The Nutcracker And The Four Realms, 2018, Lasse Hallstrm, Joe Johnston

The Nutcracker and The Four Realms, 2018,  Lasse Hallström, Joe Johnston

Review: 8/10 Quite good

This classic fairytale inspired by Tchaikovsky ballet is quite interesting. I love the curiosity of Clara. The fact that there are more black characters (Jayden Fowora-Knight and Morgan Freeman and the dancer) during this last decade, not only in this movie, but also in others is something quite interesting and I appreciate that. 

Love is not portrayed as the most important thing in the world either, which is something I really appreciate too, specially in a Disney princess movie . The Sugarplum Fairy turns out to be bad, which is something I must recognise I did not expect. However, there are some cliché parts in the movie, like for example when Clara arrives and she is destined to save the kingdom, she is treated like a princess and all that, it was a little bit too sweet, but it’s okay since it is a movie for children. However, one thing I did expect was the content of the music box. I knew it since the beggining and that was cliché but I kinda like it anyway.

Finally, the dressing were pretty cool, the soundtrack was magnificent but the best thing about this movie is definitely the setting and the aesthetic, specially at the beggining. Awesome.

Huesca, España, 12 de julio de 2018

This one was from a trip I made to Huesca, in the north of Spain for an English immersion course. It was a really new experience. I travelled by train for the very first time. I met a lot of new wonderful people. The best memory I have from this trip was the visit to the cathedral, an old grocery shop from 1871, and an Irish dance we learnt to dance.

Just a friendly reminder that you can do it, and you can do it well, whatever it is.

Cordoba, Spain

The Graduate

Nice, 19/01/2019

Summary:

Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) is a 21 year old fellow who has just graduated from University. He is very stressed about his future and his life in general. His parents want him to marry Elaine Robinson. At his graduation party with his family, Mrs. Robinson, Elaine’s mother, tells him to drive her home and there she tries to seduce him and finally they have an affair with several encounters. They finally end up their affair and Ben falls in love with Elaine, but now Mrs. Robinson doesn’t want him to marry her.

When everything is discovered Ben is left all alone and Elaine engages another guy. He chases after her to Berkeley, the new place where Elaine has moved, and then when they are kissing in the wedding Ben rudely bargain in. Elaine decides to escape with him and run away happily in a bus, while everyone stares them as they smile.

Review: 8.5/10

The themes in this movie are Love, Maturity, Innocence, Youth, Dichotomy Duty vs. Feelings, Social Expectations vs. Individuality, Carpe Diem

The thing I definitely love the most is the evolution of the character’s personality. At first, he is insecure, timid and is very stressed about the future and very self-conscious (i.e. when he books a room in the hotel), when he is used as a sexual toy by Mrs. Robinson etc. But as the movie advances, he becomes more and more confident, to the point when he doesn’t care about even disrrupting in a wedding in a brutal way and take her girlfriend away with him, when everyone is opposing. He goes from a passive character to an active one. He breaks societal norms but he is successful.

The iconic yet sad Soundtrack: The Sound of Silence, 1964 by Simon and Garfunkel. Scarborough Fair.

“You cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it.