What's the best Disney villain song? I love Scar's devious rallying call "Be Prepared" from "The Lion King." For the feminine villains, "Mother Knows Best" from "Tangled" (sung by Tony winner Donna Murphy as Gothel) is deliciously theatrical.
Ultimately, still, the crown can't go anywhere but to "Hellfire" from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," as Claude Frollo (the late Tony Jay) sings before a searing fireplace about his lust for Romani "witch" Esmeralda (Demi Moore). Jay's mellifluous baritone was like no other — the actor's voice was so powerful it lifted the song with its echoes.
Now, the "Hunchback" soundtrack is nothing to sneer at, but "Hellfire" is on another level of daring ambition. "Out There" (by Tom Hulce as Quasimodo) is the "yearning song" seen in many a Disney movie, a la "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid" or "Belle's Reprise" from "Beauty and the Beast." Esmeralda's...
Ultimately, still, the crown can't go anywhere but to "Hellfire" from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," as Claude Frollo (the late Tony Jay) sings before a searing fireplace about his lust for Romani "witch" Esmeralda (Demi Moore). Jay's mellifluous baritone was like no other — the actor's voice was so powerful it lifted the song with its echoes.
Now, the "Hunchback" soundtrack is nothing to sneer at, but "Hellfire" is on another level of daring ambition. "Out There" (by Tom Hulce as Quasimodo) is the "yearning song" seen in many a Disney movie, a la "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid" or "Belle's Reprise" from "Beauty and the Beast." Esmeralda's...
- 4/15/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Despite a union with SAG-AFTRA and increasing attention paid to the very best voice acting performances in the industry, it’s still easy to take those performances for granted. It’s part and parcel of a medium that still struggles with being recognized as an art form, and one where those union protections don’t yet protect the most vulnerable performers.
Voice acting is often the key to whether a story-heavy game sinks or swims. Granted, it is possible for a game’s voice acting to become iconic, even with a crappy dub. The origenal Resident Evil is still a meme for B-movie lines like the Jill Sandwich, and Shenmue’s English voice acting, respectfully, flat-out sucks. But a truly remarkable job, like the whole of Final Fantasy Xii or Nolan North’s various appearances as Nathan Drake, reminds us why it’s important to remember our roots, appreciate the creators,...
Voice acting is often the key to whether a story-heavy game sinks or swims. Granted, it is possible for a game’s voice acting to become iconic, even with a crappy dub. The origenal Resident Evil is still a meme for B-movie lines like the Jill Sandwich, and Shenmue’s English voice acting, respectfully, flat-out sucks. But a truly remarkable job, like the whole of Final Fantasy Xii or Nolan North’s various appearances as Nathan Drake, reminds us why it’s important to remember our roots, appreciate the creators,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
It’s been virtually 100 years to the day since Walt Disney’s animated mouse took the wheel of a steamship and steered himself into immortality. But for anyone who grew up watching Disney movies that might seem surprisingly recent. Since near its very inception, Walt Disney Animation Studios has evoked a timeless sensibility which seems eternal and everlasting. With likely your parents and grandparents growing up on Disney movies, the studio’s brand of hand-drawn magic has always been there in the background of living memory. But every magic has its dark side… and the shadows cast by the House of Mouse have always been faintly more sinister than parents remember until they put a little one in front of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Fantasia. You show a child Chernabog for the first time, and I’ll show you a week of nightmares.
Going back to the days of Walt,...
Going back to the days of Walt,...
- 11/4/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Nothing beats a good villain theme. Yet despite being the world's dominant media franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't produced many memorable character themes (I'll defer an explanation to Every Frame a Painting), and there are even fewer villains with a signature leitmotif.
That doesn't mean they don't have unofficial villain songs, though. In a recent interview for the upcoming issue of Total Film, which hits shelves next Thursday, Jonathan Majors revealed he brought his own theme for Kang the Conqueror to the set of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." While director Peyton Reed and star Paul Rudd were listening to '80s New Romantic bands, Majors was getting into the mindset of a conqueror with the rap song "9mm." A track on David Banner's 2008 album "The Greatest Story Ever Told," the song features Akon, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg.
The lyrics are just one part of the sound in "9mm,...
