Chris Evans is Captain America!

Remember the guy whose picture is right above this lettering? Remember how much you hated that film he was involved in? Well, get ready to see him donning a new pair of tights when he stars in next year's big budget adaption of one of Marvel's most loved hero, Captain America!
















Marvel Studios has officially signed Chris Evans on to star in not only The First Avenger: Captain America, but in the two sequels that would follow if the film is as successful as Marvel believes it will be. Director Joe Johnston is set to begin shooting in June 2010.

The Princess and the Frog (Review)

The Princess and the Frog

Directed By: Ron Clements & John Musker
Starring the Voice Talents Of: Anika Noni Rose, Bruno Campos, Keith David, Jim Cummings, John Goodman, Oprah Winfrey, Jenifer Lewis , Jennifer Cody


What’s It About

Tiana’s dream is to one day open up a big fancy restaurant hoping to fulfill a dream her father could not. She spends her time overworking herself without giving any thought to having someone share all her hard work with. That’s when Prince Naveen comes in and through a series of events, the two are sent down the bayou in a whimsical adventure that will test Tiana’s heart and Naveen’s understanding of what true love is. “It’s not enough to just wish on a star. You have to help it along with some hard work of your own.”

Thoughts

So… this is Disney’s “big” comeback to classic animation. Since the release of 1999’s Tarzan, audiences have been waiting patiently for Disney to get back on track with what they’ve always done best, classic fairy tales. In fact, have you ever noticed that for the most part, whenever Disney makes an animated feature NOT based on an already well established story, chances are it will tank? With The Princess and the Frog, Disney gets it half right with taking a classic fairy tale story but then messes with a winning formula by changing everything else to fit it’s “modern” take on an old favorite. You would think that after Treasure Planet they would know better… oh well.

It’s not to say that the Princess and the Frog is a bad movie, per se. A lot of what doesn’t sit well with me is in the setting. Why the 1920’s and not some timeless place? Why some “prince” that has apparently been around the block one too many times with the ladies and not someone that is honorable? Lastly, why does the film have to throw in all this modern mumbo jumbo to stay “relevant” to today’s modernistic ways? Why can’t wishing on a star just be wishing on a star?

To be fair, I did still enjoy Disney’s 49th animated feature. While I wasn’t too fond of Prince Neveen and his assistant Lawrence, the rest of the cast did a wonderful job at keeping everyone smiling and humming along with every musical piece. And speaking of the cast, special notice should be given to Doctor Facilier a.k.a. Shadowman who was just such a fun villain that you would wish more time were spent on him. The song and dance numbers never felt forced and were very catchy thanks to the great work of Randy Newman.

This wasn’t the triumphant return to classic animation from Disney that I was expecting. There are those films that you watch and you immediately know they will hold a place in your collective memory bank as something special, then there are the ones you watch, you like, and you go on. This one falls in the latter of the two.

Memorable Moment

Louis, the jazz trumpet playing alligator, recalls a moment in his life when in an attempt to be part of a jazz playing quartet, he jumps in the middle of a jam session with trumpet in hand only to freak out the group and get shot at as he jumps off the boat! LOL

FYI

Princess Tiana is the first black character to enter the line of Disney Princesses.

Score

7 out of 10

The Last Airbender Posters

If you have ever watched the Nickelodeon animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender, chances are you are salivating at the idea that in just five more months you will witness a live action rendition based on the first season. While the official trailer is not slated for release until Super Bowl XLIV, here are a couple of one sheet posters to hold you at bay. M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender will be hitting theatres on July 2nd.

Clash of the Titans Trailer

Clash of the Titans is a remake of the 1981 film that starred Harry Hamlin as the mythical greek warrior Perseus. This remake is directed by Louis Leterrier, who brought us 2008's The Incredible Hulk and stars Sam Worthington, who is shaping up to be this generation's Arnold Schwarzenegger/ Sylvester Stallone. My only gripe with what I have seen from the trailer is the soundtrack. 300 is what kept coming to mind, and while a rock soundtrack was acceptable for that spartan tale, in Clash of the Titans, it would just be overkill. On March 26th, 2010 the gods will come alive! Cheesy, I know.

Sony To Reboot Spiderman Franchise

I'm sure you've already read about Sony pulling the rug on Sam Raimi and choosing to reboot the Spiderman franchise. My wife was the first to break the news to me and in disbelief I immediately went to every movie website to get some clarification. Just in case you haven't read about it, here's the short version:

Sony has decided to reboot the Spiderman franchise after a series of creative battles with directer Sam Raimi. The new plan is to put Peter Parker and company back in High School and possibly take advantage of the new 3D technology to help boost it's ticket sales.

Now, I don't know about most of you, but I believe Raimi had pulled out a great series of Spidey films. Sure, the third one could have done without the dance numbers and Venom (He should have been the main villain in a separate Spidey film.), but it really wasn't the mess that most made it out to be. Raimi is a great director and it was his vision that helped the Spiderman films gain the attention and respect from fans and critics, not to mention all the money that it made for Sony.

Rebooting franchises has become a big thing for Hollywood studios. But, you normally do this with a franchise that did really poorly OR enough time has gone by that it is ok to reintroduce it to a new generation. Spiderman does not fall in this category. Sony is really playing Russian Roulette with it's arachnid friend.