Category Disney

Deadpool and Wolverine is FINALLY available on Blu-Ray and Digital retailers and we are beyond excited for it!

Deadpool and Wolverine is not only one of the most anticipated films for my household and many others, it is also the highest grossing R-Rated of all time! The film starts with a dance sequence and then jumps back in time to see Deadpool being invited to help the TVA, the same guys Loki fights and then joins in the Loki miniseries. I don’t remember seeing any film by Marvel receive this much attention or receive as much anticipation. I try to leave every expectation at the door but that would be a herculean feat with this film and I failed to do so. My expectations were high considering the first two films were by far some of the funniest films I have ever seen. Once Upon a Deadpool was funny as hell as well, since it was literally Deadpool 2 but modified to allow for more ages to view the film. Part of me was actually worries that this film would be aimed at the all ages crowd, that is until i saw the R rating.

With the death of Wolverine in Logan, Wade learns that without his universe’s anchor being his world was slated for death. He begins are race against time to bring any Wolverine back to his own reality to keep it alive. Eventually he finds himself in The Void and facing off against many new and classic X-Men themed villains, meeting some friends along the way and dealing with an entire Corps of Deadpools. Simply put, this is the funniest damn film I have seen this year and likely in the last decade. Absolutely worth the watch by anyone that likes a good laugh, a better story and amazing performances. Love the film start to finish. Make sure you stay till the end of the credits for the BEST after credits scene to date.

Disney and Pixar return to their world of thought and emotion with Inside Out 2, this time with four new emotions and puberty added.

Disney and Pixar we kind enough to send us a copy of their latest film, Inside Out 2 for the purpose of our review. The story continues with Riley becoming one of the stars of her hockey team and along with her two best friends are invited to a hockey camp. There she will be learning from the coach of the team she hopes to join in the next year. On the way she learns she won’t be attending the same school or team with her friends as she first thought. This causes a spiral of feelings and emotions to reveal themselves as she decides between her current friends and her future teammates.

With the addition of puberty, several new emotions join, Anxiety quickly taking over Riley’s console. Refusing to give up control, Joy questions and argues against each decision. She is then removed from the control room along with the original emotions, leaving only the new four alone and in control. As the original emotions work to restore Riley’s sense of self, Anxiety works to change her entire personality, eventually spiraling out of control.

The team did a fantastic job with this one. The original film took me a few watches to really start enjoying it but this one, they really knocked it out of the park. Between animation quality, the writing and performances, from start to finish this film far exceeded my expectations.

Wish is the latest animated film from Disney Pictures featuring a talking goat, a new world and a new princess-like character.

The world in Wish centers around a king who collects wishes from his people, with a goal of crafting the perfect wishes. Citizens that wish to live in the kingdom must give up their wish to the king when they turn eighteen. Monthly the king gives a wish ceremony where a lucky citizen gets their wish. Prior to her birthday and losing her wish, Asha interviews to be the king’s apprentice. The king at first appears as a kind and benevolent ruler but the trailers for the film reveal him to be the true villain and he does this himself before the interview ends.

The wishes themselves follow the same rules as those in the comic series Eight Billion Genies from Image Comics. When you turn eighteen you get to make yours but in the comic it comes in the form of a genie that is tied to you from birth. In both stories there are people that collect them in to, at least in their minds, protect their world from dangerous wishing or ideas. Ultimately it comes down to them wanting to keep the power for themselves.

The film and the world are both visually stunning with a diverse cast of characters. Disney has been steadily increasing the number of characters that fit other demographics and do so here in a way that fits perfectly with the film without making it appear that their differences were the only reason for these characters to be included in the film. The overall quality of the film was fantastic and the story was more so. This will definitely be one the family will watch again.

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental. Part 12 had Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and we have returned for another round with Part 13 and Haunted Mansion!

Haunted Mansion

The story begins with Gabbie and her son moving into the Haunted Mansion and realize they can never leave. Reaching out for help they hire a priest, a medium and a spectral photographer. The photographer feels like the real focus of the story, even though the everything puts the focus on the mansion and the family that moved into the house. The cast and story were fantastic and were only outshined by the quality of the effects. My only complaint was with Madame Leota’s costume. It just seemed goofy, pun not intended. The original Haunted Mansion film was a disappointment in terms of horror but was a fun film and this one was far superior in terms of story and quality in both horror and fun. This is the new bar for the brand and it is high indeed.

