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Reviews
Cinderella (2021)
Enjoyable family film
My kids loved this movie. We watched it as a family and my youngest was dancing through most of it. My oldest, who is critical of most movies sat through it and even laughed at bits.
Is it going to win film of the year? No way. But it was good for what it was. I don't understand all the 1 star reviews because I've seen much worse films than this. I don't know what people were expecting?
I enjoyed the music overall, though some arrangements were odd trying to make the songs fit the scenes. It definitely feels like someone's dream project come to life.
My main issue was the costumes- some characters were dressed in baroque french style, others modern. How did Ella afford all the fabric to have 4 dresses in her basement? Ella's designs were boring (a pink and brown dress?) and all the same (one shoulder) and her fabulous ball gown was not flattering.
The prince was in drab outfits and didn't stand out. He wore black a lot, which I didn't understand because most of the costumes were extremely colorful.
Anyway, you could pick apart lots about this movie, but it WAS enjoyable. My children liked it, and isn't that who the movie is for?
Buttons (2018)
Good message, poor production
There was so much promise for this film. Some really great actors, the story is heartwarming and the message is clear. I was in tears at the end. However, it felt like a chore to watch. 10 minutes in and I had the urge to fast forward. The musical numbers on their own weren't bad, but they felt forced into the story, with the exception of "work" which was by far the best number. The songs definitely had strong undertones of other musicals to the point I wonder if they were original or actually from other musicals.
The acting- honestly the stars in this film are wonderful in other roles I've seen them in, so I don't know what fell so flat- direction maybe? It was a weird mix of super talent and super horrible acting that made many scenes feel disingenuous and awkward.
The sound- this was the WORST. Sound is one of those things you don't normally notice, so when you do, you know it's BAD. Everything sounded like it was recorded in a studio and placed on top of the film or something. It was disconnected and echoing to the point of distraction.
This is definitely a very low budget movie (or they blew their budget on a few actors and had none for editing/sound). If you like tear-jerker orphan movies with musical numbers spattered about and happy endings, it's worth a watch, but fair warning about the production value.
If it weren't for DVD and Angela Lansbury, I wouldn't have made it through this movie.