Review on the Side: Cinderella

Release Date: March 13th, 2015
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Chris Weitz
Bechdel Test: Passed all three tests

Cinderella is the live action adaptation of the classic Disney cartoon of the same name. The 1950's Cinderella was a powerful movie that helped establish Disney as a brand that can make quality films. In the last few years, Disney has produced a series of live action adaptations and re-imaginings including Alice in Wonderland, and Maleficent. Both movies were visually stunning with a less than stunning plot. With Cate Blanchett headlining this film as the evil step mother, it's easy to presume this film will be another re-imagining of sorts.

Instead, Cinderella is quite faithful to the original cartoon, and surprisingly the original Grimm fairy tale. It's the traditional story of a poor girl who is abused by her step-mother and step-sisters and goes to the ball to meet a prince with the help of a fairy. No psychedelic universe, or cartoon settings. It's refreshingly simple and enchanting.

Lily James as Cinderella encapsulates that blonde, fair maiden look that Disney loves so much. I always will have trouble with a lead who has no flaws, and Cinderella is meant to be nothing but kind and good, although she never comes across as tooth-ache sweet. Despite the role being an fashioned cliche, James draws you in with her sincerity.

Cate Blanchett does steal the show quite a bit as the evil step mother. It would have been very easy to make her character inherently evil through and through, but instead the step-mother becomes a sympathetic character. Blanchett radiates talent, and without her I think this movie would fall flat. Helena Bonham Carter also brings a lot of charm to her role as the Fairy Godmother. She frequently plays fantastical characters, but the Fairy Godmother is different from her normal fair. She gives life to the story when it starts to grow dull, and has a wonderful presence as the narrator.

The biggest issue I have with Cinderella is with director Kenneth Branagh. The film feel drawn out and flat. Similar to his Marvel movie Thor, Branagh takes a magical fantastic universe and does a disservice with flat comedy and slow steady pacing. His style is simply quite boring. The second half of the movie seems to lose all urgency and stakes. There's nothing wrong with this or any of his movies, they will simply will never surprise you.

It does need to be said that like many old fairy tales, the portrayal of women is steeped in old fashioned ideals with less than stellar stereotypes. There's no getting around that. There's an argument to be had about the way women are portrayed in these morality films, and how that affects gender roles but I don't have it in me to fight that battle. Yes, it's old fashioned, but the essential message of kindness over selfishness isn't going to ruin a nation of kids. There does seem to be a conscious effort to represent diversity with some of the minor characters, so at least there's that.

Cinderella is a nice movie. I might recommend it to kids who enjoyed Maleficent but as an adult my nostalgia lies in the cartoon, I'd rather hear the old fashioned "Bippity Boppity Boo" than sit through this version again. It's a totally fine movie with some rather nice moments, but there's nothing to take away from it besides some impressive costumes and a hefty payday for Disney.

IMDb - Cinderella (7.2)

What to see this weekend?

Movie lovers and summer blockbusters. A match made in heaven. Are you interested in...

A female lead?
Inside Out
Jackie & Ryan
Spy

Written by a woman?
Inside Out
Jackie & Ryan
Jurassic World
Terminator Genisys

Directed by a woman?
Jackie & Ryan

Trailblazer Appreciation: Amy Schumer

Ever hear that women can't be funny? Ever hear that women can't be on late night TV? Ever hear that only certain kinds of women can be sexy?

Amy Schumer doesn't give a fuck.

This week the third season of Amy Schumer's sketch-comedy show called Inside Amy Schumer premiered on Comedy Central. Lets be honest, that in itself is an achievement worth celebrating, since the prevailing theory is that women aren't funny. Amy's comedy is provocative and pushes the limit's of what can be shown on TV.

The Inside Amy Schumer premiere included the viral sensation "Milk, Milk, Lemonade" and the epic collaboration of Julia Louie-Dreyfus, Patricia Arquette, and Tina Fey celebrating their "Last Fuckable Day." Her show takes a massive undeniable stand against the physical standards that Hollywood has set for women. A fantastic season opener to a show that often takes a critical eye to the way women are treated in society.

Amy's hilarious comedy also lead her to this year's MTV Movie Awards as the host. Between Shailene Woodley winning literally every award, and buff action movie stars standing in front of pyrotechnics instead of speaking, Amy stood out for her hysterical monologue.

Amy also wrote her first feature film called Trainwreck,  a romantic comedy that she is starring in along with SNL alum Bill Hader. The movie was directed and produced by star maker Judd Apatow. The trailer is up, and with such a funny, talented cast, it looks like it will be a hit this summer.

Are you exhausted yet? You should be. Amy Schumer has been paving the way for women in comedy, and isn't slowing down now. She's been able to take the stereotypes that hold back women, and use them to push herself forward. For her inspiring perseverance and fearless comedy, we are grateful to have such outstanding idol carving her own path. 

What's on TV this week?

This week in TV we have some favorites, old and new, and one classic is coming to an end. Let us know if any of these shows are in your TV queue. 

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

While The Daily Show might represent one of many late night slots that women can't break into, Jon Stewart created a show that has become a staple for human who like comedy everywhere. His late night run on the satirical news show is coming to an end in August. While a new anchor, Trevor Noah will take over the helm at The Daily Show, it certainly feels like the end of an era. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart also helped bring comediennes like Samantha Bee, Jessica Williams, and Kristen Schaal into our homes with their comedy and commentary. We hope you catch up with Jon Stewart while he's still on the air.

iZombie

For something lighter we turn to the CW. From the creator of Veronica Mars comes iZombie, a supernatural police procedural based on a comic series. iZombie is coming on the heels of popular procedural's like Forever, Castle, and Elementary which seem to have a clear agenda to show police detectives as totally useless, and random people should absolutely be out solving murders. It's wonderful to see a woman in the helm of such a franchise, as well as co-creator and executive producer Diane Ruggiero bringing more women to the writing and development. It's a fun show that takes a serious look at the life of a lonely zombie, and shows some creative crime solving.

Veep

Returning for it's 4th season is the Julia Louis-Dreyfus political comedy that I've often called the funniest show on television. For 4 seasons, Armando Iannucci has made comedy smarter, and politics sillier. The interaction between Vice President Selena Meyers (Louis-Dreyfus) and her personal aid Gary (The outstanding Tony Hale) is something that makes me laugh until I'm gasping for air. You might have seen their shtick when Julia won an Emmy for her work on Veep in 2013 and Tony Hale joined her on stage to hold her purse and whisper "you love your family" in her ear like he does in the show. Veep is really really funny.

What are you watching on TV this week?