Cinematic Blast from the Past: Black Arrow

Tell me if this sounds familiar:

You're feeling a little nostalgic, so you decide to watch a movie you loved when you were younger. When it starts, you're so excited, then after a while you realize that it isn't quite as good as you remember. It's a bit campy and silly, and the dialogue and some of the acting really is laughable.

And... it doesn't matter.

You still love it.

I can think of a dozen movies that fit this scenario. And every once in while I want to revisit those films. I can escape for a couple of hours and I'm taken back to my youth. It's the best.

One of these movies is Black Arrow, a Disney movie from 1985. It was on the Disney channel, when the cable channel actually showed classic Disney movies. The film, based on a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson, is set in 15th century England during the Wars of the Roses. One of the reasons I love rewatching this movie is that even when I was young, I knew that some of the acting and dialogue were quite ridiculous. I don't know if the overacting and campy delivery of lines were because of the director, or because of the campy dialogue. There are some good actors in the movie, and so I'm thinking it was probably a combination of both. The long pauses and close-up reaction shots of the actors were definitely a director's choice, and they just up the campiness.

Now, don't get me wrong, there are some good things about Black Arrow. It has some good fight sequences, the story has intrigue and the plot is interesting. If you like historical fiction, then you're sure to enjoy it, especially if you're familiar with the history of the Wars of the Roses. And, Benedict Taylor isn't bad to look at, either. Especially with his 80's hair.

My sister and I used to quote the movie imitating the actors' delivery of the lines. When others were quoting Monty Python and the Holy Grail, my sister and I quoted Black Arrow.

I would love for this movie to be remade with the exact same dialogue and see if it might not be as campy if the dialogue is spoken without the overacting. It would be interesting to get the script and read through it with some of my actor friends and see if it could actually be a good movie. Or we might just laugh all the way through it. Who knows.

You might be able to find it on youtube. And if you watch it, I hope you enjoy it in all of its campiness, silliness, over-acting, and quotable quotes.

Below are my favorite quotes (some just because of the delivery):

Sir Daniel: To Sir Richard! A few minutes ago, a boy. Now, a man!

Sir Daniel: Revenge has a long memory, does it not?

Sir Daniel: He has plans. I have plans. We'll see whose are best.

Appleyard: Your meat must fill his belly.

Will: Remember, when properly used, the staff is mightier than the sword.

Black Arrow: If you cease to serve Sir Daniel, you might live to reach manhood. (regarding message) Take that to your master. Tell him, I wish him many sleepless nights.

Richard: What is your name?
Black Arrow: I'm called Black Arrow. It is enough.

Joanna: Why am I here?
Sir Daniel: I am your guardian. Why should you not be here?

Sir Daniel: Pretty flower. But the wrong color.
Joanna: My father thought not.

Sir Daniel: How like your flower you are. Very beautiful.
Joanna: And like my flower I have prickly thorns. So, I ask you again, why have your brought me here?

Scar: He must be very fast with a bow.
Richard: He is.

Richard: That man could choose the next King.
Joanna: But not the rightful one.
Richard: Like father, like daughter - rebellious.
Joanna: What do you know of my father, Yorkist?
Richard: He was a traitor. So it's said.
Joanna: To you and to your kind. But to others and to me... a hero.

Warwick: The killer instinct, Brackley. If I'm born again, I would like to be born a hawk.
Sir Daniel: And please God, I'm not born a hare.

Warwick: You might have a warm exterior, Brackley, but you've got a cold heart.

Dinner guest: More wine! More wine for my friend here. More wine. Haha.

Sir Daniel: Richard. She actually jumped the moat?
Richard: Yes.
Sir Daniel: What a bright dame she will be.

Sir Daniel: Poor Richard. Not having enough time to enjoy his inheritance.

Joanna: Him. It would have to be him.

Joanna: I needed your horse.
Richard: Well, I'll say this, you have spirit, girl.
Joanna: I'm Lady Joanna, and I'm nobody's girl.

Richard: Do we go?
Joanna: Do I have any choice?
Richard: I have my orders, and I'll obey them.
Joanna: You're nothing but Sir Daniel's lapdog.
Richard: Get on the horse.

Joanna: Murderer! You've killed him.
Scar: Where is the body?
Joanna: Swept away in the river. Murderer!

Black Arrow: Whoever did this can't be far away, Will. Take some men and find him. There are questions needing answers.

Warwick: You haven't said much on the way, Brackley. Nervous or something?
Sir Daniel: No, your Grace, I'm not nervous, Why should I be?
Warwick: Afraid the bride won't turn up, perhaps.
Sir Daniel: Why do you say that?
Warwick: I had a sudden vision of you, waiting at the altar for a bride who's changed her mind.
Sir Daniel: That will not happen to me.
Warwick: (laughs) Relax, my dear Brackley. I was only joking. (laughs)
Sir Daniel: Hahahahaha.

Will: Let the others go... on foot. This one... we take.

Richard: He's mine.
Black Arrow: You're wounded.
Richard: He's mine. Give him a sword.

Warwick: A union of spring and winter. How sad. Oh, well.

