In anticipation of the upcoming release of Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” the latest live-action adaption of a classic animated film, the legendary El Capitan Theatre presents a series of films, FESTIVAL OF FAIRYTALES: Disney’s Live Action Adventures, from March 3 – 12, 2017.
The Festival of Fairytales will kick off with Disney’s “Maleficent” (2014) directed by Robert Stromberg, March 3-4, followed by Disney’s “The Jungle Book” (2016) directed by Jon Favreau, March 5-6; “Pete’s Dragon” (2016) directed by David Lowery, March 7-8, “Cinderella” (2015) directed by Kenneth Branagh, March 9-10, and concluding with “Alice in Wonderland”(2010) directed by Tim Burton, March 11-12.
“Recently Disney has taken some of its most beloved stories and made them into new films for new audiences – of which “Beauty and the Beast” opening March 17 here at The El Capitan Theatre is the latest,” said Ed Collins, General Manager of The El Capitan Theatre. “Many of these new films which have been very popular with audiences and critics alike have become classics in their own right. They have given a whole new generation a way to have a unique experience with these characters. We know that our El Capitan Guests will welcome a chance to see these films again on the big screen as they were meant to be seen and we are thrilled to present them now.”
The El Capitan Theatre is offering a special FESTIVAL OF FAIRYTALES Package; for $50 per person, guests receive a Reserved Ticket, small box of popcorn & 12 oz. fountain drink to each of the five films, tickets for this package must be reserved in advance by calling 818-845-3110. Guests will choose show date & seats for all five films at the time of purchase. A $20 VIP preferred ticket is also available for each film individually, which includes a VIP Preferred Seat, popcorn in a souvenir tub and 20 oz. drink.
Showtimes for all five films are 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now, and available at The El Capitan Theatre (6838 Hollywood Blvd.), online at www.elcapitantickets.com, or by calling 1-800-DISNEY6. Special group rates for parties of 20 or more are available by calling 1-818-845-3110. Showtimes are subject to change.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in theaters May 26, 2017 in 3D, RealD 3D and IMAX 3D!
Johnny Depp returns to the big screen as the iconic, swashbuckling anti-hero Jack Sparrow in the all-new “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.” The rip-roaring adventure finds down-on-his-luck Captain Jack feeling the winds of ill-fortune blowing strongly his way when deadly ghost sailors, led by the terrifying Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle bent on killing every pirate at sea—notably Jack. Jack’s only hope of survival lies in the legendary Trident of Poseidon, but to find it he must forge an uneasy alliance with Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), a brilliant and beautiful astronomer, and Henry (Brenton Thwaites), a headstrong young sailor in the Royal Navy. At the helm of the Dying Gull, his pitifully small and shabby ship, Captain Jack seeks not only to reverse his recent spate of ill fortune, but to save his very life from the most formidable and malicious foe he has ever faced.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” also stars Kevin R. McNally as Joshamee Gibbs, Golshifteh Farahani as the sea-witch Shansa, Stephen Graham as Scrum, David Wenham as Scarfield and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Hector Barbossa.
Joachim Rønning & Espen Sandberg are directing “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” with Jerry Bruckheimer producing. The executive producers are Mike Stenson, Chad Oman, Joe Caracciolo, Jr. and Brigham Taylor. Jeff Nathanson wrote the screenplay. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” drops anchor in U.S. theaters on May 26, 2017.
On the heels of 2015’s Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide in box-office history and the sixth-biggest global title of all time, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: The Fate of the Furious.
Now that Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.
From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.
For The Fate of the Furious, Vin Diesel is joined by a returning all-star cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell. In addition to Theron, the series welcomes newcomers Scott Eastwood and Oscar® winner Helen Mirren. The film is directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) and produced by returning producers Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell and Diesel.
The Last Knight shatters the core myths of the Transformers franchise, and redefines what it means to be a hero. Humans and Transformers are at war, Optimus Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, in the hidden history of Transformers on Earth. Saving our world falls upon the shoulders of an unlikely alliance: Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg); Bumblebee; an English Lord (Sir Anthony Hopkins); and an Oxford Professor (Laura Haddock).
There comes a moment in everyone’s life when we are called upon to make a difference. In Transformers: The Last Knight, the hunted will become heroes. Heroes will become villains. Only one world will survive: theirs, or ours.
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT opens in theaters June 23.
Directed by: Michael Bay
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Hopkins, Laura Haddock, Jerrod Carmichael, Isabela Moner and Santiago Cabrera
TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT Social Handles
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An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious “wellness center” at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa’s miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure. From Gore Verbinski, the visionary director of THE RING, comes the new psychological thriller, A CURE FOR WELLNESS.
