"We're not critics. We're professional fan-girls." --- This blog is dedicated to movies and the entertainment industry. We use random selection to bring into light the best and worst of streaming films and entertainment news.
Streaming Service: Netflix Movie Name/Year: Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022) Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy,
Musical Length: 1h 36min Rating: TV-Y7 Production/Distribution: Timeless Films, Netflix Director: Stephen Donnelly Writer: Leslie Bricusse, Stephen
Donnelly, Charles Dickens Actors: Luke Evans, Olivia Colman, Jessie
Buckley, Johnny Flynn, Fra Fee, Giles Terera, Trevor Dion Nicholas, James
Cosmo, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Jenkins, Rupert Turnbull, Devon Pomeroy,
Zaris-Angel Hator, Jemima Lucy Newman, Jeremiah Daley, Rebecca Gethings, Sheena
Bhattessa, Homer Todiwala, Ayesha Antoine, Ewan Bailey, Graham Silcock, Stephen
Donnelly IMDb Blurb: A supernatural, time-travelling,
musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's cult Christmas story
Cat’s Point of View: There have been so many retellings of Charles Dickens’s
classic novella of A Christmas Carol.
We’ve seen versions tackled by Disney, The Muppets, and countless other
adaptations for both the large and small screens. It’s a timeless tale of
holiday cheer, the resilience of the human spirit, and a journey of personal
redemption. There are likely going to be many more interpretations of this
Dickensian masterpiece for years to come. Though, with that being said, it makes it harder for new
versions to stand out when compared to everything that has come before. One
would think there are only so many ways you can tell the same story, right?
You wouldn’t even be too far off thinking you’ve seen this
particular movie before, if you’ve watched the live action musical Scrooge (1970). Scrooge: A Christmas Carol is actually an animated remake of that
very movie. The dedication in the credits to the lauded British composer Leslie
Bricusse (1931-2021) harkens back to the original 1970 production, which he
wrote the music, lyrics, and screenplay for (as well as the 1992 stage play).
Bricusse also wrote the screenplay for this Netflix adaptation, including 6 of
the original songs. Sadly, this was his final film project and he passed in
2021, unable to see its release. When I first saw the trailer for Scrooge: A Christmas Carol, I was thinking it might be cute but
basic – because I was getting that ‘been there, done that’ feeling. I was
worried that it wouldn’t hold my attention. This time of year, I’m burning the
proverbial candle at both ends and sometimes it’s really easy for me to drift
off if I’m not well-engaged with what I’m watching. I didn’t have any problems staying tuned in at all.
The music was gorgeous and didn’t feel recycled. The
animation was smooth and well integrated the old 2-D style with the more
updated computer enhanced cinematics. I really enjoyed the direction they took
Scrooge’s redemption arc through the animations shown at each ghost-led
journey. The way the thoughts played out as he connected emotions with his
actions and their consequences was very well done, and in a freshly innovative
way. Then there was the cast… I can’t get over this cast, really. The production team made
some phenomenal decisions here. Luke Evans (Beauty
and the Beast, The Alienist, Pinocchio) voiced the titular character, and
let me tell you, this man has a gorgeous singing voice on top of his great
acting ability. Olivia Colman’s (The Lost
Daughter, Empire of Light, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) portrayal of Past
was both funny and touching. Jessie Buckley (Beast, Chernobyl, Women Talking) had me misty when she sang in her
role as Isabel Fizziwig. Jonathan Pryce (The
Two Popes, Save the Cinema, The Crown) was hauntingly wonderful as the
embodiment of Jacob Marley – and his ghost. I could go on, but I’ll rest there.
Scrooge: A Christmas
Carol was absolutely everything I expected it to be – and then some. I was
surprised by how engrossed I became with the story and the music. Yes, some
parts were a little silly – but aren’t most musicals at one point or another?
This film would be a great selection to watch with family, especially if you
have children that haven’t really experienced this story before. I would
caution, however, showing this to very young children. There might be some
scary imagery and concepts that could disturb them when Scrooge visits the future. All told, I’d say I enjoy this version more than the old
fashioned period piece it was adapted from, and I might just watch this again
before the end of this Holiday Season.
