What a waste of a great viral marketing campaign. D23 opened its site yesterday, and disappointing doesn't even completely cover the feeling. All D23 turned out to be is a club for Disney die-hards. You pay $75 a year and you get some Disney trinkets, a quarterly magazine, and a bi-weekly email newsletter. WEAK!
This campaign appealed to people all over the web, but even someone like me who practically lived at Disneyland and loves the legacy isn't gonna pay that much money to read emails. This is for HARDCORE Disney lovers with way too much spare change. What a let down.
D is of course for Disney and the 23 stands for 1923 when Walt moved out to CA and started the studio that would become Disney studio. Many Disney fans think of the year 1955 in reference to Disney since that is the year Disneyland opened, but recently the number 23 has been used more and more often. In Downtown Disney in CA there is a store filled with Disney couture and hard to find clothing and accessories, this store "VAULT 23" is probably the most obvious reference to 1923 in the parks.
The only somewhat interesting news here is that this coming September from the 10th to the 13th the Anaheim convention center will host the D23 Expo. A keynote address will be given by Disney CEO Robert Iger and other Disney company guys including John Lassiter (Pixar and Disney animation). There will be other fun programming that will span the entire Disney gamut including ABC and ESPN. Classic films will be shown: Sleeping Beauty, Darby O'Gill and the Little People and The Shaggy Dog, with panels to discuss the legacy of each one. It's still developing but this could be really cool, and it doesn't look like it is limited to just members. The Anaheim area has played host to many unofficial Disney conventions (we went to one when we we're kids where my little sister met the woman who did the live action reference footage for Tinkerbell, i think she still has an autograph somewhere) so It is actually really smart that Disney host a larger, better one and reap all the financial gains.
In actuality, there is no reason for Disney to have already had this club up and running. I know plenty of lunatics are eager to throw them their hard earned dollars. It's just the way it was launched, the marketing was just too much build for something like this.
SO, the worst part is that now Disney can't even do another viral campaign without everyone online saying its just another tease. They gave up their street cred. Its a shame.
In other news, I watched Pinocchio on Blu-ray. It was super bombastic amazingness. When I opened it, it had a flyer for the NEW CLUB D23 inside... lame.
Just wanna throw up a quick bloggy blog. Reminders: Disney's "Pinocchio" is being released tomorrow as a Platinum edition DVD and Blu-ray. The movie looks great, they've cleaned up every frame of the film and all the audio. Online reviews have compared it to the Sleeping Beauty Blu-ray, which I am telling you now is spectacular. Disney seems to really be taking care of their catalog, if you love Classic Disney films, you have to finally throw out that old VHS collection and switch over to Blu-ray. I will definitely be up early tomorrow to go get this.
In more Disney news, that "Are You 23?" Campaign is supposed to be explained tomorrow. Anyone who's curious can see what its all about here.
And finally I just want to throw up a short review of this movie Scarlett and I watched last night called "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest" or as we dubbed it "Azur and Asmar go to White Castle". This is a French animated film that was showcased at Cannes in 2006. The film is about 2 'brothers', one french the other arab. The brothers learn as children the fairy tale of the Djinn Fairy, and that whomever rescues her will marry her. The brothers are separated as kids, as adults they both seek to find her. Their paths are reunited and they must get beyond their past separation to find the fairy. The box of this movie showed some really beautiful 2d artwork, but when we watched it the movie was a combination of 2d backgrounds with 3d animated characters. This would have been really interesting if the characters didnt look like they were Sims: the movie. It really seemed like the movie was cut scenes from a long lost PS2 game. Everything in the film was detailed EXCEPT for the characters. The opening scene features a woman breastfeeding the 2 babies; with a zoomed in, poorly rendered titty, it sets a weak tone for the rest of the film. It is not until about the last 30 minutes that the costumes become more detailed and we see beautiful mythical creatures. By then the characters are riding lions and giant birds... so to actually make it that far, you're probably going to have to be high. Basically, if you love animation and good storytelling, just save yourself the hassle and watch "Pinocchio" or "Cats Don't Dance". This movie sets animators back like 10 years and is hugely unsatisfying. K? Just say No! The cover art WILL decieve you! JUST SAY NO!
Went to Frisco for Wondercon last weekend. First of all, this could be by far the most boring city Ive ever visited. Secondly, this con SUCKS. I will stick to San Diego only from now on!
To get to it, here are a few of the highlights...
