bignose-67352 Reviews

Me Before You (2016)

One of the few romantic films that does not suck!

[10/10 · 3 September 2017]

A wonderful movie even for people who are not fans of romantic films. It's not groundbreaking or particularly challenging for the viewer, but it's definitely entertaining and sweet. Both Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke are charming as Will Traynor and Louisa Clarke and they do justice to their book counterparts, although they do get a little cheesy towards the end but I think it's just the writers' fault. Anyway, the film is beautifully shot, the soundtrack is perfect and in general the writing is good and adequately smart, so I can forgive a few cheesy lines here and there.

As far as the controversy that arose over the way the film ends and its treatment of the disabled, well.. If a man choosing to end his life on his own terms is offensive then so be it. I personally think it fit the character's arrogant and stubborn personality even though I'd prefer an 'easy' and satisfactory happy ending. But then again, if there was a happy ending, there would be a whole new bunch of complaints about the stupid love-conquers-all cliché, or how Will's parents and Lou would be patronizing him, or any other crap that someone might think of. I do agree that representation of people with disabilities should be better. BUT that is not this movie's problem.

Beauty and the Beast (I) (2017)

Leaves a lot to be desired

[1/10 · 18 March 2017]

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

I don't usually do reviews but this film was such a huge disappointment I couldn't fight it anymore. The original movie was so good and, considering this is the exact same movie, there was really not much that could go wrong. In theory of course, because in reality the final result is just soulless. Everything feels fake. From Emma Watson's acting to the cgi and the props. I love Emma Watson but in this film she is just playing herself trying to play Belle. To be fair though, no one in the film actually manages to instill the characters with the same emotion and personality as the original except maybe Josh Gad. Luke Evans is very good but his character is written as a villain from the start, while in the original he evolves from slightly annoying to "evil". Which brings me to my next point: the awful writing. The film treats the audience like we're stupid and needs to explain everything verbally instead of just letting things show through the action. The characters are one dimensional and don't change as the story unfolds. Gaston is the villain. The Beast is just a misunderstood soul from the beginning despite the prologue telling us otherwise. Even his bad temper is watered down. The writers had already the script written for them, all they had to do was add a few more lines here and there and create two or three scenes that would blend in seamlessly with the original (since, I repeat, they chose to use almost word for word the 1991 script with minor changes). Well, the new dialogue feels very wooden and unnatural. The new scenes add nothing to the story and, even though the creators try to answer some questions we have from the original, in the end they create new plot holes that go unanswered. I miss the subtlety of the 1991 film in which every expression, every line and every pause added something either to the progression of the story or the characterization of the heroes without anything feeling forced. I keep mentioning the original a lot but that is because this movie has nothing new to offer really, so I can't fully separate it from the 1991 one. In the end, what annoys me the most is that the 2017 remake had great potential to become a new classic and stand on its own had it been handled a little differently and not with a rushed "let's make some good money" mentality. There are very few good things about this movie, one of which is the music which is simply magical and manages to convey all the emotions the actors can't. Then there is the ending (after the transformation) where there is a more realistic touch as the villagers remember their friends-relatives that work at the castle and are finally reunited. Overall, despite the enormous hype, the movie just makes the original stand out even more as a timeless film that won't be surpassed by another adaptation any time soon.