Family Films – NZ Film Freak

Jumanji: The Next Level

Director: Jake Kasdan
Writers: Jake Kasdan, Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg
Released: December 2019
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser’Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, Danny Glover, Danny DeVito
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As I mentioned in the first remake – Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle – you can in no way compare these modern day films to the 90’s Robin Williams Jumanji masterpiece. Nor are these parody movie intended to be.

With that said, let’s begin:

Jumanji: The Next Level was everything that I expected it to be. It was clearly capitalising on the success of the first one, with the story being an after thought. However, if you didn’t see the first movie then you’d still enjoy this second instalment.

In this movie, the characters from the first film are catapulted into Jumanji again. This time, Spencer’s (Alex Wolff) grandfather (Danny Devito) and his friend (Danny Glover) joined. This was the perfect opportunity to make fun of boomers, and they didn’t hold back!

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It played on the most popular aspects of the first film: Jack Black pretending to be a teenage girl, Kevin Hart’s sass, crazy ways of losing one of their three lives, and hilarious one-liners.

There were new avatars such as a horse (yay) and Ming Fleetfoot, whose strength is thievery and pick-pocketing. ca-times.brightspotcdn

This movie was far more about the characters than the storyline, which was a little weak. But despite its predictability, it was another awesome kids’ movie with lots of action and comedic moments. While there was a generous sprinkling of cheese, the movie didn’t try to be anything more or less than it was; entertaining.

Would definitely recommend watching if you loved the Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. If you didn’t see the first one, don’t worry, they explain the rules of the Jumanji game very well in this movie so you won’t get lost!

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

The Lion King (2019)

Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: Jeff Nathanson (Based on The Lion King (1994) by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton
Released: July 2019
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and James Earl Jones
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We had such a wonderful night out to see the remake of The Lion King!

While the original 1994 Disney version wasn’t my absolute favourite movie as a child (Sleeping Beauty will always be number 1), it was certainly a movie that was ingrained in my childhood.

I used to sit close to the TV with my Simba, Narla and Scar plush toys in front of me, and act out all the scenes alongside the movie.

It was a real treat to watch The Lion King for the first time again. However, its realistic live-action animation didn’t always work in its favour because it meant that the animals couldn’t physically do what the cartoon characters could do.

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Such as Simba swinging from a branch and flipping into the lake, or Pumba’s big bottom getting wedged into a log when being chased by Narla, or Scar playing with a mouse that weaved through his fingers.

None of that is physically possible for animals, which this David Attenborough-esk remake showed.

The Lion King with Timon and Pumbaa

While I was disappointed because it lacked the visual humour of the 1994 cartoon, I think younger children would be disappointed because of the visual complexity of the realistic animals. It’s not just colours and shapes with this remake; it’s a nearly a documentary style movie that I’m sure young children would get bored with.

Nevertheless, I’m forced to realise two things:
1. Just like Toy Story 4, this movie is first and foremost for my generation. The generation who remember the original so fondly and who grew up with Disney animation.

2. Kids these days are not impressed by cartoons because everything is so realistic now. So while I would have liked to see an animation that took advantage of what lions couldn’t really do, today’s children would want nothing less than an accurate representation of what lions are physically capable of.

I was also a little disappointed by the casting; it seemed like they’d spent all their money on Beyonce – who actually had a relatively small speaking role and only two songs! Although, looking back at the 1994 version, there weren’t tonnes of A-listers in that either. I just wish Rowan Atkinson remained as Zazu’s voice.

Despite how critical I’ve been, I really enjoyed it. There were some laugh-out-loud moments with the comedy duo of Timon and Pumbaa of course. (Although, there definitely could have been more funny scenes.)

The opening scene gave me chills and I loved seeing all the ‘real-life’ animals interacting. It was a lot of fun to hear the soundtrack again, which was spectacular.

I’m also pleased that The Lion King can be experienced by children for the first time again.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Mary Poppins Returns

Director: Rob Marshall
Writer: David Magee, Rob Marshall and John DeLuca (based on story by P.L Travers)
Released: December 2018
Starring: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer, Julie Walters, Dick Van Dyke ,Angela Lansbury, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep
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Well, I thought this was a scene-by-scene remake. That’s what the rumours said anyway.

However, as the title does actually suggest, this is a sequel. It follows the lives of Michael (Ben Whishaw) and Jane (Emily Mortimer) as adults – the brother and sister in the first film.

After the death of his wife, Michael’s repayments on the house lapsed. The bank demanded that he now pay up in full – which he can’t possibly afford.

Thankfully, Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) arrives just in time!

It’s a good thing you’ve come along when you did, Mary Poppins.

I have been looking forward to see this movie for ever! So as part of my hen do, we all went to watch it. It was such a magical day.

It is a beautiful film; a real feel-good movie! I would absolutely recommend it to anyone needing cheering up.

I had to hold back the tears throughout most of the scenes because everything is just so beautiful!

Everything is possible, even the impossible.

Emily Blunt is 100% the only option to play Mary Poppins. Mary is a tough and tender character; maternal but fierce. And I think that’s Emily Blunt in a nutshell. Plus, who else is a triple threat – a singer, dancer and actress?

(Remaining ‘practically perfect’ on set was said to be difficult though!)

You’ll probably find that you adopt a frightfully posh English accent after the movie, and make promises to yourself that you will start dressing up and paying more attention to your hair style after watching Mary Poppins Returns.

Nothing. Such a useful word, isn’t it? It can mean anything and everything.

Apart from Mary, I’m sure the favourite character of many would be Jack (Lin-Manuel Miranda) the cockney street lamp lighter. He’s happy and smiley and fun and wonderful!

I adored Julie Walters too, but sadly Meryl Streep’s character was a tad too eccentric for my liking.

I’m not generally a musical fan, but I enjoyed this one. Every song is catchy and uplifting. Particularly ‘A Cover is not the Book‘ and ‘Trip a Little Light Fantastic‘, but the latter is 99% because of the choreography with the streetlights.

This is history in the making – you must go to see Mary Poppins Returns in the cinema. It’s simply the only way because it’s like a stage play.

Before you go to see it though, I’d recommend watching the original Mary Poppins as well as Saving Mr. Banks to fully appreciate the history of the Mary Poppins character.

I enjoyed the echoes in the first film, including the penguins, which were drawn in the traditional way – frame by frame – by the original Disney artists. Such a lovely touch!

100% must-see if you’re feeling blue.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Incredibles 2

incredibles

Director: Brad Bird
Writer: Brad Bird
Released: June 2018
Starring: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Odenkirk
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I recently wrote that I was excited to see this film, but I do wonder if I was perhaps influenced by other people’s enthusiasm because I was never really a massive fan of the first film. I liked it of course, but it ain’t no Toy Story.

Nevertheless, I do love a Pixar animation, and I am very interested in the voice acting scene, so I was more then happy to see Incredibles 2.

This second instalment picks up exactly where the first one left off where the Incredibles are attempting to save the city from a giant mole super-villain. Unfortunately despite their best efforts, they do not catch the culprit and superheroes are condemned and remain illegal.

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The movie predominately follows the story of Helen Parr/Elastagirl (Holly Hunter) who is hired by a man named Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) who hopes to make superheroes legal again by showing conflicts from her perspective. Meanwhile, Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) has to stay at home with the children – including baby Jack-Jack who is proving difficult.

Just like most other animations that have been released over the last couple of years (including Brave and Maleficent), the feminist movement is a major theme in this film. It features a gender role swap where Bob reluctantly takes over family life at home while Helen enjoys the action-heavy job of being a paid superhero.

