Ahhh Monsters!

Pixar has finally released the trailer for Monsters University and it looks very cute. We have to wait another year before it comes out, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

 

Brave

Sad day. I missed the opening of Cars Land because I was in Arkansas for my cousin’s wedding. I actually had a blast so it was ok. I never thought I would enjoy Arkansas. Anyway, I made up for missing Cars Land by getting to go to the world premiere of Brave at the grand opening of the Dolby Theatre. Lots of stuff premiered. I have wanted to see this movie since I first saw the title art. Then, when I found out about the short, La Luna that went along with the movie, I was even more excited. Well, I have to say that I was not disappointed in the least. The entire night was awesome.

Let’s start with the red carpet: it was grass. So fun! Disney always goes above and beyond for their premieres. They always find a way to do some clever stuff. At least with the 3 I have been to. I was kind of hoping to see John Lasseter, but sadly he was no where to be seen. We went into the theatre and were handed our 3D glasses and naturally I wasn’t too thrilled with that, but I know that Pixar knows what they’re doing. I grab my free Brave bucket full of popcorn and am placed in the very first row.

La Luna starts and I suddenly forget that I’m in a movie theatre. I was completely enchanted. Clever and cute just like every single short Pixar has ever made. They continue to out do themselves. The short is about a boy who learns the “family business” by venturing out with his grandpa and father. I don’t really know what else to say without ruining it so I’ll leave it at that. You’ll just have to see for yourself.

Then, Brave starts and I felt like I was there in Scotland with all the characters. Maybe because our seats were so close, but the movie was seriously beautiful. The animation and the scenery were just incredible. And to top it off the story is very heart warming and the movie was just good overall. Once again, Pixar has created a hit. A movie that you could watch a million times and never get bored.

The movie opens everywhere tomorrow and you MUST see it! I’m definitely preparing to buy the DVD.

Evil Hotness

Holy hotness batman! Hotness is everywhere in Snow White and The Huntsman. If you’re a boy, you will revel in the hotness. If you’re a girl, please just admire and maybe touch a little. I never ever thought I would say that Kristen Stewart is hot. When I saw the previews there was no way I was going to believe that Kristen Stewart is supposed to be “fairer” than Charlize Theron, but whatever they did to Kristen in this movie, they did it right. It was perfect. She barely spoke and just sat there and looked pretty. All she ever really needs to do…ever. Even when she spoke it was ok and I didn’t want to kill myself. Of course, Charlize is more beautiful and waaaaay hotter, but it wasn’t as far fetched as I thought it was going to be. The movie could have gone one of two ways. It could have been horrible and cheesy or freaking awesome. I have to say that it was pretty awesome. I read that even the producers were surprised at how well the movie is doing and now they’re planning a second one.

The movie is just so pretty to look at too. They go into the dark forest and the forest of the fairies and it’s just so well done. But the best part is that the story is well done too. You don’t get caught up in anything cheesy. This is not your typical Disney fairytale. The writers clearly read the Grimm’s version and threw out the Disney version to make it more of an adult movie.

 I hoped I pushed you off the fence with this one too. Definitely another good summer movie.

MIB III

Men in Black 3? Really? They made a third one? That’s what I was thinking when I saw previews because I don’t think anyone saw the second one. I forgot they even made a second one until I saw the number 3 after the movie title. The first one was awesome so it was worth a shot and it was a very entertaining shot. Will Smith hasn’t been in a movie in years and this was definitely the one to come back with. All the same humor and alien action plus time travel. How can you go wrong?!? Definitely a good summer movie to catch with some friends or even buy on DVD and watch every once in a while.

A very scary alien with lots of teeth is released from jail with revenge in his eyes. He’s after Tommy Lee Jone’s character for shooting his arm off years ago. He wants to go back in time and kill Tommy. Of course, Will Smith travels back in time and saves the day. Jumping off buildings and jumping onto space shuttles. Awesome! All while keeping his suit unwrinkled. Bad ass is the word you’re looking for.

Definitely a must see. I hope I pushed you off the fence if you were sitting on it.

