Author: Francine Brokaw

Bring home ‘Elvis’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

I’m sure many women would have loved to “bring home Elvis.” But alas, they must settle for memories, movies, music, and now this new film Elvis, which is directed by Baz Luhrmann and stars Austin Butler as the king of rock and roll. The film delves into the iconic entertainer and looks at his life and career, narrated in part by Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

From his rise to stardom through the stress and complications of being the king of rock and roll, the story also plays out against the backdrop of the decades. Olivia DeLonge is Priscilla, his girlfriend then wife and mother of his only child Lisa Marie.

The cinematography makes this story different than a usual biopic. It is artistic which is evident from the beginning. With plenty of songs peppered throughout the film, diehard fans of the entertainer will undoubtedly enjoy the film. It is, however, a little slow moving.

There are plenty of bonus features included on the Blu-ray and 4K discs. A “making of” feature looks at the creation of the film. The story of Elvis strips away the icon and makes him more relatable to the viewers. American history plays out as an undertone in the film, which also looks at how gospel music played an important part in Elvis’ life and music.

Austin Butler is Elvis. He takes on the role that has been played by many actors in the past, however Butler does the singer more justice than anyone else has. He studied all things Elvis when accepting the role. He also paid a visit to Graceland where he immersed himself in the famous home of Elvis and looked at his belongings.

Another bonus looks at the costumes that also play an important part in the film. After all, we all know about Elvis’ attire through the years and recreating them was important to the filmmakers.

Believe it or not, the film was shot on location in Australia. Yes, Australia. They recreated Graceland from blueprints of the estate and decorated it in the current fashion. The house had been updated through the years, but the filmmakers know that fans that visit the estate now will want to see it as it is. And as Butler said, when he stepped inside the set of Graceland, he felt as though he was back in Memphis.

Several more special features are included.

To be honest, the best and most amazing aspect of this film is Austin Butler. There are many times when the camera will catch him at a certain angle and it is impossible to tell the difference between the real Elvis and this actor. He is that good at recreating Elvis in both look and sound. It’s truly amazing and he deserves accolades for his performance. It is evident he gave it his all.

Elvis is rated PG-13 for substance abuse, strong language, suggestive material, and smoking.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 28 years. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

 

This disc was sent to me by Warner Bros. for review.

Halloween time again!!! Disneyland resort 2022

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

It’s Halloween time again at the Disneyland Resort.

You’ll see Mickey, Minnie and their pals dressed in their Halloween costumes because Disneyland Resort kicks off the fall celebrations with Halloween Time running through October 31 and Plaza de la Familia at Disney California Adventure running through November 2.

All the favorites are back like Haunted Mansion Holidays, the seasonal decorations in Cars Land, the return of Halloween Screams fireworks, Guardians of the Galaxy Monsters After Dark and celebrations of Dio de los Muertos.  Go to disneyland.com for tickets and reservations.  And of course, you can’t forget the pumpkin spice churros!

Click below to check out all the fun.

‘Gigi and Nate’ is a heartwarming story

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

 

Inspired by a true story, Gigi and Nate is a heartwarming story of a young man whose life was tragically altered but found hope in the form of a monkey. The story also delves into the question of what animals are appropriate to keep as service animals.

Nate is about to go off to college. On the Fourth of July when his family is celebrating the holiday, his adventurous side nudges him into jumping into a lake from a high ledge. Little did he know that that one action would change his life forever.  Nate ended up with a meningitis that resulted in him being a quadriplegic.  For an active and adventurous young man, this was a horrific result of one act. 

His family was also devastated yet they were appreciative that Nate was alive. Nate did not feel the same and tried to kill himself. His future was bleak. What did he have to look forward to? What was he going to do with the rest of his life? He was depressed and saw nothing good in his future. 

Then Nate was provided with a service animal in the form of an eight-year-old capuchin monkey named Gigi. It took awhile before Gigi blended into the family, but Nate took to her from the start. Little by little Gigi helped Nate with his exercises and their bond grew stronger. They were not only working on Nate’s rehabilitation, they were also best friends. Gigi was as much a part of the family as anyone. With her help and love, Nate’s progress became remarkable to the point that the doctors were amazed.

But this wonderful surprise in their lives was shattered when an animal rights group decided that capuchin monkeys were not safe to have as service animals. Their legal battle became a tragedy for Nate and his family. 

Gigi not only gave Nate back much of his mobility, she gave him hope. His outlook for his future was not bleak anymore. She taught him skills and even though she could not speak, she taught him how to be happy again.

Yes, there are sad parts to this story but rest assured that it results in a happy ending. 

Charlie Rowe plays Nate with much emotion and heart. The cast includes several veteran actors. Marcia Gay Harden plays his mother, Jim Belushi plays his father, and Diane Lane plays his grandmother.

