RECENTLY VIEWED - MATILDA THE MUSICAL

My daughter currently goes to a local acting school. They have children from 6 to 13. It was just announced that their yearly peformance will be Matilda The Musical. It was perfect, because this new version of the Roald Dahl's novel has just been released to movie theaters, and we went this past weekend. The complete title is complete title: Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical. An adaptation of the 2011 stage musical of the same name by Warchus, Kelly, and Tim Minchin, which itself is based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl, the film, co-produced by TriStar Pictures, Working Title Films, and Netflix, is also the second film adaptation of the novel, after the 1996 American film (also produced by TriStar). The film stars Alisha Weir as the title character, alongside Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough, and Emma Thompson.

A film adaptation of Matilda the Musical was first announced in November 2013, with Warchus and Kelly reportedly attached to return as director and writer, respectively. In January 2020, the project was officially announced, and Warchus and Kelly's returns were confirmed, as well as Minchin, who revealed he was returning to write new songs for the film. Christopher Nightingale, who had written background music for the musical, was also hired to return as composer of the film's incidental score. The cast was filled out between January and April 2021, including Weir, Lynch, Thompson, Graham, and Riseborough. Principal photography took place beginning in May 2021 in Ireland.

The plot of this new incarnation has mostly remained the same. Matilda is an exceptional girl living a sad and lonely life. Then she meets a caring teacher who really turns her life around. Matilda is played by newcomer Alisha Weir, and for the most part the whole cast is new to me. The one excpetion is Emma Thompson, who steals the movie away as Agatha Trunchbull. Her acting in this role is a definite improvement on the 1996 film which had Pam Ferris as Miss Trunchbull. The movie is a little slow at times, but the music livens things up. 

My daughter loved the movie, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to see this in a move theater. However, Netflix will begin streaming the movie on Christmas Day. I could have saved money by waiting two weeks to see the film, but there is just something about seeing a movie musical on the screen. It was an enjoyable movie, and I recommend this movie to anyone who has read and loved the story of Matilda Wormwood. It was not the greatest movie musical by any stretch, but it was a good one...

MY RATING: 8 OUT OF 10

RECENTLY VIEWED: CRUELLA

With the pandemic, 2020 was pretty much a wasted year for going to the movies. Right when the pandemic was breaking out, I saw a rerelease of 1933's King Kong but that was about it for movies in 2020. Fast forward to this year, and I returned to the movies to see Godzilla VS Kong - which was pretty good. My poor daughter who is a movie fan like me, has not seen a movie in theater's since 2019's Frozen 2. This weekend was saw Disney's Cruella together to kick off our joint return to the movies, and we were glad we picked this movie!

Cruella (stylized onscreen as Cruella de Vil) is a 2021 American crime comedy film based on the character Cruella de Vil from Dodie Smith's 1956 novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians and Walt Disney's 1961 animated film adaptation. The film is directed by Craig Gillespie with a screenplay by Dana Fox and Tony McNamara, from a story by Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel, and Steve Zissis. It is the third live-action adaptation in the 101 Dalmatians franchise. Emma Stone stars as the title character, with Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and Mark Strong in supporting roles. Set in London during the punk rock movement of the 1970s, the film revolves around Estella, an aspiring fashion designer, as she explores the path that will lead her to become a notorious up and coming fashion designer known as Cruella de Vil.

Walt Disney Pictures announced the film's development in 2013, with Andrew Gunn as producer. Stone was cast in 2016 and also serves as an executive producer on the film alongside Glenn Close, who portrayed Cruella in the previous live-action adaptations, 101 Dalmatians (1996) and 102 Dalmatians (2000). Principal photography took place from August and November 2019 in England.

Cruella premiered in Los Angeles on May 18, 2021, the first major red carpet event since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and was released in the United States theatrically and simultaneously available on Disney+ with Premier Access on May 28. The film received praise from critics for Gillespie's direction, the performances (particularly Stone, Thompson, and Hauser), costume design, and soundtrack, but criticism for its screenplay.

Emma Stone was perfectly cast as Cruella. Emma Thompson was great as the equally crazy Baroness. Emma Thompson had a role in another Disney movie. She starred in 2017's live action Beauty And The Beast as Mrs. Potts. Stone and Thompson really made this movie, and the soundtrack almost stole the film. The soundtrack featured a lot of good music from Tony Martin to Doris Day, and from Judy Garland to the Rolling Stones. I'm so glad things are getting better in the world, and a day at the movies is a sign of a return to normalcy. During the pandemic, I spent a lot more time with my children, and I got to know my daughter more. I know why she is attracted to characters like Cruella. Like Cruella, my daughter is smart and brillant but also slightly crazy! This was a great movie to see, and I recommend it!

MY RATING: 10 out of 10