“Netflix Killer” Has Lehmanites Excited
Disney+ includes the streaming services ESPN+ and Hulu. (Photo Credit: Business Insider)
By Nelson Fernandez
A new streaming service that’s being called the “Netflix killer” has been eagerly anticipated by a huge number of fans. A survey found that 70 percent of people were “likely” or “very likely” to drop their current streaming service in favor of Disney Plus, released nationwide on Nov. 12, 2019, according to Variety. Many Lehman students are also enthusiastic.
"Disney is making so much money out of nostalgia. I was a big Disney kid, so it's so valuable to me, being able to see the shows I grew up with," said Sharaah Aquinos, a studio art major and sophomore at Lehman who utilizes the streaming services of Disney Plus.
Danaye Branch, a Lehman junior and psychology major said, “Disney Plus seems like the best service to stream Disney classic movies and shows, along with new franchises and series.”
The new streaming service, Disney+, launched for viewers to enjoy Disney classics on Nov. 12. (Photo Credit: Digital Trends)
Accessible on a wide range of devices, Disney Plus launched on Nov. 12, 2019, with a free seven-day trial while officially billing subscribers on Nov. 19 with three subscription options; $7 for a month, $70 annually and bundle for $12.99 a month that includes Hulu and ESPN Plus.
The streaming-service television network includes every classic show known to older fans such as “Even Stevens,” “That’s So Raven,” “The Proud Family,” and even older Disney movies that aired before the Channel’s first launched on April 18, 1983, including “Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs” (1937), and “Miracle on 34 Street” (1947). All Pixar movies to date, from “Toy Story” (1995) to “Cars 3” (2017) are available as well.
Disney Plus’ interface offers a smooth content-browsing experience; films and series are sorted by categories Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.
Marvel fans will find not only some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films like “Captain Marvel” (2019) but also classic animations, such as “X-Men” (1992) and “Spider-Woman” (1979). “Star Wars” sequels, in addition to “The Clone Wars,” and the brand-new series exclusive to Disney Plus, “The Mandalorian” (2019), are currently available. Other streaming-shows exclusive to Disney Plus include: “James Cameron’s Avatar” (2009) and 30 seasons of “The Simpsons.”
Marvel Studios announced some TV programs under development for Disney Plus as well; “The Falcon” and “The Winter Soldier” planned for 2020, and “What If…?” for 2021. These will retell part of the biggest events from the cinematic universe. Since the launch of Disney Plus, there is also a live-action remake of Disney’s “Lady and the Tramp” (2019), starring Tessa Thompson as Lady, and Justin Theroux as the Tramp.
According to the Verge, Disney’s goal heading into the direct-to-consumer space is to provide general entertainment, family and sports content.
“Anyone young or old could find a timeless classic or a new show to fall in love with,” Branch said.
A few of the shows available with Disney+. (Photo Credit: ABC7 LA)
‘The Addams Family’ Makes a Fun and Spooky Return to Theaters
‘The Addams Family’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
By Nelson Fernandez
They're creepy and they're kooky, and they’re back on the big screen. More than two decades since its last appearance in 1998, the new ‘Addams Family’ film was released on Oct. 11 that features the scary-yet-lovable gang, rendered in 3D computer animation. The animators at MGM Studios did a splendid job recreating the famous fictional family using modern animation tools, and the transitions from dark and gritty scenes to bright and colorful settings capture the comical tone of the characters as well as the film’s story.
Directed by Conrad Vernon, known for the film series ‘Shrek’ (2001-2010), and Gregory Tiernan, whose 2016 debut was ‘Sausage Party’, “The Addams Family” grossed $59.6 million in just one week. It has come a long way from its humble beginnings. Originally a comic created by cartoonist Charles Addams in 1938, it was later adapted into a black-and-white sitcom that lasted four seasons from 1964 to1999. The humorously dark family had been a nostalgic childhood memory before the announcement that a computer-animated reboot was in the works.
