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The Descendants
The Descendants is about Matt King (George Clooney), a real estate lawyer, whose wife is in the hospital after a boating accident. He has to reconnect with his two daughters Alex (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller) and also make a big decision about his inherited family land.
I had the pleasure of watching this movie last weekend. It's a fine, grown up adult movie with really great performances. Clooney, who just keeps getting better and better, is excellent in this. I was also very impressed by Woodley and Miller. It's nice to see children not depicted as cliches or stereotypes.
All in all, a really intimate story that felt immensely personal. There are moments from it that you stick with you long afterwards, in particular Matt's final exchange with his wife.
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time is a new series on ABC about fairy tale characters trapped in the quaint town of Storybrooke. Emma Swan, a newcomer to the town, is the only one who can break the spell.
I love fairy tales so I was really excited about this show. I like that it has leaned more towards the darker elements of the stories instead of just going for the candy coated Disney versions that I loved when I was a kid. Both can be done well (see Enchanted for the later).
So far, Once Upon a Time is interesting. There are overarching mysteries and characters that you really want to root for: Emma, her son, Snow White, the Prince, and even Rumpelstiltskin who actually plays a large role. There've been a few moments that have just blown me away and I'm really hoping to see more of those moments, like the ending of the pilot when the clock starts ticking or the Snow White and Prince Charming story. A few weak points: their version of Cinderella has so far been the weakest of the stories and also sometimes Regina, the queen just falls flat.
