• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give

Emma Watson

The Circle: Are You Plugged in?

August 1, 2017 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

Mae Holland (Emma Watson) wants to change her life, so she accepts a job at the company her friend, Annie (Karen Gillan), works at called The Circle. A tech company, The Circle is on the cutting edge of technology and social media, pushing its agenda to make everything known and nothing secret.

Based on David Eggers and directed by James Ponsoldt, the film aims for something higher than just entertainment, warning us of a time – not unlike the present – where nothing is private. Whether it’s the personal details about our lives we share on social media (is that really private?) or companies making accessible to others what we think they’ve kept private, the truth gets out in ways we don’t expect.

These decisions are made at The Circle by CEO Tom Stenton (Patton Oswalt) and co-founder Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), a Steve Jobs-like figure, while the rest of the employees swarm around, happily lapping up what they decree. And then there’s a third creative, Ty (John Boyega), lurking in the background, as part of the tension that surrounds the company.

What you take from Eggers’ storyline (he adapted the screenplay, too) will vary, based on your perspective of technology and social media. But the truth is, there are several warnings there that share visions of what we should be aware of every time we plug in.

Special features include a four-part featurette called “No More Secrets: Completing the Circle”, “The Future Won’t Wait: Design and Technology,” and “A True Original: Remembering Bill Paxton,” honoring the actor who passed away this year. 

 

Filed Under: DVD, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Emma Watson, John Boyega, Social Media, Tom Hanks

3.18 Entering THE CIRCLE

May 8, 2017 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

This week, Steve welcomes Patrick Erskine and Paul Levac to enter into James Ponsoldt’s THE CIRCLE.  Starring Emma Watson and Tom Hanks, this sci-fi drama explores our world through the eyes of social networking and just might have something to say to the Millennial generation as well… but is it worth your money?  (Plus, this might be the most entertaining edition of Screen It or Skip It since the show began…)

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.18 The Circle

Thanks Paul and Patrick for coming on the show!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: adaptation, book, Boyhood, drama, Emma Watson, facebook, Google, Instagram, John Boyega, millennials, Patton Oswald, privacy, Stitcher, teen drama, The Circle, Tom Hanks, Tumblr, Twitter

Poisoned Princesses – Disney’s Monopoly on the Monarchy

April 3, 2017 by Steve Norton 1 Comment

 

Okay, I admit it.  It’s a little weird.

As a (nearly) forty-year-old man, the last thing that you’d think I’d be writing about would be Disney Princesses.  Still, with the release of their latest remake/reboot/resale of Beauty and the Beast, I can’t help but think about how much has changed in a very short period of time for this contemporary image of women.

Personally, I think that it’s fair to say that so much of our modern understanding of what it means to be a ‘princess’ stems from Disney’s all-powerful influence.  When Disney first created the ‘Princess’ line-up in the early 2000s, it proved to not only be a great way to help familiarize this generation with their older characters, it also proved to be lucrative franchise of dresses, magic wands, and make-overs.  (In fact, just last year, the Disney Princess line-up helped propel Hasbro to record sales.) Interestingly though, they also became known for marketing a certain image of young women and, subsequently, a standard of beauty for young girls as well.

Eventually, this was met with backlash as fans became more away of Disney’s subtle stereotypes.  All of a sudden, Disney’s iconic princesses were becoming viewed with greater suspicion.  This, of course, placed Disney in a difficult position where they were suddenly forced to rethink the nature of a Disney ‘princess’, lest they lose their market.

And, maybe, things have begun to change.

In recent films, Disney has shown that they are deliberately attempting to deconstruct the very princess stereotypes that they themselves worked so hard to build.  In their recent remake of Beauty and the Beast, Belle—one of the pillars of Disney’s Princess line of toys—proclaims that she is not a princess at all.  Moana is adamant that she’s “not a princess.  [She]’s the daughter of the Chief.”  (“Same difference,” Maui replies.) Even Wreck-It Ralph’s Vanellope, after discovering her princess roots, throws off her fancy garb in favour of more comfortable clothes.  (In fact, following the tragic death of Carrie Fisher last December, there has even been an online campaign from fans to include Princess Leia in the line-up due to her fearlessness and strong character.  Admittedly, Disney has yet to officially comment on that, however.)

