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Reviews
Madagascar (2005)
Typical DreamWorks...nothing ingenious
OK, from the previews I saw for the film, I expected it to be amusing. Though I'm a steadfast and true Disney fan, I decided to see Madagascar with an open mind towards DreamWorks. So, I went with my family to the movie. Wow, the entire time, classic scenes from Disney films were flashing through my mind as I watched Madagascar. Here are a few of the notable similarities/blatant copies of Disney: the scenes where the lion has dreams while he is tranquilized and when he dreams about steak are so very similar to the classic scene "Pink Elephants" scene in Dumbo. Probably the most blatant steal from Disney is when the lion becomes an actual lion and not a "show-lion." His eyes change from cartoon eyes to natural lion eyes. Where have we seen this before? Oh, yes, Finding Nemo. Remember when Bruce the shark smells the blood and becomes a wild great white shark again? Yes, I specifically remember sitting in a theater, watching Finding Nemo, feeling very impressed with the idea of using eyes to show the transformation from tame to wild. When I saw that DreamWorks had used this in Madagascar, I became very unhappy.
Madagascar is not without it's redeeming factors, however. Namely, the penguins. The penguins were truly the best part of the entire film. First of all, penguins are awesome animals, and Disney realized this. (See Mary Poppins for the ultimate collection of dancing penguins.) There were moments in Madagascar where there was no dialogue, but there was just a few penguins walking around. The audience was cracking up at the penguins just walking around.
In conclusion, Madagascar was horribly over-advertised, and it turned out to steal most itself from Disney films, like most of the other DreamWorks films. However, the penguins were great.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)
Fabulous Movie (Spoilers Ahead)
I am a fan of classic films, but I had never seen this movie until today in my high school English class. We've read "The Catcher in the Rye," "Antigone," "Fences," and "The Death of a Salesmen." So we watched "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." First of all, the movie had excellent acting. I adored Elizabeth Taylor's portrayal of the love-seeking woman who rides a constant emotional roller-coaster. Paul Newman was also absolutely amazing. I will never forget the scene in which Maggie grasps on to Brick, and he almost embraces her, but then shakes her away. Then he goes into the bathroom alone and buries his face into her slip that's hanging on the door. It's so haunting, and it shows something deeper in Brick. The other actors were absolutely wonderful as well. Secondly, the symbolism in "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" are incredible. The thing I noticed within the first few minutes of the movie was how the relationship between Big Daddy and Big Momma mirrored the relationship between Brick and Maggie. Also, I loved the use of the weather in the telling of the story. It starts raining, and then it starts storming when the conflict between the characters really starts to roar. When Brick leads Big Daddy up the stairs, they see that it has stopped raining. Their arguments were like a storm. Also, another storm was going on in the parlor with Big Momma, Maggie, Gooper, and Mae. The breaking of Brick's crutch was major symbolism. Alcohol and his story about Skipper had always been his crutch. At the moment he saw who he really was, his crutch was broken. The ending of the movie was very touching. Mae getting what she deserved was so very gratifying. I had kind of hoped that Maggie would have hit her or something, but Mae was given what would bother her the most. She saw Maggie and Brick receive respect, something that she had waived in front of them for the whole movie. The final scene in the bedroom was so simple, yet so thorough. I loved how when Maggie and Brick were embracing, Brick reaches for his pillow from the sofa and tosses it onto the bed. Such a wonderful movie. It will undoubtedly become one of my all-time favorites!
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)
What was Disney thinking?
Possible Spoilers, Perhaps. I must say that "Cinderella II: Dreams Come True" is one of the worst movies ever made. First of all, the movie was made during the height of Disney's sequel rampage. It was created around the same time as "The Little Mermaid II," "The Jungle Book II," and "Peter Pan II," all of which were disservices to their original film classics. (Disney also made "The Hunchback of Notre Dame II" and "Atlantis II," but I'm going to drop that topic because their original movies were never really classics in the first place.") Let me go ahead and say that I am an avid supporter of good Disney films, and I absolutely adore the original Disney "Cinderella." The sequel to "Cinderella," however, was a waste of time. The character of Cinderella in the sequel was so very unlike the original girl that I grew up watching. In the original, Cinderella was kind and loving. The new Cinderella had very out-of-character moments with current-era phrasing like, "I'm going to do this banquet my way!" Let me also tell you that new Cinderella (as I have affectionately named her) says, "Ewww!" That is the anti-Cinderella. I try to find the best in people, but in the sequel, Anastasia, one of the stepsisters, is good! What the heck? Why? They made it all out to be like Lady Tremaine and Drizella are just horrible family members for poor little Anastasia. My question to the world: did the people at Disney watch the original "Cinderella" when making this sequel? Well, it surely doesn't seem so. If I remember correctly, Anastasia was just as abusive to Cinderella as Drizella and Lady Tremaine. I am all for redemption and forgiveness, but there was no point of redemption for Anastasia in this movie. In the first one, Anastasia was evil. In the second one, she is good. One just can't leave a story like this. I hope Disney realizes that this movie, among other movies, is shaming Walt Disney's name. Perhaps now that Michael Eisner is gone, things will start shaping up around the House of Mouse.