Disney's 'Beauty and the Beast' - A Disney Classic

"Tale as old as time. Song as old as rhyme. Beauty and the Beast." - Mrs. Potts.

This week is a very special and important week. Not just because it is the week before Christmas, but because it is also my girlfriends birthday week. And so in honor of her special day, I chose to write a piece on one of her all-time favorite animated films.

The 1990's was part of what was known as the Disney Renaissance. Labeled thus because of the vast creative output of films, it galvanized a renewed public interest in The Walt Disney Company as a whole. One of its most celebrated and successful animated features is the 1991 hit Beauty and the Beast.

Adapted from the 17th century French fairy tale, this is the story of a young woman named Belle, who feels like an outsider in her provincial country town where she is the only one who has a passion for books and knowledge. She finds herself drawn into an adventure full of wonder and romance when she selflessly takes her father's place in the castle of the Beast. During this time she not only makes new friends but also falls in love with Beast and finds in him a kindred spirit and a happy ending.

Every great animated movie always has several elements that help make it be the success that it is. Those parts are the production, the voice cast, and in the case of Disney, the music.

To detail every single aspect of the production of this animated masterpiece would take quite a while. So for the enjoyment of all, here is something special. The 'behind the scenes' story of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

Behind every great animated character is a voice. For Disney's 30th full-length feature, a wide and wonderfully varied array of voice actors/actress's was cast. 

For the leading role of Belle, Disney found their voice in Paige O'Hara. She brought to the role a strength that has flowed over into both the Broadway show and the recent live-film version starring Emma Watson. Not only did Paige provide Belle with a sense of empowerment and individuality, but she also gave the character's songs a resounding melody that makes them some of the most-beloved numbers in the catalogue of classic Disney songs. 

In the part of the Beast, Robby Benson was the voice for both dialogue and songs. There is a lot of anger in his performance, all of it manifested from inside the Beast and channeled outward at the world and everyone in it. As the story progress's, he changes the tones from being pure gruff to having a warm and tender edge. And like Paige, his singing is pure magic, the sort one never tires of listening to. 

What helps make this story so stand-out isn't just the leading voices, but the support as well. Four of the most memorable voices are those of the Beasts key servants. 

Lumière and Cogsworth, what a pair those two make. Voiced by the talented duo of Jerry Orbach and David Ogden Stiers, these two help propel Belle and Beast's relationship along. They also have a lot of great back and forth banter that adds humor to the story, not to mention their playing off one another makes their character's all the more loveable. 

Another pair of beloved members of the castle staff are Mrs. Potts and her son Chip. Mrs. Potts was given a stern but loving English voice by veteran actress Angela Lansbury, while Chip's precocious youth was sparked by Bradley Pierce. Together they are an adorable mother/son pairing, not to mention Angela's stirring performance of one of the movie's key songs. 

On a whole, Beauty and the Beast has songs galore that are just dynamite. Both the animated, Broadway and now live movie soundtracks are universally loved. All due deference must be given to the animated film for the precedent it set years ago. Especially with three songs in particular. 

'Be Our Guest' is in many ways the big song and dance number. It has an upbeat and fast-paced tune, fantastic singing from Jerry Orbach and the cast, not to mention its catchy and memorable lyrics. 

'Something There' is a sweet number. It speaks of the growing attraction between Belle and the Beast. Where there was once fear and misunderstanding, there is common ground, common interests, the beginnings of love. This is a song that speaks of the blossoming romance that is in store for the pair. 

The third and perhaps best song, is not just appealing on an auditory level, but a visual one as well. Sung by Angela Lansbury, this is a piece that has all the classic elements of a big romantic song. It speaks of the now there love between the protagonists, and how it started small and grew into something magical. Plus, it was the number that had a full cinematic treatment. Utilizing Pixar's CAPS (Computer Animation Production System), the animated figures of Belle and Beast were superimposed onto the computer generated ballroom which allowed for 'cameras' to dolly around them in 3D space. This provided a beautiful spectacle for audiences that capture the full force of this love story in a single moment. 

The Walt Disney Company and their movies are some of the most universally known and loved. Since Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937, it has been a non-stop ride of magic, songs and fantastic stories. Beauty and the Beast is in many ways one of the crown jewels because of how powerful, memorable and wonderful it is. 

This is why it gave me great pleasure to write about this for my girlfriend, because I know how much she loves this movie and how much it means to her. 

So the next time there is nothing to watch on TV or online, punch up a copy of Beauty and the Beast, sit back and relax as you are made the guests of a story that is romance given animated form. 

The Disaster Artist - The Best Worst Film Ever

"You're really gonna make this thing?" - Greg Sestero

"No, Greg. We are going to do it. Together." - Tommy Wiseau

Tonight, with my girlfriend and a close friends of ours, a hilarious movie. It tells the story of two friends, and their dream to make a movie together. What follows is them producing a film so horrible, it has become famous because of how bad it is. I am speaking of course about The Disaster Artist.

