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Beauty and the Beast – Movie Review

Beauty and the Beast – Movie Review

Beauty and the Beast, the 2017 live action remake of the 1991 animated classic of the same name. Directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson as Belle, Dan Stevens as the Beast, Luke Evans as the egotistical and quite funny Gaston, and Josh Gad as LeFou this is a very entertaining movie for all the family.

Set in 18th century France, the movie starts with Belle in the local village as we are introduced to the key characters in the village. The setting and production would remind you somewhat of other classic Disney movies from the 50s/60s while being modern and stunning to watch. This production of a live Beauty and the Beast rendering really wraps the film and music we know from the 90s and brings the whole thing to life.

Emma Watson is perfectly cast as Belle, the beauty of the village and the one girl who has the intellect to go far in life, much to the annoyance of the local learned and scholars (a bit like the know-it-all Hermoine from Happy Potter). Emma Watson also sings 3 songs in the movie, but I thought in the first number there was a slight amount of auto-tune going on (either that or the production on the audio was a bit off)

Beauty and the Beast would be nothing without the beast. We are indeed introduced to the Prince who is turned into the beast after dismissing and insulting an enchantress. He has until the last petal from a rose falls to find true love. We also see Belles father, played by Kevin Kline, and we find out how he ended up at the beasts castle. There are some changes to the original storyline in the film, one being that Belles father was a bit slow but in the live action version the father, Maurice, is quite skilled at making clocks and automated devices.

Gaston is forever after Belle, thinking of her as his future wife. He is accompanied by Le Fou who some people say is Disneys first openly gay character. Gaston hears that Belle is in trouble and goes to find her, thus encountering the Beast which is vows to kill.

I’m not going to spoil anything, there is a lot of story to go from here, but the films CGI is very entertaining and combined with the musical numbers its something to behold. Beauty and the Beast may not be everyones cup of tea (excuse the pun chip) but overall it is worth the admission fee – if you have kids, it’s a no brainer, they will love it.

If you enjoyed the original Beauty and the Beast, you will love this one too. If you have not seen it, then you will be enthralled by the story, the characters and a few twists in the story.

Recent Recommended Movies – Moonlight, Fences, All is Lost

Recent Recommended Movies – Moonlight, Fences, All is Lost

Recommended Movies – Moonlight, Fences & All is Lost

I have seen a few great movies in the past few weeks, 2 oscar winning movies and also one which is available for download.

Moonlight

This movie is one which I was in two minds about, both before seeing it and also afterwards. It is done almost in 3 acts as it looks at 3 defining chapters in a boy and ultimately a man’s life. Chiron is a young black man growing up in central Miami and the movie starts with him as a child. He watches his mother played by Naomie Harris become addicted to drugs, and he battles to understand his sexuality. Mahershala Ali is amazing in the first section of this film and very much deserved the oscar win.The film is shot in an unusual style and afterwards it took me a while to digest the movie, but this only help you appreciate what you have seen. Worth a watch!

Fences

Fences was actually a play which was transitioned to the big screen. The movie is the story of a black family who’s son played by Jovan Adepo gets a chance at a scholarship but his father Troy Maxson played by Denzel Washington had that chance but doesn’t want his son to go down that route.  Maxson once had that opportunity and dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player, but he was just too old  when all of the baseball major leagues began admitting black athletes. Although the father never admitted it was age, claiming it was racism, he still remained bitter over this missed opportunity. The father removes the son’s chance to meet a college football recruiter and the splits in the family begin to show. This movie has a few plot twists and is very well played by all involved. I would actually rate this higher than Moonlight and it is a very engaging movie.

All is Lost

This movie (available on Netflix or iTunes) is quite unusual in that it has very little dialogue. Infact it can be a few minutes before you hear any utterance from Robert Redford. It is set on a solo voyage in the Indian Ocean as a man (unnamed and played by Robert Redford) awakes to find his yacht taking on water. The yacht hit a stray shipping container and water is pouring into the vessel damaging his radio and navigation equipment. He sails into a violent storm and almost dies. He hopes drift into a shipping lane at some point but eventually sees no hope and is faced with his death, to which he has no option but to face head on. A tense and dramatic film, some lulls in action but the end I thought was good.

