Search
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland: The Classic Edition
Lewis Carroll and Charles Santore
9.4
Rate It
Book
On a drowsy afternoon by a riverbank, a young and distracted Alice follows a rabbit into a...
Ross (3282 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Apr 1, 2019
Once again, a remake that didn't need to be made
Another "live action version" of a Disney classic; another waste of effort. I can't see anyone watching this and thinking it was in any way an improvement over the original. Timothy Mouse is replaced by children, they try to explain why Dumbo needs a feather, the pink elephant scene is a nice attempt at homage but implausible.
I had no idea until the credits rolled that Tim Burton had directed - his touch is completely absent. I suppose in hindsight Micheal Keaton's hairpiece was pure Burton but otherwise any director could have been involved.
There is an odd feel about the scenes in the theme park, as if a Disney film is itself suggesting theme parks are money-grabbing, exploitative tat-mongers.
While there were some nice nods to the original film (DeVito singing Casey Jr's theme, Timothy Mouse's cameo and "baby of mine", the whole plot adaptation just failed.
It may have been a half-decent film in its own right, but as a remake of a classic it has to do it justice and it just plain did not.
I had no idea until the credits rolled that Tim Burton had directed - his touch is completely absent. I suppose in hindsight Micheal Keaton's hairpiece was pure Burton but otherwise any director could have been involved.
There is an odd feel about the scenes in the theme park, as if a Disney film is itself suggesting theme parks are money-grabbing, exploitative tat-mongers.
While there were some nice nods to the original film (DeVito singing Casey Jr's theme, Timothy Mouse's cameo and "baby of mine", the whole plot adaptation just failed.
It may have been a half-decent film in its own right, but as a remake of a classic it has to do it justice and it just plain did not.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Apr 10, 2019
A poor adaptation
I'm afraid to say that this version of Dumbo is probably the worst Disney live adaptation to date.
Other than having some mostly decent special effects and the nods to the original (Timothy Mouse, the songs and the pink elephants), I really can't find anything nice to say about this film. It has a great cast, who are sadly underused and struggle with the poor story and shoddy script. I hated Michael Keaton's villain Vandevere, he wasnt particularly villainous and I really don't know what was going on with Keaton's acting, he was really hamming it up to the point of being terrible. The kids were irritating too and such a poor substitute for Timothy Mouse. The entire film was just dull, boring, cheesy and cringeworthy, and I've never seen a Disney film that lacked heart as much as this one does. How can a film about the circus be so dull?! You also can't tell this is a Tim Burton film, and that is such a shame. Maybe if this had been a little creepy or dark, it might have turned out a lot better.
Other than having some mostly decent special effects and the nods to the original (Timothy Mouse, the songs and the pink elephants), I really can't find anything nice to say about this film. It has a great cast, who are sadly underused and struggle with the poor story and shoddy script. I hated Michael Keaton's villain Vandevere, he wasnt particularly villainous and I really don't know what was going on with Keaton's acting, he was really hamming it up to the point of being terrible. The kids were irritating too and such a poor substitute for Timothy Mouse. The entire film was just dull, boring, cheesy and cringeworthy, and I've never seen a Disney film that lacked heart as much as this one does. How can a film about the circus be so dull?! You also can't tell this is a Tim Burton film, and that is such a shame. Maybe if this had been a little creepy or dark, it might have turned out a lot better.
Beauty and the Beast
7.3
Rate It
Show
Beauty and the Beast is a musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice,...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Apr 5, 2019
In a word...bland
There are many words that you can use to describe films by Tim Burton: Gothic, Bizarre, Dark, Interesting, SteamPunk, Unique, Visual.
With the live action DUMBO, you can add another word to describe a Tim Burton film: Bland.
Based on the 1941 animated classic character of Walt Disney, DUMBO tells the tale of an animal, shamed for having a deformity...over-large ears...but when the young elephant discovers that these ears can save the circus he is in - and will help reunite him with his mother - a journey to redemption begins.
