(Photo by Warner Bros/courtesy Everett Collection. Movie: The NeverEnding Story.)
The NeverEnding Story celebrates its 40th anniversary!
Star Wars didn’t just open the floodgates for science fiction and space operas. Fantasy movies also erupted in Skywalker’s wake, offering an arena of dreamy imagination for audiences seeking worlds beyond our own. 1980s fantasies have a distinct feel to them, with their classical and romantic storytelling, top puppetry and makeup, and some early (and dodgy) computer graphics. The Princess Bride is arguably the ultimate ’80s fantasy movie, a postmodern yet timeless tale of true love, piracy, and rodents of unusual size.
For our guide to the best 1980s fantasy movies, we’ve collected practically every movie of the genre with a Tomatometer and ranked them by score, with Certified Fresh films first. Industry originals like Don Bluth (The Secret of NIMH), Terry Gilliam (Time Bandits, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen), and Jim Henson (The Dark Crystal) were at their creative height. But even established directors made uncharted moves, like Ridley Scott and Tom Cruise in Legend. The Neverending Story (directed by Wolfgang Petersen) has stuck around because of its featured creatures and heavy emotional beats, while the physically charged fairy tale Labyrinth was a revelation for young women and older children.
Disney turned to the dark side, with the surprisingly violent Dragonslayer and the moody Black Cauldron, a box office bomb that got the studio to lighten up with The Little Mermaid, kicking off their late ’80s and ’90s renaissance. Independent animation took big swings (Heavy Metal, The Last Unicorn), Arnold Schwarzenegger got his break as Conan the Barbarian, and Willow is now summoned back to the Daikini world with a Disney+ series.
And now, as you wish: The best 1980s fantasy movies by Tomatometer, with Certified Fresh films first.
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(Photo by Sideshow, Janus Films; BBC1 / Courtesy Everett Collection; Neal Preston / ©ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection)
“Know Your Critic” is a column in which we interview Tomatometer-approved critics about their screening and reviewing habits, pet peeves, and personal favorites.
Carolyn Hinds’ expertise runs the gamut from global cinema to period pieces to Korean television dramas. Her reviews, interviews, and podcasts promote visibility and conversation around major hits, critical darlings, and small releases that may otherwise fly under the radar. Her highly-engaged Twitter conversations, which often involve her live-tweeting screenings at home, are not to be missed.
In addition to writing movie and television reviews for several print and online outlets, Hinds also hosts three podcasts in the ButWhyTho? Network: “My podcasts are three completely different spectrums of entertainment: Here’s What Happened is the more nerdy stuff, then Carolyn Talks is where I get into these really in-depth discussions with film creatives, and for Beyond Romance, it’s just getting to geek out over Asian dramas and films,” Hinds shared in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes. “That’s something I never imagined that would’ve happened when I started.”
“I’m just so proud of being able to make it, push through, especially through all the illnesses and stuff that I’ve had to contend with and having multiple sclerosis, too – that’s such a challenge, and being able to just get up and do what I want to do and do something that I still very much love doing,” Hinds said. “I’m proud of me for that.”
Carolyn Hinds is a freelance film critic, journalist, and podcaster based in Toronto. Her reviews can be found at Mediaversity Reviews, Observer, and ButWhyTho?, among others. She is a member of the African American Film Critics Association. Find Carolyn on Twitter: @CarrieCnh12.
Do you have a favorite experience or memory from watching something in a theater?
I would have to say Black Panther, because I saw Black Panther in the cinema five times. The first time I saw it, I cried my eyes out for the last 10 minutes when he talked about the ancestors – I was bawling my eyes out. I was crying. … There was an event where everyone dressed up in traditional African wear or clothing in homage to the characters.
Then my sister and I met with our dad for a screening, and that was fun. That was, I think, the first time we ever went to the cinema with our dad as adults – every other time we went with our dad was as kids.
What was his reaction to the movie?
He loved it. My dad is a history buff and retired biochemist, but he’s also a published writer, too.
We had a lot of fun talking about the scenes in the film and the history and talking about Black excellence and education, that kind of stuff. But it was also one of the first times I really got to talk with my dad from the perspective of a film critic, too. That was fun.
We argued, but it was so fun.
When you are watching something at home, do you have a ritual that you go through, like “lights down, popcorn in my lap, ready to go?”
I have my popcorn, I have my drink, and I make sure I’m comfortable. I have my phone plugged in, because I live-tweet a lot of stuff – that’s kind of become a ritual for me, too.
(Photo by Sideshow / Janus Films)
Oscar nominations were announced recently! Do you have a film or performer or writer or director that you’re rooting for?
I’m definitely rooting for Denzel Washington, Aunjanue Ellis, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Benedict Cumberbatch is really good in The Power of the Dog, but I still believe he should have been nominated for his performance in The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. He gave a much more nuanced and powerful performance in that because it’s a more unique role.
Is there anyone that you think should have been nominated?
Hidetoshi Nishijima. He should have been nominated for his performance as Yusuke in Drive My Car. The reason I’m going to go with that is not only because he gives a fantastic performance and I’m familiar with him from watching other Japanese drama and films, but it boggles my mind that films can be nominated for Best Picture, Best International Feature Film, and the cast does not get nominated. That makes no sense.
What, for you, makes a good movie?
For me, a good movie is one that, whether or not it’s about people that I relate to – for instance, if it’s about Black people or if it’s about Asian people, white people, Southeast Asian – even if I don’t have personal connections to, the story and the acting is so well-crafted that I can understand these characters and I feel invested in the story.
An example would be The Power of the Dog. I think The Power of the Dog is such an expertly crafted film, and it has everything to do with the cinematography and the acting and the costume design. The way [Jane Campion] weaves the story, like the reveal of what Kodi’s character did – it was like, my god, the thread, the needles, the way she just dropped all of these little clues in the film.
Drive My Car is also one of my other favorite films. Because of the things that I went through personally, when I watch that film, I love how it discusses grief and how grief can be personal, but then it can be extrapolated to the people that we live around. Each person plays a part in the main character’s grief, only he doesn’t know. They’re narrators for his own idea of where he came from. It’s about how grief and personal accountability is a journey.
What were you watching the first time you saw yourself on screen, if you have seen yourself, and what did you relate to about that character or story?
I know a lot of people would talk about things they saw as kids. I grew up in Barbados, watching North American productions with Black kids, and I watched Caribbean productions with kids on shows and stuff, but, for me, it’s about “as an adult.”
Honestly, I’m going to mention it because I wrote a piece about it and it was probably the most vulnerable I’ve been in a piece for a while. Coming Home Again.
I saw that film at TIFF, and I was bawling my eyes out. It was 2019 and I had just recovered from a surgery. I had a lytic tumor removed from the skull of my head. I had a cranioplasty, which means I had part of my skull removed and replaced with a titanium plate.
That film, I had no idea what the film was about. I hadn’t read the story it was based on before. When it talked about cancer and finding connection to your family through food and culture, it touched me personally – not only because I had been terrified that a tumor that they found would’ve been cancerous, but it also made me think of my grandmother, who died of liver cancer. I was bawling my eyes out.
Every time I think about it – if you hear it in me – I get emotional every time I think about that film.
There’s a thread between Coming Home Again and Drive My Car, maybe a collective experience of grief?
Exactly… Drive My Car was the very first film I saw for 2022. I woke up January the first and I put on my screener for Drive My Car. Coming Home Again and Drive My Car, both films have a lot of meaning for me personally, with regards to my health, and they both discuss journey and grief and understanding where we come from and how grief shapes us as individuals and the people around us. I love both of those films so much for that.
