'Cinderella' is a Sweet, Refreshing Take on the Classic Fairy Tale

Cinderella the character is somewhat controversial. I think a lot of people take issue with her "grin and bear it" approach to life and also the "swept away by Prince Charming" happy ending. Cinderella has often been seen as a passive character, who lets things to happen to her. Critics of the Cinderella tale find issue with how Cinderella fits nicely into expected gender roles.

Because of this, the princess story has gone under some major revisions: Mulan saves the empire, Tiana opens a restaurant, Elsa rules Arandele, Merida unites kingdoms. Rapunzel searches for her sense of self. And with the new trend of remaking/rebooting animated classics, Maleficent and Aurora share a deep bond of mother/daughter affection.

When a new Cinderella movie was announced, I wondered what the new take on Cinderella would be. How would they update the story to fit the trend of the New Disney Princess? Surprisingly and refreshingly, director Kenneth Branagh (Thor, Hamlet) and writer Chris Weitz (About a Boy) have delivered a straightforward telling of Cinderella's story, taking elements from the 1950 Disney animated film and other Cinderella legends.

Julianne Moore Anchors the Heartbreaking 'Still Alice' (Review)

Julianne Moore is one of my favorite actors. When she won the Academy Award earlier this year, I was happy for her. She has been putting out stellar work for over twenty years in films like Safe, Far From Heaven, The Kids Are All Right and Magnolia. She’s versatile, has exceptional command over her body language and finds a way to push herself to the emotional extreme and maintain her integrity.

Based on the 2007 novel by Lisa Genova, Still Alice is written and directed by Richard Glatzer (who has sadly passed away recently) and Wash Westmoreland. Moore stars alongside Alec Baldwin, Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, Hunter Parrish and Stephen Kunken. The film was shot by French cinematographer Denis Lenoir and edited by Nicolas Chaudeurge.

'American Sniper:' 1st R-Rated Movie in 16 Years to Top Yearly Box Office

Clint Eastwood's Oscar winning war film American Sniper has grossed $337 million at the domestic box office, officially beating longtime champ Mockingjay Part 1 by 1 million. It is the first R-rated movie to top the yearly box office since 1998's Saving Private Ryan (which grossed about $216 mil in the late 90s). American Sniper has a worldwide total of $500 mil.

Like the high box office gross of 50 Shades of Grey, the box office victory is both a success and a non-success. I have to celebrate anytime an R-rated "for adults only" movie enjoys colossal success at the box office. It could mean more chances being taken on a large range of projects instead of the usual "sequels and remakes." At the same time, I wasn't a huge fan of either American Sniper or 50 Shades (though I tried my hardest to be fair to both). American Sniper's box office success and Oscar glory is not surprising because it can easily be seen as validating a large portion of its audience's beliefs and values.

But does it?