"AVATAR"

James Cameron returns with his new film, "AVATAR"! Now the story follows Jake Sulley, a former Marine who's wounded legs restrain him from walking. He's come to a moon known as Pandora to take his twin brother's place in the AVATAR program. However, other humans have come to Pandora for another reason! There's a little gray rock that covers Pandora that could sell for millions! But if anyone plans on mining, they'll have to get through Pandora's population of blue natives known as the Na'vi. Jake's duty is to learn about the Na'vi through his AVATAR, but eventually he finds himself in love with one of the natives! So in the end, Jake will have to choose between his duty to the humans, or his loyalty to the Marines...

Now I didn't set out to see this movie for its storyline, I was simply going to get a glimpse of its amazing visual effects! I remember seeing movies like "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and thinking how cool the special effects were, but now that I've seen "AVATAR", special effects in movies like "Narnia" look like dirt! Everything just looked real! Not fake-REAL! It was AWESOME!

I will have to agree with everything I've read about this movie being like Pocahontas! I mean the native falls in love with the foreigner and there's a war, but the big difference- in Pocahontas they call a truce and in "AVATAR" it's a fight to the finish! But once again, it's not about the storyline, it's all about the AMAZING visual effects! SEE IT! (And don't worry about the 3-D it wasn't a huge deal)

Disney's "The Princess and the Frog"

The wait if FINALLY over! Disney returns to 2-D, hand-drawn animation with their new film, "The Princess and the Frog"! Filled with tons of new songs by composer Randy Newman and plenty of new characters that can join the Disney family, this movie was a great start in what should become a string of successful animated features. Disney is already in the works for "Rapunzel" which is set to hit theaters next holiday season. But this time, our princess is a girl named Tiana! She will fit right into the Disney Princess family, although, her dream isn't to "meet her prince charming and dance off into her happily ever after"! Being inspired by her father, she dreams of owning her very own New Orleans restaurant, and she's "Almost There"... she just needs the money! Tiana is voiced by Tony Award winner, Anika Noni Rose, who also stared in the movie "Dreamgirls" back in 2006. Tiana's dream is put on hold when she meets Prince Naveen... except when she meets him... he's a frog!

This is the kind of movie that Disney is supposed to be making, but did it live up to previous animated features? In my opinion, Disney will never be able to create hand-drawn animation masterpieces like "Beauty and the Beast" or "The Lion King" because the new generations are not as fascinated by the hand-drawn creations as people were years ago.

The key isn't necessarily hand-drawn animation, it's good quality, family movies... which is exactly what Disney has done with "The Princess and the Frog"! Though it lacked memorable music, it is a great film that the entire family will enjoy! When I say it lacked memorable music, I mean that unless you have the soundtrack and you've been listening to it non-stop, you probably won't be able to leave the theater singing any of the music in the movie. The one song that stuck out to me was the song "Down In New Orleans" which was played during the beginning of the movie and performed by Randy Newman himself. If any Oscar nominations are in store, that will probably be the song that will be nominated. I would have preferred for Alan Menken, who composed many of the songs for Disney's previous animated musicals such as "The Little Mermaid" to have written the movie's music, but Randy Newman was fine. As for the movie's characters, I didn't find them to be that likable! Tiana was so determined to open up her own restaurant to a point you find yourself saying, forget the restaurant and fall in love with the prince. And as for Prince Naveen, you weren't exactly "on his side" until about mid-way through the film. Other characters such as Mama Odie, the fairy godmother figure, and the villain, Dr. Facilier, weren't very impressive either. The two characters that stood out the most were the movie's two goofy sidekicks that reminded me of Timon and Pumba. Ray and Louis were humorous characters that won't just catch the children's attention, but grown-ups as well! I think any age will enjoy the movie, but unfortunately it mainly appeals to a range of 6 to 8 year olds. I would have only changed one thing about the film, but I can't say what it is because it might ruin the ending! Other than that, be sure and SEE IT!

"Disney Animation Celebration!"

In honor of Disney's release of the new animated movie, "The Princess and the Frog", we discuss some of the best of Disney animation and how 'The Princess and the Frog" will play out among the rest!

Countdown to Christmas!

