A Second Thought on the 'Beauty and the Beast' Remake

I know my initial reaction to Beauty and the Beast was salty (or it comes off as salty, I don’t HATE it fcol). But I had a notion recently that made me think better of it.

The moments in the film that focus on the enchanted Objects focus on their relationships, specifically their romantic ones. We’ve got Lumiere and Plumette, Pianoforte and Garderobe. Some of our cast have absent partners, as in the case of Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth (although Cogsworth’s is...clingy). But the point is, the curse to some extent separated these people from those they loved.  To break the curse, the Beast needs someone to fall in love with him for his inner goodness, as well as have their love in return.

Love is what makes us human. (The Verge)

Love is what makes people, well, human. Hence Gaston is the real monster because he only loves himself, and hence the longer that the Beast is unable to find love, the less human his subjects are.  Romantic love completes us.  For the foil, Gaston wants to marry Belle to satisfy his own vanity, when he does not understand at all who she really is, and she knows perfectly well that he is the kind of man that could never make her happy.

I don’t see how the film connected that to the curse that fell on the Prince for being uncharitable (although at the ball he was hosting he was either looking for a bride or a bedmate). But the theme is there, and it’s better developed than I thought it was.

Beauty and the Beast will be out on Blu-ray in less than a month from now. Chances are, I will be a lot less critical on the second viewing.

Read More: My friend Ibbet thinks Gaston is one of the best things about the remake

Le Fou and the Beast

Some More Awesome Cosplay from FanX 2017

I have already written up about FanX 2017 for The Geeky Mormon, but I feel the need to go back and share more of the cool photos I got at con of all the cosplayers, characters, and creatures I met.

For instance, this adorable Jawa.

Agent 13 got to meet a lot of her fellow Marvel heroes, including Iron Patriot

Jyn Erso ran into a couple of very bizarre-looking and bizarre sounding aliens.

Serious props to this girl for portraying Shmi Skywalker. She is such an undervalued character.

Not to be outdone, here is Padme rocking her baby bump.

Padme's burial gown--I told this girl that this was one of the most beautiful cosplays I saw the whole con. 

I'd like you to meet my Sithsters Brittany and Melanie

Victor Sine and Marial Clark as the Green Lanterns

Sharon made it a point to say hi Cap--including my friend Ryan Stevens

She is a Wasp. Best beware her sting.

Princess Leia and a Jedi bodyguard

The Dark Side of the Force was strong at this convention

I'm not much of a Star Trek fan, but I know enough about the fandom to respect it--and enough to pull over Riker and Troy for a photo. 

Anastaisa!!!!!!!!!!

Odin and Thor of Asgard. This father and son duo placed in the cosplay contest.

My friend Benji as Fred from Big Hero 6, who couldn't help posing for a bueno photo with Deadpool

I also haven't actually had the chance to sit down and watch Doctor Who, but I respect the fandom. A lot. And this duo as Twelve and a Weeping Angel were spectacular.

I asked the Doctor if I could get a photo with him. If Sharon Carter is up to anything after Civil War, why not having adventures in space and time?

 

Another VERY beautiful cosplay--Arwen from The Lord of the Rings

 

I found this Gandalf tramping around not far away from Arwen.

I saw several Moana cosplays at FanX, but this one was by far my favorite. Because Heihei.

My friend Stephan Watson as a Stormtrooper

A Hawkgirl with a very breathtaking wingspan

And last but definitely not least, Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda

The Lizy Reviews: Beauty and the Beast 2017

Moviefone

I’m not going to sugarcoat it. This movie had so much potential. And it didn’t even come close.

I had my doubts from the beginning. But I chose to hope for the best because the Cinderella reboot and Maleficent were both beyond amazing. Now, bear in mind, it’s no use comparing anything to the masterpiece that was Cinderella directed by SIR KENNETH BRANAGH. But here’s what Maleficent and Cinderella did that Beauty and the Beast didn’t do: they took two already great Disney animated classics and did not merely re-tell the original story but gave us two new breathtaking adventures.