"Sit Down, Shut Up" a new animated comedy coming to FOX from the producers of "Arrested Development" starring the voices of Will Arnett (Arrested Dev.), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), Kenan Thompson (SNL), and Tom Kenny (Spongebob). As well as Jason Bateman and Cheri Oteri. The Show is based on a live comedy show from Australia about the lives/ shennanigans of teachers. Mitch Hurwitz (Producer) and the cast were on hand to talk about the show and show some clips. It seems funny, but I don't know if the animation can compete with the Simpsons. It uses some unique live action backgrounds, so we'll see when it hits tvs April 19th Heres a cool video that basically sums it up:
Autographs were a big draw for a lot of people at this convention. Normally actors will sign your dinky 8x10 or action figure for around $20. This year I saw what could quite possibly be the most blatant abuse of celebrity in human history. Mark Hamill aka Luke Skywalker was on hand to sell you his John Hancock for $100 ($90 for the second). Of course you have to buy an 8x10 from him for $20 as well. And don't even think of asking for a photo... there were costumed Storm Troopers standing guard ready to knock you out with the force if you even thought about it. But hey, I wouldn't have wanted my picture taken either if I now looked like this...
"Star Trek" Panel... obviously amazing. Featured Chris Pine (Kirk), Zachary Quinto (Spock), Zoe Saldana (Uhura), and director JJ Abrams. I missed the footage, but I caught the whole discussion. Not much new info given, just some cool posters. What was great was that JJ Abrams mentioned that the script for "Cloverfield 2" is done and is fantastic, they just want to make sure that it can be done well before production begins. So sick, that is a movie I cannot wait for!
"Super Capers" is a movie that will experience a limited release Mar 20th. If it does well it will receive a broader release. The movie stars Justin Whalin (Dungeons and Dragons, Susie Q) and Adam West (Batman!) and is a comedy that draws on old fashioned Super Hero stories. It looks pretty funny. The cast was there all weekend signing endless autographs for anyone who approached their booth. Except for Adam West who was there for an hour each day and signed 8x10s for $50 (yes, the second highest price behind Mark Hamill.) Sunday they did a panel and showed some scenes. Here's a trailer:
"Alien Trespass" is another movie that pulls from old genres, but this time its 60s paranoia sci-fi. This movie stars Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Robert Patrick (Terminator 2, X-files), and Dan Lauria (the dad for The Wonder Years) This movie looks so cool to me; its from the creator of the X-files, its got a great cast, its got a theme that I love. I cant wait to see it. The cast was on hand to do a panel where they discussed and showed clips, then a few lucky people (myself included) got to do an autograph signing. Everyone was really nice and I kind of regret running off (I didnt want to miss all of the Star Trek Panel). Here's the trailer:
"Pandorum" is a creepy looking movie staring Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, X3) and some other really nice people I am too lazy to google. I only caught the end of the panel so all I really know about the movie is what is in the trailer. Its from the team behind the first 3 "Resident Evil" movies. Its dubbed a Horror movie, which I generally hate, but I dig the RE movies and this one looks a bit similar to "Sunshine" or "Doom" which are movies I actually enjoy even tho they scare the crap out of me. So Ill probably see this. I had tickets to the signing the cast did (since Im such a nerd for Ben Foster) and got to meet them. Everyone was REALLY nice and charming. Here's the trailer, its spooky, but still looks awesome.
"Terminator Salvation"... this was by far the best panel of the convention. McG, the director, made it really interactive. He brought fans onstage to accompany the stars that were up there; Anton Yelchin (Star Trek, Charlie Bartlett), Moon Bloodgood (Pathfinder), Common (Smokin Aces), and Bryce Dallas Howard (Lady in the Water). He also showed unfinished footage and asked for audience opinions. He showed the trailer (which premiered this past Friday before Watchmen) not once, but twice. It was really cool. He did a similar panel last year at Comic-con and I had the pleasure of meeting him and the cast there. He is truly passionate about what he's doing with this franchise and I can't wait for this movie to come out. Here is the trailer he showed:
Some other awesome stuff going on was a Pixar "UP" panel, that debuted beautiful footage from this upcoming film. I had already seen the first 15 minutes at Comic-Con but this panel showed several scenes from further on in the movie. I dont want to give away anything about this movie, so just know that it is gonna be fantastic! Its directed by Pete Doctor the director of "Monsters Inc." Cant Wait! "Adventureland" is a comedy directed by Greg Mottola, the director of "Superbad", Miramax had a very cool booth setup to be reminiscent of the movie. Girls wearing shirts that read "Games" across the front allowed visitors to compete against them in Skeeball. If you won you could get either a "Games" shirt or a "Rides" shirt. Which are the uniforms of the Adventureland employees. Those waiting in line to play could watch the trailer or clips on a TV that might have been older than me. Martin Starr (Freaks and Geeks, Knocked Up) was on hand to sign autographs as well. Disney's "Princess and the Frog" had a short panel that showed clips. and of course "Watchmen" mania was in full effect. 250 guests were allowed to view the movie for free across the street at the local IMAX 6 days before it came out.
