All in Cinematters

On the “Pete’s Dragon” Wagon

On the “Pete’s Dragon” Wagon

Mark Robinson
Stage To Screen, Second Star to the Right, Cinematters

When it was originally released as a film, the Disney movie musical Pete’s Dragon was mostly dismissed by the critics. Many thought the film was too long (it does run 128 minutes) and many found Helen Reddy’s performance as the character “Nora” to be cold and detached (she isn’t the warmest of Disney characters), but her story is about a woman trying to be strong in the face of personal loss, who only begins to melt when a young orphan comes into her life. Seldom has a character in a Disney film been played with such complexity, and even if it does cast an icy pallor on the story, it is appropriate in telling “Nora’s” portion of the story. I have always had a deep affection for Pete’s Dragon and, considering how much I hear it maligned by critics and historians, I come in contact with a lot of people who also grew up loving this film.  

The Last Five Minutes - A Review of the Film The Last Five Years

The Last Five Minutes - A Review of the Film The Last Five Years

Mark Robinson
Stage To Screen, Cinematters

For me, there has been no more exciting composer-lyricist regularly represented on Broadway in the last ten years than Jason Robert Brown. Every project he touches drips with a fierce honesty and lyrical poetry that sets him apart from just about everyone writing these days (save Adam Guettel). There is something inherently theatrical about the premise of each piece, which is probably why they register so beautifully on the stage. I admit that I was skeptical about how a film version of Brown's The Last Five Years would play. It turns out that my concerns were well-warranted.

Driving Out Jack Frost - Movie Musicals to Warm You Up

Driving Out Jack Frost - Movie Musicals to Warm You Up

Mark Robinson
Stage To Screen, Cinematters

The weather was pretty brutal this weekend in upstate New York, and from the weather map, it appears that most of the country has been plunged into a deep freeze that even the creators of Frozen hadn't envisioned. I spent my weekend curled up under a blanket, drinking coffee and watching movie musicals. I do this on warm days as well, but considering the draft that was coming in the window via 40 mile-an-hour winds this Sunday, I decided to put together the ten-best movie musicals to watch on a cold winter's day. 

Summer Stock in a Winter Storm

Summer Stock in a Winter Storm

Mark Robinson
Stage To Screen, Cinematters

Before I even knew what a Broadway musical was (and it is hard to believe that there was ever such a time in my life), I spent my childhood waiting for old movie musicals to play on television. We lived in the country, and the odds of getting anything on your television outside of the three major networks, was pretty slim. Still, with my little black and white television, wrapped in aluminum foil, me with coat hanger in-hand and leaning out my bedroom window, I could sometimes pick up PBS and the occasional movie musical. I saw Kiss Me, Kate and Brigadoon this way. 

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