"The Christmas Cure" - Hallmark Christmas Movie Review

This movie served as a kick off to Hallmark's annual Countdown to Christmas. The movie is about a young woman, Vanessa, who is a very busy doctor. She is finally able to spend Christmas with her family and she's very excited about that. Upon returning home she crosses paths with her high school sweetheart and finds out that her father is retiring. She spends her Christmas deciding if she wants to take over for her dad or further her career.


 Stars: Brooke Nevin, Steve Byers, & Patrick Duffy

This movie was...ugh. I could not get into it at all. The main love interests had no chemistry whatsoever. Byers' character Mitch was poorly written. Mitch and Vanessa did not seem like high school sweethearts- in fact they seemed like strangers. The majority of the movie focuses on Nevin's character and her inner struggle of staying or going; there is no time spent on the rekindling romance until towards the end. The only redeemable and semi interesting parts of this story was Duffy and his wife and the teenagers subplot romantic story line. I had no emotional attachment to the two main characters. I cared more about Dr. Turner (Duffy) and his wife and their adorable moments, as well as Kyle (Vanessa's younger brother) and his crush Shelly. There were 2 parts that made me tear up- once again these parts had nothing to do with Vanessa and Mitch. There is an elderly woman that Dr. Turner visits weekly since her husband died, Mrs. Willis, and each Christmas she bakes a traditional German cake for her late husband. It was very sweet. Overall, I'd give this movie 1 star and say skip it. There are WAY better movies on Hallmark to watch. 

"Beauty and the Beast" Movie Review

Wow. Just wow. This movie has truly lived up to the hype surrounding it which is something rare. I'll admit that I was nervous to watch this film because Beauty and the Beast is a treasured animated classic. I do not know a single person who doesn't like that movie and in my opinion it's one of Disney's best movies ever. That is a lot to live up to for bringing these beloved characters and their songs to life.

Emma Watson was flawless as Belle. She truly brought her to life in the best possible way. There has been so much surrounding Emma's changes to Belle that I was nervous she had been changed too much. However, the changes work perfectly with the character-she is as strong-willed, intelligent, and kind as ever.

Speaking of stories surrounding this movie, if you're concerned about Lefou being gay and his "gay scene" in the film then you really shouldn't worry- trust me. In the cartoon, I thought he had a thing for Gaston so when they announced that he was officially gay in this film, it didn't surprise me at all. I would have been more surprised if he were straight. Josh Gad truly does a spectacular job with Lefou (as if there was any doubt!).

Luke Evans as Gaston was fantastic. I hate him so much, yet I can't stop singing his songs! He really rocked the role and the songs that came with it.

Dan Stevens is the Beast and he was fantastic. He brought such life to this character. He makes you fall in love with him; he brings him to a new level. The Beast was difficult at first and scary, but once he starts opening up...it's so great.


**SPOILER PICTURES AND COMMENTARY AHEAD!

Lumiere and Cogsworth 

In this scene, he shows Belle a book given to him by the Enchantress that will transport them anywhere they want to go. Belle takes them to the place where she was born in Paris. Beast/Prince has no idea until she begins telling him about it and looking at the drawings her father left behind. She says she never knew what happened to her mother and her father would never tell her. He finds a doctor's mask and says it was probably the plague that took her mother. It is a very touching scene between these two. We finally find out what happened and it gives Belle and the viewers some peace.

This was so magical...it's hard to describe the beauty.

Dan looks exactly like the Prince in the animated version, doesn't he?!

We finally have a legit Beauty and the Beast wedding! This is Belle's dress! It was such a beautiful scene!

Ultimately I give this move 5 stars- it's a MUST SEE!

"Captain America: Civil War" Movie Review

Holy Crap. This movie is freaking amazing. It is wall to wall action and heart...I don't even know what to make of it. 

SPOILERS AHEAD, SKIP TO THE END IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SPOILED!!!!!!

Ok so wow. That first scene, Wanda is so cute just sitting there trying to be a spy. That fight got intense quick and Steve got distracted when Crossbones (the villian) mentioned Bucky's name. Steve was questioning him and Crossbones set off a grenande to kill them both. In an effort to protect Steve, Wanda moves Crossbones and the explosion, but she accidentally lets go of it in a building causing a lot of destruction. Once again, the Avengers aren't looking so good. It really sucks, because she's still learning to control her powers but she was just trying to save Steve's life. Later at the tower, Steve tries to comfort Wanda as she is very upset and the news is blaming her and the rest of the Avengers, but mostly her for the destruction and death of innocent people. 

