Official "Beauty & the Beast" Film Adaptation Thread- Page 58

[Auggie27]

Posted: 3/18/17 at 11:23am

Oh that's spot on. "Evermore" is just so Wildhorn. I can't get over how Wildhorn. 

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 3/18/17 at 11:24am

The lyrics about Gaston's physique ARE about Gaston as a person, and how needs to be seen. 

[Pan_Am_L-1011]

Posted: 3/18/17 at 11:00pm

Mr. Nowack said: "The whole gay deal annoys me because the way it played out its like "Look! We love those gay peoples! Look! They're in our movie! Look! It's a backlash because we're so accepting and shif!!!!!!!"

 

"

Oh look another idiotic comment.

[RW3]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 2:03am

Should we expect this to be nominated for "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy" at the Golden Globes? 

[EvanK]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 2:08am

Loved this movie. So enjoyable. 

[Fan123]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:00am

I haven't seen the film yet, so might be off base, but the lyrics of 'Evermore' do seem a bit too generic. The song occurs just after the Beast lets Belle leave, correct? Personally I would rather the song had more specifically referenced how the Beast has grown as a character. The song is all "I love her, I need her", but I don't think his falling for Belle would count for much character growth in and of itself. Pretty girl, the only eligible human companionship since who knows when, who wouldn't fall? And it's a tad creepy for an abductor character to sing about how "I realise now I need people in my life" as if that's meant to be their big character revelation.
The fact that the Beast lets Belle leave, counts much more to me in terms of his character growth. I never much cared for 'If I Can't Love Her', but at least it has that "Long ago I should have seen / All the things I could have been..." section to show the Beast is starting to realise he needs to become less of a jerk. I would have preferred bittersweet lyrics for 'Evermore' that conveyed something like "I'm heartbroken and without hope for myself, but I hope that she finds happiness out there" to show the Beast has grown by becoming capable of unselfish love, not just of love. On the upside though, the song does have the right 'sound' for the moment. And maybe it works better in the context of the film.

[MadonnaMusical]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 7:16am

Aside from Emma Watson's mediocre voice I thought the film was magnificent! I was pretty blown away! Best movie musical since Dreamgirls. Wish Condon had done Into The Woods actually. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 8:16am

WOW I've gotta say that the Disney magic really melted my Queeny heart. One of the most enjoyable experiences I've had at the movies in a while. The few qualms I had were really dwarfed by all the good. The production design and orchestrations alone were worth the ticket (Jonathan Tunick, Danny Troob, Doug Besterman, Michael Starobin I mean cmon!!!!). I did not think all the additions worked but they were relatively minor so I didn't mind (the gay thing was really really minor and no more significant than has been seen in family movies for years, it reminded me of the random gay plot in Mamma Mia, and I stand by my comments that Disney exaggerated for publicity). The highlights for me were "Belle" (giving me R+H Cinderella realness) and "Evermore." I was pretty dismissive of the song initially but the performance and staging were so good, I find it fascinating because the melody and orchestration are kindof triumphant in a way yet it's such an appropriately melancholy song underneath.

I will definitely be seeing it again and buying the Bluray. Just as a side note the crowds at the theatre were CRAZY huge all day long, for the show before mine and the one after. Disney is going to rake in soooooooooo much with this movie, and rightfully so I think.

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 08:16 AM

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 9:25am

This has got to be one of my favorite films. It sounded and looked so beautiful. The animated film was a favorite of mine as a child and I was just so pleased with this adaptation. I cried, I laughed, smiled and hummed a long. I thought Emma was perfectly cast, she just embodied Belle. 

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 09:25 AM

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 9:35am

It is very clear to me this movie will elicit quite divisive opinions. Personally, I hated it. Just downright dreadful with no spark, charm or magic.

 

I'm also probably 2 - 3 decades older than most of those who have subsequently fallen in love with it (jorge, nowack, evan, disneybroadwayfan, etc.) so perhaps it's an age gap thing? I don't know. I do not get it. 

[Mr. Nowack]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 10:00am

Though I do love the original I will say that I've never had the kind of reverence for it that many others do, so perhaps I found the remake less blasphemous because of that? I will say that a lot of the acting was pretty flat, some characters were just there, but the visual and orchestral porn (autotune notwithstanding) made me not care.

I agree with the Headband (lord help me) that it is very divisive. Everyone I know who's seen it has either been head over heels loving it or despising it with a passion.