Beauty and the Beast, on the other hand, did not do enough to tell an original story. In parts it was directly pulling from the original cartoon and just embellishing. Like they literally took parts from the cartoon and said, “hm, I wonder how we could do this in live-action with crazy special effects?” It didn’t do enough to make it feel like a good enough film on its own merits. There were definitely parts/scenes/elements that showed that they were trying, but those few elements were not sufficient.

This film also has a lack of thematic cohesion. What I mean by that is, I try to get my head around how the different parts of the plot and the themes tie together, and I can’t get them to connect. There isn’t really a running theme like “True Love” or “Courage and Kindness.” We get several different themes, like Belle having to resist conforming to the village, or Beauty is found within, or the objects trying to hold on to their humanity. But, at least from this first viewing, there isn’t anything that really ties those themes together. In some scenes, I feel like there was material cut out that would have helped the story to flow better.

Disclaimer: I am extremely salty/critical about movies on the first viewing. There were things I definitely liked about this film, but at the same time things I felt were too directly tied to the original movie and things that I didn’t think were executed that well.

Some Brief Character Analysis

Gaston and LaFou: Does Gaston own the tavern? It would make sense in this version. Why do you think it’s decorated with all of his hunting trophies? Why is he so popular with the townspeople? He’s not just there for his good looks. He’s there because he runs an important local institution. He’s their entertainer.

Teen.com

The film does try to give him a little bit of backstory, he fought in a war, he’s a womanizer. But he’s not different from the cartoon version in any way that’s compelling.

I thought Josh Gad’s LaFou was more sympathetic than the cartoon version. He had a little more depth and he definitely had development. He tries hard to help Gaston be happy and we are understandably frustrated when Gaston ignores him.

The Beast: I actually like him better than the cartoon version. I think the filmmakers may have rushed his development too quickly, like they didn’t show how much Belle changed him or made him a better person. He’s not vain and arrogant like he was as a Prince, and he doesn’t really throw huge temper tantrums, and he's not even bitter about everything like the animated version is. He definitely has some dress sense and he’s sober and scholarly, so I can see why he's likeable. I think the backstory they did give him was a good start but not enough. They don’t do enough to connect him with the Prince he was before, which would have been a nice change. I also thought the song “Evermore” was kind of emo. What the live-action version here doesn’t do as well as the cartoon is show the beast’s feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing. But it’s cool to watch how he warms up as he falls in love with Belle.

HelloGiggles

Small thing I noticed: he likes Shakespeare but not Romeo and Juliet--I think that’s a great touch. Romeo and Juliet is kind of an overrated play, but that’s another issue in itself. The writers reference Romeo and Juliet because 1) everyone knows it and 2) it’s a “love” story, so it would show just how “bitter” the Beast is about finding love, but that is the only instance of the Beast really expressing how the curse has affected his view of life. Yes, this story is set in France, but I think there’s reason to believe that A) enough educated people know how to read English or B) they have access to good French translations of Shakespeare.

I liked the scene where the objects get him ready for the dance with Belle. They put him in the same wig and makeup that he wore as a prince, and it looks hideous. But the Beast just grins at his reflection in the mirror and it’s hilarious. I think that moment kind of shows that he’s moved on from being a party boy. I mean, this was their first party since the night they were all cursed, so it’s kind of a big deal. But the Beast wants to do things differently.

Belle: Honestly, at first it’s really hard to not think of Emma Watson’s Belle as Hermione. But after a while I get used to it. We get a little bit of development for her character but not a lot, not enough for me to empathize with her. There is a better sense of how she is different from the people in the village and why they don’t like her. On the other hand, Belle kind of acts like she’s better than everybody else--she is, but she’s kind of a snob. I kind of miss the animated Belle’s playful exasperation. The fact that the Beast in this version is educated makes their romance look of inevitable--he’s the only other intellectual she can talk to.

Sometimes I liked her singing voice, and sometimes I didn’t. It was either a disaster or a revelation. There wasn’t really an in-between. It was like she was just singing to be heard but not really performing.

E! Online

I’m not really a huge fan of the dress. It is beautiful, but I was expecting something more 18th-century to fit with the rest of the film. But maybe the dress we get is supposed to be simpler on purpose. We know that Beast is trying to get away from that style himself. And we know from a scene that I actually wanted to see more of that Madame Garderobe put it together with magic. It just doesn't really fit with what they're creating.