"It's A Wonderful Life"

"Babes in Toyland"

"A Charlie Brown Christmas"

"Elf"






Dr. Seuss' "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"





"The Nativity Story"





"Olive the Other Reindeer"

"Jingle All The Way"

"Eloise At Christmastime"





"Frosty the Snowman"






"The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause"





"The Santa Clause 2"

"The Santa Clause"






"The Polar Express"

"Home Alone" & "Home Alone 2: Lost In New York"

"Annabelle's Wish"






"To Grandmother's House We Go"





"A Christmas Story"




"I'll Be Home for Chirstmas"




"Santa Claus is Coming to Town"





"The Ultimate Christmas Present"





"White Christmas"





"Christmas with the Kranks"





"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer"






"Miracle on 34th Street"

December Movie Trailer Reel

We check out the trailers for Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", "Avatar", and "Alvin and the Chimpmunks: The Squeakel"!

"Skyrunners" Review!

"Skyrunners" is the first ever "Disney XD" original movie! The "Disney XD" channel was launched back in February in hopes of gaining a male audience. With shows on the "Disney Channel"- such as "Hannah Montana"- that are mostly geared toward girls, "Disney XD" features shows and movies that are mainly geared toward young males. Now this movie stars an already "Disney XD" star, Kelly Blatz from the hit show "Aaron Stone"! Kelly plays Nick, a nonchalant high school senior who sleeps in only boxers! His younger brother, Tyler (played by Joey Pollari), is just a freshman who hasn't quite hit puberty and still sleeps in pajamas! One night, while driving home, these two teenage boys come across a UFO! Oh yes, now you see where this is going! At this point in the movie, I was still thinking, well this could turn out to be "okay"... maybe I was wrong! Now once the boys take home the UFO and manage to hide it from their mother, the media, and secret agents of some sort, Tyler takes it for a spin in space! (Oh my word!!! A teenager in space!!!) Now of course, since he is just hitting puberty and went into space, some sort of weird superhuman abilities are thrust upon him! He grows taller, gets hairier, and his voice even changes! Sounds like normal male puberty to me! But did I mention this all happens overnight! (Gasp!) And let's not forget that he also can hear others thoughts! At this point in the movie, everything seems to be focusing on the most disturbing word in the English language... PUBERTY! But, not for long... because there are all of a sudden aliens among us! Yes, the most realistic looking aliens that I have ever seen in my entire life are going to destroy the world! (That was all very sarcastic by the way! Except for the part about these aliens destroying the world!) So, the brothers somehow destroy all of the aliens with a bomb of some sort... or so they thought... but I don't want to ruin the ending! Anyway, this movie wasn't good! Although it wasn't terrible, the ages that will be watching this movie will find it to be way too awkward, due to the fact puberty is mentioned so many times! I think this would have made a much better "Teen Nick" movie for the teenage "Nickelodeon" channel, for teens can handle all the aspects of puberty while younger kids (let's say ages 6 to 11) probably wouldn't understand or would feel very uncomfortable... I think I even felt a little uncomfortable! SKIP IT!!!

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon"

It's the movie that everyone has been waiting for... but was it any good? After the mega-hit movie, "Twilight" based off of Stephanie Meyer's bestselling novel, the sequel - "New Moon" - has been on high anticipation for quite some time. Now "Twilight" didn't quite hit the 5 star point for many people, including myself, but "New Moon" is a different story (no pun intended)! Not only was I anxious to see this, but I was excited! Just by the trailer you can tell that this time around, they stepped everything up a notch! A new director, a new budget... a big budget, and a few new additions to the cast that make it even more appealing! This movie was simply AMAZING! I know that sounds weird for how low expectations were from a lot of critics, but this was just a 100 times better than "Twilight"! The biggest difference being- the special effects! "Twilight" captured the more artistic side to the story, but this time that wasn't the case! The acting was better, the special effects were better, the whole movie in general was just better! Just take my word for it!

Twilight Phenomenon

Disney's "A Christmas Carol"

Charles Dickens' timeless tale of an old miser who must face Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet-to-Come, as they help to bring kindness to his otherwise cold heart. The Ghosts remind him of the man he used to be, the hard truth of what the world is today, and what will happen if he does not strive to be a better... man. Set around Christmas, the most joyous day of the year, Scrooge realizes the sharp contrast of his own personality.

November Movie Trailer Reel

We check out the trailers for Disney's "A Christmas Carol", "2012", and the highly anticipated, "Twilight Saga: New Moon"!

