The Santa Clause is making an early impact on Disney+ this year, as the classic 1994 holiday comedy starring Tim Allen finds itself charting high on the nice list aka, the Disney+ movie chart. The film climbed up to fourth place last week, but has since skipped to the top of the tree, and was joined by sequel, The Santa Clause 2, which scrambled into ninth place. We are still well over a month away from the big day, but it seems that it is never too early to get into the festive spirit.
Upon its initial release, The Santa Clause scored well with both critics and audiences, and that was reflected in its decent $190 million box office gross a very good return back in 1994. Arriving a year before Tim Allen would become forever known as the voice of a certain infinity and beyond-loving space ranger, he played Scott Calvin, a...
Upon its initial release, The Santa Clause scored well with both critics and audiences, and that was reflected in its decent $190 million box office gross a very good return back in 1994. Arriving a year before Tim Allen would become forever known as the voice of a certain infinity and beyond-loving space ranger, he played Scott Calvin, a...
- 11/11/2024
- by Anthony Lund
- MovieWeb
The Santa Clause has evolved into one of the most rewatchable Christmas movies, but it may not have been such a success if Disney hadn't stepped in and made a key change to the way Scott Calvin gained Santa's power. The iconic 1994 classic features Tim Allen as a father who, via a twist of fate, becomes the new Santa. The magic of Santa Claus is transferred to him after the previous Santa Claus died after a fall from his roof on Christmas Eve in the process of delivering presents, but the original script called for something far more macabre.
While the oft-quoted The Santa Clause was somewhat more grounded (or as grounded as a show about a man becoming the real Santa Claus can be), the two sequels and the legacy sequel show on Disney+ all veered even more kid-friendly and silly. That would have been all but impossible if...
While the oft-quoted The Santa Clause was somewhat more grounded (or as grounded as a show about a man becoming the real Santa Claus can be), the two sequels and the legacy sequel show on Disney+ all veered even more kid-friendly and silly. That would have been all but impossible if...
- 11/11/2024
- by Bill Dubiel
- ScreenRant
Charles Barkley announces his retirement from broadcasting. Barkley will depart his position on Inside the NBA following the 2024-2025 season. In addition to his memorable NBA career and all of his athletic accolades garnered as a result, the former basketball player won a total of five Sports Emmys against 10 nominations as a broadcaster.
One of the most entertaining sports analysts known as the "Round Mound of Rebound" during his playing days is calling it quits. Following Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics (3-1) and the Dallas Mavericks (1-3) on Friday, June 14, the Space Jam (1996) star Charles Barkley announced that he will be leaving his co-host position on Inside the NBA behind for retirement after one more year of service. That coincides with his original contract coming to an end after the 2024-2025 season. However, Barkley did sign a new 10-year deal back in 2023, but he said during...
One of the most entertaining sports analysts known as the "Round Mound of Rebound" during his playing days is calling it quits. Following Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics (3-1) and the Dallas Mavericks (1-3) on Friday, June 14, the Space Jam (1996) star Charles Barkley announced that he will be leaving his co-host position on Inside the NBA behind for retirement after one more year of service. That coincides with his original contract coming to an end after the 2024-2025 season. However, Barkley did sign a new 10-year deal back in 2023, but he said during...
- 6/16/2024
- by Steven Thrash
- MovieWeb
It’s the season to be jolly, indeed. The holiday season is about to start, and Christmas is just next month. People from around the world are gearing up to spend some time at home watching holiday movies and television shows that keep their spirits up until the beginning of the new year. There will be a barrage of holiday films and television shows starting to make their way onto television and Ott streaming platforms, and most of them intend to spread the cheer that comes with the holiday spirit.
To keep up with the excitement, Disney+ released The Santa Clauses, a six-episode series based on the The Santa Clause film series originally conceived by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick in 1994. The new series was created by Jack Burditt and released on the streaming platform in 2022, right at the start of the holiday season. Season two of this beloved show,...
To keep up with the excitement, Disney+ released The Santa Clauses, a six-episode series based on the The Santa Clause film series originally conceived by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick in 1994. The new series was created by Jack Burditt and released on the streaming platform in 2022, right at the start of the holiday season. Season two of this beloved show,...
- 11/8/2023
- by Smriti Kannan
- Film Fugitives
It was just yesterday that we shared the news with you guys that filming has begun on Space Jam 2 starring LeBron James. And today we have word that original Space Jam star Charles Barkley isn't a fan of the idea of the upcoming sequel. The basketball legend spoke his peace at the 2019 NBA Awards on Monday night when he was asked if he was interested in the upcoming live-action/animation sequel, he said this.
"Not at all. Well, listen, I don't care. Space Jam 1 was amazing. We don't need 2."
This quote seems to be keeping with what Charles Barkley said last year at the same event, where he said this.
"Space Jam 1 was a classic. I don't like when people try to imitate something that was already good."
For those who didn't grow up in the '90s, the original Space Jam starred superstar Michael Jordan as himself, who...