With Belle’s other outfits, I didn’t really like how they were mostly the same. And I don’t really like

the patterned bodice and layered skirt style--it is a little too detailed with everything else going on in this film. I get the feeling she sews the pieces herself.

One thing that I think this live-action remake actually did better than the original was the library scene. It was more realistic in size and also in how the Beast doesn’t show it to her to give her a “present” but as something to demonstrate their common interest in learning. And I think it drove home a part of Belle’s character. In the village, she was borrowing books from the village priest, and he had only like half a shelf of books that she would just borrow to reread over and over again. When Beast shows Belle his library, she starts CRYING because she now has access to all the books she could possibly want.

The Objects: Ewan McGregor’s performance as Lumiere was the single best thing about this movie. He is awesome. He takes initiative. He is upbeat and outgoing. He is the new “you can do it!” meme. I’d really love to see him do the “JUST DO IT” speech. That would be so motivating. And he’s so sweet with Plumette.

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Cogsworth is actually a lot less salty than his cartoon counterpart. And he and Lumiere are a lot less savage to each other. That’s kind of a nice difference.

I feel like Mrs. Potts was trying too hard to be a British nanny: her accent was overdone. But I actually liked Chip better than I thought I would. I liked how his dad was still in the village the entire time and he just had amnesia like everyone else. And while we’re on the subject, I think the amnesia was a great touch to the curse.

And also, “I AM NOT HIS GRANDMOTHER!”

Audra McDonald has an amazing singing voice and she was woefully underused both as a character and a singer.

More of this, please!
(BuzzFeed)

Overall, I think it was a good thing that they filmmakers decided to focus more on the objects and tell their stories. The filmmakers did well to show their relationships with Belle and the Beast. But I did not like the scene where the petal fell and they all complained about being less human. That time could have been better spent showing something meaningful about them rather than merely entertaining the audience. It was saddening to watch them all “die” at the end but was that really necessary? Because it didn’t really fit the rest of the story.

And yet, the opening narration makes the point that the Prince loved to fill his castle with beautiful objects and beautiful people. The curse turned the people who cared about him into objects that gradually became soulless. Material possessions are soulless. There’s kind of a poetic justice to that. But this arc was neither fully carried out nor tied in with the other themes in the story (well, except maybe Beauty is found within, but that feels like a stretch). And I loved seeing them all become human again. I like that that was elaborated. And then seeing their Master again when he’s human. That was a great scene.

Other: Maurice is probably the most different from his animated version. I don’t like how they changed his reaction to the enchanted objects. What I do like, though, is that he grew a freaking spine. He stood up to Gaston, and his conflict with Gaston drove the plot forward and it was amazing. I love his relationship with Belle and that we finally got a backstory for Belle’s mom.

Entertainment Weekly

The character that I definitely feel was underdone was the Enchantress. The opening scene, I think that part should have been dramatized instead of re-told. That was lame. But I like how (spoiler alert) she’s the village beggar that nobody likes, and a spinster, and Gaston warns Belle that that’s how she’ll turn out. And she totally stirs the pot by rescuing Maurice.

What was she thinking by cursing the Prince in the first place? Did she have some kind of foresight to know that she was setting events in motion to purge the village of idiocy? And why did she just stand there in the background when the Beast changed back? They could have done so much more with her character arc. Disney really wasted a big opportunity.

Music and Miscellany

I sort of like the new songs “How Does a Moment Last Forever” and “Days in the Sun.” “Be Our Guest” was a well-done sequence. But there was a part where the CGI fireworks fade away and it’s just Belle eating some chicken with Lumiere and Cogsworth for company. I never realized this before but “Be Our Guest” isn’t just a big musical number, it’s Belle eating dinner and the objects getting to know her. And while “Be Our Guest” was performed wonderfully in the film, it would have been more original to see Belle just eating a normal dinner and talking to the objects.It’s not the same, I know, but there are ways to make it interesting and fun without doing the exact same thing as the cartoon. Ewan McGregor still does a great job singing it. Maybe put it in the credits or something?