Suspense Thriller
Release: February 17, 2017
Director: Gore Verbinski
Screenplay by: Justin Haythe; Story by Justin Haythe & Gore Verbinski
Producers: Arnon Milchan, p.g.a.; Gore Verbinski, p.g.a; David Crockett, p.g.a.
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth
In the near future, a weary Logan cares for an ailing Professor X in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan’s attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.
Action-Adventure
Release: March 3, 2017
Directed by: James Mangold
Screenplay by: Michael Green and Scott Frank & James Mangold; Story by: David James Kelly and James Mangold
Produced by: Hutch Parker, p.g.a., Simon Kinberg, p.g.a., Lauren Shuler Donner
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Introducing Dafne Keen
“BAYWATCH” follows devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Dwayne Johnson) as he butts heads with a brash new recruit (Zac Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.
As The LEGO Batman Movie opens, we’re shown nothing but a black screen, and we hear Will Arnett’s Batman say, “Black. All great movies start with black.” A bold meta statement, but one that ultimately rings true for the new Warner Animation Group film, a spin-off of their 2014 film, The LEGO Movie. While Chris Pratt’s Emmett and Elizabeth Banks’ Wyldstyle were the stars of the first film, Will Arnett’s Batman became the film’s breakout hit. So it was only natural that the next film in the Lego film series (A phrase that still seems so odd to say out loud), would be one that focused on Gotham’s Dark Knight, but with that zany LEGO twist.
Spin-offs are always a gamble, especially when you’re taking a character who worked so well within an ensemble, and you put him front and center. Typically, the character quickly loses the charm they originally had, because there’s such a delicate balance within the ensemble, and that balance no longer applies. Thankfully, The LEGO Batman movie avoids almost all those pitfalls by building Batman into a brand new ensemble. While Will Arnett’s Batman is front and center, he’s now surrounded by a supporting cast that includes Ralph Fiennes as loyal butler Alfred, Rosario Dawson as Barbara Gordon, and Michael Cera as the perfectly cast Dick Grayson, also better known as Robin the Boy Wonder. As many recall, Batman was a largely over the top character throughout The LEGO Movie, and it would be almost impossible to reel that in without taking away what people liked about the character. By grounding the character with this supporting cast, it leaves Batman to continue to be the heavy metal loving, one line spewing, cocky, and ultimately ridiculous character we grew to love before.
The film is chock full of the meta and self aware humor of the first film, while also being an incredibly wonderful love letter to the Batman character, and his entire history. Be it the comics, the Adam West series, or the countless film adaptations, including the often ignored film serials of the 1940s; The LEGO Batman Movie gently ribs The Caped Crusader’s long history with a wink and smile, embracing the character’s highest highs, as well as his lowest lows. (Also, kudos to the filmmakers for finally letting Billy Dee Williams get his chance to be Two Face, a great nod to the Tim Burton films!) As the film opens, The Joker hijacks a plane full of deadly explosives that just happens to be flying right over Gotham City, a fact that’s quickly mocked to death. When The Joker enters, introducing himself to the plane’s captain, asking him if he’s scared, to which the captain humorously replies no. The Joker, dumbfounded, asks him why not, and the captain tells him it’s because Batman always beats him, like that time with the two ships, a nod to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. It’s a hilarious exchange, and is just the tip of the iceberg of the film’s overall brilliant script, but it’s that humor that makes the movie so fun and fresh. In a lot of ways, this meta humor is a great reminder of many of the best spoof films, a genre that has sadly all but disappeared, but is seeing a nice return thanks to the film’s producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the film’s director, Chris McKay.
Much like The LEGO Movie before it, The LEGO Batman Movie manages to balance the film’s absurdity and humor with a huge heart, making it something special and touching. The story throughout the film really follows Batman as he finds himself grappling with not having a family, and how he doesn’t have any close relationships. In a rather clever exchange with The Joker near the beginning of the film, Batman tells him that they’re not exclusive enemies, that The Joker really means nothing to him, and that their feud isn’t anything special. This breaks The Joker’s heart, setting him on a path to try and convince Batman that he’s truly Batman’s greatest villain, and that they really do share a special bond. It’s a hilarious scene, but really manages to drive home the fact that Batman really isn’t close to anyone, and ultimately he has no real relationships in his life, not even with his longtime butler, Alfred. While that seems like a rather dramatic angle for the film to take, it’s a perfectly fitting angle to take with the character, and one that has been seen many times before. But the reason it works here is because with how over the top LEGO Batman is, to have him become a real character that does have feelings, really makes you care about the character more. For all his overcompensation, heavy metal music, and insane antics, really all he wants is a family, something he’s been missing his entire life.