This history means that most of the audience who grew up with the live-action films and shows were displeased with the CG character style, as they ignore current designs resembling Charles Addams’ original vision for the family back in the 1930s. While it is understandable for older fans to criticize the animation based on previous adaptations, the comic reboot turned out surprisingly well.
Morticia and Gomez in ‘The Addams Family’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
The screenplay, written by Matt Lieberman and Pamela Pettler, tells a simple story about the family’s desire to be their creepy selves in peace. As seen in the film’s opening sequence, Gomez, voiced by Oscar Isaac and Morticia, by Charlize Theron, are attacked by pitchfork-wielding villagers during their wedding, simply for being perceived as too scary.
In search of a new life, the newlyweds drive off to live in an old haunted asylum they love. Soon after, audiences are introduced to new additions to the family: the lovable and violent children. Their daughter Wednesday is played by Chloe Grace Moretz, and son Pugsley, by Finn Wolfhard. The rest of the film makes the topic of character differences throughout the narrative, showing how people can be brought together, as opposed to torn apart.
At one point, the Addams’ prepare for “Mazurka,” a coming-of-age ceremony for young men in the family, whose traditions include performing a dance with a sword passed down to each male member in recognition of their ascension to manhood. However, Pugsley prefers explosive artillery over swords and struggles to express his true self during his turn.
Wednesday, on the other hand, finds conflict when she meets Parker (Elsie Fisher), a classmate who prompts her to begin attending junior high school. While spending time together, the new friends switch clothing styles; Wednesday decides to wear pink and a unicorn hairpin while Parker shaves her hair and dons all black, “going goth.”
Furious at her daughter’s transformation, Parker’s mother Margaux Needler, voiced by Allison Janney, commits herself to make the Addams family’s home brighter, more colorful, and “normal.”
‘The Addams Family’ (2019) may have a simple story to tell, but it teaches the moral of dealing with and accepting differences in people and their cultures, which is always an important topic to discuss. This dark comedy is entertaining, and any family would enjoy watching it together.
Netflix Documentary Shows Women Winning
The four congresswomen who star in the documentary “Knock Down the House” (Photo Credit: Netflix)
By Nelson Fernandez
“Knock Down the House” is a fantastically moving and ground-breaking narrative of resilience and determination. Starring congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearingen, and Amy Vilela, the May 2019 Netflix original documentary shows women and working-class people of America fighting for a voice in politics. Directed by Rachel Lears, the film is emotionally powerful and resonant as it follows women from New York, West Virginia, Missouri, and Maryland who share the main goal of winning an election.
The stories of these women are presented in a non-linear order, starting and ending with Ocasio-Cortez. They give an inside look into the lives of Bush, Vilela, and Swearingen, and how their struggles inspired them to enter politics and seek to enact change. Shifting back and forth between each woman’s perspective and personal and political motivations, the film does a good job showing how these brave women rose to prominence behind the scenes.
The film opens with Ocasio- Cortez applying makeup as she addresses the double standards and social expectations faced by businesswomen regarding dress code that is not faced by men. Old clips then show her working as a bartender in the Bronx while talking about the mistreatment she received from co-workers and clients in the workplace.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is victorious in “Knock Down the House” (Photo Credit: Netflix)
Ocasio-Cortez states that partisanship between the Democrats and Republicans is not the focus of her campaign; her focus is bridging the divide between the working and upper classes.
The documentary also shows how she and the other three politicians reach out to citizens from their hometowns and gain the support necessary for their campaign. Swearingen, for example, decided to run because she witnessed firsthand how lack of adequate healthcare impacted many residents of her small hometown in West Virginia.
These residents were ignored by the government as they became ill and died of cancer. The film takes the angle that these women ran their campaigns to take power back for their citizens, not for personal gain. Ocasio-Cortez shows that even a top-positioned Democrat with millions of dollars from supporters and huge cash premiums can’t withstand the intensity of working individuals banding together.
To reinforce this point, the film closes with Ocasio-Cortez winning the 2018 debate, where she shares a heartwarming story about the time her late father took her on a trip as a child to the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. There her father told her in reference to the House of Representatives, “This is all ours.”