8 Blueprint
ENTERTAINMENT
Oct. 28, 2016
Beauty and the Beast brings the old fairytale back to life By Tessa Brown, Print Entertainment Editor Rupa Palla, Video Announcements Director Disney’s newest live action remake of the animated classic, “Beauty and the Beast,” is about as heartwarming, faithful and well-done as the original film. Directed by Bill Condon and starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the lead roles, the tale once considered to be “as old as time” feels fresh, looks good, moves gracefully and can bring joy to an audience of all ages. There is something very special to be said about this film. Quoting a lyric from the film, “There may be something there that wasn’t there before.” Don’t get me wrong, all of the familiar elements are there, but Disney perfectly modernizes the old tale making it classical yet still so much more than the basic pop-cultured fairytale. The plot of the movie is close to being exactly the same as the original. Belle lives with her father, Maurice, in a small village. One day when Maurice sets of to the market for an errand, he takes a wrong turn and ends up in the Beast’s castle, which has been cursed by an enchantress. The prince that once lived in the castle is cursed by the enchantress into a terrifying beast because he only ever loved people based upon their appearance. In order to break the curse that was cast on him and all the others in the castle, the beast has to find true love before the last petal on the rose that the enchantress gave him falls. When Maurice takes the wrong turn into beast territory, the Beast captures him and sentences him to a life sentence
of imprisonment. But shortly after, Belle comes to save her father and takes his place as the beast’s prisoner. The audience is immediately introduced to the beast’s awesome yet nosey sidekicks that we all remember and love from the original film. They’re led by the candlestick Lumiere, played by Ewan McGregor. There is also the clock Cogsworth, inhabited by Sir Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci as the piano Cadenza, and Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts. These fun and playful sidekicks add just the right amount of humor, entertainment and pleasure to the film. They are also the ones to initiate the love story and help lead Belle and the Beast together. After watching the movie, it’s clear that there was nobody better to play the role of Belle than Emma Watson. Watson perfectly embodies Belle’s character, specifically her empathy, warmth, intelligence and fearlessness. You can’t help but fall in love with her on the screen as you’re watching. Dan Stevens is also such a lovable Beast. At the beginning he is a little scary, but once the charm and kindness within him starts to peek through his anger and rage, one can see the true prince. Watching Belle’s imprisonment turn into true love is sweet and smooth, and you can see the audience starting to root for this love story. Like every Disney film, there is a villain. Luke Evan stars as Gaston, a rude and egotistical former soldier pining for Belle’s hand in marriage. He’s really just annoying at the beginning of the film, but his annoyingness turns into evil as he hurts Belle’s father and tries to kill the Beast towards the end of the film. Although Gaston was not a fan favorite, his friend LeFou is. LeFou is an ador-
ing character played by Josh Gad. Gad does an amazing job playing LeFou and adding some very funny moments to the movie. In the end we see him choose good over evil, which only makes the audience love him more. Aside from the amazing cast, the visual aspects of the film are astonishing. With the help from many masters of fantastical craft, the very famous “be our guest” scene took my breath away and exceeded all of my expectations. The use of extraordinary animation, colors and incredible special effects definitely optimizes the film, making the Illustration by Marissa Kasher audience’s jaws drop in awe as they enjoy every minute, forcing adds suspense and surprises the crowd them to sing along. while guiding them to the conclusion. Obviously I enjoyed the “be our guest” I won’t spoil the end as if I haven’t alscene very much, but one thing that I ready spoiled enough. But just know that did not like was that the creators added the ending was uplifting, touching and some songs to the film that were not in hopeful. This movie did have a happy the original. Although I did appreciate ending, revealing the true message the new songs, they almost seemed just behind the film, which is that one must to be there to take up time, as if there look beyond what they see because true was no real meaning behind them. beauty is within. Much like all the other Disney films, So please, be my guest and go buy a the new live action remake also has ticket to watch this spectacular film. many high climatic moments, keeping I promise that it will not disappoint. the audience on their feet. The power Overall, “Beauty and the Beast” deserves enhanced moments of Belle running through the snow from wolves, or the vil- 4 stars out of 5. lage people storming to attack the beast
“Logan” leaps fiercely; shredding audience expectations X’s care. If any other X-Men fans are reading this; this is the Wolverine movie Year after year I have sat through you’ve been waiting for. repetitive, “Logan” is a monotonous and vicious, brutal disappointing and unrelenting X-Men films. movie. Not only None have lived in the grotesque, up to the excelborderline exlence of “X-Men” cessive nature of and “X2;” though the action; but “Days of Future what happens to Past” came close. each and every That movie left character in the me hopeful for movie. Because the future of the movie takes the series, but place as the last “X-Men: Apocamovie in the Xlypse” disapMen continuum, pointed once characters are again. near the end of “Logan” was their days. released March Logan is re3, 2017. It duced to a pessifocuses on the mistic drunk, a distant future of shell of the hero the world, where that he used to mutants are be. He is broPhoto illustration by Claire Pikul a near extinct ken, ashamed race. Logan Howlett and scared; none of -- aka Wolverine, played by Hugh which he is willing to admit. ProfesJackman -- attempts to care for an sor X is especially close to death, and ailing Professor X, Patrick Stewart, on he suffers from common seizures and the Mexican border. Logan’s peace is Alzheimer’s. disrupted when a new, young mutant Above all the characterization witharrives and is forced into Logan and in this movie is flawlessly conveyed. By Jonah Ocuto, Staff Reporter
Because of the movie’s mature rating, it isn’t scared to take risks with its characters, using harsh language and absolutely torturing them physically. It’s because of this reason that the movie stunned me. This movie contains quite literally the best “superhero” performance I have ever seen, due to Jackman. Jackman is a broken man in this movie, not a hero, someone to be admired or a champion -- but someone who has no “hope” left in his life. Wolverine is older, dying, the last of his kind and quite literally broke my heart throughout the movie. Jackman’s performance should go down in history as an example of an actor consumed by a role. I put superhero in quotes earlier because that’s what else made this movie phenomenal, it abandoned the superhero genre entirely. It feels more like a western than a superhero movie, a character drama about the power of family and the torture of one’s past. The movie has an intentionally slow pace to the relationships between characters, but never slow enough to be boring. When Logan first begins to form a relationship with the young mutant, Laura, it displays them more as adversaries, though they share a common reality of being mutants. They’re cautious of each other, and each performance is absolutely bril-
liant in its own way to show this. But in the blink of an eye, that same little girl will have her claws in someone’s neck while Logan is fighting three other enemies. Blink one more time and the action will dissipate. This film is explosive, willing to lunge at you, full speed, claws open before returning to it’s slower pace. If there was one complaint I have with “Logan”, it would be the villain. Explaining the true “villain” would spoil some of the plot, but the character feels bland and like a bit of a cop out. A good superhero movie is only as good as its villain, but at the same time, I have to stress that this isn’t really a “superhero” movie. Jackman alone more than made up for the villains faults. “Logan,” took my expectations, turned them upside down and shoved them back in my mouth. It contains a maturity that hasn’t been seen since “The Dark Knight”; and while it hasn’t reshaped the genre entirely like that movie has, “Logan” is undeniably a masterpiece of film, performance and writing. Growing up with Hugh Jackman as Wolverine and Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, take my word when I say that they delivered with a final hurrah. “Logan” is quite possibly one of the greatest “superhero” films ever made, a must watch and deserves an A.