Beauty & The Beast | Film Review

Beauty and The Beast came out so long ago now, but I am still completely obsessing over it. I realised I never shared my thoughts on the film here, so I decided now would be the perfect time, because I'm hoping that most people have seen it by now and the risk of me being the fucker who accidentally ruins it for somebody is low. 

The Good

How stunning was this film though? The cinematography and the CGI was absolutely spot on in my opinion, I was a bit concerned that it would be a bit over the top and it would look way to superimposed, but I thought they got the balance just right. The 'Be Our Guest' scene was so beautiful to look at I nearly forgot to appreciate the song (which was also fabulous.) I thought the costumes were absolutely stunning - that yellow dress! Oh my goodness, what a thing of beauty (aha) I'm so glad they didn't try to mimic the animated dress, and instead brought it to life in it's own way.

When you think of Beauty & The Beast, one of the first things that comes to mind is the songs, I must admit I was nervous that they were adding new songs in and whether or not they would do the original songs justice, and in my opinion they did. As soon as I heard the intro to 'Belle' I burst in to tears, so much nostalgia. As I mentioned briefly before I thought 'Be Our Guest' was perfect, I loved 'Gaston' - bravo Josh Gad, and I don't even know how to begin to describe how I felt about 'Evermore.' That song is so beautiful, I cried numerous times. I thought it fit so well with the theme of the film, and if that song doesn't win the Oscar next year then I will be severely disappointed. 

I actually really liked that we got a bit of backstory into The Beast & Belle's pasts, I know that has been a bit of a controversial decision to some people, but I thought it gave the characters a bit more context and helped to cement it more as a stand alone film.

The casting for this film was impeccable in my opinion. Dan Stevens as The Beast was perfect, so sarcastic and funny, and really gave the beast an actual human side with a personality and had just the right amount of character development, the change in his demeanor felt realistic and not rushed at all. Also, that growl at the end. Swoon! I loved Ian Mckellen & Ewan McGregor as Cogsworth & Lumiere respectively. They were the perfect double act, nearly as good as the original's. Emma Thompson had some big shoes to fill, but I really loved her take on Mrs Potts and her rendition of 'Beauty and The Beast' was beautiful. One of the stand out characters for me was Le Fou. I loved what they did with his character, how he had real character development, becoming more and more uncomfortable with Gaston's actions and eventually showing himself to be a goody. I was so happy when Disney announced that Le Fou would be openly gay, and I feel like they did it in such a tasteful way. I'm also so happy he got a happy ending. 

The Not So Good

There really wasn't that much that I didn't like, there were a few plot holes here and there, and some moments that I felt were unnecessary. My major issue with the film - and it's a really petty issue - why were the 'bimbettes' (the girls pining after Gaston) not blonde?! That's their trademark look, I feel like the point of them is that they are percieved as being SO different from Belle. Making them brunette had them sort of blend in with her and I didn't like it.

I feel like I might get some stick for this opinion but... I wasn't a massive fan of Maurice. I thought the actor did a really good job, and I see what they were trying to do with him, I just wasn't drawn in by his character. 

The Surprise

I was so pleasantly surprised by Dan Stevens and Luke Evans' singing voices. Damn, those fellas can hit some notes. I had major heart eyes during their musical numbers.

Emma Watson was a surprise for me, I really didn't rate the decision to cast her, but I was pleasantly surprised by her performance. Her singing was a bit hit and miss, but I actually really enjoyed her take on Belle and I can tell that a lot of young children being introduced to this version of the story will really relate to her.

I've never really been a massive fan of live action Disney remakes so when this film was first announced I didn't feel that fussed about seeing it, I thought it might be a bit cringey and I was worried Disney would ruin it, because the original animated version is so well loved. I completely eat my words. I absolutely loved it, I found the whole thing so nostalgic, it really took me back to my childhood and reminded me of the magic of seeing it for the first time. It was the perfect homage to it's predecessor whilst being incredibly magical in it's own right. It's paved a way for a new generation of Beauty and The Beast fans,

I also made a video talking more about what I thought about the film, it's slightly rambley as I filmed it the day after I'd seen it, so I was still full of excitement. 

