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.
Tim Burton takes Disney’s beloved flying pachyderm on a new and somewhat dark journey in Walt Disney Studios’ latest live action+photo-realistic CGI remake Dumbo (2019).
This film merges the familiar narrative of the 1941 animated classic with a newly created circus-themed story. As in the original animated feature, the plot is set within a traveling troupe of circus and side show performers along with a menagerie of animals that travel from town to town by train (Casey Jr., of course). In this film, the year is 1919, the circus is the Medici Bros. Circus, and the ringleader is Max Medici (expertly played by Danny DeVito).
In addition to Max, we meet a slew of characters that are new to this story—most importantly the World War I veteran Holt Farrier (played by Colin Farrell) and his two children Milly (played by Nico Parker) and Joe (played by Finley Hobbins). Before the war, Holt and his wife had a successful circus act with horses. But when Holt goes away to fight in the war, he loses a lot—his wife dies, the horses get sold, and he loses one of his arms.
Colin Farrell, Nico Parker, and Finley Hobbins in DUMBO (2019)
Although the circus is one big happy family, it is in financial straits; so much so, that Max bets the farm (or circus) on an exotic new elephant named Mrs. Jumbo. It also turns out that Mrs. Jumbo is pregnant. Since the horses are gone, Max puts Holt and his kids in charge of the precious elephants.
The first act of the film is basically the original Dumbo movie but with these additional characters. Once the original story is out of the way, it takes a wild turn into a brand new direction over the next two-thirds of the film. “Dumbo” (as the baby elephant gets nicknamed) the flying elephant is an instant hit and brings a much needed financial boost to the Medici Bros. Circus. The newfound success piques the interest of circus magnate V.A. Vandevere (played by Michael Keaton) who owns a destination circus attraction and amusement park called Dreamland. Vandevere offers to purchase Medici Bros. Circus and makes Max an offer too good to pass up. But once everyone arrives at Dreamland, things just might be a bit too good to be true.
Danny DeVito in DUMBO (2019)
Tim Burton is able to put his distinctive stylistic stamp on the film, which I mostly liked. His early 20th century circus aesthetic has just the right combination of nostalgia and charm along with his trademark quirkiness.
Other than Danny DeVito (and possibly Colin Farrell), I just didn’t feel like the acting was particularly strong from much of the cast. Also as previously mentioned, the two-thirds of the film that delve into this original new story take Dumbo the character into an unexpected and rather unpleasant place for my tastes. While a newly added animal rights subplot is a timely and important theme, and Dumbo himself still has the same motivations (he just wants to be with his mom), it just didn’t come together in a harmonious and cohesive fashion.
Ultimately, the film is less of a remake and more of a new story and adventure that Dumbo gets plopped into. I kept thinking during the film that it should have had a different title (maybe “Dumbo’s Adventure in Dreamland” or, jokingly, “Free Dumbo: A Dumbo Story”). I respect Tim Burton’s talent and creativity and you all know how much I love the Disney, but this latest “remake” is definitely one that makes you want to run away from the circus rather than to join it.
The Criterion Channel launches on April 8! It’s not too late to sign up for a charter membership and enjoy their “Movie of the Week” via your browser on your computer or smartphone. Last week’s “Movie of the Week” was the classic film noir Detour (1945). This week’s film is the bonkers Czechoslovak film The Fabulous Baron Munchausen (1962).
Thanks for tuning in! 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.
Check out these new character posters that dropped today for Marvel Studios’ upcoming superhero fest Avengers: Endgame. There are 32 in all! The posters in full color are the characters that survived Thanos’ sinister snap at the end of Avengers: Infinity War last year.
I am excited and grateful to be attending the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Classic Film Festival again this year. Celebrating its 10th anniversary and with the theme of “Follow Your Heart: Love at the Movies,” the wonderful team at TCM has again assembled an outstanding selection of films for this annual event. Now that the full schedule has been released, it’s time to make a plan for what films I hope to see.
