Beauty and the Beast

On Thursday I saw Beauty and the Beast, starring Emma Watson and Luke Evans.

"There must be more than this provincial life," sings Belle (Watson) as she begins another day in her tired little French town. She, like so many, is dissatisfied with her surroundings. The books in which she escapes give her glimpses of places far more more interesting. She longs to be a part of them.

Her dad, Maurice (played by a perfectly cast Kevin Kline) is the town eccentric, and has doted on his daughter since she was born. Now, as an adult, Belle has become a feminist before her time, fending off the advances of the narcissist, Gaston (Evans) and dreaming of new possibilities.

When Maurice is taken prisoner by a ferocious beast (Dan Stevens) in a faraway castle, Belle attempts to rescue him and trades herself in his place. This is where the story truly begins.

What Belle doesn't know is that underneath the fur is a prince—one who behaved so badly a spell was cast upon him. The only way to break it is for him to fall in love and be loved in return. Conspiring to make a match between Belle and the Beast are various household fixtures like Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), who is now a teapot, but once was a normal woman.

It's a "tale as old as time" and one of the most beloved to say the least. As a huge fan of the animated classic, I cringed when I heard they were making this into a live action picture, but once I saw the cast I breathed a little and got over it.

I very much enjoyed this version; there is something in emotion that can't be captured in animation, so the love and romance is more effective here. Where I prefer the original is in the music.

As an actress, Emma Watson is brilliant. She's sincere, she's likable—her intelligence permeates every role she's in and Belle is no exception. But the shortcuts that were taken in her song arrangements left me wanting more. I found myself humming the ending bits that were cut off—in most cases the climactic notes of the songs.

I also felt a bit of the art direction could have been more spectacular. The sequence for "Be Our Guest" was a little too disco and starved for classy grandeur; the library that has Belle gasping at its magnificence we only see a few underwhelming frames of before the two are nose-down in books.

I will always make time for Beauty and the Beast no matter what its format. If you see this one, be sure to take in all of its strengths—Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, the chemistry between Watson and Stevens, and the clever winks amongst the household fixtures.

~~~

Cinderella

Today I saw Cinderella, starring Lily James and Cate Blanchett.

The story of Cinderella is sewn so tightly into the fabric of our collective memories that the plot doesn't need repeating, so instead I'll just highlight the pros and cons of this live action rendition:

• I missed the music. I like a little Bibbidi-Bobbiti-Boo with my fairy Godmothering and the fact there was only a drop of song here and there was disappointing.
• I loved the cast of ladies. Lily James was convincingly sweet as the star and Blanchett equally so as the villain. Helena Bonham Carter too.
• The pace was a little slow. Knowing every step of the story going in is an obvious disadvantage, but it's exaggerated when things don't move swiftly.
• The costumes and scenery were gorgeous. I loved getting lost in that forest and dancing across that ballroom. 
• I wish there had been more of the stepsisters. Nasty as they were, they brought great comic relief to the story. But they were hardly there.
• The overall theme of kindness was well executed. The screenwriter did a beautiful job of capturing the true spirit of the fairy tale, sending the message that good people finish first.

In conclusion, the magic is there if you believe in it.

~~~

Into the Woods

Tonight I saw Into the Woods, starring Emily Blunt and James Corden.

The famous Sondheim musical is translated to the big screen here under the direction of Chicago's Rob Marshall.

Along this journey of fractured fairy tales we meet Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) and [The Big Bad] Wolf (Johnny Depp), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone) and his mother (Tracey Ullman), Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Rapunzel (Mackenzie Mauzy), a baker (Corden) and his wife (Blunt), as well as an evil witch (Meryl Streep) along with a whole host of familiar supporting characters.

When we arrive, the witch has promised to remove the spell of infertility she cast upon the baker and his wife if they bring her four specific items: Little Red Riding Hood's cape; hair like a cornstalk; Cinderella's shoe and a white cow.

The couple desperately seeks to gather the items and while they search, we see the characters play out the narratives we all know from childhood.

At heart, this is a comedic slant on all of the most famous stories, brought to life by some of the most recognizable faces in show business.

Though Meryl Streep is getting all of the press, I was actually most taken with Emily Blunt's performance. Who knew she had such a gorgeous singing voice? When did she become just as great at comedy as she's always been at drama? Here, she absolutely shines.

James Corden makes a lovely complement to Blunt's sincere performance as well. You can't help but sympathize with his ridden-with-guilt face and root for him, despite his weaknesses.

The children are more precocious than cute, but perhaps that was intentional, and Tracey Ullman and Johnny Depp were sorely underused. Depp's howl at the moon was a nice touch, though.

Kids may squirm through the singing, and adults like me will be ready for it to end long before its finale, but there are worse ways you could spend your time.

~~~

Enchanted

Today I saw Enchanted, starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey.

I chose this film to kick off my holiday weekend because despite how silly the trailer looked, it's been well-reviewed and I like both of the lead actors.

The first, Amy Adams, is grossly underrated (I think she was robbed of an Oscar® for Junebug) and always adorable, therefore she was the perfect fit for the role of Giselle, the princess from the faraway land that gets catapulted into New York City after trusting that wicked queen from Snow White on her wedding day (long story).

Enter McDreamy himself to save the day as Robert, the handsome divorce lawyer/single father, whose awkward meet-cute (on a billboard) with the princess leads to...well...a fairy tale sort of love.

What I liked about the film was the acting (Susan Sarandon is great as the wicked queen, in addition to the leads) and the heart. It is a good, old-fashioned love story with an innocence that is rare in current cinema.

What I disliked was how dumb they made Edward (Giselle's supposed prince) and how they resorted to bathroom humor in a few places with Pip (the chipmunk), which took the overall sparkle off of the finished product.

Note to filmmakers: it doesn't have to be gross to be funny to kids.

That's all. Dempsey is hot and Adams is precious. Go see it for them.