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Reviews
Argylle (2024)
Too much fun in a too serious world
What fun!
Great actors, over-the-top story, corny, silly, pretty-to-look-at adventure comedy that sometimes took me by surprise.
I don't really have much else to add. This is just what i needed right now. Life is hard and there's not much to smile about for me these days, but I was grinning much of the move and laughed out loud at times.
I hope we can start embracing camp more.
My main negative criticism is that I wish they didn't make the cat a Scottish fold. I realize it was CGI, but given all the health issues and pain this breed has, I am not a fan of putting that breed more in the public eye.
But other than that, I had such a good time and plan to rewatch.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
I love musicals...this shouldn't have been one.
I'm a bit indifferent to the 1989 cartoon, so I think my perspective might be different to some of those who love it.
PROS
-Ariel has a wide-eyed, youthful innocence that suits the character & was very likable
-Eric is the strongest in both acting and singing and I could see him falling in love with Ariel
-I liked the change added to the curse/kiss. It added another dimension, didn't make Ariel all about just trying to pucker up & rush things, and made Eric and Ariel's time together more focused on getting to know each other. I thought the strongest moments were the scenes they had together
-Triton had expressive eyes and more of a steely strength and outward calm that worked, but you could also see his warmth and change of heart without needed to over-the-top emote like many would be tempted to or expect
-I cared about Eric, Ariel, Triton & Grimsby
CONS
-the CGI was lifeless and creepy and reminded me of bad wax figures
-"Part of Your World" was the only thing I truly love from the original, & a lot of that was the way Jodi Benson sang it. Halle Bailey made it her own, but the stylistic choices of punching each syllable (what / would / I / give / if / I / could / live) and then adding a run and more belting didn't do it for me at all. It felt more performative instead of authentically embodying the story of the song. And she didn't look like she was into it, but I can't entirely fault her there because it must be hard when you and your world are going to primarily CGI.
-What on earth was that terrible rap number?!
-The ending confrontation dragged on too long
WHAT WOULD HAVE MADE IT BETTER
-scrap the songs. They were the worst part of the movie. They really should have gone the Cinderella (2015) route and made it have its own identity, while still being reminiscent and true to the original cartoon. I saw glimpses of the great movie it could have been and it was always the non-singing scenes. On top of that, what is vibrant and magical and fun in a cartoon (such as Under the Sea), feels cheap, flat, soulless and tired in CGI. Disney clearly didn't learn from the Beauty & the Beast (2017) monstrosity.
-cut 30min (why on earth is this clocking in at 2h)
-don't do shot-for-shot with some of the cartoon
-cut Flounder, Sebastian, and Scuttle or possibly replace them with mermaid friends or a couple of Ariel's sisters (less creepy CGI that way & they sounded bored - especially Sebastian. They also took time away from the characters I actually cared about. Any time I was enjoying something, it'd be followed by something I didn't like.
SUMMARY
All in all, it was better than I thought it would be and had unrealized potential, but was too long, unnecessary remake without its own identity.
Persuasion (2022)
Persuaded me to reread the book to rid my mind of this abomination
You might like this movie if you'd rather watch something like "New Girl" than a Jane Austen adaptation.
This Anne is a 21st century quirky drunk in pretty dresses in a fancy house. She talks to the camera incessantly (to the point of extreme annoyance), rolls her eyes, and drinks straight alcohol straight from the bottle.
The production team doesn't understand the book, the characters, or the period the story is set in. They also infantilize and treat the audience like we are dumb and must have everything spelled out for us.
Period-appropriate dress? No. Check out Anne's hair.
Period appropriate characters and dialogue? Nope.
Characters say things like, "I am an empath" and "We're worse than strangers - we're exes" and "He's a 10 and I never trust a 10".
Solid acting and chemistry? Nada. Anne was modern, Wentworth was dull, and neither looked like they had an affection for the other.
It was truly irritating and I almost gave up 5 minutes in. The 2 stars are for some pretty settings, the opening line, and that it made me immediately reread the novel (which is wonderful) to soothe my horrified soul.
Butlers in Love (2022)
The leads make this
Enjoyable film. I'm on the fence about the butler school plot, but appreciate Hallmark trying something a bit different and watched it twice.
The strongest part of this film is definitely Farber and Cott. They are both very likable and their dynamic is fun to watch and believable. Cott, in particular, is one of the best leading men I've seen in these. He plays cocky guy who is actually warm and grounded very well. I was rooting for both their characters and hope to see both these actors in more Hallmark films.
Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Shameless money grab that is sub-par at best
Let me preface by saying that while the '91 cartoon is my favorite movie of all time, I am not a strict cartoon purist, as the Broadway musical of BATB is also one of my favorites and there are other takes on the fairy tale that I really enjoy as well. But, when you are doing the songs from the cartoon and even replicate some scenes shot-for-shot, I expect that the characters should feel familiar and the quality of the production should live up to its predecessor. Unfortunately, this 2017 version falls dreadfully short.
CASTING - The biggest blunder is Emma Watson in the lead role. This is not to disparage her as an actress in general, but she is not right for this. Her Belle lacks grace, enthusiasm, warmth and sincerity. She seems bored, and while it sounds like she could have quite a sweet voice with further training, it is evident she does not have that skill set yet. In the other title role, Dan Stevens' Beast is all CGI and you never forget it. They've also edited his voice to make him sound more "beastly", which makes his solo awkward to listen to. One has to wonder why they didn't just cast someone with a deeper voice then? The character also seems a more like a grumpy old man than a tortured soul in a beastly body. Why did Disney cast "Hollywood names" instead of people who were best for the role? It's not like there was ever a doubt this would be a box office smash anyway given the beloved source material. I also never believed for a moment the relationship between any of the characters with the exception of the playful rivalry/camaraderie between Cogsworth & Lumiere.
CGI AND MUSIC - For a "live action" version, it certainly feels more stilted and unreal. The CGI in general looks fake, and the enchanted objects are creepy. There are new songs but they are mostly dull. Now, I think Alan Menken is a musical genius, so perhaps it had something to do with having to write songs for non- singers. The Beast's new song is the best of the bunch, but the emotion doesn't seem appropriate for the scene. The reused songs have new arrangements & new lyrics, but with the exception of The Mob Song, the changes are distracting and feel oddly paced.
STORYLINE - In truth, the whole movie is oddly paced. Things are dragged out that don't need to be, and other things zoom by that should have been fleshed out. They give backstories, but odd ones at odd times in odd ways. Minor spoilers: For example, Gaston is a soldier who saved the village and that's why everyone loves him. He likes Belle for her looks but also her dignity.By giving the villagers a very good reason to like him, he is no longer a foil for the Beast. Gaston is supposed to be handsome, strong and charismatic and people equate that with being good. The Beast is ugly so they automatically think he's bad. Is not the moral that it's actually what's on the inside that counts? It seems they have forgotten the point. Even Belle makes a joke in poor taste at the end which undermines the message. Furthermore, significant details are altered which result in the Beast not changing & the leads basically falling in love by accident, and (SPOILER) the enchanted rose has no real significance in the end (END SPOILER)
I could say more, but I think you get the picture. I wanted to like it, but it grossly failed to enchant.