Beauty and the Beast

GENERAL INFORMATION

Release Info: 17 March 2017
     9 September 2017 

Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos
Running Time: 129 Minutes

Staring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans and Josh Gad

Rating? PG

SPOILERS? Yeah, but it's not a new story

REVIEWS

IMDB: 7.3 of 10

MY RATING: 3 (3 for the Movie, 0 for the Story itself)

STORYLINE

"A tale as old as time..." An adaptation of the fairy tale about a monstrous prince and a young woman who fall in love...

MY REVIEW

I obviously didn't go see this in the theaters.. I will NOT go see a kids movie with actual kids near me. Not my thing. I did however, watch it at my friend Melissa's house on her comfy couch.  I was not expecting to like this movie but I did, to some extent.  Yes, I know I gave it a 3 and that's pretty low, but it was the story that could not let me go any higher.

What I DID LIKE about this movie:

• I actually appreciated the musical interludes.
• CGI had its moments of being pretty great with the Beast. He had some pretty well done hair movement that I was not really expecting.
• Josh Gad! I think he was my favorite part of the movie. He was amazing!

What I DID NOT LIKE about this movie: Point to be made, it's not the MOVIE that I didn't like, it's the actual story. I have NEVER liked Disney movies or stories much due to the fact that most are sexist, racist and just plain inappropriate for modern society.

• Well, what I didn't like is STILL the same thing that I didn't like when I first read this book and saw the movie as a kid. It's freaking Stockholm Syndrome! (No, I didn't know that word as a kid, but when I realized what it was, I knew!)
• Unmarried women who can't feed themselves are begging in the streets and there is no compassion. A "beast" lives in the area and has an opulent home while the townspeople have little or nothing. It's the 99%! 
• Belle seems to be an entitled bitch! She is always seen making comments about the small town and showing her contempt for provincial life. She is willingly taken as a prisoner but decides to allow the 'slaves' of the Beast to serve her. Basically, marry for money. Terrible message.

On a more personal note..... Took a quick selfie on the way to Chad and Melissa's and of course a few of the kids! Isabella, Jinx and Rocket.

Back in Time

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 21 October 2015
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Staring:  The Cast and Crew and some others from the Back to the Future Films
Rating? Not Rated
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.3 of 10
MY RATING: 6

STORYLINE
Cast, crew, and fans explore the classic time-travel trilogy's resonance throughout our culture 30 years after Marty went Back in Time.

MY REVIEW:
Not prefect, some flaws, but it was still enjoyable to see. This is a hit and miss documentary, though it is a lot more hit than miss. Some of it, like the fan segments, are not that great. Do we care about a man proposing to his girlfriend or a miniature golf course? Not really. But the background information on how no studio wanted the film, and hearing from just about everyone involved, this is great and this film should be included on all future releases of the trilogy.

And that is what strikes me as the most impressive -- that the series was never intended to be a trilogy, but only a single film. The way the three weave in and out of each other, it seems brilliantly intentional, but perhaps it is even more brilliant because of the way it looks natural. Maybe Dan Harmon thinks the sequels stink, but the general population loves them.

Maleficent

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 30 May 2014
Running Time: 97 Minutes
Staring:  Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, etc.
Rating? PG
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 49% Audience: 71%
MY RATING: 4

MY REVIEW:
I gave this movie a shot. I was really town since I did love the original story of Sleeping Beauty as a kid. I am not sure why, but this was the only Disney story that I really liked.

Cinematography was AMAZING.. which is why there is a 4in my rating instead of a  2! Angelina Jolie was stunning and the costume she was was a real masterpiece!

The movie seems to fly over the reason that Maleficent is WHO she IS! TO me, there movie fails to paint her in the true dark light that she was in the movie. She's just not the same to me. Not really evil. It feels to me that they were trying to say, no, she's not really evil, just misunderstood. I did;t like that at all!

And, who did they change the names of the fairies!! This was just a slap in the face to the story to me.  I was not a big fan of how they were portrayed. Not really the same story.

Elle Fanning did a wonderful job as Aurora. I think she was perfectly cast. Sweet and a good fit!

Just didn't pull all the right strings for me.

Oz the Great and Powerful

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 8 March 2013
Running Time: 130 Minutes
Staring:  James Franco, Michelle Williams, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis
Rating? PG
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.4 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 59% Audience: 56%
MY RATING: 5

MY REVIEW:
The cinematography was beautiful. Some of the acting was great and some was passable. CGI was good and some of the good casting and effects were able to mask SOME of the real issues that I had with this movie.

The script is pretty subpar to the point that the supposed plot twists were glaring from the very beginning. But the script was just the first issue. James Franco. Generally, I can stand him in some movies, but here he was the Franco-ist of Franco. I'm sure someone else could have done better. He's quite nearly distracting with his performance. Really, it made me care very little for his character. In the same vein, I also felt that Mila Kunis was not at her best. Not horrible, just not quite right for the part. She's just not believable as the Wicked Witch of the West. For me, the sisters played by Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz were brilliant. They carried the movie for me.

It's a beautiful movie, like I said. Some of the CGI gave me a headache, but the outcome was decent.
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