Babbles of a Fangirl - Disney's Frozen

My favorite Disney film is Tangled.  There, I said it.  If you would like to judge me get in line behind the people who don't understand why I like ponies.  To me Tangled encompassed everything that the Disney films from my childhood had while still remaining aware of how its audience has changed.  When I heard about Disney's newest crack of the animated whip "Frozen" I was optimistic but not jumping out of my seat to witness any footage released early.  Instead I waited idly by, until on a snuggly Sunday afternoon I decided to go see the icy concoction myself.

I was not disappointed.

Frozen, in short, delivers two things extremely well.  It has that catchy music that makes it irresistible for both children and children at heart alike.  Second, it doesn't try to hard.  When I saw Princess and the Frog I felt the entire time like the movie was trying so hard to be that nostalgic Disney film that I couldn't focus.  On top of that it was also trying to break that glass ceiling many Disney films are under.  The problem was that Princess and the Frog was trying to break that ceiling with a Miley Cyrus mounted wrecking balls and that's just no fun for anyone (especially the wrecking ball). Frozen, on the other hand, also takes a crack at that glass ceiling, only this time they are slowly melting the glass down as they warm our hearts.  The characters are sweet and memorable, the plot and villain are not what you would expect, and the songs are to die for!

Case and point here:

I feel that this is a great example for young girls, showing them that even if you are awkward or shy you have something great inside of you worth showing.  As for adult audiences, not only will it kick up those warm and fuzzies from the good old days, but it will entertain you with a fun story and great comedy mixed with action.

Plus there is a Rapunzel and Flynn cameo....what more could you ask for?

Just let it go, darlings.  Let it go!

Babbles of a Fangirl - Why I Might Boycott TMNT

This isn't the first time I've put in my two cent in about Michael Bay's production of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  If you'd like to catch up with my thoughts, visit here

As you might have noticed, I was one of the very few who decided to give Bay a chance after he released the detail that our turtle buddies were going to be, in fact, alien creatures.  And hey, with recent developments, he actually announced there would be NO ALIENS IN HIS MOVIE!  This was a ray of hope amongst so much bad. I called for Bay to give us something encouraging, a spark of hope amongst so much fanboy doubt, but instead he's gave us this.... 

Megan Fox is on track to play April O'Neil in the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie....

Get it out now, kiddies

I've really tried my best to collect my thoughts on this subject.  At first I wanted to scream out at the top of my lungs "BAY YOU'VE FINALLY TAKEN THIS TOO FAR!" I wanted to jump up and down, screaming like a little girl about how my childhood was being stabbed in the face, but I soon realized I needed to step back from this anger and identify why I was so upset.

Was I mad that my choice for April was being overlooked?
In all honestly yes.  Let's be honest, there has never been a casting in a modern take on a nerd franchise that was not met with opposition.  

Case and point

....and again

Despite these qualms (in less extreme cases) we have found bliss with many of the movies with love.  Still, are these jeers valid?  To be honest, sometimes not.  I'm not going to be bitter that April was not played by the actress of my choosing because guess what?  I didn't have anyone in mind.   Which leads me to my next theory for why I'm upset.

Was I mad at the choice of Megan Fox?

After thinking about this I decided, not really.  I'm really not familiar enough with Megan Fox's performances to judge her as an actress.  I remember her being the villain in some Lindsey Lohan movie that no one remembers and of course I remember her as being that half naked chick in Transformers.  I soon decided that it really wasn't much to go off of as far as reasons to place hatred go.  Sure I disagree with girls who jump head first into the sex symbol category, but then again, why shouldn't girls be proud of their bodies either?  I guess that bring me to my next internal question.

Was I mad at what hiring Megan Fox was insinuating for what April will become?

Let's face it kiddies, Megan Fox is known best for one thing.  Not for her talent as an actress (though I'm sure opinions on that vary), not for her work as a speaker-- no Megan Fox is know for this....

[Insert all your dirty thoughts here and NOT my comment section]

Is this really what people want April to be?  There are many variations on what April has been throughout the years.  A reporter, a scientist, a girl with the ability to kick butt.  But a sex symbol?

See the difference?

Am I making myself clear yet?  April is supposed to be the every girl.  She was our link as normal people into this fantastical word.  I could connect with her because she was just an average girl with average looks who managed to become something special.  Hollywood is losing focus on making a real connect between a movies characters and their audience.  By making April look so beyond the norm it is making the movie too far fetch and hard to reach.  Granted I understand that a movie about giant turtles in the adolescents is not exactly easy to make relatable, but we have seen them do it before, haven't we?  

I'm sorry, Bay.  I really want to love this movie.  I keep giving you a chance, but can you please make April something real.  We need ground in the real world to help us reach out.  Something familiar to remind us of home.  Thoughts?  Babble is over.

Xoxo

Movie Musings - Brave

I'm working on it, Brave, I'm working on it

Where was THIS movie when I was growing-up?!?  Now before you say, "It was there, it was called 'Mulan'" I'd like you to lend me your ears and hang up your weapons.  Before I defend why I loved this movie, I'm going to point out everything I've heard against this movie.

