Category Archives: Romances
Tangled – And Promises
Oh hey – remember that time that I said I was going to post every week? Do you remember that time? That was such a good time, those many months ago when I said that was what I was going to do…
And of course, I never did keep that promise, and of course I didn’t post every week. Terrible of me. And really, judging by the number of movies I see, I SHOULD be posting at least twice a week. I have enough content to post at least twice a week. Therefore, even though I know you won’t believe me
(what good am I at keeping my word?) I promise that I will try to post twice a week, from now on. And if not, I will post at least once a week. Let’s set a day for those once-a-week posts, shall we, to give me some incentive – how about… Wednesdays? Yep, Wednesdays are good! I get home from
school early on Wednesdays, so that should give me plenty of time. Also it gives you a little light entertainment in the middle of the week when you’re the most bored out of your mind.
So there you go. I’ll post at least once a week, on Wednesdays. I give you my word. And if I miss a Wednesday I’ll write two reviews to both be posted on the Thursday as a punishment.
Happy? Good.
Now – Tangled.
I can definitely see Tangled becoming a classic Disney movie along with The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, and the other Disney princess films. It has that effervescent charm and undisputable warmth that is so essential to the name of Walt Disney.
It’s a sweet story based on the classic Rapunzel – but of course, as with every other Disney-fied fairy tale, they have modified it to make it more appealing to little children in general, but particularly little girls who love this kind of stuff. This means cutting the violence (Was there violence in the original Rapunzel? It usually turns out that the original fairy tales are pretty gory. My friends tell me that the dwarves raped Snow White in the original. But who knows, my friends don’t usually tend to be a reliable source of information.) and adding cute animation, pretty girls, and musical numbers.
And I don’t know if it’s the little girl in me talking, rebelling against the fact that I’ve hardly seen any of the classic Disney princess movies apart from the first 20 minutes of The Little Mermaid, but I really, really enjoyed the cutesy, girlish elements of Tangled. The music was catchy, the animations were adorable, and the simple, childish storyline was refreshing in a world like ours, where children seem to grow up far too quickly.
The characters were lovable and I really felt for Rapunzel and Flynn Rider, her love interest. Their relationship was innocent and romantic. And doesn’t every girl dream of spontaneously breaking into song about their true love? Disney manages to constantly present an image of idealistic love in
their films that no person with a soul can dislike. Everybody wants to be loved the way Flynn loves Rapunzel. Fact.
The plotline is simple and predictable, but if anything this adds to the charm. I don’t want to be distracted by an in-depth story when there are pretty colours and music to think about. But this may just be my little girl talking again. The characters were so appealing that I still cared about them even
though I knew what road they were going to follow. The plot didn’t need Inception-esque detail to achieve that.
I liked this movie, my little brother liked it, and I think it really hits the mark for its target audience of young children and families. Families will love this, regardless of age, I think. Because of this and everything else I’m giving Tangled 4/5 stars. Definitely worth buying the DVD – a classic that will sit
on your shelf for many years.
xx
Za
P.S. I’m serious about the Wednesday thing. Just you wait.
Tangled
Tangled is awesome. It has lots of singing, and that’s cool, and I have no idea what to say now.
It’s about Rapunzel. She can sing. She has crazy long blonde hair, and she lives in a tower with her tiny, cute, adorable chameleon called Pascal. Very cute.
All she wants to do is get out of her tower, and see the floating lanterns on her birthday, and makes a deal with Flynn Rider to do that.
You have to see the rest.
It’s very, very sweet, and it is basically Rapunzel, with more back-story and stuff. It’s good, and the music is great, and I really liked it.
I’m giving it a 4.5/5, because I like it, but I don’t exactly love it. But it’s really, really, good.
And I’m bored.
Jo
The Tourist
Herro, again!
Yes, we watched The Tourist, and it is also quite confusing. This one more than Salt, because it keeps you guessing ’til the end. And it’s got JOHNNY DEPP! That is epic.
It was a little disappointing, because I’ve always thought Johnny Depp = Jack Sparrow/other insane characters. In The Tourist, he plays a normal character, but he does it well.
