Jul 212020
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 |
Jul 062019
| PLOTIn 1987 in Oklahoma, Danielle Edmondston is a troubled and promiscuous high school student. She argues with her mother, Sue-Ann, who is about to marry a Mormon, Ray, and amidst the chaos she befriends Clarke Walters, a shy, gay classmate. Together, they flee in a car owned by Clarke's homophobic father, Joseph, and embark on a road trip to Fresno, where Danielle expects to find her birth father, Danny Briggs. Meanwhile, Sue-Ann and Clarke's mother, Peggy, chase after them. Joseph breaks into Danielle's house in an attempt to find Clarke, only to find that the entire family is gone in vacation, besides Danielle, who has already left with Clarke. Joseph is then arrested for breaking into the house. He calls Peggy to bail him out, only to find out that Peggy refuses to let him out and that she will not allow him to harm Clarke for being gay anymore. Joseph, aggravated, has to stay in the cell until a judge can see him. On the way, Danielle and Clarke pick up a hitchhiker named Joel, who after they stop for rest, has sex with Clarke. Clarke awakens the next morning to find that he is gone, leaving him heartbroken. Clarke blames Danielle for this. After seemingly moving on and getting back in the car, it breaks down on the side of the road. Clarke and Danielle continue on foot, trying to rent a car, only to find Joseph has been released from prison and has reported their credit card stolen. Desperate for money, the two enter a bar and Danielle enters a stripping contest. After she is booed profusely, Clarke realizes that it is a biker gay bar. Danielle tells him he must strip instead. Clarke is cheered as he dances, but is caught by Joseph who enters during this. Danielle collects the prize money, but they are both taken in Joseph's other car. Clarke provokes his father into pulling the car over to attack him, while he tells Danielle to flee. Danielle manages to make it to a bus station, upset having to had to leave Clarke behind. She finds her father's house, where she is met by her mother, who asks her to leave. Danielle manages to make it to her father, who rejects her, revealing he has a young daughter. Sad, Danielle goes home and visits Clarke's mother, who tells her that Clarke's father has sent him to military school and has moved into an apartment. Danielle enters the talent show and sings "Don't Cry Out Loud" by Melissa Manchester, who is Clarke's favorite singer. As she breaks down singing, Clarke enters dressed in a military uniform. They finish the song together and get into Danielle's car. Clarke reveals that his mother let him out early and that, in an all boys school, he became very popular, with some sexual implications. Danielle, with a less rebellious attitude, and Clarke, now no longer afraid to be himself, drive off into the sunset. |
2010 Personal Rating60Rotten Critics33Rotten Audience53IMDb Rating64Combined Rating54.0 |
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 Tomatoes Avg62MetaCritic Avg62IMDb Rating70Combined Rating74.7 |