Tag: HalleBailey

You, Me & Tuscany

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Anna (Halle Bailey), a down on her luck professional house sitter, has lost her way since the death of her mother. After quitting culinary school, she isn’t sure what she wants to do with her life. She meets Matteo (Lorenzo de Moor) and learns that he has a villa in Tuscany that is empty. Taking a chance, she sets off to experience the dolce vita. Unfortunately for Anna, all the hotels in the area are booked up. Remembering the empty villa, she breaks in and decides to stay for a while. But when she runs into Matteo’s family, she comes up with the elaborate lie that she’s his fiancée. This complicates everything when Anna meets Michael (Regé-Jean Page), Matteo’s cousin, and a connection forms between them.

Romantic comedies have been few and far between over the last few years and that is a shame. Sometimes all we need is something predictable yet comforting when we know exactly how the film is going to end, but for a couple of hours we still enjoy the journey that gets us there. I was looking forward to seeing You, Me & Tuscany for a variety of reasons and I am glad to report that it completely delivered.

Bailey already proved her leading lady status when she starred as Ariel in the live action Little Mermaid. It was nice to see her something more contemporary and I thought she did a great job. She brought a relatability to Anna that made me want to root for her, even in the middle of the mess she finds herself in. I hadn’t seen Page in anything in a hot minute. While I didn’t feel like his character was as fleshed out as Anna, he still delivered a solid performance. From the very first moment they met, their chemistry was palpable and I thought they were so cute together. I only wish we’d seen just a few more scenes between them to make it that much more believable.

The film was genuinely funny and I think that was partially thanks to the supporting cast. Marco Calvani starred as Lorenzo, a taxi driver who Anna befriends when she gets to Italy. I enjoyed each moment he was on screen. Not only did he have some good one liners, he and Anna had a great rapport. Isabella Ferrari portrays Gabriella, Matteo’s mother, while Stella Pecollo is Francesca, his sister. The former made me laugh for all the discomfort caused between her and Anna while the latter had me giggling with all of her over sharing antidotes. I only wish we had had more of Aziza Scott’s Claire, Anna’s bestie, who provides support for her from across the pond. She’s the type of no nonsense, wise cracking girl we all need in our corner.

It’s no surprise that the backdrop is stunning. Taking place in a small town in Tuscany, the views look like they belong in a picture perfect postcard. From Matteo’s villa, to the town square and the sprawling mountains, this made me want to book a vacation there stat. The cinematography was also a feast for the eyes when it came to all the food that was featured. The close up shots of Anna’s bruschetta as well as the various dishes made at Ristorante Costa and everything else in between, I was positively salivating.

Overall, I think we need more films like You, Me & Tuscany. It didn’t reinvent the romcom genre, but it didn’t have to. It leaned into it in just the right way. Sure it was cheesy and I had to suspend some belief throughout, but it did leave me with a massive smile on my face and that’s all that matters. It’s also awesome to see two Black leads on the big screen. This is something that doesn’t happen enough and the representation is so important. I recommend checking it out.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

The Color Purple

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Based on the Broadway musical that was based on the 1982 book by Alice Walker, The Color Purple has been reimagined by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg for a new generation. The story follows Celie (Phylicia Pearl Mpasi and Fantasia Barrino) and her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey and Ciara) who are separated from one another when Celie is forced to move in with Mister (Colman Domingo). Over the years, Celie faces many hardships, but it is through the friendships she creates along the way where she finds her inner strength.

Unfortunately I have never read the book, nor have I watched the original 1985 movie, so I didn’t know what to expect going into this version. As the events unfolded before me, I soon realized that the material was pretty heavy so I am glad that music was incorporated.

The performances in the film are the true highlight. Barrino, who reprised her role from Broadway, delivered an emotional and raw portrayal to the main character that really had me feeling for her. Taraji P. Henson, who stars as Shug Avery, was electric, powerful and dominated every scene she was in. Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia, really did give an Oscar worthy performance. And Domingo as the absolutely vile Mister really had me hating his guts.

Luckily they could all sing and sing well! The musical numbers were done brilliantly. I can only imagine how this must have looked live onstage. Unfortunately the plot sometimes fell a bit flat for me and the runtime was a tad too long, but the music really helped.

Overall, this version of The Color Purple is a high value musical extravaganza. It will make you laugh and it will bring tears to your eyes. It will also turn you into a dreamer. While it wasn’t perfect and it certainly could have been a tad bit shorter, it is well worth a watch.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

The Little Mermaid

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

We all know the story of The Little Mermaid. Created by Hans Christian Andersen and animated by Disney in 1989, this beloved classic has finally gotten the live action remake treatment. Over the years, I have come to tread lightly when it comes to these because I’ve been let down so many times (except for Aladdin which was brilliant). So while I was interested in seeing where they’d take one of my top five Disney flicks, I didn’t want to get my hopes up.

I am happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised with the film. The visual effects were stunning – yes there was a lot of CGI, but I wasn’t bothered by it. The vibrant colours of life under the sea was beautiful. I was completely transported away into this world that I almost wanted to pack my bags and become a mermaid myself!

The best part of the film, was of course, Halle Bailey. This is her film. All the people who were skeptical can step aside because she was born to play Ariel. She made the role her own while also incorporating bits and pieces from her origin. The facial expressions, mannerisms and her VOICE. Her fucking voice was perfection! When she sang Part Of Your World I had chills engulf my whole body and I never wanted it to stop.

In addition to Bailey, we had Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric who was a total clone of his animated counterpart. I was one of those little girls who had a major crush on Eric and to see him come to life like this was a treat. I thought the rest of the casting choices fit as well: Javier Bardem as King Triton was powerful though underused, Jacob Tremblay as Flounder was cute and ever so diligent towards Ariel and Awkwafina was laugh out loud hilarious as Scuttle. Unfortunately I didn’t care much for Melissa McCarthy’s Ursula as I’m simply not a fan of the actress herself. The stand out for me, however, was David Diggs as Sebastian. Every single moment of his was pure gold.

While they tried to bring this story into the 21st century, I didn’t care for many of the updates. The only new song I really enjoyed was Scuttle’s (though I might be biased because it had Lin Manuel Miranda written all over it). The added scenes didn’t really do anything to enrich what we already knew and the run time was a little too long.

All that being said, The Little Mermaid was much better than I ever thought it was going to be. Seeing this story come to life was a major nostalgia trip for me in the best way possible. I do think this is a step in the right direction for Disney going forward and hope it sticks.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5