Pinocchio
SimilarFantasia (1940), Shrek (2001), Shrek 2 (2004), Shrek the Third (2007), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971),
MPAA RatingG,
StudioWalt Disney Productions,
Disney released a “live-action” remake of Pinocchio earlier in the fall, which was greeted with the same indifferent to negative critical response their “live-action” remakes always receive. I put “live-action” in quotes because referring to them as such is a bit generous. They’re predominantly CGI, with barely enough human actors appearing to qualify as a regular feature rather than animation. As with the remakes of The Lion King and Aladdin, beyond the fact that there was simply no reason for it to exist, Pinocchio smacked of cynicism, and sent a clear message to audiences: we can keep making the same thing over and over, and you rubes will pay to see it. Continue Reading →
The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse: Steamboat Silly
SimilarFantasia (1940),
MPAA RatingG,
As a relatively new face, Florence Pugh's sensational performance in William Oldroyd's Lady Macbeth was unexpected. To deliver a commanding performance of that deeply troubling, complex, and oft-alluded to character is difficult for screen and theatre vets, and yet Pugh did it with aplomb. She echoes that tour de force, albeit with a lighter approach, in Sebastian Lélio's The Wonder. Continue Reading →
Fantasia
SimilarIce Age (2002), Mary Poppins (1964), Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971),
MPAA RatingG,
StudioWalt Disney Productions,
Our final dispatch from Fantasia features a blend of powerful stories with dynamic female characters.
(This dispatch is part of our coverage of the 2022 Fantasia Film Festival.)
There is perhaps no more literal or better example of Fantasia's killer run of female-centered stories this year than Amanda Kramer’s kaleidoscopic Give Me Pity! Following Sissy St. Claire (Sophie Von Haselberg) for her singular Saturday night special, this remarkable feat of staging and performance is a golden, glittery, and gothic descent into the twisted psyche of a performer desperate for acceptance. At once a TV concert, sketch show, and dramatic showcase, Give Me Pity shows off the exhaustive range of its visionary director and solo star. Continue Reading →
Beauty and the Beast
Once Upon a Time… Continue Reading →
Cinderella II: Dreams Come True
SimilarHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), West Side Story (2021), Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971),
MPAA RatingG,
What if during one of your worst nightmares, you couldn't wake up, no matter how hard you tried? This the brooding question hanging throughout Come True, Anthony Scott Burns' sophomore horror thriller, coming off of Our House in 2018. The director (and now screenwriter) brings his visual effects background to develop an atmospheric wasteland of pure, spine-chilling dread with just a touch of analog sci-fi. The result is an ironically snoozy slog about the horrors of sleep paralysis that gets by more on vivid aesthetic than the sheer terror of what keeps us up at night. Continue Reading →