Cozy Couch Movie Reviews: Brave

This movie had amazing scenery. It seemed like I had stepped into Scotland. The animators did a beautify job. And we both laughed out loud throughout the movie.

The world was introduced fairly quickly and the main characters were all strong. The parents were believable, I didn’t realize our main character, Merida, was a teen. DH and I debated the second time around while watching the extras, whether or not she looked like a teen.

I am a firm believer in watching extras. I love watching the evolution of movies or the explanation of edits. Everything is so much more clear. I liked the idea of the first born sons trying for marriage to the princess. Historically, it should have been the fathers but its not such a good kids movie if you have Gramps moving in on your girl.

I could see how general reviews decided the movie was weak. It was intellectual, emotional on a guilt level. I think the chicks in How To Train Your Dragon were stronger. But then again, we are dealing with girl to teen to wife to mother pressure. That is hard to express.  We are introduced to the setting , the characters, and then at dinner, bam! the girl has to get married. What?! Where did that come from? She is clearly confused and angry.

Apparently the parents had been in discussion about this and sent out invitations, the mother had been teaching and rearing her for just this thing. But, interestingly for the movie and probably not the case in real life, the princess has no idea why. I chock this up to parents’ lack of communicating, classic fairytale plot line. We do see how nagging the mom is from the teen’s point of view. But never once do we hear, “you must learn this for when you are married and living off in some foreign land, never to see us again.” That would be too obvious, and kill the beautiful and funny mother-daughter dynamic.

At some point they have an out and out fight. Merida picks up a sword and slashes the tapestry her mother has been working on and in retaliation the mother takes Merida’s bow-which females, especially princess, shouldn’t have anyway- and throws it in the fire. Now that something of the teen’s is ruined, she is mad and flies out of the room. The mother immediately takes the bow out of the fire and is heartbroken that the situation has come to this ruination of the symbols of each other.

Early on, we are introduced to a story which eventually comes to fruition. A Camelot-like kingdom will be divided among the heirs when the king dies. The oldest is put off because tradition dictates it should all be his. He seeks out a witch to make him stronger than 10 men, etc. He changes into a bear, a furious beast. And kills most of his people, the rest flee.

This heroine’s story continues when Merida does not want to marry anyone. Despite her best efforts and, truly, ingenious thinking (you go girl!), it is obvious she has to pick one to live with. There is a hint during a wonderfully orchestrated discussion between the mother and father and Merida and her horse, where they mother and daughter are separately trying to converse with each other, role playing, where we learn the mother did not want to marry the father at first. This point is made clear by the father’s comical What? face. If only these two could have actually conversed!  But that is not how real life is, despite our best efforts. And it makes for poor fairytale telling.

In an angry mad dash, the princess sees the Will O’ The Wisps (swamp gas, for the scientific) who lead her to the witch’s home. The witch is hilarious! The animators did a great job reinventing the idea (watch the extras!). And the witch's house is full of wood cuttings of bears, interesting. There Merida asks to change her mother so she won’t try to force the marriage. She is given a cake to feed to mother.

The mother is changed into a bear and she has to battle the full change of becoming wild while fighting to keep her human mind. The young triplets come together to help Merida first get her bear mother out of the “castle” and then back into it, while having the men and their “armies” running willy nilly after “the bear,” what they believe to be a ferocious beast from centuries back. We have see this terrible bear when it almost eats the babe princess in the movie intro.

But, as with most things in life, there is a caveat. The witch has built in an escape clause: you choose your fate, so you can also change its course.  As the story unfolds, the mean spirit in the prince keeps himself in a bear, Mordu (I liked the use of the local language, supposedly. I didn't check independently), rather than heal the wound he created.  Merida and her mother are brought by the Will O’ The Wisps to the ruined castle and see the damaged carving of the brothers. There we learn that he did not try to fix the riff. It is then clear that Merida must fix the tapestry she sliced.

They head back to the castle and then the chasing of the mother-bear mentioned above ensues.  Fast forward, the clans are warring because of the insult Merida has shown by not picking one of the heirs.  Merida gives a pacifying speech with the help of her bear mother’s miming, that says the mother wants her to be happy and merry for love and that the clan sons should also. It is then agreed and everyone is pacified. Then another run of the bear ensues ending in the triplets eating some of the witch’s cake. Three more bears appear and there is more craziness.

Eventually the bear-mother is captured by the clansman but Merida risks her life (wasn’t particularly dangerous) but its clear she is trying to get these men to believe the bear is her mother and not the beast they have hunted for decades. Merida throws the sewn tapestry over her mother but she does not change in the light of the rising sun. We see the princess crying and hugging her mother explaining how sorry she is, etc. The mother becomes human and lavishes kisses on the princess’s face, all is forgiven. Clearly it wasn’t the tapestry that needed to be mended, it was their relationship.