Have you had a chance to see this release from Disney Studios?

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental. We have returned for another round with Part 12 and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny!

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

The Indiana Jones franchise has been a personal favorite of mine for as long as I can remember. I even enjoyed Crystal Skull and Young Indiana Jones. I had relatively high expectations for this film considering every review I had seen compared it to Crystal Skull and rated it higher. When at his best Indy was fighting Nazis and this film brings that back. You just can’t beat the feeling of a classic Indy versus Nazi film. My childhood was filled with the first three films and this takes me right back. Ford’s acting is still great and it’s interesting to see how he’s grown as an actor and the character having grown alongside him. Overall, this film exceed my every expectation.

Have you had a chance to see this release from Disney Studios?

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 talked about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1 and we are back for Part 11 with The Little Mermaid and Elemental!

The Little Mermaid

The live action version of The Little Mermaid had more publicity over the race of the Lead Actress than anything else I saw and was absolutely ridiculous. The only thing that race affected anything in the story was that each of King Triton’s daughters represented a different see and their individual appearances resembled that. This was also the same in the original animated film and each of the daughters looked perfect, even Ariel herself. Some of the songs were updated to better fit with more modern sensitivities accounted for and other songs were removed. This is where our only complaint comes in- the song where Chef Louie is trying to cook Sebastian was removed. That is one of both mine and my wife’s favorite scenes from the original film. My wife’s expectations for this film were quite high but based on previous live action version my expectations were somewhere between low and high- medium I guess would be the best word for it. Other than our favorite song being missing, neither of us were disappointed. Visually the film was stunning and as a whole was one of, if not, the best live action adaptation we’ve had yet.

Elemental

Following the story of a family of immigrants in a world where every person are made of elements and centering around the family’s daughter, Ember. Growing up her family talked about her talking over the business but due to damage caused by her rage she starts on a quest to protect the business and undo her mistakes. The film is full of examples of racism and bigotry, focusing on rising above in most cases. I thought the way they handled racism was done in a way that kids could understand easily and do it in a way that didn’t belittle the experiences of those that had gone through them. The film was quite brilliant and visually stunning.

Have you had a chance to see either of these releases from Disney Studios?

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO Marvel Entertainment I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Marvel Entertainment (their home page is here) had sent me a code to one of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on it with you. This will be a regular series and Part 1 we talked about Black Widow. Part 2 discussed Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Part 3 shared our thoughts on Eternals and straight to DVD release Spidey and his Amazing Friends. Part 4 focused on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Part 5 discussed Thor: Love and Thunder. Part 6 shared Black Panther Wakanda Forever and Part 7 talked about our thoughts on Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania. We are back with Part 8 and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3!

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3

This is the final installment of the franchise, at least that will be directed by James Gunn. The story centers around an attack that puts Rocket into a coma where his friends discover the fail-safes in place on his body. In order to save him these need to be removed and in order to do so they must track down the people responsible for putting them there. I have seen many of Gunn’s films and every Marvel film of the current cinematic universe and I must say that Volume 3 made me feel more than any other in either category. The writing, the direction, everything about this film was fantastic. Even Chris Pratt gave a performance light years better than I thought he was capable of. Even the twist at the end with Groot left me shocked and provided further proof that Gunn is the best director and writer that we have seen in the MCU.

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO 20TH CENTURY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED.

Recently the fine folks at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios- their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. Part 1 was all about Underwater and Part 2 focused on The New Mutants. Part 3 we talked about The Personal History of David Copperfield. Part 4 discussed The Empty Man. Part 5 talked about Nomadland and Speed 4K Ultra HD. Part 6 discussed The Night House and Free Guy. Part 7 focused on The Eyes of Tammy Faye and Part 8 had The Last Duel. Part 9 discussed Ron’s Gone Wrong and Part 10 talked about The King’s Man and Summer of Soul. Part 11 discussed Nightmare Alley and West Side Story. Part 12 highlighted Death on the Nile and Part 13 talked about The Bob’s Burgers Movie. Part 14 highlighted Barbarian and See How They Run. Part 15 discussed Amsterdam and Part 16 talked about The Banshees of Inisherin and The Menu. Part 17 shared our thoughts on Empire of Light and Part 18 with Avatar: The Way of Water. We are back for Part 19 and Avatar in 4k and Chevalier.

