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Fight for Your Side. Command The Galaxy. The Galactic War rages on. Where does your allegiance...
Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Good Dinosaur (2015) in Movies
Jun 19, 2019
Over the years dinosaurs have often been portrayed as lumbering oafs, vicious killers, or cuddly playthings. With the reinvigorated “Jurassic” franchise interest in the creatures is at an all-time high. Disney/PIXAR are hoping this interest translates into box office gold with the release of their new film “The Good Dinosaur” which looks to continue the successful and award winning streak of their earlier efforts.
We first heard of the film almost 4 years ago at the D23 Expo when during the upcoming film showcase it was announced that they had a dinosaur themed project in the works but had little else to say about it at that time. The premise of the film is that the asteroid that is rumored to have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs actually missed the earth and millions of years later, dinosaurs continue to evolve.
We meet a family of peaceful dinosaurs who spend their days working in the fields as farmers preparing for the upcoming winter season and the birth of their three children. One of the children named Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) is rather diminutive and tentative and unlike his bigger brother and sister, struggles to master his fear and find a role in which he can excel.
When fate and disaster step in, Arlo finds himself alone and isolated in the strange and dangerous world, forced to make a journey home. Along the way he discover shimself and learn several life lessons in the process. Along the way he makes new friends and staves off threats, all with the help of a new companion, a feral human named Spot. As any fans of Disney/Pixar will tell you the sidekick is often heartwarming comic gold.
While the film follows a very tried-and-true plot line for Disney films with elements of several other Disney classics incorporated within its framework, it does boast some absolutely amazing animation which include some captivating and breathtaking landscapes.
My biggest issues with the film was that I felt I had seen this story several times before in other films by the studio and that while enjoyable and at times heartbreaking, it felt a little too formulaic and did not resonate with me the way that many of their past films had. Parents may want to be cautioned that the film does contain some scary moments and there were a couple of children during our screener who did seem to be a bit disturbed by elements the film although most of those in attendance were captivated and entertained throughout and left the theater howling like wolves.
While I’m not sure the film will be a true modern classic that we have come to expect from the studio, it is still a very enjoyable and entertaining film that will be more than welcome during the holiday season for those looking for some dependable Pixar magic.
http://sknr.net/2015/11/24/the-good-dinosaur/
We first heard of the film almost 4 years ago at the D23 Expo when during the upcoming film showcase it was announced that they had a dinosaur themed project in the works but had little else to say about it at that time. The premise of the film is that the asteroid that is rumored to have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs actually missed the earth and millions of years later, dinosaurs continue to evolve.
We meet a family of peaceful dinosaurs who spend their days working in the fields as farmers preparing for the upcoming winter season and the birth of their three children. One of the children named Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) is rather diminutive and tentative and unlike his bigger brother and sister, struggles to master his fear and find a role in which he can excel.
When fate and disaster step in, Arlo finds himself alone and isolated in the strange and dangerous world, forced to make a journey home. Along the way he discover shimself and learn several life lessons in the process. Along the way he makes new friends and staves off threats, all with the help of a new companion, a feral human named Spot. As any fans of Disney/Pixar will tell you the sidekick is often heartwarming comic gold.
While the film follows a very tried-and-true plot line for Disney films with elements of several other Disney classics incorporated within its framework, it does boast some absolutely amazing animation which include some captivating and breathtaking landscapes.
My biggest issues with the film was that I felt I had seen this story several times before in other films by the studio and that while enjoyable and at times heartbreaking, it felt a little too formulaic and did not resonate with me the way that many of their past films had. Parents may want to be cautioned that the film does contain some scary moments and there were a couple of children during our screener who did seem to be a bit disturbed by elements the film although most of those in attendance were captivated and entertained throughout and left the theater howling like wolves.