1. It's not a very original story.
2. Pixar has done better

To address the first complaint, yes, this movie does have a more traditional plot.  Without spoiling anything, it has the typical heros quest adventure with a splash of girl power, something we've been seeing a lot from in the latest attempts at princess movies.  But this movie takes a traditional plot line and does it well, a feat that seems to allude movie makers on many an occasion.  It shows a heroes quest of not only a young girl, but of a strong-willed character.

Now as far as the argument that this is not Pixar's best work, I will admit that it is not the best on paper, but that doesn't mean this flick still can't pull at even the crankiest of heart-strings.  It's a movie about breaking tradition and finding your own way, a plot we see in many movies.  Do you know why we see this a lot?  Because it's relatable, especially for girls were the vast majority of our abilities comes from either breaking recent tradition or having ladies of the past do it for us.  It's nice to see a movie with a female lead, named Merida, that isn't trying to get the guy or even save the guy.  Yes, she is living in a world where she needs to get married whether she likes it or not and it does drive her early motivations, but as the story progresses it becomes like any story (with a male lead or not) about a PERSON trying to save the day.  Gender has nothing to do with her motivations, it's just something that gives her different obstacles than that of a male lead.

I've been known for being a movie snob, especially when a movie provides a simple or overdone story, but I've been known to melt this all away for one reason: if the story invokes my emotions.  I suddenly felt like that little girl I once was who dreamed of climbing mountains and fighting monsters.  I could insert myself into this story with ease and become a part of it.  This movie made me feel like I belonged, something many a disney movie didn't succeed at when I was a little hell-raiser. This is a story about a girl and her parents.

I think that's why I loved it so much.

Okay, not too get too personal, but I'm a young lady who knows (semi) what I want out of life.  I've always wanted to be a mother because I grew-up with the kindest, sweetest mom in the world who is ALWAYS there for me.  Do we sometimes have conflict?  Of course!  Do we at times drive each other crazy?  Understatement.  But my mom always  been there for me.  Brave hits me hard because it's really about parents trying to do what they think is best and learning to just let go and let their kids be.  This movie made me feel that struggle that parent go through and how, despite all it's misery, it is worth it to see your kids grow up and be happy.  Overall, this movie is a great tool for parents in developing strong relationships with their children.  It reminded me of how lucky I am to have my parents with all their wisdom and understand it and made me think about how that's exactly the type of parent I want to be. So when people say this is just another princess movie, I guess that's why I get offended.  It's a story about parenting cleverly wearing a princess costume.  Mix in a little girl power amongst some crazy beautiful, Celtic scenery and you make this gal rather happy. Seriously though, this movie is worth it for the visuals alone, the beautiful lessons learned are an added bonus.

So don't go into this movie judging it because it wears a crown, go to it because you are a blank slat, ready to learn.  You will be surprised.

Well, this has gone deeper down the rabbit hole than I intended!  Haha!  I hope you all didn't mind!  Commence throwing only spoons and feathers if you are annoyed.

Tootles!

PS: The crazy little brothers are ADORABLE....and probably what my own demons would look like someday (help me....)

Movie Rants - The Hunger Games

Yes!  After almost two weeks (or is it 3?) since it's release I've finally found time to properly put my thoughts into strong, understandable words.  I guess I've been avoiding this one for a few, silly reasons.  First off, I loved it so much, arguable too much.  I have read the book and I was afraid that my initial fangirl giddy-ness would make the review suffer from,

1.) Over hype and 

2.) Talking about the book and making this more of a comparison than a review.  

Letting my fangirl urges cool seemed like the best remedy to this problem.  Second, this is my first, real attempt at a movie review.  You might think it silly that I'm being so serious about something.  After all, I've written video game reviews and the like with no such stage fright.  Well, here's the deal.  I adore movies.  If there is one thing that my parents raised me on, it is good cinema.  I have been collecting a very strict movie pallet for a long time and it doesn't help that I watch more movie reviews on thatguywiththeglasses.com than any decent person should.  This inevitably has put a great deal of pressure on me to create a review that is both insightful and original.  I didn't want to just rant about what was bad for comic relief, nor did I want to sing the movie's praises beyond an unmatchable level.  Long story short, I want to give myself somewhere to go with future reviews.  With that said, I'm going to do my best in my analysis of The Hunger Games, I will be critical but fair (fingers crossed) and do my best to do more than shout the call of the fangirl squee. (Please note I will do a separate discussion of the book series at a later date!)  Now let us begin.  Welcome, welcome my fans, and HAPPY HUNGER GAMES!

Let's start this off blunt and right.  This movie is an experience.  You don't have to read the book to enjoy this film and you can have read the book and not leave angry at the adaptation.  No, this manages to somehow fee like a movie (a problem a lot of book to movie adaptations struggle to overcome) while remaining faithful to the source material.  The look is beautiful.  Keep in mind, the beginning of the film has a rushed, somewhat sporadic style of editing but I feel that this only creates tension for when we finally get to the reaping where the shots are long and the camera is as eerily still as the actors.  The cinematography matches the emotions of its scenes and I feel this is something that many movie creators fail at.  The camera and editing are rushed when they need to be.  You could argue that you have no idea what is going on in the more violent scenes because of this pacing, but you can tell this is done purposely.  After all, in scenes with brutal carnage it is necessary to shake things up so that the PG-13 rating can be maintained and thus make this movie still accessible to it's target audience.  