"Michael Jackson's This Is It"

On this episode of Movie Mania, we talk to a true MJ fan about the new movie, "This Is It"! Plus, we have a few Halloween movie reccomendations!

"New Moon" Sneak Peek!

"Where the Wild Things Are"

Misunderstood at home and at school, mischievous Max escapes to a land populated by majestic, and sometimes fierce, creatures known as the Wild Things! Be sure to check out our coverage on the film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are"! Plus we discuss our favorite movies based off of books! The movie in itself isn't what you'd expect from being based off a children's story, but then again, it's much better that way! This movie wasn't quite as good as I had hoped that it would be, although adults that enjoy heartwarming films might enjoy it! My parents... not so much!

The Reel Deal: October Edition

We discuss topics such as the re-release of the "Toy Story" films and how "Michael Jackson's This Is It" concert movie will rank up against previous concert movie releases.

October Movie Trailer Reel

We check out the trailers for "Where the Wild Things Are", "Amelia", and Michael Jackson's This Is It"!

"FAME! Remember my name!" I have been anticipated this movie for awhile and had very high expectations! For the most part, they were lived up, but it was totally the opposite of what I had expected! This movie was a music filled drama, but felt a bit like a documentary! A good documentary though! It was only rated PG, but needed to be PG-13 for a few inappropriate elements. The only disappointment I had was that it didn't feature a performance of the song "Fame"! But other than that it was all good in the hood! (I had to say that since the film takes place in NYC)

Lydia's Rental of the Week - "Ghost"

Sam Wheat, a investment banker on the rise, is killed by what seems to be a random mugging, which in actuality was a premeditated act that got botched. The love for his girlfriend, Molly, and being out of sorts because of his untimely death, he doesn’t go on to heaven but instead stays behind as a ghost, lingering around Molly, frustrated that she can’t hear or see him. That is until he finds Oda Mae Brown, a scam-artist of a psychic who in fact learns herself that she really does have the gift after meeting Sam. Now, with Oda Mae’s help, Sam needs to protect Molly from the same people who killed him before it’s too late. This 1990 hit is a film with multi-layered genres, such as Comedy, Romance, Fantasy, Thriller and Drama. It’s also filled with multi-layered talent such as Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg and Tony Goldwyn. Whoopi won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as Oda Mae Brown. And Patrick Swayze does an amazing performance in the lead role as Sam Wheat. Sadly, Patrick just passed away recently and it is a real loss. He will be dearly missed by so many and will always be remembered, especially in this role which catapulted his career to major stardom at the time!

Movie Mania- The Reel Deal: September Edition

We talk about Disney's latest "purchase" as well as look back on some of Patrick Swayze's greatest work! Oh and we also reveal what the name of the new "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie is going to be! Check out in this month's REEL DEAL!

September Movie Trailer Reel

At the beginning of each month we like to check out the trailers for movies coming out in that month! So here's the September Movie Trailer Reel!

"Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie" is the latest Disney Channel original film. After two seasons of a tv show, "Wizards of Waverly Place" has it's own movie! Okay, so first of all, the tv show has very low standards, in my opinion. It's a very silly comedy, but the movie is the total opposite! Originally, when I heard about the series in 2007, I had hoped it would be a serious tv series. The movie is everything I could have wanted for the series, and more! The movie, along with the series, stars Selena Gomez as Alex Russo, and average teen who happens to be wizard. She and her family own a sandwich shop in a new york city substation. Her older brother, Justin, played by David Henry, is the intelligent, responsible child. Max, her younger brother, played by Jake T. Austin, is just like any other immature tween, but can sometimes make sense of things. Now at first I wasn't sure why they needed a movie so early in the series, then, I heard about the plot! In the tv show, it's said that the three wizard siblings will one day have to battle in a wizard's tournament, for only one wizard of every family can keep their powers. And of course, the winner of the tournament get to keep their powers! Disney channel led us to believe that this was going to be a silly movie about a family of wizards who take a summer vacation to the place where the parents, Jerry and Theresa Russo, played by David Deliuse and Maria Canals Barrera, first met, a Caribbean Paradise. Of course a problem has to occur, Alex Russo, accidentally casts a spell wishing that her parents had never met. (This was after her mother wouldn't allow her to go to a beach party). The next thing you know, the parents have never met, nor do they remember any of the kids, and unless the three wizards can find a way to reverse the spell, the Russo family will never exist, and they'll disappear! Towards the end of the movie, after the wizards fail to get "The Stone of Dreams", they decide to head to battle in the Wizard Tournament that will give one of the full powers to reverse the spell. I was actually glad to see the movie was good for something... to find out which wizard get to keep their powers! I will say that one wizard does indeed win the competition, but nothing good lasts for long! I was very disappointed in the ending, but over all, this was probably my favorite Disney Channel movie of the year! If only the series were as good! It was silly, well, not as silly as the show, it had great special effects, well, better special effects than the show, and it had a nice moral about sticking together as a family!