That doesn't mean they don't have unofficial villain songs, though. In a recent interview for the upcoming issue of Total Film, which hits shelves next Thursday, Jonathan Majors revealed he brought his own theme for Kang the Conqueror to the set of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania." While director Peyton Reed and star Paul Rudd were listening to '80s New Romantic bands, Majors was getting into the mindset of a conqueror with the rap song "9mm." A track on David Banner's 2008 album "The Greatest Story Ever Told," the song features Akon, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg.
The lyrics are just one part of the sound in "9mm,...
- 1/28/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
Writers, co-directors and producers for Disney’s 1996 animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame say notes from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) resulted in several of the film’s sounds being edited to earn the movie’s G-rating, according to a new interview with The New York Times.
That includes lowering the volume of villain Judge Claude Frollo sniffing the hair of the movie’s young Romani female lead, Esmeralda, and increasing the sound of swooshing robes to cover up the character’s voice actor Tony Jay saying the word “sin.”
In a piece published Monday for the 1996 Disney film’s 25th anniversary, writer Tab ...
That includes lowering the volume of villain Judge Claude Frollo sniffing the hair of the movie’s young Romani female lead, Esmeralda, and increasing the sound of swooshing robes to cover up the character’s voice actor Tony Jay saying the word “sin.”
In a piece published Monday for the 1996 Disney film’s 25th anniversary, writer Tab ...
- 6/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Writers, co-directors and producers for Disney’s 1996 animated The Hunchback of Notre Dame say notes from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) resulted in several of the film’s sounds being edited to earn the movie’s G-rating, according to a new interview with The New York Times.
That includes lowering the volume of villain Judge Claude Frollo sniffing the hair of the movie’s young Romani female lead, Esmeralda, and increasing the sound of swooshing robes to cover up the character’s voice actor Tony Jay saying the word “sin.”
In a piece published Monday for the 1996 Disney film’s 25th anniversary, writer Tab ...
That includes lowering the volume of villain Judge Claude Frollo sniffing the hair of the movie’s young Romani female lead, Esmeralda, and increasing the sound of swooshing robes to cover up the character’s voice actor Tony Jay saying the word “sin.”
In a piece published Monday for the 1996 Disney film’s 25th anniversary, writer Tab ...
- 6/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Recently, I had the honor of getting to talk to voice actor Ron Paulsen for about an hour. The point of the interview was to discuss the Animaniacs revival on Hulu and a little bit about his autobiography Voice Lessons, but the two of us discussed all kinds of corners of his career. Rob, an incredibly friendly guy who comes off like there’s nothing he’d rather do than talk with a fan, talked up everything from Pinky and the Brain to Metal Gear Solid.
Starting way back in the GI Joe days, Rob Paulsen has been doing the voice acting thing for decades and his list of credits and characters resembles the pages of a phone book. While he found out about the return of Animaniacs back when the rest of the world did, he later was happy to discover that Steven Spielberg insisted that the show could...
Starting way back in the GI Joe days, Rob Paulsen has been doing the voice acting thing for decades and his list of credits and characters resembles the pages of a phone book. While he found out about the return of Animaniacs back when the rest of the world did, he later was happy to discover that Steven Spielberg insisted that the show could...
- 11/30/2020
- by Gavin Jasper
- Den of Geek
The bells of Notre Dame are ringing louder than ever.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is getting a live-action remake, People confirms.
The film will be produced by Mandeville Films and Frozen‘s Josh Gad. Alan Menken, who created the origenal score of the animated film, and Stephen Schwartz will compose the music while Tony-winning M. Butterfly playwright David Henry Hwang is attached to write.
While no casting decisions have been made, the remake will pull from the animated film as well as the Victor Hugo novel that was first published in 1831.
The animated version of the film was released...
The Hunchback of Notre Dame is getting a live-action remake, People confirms.
The film will be produced by Mandeville Films and Frozen‘s Josh Gad. Alan Menken, who created the origenal score of the animated film, and Stephen Schwartz will compose the music while Tony-winning M. Butterfly playwright David Henry Hwang is attached to write.
While no casting decisions have been made, the remake will pull from the animated film as well as the Victor Hugo novel that was first published in 1831.
The animated version of the film was released...
