Disney

The Black Cauldron – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1985 film The Black Cauldron.

Story

The story is a cautionary tale in adapting a book. I haven’t read the book so there are a lot of sections that either make no sense or give the viewer the feeling that they should have done homework before watching.

Score: 0

Characters

There is no backstory to any of the characters. She says she’s a princess but then the villain mentions she’s a scullery maid? Why does the bard have a magical harp? Why is the pig farmer boy being raised by knockoff merlin? Is the villain undead or just a monster? … nothing is explained.

I did quite like the little furry Gollum and the characters are likeable and consistant. They have acceptable arcs, but there just seems to be too much missing.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

There are some nice peices of dialogue and some that make no sense at all. It’s mostly, again, because this was adapted from a series of books.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The animation was beautiful but inconsistant. Items disapeared and reappeared, characters changed sizes, backgrounds flickered.

The music was pretty epic.

Score: 0.5

Fun

Everyone kinda enjoyed it. It’s one of those movies that could have been great but was bogged down by too much lore that we didn’t get to see.

Score: 0.5

Overall

Not the worst Disney movie in existence, but it’s a missed opportunity to showcase a great story by cutting out any context.

Final Score: 2 Stars out of 5

It’s okay to take care of yourself

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Hello Friends, Family, and Fans;

The world is all kinds of scary and exhausting lately. For those of us that feel everything strongly it’s sometimes hard to function. So I have some advice for you:

It’s okay to rest and take care of yourself.

Seriously, sometimes you have to take a little moment to yourself for joy. If you worry and stress all the time you’ll feel like crap. I know it feels counter intuitive but you’ve got to do it and shut the little voice off. I know it’s easier said than done but try.

My current way of relaxing, other than reading and writing, is watching fun YouTube science stuff. Like this:

It’s hard not to smile and join in the sense of wonder.

Take care of yourself.

Stay safe and be kind (that includes being kind to yourself),

Éric

Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 2001 film Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge.

Story

A simple revenge story which spends a lot of time trying to find the plot.

Score: 0

Characters

Extremely consistant with the last one, to the point where it feels like the mom didn’t learn anything. The characters are young and make some silly mistakes but it does make sense.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

Cheesy and trying way too hard to be relevant to modern audiences. The dialogue is just as quippy as the first.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The visuals are good, especially when they use practical effects.

The music does its job and also ties in well with the first.

Score: 1

Fun

There were a few times that I wanted to scream at the characters but beyond that I really enjoyed the movie, as did the kids.

Score: 1

Overall

Simple and adorable. A lot like the first, it’s geared to younger audiences and is a lot of fun.

Final Score: 3 Stars out of 5

The Rescuers Down Under – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1990 film The Rescuers Down Under.

Story

The story set-up made me groan but instead of the traditional love triangle, Bernard’s story was about finding the self-confidence that Bianca had in him the whole time.

The rescuing story was also interesting in it’s conservationist bend and scary smart villain.

Score: 1

Characters

The main characters are just as loveable as before and Bernard’s arc is lovely. The added animals are fun and the humans are extremely clever. Something that is refreshing in a movie with kids getting kidnapped; the boy (like the girl in the previous movie) is extremely clever.

Score: 1

Dialogue

There’s a lot of talking that felt over the top and a little long winded. But overall it was pretty clever. I loved John Candy’s lines and irreverence.

Score: 0.5

Visuals and Music

The art is a great blend of traditional and computer animated. Unfortunately, the computer parts don’t hold up as well as the traditional ones.

The music was good and had some nice epic bits.

Score: 0.5

Fun

This is a well-balanced and fun movie. Everyone in the family loved it. Even the 5yo, who said he didn’t want to watch it, was in the room within a few minutes.

Score: 1

Overall

A classic with excellent art and wonderful characters.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5

Tarzan (1999) – JenEric Movie Review

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Hello Cinephiles,

Today we’re talking about the 1999 film Tarzan.

Story

Not a huge departure from the book but the changes are pure Disney. That being said, it is the Disney animated movie with the most deaths other than Mulan.

There’s a nice slow pace to the movie that despite the brutality of the antagonists is kinda refreshing.

Score: 1

Characters

Rebellious Tarzan, curious Jane, overprotective but right father figure. The characters are all fairly cliché but it works.

Score: 0.5

Dialogue

The dialogue is fun and quotable.

Score: 1

Visuals and Music

The animation is spectacular and extremely well done. The movement and details are excellent.

The music went hard and is utterly fantastic.

Score: 1

Fun

I’m not a huge fan of kids dying and the beginning really caught me by surprise. It also annoyed me how privileged and innocent all the English characters were.

That being said, the music, pace, and joy in the movie are worth it.

Score: 0.5

Overall

An oft-forgotten Disney classic with amazing music and great visuals. It does have some sad parts but the happy ones make up for it.

Final Score: 4 Stars out of 5