(Photo by BBC1 / Courtesy Everett Collection)
What’s your favorite classic film?
It’s not a film, but it’s a series: I believe the Pride and Prejudice adaptation with Colin Firth is the best. I will argue to the ends of the earth about that. Matthew MacFayden, I love you, but Colin Firth was really Mr. Darcy for me.
My jaw is on the floor. I love this answer.
I will defend that to the end. I love Matthew MacFayden, but sorry, Colin Firth was hotter.
What do you think is the biggest misconception that people have about critics?
That we’re wealthy. [Laughs] Honestly! I’m just like, “People, don’t let this title fool you.” Unless you got a staff job, you’re struggling.
One of the other misconceptions is that so many people think that what white male critics have to say about films is what everyone has to say about films, but that’s extremely far from the truth. I think that it’s because white male credits get so much of the visibility in film criticism, even now. People think, “Oh, if this is what these particular set of critics are saying, that means this is what everyone is saying.”
That dominates and drives the path of the discussions for films from the beginning, and it starts at the festivals. You can see how the conversations start forming before 90% of the critic base even has a chance to see these films.
What motivates you as a critic?
I think it’s important that people get to see the different perspectives and opinions, and also experiences, that create the need for some criticism. I’m never expecting anyone and everyone to agree with me, with my opinions, in a review and interview, or even in my live tweet.
I just think it’s important that people realize, like, “OK, this person has a perspective that might be worth interrogating and considering.” To me, that’s the most important thing about film criticism. Just being honest and giving a perspective that other people may not have considered. As I said, you don’t have to agree with me, but just consider, “OK, you know what? I see your point. I see your perspective.”
Then, in talking to a lot of film creatives, I love the fact that I think so differently because a lot of directors and writers and the actors, they will tell me, “Oh, you’re the first person to pick up on this.”
My mom used to tell me when I was young, she’s like, “Carolyn, you know people say, ‘think outside box.’” She’s like, “For you, there is no box.” I just think about things so completely different to other people. I just love being able to interpret that with regards to film criticism. Just get it all out.
Do you have any advice for rising critics who are still finding their voice?
Write from the perspective that is your own natural voice, because that’s something that I had to learn when I started.
Literally, the way I write is the way I speak. That’s my best advice: Write in the way that comes naturally to you – whichever type of voice you have, use that. Because we all can’t write the same and we all don’t think the same, so criticisms shouldn’t all be the same. Right?
Who are three people that everyone should follow on Twitter?
Rebecca Theodore-Vachon (@FilmFatale_NYC). I love Rebecca’s thoughts and the way she thinks.
I would always encourage people to follow actors. There’s a guy that I started interacting with last year, Edward Hong (@CinnabonMonster). He’s a voice actor and he talks about the challenges of voice acting in Hollywood in particular, especially as a person of color, because he’s Asian.
Another person that I would recommend people follow is Jess Vũ (@jesthevu). She works with CAPE (Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment). They work with representation for Asians and Asian spaces and they help with promoting films by Asian creatives – not just the big films, but the small projects by Asian creatives and from all over Asia.
Is there someone in your life who is not a critic whose opinion you admire and you seek out on movies?
My twin sister, Charlene. When it comes to talking about films and TV shows, we just sit down and we talk about everything and she understands me – then we also argue. When you’re a twin, your twin is the one person that really gets you and also the one person that will really get on your nerves.
(Photo by Neal Preston / ©ABC / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Do you have a favorite film from your childhood?
Can I make it a tie? The Lion King and Mulan.
I know all the songs. The nostalgia. That’s when Disney was really Disney, and the nostalgia of those films: The Lion King, Mulan, Hercules, The Little Mermaid – she’s problematic, but the songs are all bangers. Come on, Ariel, you don’t know this man! You gave your fin for a guy you just saw on a ship? Come on, girl.
Then I would also have to go with – I call it, we call it – “the Brandy Cinderella.” That is the quintessential Cinderella story! That is my Cinderella story. Brandy [Norwood] and Paolo Montalban. Come on now, that era of film, that era in the nineties!
I mean, speaking of hot actors… Brandy and Paolo…
Can’t beat that! Come on. When you talk about truly diverse casting, that film right there is the example. If you want to talk about “color-blind casting,” that film is the example and the level that we all should be aspiring to. Not to mention the fantastic costume designs, because I wanted those gowns! I did.
What do you consider “required viewing?” Do you believe in required viewing?
No, not really. I don’t believe in required watching, but what I do is, if people ask me for recommendations, I like to give recommendations in different genres. I believe in watching films from around the world and from different eras.
I would say Cinderella – Brandy’s Cinderella – is, yes, you should watch that. If I had to, put a gun to my head, pull my hand behind my back, I’d be like, okay, if I must. Because it’s perfect.
Carolyn Hinds is a freelance film critic, journalist, and podcaster based in Toronto. Her reviews can be found at Mediaversity Reviews, Observer, and ButWhyTho?, among others. She is a member of the African American Film Critics Association. Find Carolyn on Twitter: @CarrieCnh12.
Welcome to Rotten Tomatoes’ compendium of cinema’s best-reviewed tales of swords and sorcery, fire and ice, and dungeons and…you get the idea. The swirling mythic cauldron (i.e. our database) reveals to all the best-reviewed live-action fantasy movies of all time, sorted by our ranking formula with at least 20 reviews each!
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(Photo by Warner Bros., courtesy Everett Collection; Walt Disney, courtesy Everett Collection; CJ Entertainment-TMS Entertainment)
“Know Your Critic” is a column in which we interview Tomatometer-approved critics about their screening and reviewing habits, pet peeves, and personal favorites.
Starting today, Inkoo Kang is TV Critic at The Washington Post. Before that, she was a television critic at The Hollywood Reporter and a staff writer for Slate, with reviews also published at the LA Times, MTV News, and Village Voice – to name a few.
Suffice it to say she’s well-versed in the deluge of series available to us all, and knows how to pinpoint what makes a show worth watching: it offers something we’ve never seen before.
“I think the most distinct example I can think of is the HBO show Betty, which is about like a bunch of girl skaters in New York, and they all have a certain look to them,” Kang shared in an interview with Rotten Tomatoes. “Even though it was very small and really under-watched, it was the type of show that you want to talk about with people because you’re like, ‘Wow, this is something that I haven’t seen on TV before’ – not just because it was about female skaters, but because it just feels different.”
In short, it’s got a “distinct vibe.” And she knows it when she sees it.
“I feel like I hear a lot of people using the word “vibe” on Twitter and they’re all younger than me. I’m always trying to catch up on what exactly they mean by vibe,” she joked.
Inkoo Kang is TV Critic at The Washington Post. She co-hosts the All About Almodóvar podcast with Daniel Schroeder. Find her on Twitter: @inkookang.
What’s the best thing that you’ve watched in quarantine?
Oh wow, that’s so easy. It’s a Sin… It’s essentially an overview of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s in London. But it’s done with such unexpected joie de vivre. Even though it’s obviously a very sad watch, it really captures a lot of emotional vitality and variability.
When you’re watching things at home, do you have a screening ritual – snacks that you eat, or an ambience that you like to create?
No, I just snuggle in bed. It’s very boring. And then I try to not partake in anything because, I don’t think it’s really fair to watch a show drunk or high or even just mildly buzzed. Because if I’m evaluating something, I want to do it under the same conditions as every other thing I’m reviewing.
