Frozen 2 (2019) film review

Year: 2019
Running Time: 103 minutes
Directors: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Writers: Marc Smith, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (story), and Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee (screenplay)
Cast: (voice) Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Sterling K. Brown, Evan Rachel Wood, Alfred Molina, Martha Plimpton

Frozen 2 is now showing in the United States and opens in Australia on November 28, 2019. 

Frozen 2 is not only an absolute delight with it's charm and stunning animation, but it unexpectedly debunks the "happily ever after" myth that Disney themselves so actively promoted with their earlier films. Rather than following the usual formula of such a sequel, Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee's follow up to their 2013 phenomenon is a coming of age story that tackles the inner-turmoils many of us feel when wrestling with change, trusting ourselves and finding the strength to keep going in the darkest of times.

The wonderful thing about Frozen 2 is that despite it's inherent fairy-tale nature, it is far more relatable, passionate and inspirational than anyone would have ever thought possible. Anna and Elsa, voiced once again by Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel, are two of the most popular, if not the most popular Disney princesses with little girls of this generation and with good reason. They are of course marketable, especially Elsa with luscious locks and her gorgeous and regal dresses, but the girls and their feelings are also very real and their issues incredibly human..

It is common protocol for fairy-tales to end on the high note of "and they lived happily ever after", which is always a comforting and reassuring notion that this may be possible for you if it was for Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Ariel and many others. However, it is also common knowledge that "happily ever after" is an unrealistic concept that once tainted our little minds. Reality is filled with ups and downs, left and rights that contort the original pathway that we set for ourselves. If Frozen gave us a "happily ever after", Frozen 2 gifts us with the very real notion that nothing is ever perfect forever and we must courageously embrace and accept change.

One of the first musical numbers in Frozen 2, "Some Things Never Change" (sung by Kristen Bell's Princess Anna) is an indication of the direction the film will head as it is very tongue-in-cheek, much the same as "Love is an Open Door" was in the 2013 film. Both the princesses in the film are victims of the system and are unknowingly so. The two spend a great deal of time doing what they believe is right, but not what they believe is true in their hearts. While this may seem like a basic formula for a family film and something that a Disney film would have traditionally dealt with as lightly as possible, there are some very deep thoughts and ideas presented that are as important for children as for adults.

Despite Elsa saving the day and regaining her seat as Queen of Arendelle, she still feels as though she does not belong and is searching for someone or something that will give her all the answers. Now, low self esteem is not something that Disney generally deals with, but that is exactly what is happening here. In the first Frozen, we witnessed Elsa as a young girl being hidden away from the world by her parents because she has been told that she is different and dangerous. She is finally brought into the eye of the world and saves the kingdom and her sister, but in only a fairy-tale would that be the end of Elsa feeling like an outsider or like there is something wrong with her.

Of course, she would have recurring feelings of not fitting in or feeling like she is doing something wrong.  Thankfully, the sequel arrived to correct this wrong as it is damaging (and unfortunately, very common) to believe that one event will cure all your destructive inner dialogue. We all know Elsa is amazing, and even Anna says to her "I wish you could see yourself the way I see you", but she continues on her dangerous quest to find out who she really is despite Anna being against this as it would mean change.

Change is a thing that many people are frightened of, and will often go to great lengths to avoid. Although Elsa knows within herself something must change in order for her to find peace within herself, Anna is terrified of change as she is worried she will lose her sister again. Both Anna and Elsa were forced into change when their parents died and their loss and grief is looked at more in this film than in the first. Anna speaks for the first time to Mattias (Stirling K. Brown) about her dark days and ponders how you keep going in those times, which is something we all feel at one time or another. His response is perfect, "You just put one foot in front of the other".

In earlier Disney films and even in Frozen itself, these issues are avoided where "happy ever after" is concerned. However, it is a wonderful thing that Frozen 2 breaks down this myth and reminds both children and adults alike that your "ever after" requires change, resilience and acceptance to be happy and that things will never be smooth sailing.

