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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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Glory to the King: Elvis (2022) Review

I know I am a little late to the party when it comes to raving about this film, but wow. Oh my god, just wow.

I finally got the chance to sit down and watch the new Elvis (2022) film starring Austin Butler as The King himself. And wow, did this film exceed my expectations.

First off, it is clear how much time and dedication Austin Butler put in for this role. It is not easy to fill the shoes of Elvis Presley, but the casting here was impeccable. Butler got it all right: the voice, the mannerisms, hell even the showmanship and artistry of his music! Clearly, there was no other person in the world who could portray The King, and I hope to see Butler obtain some awards after this astounding performance.

Now, onto the film itself. I think it was a very interesting choice to frame the movie in the perspective of the Colonel. This gives us an unreliable narrator while also putting a unique spin on an Elvis Presley biography by showing the untold story of the toxic relationship between the Showman and the Snowman. After seeing the endless cycle of manipulation and extortion between him and his agent, the Colonel, it almost becomes a bit of a psychological horror when you realize the amount of stress and exhaustion he was put through, leading to his substance abuse and tragic death.

While the editing was a bit weird at some moments, it really captures this idea of fame being a dream-like state. I also appreciated the moments in showing how Elvis truly loved and appreciated Black music and culture, which is something I never knew about him.

However, the timeline in the film is pretty wonky. The pacing in the beginning is a bit all over the place, and some of the events don't match the real history of Elvis's career. Yet, I am willing to let that slide since the movie plays more into the sensational and dream-like quality.

Hence, I give this film an incredible 10/10. While the timeline is funky, everything else from the magic, to the acting, to the love and dedication for The King of Rock and Roll, this film truly is a love letter to Elvis Presley and all those who admire him dearly.

#elvis presley #elvis movie #elvis the king #elvis biopic #movie review #movies #film #filmcommunity #film review #austin butler #austin butler elvis

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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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Things that were missing in the School for Good and Evil movie

So, I have seen people comment on areas from the School for Good and Evil movie that failed to hit the mark, and I wanted to chime in some of my own thoughts:

What was up with the blood magic? I have only read the first book (I'm slacking, I know), but there was no mention of it, from what I recall. If anything, they have regular magic, which would have worked much more effectively. Plus, we were robbed by not seeing Agatha's finger glow being golden, nor Sophie's, which was the iconic color of hot pink.

Lady Lesso, I'm sorry, did not strike me as being evil enough to be a professor at the SCHOOL FOR EVIL. Also, what was up with Dovey? Her character gave me mixed signals: was she truly good or shallow like the rest of the school for good?

I love that they got Sofia Wylie to play Agatha, she did well with what she was given. Having this character be represented as a POC gives an extra layer of nuance. However, I am concerned with how they pushed Agatha aside to give Sophie more screen time. Many fans also have mentioned the treatment of Agatha's hair during her time in the school for good, while also talking about how the character is not meant to be conventionally beautiful. But given that the choice to cast Agatha as a POC yet to give her less screen time has implications that I wanted to showcase.

I liked how they did the wish-fish scene as it remained pretty faithful to the book. However, I wish they included some more scenes that were so impactful for Agatha and Sophie's character arcs. Some of these scenes include: the Circus of Talents, Sophie killing the swan, Sophie drowning the beast for cutting her hair, Agatha smiling for the first time and realizing her own inner beauty/self-worth, Agatha accepting herself and coming to terms with her own goodness. These nuances are what make the book great, and it is a shame the film didn't include them.

WHERE WAS THE RANKING SYSTEM?!?! Yes, they mentioned the fact that three failures would lead to an expulsion, but the rankings helped develop Agatha and Sophie's growth. They didn't fit the mold right away, both earning 1's at the start. But once they took control, they quickly became the top student at their respective schools.

The beginning had good action, but why reveal the biggest mystery in the entire book? Doing this made the story bland, they should've kept the original pacing.

