Movie Review: Labyrinth

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(Caution:  minor SPOILERS ahead)

 Labyrinth, (not to be confused with Pan's Labyrinth!) is an old fantasy film directed by Jim Henson.  It was made shortly after Dark Crystal, which is another movie I'll have to review sometime.  :)

Sarah Williams is dreamy and highly imaginative young teenager who is caught in that awkward stage between child and adult.  She does not get along with her stepmother or baby half-brother, Toby, feeling that they are both spoiled and selfish.  Sarah loves to escape into the imaginary world of the Labyrinth, the setting of her favorite fantasy book.

One night, fed up with babysitting for her fussy little brother, Sarah looses her temper;  in a moment of pure, unbridled frustration she wishes that the goblins of the Labyrinth would come and take Toby away.  Unfortunately for her, it is revealed that the Goblins are indeed real, and have promptly stolen her brother and taken him to the Labyrinth.

Distraught, Sarah begs Jareth, the Goblin King, to return Toby to her immediately.  Jareth refuses; however, he offers her a chance.  If she can solve his Labyrinth within thirteen hours, she and Toby will be free to go.  But if she fails... Toby will become a Goblin- forever!  

In a race against time, Sarah battles her way through the Labyrinth to save her brother and correct her mistakes.  But even with the help of her new friends that she has found, will she ever get there in time?  And if she does, will she even be able to get back out?

The Labyrinth was a light, funny little adventure.  It was made during the Eighties, and you can definitely tell.  The music is... well... Eighties, I guess.  And David Bowie's voice isn't the greatest voice in the world, in my opinion.  But I still liked the movie.  Deep down inside, I kind of like that whole corny Eighties feel. ;)  And the effects of the puppets and animatronics were fantastic- especially for their time.  

The protagonist, Sarah, with her imaginative ways and habit of dressing up in fantasy clothes to act out the scenes in her books, reminded me of myself a little.  Although maybe I'm a little more grounded in reality.... 

There was also a bit of romance...  an interesting kind.  ***SPOILER***  One of those rare kinds where instead of a hero falling for the heroine, the villain falls for the heroine.  ***END SPOILERS***

There were one or two instances of swearing (the D word), and one scene where some women are wearing rather low necklines.  Sarah is very temperamental towards the beginning, and expresses her anger by yelling how much she hates her stepmother and brother.  She's also a bit winy.  However, I'd say she's learned her lesson pretty well by the end of the film...

If you don't like Eighties music, corny effects, or puppets, don't watch this movie.  However, if you, like me, can find enjoyment in quirky old films like this, I'd wager you'll like this one.  And if you watched and liked Dark Crystal, or The Storyteller, then you'll definitely like Labyrinth.  :)

But just a warning... as bad as those songs may be, they can get awfully catchy.   

*walks off humming "Magic Dance"...*

-Rayne Speryll

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(P.S.  As an interesting piece of trivia, Jennifer Connelly, who played Sarah, was only fourteen when she played this part.  I was impressed!  She didn't look fourteen at all!  and that dress she wears.... just beautiful.  I would love to wear one just like it.  ;)

Despicable Me Artwork

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Watching Despicable Me, recently, I stopped to wonder what Gru would have looked like as a young man.  If you haven't seen the movie, and don't know what I'm talking about, here's a picture;

Well, anyway, I figured that as a young man, he'd probably be thinner... and have hair...  and eventually the idea became so developed in my mind that I began to sketch it out.   Here is what I came up with:

What do you think?  Is this how Gru would have looked when he was younger?  Let me know in the comments below!

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-Rayne Speryll

In Which I Appreciate Doll Divine Very Much

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Lately I've been trying out Doll Divine, a virtual dollmaker with hundreds of themes.  I don't usually do stuff like that on the internet, but I've been having a lot of fun with it; especially the LOTR and Hobbit makers.  XD  

Here are a few of my creations.  There are so many possibilities, it's easy to waste a lot of time there.  I couldn't upload all of the dolls I've done because not all of the dollmakers let you download the things that you make.  Oh well.  :)

Lianna Knucklby, a hobbit that I randomly made up.  :)

This one is a wizard... I don't have a name for him.  I imagine him as one of the two Blue Wizards who came to Middle Earth with Gandalf, Saruman, and Radagast.  Unfortunately, these two wizards disappeared into the East (Sauron's domain) and were never heard from again.  Perhaps they were turned to Sauron's purposes, or perhaps they were killed in the line of duty.  We shall never know... unless someday I sit down and write a fanfiction about it!  ^_^

Just some girl... without a name.  She does look like one of my friends, though.  :)

This one you've already seen;  a portrait of Miach and Morgan, two characters from the Nine Kingdoms Series by Lynn Kurland.  :)

My fanfiction character for Lord of the Rings;  Earendreth Mithcela, daughter of Galadhel of the Western Mountains, cousin of Legolas, Tenth Member of the Fellowship.  

Sometime I'll have to post some stories about her... I've actually written very little.  She's mostly used as a Role-play character.  

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Anyway, if you're ever bored and looking for something to do, or you have a really cool character you'd like to see, I encourage you to check out Doll Divine.  It's free, and safe.  Though if you're a guy, I'll warn you that some of the girls' dollmakers are a bit revealing towards the beginning.  

-Rayne Speryll

In Which There Shall Be a Cuteness Overload

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Bunnies... my mother mentioned the possibility of getting a pet bunny to replace our dearly departed goat, Clover.  So I, being the research nerd that I am, took it upon myself to learn about domestic rabbits and their care.  And while I was at it... I was overwhelmed by the fact that bunnies are... CUTE!!!  Even more so than I realized up until now.  I just had to share it with my readers.  

We'll start small...

And now for some of the medium sized bunnies...

And for the biggest ones of all...  XD

And that's all for now.  :)

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-Rayne Speryll

(Disclaimer:  I do not own these photos.  All credit goes to their owners)