This storyline plays great with Michael Cera’s wide eyed take on Dick Grayson, who is an orphan himself. Dick wants nothing more than to be adopted by a family, and looks up to Bruce Wayne, who he considers the greatest orphan of all time. Through a series of events at James Gordon’s retirement party, Bruce unwittingly adopts the boy who will be Robin, and now has to learn to be a parent, something he has no idea how to do. All the while, Barbara Gordon has become the new Police Commissioner of Gotham, picking up her father’s mantle. She wants the GCPD to work alongside Batman, and get rid of the rift raft in the city, something Batman is hugely against. Both Barbara’s storyline, as well as Dick’s, create a great story that forces Batman to face the truth that he’s tired of being alone, and that he can’t continue to live his life the way he has. This joke is played in full when Bruce, after spending a night out fighting crime, gets home and finds himself sitting alone in his home theater watching the Tom Cruise film, Jerry Maguire. He’s so lonely, he spends time watching movies about relationships, just to know what relationships are like, without really realizing how badly he needs to be in one. The script so brilliantly plays up the theme of family without hitting you upside the head to make a point, and it feels like a natural part of the story, instead of something tacked on to make you feel something.
Visually, The LEGO Batman is absolutely beautiful, and really has a lot of fun with the world full of these amazing bricks. The element that makes these movies so cool is how it can play with the bricks in so many different ways, really feeling like a giant play set. Every explosion looks like it’s made of bricks, and any time a gun is shot, it looks like a slim piece of LEGO, with those behind the guns hilariously saying, “pew pew pew,” as they fire. It’s just so much fun watching how visually inventive the filmmakers got bringing the film to life, really making it feel like a world built of LEGO, that you just want to play with and be a part of. The film really captures the spirit and feel of what it’s like to be someone who played with these growing up, and makes your imagination run wild with the possibilities of where they could go next in this world. With LEGO, the opportunities are endless, something this movie proves, and it’ll make audiences clamor for more.
The LEGO Batman Movie is a charming, funny, family adventure film that’s made for not just kids, but adults as well. The filmmakers have managed to make something that kids will love, but parents can too. With a brilliantly meta script, that lovingly embraces the entire Batman mythology from comics to film, it’s impossible not to grin ear to ear throughout. Will Arnett once again brings his goofy, crazy, and ultimately lovable version of Batman to life, with an excellent supporting cast in Michael Cera, who steals much of the film as Robin, as well as Rosario Dawson, and Ralph Fiennes. The LEGO Batman Movie is an incredibly imaginative film that takes the promise of the LEGO world, and shows just how much farther we can take it. This is a worthy successor to The LEGO Movie in every way, and it’ll be great to see where the series goes next. This is the ultimate Batman film in just about every way, and here’s hoping this isn’t the last time we see the character.
The Main Street Electrical Parade, one of the most popular of all Disney parades, has returned to Disneyland Park with all the lights, sounds, music and fun that have made it a beloved icon. With nightly parades scheduled through Sunday, June 18, guests will have a limited time to enjoy the parade’s encore performance.
The dazzling and colorful after-dark parade premiered in Disneyland in 1972 and has been seen at Disney Parks around the world. Although its last Disneyland Park performance was in November 1996, and at Disney California Adventure Park in 2010, it has continued to shine brightly in the memories of millions of guests.
Here are some fun facts about the Main Street Electrical Parade:
600,000 lights sparkle in the parade’s nighttime journey from Small World Mall in Fantasyland to Town Square on Main Street, U.S.A. (approximate number).
22 floats illuminate the parade route at Disneyland, nearly doubling the number of floats from the parade’s debut (12) in 1972.
7 films are represented in the parade: “Alice in Wonderland,” “Cinderella,” “Peter Pan,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Pinocchio,” “Dumbo” and “Pete’s Dragon.”
27 beloved Disney characters perform throughout the show including Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, Captain Hook and Tinker Bell.
80 parade performers (estimated number per night) bring the magic to light including 10 To Honor America patriots, 16 royal court dancers and the Seven Dwarfs.
35 dazzling, lighted costumes are worn by the parade performers.
8 jittering insect floats spin and dance for guests during the “Alice in Wonderland” sequence.
