This is the Mousterpiece Cinema schedule for the end of 2013 and the first six months of 2014: November 23, 2013: The Jungle Book 2 (2003) November 30, 2013: Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) December 7, 2013: Frozen (2013) December 14, 2013: The Santa Clause 3 (2006) December 21, 2013: Babes in Toyland (1961) December 28, 2013: Saving Mr. Banks (2013) January 4, 2014: Toy Story (1995) January 11, 2014: Sleeping …
Alice in Wonderland Directed by Tim Burton Written by Linda Woolverton Starring Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Stephen Fry, Helena Bonham Carter Alice in Wonderland is a truly inexplicable, baffling, painful film to watch. I don’t know what anyone involved in the film was thinking in making it. Did they want to honor the vision from …
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Directed by Gore Verbinski Written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy When I think of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, somehow my mind first jumps to Paul Thomas Anderson. (Bear with me as I give …
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Directed by Gore Verbinski Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, and Jay Wolpert Starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Geoffrey Rush Captain Jack Sparrow is the worst thing that ever happened to Johnny Depp’s career. The prevailing wisdom is that the constantly …
One Magic Christmas Directed by Phillip Borsos Written by Phillip Borsos, Barry Healey, Thomas Meehan Starring Mary Steenburgen, Harry Dean Stanton, Elisabeth Harnois, Gary Basaraba I suppose it’s perfectly fitting that religion became a topic of discussion on our most recent episode, seeing as the movie we were discussing was set at Christmas, one of …
I have rarely seen a movie as undeserving of its lead performance as I have with Enchanted and Amy Adams. And I want to reiterate, in this column, what I said on the podcast: I think Adams’ work in this film is one of the best lead performances in any American film in a long time. It is a monumentally difficult, brave, and daring role to play. Whatever opinion people have of Enchanted is first informed by their opinion of Adams’ performance as Giselle. If she’s not so sparkling and lively and entertaining in this film, we would not be thinking of it fondly in any form. It’s not just that this is a character-driven film, it’s that it’s so singularly performance-driven, to the overall film’s detriment.
The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again Directed by Vincent McEveety Written by Don Tait Starring Don Knotts, Tim Conway, Tim Matheson, Elyssa Davalos I feel like I’m going to turn into a broken record, writing these columns, before the podcast even gets to its 100th episode. I keep coming back to the notion of nostalgia, …
Something Wicked This Way Comes Directed by Jack Clayton Written by Ray Bradbury Starring Jason Robards, Jonathan Pryce, Pam Grier, Diane Ladd Both before and after watching it, I’m stymied by Something Wicked This Way Comes. During our podcast with The AV Club’s Zack Handlen, Mike asked me why I chose this movie to discuss …
On one hand, it’s hard not to applaud the Walt Disney Company for its recent and seemingly tireless efforts to release as many of its older films that aren’t considered categorically huge successes onto Blu-ray. (Later this year, we’ll see everything from the Santa Clause trilogy to Babes in Toyland get a high-definition release from …
Don Knotts is well-known and beloved for his role as Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, but was he really just a pervy old uncle in disguise? Well, if you listen to Mike talk about him, you might think so too! Somehow–yes, really–this is a point of discussion in the brand-new episode of Mousterpiece …
The Apple Dumpling Gang Directed by Norman Tokar Written by Don Tait Starring Don Knotts, Tim Conway, Bill Bixby, Susan Clark Oh, my stupid memory. While I hadn’t exactly built up, in my mind, The Apple Dumpling Gang as a true live-action classic from Walt Disney Pictures, I clearly fooled myself. As I mentioned on …
Samsara Directed by Ron Fricke USA, 2011 Halfway through Samsara, a pair of heavily tattooed young people, a man and woman, are shown on camera. The woman is staring directly at the camera, as do many of the people highlighted in this documentary. The man’s shaved forehead, however, is bowed so we can see one …
The Parent Trap Directed by Nancy Meyers Written by David Swift, Nancy Meyers, and Charles Shyer Starring Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson Who is The Parent Trap for, really? The more I think about the plot structure of the 1961 and 1998 films from Walt Disney Pictures, it all starts to unravel. Not so …
Has it only been 14 years since Lindsay Lohan was a respectable child actor? Yes, friends, this week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe move past the 1961 version of The Parent Trap all the way to its 1998 remake, directed by Nancy Meyers and featuring the first major role from Ms. Lohan. In this …
On this week’s Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Mike are joined by special guest Casey Ryan to tackle not one, but two movies. Yes, they shoved a discussion of the 2004 adventure film National Treasure along with its 2007 sequel, National Treasure: Book of Secrets into one jam-packed episode. The double-movie package may be a blessing …
National Treasure Directed by Jon Turteltaub Written by Jim Kouf, Cormac Wibberley, and Marianne Wibberley Starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Sean Bean, Jon Voight National Treasure: Book of Secrets Directed by Jon Turteltaub Written by Cormac Wibberley and Marianne Wibberley Starring Nicolas Cage, Diane Kruger, Justin Bartha, Ed Harris, Jon Voight, Helen Mirren …
The Three Caballeros Directed by Norman Ferguson Written by Homer Brightmen, Ernest Terrazas, Ted Sears, Bil Peet, Ralph Wright, Elmer Plummer, Roy Williams, William Cottrell, Del Connell, and James Bodrero Is objectivity possible in analyzing art? Is there a way to define what is and isn’t successful, what is and isn’t good, in a work …
Ole! This week, we’re in a celebratory mood at Mousterpiece Cinema HQ as Josh, Gabe, and Mike talk all about The Three Caballeros, the 1944 package film from Walt Disney Pictures that brought together Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito Pistoles for the first time. Your three hosts are joined by perhaps the movie’s biggest …
The Parent Trap Directed by David Swift Written by David Swift Starring Hayley Mills, Maureen O’Hara, David Keith Maintaining, or even attempting, realism in a Disney movie is a Herculean task, far more than being realistic in a movie that isn’t tied to the Mouse House. People don’t demand realism from Walt Disney; they expect …
This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe head back into the past, all the way to the 1960s to discuss the original long-lost-identical-twin story, The Parent Trap, starring Hayley Mills AND Hayley Mills as twins who discover each other at summer camp and conspire to get their parents back together. There’s plenty to discuss, …
Well, folks, there’s some good news and bad news. Let’s rip the bandage off first: because of some unforeseen scheduling and family issues, our National Treasure discussion has been postponed until next month. But fear not! In its place, we do have a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema for you, and it’s extra-special! A month …
Newsies Directed by Kenny Ortega Written by Bob Tzudiker and Noni White Starring Christian Bale, David Moscow, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall, Ann-Margret Why do we like the things we like? Sure, this may be a almost hilariously simplistic and loaded question, but one that can be fascinating to consider depending on the topic. Think of …
Carry the banner! Do it for Crutchie! Dare to dream to go to Santa Fe! Some of you will recognize these as references to the 1992 flop-turned-Broadway smash hit Newsies, a cult favorite from Walt Disney Pictures. Some of you have fond memories of Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, and a cast of lovable imps and …