Once Upon A Time Episode Review: Dreamy

One of my all-time favorite shows on right now, Once Upon A Time, had a new episode last night. It was entitled, "Dreamy", which apparently is the original name of the dwarf Grumpy. Now, if you currently watch this show, we have already come into contact with Grumpy in past episodes and he lives up to his name. This whole episode is dedicated to Dreamy and the narrative that turns him into Grumpy. I found it so fascinating that the writers created a whole new story line for this classic character. The actor that plays Dreamy/Grumpy is quite adorable.

For those of you who have not seen the show, there are parallel worlds in every episode. Basically, there are events going on in Storybrooke, the real town, and also in the fairy tale world. In the fairy tale world, Dreamy falls madly in love with Nova, a fairy. She is clumsy and gullible, but he adores her. It is similar in the real town. Leroy, aka Dreamy, falls for a nun, aka Nova, who is constantly in need of a hero. Storybrooke and the fairy tale world have similar plot lines, but different outcomes. In the fairy tale world, Dreamy and Nova don't end up together because of what the other fairies and Dreamy's boss tell him. This scene broke my heart. The writers made them the most adorable couple and then shot their love down. They tend to do this a lot on the show. Get used to it. The Storybrooke version is a little different. Leroy has a crush on the nun version of Nova and it is through his insatiable need to impress her that he actually accomplishes what he set out to do. In the end, you are given a sort of hope that Leroy will one day be with his Nova. 

In the middle of the episode, we get another appearance of Belle. The episode two weeks ago was all about her character and Rumplestilksin. The writers decided to make Rumple the Beast. I thought it was brilliant. It just makes his character that much more complex and interesting. The episode ended bittersweet, but it gave the impression that Belle wasn't leaving any time soon. She made a brief appearance in last night's episode, revealing that she was actually alive in the fairy tale world. Dreamy is confused about his feelings for Nova and Belle gives an amazingly written speech about what love is. I have a feeling that her character is just going to get more involved with the main plot of the show and it's going to be wonderful. 

A second plot was going on throughout the episode, which is that Kathryn, David/Charming's actual wife, has gone missing. She attempted to leave Storybrooke and you just know that Regina/Evil Queen had something to do with it. Emma tries to get to the bottom of the missing woman, but is led in the wrong direction when David is accused by Regina's handiwork. 

Next weeks episode is entitled, "Red Handed" and it is all about Ruby/Red Riding Hood and her back story! Can't wait to find out all about that! You can watch the entire episode from last night on Hulu, here is the link!

Watch "Dreamy" Episode here!

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

This looks interesting. So, apparently I found out today that there is a new adaptation of Hansel and Gretel slated to release in 2013. The plot is revealed on IMDB: 

"15 years after their traumatic gingerbread-house incident, siblings Hansel and Gretel have become a formidable team of bounty hunters who track and kill witches all over the world."


There has never been an adaptation of Hansel and Gretel quite like this. I am extremely interested to see how this plays out. The Hansel character will be played by Jeremy Renner and Gretel by Gemma Arterton, both actors I enjoy. Renner was hilarious yet agile in the newest Mission Impossible movie that came out last summer. I believe he will make a convincing older version of Hansel. Hollywood enjoys crafting cool, superheroes type versions of fairy tale classics. I don't know if this spin will flop or rake in the money, but I will definitely go see it, just cause it looks like nothing I've ever seen. Here is a little blurb of what the director, Tommy Wirkola, had to say about the film: 


"Blood and gore and action, all the stuff that I love. [...] It's definitely an R-rated movie, the first draft has a lot ofblood and guts. First and foremost, it's an action movie, I think, with horror elements. And of course some dark humor as well. But the action and horror are the most import feelings I want."

The film will be taking on a much darker element, as Wirkola stated. It seems like the Grimm style will be seen throughout the movie, which is rapidly becoming a trend for Hollywood with movies like Snow White and the Huntsmen coming out based solely on the Grimm version. The lead actress Gemma Arterton speaks to Entertainment Weekly about her experience making the film and her idea of what the theme of the film is:

"You see a series of flashbacks with their experience of killing that first witch, which is brilliant. I remember being on set for the final few days of that. The candy house, and the witches are really repulsive and quite frightening. The make-up is out of this world. It's this bone-chilling scene. Very dark. The girl who plays my character is brilliant, with the horrified expression she has. This (movie) is about abandonment and being lost and parents leaving you. The heart of it is that these kids grow up to be bloodthirsty witch hunters. It's a bit tongue in cheek, really. What would Hansel and Gretel be in 15 years time?"

When reading this quote that Arterton says, I got really excited to see the film. She mentions the candy house and how amazing the make up is for the film, which leads me to believe that the special effects are going to be out of this world. Arterton ends the statement saying that the main message of the film is about abandonment and loss, which is a new twist on the story. There is more depth and complexity. She poses an intriguing question at the end, asking what would Hansel and Gretel be like 15 years later? I cannot wait to find out! 

Historically Accurate Princesses

So my amazingly cool friend Guin is an artist and is always on the lookout for interesting renditions of fairy tales on Deviantart. Recently, she found this really cool post that a girl made about historically accurate Disney princesses. Everyone loves Disney, and the princesses associated with it. But, most of their outfits were not accurate to their time period. This artist makes their dresses accurate and gives each of them an unique spin. My personal favorite is Meg from Hercules. Take a good look at each of them because the immense detail that went into creating each of these is ridiculous. If you have some spare time, give it a look!

http://shoomlah.deviantart.com/gallery/29648049

Welcome to my blog!

So, I decided to start this blog because I need to make myself write for a little bit every day. My name's Erica and I go to SFSU :) I love living in San Francisco. I am in love with reading and writing. All day every day. If I'm not doing either, I'm not alive. You may be wondering about the title of my blog by now. I love to write about fantasy, specifically fairy tales. I have always been inspired by myths and fairy tales my whole life. Most of the short stories I write are fairy tales with a twist. I love the idea that a classic fairy tale can be morphed into a more complex story. I am constantly daydreaming of different ways that fairy tales can be twisted. It's ongoing in my life. So many movies are catching up with this idea of adapted fairy tales. Television also. One of my all-time favorite TV shows on right now is Once Upon A Time. It takes classic fairy tales and morphs them with a unique spin. I will most likely be posting my reviews of those episodes and any films that are coming out or that I have seen that have a fairy tale base or spin to it. I hope you like my posts and love reading about fairy tales!