Tag Archives: Disney

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) Review

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A HOLLOW AND SUGAR-COATED

ENDEAVOR

 

It is a well-known fact that Disney has taken up the mantle of translating its legendary / timeless animated feature films into live-action remakes. While this staging might have had a sort of rocky start (i.e. 2010’s Alice in Wonderland and 2014’s Maleficent), the “house of mouse” has mostly refined their cinematic tastes and nuances for high quality live-action movies along these lines, entertaining both critics and moviegoers with live-action films like 2015’s Cinderella, 2016’s The Jungle Book, and 2017’s Beauty and the Beast. However, while Disney continues this “live-action” trend of reimaging its animated tales (with plenty more planned on the horizon), the studio has also continued to provide live-action non-animated Disney movies to its catalogue, including 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, 2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful, 2014’s Into the Woods, and 2018’s A Wrinkle in Time. Now, Walt Disney Studios and directors Lasse Hallstrom and Joe Johnston embark upon the reimagined tale of the classic Nutcracker story with the movie The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Does this movie find its “magic” in its enchanted worlds or is it a visual hodgepodge mess of better similar endeavors? Read more

Cars 3 (2017) Review

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DEFINING A LEGACY

 

Back in 2006, Pixar Animation Studios unveiled their seventh feature film Cars, introducing viewers to the world of racing (populated by anthropomorphic vehicles and machines) and of the tale of hotshot sensation Lightning McQueen. While the movie as emotionally palpable as Finding Dory, action packed as The Incredibles, or as ingeniously creative as Toy Story, Cars was met with mostly positive reviews from both fans and critics and did make a sizeable profit at the box office, which did help make the decision (by the studio execs) to green light a follow-up movie. That sequel materialized in 2011 with the release of Cars 2, featuring the return of Lightning McQueen as well as antics of Lightning’s comical sidekick and buddy, the tow truck Mater. Unfortunately, the movie was not well-received as its predecessor as the film, while still as a racing-style influences, added a new element (the spy genre) into this mix, which didn’t mesh well and became more of a distraction for the film (and its viewers) rather than broadening the scope of the franchise. Thus, despite gaining box office success, Cars 2 has been regarded by many as the lowest (and least favorite) of all the Pixar films. Now, after six years since Cars 2 came out, Pixar Animation Studios and director Brian Fee gear up for another installment in this franchise with the film Cars 3. Does this latest installment race to the finish line or does it get stuck at the start position? Read more

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