It could have used a bit more drag out arguments between mother and daughter, really build it up so it makes the scene more poignant.  They should have tried to get her skill with the bow into one of the danger scenes and not just the marriage trial. That might have won more people over. Would have proved the importance of the bow as a focal point.

While the movie was funny, beautiful to look at, and the characters individual, believable, and stand alone, the important scenes did not seem as important. Maybe they needed more telling instrumentals or hints through dialogue. For example, there is a scene where Merida is trying to get mother-bear to catch and eat raw fish. It is a wonderful bonding experience until we realize the wild bear is taking over and pushing the human mother out. Shocking, and good, but it would have been nice to hear something to the effect of, it’s nice to laugh with you….to balance the nagging, teacher-mother of the opening scenes. The spunk that  drew us to Merida in the beginning seemed to be entirely missing from the trapped bear scene. The  fight of the mother bear and Mordu was pretty good, the danger building, but, of course, the mother instinct won out.

Finally, I really hoped that Merida would have been a stronger character. The build up with the bow and how great her talent is was missing from the end. Sure, her bow was destroyed, but she could have easily stolen someone else’s  and proven herself after some great dialogue to set all the warrior men quiet.  Why don't we have more stories with strong female characters? Little by little we will, Brave, with Merida's active personality is much better than the original Disney's Snow White,  who is there portrayed as a victim, run away, run away! Saved only by the kindness of men. For the real story, I suggest you look up the tales from various countries, not France. It is well known our current fairy tales were retooled and retold to pleasure the French Court, 1700 maybe?

Oh well. It was still laugh out loud funny. And the extras on the DVD were great.

Novel Review: Thornspell

Thornspell By Helen Lowe- Loved it. It’s a twist on the Sleeping Beauty/Aurora story but from the boy’s point of view. He happened to be born at a time to make him come of age first as the spell grows to full term. It’s as simple as that. He is sent away to a remote “castle” after his mother mysteriously dies. There is a curse on the father’s side, numerous generations have been weeded out. The fairies we know of who cast the wicked spell and try to change it from death to sleep are far more dangerous, conniving, loyal and dedicated. Not to mention, apparently these fairy folk, which are not from this realm, are in the bloodline of two of the strongest families who rule two of the strongest kingdoms, which make them the perfect victims. And the ultimate reason the spell involves Aurora and Sigismund.

I couldn’t help thinking back to the Disney version of this story and seeing in this novel the explanations and twists and turns the led to what we see in Disney’s movie. But this book and its strong characters are so much more. There are no weak characters, no needy characters. All have faults and weaknesses, but strength is drawn or shared from allies. Even Aurora is strong enough of mind to break out within her enchanted sleep to help (Prince) Sigismund on his enlightening journey through truth, reality, magic, and power. The difference is she must do it without speaking, without being seen, or the gig is up and the evil one will know that she is more alive than dead. The puzzle to save her is so involved and yet any one of us could solve it if it took place in our own lives. Special abilities, tools, and powerful friends help, but it is the intellect, the ability to remember a story, a quote, and the importance in the drive to say “thank you” and “I’m sorry,” even far after the fact of the matter, that bring the enlightenment needed in trying times.

Excellent book. Excellent for boys, especially, and girls alike. This is not a novel where adults refuse to listen to “kids,” where experiences cannot be shared and discussed. The turmoil is not built on misinformation or lack of communication but in the how the politics of the land play out, in attempts at various methods to solve a jigsaw and understanding how the pieces fit. There are no victims in this book, except for the initial spell. I was very much impressed with the weaving of the tale and how seamlessly the plot points fit together across generations and around the world. I kept thinking, “ah, that make’s sense” just as the character did. I would read this again, it was that good. And, I did not foresee every twist and turn!

Novel Review: A Tale of Two Castles

 A Tale of Two Castles by Gail Carson Levine- A girl must strike out on her own, leaving her farming family behind, voyaging to find apprenticeship in the far away city of Two Castles. One castle houses a horrible king, who trips up servants forcing them to apologize for what (he!) they had done, and he of course pardons them to seem a kindly king, and an ogre, who is far more kind and friendly than his ghastly parents, but no one cares or believes and so keep cats who can control the mind of ogres. Along the way she meets a shady goodwife, befriends a princess,  is stolen from by a cat, learns the ogre isn’t half bad, and eats toasted cheese and skewered meat ala dragon fire.  Elodie wants to be an actress, and is excellent at her parts. However, she is refused by the best house and ends up taking up shop with the resident dragon, who happens to be a clean freak but is kind and feeds her well. Someone is after the ogre and the dragon and Elodie must find out who and how before it is too late using indicative and deductive logic, natural to dragons.

