Apr 092020
Feb 292020
| PLOTIn the five years since King Stefan's death, Aurora has reigned as Queen of the Moors and Maleficent as its guardian and protector. Despite her service, the neighboring kingdom of Ulstead, home to Prince Phillip, deems Maleficent a villain, and while Phillip's father King John wishes for peace, his mother Queen Ingrith has been secretly preparing for war; in the hidden areas of the castle, workers make weapons and ammunition out of iron, deadly to all fairies. Diaval, Maleficent's raven and confidante, overhears Phillip proposing to Aurora. When he has relayed this to Maleficent, she advises against the union, but Aurora insists she will be proven wrong. Phillip's parents host an intimate dinner, having invited Aurora, Maleficent and Diaval. Maleficent maintains her composure as Ingrith taunts her throughout the evening by repeating the inaccurate story that has made the humans believe her to be evil: the story of Maleficent's sleeping curse on Aurora is only half the truth, because nobody has ever been told the whole truth about her loving Aurora and sacrificing herself to lift the curse. Ingrith alludes to Stefan's death as murder, and openly claims Maleficent killed two human fairy poachers last seen near the Moors. Maleficent responds with equal iciness that humans have been kidnapping fairies, and hints that she believes the order to do it comes from the King or Queen. When Ingrith dismisses Maleficent's maternal bond with Aurora and claims that the marriage will make Ingrith her real mother, Maleficent reacts by angrily unleashing a burst of magical energy. John suddenly falls to the floor unconscious, and Ingrith cries out that Maleficent has cursed him. Maleficent denies cursing him, but Aurora disbelieves her. Phillip urges his mother to try and awaken John with a kiss. Ingrith demurs, and her weak attempt fails because she does not love her husband – a fact made obvious by her whispered words in John's ear: "You wanted peace, now Rest In Peace forever." As Maleficent flees the castle, Ingrith's right-hand, Gerda, shoots Maleficent with an iron bullet. Wounded, Maleficent falls into the ocean, only to be rescued by a mysterious winged creature. She awakens in a cavern where fairies like herself have been in hiding. Among them is Conall, their peaceful leader who saved Maleficent, and Borra, a warlike fairy who favors open conflict with humans, and killed the poachers near the Moors. Maleficent is among the last creatures known as Dark Phoenix Fae, powerful fairies forced into hiding and nearly driven extinct by human oppression. She is also the last descendant from the Phoenix, an ancient and powerful Dark Fae ancestor. Because Maleficent's magic is so powerful, Conall and Borra believe she is instrumental in ending the conflict with humans, either by peace or war. Meanwhile, the magical denizens of the Moors are invited to the royal wedding, but Aurora grows disillusioned with being an Ulstead noblewoman. Later, Conall sacrifices himself to save Maleficent again during a human attack on the Dark Fae, prompting Borra to declare war on the humans. Aurora discovers that Ingrith cursed John using Maleficent's old cursed spindle, as she hates all Moor fairy folk. When Ingrith learns that Aurora knows, she reveals that she bitterly resents the Moors' prosperity during a time when her kingdom suffered, and also blames them for her brother's death; she plots to eradicate all fairies and woodland beings using the iron weapons as well as a lethal crimson powder developed by Lickspittle, a de-winged pixie. When the Moor folk arrive, they are trapped inside the castle chapel. At Ingrith's command, Gerda unleashes the deadly crimson powder by playing the chapel's organ. The fairy Flittle selflessly sacrifices herself to save everyone as a last resort by clogging the organ, rendering the organ unplayable, while her friends Knotgrass and Thistlewit cause Gerda to fall to her death. The Dark Fae launch an assault on Ulstead but the palace soldiers begin massacring them until Maleficent, channeling her Phoenix power, joins the battle. She nearly kills Ingrith but Aurora appeals to Maleficent's humanity to spare her, and declares that Maleficent is her only mother. With Maleficent distracted, Ingrith fires her crossbow. Maleficent saves Aurora, but is struck by the arrow, dissolving into ashes. Devastated, Aurora grieves for Maleficent, but after Aurora's tears fall on the ashes, Maleficent is reborn as a Phoenix. Horrified and infuriated, Ingrith throws Aurora off the tower to kill her, prompting Maleficent to rescue her again. Phillip forges peace between the fairies and humans and the Ulstead soldiers stand down. Maleficent reverts to her fairy form and finally gives Aurora and Phillip her blessing, realizing they belong together. Lickspittle decides to stop following Ingrith's orders and gives Maleficent the spindle used to curse John and, previously, Aurora. Maleficent destroys the spindle and its curse, awakening John from his slumber. As she flees, Ingrith is stopped and captured by Borra and the other Dark Fae. As punishment for her crimes, she is transformed into a goat by Maleficent until she can accept the peace between the two people. After Aurora and Philip wed, Maleficent returns to the Moors with the other Dark Fae, teaching the young fairies to fly. She promises to return when there is a "christening" for Aurora and Philip's future child. |