Oates: Trust me.(exits the room)
Warwick: I'd rather trust a fox.

Oates: My allegiance is to you, Sir Daniel, and to no one else. On my honor.
Sir Daniel: Your honor, sir, is buried as deep as Sykes and Appleyard.

Oates: The red rose or the white. Trust me.

Man: He's a thief. Let the dog have him.
Black Arrow: He may be a thief. But he's also a man.

Sir Daniel: Some women are never more beautiful than when they are angry.
Joanna: Then I shall be lovely whenever you are near.
Sir Daniel: (evil laugh) My dear Joanna. Calm yourself. Reflect. I am not an ogre. I think I will make you a very good husband. I shall be sensitive to your every wish.
Joanna: I'll have to be carried, screaming up the aisle.
Sir Daniel. Oh, dear, oh dear, oh dear. Hannah, what shall we do with such a disobedient child?
Hannah: Beat her.
Sir Daniel: Yes, I'm sure you would. Go now.

Joanna: You're evil.
Sir Daniel: No, my dear. It is just that I believe that the ends justify the means. You either marry me or I kill you.

Black Arrow: Joanna. You must not marry Sir Daniel.
Joanna: I have to. I have to.
Black Arrow: Why? Why? (she leaves) Why!

Warwick: I know you. Richard, whatever your name is.

Warwick: I hate granting favors. They either cost me money or friends. Usually both.

Warwick: You see, Richard whatever-your-name-is. Justice must not only be done. It must be seen to be done.

Will: Helpless!
Black Arrow: Helpless. Helpless, helpless. I never felt so helpless!

Joanna: Your Grace.
Warwick: Yes, my dear.
Joanna: Do you know why I have to do this?
Warwick: I've been told. Yes.
Joanna: And you still let it happen?
Warwick: But of course.

Richard: No!
Will: No!
Black Arrow: No! You! Violator of England!

Oates: Purger-er! Murderer!

Sir Daniel: Out of my way, boy.

Black Arrow: It is done.

Maleficent: The Poster

Even if the movie is a bomb, at least they have a cool poster.

Disney's Saving Mr. Banks Trailer

This movie looks supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.



I have to admit that I expected Mary Poppins to look a bit like Nanny McPhee. I'm glad she doesn't. *wink*

Star Wars Movie Every Year

Disney has announced that starting with the release of Star Wars episode VII in 2015, they will release a new Star Wars movie every year. After episode VII, the movies will alternate between sequel installments and spin-off films.

Disney certainly wants to cash in on their new acquisition. I just hope that the movies will be good, as I suppose every Star Wars fans hopes. It will be interesting to see how long the annual Star Wars releases will continue. Will this be the next "James Bond" type franchise?

Big Star Wars News

Carrie Fisher has confirmed that she will be part of the new Star Wars movies (well, at least number 7, which will be directed by J.J. Abrams). She told The Palm Beach Illustrated that  she will reprise her role as Princess Leia. She joked about where she imagines the princess will be in the sequel. "She's in an intergalactic old follks' home. I just think she would be just like she was before, only slower and less inclined to be up for the big battle.

In other news, Disney has announced that they are developing some "stand-alone movies" featuring Star Wars characters. They did not announce who those characters are.

What characters from the Star Wars franchise would you like to see get their own big screen treatment?

Aladdin: Proud of Your Boy

When I was at Disneyland, my friend Scott and I saw Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular. It's a 40-minute live show recreating the highlights of Disney's animated feature, Aladdin. I've seen it quite a few times before, and it's very entertaining, especially the Genie, who adds a lot of jokes based on current pop culture.

I haven't seen the animated film for a long time, but after seeing the live show I thought it would be fun to watch it again, so I did. I enjoyed watching it again. I also thought I would check out the extras. The DVD includes a few songs that were written when the movie was in its early stages but were cut when the writers decided to go in a different direction. The best song cut from the film is "Proud of Your Boy," which was written when Aladdin's mother was going to be part of the story. It is one of my favorite Menken/Ashman songs. The music is beautiful, and the lyrics are spot-on for anyone who loves their mother (and father) and doesn't want to disappoint her.

The extras on the DVD include a demo of the song sung by Alan Menken and a video where Clay Aiken sings the song. I think they both do a good job, but my favorite version of the song is by John  Barrowman (Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and Torchwood, and Mr. Merlyn in Arrow). I heard John's version many years before I bought the Aladdin DVD, and I loved it the first time I heard it.

So, here for your listening pleasure, is John Barrowman singing the wonderful "Proud of Your Boy."



(If the video doesn't play, click here to listen on youtube.)

Disney Gets a New Princess

Her name is Leia Organa.

There was big news in the entertainment world when Disney announced that they were buying Lucasfilm for $4 billion. Four billion dollars, oh my! That means there may be more Indiana Jones films, and there will be at least three more Star Wars films. I will say that again, in case you missed it. Three. More. Star Wars. Films. I love the original trilogy, but I abhorred Episodes I, II and III. If they could renew the Star Wars franchise like they did with James Bond, I would be soooo happy!