Have you seen the film?

Did you love it as much as I did?

Speak Soon

Char x 

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Film Review | Wreck it Ralph.

I do not own this image.

                                                                            "I am bad and that's good. 
                                                                 I will never be good and that's not bad. 
                                                                   There's no one I'd rather be than me" 

                   This Review may contain spoilers, so if you don't want anything ruined then see the film first!

A couple of days ago I took my little sister and two of her friends to see the new Disney film: Wreck-it Ralph. I love everything Disney so obviously had to see it when it came out, having an eight year old sister is a handy excuse to see these films. I didn't really know what the film was about when I went to see it so didn't really have any expectations on what it would be like. So I went in with a completely open mind & thought I'd share my thoughts about it with you.

I quickly want to mention the short film that's shown before the film itself: Paper Man, it shows a man and a woman who meet by chance through some paper and a gust of wind. They part ways but the man spots her on numerous occasions and tries to get her attention by throwing paper airplanes, the amount builds up and he eventually gives up. The paper planes then seemingly come to life and guide the couple back to one another where they eventually meet again. I really enjoyed this short film I thought it was very cute and sweet, the animation was really good. I really enjoyed the fact that the entire short was in black and white apart from the female character's red lipstick. I'd definitely say its one of the best Disney/Pixar shorts there has been.

Now onto the main film, I love the concept of Wreck-it Ralph, the fact that it is set inside the gaming world is in my opinion, inspired. This concept allows incredible animation and design but also gives the opportunity to create some rather exciting characters which I think they definitely did. Wreck-it Ralph is reminiscent of Toy Story in the way that it utilizes the interest of children, but it develops it further to be more suited for the audience. Toy Story was a big phenomenon when I was a child and I'm sure for alot of you, Go 90's kids! One of the reasons that I think it was so successful is because of the fact that it included the use of toys which were pretty much our pass times as children. As technology has moved on computer games and digital games have captured the interest of today's young children, so a film in that setting is a clever way of attracting the audience. This advancement in technology and the mix between traditional Disney ideas & values allows the makers to create a creatively beautiful and heartwarming family film for all to enjoy.

As for the story line of the film, I think its rather refreshing that the story is centered around a 'villain' who doesn't want to be considered a villain in his game anymore and leaves his game in an attempt to become a hero and get a medal so that he can become accepted by the other characters in his game. He journeys through many games including a shooting game in which Ralph quips: "When did video games become so violent and scary." A joke that I'm sure the older viewers will appreciate. He then journeys into the candy fulled world that is Sugar Rush, which is likely to give any body a sugar craving. Along the way Ralph must come to terms with what it really means to be a hero and whether or not he can achieve it.

Their is an abundance of fantastic characters in this movie all linked within the video/arcade game world, we see Sonic & Pac man with references to Mario & Lara Croft, it really is a spectacular sight as characters old and new join together to create a vibrant video game world. It is definitely fun to play spot the video game character and there is definitely something for everyone. The four main characters however are Wreck-it Ralph, Sargent Calhoun, Fix-it Felix Jr & Vanellope von Schweetz. Each dynamic & wonderfully animated to appeal to all genres. Wreck-it Ralph & Fix-it Felix Jr are the classic retro characters, Sargent Calhoun is the kick-ass fighting character & Vanellope von Schweetz is the feisty but lovable racer who very much reminds me of Coco Bandicoot in Crash Team Racing (90's kids will know who I mean.)

Wreck-it Ralph played by John C. Reilly, I think he puts a brilliant spin on the 'bad guy' character and creates a really love able and relatable good guy. He has you feeling for the character of Ralph the whole way through and is absolutely hilarious as always.

Fix-it Felix Jr is played by Jack McBrayer, I must to be honest I hadn't really heard of him or his work before so didn't really know what to expect from him or the character. But I really liked his portrayal of this character, he creates the character of a typical good guy, his country charm adds both like ability and comedy and he becomes a crucial and well liked member of the team.