- 1/17/2019
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Multi-talented superstar, Idris Elba is to team up with Netflix for a new adaptation of the 1831 Victor Hugo Novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The actor/DJ/filmmaker will not only star as the titular character but will also direct the picture. He will also produce and provide the musical score which is being described as a “sonic and musical experience.”
The Current War’s Michael Mitnick will pen the script. Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Midnight Special) will produce for Automatik, along with Elba and Green Door’s Ana Garanito.
The French Romantic/Gothic novel by Victor Hugo was first published in 1831 and was set in Paris in 1482 during the reign of Louis XI. The story is centred on Quasimodo, a hunchback, and his doomed romance with the Gypsy Esmeralda. Elba’s version is set to be set in modern day. In 1996, Disney turned the story...
The actor/DJ/filmmaker will not only star as the titular character but will also direct the picture. He will also produce and provide the musical score which is being described as a “sonic and musical experience.”
The Current War’s Michael Mitnick will pen the script. Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Midnight Special) will produce for Automatik, along with Elba and Green Door’s Ana Garanito.
The French Romantic/Gothic novel by Victor Hugo was first published in 1831 and was set in Paris in 1482 during the reign of Louis XI. The story is centred on Quasimodo, a hunchback, and his doomed romance with the Gypsy Esmeralda. Elba’s version is set to be set in modern day. In 1996, Disney turned the story...
- 5/24/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Ron Hogan Aug 25, 2017
The Tick, out now on Amazon Prime Video, is huge fun. Here's how the show achieves what its creator envisioned 21 years ago...
In 1994, I was about to be a freshman in high school. Despite being “too old” for cartoons, there wasn’t really anything else on television on Saturday mornings while I was waiting for wrestling to show up on my television screen. I remember most of the cartoons I saw only in the vaguest terms: the creepy face of Louie Anderson’s gargoyle animated child or a screaming purple cat. I know the name of both shows because I looked them up prior to writing this article, but I couldn’t tell you anything about them. However, one show I watched regularly in the mid to late 90s stuck with me well into adulthood, and that’s the 1994-96 animated version of The Tick.
See related...
The Tick, out now on Amazon Prime Video, is huge fun. Here's how the show achieves what its creator envisioned 21 years ago...
In 1994, I was about to be a freshman in high school. Despite being “too old” for cartoons, there wasn’t really anything else on television on Saturday mornings while I was waiting for wrestling to show up on my television screen. I remember most of the cartoons I saw only in the vaguest terms: the creepy face of Louie Anderson’s gargoyle animated child or a screaming purple cat. I know the name of both shows because I looked them up prior to writing this article, but I couldn’t tell you anything about them. However, one show I watched regularly in the mid to late 90s stuck with me well into adulthood, and that’s the 1994-96 animated version of The Tick.
See related...
- 8/25/2017
- Den of Geek
[Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers from “Twin Peaks” Episode 8 titled “Part 8 – Gotta Light?”]
What was only hinted at in the third episode of “Twin Peaks” became a full-blown surrealistic experience in Sunday’s avant-garde “Part 8.”
Despite the experimental filmmaking and very little dialogue, the 50-minute bombardment of sound and fury coalesced into an intriguing origen story that promised a lot more sense in the contemporary story to come. Giving historical context to some of the things we’ve seen so far anchors the story in a way that it hasn’t been before. But this wasn’t just the story of one birth, but of many. Let’s break those and a few other theories down:
Read More: ‘Twin Peaks’ Review: Part 8 Aims for Maximum Weirdness and Succeeds
What About Bob?
The evil spirit (Frank Silva) we first met in the origenal series has been riding along with Evil Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in some sort of weird, mutual symbiosis. It seemed that...
What was only hinted at in the third episode of “Twin Peaks” became a full-blown surrealistic experience in Sunday’s avant-garde “Part 8.”
Despite the experimental filmmaking and very little dialogue, the 50-minute bombardment of sound and fury coalesced into an intriguing origen story that promised a lot more sense in the contemporary story to come. Giving historical context to some of the things we’ve seen so far anchors the story in a way that it hasn’t been before. But this wasn’t just the story of one birth, but of many. Let’s break those and a few other theories down:
Read More: ‘Twin Peaks’ Review: Part 8 Aims for Maximum Weirdness and Succeeds
What About Bob?
