Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer 3

The new trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is here! And you can watch it above. After much deliberation, I have decided to not watch the trailer for the same reasons why I avoided the trailers for Age of Ultron. Without any preconceived notions and expectations, my experience of the film will be free of any influences. Few things are more enjoyable than being truly surprised, and that is what I am hoping for with this new Star Wars film. With that said, if you want to watch it, do so! In the meantime, to countdown to the film's release, I will be writing several lists of Star Wars' best characters, stories, video games, and more! Expect to see those in the coming months, as well as a post outlining what to expect in those posts.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Jungle Book Teaser Trailer Review

The Jungle Book, yet another live-action telling of a classic story by Disney, and from the trailer, this appears to be a darker take on the story. While many of their latest retellings have been alright, The Jungle Book's cast is what makes me intrigued. Just look at cast listing: Bill Murray, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba, Lupita Nyong'o, Scarlett Johansson, and Christopher Walken! And Iron Man director, Jon Favreau, is behind the camera, so this is shaping up to have potential. My impressions from the trailer is that the voices for the animals seem a bit strange since Scarlett Johansson's voice sounds strangely disembodied as she narrates the trailer. It lacks the correct atmosphere and background sound to prevent it from sounding like she is speaking in a vacuum. Otherwise, the CGI looks surprisingly good for an early trailer. Much of the film's success likely hinges on the performance of child actor, Neel. Another possible issue is that Disney's recent trailers for these types of films give the false impression of a dark and serious take, while the final product is very much a family film.

Fascinately, another Jungle Book adaptation, Jungle Book: Origins, is set to release in 2017, and it is directed by Andy Serkis and stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Christian Bale, and Cate Blanchett to name a few. So, which will be the better? We will have to find out! What do you think? Please comment below and let me know.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Movie Music and More #12: "Cinderella" (2015)

Hamlette here again, ready to share another awesome soundtrack with you.  This time, it's my newest acquisition, Patrick Doyle's soaring score for Cinderella (2015).  Doyle is one of my favorite film composers, and he definitely did not disappoint me here.

A movie crammed with lush, vibrant detail like this one demands an equally glorious score, and Doyle delivers exactly that.  He tends to favor richly orchestral music, which fits perfectly with this fairy tale world.  Here is one of my two favorite tracks -- I love how it combines a simple, innocent theme with a bolder, richer one.  A lovely musical picture of humble Cinderella joining her famous prince.  I also love that this track includes a little of the song "Lavender's Blue," because that song is really important to the movie's plot.  I do wish there was a vocal version on the soundtrack, but at least it's here a little, beginning at 2:14.

My other favorite track is "Pumpkin Pursuit."  It has all the excitement you'd expect for a good chase scene, with an eager strings section that carries things merrily along.  At the very beginning, it utilizes this little 4-note theme that sounds like the word "Cinderella," and I absolutely love that theme.

In fact, I really wanted that 4-note "Cinderella" theme to be on the soundtrack more because it's used in a beautiful song for one of the trailers.  Happily, you can buy that song as an mp3 single called "Aeon," which I did.  You can listen to it here, and I definitely recommend it because it's such an emotionally evocative track, at least for me.  

That's all for today, folks!

Double Features: Ghibli and Disney Paired by Jamie

Hey, it's me Jamie again! I love animation and I've recently watched a lot of the Studio Ghibli movies, so this has post idea has been at the forefront of my mind the past few weeks (thank you to James, who helped me discover the company and get into it!) Every once and awhile there's enough time for a double feature, so that's what this list is for. Five sets of movies I would watch together on a lazy day.

Before we begin I did want to say one thing: It would be very easy to write a post all about comparing the big names in animation; Disney vs Dreamworks, Dreamworks Vs Pixar, and Ghibli Vs Disney. I mean, we've all done it at some point I'm sure. However, I sometimes get tired of having to pick sides. All the big names have good and not-so-good films, so do I have to pick who I think is best or who I like best every time I discover a new studio?! No, I don't. So, today I wanted give you five Studio Ghibli films paired to Disney films and not pit them against each other. If you're here for me to say which is better, you're not going to find that here today.

Book Adaption: Ponyo and The Little Mermaid

I find it fascinating that these two movies are different versions of the same story. They're both very different from each other, but I find that makes it more interesting to compare. The Little Mermaid delivers a conflict driven plot while Ponyo is almost a bit more of a slice-of-life with the fantasy element, they both give interesting renditions of Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. Between the two, I do personally prefer Ponyo as the animation was crazy gorgeous in that movie, but The Little Mermaid features Ursula the sea witch, who is among my top ten most favorite Disney villains of all time. (If you want, you can also call this Ocean Adventures and throw Finding Nemo into the mix if you really really want.)

The Whacky and Weird: Spirited Away and Alice in Wonderland

I feel as though being on drugs must be similar to living in one of these worlds. Personally, I didn't click with either of them, but when I was creating this post there was no way I wasn't going to pass up a chance to pair these two. Spirited Away was plain weird but in a intriguing sort of way, I'll admit. And it did win an Oscar. :) Alice in Wonderland was weird-borderline-creepy. But, I could totally see myself watching these on a funky day where they could be very complimentary. Some quick pros: they both feature female leads, never ending, interesting side-characters, and interesting fantasy worlds. So, not bad. Just weird.

Children's Adventures: Castle in the Sky and Peter Pan

For our little ones or siblings--or even just the child within us--I have a couple of great adventures here. Studio Ghibli's first film (if you're not counting Nausicaa) and Disney's magical Peter Pan delivers the youthful spirit of adventure in different ways that both work. Castle in the Sky has a more 'kiddy' feel than some of their other movies but it's a good, fun type of 'kiddy' feel--with airplanes, pirates and magic--it's one I wish I'd gotten to see growing up. Peter Pan has a more timeless feel to it but still about a few kids who's world just got a bit bigger, also with pirates and flying and magic. :) I would definitely watch these two with my seven year old brother sometime myself.

Teeny Tiny: The Secret World of Arrietty and A Bug's Life

I know, A Bug's Life is a Pixar movie, but how was I NOT going to pair these up?! Worlds we thought we already knew--ant hills and our own homes--are looked at from a completely different angle in these films! The Secret World of Arrietty was my first Studio Ghibli film and I absolutely loved it. It's not an adventure with an epic conclusion or anything, it simply makes a familiar world feel very magical and fascinating. And as to A Bug's Life; I'm one of the people of thinks A Bug's Life is underrated. It delivers miniature adventurers on a grand scale, even if the formula has become overused. I just really like the perspective of the world we're given in both these films quite a lot. 

Heart-Tuggingly Timeless: My Neighbor Totoro and Bambi

Honestly, there are few animated films that can match what is My Neighbor Totoro, with one of the most perfect displays of sisterhood that I have ever seen in film and the simple magic of childhood. However the same could be said for Bambi, with it's steady gaze over the forest's most dearest creatures and their lives growing up. Both are tenderhearted tales, filled with genuine "my heart is smiling!" moments and beautiful animation that really help set their worlds up on two strong feet. Don't get me wrong, they're very different from each other; but they both deliver steady, timeless storytelling that should live on for ages to come.

I love animation dearly; I didn't get to grow up with very much of it, so I'm still trying to get my fill even now!  If you've reached the end of this post, you probably like animation too! You can get to know me better over at my blog Through Two Blue Eyes sometime if you'd like. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!

~Jamie

Thanks Jamie for another wonderful guest post!