I've Met The Robinsons

A few weeks ago I was Disney's latest movie, Meet the Robinsons. I thought it was a good, but not great movie. With so many horror movies showing up in theaters, with each one trying to be more evil and more gory than the last, it is nice to be able to see movie that I, my wife and young son can all enjoy together. Looking at it from that perspective, it was a great movie!

A real treat and surprise for me is that there was an actual classic Disney short that preceded the movie. Apparently the short you see depends on where you see it. The one we had was the 1938 classic, Boat Builders. The cartoon is about Mickey, Donald, and Goofy assembling a boat from a kit that is so easy, "even a child can do it!" Mishaps ensure, of course...

The feature presentation was also very entertaining. I won't rehash the storyline since you can learn about that at many many other Web sites. My own perspective is that is the best non-Pixar Disney animated movie since Lilo & Stitch. This isn't exactly the strongest compliment, but it is a huge step in the right direction after the horrific Chicken Little, Treasure Planet, and Atlantis.

The film has heart warming and heart-breaking segments that work very well. The biggest problem I had was the segment where Lewis (the main protagonist) meets the futuristic family. The pace is so frenetic that only people with severe attention-deficit disorder could follow it. I don't understand why Disney feels its necessary to have such a chaotic and breakneck pace. It really took me out of the movie!

Also, a word of warning if you are bringing a little one with you to this movie. The attack of the Tyrannosaurus Rex is very intense. Also, an alternate future filled with zombies and dark industrialized cities can be very scary.

The movie does provide some good moral messages of caring for others, not letting the fear of failure overpower you, and forgiveness. The movie has a surprising but low key ending that will tug at the heartstrings of any die-hard Disney fan.

All in all, it is a fine family film that is worth seeing, but not necessarily owning on DVD.

Star Wars Fun

I've had a bunch of Star Wars-related links to the left of my blog for awhile now. But, I thought I'd highlight them, as well as some new ones, in a new blog entry. If you know me at all, you know that I am a Star Wars geek. Granted my fandom had been latent until rumors surfaced that the prequels were going to made! Now with the last of the movies finished and the two new television series on the horizon, I have rekindled my interest in all things Star Wars.

2007 is an especially significant year since it marks the thirtieth anniversary of the release of Episode IV: A New Hope in theaters. There will be plenty of events to celebrate this anniversary. It started with two Star Wars floats in the Rose Bowl Parade in early January this year (including the appearance of many members of the 501st Legion). On May 25th, the Post Office will release a sheet of Star Wars stamps. You can even go to their Web site and vote for your favorite Star Wars stamp. The winner will get his/her/their own sheet!

One thing that I really hate missing is Celebration IV. It is the mother of all Star Wars conventions that is being held in Los Angeles. There will be over 30 Star Wars actors present, including Anthony Daniels and Carrie Fisher, tons of booths, activities, shows, and event exclusives like action figures based on Ralph McQuarrie's original designs.

There are sure to be many more events before this year is out. I will keep you posted...

If you want to listen to a fantastic podcast on all things related to Star Wars, you have to check out The Forcecast. This is the official podcast of two major (but unofficial) Web sites: The Force.Net and Rebelscum.Com. Jason and Pete really work well together and their love of Star Wars really shines through. Plus, they both have a great sense of humor, which makes it even better! They even have their own channel over at You Tube. Take a look at Lando Endorses the Forcecast!

Speaking of You Tube, there are some hilarious Star Wars-related videos over there:

Simpsons Duel - This is a parody of lightsaber duel between those ancient enemies of Bart Simpson and Principal Skinner. They even have the soundtrack of Duel of the Fates!

Star Wars Ragtime Piano - I am also a big Disney fan, so I was happy to discover this video of a ragtime piano player on Main Street in the Magic Kingdom doing Star Wars tunes.

Vader Being Wise Guy - Who ever did this video is either a film editor or should be given a job as one. The comedic timing is perfect and, unless you know the movies by heart like I do, you can't tell that the scene wasn't real!

Vader Calls Palpatine - This is a great what-if parody. What if we saw the scene of Vader telling Emperor Palpatine that the first Death Star was blown up. Hilarious!

Nashville Predators at a Crossroads

The sting of yet another first round playoff exit is still being felt by many NHL Nashville Predator fans and players. A season that had so much promise, a team with superstar and youthful talent, with the third best regular season record in the league, ended in disaster with a five game elimination at the hand the San Jose Sharks. Now with Forsberg possibly retiring from the NHL for good, many high profile players becoming free agents, and the coaching staff with expiring contracts, everyone is wondering what to do next.

Rumors of the team re-locating to another city have been consistently squelched by the front office and team owner Craig Leipold. Yet, we all know that it is hard to sell-out a game in the Music City due to the lack of support from the business sector. The arena no longer has a name since Gaylord Entertainment failed to live up to its contract. Leipold has been looking for someone to take a minority ownership in the club. A strong playoff run would have been a huge boost in support as has been demonstrated in other Southern cities like Carolina and Tampa Bay. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.

Another question is who is to blame for this third lousy outing into the post-season. Can Trotz and his staff coach an NHL-playoff contending team? Or is it general manager David Poile's player choices for small and fast players ill-suited for the post-season. Clearly there is plenty of blame to go around.

The summer of 2007 will be a season of soul-searching as the team tries to find an identity that can compete in the post-season, fill seats in the Nashville Arena, and contend for Lord Stanley's cup.