Tag: Lin-Manuel Miranda

  • REVIEW: Vivo (2021)

    REVIEW: Vivo (2021)

    Vivo is a new Sony Pictures Animation feature that came out on Netflix on Friday, August 6th. With songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes (In the Heights) and director Kirk DeMicco (The Croods), Vivo is Sony’s first animated musical. Sony Pictures Animation has a spotty record for me, with surprisingly…

  • Hamilton: A Thematic Exploration of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Masterpiece

    Hamilton: A Thematic Exploration of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Masterpiece

    Lin-Manuel Miranda arrived and promptly made a name for himself with 2008’s Tony-winning musical In the Heights, but he was just getting started. Miranda’s second Broadway sensation has become synonymous with the man himself and further develops some of the themes from In the Heights while exploring some new ones. In Lindsay Ellis’ Moana episode…

  • Disney’s Encanto Enchants With First Trailer

    Disney’s Encanto Enchants With First Trailer

    On Thursday, July 8, Disney revealed the first trailer for Encanto. Previously announced at Disney’s investor day, Encanto takes place in Colombia and follows the ordinary daughter of a magical family, Mirabel. That’s really all we can glean from the trailer, too; it gives off a vibe for the film more so than story details.…

  • Adaptation and Themes in In the Heights

    Adaptation and Themes in In the Heights

    Last week, I talked about the recent backlash against Lin Manuel-Miranda. His appearances and creations for Broadway, movies, and television prior to Hamilton spanning nearly two decades seemed to inspire a mixture of admiration and indifference. But after Hamilton hit Broadway, and again once it went to Disney+, detractors were out in full force. I…

  • A Word in Defense of Lin-Manuel Miranda

    A Word in Defense of Lin-Manuel Miranda

    Lately, I’ve grown increasingly tired of something that seems utterly inescapable. It’s been heading in this direction for quite some time, but I’m exhausted by the constant barrage of film criticism that evaluates art in solely political terms. Both “sides” do this, and it amuses me to see that they often accuse the same film(s)…

  • REVIEW: In the Heights (2021)

    REVIEW: In the Heights (2021)

    On Thursday, June 10th, In the Heights was released to HBO Max and theaters. The film adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2008 Broadway sensation comes just under a year after Hamilton hit Disney+ and turned me into a fan. I think this gave many people expectations for In the Heights that it otherwise may not have…