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The Lion King (2019)
Better than expected, however bad writing and acting
I wasn't exactly looking forward to this movie. I just didn't see any point in it considering they've taken an animated movie and made it into..... an animated movie, except this time it looks real. I firmly believe that the CGI epidemic going through Hollywood right now is merely a monetary scheme. The Lion King (2019) is no exception, however, I enjoyed this movie a lot.
The cinematography was beautiful. Powerful establishing shots of the African landscape and its creatures deemed Disney once again as prominent in its colour and design. The camerawork didn't feel sloppy or too fast, and as a spectator I was able to concentrate on what was happening in the frame before it cut away - a huge redemption compared to the editing in Aladdin (2019). However I feel like some of the close-ups of Mufasa, Scar and Simba could have been held longer as this would have made them so much more powerful.
However, I feel like the performance of the voice actors was incredibly weak. While in the original the characters had power in their words, these actors merely feel like they're reading from a script without much deliberation on how to convey each words. I also feel like the dubbing of Young Simba's voice was careless, as it sounded more like a narration than the character actually speaking, which is a big problem for animated movie.
The writing of the film seemed lazy to me. It seemed like they merely took the original script, and then only changed some of the "comedic" lines, which was off-putting, as I felt they should have either copied the entire script (the original ad-libs too) or changed the script entirely. Because they only changed some of the lines, the writing seemed unbalanced and awkward.
I also have mixed feelings about 'Spirit', the new song by Beyoncé. While I think it's a good song, it doesn't fit with any of the other soundtrack and score pieces, and seems like yet another ploy to get into the charts and be nominated for an Oscar. I'm just glad that it was played over the characters actions, and not sang by the characters themselves. I did greatly dislike the new composition of 'Be Prepared'. It had none of its power or maliciousness, nor any of its strong wartime reflections, and felt lazy and bland.
In summary, I'm in love with the realism of this film (something I was initially wary of) and the cinematography, however the acting, writing and a couple of the songs were reckless, lazy and unrevised.
Aladdin (2019)
Boring, no charm whatsoever, careless
I was greatly disappointed by this film. I was expecting beautiful landscapes, incredible renditions, and a phenomenal performance by Will Smith. It has not redeemed itself.
Firstly, the introduction to the movie was a lazy effort at a backstory. It always feels false when a movie starts with children asking someone to tell them a story. In all honestly, this was one of the worst examples I've seen of this cliché.
Then the editing was way too fast. It felt like someone just randomly cut to whoever was talking, and therefore we never got any reaction shots or other focuses. And all the action shots were cut way too soon; by the time I even realised what was happening in the frame, it had cut away to something else, so it felt very overwhelming to me.
I also disliked the new appearance of the Genie. I think he should have stayed black the entire movie, because the blue tone felt so incredibly artificial and therefore I couldn't help but laugh. During all the shots where he is significantly bigger than the other characters, he felt too stretched out and laughably larger.
The character of Aladdin also lost all his charm. No longer is he headstrong, confident and endearing, but the acting was so unbelievable he came across as annoying, cocky and merely a copycat of the original. It was also off-putting considering how it's only the main characters that have American accents; either all the characters should have Western Asian accents or all of them should have American - it feels weird otherwise.
I also greatly despised 'Speechless'. Not only is it badly written (using the words quiet, silent, and speechless in the chorus alone is just lazy), but it doesn't match the film whatsoever. Gone are the beautiful instruments and Western Asian significance, and along came a pop ballad that most certainly is only in the film to be nominated for an Oscar and to top the charts.
In summary, I was majorly disappointed by this movie, and all of Disney's usual talent has wasted away and become lazy, and once again they've just made another monetary, boring copycat.
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (2017)
Black comedy and interesting story
I don't have much to say about this film regarding its film form, however I liked the camera movement and how to captured the absurd realism of the story.
The thing that caught me the most about this film was how it was one giant metaphor for depression. Shown by Ruth calling the authorities when she finds the address of the people who robbed her and they tell her it's not enough evidence, to when she's sat down with Detective Bendix and he tells her there "are bigger problems in the world than your silverware". The main character is depressed, however the burglary and the police work involved captured the essence of someone literally being broken into and people give initial concern, however when they realise there isn't enough evidence to pursue anything, or don't deem it a high enough priority, it reflects how it can feel as a depressive, finally reaching out for help and it being dismissed and/or not cared about enough.
To me, the patient that dies at the very beginning represents Ruth's initial state on that particular day, and the burglary is the tip of the iceberg and she realises she needs help. I have been in a situation where I have dealt with everything by myself, and when I finally tell someone they brush it aside or make up an excuse to reason with me. This is what the police in the film represent - someone you should trust but ultimately have bigger things to deal with. In fairness, a burglary is often less priority compared to certain crimes, but they should still have assured her that they would solve it as soon as possible and that there would be people working on the case.
The comedy aspect to the film I felt was very effective. A lot of films about depression are often very melancholy with Expressionistic elements, or they're quirky and romanticised, however I felt a black comedy worked well as it reflects how even some depressed people live normal lives, filled with little mishaps that they can find joy over. It's a little morbid, but watching Marshall get bitten by a water moccasin made me chuckle, as I feel it represented self-destructive thoughts finally being dealt with.
