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Alice in Wonderland 2010
Last Updated (Monday, 18 January 2010 19:19) Written by Michelle Monday, 18 January 2010 19:05
The story is a new take on the Lewis Carroll Alice in Wonderland novels: Alice is now 19 years old, attending a party at a Victorian estate. She is asked to marry by a rich (but entirely unattractive) suitor in front of hundreds of snooty onlookers. She claims she needs a moment to consider, and runs off, following a white rabbit into a hole. She ends up in Wonderland again, a place she visited many years before, though she doesn't remember any of it. The White Rabbit believes Alice is the only one who can slay the Jabberwock, the monster who guards the Red Queen's territory. Alice assumes a variety of sizes on a mission to save Wonderland from the Red Queen's reign of terror. Along the way, she learns some crucial lessons about herself.
Alice is played by Mia Wasikowska, a new actress. Johnny Depp co-stars as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, and Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts.
The Mad Hatter's orange hair provides a reference to the mercury poisoning suffered by many hatters who used mercury to cure felt. The Hatter was poisoned, and it showed through his hair, through his fingernails and eyes. In this storyline, The Mad Hatter is Alice's ally as well as one of the few characters in Wonderland Alice can relate to because they both feel like outsiders.
The Red Queen: Helena Bonham Carter's head will be tripled in size. Her character is a combination of the Red Queen and the Queen of Hearts.
The White Queen: Anne Hathaway's character does not require digital manipulation. Her character doesn't walk, but floats, and is very eccentric.
The Caterpillar: Rickman was filmed while recording his voice in a studio, but his face won't be composited onto the character's face as originally planned.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee: Matt Lucas' face was digitally inserted for both characters, while the body was computer-generated.
Disney Interactive Studios will release a video game based on the film in the same week as the film release for the Wii, Nintendo DS and Windows PC. An iPhone version is expected to be released in February 2010.
Disney-Pixar's "Up" Movie Review
Last Updated (Sunday, 31 May 2009 16:59) Written by Michelle Thursday, 30 April 2009 23:05
Disney-Pixar movie review: "Up"
Opened in theaters May 29
To call "Up" a heartwarming tale would be to use a phrase which has certainly been over-used to the extent it is no longer meaningful. "Up" is a wonderful movie, maybe even this movie-goer's favorite movie ever. It has an exceptional story, with elements of love, adventure, friendship and villainy. The animation, as we always get from Pixar, is incredible and the scenery is beautifully done. The details are "done right" down to the stubble which forms on Mr. Fredricksen's face part way through the movie.
Even the character development is beyond what we normally see in an animated movie. We grow to love Carl Fredricksen as we watch the adventure he takes on to honor a lifelong dream he shared with his wife and lifelong friend, Ellie. Russell is OK as a character, but he certainly is second fiddle to Carl's rich character.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and would recommend this for literally any age group. It may seem like a kid's movie, but there so many elements which appeal to adults that it should not be missed by anyone. There is cross-generational humor here, that is not just an embedded joke that only adults would get.
We get a new villain in this movie: I won't spoil it here, but he may be added to the Disney Villains Hall of fame.
The Story:
Up” leads us on the adventures of balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen and his inadvertent stowaway, Russell the Wilderness Explorer, as they journey through the jungles of South America. Carl has been planning this adventure for years, when he is forced to move his house out of the way of progress. Russell becomes part of the trip after he gets stuck on Carl's porch right as Carl lifts off, powered by thousands of helium balloons.
The four main characters in the movie are Carl, Russell, Dug the dog (who has a collar gizmo that allows him to communicate) and Kevin the prehistoric bird.
The movie contains spectacular scenery of the Amazonian Tepuis, large mesas that rise from the jungle floor in the wilds of south america. The animation is flawless, nothing less than we would expect from Disney-Pixar.
If I had 5 stars to give, I would give them all to "Up". See it in 3D if you have a chance.
“You will be able to see "Up" in digital 3D in select theaters. This is one big movie, it will be quite a treat to see it in 3D.
Pinocchio Platinum Edition
Last Updated (Tuesday, 10 March 2009 18:19) Written by Michelle Tuesday, 10 March 2009 17:26
Pinocchio on DVD and Blu-Ray March 10
Pinocchio is now out in a 2-Disc set (Blu-Ray and DVD) and is also available on DVD. This is 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition of the 1940 movie. If you do the math, it should be 2010 but who can wait another year for this classic!
The Platinum edition is a completely restored version of "Pinocchio" for home video. This is one of Walt Disney's best movies, re-vamped to the clarity demanded by today's movie viewers. The Blu-Ray and DVD are packed with extras, including a documentary on the movie.