Honestly the songs don’t fit in very well with the film overall. They’re still great performances, but they took away opportunities for Disney to tell a more meaningful story. The soundtrack is fun, I'll admit to listening to it. But on a certain level I can't help being offended that Disney tried to re-create something that was ALREADY so amazing and the rest of the movie didn't meet my expectations.

Well, maybe I can help it, actually.

But talk to me about the ending scene, however: I love the dancing, I love the music, I LOVE BELLE’S WEDDING DRESS, I love how it contrasts with the ball we saw at the opening, I love everything about it...except the Prince trying to tease Belle with a creepy beast growl.

The verdict: Beauty and the Beast is still Beauty and the Beast. If we were looking for Disney to do something new and spectacular, then this was a disappointment--which is a shame, because Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney movie period. I still walked away liking this film because it's more Beauty and the Beast--more of the same.

Radical idea: maybe Disney should consider NOT remaking its animated classics. I know people only buy what they know, but is a little more originality too much to ask for?

The Lizy Reviews: Moana (With In-depth discussion)

Disney’s recent princess movies have a habit of coming out when I need them to. Tangled was a capstone for a period in my life when I’d had a change in perspective and understanding, and it encouraged me to follow the dreams I was starting to discover. Frozen happened when I had put my first really bad battle with depression behind me. It reminded me that my Autism and my obsessive side were gifts as much as they were a curse, and that the best way to bridle them was with love.

Now here we are. It’s 2017. Moana is officially the last movie I will ever see in the Provo Dollar Theater before it goes the way of all the earth. And it comes at a time in my life when I’m torn between what’s expected of me by other people and what I want for myself. Moana navigates her internal conflict to find a way to save her island from an ancient curse.

Disney UK

This review will be full of spoilers, so you know the drill.

First Reactions

I cried when Grandma Tala died. Literally. Granted, I was having a stressful day. So at that particular scene I let it out.

I was hesitant about Moana because I know Disney is trying to be politically correct and do the whole diversity thing in their movies. But I kept hearing lots of good stuff about this movie. Turns out, I’ve forgotten how much I actually like Polynesian culture.

Giphy

If you want to be too hard on this movie, you can look at Moana as just Tangled or Frozen rehashed in Polynesia. The girl has an obligation to society but she wants to follow her dream, and she overcomes get things the way she wants. Moana acts like a typical spunky Princess, almost kind of like Rapunzel. Her affinity for boats also gives me a bit of a Pocahontas vibe, too. But Moana breaks the mold in several ways--including, most notably, a lack of a romance or marriage plot. And it’s actually refreshing. The film just focuses on the adventure. Moana is already an empowered female character, and she has lots of physical agility and a thorough education. The only thing she doesn’t have going for her: no one is allowed to leave their small island. And she wants to go. Badly.

We never get the full story of how/why Maui stole the Heart of Te’Fiti. He probably just wanted its power like all the other baddies in the movie. But Maui is a fun character. Especially when he has a shark head. Shark-head Maui is the best Maui!

Giphy

My favorite thing about the movie? The music. Oooooh, the music! When I heard Lin-Manuel Miranda singing “We Know the Way,” I knew it was real.

Moana is definitely a family-friendly film. There are some scary moments when Moana and Maui take on the lava monster, and some rude humor to watch for. But it's very clean and uplifting.

Overall, I like Moana even better than Frozen. This is the Disney movie I’ve been waiting for.

Gender Roles: Moana versus Maui

One of my small concerns/critiques about this film is how it portrays and projects gender roles in the contrast of Moana and Maui.

The island society that Moana comes from is fairly egalitarian. The men and women of the island may have separate roles but they aren’t discussed and it doesn’t make them better than the other.  Moana is next in line to become chief after her father. She is never picked on or demeaned or told to do something because she is a woman. Maui calls her a princess but that’s about it. As far as gender roles, this is about as level a playing field as we’ve ever gotten for a Disney film.

Pinterest

Enter Maui. The story revolves around fixing a mistake that Maui made, and at the outset Moana expects him to do it himself. However, he ends up backing out of the venture and Moana has to save the day. Maui is also a more comical character than Moana. His physical strength, magic powers, and knowledge of wayfinding and lore are important to the story. However, he is a trickster responsible for the calamity in the first place and a shape shifter. He’s a braggart. The audience is not supposed to respect Maui or idolize him as much as Moana--even though Moana is being pedestalized for reasons that don’t embody traditional femininity.

