Back in November, I watched the original Mamma Mia! film for the first time for a #ThrowbackThursday column that basically everyone ignored (but you can read it, now, by clicking here). That was good timing as I didn't even realize that this sequel was on the way, meaning my homework was already done for its... Continue Reading →
Original US release date: October 4, 1951 Production budget: $2,724,000 Worldwide gross: $6,981,000 (I'm trying another true classic, this week. The last time I did a movie such as this one, it was Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest and it went entirely ignored for over a full year (you can find that column here). If... Continue Reading →
Original US release date: November 21, 2007 Production budget: $85,000,000 Worldwide gross: $340,487,652 I missed Enchanted during its theatrical run. I caught it upon its DVD release after hearing so many good things about it and I found it to be one of my more surprising viewing experiences in memory. Like a modern Who Framed Roger Rabbit... Continue Reading →
Original US release date: July 28. 1951 Production budget: $3,000,000 Worldwide gross: $5,200,000 Remember Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs? The first feature-length animated film in movie history? The one that grossed $185 million on a $1.5 million budget, simply by virtue of being the first of its kind? Well, that was almost Alice in Wonderland. Walt... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, I went with my sister and brother-in-law to take my nieces to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus as it made its final rounds throughout America. A longstanding tradition dating back to the year 1919 (formally, but initiated long before that in the mid-1800s), much had changed for the... Continue Reading →
Original US release date: July 18, 2008 Production budget: $52,000,000 Worldwide gross: $609,841,637 Before watching the film for this column, I had more knowledge about Syrian Aramaic than I did regarding the plot of Mamma Mia!. I knew who comprised the majority of the cast and I knew that it was an adaptation of the musical... Continue Reading →
Original US release date: December 25, 2012 Production budget: $61,000,000 Worldwide gross: $441,809,770 I was just talking about this movie, a few weeks ago, when I did a #ThrowbackThursday post for 2004's The Phantom of the Opera by Joel Schumacher. Like that one, Les Misérables is a beloved musical (though probably more highly-regarded than Phantom... Continue Reading →
Original US release date: December 22, 2004 Production budget: $70,000,000 Worldwide gross: $154,648,887 I've been a fan of Charles Hart and Andrew Lloyd Webber's music from The Phantom of the Opera since middle school chorus, when one of the selections for our spring concert was a medley of songs from the play. I never forgot... Continue Reading →
Well, here we have a big one. It seems like awareness of the new Beauty and the Beast live-action adaptation from acclaimed musical director Bill Condon has permeated every corner of our existence. From the trailer dropping and scoring a record number of views to the latest controversy surrounding LeFou's (Josh Gad) sexual orientation, the film certainly has... Continue Reading →
Well, here we are with the final film that made my list of 10 Fourth Quarter 2016 Films to Be Excited About. There's certainly been a buzz around La La Land and it seems poised to be one of the two or three awards season darlings of 2016. Writer/Director Damien Chazelle made a huge splash... Continue Reading →
The Movie March! 