Official "Beauty & the Beast" Film Adaptation Thread

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

Well, that was quick.

Alabama movie house owner bans film!

[AC126748]

The irony, of course, is that the theater owner accuses the filmmakers of forcing their views on the audience--yet he is the one forcing his views but refusing to screen the film. 

[musicalfandukie]

I think it's silly they even announced  lefou is going to be a gay character. it's obviously just going to be very little subtle things that make it look like he really admires Gaston. It's not like he is going to be openly gay or that the subject is even going to come up in the movie. 

[Wildcard]

They should have never announced it. Just let him be and let audiences figure it out

[kdogg36]

I'm a little underwhelmed by all of this, in terms of the "gay character" thing. I think it's time for a Disney movie with two princes or two princesses or same-sex bunnies or whatever. :)

Just out of curiosity, would the MPAA give a movie a different rating strictly because of gay content? If a movie was every bit as innocent as the original Beauty and the Beast, but involved a man falling for a man, would it get a G rating?

[DigificWriter]

Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Well, that was quick.

Alabama movie house owner bans film!

 

"

This isn't really worth objecting to, because the only thing this theater owner is doing is "cutting his nose off to spite his face", since he's the only one negatively affected here by this decision. It's short-sighted and sad, but isn't really the end of the world.

[finebydesign]

I can't watch anything more about this movie (I'm going to ruin it for myself).  RAVE review from Grace Randolph : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK5_WJluHs0&t=162s

 

[Lot666]

kdogg36 said: "...would the MPAA give a movie a different rating strictly because of gay content? If a movie was every bit as innocent as the original Beauty and the Beast, but involved a man falling for a man, would it get a G rating?"

I wondered about this sort of thing while watching "When We Rise" last night. I noticed that a parental warning message about "adult language" was displayed whenever the show resumed after commercials, but it said nothing about "adult situations". This (pleasantly) surprised me because the show contains several scenes of same-sex couples kissing and/or having amorous interactions. Perhaps even more (pleasantly) surprising was the fact that there really wasn't much in the way of what we usually think of as "adult language" (i.e., "swear words'" ), but there were numerous instances of historically accurate anti-gay pejoratives (i.e., "f*g", "d*ke", etc.) . I like to think that the network considers those words to be the equivalent of "swear words".

[jacobsnchz14]

Josh Groban full version of "Evermore"

https://youtu.be/UcsaqIsX-yk

[EvanK]

Quick everyone, drag that movie house on facebook... right through the mud. 

[kofler22]

The New York Times! It's a rave!! 

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/movies/beauty-and-the-beast-review.html

[KnewItWhenIWasInFron]

Different strokes, I guess, but I'm surprised by that review. "Enchanting" is exactly what the movie is not -- It has its moments (loved Thompson) but Watson is kinda drab, the Beast CGI is offputting and there's a heaviness to the whole affair.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Reviews I am seeing coming in our genuinely "mixed".

There are rave reviews,
and then there are reviews that say this doesn't hold a candle but it's ultimately harmless and middle of the road.

At the very least, it'll be fun I'm sure.

[rosscoe(au)]

Variety was interesting, liked certain parts , but wasn't sure if it was needed. Love Emma Watson voice 

[pdjennings]

The anti-gay 'backlash' is quite hilarious ...

Seriously -- it's BARELY there ... if it hadn't been pointed out and reported on so early, I can almost guarantee that most people wouldn't even notice it. My husband was actually mildly disappointed that there wasn't more to it, given all the hubbub.

[Dave28282]

Also, 95% of the movies have some sort of gay moment in it. There is always a gay joke mentioned somewhere. It's really staggering, since I started paying attention to this I see it every time. It's either a literal remark, or for example a situation that is supposed to be funny where one of the characters doesn't want to come off as gay. (For example in Grease, the moment where Danny and Kenickie hug eachother and then look shocked and try to be cool and start to comb their hair apologizing for the hug). Or some additional character that thinks the leading actor is flirting with that character while in fact he's not, etc.

So Russia can basically ban all films from the country.

Also, I would assume that 100% of the movies had a gay person working on it in some way.

Sometimes I think we are going back to the Middle Ages. It's bizarre.

 

 

[westendfanatic]

awesome video of Luke, Josh and Alan performing at the "Beauty and the Beast" press conference. Luke nor Josh fail to impress....

LINK = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAT1RenTAeI

[jimmycurry01]

If you are headed o we to freeform.com to check out the new music video, make sure you enter that URL correctly. You could be in for quite the surprise otherwise, especially if you are with kids or parents.

#oops

[Musical Master]

Early reviews have come in on Rotten Tomatoes with 73%, some are very mixed with some giving love letter raves especially A.O. Scott of The New York Times.

[westendfanatic]

Dave28282 said: "Also, 95% of the movies have some sort of gay moment in it. There is always a gay joke mentioned somewhere. It's really staggering, since I started paying attention to this I see it every time. It's either a literal remark, or for example a situation that is supposed to be funny where one of the characters doesn't want to come off as gay. (For example in Grease, the moment where Danny and Kenickie hug eachother and then look shocked and try to be cool and start to comb their hair apologizing for the hug). Or some additional character that thinks the leading actor is flirting with that character while in fact he's not, etc.

So Russia can basically ban all films from the country.

Also, I would assume that 100% of the movies had a gay person working on it in some way.

Sometimes I think we are going back to the Middle Ages. It's bizarre."

This might be a spoiler for when the "gay moment" happens at the end of the movie. to me, it is hardly anything to make a big fuss over. we all remember that one scene at the end of the animated movie where the wardrobe dresses a man up in women's clothes. i do not understand what the big fuss is about it all. it just sounds like the same scene has just been taken from the animation and brought into this live action version.

