Category Archives: remakes

“The Lion King” Trailers, TV Spot, Clips, Featurette & Cast Poster

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Directed by Jon Favreau,  The Lion King is the same as the original Disney The Lion King. But this time, the production is taking the CGI and re-imagining the 1994 Disney classic. Both are from Disney, and Favreau directed The Jungle Book, which did great at the box office, and reviews were positive.

The movie is available on Blu-ray, DVD, or streaming. Make your choice, and see it again. 

Some of you may be happy to know the voices are also being redone with James Earl Jones, Seth Rogen, Donald Glover, Keegan-Michael Key, Alfre Woodard, and Beyonce.

The movie hasn’t even been released yet. The movie’s soundtrack is nominated for a Grammy as well.

Look at the movie trailer and see that the story is no different from the original. The only difference is it’s not a cartoon. It looks totally real.

The second trailer shows what to expect from the movie—a real-life version of the animated The Lion King. The technology in filmmaking and animation arrives at a whole new level with Disney productions. I wish for original stories and new adventures in all this fantastical technology. There are classics untouched, like The Count of Monte Crisco or Treasure Island. Even Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea is a great story to animate. I hope Disney will broaden their scope of future movies.

Still, I am impressed with the CGI; the movie will delight children of all ages. The box office will prove fruitful.

The TV spot is incredible because it shows us that the movie is like the original, but the computer-generated characters are more realistic.

The following three publicity clips show us the CGI and characters we know. The “Circle of Life” looks real, with all the African animals celebrating the birth of the Lion King. That clip is blocked, and you can only see the image from the video.

The two featurettes show the cast and director working together to make a new, different movie but the same movie.

“Cold Pursuit” Trailers, Movie Clip & Poster

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Directed by Hans Petter Moland, Cold Pursuit follows a snowplow driver, played by Liam Neeson. He seeks revenge against drug dealers because they killed his son.

The movie is based on the 2014 Norwegian film In Order of Disappearance, which Moland also directed. Stellan Skarsgard of the Mamma Mia franchise played Neeson’s role.

The screenplay is by Frank Baldwin. His screenwriting credits are limited, but he scripted a movie that is in pre-production called The Godmother.

The Cold Pursuit also stars Laura Dern, Emmy Rossum, and Tom Bateman.

The trailer tells the story, and the music is upbeat and adds irony to the situation.

The clip “Things We Do” shows the underlying humor of the story. Neeson is in dark colors and a parka, while the other guy is in shorts and light colors. The serene snow-covered mountains in the background for the master shot are incongruous with the tension of Neeson’s character.

The Blu-ray/DVD and streaming of the movie is not happening. The trailer is fun and shows how the film is a comedy. The serious side is losing a son, but his father gets revenge.

Getting revenge is when the movie gets funny. Watch the trailer and see for yourself. It’s funny.

Disney’s “Aladdin” Poster and Trailers

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Directed by Guy Ritchie, Aladdin is the live-action retelling of the 1992 Disney classic movie. Will Smith plays the Genie this time and Billy Magnussen plays Prince Anders.  The teaser trailer is just that a teaser not telling us anything we don’t already know. It’s a remake.

The Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming of the movie are coming our way.  Now, you can watch the movie again or if you haven’t seen it, you get your chance to watch it as many times as you like at home. 

The second trailer proves to be a whole new world for Aladdin. Following the animated version of yesteryear, we see something spectacular and full of wonder.

“Pet Sematary” Trailers, Poster, Clips, Interview with Directors & Featurette

based on a book, horror, mystery, remakes, , ,

Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer and based on the influential horror novel by talented and prolific author Stephen King, Pet Sematary follows Dr. Louis Creed, played by Jason Clarke. He and his family relocated from Boston to rural Maine. He and wife, played by Amy Seimetz, have two young children.

They discover an enigmatic burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. A tragedy strikes the family, and Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall, played by John Lithgow. This sets off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences.

Such a great cast draws me to this movie.  Jason Clarke other latest movie is Serenity. Kolsch and Widmyer teamed up before directing horror movies. Both come from diverse backgrounds with Widmyer a graduate from Long Island University’s film school.

The second trailer is so scary, but it tells you what happens in the movie. This is a classic by Stephen King, so the studio figures everybody knows the plot. Clarke is so good in this movie, creepy.

The featurette tells us we are in for a true horror movie. I got the jiggers just by watching this featurette.

The interview with both the directors, Kolsch and Widmyer, is full of information about King and his books. They take their knowledge and apply it to the movie. They talk about directing the actors and how they work to develop their characters.

These two guys are funny when they talk about directing cats. Their personalities come out, and they are different, but their rapport is so strong.

“Are you happy mommy?” sends chills up my spine. The movie clip will drive horror and Stephen King fans to the movie theaters.

I totally jumped out of my skin watching the final trailer. This movie is scary and horrific.