Meanwhile, Tony is giving a speech at a college about being an inventor and he relives, in front of their eyes, the last time he saw his parents alive. He tells them that no one would invest in the glasses that made it possible, so he invested in himself and he was going to invest in all of their projects. Pepper's name comes up on the prompter and he ends his speech. Apparently he and Pepper are on a break. Tony goes backstage and tries to get the elevator when he is met by a woman. She proceeds to give him a picture of her dead son and tells him that he was killed after their stunt in Sokovia. This really gets to Tony.

The Avengers are presented with a deal by the Secretary of State from the United Nations basically saying that they will no longer act without permission and if they want to do something, they need the approval of the UN. It is a way to put the Avengers in check so that they don't get to just do whatever they want. Tony has already signed it and he tries to convince the others to as well. Natasha, much to the surprise of everyone, agrees with him and signs the deal. She says that they need to gain back the trust of the public. Steve disagrees. He has seen what happens when you blindly follow what the government tells them to do. After the situation with SHIELD/Hydra, he thinks that the safest hands are still their own. He thinks they can make the right choices and protect the world. 

Before they can get more into it, Steve receives a text and finds out that Peggy has passed away in her sleep. He is devastated. Sam attends the funeral with him and he is a pallbearer for her. It was so sad. Then who gets up to deliver the eulogy? Why Agent 13 aka Sharon Carter. She explains in her speech how supportive her Aunt Peggy was of her career choice and how she never told people they were related because Aunt Peggy was a lot to live up too. After the funeral, Nat shows up and hugs Steve. Her only reason for being there is that she is still Steve's friend and wants to support him. After this she leaves to go to the UN for the meeting. 

She meets T'Challa, the prince of Wakanda and his father as they are signing in. The king of Wakanda is giving a speech when the building is attacked and he is killed. T'Challa takes his ring and mourns his father. Steve and Sam see what's going on on the news and are amazed. Sharon meets with them at the bar and tells them that her agency has security footage of Bucky Barnes at the UN. The footage is released to the media, so now it is a worldwide manhunt for Bucky. Sharon helps Steve get a head start. He calls Nat and she begs him not to get involved. 

Bucky is busy buying plums...yes plums...and he is returning to his apartment when he sees his face on the front page of a newspaper. He returns home to find Captain America waiting for him. He  asks Bucky if he recognizes him and Bucky tells him that he's Steve and he learned about him in a muesum. Steve tells him he knows that is a lie, but they have to go. He finds a journal where Bucky has taken notes about him. Before they can get much farther, soldiers try breaking in to arrest Bucky. Steve and Bucky fight them off, drawing them outside where Sam helps them. Bucky is running on the roof when he is attacked by a guy dressed like a cat. Hello Black Panther. They fight and Bucky is brought in. 

Meanwhile in New York, Vision tries cooking a Sokovian recipe in an attempt to cheer Wanda up and it is the cutest most awkward thing ever. You will ship them after this scene. Wanda says she is going to the store to get paprika and Vision won't let her leave. He says she is there for protection, and she says she can protect herself. He says it is for the protection of other people and he apologizes saying his orders are from Tony. He tells her that he hopes one day everyone will see her as he does, but right now that's not the case. Wanda is hurt that he's keeping her there. Obviously, Vision is on Tony's side on this. 

Back at the German headquarters, Bucky has been locked up and is going to be interviewed by a doctor. Tony asks Steve to sign the papers again, and Steve considers it but ultimately declines again. Sharon turns on the interview for Steve and he watches. He only gets a glimpse of the doctor before the screen shuts off. Steve and Sam run to the floor where Bucky is and find all of the guards are down. Meanwhile, the doctor (Zemo) is our villain and he is giving Bucky the Russian commands to bring out the Winter Soldier. He let's Bucky out and he goes on a rampage. Tony gets his butt beat trying to stop Bucky and so does Nat. Steve tries to stop him but Bucky gets in a helicopter, which Steve pulls back to the building. The helicopter goes down and Steve and Sam escape with Bucky. 

When Bucky comes too he apologizes for what happened and confesses to Steve what happened with the doctor.  He tells Steve that there are more "winter soldiers" and they are just as lethal. They agree that they have to get back to the lab where he was kept and destroy them before this doctor unleashes them on the world. Steve, Sam, and Bucky meet with Sharon in secret who gets them their gear back. Bucky and Sam totally stole this scene. They were in the car and acting like children. Oh and Steve and Sharon kiss. I'm not happy about it. This felt rushed and strange because she's related to Peggy. I don't like it and neither do a lot of people. But anyways...

