Many of us are familiar with Walt Disney’s beloved Cinderella (1950) movie — a magical film with an orphan stuck with an evil stepmother and nagging stepsisters, a glass slipper and a missing mysterious girl, and a dance with the prince at the palace before the stroke of midnight. Since then, the tale of Cinderella has been retold many times. Let’s take a look at a few notable remakes: Cinderella (1997) I just watched this movie a few days ago, and I can tell you with absolute certainty, that it is such an enjoyable watch. There are many things that makes this TV musical unique such as: the undeniably sweet chemistry between Cinderella (Brandy Norwood) and Prince Christopher (Paolo Montalban), the late Whitney Houston as the Fairy Godmother, as well as the musical’s empowering themes which are still relevant today. It’s no secret that the film industry has a history for its lack of diversity when it comes to casting actors of color. Cinderella (1997) is widely known for its racially diverse cast. The two leads were Black and Filipino, giving the musical some much-needed representation in the film industry. While most Disney movies at the time portrayed women in need of saving, Cinderella (1997) reveals a more feminist take on the popular story. In the beginning of the movie, Prince Christopher comments that a girl should be treated like a princess. Cinderella disagrees and states that a girl “should be treated like a person – with kindness and respect.” This small interaction is so important because it addresses the importance of gender equality, which I thought was a super nice touch. I’ve read other reviews saying that Brandy’s acting wasn’t that great, but I think she really nailed the role. She plays Cinderella with this gentle and quiet nature, but I love how she’s also super independent and speaks her mind. When Cinderella speaks to her Fairy Godmother, she talks about how people just dream of what they want instead of going out and making it happen for themselves – this is an empowering message for its viewers to make their own dreams come true. Cinderella (1997) is available to watch on Disney+. A Cinderella Story (2004) This early 2000s rom-com is truly underrated It’s one of my biggest comfort movies, and I can say that I love it without shame. There’s nothing to be ashamed about appreciating this masterpiece. A Cinderella Story follows orphan and social outcast Sam Montgomery (Hilary Duff) and her demanding stepmother (Jennifer Coolidge) and two annoying stepsisters (Madeline Zima and Andrea Avery). Sam’s stepmother and stepsisters give her an abundance of household chores to keep up with. When she’s not studying, cleaning, or working at her late father’s diner, Sam’s emailing a guy called “Nomad” who she bonds with over Princeton and venting over family obligations. Nomad says that they should finally meet (“in the middle of the dance floor” at their high school’s Halloween dance *sigh* so romantic!), and Sam agrees. Is this movie cheesy? Yes. Is it a tad unrealistic? Also yes. But it is so ridiculous at times, so romantic at others, and so feel good at most, I think that it is just really really difficult to dislike this movie. Not to mention, Chad Michael Murray as “Nomad”, who has an alter ego of his own (Austin the popular football star of the school), is absolutely swoonworthy. Cinderella (2015) Regrettably, I haven’t personally seen this version of Cinderella yet. From watching the trailer, I assume that the 2015 live-action film closely resembles the beloved 1950 animated tale. After her father’s unexpected death, Ella (Lily James) is at the mercy of her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and two stepsisters Anastasia (Holliday Grainger) and Drisella (Sophie McShera). They constantly put Ella to work and make her clean everything in their home. When Ella is presented with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a ball at the palace with some magic and help of her own Fairy Godmother (Helena Bohem Carter), her life changes
As someone who grew up loving and marveling over the animated original, I think that when I watch this movie in the future, it’s really the pure nostalgia of seeing a classic movie reimagined into a live-action version that will make this movie come to life for me.