Another thing that Frozen 2 does to avoid the usual sequel formula, is that it doesn't take the things that worked in the original film and exhaust their appeal. There are several similarities between the first film and the second, such as another big theme song as sung by Idina Menzel in "Into The Unknown" and the sparkly and incredibly stunning visuals of the mountains and forest. Olaf (as voiced by Josh Gad) was an absolute winner with audiences the first time round, and he returns and brings the biggest laughs of the film. It would have been so easy to have overdone his character this time around (eg. the Minions after their success in the first Despicable Me), but his screen time is not overdone in the slightest. Another character who really has his moment in Frozen 2 is Jonathan Groff's Kristoff. Kristoff was the good guy in Frozen, but his character and his love for Anna are fleshed out in this film, complete with his 'Lost In The Woods" power ballad. He steals the heart of everyone watching the film when he asks Anna what she needs from him, which is what everyone wants their partner to ask.

Frozen 2 is an absolutely wonderful follow-up to the 2013 film. It avoids the usual pitfalls of a sequel, and uses being a sequel as an opportunity to continue the story in the most relatable, moving and human way as possible for both children and adults alike.

8.5/10

Beauty and The Beast (2017) film review

Year: 2017
Running Time: 129 minutes
Director: Bill Condon
Writers: Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos
Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Kevin Kline, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Stanley Tucci, Hattie Morahan

Beauty and The Beast is now showing everywhere and is distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

Disney's second time round with Beauty and The Beast breathes spectacular new life into the much adored classic while always remaining lovingly respectful to the original fairy tale and animated original.

For a film that is so enchanting, whimsical and charming, it is incredible how much criticism and backlash Beauty and The Beast has received right through from it's initial announcement in June 2014 to it's recording breaking release in the United States last week and in Australia this week. While a film that has so far made over $460 million worldwide is clearly not being hurt by any criticism it has received, Bill Condon's Beauty and The Best certainly deserves to be defended from the unwarranted, meaningless and clueless backlash it has received.

While it is based on the original story written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and revised by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, the film is more so a live-action love letter to it's animated older sibling released by Disney in 1991. In the quaint French village of Villeneuve, Belle (portrayed by Emma Watson) is an outsider as even though she is beautiful, she is considered peculiar as she seems happier with her nose in a book than responding to Gaston's (Luke Evans) romantic advances. Her wishes for adventure are answered when her father (Kevin Kline) is captured by the terrifying Beast (Dan Stevens) in his castle and when Belle ventures to rescue him, she offers herself as prisoner in order for her father to be set free. During her period of stay, Belle finds herself strangely and increasingly drawn towards the Beast and she may be the one to set he and the enchanted members of his household free from their damning spell.

When Disney officially announced that it would be remaking one of it's own into a live action film, it was met with a great deal of scepticism. Since then, it has been met with the predictable backlash that occurs when a beloved family classic is remade. Much of the criticism has proved to have been unwarranted since the release of this film, but Beauty and The Beast has also attracted controversy for it's romanticising of Stockholm Syndrome (which is also completely predictable) and it's very brief "gay scene" (if you can even call it a scene). However, Disney deserves praise once again for overcoming the obstacles of the remake and also deserves defence against the controversy.

The inevitable question that had to be asked in June 2014 was "Why would Disney want to remake a near-perfect film?"

It's a valid question. When Beauty and The Beast was released in 1991, it became the first animated feature film to be nominated in the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards. It became an instant Disney classic and still remains a favourite Disney film for many, many people. Remakes are absolutely in fashion at the moment and it's not completely crazy to believe that Disney could have just fallen in step with this fad.

