The Walt Disney Studios’ photo-realistic CGI remake of their 1992 animated smash hit Aladdin has me a bit nervous. One of my wishes (which I have off repeated on this blog) is that Disney would use their tremendous creative and financial resources in ways other than just remaking their entire animated catalog. Still, when one of these remakes gets released, my sincere hope is that the new film is going to be good.
Here’s a new poster for the 2019 remake of Aladdin.
And in case you missed it, here is the teaser poster for the 2019 film which is an homage to the teaser poster for the 1992 film (also pictured below).
2019 teaser poster1992 teaser poster
Check out these posters for IMAX, Real D, and Dolby Cinema.
SPOILER ALERT: This podcast contains some mild spoilers for Avengers: Endgame. I’ve got a spoiler-free review on the blog. Proceed at your own risk.
New in Theaters
The big show in town this weekend is Avengers: Endgame (Marvel Studios). I was able to see the film earlier this week and I share some thoughts about it on the podcast (and see the spoiler alert above).
Classic Cinema Corner
The latest TCM Essentials film was the Civil War epic Gone with the Wind (1939). I recorded it on my DVR while I was at the TCM Classic Film Festival and watched it during a couple of sessions this week (given the film’s four-hour run time). Can you believe that the film is still the all-time box office champ (adjusted for inflation, of course)?
Listen to the podcast below or subscribe to the podcast on Apple iTunes. Have fun at the movies this week and thanks again for tuning in.
After Thanos’ sinister snap in Avengers: Infinity War, our remaining heroes are left to deal with the aftermath in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame.
This film is actually the second half of last year’s cliff-hanger Avengers: Infinity War along with being the culmination of the 21 films so far in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU) from Marvel Studios, Marvel Comics’ in-house movie studio which began 11 years ago. The 21 Marvel Studios’ films are listed below (in order of release date).
Captain Marvel(2019; directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck)
The remaining Avengers try to figure out how to outsmart Thanos in AVENGERS: ENDGAME.
As we’ve learned throughout the 21 films, and particularly in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos (voiced again by Josh Brolin) is one bad dude. After collecting all six “infinity stones” and placing them in his “infinity gauntlet” glove, the already powerful villain got even more power and was able to make his “inevitable” wish come true—the complete elimination of 50% of the galaxy’s population with just the snap of his finger.
The original six MCU Avengers—Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlet Johansen), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)—along with James Rhoades/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) who all survived the snap decide to join forces, find Thanos, and make the universe right again, “whatever it takes.”
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo (aka The Russo Brothers) are no strangers to the MCU, having expertly directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War along with the first part of this film, Avengers: Infinity War. Their ability to weave together multiple storylines with many characters and make it seem effortless is truly, well, a marvel. The Russo Brothers are at the top of their game in this film, which not only has to bring together so many characters, but also has to bring a 21-film storyline to a satisfying conclusion.
And satisfying it is. I had a great time watching this film. It’s exciting, emotional, and supremely entertaining. Its three-hour running time is definitely epic length, but it’s worth it. The film made me feel like a kid again reading a great comic book series that’s full of imagination, adventure, surprise, wonder, and goodness. It’s a fitting end to an incredible run for this story arc in the MCU and I can’t wait to see what Marvel Studios is going to do next.
In the latest film from the nature documentarians at Disneynature, Penguins gives us an up-close look at the challenging and interesting life of the Adélie penguins in Antarctica.
As with most of these Disneynature films (not to mention the classic Disney True-Life Adventures series of the 1950s and 60s), the filmmakers have created a narrative into this particular corner of the natural world by following a penguin they named “Steve.”
Steve the penguin has just come into adulthood and it’s time for him to find a mate and hopefully have offspring to carry on the species. Steve does indeed find a mate (her name is “Adeline”) and Steve and Adeline end up having two baby penguins that they now hope to raise into adulthood themselves.
Narrated by actor Ed Helms (Andy Bernard from the U.S. version of The Office), the filmmakers give a deft tone to the truly taxing life of these Antarctic penguins. The penguins have to deal with the extreme weather of the location, they co-parent (meaning both mother and father take turns finding food for their young ones and they both keep the eggs and the hatched baby penguins warm), they have to combat the local predators (in this case, the skua birds and the leopard seals), and have a difficult migration path.
I saw the film in IMAX and was completely wowed by the gorgeous cinematography of this icy landscape and its inhabitants. It’s so amazing what these filmmakers are able to accomplish and how close they are able to get to all of the wildlife. (Stay through the end credits to see how some of the shots were actually done—again, amazing.) This film has lots of shots above ground as well as under water and they’re all remarkable and beautiful, just like the subject matter.
I found the film to be an impressive, compelling, and entertaining look into this part of our natural world. And I applaud Disneynature and their production partner the National Science Foundation for carrying on the important work of helping us all to better understand and care for our planet.
Make sure to check out the official Penguins website for additional educational materials as well.
The remainder of the podcast is devoted to the 2019 Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Classic Film Festival which I attended last week. More information about the festival can be found here. My own festival recap, including a list of all the films I saw, is here.
Listen to the podcast below or subscribe to the podcast on Apple iTunes. Have fun at the movies this week and we’ll see you next time.
I had a Classic Pass again this year, which provided access to all festival venues during all days of the festival (with the exception of the opening night gala screening and party) and it worked great. I got in line usually about 60 minutes before each screening and was able to get in every screening that I wanted to attend. I tweeted pics and summaries of the 14 films I saw at this year’s festival (copied below) in case you’re interested.
