Directed by: Bill Condon
Released: 2017
Country: United States
Genre: Musical, Romantic, Fantasy, Drama
Rating: 4 out of 5
Review
It is love that triumphs in the long run and this is the underlying message of ''Beauty and the Beast''. Here is a story that I have loved and treasured since my childhood, and this beautiful remake made me not just nostalgic but it also charmed and amazed me with its powerful, strong message dealing with the victory of love.
The film is, of course, a remake of the 1991 animated film of the same name. Along with ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarves'', ''Cinderella'', ''The Little Mermaid'' and ''Pinocchio'', ''Beauty and the Beast'' is one of the films I grew up with. As such, I had been eagerly waiting for this remake. And I was not disappointed. It is a charming and beautiful film.
The story is that of an arrogant, narcissistic prince, played by Dan Stevens. When one evening, during a party, he misbehaves with a frail, old woman who appears in his palace, the old woman turns out to be an enchantress, who transforms the prince into a monstrous beast and the members of his household are transformed into household objects- like clocks and pots- that can talk. The enchantress also wipes the memories of all those living around the palace, making them forget the existence of the prince and his palace. She leaves with the prince a rose: when the last petal of the rose has fallen, the prince will remain a beast forever- unless he finds true love before the last petal falls.
Several years later, when the beautiful Belle- played by Emma Watson- ends up in the beast's palace after some accidental incidents and the beast imprisons her in his palace- the members of the beast's household think that it is Belle who can break the curse.
The film conveys the message of the power of love really well. The story is exactly the same as that of the 1991 film. There is even a background story about Belle's parents that was absent in the 1991 film. The characters have a lot of depth in them. Emma Watson and Dan Stevens deliver excellent performances. Besides them, Luke Evans, playing the antagonist, Gaston, is amazing too. The supporting cast is extremely impressive as well: Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, and Josh Gad.
Every single thing in the film is reminiscent of the animated film we love and cherish. The music and the songs transport us back to the 1991 film. Of course, this film can never replace the animated film. However, that does not mean, by any means, that this film has to be neglected. The 2017 remake is lovely and enchanting in its own right. No, it is not as great as the original. Yes, we are aware of the storyline and most of the songs. However, with its brightness and positivity, the film overwhelmed me. Power of love is not just reflected in the chemistry between the Beast and Belle, but also in the chemistry among the different members of the Beast's household, Belle's love for her father and vice versa, and Morris's (Belle's father's) love for his late wife.
Like Belle comments in the middle of the film, the members of the beast's household find a reason to be hopeful and optimistic about even though they are going through sorrows and despair. But in spite of that, their love for life, the sunshine- things they haven't enjoyed since the curse was placed on them- make them retain hope for life, for better days. The film gives us the opportunity to celebrate the power of love all over again.
Directed by: Damien Chazelle
Released: 2016
Country: United States
Genre: Musical, Romantic drama
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review
When it comes to dreams, it is hard to chase them and it easy to give them up. It is easy to be swayed by disappointment but when one has a firm determination, one can easily reach that goal and- as we see in ''La La Land''- if there is somebody- just one person- by you when you are chasing your dreams, if there is somebody initiate that light of inspiration in you, that journey becomes easier.
''La La Land'' is the story of Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) and Sebastian Wilder (Ryan Gosling). Mia has a day job as a barista but aspires to be an actress. She left university and came to Los Angeles so that she could land a role in a movie or a TV series. She attends auditions after auditions and is rejected over and over again, but she is still firm in her determination. Sebastian, on the other hand, is a jazz pianist who aspires to keep jazz alive. However, as he does not play according to the conventional methods, he is fired from his job. Over the course of the next few months, he comes across Mia again and again, and as they start falling in love, they inspire each other to follow their dreams. Mia inspires Sebastian to start eventually his own jazz club where he will be able to play the kind of music he loves, and Sebastian inspires Mia to write a play where she will act. But as time passes the collision of reality and dreams happens...