Helen thrives at work, which shows how well-rounded she is at being a mum as well as an employee. But Bob is said to be ‘too messy’ to accept the superhero position and struggles to cope at home with the children, painting him as incompetent.

While it was refreshing to have a female hero, I did think this movie swung a little too far away from ‘gender equality’ into the sticky territory of ‘man-hating’, as it showed the male characters failing (including but not limited to Bob) and female characters excelling (including but not limited to Helen). In addition to this, the script was peppered with plenty of derogatory language from female characters toward male characters. (I will include the exact quotes I’m referring to once they become available online.)

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I’m going to say it – if Bob spoke Helen’s script, there would be protests in the street. I believe this highlights that this isn’t a movie promoting gender equality, it’s displaying bitterness toward men by putting them down. Feminism isn’t about revenge, please.

Eesh… Enough of the heavy.

Thankfully, everyone’s favourite characters are in the sequel including Edna Mode (Brad Bird) and Lucious Best/Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson). They are sure to make you giggle!

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The supervillain in this film, Screenslaver, has some pretty philosophical lines if you listen out for them. The character talks about staring at a screen all day instead of actually getting up and doing something, quite insightful considering the audience.

Screenslaver: Superheroes are part of a brainless desire to replace true experience with simulation. You don’t talk, you watch talk shows. You don’t play games, you watch game shows. Travel, relationships, risk; every meaningful experience must be packaged and delivered to you to watch at a distance so that you can remain ever-sheltered, ever-passive, ever-ravenous consumers who can’t free themselves to rise from their couches to break a sweat, never anticipate new life. You want superheroes to protect you, and make yourselves ever more powerless in the process.

Overall, you can look as much or as little as you want into this film. It’s certainly fun, but not hilarious. It’s a solid family film and easy to watch, but nothing ‘incredible’.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Brave

Directors: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Writer: Brenda Chapman
Released: June 2012
Starring: Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson
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I was so certain I had written a review on this film…

Anyway, it’s a medieval, Scottish-based Disney Pixar animation film about a young fiery red-headed princess named Merida (Kelly Macdonald). Her youth and freedom is threatened when her parents organise suiters to win her hand in marriage. She rebels and enlists a witch to change her mum (Emma Thompson) in order to change her fate.

While the dodgy witch (Julie Walters) did make her mother change, she changed her into a bear. This did change Merida’s fate but not in the most ideal way. Therefore, Merida has to find a way to break the spell.

Princess Merida: [narrating] There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it.

My favourite scenes all include Angus, Merida’s shire horse. She frequently rides him bareback as they gallop across the Scottish countryside – it’s so dreamy! I spoke about him being one of my favourite animated horses here.

There are a lot of firsts for this movie: Merida is the first princess to not have a love interest, she’s the first to have brothers, and Brave is the first ever Disney film to be entirely set in a historic past.

The lack of romance was probably to set a tone with the equal-rights and gender equality movement of today. Brave shows a strong, independent young woman who ‘don’t need no man’ and can make her own life decisions. It is one step up from Frozen‘s theme of only needing love from family and not necessarily romantic love, I suppose.

While I appreciate we should be shifting our attitudes with gender equality, I really hope the classic Disney love stories don’t die out. I feel like there is a movement shunning princess movies and ‘happily ever afters’.

I saw a video recently where the gender roles were swapped in Cinderella, called ‘Cindefella‘. The story shows a peasant boy who goes to a ball and falls in love with a princess, who then tries to find him after he bails at midnight. Just like in the traditional fairytale, they both marry in the end and live happily ever after.

This video was used as an example of gender inequality: ‘we wouldn’t read this to our sons so why would we read it to our daughters?’ Quite frankly, I don’t think the story was all that bad for girls or boys, gender swaps or not.

Anyway.

While I did enjoy Brave, it wasn’t what I expected. I thought it would carry the tone of the first half of the film where Merida is fun and free and exploring the world right to the end. But it quickly turns into a far more unrealistic tale about turning people into bears, which I found to lack entertainment and relatability. It just took a weird and unexpected turn for me.

Overall, it had some comedic moments and I did enjoy the first half of the film, but it’s not my favourite.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

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Director: Bill Condon
Writers: Linda Woolverton (Disney film), Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (story)
Released: March 2017
Starring: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson
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The 1991 Disney animation of Beauty and the Beast is a movie that I love dearly. So while I had major reservations about this remake – mostly because of Emma Watson – I was quietly optimistic about it. Perhaps today’s technology will enhance the magic…

But no. It doesn’t. This remake was appalling, and my reluctance to watch it was proven understandable.

The casting was totally wrong. Right off the bat Emma Watson – or should I say Hermione Granger – was a problem. While she fits the physicality of Belle, her same-old expression of open-mouthed, furrow-browed facials were tiring to say the least.

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I personally would have cast another semi-unknown actress like Lily James who played Cinderella in the 2015 remake, or Mia Wasikowska as Alice in the 2010 remake of Alice in Wonderland.

Not only was the protagonist the wrong choice, I also found that Emma Thompson had a really harsh voice, which didn’t fit the part of the warm motherly character, Mrs Potts. I think Julie Walters would have done it better.

I love Stanly Tucci, but I’m not sure how he stumbled into this film either. However, Josh Gad as LeFou was perfect. (He played the snowman in Frozen.)

I don’t think the horse Philippe should have been a dapple grey. What’s wrong with keeping him bay?

Fun fact: Ryan Gosling turned down the role of the Beast for the lead role in La La Land. Emma Watson turned down what became Emma Stone’s role in La La Land for this film. (Thank the stars above for their decisions.)

The storyline strayed a little too far from the fairytale for my liking. It went into how Belle’s mother died and how it put a strain on her relationship with her father. It was an unnecessary deviation. Because of these added sequences, I found the rest of the film to be condensed and rushed. (In the 1991 film, I swear it takes longer for Belle to fall in love with the beast.)

I wonder if Emma Watson influenced the story? Because it has far stronger feminist themes through it now, where Belle is forever in control and smarter than the rest. Which made me dislike her. Especially because of the very poignant moments where Belle would make it exceptionally clear that she is a strong independent woman who don’t need no man… She may as well have turned to camera and say ‘#timesup’.

The songs are lengthened, which was also unnecessary and I honestly started daydreaming a bit.

Beauty and the Beast was trying too hard. Trying too hard to make it better than the animation, and all the unusual actors that were cast seemed to be desperately trying to prove themselves too. Over-theatrical acting turned it into a stage play rather than a live-action movie.

No, no, no, no and no. I shan’t be your guest and I disagree entirely with the casting decisions and with messing-about with the story.

Jodie’s rating: 3/10

Sorry Roberta, thank you for lending me the DVD though :) x

Parental Guidance

Director: Andy Fickman
Writer: Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse
Released: December 2012
Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett, Scott Bailee, Madison Kyle, Harrison Breitkopf, Joshua Rush
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Previously titled Us & Them, this is a whole-heartedly, all-American family film. Therefore, you will either laugh from beginning to end, or you won’t be able to avoid cringing at the cheese.

I personally enjoyed Parental Guidance – I could appreciate the family-fun.

It’s about grandparents Artie and Dianne (Billy Crystal and Bette Midler). Artie has just lost the job he loves because he’s too ‘old-school’ and not up to date with social media.

Drayton: We’re looking for guys who Tweet.
Artie: I’ll tweet, I make any kind of noise you want.

With him being in a depressed state, Dianne accepts their daughter’s plea for them to babysit their grandchildren at short notice. Dianne is keen to be more involved in her daughter’s and grandchildren’s lives, while Artie is preoccupied with chasing his dream to broadcast.

Diane: You know what we are? We’re the OTHER grandparents.
Artie: Well we can’t be all four.

