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‘Welcome to Earth’ spotlights the subtle awesomeness of nature on Disney+
BY JAY BOBBIN
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It may have the title “Welcome to Earth,” but the new Disney+ documentary series might well be subtitled, “Phenomena in Nature You Never Considered.” Because it’s that eye-opening.
Premiering Wednesday, Dec. 8, on the streaming service, the series from National Geographic follows host Will Smith as he embarks on an awe-inspiring journey to reveal the secrets behind some of the most extraordinary and unexplained events in nature.
So in the six episodes, viewers will learn how swarms of hundreds of thousands of birds or honeybees can move as a single unit without any apparent communication; how smell, the most powerful of the senses, leads sea turtles back to an island in the South Pacific to lay eggs; and how deserts move slowly beyond human perception.
Smith, who had previously worked on the NatGeo series “One Strange Rock,” acts as the eyes and the ears of the viewer here, taking in the action as it unfolds before him and speaking wide-eyed in narration and to the camera.
“He doesn’t pretend to be a scientist or a volcanologist or an expert in anything,” explains Jane Root, an executive producer of the series for her production company Nutopia. “(His attitude is,) ‘I’m the person who’s there seeing what you can see about the planet.’ And the thing he also talks about (is) what you can see about the planet on the other side of fear. He says his grandmother always said to him that the best things in life are (discovered) once you get through being scared of them.”
Fear certainly played a role in the opening episode “The Silent Roar,” in which Smith, explorer Erik Weihenmayer and the crew went to Tanna Island in the South Pacific near Vanuatu to film and listen to the active volcano of Mount Yasur rumble. But the group actually got more than they expected when it erupted, spewing forth lava and boulders.
Needless to say, it was one of those life experiences that all who witnessed it will never forget.
“Some of the boulders were the size of, you know, small cars and they’re kind of just exploding out of the ground,” Root says. “And you see Will joking about it, like ‘I’m wearing this helmet but that’s not really going to help, is it?’
“We had probably at the top of that volcano like 12 different safety people and every safety precaution we could take but this is still really challenging stuff to film,” she continues. “You know, there’s still a sense of, ‘Wow! Am I actually here while this is going on? That’s incredible.’ And the noise and the intensity of it, I think that’s why we put that episode first because it’s one of those moments where we just appreciate the awesomeness of it.” ‘
View from the Couch BY JAY BOBBIN
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“DEAR EVAN HANSEN”
The Tony Award-winning stage musical – which is about to return to Broadway – is brought to film, with Ben Platt (whose father Marc is one of the picture’s producers) reprising the title role of a student desperate to find his place in contemporary society ... prompting his therapist to advise him to write letters to himself that address his anxieties. He doesn’t foresee the results of that exercise, which ultimately have impacts on many other people as well. The fine cast also includes Julianne Moore, Amy Adams, Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Colton Ryan and Danny Pino. The music and lyrics are by the awardwinning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (“La La Land”), who made some changes to the song lineup for this version, and Steven Levenson adapted his own book of the play for the script. ››› (PG13: AS, P) (Also on Blu-ray, Digital and On Demand)
A long-prized merging of liveaction and animation makes its way to the 4K Ultra HD format, as this Robert Zemeckis-directed Disney-Amblin classic (and technical wonder) takes a shabby 1940s private eye (played by Bob Hoskins) into Toontown, where he investigates the murder of a corporate titan ... allegedly by cartoon star Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer, who also contributes several other character voices here), whose alluring wife Jessica (speaking voice of Kathleen Turner, singing voice of Amy Irving) supposedly had been dallying with the victim. Christopher Lloyd – who also worked with Zemeckis on the “Back to the Future” series – portrays the appropriately named villain Judge Doom, with Stubby Kaye and Joanna Cassidy also in the human cast. Cartoon-voice veterans Mel Blanc, June Foray and (as Betty Boop) Mae Questel also are heard. The bonus features include the several “Roger Rabbit” short subjects that were made after this film became one of the box-office blockbusters of 1988. ›››› (PG: AS, V)
Ralph Macchio had a fairly solid acting resume, encompassing television’s “Eight is Enough” and the movie “The Outsiders,” before he started the franchise that made him a genuine star. This set offers his three films in the series in 4K Ultra HD for the first time as he plays Daniel, a newcomer to a California town where the only way to deal with those bullying him is to learn martial arts and meet them on their own turf. His mentor is his apartment building’s handyman, Mr. Miyagi (an excellent Noriyuki “Pat” Morita, who earned an Oscar nomination for the first movie). Elisabeth Shue plays Daniel’s school crush in the original movie, and co-stars William Zabka and Martin Kove have accompanied Macchio into the current streaming series that serves as a sequel to the films, “Cobra Kai.” Among new special features are deleted scenes from the first two pictures. (Though there also was “The Next Karate Kid” with Morita and Hilary Swank, that isn’t included here.) ››› (PG: AS, P, V)
The public speaks again by voting on People’s Choice Awards
BY JAY BOBBIN
The people have chosen again, and their choices are about to be known.
