Re-imagined Beauty and the Beast film

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This is not going to be a movie review. Rather, it's more of a "What's new?" or "What's in my head?" sort of post. This is going to be all about Guillermo del Toro's upcoming work Beauty and the Beast. I have been researching and what I've learn't so far is that he is working with Emma Watson to play the role of Belle. On the storyboard, he'll be working alongside Denise di Novi, Ed Wood and Andrew Davies who is the script I am a great fan of del Toro and Emma Watson and that's why I think this new interpretation of a Disney princess movie is worth writing about.

Thinking about the works of the team, del Torro's Pans Labyrinth is an amazing film and my favorite on top of that. Unfortunately, making a movie review of it will make my post long because of how much detail I would put into it and it might be tiresome to read for those who merely want to know what its about, generally.

Denise di Novi worked on a few Tim Burton films such as Edward Scissorhands and The Nightmare Before Christmass. I am a Tim Burton film lover apart from Edward Scissorhands, which I still love watching during the Christmass season, the Corpse Bride too is a film I cannot stop watching. You can ask my sister how much I watch it and how she wonders why I never get tired of watching it. Not to mention that I also learned the piano pieces and watched the film so much that I practically memorized it word for word and could practically watch it in my head. Edward Scissorhands is a great film that is a mix of disturbing yet sweet moments that you'll have mixed feelings and probably feel sad in the end. I don't think the ending is happy but something that I can be content with.

We all know who Emma Watson is and what films she starred in. I'll give you a clue, it starts with Harry and ends with Potter. Yes, you've guessed it, Harry Potter's Hermoine Granger will be playing the sweet, gentle, and loving Belle. This actress also starred in Ballet Shoes whose character aspires to be an actress in the theatre and in the end lands a job as a Hollywood actress. Did I say I am a big fan? I think I did but I'll say it again. I'm a big fan of Emma Watson. I would say that there are movies coming up that I would always think of her as the one to play the part because she has the appearance as well as the ability to perform the character perfectly.

I grew up with Disney princess films and knowing the thematic styles of Guillermo del Torro, there's no doubt that the latest interpretation of Beauty and the Beast will be darker annd it actually suits the current generation, what with the zombies, vampires and wolves taking centerstage. We are definitely seeing more and more dark elements in films except for the romance genre. I would say that having dark elements in a children's fantasy film will give the traditional story a twist and it might be a surprise. Just think about the new interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood in the film Red Riding Hood featuring Amanda Seyfreid. Weknow the classic Red goes to granny's house to bring her a basketfull of goodies only to find the wolf on her bed, oh my what a fright you've given me there granny.

We are now facing the age of special effects that give aid to making fantasies appear before our eyes, when details to events in our bedtime stories were not so obvious becausewe started nodding off, the age of wanting to make entertainment makes sense of our past even if it wasn't like that at all. You never knew that your bedtime stories could lure you into visiting their pages once more with the development of technologies that entertain us. If there is one thing I'm going to do about this new movie, it would be not to hope for something over the top and keep myself updated on the progress. I look forward to it. Enjoy

your day.

Mildred Pierce miniseries review

I know that this isn't a movie but I do believe that it deserves to be talked about. It is a 5-part miniseries that lasted an hour and a half per part. It does sound long but it was worth it. It is based on the Novel by James Cain, which depicts a mother during the Great Depression stuggling as her husbands leaves he, taking care of their children and finding her place in the working class. A few themes present that I find important are of Capitalism, Power,  Loss, Tragedy, and Female roles. They are the most evident all throughout apart from many more in the film.

It is set in Glendale wherein Mildred's husband, Bert, leaves her for another woman and begins a new life. She cares for her daughters, Ray and Veda. At the beginning, she has too much pride that she does not want to accept that she can only do what she knows how to do, be a domestic helper. For Mildred, it is embarrasing for her eldest daughter, Veda, to know that it is the only way for her to put food on their table. She works as a waitress taking tips while earning 0.25 cents an hour. She is also overprotective of her daughters, perhaps due to her husband leaving them and as for their feelings not to get hurt, she fends of anything that appear to be harmful for their upbringing. She becomes a success when she starts her own business by having her very own restaurant but is later blinded by how she does not see how Veda truly is as a person.

