Wreck it Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Interwebs My thoughts and Impressions

I took my kids to see Wreck it Ralph 2 Sunday.

My son liked the original more and I agree but for different reasons.

So in the first movie Ralph is tired of his predetermined lot in life to be a villain and literally abandons his game to better his life....to be a hero! He's driven, he's motivated! In the sequel Ralph is perfectly content with his life Go to Work hang out with Vanellope at Tappers, watch the sun rise....rinse- repeat. He's a bum so to speak. As long as his bestie (Vanellope) is there with him everything is irie...

The macguffin in this movie is the steering wheel for the Sugar Rush game which gets broken as a player wrestles against Vanellope as she drives on the "new" track Ralph makes for her. This scene is clearly there to demonstrate that Vanellope longs for something more in her life similar to Ralph in the first movie and the Polar opposite of Ralph in this movie.  Good guy Ralph figures out how to save Vanellope and all the citizens of Sugar Rush that are now game less.....by going to the interwebz!

So Ralph has a solid plan but once they arrive Ralph becomes a complete imbecile and Vanellope just gets it.......so Ralph being the older character is a metaphor for the older folks IRL and Vanellope is a millennial.....GTFOH!

When I saw the trailer with Vanellope and the Disney princesses I thought it was cute and entertaining then the next trailer that showcased her in the Disney realm of the web was crazy and cool but when I left the theater in retrospect it came across as self perpetuating drivel. 
Psst if you've seen the trailers you've seen the best parts of WiR2.
I also noticed a new trend within the disney animated movies, they literally call themselves out for laugh's! The first time I saw it was in Frozen when Elsa calls out Anna for falling in love with a guy she met only hours earlier. It's in WiR2 even more in your face when Vanellope meets the Disney Princesses. So this movie is self deprecating and self perpetuating at the same time. That's bizarre!
I'm not gonna nitpick the entire movie, there are aspects I liked but I found Ralph's character development frustrating and too close to real life issues.
Long story short, for me this movie turned out to be a message from Disney to Star Wars fans....
Ralph = Star Wars Fans
Vanellope = OT
And Ralph's speech to the Giant Ralph virus is Disney telling the fans ya gotta let go of the past and embrace change no matter how painful it is.
But that's what I saw in this movie, my son told me he didn't like it as much as the first because it was sad and he didn't leave the theater feeling as hopeful as he did from the original......
Welcome to my world buddy! Now you know how my generation feels about Disney's Star Wars!
WTF is going on Disney!?! Your movies are supposed to bring smiles to peoples faces!
Time to crack the ice and reanimate Walt!
C
ps: where is world star hip hop in WiR's internet?

Wreck it Ralph 2 Trailer

Looks cute but then wonders is this trailer Disney tooting it's own horn? Is this trailer making fun of SJW's or further promoting Disney's GURL POWAH agenda?
Anyway I enjoyed it, I hope we see more than just Mario in WiR2. If Street Fighter characters appear Chun Li better make it in and while Disney's on the GURLZ RULE train I expect to see Leia, Rey, Phasma, Holdo, L33t, Ahsoka, Jyn Erso and Sabine meet Vanellope....because Disney.

The Jungle Book First Trailer

I'm not a fan of reboots, or re imaginings of classic Disney animated jems.  I didn't like the changes to the Angelina Jolie's Maleficent, the live action Cinderella never made a huge impact, if it wasn't for Charlize Theron Snow White and the Huntsman would've been been awful, thankfully with Charlize it was just not good.
But I am excited for this live action version of the Jungle Book!
Scarlett Johansson as Kaa....sssssssssssweet!

Movie Review: Big Hero 6

So I just got home from my 7 day vacation at Walt Disney World on Friday....I'll be updating my YouTube channel with video's from my trip and I have over 3000 pictures to go thru.
Saturday I went with my wife and son to see Big Hero 6 and we all loved it, especially my son!
Big Hero 6 has alot of heart and NO singing, so fellas you can breathe easy knowing you wont have the kids singing in the back of the minivan on your next road trip.
Visually Big Hero 6 is gorgeous, San Franciscokyo (???) blends the two cities together into one stunning megalopolis that is a joy to see as Hiro and Baymax fly across it's skies....think back to the feeling you had the first time you saw RDJ as Tony Stark fly out of his lab in IM1...just as impressive in Big Hero 6!
The amalgamation of Tokyo and San Francisco in this movie was similar to Macross Frontier's.
The story deals with Hiro grieving the loss of his brother Tadashi but the message is very positive and never becomes sad or depressing.
Baymax's matter of fact personality is hilarious when paired with Hiro's adolescent energy and exuberant outgoing personality. Don't be deceived by Baymax's emotionless appearance, the big inflatable bot has a big heart!
I also liked the message the movie gave little kids that science can be exciting and fun, the other members of the team were all unique and enjoyable, Gogo, Wasabi, Honey lemon and Fred.
This is a Marvel property so be sure to stay for the post credits scene.
Big Hero 6 was a fun movie from start to finish that kids and adults can enjoy. It's chock full of emotion and humor and the visuals are gorgeous.
A-

