Disney has always had a way of creating magic, breathing childish excitement into even the most drab and dull. Last year, it profited greatly from a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, featuring, instead of the fair princess, the complicated villain Maleficent. That film effectively brought new life to an old story by its delicate handling of human emotions. This year, Disney has obviously hoped to recreate the same success by transforming everyone’s favorite princess story into a new live-action film. Yet, its ambitious and sparkly rendition of Cinderella fails to bring a new creativity or novelty and lacks the fairytale spark possessed by the original animated classic. The film does have some perks. It is visually impressive. The cinematography and scenery is a feast for the eyes. Cinderella’s humble abode is a not so humble country villa with symbolic décor that reflects her deceased mother and her own childhood happiness. The vestibule is decked out with a beautiful chandelier with magnificent glass geese flapping their outstretched wings. The front garden stays full in bloom throughout the entire film. The prince’s castle and estate is breathtaking, including his hidden garden, which seemed ripped right out of Mary Lennox’s little bit of Earth in The Secret Garden. |
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What would you do if you had twenty-four hours in New York City? I can bet you probably would not search high and low for a pretty face you saw on a Subway advertisement. Yet, in On the Town that is what three young sailors choose to do with their one day in the Big Apple. (Well, that isn’t all they do, but the gist of it.) Most are familiar with the iconic musical film adaption of the 1940s, starring classic Hollywood names like Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, and Ann Miller. If you are not, you still probably have heard the city’s anthem “New York, New York,” which taught us that the Bronx is up and the Battery’s down. This year, On the Town returns to Broadway in a flashy new production filled with a colorful cast of characters, show-stopping dance routines, and laugh-out-loud comedy. Though lacking some of the same toe-tapping charm and charisma of the original film, the show is still an entertaining escapade around the dynamic and bustling titular city. |
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