Streaming Service: Paramount+ Movie Name/Year: Blue’s Big City Adventure (2022) Genre: Comedy, Musical, Family Length: 1h 22min Rating: TV-Y Production/Distribution: Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies, 9
Story Media Group, Nickelodeon Network, Paramount+ Director: Matt Stawski Writers: Liz Maccie, Angela Santomero Actors: BD Wong, Alex Winter, Steve
Burns, Ali Stroker, Steven Pasquale, Joshua Dela Cruz, Donovan Patton, Taboo,
Jacob Soley, Ava Augustin, Amanda Dela Cruz, Brianna Bryan, Traci Paige Johnson IMDb Blurb: Josh and Blue head to New York
City to audition for a big Broadway musical.
Cat’s Point of View: If I had to sum up my experience with Blue’s Big City Adventure, I’d call it an adorable
big-screen-worthy addition to the wholesome franchise. This is the sort of
movie you can watch with very little kids and feel 100% confident that they’re
not going to be watching anything questionable at all. The bonus is that there
was enough going on that adults shouldn’t be too bored watching along, too! Admittedly, I’m far outside of the demographic Blue’s Clues (1996-2020) is geared
towards. My daughter has even outgrown the inquisitive blue pup and her
sidekicks. All the same, I wasn’t bored to tears watching Blue’s Big City Adventure.
This full-length movie felt like an extended special feature
for the Blue’s Clues show that condensed a small Broadway production into a
format palatable for the very young. The singing and dancing were spot on and
highly entertaining, even though they were working through problem-solving and
hunting those iconic blue paw print clues. Blue’s Big City
Adventure even presents methods of combating performance anxiety through
de-stressing techniques and preparing for the task at hand adequately. In this
case, vocal warm-up exercises were an apt preparation. There’s also a lot to be
said for the teamwork lessons here, too. I don’t want to give it all away, but
I was pleased with the ‘lessons’ couched in fun, song, and dance.
Of course, there’s also the matter of a Blue’s Clues host
reunion of sorts taking place on screen. Steve Burns (Netherbeast Incorporated, Christmas on Mars, Blue's Clues & You)
and Donovan Patton (Team Umizoomi, Super
PupZ, Gabby's Dollhouse) join forces to help current host Joshua Dela Cruz
(Point Man, Adam Bloom, The Tiny Chef
Show) and Blue find their way through New York City in hopes of making it
in time for Josh’s Broadway audition. I was even giggling over the cameo appearances.
The Holiday Season tends to be rather hectic and kids tend
to have large chunks of time away from school during this time period. Blue’s Big City Adventure was well timed
in its release to Paramount+ so that it presents a constructive option to offer
kids while adults are busy with holiday preparation and chores. I’ll say,
though, that it would work wonderfully as a family experience together as
well. An added bonus is that Blue’s Big
City Adventure is streaming on Paramount+ so it doesn’t require all of the
hassle and wrangling to get little ones to a theater. Either way, I’m thrilled that this adorable little blue pup
can frolic through our homes this year, and absolutely would recommend anyone
with young kids to check it out.
I’ll admit that I haven’t been quite as vigilant, recently,
with paying attention to my entertainment news feeds. For this reason, Selina
was able to pretty much knock me out of my chair with some newsfresh off the ‘presses’ – She-Ra: Princess of Power(1985-1987) is getting a Netflix reboot
series in 2018.
Netflix issued the statement
on December 12, 2017 regarding a number of new shows they’ll be bringing to the
streaming service along with Dreamworks. "From Eisner Award-winning author
and executive producer Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes,
Nimona) comes a modern take on the ‘80s girl power icon for a new
generation of young fans. The trailblazing property originally debuted in 1985
to satisfy overwhelming demand for a female lead fantasy series. With
Stevenson's unique voice at the helm, fans are in store for an epic and timely
tale that celebrates female friendship and empowerment, lead by a warrior
princess tailor made for today. The series will be available to Netflix members
worldwide in 2018."
This deal has apparently been in the works for a little bit,
all very hush-hush. Stevenson appears to be very excited about the project.
With the veil of secrecy still shrouding the project, she still couldn’t help
tease us all about what was ‘behind the curtain.’ Once the proverbial cat was
out of the bag, however, she was quick to share her enthusiasm with a tweet
linking one of the many articles that spread through the net’s geek community
like wildfire. While her link leads to Variety; I’ve also seen articles on Nerdist, CBR,
Comicbook.com,
MSN,
LA
Times, and the list goes on.