Speaking of original, why remove the fact that the village is aware of the school? This added a whole layer of meta commentary as the town folk quickly realize that they cannot leave beyond the forest, and that if every fairytale starts at a village, then they are that village. This is why two children are taken every four years -- leading to preparation to protect the village kids and the iconic opening line of the book.

Also, removing the fact that Sophie became friends with Agatha only as a "good deed" is a disservice to both of their characters. This should have never been changed.

It feels like the movie is dead-set on showing how morality isn't black and white. Which, to be fair, is a good take, but the book already addressed this in a much more nuanced fashion. In the book, it is known that each person has a certain percentage of good and evil within them. Those that have more good are sent to be heroes, whereas those that have more evil are sent to be villains. Yet, Agatha and Sophie are different because they are the only ones who are 100% on one side: Agatha is 100% good whereas Sophie is 100% evil. This, to me, is much more nuanced because it establishes the fact that everyone can be both good and evil. Yet, those who are purely and entirely good DO exist, and when they are around, beauty and peace follows. At the same time, true evil CAN exist, and when left unchecked, can be dangerous for all.

Talking about the percentages, this is why Sophie and Agatha have a story being written about them in the first place. The film briefly states how the Storian doesn't write a tale for everyone, so the fact that it begins writing about the two of them is rare and sets in motion their tale. But the reason why it does so is partly because of Agatha being 100% good and Sophie being 100% evil, which is never addressed, thus it doesn't have enough impact in the film.

The romance between Tedros and Agatha was okay. I liked how the two had a earlier connection, but it was missing the spice of the enemies-to-lovers trope while also having no room to grow. He just likes her because "she's different," but it's never shown. Both characters seemed pretty bland as the film went on, which truly is a shame.

I wish they gave more time for the coven to interact, as well as establish Sophie's planning for a Nevers Ball. In the film, it just sort of happens without establishing the fact that only Evers have had a ball. It was also such a great twist for Sophie's actual plan to turn the school upside-down morally.

Sophie should've been more corrupted. Having wrinkles and white hair doesn't compare to the book version in which sHE LITERALLY BECOMES BALD AND FRAIL! She honestly should have looks like Smeagol from The Lord of the Rings to show how deeply a nemesis affects a villain and how evil can truly corrupt.

Talking about evil Sophie, where was the confrontation between her and Agatha? Where she nearly kills Agatha due to her hatred for her? Where she gets Agatha to slow dance with her, leading to the heroes attacking a "defenseless school?" WHERE WAS THE MOMENT WHERE SOPHIE'S PLAN LED TO TEDROS ALMOST SHOOTING AGATHA WITH AN ARROW?!?! This scene could've been as poetic as it was in the book.

The kiss between Sophie and Rafal was okay, but I wish they were more artistic with it. The movie focuses way too much on true love's kiss that they neglect the fact that this kiss be shared between two villains became a true hate kiss. In the book, Sophie describes the feeling as being horrible and wicked, and it's something that I feel the director could've played with in order to show how twisted evil's kiss truly can be. We have always seen a true love's kiss in media, but never a true hate kiss. This was definitely a missed opportunity to be sure.

What was that ending?! Honestly, this film feels like Netflix just flipped through the book, sniffed its contents, and figured that was enough for a movie. It’s giving corporate vibes and it shows. To me, the ending feels a bit sloppy and it doesn’t set things up for a sequel the way the book does where our protagonists leave abruptly through a magic portal after Agatha kisses Sophie. Nothing is truly resolved, making for a good transition to book 2. In the movie’s ending, everything feels pretty resolved, so it may be hard to get a smooth transition for a sequel that is believable.

Finally, this should have been a series on Netflix as clearly, two and a half hours isn't enough to address all of these little nuances that make the book so great. If they could do it with Bridgerton, they certainly could've done it with The School for Good and Evil.

#the school for good and evil #sge spoilers #sge #sge agatha #sge sophie #sge movie #agatha of gavaldon #sophie of gavaldon #agatha of woods beyond #sophie of woods beyond #tedros of camelot #lady lesso #sge rafal #movie analysis

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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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A Disappointing Film at Best: The School for Good and Evil Review

I should've known better than to get my hopes all the way up for this film. After all, with Netflix at the helm, you never know if you're going to get a really fun piece of entertainment or something that is merely okay at best.

