Many a child has dreamt of being a movie star. I suppose even some adults do have these dreams. While only a very small percentage of these dreamers will ever get to live their fantasies, we can have a taste of the life behind the movies in Universal Studios theme parks!
Universal Studios Hollywood has been dubbed the “Entertainment Capital of L.A.” for good reason. Visitors can have a blast at the theme park, tour the studios where some of the greatest movies were filmed, and experience Hollywood at its best. They always have something new to offer, and since Halloween is coming up, one of the most looked forward to events is Halloween Horror Nights. Some of the most popular attractions are the mazes (all new!), the terror tram, and more scare zones.
There is also a Universal Studios site in Orlando, which also offers Halloween Horror Nights. There are two theme parks, Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. They are both unique in their own and offer totally different adventures. Needless to say, you have to visit both theme parks to get the complete Universal studios experience!
Did you know that there is also Universal Studios Theme Park in Japan? Yup, for those who are in the eastern part of the world, the Universal Studios experience is within reach. This theme park has the best ride attractions: Hollywood Dream, The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman, and Jurassic Park. It also has shows such as the Magical Starlight Parade, Peter Pan’s Neverland, and Wicked (Wizard of Oz). If you are planning to visit Universal Studios Japan, you do not have to worry about hotels. Just visit the comprehensive list of hotels near the park that Japanican has put together.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
“Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince” is just around the corner and muggles worldwide are all breathless with expectation. I won’t be recounting any of the past Harry Potter films nor going to be giving a synopsis of what this film will be about (If you don’t know yet then just grab a copy of the book.) but will be simply blabbing about the latest in the lives of the Potter film stars.
As we all know Emma Watson had a very public fiasco when the wind conspired with her hormone ridden teenage boys fans and flicked open her dress for her to reveal nice long legs and her underwear. She showed “Hermione-like” calmness on David Letterman and good humour when she said, “At least I’m wearing underwear.” When it comes to her kissing scene with Rupert Grint (Ron Weasly) both of them agree was uncomfortable. As Rupert said, “I remember being inches away from her lips and thinking, ‘Good lord, this is going to be strange.” Emma Watson even goes as far as saying that with Rupert being “like a brother” to her kissing him “felt like incest.” A thing the little kids who will be watching (I think this one’s rated PG and not PG-13 like the last two films.) need not know. Whatever the case, you can be sure their unease won’t show on screen. Of course we’ll have to wait for “Deathly Hallows” till we see this scene.
As for their future beyond the Harry Potter films Daniel Radcliffe has expressed his desire to continue acting, Emma Watson is not yet sure though she seems to be seriously considering on going to college, and Rupert Grint is just sure that he’ll be missing the shoots and is adopting a wait and see attitude on what the future holds for him.
As for muggles worldwide all we can hope for is that wherever you are, come Wednesday, it won’t be literally raining on our parade, which is what happened in the London premiere. I guess it just goes to show that their magic wand works only in the film and not in real life.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
The Ice Age will be back tomorrow and we hope for everyone involved sakes that it will be received warmly. To be honest I am not a fan of Ice Age but since this one’s in 3D and I promised my dad just this weekend that I’ll be bringing my nephew to the next 3D movie then I just might see this (cross my fingers they don’t decide to come by and visit till Ice Age is out of the cinemas). Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t like it at all but I’d rather spend my money on other movies that would be more enjoyable for me. Of course, it’s called selfishness. Anyway here’s what the makers say you expect if you do decide to watch Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.
There’ll be dinosaurs – Quite obvious from the title. This is scientifically erroneous since dinosaurs were no longer around during the real ice age so start explaining that it’s only in the cartoons that those mammals coexisted with those dinosaurs.
Better animation that the first two Ice Age movies – Again this should be pretty obvious since a 3D film would have better animation. So at least the 3D aspect will surely provide entertainment value.
The laughter meter – It might not be that funny but according to Roger Moore of Orlando Sentinel some of the jokes worked mostly thanks to Scratte (voice of Karen Disher). According to Ella Taylor of the Houston Press though, “there’s no breathing life into a formula that ought to have bowed out gracefully while the going was good.” Ouch! So don’t expect too much but try to keep it positive so you can still enjoy the movie.
Toy Story 3 Trailer Now Out
I can’t believe that the first Toy Story came out FOURTEEN YEARS AGO. Boy, does that make me feel old!
Toy Story 3 is coming and it’s trailer premiered on Entertainment Tonight.
What’s new with this movie is that it will be in 3D. Knowing Pixar we can prepare for one hell of a 3D experience. Story-wise the writers didn’t do a cop out and made sure they came up with a very interesting albeit somewhat upsetting storyline. Like the little kids who first watched the movie 14 years ago Andy has grown up and is going off to college. This leaves Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toys no space in his life. Fortunately or unfortunately, we don’t know yet which until we see the movie or Disney releases another trailer that will actually reveal something about the story, Andy decides to leave the toys in a daycare center where other kids can get to play with them. From that we can only imagine all the kind of kids the toys can encounter and all the adventures the toys can have.
If you have any kids or enjoyed the movie a decade ago this is one movie to watch out for. The movie is set to be released on June 2010 so there’s plenty of time to wait. In the meantime you can watch the latest Toy Story 3 teaser trailer though you won’t get much there because it doesn’t show anything about the story. Something we’re used to when it comes to Pixar trailers. Enjoy!
Mixed Feelings on Night at the Museum 2
It’s been quite some time since I’ve been to a movie theatre packed with kids and I must say that I did enjoy hearing them laugh. I think I enjoyed the sound of laughter more than I did the movie. That doesn’t mean though that Night at the Museum 2 wasn’t funny because it did have some good moments even if I did have to fight boredom towards the middle of the film. Thankfully Kahmunrah was there to destroy the world and save the movie because for me he provided the biggest laughs. Hank Azaria really did a great job with all the three characters he played, i.e. Kahmunrah, The Thinker, Abe Lincoln. The rest of the cast did their jobs pretty well too though I was a bit disappointed with how little they made use of Robin William’s talent.
As for the plot of the story there isn’t much you can say about it because there’s really not much of a story beyond Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) running around, in, and under the Smithsonian trying to save his wax friends and the world from Kahmunrah. The attempt to add depth to the story by giving us a lesson on doing what we love was more like an afterthought just so we can say that the movie had a story beyond trying to get some good laughs out of the audience. The ending was fun but ruined by the oh so corny appearance of the reincarnation/complete opposite of Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams).
All in all the movie was funny enough but I could have lived without seeing it on the big screen.