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chicdrummer
Reviews
Santa Girl (2019)
It works because they lean into the camp
"I'm gonna walk away from you now but it's only because I don't like you or what you have to say."
It's silly and they know it which is why it works. It doesn't take itself too seriously.
Pep is perky and adorable. Sam is charming and his sarcasm and deadpan delivery has great comedic timing. Cassie's syrupy sweet naïveté makes it so easy to root for her. Jack Frost is over the top villainy at its finest.
This movie has become my yearly go-to when I can't make it through other Hallmark-esque movies.
"Wait, we're leaving?!"
"Yep, we're leaving. Change of locale."
"But there's cake! *pouts*"
Red, White & Royal Blue (2023)
Absolutely loved it!
I've been anxiously waiting for the release of this one for months now and it did not disappoint! Nicholas keeps getting better and better and Taylor proved he makes a killer leading man. Their chemistry was off the charts. Wholesome, heartbreaking, hilarious. Love love love them.
The writers managed to capture the wittiness of Casey's characters (something I've come to know and love in their books). This novel has some of the BEST side characters out there. Zahra was absolutely hysterical and stole every scene she was in. I only wish there had been more scenes with Alex's security detail, Amy. She was so good in the beginning! I missed the White House trio and Henry's entourage (Bea and Percy) and would have loved to see more of the interaction between the friendship groups. Why can't all movie adaptations be 6 hours long?! No complaints from me!!
-1 star for the awkward (albeit necessary I suppose) expositional opening. I was a little nervous for the rest of the film but they found their groove by the time the opening credits wrapped.
Happiness for Beginners (2023)
Good but something was just...off
I'm starting to think no book adaptation should be less than 2 hours long. Especially a slow burn romance. There just wasn't enough time to flesh out their relationship. It felt forced and unearned (even more so because we only got one scene from their collective past to support Jake's undying love.)
And why did they age up the actors so far?! Ellie is almost 10 years older than the book character and Luke is almost 20 (!!) years older. It made some of their childish bickering even harder to watch.
The side characters were a hoot and well developed (but it came from a book so duh!) Something about the dialogue or maybe the pacing was just off. Maybe another 20-30 mins could have filled it out more.
Peter Pan & Wendy (2023)
Wasn't awful, wasn't brilliant
Honestly, seeing Smee discreetly putting Captain Hook's hair into the ponytail while he monologues before the big end fight was worth the price of admission for me!
It was a little disjointed. 25 minutes longer than the cartoon but the story still feels jarring. Almost as if it was written with the expectation that audiences have read the book or seen other film adaptations (which I don't believe should be assumed).
Props to the actress playing Tinkerbell. Doing an entire film in shrugs and facial expressions can't be an easy feat. The pirate "walk the plank" song my be my second favorite part of the film. I'm a sucker for shanties.
Some great moments. Overall, I had a good time.
The Little Mermaid (2023)
Only cried twice, haha!
First I gotta start by saying I saw the cartoon in theaters when I was 2 so these characters and this music have been with me literally my whole life.
The music brought tears to my eyes again and again. They did an absolutely fabulous job reworking them. The new songs were jarring but (as with Aladdin) I'm sure they will grow on me. The visuals were stunning! Love love loved the designs of the mermaid fins. Absolutely gorgeous.
I wasn't immediately sold on Melissa McCarthy (Titus Burgess still being my dream cast there) but she was fabulous! Halle was wonderful. And having to perform half the movie silent while still portraying those emotions? Bravo! It's my first time seeing Jonah (and since Eric is my oldest love, the shoes were big to fill) and I enjoyed his performance. Also now there's a real actor to focus on and my weird cartoon character crush can take a backseat, haha!
Best change was removing the "I'm sixteen, I'm not a child anymore" line. It's gets cringier and cringier the older I get. A+ edit Disney.
My only wishes:
1) Ariel's hair. I wish that color had managed to pop a bit more. I know the daughters all have more realistic looks but I found myself missing it.
2) that they had included fewer of the original lines of dialogue. The '89 version is perfection of course but changing more lines (as they did with Aladdin) would have made it just that much more fresh. Same plot just not same screenplay.
Can't wait to go see it again!
Persuasion (2022)
Lighten up folks!
Jane was a modern woman. She wrote extremely modern women. I think she would have enjoyed this take. Anne is still the meek and stepped-on heroine she always was just with an inner monologue highlighting the ridiculousness of her family (the Eliot's have always been ridiculous and this ramped it up to an 11). Anne was a smart woman. She saw everything that was happening around her and having her poke fun at it with the audience was, in my humble opinion, a clever take.
If you want the same movie that's already been done, why not watch those? Why should filmmakers continue to churn out the same content over and over without making any changes? The novel is over 200 years old. Why not zhuzh it up a bit?
How did having non-white faces in the cast upset the arc of the story? It didn't. Not even a little bit. Y'all are really gonna have to start getting used to not seeing your own visage reflected in every single piece of film that gets released. It's fantasy. It's escapism. It doesn't matter! I bet non-white actors everywhere are thrilled that they don't have to keep coming in for the role of the butler, slaves, chauffeurs, etc. Relax a little. It's a fun film. If you quit taking everything so personal you might enjoy it.
(-1 star for the dinner party scene. Second hand embarrassment causes me physical pain. Why Anne, why?!)
Heartstopper (2022)
More seasons Netflix please!!!
Kit and Joe are beyond adorable! Love to see a story about true friendship in the face of such unwarranted hate. I was devastated when the end credits rolled. I was not ready for it to be over. Give us more!!!
The Royal Treatment (2022)
Super cute!
Was it cheesy? Yes. Was the plot unbelievable? Yes. Did I love it? 100% YES! 90 minutes of Mena's smile...put it directly in my veins please!
-1 star for Izzy's mom. Let your ADULT daughter live a little!! Jeez!
Cinderella (2021)
Everything I hoped for and more!
I've already watched it three times and I can't stop grinning! What a fantastic new vision for a classic story.
I was hesitant at first seeing Camila on the posters (especially after seeing how much a lead actress-who's not an actual actress-can tank an otherwise enjoyable reboot *cough He's All That cough*) but she was incredible. Great comedic timing, fantastic emotional delivery, obviously incredible singing voice. No doubt we'll be seeing more from her.
Billy. Freaking. Porter. THIS is how you cast a musical y'all. The Fab G was definitely who I was most excited to see and she did NOT disappoint. What a genius and fun twist on the fairy godmother. Uproariously funny and THE PIPES! What an incredible talent and what an iconic performance. We've had Whitney and now we've got Billy. There will be no topping this.
While we're on the subject of Broadway royalty, my second favorite update this film made was to the stepmother. Cruelty for the sake of cruelty with no real motivation has always left a sore spot for me with the stepmother. Disney's live action made an attempt but "because you're young and innocent" is still pretty weak reasoning. Idina gave a beautiful performance as a woman who was cruel because she knew what cruelty awaited the girls out their front door. She was Ella. A girl who wanted more and it broke her. So yes she was mean but there was a reason why. So, so good. And the mutual respect they showed each other at the end of the film... *chefs kiss*
Lastly: Prince Robert's squad. I died when they all rolled up to the ball together. Something about him having his bros with him throughout the film just warmed my heart. You beautiful human!
I honestly can't say enough wonderful things about this film. So many laugh out loud moments. I'm a sucker for self-aware comedy in films. Just the right amount of cheese for a feel good romance. Wonderful soundtrack with some fabulous original songs. Thank you Kay Cannon! Thank you for not giving us the same old Cinderella we've already seen over and over. It's been done and, let's be real, they're untouchable so why run it again?