Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Director: Bill Condon. Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson

To the risk of repeating myself (I’m sure I must have already said something like this when writing about the “Lion King” remake) I will ask the eternal (and rhetorical) question: Why? Of course the answer is money.

There was absolutely no reason to remake the classic Disney masterpiece, especially only point of this seems to be to hit all the nostalgic notes and actually bring very little new to the table. The same songs, the same soundtrack, the same beats to the story (even the prince beyond the beast is just as disappointing as in the original). The only real difference is in its pacing: somehow the film seems to have gained about extra 45 minutes of fat… Time which wasn’t really needed of course. In fact the more time is added and the more real they try to make it the less magical it seems to become and crucially the more unbelievable the love story appears to be.

Yes, of course, it does look amazing and the production designers behind the scene have done an incredible job at recreating the sets from the animated version (as well as some pretty good CGI work): the castle and all its magical objects are stunning, the village is beautiful, the costumes are Oscar-worthy,but however kind one tries to be towards this film, there’s no hiding away from the fact that it will ALWAYS live it the shadows of it predecessor.

There are some tiny scene extensions and minor tweaks here and there but clearly not enough to justify a whole new re-telling.Don’t take me wrong, it is extremely watchable and there is a certain pleasure in discovering how the various beats to the story were translated into live action, but it’s mainly just curiosity which pushes you through.

There’s a good solid cast behind it too, from Kevin Kline (I miss that guy… whatever happened to him?), Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, Ian McKellen… You can hardly go wrong with those names. But while Luke Evans is perfect as the evil Gaston I’m afraid I find Emma Watson a bit too vanilla for my taste… But hey, maybe that’s exactly what Disney was looking for: some vanilla. She can sing all right though.

I just don’t think any child in the future will ask their parents to watch this version again instead of the animated one. With so many stories to tell, this feels a bit of a waste of talent.

Do you agree with this review? Love me a comment if you have a spare minute.

And don’t forget to click “like” 👍 if you do. 😉

Run

Run (2020) ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Director: Aneesh Chaganty. Cast: Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen, Sara Sohn 

This is as ludicrous as they get, but it’s so damn tense as well that actually if you’re able to go beyond how silly, absurd and camp it is and if you don’t ask too many questions, you will actually have a lot of fun, just like I did!
So much so that I was even tempted to give it an extra star… But then you when you think about it rationally you actually realise that it plays the same tricks Misery did back on the 1990 (arguably that was almost 30 years ago… so why not do it again?).

The concept of a person stuck on a wheelchair, trapped in a house trying to flee while the capturer is on her way back risa pretty much the same as King’s story: that same vibe and tension fills up this entire film. Despite the premise of a young girls stuck on wheelchair after a difficult birth, “Run” doesn’t really care about teaching moral lessons about disabilities or making any profound statements, it just wants you to have a fun ride.And it really succeeds at that! It is edge of your seat stuff, with a couple of twists along the way and a genuinely freaky performance by Sarah Paulson.

It’s lot more fun that it has any right to be and actually considering the tiny budget and self-imposed limitations in terms of its settings and framework, it works pretty well for what it is (and it’s short too, just like its title).

As I always say, just turn your brain and go with it.

On Netflix

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

Directors: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise. Cast: Robby Benson, Jesse Corti, Rex Everhart, Paige O’Hara, Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury.

Let me be clear, I’m talking g about the 1991 Disney animated version, not the pointless cash-in remake. This was at the height of the so-called Disney Renaissance, which started with the Little Mermaid 2 years before and lasted for about a decade with masterpieces like “The lion King” and “Alladin”: in 1991 not only this film broke all the box office records (Back then it was the most animated feature and actually in Italy it was the most successful film of the year), but it also ended up being nominated for best motion picture (a first in Oscar history!), paving the way for what became the special award for animation. And of course it was so successful for a reason. All the Disney ingredients seemed to come together with a calibrated perfection: the overwhelming broadway-like musical numbers, the memorable characters (Lumiere, Teapot, chip and so on), a perfectly hateful baddie (Gaston is just as wonderful as his song his), the heartwarming fairy-tale story mixed with darker tones , the strikingly beautiful (hand-drawn) animation, the perfect comic timing, the magical score and a gripping story. Watching it tonight, 30 years after it was made, it felt as fresh, exciting and beautiful as it always did: the first musical number as rousing and detailed as anything ever done in animation before or since (or any musical in general to be honest). The way the lighting played with shadows and colours over the characters (for example the moment the Beast is introduced “come into the light”, the warm sunlight across the windows, the reveal of the library, the night-time sequences with the torches from the mob lighting the forest… and so on). The edge of your seat action on top of the castle at the end the film is as tense as some of the best action films. And of course, let’s not forget, the endless amount of charm, magic, excitement, lovely songs and smartzy cuteness!