Moonlight Trailer

Fences Trailer

All is Lost Trailer

 

What do you think … if you have seen any of these movies, leave a comment with your thoughts…

Loving – Movie Review

Loving – Movie Review

Loving is based on a true story of an interracial couple Richard and Mildred Loving. They married in 1958 and although the interracial marriage was illegal in the state of Virginia they married in Washington DC.  As they tried to make their family home in the law was against them. They were jailed and tried, only avoiding prison by the state banishing them. The Loving family relocated with their children to the inner city of Washington D.C. This film is the story of their struggle against the legal system and trying to get back to Virginia.

Loving – Review

Obviously, this movie is getting a lot of attention with the recent Oscar nominations. As a result, I wanted to see it, and I was not disappointed. The film sets up the two characters very well. Richard Loving is played by Joel Edgerton and I don’t know why he was not Oscar-nominated. It is a tough role to play and I thought he did a convincing job. Ruth Negga plays Mildred Loving and was nominated.

The movie captures the unfairness of something they felt was hurting no-one. They went and got married and only for they moved back to Virginia they would not have been arrested. Their struggle is long but with the assistance of a civil rights group they are able to get the case heard in court.

There is a real sense in the film that you get to see their life progress, their children grow and their hope sometimes fade. But, they never give up. There are some great performances and my initial view before seeing the film was that it might be rough going – it is not at all. It is simply a good story well told.

There was one section of the movie when the sheriff advises Richard Loving of his opinions on interracial marriage and what he would do to him if he came back. During this sequence, I could not understand one word of the sherries dialogue due to a very heavy, mumbled and ow southern accent, but I don’t think I missed much.

This story if it was shown last year would have been a look back at the way things were in America. Racial conflict, the division between races etc. However this year, with a so-called president in power, all this seems far too real. Sad to see these things raising their heads again.

If you are thinking of going to see this, do, its a really great movie.

Official Trailer – Loving

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La La Land – Movie Review of La La Land (2017)

La La Land – Movie Review of La La Land (2017)

La La Land is getting a lot of attention and is hotly tipped to win big at this year’s Oscars. It has been nominated in a number of categories at today’s Oscars announcement. I wasn’t sure what to expect from La La Land as I am not a fan of musicals as a Movie Genre. La La Land is not the blockbuster you can compare to last years Revenant but it sure packs a punch on a few different levels.

La La Land starts with a musical number, quite predictably, setting up what will be a romantic relationship. The film seems to have a very familiar feel about it, shot in a style which is quite different to other movies out this year. It is bright and I get the feeling that the saturation and vibrance of colours was increased during filming/post-production. This gives an almost 1950’s or Technicolour feel about the film.

La La Land is set in modern day Los Angeles yet we can see nods to the glory days of Hollywood. The movie opens with an amazing highway scene with thousands of cars and dancers…. Worth a good portion of your admission fee to see that! (If you saw the opening sequence to the Golden Globes you will get an idea). Sebastian played by Ryan Gosling is a budding jazz musician and wants to open his own club o this terms. He meets Mia played by the wonderful Emma Stone which is an actress who just can’t catch a break.  They initially meet on the highway for a brief moment. They also almost meet in a piano bar but Sebastian brushes past her. When Sebastian and Mia meet properly, we see song and dance numbers reflecting on movies such as ‘Singing in the Rain’.

The rest of the story (in order to avoid spoilers) is set with them trying to help each other achieve their dreams. There is much song and dance in between with some great scenes including one in a Planetarium which is impressive visually and also as a musical number. This scene is actually one further nod to the golden days of Hollywood. The scene is set at the Griffith Observatory, and it is visited by Sebastian and Mia after watching the classic movie “Rebel Without a Cause.”

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling really do work well and certainly have an on screen bond which makes their performance so believable and captivating.  Eventually both get a shot at their dreams and with guest performances from John Legend and J.K Simmons the movie really has a good cast. I’m not going to spoil anything, but you should enjoy the movie as it is a treat for the eyes and the ears.

The only negative thing is that the movie takes a bit of time to get going. However, I felt but once it is moving you are pulled along with it … Not screaming, rather singing and dancing with it.

