Wall-E!
Johnathan and I braved late night and possible teeny-boppers to see Wall-E at the midnight release last night. Once upon a time, we would have had no problem with the midnight showing, even with work following the next day. Our schedules being what they are, though, it was a bit rough managing to stay up until the movie started.
The night was unfortunately laden with small disasters. The first was that the second the “first look” came on, it was painfully loud. We were hoping the assault on our eardrums would cease when the previews came up, but we had no luck there. It was only after Johnathan sought someone out and informed them of our dilemma that they even realized there was one. They did bring the volume down to a level that wasn’t painful, even if it was still over-loud for a movie theater.
Later on, during the middle of the film, the reel got off so that we were seeing the bottom part of the frame at the top and the top was in the middle. It was incredibly annoying and it probably took almost five minutes for someone to fix it. If it had kept up much longer, I’d have probably pitched a fit and demanded my money back - which would have been the first time I’ve ever done that at a movie theater. It was fixed before the climax of the movie, at least, and we were able to enjoy the rest of the movie in peace.
After being slapped in the face again by the trailer for Beverly Hills Chihuahua and having to see Brendan Frasier try to act again (as well as a couple of previews for some movies that look entertaining), we got to see the Pixar short! It was about a magician and a rabbit, and past that, aside from the hat that was remniscent of the Sorcerer Mickey hat, I can’t bring myself to divulge any further information about it. Pixar still has that spark and talent that I think you should see it for yourself rather than read my inadequate description of it.
Movie review continues beyond here. There will be spoilers.
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The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
I’ve been a fan of the Chronicles of Narnia series since I was about twelve years old when I got the books as a Christmas present. Considering the amount of time that I have been a fan of these books (which, I know, pales in comparison to others who read the books long before I was even an egg), I was really, really looking forward to these movies.
The first one, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, looked exactly as I imagined it would be, so I was really excited to see the next one made into a movie. Keeping in mind, of course, that I haven’t read the books in a few years, so my thoughts on this next installment of Narnia is based on the movie itself, not the translation of the movie from text to screen.
(And in case you were wondering, yes, there will be spoilers.) Read the rest of the snark » »
The Beverly Hills Chihuahua
I had the good fortune to be able to go to the movie theater last night with the intent of seeing The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Before the movie started, we were treated with the typical preview fare: a new epic action movie which promises to be woefully bad, if only for the inclusion of Brendan Fraser, an animated movie or two, the trailer for Wall-E and a little gem advertising The Beverly Hills Chihuahua. I kid you not. Disney has pumped out a piece of schlock which appears to be a movie for kids about a small breed of dog which is a popular fashion accessory for the rich and famous. I only wish I were kidding. Nothing can describe how truly horrifying this is except for the trailer itself.
I don’t know what Disney was thinking when they put their time and money into this, but I sincerely hope that they think it was worth it. I have a feeling that not many others will.
There isn’t much more that can be said about what is most certainly put into the way of the American movie-goer to make money rather than to entertain. I only hope that this movie precedes John Lasseter, because if he approved this horrifying piece of junk then I fear that Disney may not end up so well off as we had hoped.
Disney Trip Planning
I am a fan of Disney, that much is clear, but for as long as I can remember, I have also been a fan of the Disney theme parks. I think I could spend all of my time planning a new Disney trip. My fiance and I have begun our planning for our honeymoon, for which we are going to Walt Disney World, and as a result, I’ve uncovered a wealth of trip-planning sites, full of tips, tricks and recommendations for anyone planning to take a Disney vacation.
The first site I would tell anyone to stop at would be MouseSavers. Any of the currently available discounts will be listed at MouseSavers as well as recommendations and tips for the planning and execution of the trip. The site is a veritable treasure chest of information for trips to Disney theme parks, Disney cruises and other Disney-related discounts and tips.
Small World Vacations comes highly recommended by the folks at MouseSavers, and while that is a good start, I think they are able to sell themselves quite well for all your vacation planning needs. They are authorized Disney vacation planners, yet they do not charge additional fees for helping you out with your planning. The people at Small World will monitor your vacation plans and should a discount come available which your trip qualifies for, they will do everything they can to apply that discount for you, thereby saving you money. They also arrange for Grand Gathering events, will make reservations for you at any of the park restaurants of your choosing and are generally your do-it-all people for the vacation. It takes the work away from you and makes your planning stress-free. Did I mention that they charge no additional fees for their work? The only money they make from helping you with your trip is the commission that Disney gives them. I definitely plan to go with them once we nail down exactly when we’re taking our trip.
Another good resource that I’ve found is AllEarsNet. The site is incredible and comprehensive. It has information about every Disney park as well as information about the restaurants, resorts and other important information to know when planning a Disney vacation. Johnathan and I were able to use this site to figure out which Disney resort hotel would be the best for us on our honeymoon. It also includes information about Disney cruises for the sea-bound Disney vacationer.
Other than that, for those planning a Disney vacation, I would recommend keeping an eye open for any discounts that you might be able to get through AAA or other discount-friendly program and make sure that you’re aware of any discounts that Disney is offering for specific time periods or events.
Myself, I’m looking forward to ten days at Port Orleans French Quarter during next year’s International Food and Wine Festival at Epcot. If it weren’t for these sites, I’d probably still be trying to figure out which resort hotel that I wanted to stay at! Disney vacations can be expensive but if you’re not doing all you can to save yourself money, you’re letting yourself get ripped off. Be an educated vacationer and make sure you know what’s what about your vacation plans.
