NinadeL

Belle is one of those films that rely on the lives of real people from the past and tell a story through them that is important today. It is not important to have facts 1:1, but the message is. Dido Elizabeth Belle (1761-1804) did indeed live, and we can also find a shared portrait with her cousin Lady Elizabeth Finch-Hatton (1760-1825), which plays a certain role in this film. However, the result is an average film with an incredibly bad ending. The ending is almost overly saccharine kitsch, unfortunately. But I attribute that to the fact that the theme of Belle was completely exhausted within a few years. After the exhibition of the double portrait at Kenwood in 2007, at least 6 books and 7 other dramatizations were released, whether for film or theater. It's not possible to rewrite one biography so many times in such a short time without completely diluting it.

Regarding the dispute between Joan and Bette, much has been written, and I would be pleased if more interest was found in their real careers before 1945, as their swan songs were truly just one chapter among many. In any case, Murphy is a good guide to the classics for today's pop enthusiasts, who would otherwise ignore classic Hollywood.

Epic Road Trip is an interactive Barbie movie that has problems adapting to all types of media due to its form. Nevertheless, if you manage to access it, it offers quite an interesting adventure. There is the usual gang, Barbie and her trio of younger sisters, Brooklyn and Ken. They all travel together in a pink caravan across the United States, Ken wondering if Barbie is ready for them to have a relationship, and so on. Epic Road Trip is a showcase of the current Barbie narrative designed for the animated universe.

If Chelsea got to have her own movie in The Lost Birthday, it was clear that Skipper would also receive attention. And of course, Stacie will also be a star in To the Rescue. That's all of Barbie's sisters taken care of. These films are average even within the series, and the toys they promote are not top-notch either. But Mattel has succeeded. In this film, one can appreciate the combination of 2D and 3D animation and the basic message that it's nice to earn some extra money with a summer job.

After the concept of two Barbies settled down, it was apparently necessary to complement the urban adventure Big City, Big Dreams with something more fairy-tale-like. And so we have the story of Mermaid Power. I still can't come to terms with the fact that Barbie cartoons should always be about Malibu, Brooklyn, and the trio of sisters Skipper, Stacie, and Chelsea, but it apparently makes sense for Mattel, so it is necessary to tolerate this era.

Another self-absorbed romantic statement about a mass murderer, and a film not unlike the farce called Bonnie & Clyde. Sure, we can call it neo-noir and pretend that Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek weren't too old for their roles. The backdrop of the North Dakota-Montana area is of course engaging, but as a celebration of Charles Starkweather (1938-1959) and Caril Ann Fugate (*1943), it is toxic. Fortunately, it is just one film from a series inspired by works responding to the pathological need to perceive murderers as cool people: The Sadist (1963), Badlands (1973), Stark Raving Mad (1981), Kalifornia (1993), Murder in the Heartland (1993), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Frighteners (1996), and Starkweather (2004).

So far the last attempt by MGA to build a line of toys. Mermaze Mermaidz are fashion dolls supported by an animated series that features individual mermaids living in Mystic City. The underwater concept may seem interesting at first glance, and it is something different from Rainbow High or L.O.L. Surprise!, but apparently not different enough. The series only got one season and the dolls will be packing it up this year.

In comparison to the first film, L.O.L. Surprise!, Winter Fashion Show is a much more classical spectacle. Neonlicious takes the lead role, and the whole story revolves around a fashion show. Therefore, the result is a delightful children's version of similar romantic comedies for adults like The Devil Wears Prada, Fashion, and Lipstick Jungle, stripped of unnecessary adult diversions. The concurrently produced fashion dolls are, of course, pastel-perfect.

So what do we have here? Michael Douglas' first film since Wall Street, which we've been waiting 2 years for. Music by Hans Zimmer, Oscar nominations in the categories of Best Sound and Best Sound Editing. And yet it's such beautiful eighties trash. Clouds of genre stereotypes, everything is beautifully tough, black and white, and relaxed. Motorcycles purr, the women have perms... The narrative even returns to a Japanese revenge for Hiroshima. Today, however, it can't be taken seriously.

I indulge in New Zealand films only occasionally, but when I do, it's always worth it. Their mentality is different after all, and of course, their film industry is not only alive with export fantasy series and movies the way it used to be. This ghost story is an adaptation of a local author specializing in children's and teen books, Margaret Mahy. Years ago, she already celebrated success with the series Maddigan's Quest with Rose McIver. The film The Changeover is solidly thrilling and mysterious entertainment, and the adult roles feature the queens of New Zealand film, Melanie Lynskey and Lucy Lawless. So if you're in the mood for something else in the Kiwi style (set in the city of Christchurch on the South Island), go for it.