Veda however is a stumbling block in Mildred's life because of her want of a lifestyle where she can have anything she wants at a given time. She wants to be prominent and acts as if  she was a royal with an attitude. She talks like she's one of the so-called accomplished women who can speak several modern languages, skilled with textile crafts, and has the exact air and manner of walking, yes I am referring to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. She is very ambitious and does not show respect to anyone who is not in the same social standing as her or higher. She is a diva and grows up becoming a primadona as her voice is discovered by the one conductor who rejected her as a pianist. She betrays her mother when she sleeps with her second husband, Monty. She is let go by her mother in the end when she decides to move to New York, presumably moving in with Monty. Exactly as her voice instructor said to her mother about her being a Coloratura inside and out. She is brilliant in singing but as a person she has nothing to be proud of.

There is a constant war between Mildred and Veda after Ray dies from a high fever. When Monty enters their world, Veda is even more determined to achieve excellence in almost everything. She becomes a social climber as Mildred's business becomes successful and the tension becomes great on Christmas day when Veda is disappointed to see that her mother got her a wrist-watch. They get into an argument and a slapping battle and Veda wins and starts smoking. Their relationship disappears as time passes by and when Veda moves out, Mildred becomes keen in knowing how her daughter is doing without her, wanting know if she is in god health.

Money is the source of almost every problem; the food, the business, music lessons, etc... Mildred refers to this when she disciplines Veda about snooping in her closet and making the help wear Mildred's uniform. Veda criticizes her mother's choice of work and how she was making thei situation even more worse by working like a lower-class citizen. Unfortunately, it is the only option for Mildred because it is the only thing she is qualified to do. She does not have a background on a particular profession other than domestic work. That is the only way for her to cope with everything that is happening.

I don't know how it goes in the novel but I am planning on getting a copy myself. Overall, the stoy was great. The actors portrayed their characters well. Every seen made me feel what was supposed to be felt, sad when it's dramatic and happy when it's funny. The way the themes are presented through dialogue and actions is suited to make their points.

ParaNorman movie review

I'm not a fan of zombie movies or series, which means The Walking Dead is not something I would jump for joy. Bad memories when I first watched it and it was a marathon with my boyfriend. Don't ask what happened to me because you might think that I'm a sissy and I wanted to try seeing it to know the story myself. I do like Zombieland however and I was excited to see this film after seeing the trailer a few weeks ago.

ParaNorman is about a boy, Norman Babcock, who can communicate with the ghosts who are still roaming about with the living. His life is not an easy one because where he lives, in Blithe Hollow, those who are different aren't socially accepted. What makes it more difficult is that even his family doesn't believe his in his ability and thinks of him as mediocre (not referring to the image on the below specifically but it is funny too). It is only until Neil Downe befriends him that he finds someone who believes in his ability and doesn't have a problem with it. Everyone needs someone to back him up even if solitude is what's appealing for the person. 

During the rehearsal of his school's play, a commemoration of an event that took place 300 years ago of the execution of the town's with, he suddenly has visions of being in the woods but not as himself but as the witch. One of the schoolgirls was right. Witches don't always wear a pointy hat and completely ugly looking.

On the way home, he and Neil are spoken to by Norman's uncle, Mr. Prenderghast, and is told of his duty to protect the town as his uncle has been doing for years. Its both weird and funny how Neil manages to scare Prenderghast away when he says, "Don't make me throw this hummus... it's spicy!". But Norman is left to do exactly as instructed but upon failing on his first attempt and the zombies come to life it appears to be more of a reverse of role.

Instead of the zombies attacking the townspeople it was the reverse. Even I felt sad about it. It is quite an adventure that even his own enemy helped him along with his older sister Courtney, his eccentric friend Neil, and Neil's older and buff brother Mitch.

Norman comes to realize that he shouldn't be following the ritual but to right the wrongs of the old citizens who executed the Agatha by sentencing her to death because she was thought to be a witch because like Norman, she can communicate with ghosts. It was an unfair judgement. They were afraid of her and didn't know what to do but eliminate her thinking that it was the best for their town. Instead of reading the book to Agatha he confronts her and narrates her story to her tells her that it's up to her how the story ends. He manages to convince her to remember the good times because life is not all downs but it has its ups too. This is definitely important for all of us because if we do think about it, we get carried away when we have our sad moments. We should be able to look passed the wrongs done to us or we did ourselves but recall the good times and look into making ourselves happy once more.

Photos taken from:

• http://www.into-the-dark.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/size300_original_paranorman_poster.jpg 
• http://content.internetvideoarchive.com/content/photos/7247/00000110.jpg
• http://www.filmofilia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ParaNorman_Still4.jpg