So. Everyone is looking for this guy called Alexander Pearce. Elise Clifton-Ward, played by Angelina Jolie, is Pearce’s lover. Pearce is a man who stole a lot of money, and is wanted by the police and the guy he stole money from. Everyone knows that Pearce would have undergone plastic surgery, and they need Elise to identify him. Under orders from Pearce, she chooses a decoy: Frank Tulepo (JOHNNY DEPP), an American tourist visiting Venice. She puts his life in danger, because the police/guy Pearce stole money from believes that he IS Pearce. They end up falling in love, which is awkward for Elise, because she loves Frank AND the Pearce guy.
Again, a brilliant movie, and even more confusing. Only at the end do you see the truth. Hi.
Another recommendation that you see it. It was action-packed in some places, and in others it moved kinda slowly.
4/5
J0
The Invention of Lying
Rented The Invention of Lying last night and watched it with the family and pizza.
The Invention of Lying revolves around the premise that the lie has not yet been invented. The whole world believes everything everybody says. Nobody even keeps their thoughts to themselves. Fiction does not exist. Advertising is very blatant. People know when they are good-looking, or smart, or strong, or a loser, because people tell them and they know it’s true. Then the main character, Mark, played by Ricky Gervais, finally figures out he can say things that aren’t.
Now, I don’t know that much about Ricky Gervais, but I’ve seen some of The Office and Extras – his stuff is a little too dry for me. It’s funny, but it doesn’t make me laugh out loud. It’s either a bit too dark or a bit too insulting. I loved it when he hosted the Golden Globes, but I wasn’t really expecting to love Lying, seeing as he writes, directs, and stars in it. I’m also not a huge fan of Jennifer Garner’s, who stars alongside Ricky in this, because I don’t think she’s very authentic as an actor. She also has big lips. See?
But unlike Ricky’s other stuff, I settled right into Lying. The first scene, where he goes and picks Jennifer’s character, Anna, up for a date, is absolutely hilarious. As the movie progressed I got more and more comfortable. A lot of the humour is on my level, very much so. Some of my favourite jokes were the atheist-aimed religious ones, but I have more to say on those and I’ll come back to them later. The blatant disregard for people’s feelings that always telling the truth induces is very funny.
It’s very fun that the movie is peppered with famous comedians. They mostly have side-parts. I liked that.
And amazingly Jennifer Garner’s lips didn’t bother me until about three quarters of the way through. She acted well and I enjoyed her performance. Ricky Gervais, too, was great. I have to say it, he’s not an actor. He’s good, but not really up to standard. He is a comedian. That being said, he was authentic and he did make me cry. Though you’re not to mention that to anybody.
I was going to say more before I touched on the downsides of the movie but unfortunately I’m having a bit of writer’s block and it’s hard for me to get my thoughts straight at the moment. So I’ll move on. Downsides.
As I said before, I loved the religious jokes. Ricky is an athiest and likes to hit religion pretty hard. Especially Christianism. A word I am not sure even exists, but there you go. That’s writer’s block for you. I am an agnostic, but as I was explaining to my friends the other day, I have a thing about most forms of Christianity. There, that’s the word I was looking for before!
I’m not going to go into this too deeply, but the sheer narrow-mindedness of a lot of orthodox Christians gets to me. Christianity is beautiful, with inspiring messages and wonderful stories to tell, but the Bible I feel sometimes is… too punishing and too cruel. A lot of the religion is harmed by bits in it, I feel.(Just read this paragraph back to myself – if you are offended, I am really sorry and I won’t mind if you stop reading the blog, but I try not to be too judgemental. If you want to complain or have any problems or questions, email me at kidsgomoo@gmail.com.)
So to me, the religious jokes and put-downs are funny.
But if the movie had been big in America,the Christian capital of the world, Ricky Gervais could have gone down the plughole. Some of the jokes are completely offensive to some religious people, and at the end Mark, the main character, reveals that the “Man in the Sky” does not exist. I’m betting that a lot of the bad reviews for Lying were because of these kinds of jokes.
The only other incriminating factor of the movie is the ending. I won’t ruin the ending, but the final scenes are such a huge anti-climax. Sure, there’s a happy ending, but it’s so… boring. The ending is a let-down. The script is poor. It’s just embarrassing.
But overall, The Invention of Lying is crazily fun. A huge laugh, and definitely worth seeing. 3.5/5.
And sorry about the writer’s block.
xx
Za.
Sex And The City 2
Note: This movie is rated MA 15+
I love going to see chick flicks with my mum, and Sex And The City 2 was no exception. Last night was a girly blast.