Here’s the thing: you can’t jump to the conclusion that just because Moana is the hero that all men are jerks or that women don’t need men to save the world. Because Maui came back to help her and it took both of them to deal with Ta’ka. Yes, selfishness of the Maui variety is an actual problem. Yes, people need to put that selfishness aside to help each other. It is a message that transcends gender or gender roles.

But there is something to be said about the fact that male Disney characters keep being maligned as unfaithful and narcissistic. Most Disney heroes and princes--most of them, NOT all--are either underdeveloped or emasculated in some way. Maui is no exception. He’s a rounded character but not really a traditional hero with a moral compass. He has super-strength but he can’t really do anything without his magic fishhook, and he needs Moana’s help to get the fishhook back, but this also supports the point that he and Moana can’t accomplish anything without help from the other. Maui’s masculinity is a caricature. Moana isn’t a perfect person, either, but it’s not as easy to see her flaws. Moana and Maui are great characters, but is it possible to create a strong female character without marginalizing the male in some way?

Ta’feti/Ta’ka was definitely female but other than that had no real personality beyond her fire duality. She was a goddess and characterized as one. She doesn’t really behave as a person. So Disney hasn’t had a good female villain since Mother Gothel. But Ta’feti/Ta’ka isn’t really a villain. She simply IS.

Beautiful fan art (Pinterest)

Forgot to mention: the ocean. It's definitely gender-fluid in every sense of the term. Maybe based on its relationship with Moana it's a little feminine. The ocean is never really explained except for the fact that it "chose" Moana. But I wonder why they needed to make the ocean crest into a hump whenever it wanted to interact with Moana? Other than to make it distinguishable. There are plenty of things they could have done. Just a small nitpick.

As far as gender, I don’t think this movie is saying anything radical. That can be a good thing. To a point, gender is not as irrelevant to the subliminal message as you think. But the film is careful to tie Moana back to her people and her family. I'm not saying I have a huge problem with this. It's just something I wanted to point out.

The Music

The music of Moana is a voyage in itself. Lin-Manuel Miranada, we already know, came into the spotlight as the composer for the Broadway musical Hamilton. One of the peculiarities of Hamilton is the way that different lyrics and meloides are attached to certain characters and then repeated in different songs to tie the show together. We see the same technique at work in Moana. Grandma Tala’s line “who you are” first appears in “Where We Are.” Then it gets repeated in “I Am Moana” and “Know Who You Really Are,” and it even gets referenced by the crab Tamatoa in “Shiny.” “I am Moana” is probably the best song in the whole movie because it blends together the themes from “Where We Are,” “How Far I’ll Go” and “We Know the Way.” With the slant rhymes, the rhythm of the words, the visual imagery in Shiny and the rap in “You’re Welcome,” we know that we’re dealing with a master hip-hop artist here. However, Miranda is also a master at more traditional Disney melodies. “How Far I’ll Go” and “We Know the Way” are my two new favorite songs. "Shiny" is the best Disney Villain song since freaking "Mother Knows Best," and it has a vibe similar to "Friends on the Other Side" and "Friend Like Me." Also, may I mention that unlike Frozen and Tangled, we get a reprise of "We Know the Way" at the very end of the movie. Major points.

The Mythology of Moana

Moana does not recreate Polynesian mythology straight from the myths, but it is more accurate to its source material in the details than Hercules or Pocahontas--not that those were bad movies; Moana is just better.

This is what the big picture looks like in Moana’s world. Creation is either the result of divine benevolence (Ta’Feti) or accident (Maui).  Other miscellaneous beings--Ta’ka, the Kakamora, and the sea monsters--don’t have any real relationship to humans to benefit or harm them intentionally, but if you bother them they will bother you back. If you have something they want, though, good luck.

