Category: movies

Last night I snuck under an Arabian tent, with a snack of hummus in hand, leaving behind the stress of my day and watched the preview of one of my all-time favourite films, here in Perth, Western Australia. I finished the evening walking out, overwhelmed by the colour, light and love of Arabian nights, wishing I had a magic carpet to fly me home.

Princess Jasmine has always been a strong character in the Musical Theatre repertoire of Disney’s latest film offering “Aladdin” but there is a plot twist that the purists may not like.

In the popular 1992 animated film, she is depicted as a strong daughter of the Sultan of Agrabah, who is sick of feeling “stuck” behind the walls of their castle. She refuses to be forced into marriage and longs to become queen one day.

The new remake of this cult classic draws the story from this thread and smashes it wide open with a new song, Which I am sure will become a power ballad classic.

I was speechless as I watched her character find her voice and stand up to the patriarchal institutions that have held her silent. A tear dripped down my face and I remembered this quote I read recently:

“Daring leaders who live into their values are never silent about hard things.”

Brene Brown

She sings loud and clear that “Enough is enough and I will make a change!” Reminding me a little of “Meghan Markle” and her real-life social media prison she married into and to blow convention out of the window and she has decided to do Motherhood in her own way. Feminism is being written as a backstory into the history of this cult classic.

Naomi Scott talks about her passion to bring little girls into wide spaces of emancipation here in this video below;

Will Smith, of course, wins the comedy card in this remake and the video production of his enactment of the Genie is brilliant. The sets, the costumes and production numbers don’t disappoint but for me, the stand out of this movie is the continual theme of women in leadership in Disney’s current season of remakes.

Empowering our girls to know that they can indeed change the course of history. And the last little plot twist, I cannot tell you, because that indeed would be a major spoiler. Here comes a wave, but it won’t take me under.

Add this song to your Spotify playlist, because I believe its going to stay around for a while, just like “This is Me” and “Shallow.

A whole new world of beauty. You ain’t never had a friend like Will Smith and princesses speaking out for what truly matters!

It seems, the movie should have been titled “Jasmine” now that truly would get people just as angry as the last season of Game of Thrones.

Disney’s latest offering “Christopher Robin” had me eating honey cake and cleaning the tears from my face with a napkin. A childhood tale of witty wisdom and heartfelt panorama’s, each character that tumbled out of the hundred acre wood had me smiling.

This new release follows the story of a grown-up Christopher Robin and his struggle to make all the ends in his life meet. I sat there profoundly moved by the same conversations I have had with my family lately.

It is a grown-up, adult version of a childhood favourite, calling us into the never-ending space of rest and reflection, with a side dish of fun served as dessert.

Christopher walks into his house and smiles hesitantly at his wife “I’m sorry I got held up at work.”

She looks at him with doubt “You’ll be working this weekend?”

He replies with shame “It can’t be helped!”

The tension within a family to prioritise rest and fun, with work and the endless task list is one that we have not found our family solution too. I sat listening to the conversations of this family trying to find their way through, smiling as Pooh came to discover his old friend again.

The depth of imagination and the capacity to call you deeper into your internal dialogue was a timely reminder that sometimes doing nothing is everything.

“Doing nothing often leads to the very best of something”

Christopher Robin

When was the last time you did nothing?

What about a weekend with a rambling countryside and no task list snuck in your briefcase pocket?

As a culture, we are not great at doing nothing. Efficiency has us all held captive, and our mobile phones beep with constancy in our pockets. It means nothing for someone to message us late at night, and the myriad of connection points leave us all feeling a little disconnected.

This film took me to space where I remembered what it was like to imagine as a child, roaming and wandering in nature. Making friends with my memories and reminding myself where my work belongs.

Pooh looks at Christopher Robin and innocently asks; “Do you always carry that thing with you?”

Robin replies “What my briefcase?”

And Pooh smiles innocently “Yes, is it more than a balloon?”

He curtly pouts “Of course it is more important than a balloon.”

This little meet-cute at the beginning of their newly formed relationship reminded me of how much more we place importance on our work and our sense of achievement and success.

However, I want to be known by my family and my loved ones, by the attention I give them. That they are indeed my priority and although my heart dreams of far off places, that today I will sit in the discomfort of the present. Making them known in my heart and my hands.

So you will find me this weekend, switching off and laying my briefcase of important things down, ready to watch movies, throw popcorn and possibly buy my littles a red balloon, remembering that sometimes doing nothing, always leads to a great something.

And more than ever our world needs a reminder that taking a break and running away to the woods is never, ever a bad thing.

Happy Weekend Friends,

Enjoy a slice of honey cake with me.

Amanda

Opens in cinemas Australia wide: 13th September 2018