To say that the first trailer for Beauty and the Beast was evocative of the 1991 animated classic would be an understatement; it was a live-action carbon copy, and if Disney’s remake of Cinderella was any indication, we were in for yet another tedious — if visually stunning, well-acted and beautifully-designed — exercise in nostalgia-based capitalism. But Bill Condon’s live-action update of Beauty and the Beast is more reimagining than remake, a lavish and lovely take on a familiar tale (as old as time, no doubt) that enriches its source material without betraying it, embellishing a cherished antique with modern ideas.
You probably know that The Secret Life of Pets was produced by Illumination Entertainment, the animation studio behind Despicable Me and Minions. But did you know the Minions make several hidden cameos in Secret Life of Pets? It’s true; look for them in the fridge at Max’s house and on the bedside table of the guinea pig’s owner. That’s just one of the despicable facts featured in the newest episode of You Think You Know Movies!
The Historic Pines theater in downtown Lufkin is showing the classic Christmas comedy, "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation," this Saturday (Dec 10).