Loveable? Playful? Mischievous? Loyal? Sometimes possessive? All pet owners know their darlings are all of these, but in The Secret Life of Pets, they are these and more—adventurous, spiteful, heroic, and really comical. Basic credit should go to the directors (Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney), the writers (Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch, Cinco Paul), Production designer […]
The BFG seemed to capture children’s interest and attention in the screening I attended, and there was applause at the end. Noises I heard from kids during the film seemed more like they were engaged and involved rather than restless, despite the almost-2-hour production. I got the impression they were following the BFG’s malapropisms as
Another day, another unnecessary sequel. The original Alice in Wonderland (2010) director Tim Burton has abandoned the project (still a producer) while The Muppets director James Bobin takes over. For all intents and purposes Alice Through the Looking Glass appears to be the same; familiar cast, characters, and style. However, it’s a complete departure from
Disney is on a quest to bring to life all of their classic animated stories. Last year Cinderella got the live action treatment, now Jon Favreau leaves superheroes behind to direct the classic story of a young boy raised by animals. Of course this isn’t the first attempt, it was given a live action treatment
Similar to what we saw in Heaven is For Real (2014), Miracles From Heaven is another film, adapted from a book, following the true story of a sick child, visiting Heaven. These films certainly have good intentions, they are impossible to hate. It’s the studio influence that reinforces stereotypes (the father can’t go into his
Christmas movies are as formulaic as horror films or romantic comedies, in many ways they are worse.
The film comically mentions that bestselling children’s book author R.L. Stine has sold more books than Stephen King, yet this is the first major motion picture based on his work. The Goosebumps movie project has been tossed around Hollywood for a while, but this particular script over reaches trying to shove all 62 original
Writer/director Ramin Bahrani’s last film At Any Given Price (2012) took a hard look at the family unit, human condition, and the corruption that fell between them. His latest, 99 Homes, continues to explore dramatic and stressful situations, with families at the center. This time everything from the performances to the script are more finely
The Minions are some of the most lovable creatures in children’s movies. Illumination Entertainment, directors Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin, writer Brian Lynch, and musician Heitor Pereira deserve high praise for making a film that is truly entertaining, uplifting, and insightful about human beings, with all accompanied by delightful music from the sixties.
