Movies on a plane reviews: April 2017

Quick thoughts on movies watched on a plane in April 2017...

Moana - Loved it. Very enjoyable. The humor was fun, even if a little too meta/self-referential. The songs were mostly good. Arguably directors Ron Clements and John Muskers' best Disney musical; easily my favorite and one I'd be happy to rewatch (though I haven't seen Aladdin in a long time). The visuals were amazing, seriously top-notch, particularly water, hair and general design aesthetic. Kudos to Auli'i Cravalho as the voice of Moana (and Rachel House as Grandma Tala). Possibly top 5 of 2016. Easily better than Zootopia, possibly better than Kubo, though Kubo still has a special place for me (better score, simply different production design). Highly recommended.

Moonlight - Was a good, very sad movie. The impact took a little time to fully kick in, but once it did I was more onboard with it than I was immediately after finishing. A little surprised Mahershala Ali won for his little screen time, particularly as I enjoyed him more in Luke Cage as Cottonmouth (similar characters/acting techniques) - but big kudos, he's a talented actor. Reminiscent of Boyhood. Naomi Harris as the mom was really enjoyable. Didn't really think it was cinematic in the sense it could have been a play; but still powerful. After initial viewing, Moana, Handmaiden and Kubo stood out more for 2016, but Moonlight's up there. Also, really enjoyed Chiron showing different sides of his personality depending on who he's around (e.g. shyness) - so few movies do that. Highly recommended.

Doctor Strange - It starts very cliched and by-the-numbers, but once it eventually gets going it's enjoyable. The forced humor mildly works, but is clearly forced. Benedict Cumberbatch was the wrong choice for Strange (his accent didn't work for me). Rachel McAdams was wasted. Colorful visuals and some inventive sequences. Tilda Swinton kicked butt, regardless of any whitewashing controversy; glad to have seen her do her stuff rather than another Asian male stereotype. Music was... OK - consistent with Michael Giacchino's Star Trek and Speed Racer scores, but not anything special; the end credits suites were good, but that's to be expected with Giacchino. Modestly Recommended.

La La Land - Wanted to watch, especially right after Moonlight, but decided to sleep instead.

Quick assessments of the Disney Princess movies based on the lead

For fun, here are quick assessments of the Disney Princess movies with regards to their messaging based on the lead protagonist (apologies to my Disney fan friends)..

Note: I haven't seen some of these in awhile, so they may be off (friend corrections are noted below the list)

Snow White - Dated and no

Cinderella - Being oppressed sucks, but wishing for a man to save you vs taking your own actions? No (*friend correction below)

Sleeping Beauty - HELL NO (yay being molested while sleeping)

The Little Mermaid - Fuck you, Ariel, you entitled child. Keep changing yourself for your man more, you stupid piece of shit

Beauty and the Beast - Stockholm syndrome. No (*friend correction below)

Aladdin - Lie and manipulate your way to success, until it backfires and you realize being true to yourself is the way. Of course, getting REALLY lucky and having the support of Robin Williams certainly helps

Pocahontas - Eh... there's a degree of empowerment, but it's for the purpose of romance... Also historical inaccuracies

Mulan - Being empowered, yes and breaking flawed norms/traditioms. This is good

Princess and the Frog - Indifferent/don't remember (*friend correction below)

Tangled - Largely OK? Characters seem independent, yet also goofy/dorky

Brave - Not too shabby. Wanting independence, with a focus on family bonds

Frozen - Eh... the sisterly message is great, but both characters are pretty bad

Moana - TBD

I'm very curious about Moana, particularly since there's apparently no romance element.

Friend updates
When I first posted this list, a few friends had pointed out some corrections for the following (these are verbatim and definitely welcome feedback; the above were admittedly flawed quick thoughts for fun):

*Friend 1: Princess & The Frog - work hard to make your dreams come true - you can't wish on stars - but don't let the joys of life pass you by. Best Disney Movie.

*Friend 2: That is a misunderstanding of Cinderella on a core level. She was not waiting for anyone, let alone for a man, to save her. She was trapped in an abusive household, and she wanted a night off of being a slave to her family to be happy - and equal - for once. She did take her own actions whenever she could, and then used the support system she had when she couldn't. Excellent.

*Friend 2: Ariel wanted to be human long before she met Eric, and Part Of Your World is about how she, existentially, feels complete among humans and not merpeople. Eric gave her a focus point, but she would have made that deal sooner or later. And the thing is... she didn't change for Eric at all, really. She changed her body for her, but her personality remained exactly the same. Eric fell in love with her genuinely. (Sidenote: the entire story makes more sense once you realize it is a metaphor about class relations (HCA original) or a queer coming out story (Disney). Can elaborate on that one.)

*Friend 2: Beauty and the Beast is definitionally not Stockholm Syndrome, as Belle never considers the Beast an authority figure and does not align herself with him over the course of the movie until he changes his behavior. In fact, because Belle is actually in charge in their relationship and the Beast aligns himself with *her*, you could make an argument for Lima Syndrome, if you wanted. But that still rests upon the Beast holding her captive, and it's established very quickly that "holding her captive" is a flimsy formality in their relationship. Belle does whatever she wants from day one.

*Friend 3: Beauty and the Beast is in no way Stockholm Syndrome. Belle is actually one of the strongest feministic characters Disney ever created. She is intelligent in a world that only respects brutality, she is kind and loving, she fights WOLVES head on, and every action she does for the first two acts of the movie are to protect her family and her town. The third act was to literally break out of a prison cart and prevent a mob from murdering an innocent man.

TL;DR: Belle's a badass and a nerd, and easily one of the greatest female characters created.

Also, debunking your Stockholm Syndrome: http://thefederalist.com/2016/08/10/7-reasons-beauty-and-the-beast-is-not-a-tale-of-stockholm-syndrome/

*Bonus: Here is the version with regards to messaging based on the Princes.