1981’s Desmond Davis-Ray Harryhausen classic was a hard act to follow and sadly Louis LeTerrier tries to topple that bar opting for a remake that’s pretty much all style with none of the awe or amazement of the original film. Louis LeTerrier’s remake is dripping with early aughts ephemera with dark and grimy set pieces, a self serious script, and a part of the movie that would become the internet meme of the year. That snippet of dialogue would be “Release the Kraken!”
Author Archives: Felix Vasquez
Every Bugs Bunny Ever: 8 Ball Bunny (1950)
8 Ball Bunny (1950)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Animation by Phil Monroe
Music by Carl Stalling
It’s the return of Playboy Penguin, the inadvertent hero we haven’t seen since 1949’s “Frigid Hare.”
This time the Playboy Penguin returns for his second and last collaboration with Bugs Bunny as his show “The Brooklyn Ice Frolics” leaves town without him. He accidentally falls in to Bugs’ rabbit hole garnering the sympathy of Bugs who agrees to take him back home. Little does he know home is the North Pole. Ooh! I’m Dy-ing! There is so much to unwrap with “8 Ball Bunny” as this is probably one of the best Chuck Jones outputs for Bugs that’s ever been made. It’s hysterical, it’s clever, it’s quotable, and it even has a three act structure.
Brave Citizen (2024) [Fantasia Film Festival 2024]
Deep down there’s a great movie within “Brave Citizen.” The South Korean film by Park jin-pyo has a great premise, and a great cause to fight for that could serve as a catalyst for an interesting superhero tale. Instead “Brave Citizen” is bogged down in so much exposition and sub-plots and commentary that is loses sight of its original intent. There’s no reason a movie like “Brave Citizen” should be so long, and I say that as someone that almost never cares about run time.
But Park jin-pyo and the writers take so long to get to the actual point that by the time we do get an idea what they’re aiming in the realm of superheroes meets bringing down the affluent, the movie has already worn out its welcome.
Trap (2024)
M. Night Shyamalan sets the stage for a thriller that surprisingly is about as straight forward as you can imagine. He hooks audiences in mainly for the concept of “Trap” where a serial killer has been snagged in his most vulnerable spot and has to look for a way out. Any other time, a movie like “Trap” could not have worked too well, but Shyamalan pulls it off well thanks to the leading performance from Josh Hartnett. Star Hartnett as Cooper Adams is the primary reason to see “Trap” as he not only creates this conniving, clever, and vindictive villain, but he seems to have a lot of fun portraying him.
Rory McHarg & Brett Miller Discuss Their Documentary “A Two Hearted Tale”
Now making its way through the festival circuit, the directors of “A Two Hearted Tale” took time out of their busy schedules to discuss their newest short subject documentary. The tale of the iconic beer label for one of America’s most popular IPA beers and how the creation of the logo proved quite tumultuous.
Disclaimer: This film was produced independently of Bell’s Brewery. All views and opinions are those of the filmmakers.
Every Bugs Bunny Ever: What’s Up, Doc? (1950)
What’s Up Doc? (1950)
Directed by Bob McKimson
Written by William Foster
Animation by JC Melendez
Music by Carl Stalling
And so it was: the birth of “What’s up, Doc?”
At least that’s how Bugs Bunny sees it. Although we know better, the big star known as Bugs prefers to think of it as a fluke that turned in to a successful shtick for a young Bugs Bunny. “What’s up, Doc?” is a pretty important short in the Bugs Bunny library even though pretty much all of his are just self contained stories with loose continuity. For example, the set up here is similar to “A Hare Grows in Manhattan” where Bugs even tells a different story of how he grew up and became a performer. Like Vaudeville, they all work within the confines of their frame work, and they’re just there as a reason to tell jokes and deliver some great gags.
And Now I Lay Me Down (2024)
I really have to give it to Jane Kaczmarek who stars in “And Now I Lay Me Down.” She really is a marvel in what is a pretty gut wrenching movie that approaches a serious topic with a tongue in cheek. Kaczmarek is essentially the only cast member in the entirety of Rani DeMuth’s short drama comedy and commands a lot of the screen with such an immense powerful and intense sadness.