LINK = http://www.justjared.com/2017/03/06/the-gay-moment-in-beauty-the-beast-might-not-be-what-you-expect-spoilers/

[NOWaWarning]

Yeah, ban the film because a supporting character is likely, but not explicitly, gay. Never mind the fact that the story is about a girl who falls in love with her animal-like captor. 

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Oh my god, Audra <3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jXYSNU3WMgI

[Mr. Nowack]

Can anyone hint at why this new version is so much more mature and deeper and innovative than the original? I haven't seen it yet but am curious why this Youtube reviewer describes it this way.

[degrassifan]

I saw the movie a few hours ago! I saw it in IMAX. Before the movie, there was a live Q&A with Bill Condon, Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, and Josh Gad. It was really cool seeing them in person! After the Q&A, the movie began. 

SPOILERS!!!!

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Overall, I thought it was a good movie! I see this getting an Oscar nomination for Best Production Design and maybe Best Original Song for Evermore. Most of the makeup and hairstyles were on point. The costumes weren't that great. The only scenes the costumes stood out were during the prologue, transformation, and the last scene. The sets, however, were beautiful! 

As for the performances, everyone did a good job. I've never really been a Harry Potter fan, so I don't know much about Emma Watson's acting given that I've only seen 5 of the HP movies and did not pay particular attention to her. However, I watched The Bling Ring back in December and she was not good in that movie. Therefore, I was skeptical about this. After today, I can say she did okay. Emma is not a belter and doesn't have a voice of Broadway caliber, but she was still sweet and had a good enough voice to sustain. I don't know much about auto tuning, so I can't speak about that. She sounded good enough, but I wondered what a Broadway caliber voice could have really done with the role. I think she sang the best during How Does a Moment Last Forever (Montemere), perhaps because the song was written with her range in mind? As for her acting, she overacted. It was just too strong or too forced. Lily James felt like Cinderella. Emma Watson was Emma Watson playing Belle, if that makes sense? It was just too much. There were scene where she had tears in her eyes and I was like "Why is Belle crying during this?" However, she did have her moments, and her scenes with Dan were cute (after the wolf chase, of course). 

Dan Stevens is an awesome singer! His Evermore was glorious! I did not know he had quite a voice! I was a fan of Downton Abbey, and watching this made me appreciate him more. The only place I was put off by his acting was the prologue. I felt the spoiled prince was too much of a farce to be believable. Besides that, he was great and could really dance! His transformation back into the prince was done well! 

I think the stand out for everyone in the audience was Josh Gad! Of course he sounded like Olaf, but you tend to get over that quickly. Luke Evans was great as Gaston. He can really sing! The cast is really large, but basically everyone did a good job. Since I've seen all the trailers and whatnot, I've gotten used to Ewan's French accent, so that did not bother me. Of the supporting characters, people clapped hardest for Emma Thompson, Josh Gad, and Ian at the end of the picture. 

The songs we love were done well. The best number was Be Our Guest. In that song, they changed the "10 years" lyric to "So long", if I can recall correctly. New lyrics also appeared during Gaston, The Mob Song, and Beauty and the Beast Reprise/Finale. Of the new songs, Evermore was the highlight for me. The second best one was Days in the Sun (btw, it is not Chip singing the boy's part). I think How Does a Moment Last Forever was my least favorite of the new songs. Maybe when I listen to it over and over again, I'll like it. I liked the Belle version of that song better than the Maurice version. Speaking of Maurice, it's kind of sad Maurice cannot be given a decent song. No Matter What and How Does a Moment Last Forever are both not that good compared to the rest of the score. The Aria Audra sings is really short, so I can't judge it. Also, there were two scenes where you heard Home in the score. It was a cool throwback! A lot of the lines and score were lifted from the animated movie. Even the transformation scene had the exact same score as the original movie. 

As for what I didn't like. I think it was too fast-paced for me. I don't know if it was the editing or the script, but things kept happening rapidly. Another problem was the score was too loud and I couldn't hear some of the lyrics and dialogue. A final issue was that a lot of the scenery looked obviously CG, especially Belle reprise. That scene and song showed me how The Sound of Music would've looked if it came out today instead of 1965. 

There were two interracial kisses, which was really cool. If you know the characters, then you know who the couples were. I thought it was odd we found out Cogsworth's first name, but not the prince's. As for the gay thing, I'm actually upset Disney revealed it because I kept looking for gay tendencies in LeFou throughout. I think if Disney didn't say it, I wouldn't have thought anything. Also, I totally figured out very early the guy who LeFou ends up with in the final scene. If you've paid attention to the clips that have been released and also pictures from screenings and premieres, you've seen the guy! There were two big "gay moments" and we all cheered during those scenes. But trust me, it's not a big deal at all! People are boycotting for dumb reasons. You will laugh and be like "Uhhh people are stupid for boycotting because of that little thing." 

Overall, I think it was a good movie. Not perfect, but good. The people behind me (three guys, one girl, all in their 20s) thought the new songs sucked and one of them said they liked the movie but didn't love it (but tbh I heard their conversation before the movie and you would swear they thought they were Ebert and Roeper....eye roll), so I don't know if I would go by what they said. Personally, I thought Cinderella was better, but this was a good film. I almost teared up at the end and I never cry at movies, so there's that. I'm attending another screening this weekend and will definitely see it again in 3D once it premieres next week. Just like the Rotten Tomatoes ratings, I would say it's better than Maleficent, but not as good as Cinderella (Cinderella had better costumes and a better lead actress). I haven't seen Jungle Book yet. Furthermore, this made me excited to think what Disney could do with The Little Mermaid!

 

[mb87]

sent you a private DM - degrassifan 

[degrassifan]

mb87 said: "sent you a private DM - degrassifan 

Got it! Just messaged you back. :)