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Fred (860 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies

Jun 19, 2019  
Dumbo (2019)
Dumbo (2019)
2019 | Animation, Family, Fantasy
4
6.5 (81 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
This is how you ruin a classic
Dumbo is one of my favorite Disney films. The original, not this crap. When told that his film was not long enough to be considered a full-length movie & that he would have to add 10 more minutes or so, Disney said "No. It's perfect the way it is." And he was right. The people who made this live-action remake apparently never heard that story. It's almost 2 hours long. The original story of the first film is done in about the first 20 minutes of this film, then it's an original sequel, basically.

The first & main problem of the film is the most obvious. The focus on the human characters over the animal characters. There are no talking animals in this one. Sure, Dumbo didn't talk, but he had Timothy mouse with him to speak for him. There's no stork, the bully elephants are gone, even the racist, but very entertaining crows are completely gone.

Second problem: Some of the music from the original film is here, but instrumental versions. Only "Baby Mine" is sung. We hear a clip of "Casey Jr." at the beginning. At the very end of the credits, we hear a bit of "When I See a Elephant Fly", but no "Look Out For Mr. Stork". But the biggest mistake was what they did with "Pink Elephants on Parade" In the original film, Dumbo accidentally drinks some champagne & gets drunk. He then blows bubbles & the bubbles take shape & thus begins one of the greatest scenes in Disney history. The bubbles take the shape of dancing, skating & tromping elephants. The scene is a nightmare & probably scared some kids in the day. The song itself is both fun & creepy. This should be perfect Tim Burton stuff, but in this film, it is not. In this film, circus performers are creating giant bubbles & somehow they are taking the shape of the elephants. In fact, they're copies of the elephants (and camel) from the original film. The song plays, but again, no lyrics. It's also not very well directed. Instead of looking like a nightmare, they keep cutting to Dumbo, watching the performers, with a smile.

And that brings me to another problem. Tim Burton. Like most Tim Burton movies, it looks fantastic, but it's just boring. The story is boring & unoriginal (Free Willy anyone?) I didn't get to like any of the human characters to care. They kind of just go through the motions. Dumbo himself lacks character & I never really felt for him.

I know Disney is set on remaking their classics & I haven't seen any before (and probably will not see anymore after this one). It breaks my heart to see Disney reduced to this sort of thing. I'll stick with the originals, thank you.
  
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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, #1) in Books

Sep 5, 2019  
DW
Deeper We Fall (Fall and Rise, #1)
Chelsea M. Cameron | 2013
8
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
3.5 stars.

Hmm…This is my first book by the author and though I have her “My Favourite Mistake” on my amazon wishlist I haven’t got around to buying it yet.

For me, this started good. We understood her animosity to the brothers and everything and we could see for ourselves how much of an arse Zach was while Zan was a man of few words and dark, bottomless eyes. I just didn’t quite seem to catch the bit where her feelings changed. Yeah, we as the reader knew that Zan wasn’t so bad and he may have done stupid things in the past but he’s changed now, but when did Lottie figure it out because she never really gave him a chance to talk to her?

That being said, I did like the characters (though there are quite a few by the end and I got confused a bit between Audrey and Trish). On the other hand, Lottie and her twin brother Will’s “twindar” was very impressive. If that really happens when you have a twin, I am impressed and wish I had one. I really liked Stryker too, he seemed like a chilled out kind of guy who could talk a lot of sense, I wish I had a friend like him. Looking forward to his and Katie’s story when it’s released.

It was quite a sweet story when they finally got together and the bad guy got his comeuppance in the end.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2304 KP) rated Here Comes the Body in Books

Feb 26, 2020  
Here Comes the Body
Here Comes the Body
Maria DiRico | 2020 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Debut You Won’t Want to Refuse
Mia Carina has returned home after her adulterous husband’s mysterious disappearance to work in the family business. Or, I should say, the family’s new business. Her father, reputed mobster Ravello, has recently acquired the Belle View catering hall in the Queens borough of New York City, and Mia is going to help him run it as a 100% real business. Her first week on the job, Mia is in charge of a bachelor party when disaster strikes. Not only does the stripper not jump out of the cake, she’s dead in the cake. With the police showing interest in the new business and especially her father, Mia begins poking around, hoping to figure out what happened. Can she do it?

The mob? New York City? Yes, this is indeed still a cozy. While those are the elements that help make up this different take on the genre, they only help provide the background. The heart of the book is still a great puzzle and charming characters. Mia already knows some of the supporting players in the book, and we can tell right away how much they love each other. The rest of the characters are entertaining, and the suspects are strong. The plot weaves in some interesting directions before we reach the logical and satisfying conclusion. We get some great humor as Mia deals with a return home that isn’t as smooth as she thought it would be. Being a culinary cozy, we get some delicious sounding recipes at the end and a fun party idea. I took advantage of a lazy Sunday afternoon to finish this book, and I enjoyed every page of it. I’m already anxious for the sequel. It would be a mistake to refuse this excellent debut.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2304 KP) rated Project Dogway in Books

Jan 2, 2022  
Project Dogway
Project Dogway
Sparkle Abbey | 2021 | Mystery
9
9.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Dogging a Killer
Cousins Caro Lamont and Mel Langston are both in attendance at a dog fashion show fundraiser to help raise awareness for heartworm (in dogs, that is). Mel’s boutique is providing fashion for the dogs that are walking the catwalk, er dogwalk, for the show. However, the show ends early when Phil Tawney drops dead after eating some shellfish. While Caro searches for Phil’s missing award-winning beagle, Mel attempts to comfort the not quite grieving almost ex-wife. Will they wind up gathering the clues needed to catch the killer?

As a fan of this series, I was delighted to see the characters return, even if only in a short story. Caro and Mel and still feuding here, so we get the story told in short chapters to make it easier to switch between the cousins as the focal point of the story. The authors do a great job of giving us clues without repeating themselves so that both cousins can solve the crime. We don’t see many of the series regulars, but we had to have time for new characters and the plot in this short story. The mystery is well thought out with a logical solution. We also get the fun of the over-the-top world these books brought to life. Make no mistake, this is a short story I read in about 45 minutes, but as long as you keep that in mind, you’ll be fine. As a series fan, it was fun to revisit the characters. If you are new to the series, it might be a good way to meet the characters. You’ll be hooked and looking for the first book before you know it.