Now that Amazon has acquired film rights to Lord of the Rings, and Netflix has licensed all seven Chronicles of Narnia, it is time to stop and ask ourselves: How much do bad adaptations of our favorite books really bother us? I am not saying, mind you, that the adaptations will be bad. But the…
Tag: movies
Do You Want to Go?
The Greatest Showman (now in theaters!) opens with an exuberant musical number titled – this follows logically – “The Greatest Show”. It’s on YouTube, of course, though merely listening pales against viewing it and, even more, viewing it in theaters. Part of the brilliance of this song is that it captures what made the greatest show…
Movie Review: Small One
You’ve all heard of a boy and his dog. This is the story of a boy and his donkey. It’s an old, mangy donkey, tattered ears and scruffy fur, but in his eyes it’s good enough for a king’s stable. He loves it, you see. But his father tells him they must sell it, because…
Review: Beauty and the Beast (the Other One)
(Yes, I know: I’m six months late to this party. But that is how long it took them to put the movie on Netflix.) In 1991, Disney released a magnificent version of the classic fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”. Then they released another version. Disney’s decision to remake Beauty and the Beast as a…
Review: Rogue One
Rogue One needs no introduction, so I won’t make one. This review, however, requires an emphatic spoiler warning. So: spoilers SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILER ZONE. ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE. Now to the review. Rogue One is Disney’s first half-step beyond the traditional Star Wars trilogies. It’s a Star Wars story rather than an…
Movie Review: Pete’s Dragon (2016)
Despite the old and no doubt wise saying, Disney canon clearly holds that being raised by wolves is not injurious to childhood development. This is one of the lessons of The Jungle Book, another being that if a ferocious man-hating tiger gets your calling card, you cannot lose if you arm yourself with a blazing…
Movie Review: Treasure Planet
If there is one thing we can all dream about, it’s finding buried treasure. We could all use the money, of course, and this way it comes with mystery and romance and adventure. What more could we ask for? Pirates. That would add danger, ratchet the adventure up to a new level, and give us…
Movie Review: Tarzan
The foundling raised by animals in the wilderness is an immemorial idea. A couple weeks ago I reviewed a movie about one of the most famous of these foundlings: Mowgli, raised by wolves in the jungle. Today I will review another movie, this one about another foundling of almost equal fame: Tarzan. Disney released its…
Movie Review: Peanuts
I am back! Where have I been? Well, that’s a long story. I will only say, for now, that with finals week behind me, I hope to be posting more often. And I will begin with this review of a movie I now regret not catching in theater. Who hasn’t seen it – Snoopy…
(Christmas) Movie Review: Rise of the Guardians
Jack Frost was nimble, Jack Frost was quick; Jack Frost froze the world with his stick. Yes, I know: It’s a mixing of disparate bits of culture and childhood lore, kind of catchy and not quite right. And in that, it’s like Rise of the Guardians. Rise of the Guardians was released into theaters around…