Once upon a dream
After having been missing in action for some months due to my then terribly hectic workload, I can say that I have made a comeback to my social circles.
In the recent weeks, all I ever did was work during the day and meet friends at night. There were stories to share and, of course, movies we cannot wait to watch. Had I not quit from my previous job, this would have been next to impossible.
Maleficent
(Photo source: Times Union)
Synopsis:
Maleficent is particularly known to be the evil fairy who cursed baby Princess Aurora to a “sleep-like death” when she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel before the sun sets on her 16th birthday. Sleeping Beauty, the children’s story, ended with a charming prince saving Aurora and the kingdom by battling a forest of thorns, a dragon with, well, true love's kiss.
The film, however, shifts the focus away from the cheesy details of their love story and the optimistic triumph of goodness over evil to the untold story of Maleficent, projected as the strongest fairy, protector of the Moors where all the other magical creatures live, whose wings were clipped by a man she thought to be her true love. This lead her to denounce the existence of true love.
Stefan and Maleficent met when they were young, and their friendship eventually grew to something else. However, Stefan, overwhelmed by his ambition to be powerful, betrayed Maleficent by using her weakness against her in a bid to conquer the throne from the dying king.
Maleficent’s curse to Aurora was her revenge against the man and his wife, but she subconsciously learned to love the sweet princess as she observed her from afar.
Takeaways:
The Fault in our Stars
(Photo source: New York Post)
Takeaways:
Mon Ame Par Toi Guerie (My Soul Healed by You / One of a Kind)
(Photo source: ScreenDaily)
Synopsis:
Since his mother died, Fredi inherited the power to heal through laying of hands. He wants nothing to do with it until he gets involved in an accident where a young boy ends up in a comatose in a hospital.
The incident changed his disapproving mindset and he eventually started using his power for good.
Takeaways:
Noah
(Photo source: news.com.au)
Synopsis:
Noah tells us the story of the great flooding, albeit with additional not-so-biblical details and a more human perspective on what the characters could have felt and believed during those times when the end was near.
Takeaways:
How to Train Your Dragon 2
(Photo source: Star-Telegram)
Synopsis:
In Berk, villagers and dragons peacefully co-exist. What once were thought to be dangerous creatures are now considered companions.
Hiccup is being groomed for the crown but he remains unsure if he wants to take the responsibility. He delights in charting unmapped places with his dragon best friend, Toothless. One of their adventures leads them into discovering a secret cave where countless and varieties of dragons live in tranquility, but the sanctuary is disturbed by a dragon hunter who controls an alpha.
Hiccup and his friends then wage a war to keep the villagers and the dragons safe, even when he himself is threatened by Toothless — because he who controls the alpha dragon controls all the other dragons.
Takeaways:
In the recent weeks, all I ever did was work during the day and meet friends at night. There were stories to share and, of course, movies we cannot wait to watch. Had I not quit from my previous job, this would have been next to impossible.
Maleficent
(Photo source: Times Union)
Synopsis:
Maleficent is particularly known to be the evil fairy who cursed baby Princess Aurora to a “sleep-like death” when she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel before the sun sets on her 16th birthday. Sleeping Beauty, the children’s story, ended with a charming prince saving Aurora and the kingdom by battling a forest of thorns, a dragon with, well, true love's kiss.
The film, however, shifts the focus away from the cheesy details of their love story and the optimistic triumph of goodness over evil to the untold story of Maleficent, projected as the strongest fairy, protector of the Moors where all the other magical creatures live, whose wings were clipped by a man she thought to be her true love. This lead her to denounce the existence of true love.
Stefan and Maleficent met when they were young, and their friendship eventually grew to something else. However, Stefan, overwhelmed by his ambition to be powerful, betrayed Maleficent by using her weakness against her in a bid to conquer the throne from the dying king.
Maleficent’s curse to Aurora was her revenge against the man and his wife, but she subconsciously learned to love the sweet princess as she observed her from afar.
Takeaways:
- Aren’t we all heroes and villains in one? Why categorize a person in black and white?
- Apologies are not always necessary. What truly matters is how one earns redemption through actions, not words.
- In a culture of violence and caution, innocence and purity are the rarest treasures.
- According to some reports, the clipping of Maleficent’s wings is a deliberate metaphor to rape. Just as Maleficent’s wings symbolizes her identity, a woman’s virginity indicates her sense of pride and self.
The Fault in our Stars
(Photo source: New York Post)
Takeaways:
- Being hurt is part of loving but pain does not belie the joy it brings.
- If we all live like we are about to die, what adventures every day would bring!
- All that we naturally deem important, successes and influence, are ephemeral. To fully live is not to be popularly recognized by many but to be heartily remembered by the ones whose lives we touched.
Mon Ame Par Toi Guerie (My Soul Healed by You / One of a Kind)
(Photo source: ScreenDaily)
Synopsis:
Since his mother died, Fredi inherited the power to heal through laying of hands. He wants nothing to do with it until he gets involved in an accident where a young boy ends up in a comatose in a hospital.
The incident changed his disapproving mindset and he eventually started using his power for good.
Takeaways:
- It is amazing how a person who isn’t in the best condition himself can help bring out the best in others.
- No matter how self-sufficient and independent a person projects himself to be, there will always come a point when he will have to rely on somebody.
Noah
(Photo source: news.com.au)
Synopsis:
Noah tells us the story of the great flooding, albeit with additional not-so-biblical details and a more human perspective on what the characters could have felt and believed during those times when the end was near.
Takeaways:
- God may manifest His will to us through signs, just as it was in the Old Testament, but at the end of the day, it is still our will, our interpretation of the signs, that propel our actions or inaction.
- Even the sternest principles may be bent to give way for matters of the heart.
How to Train Your Dragon 2
(Photo source: Star-Telegram)
Synopsis:
In Berk, villagers and dragons peacefully co-exist. What once were thought to be dangerous creatures are now considered companions.
Hiccup is being groomed for the crown but he remains unsure if he wants to take the responsibility. He delights in charting unmapped places with his dragon best friend, Toothless. One of their adventures leads them into discovering a secret cave where countless and varieties of dragons live in tranquility, but the sanctuary is disturbed by a dragon hunter who controls an alpha.
Hiccup and his friends then wage a war to keep the villagers and the dragons safe, even when he himself is threatened by Toothless — because he who controls the alpha dragon controls all the other dragons.
Takeaways:
- Labels are mere words, until you prove them right or wrong.
- There are two forms of control, one of which is wrought by fear, the other loyalty.
- To gain the trust of another, use your heart. •