While I’m not sure the film will be a true modern classic that we have come to expect from the studio, it is still a very enjoyable and entertaining film that will be more than welcome during the holiday season for those looking for some dependable Pixar magic.
http://sknr.net/2015/11/24/the-good-dinosaur/
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Encanto (2021) in Movies
Dec 28, 2021
Fun Family Friendly Film with GREAT Music
The good thing about travelling by plane over the Holidays is that it is an opportunity to catch up on Movies that were missed. Such is the case with the Disney Animation Film ENCANTO - a film that “came and went” earlier this fall.
And…I’m glad I saw it, for ENCANTO is the family-friendly, fun and heart warming film that is perfect Holiday viewing for the entire family.
Set in the magical Columbian village of ENCANTO, this film tells the tale of a family that are all given magical powers to use to help their village survive and thrive…all, that is, except for Mirabel who becomes somewhat of an outcast with her family for not having a magical gift bestowed upon her.
At first glance, this Animated Musical might remind people of the PIXAR animated film COCO from a few years ago. But that is like saying THE LITTLE MERMAID reminds you of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST or CINDERELLA reminds your of SLEEPING BEAUTY. While there are some striking similarities to COCO, ENCANTO is it’s own film and serves the story of the importance of family very, very well.
Stephanie Beatriz (TV’s BROOKLYN 99) is terrific as the voice of Mirabel, she has that headstrong, optimistic bent to her that many other Disney Princesses/Heroines (MOANA, Anna from FROZEN and Rapunzel in TANGLED are other examples of this). Mirabel is a solid addition to this group, she is a winning personality to spend time with.
The rest of the voices of the family fill the characters well, with the obvious standout being the great John Leguizamo (to tell you what character he voice is to spoil the film). Suffice it to say he is great.
The Direction by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (the Directors of another under-the-radar Disney Animated film, ZOOTOPIA) keep the events flowing and the many, many family members clear so as not to confuse the audience (this is no small feat), they know what they are doing and it shows. The only real mark I have against the movie is that the ending fell just a bit flat for me, but that is just a quibble in a really fine Animated movie.
And then…there is the music.
I did not realize that this film was a musical and was pleasantly tapping my toes on the airplane to the many musical numbers. I made the mental note to find out who wrote these fine tunes and was not too surprised to find out it was the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda (Broadway’s HAMILTON). This musical genius has done it again.
ENCANTO is streaming on Disney+ so if you have this service and are looking for a fun, family-friendly way to pass a couple of hours, look no further than ENCANTO.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
And…I’m glad I saw it, for ENCANTO is the family-friendly, fun and heart warming film that is perfect Holiday viewing for the entire family.
Set in the magical Columbian village of ENCANTO, this film tells the tale of a family that are all given magical powers to use to help their village survive and thrive…all, that is, except for Mirabel who becomes somewhat of an outcast with her family for not having a magical gift bestowed upon her.
At first glance, this Animated Musical might remind people of the PIXAR animated film COCO from a few years ago. But that is like saying THE LITTLE MERMAID reminds you of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST or CINDERELLA reminds your of SLEEPING BEAUTY. While there are some striking similarities to COCO, ENCANTO is it’s own film and serves the story of the importance of family very, very well.
Stephanie Beatriz (TV’s BROOKLYN 99) is terrific as the voice of Mirabel, she has that headstrong, optimistic bent to her that many other Disney Princesses/Heroines (MOANA, Anna from FROZEN and Rapunzel in TANGLED are other examples of this). Mirabel is a solid addition to this group, she is a winning personality to spend time with.
The rest of the voices of the family fill the characters well, with the obvious standout being the great John Leguizamo (to tell you what character he voice is to spoil the film). Suffice it to say he is great.
The Direction by Jared Bush and Byron Howard (the Directors of another under-the-radar Disney Animated film, ZOOTOPIA) keep the events flowing and the many, many family members clear so as not to confuse the audience (this is no small feat), they know what they are doing and it shows. The only real mark I have against the movie is that the ending fell just a bit flat for me, but that is just a quibble in a really fine Animated movie.
And then…there is the music.