Jane Lynch's portrayal of Sargent Calhoun, unsurprisingly adds wonderfully comedic one liners which suits perfectly to her character. A Bad Ass, fighter aiming to destroy all the Cy-Bugs from her game Hero's Duty, but gets alot more than she bargained for when Wreck-it Ralph enters her game.

Vanellope von Schweetz is played by the talented Sarah Silverman, her portrayal of the love able glitch Vanellope is brilliant she captures the aspects of the character really well, creating hilarious comedy & also heartbreaking vulnerability at times. She manages to play the character of a 9 year old girl very well indeed.

I thought the animation as a whole was incredible, there was so much attention to detail and every part of it looked realistic as part of a game it really is a brilliant sight to behold. Particularly in the game sugar rush, the creativity behind that world is unbelievable. It's one of few films which I'm glad I saw in 3D as it just made everything so vibrant and exciting. It is not surprising that it has been nominated for so many awards as the work that must have gone into it to create such a wonderful piece of animation must have been alot, but it most definitely payed off in my opinion.

Wreck-it Ralph is such a brilliant film for the whole family to enjoy. It is heart warming, funny & at points tear jerking. It has a wonderful message behind it, and it is relate able for those who have ever felt misunderstood, unappreciated and who just wants a chance to show what they've got. It really is a beautiful story and reminds us all to keep "taking life one game at a time"

                                                   Here's the trailer for anyone interested.

                                        Have you seen Wreck-it Ralph? What did you think of it? 
                                            How do you think it compares to other Disney films?

                                                                         Speak Soon
                                                                         Charlotte xx

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Film Review | Brave




I do not own this image

Recently for my sister's 8th birthday I decided to take her to see the new Disney/Pixar film "Brave," As an avid disney fan who grew up during the peak awesomeness of disney (in my opinion.) I was slightly wary of whether this film would live up to my expectations, the same feeling I had regarding "The princess and the frog" and "Tangled" both of which i love, I decided to give it a go and I was not disapointed.

A tale of heroicism, adventure and the importance of family, this film did not disapoint to touch the hearts and funny bones of both children and adults alike. The film follows the story of the headstrong scottish princess Merida, as she fights against tradition and the wishes of her uptight mother: Queen Elinor. But like all Disney films, all is not as it seems and a chance encounter with a witch turns Merida's world upside down, leaving her fighting not only to change her fate, but fighting to save her family in more ways than one.

The character of Merida will be unforgettable to cinema goers and disney fanatics alike, with her big fiery red hair and strong scottish accent, she gives the classic disney princesses a run for their money as the only princess to date, whose film does not include a romantic lead. Merida's journey does involve a relationship but it is a family one, one of the main themes in the film is her attempting to rebuild her relationship with her mother.

The animation was absolutely beautiful in my opinion and so realistic, particularly the effects of water and fog and especially Merida's hair which there certainly is alot of. I saw the film in 2D and I thought it looked wonderful, I don't think 3D is necessary for this film and I certainly didn't think that the film lacked anything because of it, however if your a massive 3D fan then go for it, i'm sure its just as awesome.

No Disney film would be complete without the use of music and songs, which were great aswell particularly the first original song "Touch the sky" which actually made me a little bit misty eyed, thankfully the cinema was dark so hopefully no one saw. Its a wonderfully catchy song with a strong message about following your dreams and pursuing your own goals which fitted into the films tagline: "if you could change your fate, would you?" This film is definately one for all the family, with much humour and strong messages and is definately a must see, so if you haven't yet, go get sit down with a box of popcorn and watch it!

I hope everyone enjoyed my review, its the first time i've ever done anything like that so hope it wasn't too much of a shambles and I tried not to give any spoilers away so those who haven't seen it yet.

For those who have seen it, did you enjoy it? and most importantly do you think its lived up to the disney expectation?

Speak Soon
Charlotte x


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