Back from the Dead

Woah. It’s been crazy under the rock that has been my home for the last month or so. Between work and volunteering with the American Cancer Society, things have been nuts. I have done a lot of things and seen a lot of movies and I want to write about all of them! So in the next coming days, my goal is to catch up on everything from California Adventure opening this coming Friday and all the new merchandise they have to offer to every movie I’ve seen in the last few weeks: Avengers, Dark Shadows, Men in Black 3, and Snow White and The Huntsman. It’s going to crazy so hang on.

I have seen more movies in the last few weeks than I have seen in the last year. I used to go to the movies all the time, but then things got busy and I just didn’t have time to go anymore. Plus, there were very few movies that I really really wanted to see. This movie season has definitely proven worthy. Everyone knows that Avengers was awesome so I feel like I would just be wasting a blog if all I did was rant about something everyone already knows so I think I’m going to skip that one and go right into the most disappointing movie of the year, Dark Shadows. Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. What could go wrong? Apparently, no matter how good you are at making a movie, you have to have a good script. You can have every great actor and the best director, but if your script sucks, you’re screwed and that’s exactly what happened with Dark Shadows. I never watched the TV show so I was going in blind expecting greatness. But as I mentioned, the script was boring and I didn’t give a shit. Of course Johnny was awesome and the movie was pretty to look at, but that’s where it ended. Johnny’s character is cursed by a witch when he falls in love with someone other than her. She turns him into a vampire and locks him in a coffin until he’s found by construction workers decades later. Naturally, the witch is still alive and has taken over his family business. He tries to get it back from her and blah blah blah. I’m bored already. All comedic timing was lost and I was left asking “WTF?” Very disappointing, especially because all the people who watched the TV show were pretty much boycotting the movie. The least Tim Burton could have done was made this movie freaking awesome so people would have no choice but to see it. Maybe next time, Tim. Long story short, don’t see this movie. Don’t even waste the $1 at Red Box. Don’t even download it illegally.

Good Bye to a Legend

Sad freaking day! For all of you Disney animated movie fans, Glen Keane retired on Friday after working as a Disney animator for 38 years! How insane is that?!? He drew the Beast in The Beauty and the Beast, Ariel in Little Mermaid, Alladin in Alladin and most recently he drew Repunzel in Tangled. I have watched many Disney animation documentaries and he has been in every single one of them. He went to CalArts and then worked for Disney immediately after he graduated and has been there ever since. I heard rumors not too long ago that DreamWorks wanted him for something so part of me wonders if he retired so he could explore more animation worlds. Obviously, Disney is the place to be if you want to be an animator, but there's still a big animation world out there. Either way, it makes me sad to see such a legend go. Here's the letter he wrote to his collegues:


Dear Colleagues and Friends of the Walt Disney Animation Studio,

After long and thoughtful consideration, I have decided to leave Disney Animation.

I am convinced that animation really is the ultimate art form of our time with endless new territories to explore. I can’t resist it’s siren call to step out and discover them.

Disney has been my artistic home since September 9,1974. I owe so much to those great animators who mentored me—Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston—as well as to the many other wonderful people at Disney whom I have been fortunate to work with in the past nearly 38 years.

Over these four decades I have seen so many changes, but the one thing that remains the same is that we all do this because we love it.

I am humbled and deeply honored to have worked side by side so many artists, producers and directors during my career here at Disney, and I am tremendously proud of the films which together we have created. I will deeply miss working with you.

With my most sincere and heartfelt good wishes for your and Disney’s continued artistic growth and success,

Glen

I hope where ever he goes, he still does amazing things.

Minimalist

I love creative, minimalistic art. When it's done well, it looks awesome and it makes you want to hang it on your wall. Someone recently made minimalist posters for all of Tim Burton's movies and they all looked awesome. Simple, but you know exactly which movie is being depicted.

The most recent set of minimalist posters that I can't get enough of are new Pixar posters. Lee Wonchan created a poster for almost every Pixar movie and they're super cute. I think some of them could have been different, but I still like them. For example, I think Up should have been a balloon. But the rest are really cute. See for yourself.











I think Toy Story has to be my favorite. Ratatouille is pretty cute too. Which one do you like most?