While this is going on, Tony goes to meet with...dum dum dummm Peter Parker aka Spider-Man!! 

Peter comes home and sees Tony with his Aunt May. Tony says that he would like to work with Peter and they need to speak in private. In Peter's room, Tony tells him that he knows Peter is this spider guy hero that keeps showing up on the internet. Peter tries to deny it, but Tony fishes out the suit (makes fun of it) and Peter gets him with his web. Tony is really impressed and offers him a better suit and asks for his help. 

Clint finally shows up after trying to enjoy retired life. He "rescues" Wanda from Vision's hold and once they get him down, they head out to help Steve. Clint tells her that they have 1 more stop to make before getting to Steve though. When they reach Steve they introduce him to Scott Lang aka Ant-Man. Scott is very very excited to be helping Captain America and it's hilarious and awkward. 

Then the battle begins. Bucky and Sam mostly fight with Peter Parker and they are even more annoyed with him than with each other. This Spider-Man is great. I have never been a fan of Spider-Man, but I like this one a lot. He was funny and he just kept talking his way through the fight. It was great. Finally, Steve and Bucky break away and almost make it to a jet but are stopped by Nat. She tells them she has to do the right thing, and let's them go. Black Panther is pissed and she points out that she only said she'd help him find them. They escape and in this Rhodes gets hurt. Vision was distracted by Wanda nearly getting hurt and when Tony told him to shot Sam, he shot and missed therefore hitting Rhodes and causing him to fall out of the sky. Rhodes ends up being paralyzed from the waist down and Tony helps tweak his suit so he can still walk using the legs. 

Well by this point Zemo is somewhere else and sets it up so housekeeping comes into his former hotel room. They find a dead body in the bathtub. It turns out that this was the actual doctor who was supposed to interview Bucky. Tony realizes Steve wasn't lying and maybe he has been wrong this whole time. He flies out to where the Secretary of State wants him to. It turns out to be a giant prison in the ocean. He walks through and sees Wanda with a straight jacket and shock collar on. He sees Scott Lang who tries to bash him, but Tony says he has no idea who he is. Tony passes Clint and Clint is furious with him. Tony finally stops on Sam. He asks Sam where Steve is and then he trips the system so the audio goes out and the Secretary can't hear what they're saying. He tells Sam what he's doing and that he is going to help Steve and Bucky. Sam tells him where he is and Tony lies to the Secretary saying he still doesn't know. He leaves and rushes to Steve's side. 

Steve and Bucky break into the old lab, without knowing that Zemo is there. They look around and Tony surprises them there. He makes peace with both of them and they work together. They find the other soldiers in their chambers, already dead. They don't understand why. Zemo tells them over the PA system that he would never unleash them on the world because they're evil just like the Avengers. He admits to the attack on the UN which Black Panther overhears and then he tells Tony about a mission the Winter Soldier completed. He plays the security video which shows Bucky wrecking the Stark's car and killing Tony's parents. Tony asks Steve if he knew and he says yes, and that he didn't want to make things worse by telling Tony. The 3 of them go at it and Zemo is loving it. Tony shoots off Bucky's metal arm and Steve bashes his shield into Tony's chest. Tony just lets him. He could have killed him, but he didn't. They leave Tony there and Tony yells out that Steve doesn't deserve the shield so he drops it. Meanwhile, T'Challa finds Zemo sitting with a gun and revealing about what he's done to the Avengers. He challenges T'Challa to kill him and he refuses. He hands him in. 

Tony gets a letter from Steve where Steve apologizes for what he's done and tells him he's always there for him. Steve includes a flip phone and says if Tony needs him to call. 

Bucky has decided to go back to being frozen until they can figure out how to fix his brain. He doesn't want to ever be "activated" again. Steve watches him go under again and then thanks dum dum dummmm T'Challa for helping! Yup, Black Panther who has been trying to kill the Winter Soldier all movie, ends up helping him because he recognizes that Bucky is a victim like his father was as well. We get a nice view of Wakanda and the giant stone panther outside of T'Challa's home. 

We also see Steve drop into the Secretary's prison in front of Sam. He's there to get his team out.

Overall, this movie was great. It was seriously great and the Russo brothers did an amazing job. I'm excited for the future of Marvel, but I really hope Steve and Tony become close again and the Avengers become a tight knit crew again. 

