Tangled

"Frying pans who knew, right?"


For the first time since Hercules have I felt that Disney has made me feel like a kid watching the latest Disney animated film. Don't Get me wrong Pixar was one of the greatest things to ever happen to Disney, (or movies for that matter) but call me nostalgic I like having my characters sing to me. Since Toy Story you do not get that. Now, I have yet to see this Princess and the Frog thing, but I doubt it will be as good as this movie was.

Tangled has one of the greatest scenes of all time. The lantern scene was absolutely breathtaking. It made me think of all the other great Disney love scenes like Aladdin's Carpet ride, Belle and the Beast's Ballroom Dance. The shot of the lanterns being released and the expression on Rapunzel's face when she sees the lanterns. How is it possible for a cartoons eye to express so much. You could see the wonder, amazement and the start of the bigger question, who is she really.



Tangled is the "Disney" story of Rapunzel. A girl who is locked away in a tower since an infant and her desire to get out and see the world. Her mother warns her that she should not leave, for the world is a cruel place who would take advantage of a sweet, innocent girl like Rapunzel. One day a stranger happens upon her tower and her plans to leave the tower are put into place. She convinces the young man, Flynn Rider, to take her to see the glowing lanterns that appear each year on her birthday. Then the adventure begins. Her mother comes after her and so does Flynn's past.

The humor is great classic Disney with a little pixar twist. The comic relief between Rider and the horse is fantastic. The coloring is spectacular, the best Disney has ever done. The Blu Ray looks fantastic and even the DVD as well. I'm not a big Mandy Moore fan but she does have a great voice. She does a good job as Rapunzel's voice. Rider is voiced by Zachary Levi of Chuck fame. Many great actors gave their voices for this film even Richard Kiel, the huge giant guy with a nail in his head from Happy Gilmore give a voice to one of the goons.

I could not have been more happy with this movie. Disney animation is now, in my opinion, back.

10 out of 10

The King's Speech

"How do you feel?"
"Full of hot air."
"Isn't that what public speaking is all about?"

It is official. My wife and Mother-in-Law have been saying it for years and it is true. Collin Firth is amazing. I have always like him, but he always does period pieces and since I'm a man I have a hard time admitting they are good. I thought Collin Firth gave a performance of his life. I think Geoffrey Rush was also magnificent. No wonder it was up for so many awards.

OK now, after all my praise let me tell you about this film. It is based on the True life of King George the VI, who took the throne after his brother abdicated to marry his love. George had a stuttering problem that he had been trying to overcome since childhood. A difficult predicament when you are the King of England. After getting frustrated with poor results from the leading professionals the wife Elizabeth, played by the amazing Helena Bonham Carter, goes and seeks the help of a commoner named Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. His methods are different and his ways a bit more questionable.

I kept catching myself grinning at how great Collin Firth played this tormented man. You could see in his eyes how scared he was to even speak to his wife for fear that stuttering would prohibit him to speak as he desired. He played this part so perfectly that I was glad they had an amazing cast to keep up with him. I know this was rated R, but was a very easy edit and you can also catch it in the dubbed PG-13 version. I was very happy to see this film and recommend it to anyone who wants to see and amazing cast and learn about a bit of history. King George VI lead England into and through WWII. In the extras you can hear two of the speeches he gave. One is featured at the end of the film the other at the end of WWII.

I hope you enjoy the movie as much as I did. It was sure worth all the praise.

9.8 out of 10