Melody Time (1948) Directed by Jack Kinney, Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske and Wilfred Jackson (supervisors) Synopsis Our tour of Disney’s 1940s package films continues. This time, we have a follow-up to Make Mine Music, with another seven shorts set to various popular and folk songs. Unlike the earlier package film, this one has Fantasia-style introductions … Continue reading Melody Time
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Big Trouble in Little China
Big Trouble in Little China (1986) Dir. by John Carpenter Starring Kurt Russell, Dennis Dun, Kim Cattrall, James Hong and Victor Wong Synopsis After a night of drinking and gambling, trucker driver Jack Burton accompanies his friend Wang Chi, a San Francisco Chinatown restauranteur, to the airport to pick up his fiancée. When she is abducted by … Continue reading Big Trouble in Little China
Fun and Fancy Free
Fun and Fancy Free (1947) Directed by Jack Kinney, Bill Roberts and Hamilton Luske (animation) and William Morgan (live-action segments) Synopsis Another week, another package film. This time there’s just two longer segments, with some connective tissue involving Jiminy Cricket and a live-action sequence with ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his puppets. The first, “Bongo”, is … Continue reading Fun and Fancy Free
Sneakers
Sneakers (1992) Dir. by Phil Alden Robinson Starring Robert Redford, Sidney Poitier, Dan Aykroyd, David Strathairn and Mary McDonnell Plot In the late 60s, two college students are caught using early computer modems to hack into bank accounts. One is sent to prison, while the other flees to Canada. Twenty years later, that man, under the assumed name … Continue reading Sneakers
Make Mine Music
Make Mine Music (1946) Directed by Jack Kinney et al (supervisors) Synopsis Much like Fantasia before it, this is a collection of shorter animated segments, each inspired by and incorporating a piece of music. This time around, the theme was the popular music of the day instead of classical works (with a couple of exceptions), … Continue reading Make Mine Music
Romancing the Stone
Romancing the Stone (1984) Dir. by Robert Zemeckis Starring Kathleen Turner, Michael Douglas, Danny DeVito and Manuel Ojeda Plot After her sister is kidnapped, successful yet timid romance author Joan Wilder must travel to Columbia with the ransom demand, a treasure map formerly belonging to her now-deceased brother-in-law. However multiple factions, including her brother-in-law’s killer, are all … Continue reading Romancing the Stone
The Three Caballeros
The Three Caballeros (1944) Directed by Norman Ferguson (supervisor) Synopsis Donald Duck receives a bunch of wrapped presents for his birthday. The first contains a film projector, which shows him three Latin American-themed shorts. Upon opening the second, he finds a pop-up book of Brazil, containing a miniaturized Jose Carioca. Carioca shrinks Donald, and they … Continue reading The Three Caballeros
Remo Williams
Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985) Dir. by Guy Hamilton Starring Fred Ward, Wilford Brimley, Joel Grey and Kate Mulgrew Plot A New York cop is recruited against his will for the secret spy organization CURE. His death having been faked, he is given the new identity of “Remo Williams,” and is sent to train with a … Continue reading Remo Williams
Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos (1943) Directed by a whole bunch of different people Synopsis The first of Disney’s package films, collections of shorts with a unifying theme. In this feature, there are four: Donald Duck visiting Lake Titicaca, Goofy becoming a gaucho in Argentina, the story of a mail-delivering plane named Pedro on his first trip over … Continue reading Saludos Amigos
The Beastmaster
The Beastmaster (1982) Dir. by Don Coscarelli Starring Marc Singer, Tanya Roberts, Rip Torn and John Amos [content warning: sexual assault, animal cruelty] The Plot A prophecy states that the son of the king of the Bronze Age kingdom of Aruk will kill the evil high priest Maax (pronounced MAY-AXE). To prevent this, the priest’s witches use … Continue reading The Beastmaster
Cinematic Nostalgia 