The Princess Movie Review

The stereotype of a fairy tale princess is as follows: a damsel in distress (who may or not be unconscious) waits for a man to rescue her and save the day.

The new Hulu movie, The Princess, takes this stereotype and smashes it into pieces. When we first meet the title character, simply known as The Princess (Joey King), she is laying on a bed and wearing a beautiful white wedding dress. Opening her eyes and sitting up, her hands and legs are chained together. After refusing to marry King Julius (Dominic Cooper), she must fight against an army to save her family and her kingdom. Aided by Linh (Veronica Ngo), they join forces to stop Julius before he takes what is not his by any means possible.

The Princess is easily one of my favorite films of the year. This is my kind of princess. She is a badass, she is intelligent, and is not afraid to fight for what is important to her. It is a glorious, bloody, and gory 90-minute tale of a young woman who is not waiting to be rescued. We need more stories like this.

Do I recommend it? 100%.

The Princess is available for streaming on Hulu.

Advertisement

Flashback Friday-Tamara Drewe (2010)

Returning to our childhood homes can either be a heartwarming or traumatic.

In the 2010 movie Tamara Drewe, the title character played by Gemma Arterton returns to her childhood home in the English countryside to sell her family farm after the death of her mother. It should be a simple affair, but it proves to be more complicated, especially when her neighbors get involved in the process. Tamara also has three men vying for her affection: Andy Cobb (Luke Evans) who has nursed a crush on her for years, Nicholas Hardiment (Roger Allam), who is older, married and unfaithful to his wife and Ben Sergeant (Dominic Cooper), the drummer of a popular rock band.

Loosely based on the Thomas Hardy novel, Far From The Maddening Crowd, this movie is an interesting reboot of the source material. The thread that ties the narrative in the movie and the narrative in the book together is not only the question of how we would like to live our lives, but who we potentially spend our lives with.

I recommend it.

 

Miss You Already Movie Review

Life will always have its share of ups and downs.

In Miss You Already (2015), Jess (Drew Barrymore) and Milly (Toni Collette) have been best friends since they were girls. Now each is at a crossroads. Jess and her husband Jago (Paddy Considine) are desperate to become parents. But nature seems to be conspiring against them. Milly has a solid marriage with Kit (Dominic Cooper), two kids and a relatively normal life. Then the c word strikes: cancer.

Some reviewers have compared this movie to Beaches. While I can see the comparison, this movie, for me at least does not pack the emotional wallop that Beaches does. It is also a little too long for me.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Miss You Already is presently on DVD.

Sense And Sensibility 1995 Vs Sense And Sensibility 2008

Sense and Sensibility was Jane Austen’s first published novel. Writing under the pseudonym of “a lady”, Sense and Sensibility is the story of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. When their father passes away, their elder brother inherits the family estate, Norland Park. Knowing that Norland Park is no longer their home, Elinor and Marianne, with their mother and younger sister Margaret are forced to find a new home and make a new life elsewhere.

As I did with the other novels, I’m going to compare and contrast the most recent adaptations.

1995

Cast: Elinor (Emma Thompson), Marianne (Kate Winslet), Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman), Edward Ferrars (Hugh Grant) and John Willoughby (Greg Wise) .

• Pro’s: Directed by Ang Lee, with a screenplay by Emma Thompson, the 1995 movie retains Austen’s voice as a writer.  It is a charming movie, for both the general movie fan and the ardent Janeite. Greg Wise looks awful good in breeches.
• Cons: Let’s face it, as good as an actress and a screenwriter Emma Thompson is, she was far from 19 when this movie was made.  Elinor is still a teenager, regardless of the actress stepping into her shoes.

2008

Cast: Elinor (Hattie Morahan), Marianne (Charity Wakefield), Colonel Brandon (David Morrisey), Edward Ferrars (Dan Stevens)  and John Willoughby (Dominic Cooper).

• Pro’s: With a screenplay written by Andrew Davies and the younger characters played by a whose who of  young British actors, this adaptation has a lot going for it. Davies fleshes out secondary story lines that that makes the primary story line vibrant and alive.  I also like is that the cast is age appropriate.
• Con’s: None.

And the winner is….. I can’t decide.

 

Jealous

*- These characters belong to Miss Austen. I am simply a humble admirer.

*-Based on the relationship between David Morrisey and Charity Wakefield in the 2008 Sense and Sensibility.

Jealous

It was a beautiful day as Marianne stepped into the garden to cut the flowers. The roses had begun to bloom into a pretty shade of blush.

As she finished her task, she could feel a set of male arms wrapping themselves around her.

Christopher had traveled to town for Navy business; he had left early yesterday morning and was expected to return in time for dinner tonight. He had proposed a holiday to Brighton next month, Marianne had promised to consider the idea while he was away.

“Darling you’re back early”

“Mhmm” came the response as he buried his face into her blonde curls.

“I think you are right, a holiday to Brighton would be a good thing. The children are eager for the sea, as am I. Perhaps mama could join us, she had been altered since Margaret married…”.

“Why don’t we leave your mother and the children at home, we can holiday just you and I?” Marianne knew then that the man behind her was not her husband.

“Willoughy!” Marianne exclaimed as Christopher raced toward her with two burly stable boys behind him. The stable boys held Willoughby back as Christopher fought to contain his anger.

“You, sir, will stay away from my wife and remove yourself from my land; otherwise I will set the law on you”.

“Are you hurt?” Christopher inquired, searching his wife for any injuries.

“No, I am uninjured”.

“Marianne, please, I love you, I’ve always loved you” Willoughby begged as he was dragged away.

Before he was forced back to where his horse was tethered, Marianne walked up to Willoughby, looking him straight in the eye.

“I am not the girl you once knew. You have made your choices and I have made mine. I suggest, sir that you forget about me and return to your wife. Good day, Mr. Willoughby”.

Though Willoughby had been forced out hours before, Christopher could not get the image of his wife and Mr. Willoughby out of his mind.

Mr. Willoughby and Marianne were of a similar age and temperament. Christopher was her second choice, she might still love him, a jealous voice inside of him reminded him.

“Darling, you were quiet during dinner. You mustn’t be jealous of Mr. Willoughby” Marianne sometimes thought back to those days, how blind she had been.

“He is handsome and charming….”.

Marianne put down her hair brush and settled herself comfortably on her husbands lap.

“Handsome and charming he may be, but Mr. Willoughby is also inconstant, thinking of his own desires before any one else’s. While you, my darling husband, are also handsome and charming, you are also constant, giving and one of the best man I know. You have made me a happy woman these past ten years and I wouldn’t have it any other way” She kissed him lightly on the lips, wishing to eradicate his anxieties for good.

They made love slowly that night, relishing their time together and forgetting the past.

The next morning, their children descended into the bedroom, eager to start a new day. Mr. Willoughby was no more.