This is a novel where intellect and observation is key. No lazy minds need apply, but there are no tricks for the reader. We know as soon as Elodie knows. She goes undercover as a lowly maid in the kitchen to gain access to Ogre Jonty Um castle. The castle servants are surprisingly supportive despite the surrounding citizenry’s disgust for the ogre. A number of people end up poisoned, including Elodie-almost. Suffice it to say the apple does not fall far from the tree. Some of the random, shady characters from the beginning are finally explained. All loose ends are tied up with no questions. This was very good, not surprised she is a Newbery Honor Author. I can’t wait to jump into her other novels, like Elle Enchanted and The Wish!

Spouse to Spouse: Never Alone In The Military

Spouse to Spouse: Never Alone In The Military

Christina M. Callisto

Freelance Writer
Published in Military Voice & Community News March/April edition 2010 and the Town Crier

After three years of dating, as a brand new military spouse at age 26, with jobs at Eglin and Hurlburt, I thought I was prepared for my husband’s first deployment. Boy, was I wrong! Seven months, no big deal…until the loneliness set in. When you aren’t used to it and are forced into it, silence is not golden, it’s deafening.

A friend introduced me to the Emerald Coast Writers group, a non-profit consortium of writers of all skill levels, abilities, and genres in this area. Members are retired, young moms, middle-aged dads, homemakers, snowbirds, and military, both active duty and retired. Some are high school grads, others have a bachelor’s degree, a master’s, and at least one has a PhD yet they are all equal in their common interest: writing.

Through ECW I was put in touch with author Vicki Hinze, spouse to a former Special Ops officer. I was so excited to contact someone who knew what I was going through and survived it! I had seen her books in the library but never knew she shopped at the same stores that I do. We chatted on the phone and through email; she was so welcoming.

I learned that her successful writing career, over 20 novels published with a contract for three more, started when her husband PCSed to follow AFSOC from Scott AFB to Hurlburt. Like many spouses, she stayed behind to sell the house, let the kids finish the school year, and she continued working her full-time job (a blessing many of us struggle towards). With the stress of juggling kids’ activities, work demands, and preparing the house for open-house showings all by herself, writing became her me-time outlet. By working late nights and getting up in the wee hours before dawn, Hinze finished her first book in four months–one month shy of the family moving to the new base.

Although seemingly “unqualified” to be an author, she was undeterred. Writing helped her through the loneliness and anxiety of another military PCS and move. These military life trials had colored her experience and allowed her to reach out to other spouses and service members through her books. I still was not convinced she was the woman next door who would say hello while watering her plants. That is, until I heard the following story.

Hinze’s military-themed writing began in 1994 during a trip to the commissary. While grabbing items off the shelf to fill her cabinets she overheard a young couple debating between buying a jar of peanut butter and a can of tuna; purchasing both was not an option for their budget. Stunned, disgusted at the forced choice on food, and outraged that the heroes both active and on the homefront would need to go without basic necessities let alone the comforts many take for granted, Hinze called her editor and scrapped her current contract for a novel with a military-theme revolving around women. Her publisher agreed and fully supported the change. Her successive books dealt with active-duty service members, custody battles and divorce, romance, biological warfare, TDYs, alcoholism, deployments, risks, and the varied dangers inherent in service. Hinze’s single point in all of this was not to sell books, although that was a plus. It was to help the general public see that these hardships exist and understand that military families face specific stresses and dangers every day. This is what made Vicki Hinze a real person, a neighbor, a mom, a spouse, in my eyes.

She used her strength to bring awareness to a much ignored aspect of life, of my new life. She has used a number of pen names for different book series, but when it came to her twelve (so far) military books, no other name but her own felt acceptable. Hinze was on a personal mission and she wanted to stand behind the things expressed and to be an active advocate in the struggle to raise awareness on the concerns and welfare of military families. My new family.

Since I was very young, I’ve moved around quite a bit. A job search brought me to this area, thanks to the bases’ missions. Hinze’s family moved from Mississippi to California to Illinois and finally to Florida. She hailed from New Orleans, Louisiana while her husband was and is a Texan at heart. She confided to me that the varied cultures and lifestyles both of her own family and that of the wider military family helped to broaden her perspective. All of this helped expand her insight and creativity and aided in building relatable, empathetic characters.

After learning all this in bits and pieces, I couldn’t wait to meet the person. I wanted to pick her brain for every joy and heartbreak she sustained as a military wife with a full family. I am glad she will be attending the ECW Conference in April so I will have three days to chat with and learn from her. My husband and I would like to have a family some day, but he was deployed to Afghanistan one month after we wed. I have so much to learn, but now I know as a military spouse I am never alone. In the wee hours of the morning, I can pick up one of Vicki’s books and know someone is with me in this.
Emerald Coast Writers Inc. www.emeraldcoastwriters.org/
Vicki Hinze www.vickihinze.com/

April 29, 2010 at 7:16 am