Brave

The previews didn't exactly prepare me for every little plot detail, but the overall theme and such was consistent with what I expected. I half expected a type of Black Cauldron tale, but got one more along the lines of The Little Mermaid. (Both Little Mermaid and Brave are tales about crazy gingers.)

This movie was a little frisky at points! And sometimes I was scared, and twice I cried.

It certainly leaves room for a sequel.

It's the kind of movie you want to cuddle up with... like a giant bear, (giant STUFFED bear.) The characters were adorable, and cute, and possessed relatable, squishy flaws, (not like some shows that are so desperate for flawed characters that they'll make every character so vastly flawed that they're downright inwardly-disfigured. Ahem, Downton Abby.)

Princess Merida doesn't want to get married, but her mother the queen wants her to get married, (if she doesn't get married, their country will likely have to go to war.) So Merida storms out into the night searching for an answer to her problems, but what she gets is a bigger problem... a very "bigger" problem.

Overall, it was SO cute, and should have aired in time for Mothers' Day.

Stay for the end.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Easily Kristen Stewart's greatest acting achievement, (which isn't saying much,) Snow White and the Huntsman was interesting, entertaining, and pointless. If we were to determine Snow White the protagonist, we would have to agree that she does not go through a heroes' journey. She doesn't even have a drive until the end. While I "like" the film, it had no substance to it, did not teach me any great value, and did not make any point whatsoever. At one moment I thought they were going for a Christ allegory, but if they were... it was done in a purposeless way. No, this movie's greatest accomplishment was making me afraid of  Charlize Theron.

Perhaps the point of the movie was lost in its absence of character development. There was a little development; I liked the characters, I just didn't know who they were as people. I didn't get to know them.

It was also as if they wanted to stay away from the theme of "true love conquering all." Again, a movie wants to gain a new audience, (males,) so it drives away its core audience, (ladies,) by stripping itself of what made it great in the first place, (ROMANCE!) I'm sorry guys, but if you can't stomach a little romance in an action-pact, Chris Hemsworth movie, then... you're doomed to see a lot of sloppy movies.

Although, it was enjoyable. I might buy it when it comes out, but it'll be one of those DVDs in my case that I own but never watch.

Les Miserables Preview

(Perhaps I should start with a disclaimer: Les Miserables is not only my most favorite musical EVER, but also my favorite novel. I'm quite obsessed with it, actually, but I cannot stand things I love being thrown into the mud. Whether or not that's happening here, perhaps awaits to be seen.)

This preview is a bunch of shots from the movie with Anne Hathaway singing "I Dreamed a Dream" over it. I've never heard this song sung with such little passion... or talent. But the movie itself, from THIS, seems like it might be well done... despite the singing. (Although... that horrible Phantom of the Opera movie's trailer made Phantom look well done too....) To me, it sounds like someone is singing it who doesn't know how to sing, and knows they don't know how to sing: almost as if someone was standing there saying, "No. That's not working. Sing that part again, and don't put any emotion into it. Barely sing at all, practically whisper; try that."

I'm not sure giving us what we're most curious about (Anne Hathaway's singing,) in the first trailer is a good strategy for getting people to see the movie... especially when her singing impresses no one and proves no doubter wrong.

That's what the horrible Phantom movie did right in the trailer. They hid the horrible singing of their stars for as long as possible.

I know a few people will be great in this. I'm sure Helena Bonham Carter will be fantastic; I'm seriously not worried about Hugh Jackman who saved that horrible Oklahoma! he was in.This Young Cosset is adorable, and I was already hardly impressed by the Eponine who's reviving her role from the awful 25th Anniversary edition, so the casting of Eponine only partly alarms me. I'm curious about Russel Crowe's Javert. None of these songs are easily faked, (a rather axiomatic fact, especially after viewing the teaser,) so I'm curious to see how Russel Crowe handles the rather demanding vocal role. I guess we'll just have to see if Hugh Jackman will be called upon again to save another great musical gone wonky.

The problem with this and with Hollywood lately, (Pride and Prejudice, I'm looking at you,) is that in order to accumulate an other-wise uninterested audience, they horrify the original fan-base. If they filled this movie Les Miz with a bunch of no-name actors who could sing, Les Miz fans would go see it, and love it. But they want people who like Anne Hathaway to come see it, and in doing so they're alienating all the musical's fans, (or many of them.) Hollywood needs to knock this off.

Anyway, at least this Les Miz won't have Nick Jonas in it.

The Ado Annie Complex

You know you've got poorly written characters when the "best friend" character's headlining trait is "slut." Sadly, this trait often finds itself attached to the female lead's best girlie friend. I call this the Ado Annie Complex. And it drives me nuts.

Some of these characters include, but are not limited to...

Ado Annie
of Oklahoma!
Although I love that song she sings about it. Funny fact, Oklahoma! was filmed in Arizona... probably because Oklahoma doesn't really exist. That's the only logical explanation I can come up with anyway.


Karen Smith
of Mean Girls
Technically Karen has two personality traits: she's a slut and she's stupid. Also, she's not in the "best friend" role, but she's pretty effing close.

Casey
of 27 Dresses
All this character talks about is getting some. It's too bad she absolutely had nothing else going on for her. Do people know people like this in real life? I have never met someone who was so slutty that it was all they ever talked about.

In fact, we have another Casey from Hitch, who takes her friend's advice about ditching a guy she met in a lingerie department, but only for a little bit. She is, perhaps, not the type of person who talks about sex all the time, but her loose values bring about the climax of the movie. Meanwhile the star of the show abstains the entire time.

Perhaps the best example of this stock character shows up as just about any "best friend" in a horror film. Someone from Halloween, and Tatum from Scream both ended up dead.

To be fair, I'll admit that there are many men who fill the best-friend-slut role, but I can't think of who they are right now.