That probably sounds really self-serious, but I have a very low tolerance to everything so I don’t want to unduly enjoy something. Please note: that was sarcastic.
Do you binge-watch? What are you watching at the moment?
I love binge-watching. Especially with TV right now, I think that creators, for better or for worse, are really using a lot of connective tissue between the episodes. And so I think that if you watch them one right after the other, you get more out of it generally, or at least that’s been my experience.
I just finished the second season of Mythic Quest. But I don’t know – it’s not a show I would necessarily recommend. There’s an honest answer.
I’m also really enjoying The Circle and I’m really glad I can’t binge that one, because it’s just like the stupid fun that we all need. And it mirrors quarantine situations in a sort of way, because of so much about isolation is just projecting your own feelings and desires on to essentially text conversations or communication media, through technology.
What’s the longest binge-watching session you’ve had?
I think the most Olympian binge that I’ve ever done is to watch four seasons of The Americans within a week and a half. I remember that being extremely grueling, just because at a certain point, it gets physically tiring to binge. And yet, that is an amazing show. And so it was both really grueling and really rewarding.
Do you still watch TV and movies when you’re on vacation or do you completely unplug – no Twitter, no TV, no nothing?
I mean, you’re talking to someone who watched two seasons of Mindhunter while she was vacationing in Rome two years ago. So yeah, that’s your answer.
I love it.
Listen, Rome’s really great and so are parts of season two of that show.
(Photo by CJ Entertainment/TMS Entertainment)
What are you most proud of in your career so far?
I really liked the Criterion essay that I did, because it was a way to go deep on one film. And I feel that it probably could have been double the length because there’s so much to say about Parasite. But it was really wonderful to have the opportunity to both write about what mattered to me and then also write freely in the style that I want to write in.
I will say that the recent cover story that I did for The Hollywood Reporter, for Minari, it felt like a fairly big coup. It felt like a personal coup. Not specifically because it was my first cover story, although that was also a big deal, but because I don’t consider interviewing to be my biggest forte. It was just nice being good at something that I’m not traditionally very good at.
What’s an under-the-radar show that you think more people should be watching?
I really hope that people are watching Chad. It’s a TBS comedy starring Nasim Pedrad. For whatever reason, it’s connecting with me a lot more than PEN15. Maybe just because I feel as a 30-something woman, I can relate in a lot of ways much more to a 12-year-old boy than a 15-year-old girl.
I think Pedrad is doing an amazing performance. And I’m just really enjoying everything that this show is doing, which is this combination of a puberty comedy that’s about a boy who’s afraid of puberty and sex. And it’s also set in an Iranian-American home, and it deals with identity issues in a slightly different way than a lot of these shows that we used to see before.
What’s a Rotten thing you love – movie or TV?
I feel like the Alicia Vikander Tomb Raider got a really bad rap. That was one of my favorite action movies of that year. And I feel there was this really raw intensity and the visceral-ity to a lot of the action scenes that you just don’t get in a standard action film, especially when it stars a woman. I was really glad to hear it got a sequel.
(Photo by Walt Disney/courtesy Everett Collection)
What is your favorite series or movies from your childhood?
I’m going to be a super basic b—h and say The Little Mermaid. I think it’s just one of those primal bonding things where it was, one of the very first movies that I watched in school, I think in the first grade. And I both remember the pleasure of it as a viewer and also like a tiny baby critic.
You had that instinct even as a kid?
I was a very annoying child.
Did you always imagine that you would become a critic?
No, because I had this vague idea in my head that I wanted to be some sort of writer, starting from when I was a preteen. But also, I grew up in a very immigrant working-class home. And so whenever these adults would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I would say “a writer,” my mom would get really mad because she was like, “Well, that’s not a way that you can really make a living.” Because she doesn’t know anyone really who was making a living doing that.
What was the first time you saw yourself on screen?
I think that one of the very first times I sort of felt represented on screen, or could see a version of myself on screen was when I was six, I was deeply obsessed with the Beetlejuice cartoon. It was basically this super morbid girl who was hanging out with a decaying corpse and a skeleton. And had this one polite demeanor around her family and at school, and then to let her imagination go wild when she was alone in a room. And I really identified with that. I just also loved how adorably disgusting all of the animation was in the world.
I do think that part of the reason why it was an animated character that I related to so strongly was that it’s a lot easier to project things on to animated characters, including race, because I never thought of Lydia as white. I just thought of her as a pale-faced like me.
But I think that in the way that this question is generally formulated and understood, I remember having a real wow moment when I first saw Margaret Cho do stand-up on TV. I think I was probably 12 or 13. As I reflect on things that I have seen around Asian-American women telling jokes and taking pride in her sense of humor and the talking of a very openly about things like sex, I just remember discovering Margaret Cho and feeling like the world had opened up in some really major way. She’s a pop-culture icon. I will always stan.
(Photo by Ali Goldstein / © NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection)
Is there an actor, director, or showrunner whose work you always love? Someone who regardless of what they make, you’re going to watch it?
I would say 30 Rock is probably my number one default favorite show of all time. I’ve been rethinking my love for this show. At the same time, as many problematic things as she racks up, I’m pretty sure that I will watch any Tina Fey show for the rest of my life. Even though Mr. Mayor is really bad.
One of Tina Fey’s writers has come up with a new show called Girls5eva. It’s basically all of the stuff that I love about 30 Rock, where the jokes are super sharp and it’s coming at you at this cascading pace where you can barely keep up. I just loved being back in that Fey-ish zone again. And so it’s reaffirmed my – can I say love? – fondness I guess for 30 Rock and all of the shows that have come in its wake.
Is 30 Rock the show that you’ve watched more than any other?
Yeah, probably.
So you believe in repeat-viewing, then?
I don’t understand why you wouldn’t. But I’m also a child of the ’90s, so I feel like a lot of my TV digestion pattern has been that of a cow, where you take in something and then you regurgitate it, like you eat it again and then you learn more from it. And then it just goes through all of your different stomachs, I guess. Should continue with this terrible metaphor? Where each time you just get things out of something that you didn’t get out of them before. And I think that 30 Rock is the perfect show for that type of re-watching.
And I think now that we’re about 10 years out from the show – I’m in the middle of a re-watch now – it’s definitely interesting to see how jokes hit differently, especially because there was that whole thing last year when they pulled a bunch of the episodes involving blackface. Several years ago, I wrote a piece about how 30 Rock is sort of this all-time-great show that will age like milk because so many of its jokes are so topical. I’m really being proven right, although in ways I didn’t initially intend.
Inkoo Kang is TV Critic at The Washington Post. She co-hosts the All About Almodóvar podcast with Daniel Schroeder. Find her on Twitter: @inkookang.
(Photo by Warner Bros. Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics, and Netflix)
“Know Your Critic” is a column in which we interview Tomatometer-approved critics about their screening and reviewing habits, pet peeves, and personal favorites.
Amélie is the film Carlos Aguilar has seen more than any other – and he never would’ve seen it, if not for a critic who endorsed the film on television when he was a kid.
“When it first was released, I was still living in Mexico City and I was very young, maybe 11 or 12,” he told Rotten Tomatoes in an interview. Horacio Villalobos was a film critic on TV at the time, and Aguilar watched his program “religiously.”
“He talked about this French movie that he really loved and that was only playing in a few theaters in Mexico City. It was because he recommended it very passionately that my mom took me to see Amélie,” Aguilar said. “It wouldn’t have been on my radar if that critic hadn’t recommended it.”