Toyzilla. Normally I dont have time to score toys (which I am obsessed with) but since there was not a lot happening I had more than enough time to go bonkers. Heres some useless crap I brought home...
Vinylmation Kermit, Vinylmations are these blind boxed Vinyl toys sold at Disney Theme Parks. They normally sell in the parks for $9.95 but since you cant pick the one you get a lot of people have been buying them opened up online. They've sold out within a few days everytime a new shipment arrives in the park. So far only the "PARK" Series 1 has been released. They feature 11 uniquely designed 3-inch tall Mickey's and one chase figure that no one knows about until someone finds it and puts it up online. Ive been trying to score one of these for a long time but they are so hard to get a hold of. Luckily I found a dude selling them opened so I got the Kermit (perfect to sit between my Kermit toys and my Mickey toys haha) and Alicia got the Yeti from Matterhorn. "URBAN" Series 1 of these toys comes out late March followed by "PARK" Series 2 in May. I'll surely be blogging about these more in the future.
Huckleberry Toys McDonaldland Grimace, I'll be honest... I just want to cuddle with this toy. He's adorable. It's part of this line of McDonaldland toys that include Ronald, Hamburglar, Captain Crook, and Mayor McCheese. Ive seen them before, but couldnt commit until now. He's cuddly!
Mighty Muggs Teebo, If you read this blog, then you know I am obsessed with Mighty Muggs... but I don't really have space in my house for them, so Ive been waiting for a Wicket the Ewok to be released. Obviously Teebo is not Wicket, but I could not resist. Teebo was a Target Exclusive, and the word on the street is that hes pretty tough to find. I couldnt find him so I made especially sure to look for him at the con. The same guy who had my Kermit Vinylmation actually had a few of these and I had to take him. Wicket is scheduled to come out in April, so anyone wondering what gift to get me for my birthday in April should think about this.
The best toy I got came from the guys who do "Mr Toast", its a stuffed animal "Shaky Bacon". Its basically just a toy bacon. Hes adorable, Ive named him Kevin. There isnt really a lot more to it than that. Hes awesome and cute, and I love my bacon. I love my Kevin Bacon.
So basically that is what I found really exciting about this particular convention. Enough that I could squeeze into a decent blog. Like I said, I doubt Ill be going to this convention again, but I did get to see some pretty cool work in process and snag some toys. So it's all good.
Ok Im off to bed to cuddle with Kevin Bacon. Night!
Looks like the movie from "The Whitest Kids U'Know" is FINALLY coming out. Alicia and I saw an advanced screening of this last year when they were calling it "Playboys" (click for my review). It looks like they went back and got it a new title "Miss March", got permission to use Playboy logos and also re shot some scenes with Hugh Hefner. That was the one big complaint with the flick, that they had a fake Hef who wasnt very good at the impersonation. Everything else looks to have remained the same, which is great cause this movie was really funny. Here's the trailer. I'll be checking it out again. If you like movies like "Harold & Kumar" or "Sex Drive" you'll be into this.
MiniMovieReview: "Henry Poole is Here". Generally I tell people I don't like drama films, but after watching this movie I realize that it's overly-dramatic movies I dislike. Shit like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button". Henry Poole is a moving, interesting, strange, yet relate able story. Luke Wilson doesn't always take on the most interesting roles, but with a good story his dramatic strength shows. I liked this movie, it brought me back to a genre I'd given up on. I mean, this isn't gonna snag any awards, but it is splendid in it's simplicity.
MMR2: "Cowboy Bebop: The Movie"... Can you handle a little anime? Are you down with a good story, cartoon action, and strangely sexy animation? Then you'll probably like Bebop. It got me extra pumped for the upcoming live action St. Keanu picture.
Bored? Love little shit laying around all over your room? Then consider paper models. Yes, the pastime that is sweeping Japan can be done in your spare time here in the states. I made this incredibly cheesy/ strangely exhilirating model Delorean with a pair of scissors, some scotch tape, and only 4 hours of my precious time. (BTW, I totally F'd up the car's butt). Anyways, if you've got no life, check it out I guess thats all the weird stuff I had to share tonight. sleepy time, I gots a big test tomorrow. Then LOST episode 4 at 9pm... YAY!