I did not realize that this film was a musical and was pleasantly tapping my toes on the airplane to the many musical numbers. I made the mental note to find out who wrote these fine tunes and was not too surprised to find out it was the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda (Broadway’s HAMILTON). This musical genius has done it again.
ENCANTO is streaming on Disney+ so if you have this service and are looking for a fun, family-friendly way to pass a couple of hours, look no further than ENCANTO.
Letter Grade: A-
8 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank(ofMarquis)
Sam (74 KP) rated On the Other Side in Books
Mar 27, 2019
I’ll begin by saying something quite controversial here that I know a lot of people won’t like:
If it wasn’t for Carrie Hope Fletcher’s YouTube fame, this wouldn’t have been taken on by a publisher. While reading it, I felt that it was more like a self-published title in quality and plot. It’s become a thing for YouTubers to bring out books and I feel like most of these will almost always lack quality. Publishers just take them on to have a bestseller because of the name on the cover.
I did like the plot, don’t get me wrong. It was interesting enough and kept me hooked all the way through. I quite liked Evie’s character and found her quite genuine. I feel that the plot and the characters could have all done well if it wasn’t for the wishy-washy writing style. The style made it seem more like Disney fan-fiction rather than a contemporary novel.
I did enjoy reading this, which is why it still has three stars from me. I binged it and found it quite a fun read. But I just couldn’t get over the bad writing style. The writing style would be more suitable for a YA audience than adult.
There’s no reason you wouldn’t enjoy it. If you’re a big fan of Disney or Carrie, you’d love this and it’s definitely worth seeing what it’s all about.
If it wasn’t for Carrie Hope Fletcher’s YouTube fame, this wouldn’t have been taken on by a publisher. While reading it, I felt that it was more like a self-published title in quality and plot. It’s become a thing for YouTubers to bring out books and I feel like most of these will almost always lack quality. Publishers just take them on to have a bestseller because of the name on the cover.
I did like the plot, don’t get me wrong. It was interesting enough and kept me hooked all the way through. I quite liked Evie’s character and found her quite genuine. I feel that the plot and the characters could have all done well if it wasn’t for the wishy-washy writing style. The style made it seem more like Disney fan-fiction rather than a contemporary novel.
I did enjoy reading this, which is why it still has three stars from me. I binged it and found it quite a fun read. But I just couldn’t get over the bad writing style. The writing style would be more suitable for a YA audience than adult.
There’s no reason you wouldn’t enjoy it. If you’re a big fan of Disney or Carrie, you’d love this and it’s definitely worth seeing what it’s all about.
Irene M (130 KP) rated A Whole New World in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This book has had very mixed reviews… and to be honest I can see why.
The first about 1/3 of the book follows the Disney film pretty much to the letter, and without surprising anyone too much that is when the story changes.
In the film Aladdin gets the lamp… in this book he doesn’t (I won’t write “spoiler” as that bit is written on the front cover) and needless to say the camel dung hits the fan.
Where I think people might not like this book is the style of writing. Without being derogatory to the style this is very fanfictiony. You know those AU stories where one thing has changed? Well, that. At times the language is a bit too modern, it IS set in old Agrabah afterall.
I can see where the author tried to go with the plot, and while maybe not the most highbrow retelling of the story, it also wasn’t as bad as the previous reviews I’d read made it out to be. Certainly not a kids story (a tad gory, character death warning, violence etc) but a logical enough route for the bad guy winning.
Don’t go into this book expecting an epic Disney tale and you might well enjoy it. The author has rewritten Beauty and The Beast and Sleeping Beauty to follow this one, and I’m going to give them a read as well.
The first about 1/3 of the book follows the Disney film pretty much to the letter, and without surprising anyone too much that is when the story changes.
In the film Aladdin gets the lamp… in this book he doesn’t (I won’t write “spoiler” as that bit is written on the front cover) and needless to say the camel dung hits the fan.
