The Princess and the Frog Movie Review

Disney has already done Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Snow White. Yet in late 2009 they came back to tackle a new simple children’s folk tale and exploit it into a complicated plot adored by children and adults alike. This VFTT staff writer must admit; he fell for the exploitation. When I went to see the movie I thought it best to see it with an adult so I could test the theory of whether the cute animation and complex plot really did hook children as well as adults. My mother, after more than a decade of Disney films, music, and shows blatantly refused so the only person I could get to go was my grandmother.

From our perspective in the second row we still enjoyed the movie. The Princess and the Frog features a strong, hard working main character, Tiana, raised by her impoverished seamstress mother and double shift working father. She grows up dreaming of one day owning the restaurant her father wanted so badly. Yet her father teaches her that “wishing on stars” will get her nowhere and gives her a persistent work ethic. Working two jobs of her own as a waitress, she is “almost there” as she sings later in the movie. Disney doesn’t lie when they say they returned to their classic routes by returning to using song to tell a story, yet the music of The Princess and the Frog is actually enjoyable. Instead of bubblegum pop featured in most Disney movies, The Princess and the Frog actually ties into the roots of New Orleans taking from its fast paced jazz with amazing vocals, to slow paced instrumentals. It combines the best of the new and old New Orleans making for nice flavorful combination.

Tiana’s frog, so to say, is the lazy, carefree, and easy going Prince Naveen. The Prince is nearly destined to be married to Tiana’s friend, Charlotte, whose father is the richest man in town. However, he runs into some bad company and is magically turned into a frog by the voodoo-crazy Shadow Man. Here comes the Disney twist in the story – instead of Naveen turning back into a handsome prince once more, Tiana is turned into a mucus covered frog when she kisses him. Their adventure through the bayou begins, and they meet the trumpet blowing Louis the alligator, Cajun firefly Ray, and the wacky Mama Odie.

The movie focuses on inspiring and pushing people towards their dreams. As Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana, said, “Whatever makes your pulse race, go for it”, and that is what I think we all see Disney movies for. Underneath the silly jokes, exploitation, and super sweetness of Disney’s movies is a resounding theme that we all want in our lives. That theme is definitely present in The Princess and the Frog. Overall, I would rate the movie five out of five stars. But to caution you movie goers who bring young children: there are a few parts that might be a little scary; yet other than that, my companion and I found the movie perfectly enchanting.

The Box: Cameron Diaz Shouldn’t Do Accents

Have you ever watched a movie that made your opinion of it change throughout the movie?  Sadly, The Box is one of those topsy-turvy films.  Norma and Arthur Lewis are doing the best they can to keep financially upright.  Then they are approached by a stranger with a simple offer: press the button in the box provided and be rewarded one million dollars.  But, someone they don’t know will die.  After much deliberation, the couple decides to push the button and receive their fortune, but end up unearthing an otherworldly mystery that begins to threaten their very lives.  In theory, The Box has everything it needs to be an end-of-the-year blockbuster: a fresh, new story and great actors.  The hardest thing is that The Box is the type of film that is ruined by dozens of little faults that begin to add up; the small and subtle plot holes and discrepancies just destroy the film.

            And it was these little things that nagged me throughout the film.  For instance, it is heavily implied that the Lewis family is in a financial rut.  I just couldn’t see how the family was living paycheck to paycheck as Norma was a teacher at a fancy prep school, Arthur was a NASA employee, they could afford to send their child to private school, they lived in a nice home in what looked like an affluent neighborhood, could afford cars (nice ones, mind you), and attended social gatherings that made it look as if their relatives were quite well off.  This family is supposed to be living paycheck to paycheck?  And you want me to feel sympathetic toward them?

            Even the accents drove me crazy.  It’s apparent that most characters in this story have subtle accents, and while most seem believable at best, no one flaunted their accent quite as much as Cameron Diaz.  She literally wore it like a dress and took it to the shows.  Her thick accent that was made so prominent seemed to ruin her character.  At one point in the film, she is given this grand monologue that’s supposed to develop her character and show the hardships she has had to overcome and accept, and I simply couldn’t take her seriously.  It was almost comical, as after each heaving sob, followed mouthfuls of such slurred Southern drawl.

            My last bone to pick with the film would have to be the film’s ending.  Without giving away too much of the story, I can say that it had a final plot twist almost M. Night Shaymalan worthy.  To spend so much time with a film with such a good story, only to have an ending twist that not only wraps up the story but also puts the blame on something as outrageous as ‘aliens’ or ‘polar bears’, is infuriating.  This, dear readers, is lazy storytelling.  On top of the outrageous plot twist, the story fits one of those looping ideas where they events that happened to the main characters is repeated to a new group of characters, leaving us with no form of closure or lesson as a story and its events repeat themselves again.  This is where I want to draw the line.  The Box is not a bad film, it’s just not good enough to spend money to see at a movie theater.  This is definitely a solid rent, so wait a few months and get it at a cheaper price; you won’t be missing anything.

2012, End of the World? Movie Review

  On Friday November 13, 2009 one of the most anticipated movies of the year 2012 was shown in theaters.  In the movie, 2012 is supposed to be the year all life forms were to be extinct, which the Mayan tribe predicted thousands of years ago.  The Mayans predicted the day would be December 21, 2012.  

  The movie 2012 was what I expected to be, natural disasters and many people losing their lives.  If there was one word I would use to describe the movie, the word would be breathtaking.  The movie used almost all the disasters expected to happen on that horrifying event.  And the movie did make me think about that day if it happens and where would I be when it happens.  The movie shows that depending where you are, a specific disaster will happen, from California to Nevada to Colorado and other parts of the world like India. 

  If you are curious about how the end of the world would be or just want to watch a good movie I really recommend watching this film, but the ending of the movie does raise some questions about the apocalypse and how we will react to this death experience.  If I had to rate this movie it would be a 4 out of 5.