Hercules (1997) Jealous Hades (James Woods) plots to overthrow his brother Zeus (Rip Torn) and rule Mount Olympus by killing Hercules (Tate Donovan), Zeus’s infant son. He sends his minions, Pain and Panic, to give the child a formula designed to make him mortal, but they fail to give him all of it. Deprived of immortality, but maintaining… Continue reading Starsky & Hercules
Tag: Adaptations
Surprise!: This story never ends
Pullet Surprise (1997) Foghorn Leghorn is one of my favorite Looney Tunes because my dad loved the character, but this lesser entry featuring the character is only somewhat amusing. The NeverEnding Story (1984) Bastian Balthazar Bux reads a book to distract him from the troubles of his adolescence. The book tells the story of Fantasia and its fight… Continue reading Surprise!: This story never ends
My prince of Dogtown
The Prince and the Pauper (1990) Longing for freedom from his royal responsibilities, a prince switches places with a peasant doppelgänger. Mark Twain’s novel satirizes the rigid English class system during the Elizabethan period. As expected, this Disney short significantly dilutes the satirical elements and, to increase dramatic tension, adds Pete as an evil palace guard using the… Continue reading My prince of Dogtown
Porgy, Dillinger, and the unbearable Bess
The Unbearable Lightnesss of Being (1988) When waitress Tereza (Juliette Bincohe) moves in with her lover, brain surgeon Tomas (Daniel Day-Lewis), she’s confused by his Bohemian lifestyle. When Sabina, one of Tomas’s other lovers, gets Tereza a job as a photographer, she inadvertently photographs Soviet tanks invading Czechoslovakia, and, realizing their importance, smuggles them to… Continue reading Porgy, Dillinger, and the unbearable Bess
Your hairspray, my high five, and our shadowlands
Hairspray (1988) In 1963, overweight Tracy Turnblad (Rikki Lake) becomes a popular mainstay on a Baltimore dance show, infuriating the reigning queen, Amber Von Tussle (Debbie Harry). In addition to their dance floor rivalry, Tracy and her mother Edna (Divine) advocate integration while the Von Tussles fight for segregation. Rikki Lake would go on to… Continue reading Your hairspray, my high five, and our shadowlands
Lucky Mary took a machine with her to the sun
Mary Poppins (1964) Julie Andrews won an Oscar, and she’s been nominated two other times, but since the mid 1980s, her films have been almost exclusively children’s fare like the Shrek series and The Princess Diaries (2001). I wish she hadn’t been typecast in wholesome, family films because in Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), S.O.B. (1981), and Victor / Victoria… Continue reading Lucky Mary took a machine with her to the sun
Get off my little plane
My Little Chickadee (1940) The thin plot about a masked coach-robbing bandit is merely an excuse to bring two aging vaudeville stars, W.C. Fields and Mae West, together for the first time on the big screen. I like the idea of W.C. Fields; a witty misanthrope who says what everyone else is too polite to… Continue reading Get off my little plane
Camille’s secret life
Camille (1936) Marguerite Gautier (Greta Garbo) uses her femininity to rise from humble beginnings to a preeminent position in French society as Dame Camille, but complications arise when she falls in love with Armand (Robert Taylor). Armand’s father (Lionel Barrymore) convinces Camille her sordid past will ruin his future, so she leaves him. A heartbroken… Continue reading Camille’s secret life
The Genius made a deal with the devil to avoid dying on the battlefields of Earth
Faust (2011) Mauricius agrees to help Heinrich Faust win the affection of his beloved Gretchen in exchange for his soul. There are plenty of better adaptations of the Faust legend, including the 16th century play by Christopher Marlowe. This film by Alexander Sokurov can’t decide if Mauricius is the devil or just a very talented man… Continue reading The Genius made a deal with the devil to avoid dying on the battlefields of Earth
The quiet transamerican
Transamerica (2005) One week before sex reassignment surgery, Bree Osbourne (Felicity Huffman) discovers he fathered a child years ago during one of his few sexual encounters with a woman. Bree’s therapist refuses to give final approval for the operation until he meets his son, so Bree travels across the country to bail Toby (Kevin Zeggers) out… Continue reading The quiet transamerican