Where I think people might not like this book is the style of writing. Without being derogatory to the style this is very fanfictiony. You know those AU stories where one thing has changed? Well, that. At times the language is a bit too modern, it IS set in old Agrabah afterall.
I can see where the author tried to go with the plot, and while maybe not the most highbrow retelling of the story, it also wasn’t as bad as the previous reviews I’d read made it out to be. Certainly not a kids story (a tad gory, character death warning, violence etc) but a logical enough route for the bad guy winning.
Don’t go into this book expecting an epic Disney tale and you might well enjoy it. The author has rewritten Beauty and The Beast and Sleeping Beauty to follow this one, and I’m going to give them a read as well.
LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Frozen (2013) in Movies
Nov 21, 2019
It's nearly the end of 2019, and I have only just watched Frozen...and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would!
I would say that I've been actively avoiding watching it, but I guess I heard 'Let it Go' when it was EVERYWHERE and just assumed this wasn't for me.
But I'm glad I out that to one side and gave it a watch.
Firstly, Frozen is filled with heart. It has a whole host of immediately likable characters, and a straightforward plot that gives room for witty and genuinely funny dialogue.
It feels familiar yet fresh, with a typical Disney story of princesses and castles and people being afraid of what they don't understand, but then openly mocks one of the characters for immediately falling for a prince charming, and replaces true love between a princess and prince with the true love shared between sisters
The animation is great, and the whole film is really pleasant to watch.
The songs for the most part are ok, and serve as devices to move the plot along, but I've never been a huge fan of musicals, so this is a weird negative for me, as it's something that's on me, not on the movie.
Frozen isn't anywhere near my favourite Disney film, but it's genuinely enjoyable, and hard to watch without smiling for most of the runtime. All I know is that I would do anything for Sven and I love him 😭
I would say that I've been actively avoiding watching it, but I guess I heard 'Let it Go' when it was EVERYWHERE and just assumed this wasn't for me.
But I'm glad I out that to one side and gave it a watch.
Firstly, Frozen is filled with heart. It has a whole host of immediately likable characters, and a straightforward plot that gives room for witty and genuinely funny dialogue.
It feels familiar yet fresh, with a typical Disney story of princesses and castles and people being afraid of what they don't understand, but then openly mocks one of the characters for immediately falling for a prince charming, and replaces true love between a princess and prince with the true love shared between sisters
The animation is great, and the whole film is really pleasant to watch.
The songs for the most part are ok, and serve as devices to move the plot along, but I've never been a huge fan of musicals, so this is a weird negative for me, as it's something that's on me, not on the movie.
Frozen isn't anywhere near my favourite Disney film, but it's genuinely enjoyable, and hard to watch without smiling for most of the runtime. All I know is that I would do anything for Sven and I love him 😭
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Frankenweenie (2012) in Movies
Oct 31, 2020
Black & White (3 more)
Dark
Tim Burton
Stop Motion
A Boys Best Friend
Frankenweenie- is a halloween classic. Ive wanted to watch this film for couple of years now and it was not disappointed.
The plot: Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.
It is a feature-length remake of Burton's 1984 short film of the same name and is also both a parody of and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name.
This is the final horror film released under the Disney banner until Ready Or Not on August 21, 2019 from Fox Searchlight Pictures, which was bought by Disney in 2019.
The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands); Martin Short (Mars Attacks!); Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas); and Martin Landau (Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow), along with some new voice actors, such as Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer.
Its a dark humor twisted film.
The plot: Young Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) is a science nerd and outsider at school, but he does have one good friend: his dog, Sparky. But then, tragedy strikes, and Sparky shuffles off this mortal coil. Victor is heartbroken, but his science teacher (Martin Landau) gives him an idea of how to jolt old Sparky back to life. The experiment is successful, and all goes well, until Victor's fellow students steal his secret and use it to resurrect other dead animals -- with monstrous consequences.
It is a feature-length remake of Burton's 1984 short film of the same name and is also both a parody of and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name.