Sounds like a pretty good premise for a film, right? Unfortunately, this isn't really the theme of this film. Unlike other Disney "live action" versions of classic animated films (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the upcoming ALADDIN and THE LION KING), DUMBO is a live action remake only in the fact that Director Burton uses the baby elephant, separated from his mother, with over large ears who can fly. This film shows no signs of the earlier, beloved, children's film. It eliminates the songs (except as background music) and it tacks on a family drama of a returning army veteran (who's wife died while he was away) and his 2 children and a rival circus trying to steal the famed flying elephant.
Is it a children's movie? Is it a Tim Burton eerie, scary, visual delight? Well...yes...and no...on both parts and that's the problem of this film. Burton straddles a line between the two, never committing to a fun, stylistic children's film (like PADDINGTON 2) or an eerie, bizarre Tim Burton film (many, many to name but the closest I can come is BIG FISH). He restrains himself to the bland middle and it shows.
He has assembled a strong ensemble of actors to populate this world - Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Michael Keaton and Alan Arkin are all in this film - and are all bland. While, at times, this film felt every minute of it's 1 hour and 52 minute run time, I was longing for more from each of these characters, fleshing out what was the BEGINNING of interesting characters, but never getting past that. Each one of these characters are bland, bland, bland and you can see each actor trying harder and harder to push some sort of character to the screen, but never succeeding.
The only interesting characters, ironically enough, is that of Dumbo and his mother, Mrs. Jumbo. These are 2 CGI, non-speaking characters but they say more in facial expressions and movements than all of the human characters combined.
And that's the other problem with this film. Much like another Disney Live Action film, TOMORROWLAND, a large part of this film is given to showing the world that is lavishly made by the Director, Production Designer, Art Director and Cinematographer - and it is impressive indeed - but the action and characters inhabiting this world are...well...bland and that makes for a lackluster film.
One thing to note - this film is not scary, nor is it overly sad (things that I heard that this film was), so I'd be interested to hear if you have younger children (ages 7-10, say) and they saw the film - did they enjoy it? I think they just might.
I didn't, I thought this film was bland.
Letter Grade: B- (for the interesting visuals put up on the screen)
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
With the live action DUMBO, you can add another word to describe a Tim Burton film: Bland.
Based on the 1941 animated classic character of Walt Disney, DUMBO tells the tale of an animal, shamed for having a deformity...over-large ears...but when the young elephant discovers that these ears can save the circus he is in - and will help reunite him with his mother - a journey to redemption begins.
Sounds like a pretty good premise for a film, right? Unfortunately, this isn't really the theme of this film. Unlike other Disney "live action" versions of classic animated films (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, the upcoming ALADDIN and THE LION KING), DUMBO is a live action remake only in the fact that Director Burton uses the baby elephant, separated from his mother, with over large ears who can fly. This film shows no signs of the earlier, beloved, children's film. It eliminates the songs (except as background music) and it tacks on a family drama of a returning army veteran (who's wife died while he was away) and his 2 children and a rival circus trying to steal the famed flying elephant.
Is it a children's movie? Is it a Tim Burton eerie, scary, visual delight? Well...yes...and no...on both parts and that's the problem of this film. Burton straddles a line between the two, never committing to a fun, stylistic children's film (like PADDINGTON 2) or an eerie, bizarre Tim Burton film (many, many to name but the closest I can come is BIG FISH). He restrains himself to the bland middle and it shows.
He has assembled a strong ensemble of actors to populate this world - Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Eva Green, Michael Keaton and Alan Arkin are all in this film - and are all bland. While, at times, this film felt every minute of it's 1 hour and 52 minute run time, I was longing for more from each of these characters, fleshing out what was the BEGINNING of interesting characters, but never getting past that. Each one of these characters are bland, bland, bland and you can see each actor trying harder and harder to push some sort of character to the screen, but never succeeding.