This movie DEFINITELY gets 5 stars!!! Go see it, you won't be disappointed!

"Concussion" Movie Review

This movie was absolutely magnificent. It was pretty intense. Will Smith did an incredible job playing Dr. Bennett Omalu.

Dr. Omalu is a Nigerian forensic pathologist who ends up doing the autopsy for the famous Pittsburgh Steelers player Mike Webster. Mr. Webster essentially began going crazy before he died and no one could figure out what was going on. He was a drug addict, he was hallucinating, and even tasing himself with a taser. Dr. Omalu found that the cause of Webster's death was head trauma due to concussions. He explains what happens to the brain when we get hit in the head and it is actually pretty scary. He says that hummingbirds wrap their tongue around their brain as a protective measure when they hit their heads and that rams have "padding" to protect their brains when they collide. Humans have no such thing. Our brains just gets smashed and it can only handle so much. Dr. Omalu estimated that Webster had sustained over 70,000 hits to the head in his lifetime. No wonder he lost his mind.

After Dr. Omalu and his colleagues publish their findings, the NFL is quick to shut them down and essentially say that they are wrong. The Steelers former team doctor works alongside Dr. Omalu and proves to be quite the ally. More football players die and Dr. Omalu's test results all come back in support of his hypothesis. The NFL continues to deny it and comes after Dr. Omalu and his family. Dr. Omalu is forced out of Pittsburgh and relocates to California with his wife. a few years later another famous football player commits suicide, but shoots himself in the chest with the specific purpose of Dr. Omalu studying his brain. The same conclusion is found.

Dr. Omalu basically forced the NFL to acknowledge what can happen to players after they play football for so long. Supposedly the NFL already knew about this, but they withheld the information from their players which is pretty shady.

I completely understand why Will Smith was nominated for a Golden Globe award for this role and I hope he wins it- he was truly amazing. I could care less about football and I enjoyed every minute of this movie. It's a must watch!

"Joy" Movie Review

"Joy" is based on the real life story of inventor and entrepreneur Joy Mangano. While her story is real, there is still a fictional element to the movie (including a crazy half sister who doesn't actually exist). Jennifer Lawrence played the title character and stared alongside Bradley Cooper (aren't they great together?) and Robert De Niro.

In the story, Joy was a very creative child and liked to build things and create things. Her creativity had to be pushed aside when her parents went through a messy divorce. Her mother basically became stationary and only stayed in one room to watch soap operas. Her dad was in and out of her life with different women. She ended up getting married, having 2 kids (in real life she and her former husband Tony share 3 kids), getting divorced, and having her ex-husband live in her basement in her Long Island home. Her dad comes to live with this already full house when his current girlfriend dumps him on her doorstep.

Her father owns a car garage which has been doing poorly. Joy works for an airline and they can barely make ends meet. When she is cleaning up a mess in her kitchen, she cuts her hand on broken glass while ringing out the mop. This leads her to inventing the Miracle Mop which she attempts to get patented and sell. This film is an emotional and empowering roller coaster. It makes you realize how important family is and how far you can by believing in yourself and not taking no for an answer.

I'd say this film is a must see and another winner for director David O. Russell, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bradley Cooper.

"Star Wars The Force Awakens" Movie Review

Alright let me just starts this off by saying that I'm not a very big Star Wars fan. My step-mom and brother are obsessed with the movies, so I have seen them plenty of times and my husband made me go and see this new movie. Please keep this in mind as you read my thoughts on it.

This movie was very action packed and it seemed as though something crazy was always happening. It starts off with a bang and just continues the whole way through. I won't give any spoilers so this review will be short. In the past movies, I never had a character that I cared enough about to identify with. Luke Skywalker was cool, but I couldn't identify him. Han Solo was cute but that's about it. Princess Leia was cool and pretty bad ass, but I still couldn't identify with her. I liked them all enough not to want anything bad to happen to them, but at the same time if something had happened to them...I don't think I would have been too upset. Does that make sense? In this film, we meet Rey. She's a scavenger living a very rough life on the planet of Jakku. She saves BB-8 and he basically becomes her sidekick. She finds out that he is on a mission and she reluctantly helps him. I like Rey a lot. I think she is a great heroine and an excellent role model for young girls. She's a Star Wars Katniss Everdeen.

