Beauty And The Beast

Beauty And The Beast' Adds Dimension But Loses Spark

... a pile of horns, makeup and effects on top of the former “Downton Abbey” star Stevens, is more haunted and melancholy. But as the film nears its celebratory coda, a buoyant pluralism bursts forth. Characters — large parts and small — are freed from their prescribed roles in a glorious dance, shortly after Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian Mc Kellen), Lumiere (Ewan Mc Gregor) and the rest come to life. (Be sure to shake your living room and see which British star tumbles out of the furniture.) Here is where that already much discussed “gay moment,” as Condon has called it, arrives. It comes and goes in a flash. Josh Gad, the MVP of many a Disney movie, plays Le Fou, the doting sidekick of the caddish Gaston (Luke Evans), the dopey pursuer of Belle’s hand. Le Fou spends much of the movie hinting at his affection for his lecherous friend, but Le Fou, too, earns a chance for redemption toward the end. That’s all it is — an easy to miss suggestion that Le Fou might find ...

A 'beauty And The Beast' With A New Dimension

... March 16, 2017 10:30 pm. Review: A 'Beauty and the Beast' with a new dimension Associated Press |. The Disney “live-action” remakes, of which the new “Beauty and the Beast” is but one in an assembly line, are starting to resemble an i Phone software update. Click a button and that old cartoon interface changes Belle into Emma Watson, the Beast into Dan Stevens and maybe fixes a few bugs in the system. “Beauty and the Beast,” that “tale as old as time” (or, to pinpoint it, 1740, when the French fairy tale was published), could certainly use a few tweaks. It is, after all, a fable about finding beauty within that ends, curiously, with the once superficial prince falling for a beautiful woman he’s kidnapped, whose name literally means beauty. If you’d like to untangle those ironies, please, be ...

Beauty And The Beast

... the well-known setup. Can Belle free the beastly prince from his curse? (Spoiler: yes.) Do the actors really sing? (Yes—well, they lip-synch to their pre-recorded tracks.) Do the old showstoppers—like "Be Our Guest" and "Gaston"—still stop the show? (Very much so.) So what's the problem. As much fun as all of this is, I think there are two problems, both of them in the casting, one of them relatively minor. The performers are generally aces (especially Josh Gad, a member of the original cast of The Book of Mormon, whose manner is so broadly effulgent I couldn't tell whether he was supposed to be openly gay or simply the soul of old Broadway). But Emma Watson seems to me to be too smart and contemporary for this sort of big-budget fantasia. (Recall her sharp work in The Perks of Being a ...

Live-action 'beauty And The Beast ' Revisits A Tale As Old As Time

... Production numbers aside, there's lots of back story this time to give the actors something to play - a prologue about how the Beast became a beast - he kind of deserved it - and a flashback about Belle's mom that helps explain the meaning of that rose that's losing its pedals. The symbolism is fleshed out so clearly it'll doubtless be helpful to middle school English teachers, which counts as a plus. All of these things are pluses, really. Though they do make this "Beauty And The Beast" more than 40 minutes longer than the animated one. Forty minutes better - not for me, but if you've been craving a live-action beauty and the beast and Jean Cocteau's 1946 version strikes you as insufficiently family friendly, I totally get that. This version is boisterous and colorful and entirely compatible with a trip to Disney World. And if that sounds appealing, you're going to have a great time. Be their guest. I'm Bob Mondello. (SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "BEAUTY AND THE BEAST"). ...

The Live-action Beauty And The Beast Is Fine, But Also Completely Unnecessary

... princesses, is also saddled with a completely unnecessary extra back story involving her mother, which actually has less to do with who Belle is and more to do with her father’s actions. The movie could have easily had Belle and the Beast to have bonded over this semi-similar part of their lives. They both learn about each other’s respective parental trauma, but they only seem sympathetic to the other one rather than seeing a kindred spirit. Belle and the Beast “bond” over books—a relationship which begins with the Beast belittling her taste and then mansplaining her favorite story to her. I half-expected him to tell her she should be reading The Catcher in the Rye instead because it just, like, gets it. All of these dramatic character bits don’t land anything like they’re supposed to. And they’re even more jarring because they’re right up against comedic bits that work ...

Expect More Remakes If Disney’s ‘beauty And The Beast’ Delivers

... report. Many of the reviews for “Beauty and the Beast” paint the film as nothing more than a nostalgia device. And while the Atlantic’s David Sims called it “A tale as old as time, told worse,” A. O. Scott at the New York Times said: “Its classicism feels unforced and fresh. Its romance neither winks nor panders. It looks good, moves gracefully and leaves a clean and invigorating aftertaste. I almost didn’t recognize the flavor: I think the name for it is joy.”. However, it’s not likely parents won’t take their children to see it because of a 69% rating, said com Score analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “Disney is trying to find a way to continue the classic magic with a younger audience, and for a lot of kids, this will be the first time they see this story told on the big screen,” he said. Also see: It’s not too late to invest in Disney’s future, analysts say. That also helps answer the ...