Now, Aguilar is a film critic and writer himself, with work published in the Los Angeles Times, TheWrap, and Remezcla. His reviews appear on Rotten Tomatoes alongside those of critics he admires – such as Justin Chang of the LA Times, Eric Kohn of IndieWire, and Claudia Puig, President of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. He admires both their writing and their commitment to supporting up-and-coming critics.
“That’s usually what connects great writers – they tend to be also great people outside of the writing,” Aguilar said.” They want more diverse voices to be part of the conversation. It’s not only about them, but about bringing in others and growing the field.”
Carlos Aguilar is a freelance critic and film writer based in Los Angeles, CA.
What’s your favorite childhood film?
I was always very much an animation, Disney kid. I remember loving The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and those classic Disney films. Those were the ones that I watched as a kid. Now, I know that they’re considered bad, but the Batman movies from the ’90s – I think it was Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. I was big on those movies. Re-watching them now, it’s cringe-y – but back when I was a kid, I loved those movies.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about critics?
That we like to antagonize the general public. I feel like audiences sometimes feel like there are movies “for” critics and movies “for” audiences, which is completely a lie because critics are themselves part of the audience.
Sometimes the figure of the critic has been seen as an intellectual, unapproachable and pretentious person that only likes a certain type of movie. That’s what some people in the audience see as a critic. They feel like if a critic likes a certain type of movie, that that’s not what the audience would like – that divide between the audience and the critic is the big misconception.
There’s critics that like all types of film and not all critics like the same type of thing or agree on the same thing or disagree on the same things. The misconception is that people believe that the critics are looking for the films that audiences are not going to like and that we want to go against the grain or against popular taste.
What’s your favorite classic film?
There’s a Mexican film called Macario from 1960. It’s black and white and it was the first movie from Mexico that was nominated for the Oscar for best foreign language film. We have this beautiful cinematographer, Gabriel Figueroa, who’s one of Mexico’s most beloved, admired cinematographers from that era. It’s like if I can describe it in simple terms, it’s like A Christmas Carol that’s set in Mexican colonial times on the eve of Day of the Dead.
(Photo by Sony Pictures Classics)
What’s Rotten thing you love?
Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited – in Spanish it’s Los Amantes Pasajeros. It’s generally considered one of his worst, at least in recent years. But I remember watching it and finding it hilarious and engaging.
I don’t want to say that the reason is entirely because there’s things that get lost in translation, but… There’s a lot of phrases there that are just hilarious and I also admire that it’s a movie that takes place entirely on a plane… it’s over the top and it’s raunchy. The things that you love in an Almodóvar, but in a more absurd way.
It doesn’t always work, and perhaps there’s many reasons why people don’t find it an artistic accomplishment, but I always have fun quoting lines from it or re-watching it.
What do you consider required viewing?
I think I’m going to say Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Decalogue, which is this 10-part series of 1-hour films or episodes that were made for Polish television in the late 1980s. Each of them deals in a very abstract way with one of the 10 Commandments…
Just the fact that he was able to create 10 stand-alone pieces of cinema that somehow relate to each other in ways that are not obvious and that have this moral ambiguity… All of them are very subdued and written in a way that doesn’t have easy answers. It’s not black and white.
You saw 40 films at Sundance this year. What is your personal record for the most movies you’ve watched in a day?
I definitely don’t recommend it, but at Sundance I saw five films in a row one day this year. To me, that’s a test of endurance. But also, for you to watch that many films consecutively at a festival, the stars have to align. The times have to be right – you have to be at the right place, the shuttles have to be on time.
What are you most proud of in your career so far?
Honestly, that I’m still doing it. It’s not a flashy, glamorous profession as some may think, especially if you’re a freelancer like myself. It’s always a constant battle to get work, to get access, to make a living writing.
In my particular case, being an immigrant, being a DACA recipient, oftentimes people in my circumstances or from my background don’t see themselves in careers like film criticism – which is so far-fetched, so unreachable to work in a field that is often seen to be reserved for a certain type of person with a certain type of education. For me to be here, to have a voice in this industry, I feel like I’m very proud that somehow… if someone can feel that if I’m doing it, they can also be doing it. I feel like that’s always a victory.
Do you have any advice for critics who are still finding their voice?
I think that opening up yourself to watching movies that you assume you’re not going to like is a good way to see what your taste is, see what it is that you really react to. What are the things that you find yourself not liking or liking about a certain movie? I feel like that really opens up your cinematic taste buds. It just gives you a wider palette of the things you’ve seen.
Is there an up-and-coming critic that you want people to check out?
Yeah, there is a young Latina critic. Her name is Kristen Huizar. She won the LAFCA Ruth Batchelor Scholarship, which is a scholarship that the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) gives to young critics from underrepresented backgrounds. She’s in LA and she’s an artist and a writer and reviews films and talks about films from a unique perspective as a Latina woman in LA… I think she mentions often that she uses public transportation, and doesn’t have the LA experience that often gets represented on screen or in the writing.
(Photo by Netflix)
How has the digital landscape influenced your criticism?
It’s definitely the only way that many of us can write today. Most outlets only exist digitally today and because of that, when we get to write something for print, it’s become a big event or a landmark to get something in print because that’s so rare. I do feel that without the digital publishing and digital outlets, most of us wouldn’t be writing today – especially people from underrepresented backgrounds.
What’s the hardest review you’ve ever written?
I wrote this review-essay for IndieWire on how Roma was an interesting experience for me because I’m someone that was born in Mexico City, but left young and hasn’t been able to return in over half my life.
It was my own memories and seeing the city that my mom left, seeing when she was young. Also, thinking about the fact that I haven’t been there in so long that it’s probably a different city today. It was a strange exercise in seeing the same city where I grew up in from a different perspective and being reminded of the people that you leave behind, the memories that you carry with you. That was challenging to write, to relate those emotions to the film and to express that through that lens.
Is there someone in your life who isn’t a critic whose opinion you admire?
My mom’s opinion when it comes to movies or art in general really matters to me. I remember when I was a kid, she would be very interested in watching Akira Kurosawa and Ingmar Bergman and a lot of international cinema. My mother has a grade-school education. She didn’t go to college. She didn’t even finish high school, but she was always very interested in culture and the arts.
To me, she’s always been an example of the fact that just because you’re not an intellectual or someone that went to a private school or has a degree, doesn’t mean that you cannot be inspired or moved by all types of films.
Carlos Aguilar is a film critic and writer based in Los Angeles. Find him on Twitter: @Carlos_Film.
Ron Clements and John Musker started the classic Disney Renaissance with their directing of The Little Mermaid, the film that ended an artistic downturn for Disney Animation Studios that set in during the 1970s. And this Friday, the director duo are tasked with continuing the current Disney renaissance with Moana, a 16-year old’s journey in search of a demigod to save her island people. In this week’s gallery, we rank every official Disney Animation Studios release (barring Pixar and the oeuvre of Circle 7 Animation and such) since 1986, the year of Clements/Musker’s first movie, The Great Mouse Detective.
This week’s Ketchup brings you another ten headlines from the world of film development news (those stories about what movies Hollywood is working on for you next). Included in the mix this time around are stories about such titles as The Little Mermaid, the Blade Runner sequel, and remakes of both Clue and Witness for the Prosecution.