100 Years of Awesome

Universal is celebrating their 100th anniversary this year and I have to admit that their line up of events and new attractions sounds kind of awesome. Of course, they have new attractions to compete with Disney including a nighttime spectacular that is supposed to rival World of Color. But considering the description of the Universal show, it might be better than Disney’s show, at least in content. I honestly don’t think that anything else could be as pretty as World of Color, but the content could definitely use some work. Since, it’s Universal’s 100th anniversary, the water show will display every famous Universal movie. Here’s the description from one of the theme park blogs:


Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida
Narrated by award-winning actor and recent Golden Globe - Cecil B. DeMille honoree, Morgan Freeman, Universal Orlando’s brand-new nighttime show, Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular, will celebrate the most powerful and emotional moments from Universal Pictures’ most iconic films – all on cutting-edge waterfall screens within the Universal Studios lagoon and surrounded by colorful fountains and pyrotechnics. The experience will take guests on a journey through epic cinematic moments filled with heroes, horror, laughter, good vs. evil and triumph. The new show opens this spring, runs all summer and then on select nights through the end of the year.

The renderings of what the show could look like are awesome too. Not going to lie, I really want to see this.

Some other attractions Universal is adding this year are as follows:

Blue Man Group ~ Opening February 2012 at Universal CityWalk
Universal Orlando’s Blue Man Group show is taking their unique mash-up of high energy music, comedy, audience participation and collective exhilaration to another level. Featuring a new show environment, new music, new technology and new experiences, the show will allow audiences to join the Blue Men as they discover, engage and explore the world’s obsession with cutting-edge technology.

Signature Blue Man Group moments combine with new pieces for an explosive evening of entertainment. New show elements include the curious Blue Men interacting with enormous “GiPads,” a funny and insightful look at contemporary communication vehicles, and a pulsating new finale with an original Blue Man Group music score. Look closely – you may even see the Blue Men take a spin on one of Universal Orlando's most popular attractions.

The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ~ Experience March 2012 at Islands of Adventure
Universal Orlando is transforming what is already one of the most amazing attraction experiences ever created into what will feel like an all-new adventure. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man will soon feature all-new, 4K digital high-definition animation, new high tech 3-D glasses and upgrades to the set, audio and lighting systems. The re-animation of the ride film will include an entirely new level of detail for guests to discover, including a cameo by comic book icon and Spider-Man co-creator, Stan Lee.

Universal’s Superstar Parade ~ Opening Spring 2012 at Universal Studios Florida

Some of today’s most beloved characters and stories will bring new adventure to the streets of Universal Studios during Universal’s Superstar Parade – an all-new daily parade that features huge floats, state-of-the-art technology and hundreds of energetic street performers. Guests will sing and dance along with characters like the minions from Despicable Me, E.B. from the hit comedy, Hop, Nickelodeon’s Dora & Diego and SpongeBob SquarePants during the interactive experience. Guests will have the opportunity to enjoy performances and character meet and greets prior to the parade at select locations throughout the day.

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem ~ Opening Summer 2012 at Universal Studios Florida

Universal Orlando’s newest attraction, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, will take guests on an unforgettable 3-D adventure with their favorite characters from the hit film – Gru, Margo, Edith, Agnes and the mischievous minions. The experience begins when guests enter Gru’s home, where they learn that they’re being recruited to become minions and undergo “minion training.” Things don’t go as planned, and guests find themselves on a wildly hysterical journey with Gru and his daughters. Once guests make it through training, they join an interactive, minion-inspired dance party where they can show off their best moves.

Universal’s Creative team is working closely with Chris Meledandri’s Illumination Entertainment to bring this all-new adventure to life in the most authentic way possible. In fact, the beloved characters in the attraction will be voiced by the film’s original cast: Steve Carell (Gru), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo), Dana Gaier (Edith) and Elsie Fisher (Agnes). The ride’s experience is being developed by the same creative team that behind the award-winning film, Despicable Me.

Other New Experiences Opening this Year

• Hollywood Drive-In Golf, a unique 36-hole miniature golf experience inspired by the classic drive-in movie era, will open in February at Universal CityWalk.
• A great, new immersive retail entertainment experience that will become home to SpongeBob SquarePants and other characters from the number one kids animated TV series, Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants. It will open inside Universal Studios this year.
• Minutes away from Universal Orlando, the popular Wet ‘n Wild water park will open its first interactive family water play area, this summer – allowing everyone in the family to splash and swim together. Amidst lush, tropical landscaping, the new area will feature 15 water slides and more than 100 soakers, jets, waterfalls and water cannons - making it the largest interactive water play experience in Florida.

