The Reel World

"You may think, "That thing looks human." Stands on two legs, right? But - we're created in the Lord's image. You don't think that's what the Lord looks like, do you?"

A couple of years ago I talked to Joe Dante about a variety of subjects. One of them was The Creature From The Black Lagoon. Dante along with several other directors like John Carpenter had once been attached to a remake of the Universal classic. I asked him why it never worked out. He told me it was the suit. We agreed that no one could ever improve upon the original design and that the temptation would be to go computer-generated and that would be a bit of a shame no matter what it looked like

"A long time ago in a galaxy far far away..."

It was exactly 40 years ago that we first saw those words flash across the screen. Star Wars was born, and it has become one of the most enduring franchises in film history. The franchise survived a long drought when it didn't seem likely we would ever see those words again. The franchise survived the throes of George Lucas, who created it all and then went a little rogue when he finally did follow up his iconic trilogy. If The Last Jedi and the two previous films are any measurement at all, the best thing George Lucas ever did for the universe he created was to give it up.

“Wish we could just make our own movie.”

I have more than 800 reviews to my name on this site, and I've probably watched several thousand movies overall throughout the course of my life. A lot of them are bad. Some are even worse than The Room, which has been dubbed “the Citizen Kane of bad movies.” However, I've never seen a movie that is bad in the way The Room is bad. It seems a substantial chunk of Hollywood — led by star/filmmaker James Franco — feels the same way. The creation of The Room is chronicled in The Disaster Artist, but there's more here than just an anatomy of a trainwreck. The film also works as an ode to underdog Hollywood dreamers who take a DIY approach to (accidental) stardom.

A great assembling of actors, excellent control by director Martin McDonagh and a vicious script make Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri a winner. The crime drama, laced with cynical comedy, puts the film up there with the movie Fargo and even TV’s Fargo.  While I may like the film, it does have some racist tones that may offend. That said, McDonagh has a penchant for turning the tables on the offensive comments and actions, and here he does it big time.

“Sometimes I think I'm cursed.”

Up until recently, Pixar Animation Studios had a pretty spotless reputation. (At least when it came to the quality of their films.) But while the studio's last three efforts (Cars 3, Finding Dory, The Good Dinosaur) have been financially successful, Disney's own in-house animation studio (Moana, Zootopia, Big Hero 6) has been out Pixar-ing Pixar in terms of delivering creative, crowd-pleasing blockbusters for all ages. (I didn't even mention a little movie called Frozen.) That's why I'm pleased to report that Coco — Pixar's moving, colorful and exhilarating take on Mexico's Day of the Dead holiday — is a thrilling return to form.

It is very likely that no story has been retold in films and television more than A Christmas Carol. It has been made as animated specials and computer-generated features. There have been comedy versions. Most television shows, if they're around long enough, get around to spoofing at least the themes. If by now you’re wondering what the dickens I'm going on about, well... you're correct. It's all about classic author Charles Dickens, who literally invented many of the modern trappings of our Christmas celebrations with that one little holiday ghost story. You know the story. But do you know how it came to be? Dickens' writing process is legend to those of us who know his work intimately. Now everyone can get the inside scoop with the charming The Man Who Invented Christmas.

Last Flag Flying was adapted from a book by Darryl Ponicscan which is a sequel to his The Last Detail. That book was adapted for the screen in 1973 and starred Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, and Randy Quaid and was directed by Hal Ashby for Columbia Pictures. In The Last Detail we find two characters taking Randy Quaid's character to the Navy prison for stealing $40 from the CO's wife's favorite charity drive. Along the way they all bonded a bit, and the film played out as a statement, of sorts, to the Vietnam era we were just finally about to put behind us in a year. Last Flag Flying is based on the written sequel but is not exactly a true sequel to the earlier film.

"I wish I could live through something."

Actress Greta Gerwig finds herself in the director's seat for her first feature film, Lady Bird. No, it's not a film about the First Lady during the Johnson administration. It's an easy mistake to make. It's not one of the most common monikers out there, and when I first heard of the project, that's where my mind went. This is actually a warm coming-of-age story that feels very much like an autobiographic effort by Gerwig. There are certainly some common elements in the story and Gerwig's own past, even if it's just the Sacramento, California locations that give the film a nice anchor and rather immersive environment for the story.

Touching and inspirational, the movie Wonder opens the eyes of its audience to the medical anomaly of Treacher Collins Syndrome.  It’s a gene glitch that causes a facial difference that happens in one of 50,000 people*.  Based on a book by R. J. Palacio, the film handles the material in the novel in such a way that one cannot help but fall in love with a boy with TCS named Auggie Pullman.  The movie becomes an inspiration to all children and a force behind anti-bullying.

"We have to be ready. You, me, the others... there's an attack coming from far away."

The DC and Marvel rivalry can be quite fierce at times. I never completely understood the polarized fan base, however. Some of us are just fans of the genre and will welcome a good comic book movie from either and preferably both studios. When it comes to a cinematic universe, however DC has had some real issues with trying to bring together a combined hero world. Most of the films leading up to Justice League have been dark and filled with brooding heroes.