August 4th, 2016 marked the 10th anniversary of the release of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly, who also costarred together in 2008’s Step Brothers. Over the last eight years, Ferrell and Reilly have considered other projects to be their third movie together (including the possibility of a Step Brothers sequel), but none of them have come to fruition yet. Based on the language in this week’s announcement, it’s sounding like that third Ferrell/Reilly movie will be a detective comedy called Holmes and Watson. As the title suggests, Holmes and Watson will be based upon the characters Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson, as created by Arthur Conan Doyle, and as previously adapted to film dozens of times. John C. Reilly is actually replacing Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, The Dictator), who had previously been attached to costar as Watson. In addition to starring, Ferrell is also producing via his Gary Sanchez production company for Sony Pictures, and filming is expected to start later this year after the Thanksgiving holiday. It’s not yet known if Holmes and Watson will retain the 19th century setting of Doyle’s stories, or if the characters will still be British (Ferrell and Reilly are both Americans, but so is Robert Downey Jr). There’s no release date for Holmes and Watson yet, but Warner Bros may give it competition relatively soon, as Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, and director Guy Ritchie have been talking about making a third Sherlock Holmes movie for a few years now. On TV, the fourth season of the contemporary Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, is expected to air on BBC and PBS in 2017. Holmes and Watson will be directed by Etan Cohen (Get Hard) from his own screenplay (Cohen also previously wrote Men in Black 3, and cowrote Idiocracy, Tropic Thunder, and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa).
Even as yet another remake (Ben-Hur) goes into the weekend with a Rotten Tomatometer score and low box office expectations, Hollywood is still developing new remakes of classic late-1950s movies. Within the larger trend of remakes, this particular story is part of a more specific group at 20th Century Fox, which has committed to remaking movies based on Agatha Christie mysteries (the first such film being next year’s Murder on the Orient Express, scheduled for November 22, 2017). The 1974 Murder on the Orient Express was nominated for six Academy Awards (and won one for Ingrid Bergman), and this week’s news concerns a remake of another film which was also nominated for six Academy Awards. 20th Century Fox is reportedly finalizing negotiations with their former Daredevil star Ben Affleck to direct and star in a remake of 1957’s Witness for the Prosecution. Although the prospect of a remake of Witness for the Prosecution doesn’t otherwise seem particularly Fresh, Affleck is currently 3-for-3 as a director (Gone Baby Gone, The Town, and Argo are all Certified Fresh). Witness for the Prosection is a legal mystery drama about a man accused of murder whose wife is called to testify against him because she was already married to someone else (making their marriage illegal, and thus, removing the marital legal protections). Sir Charles Laughton played the attorney in the original film, and Tyrone Power (in his last role) played the accused, but it’s not yet known which character Ben Affleck might be playing. Affleck’s next film as director will be Live by Night (1/13/16), and he is also expected to direct the next solo Batman movie (release date TBD), so it may be a while yet before Witness for the Prosecution gets remade.
If you only saw one thing in your social networking feed(s) this week about actor Jared Leto, it might have had something to do with his recent supervillain adventure, Suicide Squad. Specifically, at a fan event for his band Thirty Seconds to Mars, Leto was quoted (and caught on video) saying that he felt “tricked” into appearing in the film as the Joker, dropping an “F bomb” directed at his studio employers. All of that may eventually require Ben Affleck and Warner Bros to find a new actor to play the Joker in the solo Batman movie (a la Mark Ruffalo replacing Edward Norton as Banner/Hulk), but that remains to be seen. In the meantime, Jared Leto has joined the cast of the sequel to Blade Runner, which already included Harrison Ford, Ryan Gosling, Barkhad Abdi, Dave Bautista, Mackenzie Davis, and Robin Wright. (Back in 2014, there had been rumors that Gosling might have played the Joker in Suicide Squad before Jared Leto signed on.) Whatever this Blade Runner sequel ends up being called, it will be directed Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, The Arrival) and it is scheduled for release on October 6, 2017.
In the 18 years since the Coen brothers directed The Big Lebowski, the film — starring Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” — has taken on a new life as one of the few true cult films of the last 20 years, including festivals devoted specifically to the film, and so, so, so much merchandising. Joel and Ethan Coen wrote, directed, and produced The Big Lebowski based on their own characters, so this week’s news comes as quite a surprise. The Coens have apparently given John Turturro their approval to write, direct, and star in a spinoff of The Big Lebowski, focused on Turturro’s “Jesus Quintana” bowling enthusiast. The independent film in question is called Going Places, and it is also an English language remake of the 1974 French sex comedy Les Valseuses (which is French slang for testicles). John Turturro is already filming Going Places, and other cast members include Bobby Cannavale, Audrey Tautou, and Susan Sarandon. It appears that Turturro is playing the character originally played by Gerard Depardieu in the sex/crime comedy about two criminals on the run who compete for the “romantic” affections of Tautou’s character (with Sarandon playing an ex-con recently out of prison). Although the original has a Fresh Tomatometer score, not all critics agreed; Roger Ebert gave it a score of just 1 star out of 5, writing that it was “the most misogynistic movie I can remember; its hatred of women is palpable and embarrassing.” John Turturro’s remake is a tentative “Fresh Development” based on the Tomatometer score for both Les Valseuses and the Coens’ fan favorite, The Big Lebowski.
The 1989 animated Disney musical The Little Mermaid is widely beloved (and credited for Waking Sleeping Beauty), so it was probably inevitable that the studio’s “live action fairy tale” plans would eventually include The Little Mermaid. We heard as much earlier this year, but this week brought the first substantial news that the studio is actively developing their new Little Mermaid. Walt Disney Pictures has hired longtime Disney composer Alan Menken (whose credits include, yes, The Little Mermaid) and Hamilton star Lin-Manuel Miranda to start work on new songs for the live-action remake. Miranda will also be producing the new film (though it’s unconfirmed whether he will also costar), and it will be the third major project at Disney for him, as he also wrote all of the songs for this year’s Moana, and he will also star in the sequel Mary Poppins Returns. British actor Ben Whishaw (the most recent “Q” from the James Bond movies) also made the news this week because he is now in talks with Disney to costar in Mary Poppins Returns as the adult version of Michael Banks. The sequel is set 25 years later after the movie starring Julie Andrews, with Emily Blunt signed to play the nanny the second time around. Walt Disney Pictures has scheduled Mary Poppins Returns for release on December 25, 2018.
When Disney releases Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales next year (5/26/17), Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, and Geoffrey Rush are all expected to return, but one costar of the first film who will not is Keira Knightley. That doesn’t mean, however, that Knightley is any sort of persona non grata at Disney, since the actress made some pretty big casting news at the Mouse House this week. Knightley has signed with Disney to costar in The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, the studio’s live action adaptation of the 1816 fairy tale by E.T.A. Hoffman, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. Knightley will be playing the Sugar Plum Fairy, and she will join the already cast Mackenzie Foy (as Clara), Morgan Freeman, and Misty Copeland as the lead toy dancing ballerina. Keira Knightley also made the news this week for negotiations to star in an adaptation of the bestselling novel The Aftermath, as one half of a British couple staying in the ruins of Hamburg, Germany, as the rebuilding effort begins in 1946. Alexander Skarsgard (The Legend of Tarzan) is also in talks to star in The Aftermath, as is Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Terminator: Genisys).
