Tag Archives: Luke Evans

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.

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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.

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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

 

The Girl on the Train

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Directed: Tate Taylor
Written: Erin Cressida Wilson. Based on The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
Released: October 2016
Starring: Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Justin Theroux, Haley Bennett, Luke Evans, Allison Janney (Juno’s mum!), Édgar Ramírez and Lisa Kudrow.
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The Girl on the Train is up there with Gone Girl! A mind-twisting psychological thriller, through the eyes of Rachel (Emily Blunt) – a frail alcoholic who is the last person to see Megan Hipwell (Haley Bennett) alive.

However, as we see the events unfold from Rachel’s point of view, you never know what is real and what has been imagined, as she struggles to remember what she saw .

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Is she the murderer? Was it the ginger dude on the train? Was it Megan’s husband? You honestly wouldn’t know for sure – massive twists!

We experience the battle against herself as she grows stronger and more focussed on trying to remember what she saw that night when Megan went missing.

I have read the book, and if I had of seen the movie immediately after I think I would have agreed with the public’s negative reaction of it being too different to the novel. As instead of it being set in the dingy outer suburbs of London, it is set in glamourous waterside mansions of New York.

Apparently the movie was always going to be set somewhere in the USA, because alcoholism is ‘less accepted there‘, and the juxtaposition of the character’s sadness with the glorious mansions she passed on the train made it visually shocking… I still don’t think it was necessary to change the country’s setting, but whatever. At least Emily Blunt was allowed to remain English.

girltrain3I enjoyed it very much, though. The characters are believable and relatable (my two big ticks for every movie). Emily Blunt makes an amazing drunk person – that must have taken a lot of practice to look that authentic. It’s actually scary and makes you think twice about drinking.

I’m pleased they didn’t make her look flawless while she was drunk. I was worried they would make her look too ‘pretty’, but her cheeks are puffy and red, her eye make-up is smudged and her hair is messy – you wouldn’t know she’s a celebrity.

But if I had to be nit-picky, the male characters all looked far too similar. I guess this was to encourage you to see through the hazy eyes of a drunkard who couldn’t identify anyone. But with the film being visually dark, everyone having short, dark hair could get confusing if you didn’t know the storyline.

Or maybe it’s just our crappy TV that makes the contrast too deep.

Nevertheless, if you haven’t read the book you’ll likely enjoy it more, because you wouldn’t be able to notice the differences from the novel. But you may find it a bit slow-paced and long-winded at times.

Would recommend!

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

PS. On more than one occasion, I have been told that if I didn’t have crooked teeth, chubby cheeks or many of my current facial features, that I would look JUST like Emily! 🤪🤪 *so proud*.

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