Although separated by 15 years, Disney’s Lady and the Tramp and The Aristocats have much in common. Both films focus on domesticated animals and in both the female leading character is a from a refined household. Said character falls in love with a male member of the same taxon from the wrong side of the tracks ( [...]
Blu Ray Reviews
Conan the Barbarian in 3D is an All Too Familiar Slice of Sword and Sorcery
I imagine that like many Stargate Atlantis fans I was keen for Conan the Barbarian to do well because it could be Jason Momoa’s big break. Based on his role as the macho warrior Ronin in that sci-fi series, he had the potential to be a good fit for the fantasy warrior desperately in need of a hair brush who had l [...]
Bolt is Among the Best of a Bumper Crop of Disney 3D Blu-rays
Bolt might be the kind of film that Disney-Pixar wished they’d made instead of Cars 2. Although this summer’s automotive sequel was by no means a lemon, it didn’t rev up the Cars franchise in the way that either of the studios probably wanted. Bolt, on the other hand, has the hallmarks of Pixar but doesn’t carry that [...]
Cars 2 in 3D is a Bolder, Brighter but Not Better Refit
Disney and Pixar took a gamble with Cars 2, presumably hoping to supercharge a franchise that didn’t quite catch on with audiences when the first film was released. Cars was an entertaining fish-out-of-water story with stunning computer animation and a worthwhile message. Yet, it was overly Americanized (NASCAR r [...]
The Toy Story Trilogy is a Cool But Calculated Reissue in 3D
The Toy Story movies are so well loved and widely admired that it would be pointless to review them again here. The first two have been rightly judged as brilliant by that harshest of all critics, time, and the third was praised on these pages not much more than a year ago. What makes this latest batch of re-releas [...]
Green Lantern Isn’t Half as Bad as You Might Expect
Maybe I’m not geek enough but I really don’t see what was so bad about Green Lantern. Sure, it has its fair share of cheesy dialogue. Plus the concept of a man who derives his special powers from a decorative illuminator might seem daft to those not steeped in superhero lore. Yet, it’s no sillier than seeing someon [...]
Disney’s Winnie the Pooh is a Pleasure, Too
Disney took a big risk with Winnie the Pooh. Perhaps the most innocent gang of characters in the studio’s history, the titular teddy bear and his friends hardly seem like a sure thing at the box office in an age when fairy tales have supposedly lost their appeal. What’s more, this Pooh party isn’t even in 3D! What [...]
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 3D Sails into Familiar Troubles
My brain was so numbed by the tedium that took over Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest as it dragged on too long that I skipped its conclusion, At World’s End, altogether. On Stranger Tides is something of a new start for the franchise thanks to the presence of some new characters and a new story. Moreover, [...]
African Cats Reveals the Harsh Reality of Being a Lion King
Disney released African Cats on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download on the same day that it brought The Lion King to the Blu-ray market. And why not? This wildlife documentary from Disneynature might have a bit too much anthropomorphizing for strictly scientific types but it is beautifully shot, dramatically told and [...]
Disney’s Beauty and the Beast 3D Gives a Tale as Old as Time a Worthy Modern Makeover
The Lion King might be seen as the coolest film to have come out of Disney Studios in its modern era, but Beauty and the Beast is still my favorite. With lovable characters, a fairytale story in the classic Disney tradition and an action-packed climax that is more stirring than anything Disney had produced befor [...]