It was announced that Star Wars: Episode VII, will come out in 2015. It will probably continue the stories of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia. It will be strange to see different actors play those characters, unless the movie starts with the characters forty years later. *wink* If they are played by younger actors, I hope we get to meet Han's father and he's played by Harrison Ford.

What else does it mean? We might see Indiana Jones, Han Solo, Princess Leia, or Darth Vadar on Once Upon a Time. Can you imagine Rumpelstiltskin going up against Darth Vadar? Now that would be good television. I am kidding. Please don't do it Once Upon a Time!

An Angelina Jolie Movie I May See

Sleeping Beauty is my favorite Disney animated movie, and Maleficent has always been my favorite Disney villain.

I just read that Angelina Jolie will be playing the title role in a movie called Maleficent. It will be about the villain of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale (who is only called Maleficent in the Disney version, I believe).

It will be interesting to see if her story will parallel the story of Sleeping Beauty, or if it will be like Wicked, the book and musical, and tell the back story of how Maleficent became the evil fairy who would want to kill a princess just because she didn't get invited to a party.

Stage Review: Beauty and the Beast

I have seen many productions of Beauty and the Beast, the first being a touring production of it many years ago. I've seen so many, that I have become a little disenchanted (no pun intended) with it. So, when the touring production came through Salt Lake City again, I wasn't expecting anything new.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Changes have been made to the touring show, and I liked many of the changes. Here are a few:

1. Maurice's song, "No Matter What," has been cut, and I have to say that I didn't miss it. It has never been my favorite song. Instead of the song, Maurice talks to Belle about her mother, and how she changed him. That dialogue connects with the song that Belle sings in Act II, "Change in Me."
2. Monsieur D'Arque's song was also cut. Didn't miss it either.
3. The sets and costumes are new. They are not an exact imitation of the movie anymore, which I liked. They aren't quite as grand as they were before, but I like the simplicity.

There have always been moments in many productions in B&B that have bugged me, and this production fixed a couple of those moments. It's like the director somehow heard my complaints (I've never posted the complaints on the web).

1. At the beginning, when Belle discovers her father is lost in the woods, she runs right into the woods without stopping anywhere, and the next time we see her in the woods, she is wearing a cloak. When did she put it on? In this production, right before she has the scene with Lefou, she goes into the house and comes out wearing her cloak. Problem solved.
2. When we see Belle in the woods after she has run away from the Beast, again she has a cloak on. Did she take time to run to her room to get it? In this production, we see her run past the Beast as he sings "If I Can't Love Her." Now at least we know that somehow she got the cloak, so it's not bizarre when we see her the next time with a cloak.

There were many moments I liked in this production.

1. At the beginning of "Be Our Guest" someone put a lobster bib on Belle. Hi. Larry. Us.
2. Madame de la Grande Bouche's costume is a shaped like a Marie Antoinette dress. She takes the clothes out of the sides of the the dress, instead of out of a drawer in the front of her costume.
3. The song, "Gaston," starts outside of the tavern, and moves into the tavern toward the end of the song. The choreography in that song was the best I've seen for that number.
4. The Silly girls were a stand-out.
4. When Belle and the Beast are eating together, and they're both nervous, Belle twists her hair, and then the Beast twists his hair the same way. Great moment.

Didn't Like:

1. When the old woman in the prologue turns into the beautiful woman, it's a large puppet. That didn't work for me. I like her being a real woman.
2. Gaston pronounces the French words incorrectly, and though it's a little funny, it's really silly because he is French.
3. Although I liked the Beast, he didn't sing the right notes in the verse of "If I Can't Love Her," and it was really hard to listen to. And I love that song.

Once Upon a Time: TV Series

There were only two new shows that I was really looking forward to in the new fall season (other than Smash, which doesn’t start until February), and they were both based on fairy tales. Once Upon a Time and Grimm. And I am hooked on both.

I liked the premise of Once Upon a Time: fairy tale characters that have been cursed to live in our world. And I enjoy how each episode goes back and forth from Fairy Tale land to modern day Storybrooke. However, when I saw the first episode, I wondered how they were going to be able to stretch the premise into a full season, or even more. It seemed more suited to a mini-series.

Luckily, they have more stories in them that I thought. Each episode usually highlights one specific fairy tale character/story in Fairy Tale Land, with a parallel story featuring the same characters in Storybrooke.

Once Upon a Time isn’t a perfect series to me. There are some things that I don’t particular like.

I like deconstruction of fairy tales, however, it would be nice if they deconstructed more from the original fairy tales and not from the Disney-fied version of the stories. For example, as much as I like Raphael Sbarge and his character, Jiminy Cricket is a Disney creation, not part of the original fairy tale. And I don’t believe the bad fairy in Sleepy Beauty has a name, but in Once Upon a Time her name is Maleficent, just as it is in the Disney version of Sleeping Beauty.

Another thing that bothers me is that there are so many fairy tales to use in the series, so why did they use a King Midas, a mythological character? If they continue in that direction, and if they’re basing characters on Disney animated movies, I guess we’ll be seeing Hercules soon.

In spite of these things, I still like Once Upon a Time very much, and I am excited to see where the story goes.