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Tuesday, June 2, 2009
The ‘Princess and the Frog’ flap continues …
A few weeks ago on this blog, I wrote about the “controversy” swirling around The Princess and the Frog, the new hand-drawn animated film from Disney coming in December. A number of you commented back “This is supposed to be offensive? How?”
Well, this is how it’s supposed to be offensive, according to The New York Times.
Having read the story, I still think the complaints are completely bogus. And I also quite agree with David Poland of Movie City News when he took the Times to task for running the story at all. Poland wrote: “On top of being late to the issue and manipulative in offering a news angle, the story is just not very good. (Reporter) Brooks opines, ‘The company wants to vanquish once and for all the whispers of racism that linger from stumbles in the past.’ I say ‘opines,’ because there is no quote connected in any way to Disney, even on background, to suggest that this is the case. Obviously, no one and no company want to have racism attached to their hip. But the inference is, throughout the piece, that this film itself is a reaction to Disney’s interest in how it is perceived. Please tell this to (directors) Musker, Clements, and (animation chief John) Lasseter, because I don’t believe it at all.”
Me neither folks. Disney has to know what lies ahead here. They’ve been going through these accusations for years, from The Song of the South to Aladdin, when Arabs griped about the lyric “Where they cut off your ear if they don’t like your face.” Call me a Pollyanna, but I find it very hard to believe Disney would willingly walk into that minefield again. In fact, if I were Disney I would use the occasion to release Song of the South on DVD, put it in its proper perspective and get that albatross off the company’s neck once and for all.
I’m disappointed in the Times for giving that much credence to these complainers. From where I sit, most if not all of these naysayers are only out to draw attention to themselves. And, I find such self-righteousness at least as offensive as the prejudice it supposedly decries.
Here’s a quaint notion: How about seeing the finished product before we complain? Oh, wait, that would be intelligent and fair. Never mind.
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DVDs: Leo/Kate, Defiance, Not That Into You
Today’s DVD offerings make for a varied mix of movies from earlier this year, all worthwhile to one degree or another.
Defiance: Director Ed Zwick’s drama about a group of Jews who become surprisingly effective resistance fighters gets off on the wrong foot, focusing too much on the melodramatic relationship between two rival brothers (Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber). However, once the movie shifts its focus on how the Jews survive living in a forest, it becomes much more effective and compelling. Full review. GRADE: B+
He’s Just Not That Into You: This romantic comedy has an awful lot of players (pun intended) and that’s both its blessing and its curse. On the one hand, the movie benefits from a terrific cast, including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johnasson, Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Ginnifer Goodwin and Bradley Cooper. On the other hand, since there are multiple characters and plotlines, some are much more interesting than others. The movie veers all over the map and isn’t as clever as it thinks it is, but there are just enough appealing actors/stories to make it worth seeing. GRADE: B-
Revolutionary Road: Once touted as the film to beat at the Oscars, the movie’s luster faded when people saw it and decided its story of a strained marriage in the 50s cut too close to home. It is hard to watch at times, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to anyone in a rocky relationship. However, its excellently performed by Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Michael Shannon, well written by Justin Haythe and smartly directed by Sam Mendes. I believe history will show that it was the reception to this movie that was too cold, not the movie itself. And I believe history has already shown that Winslet got the Oscar for the wrong movie. Full review. GRADE: A
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