“The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” Trailers, Movie Clips, Featurettes & Posters

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Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms centers on Klara, played by Mackenzie Foy. All she desires is a golden key,not just any old key. A unique key like no other key to unlock a box that holds a priceless gift from her late mother.

Her godfather Drosselmeyer, played by Morgan Freeman, presents a golden thread to her at the annual holiday party. The thread leads her to the key she yearns.  The thread quickly disappears into a strange and mysterious parallel world.

In the mysterious world, which seems a bit like Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” Klara happens upon some quirky characters such as a soldier named Phillip, played by Jayden Fowora-Knight, a gang of mice, and the regents. The regents preside over three Realms: Land of Snowflakes, Land of Flowers, and Land of Sweets.

Klara and Phillip journey together and brave the threatening Fourth Realm, which is home to the tyrant Mother Ginger, played by Helen Mirren.

For Klara to her key and with a bit of luck, return harmony to the unstable world, she must confront Mother Ginger.

The following three featurettes show how much creative work went into production. One of the featurettes is about the famous ballerina Misty Copeland.

These two movie clips show how the story unfolds.

Hallstrom’s credits include directing What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? and he is also a writer.

The featurette explains the four realms.

The magical movie also stars Keira Knightley as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Featuring an individual ballet performance by Misty Copeland, all ballerinas will want to see this movie. But keep in mind, E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic tale inspires the cinema. It is not the same story.
The second trailer shows more of the story, and the music sounds familiar.

The Blu-ray/DVD and streaming is now available if you’re interested in watching it with your kids. It is a kids’ movie, but mom and, possibly, dad will like it, too.

“What Men Want” Trailers and Poster

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Directed by Adam Shankman, What Men Want follows Ali Davis, played by Taraji P. Henson. She is a successful sports agent constantly kept on the sidelines by her male co-workers.

Ali is passed up for a rightful promotion, giving her an honest look at her success and future. She asks herself what she needs to accomplish success in man’s world.

By hook or by crook and a concoction from a wise witch or gypsy, Ali gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts. With her newfound power, Ali outsmarts her co-workers and races to sign the next basketball superstar.

The lengths and hurdles she goes through to pull it off will put her relationship with her best friends and a potential new love interest, played by Aldis Hodge, to the test.

Does this story sound familiar? The screenplay is by Nancy Meyers, who directed Mel Gibson in What Women Want. Released in 2000, the movie carries the same premise with Helen Hunt playing the love interest. Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Vuspa wrote the screenplay based on the story by Goldsmith, Vuspa, and Diane Drake.

Eighteen years later, What Men Want is more raunchy and ethnically diverse. Shankman is best known for directing John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Queen Latifah, Christopher Walken, and Zac Efron in Hairspray.

Henson is a dynamic actress with a strong presence on screen. Her role as Katherine G. Johnson in Hidden Figures made the movie great. She recently made a massive impression in Tyler Perry’s Acrimony.

Also starring in What Men Want are Tracy Morgan, Richard Roundtree, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Josh Brener, Tamala Jones, Phoebe Robinson, Max Greenfield, Jason Jones, Brian Bosworth, Chris Witaske and Erykah Badu.

The first trailer is funny. Enjoy!

The following trailer is funnier. I laughed and laughed. This movie is for Girls Night Out. We all go to the movie theater together and bring the house down.

“Dumbo” Poster, Trailers, Interviews, Clips & Featurettes

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Directed by Tim Burton, live-action Dumbo looks like one of the best movies for the whole family this year. I am sure the box office will be pleased. The screenplay is by Ehren Kruger, who wrote all those Transformer movies. I find that ironic because Dumbo is nothing like a Transformer. 

I am glad the original theme song is part of the live-action movie. The cartoon movie is a classic with an extraordinary message about overcoming your handicap and succeeding. During the movie trailer, I never saw the mouse. But Pink Elephants on Parade is in the movie. The tiny clip in the trailer looks like the show will be fun to watch.

The movie stars Eva Green, Colin Farrell, and Michael Keaton. I am not sure who the kid actors are, but I look forward to learning more about them.

I wonder if the blackbirds will be in the movie as well. I love that scene, even though it doesn’t fit in with the PC standards of today. They are so funny with lines like, “I’ve seen a housefly. I’ve seen a horsefly. But, I have never seen an elephant fly.”

The second trailer is even better. Burton created a movie for kids to watch. By watching the second trailer, it appears the story becomes somewhat altered. A dad and other adults were not in the original Disney version. But, the adults seem to have a purpose in the movie, which makes it okay. The theme song is the same.

With that, there is a trailer. My YouTube account has a note that says it’s blocked worldwide. It might not play for you. I am sorry, but I had to write about this movie because Dumbo is one of my favorite Disney movies.

Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming are available for those who want to watch the movie again or haven’t seen it yet. The film is excellent for kids who want to see it repeatedly.

The featurette “Soaring to New Heights” offers quite a bit of information about the remake of Dumbo. I thought I saw a mouse in this video, and I am curious if the mouse plays an essential role in this new version. I sense that Danny Devito’s character fills that part of the story where the mouse encourages Dumbo to fly or the kids do.