This is an undisputed ageless classic, so put your cold heart to the side and go and look no further. Full stop.

The Nutty Professor (1963)

The Nutty Professor (1963)

DirectorJerry Lewis Cast: Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, Del Moore 

I had vague memories of this film from watching it a veeeeery long time ago when I was a kid… and I have to confess I remember liking it. Then of course came the remake with Eddie Murphy and the common response to that was “what a terrible film” and “what an insult to the original”, which obviously cemented the idea in people’s consciousness that the Jerry Lewis version from 1963 was comedy gold. Well, I’ve got to tell you: the truth is so far from it!The story is obviously a take on “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, nerdy looking and bullied chemistry professor invents a potion that transforms him into a completely different person with no inhibition, a deep good signing voice and acting “cool” like no others… Or at least that’s what the film thinks.

The fact that this is written and directed by Jerry Lewis probably tells a lot more about the man himself than any of his other films (unfortunately he wasn’t known as a kind and nice man, despite the persona he was putting across his films).He clearly thinks himself as a strikingly good looking and cool man, because that’s the part he’s playing. When he walks down the streets people stop and look at him as if they saw a God! All a bit weird. He sort of pulls it off because he’s a good actor, but to be honest when you stop and think about it for half a second you cannot avoid thinking how ludicrous it al lis. But more important, watching a professor trying to seduce one of his students, behaving like a womaniser (and a bully too) and telling girls they don’t need to study is not just very uncomfortable with today’s sensitivity, but actually rather creepy and ultimately not that funny.

The film half redeems itself at the very end when Jerry Lewis basically makes a speech apologising for behaving so badly… However after that he does end up marrying the above-mentioned student, so clearly it doesn’t even understand how wrong that was. Of course, this is 1963 and it was a different time, so let’s just try no go beyond that and beyond the fact that it is a pretty slow one too. There are a few amusing scenes in the first half of the film (mainly dealing with the “nutty professor”) but just not enough to make up for the creepy shamefulness that it the rest of the the film in my humble opinion.

One of the few saving graces is Jerry Lewis who despite being hateful as the “cool” one is actually really good at playing the two sides of his character: that scene at the end where the effects of the potions run out and he slowly morphs in front of a crowd from one to the other as he’s making his speech, shows some real acting skills. That scene and those few amusing bits at the start just barely lift this to 2 stars, having said that I wound NOT recommend this to anyone with young kids. Never before my wife and I were so close to turning this off.

It shows how memories of something from childhood can be deceiving.

How to Train Your Dragon

How to Train Your Dragon

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders. Cast: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson

This has got to be the best animated movie coming out of Dreamworks. Shrek was possibly the funniest, but this has some of the most beautiful sequences and a great heart too.I wasn’t so sure at the start, as it all felt slightly too noisy and a bit too busy, but once it got into the story, it was an absolute delight and even if it’s not up there with those 5 stars classic, it’s actually pretty close. For a start it is beautifully animated (Roger Deakins himself is credited as visual consultant): the flying scenes are breathtaking (one of the few instances the 3-D gimmick actually added something) and the action is slick and exciting (and never confusing).I also appreciated how the film took its time to develop the relationship between Hiccup, the protagonist and Toothless, the dragon, not only making it all feel more earned and rooted in reality but also adding an air of mystery to the proceedings. It clearly owes a lot to movies like ET (the fear, the bond… and then the flying) and it won’t break the mould for originality, but it managed to feel fresh and different even if the story at the core of it is very familiar.

There’s an infectious sense of joy and fun at play here (also thanks to the rousing score by John Powell) making this a perfect family film. One that excites the kids and doesn’t alienate the parents (and also doesn’t resort to the usual wink-wink post-modern jokes that only grown ups get).

And for once the moral lessons are not down pushed down your throat.

Honestly I can hardly find a single fault with this one.

And now we’ll be looking forward to its sequels.