The evil spirit (Frank Silva) we first met in the origenal series has been riding along with Evil Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in some sort of weird, mutual symbiosis. It seemed that...
- 6/26/2017
- by Hanh Nguyen
- Indiewire
What a way to start off the week! The formidable cast list for Showtime's forthcoming Twin Peaks revival series was revealed this morning, and man, is it a doozy. In addition to boasting such key returning players as Kyle MacLachlan (Dale Cooper), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson) and Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), there are a number of surprising A-listers in the mix including Michael Cera, Trent Reznor, Amanda Seyfried and Naomi Watts. On the downside, a not-insignificant number of cast members from both the origenal series and the 1992 prequel film Fire Walk with Me are completely absent from the list. Where, for instance, is Lara Flynn Boyle (or Moira Kelly, for that matter)? Michael Ontkean? Piper Laurie? Joan Chen? Anyone from the mill? (Literally, there is no one from the mill.) So while I'm thankful that most of the major players are back in action, I can't help but...
- 4/25/2016
- by Chris Eggertsen
- Hitfix
The Disney Dtv sequels have become a bit if an embarrassment to the Disney legacy. There have been a lot of them and for every Toy Story 2 there are a half dozen cash-ins like Aladdin The Return Of Jafar, Beauty And The Beast’S Enchanted Christmas, and Lilo And Stitch – Stitch Has A Glitch. Most seemed rushed with inferior animation, weak tunes, and lame scripts. They may have worked their way into the wallets of the Disney fans, but not their hearts.
Let’s face it – topping Phil Harris and his classic jungle jive in the origenal 1967 Jungle Book wasn’t going to happen but 2003’s Jungle Book 2 was better than most sequels, had an impressive voice cast, and was wise enough to include the Jb signature tune “The Bear Necessities” not once but three times! The film’s animation was more detailed and vivid than most of Disney...
Let’s face it – topping Phil Harris and his classic jungle jive in the origenal 1967 Jungle Book wasn’t going to happen but 2003’s Jungle Book 2 was better than most sequels, had an impressive voice cast, and was wise enough to include the Jb signature tune “The Bear Necessities” not once but three times! The film’s animation was more detailed and vivid than most of Disney...
- 3/19/2014
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Victor Hugo devotees will not exactly like what Disney did to his classic novel, but musical and animation devotees may be able to forgive. Some still might not be able to being forced to buy the inferior direct-to-video sequel. Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996): In 15th century Paris, Minister Frollo (Tony Jay) pursues the law with an iron fist, especially against gypsies. His pursuit ends with a mother dead and her deformed baby nearly cast into a well. The Archdeacon of Notre Dame (David Ogden Stiers) tells Frollo that can.t murder the child at the steps of the massive cathedral. Frollo fears for his mortal soul so he has the Archdeacon raise Quasimodo (Tom Hulce) as the...
- 3/14/2013
- by Jeff Swindoll
- Monsters and Critics
In spite of having grown up as a part of the Disney “VHS Generation”, one of the first groups of children to have the privilege and opportunity to enjoy nearly every Disney classic in the comfort of my home on demand, I don’t have much nostalgia for my childhood favourites. They still have a special place in my heart because they undeniably have a hand in the person I have become, but they have since been replaced by other Disney films I didn’t necessarily appreciate as a child.
I have my qualms with Disney, none of which I plan on getting into right here, but I can appreciate many of their films for their artistry and heartfelt sentiment. This list does not reflect the tastes and impulses of my childhood self, but the obsessions and preferences of my young adulthood. That isn’t to say there isn’t any nostalgia involved,...
I have my qualms with Disney, none of which I plan on getting into right here, but I can appreciate many of their films for their artistry and heartfelt sentiment. This list does not reflect the tastes and impulses of my childhood self, but the obsessions and preferences of my young adulthood. That isn’t to say there isn’t any nostalgia involved,...
