Disney/Pixar BRAVE Trailer! It's AMAZING

This will be a quick post. I just wanted to share the new trailer from the Disney/Pixar film BRAVE. It looks unbelievable! I am so psyched to see this film. Ok enough talking, here's the trailer

Winnie the Pooh Movie Review

I saw the latest animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, Winnie the Pooh. Here is the movie trailer -

Winnie the Pooh has been one of my all time favorite characters. I have very fond memories of Pooh Bear and his friends. So naturally, I was excited to see the film. I was not disappointed, it was a great film. It is as simple as that, it was a great animated film. The animation was wonderful and the story was brilliant. The animation had a little too much of a modern animation feel for my taste, but none-the-less it was a masterfully created and beautiful animated film. The characters were true to the original and the jokes were wonderfully tasteful and more importantly funny! It didn't bother me that the whole film was shorter than most summer films. But this story doesn't need to be any longer than is was.

The whole film had a classic feel to it... except for one thing. And it's the only reason I dropped a star on my rating... Zooey Deschanel's singing... I hated it. I liked her in Elf and (500) Days of Summer. But I cannot stand that she is so over used for her singing and how she sings so flat! She has potential to be a better singer, but in the film, it took me out of the story. Disney needed a better singer for this film. Someone who has a more classical sound. Someone who could help continue the legacy of Winnie the Pooh and 2d animation. Zooey Deschanel is not that singer. Other than that, the film was spectacular! I want more 2d animated films from Disney and hopefully more Winnie the Pooh.

I'm no film critic and I'm not planning on being one anytime soon. But, this is my review of the latest Pirates of Caribbean film....

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a perfect action/adventure film! Of all the previous films, this one has the best acting and dialogue by far. The action was done well and not overdone like most action films. And the CG was tastefully presented in the film. It neither took away or over shadowed the actors performance. This film has surpassed the second and third sequels and healed the wounds from the third film. Penelope Cruz was a perfect addition to the franchise and made me upset that she wasn't in the series from the beginning! The film stuck to a single story line, there was no plot holes nor any layering confusing additional story lines that takes away from the original point. This film is on par with the first. And I dare to say better than the original. I hope to see a fifth installment. I encourage all to go see it. It was awesome!

Here are some posters from the film:

Black Swan Review - It Sucked!

Ok, so maybe it sucked is a little harsh... no come to think of it, it's not harsh - it SUCKED! I'll start off with what's good about it.

1) The premise was a good idea.

2) Mila Kunis did a good job.

and

3)................ hold on I'll get one more...... the, uh, the part when... Oh! the part when Natalie Portman's arms turn into wings.

Everything else sucked, I honestly don't think the movie was as good as people thought it was. The execution of the film was horrible and I hated the camera shots that Darren Aronofsky chose. Especially the over use of the hand cam. Use a dam tripod or crane every once in a while!

Also the movie was just silly to me. A lot of things that happened in the film just seemed ridiculous. Like Natalie Portman's legs bending backwards to look like swan legs. I laughed at that part and my wife couldn't stop laughing for a long time after that. I completely understand why that was done and the feathers coming out her skin. It was symbolizing Natalie Portman's mental and physical transformation into the black swan and how she is obsessed with the role. I understand it but I thought there could have been a better why of doing it and not being so literal.

Then, there was Natalie Portman's performance. I don't think she's a bad actress, but she barely acted! She had a paranoid/worried face the whole time and barely spoke more than 2 sentences for every scene. I think Darren Aronofsky is a bit over rated. He is gaining popularity and success because of the movie the Wrestler. And the only reason that movie was a success was because of Mickey Rourke's performance.

Well that's my movie rant for the month!

TANGLED WAS FANTASTIC!!!!

I absolutely loved Disney's Tangled! It was such a well made film. And hands down the best animation I have seen in a CG film. The designs were flawless, the art and rendering was superb, and the story and characters was awesome. I applaud all those who worked on this film and placed Disney back on top of animation. (Well in my opinion Disney never left) I was just taken by the animation quality. It was quite obvious that the animators were inspired by Glen Keane's style of animation and everything he did on the film. This whole movie has Glen Keane written all over it.

My only complaint was Mandy Moore's singing. For me it was too musical theater-ish and her voice is not classic enough. Her singing does not hold it's own to the classic Disney films.

Other than that, the film was spotless. I can't help, but rave about this movie. I recommend it to all my students. I want to see it again and again. And I can't wait for the DVD!

On a side note, speaking of movies, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 was awesome also! Not much in action and big events, but all that comes with part 2. But my absolute favorite thing about the film was the animation sequence in which Hermione reads the story about the Deathly Hallows. If you haven't seen it, go see it at least just for that part. It was amazing!