Comedy ensues as they learn how they are to treat their grandchildren – they are never to say ‘no’, feed them sugar, or have winners and losers in sports games.

Eager to please, they try to help with their grandchildren’s problems – Harper’s (Bailee Madison) ‘high achievement syndrome’, Turner’s (Joshua Rush) stutter, and Barker’s (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf) imaginary kangaroo friend Carl.

Barker: You should’ve used your exit shoes.
Artie: My what?
Barker: Exit shoes, to walk away and not use a red voice.
Artie: And a red voice is…?
Barker: Super-mad sounding. You shouldn’t use it… That’s why you have a cool toolbox. It’s where you keep your cool blue voice, your exit shoes and your repair squares.
Artie: …All right, so I am taking a repair square out of my cool toolbox to say in my blue voice, that I am sorry.

But their more relaxed and traditional parenting techniques are not encouraged by their daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei).

Alice: For instance, where you would say “No”… we would say, “Consider the consequences.” Or where you would say, “Don’t”… we would say, “Maybe you should try this.” Or where you would say… “Quit your whining, you’re giving me a headache”… we would say, “Use your words.”

I personally found a lot of parts funny, mostly thanks to Billie Crystal’s sarcastic comments. But found the older grandchild Harper irritating because the actor overacted tremendously.

While not getting a brilliant reception, I think it’s a perfectly entertaining family film. No swearing, no offending, just an overly-sweet and cheesy movie!

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Maleficent

Director: Robert Stromberg
Writer: Linda Woolverton (screenplay), Charles Perrault and Disney (story and characters)
Released: May 2014
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Sharlto Copley, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville
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I had disregarded Maleficent as a boring and unnecessary retelling of a well-known fairytale. But I asked around and heard such positive reviews about it, so I decided to give it a chance especially because Sleeping Beauty is one of my favourites and Maleficent is about the ‘baddie’ of that tale.

Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) is a powerful fairy who lives in a land adjacent to a town. One day, she meets a human man called Stefan (Michael Higgins (child), Jackson Bews (teen)) and they fall in love. Unfortunately, they drift apart because Stefan is all like, ‘I want power, money and control; I’m going get a job in our local castle’. But she’s like, ‘oh no, I’m heartbroken’.

Years later, Stefan returns to Maleficent’s land as an adult (Sharlto Copley). He pretends to be in love with her still, but actually he’s their at the request of the king to kill Maleficent in order to govern her fairy land. Stefan doesn’t have the heart to kill her, but he does burn her wings off.

She’s pissed about this.

So she enlists the help of a crow (Sam Riley) to watch the castle as Stefan eventually becomes king, gets married and has his first child: Aurora. And the rest is history.

What I love is that Maleficent turns into a jealousy-fuelled, hardened bitch, just like any human would if they were heartbroken. I love this about her character; it’s quite comical. It reminds me of the resentment carried by Charlize Theron in Young Adult.

This story is full of feminist themes and ‘girl-power’ – specifically the part where the spell is no longer broken by a handsome prince’s kiss (very similar to Frozen actually). While I get that Disney is trying to move with the times, I would like to make it clear that as a woman I would not be offended by a princess falling in love with a handsome man and living happily ever after.

In addition to this, while I’m happy for films to have feminist themes, I don’t think that should necessarily mean that men in the story should be demonised as a result. Not only is King Stefan’s actions the sole reason behind Maleficent’s curse, but the handsome Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites) is powerless in this version of the story.

Prince Phillip: I’m looking for a girl.
Maleficent: Of course you are.

Nevertheless, I appreciate this is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty from the perspective of the enemy. Which, is an inspiring tale – there really are two sides to every story.

The film looks very much like a stage show with unrealistic landscapes, which I personally didn’t like because I couldn’t lose myself in the story.

But the casting was well done. Angelina Jolie’s cheekbones were the star of the show, and her portrayal of a vengeful woman was brilliant, even funny at times.

[Maleficent is magically healing damaged trees in the woods]
Aurora: Hello.
[Maleficent turns around to see a smiling toddler Aurora]
Maleficent: Go away.
[Aurora walks closer to Maleficent]
Maleficent: Go. Go away.
[Aurora hugs Maleficent]
Maleficent: I don’t like children.

Sharlto Copley is still playing the most terrifying characters in film. And, Aurora (Elle Fanning) was annoyingly perfect, but the three fairy godmothers did bestow her with permanent happiness and beauty, so I guess that’s not the actor’s fault for having zero emotion.

I love the idea of having the story told from the baddie’s point-of-view. I hope to see more fairytales told in this way. I’m looking forward to Cruella de Vil actually. It’s in pre-production and stars Emma Stone as the famous villain.

But overall, I found the fake environment difficult to accept, and the large step away from the traditional storyline was a bit disappointing… I’m still in love with the love story of the 1959 Sleeping Beauty.

Also, the horses didn’t play a large enough role for my liking.

Let’s keep an eye-out for Maleficent 2 though! It’s currently being filmed.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10

The Devil Wears Prada

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Director: David Frankel
Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna (screenplay), Lauren Weisberger (novel)
Released: June 2006
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Adrian Grenier, Simon Baker
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This film is so underrated. It is funny, sensitive, sassy and stars Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt.

It’s about Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway) who is an aspiring journalist, but can only land a job as an assistant at a fashion magazine. While ‘millions of girls would die’ for this position, it’s a far cry from the journalism job she was after.

At the fashion magazine, Miranda (Meryl Streep) is a terrifying boss and manipulates people well. Andrea soon finds herself desperately trying to keep up with Miranda’s impossible standards, with no help from fellow assistant Emily (Emily Blunt), and her family life is soon neglected.

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Andrea: She’s vicious!

Ethics and morals come into play, with the question of whether it is possible to be successful without stabbing others in the back. How far would you be willing to go to achieve your dream?

I adore the cast in this film. Emily Blunt is unrecognisable, and plays the woman you love to hate. Quick fact: Stanley Tucci, who plays a fantastically sassy and passive-aggressive employee named Nigel in the film, married Emily Blunt’s sister.

Emily: …I’m on this new diet. Well, I don’t eat anything and when I feel like I’m about to faint I eat a cube of cheese. I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight.

Meryl Streep is her usual perfect self, and does an amazing job of being so intimidating! How anyone else was considered to play the part of Miranda is beyond me. Apparently Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz and Gwenyth Paltrow were considered among many others.

Miranda: By all means move at a glacial pace. You know how that thrills me.

However, I think I know why: Meryl Streep threatened to leave production for not being paid enough. Meryl eventually agreed to being paid double than the original offer. She also cost too much to fly to Paris for the Paris-based scenes, so her parts are shot in America.

Miranda: Do you know why I hired you? I always hire the same girl – stylish, slender, of course. Worships the magazine. But so often, they turn out to be – I don’t know – disappointing and stupid. … I thought you would be different. I said to myself, go ahead. Take a chance. Hire the smart, fat girl…

Anne Hathaway… Well. I don’t actually like her very much, but she plays the part well, and is realistically the perfect choice. I applaud her for going from a size 6 down to a size 4 in real life, just like her character does in the film.

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Andy: She’s not happy unless everyone around her is panicked, nauseous or suicidal.

If you love the fashion industry, then you’ll love this film. Equally, if you are striving for your dream, want a bit of a giggle, or if you worship Meryl Streep, then you’ll love The Devil Wears Prada too.

It’s a fun film with a funny and clever script and a fantastic cast. Although, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt carry the story entirely on their shoulders. Without them, it wouldn’t be the successful film it has become.