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani was one of my favorite books growing up. It follows the incredible tale of Sophie and Agatha as they are taken from their village of Gavaldon to attend the School for Good and Evil: a place where fairytale heroes and villains train before they set off for their own stories. However, in a shocking twist of events, the conventionally beautiful Sophie is placed in the School for Evil, much to her dismay, while the conventionally ugly and wicked Agatha is placed in the School for Good. This book has many compelling themes of morality, self-acceptance, and destiny.

The movie however...was disappointing to say the least. And after scrolling through the internet, it is clear that many lifelong fans of the series feel the same way. Fans have been waiting for an on-screen adaptation of The School for Good and Evil for quite some time, and it is a shame that the nearly two and a half hour film did not live up to the hype. After giving it a day, I decided to give this movie a 5.5/10. Continue reading for a more in-depth analysis, but the film is cute enough to pass the time. It's just disappointing at how much it missed the mark.

There were some things I did enjoy. Some of the costumes were really well done and the casting of Sofia Wylie as Agatha and Sophie Anne Caruso as Sophie was an amazing choice. Both actresses performed well with what they were given, and really gave a good connection for the two protagonists. Iconic scenes from the book such as Agatha interacting with the wish fish remained faithful to the original source material, and that is a sentiment many fans have expressed.

Now, onto the bad. The book itself is very nuanced and actually has quite a few mature themes if you pay attention to key details. This is not a mere children's tale -- rather, it is an examination of themes typically explored in real fairytales but observed as a meta commentary on morality, coming of age, and destiny. Can there truly be one side that is completely good and one that is completely bad? Are we actually in control of our fate or is our destiny already sealed?

Do we ourselves actually deserve goodness or are we, deep down, the cause of our own evil?

This theme highlights the relationship between Agatha and Sophie in the first book, and it is something that is severely lacking in the movie. Had this been a TV-series, perhaps there would've been enough time to develop Agatha and Sophie's development as one rises while the other falls. It truly is interesting to see Agatha, someone who was scorned for her whole life, to finally recognize that she is deserving of goodness, and to accept the fact that she can realize herself as being good. Whereas Sophie has to come to terms with the fact that deep down, she is a bad person, and upon realizing that she is the villain in this story, she runs with it.

In the book, Sophie is only friends with Agatha as a "good deed" in order to qualify for the School for Good. Their relationship is heavily toxic at first. Instead, the movie strips away this nuance by establishing the fact that the pair have been friends since childhood, and are BOTH outcasts. Which, is fine, but creates a bland story that is clearly not present in the original source.

Also, Agatha's character arc is completely pushed aside to give Sophie more screen time. In my opinion, while both characters have enough time in the book to develop alongside each other, I have always considered Agatha to be the main protagonist of the story. It could be because I related so much to her, but her arc of finally realizing that she is beautiful the way she is and that she is indeed good inside was so important and impactful. Yet, in the film, her agency is really subdued, and her arc is simply cut down to saving Sophie from being evil. By the end of the movie, Agatha felt more like a background character when facing against Sophie as she barely had time to develop herself. Furthermore, when it comes to topics of race, I think casting a POC as Agatha had the potential to add even more nuance to the character, but by pushing her to the side to feature a character who happens to be white, it raises concerning implications. Agatha as a character is a role model to many, and to see her not get the spotlight she deserves is very antithetical to the book's core themes and messages.

Despite not seeing enough character growth from Agatha, we barely saw any growth from Sophie even though she had more screen time. The choice to reveal the school master's history from the beginning was very poor, as it removed all the mystery of the school and took away the punch of the big twist at the end. Further, by showing Rafal (the evil brother who co-founded the school) manipulating Sophie to turn evil took away all of her agency from the book. The book shows how Sophie is truly evil in many ways, and by the end, she accepts her role wholeheartedly. It's truly disappointing to see this powerful villainess be reduced to nothing more than a means to an end.

