Steven Spielberg’s musical remake “West Side Story” leads the pack, offering a modern update on the tarnished Oscar-winning best picture of 1961. Full disclosure: Spielberg’s “West Side Story” was my and likely other non-Broadway fans’ entry point into the material. Having never experienced the Broadway show, nor the original film, or even heard a single […]
When the witches are away, the mice will play. This is a fun piece narrated by Chris Rock and starring him and two excellent actors, Octavia Spencer and Anne Hathaway, in a fantasy based on a Roald Dahl novel. Kid-friendly, of course, but with suspense that is likely to be enjoyed by adults as well as children.
Netflix delivers a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s best picture winner “Rebecca”, based on Daphne Du Maurier’s novel. While the original was presented in eerie black and white, Ben Wheatley’s adaptation is gloriously colorful, even using the easily recognizable Hatfield House, in Hertfordshire where “The Favourite” was shot. While Kristin Scott Thomas (“Military Wives”) is ideally
There have been so many remakes of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s “The Secret Garden,” that Colin Firth has now starred in two. The Oscar-winning actor originally played the adult version of Colin Craven (Hayhurst) in the 1986 rendition. Here, Firth is the Grandmaster of lunacy, Lord Archibald Craven, with little screen time, but his name in big
Since 1923 Hollywood has been relentlessly turning out a new version of Jack London’s story about a California dog who becomes an Alaskan sled dog, every few years. Live action, animated, feature films and TV Movies. It’s a long list. The two most widely seen versions were the 1992 Made for Television (CBS Films) movie
Writer/directors Nat Faxon and Jim Rash’s “Downhill” is less of a remake of the 2014 award winning “Force Majeure” and more of an English language interpretation. The premise is the same, however with older, American characters, a tightened script, and a slight imbalance in the point of view, “Downhill” is the simplified version for US
“Short and spicy”, “married or dead”, those were the parameters Louisa May Alcott was given on how to write women and end her stories in the 1850’s. Academy Award nominated director Greta Gerwig brings Alcott’s “Little Women” back to life 25 years after it’s last theatrical treatment that starred Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon. Short
The fact that filmmaker Roland Emmerich (“White House Down,” “10,000 BC”) having to get funds outside the U.S. to finance his $100+ million epic of American history should have been a clue that more work was needed with this project. Emmerich has assembled a B-list cast of characters and attempts to give each at least
What hard lessons for a cub to learn, especially when malevolence is involved! Simba (McCreary as the young Simba) is so proud to be next in line for king, but is so young he doesn’t understand the responsibilities that are part of such an honor. He sees it initially as more freedoms for him, without regard for others. He’s
Director Guy Ritchie is a peculiar choice to helm Disney’s live-action remake of the 1992 animated film “Aladdin.” Will Smith is an even more curious choice for the role of Genie, made iconic by the late Robin Williams. After dodging some initial controversy over Smith appearing in “blue-face,” Ritchie’s version, which runs about 40 minutes longer