Movie review - "Little Mermaid Live!" (2019) **1/2

 Scenes from the film intercut with live performances. Vanessa Hudgens is ideal in the title role and Queen Latifah fun as Ursula. It's fun to see kids having a good time in the audience.

Movie review - "Tick, Tick.. Boom!" (2021) ***

 Jonathan Larson's story is one of the great romances of Broadway - struggling composer who made Rent then died. Andrew Garfield's performance was deservedly acclaimed - nervy, jumpy, wild, driven, talented. Alexndra Shipp is a star who just needs the right vehicle. It's fun to see Vanessa Hudgens a a singer (they could've given her something to play) and even more fun to have Bradley Whitford as Steven Sondheim.

Warm, affectionate and full of talent. It still felt stagey - the story telling devices (cutting back to Garfield/Larson telling his story in a show etc). More could've been done on the central conflict - like we never really believe Garfield is going to leave showbusiness - and the central relationships (would've been good if we'd seen more of the history of him and his BFF and GF, even in montage -these don't come alive).

Still, a lot of talent and heart on display.

Movie review – “Beastly” (2010) **

Teen retread of Beauty and the Beast, with an extra gimmick in that we see the beast in handsome mode at the beginning. He’s played by Alex Pettyfer, who Hollywood keep trying to push as a star, as an arrogant popular high school student who has a curse placed on him by one of the Olsen twins. That’s a good start, as is his dad pushing him out of sight in an apartment (i.e. castle) and Vanessa Hudgens is on hand as a girl who just needs to be rescued. 

 

The ideas then run out – this whole subplot about drug dealers after Hudgens’ dad is set up and then ignored, Mary Kate Olsen floats in and out of the story as it’s convenient,and would Hudgens want him if he wasn’t handsome etc etc.