Sex And The City is, in case you don’t know (where HAVE you been living?), is a long-running American television series featuring Sarah-Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, a writer and columnist from New York. She and her 3 gal-pals, Charlotte, Samantha and Miranda had many adventures over the show’s 6-year run, mostly sexual and mostly in the city.
The first movie, which I just realised I haven’t reviewed (quite sad) came 4 years after the TV series ended, and was basically leaving the girls’ story at a pretty finite end. Hell, by the end of the movie 3 of the 4 are married, which doesn’t leave much room for another installment, because there can’t be a lot of dramatic sex going on. And then it wouldn’t be Sex and the City, it would just be… The City. But then, 2 years after the first movie, this one came out. Basically, each of the girls are having problems in their lives, so they come up with a solution! Abu Dhabi! They trot halfway across the globe, hoping to put some space between them and their issues. So not only does there end up being little sex, there is little city. Still, they manage to hold together some sort of plot as the friends enjoy cocktails and basic SATC situations, including insulting and making fun of Middle-Easterns, and of course, ridiculous outfits.
This movie can be construed as silly and offensive, very American and too over-the-top. Lots of critics have dismissed it because of these things.
But in true Kids Go Moo spirit I am going to rebel against the conservative critics. My opinion is that this movie, because of its silliness, is fun. It is basically continuing our relationship with the girls we have come to know and love, and ending it on a happy note. If this is to be the last we hear of the SATC girls (incidentally there’s a rumour there may be a 3rd film), why not leave them with a bang? The story is not supposed to be sensible and of high quality, it’s there to give the viewer a laugh, and that is exactly what it does.
As for offensive, my mum put this pretty well – it’s only offensive if you go in to be offended. If you are expecting the movie to be awful and insulting and sexually extravagant then that is what you will get. If you go in expecting to be amused and have a good time, that is what you will get. It’s only easy to see the failings of the movie if you’re uptight about it.
Over-the-top? If the critics had any idea what SATC is about, there is no way you can call SATC2 over-the-top. Everything about the series is over-the-top. There is one scene where Carrie goes to a souq (Middle-Eastern market) dressed in a full purple evening skirt and a ripped old t-shirt. It’s all decadence. It’s pure gold. It’s SATC tradition.
However I can not save this movie from Americanism. An amendment to my previous point – sometimes the scenes in Abu Dhabi are too insulting. Samantha in particular appears to have no idea how to control herself in the Middle East. I have been to Egypt, and if you did half the things Samantha was doing, you would probably be killed. No joke. The characters seem to hold themselves above the people in Abu Dhabi in true upper-class-American style. Also my pet peeve about the movie is Miranda pronounces “shukran” (thank-you in Arabic) completely wrong.
So, final thoughts: Sex And The City 2 is fun. Silly, over-the-top, offensive, American, and fun. It’s a great night out with the girls, but only if you’re over 15 or you have a parent. 3/5.
Speaking of parents, here’s a NOTE TO PARENTS: There are 2 quite graphic sex scenes in SATC2, so think about it before letting your younger-than-15 daughter gallop off and see it. Maybe watch a few episodes of the TV show at home with her or something beforehand.
Adios!
xx
Za
Chocolat
Note: This movie is rated MA 15+
First of all, I’d like to point out that Chocolat has Johnny Depp in it.
Johnny Depp! Eeeee!
It may just be me, but I think Mr Depp, especially when he was younger than he is today, is ve-e-r-r-y attractive.
Oh Johnny. You are wonderful. People, not only is this man a very pretty boy, he is a fantastic actor. But let’s get back to the bit about him being a pretty boy.
I watched this with my Stepmum, and there’s this one bit where Johnny is obviously looking at the female lead’s bum, and he says, “I’ll come over and fix that squeak in your door sometime,” which is an obvious innuendo (kids, ask your parents). And I went, “Oooo, they’re going to get it awn!!! And I don’t think she minds!” and my Stepmum said, “Who would mind?”
See? He works for every generation.
Now, down to the movie itself. Johnny’s performance was wonderful. He’s very nice-looking.
Sorry, I’m getting side-tracked. Talk about the movie, Za.