This is a hopeful story. While they would have preferred Nate never gotten sick, it shows that given a difficult situation, it is possible to make the best out of it and for those who are faced with a life-changing illness and disability, there is hope. Hope and love are the key. And in this case both come in the form of a little monkey.

“It’s a beautiful movie about real people and real experiences and written in the most honest and authentic way,” Belushi said. “The reason I know it’s authentic and real is because most people have gotten that phone call, where the electric energy through your system changes. That phone call I’ve had in my life, and it is a gut-wrenching moment that puts you into shock and once you come out of the shock, you have a lifetime of adjustment.”

While Nate adjusts to his circumstances and a future that is different from what he originally planned, his entire family must also adjust. The story take audiences on the changes within the family through the darkness to the light. “This script, this family, we’re watching them recover as a family,” Belushi acknowledged.

Rowe stated, “I want the audience to feel moved, I want them to feel energized,” he says. “I want them to feel everything I felt when I read the script for the first time. It’s a rollercoaster on four wheels. It’s about family and the difficulties of losing something you love.”

Gigi and Nate is rated PG-13 for some thematic material and language. It opens in theaters September 2, 2022.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

It’s almost time for ‘Pinocchio’ live action from Disney

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

Academy Award® winner Robert Zemeckis directs this live action retelling of the beloved tale of a wooden puppet who embarks on a thrilling adventure to become a real boy. Tom Hanks stars as Geppetto, the wood carver who builds and treats Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) as if he were his own son. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Jiminy Cricket, who serves as Pinocchio’s guide as well as his “conscience”, and Academy Award® nominee Cynthia Erivo is the Blue Fairy.

Pinocchio premieres September 8, 2022 on Disney Plus.

Get ready to bring home ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw


Tom Cruise stars in the global phenomenon TOP GUN: MAVERICK, the #1 film of 2022 with over $1.3 billion in worldwide box office and the highest grossing film of the producer/actor’s acclaimed career.  TOP GUN: MAVERICK lands on Digital August 23, 2022 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD November 1 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

After more than 30 years of service as a top naval aviator, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot. Yet, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past when he returns to TOP GUN to train a group of elite graduates and comes face-to-face with Lt. Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his former wingman, “Goose”. Bitter rivalries ignite as the pilots prepare for a specialized mission, which will require the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.

Check out the explosive trailer and hold onto your seats.

‘Jurassic World Dominion’ is now available to bring home

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

The final film (as of now – who knows if they will change their minds in the future?) in the Jurassic Park franchise, Jurassic World Dominion, is now available on Blu-ray, 4K, DVD and digital. The Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD, as well as digital, have several bonus features.

Viewers get the choice to view the theatrical version of the movie or an extended version. The extended version includes about 10 minutes of additional scenes.

Bringing together the actors from the original Jurassic Park (1993) – Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and BD Wong, and reuniting Bryce Dallas Howard with Chris Pratt from the past film, the story is a bit whacky (as they all are) however the visual effects are amazing. With six films in the franchise, it seems audiences are getting tired of these stories as the reviews from critics and audiences are not as favorable as they were for the earlier films.

With Maisie Lockwood (Isabella Sermon) living with Owen (Pratt) and Claire (Howard), her very existence is in jeopardy, as is Blue’s baby dinosaur Beta. In this new world the dinosaurs are everywhere trying to live alongside humans and other animals on earth. But things are not going great. And with more scientists trying to generate medicinal and other things from the dinosaurs, hunting, poaching, and danger is abundant. Now genetically engineered locusts are destroying farmland. It looks ominous for the humans.

The best thing about the Blu-ray is not the movie but the additional features. Viewers see just how far technology has come since the original film. Visual effects are amazing and learning how the filmmakers designed the dinosaurs from the inside out is remarkable. With feathers, muscles, and skin textures, these dinosaurs are as realistic as the real ones – most likely.

A fun bonus looks at the little Beta dinosaur. The filmmakers created puppets as well as animatronic versions of the little girl to help with the scenes. It is easier to act and react to an animatronic dinosaur than a cardboard one. Plus, Pratt needed a puppet to carry to make it realistic.

There are many more bonus features looking at the creation of the film with the filmmakers and actors. These bonus features are noteworthy, especially for those who are interested in looking at the making of the film and the way the dinosaurs were created.

Jurassic World Domination wraps up the franchise (hopefully) with an ending that will satisfy fans. It is rated PF-13 for intense sequences of action, some violence, and language.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

A look at season 3 of ‘The Mighty Ones’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

After being stuck inside a snake, the Mighty Ones escape to find the yard that was their home has changed forever. A trendy new couple has moved into the house and transformed the backyard into a hipster paradise. As these four best friends try to navigate this strange new land, they find themselves up against suburbia’s biggest threats; lawn mowers, garden gnomes, leaf blowers and worst of all…a baby!

