Enchanted

Enchanted

Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Idina Menzel & Susan Surandon

This is what Disney is all about: an over the top, fun, well-conceived fairy tale, inching its way into the satire genre. "Enchanted" brings together the worlds of fantasy and reality, digging back to it's old school roots of artistry (similar to the 2-D animation of "The Little Mermaid," "Tarzan," and "Mulan"), creating a great, entertaining family blockbuster.

Beginning with the 2-D animated world, Giselle (Amy Adams), a singing/frolicking/caller of wild animals kind of maiden, wishes to receive "a true love's kiss," particularly from some far-away galloping prince, and of course, he has to be charming. With a troll catastrophe, Prince Edward (voiced by and later played by James Marsden) rescuing Giselle on his steed, and a tomorrow-true-love wedding, Giselle is leading the life she wants. However, when the royally evil Queen Narissa (Susan Surandon) plans to rid the kingdom of the soon-to-be royal Giselle, the young maiden's future life is in jeopardy.

Thrown into a well of mystery, the real life Giselle is engulfed by a world of gigantic buildings, loud vehicles emitting pollution, small people who aren't related to Dopey or Grumpy, and a billboard castle that won't let anyone in. Giselle, in all her trusting and optimistic ways, is in our world. New York City to be exact. Luckily, however, the incredibly pessimistic Robert (Patrick Murphy), a well-to-do lawyer, and his motherless daughter find Giselle. With a good heart and his daughter's yearning for princesses - even if Giselle is assumed to be some nutcase - the family of two take the lost girl in.

In front of a few overly cliche scenes and a horribly digitalized dragon, "Enchanted" attaches itself on the children and the adults alike, especially the immensely intricate acting of Amy Adams. Her Giselle is naive, adorable, lovable, and somewhat neurotic. She also creates princess-like dresses out of any fabric at hand in a single morning. Giselle forms immediate personal bonds with any living being she encounters, striking up a musical number in Central Park, a group of city rats, roaches, and pigeons to do her cleaning up, and a separating couple to be once again happily in love.

I can see this role being passed on by many actresses. Adams picked it up, and now, from a few Oscar Predictions websites, she's being pulled into the top five to be nominated for Best Actress. This is because Adams brings such an enchanting feeling to the role, inviting us in, and taking up her journey from callow maiden to a modern day woman. Adams' Giselle is one of the best performances of the year.

Yet, she's not the only cast member that gets a good word. Her fantasy world fiance, Prince Edward, has just as much heart and primitiveness as she does. Marsden allows his character to never be consumed by the city insanity. He believes that a bus is a dragon, the people are peasants, and this is just another world to conquer. His drive is to one, and one only: to find Giselle. Though he does discover some truths about the world he entered, he never does sway from his own kingdom.

With all the great roles and actors to play them, a great plot, and numerous satirical odes to past fairy tales, "Enchanted" was the most enjoyable movie of the season, and Adams shines so bright - maybe all the way to a shining Oscar.

Grade: B+

Hairspray

Hairspray

Starring Nikki Blonsky, John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Amanda Bynes, Zac Efron, Queen Latifah, Brittany Snow & Christopher Walken

When pudgy, happily young Tracy Turnbald (Nikki Blonsky) sings of her yearning to be on the hit TV dance show hosted by Corny Collins (James Marsden), "Hairspray" is on. Set in a 1962 Baltimore where every girl's hair exceeds the height of their boyfriend's head, Turnbald is determined to get on the show, dance her heart out, and win the heart of the boy of her dreams, Link Larkin (Zac Efron). Sidekicked by her corky pal Penny Pingleton (Amanda Bynes), Tracy skips school one day to try out, but quickly rejected by the evil, stepmother-esque Velma Von Tussle, played devilishly by the new and improved Michelle Pfeiffer. What seems to be a story of a silly girl's dreams turns into a battle of moral and racial prejudices. As the "negro night" of the dance show is canceled, Tracy bans with her friends and with the black community to bring justice to the television station.

With such a tremendous all-star cast, "Hairspray" has no trouble at all pulling in loads of expertise; from new-comers like Blonsky, Efron and Bynes to veterans like Pfeiffer, John Travolta as Tracy's dismaying mother, and Christopher Walken as Tracy's loopy dad the film is highly qualified in the field of acting. Of course Queen Latifah as Motormouth Maybelle acted no different than in most of her other roles, but other than that it was a great and fun cast.

"Hairspray" also has a great way of turning the table on what's to be expected in what seems to be a sugar-coated musical. The message of integrating the black dancers with the white is both beautiful and profound. Storyline conflicts and resolutions are subtle and nicely placed, lined with great music that will have your foot tapping against the seat in front of you.

But recollecting the film, it's hard to see it as being a great film. When thinking of "Dreamgirls," though it lacked in many areas of song placement and plot, the cinematography was stunning, refined, and dead-on. In "Hairspray" it was like watching a Disney Channel movie. With poor angles and not a whole lot of movement which collided badly with the lot of dancing around streets and stages, the film looks, feels and acts poorly, though the movie as it is is fun and very entertaining.

Grade: B+