I guess it’s time to go to Florida and see some of these things for myself. I hear that Universal in Orlando is much better than Universal in LA because it’s an actual theme park. Although, I do love going through the back lot in LA.

Magical Year

Sorry for abandoning my blog for a few weeks. There were some insane deadlines at work leaving no time to look at what was happening in the world other than presidential events, but that's not what this blog is about. This is about the fun things that take us away from the cruel world and into the awesome, fantastical world.

So let's move on to the happiest place on Earth. California Adventure has a lot going on and I can't wait until the end of this year when it's all complete. I want to run around like a child! Cars Land is nearing completion and I keep seeing amazing images and videos and it just looks fantastic. The front entrance area is going to look like old Burbank when Walt first arrived to California. I'm most excited about the statue of Walt and Mickey that will be placed in the middle of the square.

Not sure why I love the statue so much. It's just Walt and Mickey with suit cases. What's really cool about it is that the statue of Walt and Mickey in Disneyland is supposed to be the two of them looking at all their accomplishments, while the new one at DCA is the two of them just starting out. Good job with story telling Disney folks.

Anyway, going back to the changes. The area where ElecTRONica is currently, is going away and becoming an Alice in Wonderland/Mad T Party themed bar area instead.

I'm not sure the motivation behind making this area a bar after dark. Seems kind of weird to me, but at least Alice in Wonderland is more Disney than ElecTRONica... Although, this Alice in Wonderland is going to be more like the Tim Burton version and less like the cartoon we all know and love from Disney. So I guess nothing is really changing except the decor. The change is going to take place this summer.

No matter what, I think this is what the Disney folks should have done with DCA in the first place. The changes that are being made are very awesome and I definitely think it will draw more people to the park once it's finished. I guess it took the Imagineers going through a little bit of failure with the park before realizing what the park should actually look like.

Weekend Movie - Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Wow. It's been a while. The end of the year has been nuts with work, my grandmother getting ill, and then of course the holidays. Luckily, I have had this week off so I have been able to breathe a little bit.

For awhile, there weren't any good movies out and then all of a sudden I want to see every movie ever! So I started off with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and it didn't disappoint in the least. This is definitely one of the few franchises that has been able to last through multiple sequels that have been just as amazing as the previous. Tom Cruise is looking a tiny bit old, but he did all of his own stunts so I guess he's not too old. Some of the things these writers come up with are just freaking awesome. And to make this movie even better, it's directed by a Pixar alum, Brad Bird. He directed The Incredibles. Who knew that someone could go from animation to live action without even skipping a beat. See this movie!

Wizarding World

I'm a couple days behind on this, but I don't think it's ever too late to share theme park magic especially because the Wall Street Journal got in trouble for posting the information too early. Anyway, Harry Potter Land is coming to Universal Studios, Hollywood. I bet the first question you're asking yourself right now is where the hell are they going to put it. Well, they're working on that. Through the theme park grapevine, I've heard that they'll either carve out a mountain or get rid of some of their back lot elements and put it there. Either way, it's going to be small and there will have to be separate transportation to get there, but it will still be as authentic as the original. Definitely exciting news for Harry Potter fans. Plus, it will add some new elements to the LA theme park because it does kind of lack pizazz. This addition will definitely add an exciting element and of course bring in more money. That's all they care about anyway. I still want to go to Florida though. Their theme park is an actual theme park and has way better rides. It will be interesting to see what they come up with here. Guess we're waiting til 2013 to find out.

Young Adult

When I first heard about the movie Young Adult it sounded awesome for a few reasons. First, it's written and directed by the same writer and director from Juno. Second, it freaking stars Charlize Theron. Sounds like a good combination to me! But then I saw the trailer and I don't know if it's awesome anymore. It looks kind of weird... I really hope Diablo Cody isn't a one hit wonder, but it's beginning to look that way. I also hope that Charlize Theron wouldn't pick a crappy movie. Obviously, every actor has a few crappy movies in their career, but I'm hoping this isn't one for Charlize. Yes, we're on a first name basis here. Either way, check out the trailer and let me know your thoughts.