[Liza's Headband]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 10:03am

Mr. Nowack said: "Though I do love the original I will say that I've never had the kind of reverence for it that many others do, so perhaps I found the remake less blasphemous because of that? I will say that a lot of the acting was pretty flat, some characters were just there, but the visual and orchestral porn (autotune notwithstanding) made me not care.

I agree with the Headband (lord help me) that it is very divisive. Everyone I know who's seen it has either been head over heels loving it or despising it with a passion."

 

Keep it civil. No need to be snarky and try to qualify your statement with an unnecessary side comment. Thanks.

[froote]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 10:17am

RW3 said: "Should we expect this to be nominated for "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy" at the Golden Globes?"

No. If Cinderella and The Jungle Book couldn't get a nomination, then this wont. They both had better reviews.

[yankeefan7]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 10:30am

I have not seen it yet but I just can't imagine it being as good due to the singing voices in the original. 

[Blue_Lotus]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 10:31am

Has anyone read this article written by Jason McHenry. It's entitled: "If We're Going To Csst Movie Stars in Musicals It's Time To Bring Back Dubbing."

Beauty and the Beast might be the most egregious attempt to shove an actor into a singing role beyond their abilities...

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 10:31 AM

[EvanK]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:25am

Liza's Headband said: "It is very clear to me this movie will elicit quite divisive opinions. Personally, I hated it. Just downright dreadful with no spark, charm or magic.

 

I'm also probably 2 - 3 decades older than most of those who have subsequently fallen in love with it (jorge, nowack, evan, disneybroadwayfan, etc.) so perhaps it's an age gap thing? I don't know. I do not get it. 

 

"

 

Its possible... this movie feels like my movie.. I grew up in the 90's... these films were ours as kids. In fact, the theatre was completely full of people my age, barely any kids. 

 

[westendfanatic]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:34am

i adored the movie from start to finish (as well as grinning like an idiot!) and nobody else could have played the prince other than Dan Stevens. he was gorgeous when he turned around in the transformation scene......PERFECT!

the only concerns i had with the film though, was how they did the big BE OUR GUEST number as it didn't seem to have the big WOW factor like the animated version had and the transformation scene could have been more powerful aswell as they all they showed was the beast's claw turning into a hand and that was pretty much it. they didn't have the foot nor the face being turned from beast to prince (like they had in the original animated version) and was very short and not long enough. the build up kiss between Emma and Dan though, was..........

Overall, the film was amazing and definitely worth the 2-year wait. it's just a shame that we have to wait a few months until the dvd of it comes out in the shops.

[icecreambenjamin]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:37am

The movie is extremely pretty to look at, but that's basically all it has going for it.  Emma Watson is absolutely dreadful.  I like her a lot and she's truly beautiful, but she can't even begin to sing.  She's all auto tune.  I love the original Broadway score and the original film so much that it really hurt my heart to see any rewrites.  Don't fix what isn't broken.  It's a commercial mess that probably shouldn't have been made.

[ukpuppetboy]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:40am

Liza's Headband said: "It is very clear to me this movie will elicit quite divisive opinions. Personally, I hated it. Just downright dreadful with no spark, charm or magic.

 

I'm also probably 2 - 3 decades older than most of those who have subsequently fallen in love with it (jorge, nowack, evan, disneybroadwayfan, etc.) so perhaps it's an age gap thing? I don't know. I do not get it. "

You are probably spot on here with it's polarising audience response. I'm in my (very late) 30s and the more I talk about the film the more I dislike the adaption. The new dialogue and direction just lacked any real soul or depth. Belle's initial innocence and nativity from the cartoon seemed to have given way to a new stilted standoffish version and the villagers in the opening number appeared to be marching through the motions as if every shot was the 8th take and and they were winding up to a performance a few seconds in. There was just no heart there. 

I think in almost every instance (apart from perhaps Maurice) the extra scenes failed to add any additional character depth and smacked of substandard meddling for the sake of it: Maurice's extra time in the castle, the first scouting trip for Belle, and the awful Paris "Ghost of Christmas Past"  scene...  I can't help but feel everything in the original had layered, very specific intent but almost everything added here was done to appease a committee of producers, the vanity of an actor or for a director with little musical sensitivy to stamp his own bland mark on the piece. Obviously the sets were beautiful and the sceneic CGI made it feel much grander than a Shepperton Sound Stage but a CGI beast and the "real" designs for the enchanted objects never really allowed them to express any facial emotions (especially Lumiere and Mrs Potts/Chip) so there again we got a pale imitation of what we had before. I could go on. I wont. I'm glad some people are enjoying it but for me once was more than enough - Something I would never say of the 1991 original.
 