I hate sequels nowadays so obviously I was hesitant to go see Madagascar 2 in theaters. I really really like the original; its colorful, original, and completely hilarious. The writing was very clever so its always been an animated film I really appreciated. Now that the sequel is coming out on DVD Feb 6 I finally had a chance to check it out. The writing has remained hilarious and witty, the animation has improved slightly, its actually pretty good. I found it just as interesting as the original when it comes to the actual story. But when the movie was over I didn't feel like it was something I'll ever watch again. I have a feeling that what I didn't enjoy about this one was the setting. Madagascar 1 takes place in a gorgeous version of New York City and then a colorful and exotic Madagascar. Moving the story to Africa puts the characters in an ugly dull setting. Something about the setting messed up the visual appeal of this franchise. That doesn't take away from the story though. The story is engaging and all the hilarious characters from the first film are back. King Julian and The Penguins all get a tiny bit more face time in this one, but it isn't overdone like some sequels tend to do. The writing remains clever, even down to including another Twilight Zone joke. (In the first film they find an airplane with a book inside entitled "To Serve Lemurs" and Mort screams "It's a cookbook! A cookbook!" a reference to the Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man". In part 2 they use that airplane to fly from Madagascar to Africa, Mort is trapped outside the plane and Alex looks out his window to see what looks like Mort destroying the wing and he screams "Gremlin!", a reference to the classic episode "Nightmare at 20,000 feet.") Stuff like that is what makes a nerd like me enjoy these films. There are just a lot of ridiculous lines that are hilarious and still seem to make complete sense to the story.
Anyways, i should try and wrap this up, if you enjoyed the first one you will enjoy this one. It isn't a sell out like "Pirates of the Caribbean"...:(. If you haven't seen the first one, watch it, then decide if you wanna see more. Pretty simple. The animation is in the cheesy kinda cheap looking Dreamworks fashion (like Shrek and Kung Fu Panda.) So if you like that then just go watch it already.
-Fox is turning the smash anime hit "Cowboy Bebop" into a live action film starring Keanu Reeves, its the story of 2 bounty hunters (Spike Spiegel + Jet Black) rollin' around in a space ship called the Bebop. Keanu looks just like Spike, but lets see if he can actually get some acting out and play the role.
-Twice cancelled, less than a hit show "Jericho" is getting turned into a movie. If you know anything about this show; it was canceled before the end of season 1, so in a move relevant to the story enraged fans sent Peanuts to the studio in protest. The show was renewed for 8 episodes (an unprecedented accurance) and if it did any better it had the option for 8 more season 2 episodes. WELLLL it actually did even worse season 2 and was yet again canceled. Ape shit fans tried to bring it back yet again, and failed miserably. But now show director John Turtletaub is set to direct a movie version. You can apparently watch this even if you've never seen the show as it will focus on the entire country during an epic disaster as opposed to simply Jericho. The whole cast is signed on. I tried to love this show but it was a bit too slow paced for me, I think focusing on the whole nation though is a smart move. Ill probably watch this. -"South Park" Season 12 will be the first season of the show released on Blu-Ray. Looks bomb, the show will be presented in High Def 1080i Widescreen (the dvds will get standard full screen :p) and be the first set with legit bonus features. 6 days to South Park: A day by day making of, Behind the Scenes: Major Boobage, Behind the Scenes: About Last Night. Drops March 10th, cant wait!
-WonderCon 09. Feb 27th to Mar 1st. San Francisco, CA. You gonna be there?
-New Red Band Trailer for "I Love You, Man" looks OH so funny.
So I am very excited about this news. My <3 Garrett Hedlund has just been cast as the lead role in the new Tron sequel. Formerly called Tron 2.0 (but there was already a videogame called Tron 2.0 with a seperate storyline), then TR2N (Pronounced TRON but people could not comprehend the 2 in the middle of the word), and now simply being referred to as TRON (which I think is weeeeak, they already have a TRON, lets just stick with TR2N people). Anyways the amazingly talented and sweet as a doll, Hedlund will be starring in the Fantasy epic and I can not wait. He'll play a role similar to Jeff Bridges' role in the original, and Bridges will also be back reprising his badass character. This is just as good as hearing Karl Urban was cast in Star Trek, 2009 will be wonderful!