I think it would be an enjoyable film for everyone – fashionista or not.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Cinderella (2015)

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Chris Weitz. Based on Disney’s Cinderella.
Released: March 2015
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Helena Bonham Carter
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Speaking of Disney live-action remakes and royal weddings, I remembered that I never wrote a review about Cinderella. There are so many Disney princess films and wedding movies on the tellie at the moment, so I thought I’d join in.

As with every Disney princess movie, one must take it with a pinch of salt. It will be a little cringe, over-dramatic, a little too perfect and very girly. But isn’t that what princess films are all about?

This live-action remake features Lily James as Cinderella, whose career seems to have been majorly boosted after this film came out. I remember at the time I was a bit disappointed in the casting because I didn’t know who this random was, but now I’d say it’s a perfect choice.

Not only was she the perfect ‘look’ for Cinderella, but she brought a little bit of personality to the character too (unlike Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland.). Lily James stays honest to the Cinderella we’ve come to know, while still being down to earth.

Ella’s mother: Have courage and be kind.

If you thought her waist was digitally made smaller, I can confirm this was not the case. Lily James has a naturally small 24 inch waist, and as she was wearing a corset in a billowy dress the appearance was an unnaturally tiny waist.

What about the glass slippers? While the close up of the glass slipper is real, it doesn’t actually fit Lily James’s foot. The rest of the time they’re CGI glass slippers.

Apparently Emma Watson was originally asked to play Cinders but she turned it down. She later went on to be cast as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Watson claimed she had more of an affinity with Belle than Cinderella. She also said Belle is a better role model, but I call BS on that statement. Disney princesses are all as shallow as each other. Just because Belle reads a lot doesn’t make her morally better than Cinderella.

I digress.

Helena Bonham Carter was a brilliant fairy godmother. Being in the Harry Potter movies perhaps made her well-practiced with a wand. She isn’t a sickly-sweet fairy godmother, in fact she’s rather brash, but it works!

(It is of course rather scandalous that she was cast because the director Kenneth Branagh cheated on Emma Thompson with Helena Bonham Carter back in the nineties.)

Fairy Godmother: Now off you go. For you shall go to the ball!

Cate Blanchett was the evil stepmother, and you truly came to hate her and her daughters. Cate and her bone structure are brilliant.

My favourite part is of course when the mice get turned into horses, the lizard into the coachman and the goose into a driver. It’s so magical!

Cinderella stays loyal to the original tale, and doesn’t try to be too different. It is a truly magical film, albeit cheesey. But isn’t that what Disney princess films are all about?

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Saving Mr. Banks

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Welcome to the 400th post! It’s taken six years and four months to get here.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Released: November 2013
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell
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I think Saving Mr. Banks is a brilliant take on the Mary Poppins story. It’s not a remake or a sequel, it’s more of the ‘behind the scenes’ of the classic Mary Poppins story. It’s the story behind the story.

It follows Pamela Travers (Emma Thompson) who is approached by Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) himself regarding her children’s book series, Mary Poppins.

Walt Disney: Look at you! I could eat you up!
P.L. Travers: That wouldn’t be appropriate.

saving mr banks3.jpg

While we follow her reluctancy to give up the copyright, her guard is ever so slowly lowered as we begin to find out the root of her Poppins stories. They are in fact based on a lady who comes to look after young Travers and her siblings while her dad, ‘Mr. Banks’ (Colin Farrell) suffers alcoholism and slowly dies.

saving mr banks2.jpg

It comes to be that the Mary Poppins character in Travers’s childhood is a woman who isn’t there to save her or her siblings, but is there to try and save her beloved father. Hence why Travers is so reluctant to have her stories meddled with; she’s still coming to terms with the guilt.

Walt Disney: “No whimsy or sentiment!” says the woman who sends a flying nanny with a talking umbrella to save the children.
P.L. Travers: You think Mary Poppins is saving the children, Mr. Disney?
[Walt and the other filmmakers are stunned silent]
P.L. Travers: Oh, dear!

saving mr banks4.jpg

Throughout the melancholy scenes are the uplifting songs that Walt Disney’s composers are developing. The music that we associate with the 1964 Mary Poppins musical is reused to support Travers’s journey of trusting Walt Disney and their rocky working relationship.

Richard Sherman: Room here for everyone / Gather around / The constable’s “responstible!” / Now how does that sound?
P.L. Travers: No, no, no, no, no! “Responstible” is not a word!
Richard Sherman: We made it up.
P.L. Travers: Well, un-make it up.

Saving Mr Banks is an incredible story that simultaneously warms and breaks your heart. I was crying my eyes out through much of this film, especially the ‘let’s go fly a kite’ scene, holy Jesus. It brings a whole new meaning and depth to the Mary Poppins we have come to know.

Tom Hanks was the perfect choice to play Walt Disney. They both have an optimistic persona, while being untouchable American treasures.

I love this ‘prequel’ of sorts to the Julie Andrews musical. It’s entertaining and insightful, although perhaps a little dry in places, and a little too heavy in others.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Top 7: Live-Action Disney Remakes Coming Soon

Disney has been creating films since 1923, beginning with an Alice in Wonderland cartoon series. But it wasn’t until 1937 that the memorable Snow White and the Seven Dwarves animation was released. Ever since then, Disney Studios has had a fairytale film career with many major successes.

I’m sure everyone holds a Disney animation close to their hearts because of its influence on our childhoods. (Mine is Sleeping Beauty (1959), which I grew up watching on VHS throughout the nineties.) Even today, children are still growing up watching Disney films.

Disney is continuing with its successful films about princesses and magic, but more live-action remakes of the classics are in development rather than brand new animated tales.

It seems we can’t stop loving the old stories. Or, perhaps the old-fashioned animations don’t fascinate the iPad-savvy kids of today.

WHAT REMAKES ARE COMING NEXT?
With rumours of The Lion King being remade as a live-action, I didn’t realise how many more are in the pipeline until I looked into it.

Most recently, the trailer for the film Mowgli was released by Warner Brothers.
(Although, does anyone else feel like this is an identical remake of Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book? Read about the twin movie phenomenon here.)

See if your favourite Disney picture is being remade as a live-action below.
Which one are you most excited for?

Christopher Robin (2018)
Remake of: Disney’s Winnie the Pooh (1966)
Although not my cup of tea, I appreciate that Winnie the Pooh is close to the hearts of many, and after watching the trailer (please see below) I expect to cry all the way through it anyway. This live-action film is directed by Marc Forster and will be released this coming August. Christopher Robin is all grown up in this film, and will be played by Ewen McGregor.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Sequel to: Mary Poppins (1964)
Emily Blunt will star as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, which is to be released at Christmas time this year. That’s 54 years after the original live-action Mary Poppins film, which is the longest gap between live-action film sequels in history. It’ll also star the beloved Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Ben Whishaw. While not technically a remake, it is a live-action sequel of the beloved Mary Poppins.

Dumbo (2019)
Remake of: Dumbo (1941)
(Yeah, I’m put off by the above image too.) Dumbo, the live-action remake, will be released in March 2019 and directed by Tim Burton. Burton is a natural choice because he began his career on Disney’s Fox and the Hound (1981), co-produced James and the Giant Peach before directing Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice through the Looking Glass (2016). Dumbo will star Colin Farell, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito.

Aladdin (2019)
Remake of: Aladdin (1992)
To be released in May 2019, this live-action remake will be directed by Guy Ritchie, co-written by John August (Big Fish) and will feature Will Smith as the genie (I miss Robin Williams!). However, there has been some controversy regarding casting, with complaints from fans of ‘white-washing’ after non-Arab, non-Middle Eastern actors were cast.