At 18 1/2 feet high, the Clock Tower in the “Cinderella” sequence of the parade, is the tallest float.
At 118 feet long, the To Honor America float is the longest float in the parade. It was added in 1979 after the success of the bicentennial tribute parade “America on Parade.”
At 5,600 pounds, the massive Elliot float, added in 1977 for the release of “Pete’s Dragon,” measures 16 feet tall, 10 feet wide and 38 feet long.
2 composers, Jean-Jacques Perrey and Gershon Kingsley, wrote the iconic synthesizer piece known as “Baroque Hoedown” in 1967, and the song was adapted for the Main Street Electrical Parade in 1972, interwoven with classic Disney themes to create the now iconic parade soundtrack.
6 different colors of light bulbs flash throughout the parade, in amber, blue, green, chartreuse, red and pink.
150,000 glowing amber lights are used in the production, the most of any color.
80 highly skilled cast members were involved in the creation of Main Street Electrical Parade, including 20 designers and 60 craftspeople.
5 Disney Parks have presented versions of the Main Street Electrical Parade including Disneyland, Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom Park, Disney California Adventure Park, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.
Historical Facts:
Nearly 3,600 performances entertained guests at Disneyland from June 17, 1972 to Nov. 25, 1996.
900 miles is the approximate distance traveled by the Main Street Electrical parade during its original run at Disneyland, nearly the distance from Anaheim, Calif., to Seattle, Wash.
In 2005, Main Street Electrical Parade creator and former director of entertainment Robert Jani was inducted as a Disney Legend.
June 17, 1972, marked the debut of the Main Street Electrical Parade, and it returns for its encore performance 45 years later – Jan. 20-June 18, 2017.
500,000 hand-tinted white miniature bulbs twinkled each night in the early versions of the parade.
500 miles of wiring were used to light the floats during early years of the parade, enough to travel to the top of the Matterhorn and back nearly 9,000 times.
Approximately 75 million guests viewed the Main Street Electrical Parade during its original run at Disneyland.
Director Derek Cianfrance’s The Light Between Oceans, based on the novel M. L. Stedman, comes to blu-ray courtesy of of Walt Disney Pictures. The film, starring Micael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz, and Alicia Vikander, is a melancholy, sweeping, and often times beautiful film, that follows a couple who can’t have children, only to have a baby swiftly entering their lives. The couple learns to love and care for the baby, but when the child’s mother shows up in their lives, it quickly causes upheaval in everyone’s lives.
The Light Between Oceans follows Tom Sherbourne, played by Michael Fassbender, a World War One veteran who returns home to Australia after the war, looking for peace and solace after what he’s been through. Working in an isolated lighthouse, Tom eventually falls in love with a young woman named Isabel, played by Alicia Vikander. One night, a boat washes up at the lighthouse, with a dead body and a small child on board. Tom and Isabel decide to take the baby in and raise it on their own, bringing a new light to their life. But the light could potentially be put out when the child’s real mother shows up in their life, threatening to take their new found happiness away from them.
The film really is quite engaging for the first two acts, but once it gets to its third act, it quickly starts to unravel, and it gets too sentimental and sappy, bringing the film to a grinding halt. But even for the film’s issues, it’s worth a watch for Michael Fassbender’s and Alicia Vikander’s incredibly emotional and real performances. Fassbender is one of the best actors currently working in Hollywood, and he brings Tom’s broken nature, but that hope for love and life so amazingly to life. It’s hard to take your eyes off him when he’s on the screen. Vikander as well really owns the screen, with a really moving performance, and she plays brilliantly off Fassbender. The two share such great chemistry, it’s hard not to be enthralled by them, and really pull for them to come through in all this.
Dereke Cianfrance’s film is strikingly beautiful, with amazing cinematography by Adam Arkapaw. The film, which was filmed in Australia and New Zealand, is a true treat, and the blu-ray really brings the film spectacularly to life. The transfer is gorgeous, really bringing the way Arkapaw shot the move to life. The island that Fassbender’s Tom Sherbourne lives on is ripe to filmed, and this blu-ray makes the locale pop with natural beauty. Though, there are a few instances of noise in the film that pop up from time to time, it’s not enough that it detracts from the film’s overall transfer. This is an incredibly beautiful looking film, and for that alone, it’s worth a pick up.