"Bandslam"

Surprisingly, I'm recommending that you SEE "Bandslam"! The movie stars newcomer Gaelan Connell, who plays Will Burton, a music fanatic and a huge fan of David Bowie. Will lives a miserable life due to being ashamed of his father, who killed a child while driving drunk. Students even refer to Will as "Dewey" or "DWI" (Driving While Intoxicated)! Fortunately, Will's mother, Karen, played by Lisa Kudrow (Friends), finds a new job! The two pack up and move, leaving their old lives behind. At his new high school, the buzz is all about "Bandslam"- a "battle of the bands" competition in which the winning band gets a record contract. Will first meets a bookworm, Sa5m (the 5 is silent), played by Vanessa Hudgens(High School Musical) and they become awkward friends. But soon he meets the very attractive, Charlotte, played very well by Alyson Michalka (78Violet- formally Aly and AJ). She's a gifted singer/songwriter, who eventually asks Will to be her band's manager, due to his knowledge of music. Charlotte's plans are to beat out her ex-boyfriend's band in the "Bandslam" competition. Will takes the opportunity and turns the band into a fantastic group that he names "I Can't Go On, I'll Go On"! Do they have what it takes to win "Bandslam"? It's a little movie that made a big impression on me! At first, you think, oh Vanessa Hudgens, a music incorporated movie, just another HSM type film. Though the movie is appropriate for young high school musical fans, this film is on a whole other standared. Unlike the HSM movies, the film doesn't just stereotype high school students in a sense of jocks, brainiacs, and other nonsense that doesn't exactly exist as HSM portrays it. Vanessa Hudgens does a fantastic job as the character Sa5m, bypassing all her performances in the HSM movies. Gaelan Connell definately made a name for himself with his performance as Will. Lisa Kudrow from "Friends" was great as the mother that has a hard time parenting and being a friend to her son at the same time. Then there's Aly Michalka who blew me away as a young girl who is trying to please her sick father with a lifestyle that he approves of. I feel like most HSM fans of Vanessa Hudgens will come expecting what they won't get... a happy-go-lucky film with happy rainbows and sunshine! This is more of a movie that teens will enjoy because it's not like most movies about teens. It's clean, quick-witted, and great for anyone who knows what a good drama is! I give "Bandslam" a 4 out of 5 rating, for I enjoyed it, but a few parts were a bit predictable! Oh, and if I didn't mention it, there was a sneak-peak at "New Moon" before the movie began that should satisfy all "Twilight" fans!

Happy 15th Birthday to Whitt!

First Fan Review- "Julie and Julia"

See what Carolyn Rains has to say about "Julie and Julia"!

"When You Wish!"
The Maury County Arts Guild will be kicking off the 2009-2010 season with “When You Wish: A Disney Celebration”. This spectacular musical event celebrates the magic and music of Disney, featuring songs from Snow White, High School Musical, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Mary Poppins, Enchanted, Sleeping Beauty, and many many more. Show dates are scheduled for July 24 - August 8, 2008. Shows will be Friday & Saturday evenings at 7:30 PM and Sunday afternoons at 2 PM. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors. Ticket can be reserved by calling (931)381-9494 or emailing artsguild@charterinternet.com Tickets can be purchased online at http://artsguild.tix.com

Lindsay Lohan stars in the new ABC Family original movie, "Labor Pains"! First thing's first, I am NOT a fan of Lindsay Lohan! The first fifteen or twenty minutes of the movie are painfully awful! As the movie progressed though, things started picking up and it wasn't half bad. Originally heading to the big screen, the movie follows the trying times of Thea Clayhill, played by Lohan, who is on the verge of losing her job as a secretary to an "out there" publisher! She can't "afford" to lose the position, so she lies about being pregnant. The "out there" publisher is one of the main reasons that the beginning of the movie was so ridiculous! But soon, the publisher is called out of town, leaving another fellow business man in charge. When the temporary boss takes charge, he decides to publish a book about the hardships in a pregnancy. He puts Thea in charge, believing she is really pregnant. Soon, Thea finds herself with a raise and promotion! The story line seemed typical at that point, but before I knew it, Thea had become fond of her new "pregnancy" life, and began to really think she was pregnant. That I didn't see coming. The movie reminded me of "Baby Momma"- which I loved, but it was totally different. If you can get past the beginning then you'll find yourself with nice TV movie!