The Lion King (2019)
Remake of: The Lion King (1994)
To be released in July 2019, I’m sure this is one of the most anticipated live-action Disney films since the release of the animation in 1994. Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf) with Donald Glover cast as Simba, Beyonce as Narla, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan as Timon and Pumbaa respectively.

Mulan (2020)
Remake of: Mulan (1998)
I get told off frequently when I admit that I haven’t seen the original animated Mulan, but I hear it is a favourite for many. The storyline is different to all other Disney princess fairytales after all. Not much is known about the film yet but casting for Mulan appears to have been a bit of a drag as casting took place across five continents and 1000 people were auditioned for the iconic part. The director is New Zealand’s very own Niki Caro.

Cruella (TBC)
Spin off of: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
We know jack about Cruella de Vil so far, only that Cruella will be played by the amazing Emma Stone. Strange choice, but I have full confidence that Emma Stone will be brilliant.

There are even more live-action Disney films in early development including Pinocchio, another Snow White film called Rose Red, and a Cinderella-based film called Prince Charming.

There’s a Lady and the Tramp live-action/CGI version coming out in 2019. This is to be directed by Charlie Bean.

The Little Mermaid is being made into a live-action three times! The first one is to be released is a loosely-based indie version, which is to come out in 2019. Universal is working on a version with Richard Curtis as the writer and starring Chloe Moretz, and Disney is in extremely early talks about their film.

There’s also two Peter Pan films in the making: Peter Pan is to be directed by David Lowery, and fans are crossing their fingers hoping that Tom Hiddleston will be cast as Captain Hook. The second Pan film is Tinker Bell, featuring Reece Witherspoon (originally Elizabeth Banks) as Tink!

(Thanks to time.com for the tip offs!)

TIMELINE OF THE DISNEY CLASSICS:
Which is your childhood favourite?

1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
1940 – Pinocchio
1941 – Dumbo
1942 – Bambi
1950 – Cinderella
– Disney’s first ever live-action film Treasure Island
1951 – Alice in Wonderland
1953 – Peter Pan
1955 – Lady and the Tramp
1959 – Sleeping Beauty
1961 – One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1964 – Mary Poppins (live-action)
1966 – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
– Walt Disney dies on December 15 of lung cancer
1967 – The Jungle Book
1970 – The Aristocats
1973 – Robin Hood
1981 – The Fox and the Hound
– First Disney home video released (Dumbo)
1989 – The Little Mermaid
1991 – Beauty and the Beast
1992 – Aladdin
1994 – The Lion King
1995 – Pocahontas, Toy Story
1996 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame, James and the Giant Peach, 101 Dalmations (live-action)
1997 – Hercules
– First Disney DVDs released
1998 – Mulan, A Bug’s Life
1999 – Tarzan, Toy Story 2
2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove, 102 Dalmatians (live-action)
2001 – Monsters, Inc.
2002 – Lilo & Stitch
2003 – Finding Nemo
2004 – The Incredibles
2006 – Cars
– Disney acquires Pixar studios
2007 – Ratatouille
2009 – Up, A Christmas Carol
2010 – Alice in Wonderland (live-action), Toy Story 3, Tangled
2012 – Wreck-It Ralph
2013 – Oz: The Great and Powerful (live-action), Monsters University, Frozen
2014 – Big Hero 6
2015 – Cinderella (live-action), Inside Out, Brave
2016 – The Jungle Book (live-action), Alice Through the Looking Glass (live-action), Finding Dory, The BFG (live-action), Moana
2017 – Beauty and the Beast (live-action)
2018 – The Incredibles 2
2019 – Toy Story 4, Frozen 2

Along with the classics are well-known stories with a twist: Saving Mr Banks is the heartwarming ‘behind the scenes’ story of Mary Poppins, while Maleficent is about the villain in Sleeping Beauty, and Into the Woods is a jumble of well-known fairytale characters in a musical.

Tangled

Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Writer: Dan Fogelman. Based on Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm
Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
Released: November 2010
—

Based on the Brothers Grimm classic, Rapunzel, this modern tale Tangled brings the comedy back.

While it’s sad that Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding is now over, we can at least enjoy all the other Royal Weddings on the big screen – including Rapunzel’s. Tangled may be eight years old, and the original story released in 1812, but Rapunzel is still a classic!

A notorious thief called Eugene Fitzherbert AKA ‘Flynn Rider’ (Zachary Levi), finds a tall tower to climb and hide in while being chased. But he soon realises he’s not alone. Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is energetic and naive, but well-trained in self-defence. Skills that come in handy when Flynn intrudes.

Quick note: Zachary Levi sounds an awful lot like Will Ferrell in Megamind…

She has been locked in this tall tower by the witch, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), who unbeknown to Rapunzel, raised her after being kidnapped from the king and queen at birth.

As per traditional fairytales, our heroine has an animal best friend by her side. In this case it’s a chameleon called Pascal who mocks Flynn frequently. However, my favourite animal is by far the horse (of course) named Maximus. He is incredibly sassy and reminds me a lot of my pony’s personality. Worryingly.

This is a fun fairytale that has some much needed updating. While our heroine has retained her innocence, she is far from helpless and uses her hair as a weapon rather than solely a lure for handsome men to climb.

Despite it not being Disney’s best princess film, and despite the frequent songs (which is to be expected I know) this is a quirky, funny and thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon watch with the family.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them

Director: David Yates
Writer: J. K. Rowling
Released: November 2016
Starring: Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything), Katherine Waterston, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, Carmen Ejogo, Ron Perlman and Colin Farrell (In Bruges).
—

After 20 minutes of watching this Harry Potter spin-off, I realised it was not going to get any better.

A story of a man (Eddie Redmayne) who was expelled from Hogwarts goes to America to save and conserve magical beasts that have been wrongly accused of being dangerous within the magical community.

Unfortunately, this gets out of hand and his magical beasts escape into New York city and interact with Muggles – or as the Americans call them, No-maj. (Non-magical people.)

I had hyped myself up to see it because I had recently had a Harry Potter movie binge-watch, and had read one of the Potter books. So I thought, to be a real Harry Potter fan, I really ought to see Fantastic Beasts before it ‘disapparated’ from the cinemas.

Unfortunately, it was everything I feared and less:

A desperate clutch at straws to keep Harry Potter cool. Only this time, rather than a down to Earth, scary, gothic English classic, it was drenched in melodrama, and dripping with cringe-worthy, unrealistic American dialogue.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them behind the scenes I am aware it was based in New York. But it was too clean, too cheesey, theatrical and lame.

I think it was a business decision to change the tone of the Harry Potter franchise. Perhaps to draw in the American audience. But, as an English Harry Potter film fan, I certainly felt alienated. I don’t enjoy the faff and bright colours of Hollywood in a supernatural movie. The movie just seemed made of plastic. You could tell every scene was filmed on a stage – I kept waiting to see the edge of the cardboard walls when the camera panned.

David Tennant who plays The Doctor I thought some of the characters had jumped out of an old Doctor Who episode. (You’ll know what I mean if you’ve seen the David Tennant Doctor Who episode ‘Daleks in Manhattan’.)

Finally: What. the. hell. Why did Johnny Depp make an appearance at the end? Did anyone else get confused by this? Maybe the set design lacked in realism because all the budget was spent on Mr. Depp’s two-second appearance. So ridiculous.

If I hadn’t of spent so much on a cinema ticket, I would have walked out.

But maybe the book is better.

Jodie’s rating: 3/10

Finding Dory

Director: Andrew Stanton
Writer: Andrew Stanton
Released: June 2016
Featuring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Diane Keaton and Eugene Levy
—

I was more keen to see BFG if I’m honest, but mostly because I thought Finding Nemo was so good that ‘Finding Dory‘ was just going to be a cash-in. But due to a particularly over-excited boyfriend, we ended up seeing Finding Dory.

