Watch this blog site for film reviews, whether blockbusters, box office bombs or highly obscure. Our genres will include science fiction, animation, musical, action, fantasy, drama, documentary, thriller, horror, romance, western and comedy.
I know it's too late to do an obituary of someone who passed away last month, but I hope you understand.
The Oscar-nominated character actor Ned Beatty, known for his roles in films such as "Deliverance", "All the President's Men", "Network", "Superman", and "Toy Story 3", passed away on June 13th, 2021, due to natural causes. He was 83 years old.
In 1972, after years of being in regional theatre, Beatty made his screen debut opposite Burt Reynolds in the movie "Deliverance", where his character gets brutally assaulted by two mountain men while on a canoeing trip. In 1976, Beatty appeared in films like "All the President's Men", "The Big Bus", "Silver Streak", and "Mikey and Nicky". Later that same year, Ned Beatty's performance in "Network" earned him his only supporting actor Oscar nomination.
In 1978, Beatty received a call from director Richard Donner to play Lex Luthor's bumbling henchman Otis in "Superman: The Movie" and its 1980 sequel "Superman II". In 1991, he had a leading role in the Irish movie "Hear My Song".
Beatty's other films included "The Front Page", "The Big Easy", "Nashville", and more recently "Shooter", "Charlie Wilson's War", "Toy Story 3" (where he voiced the evil stuffedbear Lotso) and "Rango" before he retired in 2013. Beatty often appeared on television with recurring roles such as John Goodman's father in the sitcom "Roseanne" and a detective in "Homicide: Life on the Streets".
Contrary to the belief, Ned was unrelated to fellow Hollywood actor Warren Beatty, as both were born in 1937.
Richard Donner, the man who directed such films as "The Omen", "Superman: The Movie", "The Goonies", "Scrooged", and the "Lethal Weapon" series, passed away on July 5th, 2021. He was 91 years old.
Donner initially wanted to become an actor as he sought to develop his career and gained a minor role in a television program. However, its director, Martin Ritt, encouraged Donner to be a director instead. And so Dick was hired by Ritt to be his assistant. Later, Donner began directing commercials while among the staff of Desilu. He transitioned to television series in the late 1950s, starting with "Get Smart", "The Twilight Zone" (most notably, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with William Shatner), "The Wild Wild West", "Perry Mason", "Kojak", and "Gilligan's Island". Donner also worked with the animation studio Hanna-Barbera in directing several episodes of the serial "Danger Island" as part of the kids' show "The Banana Splits".
Richard's first movie as the director in 1961 was the low-budget "X-15" starring Charles Bronson. He then directed a few British films such as "Salt and Pepper", "Twinky" (aka "Lola")and "Child Bride". Donner also broke in directing movies made for television, including "A Shadow in the Streets" and "Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic".
Using what experience learned from "The Twilight Zone", Donner made it through the forte of helming feature-length movies with the scary "The Omen". This runaway successresulted in his assignment to bring "Superman" to the big screen in 1978, which brought him worldwide recognition. The movie starred Christopher Reeve as the Man of Steel, alongside Margot Kidder, Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman and Ned Beatty, and set the template for future superhero movies. However, halfway through the film's sequel, "Superman II", in its near completion, a dispute with the producers causes Donner to get ejected and replaced by Richard Lester, though much of Donner's scenes remained intact, albeit uncredited. In 2006, Donner released his director's cut of "Superman II" on DVD, which came out the same day as Bryan Singer's franchise revival of "Superman Returns" debut on home video.
After his dismissal from "Superman II", Donner directed "Inside Moves", which is one of his smaller and personal films and didn't perform well at the box office despite fair noticesand "The Toy", starring Richard Pryor. In 1985, he directed the period romantic fantasy "Ladyhawke" with Michele Pfieffer. The same year, Donner directed a seminal children's adventure movie for writer Chris Columbus and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg, "The Goonies", a coming-of-age film about a group of kids looking for hidden treasure.
Following the mid-80s movies is the success of "Lethal Weapon", Donner reinvented the buddy cop subgenre with "Mad Max" star Mel Gibson and Danny Glover in the lead roles. It led to three more entries, which Donner has also directed. Donner would later work with Gibson in films like "Maverick" and "Conspiracy Theory". Donner's other films include "Scrooged" with Bill Murray, "Radio Flyer", "Assassins", "Timeline" and "16 Blocks". The latter of which proved to be his last.
