Tiger Lily's Threads

Last night, a friend of mine highly suggested that I watch this movie on Netflix called Tulip Fever . While the book with the same title was in stores long before the movie came out, I wanted to watch the movie when it came out in theaters back in '15; I had simply forgotten about it when other movies grabbed my attention. So I figured why not, let's see what this movie is about and how it holds up. ...I was not disappointed.  I haven't done a movie review in ages, but I felt that this movie definitely deserved to be talked about. Tulip Fever takes place in 17th century Amsterdam during the tulip boom that had the country putting serious investments and spending a fortune on exotic Tulips that came from the East; the most rare being a white tulip with a red stripe called a "breaker", was the most coveted and most expensive; On the other side of the spectrum, a young woman marries a well-to-do merchant and they have a portrait painted them by a painter. Im...

Ok, I really wanted to cut it short, so here we go…. In retrospect, like this take on Bram Stoker's Dracula. Compared to the other variations I have seen over the years, this is pretty spot on and yet at the same time, it had it's own take, as if there were some deleted parts that Stoker wrote up in a rough draft, but decided not to use in the final. For example, while Mina doesn't have a romantic relationship with the Count in the novel, the movie just took it to a whole new level and played with the characters as if to say "This is why Dracula decided to go to England in the first place." Also, in the novel, Mina is not the one who sets him free. In fact, it's Jonathan who lands the killing blow by slitting his throat and cutting his head off right while he's struggling to get out of the box of earth. Anyway, I really think the movie did a great job telling the story. Even the special effects were top notch and original. In fact, they didn't bo...

Going back a little further here on the movies that I feel are now 90's classics, I definitely want to review this movie that I felt had good acting, really good special effects, perfect actors that matched the characters in the novel, and of course the beautiful costumes that surprisingly carried cultural and religious symbolism. I'll also talk about the comparisons between the movie and the novel itself. While the movie is tightly based on the novel, there are some contrasts that I'm sure you will find just as surprising. (Spoiler: This is a synopsis) The movie opens up with Keanu Reeves as Jonathan Harker, a solicitor, embarking on a long and arduous journey into the Carpathian mountains of Transylvania to meet the elusive and mysterious Count Dracula. . . . I'm sorry, that's not how it began. That was in the book. The movie actually opens up with a viscous war going on in 15th century Transylvania, with Prince Vlad Tepes (played by Gary Oldman), killin...

Last night while browsing through Netflix, I came across a movie that I've somehow overlooked back in 2008; by then, a few historical genre movies came out. I believe Pirates of the Caribbean 1 or 2 was out around that time, because I was on my Johnny Depp kick and I just HAD to go see it. So that was the majority of my movie focus. Which brings me to Keira Knightly. While she did a fantastic job in POTC as Elizabeth Swan, she did a phenomenal job portraying the Lady Georgiana Cavendish: Duchess of Devonshire in the movie of the same name. The movie is based both on historical accounts of the real Georgiana, and on the biography  Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman        While I'm sure many history and historical fashion buffs have seen this movie at least 5 times, I won't have to go too much into detail about the movie's synopsis. I thought the movie was beautiful but sad, because of the movie's true depiction of life in high society ...

Just saw Guardians of the Galaxy with my husband, and loved it! I enjoyed the plot. It was very easy to follow. The characters were all hilarious, such as the relationship between Rocket and Groot, and Peter "Star Lord" Quill and Gamora. The other character whose name I forgot, was played by WWE wrestler Batista. Oh my gosh, his inability to understand the figure of speech (his alien species are more literal than metaphorical) was absolutely hilarious. Aside from the adorable Groot, I really liked Gamora. Regardless of her past, she stays close to her new friends, and kicks some serious butt. Also the costumes were pretty cool, and something that I'd definitely consider cosplaying in the near future. Anyway, there were plenty of pop culture references, such as Kevin Bacon, the tape player from the 1980's, and songs like "Cherry Bomb", "Hooked on a Feeling", and "ABC's" from The Jackson 5 (Well, they're more 70's but it w...

Just got back from watching the movie "Belle" by Amma Asante. Belle is based on a true story about a mixed race girl (Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay) growing up in 18th century aristocracy. While struggling with her identity as a mulatto and where she belongs in the society she was raised in, she also dealt with important things such as pushing the cessation of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade in England and their territories through her great uncle's decisions in the court regarding the Zong Case , as well as finding a husband of high status who would consider her despite her appearance. This movie is so powerful and emotional, that a few people in the audience as well as myself, were moved to tears. I love the fact that it showed each of the character's pivotal points of what life was like for them; dealing with both the political and social struggles of what was considered right and what was considered the norm in English society during that time. A g...