Sharing a small cinema with about 50 people – some of them peculiar, some of them creepy, and only a couple of them under the age of 13 – we unabashedly cracked open a couple of ciders and the movie began. And I was pleasantly surprised.

With new characters and a heart-felt story line, Finding Dory was another genius creation of Pixar.

We follow Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) as she slowly gets flash-backs to her home and parents. It leads her, Nemo (Hayden Rolence) and Marlin (Albert Brooks) across the ocean once again, and finding themselves in a Marine Life Institute. (Featuring Sigourney Weaver as herself).

My favourite character was probably Becky, who is a dotty bird who is rather simple.She is as creepy as she is quirky.

Although I did think Hank (Ed O’Neill (granddad in Modern Family)) the octopus was the most heart-warming character.

But my boyfriend’s favourite character was Bailey (Ty Burrell (aka dad in Modern Family)) the beluga whale due to the humour of watching him figure out how to be a whale, as well as the sounds he made.

Unfortunately, my boyfriend pointed out that the goofy sea lion Gerald has an uncanny resemblance to my good self… I was offended.

In between the genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, the storyline was heavy in parts. The emphasis on family and unity and support and friendship and acceptance and patience… Man! Please calm down on the wholesome messages.

Dory’s short term memory loss became a little irritating, as the ‘wait, what are we talking about?’ jokes began to seem over-used, and wearing thin.

But it’s a movie I would happily see again. I haven’t laughed that loudly in a movie for a long time! It’s certainly aimed at us older kids (in our twenties) who grew up watching Finding Nemo.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Arthur Christmas

Arthur Christmas film poster review

Director: Sarah Smith
Writers: Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith
Starring: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Marc Wootton, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Ramona Marquez and Michael Palin
Released: November 2011
—

Only just came across this animated festive feast. I had ignored it when seeing it in the bargain bin for sometime, but with a ‘buy two get one free’ deal on, I found myself struggling to pick the third and free DVD.

Stuck between Alvin and the Chipmunks and Barbie in A Christmas Carol, I reluctantly decided on Arthur Christmas as my free movie.

Expecting it to flow with the usual childish predictability typically associated with G rated festive films, my expectations were raised somewhat when I noticed the cast of some of my favourite UK stars.

Arthur Christmas slippers scene - film review James McAvoy (we named our pet goat ‘Mr. Tumnus’ after McAvoy’s performance as this character in Narnia),
Hugh Laurie (everyone knows him from House, but he will forever be the baddie from 101 Dalmatians to me),
Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen.

So I stepped into my elf slippers, slipped into my Grinch onesie, and cradled my Santa mug (filled with hot cocoa, spiked with rum, with a disappointing amount of marshmallows).

I got my ticket. I was ready to be a passenger on this one-horse open sleigh ride of festive fun. I was ready to deck the halls with wonder and joy. I was ready to let it snow with good tidings, tinsel and turkey.

It was time to bring Santa back to town.

Arthur Christmas sleigh scene - film review Arthur Christmas was as magical as the Polar Express, and as imaginative as The Grinch. I laughed out loud – almost choking on chocolate-covered scorched almonds. A fabulous feel-good festive film for sure. With super weird and diverse characters.

Grandsanta: Do you know Arthur? There IS a way!
Arthur: It’s impossible!
Grandsanta: They used to say that it was impossible to teach women to read! Follow me!

Arthur Christmas explores and explains every question we have about Santa Claus: How does he deliver billions of presents in one night? Do the reindeer get tired? How does he fit down the chimney? How old is Santa? Is he on a benefit for the rest of the year, seeing as he only works one day a year?

Wait, does he even get paid..?

Arthur Christmas elf scene - film review After watching this exciting adventure, you too will feel secure in the existence of Santa, as many of these questions are thoroughly answered with imaginative and quirky explanations.

I got Arthur Christmas free of charge, but it gifted me with a sleigh-worth of amusement and fun.

Grandsanta: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Bambi, Dave, you with the white ear, you and you.

Justin Beiber as Santa Clause Oh! And you needn’t be put off by the presence of a Justin Bieber tune – despite the hype all over the DVD cover, I didn’t even notice the song.

Tell every Frosty, Noel, Saint Nick and Rudolf you meet. Unwrap the excitment and glee of the magical North Pole, tuck into the gravy-covered story, and present this snow-covered film to someone whom you can can tolerate for longer than the duration of December 25th.

With this film, it can be Christmas everyday.

Jodie’s rating: 8.5/10

Inside Out

WELCOME TO MY 300th POST!

Director: Pete Docter
Writer: Pete Docter and Ronnie del Carmen
Released: June 2015
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Richard Kind, Kaitlyn Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
—

What a fantastic premise!

I am fascinated by psychology and why people behave the way they do, and this film has simplified our complex behaviours into an entertaining and interesting animation.

It’s about a young girl… Well, more like the emotions that make up a young girl. We see inside her head and see who controls her moods, decisions and feelings:

Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear.

Each are relatable and lovable, each with pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. No mood is less important than the other, or more favourable than the other. Which is a moral within itself.

My favourite character was Sadness. Because she seems so helpless and incorrigible, but she’s not self-loathing or deceitful.

Joy was my least favourite… She is positively irritating.

However! I was surprised to notice there are more female characters than male characters.

I love how much we find out about this world – the subconscious, personal values, suppressed memories, even her imaginary friend. But my favourite part is the explanation of dreams…

“Action!”

By turning the brain from a wibbly-wobbly system, a complex map – if you will – of intertwined motorways, power lines, unpredictable traffic jams and road rage. This movie physicalises many components of what makes you, you!

All that is natured and nurtured, all that is influential and permanent. This movie has assigned a character to represent it.

Thoroughly enjoyed it. I think perhaps, on a deeper level beyond the entertainment value, perhaps this film could shine a new light on why people are the way they are. Hopefully increasing understanding and acceptance among us… That’s wishful thinking…

But you should see it.

My only hope is that an R16 version comes out where it’s not an animation, but a real person. Who is a psychopathic murderer like Hannibal… IMAGINE THAT. Watching what Hannibal Lecter is THINKING…

Perhaps a sequel?

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Why not a 10/10? Because it sagged a little at times, and at the end, you realise you spent $18.50 on a children’s movie…

Big Hero 6

Big Hero 6 film poster Directors: Don Hall and Chris Williams
Writers: Jordan Roberts, Dan Gerson and Robert L. Baird
Released: November 2014
Featuring: Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, Daniel Henney, T.J. Miller, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodrigeuz, James Cromwell and Maya Rudolph (Bridesmaids)
—

2015’s new year animated film, Big Hero 6, is a perfectly adequate gate-way film to the Superhero genre.

It’s about an orphaned boy – because it would unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and destroy the entire universe (BttF2) if it was a hero who had parents.

This orphaned boy is called Hiro, and his brother made a robot, who is essentially a nurse, named Baymax.

Big Hero 6 film poster Anyway, one thing leads to another and Hiro has to get a super team together to catch the bad guy. The rest, I’m sure, you will be able to figure out.

The first half was typical Walt Disney: fun, whimsical with a dash of the warm and fuzzies. We had laugh-out-loud moments and knee-slapping scenes.

But by the time we got half way in, it was such a cookie-cutter, colour-by-numbers superhero film. The storyline was so obvious, and they had forgotten to make us laugh.

There’s a flying scene in it, which I’m certain was developed purely because they released a 3d version. Personally, I wouldn’t spend the extra dosh. It wasn’t that great of a scene.

