Spielberg has always had an eye for environments and settings, and he shows this skill off to a stunning degree in War Horse (with the help of Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski).

War Horse is a film that was made to explicitly tug at your heartstrings, and it does this with an alarming precision and skill. If you don't like films that try their hardest to make you shed a tear, then War Horse is not the film for you. I like films that are sentimental, and while I didn't cry (I don't cry easily) I definitely got choked up at the last scene. War horse is by no means a perfect film, and while it does lose it's way in the first half it successfully finds a firm footing during the second and manages to deliver the goods we all were expecting. It's just fantastic to see both Spielberg and Williams back together again, weaving their own special brand of magic that only they can weave. In the end, War Horse overcomes its many struggles and emerges triumphant. It's quite an achievement.

3.5/5

MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. GRINCH- BEETLE REVIEWS HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

It's officially Christmas Day!!!!

I know before I was griping about how I've never successfully celebrated the spirit of the season on my blog, well all that changes today with my first ever Christmas review. I start a new trend today with my review of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

Today. I'm reviewing the Jim Carrey/Ron Howard version of the timeless tale. I know that this version has gotten a good deal of hate, but it's become a tradition in the Beetle house and is one of my personal favorite Christmas films. Is it a perfect film? No (It's not even a perfect adaptation), not by any means of the word but I still love this new classic all the more. The film never fails to fill me with joy and a warmth that can only be found on Christmas Day.

In this version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas, the story is the same but Ron Howard has added some back story to the characters and made Cindy Lou Who a bigger role than she previously was. Howard also adds in some new characters including the Mayor of Whoville (Mayor Augustus Maywho), Cindy's parents, and the lovely Martha May Whovier. Is all the added back story, characters, and details necessary or even needed? Heck No! Here, the new characters do make for a nice touch, but the backstory of The Grinch is really used more for padding than anything else. Nothing revolutionary is revealed, and honestly I didn't really need or want to know The Grinch's reason for hating Christmas. I do miss the simplicity of the original story, with all the added stuff here things can get a bit messy and muddied at times.

That said, the acting found in this new version is pretty good. Most of the cast does a perfectly acceptable job with the roles they are given. Taylor Momsen does a surprisingly good job as the young Cindy Lou Who, but the standout star of the film is the great Jim Carrey himself as The Grinch. Carrey throws himself into the role of The Grinch with a wild abandon that is crazily infectious. It's clear he's having fun with the classic character, he is the classic Grinch we all know and love with a few sprinkles of Jim Carrey's own personal flavoring for good measure. Not only is he a goofy, funny, lovable character but he is also a sad, and sometimes even slightly menacing and scary one as well. The Grinch is easily one of Carrey's best roles to date.

The sets and environments found in The Grinch are wonderfully Seussian, and remain faithful to the book. The small town of Whoville (found inside a snowflake, what a perfect little added detail) is perfectly realized, as is The Grinch's lair on Mt. Crumpit. Here is a town that I wouldn't mind visiting and exploring for a while, not to mention I also wouldn't mind staying at The Grinch's lair for some time....it's so vast and cool, even to a 21 year old such as myself. Every time the film ends, I find myself wanting to spend more time in this fantastic world Dr. Seuss and Ron Howard created.

Luckily, with all the lots of modern humor (I take it this is what most complain about, I actually like this aspect of the new film though) the new Grinch doesn't forget that it was the heart that made the original story so beloved. This new Grinch definitely has a big, beating heart at its core. This time around, Whoville is a town that has become obsessed with all the commercial and material aspects of Christmas (an angry Grinch even points this out during a heated monologue in the center of town), forgetting what Christmas is really all about (another aspect I'm sure upset fans of the original). While at first glance this would appear to be a bad choice for the film, it actually strengthens the message at the end of the film. And what exactly is that message? That Christmas is really all about being together with your family and being grateful for what you have, of course!

So, as I've already said The Grinch is by no means a perfect film,but it is permeated by the spirit and warmth of the holiday season and that makes it enjoyable nonetheless. With a delightfully infectious performance from the great Jim Carrey, The Ron Howard version of How The Grinch Stole Christmas is a great treat for the whole family...especially when the holiday season rolls around.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all you Grinch's out there (and you non-Grinch's too). Stay warm, stay safe, and enjoy Christmas Day....remember, it only comes but once a year so make it last!

4/5 STARS

CHRISTMAS EVE

Hello all. I just wanted to explain my lack of any reviews lately. I had a very stressful semester at College, and I got home a few weeks ago. I don't feel like I can muster the energy to write up a full review, so instead I have posted several small ones to Rotten tomatoes...you can find them HERE: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/user/id/906180249/

I also have never fully celebrated Christmas here on the site, but I have made several big to-do's about Halloween....and that was wrong of me, I am sorry. I have spent my few weeks at home mainly resting and making up the hours of sleep I lost up at College, and as I've already stated couldn't muster up the energy to write full reviews (Christmas related or otherwise).

Anyways, i just wanted to take the time here to wish all my readers a very merry Christmas/holiday season and a very happy New Year. May you receive all you asked for and maore, and may the net year bring much happiness to you and your friends.