This is the final horror film released under the Disney banner until Ready Or Not on August 21, 2019 from Fox Searchlight Pictures, which was bought by Disney in 2019.
The voice cast includes four actors who worked with Burton on previous films: Winona Ryder (Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands); Martin Short (Mars Attacks!); Catherine O'Hara (Beetlejuice and The Nightmare Before Christmas); and Martin Landau (Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow), along with some new voice actors, such as Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer.
Its a dark humor twisted film.
LoganCrews (2861 KP) rated Moana (2016) in Movies
Nov 3, 2020
"You're Welcome" >>> "How Far I'll Go", I said what I said 🤷♂️
Another overly-familiar, word-for-word rehash of *all* the exact same clichés from the Disney Machine with no real profundity or nuance to back up the convention. I mean even the title character the movie is named after has about as much depth as a piece of blank construction paper. That being said however, this is - what I can only describe as - terminally cute. In spite of all its heavily trod Disney-fying and formulaic cheese it's just so damn irresistible: eye-watering in how visually breathtaking it is with a handful of lively bops from Lin-Manuel Miranda who - politics aside - rarely ever misses a beat in the musical department. Treads water (no pun intended) for the first part with all the parroting of like 10 other movies from the company practically verbatim until the charming Maui shows up, who still represents the same sorts of tropes but complete with a clever design gimmick via the moving tattoos and gargantuan, blocky proportions; plus come on he's voiced by Dwayne Johnson - you can't *not* love him. The last half hour is more or less a wondrous technical showcase for peddling this beautiful, paradise-like animation and let me tell you it's a sight to see. Very funny too. Should hate it but don't, well done. 𝘡𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘢 smokes it, though.
Another overly-familiar, word-for-word rehash of *all* the exact same clichés from the Disney Machine with no real profundity or nuance to back up the convention. I mean even the title character the movie is named after has about as much depth as a piece of blank construction paper. That being said however, this is - what I can only describe as - terminally cute. In spite of all its heavily trod Disney-fying and formulaic cheese it's just so damn irresistible: eye-watering in how visually breathtaking it is with a handful of lively bops from Lin-Manuel Miranda who - politics aside - rarely ever misses a beat in the musical department. Treads water (no pun intended) for the first part with all the parroting of like 10 other movies from the company practically verbatim until the charming Maui shows up, who still represents the same sorts of tropes but complete with a clever design gimmick via the moving tattoos and gargantuan, blocky proportions; plus come on he's voiced by Dwayne Johnson - you can't *not* love him. The last half hour is more or less a wondrous technical showcase for peddling this beautiful, paradise-like animation and let me tell you it's a sight to see. Very funny too. Should hate it but don't, well done. 𝘡𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘢 smokes it, though.
Rickey A. Mossow Jr. (689 KP) rated Dumbo (2019) in Movies
Aug 27, 2019
Another unnecessary remake of a childhood classic.
When I originally saw the trailer for this pop up on YouTube, my heart swelled with happiness and the child in me grinned from ear to ear. So many memories came back and flooded my heart and mind. Then, I actually watched this movie. It struggled for me from the beginning as it was instantly clear the star wasn't the elephant with big ears, but rather a typecast Danny Devito, Collin Farrell with a terrible southern accent, his women empowerment staple daughter, and his son that is just kinda there. The anthropomorphism of the animated film is gone, and without it, the key scenes lifted from the original don't carry the emotional weight they did. Much of the story makes little to no sense, including the climax and tie everything up in a neat bow ending. All the PC nonsense and making a statement about current social and political issues isn't needed. It's a kids movie. Once it was clear that this was Disney making a movie about evil corporations buying up small entities to make a monopoly, I checked out mentally from the obvious irony. As the credits rolled, I was just left with an empty feeling, my swollen heart shrunk and my grin gone. Memories from my childhood had been stamped out by Disney Inc. in search of the almighty dollar with yet another unnecessary and bad remake.
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ICC Pro Cricket 2015 Play the Official Game of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. This game features...