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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019) in Movies
Mar 2, 2020
More classic literature retold for the modern audience, this time with a very distinctive and chaotic style.
Young David Copperfield is sent off into the world by his step-father. Unaware of the real woes of the world he must keep his spirits up as his surroundings changes to a much harsher nature. As he grows he's still a creative and happy-go-lucky young man but has he found himself in the place he truly wants to be?
I had to keep reminding myself that the film we were watching was being told to us by David himself, the chaotic nature throughout would have been, in part, down to his natural chaotic energy. It did become overwhelming at times though and starting the film with so many transitions was quite off putting.
I don't remember the last time I saw a cast this diverse, and that's a great thing but the cynical side of me did briefly wonder if it was diversity for the sake of that bit of recognition. Ugh, I hate thinking that, and it's in no way a reflection on the cast as they're all excellent actors, but I didn't feel like some of the character dynamics worked together. That may also have something to do with the frantic nature of everything else going on though.
There's definite theatre in this, each scene feels like it takes place in a confined space, like that of a stage, until it opens up at the end to its infinite future and possibilities.
Everything in this period drama feels wrong for a traditional period drama. The cities would normally be drab and dank but everything has a surprisingly light and airy nature to it, a quirk of David's optimism maybe? Each location was stunning though and designed perfectly for its needs. The Micawber's home being accessible from almost every angle to allow for the tussles with the creditors, and Mr Dick's room as a reflection of the chaos in his head. There was much to marvel at but so little time to see it as it fought for attention with the constantly moving script.
Dev Patel feels like the perfect choice for the role of Copperfield, the excitement and optimism in it is not that far off his portrayal of Sonny Kapoor in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He brought the energy needed to keep up with the pace and it made for an entertaining lead.
Was this just too much though? So much story crammed into just 2 hours of screen time. Too many great actors never really getting a chance to make an impact [a very similar feeling to the Knives Out's roster]. A pace that was akin to a 2 hour version of Clue's multiple endings. Too much, I was exhausted after seeing it.
Having only seen Iannucci's directing before in Death Of Stalin I'm unsure as to whether this pacing issue is something common to him, I genuinely don't remember that being quite this chaotic, but that alone was enough to put me off. The experience felt rushed and that's never how I want to feel when I watch a film.
Originally posted on: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-personal-history-of-david.html
Young David Copperfield is sent off into the world by his step-father. Unaware of the real woes of the world he must keep his spirits up as his surroundings changes to a much harsher nature. As he grows he's still a creative and happy-go-lucky young man but has he found himself in the place he truly wants to be?
I had to keep reminding myself that the film we were watching was being told to us by David himself, the chaotic nature throughout would have been, in part, down to his natural chaotic energy. It did become overwhelming at times though and starting the film with so many transitions was quite off putting.
I don't remember the last time I saw a cast this diverse, and that's a great thing but the cynical side of me did briefly wonder if it was diversity for the sake of that bit of recognition. Ugh, I hate thinking that, and it's in no way a reflection on the cast as they're all excellent actors, but I didn't feel like some of the character dynamics worked together. That may also have something to do with the frantic nature of everything else going on though.
There's definite theatre in this, each scene feels like it takes place in a confined space, like that of a stage, until it opens up at the end to its infinite future and possibilities.
Everything in this period drama feels wrong for a traditional period drama. The cities would normally be drab and dank but everything has a surprisingly light and airy nature to it, a quirk of David's optimism maybe? Each location was stunning though and designed perfectly for its needs. The Micawber's home being accessible from almost every angle to allow for the tussles with the creditors, and Mr Dick's room as a reflection of the chaos in his head. There was much to marvel at but so little time to see it as it fought for attention with the constantly moving script.
Dev Patel feels like the perfect choice for the role of Copperfield, the excitement and optimism in it is not that far off his portrayal of Sonny Kapoor in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. He brought the energy needed to keep up with the pace and it made for an entertaining lead.
Was this just too much though? So much story crammed into just 2 hours of screen time. Too many great actors never really getting a chance to make an impact [a very similar feeling to the Knives Out's roster]. A pace that was akin to a 2 hour version of Clue's multiple endings. Too much, I was exhausted after seeing it.
Having only seen Iannucci's directing before in Death Of Stalin I'm unsure as to whether this pacing issue is something common to him, I genuinely don't remember that being quite this chaotic, but that alone was enough to put me off. The experience felt rushed and that's never how I want to feel when I watch a film.
Originally posted on: http://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2020/03/the-personal-history-of-david.html
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Emma @ The Movies (1786 KP) rated Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) in Movies
Jun 27, 2021
Of course I wasn't paying Premier prices for this! (This is how long ago I wrote this review, you can now watch it on your Disney+ subscription for free.) So instead I made it my first film back to the cinema for 7 months.
