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Movie Reviews
Mar. 30th, 2008 03:18 pmWatched two flicks this weekend, that while I found them very enjoyable also left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth, making me think it truly sucks to be female in this society.
1. Enchanted - via netflix, which was an innovative Disney romantic musical, but seemed to lack something - such as a strong female character that I could remotely identify with. Amy Adams reminds me a great deal of Marilyn Monroe in her performances - I've seen two so far, Junebug and this one, and much like Marilynn before her, am underwhelmed. Couldn't identify with either. The songs? Not an Al Mencken fan. And I'd heard them on the oscars. That said - it is quite humorous in places. James Marsden is hilarious as the fish out of water Prince Charming, who just wants to follow the pain by numbers formula of the fairy tale romance to the letter. And Timothy Spall is quite amusing opposite an animatronic chipmunk - who could talk in fairy tale land but not so much in our universe. The plot's conclusion ( plot spoiler ) doesn't make a lot sense - but it's a fairy tale, so I let that go.
Overall? Worth a rental, but not worth eleven bucks at the movie theater. And I have no clue why the songs got nominated outside of the fact that there weren't that many other original songs to choose from? ( spoiler for the ending )
The second flick - on TCM, was the classic, 1948, British film, The Red Shoes, which while a bit dated, was quite lovely and oddly gripping in places. It is a bit theaterical - films were back then. Looking at times more like plays than what we are used to today. And the gestures often were more pronounced and melodramatic. The film is a modern (circa 1948) retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale about a dancer who dons a pair of cursed red shoes that compell her to dance constantly, ignoring everything else, until she dies.
Moira Shearer is remarkable in the lead role of Victoria Page - who has the unlucky task of deciding between the love of her life, a composer, and being the best dancer in the world. She meets her love doing the Red Shoes - a ballet that he re-orchestrates and rewrites. While Victoria never really puts on the cursed shoes of the title, they are a metaphor for the impossible choice she must make. To live or to dance. ( major plot spoilers )
Overall? Worth a rental. A fascinating film with an excellent score and fine performances.
1. Enchanted - via netflix, which was an innovative Disney romantic musical, but seemed to lack something - such as a strong female character that I could remotely identify with. Amy Adams reminds me a great deal of Marilyn Monroe in her performances - I've seen two so far, Junebug and this one, and much like Marilynn before her, am underwhelmed. Couldn't identify with either. The songs? Not an Al Mencken fan. And I'd heard them on the oscars. That said - it is quite humorous in places. James Marsden is hilarious as the fish out of water Prince Charming, who just wants to follow the pain by numbers formula of the fairy tale romance to the letter. And Timothy Spall is quite amusing opposite an animatronic chipmunk - who could talk in fairy tale land but not so much in our universe. The plot's conclusion ( plot spoiler ) doesn't make a lot sense - but it's a fairy tale, so I let that go.
Overall? Worth a rental, but not worth eleven bucks at the movie theater. And I have no clue why the songs got nominated outside of the fact that there weren't that many other original songs to choose from? ( spoiler for the ending )
The second flick - on TCM, was the classic, 1948, British film, The Red Shoes, which while a bit dated, was quite lovely and oddly gripping in places. It is a bit theaterical - films were back then. Looking at times more like plays than what we are used to today. And the gestures often were more pronounced and melodramatic. The film is a modern (circa 1948) retelling of the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale about a dancer who dons a pair of cursed red shoes that compell her to dance constantly, ignoring everything else, until she dies.
Moira Shearer is remarkable in the lead role of Victoria Page - who has the unlucky task of deciding between the love of her life, a composer, and being the best dancer in the world. She meets her love doing the Red Shoes - a ballet that he re-orchestrates and rewrites. While Victoria never really puts on the cursed shoes of the title, they are a metaphor for the impossible choice she must make. To live or to dance. ( major plot spoilers )
Overall? Worth a rental. A fascinating film with an excellent score and fine performances.