Charlize Theron's Ravenna vs Angelina Jolie's Maleficent

So my wife and I watched Maleficent the other night, we recently got Sleeping Beauty (the 1959 animated movie) on Blu Ray. I had never seen it before but I was familiar enough with the story and the stories antagonist Maleficent As far as villains go she is definitely up there on the nightmare fuel list! After watching Sleeping Beauty I thought to myself there is one evil bitch! But as an adult I want to know more about her, why is she evil? Has she always been evil? Apparently Disney thought so too after the relative success of Universals 2012 live action fairy tail Snow White and the Huntsman.
I remember seeing the trailer for SWatH and thinking "wow this movie looks promising". And for the most part it was, even with Kristen Stewart's Ctrl. C-Ctrl. V performance SWatH was good. SWatH had up and coming star Chris Hemsworth and A-lister Charlize Theron which IMHO elevated this movie from mediocre to better than bad. In all honesty Charlize Theron owned every scene she was in in this movie and rightfully so....the movie should have been called Ravenna's Quest for the Ancient Chinese Pearl Cream.
So getting back to Maleficent, I understand it's Disney's property and they can do as they please with their characters, but my wife and I were both let down by this revision of the story of Aurora and Maleficent. I do appreciate the alteration of the "true love's kiss will break the curse" much the same way as Frozen  poked fun at one of Disney's infamous tropes,..love at first sight->marriage-->live happily ever after. I'm glad to see Disney has outgrown the naivety of it's older films and have stayed relevant in our cynical day and age.
But herein lies my conundrum!  I want Maleficent to be that evil bitch I saw in Sleeping Beauty I feel like they neutered one of their most iconic villains! So in this case I think the 21st century version of Snow White's curse breaking kiss worked better, it allows Ravenna to be Ravenna...an evil bitch!
Both films have their strengths; incredible actresses that elevate their characters, impressive use CG for the fantasy creatures in both films, and a more truthful/believable explanation of "true love".
But both also have their short comings: weak performances from the title character coughsnowwhitecough, and too drastic a deviation of the primary villain and other key characters.    

Toy Story That Time Forgot Trailer

This holiday season join Woody, Buzz and the gang on their latest adventure.

The House that Skywalker built has been sold to a mouse

I still remember as a kid swinging branches around with other kids during recess pretending they were lightsabers, and believing that I could lift stones if I was able to focus hard enough and use the force......
If I only knew then what I know now...
After the prequels I all but accepted that my happy childhood memories were being recalled thru rose tinted glasses.  After the multiple revisions to the OT and various iterations of the Saga VHS/DVD/ Blu ray I thought the saga was complete regardless of the ever present rumors of episodes VII-IX out there in the vaults of Lucas Film buried deep in the Journal of the Whils. I was for all intents and purposes done with that galaxy far far away...
And then day before yesterday my wife shows me a tweet from Ewan Macgregor saying Disney has bought Lucas Film Ltd for 4 Billion Dollars. I scoffed at the tweet saying how do you know that's really Ewan MacGregor.....well that's poodoo on my face!
Seriously....4 Billion Dollars! Holy Sith Lords that's enough money to build a Death Star!
I posted on the Galactic Senate forums that I'm not feeling the hype the way I did back in the late 90's when I first heard about Episode I....before any of us knew what Jar Jar Binks was.
There was a time prior to TPM where I had read the Timothy Zahn EU Thrawn trilogy, and as far as EU novels go they are probably the best suited for an easy transition to film and would fit well with the continuity...actors aside.
But apparently contrary to all of Lucas' vehement denials that there was ever any plans for episodes VII-IX, here we are and the plans for episode VII have been given over to Disney writers, Which begs the question why?
I have a theory but it's grim and I hope I'm way off. Time will tell.

Winnie the Pooh Review

This movie was especially memorable for me because it was my son's first movie! He'll never remember it but I'll never forget it. For the most part I prefer Anime style over US animation the exception being Disney/Pixar films. I have always been a fan of the hand-drawn style of old Disney films and this latest Winnie the Pooh Film is a fantastic showcase of a long lost style that is warm and inviting.
The story felt a little familiar to 2006's Pooh's Grand Adventure where Pooh gets a letter from Christopher Robin which is misinterpreted.
The film was an enjoyable whimsical adventure with Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit and Owl on an adventure in the hundred acre wood looking for Eeyore's lost tail and searching for Christopher Robin while trying to capture the menacing Bakson.
The movie seemed short compared to other films like the Tigger Movie and the above mentioned Pooh's Grand Adventure at 70 minutes, but I  don't think that mattered to the children who all had huge grins at the end of the movie. You can't go wrong with a Winnie the Pooh movie with children!
A

Movie Review: Enchanted

Hey guys remember dragging your girl to see Transformers this summer? Well here's your payback!

