Disney Medley: Alex Sharpe presents One Heart & One Voice

This medley of Disney songs is fantastically presented.  This concert was at the Logan Tabernacle.  It is beautiful, and these songs are the best of the recent Disney films.

Movie Night: *****Brave

Brave is a very popular Disney Pixar movie released in 2012.  I am seeing it through Netflix DVD.   This movie is set in the Scottish Highlands.  I love their accents.  The theme of this movie is mother daughter relationships, and overcoming pride. This movie has a very interesting plot.  Merida and her mother are at odds over her having to marry a young man from a different clan so as to strengthen relationships between clans.  Merida would like to fall in love, and choose her own husband.  In her conflict with her queen mother, she runs away.  While away she comes upon a witch, who gives her a potion to change her mother and thus her fate.  The potion turns her mother into a bear.  Her father hates bears, having lost his leg to a bear attack.  Merida has to get mother out of the house, and switch her back.  Meanwhile her triplet younger brothers also get turned into bear cubs.  Merida finds out the key to restoring mother is to mend her pride in terms of her relationship with her mother.  There are a couple stand out quotes, having to be responsible for our own futures:

Merida: [voice over] Some say our destiny is tied to the land, as much a part of us as we are of it. Others say fate is woven together like a cloth, so that one's destiny intertwines with many others. It's the one thing we search for, or fight to change. Some never find it. But there are some who are led.

Merida: [voice over] Some say fate is beyond our command, but I know better. Our destiny is within us. You just have to be brave enough to see it.

This is a feel good show.  It have a positive motivational theme.  Tony and I enjoyed it together.

Movie Night: ***^ Pocahantas II (1998)

This movie I found on Instant Netflix.  I enjoyed this movie for the most part.  John Smith goes into self banishment, and it is assumed he has died.  However he is in hiding as Ratcliffe (David Ogden Stiers) has gained influence with the king, and wants to take an armada to wipe out the Indians and get his gold. This movie introduces John Rolfe, who goes to America to invite the leader of the Native  Americans to come to England to meet the King.  Pohantan does not wish to go, but Pocahantas decides to go in his place.  She goes as a princess.  Pocahantas is jailed after protecting a bear from torture.  John Smith and John Rolfe team up to rescue her, but then she confronts the king again.  She convinces the king there is no Gold, and Ratcliffe is thwarted.

This movie works with the relationships between Pocahantas and the men.  Ratcliffe continues to be evil.  The animals are no longer cute, the willow tree thing is old, the music is forgetable.  The Native American who travels with Pocahantas is funny in his regal manner.  The artwork leaves no doubt this is 2nd tier Disney.  However the thing that works the best is the relationship between Pocahantas and John Rolfe.

My review of Pocahantas
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2012/10/disney-movie-reviews.html

Movie Night:***^ Honey I Shrunk the Kids; **^Honey I Blew up the Kids

The movie, Honey I Shrunk the Kids was a very original movie with a good idea, and showed us how differing sizes could be relative, such as you could ride an ant, or sleep in a Lego, or a drop of water could be a deluge.  And Rick Moranis is just perfect in his roll as the bungling scientist Wayne Szalinski.  I love him in his get up to find the kids, hanging over the back yard in with his magnifying glass.  His wife played by Marcia Strassman is steady.  I also like the neighbors, the Thompsons, played by Matt Frewer and Kristine Sutherland.  The adventures and sparks of the kids are effective, but this show is enjoyable watching the adults.  Man, who would know a lawn mower can create such havoc.  I guess we should be careful with our machines to make sure there are no little people about.

Honey I Blew up the Kid does not have the same magic.  It has the mean executive who is shutting Wayne out of his own project.  It also has cute gadgets, but in the end is just a noisy bunch of goo which doesn't work.  It does show a mother's love in the end, "Man that is a big Mama!"  But this movie isn't near as fun as the original.

