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Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘PRINCE OF PERSIA’
The Lion of Central Casting Disney’s Prince of Persia was a bold endeavor. With a $185 million price tag, it shattered the ceiling for video game adaptation budgets. The House of Mouse made a bet, and it was a big one. Unfortunately, it was also a bad one. The Prince of Persia franchise is popular, but general audiences have rarely flocked to movies based on games. Thus, despite it being the most successful of the bunch—grossing $336.4 million worldwide—its receipts weren’t enough to warrant a sequel. Poor reviews, 37% on Rotten Tomatoes, coupled with a soft domestic opening, under $91 million, doomed its franchise prospects. What it’s really remembered for, though, is its bizarre…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE’
Knuckle Bump The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is an ode to Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia. Born from an idea Nicolas Cage had, it builds an entire mythos from that brief section of the aforementioned film. Balthazar Blake, Cage, is a sorcerer searching for the rightful heir to Merlin—his former master. He was given a ring by the legendary wizard as he lie dying. That ring will signal the chosen one, who happens to be a bumbling nerd, Dave (played by Jay Baruchel). Anyway, it’s all fairly silly and dumb, but also decently fun. That is thanks in part to Alfred Molina’s Horvath—the sorcerer who betrayed Merlin and Balthazar, aligning himself with the evil Morgana.…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘HOME SWEET HOME ALONE’
Make It Stop Home Sweet Home Alone is the epitome of a lazy, soulless rehash; and, quite frankly, it is the antithesis of how you leverage a valuable IP. Disney should be ashamed. With their abundance of resources, they trotted out not only one of the worst films of the year, it’s one of the worst of the decade. Home Sweet Home Alone is never funny. It is quite often painful, though, and that’s not including the myriad of death traps the “burglars” are forced to endure. I use quotes because the “antagonists” are anything but that. They’re actually just a struggling family attempting to retrieve a priceless doll they believe to be…
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Hops and Box Office Flops: ‘THE ROCKETEER’
The Antifa Adventurer That isn’t Dr. Jones The Rocketeer is a beloved 1991 Disney film. Based on Dave Stevens’ comic series, which debuted in 1982, it revolves around stunt pilot Cliff Secord’s (Bill Campbell) fortuitous discovery of a jetpack created by Howard Hughes. Of course, adventure ensues. The character was created as a tribute to the 1930s serials that had inspired wonder in the youth of their day. Both the comics and film execute that homage perfectly. The Rocketeer is indeed a cult classic. Loaded with charm—which is anchored by the majestic score of James Horner—it serves as a delightful reminder of the comic book films of yesteryear. Those films had to rely far…
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Cruella and A Quiet Place Part II Saved Cinema – Mike and John
In the latest episode of Mike and John at the Movies, we review both Cruella and A Quiet Place Part II! After having the largest box office since the start of the pandemic, is it safe to say that movies are officially back? We discuss! Both Cruella and A Quiet Place Part II are in theaters now!
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How HAMILTON’S Lost Song Changed Everything
If you listened to the cast album of Hamilton, you pretty much had the entire play pumped into your ears long before the musical landed on Disney+. There are minor differences you’ll notice when watching it up close for the first time, like King George’s damp performance in You’ll Be Back or how My Shot is referenced (visually) in The World Was Wide Enough. The album is fantastic and alone is one of the greatest works in Broadway’s history. However, it missed one song and that one song recontextualizes everything. Miranda intentionally cut Lauren’s Interlude (Tomorrow There’ll Be More of Us) from the album. Saying he wanted: “at least one…
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The 10 Best Songs from HAMILTON
Hamilton hits Disney+ this weekend, and millions will be watching the show for the first time. The Broadway production has been around for five years and produced some fantastic songs. Today, we’re going to rank the Top 10 Songs of Hamilton. 10. Yorktown (The World Turned Upsidedown) The Seige of Yorktown is a massive moment in our nation’s history. In this showstopping number, we see just how that battle went down. The music is incredible and creates a feeling of action and excitement. Hercules Mulligan’s rap is easily the best part, but the whole number feels like a grand finale. The immigrants got the job done. 9. Alexander Hamilton A…
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Review – Hamilton: An American Musical
Hamilton is a hip-hop musical based on the life of the United State’s first Treasury Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda). The film shows us the life of Alexander. A young, scrappy, and hungry teenager is willing to give his life for his country’s freedom. We see his early years to his death. Without going into spoilers [can you spoil history?], Hamilton is a film about legacies, ambition, sacrifice, and loss. The rivalry between Alexander and Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom Jr.) is the plot’s driving force. Two different world views from very flawed individuals. The entire cast is phenomenal. Leslie Odom shines as Burr and delivers the film’s best performance. Then we…
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5 More STAR WARS Shows We Want to See on Disney+
Star Wars has proven to be a huge asset for Disney+, thanks to the success of The Mandalorian and The Clone Wars: The Final Season. The service has several other shows in development, including two starring Obi-Wan Kenobi and Cassian Andor. Meanwhile, characters like Boba Fett and Ashoka Tano have been rumored for their own shows. Of course, with the franchise’s success on streaming so far, it’s only a matter of time before the galaxy continues to expand. Below, we list five more Star Wars shows that we want to see on Disney+. Lando Donald Glover plays a younger Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Despite that movie’s underperformance,…