Reviews
The Beauty and the Beast (2017) Remake
by Kayley Mount
747/600-800
The trend for Disney filmmakers, perhaps because all the greatest stories have already been told, is remaking all of their well-loved animated films into live-action versions. It’s been done with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty (with the film Maleficent), the Jungle Book, and now with the 1991 Disney classic, Beauty and the Beast. Most young adults can remember this movie from their childhoods. I was probably more obsessed than most, constantly singing “Something There” while sitting in my car seat until it drove my parents insane and dressing up as Belle on the daily. I wanted the remake to do the original justice, considering how much sentimental value it had to me and likely many other children as well.
Sitting down to watch this movie, I had high expectations, especially considering how well-received the previous live-actions were. The plot points of Beauty and the Beast remain largely the same, but there are some notable differences. The live-action version delves deeper into the pasts of both Belle and the Beast. For Belle, it shows some background on her family, namely what happened to her mother, which deepens her character as well as her father’s. Additionally, in the remake, Belle is the inventor, rather than her father, who is shown as a painter and toymaker. We see that Belle has made creative contraptions that make her daily chores easier, and it’s nice to see Belle in a role that was originally given to a man. However, beyond this, her inventions aren’t showcased and her ingenuity isn’t utilized in any way the furthers the plot. The film also provides some explanation for how Prince Adam (the Beast) came to be so selfish and cynical, leading him to be turned into the Beast. It’s nice to have some more detail about his life, but it follows typical Disney fashion in which the mother dies and the father is neglectful. It isn’t a particularly original or noteworthy backstory, but it is better than nothing. Some background on Gaston and how his greedy personality came to be likely would have been more interesting. Additionally, this version hints to Le Fou, Gaston’s sidekick who is played by Josh Gad, as being the first gay character. The film has dialogue and body language that hints towards Le Fou having a crush on Gaston, as well as the final dance number that shows him dancing with another man. I personally really liked this addition, not only because representation is so important, but also because it adds more dimension to Le Fou and provides explanation to why he was so devoted to Gaston, who has no consideration for anyone but himself.
As for the soundtrack, all of the songs people know and love are in there, but it has several additions. The new songs, “How Does a Moment Last Forever”, “Days in the Sun”, and “Evermore” are nice enough to listen to, but it does seem as if they are only there to add some more run time to the movie and don’t do much to reveal anything about the characters or the story. Gaston, played by Luke Evans, and the Beast, played by Dan Stevens, have strong voices that carry the songs they are featured in. Belle, played by Emma Watson, has a decent voice, although at certain points you can hear where it has been tweaked with autotune.
What was most impressive about the film is the CGI (computer generated images) and cinematography. Going into watching the film, I was unsure how the Beast and the numerous anthropomorphic characters were going to be translated into live-action from animation. Impressively, the transition was flawless and the special effects were even better than I had imagined. Scenes such as “Be Our Guest” were colorful and lively, making it an even more exciting scene than in the animated film. The cinematography and costuming in the scene where the Beast and Belle dance to “Tale as Old as Time” was stunning and added another layer to the film that wasn’t quite there in the animation. While the animation in the original film is impressive, it has a hard time measuring up to how stunning the 2017 film is to watch.
Overall, the 2017 Beauty and the Beast did not disappoint. Although there were some flaws, the film exceeded expectations. It was amazing to see a childhood favorite transformed into something that is enjoyable to watch as an adult and it has made me more excited and confident in upcoming Disney remakes.
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| Photo courtesy of Disney |
I Scream, You Scream, But Mostly I Scream: An Ice Cream Truck Analysis
By Evan J.H. Schwartzberg
820/800
Everyone loves a good ice cream truck. To many, that familiar jingle is the soundtrack to a childhood time long past. But when spending your hard-earned dollars at one of these sugary chariots, which icy delight do you indulge in? Ice cream will be reviewed on five factors.