You will like La La Land and it is certainly a ‘feel good’ pick-me-up. If you had a bad day, go see this movie. Enjoy!

 

Official Trailer of La La Land

Hunt for the Wilderpeople – DVD/Download Review

Hunt for the Wilderpeople – DVD/Download Review

Hunt for the Wilderpeople was out in the cinemas earlier in 2016 but I never made it. I was delighted to see that it was on Netflix and recently Watched it. The title of the film, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, is quite unusual and comes from a section of the film where the boy is reading about Wildebeest.

From the outset, it is very easy to watch this film about a boy, played by Julian Dennison, moved from foster-home to foster-home. He has a history of “kicking things, spitting, setting fire to things, loitering….” etc (trust me it’s a good line in the film.) He ends up on a farm and although he rebels once again he quickly feels that this is home.

Due to circumstances, he hears that the authorities are coming back to remove him. He knows that he will go to Juvenile prison so he decides to venture into the bush and go on the run. His trek takes a turn after he gets lost and his uncle, played by Sam Neil, finds him. From this point, the trek takes a further turn for the worse, and they become outlaws of a kind.

The film is done as chapters, e.g Chapter 9, WAR etc, so you get a feeling of what is to come. The characters are all really good, especially the sassy and sharp (sometimes not as sharp) boy in the movie.

Shot in New Zealand, I had an extra reason to see this movie. The scenery, dialogue and story are all really strong and this would be suitable for all the family (with the exception of a scene with a large wild boar and the 2 dogs). It is a very warm and enjoyable film with lots of great lines and well-played roles. This is a real sit back and enjoy the popcorn move – Enjoy!

 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople – Official Trailer

Passengers – Movie Review / Film Review

Passengers – Movie Review / Film Review

Jim Preston is one of 5,000 passengers on board the spaceship, Starship Avalon. The ship is on a 120-year voyage to a distant colony planet “Homestead 2”. After a malfunction in Jim Preston’s hibernation pod, Jim (played by Chris Pratt) is the only one awake. Now he is stranded on the spaceship, still 90 years from his destination.

Passengers – Movie Review

If you watch the trailer of Passengers you may get a sense of what is happening. My initial interpretation of the Passengers trailer was different. I thought both were all awoken by mistake. I also thought perhaps there was a conspiracy to sabotage the journey of the starship. I even thought that perhaps these were all AI lifeforms which were being banished from the earth. All of my personal assumptions about the movie were incorrect.

The movie starts with Jim being prematurely woken from his hypersleep. He doesn’t know what is happening and tries everything to gain control of the situation. Jim tried everything from trying to gain access to the bridge, to try to get back into the hypersleep chamber. You get to see how one man lives for over a year without anyone else to talk to. He has an android barman, named Arthur, but he longs for human companionship. Jim tries all the amenities on the ship but nothing makes him feel any better about his predicament. You see him disintegrate into a man who feels that all is lost.

It is at this point he meets Aurora (no spoilers here, so apologies for a key section skipped). Although Aurora is alarmed to have been woken but Jim does his best to reassure her. Aurora and himself get on very well and eventually for a romantic relationship. However, after Arthur, the barman (played by Michael Sheen), tells Aurora some background information she breaks down. All seems lost, but a bigger problem is looming. The ship systems are failing and the ship is on the brink of destruction. The ship will have to be repaired, but how can it be done in time? Can they go back to hypersleep? Are they doomed to live out their lives on a sleeping starship? ….

Overview

Overall Passengers is a really enjoyable movie and is certainly worth seeing on the big screen. There are points in the movie where I felt a small bit bored, as it was a bit like Groundhog Day. However, it is obvious that these scenes are required to convey the monotony of life on your own in such a confined space. I saw this in 2D but I feel you might get more from this in 3D. There are stunning sweeping scenes of nebulae, space walks and transit through space. There are a few small-plot twists in this which add to the drama. The conclusion of the film was very well done and I feel the ending was well written. There are often films which have poor endings but this is not one of them.

Passengers – Official Trailer

Passengers – Overall Review Score

  • Overall Score 87% 87%
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