Still no
word on a completed guest post about superheroes (JESSE! THESE PEOPLE ARE WAITING!) so how's about
a review of a movie sans the Broadway show?
For this post, it's the (optional) theme song of the full War Horse Soundtrack.
If anyone's
ever heard of War Horse, they
might think of the Broadway show, with the amazing puppets, and the brilliant
actors making it all seem so real. But
the movie is just as spectacular! You
get all of these great shots where even the scenery gets to be the star of the
show, where these 6-star actors (out of five, mind you) make your wildest dreams
come true, and you are just taken on the journey, like a spirit witnessing the
miracle of a horse surviving World War I, that many people thought was the War
to End All Wars. It was utterly brilliant!
Not very
many people realize that Steven Spielberg directed this movie much like Vincent
Van Gogh created his paintings; he used the skies of Devonshire to his
advantage, the moors like a landform just waiting to be used as a backdrop for
an epic movie, he used the landscape to its advantage, the surrounding areas as
part of this great beautiful story, and it seems that he sees it all in his
mind and just HAS to make it real. It
all came together very beautifully as a work of art that tells this war story,
this journey of a horse from birth to war to home again, who is a character in
and of itself, that had to be trained to run into battle instead of
away from danger. In fact, Tom"Loki" Hiddleston, who played Captain Nicholls in this film, was
witness to how Spielberg directed and constructed shots for the film; it might
be a lot of hard work to other directors, but it was like "water out of a
tap for him," because it would just flow with ease. If I couldn't make it as a director for my
Polar Vortex film, then I probably would've co-directed with Spielberg, because
he's just. So. Brilliant!
The acting
was incredible, the horses were probably trained extremely^2 well to act
properly, in the way that was just not only natural, but also like they are
also the stars of the film, having to bear many a rider from many backgrounds
on their backs. And what's also great,
having ridden horses myself until my teen years, is that they never had one
shot in the film be of the horses taking a piss or a shit. I'm serious, it isn't fun to have to wait
around for the horse to finish their business for me to continue with dressage
riding. BUT(T)! Squirrel moment aside, they were beautiful
and they deserve their own stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and knighthood
in the UK. Of course, the knighthood
will be up to Her Majesty.
I have to
spoil it a tiny bit. Because there is
just this one beautiful scene, one where I will not reveal where it lies in
sequence of the film lest I spoil it for everyone who didn't watch it but
SHOULD…. It's a scene where you're on
the moors of Devon, and the skies are awash in the fiery sunset glow of the
sun. It's so beautiful, like the skies
are awash with flame, and everything is lit in the firelight of the sky. You can't help but just go,
"Oh….my….GODS! Someday, this HAS to
be the setting for a photo shoot!"
(Heh, you might not go "PHOTO SHOOT!" But, I confess that I actually did.) But it was just so beautiful, like
Spielberg's version of Van Gogh's Starry Night, with the color temperature thermostat
set to warm! All those oranges and
yellows just giving it the right sense of amazing jaw-dropping BEAUTY!
I also have
to admit that I did not realize that it was a book FIRST… I would LOVE to see the Broadway show for
sure, but now I have to find the book and read it! Because Mama always told me to read the book first! However, I don't think Spielberg could do the
book any
more justice than he already did!
He did excellent with the firing squad scene, with the shot construction
and execution, Tom Hiddleston did excellent as Captain Nichols, Benedict
Cumberbatch was wonderful as Major Jamie Stewart, and it was just the right amount
of jaw dropping beauty mixed together with emotions and storytelling and
character AND DELICIOUS CHEEKBONES!!!!!
Even I would nominate this movie for every Oscar category, including
made-up categories I'm still trying to come up with for @midnight's Hashtag
Wars!
20 PLUNGERS OUT OF TEN!!!! AND I
COMMANDETH YOU ALL:
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