The only interesting characters, ironically enough, is that of Dumbo and his mother, Mrs. Jumbo. These are 2 CGI, non-speaking characters but they say more in facial expressions and movements than all of the human characters combined.
And that's the other problem with this film. Much like another Disney Live Action film, TOMORROWLAND, a large part of this film is given to showing the world that is lavishly made by the Director, Production Designer, Art Director and Cinematographer - and it is impressive indeed - but the action and characters inhabiting this world are...well...bland and that makes for a lackluster film.
One thing to note - this film is not scary, nor is it overly sad (things that I heard that this film was), so I'd be interested to hear if you have younger children (ages 7-10, say) and they saw the film - did they enjoy it? I think they just might.
I didn't, I thought this film was bland.
Letter Grade: B- (for the interesting visuals put up on the screen)
6 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Frankenweenie (2012) in Movies
Oct 31, 2020
Black & White (3 more)
Dark
Tim Burton
Stop Motion
A Boys Best Friend
Frankenweenie- is a halloween classic. Ive wanted to watch this film for couple of years now and it was not disappointed.
The plot: Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.
It is a feature-length remake of Burton's 1984 short film of the same name and is also both a parody of and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name.
This is the final horror film released under the Disney banner until Ready Or Not on August 21, 2019 from Fox Searchlight Pictures, which was bought by Disney in 2019.
The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands); Martin Short (Mars Attacks!); Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas); and Martin Landau (Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow), along with some new voice actors, such as Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer.
Its a dark humor twisted film.
The plot: Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.
It is a feature-length remake of Burton's 1984 short film of the same name and is also both a parody of and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name.
This is the final horror film released under the Disney banner until Ready Or Not on August 21, 2019 from Fox Searchlight Pictures, which was bought by Disney in 2019.
The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands); Martin Short (Mars Attacks!); Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas); and Martin Landau (Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow), along with some new voice actors, such as Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer.
Its a dark humor twisted film.
Andy K (10821 KP) rated Howard the Duck (1986) in Movies
Feb 23, 2019
Not as bad as all that.
Before he was an upcoming maybe movie, maybe TV series and part of the Disney/Marvel juggernaut, he was a cheesy 80s movie with one of my serious 80s crushes, Lea Thompson (from Back to the Future).
When Howard is pulled through a "wormhole" from his duck planet to Earth, he has to try and not only figure out what is going on and how he came to know this extremely hot chick (and nerd Tim Robbins) but he also has to save the world from the "Dark Overlord of the universe" (Ferris Bueller and Beetlejuice alum, Jeffrey Jones).
I think the biggest problem with the film was filmmakers (George Lucas among them) didn't get the tone right. It was too racy to be for kids which was probably their target audience. The "duck out of water" element was my favorite part the ways his world was different than ours and how he tried to fit in.
It's a charming 80s romp I've probably seen too often.
When Howard is pulled through a "wormhole" from his duck planet to Earth, he has to try and not only figure out what is going on and how he came to know this extremely hot chick (and nerd Tim Robbins) but he also has to save the world from the "Dark Overlord of the universe" (Ferris Bueller and Beetlejuice alum, Jeffrey Jones).
I think the biggest problem with the film was filmmakers (George Lucas among them) didn't get the tone right. It was too racy to be for kids which was probably their target audience. The "duck out of water" element was my favorite part the ways his world was different than ours and how he tried to fit in.
It's a charming 80s romp I've probably seen too often.
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Toy Story (1995) in Movies
Jan 1, 2021
A masterpiece
Film #9 on the 100 Movies Bucket List: Toy Story
When Toy Story was first released in 1995, it was groundbreaking. The first ever fully computer animated film and the first released by Disney Pixar, this was also one of the first films I saw at the cinema as an 8 year old child. Admittedly at that age I was concentrating more on the colourful animated toys rather than appreciating the sheer wizardry on offer, but from repeated watches over the decades, I’ve come to fully recognise the sheer genius of this film.
