Dumbo is Delightfully Dull

Upon re-watching Dumbo, Disney's fourth animated feature, a few things like the crows haven't aged well but how can you not love Dumbo who is just so cute. He never talks but still conveyed plenty of emotion and his friendship with Timothy Q. Mouse added to that. It's quite shocking how cruel the circus treats him from jeering at this ears, being separated from his mother, and suffer humiliation as a clown. It's also really short, clocking at an hour and ten minutes. Strangely, the idea was conceived as a short before deciding to be a full-length picture. A decision that saved the Disney company after the financial disappointments of Pinocchio and Fantasia despite their critical acclaim.

Cinema Spotlight I – Scott Derrickson (Part 2): ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’

(Originally Published on October 13, 2016)

When we last left Scott Derrickson, his debut film The Exorcism of Emily Rose was a success. It performed well at the box-office, won Jennifer Carpenter an MTV Movie Award for Best Frightening Performance, a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film (Saturns are basically the Oscars for all that is sci-fi, horror and fantasy) and despite a mixed reception from critics, the reviews were mostly positive. For his next film Derrickson shifted genres from Horror to Science Fiction, specifically a remake of a 1951 classic.

Double Feature: Baywatch & Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Memorial Day weekend brought us two​ movies that took place off dry land. Neither delivered a spectacular splash though I would say one swam better than the other. 

Beauty and the Beast Captures Some of the Disney Magic

(Originally Published on March 27, 2017)

A tale as old as time and considered one of Disney’s crowning achievements of a young maiden who tames the heart of a beast. Beauty and the Beast is beloved by audiences of all ages and made history of being the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. When it was announced that this would be the next film to get the live-action treatment, the response was understandably less than pleased.