All of this shows a decidedly different tonal shift from the House of Mouse, even if they do seem to want to have their cake and eat it too.  Yes, they still want little girls to be excited about the frilly dresses and magic wands.  (A fact that, potentially, could be what’s keeping Leia and Venellope out of the Princess line-up.)  Still, maybe… just maybe… Disney is also trying to break down the walls of limitation that the labels have established.

This deliberate distancing from the name ‘princess’ shows that Disney realizes that the term has become limiting in a number of ways.  Through the representation of ‘princesses’ as primarily  ‘damsels in distress’, Disney has reinforced archaic understandings of gender roles over the years.  Still, whereas the term has often been associated with a need for rescue, it’s the princesses that are now, in fact, doing the rescuing.  In fact, they’re often assertive, proactive and, sometimes, more courageous than their male counterparts.  (For example, Moana may need Maui’s help but not because he’s a ‘strong male’.  Rather, he draws much of his strength from her ferocity.)

One of the best examples of this change comes through Disney’s new vision for Belle in Beauty and the Beast.  Many have commented that Belle was the first Disney princess to really set herself apart.  Educated and fiery, Belle seemed a breakthrough for Disney as they moved into the 90s.  In the 2017 live-action remake however, this ‘princess’ is not only educated but also empowering, teaching young girls in the village to read for themselves.  She has a greater sense of the world around her and the limited worldviews of others.  (‘Your library make our village seem small,’ she says.)  Most importantly though, she’s even less complicit to her capture than the animated version by staying at the castle as an act of sacrifice and even generates a much more natural relationship with the Beast than in the original.

This, to me, is a far better example to the young women of this generation (and to the boys as well).  While there is nothing inherently wrong with the label of ‘princess’, it should never define the qualitative behavior of a young woman.  What’s more, this sort of divisiveness is not isolated to ‘princess’ either.  As a pastor, I constantly think back to Scripture and how terms like ‘leper’, ‘tax collector’ or ‘sinner’ are always culturally imposed and create spaces of judgment and limitation.  However, these loaded terms lose their power in Christ, where “there is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female…”  In Christ, labels fall away and we are invited to be at our most whole.  (In fact, I would even argue that Jesus empowered women throughout the Gospels in ways that biases within his culture and the church prevented at the time.)

It’s possible that, maybe, Disney is finally buying into what we’ve known for ages: that people can’t be limited to any specific label (or even that labels are, at best, incomplete pictures).  While the cynical might simply call it a marketing ploy, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.  In the future, I also hope that the next step would not to distance themselves from the term ‘princess’ but to reclaim it, showing that the term is far from limiting in and of itself.  Nonetheless, by releasing the stigma attached to the ‘princess’ label, Disney has begun to offer young girls role models that are contain qualities of being strong, educated and sensitive.

After all, like Moana says, there’s no telling ‘how far [they’ll] go’.

 

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Cinderella, Disney, Disney Princess, Emma Watson, Maui, Moana, Princess, Rapunzel, Snow White

3.15 Retelling BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

March 26, 2017 by Steve Norton 17 Comments

http://screenfish.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/3.15-Beauty-and-the-Beast.mp3

This week, Steve welcomes ScreenFish newbie Derek Wong to delve into the tale as old as time when they chat about Disney’s remake of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. Can the 2017 version live up to the legacy of the original? What does it mean to be timeless?Has true beauty changed? All this and more, only on ScreenFish.

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

3.15 Beauty and the Beast

A special thanks to Derek for coming on the show!

Filed Under: Film, Podcast Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Bill Condon, Dan Stevens, Disney, Disney Princess, Emma Watson, fairy tale, Gaston, LeFou, musical, musicals, Walt Disney

Beauty and the Beast: A Mixed Transformation

March 20, 2017 by J. Alan Sharrer 4 Comments

Unless you’ve been on a remote island for the last year or so, you know Disney has been working on a live-action version of its beloved, animated hit Beauty and the Beast.  After much teasing and considerable hype, the finished product has finally been released to theaters around the world.  People are flocking to theaters in droves, along with their kids (at least two girls were dressed in Belle’s signature yellow dress at the screening I attended). What they will see on the screen is a good film that doesn’t quite reach the bar set by its predecessor.

The film, for the most part, tells the story known the world over—a prince isn’t very nice to an old lady stopping by his opulent castle for shelter.  She puts a spell on him and his servants, transforming him into a horned beast (Dan Stevens) and them into various household objects.  The castle becomes frozen in a perpetual winter to boot. If the Beast finds true love before the magical rose in his room loses its petals, he can become human again. If not, he remains a beast forever and his servants become permanently inanimate.

