The Little Mermaid can be more appropriately titled Ariel Does the Darndest Things. Just as stories are basically a series of key plot points, so this film is a series of Ariel’s Poor Decisions.
Category Archives: Film & TV
Another look at The Swan Princess, the children’s fairytale film
One of my favourite films when I was younger was The Swan Princess. I liked the illuminated Thomas Kinkade-like scenery, the songs, and several of the characters.
Watching the film as an adult, however, is one of the most rage-inducing activities one can partake in.
How Howl’s Moving Castle got Gatsby-fied
Film adaptations of novels are often panned due to liberties taken by screenwriter and director, losing the essence of the novel in the process. Baz Luhrmann’s recent interpretation of The Great Gatsby was heavily criticised because underneath its glamorous exterior, it appeared to be a story about a failed relationship, not an essay on ambition, the callousness of the rich, or the dangers of dwelling in romanticised memories. As one reviewer accurately put it:
Adapting “Gatsby” just so you can recreate the party scenes is like remaking “Born on the Fourth of July” for the war scenes. Luhrmann has a knack for missing the point.
There is another popular film that got the Gatsby treatment but has largely slipped under the radar, as viewers were so mesmerised by its visual splendour (as people are wont to do) that they ignored the fact that none of it actually made any sense. That film is Hayao Miyazaki’s adaptation of Diana Wynne Jones‘ novel Howl’s Moving Castle.
Pinpointing exactly when Midsomer Murders jumped the shark
There is a general sentiment amongst Midsomer Murders fans that the show has steeply declined in quality. Most of this resentment is directed towards the new main characters, in particular the new lead detective John Barnaby. In his defence, fans of any show lament the days of yore simply because that is what they are used to, so change is often met with distrust regardless of its merits.
However, it is true in my mind that the series has lost the plot in recent seasons, and this has nothing to do with who is a wooden actor or whether the recurring characters have on-screen chemistry. In this article I will attempt to pinpoint the episode in which the popular British television series jumped the shark and lost sight of its uniqueness (without delving into the character development of the detectives or their families).
WARNING: This article may contain spoilers from Midsomer Murders seasons 1-15.
A modern reading: Why Jurassic Park I & II fail (and III doesn’t)
When Jurassic Park was first released, it was a spectacular display of special effects – to the point where the entire film could ride on the reception of the computer-generated imagery. In other words, bringing dinosaurs to life (even if only on the silver screen) was so grand an idea visually that if the animatronics were a success, the film in its entirety would also be called a success.
However, shortly after Jurassic Park II came out, the BBC released its documentary series Walking With Dinosaurs, a visual feast that was also clever and captivating. Following up with Walking with Beasts and Walking with Monsters led our expectations of prehistoric animal CGI to increase exponentially. More than a decade later, we don’t expect anything less of what used to be regarded as wondrous.
What this means for modern viewers of Jurassic Park – while still appreciating that it was groundbreaking for its time – is that the film can no longer rest on its SFX laurels. To be enjoyable it needs to be strong in other elements.
And Jurassic Park I and II are not. They, quite frankly, suck.
Anastasia Fontaine 