Weekend Movie - Margin Call

I never heard of this movie until my dad wanted to see it and wow was it awesome and freaking scary all at the same time. Makes me hate corporate America even more and I didn't even think that was possible. After working for a big corporation I didn't think it could get any worse, but it has. The movie has an awesome cast and an awesome script and a really crazy storyline based on real events so it's kind of a win win. I definitely recommend it. The movie maps the last 24 hours of Lehman Brothers before it went away for good. They realized that their losses were going to be more than the worth of the company so they went and did some pretty shady shit. Kind of sad to see all the innocent people that got roped into the shitty situation. Sad to see how many people lost their jobs at one time for absolutely no reason and it was disgusting to see how much money some of these people make and how quickly they blow it. The worst part for me was seeing how knowledgable the workers are and how dumb the bosses are. The leader of the entire group didn't even know how to read the reports the office was putting together and the big time owner asked people to talk to him like a child because he didn't understand any of the lingo. How the hell do these people get into these big positions without even knowing what things mean? Obviously, they know how things run, but to not even be able to read a report if you had to makes me sick. To me, that's like a soccer coach not knowing how to play soccer, just knowing that the ball needs to get into the net to win. It just baffles me that companies are run this way. Anyway, it's a good movie and definitely worth a look see. Hope everyone is having an awesome Thanksgiving weekend.

It's Here!!!!

YES PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

Only the Good Die Young

It always makes me really sad to read stories about mysterious movie star deaths. Look at Marilyn Monroe for example. No one really knows how she died, but she was so loved by the public and is still so freaking loved by the public. You can't go anywhere in Hollywood without seeing her face. It just makes me sad to think that for that one moment where she was possibly being murdered someone didn't care about her. I obviously didn't know her, but she seemed like a very nice and genuine person who didn't deserve death so soon.

I feel the same way when it comes to Natalie Wood. Her husband was with her when she died, but no one claimed to know what happened on the boat that night. But now, the captain of the ship is coming forward and saying he knows what happened and lied to authorities the first time they questioned him. Makes me wonder if he was paid off to keep quiet? Why come clean now. She's been dead for 30 years and now he's deciding to tell people there was more to the story? That sucks. No one deserves that. Whoever killed her could have been in jail this entire time.

At least we know what happened to James Dean. Why do the good ones always have to die young?

The Games

Ok ok. I've given in. This trailer looks damn good.

Star of Stars

I am so so happy for John Lasseter. Today he received a star on the Walk of Fame and he definitely deserves it. Pixar has made so many incredible, life changing movies and all because Lasseter had a dream and drew a lamp playing with a ball. Congrats John! Keep up the good work! I would hug my star if I was given one too.

Disney 3D

I thought 3D movies were on their way out. I thought people were getting sick and tired of 3D because it was so over played. Well, for some reason Disney seems to be capitalizing on 3D movies. They plan on bringing back The Little Mermaid, Monsters Inc, Beauty and the Beast, and Finding Nemo. I guess Lion King 3D has been so popular that they're hoping for success with these movies. Honestly, I love these movies, but I have absolutely no desire to see any of them in 3D. Maybe Finding Nemo, but even then, not so much. Has Disney lost the ability to come up with other movies? Tangled was really good so there has to be more movie magic in there somewhere. Why go back to old movies and bring them out in 3D? I'm disappointed.

Weekend Movie - The Help

I finally got to see The Help and it was everything everyone said it would be. I expected something awesome and it was definitely awesome. Emma Stone is amazing, Viloa Davis is amazing. All the other acting is amazing too. It kind of made me want to read the book, but not too much because I've heard the movie is very different from the book so I'll probably just stick with the movie. If you haven't seen it yet, you should. It's for guys too so all you guys out there shouldn't feel weird for seeing it. I'm not even sure what more to say. The plot is well displayed in the previews and the title. I can't believe that life was the way it was and it's still this way in Mississippi. I can't believe that people treat other people this way. It makes me sad, but the movie is uplifting in that you see people starting to stand up for themselves. Ugh! I always have a million things going through my head while I'm watching movies, but then when it comes time to write about them, I can't think of anything so forgive me for being brief. Just go see it for yourself.

The Dragon is Here

The full trailer is finally out for the American version of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Not what I expected, but at least it looks like it's going to follow the book pretty closely. I'm not sure how I feel about it. I kind of pictured Lisbeth differently so that's going to take some time to get over. See for yourself.