The Pixar Story: To Infinity and Beyond
The adventure started when Johnathan and I were at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Last Thursday, we saw a movie around mid afternoon and out of sheer curiosity, checked the movie listings for the rest of the festival (which runs through today). Imagine our surprise when we saw a movie called The Pixar Story listed among more obscure international titles! Unfortunately, by the time we noticed it and went online to check for ticket availability, we found that it was on standby, which meant lining up an hour or more before the movie was scheduled to start, then waiting around to find out if we would be able to be seated after all the current ticket and pass holders had been seated. Thankfully, we got tickets five and six, so we were able to get in, though it meant sitting in the very front row. John Lasseter was pretty much right in our faces!
The film chronicles Pixar’s history starting with John Lasseter’s college days and early career at Walt Disney Animation. It goes through the early days of their inclusion in LucasFilm, branching into the very early days of Pixar as its own studio with Steve Jobs as the primary investor. It follows Pixar’s meager beginnings while they struggled just to pay the bills, through its contractual friendship with Disney and repeated movie successes. It continues on to tell the story of the poor politics of Walt Disney Studios and how greatly it had the potential to affect Pixar’s future as well as how it affected the morale around the somewhat untraditional smaller studio. The film wraps up with information about the new merger between Disney and Pixar and the shakeup that merger meant for Disney as well as the possibilities that it allows for Pixar in the future.
Overall, it was an excellent documentary - well-paced, including enough information to enlighten anyone but not so much as to bore the less enthusiastic fans. It included interviews with various people who worked for or with Pixar over the years, including John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, Steve Jobs, Pete Docter, Andrew Stanton, Bob Peterson, Brad Bird, Lee Unkrich and Joe Ranft. It also includes interviews with greats such as Roy E. Disney, Michael Eisner, Robert Iger, Ollie Johnson, George Lucas, Frank Thomas, Glen Keane and Diane Disney Miller.
After the documentary, however, we found that we were in for an unexpected (for us, at least) treat. After the credits finished and the lights came up, we were introduced to none other than Lee Unkrich. He obliged those who were able to get in to see the documentary with a fairly lengthy Q&A session. (For those who are obliging me with blank stares, Lee Unkrich has been with Pixar for over fifteen years and is the director for the the coming Toy Story sequel, Toy Story 3.) He answered questions from everything to what Steve Jobs is like (he had only good things to say about the contribution of the well-known Apple company founder) to what the future of 2D animation is at Walt Disney Studios.
Some facts that came out of the Q&A:
- John Lasseter has plans to revive the 2D animation studios at Disney, giving a new place to the art form on which the Walt Disney Studios were built.
- There will be no more Direct-to-Video sequels as was announced last year, but John Lasseter has something up his sleeve that will go directly to DVD. However, according to Lee Unkrich, this project is something “original.” He did not share any additional information about this project, just that it would not follow the way of the Direct-to-Video Sequels which, in his words, lacked in integrity.
- Brad Bird is moving on to live action films, as he has interest in making many different types of movies.
- And in truly unannounced news, Lee Unkrich revealed that for the first time in Pixar history, a woman is scheduled to direct a full-length Pixar film. The feature has not been announced to even be in production yet, so many thanks to Lee Unrkrich for the scoop!
The Pixar story was educational and interesting, but more than that, there is nothing that can beat the energy of a room full of people who love Pixar. Johnathan and I came away feeling positive about the futures of both Disney and Pixar, especially with John Lasseter at the helm of Disney Imagineering and as Chief Creative Officer for Disney Animation. The future at Disney once again looks bright, and with Pixar now at a release schedule of one movie a year, the future of Pixar looks set to prosper as well.
Kingdom Hearts II
Typically, I’m leery of sequels in general. I was obliged to observe the play of Kingdom Hearts II originally by an ex-boyfriend of mine who was a fan of the first one. I had watched him play that and it was possibly the only one that I had actually displayed any interest in, so he was keen to actually have something else which we would both be interested. (Does anyone wonder why he’s now an ex?) Aside from that, if one is even moderately interested in video games, it is nearly impossible to avoid sequels nowadays. Final Fantasy XIII, anyone?
Eventually I did play it myself. Of course, since I don’t enjoy 40+ hours of constant frustration, I played it first on Beginner Mode and more recently on Standard Mode. Having seen the difference between both versions, it seems that both are reasonably segmented in difficulty. Beginner Mode was too easy for me, even the first time, but I was insistent that I would finish it since I had started it. I think I would be most comfortable somewhere between Standard Mode and Proud Mode - which was far too hard for me.
Gameplay in KHII is incredibly improved. Options were added to allow for manual camera adjustment and even if I found that the camera automatically liked to settle a bit lower than preferred, if I was willing to keep my thumb on the control stick at all times, it would stay up where I wanted it. The fact that I could move it around as necessary was a much needed improvement and I am glad that Square-Enix took that to heart. The Gummi Ship levels still exist but don’t appear to be quite as hacked together as they were in KHI. They’re still annoying, but if nothing else, much prettier. All the same, they are extraneous and not required except to open the paths between worlds.
Easily the most annoying part of the game at first is getting used to the reaction commands, particularly when going directly from KHI to KHII with no game or time gap in between. The X button was the main button for use in KHI, whereas some events might require an X in KHII, while others require the triangle key. I got very good at pressing this key through the course of the game, as some battles require very quick fingers with it to even hope to win.
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Pirates of the Caribbean - At World’s End (2-Disc CE)
Back in my day when we had to make fire from sticks, I watched a movie called The Matrix Reloaded. If you were part of that dark era, do you remember the final bit where the Architect would ramble on ceaselessly for 20 minutes while we had to sit there and absorb things like ‘vis-a-vis’, ‘contradictory systemic anomaly’ and ‘Keanu acting’, in which everything was basically a variation of ‘Zion’s going to hell’? Well, imagine that scene multiplied into three hours, and you get a basic idea of the dialogue in AWE.
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