Business Insider

The humans in this story stay on the island away from other creatures (the island is a “safe” zone”), find purpose and order in their lives in carrying on their traditions, living their lives, and staying in boundaries. It is when they have been on the island too long without leaving or changing that Ta’ka’s curse begins to sap away at the life of the island. The island peoples have to expand in order to survive but Moana and Granma Tala are the only ones on their island who recognizes this. The only world that anyone knows is the island and everything else is legends.

Giphy

The voyaging ancestors of Moana’s people found purpose in exploring a bigger world, in expanding their domains and being connected to different islands. They did not limit their resources to a single island which is a lot more practical in an economic sense as well as a spiritual one, and Moana’s story illustrates both of these aspects.

To conventional audiences, Maui can come across as a jerk. And he is. Because he is a trickster. Everything he does, including acts that result in creation, are for kicks (“that was just Maui messin’ around). He isn’t necessarily good or bad. He’s just self-motivated (although the mini-me in his tattoos lends a human touch by acting as his conscience). He is a shape-shifter. His identity is fluid, so while it can benefit him to change his shape, you also can’t trust him because you don’t know who he really is.

What Is the Message?

Who am I? That is a question I have been asking myself a lot lately. Am I supposed to be a responsible adult? CAN I do the things I’m supposed to to take care of myself? Is being a geek and a writer and a dreamer something I can do on the side, or is it going to keep me from being who I’m supposed to be?

Moana spends the film asking herself the same questions. And like her, I am drawn to the horizon of what I it is possible for me to do with my talents. If I can do everything in my power to achieve my goals, who knows what I can create? Who knows where I can go, what I can do, who I can meet, who I can be? That’s the tantalizing question.

Moana is about finding out who you really are. And not just for the heroine. Is the dumb chicken just a dumb chicken? Can Maui be Maui without his fishhook? And does Ta’feti, the benevolent creator, need to be Ta’ka, the fuming destroyer, just because her Heart was wrongfully taken from her?

“I am Moana,” sung by Grandma Tala’s spirit and by Moana after Maui ditches her on the high seas, is the most powerful moment in the film. It is okay if you have to give up. It’s okay if you fail, says Grandma. I will be with you. What matters is who you’ve become because of what you’ve experienced. What matters is that you ARE capable. And what matters, Moana decides, is that she CAN finish the mission herself.

nicktheilart.deviantart, via Pinterest

The nice thing about Art, including animated films, is that you can interpret it however you want, and there is not a 100% correct answer to what a piece of art is absolutely about.

It can look like, to some people, that the message of Moana is to go and do whatever you want with your life and don’t worry about your family obligations or their values etc. And that is a valid interpretation. But here is my perspective as a person of faith: sometimes doing the thing, including doing the morally RIGHT THING, can mean going outside of the boundaries that other people set. Or even boundaries you set yourself.

Now, forbidding people to leave the island was kind of a stupid idea in the first place. And Moana didn’t leave just to follow her dream of sailing the seas: she did it to save her people. The fact that voyaging was her dream gave her the courage to pursue that option. Her people’s food supplies were threatened. It was a matter of life and death. If they didn’t change their fishing grounds or make contact with other islands to trade for food, they were going to DIE (talk about your cheese getting moved). Moana had the courage to voice a different idea. She had the courage to take action and do something that would solve the problem. But doing that required her to be different. She spent her life doing everything in her power to fit in and be a good girl but in the end she had to be an agent of change.

I had a thought during my church services last week. You don’t have to conform to what the world thinks you should do. Strength comes not from giving in to your carnal desires or doing whatever you want. Nor does it come from listening to people who say that doing so is the secret to happiness. Strength comes from doing what you believe in.

Pinterest

Sometimes having standards is what makes you different rather than what makes you a sheep. Sometimes the way you interpret your standards or work within the boundaries is going to come across to some people as going outside an accepted limit. Sometimes, events beyond our control make us different from the crowd and you get labeled for it. Sometimes you don’t reflect the image of what other people think an ideal person should be--the truth is, you never do. Sometimes what you believe in your heart isn’t going to be the same as the way everybody else thinks even if you identify with that group.

Moana is a film that speaks to everybody. Because it is a film about being different. Because it is going beyond the accepted limits that carries you to fulfilling your destiny. And sometimes your destiny can be doing more than even you dreamed.