Welcome to Friday Flicks. (Don’t you just love alliteration! I do! lol)
I decided to start a new series on my blog. I LOVE movies. I think film is so closely related to photography so it is no wonder I feel such a strong connection to film. Whenever I go to the movies, I’m actively engaged in the storyline but also the lighting, composition, directing, editing and acting. I go to the movies every week to catch whatever movie has come out that week. So… I thought I would share with you guys some of the movies I’ve seen and what I think of them.
Today’s flick is “Brave”
Brave is about Merida, a Scottish princess, who feels she is being forced by her mother to do things she doesn’t want to do. Being a free spirit, Merida refuses to subscribe to her mother’s ways and wishes. Merida fights her mother tooth and nail on everything. Constantly wanting to change her fate she wishes she can find a way to change her mother and thereby change her destiny. But with all things… you should be careful what you wish for. Merida quickly learns that changing one’s fate comes with a price.
In order to prevent ruining the movie for anyone who may want to see it, I will just say that this movie serves as a good representation of the relationship between mothers and daughters. I wanted to call my mother and tell her “I love you & I appreciate you” after I saw it. When I was growing up, I often resented my mother because I felt like she was trying to “ruin my life.” (my! how dramatic we are when we are teenagers! lol) As I’ve gotten older, I realize that anything my mother did was not to harm me but to protect me and to help me grow. Anyway, back to the movie…
It isn’t the best Pixar movie I’ve seen (UP is my absolute favorite! Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet!) but it is very well written and exceeds a lot of other movies that are being presented this summer. I can’t quite put my finger on it but, it seemed like something was missing in the overall tapestry of the story. It felt like the climax came too soon and was resolved too quickly but that’s just my two cents. The animation is top notch of course and the characters were real and believable. I particularly liked the triplets, Merida’s little brothers. Although they don’t have very many (if any lines) their hijinks provide needed levity to the story. Overall, on a scale of 1-5, I give this movie a 3.5 out of 5. Good family movie with some strong concrete themes.
Lastly, I want to add that the short before the movie was phenomenal! I really love Pixar’s short! Although there was no dialogue, I was really impressed by how clearly the story was presented. Here’s a clip from it:
Let me know what you guys thought of Brave. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check it out and let me know if you agree or diagree with my thoughts and observations.
~ Saadia Me’Chel