Avatar 4K Ultimate Collector’s Edition

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Avatar is a fantastic film and that still holds true. The acting is fantastic and despite the blatant “save the environment” messages this remains a family favorite. The visuals, while already gorgeous after all these years, look even better than before. I honestly didn’t think it was possible. If you have a 4k capable television then this is a must for you.

Chevalier

This a film that challenges that great talent can come from any race or background, despite the fact that society may not be ready to accept that talent. The cast of this film was fantastic and the costumes looked perfect for the era. The story highlights how racism and slavery resulted in not only the destruction of lives but the destruction hiding of music created by Bolagne, whom the film is about. Overall it was a great film that was full of wonderful music.

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and Part 9 with Strange World. Part 10 is here to talk about Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1!

Mickey & Minnie 10 Classic Shorts – Volume 1

Presented as Mickey & Minnie reviewing images from a scrapbook that showcases ten of their classic animated shorts. Most include both characters but others include one or the other. Having watched most of these previously I wasn’t expecting much from them but it had literally been decades since I had seen them. Watching them again I realized so much has changed about what is acceptable for the animated shows we let our children watch. Specifically the use of tobacco products and some cultural insensitivity when Mickey poses as a Native American. Considering how old some of these shorts were though it was quite impressive to see what Walt had created and achieved with these and personally felt the Figaro themed shorts were not only the best but the mannerisms of the cat were captured perfectly. Despite the social issues these shorts were simply fun and plan on watching them again with my youngest.

Have you had a chance to see this release from Disney Studios?

IT IS RARE FOR ME TO SEE A MOVIE WHEN IT’S STILL IN THEATERS BUT THANKS TO DISNEY STUDIOS I WAS ABLE TO CATCH UP ON A FEW THAT I MISSED!

Recently the fine folks at Disney Studios (their home page is here) had sent me codes to several of the movies I missed so that I could share my thoughts on them with you. With Part 1 we were taking a look at the live action version of Mulan. Part 2 discussed Soul and Raya and the Last Dragon. Part 3 looked at the live action story of Cruella. Part 4 discussed Luca and Part 5 talked about Jungle Cruise. Part 6 discussed Encanto and Part 7 talked about Turning Red. Part 8 covered Lightyear and we’ve returned for Part 9 with Strange World!

Strange World

The story starts with an adventuring father and son duo as they search to reach the other side of a mountain. Jaeger (the father) wants to continue on the mission while Searcher (the son) wants to take a plant that generates electricity back to their home as an end to the adventure. Jaeger decides to continue the mission and leaves the party. Fast-forward 25 years and Searcher has become a farmer and responsible for pioneering the future. However the plants begin to lose their efficacy and Searcher must return to the place his father left him to find out why.

The animation quality is fantastic and the world the studio created is absolutely stunning. Overall the acting was great but I’m not a big fan of Gyllenhaal and think Searcher would have been better cast with someone else. There were two things I thought were handled wonderfully by the film. The first is that Searcher’s son has a male love interest and the film treats it as they would have if it were any other heterosexual love interest without making it obvious that it was what they were doing. The second is that the dog is missing a leg and there are characters with other disabilities like one being confined to a wheelchair. Sure the dog doesn’t have a speaking role but subtle character details like this mean a lot for those that don’t normally see themselves represented and they should have the ability to seem themselves in the characters they are watching just like everyone else.

I watched the film with my youngest and once finished asked her what she thought, she said it was “meh”. I should note that she has watched it multiple times since and really enjoys it. I thought the film was great both visually and in terms of story. I was shocked by how poorly the film did in theaters and suspect it had more to do with either blatant homophobia, racism or the fact that many people these days are under financial strain and waiting for the film to hit streaming services like Disney+.

Have you had a chance to see this film from Disney Studios?