To the Movies/Movie Night: ****Wreck-it Ralph, ***Last of the Mohicans

Tony and I went to "Wreck-it Ralph" today as part of our Veterans Day.  It is produced by Disney, and is at local theaters.  Tony asked to go, and he was very fascinated with the movie.  Tony says the best part of the movie was the fighting.  John C Reilly portrays Wreck-it Ralph who is not happy with his status in life--the bad guy in the video game Fix-it Felix.  He has been at it for thirty years.  He crashes the party for the thirty year anniversary.  He was not invited.  He is told, if he can win a medal, then he can hang with the other game characters in the pent house.  And so he goes on a trek to shooting game against viral bugs.  He wins his medal, but in getting out a viral bug attaches to his vehicle, and he ends up crashing in candy land.  Alan Tudyk plays the bad guy--king of candy land, and sounds and looks just like Ed Wynn (Uncle Albert from Mary Poppins).   Albert befriends Vanellope (Sarah Silverman) who supposedly is a glitch.  This friendship has several nuances which make it evtertaining as Vanellope attempts to get into the race and win.  Having a friend cures Albert of his doldrums, and gives meaning to his life.  His relation also improves with others of his own game.  This is not a traditional Disney with singing, but it does have relationships and a very good bad guy.
"Last of the Mohicans" (1992) was on IFC.  This is based on the novel by James Fenimore Cooper.  The action takes place during the French and Indian War.  Magua (Wes Studi) (Huron Tribe fighting with the French) has a bitter grudge against Colonol Edmund Munro and his two daughters.   He attacks a column that is taking the girls to their father.  They are rescued by Hawkeye (adopted Mohican) and his Mohican brother and father.  This draws him into the war on the side of the British.  He becomes enamored with one of the daughter's, and there are several scenes when they are longing each other.  Hawkeye takes them to the fort, which is under siege, where the girl's father is in command.  The British and French reach agreement where the British are allowed to leave.  However Magua and the Huron warriors pursue them, leading to a great battle.  The Colonel is killed, and Hawkeye again escapes with he girls.  However they are about to be captured, and Hawkeye leaves them with a promise to return and effect a rescue.
This movie has lots of good action; there are at least three battle scenes.  The last of the Mohicans is always coming to the rescue, but will he arrive in time.

Disney Movies: summary

***** Enchanted (2007) Amy Adams
***** Brave (2012)
****^ Oz The Great and Powerful (2013)
****^ Tangled 2010
****^ Treasure Island 1950
****^ Holes
**** Wreck-it Ralph
**** Toby Tyler 1960
****Toy Story III 2010
**** Old Yeller
**** The Journey of Natty Gann 1985
**** The Thanksgiving Promise
***^ Pocahontas 1995
***^ Return to Oz (1985)
***^ The Three Lives of Thomasina
*** Christmas Carol 2009 Jim Carey)
*** Aristocats (1970)
**^ Sorcerer's Apprentice 2010 (Nicolas Cage)
* Robin Hood

Movie Night: ****Toby Tyler

Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus 1960, Walt Disney.  This movie takes me back to my youth.  This is a classic that never grows old with age.  I recorded it off of BYUTV and finally took the time to watch it when I had a day home sick.  I find this movie fascinating from the boy who finagles himself into a couple more peanuts, until he becomes the circus performing star on the horses.  Toby is portrayed by Kevin Corcoran, who was a common Disney Movie actor.  I like the girl, Mademoiselle Jeanette, and had a crush on her as a child.  However I was too young for her as I was only three when this movie was made.  The relationships Toby has with the other members of the circus is what makes this movie work. His immediate boss tricks him out of money which is rightfully his, and doesn't deliver his letter to him from his aunt and uncle.  Mr Stubbs, the monkey, throws his money away he has been saving.  The strong man befriends him and takes him under his wing, and protects him from the abuse the concessionaire boss has used on other boys.  On of the clowns becomes a good friend, Ajax the horse performer is jealous of him and treats him poorly, and the other horse performer Jeanette is loveable as the trick horse rider.  I recommend this movie.  It is a feel good show.

At the Movies, Movie Night: **^The Sorcerer's Apprentice; ***Captain America

I watched these two movies with Tony last week, the first on dish but it is also available from instant Netflix; the second at the Marketplace Theater.

I must admit, the Sorcerer's apprentice leaves something lacking.  It seems they try to mesh a modern adventure with the original Mickey Mouse movie, and fails in both respects.   I must admit I really don't like the ending, and the broom scene reenacted here is cute, but really doesn't fit into the plot.  Nicholas Cage is good, the apprentice is not, the young girl is pretty, and it is good the sorcerer (Nicholas Cage) gets back with his love after missing her for thousands of years.  The action is good, but science winning the day in the end is sort of contrived.  So this movie gets a reserved recommendation.

I judged the second movie through the eyes of Tony, who was really bored with the first part of the movie.  In the theater he was more interested in playing with his chair than the movie.  However when Captain America gets his shield, then things start to pick up. The action was exciting after that point.  This is a good WWII action movie.

It was fun that John Starks (Iron Man) was part of the movie, and a rival for the woman's affection.  It actually explains where he gets the power for the suit he eventually makes.  I hated the ending however.  I wanted him to get the girl, not end up frozen for 70 years.  And so for this movie a mild recommendation.