There is so much more I can say about this film, and as soon as this post is done, I want to do a separate post about things that I noticed in the film that either should have been included or should have never taken up so much screen time. But, to end this review, I once again give this film a 5.5/10. It's cute to watch if you are bored and never read the books, but disappointing and severely lacking as it fails to leave the superior presence of the original source material.

#the school for good and evil #agatha of woods beyond #sge agatha #sge spoilers #sge sophie #sophie of gavaldon #sophie of woods beyond #agatha of gavaldon #movie review #film review #film #movie analysis #movies #sge movie

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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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Literally Breaking the Fourth Wall: Blazing Saddles Review

God, I love Mel Brooks movies.

They're not grand masterpieces by any means. Not every jokes lands, nor can they ever be remade (for many reasons). Yet, they can be some of the best parodies I will ever see in my life.

Blazing Saddles is one such film by Mel Brooks. Made in 1974, the story revolves around our protagonist named Bart, who becomes sheriff of your standard, Western town. Thing is, Bart is Black, and he ends up facing scrutiny and ostracism from the town due to his race. Yet, when thugs try to take over the town, they realize he is their only defense and hope. Comedy aside, this movie provides really good commentary regarding how standard Western films were made by flipping the script.

The biggest part of what makes this movie so great is the endless comedy. Mel Brooks never fails to deliver on a wide array of jokes -- from puns, visual gags, and more. The most iconic and funniest scenes in the film (Spoilers) is when the townsfolk commence the big, climatic battle against the villains in the end, only for the camera to pan over to a Hollywood movie lot where a completely different movie is being filmed. This leads to even more chaos as the townsfolk literally break through the walls of the studio lot and bring the fight along with them. Just watch the scene titled "The French Mistake" on YouTube and you'll get a mere glimpse of what I'm talking about. Insanity ensues, and it is glorious to watch on screen.

However, a lot of the jokes can be outdated, especially for our modern sensitivities. Due to it's comedy, not everyone is bound to enjoy it in comparison to other films, so I can't say it's something that is guaranteed for everyone to enjoy. But, if you enjoy witty wordplay, fourth wall breaks, and just chaotic tomfoolery, I would recommend Blazing Saddles as a fun movie to watch on an easy-breezy Saturday.

I give this movie a cool 7.5/10. While not suited for everyone and a bit outdated, it's still going to give you a great time with a lot of laughs. Also, if you enjoy movies that poke fun at the way movies are made, then Blazing Saddles -- and other Mel Brooks films -- will be right up your alley!

#blazing saddles #western movies #movie parody #mel brooks #movies #filmmaking #film review #movie review #comedy #fourth wall break

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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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Movie Spotlight: 2001 A Space Odyssey

I love good cinema. When I was taking a communication in film class for my freshman year in college, my brother decided to show me Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey as an example for one of my assignments.

And wow, what a film!

For a film made in the late 60's, the editing and ingenuity truly make it a cult classic. One of my favorite elements that I want to highlight is the use of silence.

2001: A Space Odyssey has a total run time of 2 hours and 19 minutes. Yet, an approximate 88 minutes of the film is silent. Kubrick's artistry of silence not only makes the audience immersed into the feeling of vast, empty space, but also makes them appreciate the moments that do have dialogue.

When a character speaks, it becomes jarring, making the audience immediately pay attention. And most importantly, every. word. counts! There is also so much more to be shown as opposed to be told outright to the audience, which makes the film a prime example of correctly using silence to tell an incredible story.

Therefore, if you want a masterclass in showing instead of telling, and how to effectively use silence in cinema, I encourage you to watch 2001: A Space Odyssey.

#2001: a space odyssey #stanley kubrick #movie analysis #cult classic #movie review #movies #storytelling #filmmaking

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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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Another Day, Another Remake: Hocus Pocus 2 Review (spoiler-free)

I think we can all agree that Disney is in the era of capitalizing on the nostalgia factor. There seems to be a trend in creating reboot after reboot, sequels and prequels that end up falling short. Unfortunately, Hocus Pocus 2 falls into this tragic category.