However, this is Disney we are talking about. The empire has had tremendous success turning their animations into live action (eg. Cinderella and The Jungle Book) and expanding the universe of their classics (eg. Maleficent and no doubt the upcoming Mary Poppins Returns). If there is one studio that could pull off this mammoth task of bringing Beauty and The Beast to the world of live action and coming away with a success, it is Disney...and they have delivered. That's not just in regards to the incredible box office earnings thus far either.

Beauty and The Beast is truly an exquisite piece of cinema that is absolutely beautiful to behold. Although it is not as grandly emotional, it is certainly touching and very family friendly. Did it need to be remade? Of course it didn't need to. However, Disney saw that the opportunity was there for it's 1991 film to be remade and use live action thanks to the advances in CGI to create something different and special. The CGI does incredible things for the film and helps to make memorable scenes from the original even more memorable and spectacular (including the pivotal dancing "Beauty and The Beast" scene and "Something There" in the snow). The CGI also brings such characters of Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) to life and gives them more refined and intriguing features than what we saw in the animation.

Whilst many will argue that this 2017 film is too much like the original, this is simply not true. One only needs to revisit the original to realise that there are many differences. There are many similarities there too, but with live action comes a whole set of new rules which need to be abided by which don't apply as much to animation. For example, character development is far more important in live action than it is in it's animated counterpart. This is a real treat for those who are fans of the 1991 original, as the characters of Belle, Beast and Gaston (to a lesser extent) are opened up. Although her singing voice may not be as powerful as one would hope for this role, Emma Watson does Belle great justice. She personifies what Belle is about and shows how her character truly is a modern girl in a time where she didn't belong. This does admittedly fit Watson's real life persona, but this character trait and her soft, but strong performance as Belle makes her a perfect Disney princess for these times.

The live action also obviously calls for a different mode of direction and bringing several of the musical numbers to life would have been no simple task. Bill Condon's direction of these Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice musical numbers (several of which were also adapted for this film) is superb and although animation can do a great deal with these songs, what live action gives the viewer is definitely more impressive, especially during "Belle" and "Gaston".

One issue that is always brought to light when Beauty and The Beast is spoken of is the presence of Stockholm Syndrome, which is the concept of the captured coming to feel empathy or developing strong feelings for their capturer through manipulation. It was only inevitable that this was going to arise with the release of this film. Also there is it predictable wrath of those who believe that Beauty and The Beast is dangerously sexist as it depicts a woman being captured and abused by a tyrannical beast. Both of these arguments are redundant here. Belle was never actually captured in this film nor in the original, as her father was captured and she demanded a switch. If there are similarities to Stockholm Syndrome (which there are very little when you look at the actual definition), that is the fault of the original story and not of the filmmakers. However, the condition wasn't even acknowledged until the 1970's so it is highly unlikely this was a theme on the intent in the original story. Beauty and The Beast has always been a romantic fairy tale about not judging a book by it's cover and this is the way it should be read.

Finally, the biggest and most controversial talking point in the past week has been the very brief acknowledgement of Gaston's sidekick, LeFou (played by Josh Gad) as homosexual. Several cinemas around the world have banned the film from being shown because of this inclusion. One can only imagine that the large majority of the outraged haven't actually seen the film, as what they are so up in arms about takes up only a matter of seconds in over two hours. There is absolutely nothing in these few seconds of screen time which is damaging, graphic or crude and all you would have to do is blink to miss it. This controversy is a massive overreaction and there are far more important things to be outraged about in this world rather than whether a Disney film has maybe 20 seconds where a man looks lovingly at another man.

Beauty and The Beast has overcome a great deal of scepticism to become a beautiful film that is an enjoyable and stunning companion piece to it's animated original. It's controversy is completely unfounded and should be enjoyed and praised for exactly what it is.

8/10

Wish I Was Here (2014)

Year: 2014
Running Time: 106 minutes
Director: Zach Braff
Writer: Zach Braff and Adam J. Braff
Cast: Zach Braff, Kate Hudson, Joey King, Pierce Gagnon, Mandy Patinkin, Josh Gad, Ashley Greene, Jim Parsons

Wish I Was Here will be released in Australian cinemas on the 18th September 2014 and is distributed by Transmission Films. To be released in the United Kingdom on the 19th September 2014.

