Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fairy tales. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Book Review - Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes

I love fairy tales, but I'm not a big fan of modern reinterpretations or variations on the classics, mostly because they are so predictable, dull, and derivitive. But every once in a while and author comes along with a unique spin.

Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes is a fantasy tale that spins multiple fairy tales and stories together. It is available as an eBook, Audiobook, and those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good


Story. The author has created a clever story where a group of three mercenaries travel from one fairy tale to the next righting wrongs. The author and story look at fairy tales from a more realistic point of view exposing some of the stranger parts we've heard so many times we usually gloss over. The story is very tight with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and moves at a nice pace.

Characters. There are three characters, Jack who cut down the beanstalk, Frankenstein's monster, and a female werewolf who work together helping those in need for a price. They all have very different personalities, interesting backstories, and great chemistry.

Use of Fairy Tales. The author does a really clever job incorporating fairy tales and other stories in his narrative. They fit the story well never feeling forced, and they provide a new perspective on such familiar tales causing the reader to view them in new and interesting ways.

The Bad


...


What I Would Like to Have Seen


A sequel.

Overall


Second Hand Curses by Drew Hayes is a fantasy tale that spins multiple fairy tales and stories together. The author has created a clever story where a group of three mercenaries travel from one fairy tale to the next righting wrongs. The author and story look at fairy tales from a more realistic point of view exposing some of the stranger parts we've heard so many times we usually gloss over. The story is very tight with a clear beginning, middle, and end, and moves at a nice pace. There are three characters, Jack who cut down the beanstalk, Frankenstein's monster, and a female werewolf who work together helping those in need for a price. They all have very different personalities, interesting backstories, and great chemistry. The author does a really clever job incorporating fairy tales and other stories in his narrative. They fit the story well never feeling forced, and they provide a new perspective on such familiar tales causing the reader to view them in new and interesting ways. Overall, this is a very entertaining tale. I highly recommend this book and give it 4.5 out of 5 eReaders.


  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086G6FKRV/








Monday, December 23, 2019

Movie Review - Frozen II

The first Frozen film was pretty good, but I wasn't sure where they were going to go with that. Sequels tend to either be a repeat of the first film, or the next chapter in a bigger story. Frozen didn't seem to have a bigger story, so I was fearing a bad remake of the first film.

Frozen II is a 2019 cgi animated fantasy family film by Disney. It is rated PG but is appropriate for all ages.

The Good


Story/Approach. The filmmakers were really smart to make this movie completely different than the first one. Where the first one was a romantic comedy that make fun of Disney Princess film troupes, this film was a fantasy adventure exploring the origin of Elsa's powers.

The Bad


Pacing. This film was a little slow and dragged in places.

Character Development. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable.

Comedy/Age Range. This movie was made for small children with the humor being very silly and simple. The story and action were also geared for a younger audience so while the film had the potential to be great, it wasn't clever enough or smart enough.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the characters had been more developed and the comedy more sophisticated.

Overall


Frozen II is an entertaining fantasy adventure appropriate for the whole family. The filmmakers were really smart to make this movie completely different than the first one. Where the first one was a romantic comedy that make fun of Disney Princess film troupes, this film was a fantasy adventure exploring the origin of Elsa's powers. Unfortunately, the movie was made for a young audience,  with unsophisticated humor and a pretty obvious story and plot twists. The filmmakers played it too same making the characters very bland. No one could have a strong personality or any real conflict for fear of offending someone, so the characters came off as very bland and unremarkable. The music was good, but not nearly as classic as the original. I give this film 4 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.


   

 

Thursday, April 19, 2018

Book Review - Denslow's Illustrated Classics Volume 2: ABC Book, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and the Bean-stalk, Old Mother Hubbard, One Ring Circus, & Tom Thumb

I am a huge fan of the golden age of children's illustrated books, also known as toy books or gift books. The age began with Edward Leer and ended with WW Denslow and included such notable artists as Ernest Shepard (Winnie the Pooh), Walter Crane, Edmund Dulac, Arthur Rackham, Howard Pyle, Caldecott, and so many more.

Denslow's Illustrated Classics Volume 2 is a collection of 6 classic children's storybooks by W.W. Denslow, the artist of The Wizard of Oz. It is available as one of those paper things your grandparents used to read.

The Good


Art. W.W. Denslow is a master artist. He took the best of design and illustration from Walter Crane and added his own touch. The drawings are fun, lively, and convey emotion.

Reproduction. The quality of reproductions is excellent. The illustrations are clear and the colors are mostly vibrant and correct.

The Bad


This is a print-on-demand title, so the colors are slightly different than if they had been printed on a traditional press, but the illustrations still look great.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I've got nothing.

Overall


Denslow's Illustrated Classics Volume 2 by W.W. Denslow is pure perfection. The illustrations are big and clear with nice colors. This is a print-on-demand title, so the colors are slightly different than if they had been printed on a traditional press, but the illustrations still look great. I give this book a solid 5 out of 5 eReaders.

    
    

Friday, April 7, 2017

Movie Review: Disney's Beauty and the Beast (2017 live action film)


I remember going to the theater to watch Disney's animated version of Beauty and the Beast. I had loved The Little Mermaid, so I was really excited to see what they would do with this fairy tale. I was familiar with the story, because when I was little I watched an animated version of both The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast on television. (I think they were both Japanese cartoons from the 70s, but I'm not sure, because I've never been able to find either of them. If you are familiar with either, send me a message with more information.) I was completely enchanted and wondered if that film might just be better than Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. (It's not, but it come close.)