Don't get me wrong: I enjoyed watching this movie. It's a cute film to put on to put you in a mood for Halloween fun. However, my issue is how the story falls short. Upon watching, it feels very choppy -- almost like you're watching scene by scene on YouTube as opposed to a cohesive storyline. Further, the story itself is rather bland. I like the idea of three girls from the 21st century being parallels to the Sanderson sisters, I just wished they expanded the connections between these characters a bit further. This is mainly due to a bunch of plot points that are so loosely strung together, that there is little room to actually breathe before jumping into the next scene. All in all, the pacing felt rather rushed.

My biggest gripe with this movie, however, is the excessive product placement! Of course, this has become standard with Disney, but it becomes an issue when the story is so lackluster in comparison with the original. It's clear that Disney wanted to capitalize upon the notorious Sanderson sisters rather than building a story in order to make a quick buck for the season. Which, honestly, with the way things have been going for a few years, it's sad to see the company stoop to this level when they used to have a reputation for giving some of the best cinematic storytelling ever seen.

I will expand further in a more in-depth post, but all in all, I give this film a solid 4/10. It's cute to watch with a little one or just to feel some comfy nostalgia for Halloween. But don't expect it to have the same level of storytelling and fun as the original Hocus Pocus.

#hocus pocus #hocus pocus 2 #sanderson sisters #disney #movies #movie review

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reviewing-the-views · 2 years

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Welcome to Reviewing the Views!

This is a new blog that I created as part of a project for my visual design global media class. Here, you will find a relaxed and honest space where I post some of my opinions and critiques regarding film, books, pop culture, and media. These are topics that I love to discuss, and I’m glad I decided to take a plunge with this assignment and do something I’ve always wanted to do. Feel free to continue reading to learn more about myself and this blog, but for now, welcome, and I hope you enjoy your stay! 🫶🏼✨

Who are you?

*insert Skyrim prologue*

No, but seriously, that’s the big question, isn’t it?

My name is Rachel, and I am a university student majoring in digital journalism with a certificate in pre-law. While I have aspirations to go to law school and become an attorney, I find media to be absolutely fascinating.

From books to film to pop culture to fandom culture, I think it is so wonderful how communities blossom due to a sheer love for art and creation. There are many things to explore in media — how it affects us, teaches us, and defines who we are. I am just glad that now I have an opportunity to share my love with you all!

More about myself besides media: I love to cook/bake when I can find the time. I am a HUGE lover of cats (even though I just found out that I am allergic 😭) and I have two of my own.

Why Tumblr of all places?

Look, I’m gonna level with you. I am insanely busy in my day-to-day. To be quite honest, I’m not too sure how consistent my blogging will be since I will mainly keep it as a hobby alongside being an assignment for my class.

That being said, why Tumblr when Wordpress is right there? WordPress, while a great website for those who don’t know how to code (like myself), can get a bit tricky at times. Also, it reminds me of work: I used to use it back when I worked in an marketing internship, so to be on that platform puts me in “work mode.”

Basically, I’m gonna sit for hours editing a blog just to get it right. And I don’t want my hobby to become “work” — so, I chose Tumblr! To me, this platform is more relaxed, so it lets me have more fun when I write!

How is this blog going to be run?

At the moment, it’s a work in progress. As per my assignment details, each post is going to be between 100-200 words. It’s hard to post a full review on a topic with that kind of limit, but we’ll make do.

For the posts, I want to start with giving my general opinions on media that is either trending or just caught my eye. Hopefully, I would like to add sub-topics to provide variety.

I would love to see this blog actually take off, as this is something I enjoy talking about. Even though I am just starting out, I will greatly appreciate it if you stick around. I can’t wait to share this wonderful experience with you all!!

#blog post #pop culture #media analysis #movies #youtube #gaming #books and reading #books #blogger #film review #film #review

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