I loved ''La La Land''. I really, really did. From the very beginning of the film there was a sort of lively charm as dreams and reality kept colliding (although not always in a positive way). I loved the songs, the production design, and the score. The screenplay is amazing, and Damien Chazelle does a really good job directing the film. Everything in the film has a vintage, 1950s touch, and had it not been for the mobile phones and modern cars that the characters use, I would have thought it was set in the 1950s.
I loved the very essence of the story, of how we should follow our dreams and how we should not think of what others think or whether others care about what we are doing, but that we should be solely focused on what we are trying to do, and that should be our aim, that should be our dream, and no matter how hard reality might be, we need to focus on our dreams instead of falling prey to the world around us that might cause us to fall prey to competition, to the constant insecurity of what others might think of us and our work.
At the center of the story, of course, there are two lovely characters: Mia and Sebastian. The chemistry between the two of them is heartwarming and beautiful. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling give undoubtedly powerful performances. I think all of us, to an extent, can relate to these two characters as throughout our lives we go through what these two experience throughout the film: powerful dreams and insecurity, intimidated by the competitive world around us that often forces us to forget who we really are and to abandon our dreams as, according to that world, the ''reality'' is so much different than the dreams. But for many of us, our dreams are what we strive to turn into reality, in spite of what those around might feel and might say, and just as Mia and Sebastian were there for each other as they tried following their dreams, we also find a person- or several people- in our lives who become the driving force for us, inspiring us to reach our goal.
4.5 out of 5
Directed by: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Released: 2013
Country: United States
Genre: Musical, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Review
''Frozen'' was indeed a wonderful film! Beautiful visuals, amazing songs and score, a magical, sweet story, and an excellent screenplay- it is certainly one of best films of 2013.
Loosely based on ''The Snow Queen'' by Hans Christian Anderson, ''Frozen'' tells the story of Elsa, a princess who has got the power of creating ice and snow. Whatever she touches turns into ice. One day, while playing with her younger sister, Anna, she unintentionally freezes Anna's brain. However, Anna is revived, and her memories about Elsa's magical power is erased. The King and Queen are advised to keep Elsa away from people, because her power will become stronger with the passage of time. The main doors of the palace are closed in order to conceal Elsa's power from the people, and even Anna is not allowed to meet her. Anna misses playing with Elsa, and after their parent's death, Anna is left all alone, while Elsa remains alone in her closed room.
Years pass; Anna turns into a beautiful, but immature and lively, young woman, and Elsa comes of age, and is crowed as the queen. Anna meets Prince Hans, and falls in love with, and tells Elsa that she wants to marry him. Elsa, however, denies to give them her permission, saying that one can't possibly fall in love with someone he met that very day. Shocked and angry, Anna takes off Elsa's gloves, and the power from Elsa's hands creates ice in that very ballroom, exposing her power to the guests. She then runs away from the palace, knowing that her power will now be publicly known. She is accused of being a ''sorceress''. Elsa runs away, and as she runs, the whole kingdom gets covered by ice, and gets frozen.
Anna thinks that the whole kingdom has got frozen only because of her, because she had taken off Elsa's gloves. She decides to find Elsa and convince her unfreeze the kingdom, and embarks on a adventerous, dangerous journey. And soon she finds three quirky traveling partners: a mountain man who has a business of selling ice (his business isn't running well, as people don't need the ice anymore, as the whole kingdom is now icy), his reindeer, and a very cute, talkative little snowman.
On the other hand, Elsa has made up her mind to use her power for herself, for her life. She doesn't want to stay with constant fear anymore. She creates her own ice palace, on a remote mountaintop, and thinks that this is life that can suit her...
Will Anna be able to find Elsa? And what kind of dangers and adventures will she come across in her journey?
This film was amazing, so sweet, so beautiful, really funny, and really emotionally intense at times! The characters are wonderful. Elsa and Anna are both very strong characters, and Olouf, the snowman, is so cute and some of his lines were really funny! The score was really great, and some of the songs were really memorable (especially ''Let It Go'', which has won the Academy Award for Best Original Song).