Overall, I felt this film was very enjoyable and entertaining. Personally, I find the story line a little distracting when trying to focus on film form, however to a wider audience who don't speak film language, this is absolutely brilliant and definitely worth a watch.
Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
Bad but hilarious
My boyfriend and I were planning on watching this together, however after a long think to myself I couldn't resist watching this mess of a movie alone. You might be reassured to hear that I completely plan on watching this film again, not because I'm a huge fan of horror and the thrill of being scared, but because it's not everyday I find a film that actually makes me genuinely laugh.
The first thing I noticed about this film is how the audio doesn't fit with the character's mouths. The screeches and whines of the characters accompanied with delayed reactions and simply over exaggerated faces make up for how bad the voice actors were at voice acting. Not that the actors on screen were much better, but right from the start of the film i was laughing. Several lines are also repeated many times, which could be blamed on bad scriptwriting, but I choose to believe were to present the duration of this family's roadtrip, and that despite how long and boring it is, it is so much better than what will happen to them eventually.
The score of this movie was not at all creative. The composer seems to have grabbed a piano, sat at one edge and pressed a few random keys individually and recorded that for 30 seconds. At first, I didn't think the score was all that bad - it at least fits with the emotional time of the film - however when I realised that the piano would stop, and five seconds later start again from the beginning, and continue this throughout the entire film, every time I heard the first couple notes I would burst out laughing once again.
I also laughed a lot at the cuts throughout middles of scenes. The camera that was used in the film only filmed 32 seconds with every take, and so every time a scene is longer than that, it cuts out. For the most part, that wouldn't have been a problem if everything on set freezed while they started the new take, however it's completely obvious that the actors decided to take yet another shot of LSD and the camera men decide to put the camera down for a while before picking it back up.
The editing of this movie was done with minimal effort. A scene which involves lots of emotion will suddenly cut to a bunch of stationary people who wait a few seconds, and then go back into character. Simple editing mistakes can be forgiven, however when the actors haven't even got into character yet, shouldn't it be common sense that the editor cuts out all irrelevant content? Unless, of course, they were trying to make their film longer.
In summary, if you plan on watching this film with the mindset of a serious film critic: don't. It won't be worth your time. While this film was created with the intention of being serious, the cast and crew were mainly high on LSD. Take it with a grain of salt and enjoy it for what it is, not what it could have been.
Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Tries too hard to match the original
When I first heard of this film I expected to be a remake of the original. It isn't, which is perfectly fine and therefore actually a lot more better, however I feel it has tried too hard to match the original.
The point of a sequel is to, yes, have references to the preceding story so it makes more sense - however if the story line is virtually the same it kind of takes away the thrill of a brand new film.
I believe that Lin-Manuel Miranda is a very talented man, albeit overplayed due to his participation in Hamilton. His portrayal of Jack I believe is incredibly well done - he captures the essence of a cheery Londoner, his voice fits really well with the music . . . I have nothing against this casting decision, however I do have objections to the character of Jack himself. Jack, a Cockney working class man in London with ties to other Cockney working class men in London, is very similar to Bert in the original movie. He even refers to Bert, and other Chimney sweeps. He opens the movie with a song about London (a very good song I might add) and just a chorus song and dance with all his pals . . . to be completely honest they might have just rechoreographed 'Step in Time'. They were virtually the same song.
And this is merely the first example of trying to match the original. 'Turning Turtle' is basically 'I Love to Laugh'. 'A Cover is Not a Book' is the Cabaret version of 'Jolly Holiday'. And finally, 'Nowhere to Go But Up' is 'Let's Go Fly a Kite'.
I also feel as if some of the lines were taken from the original. Mary Poppins does exclaim at the end of the film, "Practically perfect in every way." I would have become very emotional at that line, if only it were not for all the previous references throughout the entire duration.
All this being said, I did enjoy some of the more subtle references to the film. Dick van Dyke's cameo; the kite having patches fixed with the certificate; the bird lady sleeping on the steps during a pan-up establishing shot; the anthropomorphic animations that interact with the characters (although once again, the idea of all the characters going into an animated world is also too much like the original).
I also didn't like the pace of the film. Although shorter than the original, it felt much longer. I was sat in the cinema and there came a point where children were crying to go home (my little sibling included), people falling asleep (I tried my very hardest not to) and even people beginning to whisper as the film dragged on. I believe it was the length of the songs, because although they are well written and fun to listen to, most of them are 4+ minutes, which is okay if it weren't for all of them being that long.
All this being said, I really enjoyed the casting and acting of the film. I did notice that some of the child actors were standing around and clearly waiting to say their lines, however this can be dismissed due to their age, and, as an actor myself, I probably did the exact same thing during my earliest productions. At first I was unsure with Emily Blunt's portrayal as Mary Poppins - I take this back as I feel she's an incredible asset to the film and captured the true "firm but kind" personality trait.
The cinematography of this film was absolutely beautiful. The establishing shots of London were incredible; the clocks being see in the background of some scenes was mesmerising as it foreshadows the race against the clock scene at the end of the film (I even chuckled a little bit when the sailors on top of the house commented on Big Ben finally getting the time right).
In summary, I feel this film is a little boring and long (perhaps bring a stress/stim toy or chewing gum with you when viewing), however the songs are fun and cute, so if you're viewing it for a second time it will be easy to sing along. I do believe this film could perhaps been made better if it was actually a remake, but then again a continuous of Michael and Jane's life was really fun to watch.