Disney + Fairytales = LOVE

Growing up in the 90s, naturally I gravitated towards animated Disney movies. The princess ones especially. As a child, Beauty and the Beast was a strong favorite. Mainly because in the short 84 minutes, I could see the growing fondness between Belle and the Beast, and I ask you, what prepubescent girl wouldn't love that?

Fast forward a few years shall we?

Disney presents Tangled; the latest classic fairytale to get the "royal" (Haha get it?? SHOUT OUT TO EILEEN YANG) treatment. Featuring the voice talents of Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Donna Murphy (Spider Man 2), and many more, Tangled tells the tale of Rapunzel who is imprisoned in a high tower for 16 years (and 364 days) who fantasizes of one day leaving the tower to follow her dreams.

SPOILER ALERT! For those of you who haven't seen it and don't want the [very predictable] plot to be unveiled. Avert your eyes. 

On the eve of her 17th  birthday, Rapunzel convinces her capture, Mother Gothel to leave the tower for three days, giving her the perfect opportunity to plan an escape. Meanwhile, a ruggedly handsome bandit named Flynn Rider stumbles upon the tower while attempting to escape from the palace guards (from whom he had robbed earlier). Before Flynn can see who the resident(s) of the tower are, a frightened Rapunzel smokes him in the face with a frying pan (I know, frying pan. Who knew?!).

Once Flynn comes to, the story continues -- girl meets boy. Girl likes boy. Boy eventually likes girl. Mom (of girl) warns girl of boy's likelihood of deception. Boy disappoints girl. Girl is in trouble. Boy rescues girl. Girl and boy live happily ever after. Yawn. 

Actually, quite the opposite. I thoroughly enjoyed the jokes, the ridiculously cute chameleon, and the catchy soundtrack; no Disney flick is complete without a love ballad (fun fact: said love ballad was nominated for a Golden Globe AND an Oscar this year). With all this said and done, I've got nothing but praise for this movie. I'm always up for a good laugh, and boy did it deliver! I liked it so much, I watched it 3 times in 2 days.

To sum up, Tangled possesses just about every aspect of the classic Disney movies. Shake it up with a modern twist and it may appeal to you as well.

Ready. Set. Blog!

Here I am. Starting a blog. Writing about... nothing in particular. 

Ah well. Everyone's gotta start somewhere right? 

So how does one go about finding a subject to write about? Clearly, I've never done anything like this. Forgive me if this post is boring/random/plain stupid, but this is my first one. Bear with me. I guess I can start with reviewing the most recent movie I deem worthy of seeing, yeah?

Why don't I begin with my favorite movie of the 2010 holiday season; Black Swan. 

Great film. Now, I am by no means a critic of any sorts. I have my opinions -- whether they mean anything or not is up to you

First of all, I would like to credit Rodarte for designing amazing costumes for this movie. Being the little girl that I am, I love pretty things. And those ballerina costumes were damn pretty. 
 I love that the costumes were essential to the plot. They were (as the cliche goes) the icing on the cake. The Mulleavy sisters designed costumes that fit the story line, as well as each of the characters. Not to mention, soooo beautiful.

Secondly, as a classically trained musician, I should be wired to like classical music right? RIGHT! The use of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake and an original score by Clint Mansell captured the atmosphere of the film perfectly. The hauntingly beautiful melody from Swan Lake still lingers in my temporal lobe, and I find myself humming it to myself from time to time. Yeah, I'm even thinking of changing my ringtone to that. It's not too creepy right?

Thirdly, the film is listed as a "psychological thriller". I don't want to give away any details in particular, but for those of whom have seen it, WILL agree that this chick is messed. I found the concept of the movie so incredibly smart (not to mention dark). The parallels between Nina and her Swan Queen role in the ballet are so close it's shocking, and the twisted course her life takes has a few surprises here and there. I won't lie; I've seen it 3 times and it still gave me the creeps. Oh, and I may or may not have jumped a few times.

Black Swan in a nutshell is... Brilliant. Worth seeing. Natalie Portman deserves that Oscar.