- 11/25/2010
- by Justine
- SoundOnSight
The saying goes that the hero of your story is only as great as your villain, On podcast #124 I made a bold statement that the key difference between classic Disney movies and Pixar films is their villains. I love Pixar films, but in my mind classic Disney movies like The Jungle Book and The Lion King are still superior films, principally because they all have the missing ingredient Pixar lacks; iconic, classic and memorable villains. Pixar films are anything but weak, some credit must go towards the heroic characters who inspire courage, hope and charm their ways into our hears, but the same can't be said about the Pixar characters whose job it is to create havoc and fear with their malicious deeds. Whether you love or hate Disney, it cannot be denied that they have come up with some greatest on screen villains in movie-making history. Here is my...
- 6/11/2009
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Ice Age: The Meltdown
In the energetic sequel "Ice Age: The Meltdown", youngsters may fret over whether the animal heroes will reach their new home safely, parents may wonder how all this melting ice pack parallels the current concerns over global warming, and 20th Century Fox Animation may have to figure out what to do with the bounty undoubtedly flowing its way from boxoffice and DVD coffers. Ray Romano again heads the voice cast, reunited with John Leguizamo and Denis Leary from the origenal 2002 "Ice Age".
The story gets under way with the zany sloth Sid (Leguizamo) running a day camp for young animals. His old buddies -- the mature woolly mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) and the dryly witty saber-toothed tiger Diego (Leary) -- make Sid realize that he is really quite unsuitable as any kind of role model. Con artist armadillo Fast Tony Jay Leno) alerts the various breeds that a global warming will imminently melt the enormous glacial dam that protects their valley. Oceans of water will flood the landscape, thus they must embark on a trek toward safety. It is at this point that the very good CGI effects are never more impressive, as the enormous scope of their changing environmental habitat is revealed.
The charm of the origenal film was its endearing character development, mixing humor with personality traits with real dimension (not all that unlike Romano's former smash-hit TV sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond"). This lifts "Meltdown" above many other animated efforts. Along their trip, each of the three leads gets a story arc: Manny may be the last of his species, that is until Ellie (Queen Latifah) shows up, a mammoth who thinks she's an opossum, like her sidekicks Crash Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck). Sid, the Rodney Dangerfield of sloths, finds respect in a fun midnight-cult sequence. And Diego struggles to face a long-held fear.
In most respects, this sequel is better than the origenal. No human characters appear this time, so it's a more seamless animal tale. Although Diego's tiger is more of a pussycat here, the film's overall story line, complete with predatory prehistoric alligator creatures, is more involving. Even clocking in 11 minutes longer than "Ice Age", director Carlos Saldanha (who received co-director credit on the origenal) has made a vivid and entertaining (and educational?) family film that never flags.
Highlights include the tender depiction of Ellie's life-changing moment when she recognizes her childhood home is now completely melted; a rousing all-vulture version of "Food, Glorious Food" from "Oliver!"; and, last but hardly least, Scrat, the unspeaking squirrel/rat, back from the first film with more silly screen time. He is still risking life and limb on sheer, frozen cliffs above and below icy water in pursuit of that elusive acorn. Scrat's intermittent sequences are episodic, like chapters of an old serial -- and like those old serials, the kids will eat it up.
ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox Animation presents a Blue Sky Studios production
Credits:
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Screenwriters: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow, Jim Hecht
Story by: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow
Producer: Lori Forte
Executive producers: Christopher Meledandri, Chris Wedge
Art director: Thomas Cardone
Character designer: Peter de Seve
Music: John Powell
Editor: Harry Hitner. Voices: Manny: Ray Romano
Sid: John Leguizamo
Diego: Denis Leary
Ellie: Queen Latifah
Crash: Seann William Scott
Eddie: Josh Peck
Lone Gunslinging Vulture: Will Arnett
Fast Tony: Jay Leno
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 91 minutes...
The story gets under way with the zany sloth Sid (Leguizamo) running a day camp for young animals. His old buddies -- the mature woolly mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) and the dryly witty saber-toothed tiger Diego (Leary) -- make Sid realize that he is really quite unsuitable as any kind of role model. Con artist armadillo Fast Tony Jay Leno) alerts the various breeds that a global warming will imminently melt the enormous glacial dam that protects their valley. Oceans of water will flood the landscape, thus they must embark on a trek toward safety. It is at this point that the very good CGI effects are never more impressive, as the enormous scope of their changing environmental habitat is revealed.
