Cinema Spotlight IV - James Wan (Part 5): 'The Conjuring'

Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren.

"...what’s funny is, when I made Saw, I got accused of being a fascist, when I made Insidious, I got accused of being godless, and now I made The Conjuring films and I’m accused of being too much God. (laughs) So it’s really interesting to see how people have reacted to my three sets of horror films."

-James Wan

Green Book: A Road Trip With Aragorn and Boggs

The only roles I know from Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali are the ones based on best-selling book trilogies. For Mortensen its his well-known portrayal of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings; before his Oscar win in Moonlight, I knew Ali as Boggs in Mockingjay: Part One and Two. There was also Witness (Mortensen's debut movie role) and Hidden Figures (the same year Ali was in Moonlight) but other than that, these were the only movies I've seen these actors in. Now the two star together in a buddy road trip with a surprising amount of heart and facts behind this unlikely friendship.

Ralph Breaks the Internet But Patches it Up

Before he directed Wreck-it-Ralph, Rich Moore's previous credits include The Simpsons, Futurama, and The Critic. That would explain the movie's use of subversive humor, storytelling and memorable characters. This would be found in Moore's later work Zootopia and Ralph Breaks the Internet, the sequel to Moore's first Disney movie and the first theatrical Disney sequel since The Rescuers Down Under in 1990. (Return to Neverland and The Jungle Book 2 don't count as they were made by a different studio branch at Disney)

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald-A Crime of Early Franchise Fatigue

The Scamander Brothers

When I watch a penultimate or middle chapter like The Empire Strikes Back, The Two Towers, Infinity War, or even The Last Jedi and Attack of the Clones, I'm excited for what happens next. They all have a sense of closure with a beginning, middle and end despite knowing that more is on the way. Evil, whether defeated or triumphant heavily lingers, and the heroes whether beaten or victorious know that the war is far from over.

How Illumination Saved The Grinch (Sort of)

When it comes to Hollywood and the works of Seuss
only one comes to mind that isn't obtuse.
Blue Sky Animation who did Ferdy and Scrat,
kept Horton the elephant well and intact.
The Lorax got wrapped in its own thneed thread
and Myers as The Cat, lets not talk of that dread

Bohemian Rhapsody Will Rock You

I'm familiar with the name and legacy but know only a few of their songs. Three stand in my memory when I was growing up: the very early days of Radio Disney constantly playing "We Will Rock You/We are the Champions," Britney Murphy's rendition of "Somebody to Love" in Happy Feet and "Under Pressure" played in the trailer of the Nicholas Cage dark comedy Adaptation (There was me thinking "Ice Ice Baby" was an original composition). I knew "Another One Bites the Dust" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" on other radio stations but wouldn't be until years later did I understand the significance of the latter. 

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Gives Viewers the Cold Shoulder

Six Things I Enjoyed about The Nutcracker and the Four Realms:

1. Young actors Mackenzie Foy and newcomer Jayden Fowora-Knight have bright futures ahead of them. 

2. Helen Mirren

3. The look and design of the four realms and the denizens are colorfully creative. 

4. Helen Mirren

5. Less embarrassing than The Nutcracker in 3D and gave Richard E. Grant a better role. 

6. Did I mention Helen Mirren?