"Not at all. Well, listen, I don't care. Space Jam 1 was amazing. We don't need 2."
This quote seems to be keeping with what Charles Barkley said last year at the same event, where he said this.
"Space Jam 1 was a classic. I don't like when people try to imitate something that was already good."
For those who didn't grow up in the '90s, the original Space Jam starred superstar Michael Jordan as himself, who...
- 6/26/2019
- by Mike Sprague
- MovieWeb
A few days ago we passed along word that several critical NBA and Wnba stars have joined NBA mega-star LeBron James in the upcoming sequel to the Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny live-action/animation hybrid movie Space Jam. And today we have word via James himself that Space Jam 2 has begun filming.
LeBron James announced the production start over on Twitter with a heartfelt tweet which read.
"Man, this really just hit me! I'm really shooting Space Jam 2!! This is so surreal and doesn't even make sense to me! Where I come from man and what I saw growing up this doesn't add up to me! I'm truly grateful and beyond blessed. This is Craziness."
As hinted at above, James' NBA and Wnba co-stars are set to include the likes of Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets,...
LeBron James announced the production start over on Twitter with a heartfelt tweet which read.
"Man, this really just hit me! I'm really shooting Space Jam 2!! This is so surreal and doesn't even make sense to me! Where I come from man and what I saw growing up this doesn't add up to me! I'm truly grateful and beyond blessed. This is Craziness."
As hinted at above, James' NBA and Wnba co-stars are set to include the likes of Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers, Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers, Chris Paul of the Houston Rockets,...
- 6/25/2019
- by Mike Sprague
- MovieWeb
Solinas script award finds home at Rome fest
ROME -- The fledgling RomaCinemaFest will become the permanent home to one of Italy's best-acknowledged screenwriting prizes, plaudit organizers said Monday.
The second annual festival will lend the backdrop to this year's Solinas Awards for screenwriting, which will be dished out Oct. 24 during the Rome event.
Founded in 1985, the Solinas Awards -- named after Oscar-nominated Italian screenwriter Franco Solinas, who died in 1982 -- have been presented in several locations around Italy throughout their 22-year history. But organizers said they have found a home for it at the RomaCinemaFest.
The Rome festival runs Oct. 18-27.
The Solinas Awards are presented each year to honor excellence in Italian screenwriting. The two main prizes are the Story Award for original screenwriting and the Leo Benvenuti prize for comedy writing.
The second annual festival will lend the backdrop to this year's Solinas Awards for screenwriting, which will be dished out Oct. 24 during the Rome event.
Founded in 1985, the Solinas Awards -- named after Oscar-nominated Italian screenwriter Franco Solinas, who died in 1982 -- have been presented in several locations around Italy throughout their 22-year history. But organizers said they have found a home for it at the RomaCinemaFest.
The Rome festival runs Oct. 18-27.
The Solinas Awards are presented each year to honor excellence in Italian screenwriting. The two main prizes are the Story Award for original screenwriting and the Leo Benvenuti prize for comedy writing.
- 10/2/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Kicking & Screaming
In the grand scheme of things, Kicking & Screaming never will be remembered for its dazzling originality (Four words: The Bad News Bears) or its sparkling wit. It doesn't even really have any memorable sequences that eventually would find their way onto an Oscar clip reel.
But when it comes to making good on its promise -- namely Will Ferrell as a driven soccer dad in a suitable-for-all-ages comedy -- the picture delivers the entirely pleasant if somewhat recycled goods.
Laughs-wise, it lacks the raucous edge of an Old School or Anchorman or the retro charm of an Elf, but there's still plenty of Will-power to fuel this likable underdog trifle. It certainly is more enjoyable than a lot of what passes for family entertainment these days.
While the Universal release shows a considerable amount of moxie by going up against the Force, parents still won't have to drag their kids kicking and screaming to this no-brainer example of surefire counter-programming.
Ferrell plays Phil Weston, a good-natured vitamin salesman with a supportive wife (Kate Walsh) and a well-behaved 10-year-old son (Dylan McLaughlin).
He also happens to have Buck, a fiercely competitive, highly critical father (a perfectly cast Robert Duvall in full-tilt The Great Santini mode) with a young second wife and a 10-year-old of his own (Josh Hutcherson).
When Buck, who coaches the top-ranked Gladiators little league soccer team, sends Phil's kid down to the bottom-ranked Tigers, Phil steps in to whip the hapless players into championship contenders with a little help from his dad's next-door neighbor, Mike Ditka -- yes, that Mike Ditka -- as well as a couple of young Italian prodigies who have been recruited from their uncle's deli.
In the process of rising to the occasion, Phil turns into a caffeine-injected soccer-dad monster but manages to see the error of his bullying ways before the final goal is scored.
It's the kind of tried-and-true story -- which initially was kicked around by Ferrell and his manager, Jimmy Miller, before being handed off to Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick (the team behind The Santa Clause movies) -- that really depends on its cast and a director with solid comic timing to get the job done.
