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 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

For me personally 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' was the most anticipated film of 2012. I am a massive fan of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Books & Films) and having re read 'The Hobbit' for the millionth time during the summer of 2012 it is needless to say that I was very excited for it. And the first thing I should say is that I was definitely not disappointed and would also go as far to say that it is the best film I saw last year (closely followed by 'The Avengers' & 'The Dark Knight rises'.)  So as I enjoyed it so much I thought that I would share my thoughts with you and review it.

*I have tried not to include too many spoilers but if you still haven't seen the film I would recommend seeing it before reading this post.*

First of all I want to start with the actors & the characters, and where better to start than with the Hobbit himself, Mr Bilbo Baggins. I think that Martin Freeman's portrayal of Bilbo Baggins was absolutely spot on and that he was indeed the perfect choice for the role. When I first found out that he had been cast as the role, I won't lie I was speculative but he definitely won me over. He added wonderful comedic moments and portrayed the part  of the hobbit from the books very well. I also think that his and Sir Ian Holm's (who played Bilbo in the lord of the rings films) portrayals had strong parallels and you could see the likeness of character between the two which definitely helped in making the audience believe that they were different portrayals of the same character. I think that the fact that Martin Freeman was able to offer those similarities helped to make it more believable and enjoyable.

Sir Ian Mckellan's portrayal of Gandalf is one that I will always enjoy, I think he really brings the written character to life. He offers a sense of wisdom to the film and even though he is much older than he was in the Lord of the Rings he managed to portray a younger Gandalf very well. I remain to believe that Gandalf is one of my favorite characters, largely because of Mckellen's portrayal he offers comedy, emotion, wisdom, likability and even though he is portraying a wizard I feel that he makes the character a well rounded and believable character. Plus Gandalf is seen to show his power more in this film in my opinion and who doesn't love abit of fire controlling and eagle conjuring?

The Dwarves make this film so great, I won't go into detail about all of them as otherwise we would be here all day. As a company they offer so much to the film: comedy, a sense of adventure, they bring out the best in Bilbo, and they make a wonderful choir ;) (they sing in the film in case you weren't aware.) I think each of the actors managed to make their particular character stand out and made them all very unique and enjoyable in their own way. I think another major clap of the hands needs to go to the hair/makeup/prosthetic's and costume people as they all looked so awesome and dwarf like and it also looked so realistic.

I really liked the beginning of the film in which older Bilbo & Frodo (Elijah Wood) return to in away introduce it. I really liked that as it brought all the films round into a loop and it was so nice to see the two characters together after so long. (I won't lie I got abit teary eyed.) Even though it obviously wasn't in the book, I really liked that they added it in as it was a nice way to link it all together and probably made overly obsessive fans like me really happy.

The only thing about the film that I actually didn't like is that near the beginning I felt it dragged a little, I still really enjoyed it but I felt that it kind of took a while to get going, but saying that I felt that it stuck to the story really well and I suppose in order to make the most out of the introduction bits that they had to drag it out abit.

I think it would be a crime to end this review without talking about the gorgeous scenery. The scenery was one of my favorite things about Lord of the Rings and now I feel the same about The Hobbit, the views are absolutely breathtaking and has made me want to go to New Zealand even more now (thanks for that Peter Jackson.) While I'm on the subject of Peter Jackson I really have only five words to say: Peter Jackson I salute you! Another amazingly directed film he really has such a wonderful talent and when it comes these films you can see how passionate he is about it in the film and it pays off so well. Another amazing film.

So overall I absolutely loved it and couldn't find a fault even if I wanted to. I can't wait for it to come out on DVD and would very much like December of this year to hurry up as I am so excited about the second part.

Thanks for reading my thoughts on the film, sorry that its slightly biased towards the positives but in my personal opinion it was amazing and I'm just saying what I think. If you haven't seen the film (although I doubt you'd still be reading after the warning) I would definitely 100% recommend it! It is absolutely incredible.

(This is an overall review I am tempted to do a second slightly more in depth review after I have seen it again. Would this be something you would be interested in?)

Have you seen the film? Did you enjoy it? If you have read the book how did you think it compared?

Speak Soon
Charlotte x

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Film Review | The Dark Knight Rises

I do not own this image

So if you couldn't guess by the title I went to see the new Batman film recently, "The Dark Knight Rises" Is the concluding film in the series of Christopher Nolan's take on the Batman Franchise. Before seeing the film I was in two minds about it, on one side the batman, comic book, superhero geek within me couldn't wait to see it on the other side I was apprehensive about how it would top the previous film "The Dark Knight" starring the late Heath Ledger as The Joker which in my opinion is one of the best superhero villian portryals ever! But i'd heard wonderful reviews about it both critically and from friends, so of course I was going to give it a go, and I am so glad I did.

WARNING: This may contain some spoilers so if you haven't seen it do so before you read on!

The film is set 8 years after the events of the previous film in which Batman is in exile and Bruce Wayne has become older and slightly decrepid and hermit like, he encounters Selina Kyle (CatWoman) who later becomes the "messenger" between Batman and Bane. Bruce Wayne learns of the threat of Terrorist Bane whose aim is to destroy Gotham against the wishes of Alfred Pennyworth, Batman is persuaded to return by Commisioner Gordon and John Blake. After Batman and Bane fight head to head, Bane cripples Batman and sends him to a prison where he himself once attended, a prison that is physically impossible to escape, bar one previous escapee. Bane then takes over Gotham and threatens the use of a nuclear bomb if anyone attempts to leave. After retraining and many attempts Batman finally escapes the prison and returns to Gotham where he is reunited by his allies and they then in turn destroy Bane's attempt to destroy Gotham.

I think that the production of this film was wonderfull the special effects were what every action and superhero fan wish to see, I thought the plot was well thought out and there were some wonderful twists which kept the audience on their toes, however saying that some parts were abit predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. I enjoyed the use of the characters, particularly the villain Bane portrayed by Tom Hardy, the character was wonderfully creepy and menacing, and was a threat in a both physical and mental way which gave a refreshing villanious feel, this portrayal hasn't quite won over my love for Heath Ledger's Joker but as a completely different type of villain he is definately up near the top.

I enjoyed the inclusion of the classic characters seen in the previous film: Alfred Pennyworth played by Michael Caine, Commisioner Gordon played by Gary Oldman and Lucius Fox played by Morgan Freeman, and the use of fresh faces, such as Joseph Gordon-Levitts references to Robin. The character of Selina Kyle/Catwoman was one I was wary about as I think that the character of Catwoman has been overdone and is abit Bleurgh (with lack of a better word) and i'm not an avid fan of Anne Hathaway, however I think that her portrayal was refreshing and definately changed my mind about the character, also I wish I could look as good in a catsuit as she did. And of course last but not least Christian Bale's performance was excellent as always and he's pretty easy on the eyes so can't complain, his perfomance as Batman will be greatly missed.

I'm definately a fan of this film and would reccomend it to anyone, I don't think that its surpassed its predecessor but I think its level with it in regards to entertainment and will definately purchasing the DVD when it is released.

What did you guys think of the film? If you still haven't seen it...go now!

Speak Soon
Charlotte x

P.S. - Also if any of you got the reference of the title of this post then you get 100 cool points from me! well done :)

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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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