I am seriously excited about the prospect of this new
series. Further, I can only hope that it performs better than the various attempts
over the years to bring He-Man and the
Masters of the Universe (1983–1985) back to the screen. However, rather
than finding itself in the hands of a more traditional or cable network, this
project will be curated by Netflix. I have yet to see them drop the ball on one
of their projects. This gives me a great deal of hope that this will be the She-Ra we need for this generation.
While little is known about cast or plot elements currently,
it is my hope that we’ll receive a bit of a trail of breadcrumbs leading to the
streaming premiere. The news is so fresh, it’s possible that we’ll get
information such as cast announcements sprinkled in the time between now and
then. It’s smart to keep us on the edge of our seats a bit. It generates
prolonged buzz and anticipation for the series, after all.
It’s really the only thing I’m a little anxious about. The
casting choices can make or break the whole thing.Admittedly, the plot is another factor we know very little
about as well. It’s not clear if this series will essentially repackage the
original story with only a few minor tweaks or if we’re going to get a
re-imagining for the more modern generation of viewers.
One thing’s for sure – I hope they keep at least one element
of the original show’s formatting. Back in the day, the 1980’s cartoons often
ended with a small PSA targeted to their young audiences. G.I. Joe (1983-1986) is one of the most remembered for that –
because “knowing is half the battle.”
She-Ra took a
different tack on the concept in that the show had a character dedicated to the
moral tie-in for the episodes named Loo-Key of the Etherian species of Kon-Seals.
He would often be hidden in various episode scenes. At the end of the show, he’d
play a bit of a ‘Where’s Waldo’ game asking kids if they spotted him. He then
revealed where he was hiding and then shared the moral of the story.
The first episode Loo-Kee appeared in was #6 of the first
season. The 5 episodes prior were dedicated to She-Ra’s origin story as told by
the theatrical movie that was her debut - He-Man
and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985). This was a brilliant idea, at
the time. It ensured that kids that couldn’t make it to theaters for the film
still didn’t miss out on the story (and Mattel didn’t miss out on toy sales
opportunities). Though, once the stand-alone original content of the series
started; Loo-Kee and the Kon-Seals became a firm fixture.
The first moral message shared with the ending of episode #6
was about bullies and encouraging kids to talk to their parents if it happened.
In a world where kids are opting-out of life because of bullying, this is a
very relevant message. Kids’ shows today seem to be missing some of the more
meaningful elements that we got with the older generations of cartoons. These
PSAs were clear, unmistakable, and didn’t rely on anyone to extrapolate the
message from the show’s plot alone.
At its very core, She-Ra’s
story arc explores family, redemption, fighting for what is right, and
friendship. I’ve heard She-Ra
compared to Xena: Warrior Princess(1995-2001), as she was certainly a strong female role model in the fantasy
genre for the 1980s. We live in a modern age of female empowerment, and this
show is an excellent vehicle to strengthen the can-do spirit in girls of all
ages.
I will be waiting with bated breath for this new series to
premiere, and you can bet you’ll hear from me afterwards to let you know if it
lives up to expectations once I’ve binge-watched it all. I can't wait to visit Etheria again!
Since there’s so little known about the details of the new
series, I’ve compiled an overview for the original series for you below. If you
are unfamiliar with the series, you can always watch Season 1 of the original
on Netflix right now. Let us know if you find Loo-Kee!
Series Name/Year: She-Ra:
Princess of Power (1985-1987)
Tagline: For the honor of
Grayskull, SHE-RA has the power!
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Length: 2 Seasons, 93
Episodes, Run-time average 21 min. per episode
Rating: TV-Y7
Production Companies:
Filmation Associates, Mattel
Producer: Lou Scheimer
Directors: Bill Reed, Lou
Kachivas, Richard Trueblood, Marsh Lamore, Ernie Schmidt, Ed Friedman, Tom
Tataranowicz, Tom Sito, Mark Glamack, Steve Clark, Bill Nunes, Bob Arkwright,
Gwen Wetzler
Writers: J. Michael
Straczynski, Gene Ayres, Tom Bagen, Carol Baxter, Frank Becker, Joseph
Botsford, Harvey Brenner, J. Larry Carroll, Michael Chain, Lawrence G.
