James R Whitson Author Archive
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Kubo and the Two Strings opens

Laika’s Kubo and the Two Strings opens today in 3,260 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is a hit with the critics, garnering a 94% positive rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Kubo and the Two Strings matches its incredible animation with an absorbing — and bravely melancholy — story that has something […]

Sausage Party

Sausage Party is irreverent, pornographic, sacrilegious, bigoted… and pretty funny! The story is weak but if raunchy humor and seeing touchy topics get ridiculed is something you’re hungry for, then this film will hit the spot!

Sausage Party opens

Columbia, Imageworks’ Sausage Party opens today in 3,103 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The critics are eating it up, giving it a fresh 82% at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Sausage Party is definitely offensive, but backs up its enthusiastic profanity with an impressively high laugh-to-gag ratio — and a surprisingly thought-provoking storyline”. Box Office […]

Ice Age: Collision Course

It may be a stale pun to make but it’s still funnier than almost everything in Ice Age: Collision Course: hopefully this franchise is now extinct.

Ice Age: Collision Course opens

Blue Sky’s Ice Age: Collision Course opens today in 3,992 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film isn’t wowing the critics, earning a meager 12% at Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Unoriginal and unfunny, Ice Age: Collision Course offers further proof that not even the healthiest box office receipts can keep a franchise from slouching […]

Ice Age cast answers burning questions from kids
Trent Harmon covers Dream Weaver for Ice Age soundtrack
Ice Age producer teases Collision Course follow-up
How a single joke in Ice Age turned into the fifth movie
Ice Age: Collision Course tops foreign box office
A look at the new Ice Age characters
The Secret Life of Pets

Secret Life barely checks the boxes for what it needs to do and never excels at any of them. A young studio like Illumination should aspire to more; hopefully they’ll learn some new tricks before they get too set in their ways.

Why is Hollywood so scared of bunnies?
The Secret Life of Pets opens

Illumination’s The Secret Life of Pets opens today in 4,369 theatres according to Box Office Mojo. The film is doing well with the critics, earning a 76% rating from Rotten Tomatoes. Their consensus: “Fast-paced, funny, and blessed with a talented voice cast, The Secret Life of Pets offers a beautifully animated, cheerfully undemanding family-friendly diversion.” […]

Glenn McCoy makes short-film debut with Mower Minions
Beauty And The Beast teaser poster released
Louis C.K., Dana Carvey talk Secret Life of Pets
Composer Ego Plum says modern animation deserves orchestral music
Kristen Schaal joins Captain Underpants cast
Disney announces Wreck-It Ralph sequel coming March 9, 2018; Gigantic delayed to November 21, 2018

Walt Disney Animation Studios announced today that Wreck-It Ralph 2 will be their 57th feature film, coming out March 9, 2018. This will be one of just a few followup films from WDAS, along with The Rescuers Down Under, Fantasia 2000, and Winnie the Pooh. Based on an image released with the announcement, it looks […]