Mediocre King “Long live the king,” says villain Scar to his brother Mufasa, seconds before Mufasa falls to his death. It’s a key moment in The Lion King, both …
I Can Show You the (Same) World There are only seven basic stories in existence. The issue then is not that Disney chooses to remake Aladdin in live action …
Make it Stop The Tim Burton-directed adaptation is Dumbo seen through the eyes of a manic depressive. While sentimentality runs through Dumbo (softly eyeing an era of strongmen and …
Lots of Cracks What a blundering blob of… stuff Nutcracker and the Four Realms is. It’s frantic for attention, slathering the screen in masses of computer generated fantasy, color, …
Bumpy Slappy, the demonic ventriloquist dummy and antagonist of this series, promises kids he’ll do their homework, household chores, and defeat the local bullies. The kids love him. Goosebumps …
Hopping Mad Beatrix Potter may or may not have liked this pop entertainment adaptation of her book Peter Rabbit. The world will never know, but certainly, Peter Rabbit has …
Hoo Hoo Hoo If there’s a template to Grease’s long term success, it’s the universality of high school. Even with years of progressive measures, nerds still get bullied and …
Jungle Hopping In those moments where Jumanji isn’t over explaining itself, there’s a story with a high moral center. Four high school kids, neatly fitting into standard archetypes, get …
Childhood Matured In this era of anti-bullying crusades, Wonder has its place. It’s a fine story of a boy with a facial disfigurement pulled away from the safety of …
Family Game Night The Jumanji board game, with unexplained mystical powers to call the jungle into reality when played, acts as a conduit. Jumanji is never about the game …
Elegant Alien More than the lively humor; more than the elegant dreamlike lighting; more than the sum of flawless child performers; E.T. remains an elegant parable of acceptance, as …