REVIEW: Maleficent [2014]

“Goodbye, Beastie” Let’s be honest, Disney’s Sleeping Beauty is a bit of a bore. I remember my sister often wanting to watch when we were kids and me having none of it until the end’s fire and brimstone and menacing dragon spawned from the tale’s creepy, wide-smiling villain. Did I understand the fairy’s reason for cursing the princess? No. I’m not quite sure I realized the political ramifications of her baby shower invite getting lost in the mail until it was explained to me last night after watching Maleficent—the Mouse…

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REVIEW: Barbe Bleue [Bluebeard] [2009]

“Then an ogress eats them” By intertwining the Charles Perrault fairy tale La Barbe bleue with present-day sisters on their own forbidden journey to the attic housing their copy of that exact story, Catherine Breillat is able to visually captivate, humor, and ultimately shock her audience. In Barbe Bleue [Bluebeard], the writer/director decides to update the fantasy half by evolving her beastly villain from bloodthirsty monster to a misunderstood aristocrat hoping beyond hope that he can find a woman who will truly love him. While she plays with the story…

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