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DUMBO (Dir: Tim Burton, 2019).
Being of the opinion that Walt Disney’s Dumbo (Ben Sharpsteen, 1941) is one of the greatest movies ever made, I was not entirely thrilled at the prospect of a remake, in spite of my admiration for director Tim Burton. But, ever the open-minded film enthusiast, I watched it anyways!
Dumbo is, of course, the story of the circus elephant born with oversized ears who silences his naysayers when his ears provide him with the ability of flight.
The first half of Burton’s movie roughly follows the original, while the second half continues Dumbo’s story after the events of the first movie, chronicling his tenure as the star attraction of an early amusement park and a daring rescue attempt of his imprisoned mother.
Predictably it is the first half which suffers most in comparison with the original. While the original movie runs little more than an hour, its basic story is retold here in about 40 minutes. The result of which is the narrative beats all fall a little off the mark. For example, Dumbo’s ability to fly is established within the first 20 minutes of the movie, rather than at the climax. The introduction of an antagonist who is swiftly dispensed with roughly halfway through is also slightly jarring.
Absent are the crows and Timothy Mouse, replaced by elephant wrangler Colin Farrell and his children Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins. The relationship between Dumbo and his only friend Timothy is sorely missed and as a result the emotional core of the movie seems sadly lacking. The tragic-comic original contains both moments of great joy and great sadness, while this Dumbo is content to coast along without reaching such emotional depths.
That said, being a Burton production it looks fabulous and has an appealing cast including a neat turn from Danny DeVito as the circus ringmaster. The Climactic rescue attempt does have some genuine moments of excitement.
By all means watch and enjoy Tim Burton’s Dumbo, especially it’s superior second half. Just don’t expect it to soar to the same thrilling heights as Walt Disney’s masterful original.
Read a longer, more in-depth version of this review on my blog: jinglebonesmovietime.blogspot.com
Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller THE LAST OF US — 1.01 "When You're Lost in the Darkness"
Pedro dancing on set
The Last of Us 1x01 || The Last of Us 1x08
THE LAST OF US | 1.01 "When You're Lost in the Darkness"
MARSAI MARTIN AND NICO PARKER FOR TEEN VOGUE MARCH/APRIL 2019 BY BEC PARSONS.
Suncoast is soo Good, I cried like a little baby while watching
My Top 5 Shots in Every Episode of TLOU
Episode 1
TW: Guns, creepy imagery
Quick disclaimer that I was not able to find two scenes I wanted for shots in this list. I couldn’t find unedited versions of the scene with the infected child, or Ellie’s introduction, however their are plenty of other amazing shots in this list without them!
Number #5
The Last of Us quite often has very shallow depth of field. That means shots in which the background is out of focus (blurry). It works well for a lot of things, like making really pretty shots or drawing attention to certain things, but in this case it uses it for suspense. Ms. Adler twitching in the background is absolute nightmare fuel, and the way that it was played, with the camera focused on an unaware Sarah the whole time, was so incredibly well done and scary that this shot became one of my favorites of the episode.
Number #4
This one is great on a lot of levels. Not only is it pretty, with the out of focus fire lighting half of Sarah’s face (making the shot prettier with shallow depth of field), but the color scheme absolutely rocks too. But I think my favorite thing about this shot is the emotion it portrays without saying a word. Props to Nico Parker, because the tone of the visuals and her devastated expression really show the toll the apocalypse is taking on Sarah.
Number #3
This shot is a masterclass in “show don’t tell”. With just this image, we instantly know exactly what type of place our protagonists are living in. Dirty streets, snipers on roofs, lack of freedom or happiness. Somehow this one shots delivers paragraphs of exposition, and does it so well and good-looking that it’s not only bearable, but excellent.
Number #2
Another example of how well this show uses depth of field, this shot works on so many levels, and also just looks absolutely awesome. The contrasting colors of the oranges and browns of the set vs. the blues and grays of the screen is so striking, and I have just always been an absolute sucker for shots of shots, and this is one of the best executed ones I’ve ever seen.
Before I reveal my #1, here are some honorable mentions…
This shot is simply fantastic. The explosion, the people, the view through the car window, it all just works absolutely so well.
Another excellent example of visual world building, showing the tanks driving through the streets. The ultra-high camera angle also looks fantastic, and the way they used the rooftops and textures is just incredible.
Two really gorgeous, well-lit shots of Sarah.
Just like the entire show, this is a really well lite scene, and the way it uses depth of field is so well-done and pretty. Also the high 3/4 angle is fantastic, and don’t even get me started on the eery, creepy tentacles.
Number #1
This is just an I incredible shot all around. The side profiles and rim-lighting for Joel and Sarah, the out of focus explosion centered in the background. It’s so well executed, and you can feel the emotion, the fear, coming through the screen. Bravo!
Tune in for ep 2 tmrw!
pascalispunk: Get your homework done? @nicoparker @thelastofus ep 1 streaming now on @hbomax
#making silly faces is reserved only for his daughters