In a nearby village, Belle (Emma Watson) is groaning about wanting more from life, all while helping her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) and avoiding the romantic passes of certifiable egomaniac and Narcissus wannabe Gaston (Luke Evans). When Maurice takes a wrong turn one day and lands at the castle, he picks a rose for Belle and is imprisoned by the Beast for it. Belle eventually comes to take her father’s punishment, but the Beast’s gaggle of talking appliances, led by Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) and Lumière (Ewan McGregor), keep her around—for a while.  When she escapes, wolves surround her, but the Beast saves the day, suffering injury in the process. That’s when Stockholm Syndrome befalls Belle.  Gaston learns of this and eventually leads a charge to kill the Beast (but fails), and the ending is all fairytale happiness.

In this adaptation, Beauty and the Beast succeeds in many areas–yet falls short in a few.  The sets and costumes are exquisitely designed—there could be an Oscar nomination coming Disney’s way next year. There were some issues with the CGI—especially with the wolves and a few of the backgrounds. As for the cast, Stevens’ Beast doesn’t seem quite as angry as his animated counterpart, coming across as more of a tortured soul (he also has a solo that is fantastic). Watson does admirably as Belle, but you can tell from the first song that she can’t quite hit the high notes. To her credit, she does get stronger in her singing as the film progresses. McKellen, McGregor, and Emma Thompson (as Mrs. Potts) are fabulous; Thompson is probably the only person that could give Angela Lansbury a run with her rendition of the theme song. I didn’t quite find Evans’ Gaston to be as convincing–his change from vain leader to exactor of vengeance was too abrupt. There are a few new additions to the film, including the rose Maurice picks at the Beast’s castle, a magic book that acts as a corollary to the magic mirror, a look at Belle’s childhood, and Agathe (I won’t say any more about her).  This adds almost forty-five minutes to director Bill Congdon’s film (it runs 2:09), but I didn’t find myself checking the time as a result.

There’s been a ton of discussion on the Internet and in real life about Josh Gad’s portrayal of LeFou as gay.  As with many other things, speculation is just that—speculation.  In the film, LeFou wants to be on Gaston’s good side, but does act a bit odd at times.  It’s only at the ending battle where anything resembling gay comes into play, thanks to Madame Garderobe (Audra McDonald).  This comes into play (if you want to call it that) as LeFou, in the final dance, spins off from his female partner to a guy.  It’s a blink-and-you-miss-it sequence and really has nothing to do with the overall story.

The themes of sacrifice, love, and restoration come into play quite prominently. However, one early sequence is worth mentioning. Belle asks Maurice about her mom, who describes her as “fearless.” To a large extent, that’s exactly what Belle becomes—both in her determination to protect her father and her belief that something good exists in a hideous horned creature.  In our lives, fear is an attribute that can render the strongest person powerless.  But true love can vanquish fear—the Bible notes this when it says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18 NIV).”  Obviously, Belle grew up a lot by the time the credits rolled.

Beauty and the Beast has its ups and downs and is definitely worth a visit to the theater with kids in tow. Just don’t expect to have it replace the animated version sitting on your shelf at home.

Filed Under: Current Events, Featured, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald, Beast, Beauty and the Beast, Belle, Bill Congdon, Cogsworth, Dan Stevens, Emma Thompson, Emma Watson, Ewan McGregor, Fear, Fearless, gay, Ian McKellen, Josh Gad, LeFou, Love, Lumière, Madame Garderobe, Mrs. Potts, Rose, sacrifice

Beauty and the Beast – Now the Live Action Version

March 17, 2017 by Darrel Manson 1 Comment

“Tale as old as time/ Tune as old as song”

Yes, this is a story that has been told before. Beauty and the Beast is a live action remake of Disney’s 1991 animated (and much beloved) version of the French fairy tale that dates back to at least the 18th Century La Belle et Le Bête. Disney has also presented this as a stage musical. Is it time to tell it again? Does the new format make it a better telling of the story?

In case this oft told story has eluded you, it is a story of discovering the beauty where others only see ugliness. The Prince (Dan Stevens) leads an extravagant life full of parties and expensive trappings, One night an old woman shows up during a party asking for shelter and food, offering only a rose as payment. He ridicules her and turns her out, not knowing she is really an enchantress who places a curse on him and his castle. He is transformed into a hideous beast and his servants transformed into household objects. Unless he can give and receive love before the final petal falls from the enchanted rose, they will stay like this forever.