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 live action adaption of the 1991 animated fairy tale. It's rated PG for a few frightening scenes but is appropriate for most audiences.

Overview


A young man is cursed for his cruelty to an enchantress in disguise. The entire castle is cursed. He must learn to love and find someone to love him to break the spell. In a nearby village, a young woman finds herself not fitting in and longs for something more. You'll never guess what happens next.

The Good


If It Ain't Broke. My biggest problems with the previous Disney live action adaptions (Maleficent, Cinderella, and The Jungle Book) is the omission of the music. The music is a key element to any Disney film and a large reason why the feature either succeeds or doesn't. All of the beloved songs from the 1991 animated version are here.

Changes. There is a video online called Everything Wrong With Beauty and the Beast (1991). The producers must have watched that video, because all of those problems were fixed. The set up, the backstory, the motivations, the development of the relationships all varied from the original and for the better. This version makes much more sense, answers a lot of questions, and fills in a lot of plot holes and inconsistencies.

Singing. I thought the music in the original was perfect. I was really scared about how it would be performed in this version. The previews and trailers hardly showed it, which made me even more nervous. (Look at the mess called Les Miserables and the poor casting choices butchering the songs.) But my fears were for naught. Every performance was excellent, different from the animated version, but still wonderful.

Casting. I admit, I raised more than one eyebrow at the casting choices, but everyone gave a great performance. I don't know that the filmmakers could have done a better job.

The Bad


Lack of Color. One of the many things I loved about the 1991 animated version was the beauty of the animation and backgrounds. They had such gorgeous color. And I've been to palaces in France, and they do have gorgeous color. Unfortunately, this movie chose to portray everything in very muted blue tones and dull gold tones.

Drags 2/3 of the way in. This version spends a little more time on relationships, motivations, and backstory. This helps to flesh out the story and solve many of the plot holes and other problems with the story of the animated version, but also slows the pacing down to the point I started glancing at my watch.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I wish the movie had been brighter and more colorful. Otherwise I wouldn't change a thing.

Overall


Disney's Beauty and the Beast is a masterpiece. It follows the animated version very closely, but makes important changes and additions to fix the story problems of the original and provide more believable motivation and backstory. The beloved songs are all here with three additional songs that, while not instant classics, are very enjoyable and add to the story. I give this film a solid 4.5 out of 5 boxes of popcorn.



 

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Movie Review: Disney's Cinderella (Live action)



"Cinderella 2015 official poster" by Source (WP:NFCC#4). Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cinderella_2015_official_poster.jpg#/media/File:Cinderella_2015_official_poster.jpg
I enjoy fairy tales and seeing variations on the classic tales. Sometimes they turn out well, and sometimes they aren't. The trailer made the movie look like a faithful adaption of the animated feature, and it was.

Cinderella is a live-action, fantasy, family film by The Walt Disney Company that is very faithful to their animated feature from the mid-20th Century. It is appropriate for all ages.

The Good


Visuals. The visuals were stunning from the costumes to the scenery and everything in between. It couldn't have looked more like the Cinderella movie I was expecting.

Casting. The movie was really well cast. Everyone played their parts well and fit the roles, although the Fairy Godmother could have been much zanier.

Filled Out the Story. This movie does fill out the story by actually showing Cinderella's birth, her family before her mother died, and the change in her family when her Stepmother arrives, scenes we heard about in an opening narration in the animated version.

The Bad


Faithfullness. This movie was TOO faithful to the animated feature. It brings nothing new to the table, nothing fresh, nothing memorable. It makes one wonder why it was even made.

Motivation. This movie starts to explore the motivation behind why Cinderella is so kind, why the Stepmother and Stepsisters are so cruel, and what challenges the Prince faces by marrying for love and not advantage, but it doesn't go far enough. You begin to feel some sympathy and better understand each character's motivation, but only to the point you understand intellectually. You never feel sympathy or empathy for any of them, which you should and is a missed opportunity on the filmmakers' part.

Kindness. We get it. You should be kind. Kindness brings rewards. This movie hits the viewer over the head with a 2x4 over and over again. Had the message been subtler, it would have been stronger. But being so blatant it kind of turns it into a running gag, which is a shame because it's a relevant message that people need to hear.

Pacing. The movie dragged from start to finish. Part of that was knowing exactly what was coming up next so there was never any real excitement or tension. No one was ever in any real danger. There was never any great passion, anger, happiness, or any other emotion. Everyone was pretty mellow the entire film.

What I Would Like to Have Seen


I would like to have seen something I haven't seen before. For example, the movie Ever After was an incredibly original take on the Cinderella story that I watched over and over again. And it was copied dozens of times to the point everyone got kind of sick of that take. This movie offered very little beyond what we got with the animated feature, no twists, no fresh takes, no classic scenes or quotable lines. Nothing.

I also would have enjoyed music other than a generic background score. They could easily have incorporated some of the songs form the animated feature or written new songs. But they didn't, and the movie suffered.

Overall


Overall this was a good movie if you just want to see the animated movie acted out with live humans or if you loved the original and consider it sacred and anything differing a sacrilege. If you are looking for anything fresh, original, or new, you'll be sorely disappointed.  I give it a 3 out of 5 boxes of popcorn and recommend waiting for the home video release or to watch it free on TV.