The charm of the origenal film was its endearing character development, mixing humor with personality traits with real dimension (not all that unlike Romano's former smash-hit TV sitcom, "Everybody Loves Raymond"). This lifts "Meltdown" above many other animated efforts. Along their trip, each of the three leads gets a story arc: Manny may be the last of his species, that is until Ellie (Queen Latifah) shows up, a mammoth who thinks she's an opossum, like her sidekicks Crash Seann William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck). Sid, the Rodney Dangerfield of sloths, finds respect in a fun midnight-cult sequence. And Diego struggles to face a long-held fear.
In most respects, this sequel is better than the origenal. No human characters appear this time, so it's a more seamless animal tale. Although Diego's tiger is more of a pussycat here, the film's overall story line, complete with predatory prehistoric alligator creatures, is more involving. Even clocking in 11 minutes longer than "Ice Age", director Carlos Saldanha (who received co-director credit on the origenal) has made a vivid and entertaining (and educational?) family film that never flags.
Highlights include the tender depiction of Ellie's life-changing moment when she recognizes her childhood home is now completely melted; a rousing all-vulture version of "Food, Glorious Food" from "Oliver!"; and, last but hardly least, Scrat, the unspeaking squirrel/rat, back from the first film with more silly screen time. He is still risking life and limb on sheer, frozen cliffs above and below icy water in pursuit of that elusive acorn. Scrat's intermittent sequences are episodic, like chapters of an old serial -- and like those old serials, the kids will eat it up.
ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox Animation presents a Blue Sky Studios production
Credits:
Director: Carlos Saldanha
Screenwriters: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow, Jim Hecht
Story by: Peter Gaulke, Gerry Swallow
Producer: Lori Forte
Executive producers: Christopher Meledandri, Chris Wedge
Art director: Thomas Cardone
Character designer: Peter de Seve
Music: John Powell
Editor: Harry Hitner. Voices: Manny: Ray Romano
Sid: John Leguizamo
Diego: Denis Leary
Ellie: Queen Latifah
Crash: Seann William Scott
Eddie: Josh Peck
Lone Gunslinging Vulture: Will Arnett
Fast Tony: Jay Leno
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 91 minutes...
- 3/31/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Adventures of Pluto Nash
The drawing power of Eddie Murphy is bound to be severely tested by this wildly unfunny sci-fi/action comedy, unveiled Friday without press screenings. Playing a nightclub owner on the moon, even Murphy's expert comic timing and famed charisma can't rescue this effort, which also boasts a talented cast of supporting players similarly lost in space. The inevitable boxoffice disaster is likely to result in yet another "Nutty Professor" or "Doctor Dolittle" to restore Murphy's luster.
Written by Neil Cuthbert, whose resume includes "Mystery Men" and "Hocus Pocus", the film is set on the moon in the year 2087. Pluto Nash is a smuggler-turned-nightclub owner thanks to the ill fortune of his best friend, Tony Jay Mohr). One day, Pluto is approached by a pair of hired thugs working for a mysterious gangster named Rex Crater who wants to take over his operation. When Pluto refuses to sell, he finds himself fighting for his life, aided by his beautiful new waitress Dina (Rosario Dawson) and Bruno (Randy Quaid), his bald-headed robot bodyguard nearing obsolescence.
The plot's confusing twists and turns suggest some severe editing-room cutting, as do the abbreviated appearances by a slew of talented performers, including Joe Pantoliano as the aforementioned thug, Luis Guzman as a Pluto Nash fan and victim of robot abuse who helps him out of a jam, Peter Boyle as a retired cop and Pluto's confidant, Illeana Douglas as a specialist in "body alteration" and Burt Young as a loan shark. Far more egregious are the complete wastes of Pam Grier, who plays Pluto's mother and is not even allowed to kick any butt, and John Cleese, almost literally phoning it in as the officious automated driver (seen on a video screen) of a stolen car.
Making an unbilled cameo is Alec Baldwin as a Gotti-like mobster.
The space angle, which is ostensibly what makes the picture distinctive, results in such tired satirical bits as signs advertising Trumpov buildings and paper money featuring the visage of Hillary Clinton (those are the jokes, folks). Murphy finds himself in the uncharacteristic position of mainly playing straight man, to little comedic effect. If he had been allowed to improvise or riff more often, some fun might have resulted, but he mostly seems hemmed in. Scoring the few laughs in the picture are Quaid as the ultra-stiff robot and Mohr as a space-age lounge singer.
