Movie Review: The Princess and the Frog

Ahhh, traditional Disney animation, something you don't see too often these days, what with computer animation being so dominant. Good Lord, I sound old right there, but who cares? It's my blog. I grew up during something of a golden age in Disney animation with movies like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King, so I was excited when I head the Mouse House was releasing a return to form after a long stretch of Pixar movies (not that I'm complaining about those).

As far as The Princess and the Frog goes, let me cut to the chase: loved it, loved everything about it. I saw it the first day it was widely released, and it met every expectation I could've possibly had.

The animation was rich and lush, an explosion of color bringing New Orleans and the Bayou to life. Original songs by Randy Newman had me humming for days afterwards. The characters were memorable, be they lovable (Ray the love sick firefly) or menacing (Doctor Facilier, the Voodoo witch doctor with some real malice behind him) and a great cast to bring them to life, like Anika Noni Rose as Tiana...sigh.

It was very much like the movies I loved as a kid, but this film somehow seemed more adult to me. Not only did Tiana have to work to buy her own restaurant (starting her own business...not a plot point generally seen in a kids movie), it also tackled issues like the difference between what you want and what you need, which is a big concept for someone young to grasp.

My verdict: Go see it. Now! Never mind it's a "kids" movie, go see it.

Glee: New Directions finally make it to sectionals!

Well fellow Gleeks, the kids from New Directions finally made it to sectionals the other night, and thus heralds the end of the fall season of Glee and another long wait until we see new episodes. I'm serious, we have to wait until April, what's that about? Stupid American Idol! But what a finale "Sectionals" was!

Secrets revealed? Check. Backstabbing? You betcha. Nail biting? Uh huh. A cliffhanger? A romantic one. It hit all the major points a finale should.

But aside from that it was just satisfying in so many ways. It was great to see Finn bounce back, after finding out that all the hell he was put through by Quinn and Puck was all a lie, and rejoin his team in time for the show. The business with Will and Emma makes for a lot of speculation until the shows return (how did you feel about it?) Sue got what was coming to her and you just know she'll be back in full force come April (God help them all).

But the real pleasure was seeing New Directions pull together after the competing schools got pulled into Sue's web of evil and cheated on their performances, forcing the kids to choose new songs on the fly and blow those cheaters out of the water with sheer talent. Unrealistic? Perhaps, but man was it awesome to see.

So what do we think will happen in the spring? How will Will and Emma fair? What will happen to Quinn now? Will New Directions make it to regionals? Damn Fox for making us wait! But at least the first 13 episodes will be in DVD December 28th, which will hopefully tide us over.

Twilight Hater...And Proud of It!

Firstly, December is here! Now everyone can go nuts with the Christmas season and I won't say a word. Heck, I'll even join you!

But back to my main point; I hate this whole Twilight fad. Hate it! Hate just about everything about it. Now as you may have noticed if you're a regular reader I love vampire fiction...but I hate this. Hate that it's so popular. Hate that it's giving vampires a bad name. Just...oooohhhh.

Some of you may be screaming 'NOOOOOOO! How can someone hate Twilight? It's so awesome, it's the best thing ever!' Or at the very least you might be thinking 'Hey it's not Keats but it's not that bad either; why the strong negative feelings?' And look there are some things I'm so crazy about that I can't understand why someone wouldn't like it, so I get where you're coming from. But, in a rare moment of zen, we have to realize that nobody can like everything (and if they say they do they're lying scum). And if you'd be so kind to indulge me, I'd like to take this oportunity to vent my frustration at this obnoxious fad (I can call it that, it's my blog).

So be more specific? Well, I hate Bella Swan. She's a whiny little wuss who lets her life and identity be consumed by a man. Even if he is a gorgeous, mystical, sparkly, slightly thrilling man, that don't make it right. There were a few recent articles at EW that make a great argument for Edward's stalkerish and potentially abusive behavior (see here and here).

And speaking of Edward, as the wise and vampire-savy authors at the discussion panel I attended at Fan Expo pointed out, why on earth would Stephanie Meyer make Edward a vampire if there's no bite to him, or at least not enough to make him truly dangerous. Sure, he might try to kill Bella...but chances are he probably won't. Boooooring!

Plus, real vampires DON'T SPARKLE! I understand taking liberties with vampire mythology, and Dracula was able to walk around in the daylight, so that's not the issue. But Dracula didn't sparkle. Know why? Because he was a REAL VAMPIRE! (And no I don't mean 'real' in the literal sense, I mean real in the established fiction and mythology sense)

Now I'm sure there are those out there who are saying, 'Well Al, how can you spew such venom at something you've never read or seen?' Fair point, but what you may not realize, gentle arguing reader, is that I did try reading it. At the coaxing of the teens I serve at my library I picked up the first volume and thought I'd give it a try. I made it to page 100, decided life was too short, and closed the book. My adorable, incredibly smart 18 year old cousin had assured me before hand that I'd feel like I was falling in love with Edward along with Bella. Maybe I'm looking at it from an almost 30 year old filter, but I have to disagree; I thought Edward was a jerk. And the constant back and forth dance he'd been doing with Bella up to that point was just annoying. Maybe I don't have the patience for that kind of thing at my age, though I know of many people older than me who like the series. Go figure.

Whether you agree with me or not, that is my point of view. Bring me True Blood or Buffy. That's what I'm looking for in my vampire fiction. Hell, I'll even take Van Helsing. At least their suped-up version of Dracula didn't sparkle. Feel free to cheer me on or condemn me in the comments section, your choice.