S04, Episode 02

Beauty Of The Beast

Just when I thought 'I'm only going to watch this movie because of Emma Watson', here I was sitting two hours later in a massive movie theatre, among a bunch of 8 year olds, feeling, possibly more moved than any one of them. 

What a movie! I have been a fan of Emma's for 15 years, hashtag girl crush. I always liked Beauty and The Beast, it has been one of my favourites Disney cartoons of my childhood, along with Hercules and The Lion King. I had been apprehensive about re-creating the cartoons into live action films for years now, which is why I refused to go see the live action remake of Cinderella. But this one, I had to, it all added up, Emma, one of my faves..

It was a beautiful adaptation of the original, and the reason I call it an adaptation is because the only thing different was a couple of details were added to the story-which I won't spoil for you if you haven't seen it. Other than this, the film pretty much was an exact copy of the cartoon, and WHY NOT, there's a reason we fell in love with the 1991 release anyway. 

Re-watching it as an adult made me shake my head, nod along with many historical references, since it is taking place in provincial France of the 1700, which I now am educated about contrary to the 4 year old me who watched this film back in the 90s. I found it super interesting that the writers took a good opportunity to emphasise some of the messages in this film by adding lines or extra small scenes in order to convey them to the young girls, such as 'it's okay to be different', 'girls have the right to chose their destiny', 'they have the right to education', 'you should stay true to who you are'. And I didn't even find it cheesy. My favourite moment, regarding messages, was when Gaston claimed that 'it's the girls who play hard to get and stay classy that are the ones worth chasing'. I could hear the writer screaming in his mind 'you hear this ladies???' when he was typing this line. 

Emma's performance had a lot to do with making sure the movie stayed witty and timeless. Her modern-yet faithful to the script performance was the cherry on top of that magnificent production of a pie. I don't really need to praise the ultra-talented famous cast that was in the film, the names speak for themselves. Sir Ian McKellen, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor, Kevin Kline and boy did I have no idea that Audra McDonald could sing like that. Okay, before you interrupt your reading of the post to go google who she is quickly, she is Naomi in Private Practice. So, yeap, hats off to the Casting Director.

And now a mention to what everyone is talking about, the incorporation of gay characters, references and a 'gay moment' in the film. Um, get over it? (I quote Sir Ian McKellen). Maybe we were too naive to realise that Le Fou was gay in the cartoon, I don't know, I cannot remember, and I don't have time to go back and watch it again, I have to get back to my research on family happiness in the 1800s according to Tolstoy's Anna Karenina because I have an assignment, yawn for you, but very interesting to this nerd here. But yes, there is a massive innuendo that Le Fou is either bisexual or homosexual and that this is great! There is a fraction of a second at the end of the film-SKIP a few lines, this is a SPOILER-where everyone is happy, dancing at the palace, and he is dancing with another bloke who had previously in the film, seemingly enjoyed it when he is forced to wear a dress while being attacked by Madame Garderobe. A possible crossdressing reference here as well, but once again, this is the writer's and the director's way of saying, hey it's OALL good. Hashat, be you. 

Beautiful costumes, design, special effects and montage. Emma's fresh performance would not be complete without Dan Stevens' adorable performance as the Beast. 

Who wouldn't have fallen in love with an educated, kind-hearted (in the end), blue eyed, tall, dark, and cute monster? Lads who shave chests and backs because they feel like 'they have to' but they don't really want to, hey be a cute beast. 

#HeForShe

PS: THIS MOMENT. I now want a mustard frock again.

Season 3, Ep. 02

The One With The Stage Challenge

Wow, here we are. My first taste of the so-called 'Stage Challenge'. For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about, Stage Challenge is a New Zealand National dance/show school competition. Students from all regions from the North and the South Island create a dance based showcase and compete against each other. Each region crowns a winner each week. Students are 100% responsible for creating their show. They create the story, choose the songs and choreograph it. They announce their team leaders plus they get a team together who will be in charge of costumes and make up and the set.

Teachers are pretty decorative at the start to be honest. We are just there to make sure there won't be any teenage drama over who gets the solo, and to avoid anyone ripping another's hairs off over who is the better...dancer, I guess? As time goes on and the dances are coming together, I guess a more expert eye is an asset to the team, in order to give them some constructive feedback as far as polishing their dances goes, staging them and getting into character. I feel honoured to have been asked to be that person. If you have just started following The Moo Point, I have been involved with theatre and dance since I was 6 years old. Having the kids respect that and take all the feedback into consideration was fantastic, and I suppose all this brought me closer with some students.

The actual day was a blast. We drove up to New Plymouth, the main city of our region, and spend the better part of 13 hours at the theatre. Staging, setting up, practicing, but most importantly, mingling with the competition, aka the other schools. I'm not gonna lie, I was expecting a bit of healthy rivalry to go on, some bitchy comments, picking on every little thing about each other, no, on the contrary, those kids were the epitome of support, unity and fun. Pretty much proves my point why I will always be so passionate about the performing arts. They are the epitome of being united and leaving your troubles at the door. The second we stepped foot at the theatre, they started having random dance offs in the middle of their changing area. Next thing you know they are all resting together, or having another dance off. 

The themes were completely free choice, therefore completely different from each other. The other schools went down the melodramatic route and created a showcase out of big life issues such as the refugee crisis or cancer. Our school decided to get in touch with their imagination and create a show based on that minimum chance there'll be a zombie apocalypse. Dead people, skeletons, zombies and eventually SATAN, all came together on stage for a bit of hip hop jiggle. But boy did they look amazing. And boy did they work hard. Pretty much until the last half hour before they went on stage they were practicing at the back. And what do I always say? Hard work pays off. Best choreography award, plus best costume and make up award. Not too shabby ae. I have never felt more proud of someone in my life so far to be honest with you. This is why this job is so fulfilling, this is why I love teaching. 

And how are you?