Category: Movies/TV

A Whole New [Live-Action] World?

Rachel ElizabethLeave a comment

This post contains spoilers from the film, proceed at your own discretion.

I saw the live-action version of Disney’s The Little Mermaid a few days before its official release. As a millennial who was 2 years old when it came out in theaters, the original was a huge part of my childhood. Saying I am a fan of The Little Mermaid as both a Disney property and as a beautifully written but sad story by Hans Christian Andersen… would be quite an understatement. Miss Ariel may have been in denial about her obsession with humans but I will admit without hesitation that my obsession with mermaids began immediately after seeing the animated version of the film.

My addiction to TLM (The Little Mermaid) was so strong that I’m honestly surprised that the VHS tape didn’t pop from being played too many times over the years. I wish I still had it but that and several other things in my childhood have been lost over time. I do however have it on Blu-Ray DVD. I have watched the animated series that was on the Disney Channel. Seen both of the spin-off movies. I had a Little Mermaid themed birthday party when I was 4, lots of TLM toys (including the slides from the movie to look at on the Red ViewMaster 3D). Even my bedsheet and comforter set were TLM.

I read the lore of the Disney story from books that were released through the years and of course the real thing as well. Hans Christian Andersen was an amazing writer and I have been a fan of him ever since my mom had me watch a movie about his life starring actor Danny Kaye.

However, I’m glad that I was older than 2 when I came across his version of the story, because toddler me was not ready. To be honest I’m not sure 8-year-old me was ready either. When I finally watched a short animation about the “real” version of the story… despite being a little sad, it resonated with my young heart. I found a story of a young girl in love, refusing to kill that person just because it would set her free. Seeing her let her love for the prince overcome her selfishness was just awe-inspiring to me.

If you have never read the original version of the story, I highly suggest it. I can understand why Disney would want to change the story to make it more digestible, and I like their original changes. I’m not sure about the most recent ones they made though. There is a reason why I’m just now posting my review a couple of weeks after seeing the film. I felt like I need to marinate on it and also give time for others to give it a watch before reading my thoughts. I’ll now get into the thing that I did and did not like, in no particular order.

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Another Dungeons and Dragons movie?

Rachel ElizabethLeave a comment

Warning: This post contains mild spoilers, read at your own peril.

One of the perks of living in the Greater Atlanta area is that we are slowly becoming the Hollywood of the South, but an even bigger one is that there are always free movie screenings going on. Many times you do not even need to be a note-worthy individual or member of the press to attend. I got an e-mail sometime last week letting me know that I could have two passes to attend the premiere at a theater in Chamblee, GA, and quickly accepted.

I have never played Dungeons & Dragons myself as my parents did not understand it and assumed like many conservative Christians that it was some weird devil worship thing and refused to allow it in their house. In reality, it’s a game that is very dependent on your imagination and some pretty amazing lore has been developed from D&D over the years. As a lover of stories, I have read fanfiction and even gotten into the show “Vox Machina” on Amazon Prime Video (based on the campaigns of Critical Role on YouTube). So between that, and knowing a friend who is heavily into D&D, it seemed like a no-brainer to go.

I would say that if you are even remotely into fantasy, comedy, and discovering the character traits of specific classes like barbarians and mages… you just might enjoy this film as much as I did. I was not sure of what to expect going in, I generally hope for the best and prepare for the worst by default. As such, I went in with a clear mind despite someone close to me saying that they were refusing to watch it because they feel Hollywood is pushing an “agenda” right now. When I asked for clarification, they said that the writer of the film had stated they did not want the men to be strong and had therefore emasculated them. *Insert hard eyeroll*

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Thoughts on Disney+ She-Hulk Series.

Rachel ElizabethLeave a comment

Warning: This post contains mild spoilers from episode one of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law from Disney+, proceed with reading at your own risk.

Alright, so first things first… I am a HUGE fan of She-Hulk. As a result, if I come off sounding a bit biased… I cannot help it! She-Hulk is a nickname I have acquired over time because alas, bi-polar and depression disorders run in my family and when I am not on my meds well… um yeah (use your imagination). So being able to relate to her as a strong female in the Marvel universe has always been something I have adored. I have done my best to avoid any and all spoilers about the show and only watched the trailer a couple of times. However, I finally got to get a look at the show myself on Thursday evening with a couple of friends.

I will be honest, from the trailer alone I did not anticipate being in love with the show. I wasn’t even sure that I would like it at all. Yet as the minutes rolled by, I found myself screaming “yasss girl!!” and throwing fist pumps into the air.

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