Anyways, Finn, a former stormtrooper, drops in after his escape with Poe Dameron (BB-8's master and an excellent pilot) to the planet Jakku. Finn believe's Poe is dead so he continues on without him. He comes upon Rey's town and while he is getting water, he sees people hassling Rey and trying to take BB-8. He goes to help her, but like the bad-ass she is Rey takes care of it herself. He lies to her and tells her he is with the Resistance and she tells him that they have to get BB-8 to his headquarters because he is on a classified mission. Finn decides to help and as this happens, Kylo Ren (the new baddie) has drones (or whatever they're called) do an airstrike in an attempt to get BB-8. Rey, Finn, and BB run for their lives and Rey leads them to a "piece of junk that hasn't flown in years" and she successfully gets it to fly. As it takes off, we see that it is none other than the Millennium Falcon. We learn Rey is quite the pilot, for having never flown before, and she is great with mechanical/electrical issues.

The Falcon ends up getting sucked on board a freighter ship and they are convinced that they are about to be swarmed with Stormtroopers. However, a very different crew boards the Falcon. Han Solo and Chewbacca themselves board their former ship and discover Rey, Finn, and BB-8. They run into an issue and once they get out of it, Rey serves as Han's co-pilot. Han is impressed by her skills. (sidenote: this lead me to believe she is his daughter...that theory has yet to be disproven, but I have another more likely theory that I will discuss at another time because it will give away a major spoiler).

Han takes them to a different planet to speak to a creater named Maz (i think that's how you spell it). She sheds some light on some issues, but their location is given to Kylo Ren and then First Order (the Sith, The Empire...) descends on them and attacks. Rey discovers something about herself and is also terrified in the process. Finn confesses that he was a Storm Trooper and says he's not part of the Resistance and wants to get as far away from the First Order as possible. He asks Rey to come with him and she refuses. She wants to finish the task at hand and then work with Han Solo. Finn is ready to leave when they're attacked. Rey runs off into the woods and is followed by BB-8. Resistance pilots come and fight off the First Order. Rey runs into Kylo Ren who renders her unconscious using the Force. He realizes she has seen the information he is trying to get from BB-8 so he can take her instead of the droid. He takes her on his ship as Finn and Han Solo helplessly watch. Princess Leia comes off of a ship, she's now General and no longer Princess. I have no idea why, but it is what it is I guess. It's clear something happened between her and Han, as there is tension but clearly still love.

They return to Resistance headquarters and devise a plan that includes saving Rey. Rey is meanwhile being interrogated by Kylo Ren who takes his mask off and reveals his actual face to her.

Basically this is where I have to stop, as everything that happens past this point contains major spoilers.

Overall, I have to say this is a (pretty) good movie. If you love Star Wars, you're obviously going to love it. However, if you're like me and you've never really cared one way or another, then I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with this movie. Don't let the prequels scare you, this one is actually good.

"Pitch Perfect 2" Movie Review

This movie was hilarious. I was laughing so hard (and so was my husband surprisingly).

We catch up with the Bellas in their senior year of college when they are performing for President Obama on his birthday. The set they put on is very theatrical and overdone, and Fat Amy accidentally flashes her vagina to the entire crowd. This causes the Bellas to be kicked out of Collegiate Acapella and they will have to give up their championship tour (FYI they've won the Nation Championships 3 years in a row) and they will not be allowed to defend their title. In an attempt to get them re-instated (if they aren't re-instated then the Barden Bellas will cease to exist for future generations) Beca makes a deal: if they win the World Championships then they get re-instated. Gail and John think it's hilarious and they are doomed to fail because "everyone hates America."

We meet a new freshman, Emily Junk, whose mother was a Bella back in the 80s. She is ecstatic to try out and she's so cute. Hailee Steinfeld did a great job. We find out that Chloe has intentionally failed Russian Literature 3 times so she can remain a Bella and as the girls try to figure out their next move, Beca gets a phone call offering her an internship at a record label. She accepts but declines to tell the Bellas. Jesse takes her to her first day of work and while she's gone, Emily shows up at the Bella house. She asks to join the Bellas' and after an awkward audition where she sings a song she is writing, they ultimately decide to let her join. They head over to the Treblemakers home for an acapella only party where Emily runs into Benji (again) and he is hilariously awkward (again). Beca sneaks in and joins the party where she meets Emily.

The girls work on their choreography and decide to check out the German group who got to take over their victory tour Das Sound Machine or DSM. They watch their performance and are blown away even though none of them want to admit it. The Germans see them there and talk to them after the show- thanking them for screwing up so they could have all of this practice before Worlds. The girls try to trash talk back, but Beca is hilariously pathetic at it with this woman.