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PHOTO CREDIT TO REELNEWS According to the United Nations, climate change will become irreversible by the year 2030. Over the course of these last several years, the effects of climate change have been apparent through radical weather changes as well as short-term and long-term effects on a person’s health. We're constantly bombarded with ways on social media to reduce our carbon footprint such as by recycling, not using plastic straws, or bringing your own bags to the grocery store. Lately, I've been seeing quite a bit of sustainable and eco-friendly things on Instagram ranging from clothes, bags, toothbrushes, and even toothpaste. Pretty aesthetic infographs on Instagram, companies advertised on Instagram promising 100% sustainability, and celebrities and influencers seem to be the face of the climate revolution. I believe that we all have our parts to play in combating against climate change, which again will be irreversible by the year 2030, but it is also important to recognize another important part of the climate crisis itself: indigenous people. The United Nations stated that "Indigenous peoples and the role they may play in combating climate change are rarely considered in public discourses on climate change." Indigenous communities benefit the ecosystems they live in and have a "dependence upon, and close relationship, with the environment and its resources" which makes them "among the first to face the direct consequences of climate change". "Indigenous peoples in the Arctic region depend on hunting for polar bears, walrus, seals and caribou, herding reindeer, fishing and gathering not only for food to support the local economy, but also as the basis for their cultural and social identity. Some of the concerns facing indigenous peoples in the region include the change in species and availability of traditional food sources, perceived reduction in weather predictions and the safety of traveling in changing ice and weather conditions, posing serious challenges to human health and food security." - The United Nations In kindergarten, I learned that the Pilgrims had Thanksgiving dinner with the Native Americans. In high school, we read two paragraphs in our history textbook about the Trail of Tears. I never learned about the treatment of Native Americans and the colonization of America until I got to college. And now that I'm continually learning more, I think that in order to successfully fight against climate change, one must also fight for the indigenous people of our country. Climate change and indigenous rights go hand-in-hand. StopLine3 is dedicated to stopping the construction of Line 3, an oil pipeline expansion from Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin. Line 3's focus would be transporting tar sands, which is not only detrimental to climate change, but to human health. According to stopline3.org, the Line 3 oil pipeline would contribute more to climate change than Minnesota's entire economy. Not only will the construction of Line 3 bring on more harmful effects of climate change, but it will also violate the treaty rights of the Anishinaabe peoples as the pipeline will go right through their lands. America prides itself on being a country of individualism, but for bigger things, we need to be collective. The United States has a history of stealing land and violating treaties made between the country and indigenous people, but we can all help our country end this harmful pattern by standing together, educating ourselves and each other, and doing our part. Let's honor our planet, the land we live on, as well as respect the people who were here first. WAYS YOU CAN HELP:PHOTO CREDIT TO DAILYHIVE IMAGES Throughout college and much of quarantine, it’s been incredibly easy for me to stay up late either studying and doing homework. Now that it’s summer, I’ve been staying up way too late watching just “one more episode.” And then I’ve watched four episodes, and it’s already two in the morning. As a result of this, I either wake up too late or feel tired and grumpy throughout the day. Is getting an adequate amount of sleep really as important as they say it is?
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), adults need an average of 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. However, when you think about this in your own life, do you really get that much sleep? Due to late-night Netflix binges and Youtube spirals, I know I definitely don’t. So what is it that makes it difficult for the average person to fall asleep? According to the American Sleep Association (ASA), some things that may contribute to the inability to fall asleep are: stress, caffeine (including coffee and tea), nicotine, and alcohol. If it’s difficult for you to fall asleep at night, the first step would be to avoid these things right before bed. For me personally, going to bed is a time that I am always excited for. It’s fun to lie awake at night when the house is quiet…but I’m also an extreme overthinker. An extreme otherthinker with tinnitus that is. And what’s a more perfect time to overthink everything than at night? The house is quiet, everyone else is asleep, and I’m all alone with my thoughts. It’s easy for me to try and occupy my brain when I can’t sleep by watching something even though deep down I know screen time right before bed has the opposite effect of helping you fall asleep. What can I say, sometimes I just like indulging in that one show or that one movie that no one else in my family will watch with me. All jokes aside, here are some two things that have personally helped me fall asleep when I’ve been tossing and turning for awhile: 1.) Loosen your body I’ve seen so many posts on social media that tell you to let your tongue fall from the roof of your mouth and relax your shoulders. It’s so easy to carry so much tension around in your body subconsciously, and relaxing it is the first step for a more relaxed you! 2.) Journaling Sometimes it feels like I’m thinking about so many things at once that I’m going to explode. The urge to wake up in the middle of the night and just do something like clean my room or clean the kitchen is so strong, I have to mentally restrain myself because I know that if I wake up and have tons of lights on and make lots of noise, then everyone else in the house will hear, wake up, and probably not be happy about it. Journaling out what I’m thinking or feeling in the moment has been something that has really helped me set my mind at ease in the middle of the night, and if you’re into writing or journaling, maybe give it a try too! And lastly, my least favorite tip of them all: 3.) Don’t eat right before bed!!! I love to snack when I’m watching a movie or show. I am so guilty of getting a snack at 10 pm, eating it for the sole purpose of occupying my hands while I am being entertained. By experience, sadly I’ve found that it’s better not to snack right before bedtime. I googled “is it bad to eat right before bed?” in hopes of refuting my theory…to no avail. According to Sleep Advisor, don’t eat before bed or you will reap the consequences. However, there are loads of more helpful tips about getting a good night sleep as well as the benefits of getting enough sleep. Google is just a click away and a helpful pool of information available at your fingertips. Just be sure to do the googling before you go to bed and not when you’ve already watched two Netflix movies, and it’s already 3 am! |
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