"beauty and the beast"

Disney has taken it upon themselves to give all their classic stories a face lift by making them into live-action films.  The next one on the list may just be the most popular Disney story…

This past Thanksgiving weekend, I revisited a piece of my childhood almost untouched by time. A movie that, despite its age and subject, wears down the walls of cynicism, makes me forget the troubles of…

Over twenty years ago, Dark City, Alex Proyas’ follow-up to The Crow, dropped into theaters only to be quietly, ignominiously shuffled out. On its opening weekend, Dark City came in fourth, beaten by not only…

In 1999, Star Wars fans around the world queued up at their local box office, eager to step once more into the world of Star Wars. It had been 16 years since Return of the…

The first wave of lackluster reviews of Glass, M. Night Shyamalan’s highly anticipated third and final installment of his superhero trilogy, from critics naturally worried me. But when it came to Glass, there was only…

The following article on Disney and its outlook for 2019 was published in its original form on 71Republic on December 2nd.  Disney has always been a successful studio. One that often times has branded itself through…

In recent years, older Disney cartoons have gotten a bit of a bad rep, for being un-feminist and a little date-rapey. Snow White and Sleeping Beauty were both kissed without consent, Beauty and the Beast is really…

I am … a Potter head. I have read all the books, each one at least twice. When I was in London 6 years ago, I went to the Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio, drank…

Panos Cosmatos’ Mandy was another film I had been anxiously anticipating. After reading the early reviews from its screening at Cannes, I knew this was my kind of movie. When I read things like “synth-heavy…

Can you believe that it’s been 25 years since we first learned how to make a perfect s’more, how to get a cute lifeguard to kiss you, or how to retrieve a priceless baseball —…

Female filmmakers (including Rachel Morrison, the first woman to be Oscar-nominated for cinematography) have been in the spotlight recently. At the same time, women in the entertainment industry are fighting for their rights more vocally…

In another crowded weekend at movie theaters all over the country, three new releases (The Commuter, Paddington 2, and Proud Mary) had to handle a bunch of films that have become crowd favorites over the last few…

After premiering early this year at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, My Friend Dahmer has since experienced critical success, including an overwhelmingly positive review from yours truly.  Director Marc Meyers has a lot to do with…

The Hollywood Reporter released a report indicating that the much maligned Dark Universe may be dead after only one installment.  After The Mummy underperformed and received horrible reviews, Universal has slowly backed away from the universe that…

Underneath the surface of most films about online life are commonplace themes about appearances and authenticity: the consequences of anonymity, the rapid spread of misinformation, the ways that social media limits expression of our genuine…

Five sittings. It took me five different sittings to finish Disney’s Artemis Fowl, a mere 94-minute movie including the entirety of the end credits. Not exactly a ringing endorsement for what was supposed to become…

This may be the last article I am allowed to write here after this statement, but I enjoyed Cats. For me, this film was crammed right in the middle of a musical weekend that consisted…

It’s safe to say that The Little Mermaid is a monumental accomplishment for Disney and its animation studio. The film began a new collection of films in what is now known as the Disney Renaissance…

Disney’s remake of The Lion King roared(?) into theaters last weekend. And while it had an incredibly impressive opening at the box office for an animated film — the best ever, in fact — it…

If you’ve seen someone on the internet hate on the live-action Disney remakes raise your hand in the air. Yes, at this point we’re all familiar with the criticism, and for reasons many of us…

Aladdin is one of the better Disney live-action reboots. However, that isn’t saying much. Still, the film works fairly well. While it isn’t the masterpiece that it’s rebooted from, it is a very entertaining family…

One thing I’ll admit I do like about movie franchises and series is that they usually have quality character development. When you have three or four or more movies involving the same characters doing essentially the…

This March marks the 30th anniversary of Terry Gilliam’s fantasy masterpiece The Adventures of Baron Munchausen — wait, what’s that? You’ve never heard of the fantastic Baron Munchausen? This must be remedied at once! Premiering…

The Walt Disney Company is taking over. After years of buy-outs, merchandising, and undermining, the company is ready to strike. The Disney Conspiracy goes deep, but how deep does it go? All the way, that’s…

Ah, the life of a movie critic is not an easy one. Watching films until your eyes are nothing but teary remnants of the glowing orbs they once were. Trying to find just the right…

German actor, Conrad Veidt, will have a 126th birthday coming up on January 22nd, so this is a good time to look at this esteemed actor’s most controversial role as a gay music teacher from…

I collect films on Blu-Ray, so I own a pretty substantial number of films. The other day when I was trying to decide what to watch, I saw Kong: Skull Island on the shelf. The…

Don’t get it twisted, folks: Hugh Jackman is not a good singer and does not deserve a world tour. I’d rather watch a world tour of Justin Bieber than Hugh Jackman at this point. I’ll…

Hollywood has produced many iconic locations in its hundred years of film, and many of those locations happen to be fictional bars. As this writer is turning 21, it feels like the appropriate time to…

Whether you love it or not, Disney’s been on a roll with their latest formula. Take a beloved movie from the past, and give it a star-studded, real world, modern update. They’re not the first…