Zach Braff's long awaited Wish I Was Here is as charming and feel good as they come. While for some this may mean an overkill of sentimentality and optimism, this film may be just what is needed to break the mould of misery felt in the world. With Wish I Was Here, Braff gives a piece of happiness and fun to his audience that resonates and shows once again his great talent in bringing out the beauty in everything and everyone with his direction.

Los Angeles struggling actor, Aidan Bloom (Braff) has always been able to pursue his dream with the ongoing support of his working wife, Sarah (Kate Hudson) and two children, Grace (Joey King) and Tucker (Pierce Gagnon). However, when his father, Gabe (Mandy Patinkin) gives him the news that his health is rapidly deteriorating and he can no longer pay for Grace and Tucker's school fees, Aidan is faced with the reality that his dream may be over and it may be the time to move on. He realises that everyone around him is searching for happiness, but that everyone needs a little help from each other to find that place.

Wish I Was Here may come under fire for being too much of a light, feel good film, but this isn't so much of a negative. Zach Braff's personal style which has previously been seen in his 2004 film, Garden State and through his acting and direction in several episodes of the television series, "Scrubs", is very much apparent in his new film. This is a style that many find endearing and hilarious, while others find ridiculous and irritating. So it goes without saying that Wish I Was Here will fare better for those who admire Braff, but one cannot help but appreciate what he has attempted to do with this film whether they are a fan of his or not.

While Wish I Was Here's initial claim to fame was being Braff's crowd-funding project and therefore has instant importance for the contributors, what it attempts to do for both it's contributing and non-contributing audiences is just as important. The film is incredibly uplifting as well as moving and sincere. It is the rare type of film these days that's optimism resonates with the viewer and still gives you a reason to smile days later. Wish I Was Here truly basks in the glory of how special life is and how we must make the most of every moment, which makes it a film that is needed when the world and cinema screens tend to show a great deal of gloom. There are moments in the screenplay and in Braff's direction which are slightly over-sentimental, but the film is overall such a pleasant experience.

The brand of humour employed in Wish I Was Here is more reminiscent of Braff's "Scrubs" days (particularly in the first scene) than the quirky Garden State and there are some very funny moments throughout the film. The dialogue is very clever and there are many life quotes sewn in among the conversations between the characters. As well as having an uplifting story, the visuals add towards the happy vibe of the film with an extraordinary use of colour and spectacular locations. Braff knows how to find and bring out the beauty in everyday situations and surroundings and remind the viewer that they must look for that beauty next time they are in such a place. The soundtrack is original and perfectly suited to the overall atmosphere of the film as with it's folk edge, it is serene, thoughtful and enjoyable.

On screen, Zach Braff is right at home in his character of Aidan Bloom and shows how he has grown and changed as an actor. He directs himself wonderfully and his comedic timing is, as always, brilliant. He and Kate Hudson have an incredible amount of on screen chemistry and work extremely well together. The two represent a relationship which is not perfect, but strong as they are best friends who haven't lost their passion for conversation over the years. This is absolutely Hudson's best performance in years. Her performance is controlled and strong, and her Sarah such a great role model. She is the bread winner for her family as she wants to see her husband succeed, but that doesn't mean she misses out on anything with her family.

Joey King is an absolute star and once again proves that she has an incredible career ahead of her. Her performance of the confused and frustrated teenager is a heartfelt and realistic one, yet she is also such a fun character with her bright purple wig that she opts to wear. Both Mandy Patinkin and Josh Gad are also stand outs as they are both incredibly moving in their roles.

 Wish I Was Here is a sweet, fun and original experience. It seeks to remind us how special life and happiness are and what makes that all the more special is that this film provides such happiness.

8/10