In town Belle (Emma Watson) has grown up with her widowed father (Kevin Kline). She longs for something more than can be found in her village. She is wooed (in spite of her clear rejection) by the vain and pompous Gaston (Luke Evans). When her father gets lost in the woods and comes across the Beast’s castle, he makes the mistake of picking a single rose to take to Beauty. The Beast locks him up as a thief. When Belle finds him, she takes his place in the cell. The Beast is rude and angry, but over time (and with the help of the talking household objects), the two discover in each other something more than either expected.

This is a film that showcases Disney’s strengths—wonderful production design and CGI effects, plus the music that has served the story well in the previous incarnations (plus three new songs by Alan Menken and Tim Rice). The humor is right for young viewers with just enough more mature comedy for adults to enjoy. The production numbers often involve crowds of people all singing and dancing. This is clearly designed to move to a new level from the stage version. Director Bill Condon wanted to create a musical worthy of the Golden Age of musicals, and also tell the well-loved story with a bit more depth to the characters.

The film’s key message is found in the love story between Belle and the Beast. It teaches that love is found when we are open to one another as Belle and the Beast eventually open themselves to know and be known. But there is also the whole theme of how do we welcome those who are different from us. Failure to do so is what led to the Prince being transformed into the Beast in the first place. For the Prince at the beginning of the film and for Gaston throughout, self-centeredness and failure to see others as something other than to be possessed is the root of the ills of the world. In that, this story could speak to us of how we relate to the world around us that is filled with people who are different from us. Do you judge their value by what that can provide to make us happy—or by the inherent value that all people have in their diversity?

Given that this story is so similar to the earlier film and the stage version, it is worth asking if this really adds to the story. I suspect that is going to be a matter of taste. Some will like all the production values of this version. They’ll love the sets and costumes. They’ll like the CGI characters. But it is also a bit darker and heavier at several places than the animation version. Others may think that this story is much better dealt with through animation. It should be noted that the animated version was seen as ground breaking at the time. It was the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture. Personally, for all the beauty and splendor of this version, the darker tone that comes into play seems a bit much. I think the animated version is the better approach to this story.

Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

Filed Under: Current Events, Film, Reviews Tagged With: Alan Menken, Bill Condon, Dan Stevens, Disney, Disney Princess, Emma Watson, fairy tale, Kevin Kline, luke evans, remake, Tim Rice

Emma Watson Sings ‘Belle’ in New Clip; New Book Version Reveals Story Changes

February 27, 2017 by Mark Sommer Leave a Comment

As I wrote in my recent piece about the “Final Trailer,” Disney’s new live-action version of Beauty and the Beast will “upgrade the wheel.” While the storyline will closely follow the 1991 animated version, there will be some changes to the story. Clips and trailers of the film, including a 57-second video released Monday (see below), have shown some of the differences, including a much-less-goofy Maurice, a feistier Belle, and the filling of some plot holes. Emma’s interpretation of the famous “Belle” and “I Want Adventure” tunes show that she was not overly influenced by Paige O’Hara. That is not necessarily good or bad. The clips I’ve heard I do not deem either better or worse, merely refreshingly different. Watson is not a polished professional singer like O’Hara, but she was well trained for her role, and definitely has a pleasant voice. Those not wanting a strict carbon copy of the original will not be disappointed, I think.

Differences in the newer version also can be discovered in the novelization of the new movie, although it is not clear how precisely the book and movie coincide. I recently finished the book, and have found some very minor differences between it and the videos I have seen. But if the differences between the novel and film are only trivial, we are in for a delightful treat. For more news about Beauty and the Beast, which comes out in less than three weeks, I invite you to check out my Facebook page, Beautiful and Beastly Bulletin.

Here is the latest clip, as promised.

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial, News, Reviews, Trailers Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, Disney, Emma Watson

Beauty and the Beast “Final Trailer” Upgrades the Wheel

February 7, 2017 by Mark Sommer 1 Comment

Last Tuesday, a video ad for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast hit the internet. Disney has been dipping into their past, adapting their famous fairy tales as live-action films. Those who grew up on The Jungle Book, Cinderella, and the like are being titillated by slightly more grown-up versions of what they remember. Why reinvent the wheel when you can use tried-and-true concepts, make a few adjustments, and improve on what you already have?

