This is me - Bio, Thoughts and Other Ramblings

Films I watched in March and April | Warning: Potential Spoilers

Date: 03.05.2019

Mulan

I have watched this movie once or twice before and loved it every time. I love Disney movies in general, but this is definitely one of my favourites.

I kept switching back and forth in the language settings because Mushu is so brilliantly voiced in both the original and the German dubbing. Eddie Murphy is hilarious and so is the man who voices Mushu in the German version, Otto Waalkes.

Sorry, back on track: I love the story, Mulan's courage and passion, her dedication and love. The story is - as far as I know - based on a Chinese poem or something (correct me if I'm wrong?) and was adapted into a Disney version.

I like how the movie shows that with determination, cunning and some help from loyal friends, you can achieve your goals. I'm not going to limit this to little girls because it's not about that. At least not for me. For me, it's just an inspirational story that teaches you to try, to work hard and to persevere even when the going gets tough. It teaches you the value of loyalty, compassion and will-power.

And another point that I enjoy about the movie - the soundtrack. It's so beautiful and expressive, going from lovely oriental melodies to epic, thrilling battle scores. The songs are just as varied and catchy. My favourite is by far "I'll make a man out of you". Always gets you pumped up.

So all in all, a wonderful movie that I'll definitely see again.

Sydney White

The first of several 'chick flicks' on this list. I just wanted to watch a straight-forward feel-good movie where I didn't have to think too much or pay too much attention. So Netflix suggested this.

It took me about five minutes to realise that this was something of a modern-day Snow White retelling. And I have to say, it's not half-bad. Sure, the 7 guys in the Vortex seem kinda over the top, but hey, why not?

The basic story - girl just wants to fit in somewhere, gets ridiculed and cast out, ends up finding a place where she is accepted for who and what she is, comes out victorious against her rival who previously put her down etc - is one that I can relate to.

Especially in my early teens, I tried so hard to please everyone and tried even harder to fit in. I twisted myself into knots pretending to be somebody I wasn't and it never really worked. Maybe for a while, but ultimately, it just wasn't the right thing. It took me a long time to realise who I was and who I wanted to be.

Of course, the storyline is cliché and the characters probably a little (or a lot) exaggerated. But the movie doesn't pretend to be anything but a feel-good comedy/romance/coming-of-age piece.

I'm not really a romcom person, but occasionally, I enjoy a light-hearted movie like this. I just have to be in the right mood, otherwise I change channels faster than you can blink. So, I might watch it again at some point in the future when I feel like it.

Not Cinderella's Type

There's probably half a dozen modern day Cinderella retellings out there. I can think of 3 movies called "Cinderella Story" off the top of my head. They're okay, light movies to watch when you want a happy ending and nothing too strenuous. And when I stumbled across this movie on youtube, I expected it to be just another one of those.

In some way, I was right. In many other ways, I was wrong.

The plot is in essence Cinderella transferred into modern times, yes. But boy oh boy are there differences. And I loved them! Speaking as somebody who grew up on the original Grimm fairytales, this movie really puts a new spin on the narrative.