Having established himself with American Wedding and How High, Jesse Dylan displays the requisite light touch, though in the process of going for that loose, improvisational feel, occasionally the shtick gets stuck in a repetitive rut.
Even though this one's aimed at kids, there's still enough of Ferrell's amiably loopy personality to satisfy his fans. It's great to see Duvall taking on a rare comedy, and he looks like he's having the time of his life, while famed Chicago Bears coach Ditka, in his first major feature outing, proves to be a natural, more than holding his own against Ferrell and Duvall.
Production values (though set in Chicago, the movie is shot extensively in Southern California) are bright and sunny thanks to reliable assists from cinematographer Lloyd Ahern ("Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story") and the versatile Mark Isham, who mixes it up with an appropriately playful score.
Now if only they had managed to accomplish all of the above without seeing the need to include the Black Eyed Peas' ubiquitous Let's Get It Started, they might really have started something.
Kicking & Screaming
Universal
Universal Pictures presents a Mosaic Media Group production
Credits:
Director: Jesse Dylan
Screenwriters: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Executive producers: Charles Roven, Judd Apatow, Daniel Lupi
Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern
Production designer: Clayton R. Hartley
Editors: Stuart Pappe, Peter Teschner
Costume designer: Pamela Withers Chilton
Music: Mark Isham. Cast: Phil Weston: Will Ferrell
Buck Weston: Robert Duvall
Barbara Weston: Kate Walsh
Himself: Mike Ditka
Sam Weston: Dylan McLaughlin
Bucky Weston: Josh Hutcherson
Janice Weston: Musetta Vander
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 87 minutes...
But when it comes to making good on its promise -- namely Will Ferrell as a driven soccer dad in a suitable-for-all-ages comedy -- the picture delivers the entirely pleasant if somewhat recycled goods.
Laughs-wise, it lacks the raucous edge of an Old School or Anchorman or the retro charm of an Elf, but there's still plenty of Will-power to fuel this likable underdog trifle. It certainly is more enjoyable than a lot of what passes for family entertainment these days.
While the Universal release shows a considerable amount of moxie by going up against the Force, parents still won't have to drag their kids kicking and screaming to this no-brainer example of surefire counter-programming.
Ferrell plays Phil Weston, a good-natured vitamin salesman with a supportive wife (Kate Walsh) and a well-behaved 10-year-old son (Dylan McLaughlin).
He also happens to have Buck, a fiercely competitive, highly critical father (a perfectly cast Robert Duvall in full-tilt The Great Santini mode) with a young second wife and a 10-year-old of his own (Josh Hutcherson).
When Buck, who coaches the top-ranked Gladiators little league soccer team, sends Phil's kid down to the bottom-ranked Tigers, Phil steps in to whip the hapless players into championship contenders with a little help from his dad's next-door neighbor, Mike Ditka -- yes, that Mike Ditka -- as well as a couple of young Italian prodigies who have been recruited from their uncle's deli.
In the process of rising to the occasion, Phil turns into a caffeine-injected soccer-dad monster but manages to see the error of his bullying ways before the final goal is scored.
It's the kind of tried-and-true story -- which initially was kicked around by Ferrell and his manager, Jimmy Miller, before being handed off to Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick (the team behind The Santa Clause movies) -- that really depends on its cast and a director with solid comic timing to get the job done.
Having established himself with American Wedding and How High, Jesse Dylan displays the requisite light touch, though in the process of going for that loose, improvisational feel, occasionally the shtick gets stuck in a repetitive rut.
Even though this one's aimed at kids, there's still enough of Ferrell's amiably loopy personality to satisfy his fans. It's great to see Duvall taking on a rare comedy, and he looks like he's having the time of his life, while famed Chicago Bears coach Ditka, in his first major feature outing, proves to be a natural, more than holding his own against Ferrell and Duvall.
Production values (though set in Chicago, the movie is shot extensively in Southern California) are bright and sunny thanks to reliable assists from cinematographer Lloyd Ahern ("Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story") and the versatile Mark Isham, who mixes it up with an appropriately playful score.
Now if only they had managed to accomplish all of the above without seeing the need to include the Black Eyed Peas' ubiquitous Let's Get It Started, they might really have started something.
Kicking & Screaming
Universal
Universal Pictures presents a Mosaic Media Group production
Credits:
Director: Jesse Dylan
Screenwriters: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Executive producers: Charles Roven, Judd Apatow, Daniel Lupi
Director of photography: Lloyd Ahern
Production designer: Clayton R. Hartley
Editors: Stuart Pappe, Peter Teschner
Costume designer: Pamela Withers Chilton
Music: Mark Isham. Cast: Phil Weston: Will Ferrell
Buck Weston: Robert Duvall
Barbara Weston: Kate Walsh
Himself: Mike Ditka
Sam Weston: Dylan McLaughlin
Bucky Weston: Josh Hutcherson
Janice Weston: Musetta Vander
MPAA rating PG
Running time -- 87 minutes...
- 6/7/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.