Kumandra was once a glorious place inhabited by humans and dragons in harmony. But when an enemy comes to ruin that, the dragons sacrifice themselves to save the humans. 500 years later the humans have learnt nothing from the sacrifice, and when greed takes hold of the tribes, the land is once again put in peril.
Essentially we're given a fantasy treasure hunt, that highlights the need for cooperation and community. That is definitely a strong point throughout the film. While it might not be based on something specific, it plays on a lot of different Asian cultures, the accuracy of which I'm afraid I wouldn't know. The different regions all had their own look and feel which I thought was a nice touch, but something felt like it needed more variety, and I'm not sure if that was something more diverse or different animation styles.
Of all the characters I actually found Raya to be the least engaging. Her eventual personality could be put down to how she''d grown up, but the choice to make her like that left me disliking her. Picking between her and Namaari was easy, Namaari's actions were consistent and she evolved in a positive way, and I really didn't feel that about Raya. I found her actions increasingly frustrating as the films went on.
The character that made this whole film for me was ninja baby and trickster, Noi. Plus her troop, The Ongis. I was roaring, and absolutely loved every scene they were in. The animation involved was so smooth and it perfectly fit their antics.
What I struggled with as I watched was the animation of Sisu. I liked the dragon style, and I liked the human style, but I didn't really like them together. Our human contingent seemed to be more traditional, and the dragons appeared to be more cartoonish in comparison. With Sisu, the mane and colours just stuck out and felt unnatural... yes, I know that's a ridiculous thing to say when talking about an animated dragon.
Voice cast in Raya and the Last Dragon was generally good, there wasn't anyone I would highlight over the others, but Sisu was the one that made me pause again. I'm growing to enjoy Awkwafina in films, but I'm not sure the pairing here was quite right.
I wasn't disappointed when I came out of the cinema, but at the same time I wasn't wowed. It didn't feel like a Disney offering, and I don't think I'll need to revisit it. There wasn't enough in it to hook my interest and keep me focused on anything that was happening. Perhaps it might have been different had Raya been a little less frustrating, but I don't think that would have given much of a boost to the film. I think what took me so long to publish this review was that I was having real trouble deciding on a score. I'm still not convinced by my choice, if I could put a shrug, I probably would.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/06/raya-and-last-dragon-movie-review.html
Kumandra was once a glorious place inhabited by humans and dragons in harmony. But when an enemy comes to ruin that, the dragons sacrifice themselves to save the humans. 500 years later the humans have learnt nothing from the sacrifice, and when greed takes hold of the tribes, the land is once again put in peril.
Essentially we're given a fantasy treasure hunt, that highlights the need for cooperation and community. That is definitely a strong point throughout the film. While it might not be based on something specific, it plays on a lot of different Asian cultures, the accuracy of which I'm afraid I wouldn't know. The different regions all had their own look and feel which I thought was a nice touch, but something felt like it needed more variety, and I'm not sure if that was something more diverse or different animation styles.
Of all the characters I actually found Raya to be the least engaging. Her eventual personality could be put down to how she''d grown up, but the choice to make her like that left me disliking her. Picking between her and Namaari was easy, Namaari's actions were consistent and she evolved in a positive way, and I really didn't feel that about Raya. I found her actions increasingly frustrating as the films went on.
The character that made this whole film for me was ninja baby and trickster, Noi. Plus her troop, The Ongis. I was roaring, and absolutely loved every scene they were in. The animation involved was so smooth and it perfectly fit their antics.
What I struggled with as I watched was the animation of Sisu. I liked the dragon style, and I liked the human style, but I didn't really like them together. Our human contingent seemed to be more traditional, and the dragons appeared to be more cartoonish in comparison. With Sisu, the mane and colours just stuck out and felt unnatural... yes, I know that's a ridiculous thing to say when talking about an animated dragon.
Voice cast in Raya and the Last Dragon was generally good, there wasn't anyone I would highlight over the others, but Sisu was the one that made me pause again. I'm growing to enjoy Awkwafina in films, but I'm not sure the pairing here was quite right.
I wasn't disappointed when I came out of the cinema, but at the same time I wasn't wowed. It didn't feel like a Disney offering, and I don't think I'll need to revisit it. There wasn't enough in it to hook my interest and keep me focused on anything that was happening. Perhaps it might have been different had Raya been a little less frustrating, but I don't think that would have given much of a boost to the film. I think what took me so long to publish this review was that I was having real trouble deciding on a score. I'm still not convinced by my choice, if I could put a shrug, I probably would.
Originally posted on: https://emmaatthemovies.blogspot.com/2021/06/raya-and-last-dragon-movie-review.html