Movie Crush Monday: Little C and Ever After
Happy Monday, dear readers. Last week Christy wrote about a Wes Anderson movie which means I had a million different ways to go this week. I mean just from Bill Murray there are a dozen different movies I love. But as we are about to go watch a stage presentation of Romeo and Juliet, I'm in a romantic mood. So I'm following the incomparable Anjelica Huston to Ever After.
I'm not a huge fan of most romantic movies for the exact same reasons I'm not usually a huge Sitcom fan. The main characters have a tendency to be assholes and it bugs the crap out of me. What can I say, I like a protagonist that I can route for. And this film so easily could have been just another Cinderella retelling that leaned heavily on tropes and conventions, but instead it used the audiences familiarity with the basic story to go much deeper into why everything happened the way it did. Ever After benefits from really focusing on story development in a way that allows the characters to be fully rounded instead of the rough caricatures that you find in, say, most Nicholas Sparks films. Everyone in this movie has a depth that gives you little glimpses into their lives beyond the story. Danielle isn't the hero because she's oppressed and finds a way out. She's smart and she deeply values the lives of the people around her. And you know how CT and I love a good strong female character.
Ok, now I've gotten myself all excited for a good romantic period piece. I'm off to get ready for Romeo and Juliet.
Happy watching,
Little C
I'm not a huge fan of most romantic movies for the exact same reasons I'm not usually a huge Sitcom fan. The main characters have a tendency to be assholes and it bugs the crap out of me. What can I say, I like a protagonist that I can route for. And this film so easily could have been just another Cinderella retelling that leaned heavily on tropes and conventions, but instead it used the audiences familiarity with the basic story to go much deeper into why everything happened the way it did. Ever After benefits from really focusing on story development in a way that allows the characters to be fully rounded instead of the rough caricatures that you find in, say, most Nicholas Sparks films. Everyone in this movie has a depth that gives you little glimpses into their lives beyond the story. Danielle isn't the hero because she's oppressed and finds a way out. She's smart and she deeply values the lives of the people around her. And you know how CT and I love a good strong female character.
I may not always be on board for a romantic movie, but I always love a good period piece. The costumes, the elaborate set pieces... They have a way of adding visual interest to stories the same way that scifi does. When the story is slow or there's an obligatory shot of someone brooding over a decision, there's still details of the world that can be absorbed. And this movie did a stunning job on the art direction and costuming. There are details that you can get from screenshots that you would never notice watching the movie normally but the fact that all these details were considered makes for a huge visual treat throughout the movie.
Ok, now I've gotten myself all excited for a good romantic period piece. I'm off to get ready for Romeo and Juliet.
Happy watching,
Little C
Comments
Post a Comment