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Artemis Fowl (2020)
Artemis Fowl (2020)
2020 | Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy
I truly wish that this movie could have found its way....

Artemis Fowl was intended to be a Summer Hit for Disney until the world got his with a pandemic. As a result, it was released straight to Disney's streamer with relatively lackluster fanfare.

I now see why there wasn't much excitement surrounding the release.

Artemis Fowl is a classic example of money not being able to make everything better.

The movie tries to explain itself haphazardly and never actually gets around to doing so. Anybody new to the story line with mightily struggle trying to understand what is happening and why. Anyone who is familiar with the story will wonder how they got to this movie from the source material.

I have an eight year old and a ten year old and they both thought the movie was "meh." I think that was being gracious.
  
Maleficent (2014)
Maleficent (2014)
2014 | Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

"The metaphor, man. The fact that they would take this age old, vilified idea of a powerful woman and take away that dark mystique that’s been repeated throughout history and in such a mean way to all women. Like, anytime you see in cartoons, in movies, anything from, like, the ’50s, the ’40s, you would see this dark bitter woman. And you would see her explored in a way where she always represented evil, but never with a sense of justified evil. Rewrote the history books on the vilification of a powerful woman. I thought that was really, really powerful for Disney to do that. It’s like taking an old metaphor that’s been repeated for so many years and putting it on its head. It makes you think twice when you look at a person that’s a “bad guy.” That‘s a powerful message for kids to not be judgmental."

Source
  
40x40

Kevin Phillipson (10072 KP) rated Cruella (2021) in Movies

May 29, 2021 (Updated May 30, 2021)  
Cruella (2021)
Cruella (2021)
2021 | Comedy, Crime
9
8.0 (24 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Emma Stone (3 more)
Emma Thompson
Joel fry
Paul Walter hauser
Just got back from watching I had the choice of watching either at the cinema or disney + and pay the 20 pound rental i choosed cinema glad I did movie is best seen on the big screen this year so far
On to the movie no spoilers here probably my favourite movie at cineworld this year so far. emna stone as cruella is brilliant In the role been a fan since she was in superbad now let's get to emma Thompson who also brilliant and loves haming it up as baroness totally evil and she knows it. Not forgetting both Joel fry and Paul Walter hauser as jasper and horace who also brillant. overall good movie worth the watch stay to the end credits for extra scene which I won't give away but will u get it
  
Go On by Phillip Sandifer
Go On by Phillip Sandifer
7
7.0 (1 Ratings)
Album Rating
Phillip Sandifer has a sound that is both polished and a little bit unfettered. With a career like his, it's easy to wonder if he's talking about himself with his single Seen Too Much.

Phillip was born in Baltimore, Maryland but moved to Texas as a young man. He can take credit for 22 top 40 Adult Contemporary songs. He has made recordings for a number of different labels, including Disney Records. With Seen Too Much, he makes a much needed statement about cognitive dissonance in society today and maybe clears the air a bit for those of us paying attention.

“I ain’t sleeping well, there just too much wrong
won’t someone help me with an honest song”
— Phillip Sandifer

I think perhaps we have all seen a bit too much in these last few years. I'm glad there are people writing about it.
  
Lady and the Tramp (2019)
Lady and the Tramp (2019)
2019 | Family
The latest (I think, and at the time of writing) in Disney's reimagining of their classic films (see also: Dumbo, Aladdin, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, etc …) , with this one being a mix of live action and CGI and also - to the best of my knowledge - not actually even released in cinemas, but instead being a Disney+ exclusive even before the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic.

Sticking pretty faithfully to the same beats as the animated original - spoiled Cocker Spaniel, Street Dog, the famous Spaghettis scene (which I can't watch now without thinking of the version with Santa's Little Helper in The Simpsons) - this nonetheless does slightly change parts of the story, with the most noticeable (to me) being the Siamese Cats, who here have a completely new song but are still responsible for Lady ending up on the streets (see, I told you: all Cats are evil!).
  
Star Wars: Tie Fighter
Star Wars: Tie Fighter
Jody Houser | 2019 | Comics & Graphic Novels
6
6.3 (3 Ratings)
Book Rating
During the mid to late 90s, there was a series of graphic novels company, all centring around the pilots of Rogue and (later) Wraith Squadron, and 'spun-off' from the immensely popular X-Wing and TIE fighter games by the now-defunct Lucasarts company.

That's all gone by the wayside (and recatogorised as Legends) ever since Disney bought out Lucasfilm.

I picked this one up when it was on sale for part of 2020s Comixology 'May the Fourth' (be with you) sale, having previously read the novel it leads into (that novel being Alphabet Squadron). As such, this story follows a group of Imperial pilots - rather than the more common point of view of Rebel pilots - flying various missions for the Empire, leading up to the battle of Endor and receiving word of their defeat.

Yes, the art is really rather good.
Yes, the story is really rather bland.
  
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
1937 | Animation, Classics, Family
Still the "Fairest of Them All"
It's always a fear of mine when I go back to visit a beloved film of mine - especially a film that was beloved to me in my childhood. Will it hold up? Is it as good as I remember it? Will the re-visitation tarnish the precious memory of this film that I have?

I am happy to report that, upon a fresh viewing of the first full length animated film every, that I can still declare SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS "the fairest of them all".

Made in 1937, by the visionary Walt Disney, this film defies the odds - many calling it "Walt's Folly". No one had attempted a full length animated film before and the skeptics were many, but what Walt knew is that he had all the standard elements of a good story - a heroine we can root for, an evil villain, some comic characters that can help us laugh (and cry) and, more importantly, he had the skillful craftsmen of the Walt Disney Studios that can pull off such a feat.

And...pull it off they did! This film is gorgeous and lush to look at. Upon this viewing, I was drawn to the background, and the edges of the frame, marveling at the detail that was interwoven into each, hand drawn imagery - giving this tapestry a lushness and thickness heretofore unseen on the screen.

As for the story of the film - and the film itself - Disney was smart enough to know that "less is more". The film is compact - running a relatively quick 83 minutes - this was a two-fold solution. (1) It helped move the film along at a sprightly pace, never once resting or losing energy and (2) this means that the artists only had to draw what was necessary for this streamlined story.

The music, of course, is wonderful and important part of this film. This was one of the first movie musicals, and was the first film to release a Soundtrack Album. From "Some Day My Prince Will Come" to "I'm Wishing" to "Heigh-Ho" and "Whistle While You Work", the songs moved the story forward and added depth to the characters portrayed on the screen.

If you haven't caught this film in awhile, I heartily recommend you check it out - it works for young and old alike. A good film to share with children of today, to show them what lush, hand drawn animation looks like. Come for the fun of the Dwarfs and the Villainy of the Evil Queen, stay for the richness of the tapestry and the attention to detail that a true classic film portrays.

Letter Grade: A+

10 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)

Next Month: WRECK-IT RALPH and (of course) the sequel RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET (coming to theaters in November).