They end up against DSM, the Treblemakers, the Tone Hangers (whom Bumper is now a member of), and the Green Bay Packers- yes the Green Bay Packers (a few of the football players sing Bootylicious and it is freaking hilarious) in an updated version of a riff-off where there is $42,000 giftcard for Dave & Busters on the line. The Bellas lose to DSM and are very very angry.

Beca continues at work where she impresses her boss by doing a mash-up while Snoop Dogg is in the recording booth singing one song, and she sings outside. He offers to listen to her demo. She asks him about them later and finds out he isn't a fan of mash-ups, he wants to know what she has to say. She's devastated and takes it like she failed.

Amy and Bumper have a date although Amy was unaware of what he was planning. He asks her to be his girlfriend and she freaks out and refuses and goes back home where she finds an upset Beca.

Chloe freaks out about them not being in synch so she says they're all going on a retreat. They go to a bootcamp where Aubrey is in charge and she attempts to whip the Bella's back into shape. It's hilarious. The girls finally come out with what is bothering them and they bond in typical Bella fashion. Beca takes Emily to the recording studio and produces a demo of her song "Flashlight" and her boss is very impressed with both of them.

The girls graduate and head to Copenhagen for the competition and everything about it is awesome. Everything everything is awesome. Their final song- was perfect. Even DSM's final song was great, but really the ending was flawless.

I loved this movie so much! I give it 5 stars.

"Maleficent" Movie Review

Alright I know this movie is like a year old, but whatever. I'm still obsessed with it. I think this is my favorite movie Angelina Jolie has ever done.

I'll be honest- when I first heard they were making a movie from Maleficent's point of view, I was nervous. I love Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and I love her story. I always have and I always will (here's to hoping I get to name my daughter Aurora). I was afraid her story would be ruined by Maleficent, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

I fully understand know why Mal was pissed at the king. King Stefan stole her wings while claiming to love her. Mal was a kind fairy (something I didn't see coming) and she showed Stefan kindness when he was just a nobody. They fell in love but his greed came first. It's so sad. Mal took her frustrations out on his daughter, Aurora. 

She was always there watching over Aurora, waiting until her 16th birthday when she would fall into a sleep she would never wake from since there is no such thing as true loves first kiss. The three flood fairies: Flora, Fauna, and Merrywether, were idiots and basically Aurora would have died many times has Mal and her bird/human sidekick Diabold not been watching over her. I didn't like that part very much, but I get why they did it. 

It was kind of funny watching Mal toy with the fairies while Aurora showed no fear of her. King Stefan was losing his mind which was weird and the Queen dies. When Aurora is older, she believes Mal is her fairy godmother and isn't afraid of her. 

They grow closer, although Mal clearly tries to keep her feelings at a distance. Aurora meets Prince Phillip in the woods and its hits as sweet and awkward as in the cartoon. She finds out Mal cursed her and she is taken by the fairies to her father's castle. She is heartbroken about Mak and Diabold and she is upset she can't see Phillip ever again. Of course she pricks her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and goes into her sleep. The fairies find Phillip and have him kiss her, but it doesn't work. Mal isn't surprised as she knows true loves first kiss is a lie. I didn't like that as it was one of the most iconic scenes in the cartoon, but the part that followed made up for it 

Mal tearfully apologized to Aurora as she realized that she couldn't save her "Beastie". She kisses Aurora's forehead and Lo and behold, the princess awakens! This was true loves first kiss. It was like the love of a mother for her child. 

The sweet moment doesn't last however when Mal is discovered by the kings men and captured. He knows (thanks to a young Mal) that iron burns fairies, so he has her chained with iron shackles. Aurora is locked in an attic like Rome where she finds Mal's wings. She grabs them and breaks out, getting them to Mal who takes over. She turns Diabold into a dragon and eventually they win. 

She crowns Aurora the queen of the Moors (the magical land where all the fairies and other creatures live). She, Diabold, and Phillip stand at Aurora's side and it's beautiful. 

I love that Aurora is just as kind and innocent as she is in the cartoon. I love the relationship between Mal and Aurora. They really are like mother and daughter by the end. Mal's emotional and mental journey throughout the movie is so intense and Jolie did a great job with her. Also. I totally ship Mal and Diabold! 

This was a great movie and will basically be the Sleeping Beauty live action movie, but it was so good that I might actually be ok with that. (Although I'm a little disappointed that thee was no iconic blue/pink dress).

I give this movie 5 stars.