Down The VOD Lane

As much as I can appreciate a film that celebrates the joys of music appreciation, and as much as I can appreciate a pop culture self-referential joke or two in a family film:






I think both these films (and Scoob! in particular) will be just fine streaming on VOD.

Trolls World Tour is streaming now (19.99 to rent, no buy option) and Scoob! will be available on May 15 (19.99 to rent, 24.99 to buy)

That seems a little high to me. But then again $20 to $25 is better than the going-out-and-eating-and-drinking (not to mention parking) rate of $50 to $100.

There have been umpteen revivals of Scooby Doo since the original cartoon debuted for two seasons in 1969. So the whole thing seems tired to me, like a pale copy.

And the younger set, maybe ten and under, may not get all the musical references and genres thrown at them over the course of 91 minutes (Ozzy Osbourne as King Thrash, anyone?) .

But then again, I'm only speculating. Haven't seen either one.

So maybe in both cases, there's no place like home.

MTMG

Mulan 2020: Disney's First PG-13

With Disney's seeming desire to remake everything in its vaults continuing full steam ahead, I sometimes find myself wondering:

Other than the strong (and needed) message concerning female power and equality, particularly as we come out of the era of Weinstein and Cosby. will the 2020 version of Mulan resonate with today's 7-to-12-year-old audiences? Especially as the more movie and pop culture savvy among them figure out that Mulan is a remake of a 1998 Disney animated film?





And since Mulan is the Mouse House's first film to be rated PG-13 by the MPAA, what does that mean for the requisite battle scenes in the film? Peter Jackson got away with severed heads on spikes in his Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

I don't expect to see severed heads in Mulan. But it will certainly be interesting to see when it hits theatres on July 24.

MTMG

Tenet: Movie For The New Normal?

Hollywood originality, Nolan is definitely thy name.

After his passion project Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan lets us back into his singularly unique mind and vision.

Wow.

I mean, does he sit around with copious cups of coffee or tea pondering, "Gee, what if?"

However he does it, Nolan is definitely one of the most original filmmakers we have working today.

And John David Washington is one of the best up-and-coming stars working today as well.

When I first saw this trailer back in April, I thought, "An alternate reality? How cool!"

Fighting a worldwide whatzit? Sounded like a good plot to me.

Wonder what Nolan thinks now.

But in any case, the director and Warner Bros. are still on track to release Tenet on July 17.

MTMG

No Time To Die Extra

Director Cary Joji Fukunaga gets us ready for Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond in No Time To Die, now being released on November 25 due to the global pandemic.

The tone seems to be darker and more serious, similar to 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, starring one-time Bond George Lazenby. The sombre thread that has been running through Craig's films since 2006's Casino Royale comes to a proper resolution. And given that this is Craig's last film...

In any case, things should be mighty interesting when No Time To Die finally releases on November 25 in North America.

Here is the trailer for On Her Majesty's Secret Service, for those interested in looking back:





MTMG

Throwback Thursday: Norbit And Jimmy

Apparently not tired of  all the makeup work required while filming his version of The Nutty Professor and its sequel The Klumps, Eddie Murphy decided to take another crack at a similar character in 2007's Norbit…







Which at any other time would have been fine.

Because hey, there's always a market for a film that makes you think of the Rent-A-Movie kiosk at 7-11.

You know, the movie that you always watched third...after midnight when you thought you had energy for "just one more". And you'd fall asleep halfway through.

But our Eddie also just happened to be nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar that year. For his dynamic, holy-shit-he-can-sing-too turn as James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls:






And truth be told, he had a damn fine shot at winning if the perceptions of Oscar voters hadn't been clouded by Norbit.

The Tale Of The Dates also didn't help Eddie's chances.

Dreamgirls release date: Christmas Day 2006. A prime Oscar consideration date.

Norbit release date: February 9, 2007. Right in the middle of Oscar voting season.

Eddie thought he could win with these two movies co-existing in the marketplace.

Ummm….nope. Not by a long shot.

MTMG