"The Dark Knight" 1 Year Anniversary

It's been a whole year since "The Dark Knight" hit theaters and became the second highest grossing movie of all time!

"Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince"

"Once again, I must ask too much of you Harry!"- Hey Movie Maniacs! Well, the highly anticipated, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" has finally arrived after a delay last summer that pushed the movie from November 2008 to July 2009! Opening the same weekend as "The Dark Knight" did last summer, the 6th installment to the most successful movie franchise of all time is expected to be another smash-hit! With high expectations for the movie, I had a good feeling going in to see it. When I came out... well the feeling was just... a little confused! Unlike the previous Harry Potter movies, this one lacked explanation. Fans of the book will have a better understanding due to their prior knowledge, but just plain ole movie goers might find themselves a tad bit bewildered!

ABC Family's "10 Things I Hate About You"

ABC Family presents their newest series, "10 Things I Hate About You!"


This series is based on the 1999 movie, "10 Things I Hate About You"- but doesn't seem to be quite as promising! The show stars Lindsey Shaw (also seen in Nickeloden's "Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide") as Kat Stratford, Meaghan Jette Martin (also seen in Disney Channel's "Camp Rock") as Bianca Stratford, and Larry Miller (seen in the original "10 Things I Hate About You" movie) as the overprotective father, Dr. Walter Stratford.
Why should ABC Family even consider trying to make a TV series based on a 97 minute movie? Don't be upset that the show is not exactly like the movie. The show runs a half hour on television, but in the half hour I wasn't very impressed. With a weak plot, I found no complete interest. One sister wants to be popular... the other could care less! Typical right? I do give credit to Lindsey Shaw's performance though! ABC Family has only been able to pull out one successful show, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager"- they need to stop while they're ahead!

If you missed the series premiere on ABC Family and are still interested, it's free to check out on iTunes!

Rental of the Week- "The Bad Seed"

"The Bad Seed" was a fairly good movie, nicely written and planned out. Based on the Broadway play (which itself was based on the novel), it contains most of the original plot line, but due to the Hays Code, the films ending is different to that of the novel and play. Props to the incredible acting of Patty McCormack (Rhoda), Evelyn Varden (Rhoda's mother), and Eileen Heckart (Mrs. Daigle).

Plot- "The Bad Seed" follows the story of 8 year, Rhoda Penmark, who appears to be an angel from Heaven above! But soon, we learn that she is murdering sociopath...

Movie Mania- "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs"

Ice Age is back... can you believe it? This time it's "Dawn of the Dinosaurs" and even after two previous movies, Scrat is still chasing down his acorn! I found out about this third installment last summer, but never understood why it was necessary to have another one! They can't just keep bringing in new characters and think that will give the franchise a new boost of energy! The new characters in this movie did not join the original Ice Age family though, which leads me to believe we've seen the last of these characters! That's a relief after this one! The movie didn't feel like a movie to be honest! It felt as if it were a TV show! Besides the point of a weak plot, the movie had inappropriate humor that some parent would not appreciate! I think that the first Ice Age was the best of the three, they need to stop while they're ahead!

Movie Mania- "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"

Whitt's Review-

Hold on to your seats Movie Maniacs... this is going to be a bumpy review! After the 2007 blockbuster hit- "Transformers"- Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox are back for the sequel. This time around... well your guess is as good as mine. The movie's conflict seems to start too early, which gives us no time to understand the plot line. That is, if there was a plot line. With a fan base of 14 year old boys, it's obvious that non-stop action and Megan Fox was perfect! Well, being a 14 boy, I found that neither one was very interesting. I became numb to all of the violence and Megan Fox wasn't all that great either. The best performance came from Julie White, who played Shia's character's mother. Other than her, there was really no acting in the film at all. I enjoyed the first movie a lot better... mainly because it was all new and exciting, where this time around it was all familiar!