First, we should note that this week’s news is almost certainly not a spoiler for next summer’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, as it seems extremely unlikely that the trailers wouldn’t be pretty clear about which character we’re talking about. Having said that, since Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios referred to the character in question as “Michelle” (not really her name), we want to respect whatever secrecy they’re striving for. The movie blog The Wrap has confirmed through two sources in the know that the character 19-year-old Disney star Zendaya will be playing in Spider-Man: Homecoming is none other than future romantic interest Mary Jane Watson, a role previously played by Kirsten Dunst in Sam Raimi’s trilogy. As for the expected “internet outrage,” as Devin Faraci of Birth.Movies.Death puts it, “You thought the internet got upset when they cast people with the wrong hair color, imagine how Reddit is gonna react to this.” Mary Jane Watson will not be the only traditionally white character who will be played in Spider-Man: Homecoming by an actor of a different race, as Zendaya’s costars include Tony Revolori (Flash Thompson), Jacob Batalon (Ned Leeds), and Laura Harrier (Liz Allan). Marvel and Sony have scheduled Spider-Man: Homecoming for release on July 7, 2017.
After the two “grimdark” films directed by Zack Snyder (Man of Steel – 55 percent Rotten, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – 27 percent Rotten), Warner Bros and DC Comics recently gave us another grimdark film (with a few more jokes) in Suicide Squad, and critics gave it the lowest scores of the three. The verdict is (obviously) still out on the next few DC Comics movies (next year’s Wonder Woman and Justice League), but Warner Bros gave a brief theatrical release to their latest animated movie, and it was also critically ill-received. Despite its title — borrowed from Alan Moore’s 1980s story — Batman: The Killing Joke had very little humor and a tacked-on first half hour which drifted far afield from Moore’s version, and critics gave it a Rotten 48 percent score. So, since the dark and serious thing doesn’t appear to be working (at least not critically) for Warner Bros and DC Comics, perhaps that’s why the studio made the surprise announcement this week that their next animated film will see a drastic return to arguably the most lighthearted version of Batman ever. Adam West, Burt Ward, and Julie Newmar will be providing their voices for Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, a new feature length animated adventure which will revive the 1960s TV versions of Batman, Robin, and Catwoman (with other newer actors voicing characters like the Joker, the Penguin, and the Riddler). This decidedly lighter animated movie will premiere on digital HD on October 11th and on Blu-ray on November 1, 2016. It is not yet known if Warner Bros plans on giving Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders a theatrical release, but we didn’t expect one for Batman: The Killing Joke either when it was first announced.
Sometimes when we set out to say movie news stories are Fresh or Rotten, it’s not exactly that simple. For example, what might be “bad” for the movie might be “good” in other ways. We’re wrapping the column this week with two announcements about projects that were formerly “movies” which will now be going to television instead (and who knows, they might be great TV shows). The spin we’re going to put on both is that if you’re a fan who was really looking forward to seeing these as movies, then it’s bad news for you (and potentially good news for other people). First up, there’s the long-in-development adaptation of the TV series Perry Mason, which Robert Downey Jr is producing and will star in. It’s now sounding like RDJ’s Perry Mason project will instead be developed as a series for HBO, and not as a theatrical film. The first step is to write and produce a pilot for HBO, and that’s what Downey’s partners are now working on, it seems. A similar project (which is further along) concerns the future of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, after the relatively recent movie starring Chris Pine was something of a box office bomb. Amazon has given the greenlight to a 10-episode season of Jack Ryan, with John Krasinski the latest actor to try his hand at going where the likes of Harrison Ford, Alec Baldwin, and Ben Affleck have been in the past.
Back in 2008, Universal Pictures and Hasbro (the toy/game company) announced an ambitious development slate which included Monopoly, Candyland, Magic: The Gathering, Stretch Armstrong (all of which didn’t happen), and Battleship and Ouija (both of which did happen). Among the listed projects was also a new movie based on the board game Clue, following the popular 1985 film starring Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd, Madeline Kahn, and several others. A few years later, however, Universal Pictures put the Clue movie into turnaround (which basically means other studios can pick up the rights, sometimes at a discount). It took a few more years, but this week, it was revealed that another studio is indeed now developing a new Clue movie. The rights to Clue have landed at Fox, but the details about what they’re planning make it difficult to exactly call their Clue a “remake.” Instead of centering on a murder mystery at a mansion (which the first movie did as a fairly direct adaptation of the game), this new project will be a “worldwide mystery… with action-adventure elements, potentially setting up a possible franchise that could play well internationally.” Put another way, this sounds like a Clue movie which is not really a Clue movie, in which the real mystery would be why it’s even called Clue.
Earlier in the month, John Lasseter took to stage in London to unveil a host of fresh Disney/Pixar announcements, among them the news that Mandy Moore would voice Rapunzel in a new Walt Disney Animation Studios adaptation of the Grimm fairytale. So when RT sat down with Moore, currently in London shooting Swinging with the Finkels with Melissa George and Martin Freeman, we couldn’t resist asking about the project and its take on the classic fairytale.
“She’s definitely the quintessential sassy, young Disney heroine,” Moore told us. “She’s a bit of a spitfire too, and a very curious young woman. She’s really curious about the world she’s never really seen and she’s coming into her own.”
Rapunzel, first published in 1812, tells of the titular long-haired young girl shut away high in a tower in the middle of the woods with no way out and only one window onto the outside world. When a prince comes, she unfurls her locks to allow him to climb into the tower. Chuck star Zachary Levi will play the prince in Disney’s CG-animated take, due for release in 2010.
“I’ve done a little bit of work already,” Moore said, “but the bulk of it I’ll start when I get back home. It’s a lot of fun. And there’s music involved; really great music.”
For Moore, the opportunity to play a Disney princess was one to be leapt at. “It’s just so cool to be added to such great lineage,” she said. “I’m going to be a Disney princess! I grew up watching Disney films and singing The Little Mermaid. It’s hard to wrap my head around [the fact] that I’ll be following suit.
“When the opportunity came up to audition I remember thinking, ‘I’m probably not going to get something like this but I’ll go up for it. I’m sure I’ll be one of many.’ It was one of those things that you didn’t necessarily think much of. You just think ‘What are the chances?’ So it was a very nice surprise.”
The actress is looking forward to a relatively new challenge for the film — providing the voice for an animated character as opposed to a live action performance. “There’s a lot of imagination that goes into doing an animated film, and this really is my first proper, proper one,” she told RT. “It’s a lot more draining than you expect. I’m sure you figure, you show up in whatever you’re wearing and you don’t have to be all made up and there’s no waiting around. I think because there’s so much that has to take place in your mind, there’s so much to imagine. And a lot of the time you’re not reading with anyone. It can be taxing in a different way than sitting around waiting all day on a set.”
Rapunzel is penciled in for a release on 10th December 2010.
This week we’ve got CG spectacles (Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor), Meryl Streep letting loose (Mamma Mia!), Joss Whedon’s online superhero musical (Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog), and High Def Grinding (Death Proof and Planet Terror on Blu-ray), so dig in!
Sometimes, the third time is not the charm – even when Jet Lit is juggling magic glowing balls in the air. Critics and audiences learned that this summer when the third film in the popular Mummy franchise — adventures that were vibrant, old-fashioned action romps with tongue firmly in cheek — opened to dismal reviews and an underwhelming North American debut. But despite a 14 percent Tomatometer, The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor raked in the dough worldwide and by all accounts can be notched as a success. (At least in dollars.) And hey, it starred two of our favorite Asian movie stars, Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, in a fantastical, mythological, action spectacular, which might just be reason enough to give Mummy 3 a shot — at least, maybe as a rental.
Below, watch a DVD-only exclusive clip featuring stars Luke Ford and Michelle Yeoh from The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.
Next: Meryl lets loose in Mamma Mia!