DiTillio, Kathryn M. Drennan, Steven J. Fisher, Bob Forward, Lee Fraser,
Barbara Hambly, Phil Harnage, Don Heckman, Denis Higgins, Coslough Johnson,
Philip Kassel, Durnford King, Robert Lamb, Drew Lawrence, Francis Moss, Arthur
H. Nadel, Brynne Stephens, Michael Utvich, Brooks Wachtel, Michael Chase
Walker, Chris Weber, Robert White, Karen Willson, Leslie Wilson, Linda Yuro
Actors: Melendy Britt, Linda
Gary, John Erwin, George DiCenzo, Lou Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Alan
Oppenheimer, Diane Pershing
Netflix Blurb For Classic
Series: Disguised as superpowered She-Ra, Princess Adora -- He-Man's twin
sister -- fights to save planet Etheria from the clutches of dark sorcerer
Hordak.
Languages Currently Available
With Classic Series on Netflix:
Speech Available: English,
German
Subtitles Available: English
[CC], Arabic, German, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese
For a little lagniappe (something extra), have a dash of nostalgic cheer for your holiday season with this cartoon Christmas special.
But
I Digress... is a weekly column for trustthedice.com that can't be pinned down
to just one thing. It's our celebration of tangents, random references, and
general fan geekdom that both intertwines with, revolves around, and diverges
from our movie-review core. In homage to the beloved Brit comedians, we want to
bring you something completely different!
Movie Name/Year: LEGO
Jurassic World: The Indominus Escape (2016)
Tagline: None
Genre: Family, Comedy
Length: 24
minutes
Rating: TV-Y7
Production Companies:
The LEGO Group, NBC Universal Brand Development, Pure Imagination Studios,
Universal Studios
Producer: Jason
Cosler, Robert Fewkes, Jill Wilfert, Leslie Barker, Joshua Wexler
Director: Michael
D. Black
Writer: Jonathan
Callan and Jim Krieg
Actors: Bryce
Dallas Howard, Jake Johnson, Zachary Levi, A.J. LoCascio, Fred Tatasciore, BD
Wong, David Gunning, Lauren Lapkus, Sendhil Ramamurthy
Blurb from Netflix:
The scientists of Jurassic World create a captivating and terrifying new
creature that loves hot dogs. But what happens when the hot dogs run out?
Selina’s Point of View:
I love the Jurassic
Park series (1993-2015). All of them. The original and World were both great, the others are more along the lines of
guilty pleasures.
Still, when that Jurassic
Park (1993) music amps up, it makes me all sorts of excited to see what’s
coming next. It’s such epic music. Iconic. There are very few people that can’t
pin point exactly where that music comes from. By now we’re conditioned to
respond to it.
This short television episode/movie was like an adorable,
ridiculous, prequel that led into a parody of the actual story. I laughed quite
a bit.
I’d recommend this in a heartbeat, but I’d also recommend
watching the original Jurassic World (2015)
first or it’ll be spoiled for you.
Cat’s Point of View:
This mini-movie didn’t try to replicate the big-screen live
action feature. Obviously, with its run-time, that would have been impossible.
It did, however, successfully borrow a few moments from the source.
All in all, it was funny, silly, and as adorable as a film
about a scary rampaging dinosaur can be. It likely helped that there was a
decided absence of blood and gore – hooray for the Lego format. The humor
wasn’t all for kids, though. There was also an undertone subtly aimed at an
older audience – especially for those that had seen the full length live action
dino-show. These elements were somewhat poking fun at the movie and its
characters rather cleverly.
Some of the cast members of Jurassic World (2015) reprised their roles here. The voices of
Bryce Dallas Howard (As You Like It,
Hereafter, The Help) and BD Wong (The
Normal Heart, Focus, Mr. Robot) brought Claire Dearing and Dr. Wu to life.
I quite enjoyed this little movie and will be glad to
recommend it to anyone whom enjoys the Lego genre – and especially those that
have seen Jurassic World, too. It’s
not even a huge time investment! You might even squeeze it in between family
visits during the holidays.