Toy Story centres around the idea that toys are alive, a concept that most children would love to be true. It follows Woody, a cowboy voiced by Tom Hanks, who’s cushy existence as the top dog of Andy’s toys is disrupted by a new space ranger doll, Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen. As Buzz soon becomes Andy’s favourite toy, Woody’s jealousy drives him to desperate measures that wind up with the pair of them becoming ‘lost toys’ and captives of evil neighbour Sid. And together with Buzz and Woody are a whole host of colourful and wacky toy characters, including Mr Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Etch-a Sketch and a bucketful of toy soldiers to name but a few of the childhood throwbacks on offer here.
Watching this back 25 years later, it’s hard to believe this film was released in the mid-90s. Whilst you can tell that more recent Disney Pixar releases have improved massively on the animation since Toy Story, the standard of the animation in this is hugely impressive. There are some studios that can’t master this level of detailed animation even now as we move into 2021. The feature and intricacies on show here is impressive, especially with the toy characters - you need to look no further than the scales on Rex (voiced memorably by Wallace Michael Shawn) as a shining example of this.
It isn’t just the animation that that makes Toy Story so brilliant though, it’s the entire package. It’s a heartwarming and often hilarious buddy story of sorts, with some strangely adult messages hidden in the childlike story (Buzz’s disillusionment at being a toy rather than a real space ranger is particularly poignant). As a child this made me believe my toys were alive, and as an adult I’m still hesitant about donating or throwing away old cuddly toys. It’s also full of what we’ve all come to know and love about Disney Pixar: a film suitable for kids but full of grown up innuendos and adult jokes that makes it appropriate for all ages. Alongside this it has a fantastic voice cast in household names Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, and of course brought us the first of many characters voiced by the unforgettable John Ratzenberger. And what further rounds this off is the catchy and touching original songs by Randy Newman. I doubt there are many people who haven’t heard “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, a song that evokes such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside and is fully deserving of the ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar nomination.
Toy Story is undoubtedly a masterpiece in animation. Whilst it may not have aged incredibly well when comparing it with more recent releases, this is the film that first introduced us to the world of Disney Pixar and paved the way for all of those that have followed.
When Toy Story was first released in 1995, it was groundbreaking. The first ever fully computer animated film and the first released by Disney Pixar, this was also one of the first films I saw at the cinema as an 8 year old child. Admittedly at that age I was concentrating more on the colourful animated toys rather than appreciating the sheer wizardry on offer, but from repeated watches over the decades, I’ve come to fully recognise the sheer genius of this film.
Toy Story centres around the idea that toys are alive, a concept that most children would love to be true. It follows Woody, a cowboy voiced by Tom Hanks, who’s cushy existence as the top dog of Andy’s toys is disrupted by a new space ranger doll, Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Tim Allen. As Buzz soon becomes Andy’s favourite toy, Woody’s jealousy drives him to desperate measures that wind up with the pair of them becoming ‘lost toys’ and captives of evil neighbour Sid. And together with Buzz and Woody are a whole host of colourful and wacky toy characters, including Mr Potato Head (Don Rickles), Slinky Dog (Jim Varney), Etch-a Sketch and a bucketful of toy soldiers to name but a few of the childhood throwbacks on offer here.
Watching this back 25 years later, it’s hard to believe this film was released in the mid-90s. Whilst you can tell that more recent Disney Pixar releases have improved massively on the animation since Toy Story, the standard of the animation in this is hugely impressive. There are some studios that can’t master this level of detailed animation even now as we move into 2021. The feature and intricacies on show here is impressive, especially with the toy characters - you need to look no further than the scales on Rex (voiced memorably by Wallace Michael Shawn) as a shining example of this.