As cool as Transformers was for guys seeing Optimus Prime transform and fight Megatron in the middle of a city while Bumblebee gets towed around by Megan Fox, women and girls will once again believe that there are princes out there and they can find their one true love thanks to this movie.

The movie starts out in some magical land where the fair maiden, Giselle, looks for her true love. In typical Disney fashion a Prince happens upon this lovely maiden in distress and rescues her....love at first sight yadayada yada. Well Prince Edward, chivalrous, strapping, and handy with a sword vows to wed Giselle. But what Disney movie is without the evil stepmother, and Prince Edwards mother Narissa isn't about to give up her crown so easily and devises a scheme to get rid of Giselle, push her down into the bottomless well!

Well there is a bottom. New York City. And not the animated kind.

This is where the story actually becomes bearable for men. What would happen to Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Belle or any of the other Disney Princesses in real life? The story suddenly becomes more adult when Giselle is picked up by divorce attorney/single parent Robert Phillip (Jack Dempsey from Grey's Anatomy). Robert finds Giselle roaming the streets of Manhattan in her ultra fru fru wedding gown and offers to assist her. Back at home Giselle meets Roberts daughter, Morgan. What Robert sees as a "troubled individual" Morgan sees as a princess. Giselle tells them she's waiting for her one true love, Edward, to come find her. Over the next couple days Giselle learns all about the "real world" as she waits for Prince Edward who heroically goes after Giselle and parades around Manhattan in his princely attire. Seeing Cyclops running around Manhattan in in his fru fru out fit waving his rapier around may sound altogether fruity but is actually very funny.

In Disney fairy tales love conquers all...but we're in NYC and those rules definitely do not apply and we soon see how Giselle's time in the real world changes this once bubbly, love conquers all, innocent maiden when Prince Edward finally finds his one true love.

Little girls will love this movie for the obvious reasons but there's also another, more adult story lined in this fairy tale...but like ALL great Disney movies there is a happily ever after.

Now bring on Transformers 2!

B

Movie Review: The Chronicals of Narnia the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe

When my wife and I saw Narnia , she loved it but she had also read the book as a child. I on the other hand did not, I was reading JRR Tolkien and thus have mixed feelings about the film, I'll take her word that the film is faithful to the novel. The opening sequence in WWII England was fabulous and the final battle against the White Witch had some interesting similarities. Narnia is a great fantasy movie for children, like Harry Potter I hope this movie sparks an interest in reading the books. Tilda Swinton (The Beach) was amazing as the White Witch! As good as Ian Mckellan was as Gandalf, Tilda was just as good as the White Witch. My only gripe was that I think the film should have spent a bit more time with Jadis so the connection between her and the White Witch was a little clearer. I got it but I think it might be missed by "Joe movie goer". As I stated earlier this movie is for children but there are aspects adults will catch while the kids are mezmerized by talking bevers and lions. I am extremely pleased with the casting of the four children, they could've gone all Hollywood but opted to with truer actors, these kids fit the roles perfectly. Georgie Henley (Lucy) is delightful on screen and Skandar Keynes has just the right look as Edmund and does a good job portraying the character and all Edmunds emotions. There are many sickly sweet scenes, but I don't fault the film, it's that we adults aren't used to it anymore, we're jaded and synical. Children will see this film differntly than we do.But then there are scenes that felt unbalanced, most notably the Aslan sacrafice. It resonates a specific scene in Passion of the Christ. Whether intentional or not by C.S Lewis I made that connection, for kids it may be a bit too scary in my opinion.Another scene that seemed odd for me was when Father Christmas showed up out of thin air and gave these kids weapons. This scene seemed edited and didn't work quite as the extended scene in LotR when Galadriel gives the Fellowship gifts as they depart from Lothlorien.The final scene that didn't sit well with me was Lucy's first encounter with Mr Tumnus, but as I said earlier what I saw will not be what children see. When Mr Tumnus invites Lucy to his home for tea and cake I instantly had warnings going off in my mind. I somehow doubt children would have that same forboding.As I watched the final battle I kept thinking of William Wallace.....why? HmmmmThe fight between Peter and the Witch was enjoyable to watch, the sets were all magnificent, the aerial scenes with the Gryphons were cool, Liam Neeson doing the voice of Aslan was the right choice. There were some obvious super imposures that I spotted, but didn't detract from the overall experience. In the end the thing that stuck with me the most was something Professor Kirke told Lucy, during the credits, when she asked if she could ever go back to Narnia. It was the youngest of the four who first discovered Narnia, it was then that I realized as we get older we loose our imagination, we become jaded and see the world differently. So is the case with the audience, the children in the audience will be able to believe in Aslan and Mr. Tumnus and the beauty of Narnia, we will see four kids wisked away to the counrtyside to escape war torn england and thru there boredom create a fantastic world that mirrors the real world around them.

B