2. Mamma Mia! — 53%
ABBA fans, you’re in for a treat! (ABBA haters, you might want to skip ahead.) The Broadway hit show featuring the songs of Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anni-Frid came to the big screen this summer and arrives on DVD this week, just in time for the holidays. Meryl Streep, who earned a Golden Globe nomination this week for Mamma Mia, stars as Donna Sheridan, a former pop singer living in Greece with her daughter, Sophie; Sophie, on the eve of her own wedding, issues invitations to three of her mother’s exes in hopes of discovering which man is her father, and hilarity, singing and dancing ensue.
Word of warning: your enjoyment, much like that of the critics, may depend largely on how much you enjoy the music of ABBA (one of my favorites, “Super Trouper,” is performed), how much you enjoy watching erstwhile serious thespian Streep jump on beds and let her hair down, and how horrified you might be at hearing former 007 Pierce Brosnan screech out a tune or two.
The 2-Disc Special Edition includes a digital copy of the film and tons of behind-the-scenes and making-of featurettes. Intrigued by newcomer star Amanda Seyfried? Watch an exclusive clip below to hear her in the recording studio and learn how she was cast as Meryl Streep’s daughter.
Next: Joss Whedon + NPH + Writer’s Strike = an Internet musical phenomenon!
It’s the winter of 2007 and the Writer’s Strike has begun; what’s a filmmaker to do? If you’re Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly), you get a few friends together and create an internet-only “supervillain musical” starring Neil Patrick Harris and Nathan Fillion in a superpowered love triangle for the Facebook generation, and call it Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog!
Dr. Horrible (played by NPH) is a mad scientist by profession who makes various kinds of ray guns (Freeze Ray, Death Ray) and aspires to join the ranks of the Evil League of Evil. Terribly shy in public, he’s got a crush on a local gal named Penny — only Penny’s being courted by Horrible’s nemesis, the shallow, ego-centric superhero Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Angst, romance, musical numbers, video blogs and evil plots abound in this delightful tragicomedy, which debuted on iTunes and Hulu and come to DVD this week with a host of fun extras for fans; special features include “Commentary! The Musical,” a sing along musical commentary track to the sing along musical feature.
Next: Anna Faris goes centerfold in The House Bunny
4. The House Bunny — 40% (Dec. 19)
Despite the best efforts of star Anna Faris, who’s quickly becoming the Lucille Ball of her generation, the femme-driven comedy The House Bunny garnered middling reviews. Much of that critical ennui came thanks to a confused grrrl power plot in which Playboy bunny Shelley (Faris) finds herself kicked out of Hef’s pad once she turns 27, then becomes house mother to a sorority full of nerdy girls who teach her to embrace her inner intelligence while she teaches them push-up bras and make-up strategy. To which this 27-year-old nerdy girl says, pfft! The answers to life’s struggles aren’t underwires and eye shadows and a soundtrack full of The Pussycat Dolls, Ashlee Simpson and Avril Levigne. The answer, obviously, is Botox. (Duh.)
The House Bunny on DVD includes features entitled “House Bunny Style” and “Getting Ready for a Party,” a bit on the film’s “nice guy,” Colin Hanks, deleted scenes, and the music video for co-star and former American Idol Katharine McPhee’s cover of “I Know What Boys Like.”
Next: Is Don Cheadle a Traitor?
5. Traitor – 56% (Dec. 19)
The coolest thing about Traitor isn’t that it features Don Cheadle in a well-deserved starring role, that he plays a sort of Bourne-ish action hero, or that his character, a Sudanese-American Muslim accused of terrorism named Samir, may not, in fact, be a bad guy; the coolest part is that this timely tale of political spy intrigue and post-9/11 paranoia came from the wild and crazy Steve Martin. Yup, that Steve Martin.
Featurettes, behind-the-scenes video, and a commentary track by Cheadle and writer-director Jeffrey Nachmanoff accompany the film.
Next: The latest from Master Shake, Meatwad and Frylock
If you get delighted at the sight of giant food products living the suburban life in New Jersey, then you probably already watch Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force and own volumes 1-5 on DVD. Get ready to add another set to your ATHF collection with Volume 6, which hits shelves this week.
In Volume 6 (which contains nine episodes from Season 5), Meatwad, Shake and Frylock battle with their landlord, join the Marines, and explore MySpace with the help of special guests like Neko Case, David Cross, T-Pain, and John Kruk; special features include Carl’s sports-related blog rants, a 15-minute “Terrorphone” short, and more.
Next: Embed yourself with HBO’s Generation Kill
If HBO knows one thing, it’s how to craft a great mini-series; pick up the seven-part Generation Kill, which first aired this summer and should find a wider audience on home video. Based on Rolling Stone writer Evan Wright’s own experience as an embedded journalist in the Iraq War, Generation Kill follows Wright (played by Lee Terguson) as he joins the Marines of the First Recon Battalion’s Bravo Company at the start of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, bearing witness to the daily lives of US soldiers whose days waver from actual engagement to Jarhead-like monotony.
The three-disc set includes cast and crew commentaries on six of the episodes, video diaries, making-of featurettes, a guide to military slang, and a video in which the real Evan Wright catches up with some of the actual soldiers portrayed in Generation Kill.
Next: Whose-its and whats-its galore!
Audiences of a certain age may remember Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid as one of the more memorable Disney fairytale flicks of the past few decades; now they can share Ariel’s story (and sequel and prequel) with their kids with The Little Mermaid Trilogy box set!
To catch you up: in The Little Mermaid, rebellious teen mermaid Ariel trades her voice to an evil sea witch in return for a pair of human legs, which help her walk, dance, and nab the man of her dreams…but at what cost? In the 2000 sequel, The Little Mermaid II, Ariel’s human daughter Melody finds herself banned from the sea — cruel irony! — yet gets lured into a trap by another evil witch. Finally, in The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning, we find out where she got her lifelong love for whosits and whatsits and that she first met her shellfish buddy Sebastian when he was singing at an underground (underwater?) music club…which actually explains a lot.
Next: Grindhouse comes to Blu-ray!
9. Death Proof/Planet Terror Blu-ray
At long last, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez’s cinematic one-two punch, Grindhouse (or as they’re individually known and sold, Death Proof and Planet Terror), comes to Blu-ray — which means two things: Vanessa Ferlito’s entire lap dance AND Zoe Bell’s high speed game of Ship’s Mast in glorious HD!
Unfortunately, these twin releases are virtually identical to the Uncut and Unrated standard disc issues that previously debuted. We guess the Death Proof and Planet Terror Uber Editions are in production purgatory along with Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (which, in fairness to QT, is supposedly in the works.)
Next: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!”
Finally, we end this edition of RT on DVD with a home video title for everyone on your Christmas list: Dirty Dancing — The Official Dance Workout!
Tired of Billy Blanks yelling at you with that drill sergeant smile on his face? Can’t follow N*SYNC choreographer-turned-Stomp the Yarder Darrin Henson’s Dance Grooves? Just grab a partner, turn up The Contours, and pretend your name is Baby and that nobody puts you in a corner.
Until next week, happy renting!
Given all the success Disney has found by bringing animated hits like Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King to Broadway, it stands to reason that they’d eventually go back to the film that started the studio’s animation renaissance, The Little Mermaid. The film’s composer, Alan Menken, is working on the book for the play.
“I really hadn’t thought about Mermaid for the stage, for the challenge of being under the sea,” said Menken. “As everyone knows, that was one of the difficulties. But once Francesca Zambello started working with George Tsypin — his sets use light in this brilliant way that takes it on to look aquatic or look like the sea, along with all the other stage craft that is available to us — then it became possible. It had actually been in the works for five years, though. We’d been working on it in various ways.”