Chocolat is a movie about knowing yourself and having peace with other people. A chocolatier, Vianne, and her daughter come to a conservative French village, and they have a hard time because most people dislike them for their difference. Then Vianne meets Roux (Johnny), a ‘river-rat’, and they become great friends. There are really entertaining back-stories and characters in Chocolat that I really liked. And it has a happy ending. Which is nice.
Juliette Binoche is a wonderful actress. She’s a bright spark in this movie. She really brings her character, Vianne, the light that she needs to survive her rough life her new village.
But the best thing about Chocolat (besides Johnny, of course)? The chocolate. Mmm-mmm. Yum. It made me want to eat chocolate. So I did. Kit-Kats. Good stuff.
I can’t give it a 5, because it just wasn’t that engaging (too dreamy), but it definitely deserves a 4. 4/5.
xx
Za
The Phantom of the Opera
First time posting. I tried to review 2012 and Double Jeopardy, and I forgot.
Anyway, I saw Phantom of the Opera and I thought it was ridiculously epic. It’s full of dramatic, romantic, awesome music, and the plot is, well, awesome.
It’s about a kind of love triangle between Christine, a young soprano taught by the “Angel of Music”, the Phantom, a deformed genius who lives in the caves beneath the Opera where Christine sings, and Raoul, Christine’s childhood sweetheart. a huge mess.
Fave character: Meg Giry, daughter of Madame Giry who rescued the Phantom as a boy.
Fave scene: In the beginning, and the chandelier is being drawn up, and as it goes, the light shines and creates colour. Very epic. Look it up of Youtube: Phantom of the Opera 2004 part 1.
Or the scene where the Prima Donna, Carlotta, decides to leave, and the two new managers say, “What should we do?”
“Grovel.”
Fave baddie: The Phantom, because he’s cool and a good singer, but he turns out a little psycho at the end.
Fave machine: The chandelier?
Fave explosion: Where the chandelier is crashing down onto the audience, and it sets the whole place on fire.
I love this movie, and it’s my new obssession. It’s a fantastic movie, the 2004 version, and its’ got great music and singing and effects. I swear.
4.9/5, because Christine is a bit stupid sometimes. But I still love it.
Jo
Valentine’s Day
Me and my mum had a girly night out and went to see Valentine’s Day yesterday.
This movie is about lots of different couples and people and their stories about love on Valentine’s day, and they’re all inter-connected. Familiar? Yes!!! LOVE ACTUALLY!!!
Basically, on principle I say any movie that copies Love Actually‘s plot or storyline or characters or ANYTHING is sacriligious. Absolutely wrong. Thou shalt not steal. ESPECIALLY from the greatest movie ever made.
However, this movie kind of made it. I thought it was really nice and sweet and cute. I loved the characters and the way everything was intertwined. And me and my mum both agree that on an entertainment level it’s about 4/5, but on a critical level it’s about a 3. No matter which way you look at it it was not as slick as Love Actually, and it was really a copy movie. Not in a bad way, but definitely a copy movie.
So I have to average it out to 3.5/5. Fun, but not funtastic.
And Ashton Kutcher’s performance? Wonderful.
xx
Za
Bend it Like Beckham
My mum says Bend it Like Beckham is Keira Knightley’s best movie, and I would probably agree. I mean, I really like Keira, but she does do some pretty neutral stuff, like Pride and Prejudice, and Love Actually, where she plays an average newlywed girl. I mean, they’re both great movies, but this is the first movie I’ve seen where she really plays it up. It’s also her first movie!
Bend it Like Beckham is feel-good, lovely, and hilarious. It’s about a young Indian girl, Jess, whose parents won’t let her play soccer (football). But luckily, Jess has some friends who are willing to vouch for and support her, Jules, her soccer team-mate who wants to play professionally in America, and Joe, their coach. Unfortunately there are one or two hiccups that almost prevent Jess and Jules achieving their dreams together, such as their mutual crush on Joe, the fact Jules’s mother thinks Jules and Jess are in love with each-other, and Jess’s father’s revelation that the reason he won’t let her play sport is because he doesn’t want her hopes dashed like his.
And I swear, if there is a funnier character than Jules’s mum somewhere on this Earth, I will die of shock. She is ultra-girly and extremely naive and prejudiced. There’s a part where she yells at Jess and her “lesbian feet”, and then later says she has nothing against gays. She’s fantastic.
Trailer!
3.5/5. Pretty excellent.
xx
Za.