In every backyard a secret world exists filled with tiny creatures. The Mighty Ones follows the hilarious adventures of the smallest of them: a twig, a pebble, a leaf and a strawberry who call themselves “the Mighty Ones.” These best friends live in an unkempt backyard belonging to a trio of equally unkempt humans who they mistake for gods. Despite their diminutive stature, the Mighty Ones are determined to live large and have fun in their wild world.
10 New Episodes Premiere on Peacock and Hulu September 1, 2022.

A look back at ‘Charles & Diana: Wedding of the Century’

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

This new documentary on True Royalty TV takes a look behind the scenes of the wedding of Charles and Diana. With comments from bridesmaids, photographers, a nanny, dressmakers, police, and bystanders, the film is a well-rounded look at the excitement, joy, expectations, and sheer size of the event, which was viewed by 750 million people in 74 countries.

India Hicks who was thirteen at the time, was one of the bridesmaids. She describes her flouncy dress (for a tomboy this was a daunting piece of attire), the jitters that came with her responsibilities of being a bridesmaid, and all the fun of the day. David Emanuel, who helped design the now-iconic wedding dress, talks about the process of creating this famous dress, how they were astounded at how crumpled it became in the carriage ride to St. Paul’s Cathedral, and viewing the dress again after all these years. He also talks about how charming Diana was and how, at the end of the day, she even phoned him to thank him again for making her beautiful dress.

Security was a big consideration for the day. After all, there were plenty of terrorists who would have loved to disrupt the event. A policeman who was on the scene all day talks about how they kept their eyes trained on the crowds for any disruptions. And, by the time everything was over, how they were too tired to move, having stood there for hours upon hours.

Others discuss their feelings on the day and recall where they were, what they were seeing and thinking, and how they view it after all these years. 1981 was a while ago, but that day is permanently etched in the minds of those who were there and the millions around the world who got up to watch the ceremony and feel the love and excitement, and in a sense, to bond with the people of the U.K.

Charles & Diana: Wedding of the Century does not show much of the actual event. It is more of a behind-the-scenes look back at that eventful day. And given what has transpired since, it is a piece of history that makes us all wonder “what could have been.” On that day it looked like a fairytale, but they always end, “and they lived happily ever after.” Oh well. At least the wedding was amazing.

Charles & Diana: Wedding of the Century is now available on True Royalty TV.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.

‘Spin Me Round’ – movie review

Posted on by Francine Brokaw

 

As the saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”  That is what Amber (Alison Brie) discovered when she was awarded an all-expense paid trip to Italy for her service as the manager of an Italian chain restaurant. Spin Me Round explores the dark side of wealth and fame.

A vacation filled with Italian charm and excitement. That is what Amber expected when she left Bakersfield, California and arrived in Italy, along with several other managers from various locations. The popular chain restaurant runs these getaways for deserving managers and this time it’s Amber’s turn. Maybe she’ll experience a little romance while in Italy. Or maybe she’ll experience something altogether different.

The trip was supposed to offer the attendees a crash course in Italian culture and the culinary arts. Attendees expected they would stay in a gorgeous villa, but unfortunately that was not to be. Well, at least she was in Italy.

Things go from bad to great to really bad.  Through this entire ordeal Amber experiences a variety of emotions and a lot of occurrences as she exposes what is at the root of the little getaway. This is definitely not a show for kids.

Director/Co-Writer Jeff Baena explains, “I came across this article that was describing an actual program that took place in Italy, with a franchise Italian restaurant that I can’t name. The person who wrote the article was a manager, and there was this program where you go to Italy and learn about the culture. It was a total sh** show, and they didn’t really have any plans. The only thing they had planned out was that the head chef, the person who curates their global menu, made a bolognese for them. After that, there was no structure or organization. For the participants, it felt like they were trapped by this program. I thought that was a really funny setup, and so I ran with it to a darker place.”

Alison Brie not only stars in the film, she co-wrote it with Baena. Also in the film are Alessandro Nivola, Aubrey Plaza, Molly Shannon, Zach Woods, Ayden Mayeri, Ben Sinclair, Tim Heidecker, Debby Ryan, and Fred Armisen.

The movie could have been great fun had they not taken it to the dark depths they did. It had the potential of being cute, funny, and interesting. There are some cute scenes, however.

Spin Me Round will be released in theaters, on demand, and on AMC+ on August 19, 2022. It was filmed entirely in Tuscany. It is not rated, however it is not for kids.

About the Author

Francine Brokaw has been covering all aspects of the entertainment industry for over 25 years. She also writes about products and travel. She has been published in national and international newspapers and magazines as well as Internet websites. She has written her own book, Beyond the Red Carpet The World of Entertainment Journalists, is the entertainment correspondent for Good Day Orange County, and has her own TV show, Beyond the Red Carpet, on Village Television in Orange County. She is a longstanding member of the Television Critics Association and is accredited by the MPAA. Follow her on Twitter.