The Toy Story movies have been some of the crowning achievements of modern family film-making. All of them have been wonderful animated fantasy adventures that are cleverer, more inventive, funnier and more moving than most Hollywood live action films. It’s one franchise that deserves a multitude of sequels. Toy Story 4 continues the impressive standard of the previous films although
Read moreThe Aladdin story has been the subject of numerous cinema adaptations including the 1940 classic The Thief of Baghdad, the much-loved animated 1992 version with the late Robin Williams and outrageously camp English pantomimes. The latest version, a musical directed by Guy Richie, is elaborate, colourful and energetic but tonally inconsistent and not always as funny or charming as it
Read moreFollowing the utterly enchanting Harry Potter film adaptations, the purported prequel, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which focused on Ministry of Magic Zoologist and beast wrangler Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) was a disappointment. With a meandering plot, over-use of cgi and characters who ranged from unengaging to outright annoying, the film was confusing and dull. The sequel Fantastic Beasts:
Read moreAdapting the young adult, sci-fi/ fantasy, adventure novel to the screen is a tricky feat. If done right, as in the Harry Potter films, they can provide wonderful cinema. Too often, though, film-makers trying to adapt popular teen novels to the big screen fumble the task badly, exhibit A: The Mortal Instruments. It would be reasonable to expect that a
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