The first thing you need to know about Disney’s Zootopia: it’s funny. It’s also clever, very witty, beautifully animated, and has a lot to say about life. In short, it’s more than just a cute idea–it’s a crime film, a comedy, and ultimately, a surprisingly deep study of what it means to be, well, human. “In Zootopia,Continue reading “Disney’s “Zootopia” is a Powerful Fable About What it Means to Be Human”
Category Archives: Film
“Inside Out” May Very Well Be Pixar’s Greatest Film
While I love Woody and Buzz and McQueen and Mater and Sulley and Mike, they all take a back seat to the two standout heroines of Inside Out. A film set in the mind of an eleven year old girl, Pixar’s latest is easily its most difficult, its most cerebral (literally), and its most deeply felt.Continue reading ““Inside Out” May Very Well Be Pixar’s Greatest Film”
My Best Films of 2014
The Oscar nominations will be announced in a few short hours, and once again, I believe the Academy will get it wrong. Critics get it wrong, the Guilds get it wrong. Prestige, “important” films, movies that have a bandwagon of other awards–these are what will get nominated. And they will most likely be wrong. BecauseContinue reading “My Best Films of 2014”
You Should Go “Into the Woods”
When you think of Disney fairytales, you probably think of happily ever afters, catchy musical numbers, charming princes and beautiful princesses. Into the Woods, the new film from Walt Disney Pictures, has all of that, and more. It’s beautifully filmed, wonderfully acted, and nearly perfect adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical. Into the Woods isContinue reading “You Should Go “Into the Woods””
Disney’s “Very Bad Day” is So Very Good
Everyone has had one of those days where nothing seems to go right, where everything seems to be just terrible, horrible, no good, and just plain very bad. It’s one reason why Judith Viorst’s book, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has been popular since it was first published in 1972. The bookContinue reading “Disney’s “Very Bad Day” is So Very Good”
10 Things You Can Learn from Disney’s “Frozen”
It’s the biggest movie in years, crossing over from family and little girls who love princesses to being a global phenomenon. It’s a two-time Oscar winner with thousands of YouTube covers of its songs, and beginning its 16th week in theaters, even after it was released on Digital Download, it was number 6 at theContinue reading “10 Things You Can Learn from Disney’s “Frozen””
Disney’s “Frozen” is the Best Animated Musical in 20 Years
It’s the best animated musical since Beauty and the Beast. There. I said it. Walt Disney Feature Animation’s new film, Frozen, shows that a third golden age of Disney-style animated films (hinted at by The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, and Wreck-It-Ralph) may have just begun, and it should be the film that earns theContinue reading “Disney’s “Frozen” is the Best Animated Musical in 20 Years”
The Genius of John Williams, Part One
If you were to try and name America’s greatest composer, you could name some amazing individuals. Leonard Bernstein. Aaron Copland. Charles Ives. But as great as these composers are, none of them have had the impact on the public at large as an individual who has been actively composing for nearly 50 years and hasContinue reading “The Genius of John Williams, Part One”
Do You Hear the People Sing?
The new film Les Misérables, based on the worldwide musical smash and Victor Hugo’s best-loved novel, is a story of the power grace has to transform and change lives–and the choice we make when faced with forgiveness. The story of Jean Valjean has been adapted many times, and it is an enduring one because ofContinue reading “Do You Hear the People Sing?”
Top Ten Films of 2012
10. The Woman in Black — a stylish, truly scary Victorian tale with a great first post-Harry Potter performance by Daniel Radcliffe. Some genuine fright moments wrapped in a wonderful production design offset an ending that leaves a little to be desired. 9. The Odd Life of Timothy Green — a family film inContinue reading “Top Ten Films of 2012”
Duane S. Montague 