It was a sweet, really memorable, funny and emotional film. I'd highly recommend it to those who like animated films, and also to those who want to watch a sweet and adorable film with a really great story and screenplay.
4.5 out of 5
Directed by: Randal Kleiser
Released: 1978
Country: United States
Genres: Musical, Romantic drama
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Review
Grease stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the lead roles. Danny (Travolta) and Sandra (Newton-John) meet when they are both spending their summer in a beach. They fall in love, and when summer ends, Sandra has to go back to Australia, but they promise to remain friends.
This is followed by the credits, which are shown with an animated background, which is quite well-made. After the credits, the story shifts to the Rydall High School. Danny is a student there, quite the ''popular guy''. We come to guess from the conversations between Danny and his friends that he has had several girls in his life before, but we also come to know that Danny had sincerely fallen in love with Sandra, and wishes to meet her someday again.
On the other hand, Sandra has also started school at Rydall High. She becomes friends with the girls belonging to the popular ''Pink Ladies'' group. Sandra tells her new friends how she fell in love with a wonderful boy at the beach. When the girls ask her the name of the boy and she replies, the girls are amused. They know about Danny, as he is very popular in their school, and they seem to think that he can never be serious about a relationship. However, they don't tell her that Danny is a student of that very school.
That evening, the girls take Sandra to Danny. Both are extremely surprised and delighted to see each other, but when Danny starts expressing his pleasure to see Sandra, he notices his friends standing behind him, and thinks that his image might be affected if he shows before everybody that he really loves Sandra. He thinks that this will make him look ''uncool''. Danny behaves very rudely with Sandra, leading her to think that Danny is ''fake and phony'', and she angrily leaves.
Over the next few days, Danny tries to reconcile with Sandra, apologizing for his behavior, and Sandra forgives her, and they try to rekindle their relationship, but have to face a few obstacles...
The film also focuses on several supporting characters, and it has several subplots, and two major subplots are about two girls of the Pink Ladies, ''Frenchie'' and Rizzo. Frenchie dreams to be a beautician, and drops out of high school to get into a beauty school, which turns out to be a complete disaster, and she falls into a dilemma about what to do with her life. Rizzo, on the other hand, becomes the subject of whispers and criticism when a rumor spreads that she is pregnant.
I agree that the film was really very entertaining. It really was. And I felt that it was really engrossing and wonderfully presented, a lot of fun. Some of the songs were really wonderful. But the main thing that prevented me from absolutely loving this film was that it drifted away too much from the two central characters. Sure, the main focus is always on the two main characters, but, however, the depth that should have been present in their relationship doesn't seem to be present. Sure, when they are shown together, it looks really sweet, and there is some depth, indeed, and some of the songs are really deep and emotional, but however, I thought that the two lead characters should have spent more screen time together. But, however, it does portray the romance really well, and though it is not that deep, it's really sweet.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton John's performances were really memorable. Especially, Olivia Newton John is so sweet! Travolta is also excellent in his role. There are a lot of important supporting characters. Especially Stockard Channing (as Rizzo), Jeff Conaway (as Kenickie) and Didi Conn (as Frenchie) were really very memorable.
The film had a lot of funny and hilarious moments, several really sweet moments between the protagonists, and several subplots, and it was filled with really wonderful performances. Some of the songs were really memorable (for example, ''Summer Nights'', ''Hopelessly Devoted to You'' and the concluding reconciliation song), but overall I think that the film should have given more depth to the two protagonists, they should have shared more screen time together, but nevertheless, this isn't a film that one can forget in a short time, because it's really entertaining, sweet, and with a lot of wonderful performances, several wonderful songs, and quite a good screenplay. It's definitely not one of the best musical films I have seen, but it's really good and recommended!