The other Disney plays have embellished the story to provide more opportunities for songs, a tradition that will be upheld by the stage production of Mermaid. “The original songs by Howard Ashman and I are there. Ten new songs, as well, with Glenn Slater — that’s the name of the lyricist — and I think it’s quite seamless. Like Beauty and the Beast, it’s going to be a very seamless experience, and audiences seem to love it.”
So far, early buzz is good. “We had our first preview last night on Broadway. I received e-mails from a number of people who have all said that it went really, really well.”
Tom Hanks and Tim Allen are officially signed up to reprise their beloved roles in "Toy Story 3," which I believe is a sequel to "Toy Story" and "Toy Story 2." Also, it looks like Disney is making a return to hand-drawn animation with their (eventually) upcoming "Frog Princess." Cool!
Unfortunately, "Toy Story 3" is not scheduled to hit screens before 2010 (!), but it’s good to know that Hanks and Allen will be coming back. (We hope to hear the same news on actors like Joan Cusack, Annie Potts, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, etc.) Pixar lord John Lasseter says they have a "great story" for "TS3," the screenplay for which comes from recent Oscar-winner Michael Arndt, of "Little Miss Sunshine" fame.
In other news, production is beginning to ramp up on Disney’s "Frog Princess," which will be a much-welcome return to the art of hand-drawn animation. Ron Clements and John Musker (co-directors on classics like "Aladdin" and "The Little Mermaid") are directing the New Orleans-based tale. Apparently "Frog Princess" will focus on Disney’s first African-American princess. Randy Newman will be writing tunes for the flick.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
This week’s wide releases will take us on a journey. We’ll walk a couple blocks ("16 Blocks," "Dave Chappelle’s Block Party"), take a dip in the ocean ("Aquamarine") and feel the rays of the sun ("Ultraviolet"). And the critics will be our guide.
With the first two "Lethal Weapon" films, Richard Donner perfected a certain kind of action-buddy template, and he gives it another try in "16 Blocks." Bruce Willis and Mos Def star in this tale of a cop who must transport a witness across town to testify in court, but must make it past a bunch of bad guys first. Critics say the film is a solid action picture with interesting characters, but it’s still a little too formulaic. It’s currently at 49 percent on the Tomatometer, well below Donner’s best-reviewed action film ("Superman," 94 percent) and Willis’ ("Die Hard," 92 percent).
We’ve missed you, Dave Chappelle. We were deeply concerned when you went on hiatus. We were afraid we’d lost the comedy voice of a generation. We needn’t have worried, say critics. "Dave Chappelle’s Block Party" is a raucous return to the spotlight, and Dave’s incisive, observational wit appears to be as sharp as ever. Directed with style by Michel Gondry and featuring exceptional musical performances by some of hip-hop’s heaviest hitters (including — will wonders never cease — the reunited Fugees), this is one swingin’ "Party." It currently stands at 93 percent on the Tomatometer, and if that number holds, "Block Party" will be the best reviewed wide release of the year. It’s also nearly 50 points higher than Chappelle’s career Tomatometer of 44 percent. Heck, even he makes fun of "Half Baked.")
"Aquamarine" tells a fish-out-of-water story — or, better yet, a mermaid-out-of-the-ocean story. A couple of teenage girls discover a mermaid who, like Ariel before her, is looking for love, preferably on dry land. As you can probably guess, the target audience for this movie is ichthyologists. Sorry, I meant teenage girls. Critics say that demographic will dig it to an acceptable degree, but their parents and the fellas will be feeling a bit seasick. At 50 percent on the Tomatometer, "Aquamarine" is a tad soggy.
Extensive exposure to ultraviolet rays can be very harmful, particularly to the eyes. So the people behind the futuristic action flick "Ultraviolet" did the critics a favor by not screening the film for them. Whether it’s harmful for audiences, we can’t say at this point. Just be warned.
Speaking of which, it’s time to announce the winners of last week’s Guess the Tomatometer contest. Mizzoucritic was one point off in his/her evaluation of "Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Family Reunion," which landed at 32 percent, and lovelykeira came the closest to "Doogal"’s score of six percent. So the next time we’re in Mizzou’s neck of the woods, we’ll get dinner at Shakespeare’s Pizza to celebrate. Go Tigers.
Recent Bruce Willis Movies:
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33% — Hostage (2005)
78% — Sin City (2005)
5% — The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
36% — Tears of the Sun (2003)
39% — Rugrats Go Wild (2003)
Recent Dave Chappelle Movies:
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75% — Undercover Brother (2002)
7% — Screwed (2000)
31% — 200 Cigarettes (1999)
35% — Blue Streak (1999)
25% — Half Baked (1998)
Recent Richard Donner Movies:
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12% — Timeline (2003)
57% — Lethal Weapon 4 (1998)
46% — Conspiracy Theory (1997)
14% — Assassins (1995)
66% — Maverick (1994)
The Hollywood Reporter brings news of a new partnership that should please all the Clive Barker fans out there: Seems that "Shrek 2" co-director Kelly Asbury will head over to live-action territory and direct a long-awaited adaptation of Mr. Barker’s "The Thief of Always."
"Shrek 2" co-helmer Kelly Asbury is the latest computer-animation director to make the leap into live action. Asbury has written and is set to direct the live-action screenplay adaptation of Clive Barker’s "The Thief of Always" for 20th Century Fox and Seraphim Films.
The story centers on a 10-year-old boy who is bored with his ordinary life and ventures into a supernatural house in which all four seasons pass in one day. The fantasy elements of the movie will be enhanced with CGI effects.
Barker has looked to make "Thief" into a feature since the late 1990s. It most recently was in development at Universal Pictures with Bernard Rose ("Candyman") directing and adapting the script. Previously, "Thief" was in development as an animated movie with Kennedy Marshall at Paramount Pictures before rights reverted back to Barker."
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Mr. Asbury has quite the colorfully impressive resumé, I might add. As a writer, director, story editor, or artist he’s worked on "Toy Story," "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Chicken Run," "Beauty and the Beast," "Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron," "James and the Giant Peach," "The Prince of Egypt," "The Black Cauldron," "The Little Mermaid," and both "Shrek" flicks.
The film critics of Central Ohio have chimed in with their own year-end picks, and they came up with quite a few solid surprises, actually. How about "A History of Violence" as best film of the year?
Best Picture
A History of Violence
Runner up: Brokeback Mountain
Best Direction
David Cronenberg, A History of Violence
Runner up: Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Best Lead Performance
Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain
Runner up: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Best Supporting Performance
Maria Bello, A History of Violence
Runner up: Amy Adams, Junebug
Actor of the Year
Heath Ledger — Brokeback Mountain, Casanova, Lords of Dogtown, The Brothers Grimm
Runner up: Terrence Howard — Crash, Four Brothers, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, Hustle & Flow
Best Ensemble
Munich
Runner up: Brokeback Mountain
Best Screenplay
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana, Brokeback Mountain
Runner up: George Clooney and Grant Heslov, Good Night, and Good Luck
Best Formal Design
Sin City
Runner up: Brokeback Mountain
Best Sound Design
War of the Worlds
Runner up: Walk the Line
Breakthrough Film Artist
Amy Adams — Junebug
Runner up: Joe Wright — Pride & Prejudice
Top Ten Films
A History of Violence
Brokeback Mountain
Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
Murderball
Crash
Sin City
Pride & Prejudice
Batman Begins
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As always, we thank Movie City News for sharing all the lists.