Watching the restored Pinocchio you would never guess it was 69-years-old. Disney’s restoration process is top in the field, but then again there are not that many movie companies that are >70 years old! Last year, Disney re-issued Sleeping Beauty on Blu-ray and will be releasing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Blu-ray this Fall.
Pinocchio is so solidly represented by Disney, that some people don't realize it is a borrowed storyline originally written by Carlo Collodi.
The original release of Pinocchio won two Oscars, including Best Original Song (which still represents Disney today) in “When You Wish Upon a Star”.
The first disc in the Blu-Ray set includes the option to have pop-up trivia playing throughout, along with a Disney Song Selection feature that allows you to choose individual songs. It also provides a feature to play the film with the lyrics to each song along with the film.
Disc 2 offers “No Strings Attached: The Making of Pinocchio,” which runs for 56 minutes. This featurette has archived footage and interviews along with original artwork.
There are also three deleted scenes running ten minutes which include an alternate ending. The scenes are shown in storyboard form with narration describing the scene, how it would have fit into the film and why it wasn't.
“Live Action Reference Footage” is 10 minutes of looks at the reference footage the original animators used to bring Pinocchio to life.
There are also some puzzle games, a trailer gallery, production art gallery, a deleted song and an 11 minute feature on toy making.
The Blu-Ray set includes a DVD version of the film for those that may want to play the movie on their DVD players (in the car, on a computer).
Watching this classic animated film in high resolution will be something you will want to do over and over again, like finding your favorite lost book after it's been stored in the attic for... 70 years.
Pinocchio at Amazon (2-Disc 70th Anniversary Platinum Edition)
My favorite scene: Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy
Bolt Movie Review
Last Updated (Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00) Written by Michelle Tuesday, 30 December 2008 19:24
In short, this is a wonderful family movie that will appeal to children and adults alike. The plot moves along quickly and there is just the right amount of action to keep the viewer entertained whether young or young at heart.
Bolt is the story of a dog who has been raised since puppyhood as an action hero in a TV show. His “person” is Penny, a young girl actress who truly loves Bolt for the real dog he is. Bolt’s entire existence is on the movie stage so he only knows himself as a dog with superpowers: the bark than can rip up asphalt, the laser-beam stare. The movie opens with a glimpse of the TV series, which seems like a James Bond/Die Hard action scene with a lot of bad guys in heavy machinery.
The villain in the movie, if there is one, is Penny's obnoxious agent. He and the shows producer want to keep Bolt locked up so that he doesn’t experience “a real life” in order to keep Bolt’s acting authentic.
The story:
A combination of events not only gets Bolt out of the Hollywood studio, it ships him across the country to the mean streets of Manhattan. Bolt believes Penny has been kidnapped at the same time his superpowers wane. Because Dr. Calico (the prime villain of the TV series) has a fondness for cats, Bolt corners Mittens to help him find Penny even though he considers felines to be "degenerate creatures of darkness." Mittens is short on enthusiasm for assisting Bolt until she realizes he is her meal ticket.
As this odd pair travels west (back to Hollywood), they're joined by a crazy hamster named Rhino. Rhino is a big fan of Bolt's TV show and is overwhelmed by the star presence of his hero, Bolt.
Together, this strange trio travels westward as Bolt learns how to be a regular dog instead of a superhero, and all three learn the power of friendship.
As a movie, Bolt is appealing because the characters are unique, wacky and able to engage our emotions. The sidekicks Mittens and Rhino convey their personalities perfectly: Mittens as the arrogant (but hungry) cat and Rhino as the enthusiastic and cheerful (and brave) hamster.
"Bolt" is the first animated feature to come out of the Disney Studios since Pixar’s John Lasseter stepped in. He has made an important difference in the direction Disney Studios animation is going, while still maintaining some of the traditions that make Disney movies the classics they have always been. Continuing with Disney tradition, there is only one parent in the movie, but in a rare change of events it is a mother!
Prince Caspian on DVD & Blu-ray Dec 2
Last Updated (Monday, 18 January 2010 19:21) Written by Michelle Thursday, 27 November 2008 15:24
When it hits stores Dec. 2, Disney’s Blu-ray Disc version of The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian will include extras such as short features that include 360-degree views of the creation of the film’s castle-storming scene, a vignette on filming in Slovenia, trivia challenges, a game and discussions with C.S. Lewis’ stepson on the author’s vision of Narnia.
The 360-degree views present an updated version of Circle-Vision, which Disney first launched in the ’50s as a way for Disneyland visitors to immerse themselves in film tours of the U.S., China and Canada.
Disney will try to hook casual fans into the world of Narnia and provide diehard Narnia fans an opportunity to immerse themselves. The Narnia series of seven books has sold more than 100 million copies in more than 30 languages.
More than five hours of extras will be included on both the standard-definition and Blu-ray versions.
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