2019 Personal Rating80Rotten Critics40Rotten Audience95IMDb Rating67Combined Rating70.5 |
Feb 232020
Mar 102019
Miu Miu show PFW Womenswear, Paris
5 March 2019
May 292018
| PLOTMaleficent is a powerful fairy living in the Moors, a magical forest realm bordering a human kingdom. As a young girl, Maleficent meets and falls in love with a human peasant boy named Stefan. His love is overshadowed by ambition, and as they grow older, the two grow apart and Maleficent becomes protector of the Moors. When King Henry tries to conquer the Moors, Maleficent mortally wounds him, forcing his retreat. As he lies dying, he declares that whoever kills Maleficent will be named his successor and marry his daughter. Stefan visits Maleficent in the Moors, drugs her, but is unable to bring himself to kill Maleficent. Instead, he severs her wings using iron, which is lethal to fairies, and presents them to the king. Devastated by Stefan's betrayal, Maleficent turns the Moors into a dark kingdom and transforms a raven named Diaval to serve her. After some time, Diaval informs Maleficent that King Stefan's new-born daughter, Aurora is being christened. Vengeful, Maleficent arrives uninvited and curses the infant princess: on her 16th birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel spindle and fall into a permanent deep sleep. Maleficent mocks Stefan's plea for mercy but offers an antidote; the curse can be broken by true love's kiss, which Maleficent and Stefan believe is nonexistent. Stefan sends Aurora away to live with three pixies — Knotgrass, Thistlewit, and Flittle — to protect her until the day after her 16th birthday. He destroys every spinning wheel in the kingdom and hides their remnants in the castle dungeon. Stefan sends his armies to find and kill Maleficent, but she surrounds the Moors with an impenetrable wall of thorns. In trying to prevent the curse, Stefan slips into madness and paranoia, even neglecting to see his wife on her deathbed. Maleficent gradually begins to care for the young Aurora when the bumbling and neglectful pixies fail to properly look after her. After briefly meeting Aurora, Maleficent watches over her from afar. When Aurora is 15, she encounters Maleficent. Aware she is being watched over, Aurora believes Maleficent to be her "fairy godmother". Maleficent realizes that she cares for the girl and unsuccessfully attempts to undo the curse, but it is unbreakable other than by true love's kiss. Meanwhile, in the forest, Aurora meets a young prince named Philip, and the two are attracted to each other. On the day before Aurora's 16th birthday, Aurora tells Maleficent that she would like to live with her in the Moors. When Aurora returns to the cottage, the pixies inadvertently tell Aurora of her past and Maleficent's true identity. Aurora runs to her father's castle, upset that Maleficent had never told her about the curse. To protect Aurora, Stefan locks her in a room while plotting to kill Maleficent. However, the curse's power draws Aurora to the dungeon. Aurora pricks her finger on a spindle and falls into a deep sleep, fulfilling the curse. Maleficent, intent on saving her, abducts Phillip and infiltrates Stefan's castle. Phillip's kiss fails to awaken Aurora. Maleficent apologizes to Aurora and kisses her forehead. Aurora awakens, as Maleficent's motherly feelings for her goddaughter count as true love. As Maleficent and Aurora attempt to leave, Stefan and his guards ambush them. An iron net is dropped on Maleficent. Maleficent transforms Diaval into a dragon, who battles Stefan's guards, but he is eventually captured as well. Before Stefan delivers the fatal blow, Aurora finds Maleficent's caged wings and releases them. They fly to Maleficent and reattach themselves. Maleficent carries Stefan to the top of the castle's highest tower but cannot bring herself to kill him. However, Stefan attacks Maleficent as she turns away, and they both plummet from the tower, entwined. Maleficent opens her wings and Stefan loses his grip, falling to his death. In the end, Maleficent returns the Moors to its former glory, and Aurora is crowned queen to unite the two kingdoms. |
2014 Personal Rating90Rotten Critics54Rotten Audience70IMDb Rating70Combined Rating71.0 |
Apr 152018
| RANKED ALL TIME TOP 2014Dakota Fanning is an American actress and model. Born : 23 February 1994 ( 25 ) She rose to prominence at the age of seven for her performance as Lucy Dawson in the drama film I Am Sam (2001), for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at age eight, making her the youngest nominee in SAG history. Fanning played major roles in the films Uptown Girls (2003), The Cat in the Hat (2003), Man on Fire (2004), War of the Worlds (2005), Dreamer (2005), and Charlotte's Web (2006). Fanning followed with more mature roles, playing Lewellen in Hounddog (2007), Lily in The Secret Life of Bees (2008), the eponymous character in Coraline (2009), Cherie Currie in The Runaways (2010) and Jane Volturi in The Twilight Saga (2009–12). Throughout the 2010s, she continued appearing in independent productions such as the dramas Now Is Good (2012) and Night Moves (2013), the comedy-drama Very Good Girls (2013), and the biographical film Effie Gray (2014). In 2018, she appeared in the heist comedy Ocean's 8 and had a starring role in the period drama miniseries The Alienist. She will portray Manson girl Squeaky Fromme in the Quentin Tarantino film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019). Fanning made her modelling debut in 2009 when she was featured on the cover of fashion magazines Elle, Vanity Fair, and Cosmopolitan, among others. She also appeared in the fashion week in New York in 2014 and at the opening ceremony of Fashion Week New York S/S 2015. |
