While at Disney’s Hollywood Studios yesterday we took in the special preview of the upcoming Maleficent movie. They’ve converted the Sounds Dangerous theater into a small movie theater with a 3D projector. Even though the daily guide says it runs continuously throughout the day, it… Read More »Maleficent 3D Preview at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Last night I saw a preview screening of Million Dollar Arm from Disney. I’m technically embargoed for my full review, but I can sum it up in three words you’ll be happy to read – Classic Disney Film.
Here’s a trailer:
Based on a true story, the plot follows sports agent JB Bernstein (Jon Hamm) who finds that business has changed and things aren’t going well for his career. In a last ditch effort to save his livelihood he concocts a scheme to find baseball’s next great pitching ace. Hoping to find a young cricket bowler he can turn into a major league baseball star, JB travels to India to produce a reality show competition called “The Million Dollar Arm.” With the help of cantankerous but eagle-eyed retired baseball scout Ray Poitevint (Alan Arkin), he discovers Dinesh (played by Madhur Mittal from “Slumdog Millionaire”) and Rinku (played by Suraj Sharma from “Life of Pi”), two 18-year-old boys who have no idea about playing baseball, yet have a knack for throwing a fastball. Hoping to sign them to major league contracts and make a quick buck, JB brings the boys home to America to train.
While the Americans are definitely out of their element in India, the boys, who have never left their rural villages, are equally challenged when they come to the States. As the boys learn the finer points of baseball, JB, with the help of his charming friend Brenda (Lake Bell), learns valuable life lessons about teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.
Directed by Craig Gillespie from a screenplay written by Tom McCarthy, Walt Disney Pictures’ drama “Million Dollar Arm” stars Jon Hamm, Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell and Alan Arkin. The producers are Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth. The executive producers are Palak Patel, Kevin Halloran, Bill Simmons and Connor Schell.
A couple of clips from the film are below the jump:
Fans of Pixar’s amazing films have been known to obsessively comb over every scene looking for hidden clues and in-jokes placed there by the animators. These are usually called ‘Easter Eggs.’ With that holiday coming up soon, Disney has introduced a tie-in virtual Easter Egg… Read More »Pixar Movie Easter Egg Hunt Challenge
There’s a lot of fun things going on in the world of Marvel, so let’s get to it.
Captain America opened up last week as number one in the box office (no surprise there). Opening with $92.6 million, the Winter Soldier now holds the record for the largest movie opening in April ever.
I don’t normally talk about rumors but this one is fun. At the St. Louis Comic-con, Nathan Fillion was asked if he would accept a role in Guardians of the Galaxy if he was asked. Besides being the epitome of a Joss Whedon alum, Fillion has also worked with Guardians’ director James Gunn on Castle. Here’s his response.
There was also a new clip from Guardians of the Galaxy on MTV.
The weekend of May 6, 2016 will be an interesting weekend at the box office. Marvel announced that Captain America 3 will open that weekend which is the same weekend as their Distinguished Competition’s Superman/Batman movie.Read More »Marvel News Roundup – Life After The Winter Soldier
I am not a big fan of fast food chains that include promotional toys for PG13 rated films with kids meals. We don’t give them our money during those promotions. Cereal brands that pull the same trick are off the shopping list too. I think that it is pretty clear cut; if the kid isn’t old enough to see the movie based on its rating, then you shouldn’t be marketing to them. The same applies for TV commercials on cartoon networks that are clearly aimed at the younger set. Although, this is less clear, since some older kids and adults do watch these shows.
Even less clear cut is what I’m now encountering with Marvels cross-over between the PG13 rated feature film “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” and TV PG rated ABC television show “Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.”
In general, I won’t bring my son, who is 10 years old, to see a PG13 rated film unless I’ve seen it first (or get the okay from someone I trust who has seen it). Although I have seen the movie, I have not decided if Captain America: The Winter Soldier is okay for him to see. But let’s assume that I want him to wait till he’s a bit older.
There are things that happen in Captain America that will greatly change the direction of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, a show which we watch together (a father and son night). The last two episodes of AoS run pretty much concurrently with the event of The Winter Soldier. And already events in one have affected the other.
Read More »Is Disney pushing the boundary of PG13 with Marvel Universe Cross-Over?
In true super hero fashion, Marvel’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier smashed the record for best April box office weekend with a cool $96.2-million debut. Add that to the already fantastic overseas totals (a $303-million worldwide total so far) and it’s safe to say that… Read More »Captain America Storms The Box Office Nets $96.2 Million in Opening Weekend
We’re less than two months away from opening night of Disney’s “Maleficent”, a retelling of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairytale from the perspective of the wicked fairy Maleficent, portrayed by Angelina Jolie in perfect casting. That means it’s time to really ramp up the marketing machine in the halls of Burbank.
Today I was sent this spectacular banner for the movie.
I like that we get a look at some of the other mythical creatures from the movie. Some of them looking very Jim-Henson-esque. What do you think?
By popular demand, you can download the 3000 pixel width full-size version for your desktop or background image.
Marvel’s “The Avengers” set the bar really high for movies set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. “Iron Man 3” answered with the first hints of a new direction and “Thor: The Dark World” showed that humans could fight along side the super heroes and survive. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” takes that world and twists everything around setting the stage for “The Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
But I’m getting ahead of myself and the plot.
As the story begins, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, is settling into his new role in the modern world, but finding the fit a bit uncomfortable. When he sees how S.H.I.E.L.D. plans to respond to the troubles of the modern world, Rogers confronts Nick Fury. Fury has his own concerns, which brings him to the attention of The Winter Soldier, and that’s when the excitement really begins.
Meanwhile, Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, discover the loose threads of a villainous plot and pull on them to see what is exposed. What they discover threatens to change the world forever.Read More »Captain America: The Winter Soldier Sets New Standard, Direction for Marvel Movies