It isn’t just the animation that that makes Toy Story so brilliant though, it’s the entire package. It’s a heartwarming and often hilarious buddy story of sorts, with some strangely adult messages hidden in the childlike story (Buzz’s disillusionment at being a toy rather than a real space ranger is particularly poignant). As a child this made me believe my toys were alive, and as an adult I’m still hesitant about donating or throwing away old cuddly toys. It’s also full of what we’ve all come to know and love about Disney Pixar: a film suitable for kids but full of grown up innuendos and adult jokes that makes it appropriate for all ages. Alongside this it has a fantastic voice cast in household names Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, and of course brought us the first of many characters voiced by the unforgettable John Ratzenberger. And what further rounds this off is the catchy and touching original songs by Randy Newman. I doubt there are many people who haven’t heard “You’ve Got a Friend in Me”, a song that evokes such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside and is fully deserving of the ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar nomination.
Toy Story is undoubtedly a masterpiece in animation. Whilst it may not have aged incredibly well when comparing it with more recent releases, this is the film that first introduced us to the world of Disney Pixar and paved the way for all of those that have followed.
Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Toy Story 4 (2019) in Movies
Jun 28, 2019
A Touching And Winning Triumph
Toy Story 4 was a heartwarming story filled with exciting plot twists, lots of laughs, and even a few heart wrenching moments. The movie is easy to follow while still being very exciting. Made by Disney Pixar they uphold their hold on wholesome, funny, and exciting entertainment. I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical at first as this was the fourth movie in the saga and I was convinced that there wasn’t much for the writers to go off on since the 3rd movie comes to such a happy conclusion. I am happy to say that I was pleasantly surprised! I walked into the theatre feeling a little unsure, to being moved to tears by the conclusion of the film, and then leaving the theatre feeling like a small part of my childhood was complete since I was raised on this Disney/Disney-Pixar movies!
The original cast is back at it again with Tom Hanks voicing Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. This of course only added to the charm of the movie as I can’t imagine anyone better. It was also awesome to have the Voice actors from Toy Story 3 back and In the movie. I was also very pleased to have Bo Peep back in the saga! One of the best things about the film is the new lovable characters. One of my absolute favorites was Forky voiced by Tony Hale. Forky is a toy that was made by bonnie while she was feeling lonely at kindergarten orientation, Forky is made out of craft supplies (pipe cleaners, googly eyes, etc.) and a spork.
Forky doesn’t want to be Bonnie’s toy at first and is constantly trying to go be in the trash because that is where he feels like he belongs. Woody dedicates himself to keeping forky available to Bonnie because she has become attached to him. Finally, Woody is able to help forky to see why his role in Bonnie’s life is important.
There are plenty of other lovable characters and a wonderful plot. It was a charming movie that I would recommend to all ages! I was very pleased with the movie and would happily go see it again in a heartbeat! I would proudly give the movie 5 stars, It was brilliantly done.
http://sknr.net/2019/06/14/toy-story-4/
The original cast is back at it again with Tom Hanks voicing Woody and Tim Allen as Buzz Lightyear. This of course only added to the charm of the movie as I can’t imagine anyone better. It was also awesome to have the Voice actors from Toy Story 3 back and In the movie. I was also very pleased to have Bo Peep back in the saga! One of the best things about the film is the new lovable characters. One of my absolute favorites was Forky voiced by Tony Hale. Forky is a toy that was made by bonnie while she was feeling lonely at kindergarten orientation, Forky is made out of craft supplies (pipe cleaners, googly eyes, etc.) and a spork.
Forky doesn’t want to be Bonnie’s toy at first and is constantly trying to go be in the trash because that is where he feels like he belongs. Woody dedicates himself to keeping forky available to Bonnie because she has become attached to him. Finally, Woody is able to help forky to see why his role in Bonnie’s life is important.
There are plenty of other lovable characters and a wonderful plot. It was a charming movie that I would recommend to all ages! I was very pleased with the movie and would happily go see it again in a heartbeat! I would proudly give the movie 5 stars, It was brilliantly done.
http://sknr.net/2019/06/14/toy-story-4/