Directed, produced and starring James Franco as Tommy Wiseau, Franco does a hilarious and disturbing job bringing Tommy to life on screen. Looking at clips from Wiseau's film The Room (part of the story of Disaster Artist), it is really quite frightening to see how strongly he emulates the character traits of Wiseau on camera. There are times one forgets that it is James Franco on camera.

Playing Tommy's friend and co-star Greg Sestero is Dave Franco. Greg's character is the straight man of the story. Like Tommy he wants to be a star and make movies. But where Tommy keeps trying to do all sorts of outrageous stuff on set (not knowing how story works or how movie-making happens), Greg is there to try and ground things. Seeing these two brothers working together and feeding off one another's energy is so much fun. They are their best co-stars on camera and it shows through their interactions and playing off one another.

Overall the entire cast does a fabulous job. Seth Rogen, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson, Alison Brie etc. they all help contribute to the story and bring this crazy tale to life. There are even surprise cameo's from other famous faces, so keep those eyes open for them.

Something that made The Disaster Artist such a funny and refreshing piece was that IT'S ALL TRUE. This is based on a story of a movie that was actually made, and is so terrible it has been hailed as "Citizen Kane of bad movies". Because of its historical grounding, one would imagine that such a production means a movie about it would be equally as bad. And yet, as I said this is refreshing because there is such honesty and drive in it. Tommy doesn't let anything stand in the way of his vision becoming reality, not negativity, not anger from his cast/crew. He grabs for the stars and hangs on tight.

If anyone is looking for a movie that is going to bring lots of laughs, this is it. If they are looking for a movie that can inspire them, heck this is that too. Or if they want to see it just because they love James Franco, well then get ready for a whole lot of Franco on camera. Final analysis, a whooping 4 out of 4 stars to this laugh-fest about a movie that may be complete trash, but is still a heck of a story.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - A Confusing Plot

"I know only one truth. It's time for the Jedi... to end." - Luke Skywalker.

Yesterday, for my girlfriends birthday I had the privilege of seeing the latest Star Wars film with her and my family. It was a wonderful and joyous time, getting to celebrate her special day with family. And while The Last Jedi was visually a grand spectacle, in some ways it did things that mucked around with the story and left me wondering "What is going on?".

Before diving into the things that left me wanting, I do want to touch on some of the positive aspects.

Firstly, while Director Rian Johnson did do a lot that had me and no doubt other Star Wars scratching their heads, he did do a lot right. In many ways he honored the overall legacy of the Star Wars franchise through its casting, story (to an extent) and of course with utterly amazing visuals.

This cast was superb. Each time another chapter of Star Wars is released, its cast is always one of the things that helps make the movie great. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran etc. everybody did supreme on camera. Some of the best performances came from cast members sharing scenes with other people, whether it was Mark/Daisy, John/Oscar, Carrie/Oscar etc. Old faces returned, newish faces came back and other new people (like Kelly Marie Tran's character Rose Tico), quickly won their way into audiences hearts. Whatever comes next with the sequel's cast, it will be just as great as this and previous films. 

Visually, as with all other Star Wars movies, The Last Jedi hit the nail on the head. While there is a great deal of visual action that take's place in space, there is other material down on various planets to satisfy audience's appetites. One such example is the final battle on the planet of Crait, because as seen in the trailers, there is great shots of speeders skimming along the surface kicking up red dust clouds. While yes it is the final showdown, there's a lot to be seen and said because of the speeders, the First Order's ground forces and a special surprise for fans as well. 

The biggest issue again is with the story itself. While the plot is solid, there are too many loose threads that don't really tie together. For example, its clear from the get-go that Luke will die/pass on in the movie, like Yoda and Anakin and Obi-Wan before him. With Han Solo already dead in The Force Awakens, how can Disney/Lucasfilm have another of its primary characters die, and leave General Leia alive, when Carrie Fisher is no longer with us? It just doesn't make any amount of sense. 

    

Another plot issue is that of Snoke and Kylo Ren. For those who haven't seen the movie it will become clear what is talked about here. So much about Snoke is unknown aside from his abilities/power with the Force and his clear influence over the First Order. He is clearly meant to be/set up as a sort of second Emperor, but even Emperor Palpatine had a more fleshed out backstory in the prequel trilogy. There are so many questions, like how did Snoke become a power figure? How did he meet/influence Kylo Ren? What is his true ultimate goal for Rey and Ren? None of these get answered or even remotely touched on. 

The Last Jedi was in all honesty, a fun watch. It set out to tell a Star Wars story and it accomplished that. Unfortunately it took a lot of jumps along the way and skipped over things story-wise that make Star Wars movies truly great examples of science-fiction cinema. Therefore, I am awarding The Last Jedi 3 out of 4 stars, mainly for missing the mark on plot. This however should not deter people from seeing this space-opera epic and enjoying themselves. It's Star Wars for gosh sakes, its fun no matter what is liked or disliked about it. So go, enjoy, and may the Force be with you.