Pinocchio

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 8th, 2022, reviewing “Pinocchio,” an adaptation of the legendary story through the eyes of filmmaker Guillermo del Toro. In select theaters and streaming on Netflix beginning December 9th.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 8th, 2022, reviewing “Pinocchio,” the live-action remake of the 1940 animated classic, directed by Robert Zemeckis. It’s streaming on Disney+ beginning September 8th.

CHICAGO – Disney always likes to keep consumers on their toes. After spreading out the canonical releases hitting Blu-ray, often with many months between them, they have delivered a one-two punch to the wallets of parents around the world by unleashing “Alice in Wonderland” on February 1st, 2011, and following it just a month later with an even more beloved classic in “Bambi.” If you’ve been following HollywoodChicago.com for any amount of time, you probably know how we feel about the Disney Blu-ray releases. They’re the best reason to buy a player.

CHICAGO – Last week, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” notched a couple of Academy Award nominations. Do me a favor. Don’t allow your children to only know Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter when it comes to Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale.

CHICAGO – Disney has been slowly opening their vault doors to the world of Blu-ray with amazing releases for “Sleeping Beauty,” “Pinocchio,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves,” and “Beauty & The Beast.” The slow release pattern is about to become more of a steady flow as “Fantasia,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Bambi” all hit HD in just over three months. “Fantasia” is the first and it’s another beauty.

CHICAGO – The legendary Martin Landau was recently in Chicago with two films in special presentation at The 45th Annual Chicago International Film Festival - the classic “North by Northwest,” also releasing on Blu-Ray tomorrow, November 3rd, 2009, and the new drama “Lovely, Still,” co-starring Ellen Burstyn.

CHICAGO – Every Disney catalog Blu-Ray that has been released to date has been a must-own HD title. “Sleeping Beauty” may still be the most complete and beautifully designed Blu-Ray ever and “Pinocchio” is not too far behind. To no one’s surprise, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” doesn’t break the pattern, even if it’s not quite the ‘game-changing’ release that its Disney HD predecessors arguably were.

Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray revolution seems stuck in neutral. It’s going to take a major title to push it over the edge as a must-have technology. Some of us thought it would be “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” or “The Godfather,” but the worsening economic times seem to have put the HD switch on hold.