Beauty And The Beast' Aims To Enchant Once More, With A New Twist On The 'tale As Old As Time

... that it would not be showing the film. Many in the production have backed away from the topic entirely. "To define Le Fou as gay. nobody who sees the movie could define it that way. He's enthralled with Gaston," Menken said. "I'm happy that Le Fou is getting so much attention. But I pray that this stupid topic goes away because it's just not relevant with any respect to the story. Even the one moment that's being discussed is just a silly little wink. It's nothing.". For his part, Gad thinks it's been "overblown," too, and that the story is more about "inclusiveness" and not judging a book by its cover. "It's a story with a lot of wonderful messages, and, really once you watch the film, anyone who is wondering what it's all about will understand that it's a beautiful story, inclusive of everyone. It's a legacy that I'm proud to be part of," Evans added. "But you can judge Gaston by his cover," he said with a smirk. "That's exactly who he is.". Lindsey Bahr wrote this story, (c) 2017 The Associated Press. Most Read. Now Playing. Get the latest news, reviews, trailers and up-to-date listings for movies playing in local theaters. Delivered ...

Beauty And The Beast' Star Josh Gad Dishes On Movie Musicals

... for her father's freedom. Despite her initial fears, she befriends the castle's enchanted staff and she learns to recognize the true soul of the human Prince within. Meanwhile, a hunter named Gaston has his own plans for the unlikely couple. Gad plays Le Fou, Gaston's sidekick, in the live-action remake. Gad considers himself as "blessed" to have been cast in so many successful musicals. His roles in "The 25 th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," "The Book of Mormon," "Frozen," and now "Beauty and the Beast" are nothing short of iconic. "I've had a chance to use those skills and that skill set," gushed Gad. "I would love and welcome the opportunity [to star in more musicals]. Now, with the success of 'La La Land' and hopefully 'Beauty and the Beast,' I have a feeling Hollywood is going to make more of these. I really do and I hope that they do. I think audiences want all of those performances.". 6 PHOTOS. SEE ALL. BACK TO ...

Beauty And The Beast Is Beautiful But A Bit Too Familiar, And Iron Fist Is A Marvel Misstep

... say that while this isn’t exactly a failed Experiment, it’s neither as gonzo as it could be nor as smart as it thinks, which undermines its attempts at satire and makes it harder to enjoy as a straight-up action thriller. A mixed bag not without its moments, Belko could still be worth checking out… but unless you’re really into this stuff, it might be best to wait for the rental. What’s New on TV. Despite some promising moments, Iron Fist is weighed down by an absence of momentum and originality. Also Opening This Week In Limited Release. Tickling Giants (2017) , a documentary about Egyptian political satirist  Baseem Youssef ‘s journey from heart surgeon to public figure, is at 100 percent. Betting on Zero (2017) , a documentary probe of the multi-level marketing corporation Herbalife, is at 100 percent. After ...

George R. R. Martin On Writing Tv's 'beauty And The Beast

... later. It was such a literate show and such a smart show. Vincent may have been a Beast but he was highly read and always fond of quoting poetry and citing Shakespeare and dropping in a sonnet from one poet or another. That had an enormous effect. We would get letters from librarians across the country about all the people who would come into the libraries on Monday after we’d aired on Friday saying, “What was that poem Vincent read?” They were going back to Shakespeare. I was able to do an episode called “Ozymandias” where we had Ron Perlman read the entirety of the poem by Shelley. To be able to do that kind of thing was amazing, to work in some of the classics of English literature that way. Vincent was an intellectual who loved words and stories and poems. He was not by that reason like a geek or a figure the other characters made fun of but was in fact a classic, Romantic, Byronic hero. Being able to bring that to television to a mass audience was great. The production values were also pretty ambitious for the ...

Which One Of James Corden's Crosswalk Musicals Is The Best

... the audience of drivers sitting in heavy traffic, the spectacle draws plenty of bewildered faces and tons of laughs from viewers. We Ranked of All of James Corden's Carpool Karaokes: Which Pop Star Reigns Supreme. We ranked the four Crosswalk the Musical segments that have aired so far. 4. The Lion King: In 2016, Corden enlisted the help of Neighbors stars  Seth Rogen and  Rose Byrne to help perform songs from The Lion King. Unlike Disney's polished Broadway production, the host's group had to make due with costumes that were far.cozier, as they belted out "I Just Can't Wait to Be King," "Hakuna Matata" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?". Rogen did not take part in the signing but played a vital part of a key scene none the less. "Oh my God, did everybody just see what happened here?" Corden asked. "I didn't see this guy. I just saw the moon.". ...