3.5 out of 5
The Last Laugh (1924 movie)
Directed by: F. W. Murnau
Released: 1924
Country: Germany
Genre: (Silent film) Drama
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Short review: F. W. Murnau is simply amazing. From the artistic, creepy horror film ''Nosferatu'' to, ''Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans'', which is, according to my opinion, one of the most beautiful romantic movies that I have watched, he has always impressed me. ''The Last Laugh'' is no exception. This was also a beautiful film, a very emotionally intense film, and remarkably with only a single inter title. It tells it's story through the pictures, and there is only one intertitle (it doesn't represent a spoken dialogue). ''The Last Laugh'' is a film that delivers a painful and emotionally intense story, with strong performances and great direction by Murnau.
The story is simple. An elderly man who has worked as the doorman of a respectable hotel for a long time is reduced to the rank of a washroom attendant, as his old age doesn't allow him to work hard. He doesn't reveal this to his family and neighbors, who have always given him a lot of respect because of his respectable post. He has to deal with the tragedy alone...
The film was quite an emotional journey and Emil Janning's performance as the protagonist was extremely memorable and effective. One of the most emotional moments in this film was when the old man dreams that he is still capable of doing hard works and lifting heavy things.
The fairytale-ish ending was also extremely memorable. I loved this film. The more F. W. Murnau films that I watch, the more I think that he is one of my favorite directors.
Marnie (1964 movie)
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Released: 1964
Country: United States
Genre: Psychological thriller, Drama, Mystery
Short review: ''Marnie'' is often called one of the last great movies directed by Hitchcock. The story centers around Marnie, played by Tippi Hedren of ''The Birds''. She is a thief, who steals from the offices where she works (she gets into the offices using fake identity) and then flees from the office. A man named Mark Rutland (played by Sean Connery) comes to know about Marnie. Marnie, ignorant of this, joins as a secretary in Mark's publishing company. With the passage of time, they fall in love, and Mark confronts Marnie and tells her that he knows her real identity, and blackmails her into marrying him.
But Marnie has mysterious problems. She is afraid of the color red. She does not want any man to touch her. Mark suspects that something must have happened in her past that has caused her to fear these things. He tries to learn about Marnie's past and background, knowing exactly what happened that made Marnie afraid of these things.
Most of the parts of the film (the early part and the middle part) felt just barely enjoyable to me. I just liked it enough to keep watching it. I mean, I didn't really get what the story was heading to. But then. Then something happened that left me startled. The climax is not just a shocking revelation, but I also felt that the film has a very disturbing and painful climax. The ending was so strong that it made me feel that it was indeed a good film, it was quite worth a watch. Tippi Hedren, Sean Connery, and Diane Baker give excellent performances, and the screenplay is excellent as well.
Overall, ''Marnie'' is, though not one of Hitchcock's best films and not even a great film, certainly a very good film with a good story, good performances, and a shocking climax.
West Side Story (1961 movie)
Directed by: Robert Wise
Released: 1961
Country: United States
Genres: Musical, Romantic drama, Crime
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Short review: ''West Side Story'' is based on a play of the same name, which is inspired by William Shakespeare's ''Romeo & Juliet''. Robert Wise is a director who directed two movies I love: ''The Sound of Music'' and ''The Haunting''.
The film centers around two rival gangs, the ''Jets'', an American gang, and the ''Sharks'', a gang of Puerto Rican immigrants. After many incidents, the ''Jets'' and ''Sharks'' decide to fight, planning to meet under a highway for discussions about the future fight.
However, Maria (the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the ''Sharks'') and Tony (an inactive member of the ''Jets'') fall in love. However, their relation is affected because of terrible incidences that happen because of the rivalry between the two gangs.
''West Side Story'' was a lively, fast-paced, yet sad and thought-provoking film. The film's running time is 152 minutes, but the events of the film take place within a couple of days. It tells it's story in an energetic way, with a lot of songs and often sweet scenes with the two protagonists. I loved this film.
4.5 out of 5
