Be Our Guest

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A Beauty and The Beast Movie Review

Beauty and The Beast is a remake of the 1991 animated film. It’s a co-production between Walt Disney Pictures and Mandeville Films. The movie was released March 17, 2017. It takes a more detailed and wittier take on the 1991 animated film. Emma Watson plays Belle, who in my opinion was a perfect role for her. Emma Watson famously known as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter takes Belle’s character and makes her spirited. For example, she talks back to the beast, refusing to be a prisoner and demands to be treated as a human being. Emma Watson fit Belle perfectly. She already had the shy but fiery personality down in Harry Potter, but since then became more adult. Watching this movie was a delight. It is a musical, but don’t let that deter you from watching the film if musicals aren’t your forte. This movie truly shows off Walt Disney’s Beauty and The Beast.

Characters

The characters of: Gaston, LeFou, the Beast, Maurice and the beast’s enchanted servants were embodied by the actors flawlessly.

Gaston, is played by, Luke Evans, a physically endowed man. He is as self-centered in the movie as he was in the 1991 film. I thought he did a good job embodying Gaston. He played his role perfectly, going from a lovesick man to a crazed one wanting to kill the beast. His transformation from loving and wanting Belle to wanting only revenge made a good progression in the movie. His mannerisms were reminiscent of the Gaston in the 1991 film. He did a great job portraying Gaston and being the bad guy.

LeFou, is played by, Josh Gad. He plays a whimsical and often times silly character. He is Gaston’s right hand man and does anything he is asked by him. I thought his appearance compared to the 1991 film matched. He was a portly and silly looking character, and in this remake he looked similar. LeFou was a comic relief character, who I enjoyed because of his witty banter.

The Beast, is played by, Dan Stevens. I thought he was intimidating and did a good job of inspiring unease in the audience and me. He personally unnerved me in the beginning, but he began to grow on me as soon as he became close to Belle. He might have been scary looking, but appearances are not always as they seem. Just like in the 1991 film, the beast was truly a kind and understanding character. His transformation at the end from the beast to man was symbolic of him losing his animalistic side and of him embracing his human side. He was a strong character in the film and one that was very likable.

Maurice, is played by, Kevin Kline. He plays Belle’s father and he did a good job of portraying the character. He looks like the cartoon version of Maurice and has the same mannerisms. He remained true to his character to the very end, going from slightly odd to mad in the eyes of the village. He rambled on about a beast in an enchanted castle and this caused him to appear mad. He played Maurice well.

The Beast’s servants: Lumiére, Maestro Cadenza, Cogsworth, Mrs.Potts, Madame de Garderobe, Plumette, and Chip were colorful characters. Lumiére, candelabra, was always bantering with Cogsworth, a clock, and this made for a very entertaining movie. Maestro Cadenza, a harpsichord, played a beautiful song during the scene, “Be Our Guest.” Mrs. Potts and Chip a teapot and teacup were just as adorable to watch as the original 1991 film. Plumette, a feather duster was flirty and funny to watch whenever she and Lumiére were in the same room together. Madame Garderobe was interesting to watch as she dressed Belle by cladding her in a big dress and a white powder wig. The Beast’s servants were entertaining to watch and made the movie even more interesting.

Conclusion

Beauty and The Beast is a great movie and one worth watching. It takes the old 1991 film and makes it come to life using actors and actresses. However, the final verdict is in your hands. Be my guest and watch the film to finalize your opinion.

Sing Your Heart Out!

A Sing Movie Review 

Credit: https://teaser-trailer.com/movie/sing/

Sing was released on DVD March 21, 2017 after it played in theaters on December 21, 2016. It was produced by Illumination Entertainment, was directed and written by Garth Jennings and co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet. The film had a gross of $590 worldwide. It’s a cute animated film with a plot based straight out of American Idol. Much like Zootopia, this film deals with anthropomorphic animals. It may have a simple plot, but Sing is a film worth watching. There are a lot of heart felt moments and drama filled scenes in the film. At one point for example, Johnny’s father goes to jail and his father tells him, “How did I end up with a son like you?” Johnny is a gorilla with a voice like an angel. However, his father is always making Johnny do criminal acts with him and his gang. Johnny never wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps, and when the singing contest comes up, he decides he’s had enough of the criminal life. Sing is filled with several other fleshed out characters with interesting home lives and that’s what made the movie relatable to me. Sing is a film intended for children, but adults will appreciate the moments in the film that are deep and leave a hidden message.

Characters 

Buster Moon- Buster Moon is a koala bear who owns the theater where the animal contestants perform. He became interested in the theater after his father took him to a music show. His dream is to have a theater worth talking about. When his theater begins to sink, he talks to his friend, Eddie Noodleman, a sheep, about holding a singing contest.

Rosita- Rosita is an underappreciated housewife with twenty-five children. She is a pig who loves to sing, but has never had a chance to show the world her voice. When she sees the flyer for the singing contest, she jumps at the chance to show the world her talent.

Mike- Mike is a white street musician mouse who is cocky and gets by tips from people on the street. He sees the flyer for the singing contest and is thrilled because of the amount of prize money for winning. The winning contestant will receive $100,000. He loves to perform but he wants the money as well.

Johnny- Johnny is a gorilla from a rough background. His father has a gang and they make Johnny participate in their heists. He loves to sing and has never wanted to be with his father’s gang. When he sees the flyer for the singing contest, he makes an effort to show up. He ends up being a contestant for the contest, but he is constantly going back and forth between the theater and his father’s desire for him to be part of his gang.

Ash- Ash is a porcupine who is in a band with her boyfriend, Lance. When Ash is selected to be a contestant, she accepts but loses her boyfriend. He is jealous that she was chosen and he starts seeing another porcupine. Heart broken, Ash throws him out of the house. She then devotes her time to the theater.

Meena- Meena is a shy elephant, who has an outstanding voice. She goes to the theater and attempts to sing, but she is so nervous that she can’t even perform. She ends up going back home, disappointed. The next day, she asks Buster Moon for another shot at performing, but she ends up being a stagehand at the theater. Later, she makes her debut and ends up impressing everyone.

Entertainment Value

Sing is highly entertaining and fun to watch. It doesn’t bring anything new to the movie genre, but it is still a good film. The characters are memorable and their backgrounds make them likable. Johnny was my favorite character. It felt like his character was fleshed out the most. He came from a hard background, and perhaps that is why I cared so much for him. While the other characters home lives were interesting, Johnny’s character was the most relatable.

There is a scene in the movie that is one of my favorites. It is the scene with Rosita. She is in a grocery store and as she walks down the aisles, a song suddenly blares in the store. Her whole demeanor changes from worn out and tired to joyful and full of passion. She begins throwing items in the grocery cart quicker and then begins to dance. She does an amazing performance in the grocery store and even the security guard announces to the store, “To the lady in aisle six that was awesome!”

The rest of the movie is filled with cute moments like the one with Rosita in the grocery store. If you’re a fan of animated films, this one will not disappoint.

Conclusion

Sing might have an ordinary story, but the experience you have with it is anything but ordinary. It will make you smile, laugh, cry and hope the best for the characters. It is a great film and I recommend it to anyone who loves animated films with talking animals and catchy songs. The singing in the film wasn’t over done. It felt necessary when someone sang and the dialogue in the film was witty and well thought out. I loved this movie, but the final verdict is yours to decide.