Watching Tim Burton talk about Dumbo is impressive. He is so animated and a complete genius. Burton almost says something about working with Disney and stops. I wonder what he wanted to say about Disney.

The following movie clips show Dumbo flying, sinister DeVito and Keaton, and the kids, Farrell and Green.

The interview with Farrell shows him upbeat and excited about the movie and working with Burton.

Green talks about how she overcame the fear of heights to play the flying traipse artist. She talks about what it is like working with Burton and Keaton.

Michael Keaton tells it like it is in this interview with spoilers.

The featurette is magical, and I can’t wait to see the movie.

Dumbo is a magical story about a unique elephant who loses his mother. He must overcome the obstacles in life to be with his mother and succeed as himself. The next featurette expresses the brilliance of Burton and his magical world.

The next featurette arrives several days before the movie’s release in the US with all the interviews and footage combined.

Astonishing “Predator” Trailers, Posters, and Blu-ray & DVD

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Directed by Shane Black, the new tale of The Predator arrives from outer reaches of space and lands in the small-town streets of suburbia. Though it appears innocent, Black brings a different twist this time compared to the original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The hunt comes home with children and parents. The most lethal hunters are stronger, smarter, and deadlier than ever before. They have genetically upgraded themselves with DNA from other species.

In the movie trailer, it shows a young boy accidentally triggers their return to Earth. Who is going to save the day this time? A ragtag crew of ex-soldiers and a disgruntled science teacher will join forces to save the end of the human race.

The ensemble cast includes Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Jacob Tremblay, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Sterling K. Brown, Alfie Allen, Thomas Jane, Augusto Aguilera, Jake Busey, and Yvonne Strahovski.

The movie is streaming and is available on Blu-ray and DVD if you didn’t get a chance to see the film in the theaters, now you can.

The red band trailer tells more of the story. It appears a human male transforms into a predator. So, he is half human and half predator. What does that mean? The red band label is because one of the male characters says something raunchy.

The latest poster is so wicked with a sophisticated touch. The orange background flourishes with spicy motives. The predator’s hand on a predator’s head with a spine is clockwork orange expression. Kubrick would be proud.

Shane Black is legendary for screenwriting the top scripts for movies like Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodbye, and The Last Boy Scout. In an interview with Robert Downey, Jr., Downey praised Black’s work on Iron Man 3.

“SuperFly” Trailers and Poster

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Directed by Director X, SuperFly is a remake. The original played a significant role in the film industry.

Now, we have a remake, and the movie is being touted as reimagined. Director X introduces the movie’s genre to its characters, look, sound, and feel.

The screenplay is by Alex Tse, who also wrote movies like Watchmen and Sucker Free City. I never heard of these movies, but he is writing another remake—The Crow.

The second trailer tells more about the story as an actor narrates it.

Look at the movie trailer and see if the style, sound, and feel are befitting the original SuperFly.

“Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” TV Spot, Trailers, Movie Clips, Featurettes & Posters

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Co-directed by Scott Mosier and Yarrow Cheney, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch tells the story of a pessimistic grouch who goes on a mission to steal Christmas, only to have his heart changed by a young girl’s generous holiday spirit. Benedict Cumberbatch provides his voice to the notorious Grinch, who lives a solitary life inside a cave on Mt. Crumpet with only his loyal dog, Max, for companionship. With a cave rigged with inventions and contraptions for his day-to-day needs, the Grinch only sees his neighbors in Whoville when he runs out of food.

The story follows the problem of each year at Christmas. They disrupt his tranquil solitude with increasingly bigger, brighter, and louder celebrations. When the Whos declare they will make Christmas three times bigger this year, the Grinch realizes there is only one way for him to gain some peace: he must steal Christmas. To do so, he poses as Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, even trapping a lackadaisical misfit reindeer to pull his sleigh.

The Blu-ray, DVD, and streaming are perfect for the holiday season or anytime. You purchase the discs or stream the movies for your kids. The film is a keeper because kids love to play it over and over again. 

I am digging these featurettes. They are so much fun to watch. Cumberbatch’s wit is so dry and funny, a joke.

This movie clip is funny and shows the right side of The Grinch.

This featurette is fun for the kids and parents. It’s Grinch Trivia!

The next poster only shows the Grinch and no dog. Otherwise, the newest poster is pretty much the same.

The two movie clips are so cute and fun to watch. Kids are going to love this movie.

More is added to the story down in Whoville, Cindy-Lou Who—a young girl overflowing with holiday cheer—plots with her gang of friends to trap Santa Claus as he makes his Christmas Eve rounds so that she can thank him for help for her overworked single mother.

The movie trailer shows how the narrative reads like Seuss’ book. Do the cookie reindeer eyes move?

The next poster sets up the holiday theme of the movie.

The cute but straightforward Olympics TV Spot has nothing to do with the movie.