Sometimes, it’s OK to leave 90-year-old things alone! “Snow White” is the live-action retelling of the classic 1939 film, continuing Disney’s trend of remaking their animated properties. Telling a similar story as the original, the film follows the titular princess (Rachel Zegler) who must escape an evil queen (Gal Gadot) who wishes her dead; Marc Webb… Continue reading ‘Snow White’ Review: A (Heigh) Ho-Hum Remake
My favorite time of year at the movies is the summer, and while the field has shifted in recent years as far as when summer season starts and ends and when big-budget films get released, the term “blockbuster” is still synonymous with the season, as seen with “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” kicking things… Continue reading 2023 Summer Box Office Predictions
Disney stop remaking all your animated classics challenge. “Pinocchio” is the latest live-adaptation of an original animated film by Disney. Directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film follows the little wooden puppet who comes alive after a magical wish. Benjamin Evan Ainsworth voices the titular character, with Tom Hanks as Geppetto and Cynthia Erivo, Giuseppe Battiston,… Continue reading ‘Pinocchio’ Review: A Remake as Wooden and Lifeless as a Puppet
Pixar really saw they canceled the “Call Me By Your Name” sequel and said, “fine, I’ll do it myself.” “Luca” is the latest effort from Disney-Pixar and follows two young sea monsters (Jacob Tremblay and Jack Dylan Grazer) who have the ability to turn into humans while on land, and enter a race in order… Continue reading ‘Luca’ Review: A Warm and Simple Pixar Adventure
I really think I like these live-action Disney remakes more when they add onto the original stories and aren’t just shot-for-shot remakes like “The Lion King.” “Cruella” is the origin story for the “101 Dalmatians” villain, with Emma Stone in the titular role as the criminal mastermind obsessed with fashion. Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul… Continue reading ‘Cruella’ Review: Great Performances, Soundtrack, and Costumes Steal the Show
Eventually Disney is going to run out of animated films to remake and be forced to come up with an original idea, but that day is not today. “Mulan” is the live-action remake of the 1998 animated film of the same name, based on “The Ballad of Mulan” legend. The film stars Liu Yifei in… Continue reading ‘Mulan’ Remake Looks Great, but Is Missing the Magic of the Animation
If you’re like me, you’re fascinated not only with movies but with the box office. It’s fun to see surprise hits (“Get Out”), Cinderella stories (“Parasite”) and record-breakers (“Avengers: Endgame”), but for me it is far more interesting to dissect when things go wrong. Not that I wish harm on any film, making movies is… Continue reading Biggest Box Office Bombs of 2020
Earlier this year we had “Pet Semetary,” a remake about burying your family pet and having it come back to life ugly and without a soul. Now we have “The Lion King,” which is like what would happen if there was a Movie Semetary that played by the same rules. “The Lion King” is a… Continue reading Be Prepared: ‘The Lion King’ Is a Circle of Lifelessness
It took a few of these, but we have finally made it to a “Disney remakes one of their animated classics as live-action” for a film that I actually loved as a kid. We must proceed with caution. “Aladdin” is the latest of the live-action Disney remakes, retelling the 1992 film, as well as the… Continue reading ‘Aladdin’ Hits Enough Magical and Musical Beats to Charm You Over
People say Hollywood has run out of ideas and that Disney is growing too big for everyone’s own good, and you have to look for farther than remaking a 60-minute 1941 animated film and having it be the first of four live-action redos by the company set to come out in 2019. “Dumbo” is the… Continue reading ‘Dumbo’ is Charming and Entertaining (Enough)
The Reel Deal 