A “QUICK!” Review of “Belle (2021)”

Belle is a modern Japanese take on the classic Beauty and the Beast story. The director Mamoru Hosoda made some wonderful anime movies such as Summer Wars, Wolf Children and Mirai which I absolutely loved. So I was no doubt going to watch Belle.

I love the contrast in art and animation style between the real world and the virtual world. The real-world uses 2D fluid and dynamic animation while the virtual world uses this 3D dazzling and beautiful aesthetic. Both are amazing to look at. One of the biggest highlights though is the music which is just wonderful. The final performance is just absolutely stunning!

I also enjoyed how Mamoru put a new spin on the classic tale through the use of a virtual world. It made the story feel fresh even though it goes through a lot of the same beat for beat story you have seen before. The characters are also quite lovable in their personality and I adored the character development that our main lead Suzu goes through. The story does juggle a lot of plot points and doesn’t give a completely satisfying resolution to everything. However, the story has a lot of heart and soul in it that it comes out as very sweet and touching by the end.

I had a blast with the 2 hours watching Belle and I do not doubt that you will too.

Comments

A “QUICK!” Review of “Kandahar (2023)”

This is a 2023 action movie about a US operative having to fight his way out of Afghanistan with his interpreter while being hunted. Wait isn’t that the same plot as Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant? It’s a little weird that this movie came out just a month after The Covenant with almost the same plot. The 3rd act and the ending is also VERY similar. The difference comes in execution and unfortunately, Kandahar isn’t as good. The first hour is incredibly slow as it setups the whole plot but it takes ages. The relationship between the main lead and the interpreter isn’t that strong. The message isn’t delivered in a very meaningful way. There is also not a lot of action set pieces even though there is a stellar night sequence in this one. It’s just another passable movie starring Gerald Butler.

A Review of “Wicked: Part I (2024)”

I am not the biggest fan of musicals and it is the one genre in movies I rarely watch. I knew of the popularity of the Broadway show “Wicked” but I never brought myself to ever watch it. Now, there is finally a movie adaptation of the show. I did enjoy the legendary 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz” and a prequel about the Witch is an interesting idea hence why I gave it a shot. Does this movie defy gravity or is it wickedly bad? Firstly, the production of this film is phenomenal. The song and dance numbers are all incredibly choreographed. It is impressively visually seeing close to 100 people all dancing in unison. The songs and dance feel very flamboyant and campy but it works in the film. In terms of the actual songs, I liked a fair amount of them, especially “Defying Gravity” at the end. I also appreciate how this movie uses lots of actual practical set design. It makes the world of Oz feel more real and believable. There are some genuinely huge-looking sets in this...

A Review of “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)”

I once said after watching Black Panther, that it would be cool if there was an all Asian cast similar to it. There were some all Asian cast movies like Crazy Rich Asian (2018), but that is a romcom, and Mulan (2020), but that was bad. In comes Shang Chi which is the first Asian lead Superhero movie ever. The premise is “Martial-arts master Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) confronts the past he thought he left behind when he’s drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization”. So does Shang Chi succeed in giving us a good all Asian cast big blockbuster or is it just another failed attempt? Firstly, the action sequences and choreography are some of the best from Marvel since Captain America and the Winter Soldier (2014). Martial arts are the focus of the action scenes in Shang Chi and they are beautifully choreographed. We get the classic wire-fu/floating style of Crouching Tiger but we also get some Jackie Chan style with the utilization of the environment for the a...

MovieRankingReviews

Search This Blog