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Golden Herald
The official Mormon Media Review newsletter
Newsletter Exclusive
Halloween Review!
Mormon Author Spotlight:
James Dashner!
Upcoming
Attractions!
Those Eerie Button Eyes
A Golden Herald exclusive Halloween review
by Brick Andreasen
October 2014
Issue
Upcoming
Attractions
Movies
Scary movies.
Boy do those pop up around Halloween
time. For me, my rampant imagination transforms a thriller into a harrowing and occasionally scarring experience — just
ask my friends about the time I watched Hitchcock’s “Psycho”.
So when some buddies suggested we
watch the stop motion “Coraline”, I thought
to myself:
“Meh, how bad could it be? It’s a cartoon.”
If you ever find yourself thinking the
above words, run for your life.
Image courtesy of http://www.
movieposterdb.com/poster/8198385f
While I say that mostly in jest,
“If you ever find yourself
the movie did spook me quite
thinking the above words,
a bit. A lot of the crazy stuff that
run for your life.”
parades across the screen would
probably turn into a traumatic
experience for young children. Also, some inappropriate content
finds its way into the film when Coraline descends into a theater
where two old actresses perform an opera about sea sirens. Neither
of the elderly ladies is appropriately clothed. Suffice to say, I never
want to touch a rhinestone again. In addition to this, some characters
“Interstellar” Release Date:
November 7, 2014.
From the previews I’ve seen,
this looks like it will be an
amazing film. I just about
wept like a wee lass while
I watched the protagonist
make the decision to leave
his family on Earth so that
he can prepare a way for
them to escape the dying
planet. This looks like it will
be a great bit of science
fiction that focuses on the
dangers of focusing too
much on technology and
not enough on agriculture.
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Golden Herald
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use strong language a couple of times throughout—though I
can’t blame them. I’d more than likely swear up a storm in that
kind of situation as well.
Aside from that, I found the story to contain a wonderful
modern fairy tale about the dangers of descending into a fantasy world and neglecting reality.
Also, the puppet work for the
stop-motion blew me away like
a Howitzer. Masterpieces, in
all honesty. After watching the
extra content of how they handmade the tiny clothes and molded each little person, I must
admit that I felt immense awe. I
will neither confirm nor deny the
accusations that I want one of
those little guys for my shelf.
Image Courtesy of http://www.mwctoys.com/
That aside, I loved the
images/review_coraline_1.jpg
message that the movie carried
as well. Nothing says “families are important” like an evil
needle-fingered spider lady trying to get you to run away from
home so she can eat you.
On a more serious note, I
“Nothing says ‘families
did see some fantastic
are important’ like an evil
spiritual parallels in the work.
needle-fingered spider
In the Church of Jesus Christ of
lady trying to get you to
Latter-Day Saints, we believe
that Satan exists, and is actively run away from home so
she can eat you.”
trying to lead us astray. Since
he’s been kicking around for
thousands of years, he’s figured out quite a few nasty tricks.
He loves the tactic of dressing up a dangerous, addictive, and
eventually destructive lifestyle with a pretty face, lovely bows,
and lots of nice things.
October 2014
Issue
Upcoming
Attractions
“Big Hero 6” Release Date:
November 7, 2014.
When I saw the first trailer
for this movie, could hardly
contain my excitement. Not
only does it promise to be
a fantastic, family-friendly
adaptation of some excellent
Marvel heroes, but it also sets
up an excellent comedy with
fantastic voice acting and
animation. I will definitely go
see this one.
“The Theory of Everything.”
Release Date:
November 7, 2014.
The trailer for this movie
pushed me to the edge of
tears with a bulldozer-sized
load of tender feelings. The
biographical depiction of
Stephen Hawking’s brilliant
intellect and descent into
the depths of ALS focuses
not only on his genius or his
disease, but on his wonderful
relationship with his wife.
Make sure to bring a box of
tissues to this one.
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Golden Herald
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The villain in Coraline does the same, tailor-making a world
that makes everything right where her real life goes wrong.
Where her family in reality eats
badly-cooked
vegetable goo,
the fake family
with buttons for
eyes eats pizza,
ice cream, and
birthday cake
every day.
Everything has a
dazzling
extravagance in
the false world, but Image courtesy of http://5wordmoviereviews.files.wordpress.
com/2012/10/coraline.jpg
what really lurks
behind the scenes is a sinister monster, weaving a sticky web to
catch her prey.
All in all, I would say that if you’re looking for an out-of-the-ordinary thriller, this is a good one for you.
About the Author
Brick Andreasen currently lives in
Rexburg, Idaho, where he studies at
BYU-Idaho. An avid fan of fantasy
and science fiction, he founded
Mormon Media Reviews as a way to
help fellow Latter-Day Saint readers
and moviegoers know what new
books and movies contain, as well as
to share his love for his church and its
principles.
October 2014
Issue
Upcoming
Attractions
Books
Tennis Shoes #12:
“Drums of Desolation.”
Release Date: Available for
purchase.
Oh the nostalgia! I
remember my father
reading “Tennis Shoes
Among the Nephites” to
me as a small child, and
now Chris Heimerdinger
has unleashed his climactic
conclusion to the Hawkins
clan’s time-traveling adventures among the people
of the Book of Mormon.
What a trip it’s been. As the
Nephites approach their
last stand on Cumorah, the
tension mounts and the
intrigue abounds.
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Golden Herald
The official Mormon
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Making it to the Big Times:
James Dashner
October 2014
Issue
Upcoming
Attractions
Image courtesy of saltlakecomicon.com
By now, you’ve either seen or heard about “The Maze Runner” in
theaters, or read my article about it on the main website of
Mormon Media Reviews. The film has garnered an amazing amount
of success, drawing in the Young Adult crowd like moths to a bug-zapper. Some of you may be thinking: “What?! The guy who wrote that is
a Mormon?!” I know, right? A bit of a shocker. But if you look back at
some of James Dashner’s earlier works, it might not be such a kick-youin-the-face kind of surprise.
Dashner first published “A Door in the Woods” back in 2003, as the
first in the “Jimmy Fincher” series, one that I absolutely loved as a teenager. That series focused on an impending threat from the Stompers,
who would destroy civilization and enslave
humanity unless one kid—Jimmy Fincher—could stop them with a set
of unique powers. He later released “The 13th Reality” series in 2008, a
fantastic world-jumping adventure with an evil lady in a yellow dress.
With a history of speculative fiction for young adults, it makes sense
that when Dystopia novels got to be huge, he would chip in his genius
to the genre. “The Maze Runner”, first released in 2009, grew in popularity until Hollywood decided to make a movie of it, stepping Dashner up
into the big leagues with dystopia heavy-hitters like The Hunger Games
and Divergent. Not bad for a Mormon guy who studied Accounting at
BYU!
Reckoners #2: “Firefight”
Release Date:
January 6, 2015.
Return to Brandon
Sanderson’s Newcago,
where all superhumans
are bad guys, and a
group of intrepid regular
people fight to protect
other regular people!
Any attempt at synopsis
would contain massive
amounts of spoilers, but
suffice it to say that the
gutsy David has found
himself in a crisis, and
seeks out answers and
greater adventure. As
“Steelheart” blew me
away with its greatness, I
expect nothing less from
Firefight.
“Upcoming Attractions” photos courtesy of:
fantasy-faction.com
frostcave.blogspot.com
hollywoodreporter.com
blackfilm.com
hitflix.com