Also, the city they’re in is San Francisco blended with Tokyo. They called it ‘San Fransokyo’. Which I think is STUPID. They should call it ‘San Tan Frokyo’ to ensure even distribution of both city names.

It’s better than Wreck-It Ralph and The Lego Movie, but not as good as How to Train Your Dragon or Megamind.

It’s one of the better children’s movies, but not the coolest. It’ll certainly encourage kids to go to university to become inventors though.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Julie & Julia

Julie and Julia film poster Director: Nora Ephron
Writer: Julie Powell, Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme. Screenplay by Nora Ephron
Released: August 2009
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci, Chris Messina, Linda Emond and Jane Lynch
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I can NOT believe I haven’t reviewed this! I was so certain I had because this movie was the inspiration behind me starting this very blog!

Julie and Julia film - scene with Meryl Streep So! Julie & Julia, it is a typical rom-com drama, with a twist! The twist being the gorgeous, wonderful, classic Meryl Streep.

It follows two story lines – both of them based on true stories:

One is about Julia Child (Meryl Streep), an American living in France during the 40s. (That means trilling accents and beautiful dresses). She is struggling to adapt to French culture, so we follow how her love of food provided a comfort, and her plans to write a cookbook.

The second story is of Julie Powell (Amy Adams) in the modern day, a government worker by day who starts a cooking blog as an outlet. She uses Child’s cookbook as a guide: 524 recipes in 365 days.

(But if you look hard enough, you’ll find edits of Julie & Julia online without Julie Powell’s storyline at all!)

The intertwining stories mirror each other. Despite being worlds apart, Julie and Julia have much in common. Their love of food, and their journeys to become ‘unlost’ is the main point. However, their strong, supportive husbands is the other. (Julia’s husband Paul is played by the wonderful Stanley Tucci. I love him.)

My favourite person is Meryl Streep’s character. I’d love to have her as a best friend. She is so forgiving, embracing, loud, positive and reminds me of Beatrix Potter’s Jemima Puddle-Duck.

And what a gorgeously charasmatic person Julia Child really was! Meryl Streep impersonated her perfectly!

Julia makes me titter to the point of chortling in this movie. The way she speaks is like she’s stretching and kneading her words on her tongue. Goodness! I’m a poet.

Julia’s sister: From the beginning, you just don’t fit in. Literally. So then you don’t!

Now, I am not a foodie. I don’t enjoy food. I don’t look forward to meals. I don’t like cooking… I eat toasted sandwiches. Julie and Julia - scene with Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci And microwavable things. So, the fact that this is a story about cooking is not attractive to me.

I hate how noisy this film is. Every smack of their lips, every slurp and slap. It makes me cringe. Nevertheless, after every viewing I become starving, and crave things my eight-year-strong vegetarian diet strongly forbids.

Paul: What is it that you really like to do?
Julia: Eat. It’s what I like to do!
Paul: I know, I know, I know. And you’re so good at it! Look at you!
Julia: I am good at it… I’m growing right in front of you!

But ultimately, I love this movie. I love the relationship of Julia and Paul Child, and Julie’s courage to not only begin a blog, but to stick with it.

I think it’s the lovable characters and inspirational passion that I love about this film.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Frozen

Directors: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Writers: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Shane Morris
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad and Santino Fontana
Released: November 2013
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I’m not a huge fan of the cheese-covered conservative Disney films in general. I avoided watching Frozen until just last week, but I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

This was a modern story where the main characters are not searching for true love for once. In fact, it was based around friendship and family.

The disneys-frozen-2013-screenshot-anna-bell trailer includes all of the cheese, targeting the younger audience with the shallow humour.

However, the humour in the movie is actually quite funny and target toward an older audience too.

I love how the characters are flawed. The princesses are far more relatable because they’re not perfect. In fact the Queen’s sister, Anna (pronounced Ana), is weird, quirky, funny and spontaneous who makes mistakes.
frozen-olaf-and-sven-367698
The characters look shallow in the advertising of Frozen, but they’re actually all lovable in the movie. From Olaf the snowman to Sven the reindeer.

I love the setting – Scandinavia is a beautiful choice, and a step back from traditional Disney settings where snow and blizzards are traditionally used as a backdrop to the tragic scenes.

The down-side were the accents… Only the main characters had American accents, which clashed with the Scandinavian community…

frozen-let-it-go-full-scene-watch-now Disney has still kept with the baby-faced women with figure-hugging dresses. I think this is still a bit old fashioned. Why not have normal-sized eyes with a proportional body?

I always get annoyed with ALL the female characters having long hair in Disney films. I’m glad to see the likes of Tangled embracing short hair, but I think there should be a balance…

(Yes, I have short hair).

But the soundtrack was incredible with extremely catchy songs you won’t be able to get out of your head for weeks… Not even exaggerating. Kristen Bell does a magnificent job of voicing Anna – I had no idea she could sing!

Overall it was a fun film and worth a watch. A genuinely enjoyable film for the family.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

The Lego Movie

Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Writers: Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Released: April 2014
Starring: Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day, Liam Neeson and Morgan Freeman
—

I feel silly thinking this kids’ movie could be anything but a shallow cartoon.

Animation aimed at children but also being entertaining for adults, such as The Lion King and the Toy Story trilogy, have been and gone.

Perhaps it’s just going to be a string of cheaply made kids movies from now on. With famous voice actors dragging it to the cinema.

I thought it had a blatant moral of “be yourself”. But then I realised it’s a bit deeper than that – it’s about breaking out of the mould created by society. Liking the same songs as everyone else and told to be happy by staying in the same job for the rest of your life is the lifestyle the protagonist breaks out of.

The Lego Movie was bizarre and silly. It’s a film with a lot of hugely successful actors lending their voices to characters made of bricks.

The lego-bricked world is smart on one hand, but also looks pretty cheap.

There were a few funny one-liners, and I loved Liam Neeson’s two-faced character. His voice was hilarious.

A very similar story and appearance to Wreck It Ralph… which I gave a 5/10.

The same directors did Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs which I gave 6.5/10

I found it a bit dull, not very quirky or clever and quite a boring family movie. I know it’s aimed at children though, so my expectations shouldn’t be high anyway… Even so, I think they’re underestimating how much children can understand.

Where’s the ’90s Pixar movies at!?

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

The Way Way Back

The Way Way Back is a funny, feel-good film, similar to Little Miss Sunshine and Juno. It’s an uplifting tale about Duncan (Liam James) who has to endure a summer with his mum Pam (Toni Collette) and her new boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell).

Struggling to withstand Trent’s subtle bullying, Duncan goes out as often as possible. He soon gets a secret job at the local pool, where he gains a lot more confidence and gets a good reputation.

Toni Collette, Steve Carell

It is extremely well cast. Carell does a fantastically accurate job of being a total a-hole. Collette, just like in Little Miss Sunshine, plays the warm mother figure convincingly. She is a fantastic actress. The main character, Duncan is aloof but certainly not played as an emotionless character, which I think should be applauded.

THE WAY, WAY BACK

My favourite character is laid-back Owen (Sam Rockwell), Duncan’s boss at the local pool. He’s a hilarious character who balances the heavy situations out with a lighter perspectives.

The storyline shows how every character is being manipulated somehow. The Way Way Back has the humanity of Little Miss Sunshine, and the devastation of The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

THE WAY, WAY BACK

It’s a blend of sadness and comedy, which I love. It’s definitely worth a watch!

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Director: Ben Stiller
Writer: Steve Conrad. Based on The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber
Released: January 2014
Featuring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Shirley MacLaine, Adam Scott, Kathryn Hahn and Sean Penn
—

An inspirational fable to say the least. I have been waiting for a movie like this for a long time.

