Reviews by: Allison C., grade 10

Mulan

I love to watch and read books with Disney theme stories. If you are like me, then I have a
movie for you to watch. The movie ‘Mulan’ came out in September 2020 and it starred Liu Yifei
as Mulan. When I first saw the cover, I was so excited to see an Asian actress play one of my
favorite Disney characters (as you can guess, I am an asian girl). I was slightly disappointed
that no one sang in this movie, but I suppose there were good reasons why that was the case.
My initial expectation was that this movie was going to follow the animated movie, but I suppose
that Disney wanted to add a bit of the unexpected. Let’s just say that I was singing internally in
my head at the time I would have heard Mulan sing ‘Reflection’. I mean the Director could have
added ‘Reflection’ music in the background. And, where was Mushu? Mushu never made it to
this movie.
Let’s put all that singing to the side. This movie starts similar to the original storyline but ends a
bit differently as it involves more women characters (like the villain played by Gong Li). I saw
more women of power in this movie and that was refreshing to see since I am a girl myself. It
was combined with a lot of special martial arts fighting. I do give Disney two thumbs for trying
but I was expecting a bit more from the storyline and maybe if the characters were so serious in
this movie. I think Mulan was well played but maybe it depends on what you were expecting, so
I highly encourage you to watch for yourself. Overall, the movie was thoughtful and touched on
the culture, history, and respect for China in this storytelling way. It is worth the watch and
shows how women can be great leaders.

Mulan

Cruella

I have a great recommendation for you.  You must watch ‘Cruella’ if you can appreciate a new twist to the old classics. The movie first came out around May 2021.  Emma Stone plays Estella in the ‘Cruella’ movie.  Unlike the original Disney story, it was not about the dogs but the story of who Cruella de Vil was, the untold story (in a fun way, of course).  I am so happy no dogs were harmed in this movie, but that would be too cruel to watch.  Most of the movie is when Estella is grown up (1970s in London) but I still like the part when Estella was only a young kid during school. She would beat up other kids, but only because they bullied her.  Estella’s mom was very supportive of her daughter and stood by Estella's side at school.  Unfortunately getting kicked out of school was not uncommon for her daughter.  Something bad happens to her mom so Estella is forced to live alone but finds her way to London where she finds a job in the fashion world.  Set out for revenge on the person who killed her mom, Estella must hide her true identity as she plans out her wicked way to destroy everything the company owner has built.  This story tried to balance a darker narrative with humor and a more sympathetic portrayal of Cruella.  At the end, there was a secret surprise in Estella’s revenge and it will blow your mind.

There is plenty to say about this story. Is Estella the victim or the villain?  You have to watch to find out.  Know that she is clever in her ways and she does it all with style.  ‘Cruella’ is the perfect title for this movie. Even though I think I remember 2 dogs in this movie, none were harmed. I highly recommend you watch or get the ebook, if you enjoy twists and turns.

Cruella

Cruella

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Most people who heard the words “Who you gonna call?” will quickly recognize this phrase and
immediately respond back with these next set of words “Ghostbusters!” If you are one of these
people then I have a great movie recommendation for you. “Ghostbuster: Afterlife” came out in
August 2021, around 30+ years after Ghostbusters II was originally released. “Ghostbuster:
Afterlife” connects the past with the future but with new characters played by Paul Rudd (from
Ant-man), Finn Wolfhard (from Stranger Things), and others. If you never watched the original
Ghostbuster then I highly recommend you rent the old movies starring Bill Murray. However, I
think you will still be able to follow the story and enjoy the action/story telling of the movie. In
this new story, a financially struggling mother (her name is Callie) brings her 2 young kids to a
farmhouse that she inherits from her father who passed away from a heart attack caused by an
unwelcome spirit. Callie always felt her father cared more about catching ghosts than about the
family so was never close to him. On the farm, there were so many old Ghostbuster devices,
traps, and other devices left behind that the kids started to find them in the shed. When the
quiet town starts to tremble, weird things start to appear and now the kids are walking into their
grandfather’s shoes to fight the evil spirit that is haunting the town. One iconic thing about the
Ghostbuster movie was their original ghost fighting ambulance named “Etco-1”. For those
people who remember, Etco-1 was a sight to see and never gets old with age. The legacy never
dies especially when family is involved. This is what this movie is about, to not lose faith and
believe in your family. These kids did not have much at the beginning but ended with a lot of
love in the end. I highly recommend you watch this movie.

Ghostbusters

The Witches

I have a great recommendation for you. A story about a young boy who is changed to a little
mouse by an evil witch who checks into a grand hotel. If I caught your interest then you should
watch “The Witches”. This movie was released in October 2020 and is based on an old 1983
children novel written by a British author named Roald Dahl. It is the world of witches and in
this particular story, these witches are very bad with evil intentions to turn children into mice.
There is a young boy named Charlie whose parents died in a car accident so has to go live with
his grandmother who works in this luxury hotel in Alabama. The leader witch is played by Anne
Hathaway and she checks into this hotel with many other witches to discuss her evil plan. No
one in the hotel can tell they are witches because they disguise their identities to others. When
Charlie was secretly hiding in the stage room where all the witches were gathering, he saw a
glimpse of the leader 's true identity. That unfortunately got him in trouble and she turned him
into a mouse. It is now a match between mouse and witch, but this small mouse will do
everything to outsmart the witch's evil plan. You have to watch the movie or read the book to
find out. You are going to love the adventure that Charlie faces. This movie is not scary, if you
are worried about that. The witches are not friendly at all and will eat mice for dinner, but that is
what makes the challenge even more interesting. Charlie is fighting for his life and will risk it to
save all children from turning into mice, but first needs to save himself. The story has humor
and is entertaining so I think you will enjoy it too. I highly recommend you watch this movie.

The Witches