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Mar 132018
| Elle Fanning is an American actress and fashion model. Born : 9 April 1998 ( 22 ) In 2011, Fanning starred in her breakout role as Alice Dainard in J. J. Abrams‘ sci-fi-drama, Super 8, for which she received positive reviews and a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival. She is also known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, We Bought a Zoo, Ginger and Rosa, Maleficent, and The Neon Demon. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning. |
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Dec 062017
| PLOTBenjamin Mee is still grieving the loss of his wife Katherine and dealing with the expulsion of his 14-year-old son, Dylan, from school, and decides to make a fresh start by buying a new house. He tours many houses with his 7-year-old daughter, Rosie, and his realtor, Mr. Stevens, but finds none he likes until his daughter finds a listing with what seems like the perfect house. They drive to an old large house and Benjamin inspects the property, telling his realtor it is perfect. When they hear a lion roar, Stevens explains that the house comes with a zoo in the back, which closed several years before; if they want the house, they must buy the zoo. Mee eventually decides to buy the zoo when he sees Rosie happily playing with the peacocks. Dylan, however, hates the idea of moving away from his friends and retreats into his artwork which has grown more macabre since the death of his mother. Benjamin's brother, Duncan, tries to dissuade him from the purchase, but Benjamin buys it anyway. The zoo staff, led by the 28-year-old head keeper, Kelly Foster, help to start renovating the zoo with the intent to reopen it to the public. When Kelly confronts Benjamin about why he bought a zoo, knowing nothing about running one, Benjamin simply responds, "Why not?" Dylan befriends Kelly's 13-year-old homeschooled cousin, Lily Miska, who develops a romantic interest that Dylan is oblivious to. A strict USDA inspector, Walter Ferris, arrives for a surprise inspection and makes a list of repairs that would cost around $100,000, which Benjamin does not have. Rhonda Blair, the zoo's accountant, gossips that Benjamin will probably sell the zoo. The workers' morale sinks, fearing the property will be sold to a buyer that will close it down. When Lily tells Dylan that she heard his family might be leaving, he is overjoyed, which hurts her feelings. Benjamin discovers that his wife bequeathed him an investment account, with instructions to use the money wisely while listening to his heart. Duncan advises him to walk away and start over with the money, but Benjamin decides to use the money to repair the zoo. While this lifts the zoo workers' morale, Dylan is unhappy about having to stay; he confronts his father, and a heated argument ensues. They reconcile the next morning and Dylan admits he misses Lily. Benjamin gives his son advice using his favorite principle, that you need only 20 seconds of courage to achieve great things. Benjamin realizes that instead of trying to start over by forgetting his wife, he should accept that she will always be a part of him. Prior to the grand opening of the zoo, the facility passes a very stringent inspection from Ferris, who grudgingly wishes them good luck. Dylan, following his father's advice, confesses to Lily that he loves her, and she forgives him. The week prior to the opening, the worst rainstorm in 100 years is predicted to wash it out. The weather clears in time, but in the morning they are disappointed when no visitors arrive. They discover that a fallen tree has blocked the access road, with a large crowd of waiting visitors behind it. The staff help them to climb over the tree. There are so many people that they run out of tickets, forcing Benjamin and Kelly to look for more. They end up face to face in a shed, where Kelly admits to Benjamin that she is romantically interested in him and since she "can't get a handle on it", she kisses him, telling him that maybe they can do it again on New Year's Eve; Benjamin kisses her back, and tells her that he is looking forward to it. Benjamin takes his children to the restaurant where he met their mother, explaining that it was the point where their existence became a possibility. He takes them through that day's encounter, where Benjamin worked up the nerve to talk to his future wife with "20 seconds of insane courage", and walks up to the table she was sitting at. He visualizes her sitting there, and asks her why such an amazing woman would talk to someone like him. She responds, "Why not?" |
2011 Personal Rating100Rotten Critics65Rotten Audience71IMDb Rating71Combined Rating76.8 |