Till next time, this is Beetlejuice wishing all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy ho-ho-holiday season.

God Bless

CHOMP CHOMP: CAPTAIN JAKE'S AMITY BOAT TOURS (AKA: THE JAWS RIDE) TO CLOSE FOREVER ON JANUARY 2, 2012

I am honestly at a loss for words.

Universal Studios Orlando announced today at 11:00 AM that one of the last remnants from the park's glory days and a strong staple of the park to this day, The Jaws Ride, will be closing FOREVER on January 2 2012. The announcement was met with shock, depression, and rage from park fans (such as myself).

The Jaws Ride has been a very big part of my life for quite some time now. I have the whole ride spiel memorized, I even planned on auditioning to be a Jaws Skipper sometime next year. Jaws has been my favorite ride at USF (not to be confused with IOA) for a very long time, and with it and the surrounding area gone I'm not sure I have much incentive to revisit that park anytime soon.

Why is this such a tragedy, you ask? Well, it was one of the few rides that had been a part of the park since 2 years after USF opened it's gate to the public. All the other rides that were open at this time are now reduced to mere fragments of memory. Such classics like Kongfrontation, Ghostbusters, Back To The Future....with Jaws gone the only classic ride left is E.T and that ride itself needs some serious TLC SOON.

Not only was Jaws a reminder of Universal's glory days, it was also the only remaining attraction that still had a Team member operating the ride vehicle, interacting with guests, and delivering a speil throughout the course of the ride. The only other ride to do this was Kongfrontation, and that was demolished to make way for the Revenge of The Mummy, a High tech Rollercoaster that was fun but couldn't hold a candle to Kong. Jaws' skippers helped to make the ride that much more memorable and fun, some of their ad-libs making my day (ex: WE DIDN'T DIE!!!).

With Kong gone, Jaws (and the surrounding Amity area, which is to be demolished along with the ride) were the most well-themed area and ride of the park. The numerous pay to play games made sense in the area, since they were similar to what you would find on a seaside boardwalk and the entire theming of the Amity area (from food, to building design) helped to cement the illusion that you really were in the seaside town of Amity. The center of the small town was a captured shark, which was displayed prominently in front of Captain Jake's Amity Boat Tours Queue line. The whole Amity area was a marvel of imagination and design, and it's really depressing to think that, come the start of next year, it will all be gone.

So, what exactly was the story of the Jaws Ride? well, you, the guest, are asked to believe that the events of Jaws were based on actual events that occurred in the town of Amity (actually a fictional town). Shortly after the film was released, the small town's summer population dropped sharply and since Amity is a summer town that relies heavily on summer dollars...the town itself began to die. Luckily, salty Sea Dwarg, Captain Jake Grunty, had the brilliant idea to open his very own sightseeing tour of Amity Harbor which would take guests on a tour of where all the shark attacks actually occurred. The tour attracted tourists from all over the world, and just like that Amity was back on top again. However, 36 years later during Amity's 4th of July celebration and on the very weekend when the shark attacks first occurred so long ago Captain Jake's Amity Boat Tours will have to fight the great white terror known as Jaws once more.

That's the story, and as I'm sure you can see...It's also very well crafted and themed. I can honestly say, they just don't make em like they used to. So sad, that we have to lose a truly great, original ride that so many loved.

Many fans were angered that, while the closure of Jimmy Neutron was announced half a year before it was done away with, Jaws' closure was only announced a short 30 days (a month) before its final tour was to set sail. I agree with the fans here, that's not fair at all. Why should a mediocre ride like Jimmy Neutron get so much coverage and hoopla about it's closing, while a true classic like Jaws gets the absolute bare-minimum. It just doesn't taste right.

You know what else, doesn't taste right? There are rumors floating around that Harry Potter Phase 2.0 will be replacing Amity and Jaws. While I do love Harry Potter and it's land over at IOA, I just feel that HP doesn't belong in the Studios and wouldn't fit smoothly into the park. If Universal does announce that Harry Potter will be replacing Jaws, that will be the final straw for me... no more trips to USF for me (I'll still travel to IOA, but USF will be off limits).

According to Uni's announcement, they have some things planned to make sure we never forget the Jaws Ride. I don't know what this means, but I'm hoping for at least a memorial statue or to have the Shark photo-op moved to another area in the park.

Anyways I guess It's fitting that I end this post with my own eulogy to one of my favorite rides of all time: R.I.P Old Friend. You were the best (and only) scenic cruise on the island, and I shall miss you VERY much. CHOMP CHOMP

For those of you curious, here's Universal's official announcement on Jaws' imminent closure:

"Hey fans, we want you to be the first to know… JAWS! and the Amity area will officially close on January 2 to make room for an exciting, NEW, experience we’re planning for you.

We know you love JAWS! and we do too. It has been an amazing attraction and after terrorizing the waters of Amity here at Universal Orlando for 20 years, it’s a VERY important part of our history. So, we’ve got a couple things planned to ensure we always remember and honor it. We know it’s hard to say goodbye, but we can’t express how EXCITED we are about the new, innovative & amazing experience we’re going to be bringing you." -source: Orlando United