A Tale as Old as Time | Review of “Beauty and the Beast”

By Cynthia Ayala

Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline & Josh Gad
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

“Disney’s animated classic takes on a new form, with a widened mythology and an all-star cast. A young prince, imprisoned in the form of a beast, can be freed only by true love. What may be his only opportunity arrives when he meets Belle, the only human girl to ever visit the castle since it was enchanted.”

—IMDB

A magical live action remake of the classic tale following Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the cursed prince. Needless to say—but it has to be said—this film had exceptional casting. Emma Watson has become an exceptional actress, taking on the part of Belle and molding her into something new. She was able to capture the essence of Belle from the original, the stubborn opinionated girl with dreams as vast as the eye could see. And her performance was breathtakingly amazing. She is Belle, there is no question about it. Then there is Luke Evans. God, what a wonderful Gaston he made. Much like Watson, he was the perfect person to take on this role, to sing the songs, the be the perfect narcissist.
Continue reading “A Tale as Old as Time | Review of “Beauty and the Beast””

The Charm is Still There | Review of ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’

By Cynthia Ayala

Bridget Jones’s Baby starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth & Patrick Dempsey
Universal Pictures
Image Credit: IMDB

Bridget’s focus on single life and her career is interrupted when she finds herself pregnant, but with one hitch … she can only be fifty percent sure of the identity of her baby’s father.

—IMDB

The one thing I was very worried about with this movie was the comedic element of the film. After three films one always has to be skeptical if the magic will still be there, especially after so many years. But don’t doubt it, the magic that made Bridget so popular is still there.
Continue reading “The Charm is Still There | Review of ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’”

Saving Mr. Banks | Movie Review

By: Cynthia A. Directed by: John Lee Hancock Written by: Kelly Marcel & Sue Smith Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, B. J. Novak & Colin Farrell The film centers on the life of Travers, shifting between 1906 with her childhood in Queensland, Australia and the 1961 negotiations with Walt Disney.  While in California for pre-production, Travers thinks back to … Continue reading Saving Mr. Banks | Movie Review

Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles: Book 2)

The magic and love wove a romantic struggle in darkness and light, thrilling the reader. I have to say the characterization I this novel was amazing and the connection between the characters was excellently portrayed in the writing.  I both loved and hated that only because Lena’s character was really beginning to annoy me by shutting herself and disconnecting herself from the other character.  Despite … Continue reading Beautiful Darkness (Caster Chronicles: Book 2)

Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles: Book 1)

An absolutely amazing novel. The concept of witches has been done again and again since the days of Charmed and has progressed to so many realms. But what this novel does is reinterpret the not just the story, but also the mythology of the witches themselves. Even, the name Casters is a new take on the story and supernatural aspect of the story. The internal … Continue reading Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles: Book 1)

Beautiful Creatures

Definitely better than Twilight as far as story and acting are concerned, but adaption wise, there was room for improvement.  Having read the book I understood the melodramatic moment and forgave them due to the ending, considering the acting was really good.  Jeremy Irons and Emma Thompson, enough said in that respect.  However, there were quite a number of changes.  Characters in the book were cut … Continue reading Beautiful Creatures

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

EPIC!!! BREATHTAKING!!! HEART WRENCHING!!!  TEAR JERKING!!!! FREAKISHLY AWESOME!!! This was a great way to end the Harry Potter Saga.  I mean yes, there were parts where it could have been more like the book and bit better but over all it was just a great movie that I loved and I am going to see this movie again and again, as much as my wallet … Continue reading Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2