The film also boasts an excellent 7.1 lossless audio track that really brings the film’s score and dialogue to life in an absolutely great way. Though the film isn’t a big action film that is going to push your speaker system to it’s limits, it does make the film sound crisp, and brings the theater experience home in style. The use of nature throughout the film, with the gusty wind that surrounds the island, and the waves from the ocean, really do make great use of the speakers, and it surrounds you, encapsulates you, and makes you feel like you’re right there with the characters in the film. It’s really a fantastic sounding disc, and one that really is one that’s a standout for its subtly, not just being in your face with the sound.
It’s too bad the disc doesn’t have too much in the way of special features. While it has a decent making of featurette, it’s nothing too special. Clocking in at just over fifteen minutes, it explores how they brought the film to life, from its themes, its shooting locations, the casting and chemistry between them, and more. But for such a short run time, it doesn’t feel fleshed out at all. It’s too much information in too short a time, making it feel too rushed. On the other hand, Derek Cianfrance’s commentary, with Film Studies Professor Phil Soloman, is engaging, and very thoughtful. You get a much better feel for the way the film was put together, and it’s more what the making of featurette should be. It’s easily worth a listen for any fan of the film. The final featurette, Lighthouse Keeper, is a quick five minute bit that is about finding the right lighthouse to film in. Much like the making of, it’s far too short, and feels rushed, but it is an interesting watch even for its short time frame.
The Light Between Oceans is a mostly engaging film with wonderful performances in its leads Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, who really sell the film, even if it never comes together fully. The blu-ray release comes with a stunning transfer, and a great sound mix, but barely adequate special features that really don’t add to much. Still, the film is more than worth a look for the performances, and its stunning cinematography by Adam Arkapaw. For that alone, the disc gets a solid recommendation.
17 Miracle The company of MATILDA THE MUSICAL Credit 2016 Joan Marcus
As most any child can attest, Roald Dahl was a master storyteller. He dares children to imagine the darkest of worlds, populated by what a child could only see as the worst that humanity had to offer. But he made these worlds palatable by populating them with the smartest and brightest of children. Whether it was Charlie from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James from James and the Giant Peach, or Matilda from the story of the same name, these were remarkable children that counteracted the darkness of these worlds by serving as a beacon for children to follow into the darkness.
His stories were complex and profound. They were epics for the young. And now one of his most endearing characters, Matilda, has made her way to the stage, currently performing at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.
While not one of his most famous stories, Matilda bears all of the hallmarks of the best of his work. Matilda herself is a genius, forced to live in misery with a family that resents her. Her mother sees her as an obstacle in the way of her dance ambitions, and her father is disgusted by the fact that she wasn’t a son. Tortured throughout her childhood, she finds escape through books, eventually creating her own stories as a way of escaping from her own story. Finding herself at Crunchem Hall Primary School, the dichotomy of light and dark are presented once again through the seemingly perfect teacher, Miss Honey, and the horrible excuse of a headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (brilliantly played by Dan Chameroy). One of the great pleasures of this production is the rivalry between Miss Trunchbull and all of the students.
I would have always imagined that a story such as this could never be pulled off on the stage. There are just too many fantastical elements for it too work. Yet somehow, they have pulled it off in spectacular fashion. This is in no small part to the phenomenal performances across the board. With a cast composed primarily of children, I was floored at the fierce dedication they all brought to their roles. The role of Matilda herself would appear to be particularly challenging, with almost non-stop verbal ruminations and wordplay. As the character is supposed to be a genius, the young child playing the role (there are 3 total actresses playing the role throughout the show’s run) has a lot of weight to carry on her shoulders, and it is pulled off in amazing fashion. Compounding the difficulty, Matilda is a musical, and a fantastic one at that.
The songs in this production are far more memorable than I was expecting, and almost all filled with extremely clever wordplay. The dance choreography is extremely creative, all in service of the story and conveying a great deal simply through motion. I must also commend the entire technical crew for keeping up with the incredibly fast paced demands a show such as this must require. The special effects are extremely impressive, and while they never overshadow the story they are servicing, they are always a joy to behold.
Pretty much everything about this production works, from the whimsical set design to the on-the-nose costuming. If I have one small complaint, it’s that some of the dialogue in the music can be hard to understand. The cast utilizes over-the-top British accents, and many of the musical numbers feature multiple people singing at once, often overlapping each other with various pieces of dialogue. There were times where I just found myself enjoying the theatrics of the experience, but not entirely understanding what was being said.
However, that’s a small complaint compared to the numerous joys that this show has to offer. It really is like seeing Dahl’s story come to life before your eyes, and while the dark undertones are never shied away from, I would definitely recommend this as a production for the entire family. Matilda is being performed now through January 29.