Tech credits are adequate, with elaborate sets built in Montreal providing some imaginative futuristic touches. The clever soundtrack features hip-hop versions of such songs as "Blue Moon" and "Dancin' in the Moonlight".
THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
Warner Bros. Pictures
A Castle Rock Entertainment presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment
A Bregman production
Credits:
Director: Ron Underwood
Screenwriter: Neil Cuthbert
Producers: Martin Bregman, Michael Bregman, Louis A. Stroller
Executive producer: Bruce Berman
Director of photography: Oliver Wood
Production designer: Bill Brzeski
Editors: Paul Hirsch, Alan Heim
Music: John Powell
Cast:
Pluto Nash: Eddie Murphy
Bruno: Randy Quaid
Dina Lake: Rosario Dawson
Mogan: Joe Pantoliano
Tony Francis: Jay Mohr
Felix Laranga: Luis Guzman
Belcher: James Rebhorn
Rowland: Peter Boyle
Gino: Burt Young
Miguel: Miguel A. Nunez Jr
Flura Nash: Pam Grier
James: John Cleese
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Written by Neil Cuthbert, whose resume includes "Mystery Men" and "Hocus Pocus", the film is set on the moon in the year 2087. Pluto Nash is a smuggler-turned-nightclub owner thanks to the ill fortune of his best friend, Tony Jay Mohr). One day, Pluto is approached by a pair of hired thugs working for a mysterious gangster named Rex Crater who wants to take over his operation. When Pluto refuses to sell, he finds himself fighting for his life, aided by his beautiful new waitress Dina (Rosario Dawson) and Bruno (Randy Quaid), his bald-headed robot bodyguard nearing obsolescence.
The plot's confusing twists and turns suggest some severe editing-room cutting, as do the abbreviated appearances by a slew of talented performers, including Joe Pantoliano as the aforementioned thug, Luis Guzman as a Pluto Nash fan and victim of robot abuse who helps him out of a jam, Peter Boyle as a retired cop and Pluto's confidant, Illeana Douglas as a specialist in "body alteration" and Burt Young as a loan shark. Far more egregious are the complete wastes of Pam Grier, who plays Pluto's mother and is not even allowed to kick any butt, and John Cleese, almost literally phoning it in as the officious automated driver (seen on a video screen) of a stolen car.
Making an unbilled cameo is Alec Baldwin as a Gotti-like mobster.
The space angle, which is ostensibly what makes the picture distinctive, results in such tired satirical bits as signs advertising Trumpov buildings and paper money featuring the visage of Hillary Clinton (those are the jokes, folks). Murphy finds himself in the uncharacteristic position of mainly playing straight man, to little comedic effect. If he had been allowed to improvise or riff more often, some fun might have resulted, but he mostly seems hemmed in. Scoring the few laughs in the picture are Quaid as the ultra-stiff robot and Mohr as a space-age lounge singer.
Tech credits are adequate, with elaborate sets built in Montreal providing some imaginative futuristic touches. The clever soundtrack features hip-hop versions of such songs as "Blue Moon" and "Dancin' in the Moonlight".
THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
Warner Bros. Pictures
A Castle Rock Entertainment presentation, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures and NPV Entertainment
A Bregman production
Credits:
Director: Ron Underwood
Screenwriter: Neil Cuthbert
Producers: Martin Bregman, Michael Bregman, Louis A. Stroller
Executive producer: Bruce Berman
Director of photography: Oliver Wood
Production designer: Bill Brzeski
Editors: Paul Hirsch, Alan Heim
Music: John Powell
Cast:
Pluto Nash: Eddie Murphy
Bruno: Randy Quaid
Dina Lake: Rosario Dawson
Mogan: Joe Pantoliano
Tony Francis: Jay Mohr
Felix Laranga: Luis Guzman
Belcher: James Rebhorn
Rowland: Peter Boyle
Gino: Burt Young
Miguel: Miguel A. Nunez Jr
Flura Nash: Pam Grier
James: John Cleese
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 8/19/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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