Flavor
Concept
Execution
Heft
Melt factor
BOMB POP: JOLLY RANCHER EDITION - $2.00
Photo courtesy of Skippy's Ice Cream
FLAVOR: 2/5
The Bomb Pop: Jolly Rancher, has four flavors: Cherry, Grape, Lemon, and Green Apple, in that order. Grape and lemon are fine, green apple is good, and cherry is basically a war crime. The flavors don’t mix well either, particularly grape and cherry. All of them taste almost exactly like their Jolly Rancher counterpart, which unfortunately is at such a disconnect with the texture of an ice pop that it seems blatantly artificial. The aftertaste is also disgusting.
CONCEPT: 1/5
Making an ice pop that tastes like Jolly Ranchers is a preposterous goddamn idea. Fire whoever decided that a Jolly Rancher flavored ice pop was the best way he could make his mark on the world.
EXECUTION: 5/5
Flawless, unfortunately, but the criteria for Execution is how faithfully the pop serves the idea, so it gets a perfect score. It really does taste just like a Jolly Rancher. Again, not a good thing.
HEFT: 1/5
It’s heavy! Very heavy! And the stick doesn’t poke out enough to make holding it a comfortable experience. About halfway through my time eating it, the top half of the pop fell off right along the line where lemon meets grape. A hassle through and through.
MELT FACTOR: 2/5
I had my Bomb Pop: Jolly Rancher on a 60 degree day, downright chilly for early June. And yet, my hands are sticky as I type this. The green apple layer lasted for only several minutes. On a hot day, you’re doomed. As you may imagine, this does not help the experience.
FINAL SCORE: 11/25 or 2.2/5
Stay away from this pop. It just isn’t worth your time. The original Bomb Pop is an iconic product, and a fine popsicle. The Jolly Rancher variant is really just reinventing the wheel, except this time it’s just a semicircle and it doesn’t work. You can do a lot better with most of the ice creams at your local truck. Remember, this pop gets half its points from something that harms it.
The many dyes also turned my tongue slightly brown
BLUE BUNNY BIG DIPPER: CHOCOLATE LOVER’S - $2.50
FLAVOR: 5/5
As advertised, this ice cream is for chocolate lover’s only, and it is not for the faint of heart. Every aspect of the cone is optimized to include the most chocolate flavor. Personally, I loved it. The varying chocolates meshed together beautifully, creating a sort of profound, new level of chocolate. Like chocolate nirvana.
CONCEPT: 5/5
The structure of the cone is brilliant. Chocolate ice cream, in a chocolate flavored cone, coated in chocolate, which is covered in oreo-like bits of chocolate cookie. The inside of the cone? Coated in chocolate. The bottom of the cone? Filled with a chocolate “plug” of sorts. This is a magnum opus of chocolate. This is our society’s answer to the days when Montezuma, emperor of the Aztecs, would drink fifty cups of liquid chocolate a day. The cone is an exercise in immaculate excess.
EXECUTION: 5/5
Every idea works perfectly, and in tandem with each other. All of the varying chocolate components taste great together. It is a miracle made flesh, or in this case, a miracle made chocolate.
HEFT: 5/5
Heft is not hard to do right. There is not a lot to say about the heft of the Big Dipper, which is an indicator that it is doing its job. Holding it and eating it are practically effortless, and it maintained structural integrity almost completely, almost cracking one time, but still managing to remain intact
MELT FACTOR: 5/5
There was almost no melting of either the solid chocolate or the ice cream, and my hands are spotless. Additionally, the brilliance of the chocolate plug is that even if ice cream does start to melt, it can’t leak through the bottom, because it is trapped inside the smooth chocolate inner lining. This is the kind of innovation that moves us forward as a civilization.
FINAL SCORE: 25/25
I worry about overhyping this ice cream, but any score below perfect in any category does not do the Big Dipper: Chocolate Lover’s justice. It is a perfect cone, and one of the best ice cream eating experiences I have ever had, at an ice cream truck or otherwise. I will be buying more of these in the future, and I recommend you do the same.
