Friday, November 28, 2014

Official #StarWars Episode VII Teaser Trailer!

Have you seen it yet? No? Well, look no further! The official Star Wars: The Force Awakens teaser trailer is HERE!




That red lightsaber... with the HILT! And the Milennium Falcon! And X-Wings! And TIE Fighters! And and and.... GEEKSPLOSION. (Click any image to enlarge!)

©Lucasfilm/Disney.

©Lucasfilm/Disney.

©Lucasfilm/Disney.

©Lucasfilm/Disney.


And I'm dead of geek. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving for my American readers. TV Boy has been sick all week, so our holiday was a little more low-key than we'd hoped. Sigh. And sorry I've been quiet... I participated in NaNoWriMo! I'm writing a BOOK, guys! And it's actually going really well. I got a late start, but I'll end the month with nearly 14,000 words and more than 30 pages. It's a realistic-sci-fi conspiracy thriller. That's all I'm going to say. But I'm happy with how it's turning out.

Friday, November 7, 2014

MOVIE REVIEW: Disney's #BigHero6

Big Hero 6 was in post-production when I went to LA last February for the Frozen and Pirate Fairy event. I didn't know much about it, other than it was a super hero-ish movie that had some sort of Japanese-ish influence. I've been getting the emails and following the Facebook page for months, and I honestly couldn't make heads or tails of it. I went in with no expectations... and left having seen one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. It's that good.


All images © Disney.

Before I get into Big Hero 6, I have to start where the movie experience does, and that's with the new animated short, Feast, featuring the cutest little glutton this side of Garfield.


Look at how cute!

The short takes us through the meals of a rescued puppy and his owner, but there is a bigger story behind the pup. I'm almost positive this will be up for Oscar consideration in the animated shorts category, because it's amazing how much of an emotional roller coaster viewers experience in just a few minutes. You will laugh, cry, and cheer before it's over.



Now, onto our feature presentation!



I'm going to warn parents that Big Hero 6 has the usual Disney story mechanism of dead parents. We all know it's not a Disney movie without dead parents! Lucky for us, the parents' demise happened long before our story takes place. However, that does not save us from more tragedy early on. That's all I'm going to say. Be prepared to feel, folks. The trailer kind of hints at it...



Meet Baymax: the most huggable robot companion ever, and probably one of Disney's funniest characters. So many of Baymax's scenes were laugh out loud funny, despite his calm and even delivery. Straight-laced comedy at it's finest. The low battery scene is probably the most hilarious thing Disney has written since The Emperor's New Groove.


"Hairy BABY!"

I was surprised at how dark the villain is in the film. He's pretty scary, and while TV Boy is the most well-adjusted kid on the planet when it comes to peril in entertainment, for some reason, other young kids might be a bit afraid of this guy on the big screen.




Overall, the film is visually stunning, incredibly well-written, and absolutely the most fun you'll have at a kids' movie. Parents will be psyched that there is no annoying soundtrack for your children to obsess over like Frozen; instead the film's title song is written by Fall Out Boy, and is pretty awesome. I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed Big Hero 6 and how every parent on the planet should take their kids to see it. Honestly, it has earned a spot in my top three favorite Disney movies of all time (Emperor's New Groove and Aladdin are my other two, if you were curious). I also really love how they depict female characters in science. Truly fabulous!




Big Hero 6 is rated PG and is released in US theatres today, November 7th. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go see this movie. And, just like all good superhero movies, stay after the credits! Trust me on this. Geeks especially. I know I sound majorly cliched in this post, but this is the best movie of the year!

Here are some fun science experiements you can do with your kiddos to celebrate Big Hero 6!





Disclosure: A free screening of the film was provided for review purposes. For more information, please see my Disclosure tab.