(Some spoilers from here on out....be wary!) 

Now what is the plot you may be asking (all 3 and 1/2 of you!) and it's pretty simple to understand.  Katniss Everdeen is a girl living in a post-apocolypic North America, now known as Panem.  The country has now been divided into twelve districts all of which are lead by the Capitol.  Years ago the districts tried to rebel and failed.  As punishment, every year each district must offer up one young man and women between the ages of 12 - 18 to battle in the Hunger Games to the death.  Only one winner comes out.  This particular year in which the movie is set, Katniss volunteers in the place of her 12-year-old sister, Primrose.   The movie proceeds to follow her adventure through this frightening experience.  

Aside from the technical aspects of the movie, the story just flows so naturally.  The pace is great and we somehow find time for all of the major events and character development that often makes book to movie adaptations flubby and unbearably blunt.  This is how to adapt a book into a movie.  You remain faithful to key events, have faithful adaptations of the characters, and offer your film version of the story.  Book-to-movie's often forget that they are movies, meaning they are a largely VISUAL media.  Movies need to show a lot of things that we get paragraphs and paragraphs about in the course of a few minutes (and in some cases even less) without bluntly throwing it in our faces.  Take for example I was watch the movie Eragon the other day (yeah, I'm a sadist, I guess) and the movie suffered from one major flaw (aside from the shit script).  The movie didn't feel like a movie.  People were making long speeches out of nowhere, narration was in places where the audience could infer what was going on, and the movie overall made me feel like I was an idiot with how much information they were handing me.  The Hunger Games is clever about it's presentation and that is so refreshing.  The story is imaginative, the world feels real without being cartoon-ish, and you get close to the characters and our invested even if you can predict the outcome.  This movie makes you care.  

Lastly, I don't think movie could have been more perfectly casted!  Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss is so dead on that it will send chills up your spin.  I could go on and on about each individual role so I'll just hint at some fun highlights.  Stanley Tucci as the silver-tongued television host, Caesar, was one of my personal favorites because of his charm and wit.  You could tell he had fun in his role.  The same could be said about Elizabeth Banks as Effie Tinket.  She was a doll (be it a doll I wanted to strangle).  

Overall, if you love good movies, you'll appreciate this.  If you love action, it's up your alley.  And if you’re looking for a refreshing story of strife amongst a large evil, well, get your butt in the seat.  This movie will force you to feel and we need more of that in an age of stiff, bland cinema.  

What did you guys think of this movie?  Did you love it?  Hate it?  Did you cry (I DID I DID!)?  Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Until next time....


Tootles!

Babbles of a Fangirl – Michael Bay’s Teenage MUTANT Ninja Turtles

I'm all for a gritty TMNT, but is Bay taking it too far?

Some of you fanboys and girls out there might have heard rumors floating around the sewers about the new adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and it’s producer, Michael Bay.  If you did, you know where this is going.  If you didn’t, strap yourself in for some fan-rage. 

Sources have confirmed that Bay is planning a unique adaptation of the popular franchise.  One might think this means more expositions, CGI, or serious tones than found in the original 1990 live action film.  Think again.  What does good old Bay of Transformers fame have in store for us?

Aliens.

The turtles are of alien decent.  To be exact they are aliens from another dimension. Since this news was confirmed a few days ago, Michael Bay released a statement but if his intentions were to smooth the feathers of fans, he’s not very good at it.  Bay said,

"Fans need to take a breath, and chill. They have not read the script. Our team is working closely with one of the original creators of Ninja Turtles to help expand and give a more complex back-story. Relax, we are including everything that made you become fans in the first place. We are just building a richer world."

According to firstshowing.net fans might need to give the idea a chance.  In the original TMNT “…TCRI, which is the name of the place where the mutation causing ooze originated (it was TGRI in the second film), was actually a secret base for the alien beings Utroms….”

Honestly, I don’t know how to feel about this.  I was a fan of the movie before the cartoon (because I was born after the 80s) and I’ve always adored the world created in the movie. The problem with remaking such a beloved franchise is that fans are probably going to get mad anytime a change creeps into the world they’ve loved and protected for so long.  TMNT fans have to be one of the most hardcore fan bases out there because you have to have a lot of backbone to support and defend liking giant, mutant turtles with surfer accents to strangers and haters.  It doesn’t help that Bay has had a history of inciting fanboy with his Transformers franchise.  I think the best way for Bay to get past this fan doubt is to give us something encouraging.  Release an early concept design of the turtles, tell us (for the love of God) that you will be using live action suited turtles and not CGI, give us character designs for the movie’s baddies.  Throw us a bone, a familiar bone with all the trimmings beloved by the original turtles fans.  It just might do wonders! 

Until then, I’m going to shelf my feelings.  But trust me, much more of this and you will see some fangirl rage.  We’re watching, Bay, we’re watching.    

PS:  Voice your thoughts on Bay's thoughts and ideas in the comments!