In addition to directing features, Donner was the executive producer in films such as "Omen III: The Final Conflict", "The Lost Boys", "Delirious", three movies of "Free Willy", and "Any Given Sunday". He was even involved in the "X-Men" movie franchise with his wife, Lauren Shuler, through their company, The Donners' Company, especially Bryan Singer's first entry (click here) and its prequel "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".
Plot Summary
A dog discovers the meaning of life when he is reincarnated several times in different breeds with different owners before reuniting with his true master.
Cast
Josh Gad - Bailey/Ellie/Tino/
Buddy (Voice)
Dennis Quaid - Adult Ethan
Peggy Lipton - Adult Hannah
Bryce Gheisar - Ethan - 8 Years Old
K.J. Apa - Teen Ethan
Juliet Rylance - Ethan's Mom
Luke Kirby - Ethan's Dad
Gabrielle Rose - Grandma Fran
Michael Bofshever - Grandpa Bill
Britt Robertson - Teen Hannah
Logan Miller - Todd
Kirby Howell-Baptiste - Maya
Pooch Hall - Al
John Ortiz - Carlos
Nicole LaPlaca - Wendi
Primo Allan - Victor
Peter Kelamis - Dad's Boss
Caroline Cabe - Boss's Wife
Jane McGregor - Rachel
Michael Patric - Sam
Brooke Warrington - Bree -
7 Years Old
Kenyan Alexander Walcott -
Ty - 5 Years Old
Treyton Augustus Walcott - Richie - 4 Years Old
Alicia Johnston - Hysterical Mother
Chris Webb - Kidnapper
Naomi Frenette - Kidnapped Girl
Crew
Director - Lasse Hallström
Based on the Novel/
Screenplay - W. Bruce Cameron
Screenplay - Cathryn Michon,
Audrey Wells, Maya Forbes and
Wallace Wolodarsky
Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Alan C. Blomquist
Executive Producers - Lauren Pfeiffer
and Mark Sourian
Producer - Gavin Polone
Co-Producers - Holly Bario and Kim Todd
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Lesley Oswald
Casting Director - John Papsidera
Animal Trainers - Raymond W. Beal,
Tammy Blackburn, Mathilde Decagny,
Yuka Fukushima, Larry Madrid,
Doree Sitterly, David Sousa and Brian Turi
Production Designer - Michael Carlin
Supervising Art Director - Réjean Labrie
Art Director - Larry Spittle
Set Decorator - Craig Sandells
Costume Designer - Shay Cunliffe
Director of Photography - Terry Stacey
Additional Photography - Robby Baumgartner
Stunt Coordinator - Marny Eng
Special Effects Coordinator - Tim Freestone
Visual Effects Supervisor - Jon Campfens
Editor - Robert Leighton
Supervising Sound Editor - Eliza Paley
Sound Designer - Mariusz Glabinski
Re-Recording Mixers - Skip Lievsay
and Lawrence Zipf
Music - Rachel Portman
Music Supervisor - Liza Richardson
Score Conductor/Orchestrator - Jeff Atmajian
Review
Before watching A DOG'S JOURNEY, I decided to watch A DOG'S PURPOSE to see the events where it took place before its sequel. While deep, poignant and thought-provoking, this film will make dog lovers cry, even if it reminds them of the pets they once owned. Frankly, there has not been a movie about a dog I have seen that was so sad since I only watched Red Dog. However, critics were unkind to A DOG'S PURPOSE as allegations of animal abuse spread when a video taken from the set of the movie that supposedly showed it (proven to be misleading) went viral on TMZ, which hurt its reputation before its release.
I liked the movie's concept of a dog going through multiple lives and showing its unique perspective. The film is somewhat comparable to the other dog movies that Lasse Hallström has directed. I have not seen any of them. It will be fun to explore these films that may contain sadness. I am surprised that Josh Gad has done a terrific job voicing the dog's inner thoughts. The casting is impeccable, including Dennis Quaid as the older Ethan, and the seasoned actor has brought conviction into his heartfelt role.
It's a sentimental movie that is doggone wild as it tugs at your heartstrings. A DOG'S PURPOSE is a must-see film recommended to all ages.
Before she became Cruella DeVil, Estella had dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and had the ambition, creativity and talent to do so. She befriends a pair of thieves who admire her appetite for mischief. Together, they make a life for themselves
on the streets of London. One day, Estella soon catches the eye of the narcissistic Baroness, a fashion legend, which lands Estella a perfect job living out her dreams of becoming a top fashionista. However, a course of event revelations set in motion will cause Estella to embrace her wild side and become the raucous, stylish and revenge-bent Cruella.