That’s exactly what Disney seems to have done with Beauty.  The more I see of what they’ve done, the more impressed I am. Not only did they hire an amazing cast, but they have tweaked the story in ways that has the potential to make this a top-notch movie in every way. Watch the video below, and scroll down further to see my commentary.

 

The first thing that impresses me is the transformation of Belle’s father in this iteration of the story. This is not the goofy Maurice from the animated version. We hear an example of his fatherly, if trepidacious, wisdom near the very beginning of the trailer:

My dear Belle, you are so ahead of your time. This is a small village. And it’s small-minded as well. But small also means safe.

As I implied in my review of the animated version, Belle isn’t interested in safety if it means being stuck in provincialism.

She wants “adventure in the great wide somewhere,” but has no idea what it would cost her. Sometimes the things which seem to be taking us away from our dreams are a catalyst to lead us to a serendipitous fulfillment of them. Although the fulfillment never looks quite like the dream.

As the trailer shows, Belle’s adventure will not be safe, but will lead her through peril into experiences beyond what the small-minded villagers could ever fathom. Her spirit of helpfulness is already being developed, as is shown in the clip of her helping a young girl learn to read. We do not see this type of interaction with the villagers in the animated version, and I hope there is more of this.

There is also more feistiness in this Belle than we saw in the 1991 version. The original Beauty promises the Beast she will stay in the castle forever, escaping only when she reaches the breaking point due to the Beast’s terrorizing behavior. Emma Watson’s Belle promises her father she will try to escape. Why the difference? And why is Maurice accused of being a thief? It will be interesting to see exactly how this plays out in the film.

Another difference which comes out in the trailer is that Belle is apparently let in on the secret behind the rose. I don’t think she was ever given that inside information in the original Disney version. Why this particular twist? (I love Ian McKellen’s line as Cogsworth: “…and we become antiques.”)

In the scene after the wolf attack, we see how the storytellers will plug up one of the plot holes in the animated version. My family has often wondered out loud how in the world Belle gets the huge Beast on the horse to bring him home. The trailer shows the Beast conscious, and Belle tells her she needs his help—he has to stand.

The music at the end of the trailer is the new version of the title song sung by Ariana Grande and and John Legend. To tell the truth, I think I like the original version by Céline Dion and Peabo Bryson better, but this new one is certainly worthy. I can hardly wait to see this all put together!

Beauty and the Beast comes to theaters March 17. Tickets are already on sale at various outlets.

Filed Under: Film, News, Trailers Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, Disney, Emma Watson

Disney Hits Our Nostalgia Buttons with Record-Setting B&B Teaser

May 31, 2016 by Mark Sommer Leave a Comment

beauty-beast-disney-2017-banner

On Tuesday, I posted the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Beauty and the Beast live-action film from Disney. Several major websites have reported this week the new teaser was view a record 91.8 million times the first twenty-four hours it was online. The most recent record holder was The Force Awakens, which was viewed some 88 million times its first day.

As with first two Star Wars VII teasers, Disney relied strongly on the nostalgia factor to lure fans to watch. Seeing the Millennial Falcon (and, of course, Han and Chewy) again sent chills down my spine. But, instead of old friends, Disney more subtly aroused memories by virtually duplicating the 1991 teaser trailer of the cartoon version. At least two handy editors have put up comparison videos on the internet, one showing the teasers side-by-side, and the one below juxtaposing the two top and bottom, making it a bit easier to follow than the other version.

The most noticeable difference between the 1991 teaser and the one released this week is how they have obscured most of Belle in the live-action version. We don’t see how Emma Watson’s hair is styled, or what she’s wearing, which adds to the suspense.

Many may be surprised (as Ian McKellen, who will portray Cogsworth in the film, was) how popular the 1991 Beauty and the Beast has been, and how greatly anticipated the live-action version is. As the record-setting views indicate, it’s a big deal!

Filed Under: Film, News, Trailers Tagged With: Beauty and the Beast, Disney, Emma Watson

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • Thor: Love and Thunder – [Faith, Hope] and Love and Thunder
  • Culture Shock: Blowing Up Independence Day
  • Jerry and Marge Go Large: Breaking Bank
  • Mr. Malcolm’s List: Having Great Expectations
  • Attack on Finland: Boom, Boom, Pow
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

Thor: Love and Thunder – [Faith, Hope] and Love and Thunder

Culture Shock: Blowing Up Independence Day

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

Posting....
 

Loading Comments...