Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's the Dark Knight: A Film Score Guide
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One of the most successful films inspired by comic books, The Dark Knight was the second feature of...
Dolores Claiborne (1995)
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In a small New England town, Dolores Claiborne (Kathy Bates) works as a housekeeper for the rich but...
Mad Men - Season 1
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Season one takes place between March and November 1960. It introduces the fictional advertising...
Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated Christopher Robin (2018) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019 (Updated Jun 10, 2019)
Their film history is a little more chequered. True box-office domination has eluded the little critters, until now at least. Rolling off the success of Paddington and its arguably even better sequel, Disney gets in on the action, the live-action that is, and brings Pooh and co to life in Christopher Robin. But does it work?
Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) – now a family man living in London – receives a surprise visit from his old childhood pal, Winnie-the-Pooh. With Christopher’s help, Pooh embarks on a journey to find his friends — Tigger, Eeyore, Owl, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga and Roo. Once reunited, the lovable bear and the gang travel to London to help Christopher rediscover the joy of life.
With Marc Forster’s name attached to directing duties, you’d be forgiven for thinking he’d been hired simply to get the job done. After all, this is the same Marc Forster that brought us the perfectly adequate Quantum of Solace and the enjoyable if undistinguished World War Z. These aren’t the directing credits you’d expect when looking at a film involving a honey-loving bear in a red jumper.
Nevertheless, Forster proves us wrong. Christopher Robin is a sumptuous tale, beautifully realised with a script that makes us stop and look at the little things in life. Much like the film itself as it happens. Ewan McGregor was the ideal choice to play a world-weary Robin. At the brink of exhaustion and close to losing the truly important things in life – his wife (Hayley Atwell) and daughter (Bronte Carmichael), McGregor plays the part beautifully. Watching his inner-child slowly but surely rise to the surface is wonderful to see.
Elsewhere, the entire cast of voices used to bring our cuddly cast to life are absolutely spot on. Jim Cummings’ return as Pooh and Tigger brings a warm familiarity to proceedings and this was a nice touch by Disney to have him back behind the microphone. Toby Jones and former Doctor Who Peter Capaldi are also great as Owl and Rabbit respectively. Brad Garrett’s turn as Eeyore really couldn’t be more perfect.
Christopher Robin…is sure to be a future classic that can be passed down for generations
To look at, Christopher Robin really is sublime. The spectacular Sussex countryside is brought to life in the Hundred Acre Wood and the post-war setting of London lives and breathes right before your eyes. This is a film that draws you in as the script moves our cast from 1940s London, rich with smoke and smog, to lush countryside, heavy with dew and dripping in colour.
The CGI to bring Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Owl and Rabbit to life is nothing short of astounding. The way their fur moves in the wind feels so real and it is this depth that proves to be the film’s strongest suit. Using Disney’s seemingly unending source of funds, Marc Foster and his team have managed to create something truly astonishing.
Above all though, this is a film about the importance of family, and on that level it succeeds, and then some. While brief, the moments in which we see McGregor and his family spending time together, with Pooh and company in tow, are Christopher Robin’s most poignant. In typical Disney fashion, the film tugs on the heartstrings on more than one occasion, just enough to wipe away a solitary tear, but not enough to dig out the Kleenex.
Christopher Robin is another success for Disney’s live-action arm. With understated performances, very much similar to 2016’s remake of Pete’s Dragon, the House of Mouse has achieved something rather extraordinary. Yes, they’ve brought these wonderful characters back to life, but in a way that honours the books and stuffed animals we will have all grown up with. Unlike this year’s Peter Rabbit that destroyed the legacy of a much-loved literary character, Christopher Robin builds on that and is sure to be a future classic that can be passed down for generations.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/08/18/christopher-robin-review-a-future-classic/
David McK (3191 KP) rated Doctor Strange (2016) in Movies
Apr 27, 2019 (Updated May 15, 2022)
The timestone? Yep, was essential to resolving Infinity War in Endgame
<original review below>
The film that introduced magic (and the Time Stone, which will probably be essential to resolving Infinity War in Endgame), in which Benedict Cumberbatch plays Benedict Cumberbatch as the future Sorcerer Supreme, with Tilda Swinton as the current holder of that title.
As an aside: that was actually a cause of controversy at the time: why not cast an Asian or Eastern actor in that role instead of whitewashing it? went the argument.
The plot may also seem to be a reprise of Iron Man: rich, arrogant, privileged white man suffers personal catastrophe and heads East, returning a changed man. What sets this apart, however, is the somewhat psychedelic effects that often seem to owe more than a bit to Christopher Nolan's movie Inception!
Andy K (10821 KP) rated The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) in Movies
Jun 1, 2019
The townspeople eventually band together after much debate, but they are not sure anything can be done.
I enjoyed this drama; however, felt like it dragged a bit at times. The ensemble cast was enjoyable especially Christopher Walken and John Heard. Rubén Blades as the local law was also fun to watch.
The vast New Mexico countryside was probably my favorite element to watch. No doubt this factor was also probably appealing to Redford who is a lifelong environmentalist.
I enjoyed it.
The Vegetable Gardener's Guide to Permaculture: Creating an Edible Ecosystem
Christopher Shein and Julie Thompson
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Southern Water, Southern Power: How the Politics of Cheap Energy and Water Scarcity Shaped a Region
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Why has the American South - a place with abundant rainfall - become embroiled in intrastate wars...
The Elfstones of Shannara
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ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR FANTASY TALES OF ALL TIME. NOW AN EPIC NEW SERIES ON 5STAR IN THE UK....