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seidelemily
Reviews
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration (2022)
On paper, it suggests 10 stars...
To avoid rabbit-hole-falling, I will simply say: Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite fairytale since before I can recall and I truly believe the message it gives, through the familiar tale it retells, is one of the most important. I realize that may sound silly dramatic to say, but this post is about this... I don't know what to call it other than "sad facade of 'honoring' a historic piece of wonder." So, rather than blathering on about why I adored the original, I'll share my recap of this event episode:
1. Joshua Henry, as Gaston, was truly wonderful. If the rating was only given based on his performance: 10 stars all day long. Not only were his renditions superb, he sold me - when he was singing, I believed I was listening to the self-absorbed, curse-worthy, pretty(yet still he-man)-boy villein.
Even more importantly, he was the only one I felt truly cared about the tale he had the opportunity to help retell.
2. The transitions between the animated film, still & moving sketches, and live action: beautiful! Fun and paired wonderfully with the meaningful "behind-the-scenes" clips and factoids
The rest are why it was difficult to even give 4 stars:
3. H. E. R. - While the singing was, not surprisingly, lovely to listen to, the acting.. there really wasn't any. While her (no pun intended..?) voice may have reflected different emotions, at times, he face and body and movements remained "I just graduated and am interviewing for a job - look at my smile and sense of anticipation." More significant, it felt far more a "watch Belle become H. E. R." than (what it should have been) a "H. E. R. Transformed into the inspiring, daring, and classic-Disney-princess: Belle."
4. Le Fou (Rizwan Manji) - I don't even have words. If negative stars for a..."performance?" were possible... honestly, the most cringeworthy... all aspects.
5. Ms. Twain - beautiful voice, cardboard performance.
6. The Science Dude (David Alan Grier, for any non-Bones fans ;-P) - full neutral. Didn't feel like his performance was sloppy or self-centered, but there wasn't much too it/notice-worthy.
7. Martin Short (broke my heart) - his quips were clever, his French accent was... it made me smile at the appropriate nod, his singing was alright (even if he did full-blown lose the accent altogether at points in song), but his performance - more than any other's - seemed unrehearsed and almost sloppy. So much so that, at one point, he seemed to have possibly forgotten his lines as the dialogue with Cogsworth tripped some. Disappointment was only made more significant as his role was such an honor to have.
8. Crazy ol' Jon Jon Maurice - "six of one, half a dozen of the other." To be fair, of the speaking roles, Maurice is more a catalyst-function (additions of the newer live-action film aside) and doesn't really require too much or give much room for "more."
9. Josh Groban. Singing in a sold-out stadium or giving his (legit *fantastic*) Stewie impressions, I've adored this man's voice since I first had the joyous pleasure of hearing it. His talent is unquestionable, range is breathtaking, and the power he is capable of commanding... tears-to-eyes.
I was so very excited to see his portrayal of The Beast. I was so very, very, sad after having seen his portrayal of The Beast. No goosebumps, no power, no heart-racing-moments as the masterfully crafted songs rose. Even with the heartbreakingly beautiful piece, added for The Beast in the newer live-action, I saw (and heard) no passion, no turmoil, no inspiration or hope or pain or reverence or... anything... He sang a pretty cover. I'm very sad for that.
In summation: (with the exemption of the lovable and loathable Gaston) this did not seem to be a group of incredibly talented individuals honoring a timeless, priceless, and iconic piece of Beauty. It seemed to be a group of big-name, well-paid, "oh yea, I liked that filmed" celebrities doing a Beast of a project, the night before it was due. </3.
R.I.P.D. 2: Rise of the Damned (2022)
It's a new tale, and I loved it
Aside from the department that serves to begin the tale (& the rules once joining the department), this story is a whole new beast.
Don't get me wrong, I quite enjoyed the first one! However, where the first was focused more on "let's make the audience chuckle, smile, laugh out loud, and walk away feeling grandly amused" and a touch less on the "storyline that captures the attention" (not suggesting #1 was missing or had a poor storyline, by any means, only that I felt it focus more on the jokes with friends (which makes interrupting fully acceptable) than on the "shut up, I wanna see what happens!").
I appreciated the nods given to the first, but would have liked seeing more (MiB style). Absolutely LOVED the nods to... just gunna say "things you read in books when you were a youngin" (zero-spoilers ^.^ ). They pushed a few corners that I thought were risky, in today's "climate," but I think the fact it always kept to the actual storyline showed a lovely level of skill and awareness.
- The actors = smile-with-a-tear emoji worthy
- The characters = top-shelf
- The story = interesting and a touch exciting
- The jokes = wee bit "higher-brow" than the first, but still goofy enough to inspire memes between friends
Definitely nothing "ground breaking," but for the folks who enjoy a dash of silly in their adventures, I'd certainly recommend.
1UP (2022)
It's not politics
If you're expecting a movie that will bolster your political/religious/cultish ideas, this might not be the film for you... but, if you like videogames a semi-decent amount (enough to understand a lot of the humor and enough to get nervous and/or excited at the "will they make it???" moments) and want some solid entertainment, this is one for you!
1. I'm a fan of Ruby Rose and she kept her level of grandness here 2. I've enjoyed my days of gaming and the nods to specific games were enough to get me grinning like a munchkin 3. The storyline and character arcs were both enjoyable and left me feeling satisfied
It was how I'd imagine if "Pitch Perfect" had a baby with "Ready Player 1." I was leaning towards an 8 star, but I feel like even "Fat Amy's" humor wasn't quite as crude as the Elven one. Still, most certainly enjoyed it!
Killing Eve (2018)
My rating was 9/10... until the final scene
If the very last scene didn't exist, I'd highly recommend this show to many people (not for everyone - my mother, for example, who watches lots of Hallmark films, would absolutely hate it- but if you like a good bit of dark comedy and don't mind pretty solid violence, then it'd be a safe bet). I truly loved watching this show (even the one painfully cheese "dance-fight" scene made me chuckle rather than cringe), but the final scene truly ruined the entire 4 seasons. Without explanation or hint or rationale. After spending countless hours (and money) and investing in the story and its characters, the audience is left with nothing more than "The End."
Never been as disappointed in a show before. Will definitely never recommend it to anyone.
Motherland: Fort Salem (2020)
Pretty darn close to flawless.
Unique, EXCELLENT storyline, exceptional acting, exciting, unpredictable, disturbing (in the good way..? 😝), and I cannot wait for the next season.
Panic (2021)
Really good "filler" show..
I'm a week away from the new season of a show I really like and needed something to watch between. This one was perfect for that: great acting, intriguing storyline, suspense, plot-twists (most were "called it," but still twists nonetheless), grand soundtrack, and good characters (could have used more character development IMO, but meh, they were still solid).
Nothing to write home about, but worth watching in filler-times, for sure. 6/10.
Motherland: Fort Salem (2020)
Pretty darn close to flawless.
Unique, EXCELLENT storyline, exceptional acting, exciting, unpredictable, disturbing (in the good way..? 😝), and I cannot wait for the next season.
Lost (2004)
AMAZING Show (/story)... until the last season
I watched this one religiously. It was phenomenal and introduced me to some actors that I still follow. Acting = top-shelf. Easy to forget you're watching the tv and helps get you into the "world."
Storyline = top-shelf until the final few "bits." Exciting, confusing, edge-of-your-seat, complex... then "wow... that's your explanation? Did you get bored? Were you ending this bc you had an exciting "next-gig? ...wtf? ...why?"
TLDR: rate all but the ending: 9.8/10 rate w/ending: 1/10.