For many years, the People’s Choice Awards traditionally were the first entertainment honors given out during any calendar year. Times have changed, though, and so has the timing: Now, those awards help to close out the year since moving to E! Entertainment Television, which will simulcast the special with NBC when it’s presented Tuesday, Dec. 7.
Kenan Thompson – who’s been doing double duty for NBC, starring in “Kenan” while continuing as a “Saturday Night Live” cast member – will host the show from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. He has his first-ever People’s Choice Award nominations this year, for comedy TV star and male TV star (both for “SNL”).
Fan voting for award winners on social media ended in mid- November for the 40 categories covering movies, television, music and pop culture. For an idea of those in the running, here are the finalists in several of the contests.
The (TV) show of 2021: “The Bachelor”; “Cobra Kai”; “Grey’s Anatomy”; “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”; “Loki”; “Saturday Night Live”; “This Is Us”; “WandaVision”
The female TV star of 2021: Angela Bassett, “91-1”; Elizabeth Olsen, “WandaVision”; Ellen Pompeo, “Grey’s Anatomy”; Kathryn Hahn, “WandaVision”; Mandy Moore, “This Is Us”; Mariska Hargitay, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”; Queen Latifah, “The Equalizer”; Yara Shahidi, “grown-ish”
The male TV star of 2021: Anthony Mackie, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”; Chase Stokes, “Outer Banks”; Dwayne Johnson, “Young Rock”; Jason Sudeikis, “Ted Lasso”; Kenan Thompson, “Saturday Night Live”; Norman Reedus, “The Walking Dead”; Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”; Tom Hiddleston, “Loki”
The movie of 2021: “Black Widow”; “Coming 2 America”; “Dune”; “F9: The Fast Saga”; “No Time to Die”; “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”; “The Tomorrow War”; “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”
Family Viewing Ratings
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In its 50th-anniversary year, one of the most unconventional romances in movie history gets a newly remastered Blu-ray edition (as part of the “Paramount Presents” series) as Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon depict a genuine May-December romance in the title roles of director Hal Ashby’s comedy. Harold is a young man obsessed with death, and his unexpected relationship with senior citizen Maude teaches him many valuable lessons, arguably the most valuable ones being about living life to its fullest. Written by Colin Higgins (“Nine to Five”), the film also features Vivian Pickles, Cyril Cusack, Ellen Geer, Charles Tyner and Tom Skerritt. Yusuf/ Cat Stevens, who provided the film’s songs, talks about his work in the picture in a new documentary that’s included here ... as is an audio commentary by filmmakers Cameron Crowe and Larry Karaszewski. The striking cinematography was done by John Alonzo. ›››› (PG: AS, P) existence. The strengthening of the women’s-rights movement is a major theme as Nonnatus House gains several new midwives, but Sister Julienne’s (Jenny Agutter) attention also is on financial troubles that could affect the site’s effectiveness in helping residents of London’s East End. Cases also prove to be challenging for other staff members including Dr. Turner (Stephen McGann, who is married to series mentor Thomas). Judy Parfitt, Helen George and Linda Bassett also continue as cast regulars. McGann wrote a recently published retrospective book to correspond with the show’s 10th anniversary. ››› (Not rated: AS)
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