Film #2: THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER (1947). Winning comedy with Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple. The beautiful 35mm nitrate print used for tonight’s screening was donated to @TheAcademy by Shirley Temple herself. #TCMFF 📽🎞💯 (📷: RKO) pic.twitter.com/3feedUHdjW
Film #3: 60th anniversary screening of @DisneyAnimation SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959). Even though I recently saw this film on the big screen, there was no way I was going to miss another opportunity. A gorgeous, marvelous animated classic. #TCMFF 📽 pic.twitter.com/Q3VsVaCixO
Film #4: MY FAVORITE WIFE (1940). Cary Grant and Irene Dunne are perfection in this wonderful romantic screwball comedy. Packed theater with appreciative fans made it all the better. #TCMFF 📽💙 ( 📷: RKO) pic.twitter.com/1RMOcTRUHB
Film #5: ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ (1979). Based on the true story of three inmates who escaped in 1962 and were never found. Loved hearing the stories from screenwriter Richard Tuggle, who was in attendance (it was his first screenplay). #TCMFF 📽 pic.twitter.com/2y8FAwi1Pk
Film #6: WINCHESTER ‘73 (1950). Outstanding Western with James Stewart, Shelley Winters, and Stephen McNally. Outstanding intro by @jt_arn, too. 📽🌵🔫💯 #tcmffpic.twitter.com/VDTKRZ7BRk
Film #7: SANTO VS. THE EVIL BRAIN (1961). “Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta, the Mexican wrestler turned actor, launched his career as a superhero named Santo (the Saint) by taking on a mad scientist who has discovered the secret of mind control.” Really. 📽🇲🇽 #midnightmovie#TCMFFpic.twitter.com/LjnpaF2qNh
Film #8: WORKING GIRL (1988), part of the #TCMFF tribute to @20thcenturyfox. Casting director Juliet Taylor was in attendance and was interviewed by @Illeanarama. 📽💯👍🏽 pic.twitter.com/zZLPr1m3mS
Film #9: BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969). Surreal to see one of my favorite films on the big screen at the @ChineseTheatres. And the film’s composer Burt Bacharach was there, too. 🤩🎶📽💯 #TCMFFpic.twitter.com/Ej40xxmDfb
Film #10: STAR WARS (1977). Part of the festival’s @20thcenturyfox tribute. Excellent intro by the awesome @yzfreedman and @BenMank77 interviewed sound designer Ben Burtt, SFX artist Dennis Muren, and cinematographer Richard Edlund who all worked on the film. 💯💯💯💯💯📽 #TCMFFpic.twitter.com/1YR0Nnbcwv
Film #11: NIGHT WORLD (1932). Crazy pre-code gangster pic with Boris Karloff and many others (it even has a Busby Berkeley musical number in it). Screened in 35mm. #TCMFF 📽 pic.twitter.com/oRWnjD77hr
Film #12: MARTY (1955). American cinéma vérité (and a happy one as well). First time seeing this film all the way through and I loved it. Presented in 35mm. #TCMFF 📽 (📷: United Artists) pic.twitter.com/7rfCp72mcD
Film #13: ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT (1942). Humphrey Bogart and his gang of gambling goombas take on a group of Nazis infiltrating NYC. It’s like GUYS AND DOLLS but with Nazis and bad music. A new (and weird) discovery which makes going to a film festival really fun. 📽 #TCMFFpic.twitter.com/NnOeXN1XdL
Film #14: OPEN SECRET (1948). Introduced by the Czar of Noir himself @EddieMuller, this cheaply made but effective film addresses racism in post-World War II America. Final film of the festival. 😢📽 #TCMFFpic.twitter.com/cKaXJ1JiX1
I also attended two presentations: the “Meet TCM” presentation on day one of the festival with a panel discussion from the TCM management team and a cool 20th Century Fox retrospective presented by Schawn Belton, Executive Vice Present of Media and Library Services at 20th Century Fox. Both were terrific.
The 20th Century Fox presentation was in a new venue for the festival—the American Legion Post 43 Theatre. Recently restored, the building and theater are just beautiful.
Overall, this year’s festival was just fantastic. The films, the presenters, the staff, and the venues for the most part were great. It was also such a pleasure to visit with so many nice people while in line at the festival and to have the opportunity to meet in person fellow TCM fans that I follow on social media.
Just a couple of gripes:
The seats in the TCL Chinese Multiplex are supremely uncomfortable. Low to the ground and with seat cushions that are in dire need of replacement, I was squirming in pain and discomfort throughout the screenings there. I know it’s not TCM’s responsibility, but I hope someone will pony up some money and help save us filmgoers who are spending hours in those horrible seats.
Even more so than the Mos Eisley spaceport, Hollywood Boulevard continues to be a “wretched hive of scum and villainy.” Having to navigate through the sea of tourists, the endless hawkers, and deafening street performers is something that I never enjoy. The venues at the TCM Classic Film Festival are wonderful and their surroundings are the worst.
Someone needs to coach me on where to find a good meal within the general area of the film festival. Everything that I ate this year was expensive and mediocre. I’ll keep trying…
Is It 2020 Yet?
I’m already planning my trip for next year’s festival. Many thanks again to TCM for providing this one-of-a-kind opportunity to see such an eclectic and excellent curation of classic films on the big screen!
Shazam! (Here’s a link to the opening theme from the 1974-76 CBS television show; and it’s interesting how “Shazam” the super hero used to be known as “Captain Marvel”–more details about that here)
Listen to the podcast below or subscribe to the podcast on Apple iTunes. Have fun at the movies this week and we’ll see you next time.
