Tag: MerylStreep

The Devil Wears Prada 2

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

The original Devil Wears Prada is one of the most iconic films of all time. Since its release in 2006, it has become a cinematic staple. Twenty years later and we finally have a follow up. Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is now a renowned journalist, reporting on important stories like she has always wanted to do. When she is unceremoniously laid off from her job, a chance to return to Runway, and once more working with Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) presents itself. Together with Nigel Kipling (Stanley Tucci), they join forces to combat the decline of traditional magazine publishing.

Legacy sequels are all the rage these days. Most of the time they aren’t necessary. I really thought that The Devil Wears Prada 2 would be a senseless cash grab to add to the endless pile. You could therefore imagine how pleasantly surprised I was by how much I enjoyed the film. I would have been fine without it, but since it needed to happen, I’m glad that they delivered a story that actually mattered.

This film wouldn’t have worked without the return of Hathaway, Streep and Tucci. Emily Blunt was also back as the incomparable Emily Charlton. Having the gang back together was a pure treat and they were better than ever. While they’ve grown up a bit, they were still the lovable characters we grew to love two decades ago. Miranda and Emily had some epic one liners that had me giggling throughout though obviously the tone had to shift slightly due to the changes of today’s society.

Our fearless foursome were joined by some new faces for this outing. Kenneth Branagh starred as Stuart, Miranda’s new beau, Justin Theroux and Lucy Liu were Benji and Sasha Barnes respectively, a former famous power couple, B.J. Novak was the new owner of the magazine publication while Simone Ashley starred as Miranda’s first assistant Amari and Patrick Brammall was Andy’s new love interest Peter. Although some of these supporting characters were one sided, I did appreciate their inclusion. There were also some really cool cameos that featured throughout.

One of the best parts of the film is without a doubt the beautiful clothing that is featured. The level of fashion this time around is upped to the max with so many garments that I could only ever dream of owning myself. Andy had some brilliant costumes, but I was also a big fan of Emily’s various Dior looks. Another selling point are the sprawling locations from New York City to Milan and Lake Como, I was instantly transported to each and every spot. And then there was the soundtrack which featured some banging numbers by Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga and Olivia Dean to name a few that perfectly set the scene.

But as I mentioned already, this sequel actually had something important to say. Journalism, and print journalism in particular, isn’t the same as it used to be. A lot has changed over the years and with the looming threats of artificial intelligence etc., this will only escalate more. Having this be the main storyline was a smart choice as it’s extremely topical and the way in which it was depicted was well executed.

Overall, I may have initially been on the fence for The Devil Wears Prada 2, but I actually really liked it. From the very beginning it knew was it wanted to do and I’m glad that it wasn’t trying to outdo its predecessor. Instead it managed to stand on its own feet. As much of a nostalgia trip it was to be reunited with these characters and to be able to revisit this world, I do think that this was a proper conclusion and believe it should end here.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Hoppers

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Nineteen year old Mabel (Piper Curda) is an animal lover who will do anything she can to save the glade that meant so much to her late grandmother (Karen Huie). When she discovers that her professor Dr. Sam (Kathy Nijmay) has created technology that allows humans to place their consciousness into robotic animals, Mabel decides to use it to become a beaver. As Mabel meets various species, she uncovers more about the animal world that she ever thought possible.

Disney and Pixar’s latest offering is an original story that boasts a unique spin. I honestly wasn’t sure what to think of it from the trailer aside from the fact that the animals looked cute. I ended up getting a lot more than I bargained for and thought that it was well executed.

As usual, the world building and animation design were incredible. It was the perfect combination of high level detail needed to depict the many locations while also experimenting with some more cartoonish character features. The glades, pond and forest area seemed so realistic in their illustrations while the animals themselves stood out for their quirkiness.

The voice cast were brilliantly chosen. Curda brought real emotion and charm to Mabel. We’ve all felt alone and like we don’t really belong anywhere at least once in our life and I feel like she encapsulated that so well. Bobby Moynihan who portrayed King George, another beaver who lead the mammals, was hilarious. The friendship that formed between him and Mabel was so lovely. Other notable names such as Meryl Streep, Ego Nwodim and Sam Richardson played the Insect Queen, Fish Queen and Conner, one of Dr. Sam’s associates, respectively while Dave Franco seemed to be having a blast as the Insect King. Each delivered in bringing their characters to life.

I liked the film because it was different. The placing of human consciousness into a robotic human was slightly Avatar-esque, but it actually made me care. I cared about these characters and the world they were living in. Learning how important animal habitats are was also interesting and I loved seeing how they all worked together while adapting the pond rules. This film made me think of what we are going through today and how different things may be if we could all come together while also shedding light on environmental conservatism.

Overall, Hoppers seems to be a return to form for Pixar. It’s last few ventures fell a bit flat, but this time around I could sense that good old, familiar magic. The film was inventive, very funny and deeply touching. It really is one of those films that every member of the family can enjoy.

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️

Don’t Look Up

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

When Kate Dibiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), an astronomy grad student and her professor Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) discover a comet within the solar system, they can’t believe their eyes – until they realize that it is on its way to Earth. Upon embarking on a media tour that takes them to the White House, it seems that nobody really cares that they are all going to die. With only six months until the comet makes impact, Kate and Randall will do whatever they can to get the world to just look up.

Don’t Look Up seemed so promising. The cast, which boasted big names such as Meryl Streep, Cate Blancett, Jonah Hill, Tyler Perry, Kid Cudi and Ariana Grande, was one that grasped my attention as soon as the trailer hit Netflix. And I almost hate to admit it, but this movie was just such a miss for me. I guess I can’t really say I’m surprised since it’s not a subject I am very familiar with, however, I still wanted to give it a go.

Films with so many famous people in it are not always successful. This was one of them. Some characters had more screen time than others and some were also not very likeable (though I think that was kind of the point?) I must admit that Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence had good chemistry together. I also loved seeing Meryl Streep portraying The President.

While this was pegged to be a comedy, I did not think it was very funny. Sometimes humor tends to go over my head and I found myself missing out on the various supposed jokes.

Overall, I understand what Don’t Look Up was trying to achieve, I’m just not sure it landed all too well. I expected much more from the movie and can’t help feeling disappointed since it was my last film review of the year.

Rating: ♥♥