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 11:40 AM

[sueb1863]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 11:41am

froote said: "RW3 said: "Should we expect this to be nominated for "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy" at the Golden Globes?"

No. If Cinderella and The Jungle Book couldn't get a nomination, then this wont. They both had better reviews.

 

'Cinderella' wasn't a musical, and Jungle Book only had a few songs in it.

I'm sure this will be nominated.

 

[froote]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:13pm

If they can nominate The Martian as a comedy, then they can certainly nominate The Jungle Book as a musical.

This isn't getting nominated, unless its an incredibly weak year for comedies. We have The Greatest Showman as an original musical and Baby Driver which has already screened to rave reviews. BATB's reviews are average and voters wont be remembering this as a highlight of film in 2017 by the time Golden Globe voting comes around in Winter.

Also, I was born in the early 90s and thought this was a bad adaptation. I actually think the fact that I grew up with the original made this versions weaknesses even more apparent and irritating.

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:27pm

Mr. Nowack said: "the gay thing was really really minor and no more significant than has been seen in family movies for years, it reminded me of the random gay plot in Mamma Mia "

This makes me wonder, was Mamma Mia banned in Malaysia or Russia too? I can't find anything about it. Also 95% of all movies have a gay moment/joke/situation or remark like that. So if they don't ban those, it's very hypocrite?

If anything, the gay storyline in Mamma Mia is completely comparable, even bigger than in BATB.

 

[Dave28282]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:31pm

icecreambenjamin said: " I like her a lot and she's truly beautiful, but she can't even begin to sing.  She's all auto tune.  "

The thing is, I don't even mind auto tune. There were songs in Glee that were clearly auto tuned but the magnificent way of using them as a voice over really created magic (yes, I LOVE lip-synching in films because it creates a better than life reality and doubles the emotion for me), but they were also sung with life, passion and soaring notes. It's this lame, lifeless intonation of Emma that disturbs me the most. It was probably even worse without the auto tune.

 

Updated On: 3/19/17 at 12:31 PM

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 12:41pm

I quite enjoyed the whole thing. The auto tune of Emma Watson's voice was less than great, but it was no worse than most voices on the radio these days, and much better than than the auto tuned garbage that is the Annie remake. Whether I like it or not, auto tuned voices are popular right now, so I'll deal with it.

The orchestrations were wonderful and the production was lavish. I could not have imagined it turning out any better.

I will admit, the original was a favorite of my childhood. It came to theatres the year I turned 9, and I happily got the VHS for my birthday. It was high on my wish list that year. The nostalgia may have caused a bias, but I like to think I am able to see past any possible bias, and that this new movie really was a wonderful as I initially thought it was.

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 3/19/17 at 2:14pm

I've been following various Beauty and the Beast message boards starting with the old imdb boards since the film was originally announced and it quickly became apparent to me that there was a certain faction of posters out there that would never even give this film a chance ... they started complaining about practically ever aspect of this production even before a single frame had been filmed. I get it ... they are passionate fans and have very specific ideas of how they want to see their beloved classic presented. There were others who were skeptical but willing to keep an open mind. Once images and clips started appearing the comments only got more passionate and critical and it wasn't nearly as much fun to follow the various boards. I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I completely respect that ... it just would have been nice if a few more of those rabidly passionate fans would have held the same respect for those whose opinions didn't fall in line with theirs. As the actual release date was finally in sight I honestly wasn't sure what to expect from the movie going public. But I've now seen the light at the end of the tunnel and realize that, even though we often times become so engrossed in these conversations on the message boards, that there is a whole other world out there that has never posted a single word on a message board and are unencumbered with preconceived expectations. I work at a theatre and watching these families arrive at the theatre with their little girls dressed in their yellow Belle ballgown, grinning from ear to ear, and bouncing off the walls with excitement ... I can't tell you what a smile that put on my face. The one mother I talked to said all her little girl talked about for months was March 17th ... she was so excited to see this film ... on their way out she said "We'll be back again!" ... her little girl was just beaming!! I lost count of how many little yellow dresses I saw so far this weekend but it did my heart good to see all their excitement and enjoyment. It's a shame that so many people seem to lose that innocence as they get older.