Here's the trailer for the HIGHLY ANTICIPATED (by me) upcoming Broken Lizard film "The Slammin' Salmon". This is from the guys who did "Super Troopers", "Club Dread", and "Beerfest" and is about a former Pro Boxer running a restaurant. Shenanigans ensue.
It looks hilarious. "Ahhh. I am so sorry but her soup face scared the shit outta me!" I CANT WAIT!
Repo! has got to be one of my favorite movies released in 08. I thought it was gonna be some weird dark garbage film when I saw it being promoted last summer at Comic-Con. Especially since they had announced Paris Hilton as a cast member (Sounded House of Wax-ish). A musical about genetic repossession sounded unique, but not very intriguing to me. So it comes out on DVD the 20th, and i'm sitting here with an advance and decide to throw it on. WOW. I was totally impressed. It's a dark fantasy rock opera in the style of Rocky Horror Picture Show, set in a strange stylized future. The music is so good, it fits the aesthetic of the picture beutifully. The cast is perfect. The film stars Alexa Vega, she plays her role just right and looks gorgeous even when her character has no hair. Anthony Stewart Head plays her father the Repo man, I never knew Giles from Buffy could sing, but he has a great voice. Originally the crew didn't want to look at Paris Hilton for the role of Amber Sweet, but after seeing her performance I can't think of anyone else playing the part. It's perfect for her and she performs perfectly for it. The nearly 50 year old Sarah Brightman is in it as well, as Blind Mag, and she's not looking a day over 35. This is the second film of her career, but she should definately be doing more. The whole cast is just fantastic and are what make the movie work. But the real scene stealer of this movie is Terrence Zdunich, the writer of the film, he also plays the stories Narrarator; The Graverobber. One article I read described him as "the goth girl's Zac Efron." He has a powerful voice, and comes across the screen with such carisma. Overall, I think that fans of strange scifiction, post appocalyptic stories will find this film unique. And if you are a Rocky Horror fan you will be VERY pleased.
Some other cool news about the movie is that the creators have been taking the show on the road; playing the flick to dressed up crowds with Q&A with cast and creators after the screening. The Repo! Road Tour 1 & 2 were sold out but there are still tickets left for the upcoming Repo! Road Tour 3 which hits LA on Jan 24th. Seems kinda cool, I'm gonna try and go.
Anyways, here's the trailer if you are at all interested and the DVD & BD hits shelves the 20th.
Kiss 2008 goodbye by checking out my favorite 5's of the year that was.
Top 5 TV shows of the year 1. LOST - this got crazy good in Season 4, leaving us all desperate to know what the future holds for the Oceanic 6 who finally got off the island. 2. Top Chef - Last season took us to Chicago for Hot Dogs and Suburban block parties. This Season in New York is bringing a little more culture from the Euros and Team Rainbow! Can't wait to finish it off in 09. 3. Psych - Basically the best comedy on TV. If you haven't watched this show you are missing out. 4. Intervention - If you think your life is messed up, watch Intervention on A&E, trust me... things could be worse. 5. Real Housewives of Atlanta - GUILTY. PLEASURE.
Top 5 Music Videos of the year 1. "Up" The Saturdays
2. "Poker Face" Lady GAGA
3. "I Thought It Was Over" The Feeling
4. "Promises" Boy Kill Boy
5. "One Night Stand" Big City Kids (I can't resist, the whole family's in it) ;P
Top 5 Toys of the year 1. My Sony BDPS550 Bluray 2. Sidekick LX 3. Facebank 4. Lasonic Ghetto Blaster iPod Boom Box 5. Gun Egg Fryers
Top 5 Albums of the Year 1. The Jakes - Shake My Hand 2. Lady Gaga - The Fame 3. 3OH!3 - Want 4. Plain White T's - Big Bad World 5. The Cab - Whisper War
Top 5 Movies of the Year 1. Step Brothers 2. Iron Man 3. Cloverfield 4. Wall-E 5. Bolt
Top 5 repeaters to watch again in 2009 1. Forbidden Planet 2. Planet of the Apes 3. Grizzly Man
4. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters 5. Hot Fuzz
Top 5 Books of the year 1. I Can Has Cheezburger by Prof. Happycat 2. More Forbidden Knowledge by Michael Powell 3. Levin Thumps by Obert Skye 4. Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander 5. Brisingr by Christopher Paolini
Top 5 Memorable Moments of the Year 1. Obama gets Elected 2. Spaghetti Cat 3. Comic-Con 4. YouTube Rick Rolled everyone