“Having a Walter Mitty moment”, you’ve probably heard the phrase. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty explores the ‘what if’ situations in life.

It is sort of similar to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, because it is the story of a man’s dreams and epic adventures.

Coincidently, there is a hilarious reference to Benjamin Button in the movie.

Everybody can relate to Walter Mitty. Dreamers, travellers, photographers, bored office workers… Anybody who fantasises about running away or doing something crazy.

Ben Stiller not only produced and played the lead, but he directed it too. I have a new-found respect for this man. I have fished him out of the pile of cheap laughs in comedies with Owen Wilson or Adam Sandler. He is way up there with respected artists and creatives. Absolutely incredible.

The shots are beautifully framed and the locations are simply breath-taking.

Iceland has been on the top of my travel list for a few years now, so the fact that this movie is mostly based in Iceland just gives me warm and fuzzies. No other location could offer this film with a better foundation. What an exceptional choice.

The characters are real. The acting and casting is superb. Kristen Wiig, Ben Stiller, Sean Penn, Patton Oswalt, Adrian Martinez… Holy beans. This cast is gorgeous.

I can’t think of another movie that put me in these situations and locations first hand. I feel like I experienced the courage Walter experiences, and how he felt when he is embarrassed or intimidated. I don’t know how they did it.

I suppose it is the genuine dialogue, the seamless transitions between scenes and the emotional and realistic reactions. Genius.

Now. The music. The soundtrack and the use of music for the scenes is simply a HUGE part of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Jose Gonzalez and Of Monsters and Men in particular had songs that complimented the film perfectly.

My favourite scene is the montage of Walter Mitty going through the mountains to the song ‘Lake Michigan’ by Rogue Wave. The music is more than icing on the cake… This is the flour IN the cake; it is so essential and so well mastered.

House on fire leave it all behind you,

Darkest night let the lightning guide you

– Step Out by Jose Gonzalez

I won’t lie to you; I did have a fat cry. But I shan’t be ashamed! This film just gave me chills, and the songs moved me. I blubbered like a baby. Deal with it.

New Zealand’s TV3 movie reviewer, Kate Rogers, gave this film a 2.5 out of 5… Perhaps she accidentally watched Anchorman 2 instead. There is no way this movie could be any less than a 9/10.

Films should be entertaining and transport you to another world, and make you feel different when you walk out the theatre. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty did this. I walked out feeling inspired, excited, exhilarated, happy and feeling the urge to travel, even more so than before.

My favourite component is how a lot of the characters’ mistakes were things that would happen in real life, such as throwing something away absent-mindedly or daydreaming about having a conversation with somebody.

This is more than a feel-good film. This is a lively, funny, adventurous film, full of rich and interesting characters and places. I cried, I laughed, I felt empowered and excited. It’s just a magical adventure. I’m going to see this again.

Don’t just dream it; live it.

Jodie’s rating after first watch: 10/10

The first 10/10 ever given on filmfreak.co.nz!!

November 2014: I have to say, after almost a year of watching Walter Mitty, I think it’s realistically closer to an 8/10 because Kristen Wiig doesn’t really work with the genre, and the movie can look a bit sterile.

However, I’ll stick with 10/10, because that’s how it feels after the first watch.

PLUS an epic extended trailer:

You may enjoy The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, if you enjoyed these:
Big Fish
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Forrest Gump
Stranger Than Fiction
Little Miss Sunshine
Juno
Billy Liar

Jack the Giant Slayer

Director: Bryan Singer
Written: Darren Lemke and David Dobkin
Released: March 2013
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor
—

What an exciting cast! Bill Nighy, Stanley Tucci and Ewan McGregor! *drool*

I first saw the advert on the back of the bus, and quite frankly I thought it looked a little.. Lame.

I mean starting from Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, we have had remake after remake of these fairytales and fables; The Wizard of Oz, Mirror, Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman…

jack_the_giant_killer_slayer — Yay! Ewan!

So to see Jack and the Beanstalk being remade was not a surprise, and I expected it to have similar disappointments with all of the other remakes.

Namely the fact that the violence has to be toned down so that it can be suitable for the younger audience. Despite the storyline being 100 times better if it went the full hog and making it an M.

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER — Oh hey, Ewan. What cha doin’ on the cliff there…

I was right. But it didn’t stop the story being enjoyable.

I do think the writers tried to cram a big storyline into a short amount of time – the intro seemed extremely rushed.

The special effects are amazing! Very well done. Getting the proportions convincing between the giants and the humans must have taken a bit of thought. Although, I still maintain that the giants should have had horses… Like, huge horses. That would have been cool.

Oh, and all the giants were male… I thought that was a bit odd.

Also, if I was designing where the giants lived, I would have made it way more fantastical, not just the average 16th century environment but quadruple the size.

Toward the end you will think you know exactly what will happen because it looks SO obvious leading up to it. However, I am happy to say that the writers did not take the easy way out. The ending isn’t as obvious and typical as one would expect.

This is a pleasantly entertaining film. Not hilarious or deep and meaningful. Just lightly entertaining. Nothing more than you would probably expect.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire andMitchell Kapner. Based a series by
L. Frank Baum
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs and Joey King
—

Oz is a young children’s movie. Something I was quite unaware of until I was sitting bored brainless in the theatre.

It was an okay movie with a fantastical world of colour and mystery. But essentially no surprises or twists at all. The happily-ever-after ending was inevitable and the actions of the characters predictable.

oz_the_great_and_powerful_wicked_witch

Just watch Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. It’s pretty much the same story but a more mature version closer to the roots of the original fable.

Obvious similarities between the two fantastical tales include:

A fantasy land
Oz
Wonderland

Dark queen versus a white queen fighting for the throne of a land
Theodora/Evanora versus Glinda
The Red Queen versus the White Queen

White Queen not able to harm any living creature

Dark Queen banished from the land

A talking animal and mentor
Finley
Cheshire Cat

Dude with a hat
Oscar Oz
Hatter

Small squeaky character:
China Girl
Dormouse

The beginning is in shot as 4:3 (square) and black and white, then becomes 16:9 (wide screen) and colourful as soon as the Wizard reaches Oz, which was a creative change. Pretty cool.

oz-the-great01

I’m never sure how to rate children’s movies, but considering this film led me to believe that it was entertaining for all ages eventuated as disappointing. For a mystical and fantastical land it required little imagination, especially with the characters being very stereotypical.

The acting was nothing special. I enjoyed Rachel Weisz’ performance, but I always like how she portrays characters. I was looking forward to Mila Kunis’ performance but it was sort of average, so was Michelle Williams’.

Rachel-Mila-oz

Children under 11-years-old will probably enjoy it. Otherwise you’ll just be paying for an afternoon nap in the cinema.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10

Category Archives: Family Films

Jumanji: The Next Level

The Lion King (2019)

Mary Poppins Returns

Incredibles 2

Brave

Beauty and the Beast (2017)

Parental Guidance

Maleficent

The Devil Wears Prada

Cinderella (2015)

Saving Mr. Banks

Top 7: Live-Action Disney Remakes Coming Soon

Tangled

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Finding Dory

Arthur Christmas

I got my ticket. I was ready to be a passenger on this one-horse open sleigh ride of festive fun. I was ready to deck the halls with wonder and joy. I was ready to let it snow with good tidings, tinsel and turkey.

It was time to bring Santa back to town.

Inside Out

Big Hero 6

Julie & Julia

Frozen

The Lego Movie

The Way Way Back

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Jack the Giant Slayer

Oz: The Great and Powerful