Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All

Tangled is a let down after the return-to-form Disney-ness of The Princess and The Frog. Oh, Tangled is not bad, but the animation is back to the creepy and soul-less computer-generated kind. Unfortunately, the songs are also sub-par and the musical sequences are derivative and uninspired.

On the plus side, however, the animal companions are definitely better done. It is a refreshing experience to get character development and comic relief from Disney animal sidekicks who do not speak. There are no funny accents or quick one-liners. Pascal, the chameleon, and Maximus, the palace horse, earn their moments through movement and facial expressions. Good job to the animators on them.

As for the rest of the movie, the action and humor are serviceable enough. The kids also fall in love quite pleasantly. It’s a nice enough movie to sit through.

Tags: Movies by Ms. SP
Comments Off

I picked a Wodehouse at random on the recommendation of Douglas Adams. Almost immediately, I could see the connections and similarities between the two authors.

Both have a breezy and accessible feel to their writings, but there are turns of phrases and certain similes that are just delights of the language.

They also both like the absurd within the every day. Adams’s Arthur Dent is an every man, swept away on a galactic adventure. In Wodehouse’s tale, Bonds Bank is a long-standing country bank that is about to find itself the convergence point of such ridiculous (yet perfectly everyday) plans and characters.

Part of the delight in this quick read is seeing how the plot unfolds so I won’t spoil anything. But I will share that “What?,” “No way,” and “Oh, come on” were uttered during the process of my reading this book.

And yes, I had quite a number of chuckles and laughs as well.

It kind of reminded me of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, except proper British manners take the place of the rowdy and lusty Italian court.

I don’t quite know what to do with this genre of British fiction, of which I would lump Evelyn Waugh among those who confuse me, but I wouldn’t hesitate to pick another Wodehouse up at a later time.

Tags: Books by Ms. SP
Comments Off