As always, I want to see most everything. Since splitting into five people is not an option, I have to choose. It’s the ultimate in first world problems, but, still, it’s often a bit agonizing.
Day One – Thursday, April 11
My current plan is to spend the opening night of this year’s festival at the Egyptian Theatre. I’ll kick the festival off with the musical comedy Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) starring Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell and part of the festival’s tribute to 20th Century Fox. Next up is a 35mm nitrate screening of the comedy The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Shirley Temple.
The difficult choices begin first thing on Friday. The festival is screening another film this year at the ArcLight Cinemas’ Cinerama Dome, Cinerama’s Russian Adventure (1966), which is the last of the Cinerama compilation films. On hand will be film historian and critic Leonard Maltin and editor Hal Dennis, Jr. Seeing a film in the Cinerama Dome is always a treat and this would definitely be a unique experience.
Instead, I’m probably going to start the day back at the Egyptian with screenings of the film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) and Walt Disney’s animated classic Sleeping Beauty (1959), which is celebrating its 60th anniversary. (Even though I’ve recently seen Sleeping Beauty on the big screen courtesy of D23, I don’t want to pass up another opportunity to see this gorgeous film.)
The next three films are in the TCL Chinese Multiplex: the classic silent film Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), François Truffaut’s dramedy Day for Night (1973), and the western Winchester ’73 (1950). (Or I might change my plans entirely in order to see Raiders of the Lost Ark in the TCL Chinese Theatre.) The midnight movie (if I can stay awake) is Mexican cult favorite Santo vs. the Evil Brain (1961). Honestly, I’d enjoy seeing any of the 20 movies playing Friday afternoon and evening (and I wouldn’t be surprised if I changed my plans).
There’s a new venue at the festival this year–the Legion Theater, part of Hollywood Post 43 of the American Legion. The theater was chartered in 1919 by World War I veterans who worked in the movie business and has recently undergone an extensive restoration. The pictures of it look beautiful and I’m excited to check it out.
The first two movies on Saturday are at the Legion Theater and are part of the festival’s 20th Century Fox tribute: the musical The Little Colonel (1935) starring Shirley Temple, and then a session dedicated to the history of 20th Century Fox entitled Fox: An Appreciation with a presentation by Schawn Belston, executive vice president of Media and Library Services at 20th Century Fox.
Then, it’s back to the TCL Chinese Multiplex for the comedy Father Goose (1964) with Cary Grant or the romantic drama Love Affair (1939), and Robert Altman’s Nashville (1975) with actors Ronee Blakley, Keith Carradine, Jeff Goldblum, and Joan Tewkesbury in attendance.
One of the toughest decisions (again, first world problems) of the festival schedule for me is between living out a life-long dream of seeing the original (well, it’s the “Special Edition”) Star Wars movie in the TCL Chinese Theater, Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), or seeing one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures Escape from New York (1981) with an intro by director John Carpenter and actor Kurt Russell. Star Wars is probably going to win (it’s one of my favorite movies ever), but it most likely will be a game time decision.
When STAR WARS played at the Chinese Theater in the summer of 1977…
Day Four – Sunday, April 14
With five “TBA” slots on the Sunday schedule, I’m going to play it by ear that day. I also plan to attend a TCM Backlot event at 1:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. I’m really hoping to be able to see The Godfather Part II (1974) on the big screen, but again, we’ll just have to see what ultimately gets scheduled and what’s going on.
While the TCM Classic Film Festival is celebrating its 10th anniversary, the TCM network is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Its first day of broadcasting was on April 14, 1994 and the very first film the network played was the seminal classic Gone with the Wind (1939). The film will be shown in the TCL Chinese Theatre on Sunday afternoon at the festival, and it will also be shown on the network that same day. I’ve decided to record it on my DVR and watch it on TV when I get home, which somehow seems appropriate.
Thanks for tuning in! 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.