Cast
Emma Stone - Estella/Cruella
Emma Thompson - The Baroness
Joel Fry - Jasper
Paul Walter Hauser - Horace
John McCrea - Artie
Emily Beecham - Catherine/
Maid
Mark Strong - John the Valet
Kayvan Novak - Roger
Kirby Howell-Baptiste - Anita Darling
Jamie Demetriou - Gerald
Niamh Lynch - Liberty Shop Girl
Andrew Leung - Jeffrey
Ed Birch - Baroness Head of Security
Dylan Lowe - Mean Ginger
Abraham Popola - George
Leo Bill - Headmaster
Ninette Finch - Lady
Sarah Crowden - Beehive Lady
Tom Turner - The Baron
Sid Sagar - Mark
Tim Steed - Frederick
Tipper Seifert-Cleveland - Estella (12 yrs)
Maeve & Nell Chadwick -
Estella (Toddler)
Billie Gadsdon - Estella (5 yrs)
Ziggy Gardner - Jasper (12 yrs)
Joseph MacDonald - Horace (12 yrs)
Florisa Kamara - Anita (12 yrs)
Bobby - Bubby
Bluebell - Wink
Crew
Director - Craig Gillespie
Based Upon the Novel "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" - Dodie Smith
Story/Executive Producer - Aline Brosh McKenna
Story - Kelly Marcel and Steve Zissis
Screenplay - Dana Fox and Tony McNamara
Executive Producers - Glenn Close,
Jared LeBoff, Emma Stone and Michelle Wright
Producers - Kristin Burr, Andrew Gunn and
Marc Platt
Co-Producer/Unit Production Manager -
Mark Mostyn
Casting Directors - Lucy Bevan and Mary Vernieu
Production Designer - Fiona Crombie
Supervising Art Director - Martin Foley
Set Decorator - Alice Felton
Costume Designer - Jenny Beavan
Hair and Makeup Designer - Nadia Stacey
Director of Photography - Nicolas Karakatsanis
Supervising Location Manager - Ali James
Choreographer - Adam Murray
Stunt Coordinator - Jason Hunjan
Fight Coordinator - Vincent Wang
Special Effects Supervisor - Steven Warner
Special Effects Co-Supervisor - Stephen Hutchinson
Special Effects Coordinator/Buyer - Anna Krawczyk
Visual Effects Supervisor - Max Wood
Film Editor - Tatiana S. Riegel
Supervising Sound Editor - Mark P. Stoeckinger
Sound Designers - Alan Rankin
and Ann Scibelli
Sound Designer/Re-Recording Mixer -
Martyn Zub
Production Mixer - Paul Munro
Re-Recording Mixer - Ron Bartlett
Music - Nicholas Britell
Music Supervisor - Susan Jacobs
Score Recordist and Mixer - Geoff Foster
Review
Many people had seen 101 Dalmatians when they were young, depending on which interpretation, whether it'd be the Disney animated classic or the 1996 remake. However, the only thing in the movie that terrifies them the most is the villain, Cruella DeVil, a fur-obsessed villainess who will stop nothing to get what she wants, even when she tries to skin a few Dalmatian puppies to make fur coats. The animated incarnation is the one that they remember best. Not even Glenn Close's portrayal could come close to the character of her mannerisms. While I haven't compared the two versions of Cruella nor reviewed much of the 101 Dalmatians movies, CRUELLA will be the opportunity to look at the character we all fear and love to hate.
The film did not belong in the ongoing tradition of live-action remakes from Disney, which it might as well have been. It provides a unique spin on the titular character with the empathy of her backstory, whereas previous iterations are villainous and petty. It isn't the first time Disney has done this sort of thing, which has similarly occurred in Maleficent. I didn't realise after watching the movie that Glenn Close was one of the executive producers involved. CRUELLA is a family-friendly heist film mixed with pathos and dark comedy, which Disney would never do in a few of its live-action offerings. It has an involved storyline that explains everything, and I admire the production values of this movie.
Emma Stone was a perfect choice for Cruella, and her performance is hypnotic despite fans finding her version of the character to be soft and not as wicked as they'd hoped. Emma Thompson was dapper as she played the icy fashion designer Baroness, who was far more sinister than Cruella. Even Mark Strong was great as the valet. The costume design is superb, and the film has a great soundtrack with songs from Queen, ELO and The Clash.
Some people have favourably compared this movie to another tragic villain origin story, Joker, except it's less violent and cynical. However, CRUELLA is an entertaining film, which goes without saying that it's enjoyable.
