FILMonBLU-RAY: Tangled (Review)

Tangled
2010 - Walt Disney Pictures
Released on Blu-Ray & DVD on March 29, 2011

# of Discs: 2 (Blu-Ray, DVD)
Runtime: 100 Minutes

For it's fiftieth full-length animated feature film, Disney presents a new twist on one of the oldest fairytales ever told. Tangled focuses on Rapunzel (Mandy Moore), a girl with long magical hair that is forced by her mother to live her life trapped in an isolated tower.

Her only wish is to see in person the floating lights in the sky that only appear on her birthday. Enter thief Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), who needs a place to hide after stealing the tiara of the lost princess and double crossing his accomplices. He finds Rapunzel's tower and Rapunzel realizes he is the chance to leave the tower she was waiting for.

The best moments happen during Rapunzel and Flynn's journey that takes them away from the hidden tower. Their first stop is a rowdy pub called the Snuggly Duckling. There they meet a cast of characters that are both unique and properly rounded out despite their labeled appearances. The interaction leads to a fantastic musical number, "I've Got a Dream" between Rapunzel, Flynn and the pub-goers. There is also a fantastic dance scene once they arrive at the kingdom that Rapunzel starts with all of the villagers in the street. The special features mention that the scene is the biggest crowd scene in a Disney animated film with over three thousand CG characters. The previous largest crowd scene had been in 1995's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. But the most breathtaking moment in the movie may just have to be when Flynn and Rapunzel go out into the water to witness the floating lights and sing "I See the Light".

The extras that come with the movie include three deleted scenes, which is a rarity in animated films due to the cost producing animation usually anything produced makes it into the final film. The unfinished scenes presented here include different versions of the film's beginning using a storybook introduction for Tangled that the directors were experimenting with to give the movie a classic Disney feel to it. There are also two songs extended, Rapunzel's "When Will My Life Begin" which starts off Tangled and Mother Gothel's "Mother Knows Best", a wickedly delicious song from the film's villain.

But the highlight of the special features might be the making of featurette "The Making of a Fairy Tale" hosted by the film's stars, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi. With Mandy's adorableness and Zachary's charm, they entertain viewers with Disney trivia and facts while sharing behind the scenes segments on Tangled with the directors, animators and voice actors.

Very few movies can replicate the theater experience but watching Tangled on Blu-Ray was just as wondrous as seeing it in 3D theaters. It is easily the most beautiful looking animated movie I have seen, animation and Disney fans alike should flock to stores and pick up a copy of Tangled on Blu-Ray. It is well worth the purchase and I expect it to quickly become one of the most watched films in my collection.

Look to buy Tangled Blu-Ray over at Amazon for only $17.99.

COMIC: Top of the Stack - Tiny Titans #38 (Review)

Written by Art Baltazar & Franco Aureliani
Art by Art Baltazar
Cover by Art Baltazar

Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99

Youth was a big theme during the third week of March's comic book releases. Adventure Comics had the Legion Academy in its pages, the Avengers Academy title also came out, as well as the side book to Avengers Children's Crusade featuring the Young Avengers, the current young mutants book - Generation Hope and the next issue of DC's Young Justice companion book. But despite the crowd of minors, there was still the veteran of the kids pack to deal with - Tiny Titans - and in the end the pure fun the series brings distanced itself from the others.

Baltazar and Franco, the creative team for Tiny Titans continues to hit the ball out of the park when it comes to spinning tales with these characters. They have this way of telling simple stories in a fun and exciting way that appeals to both young and old readers alike. And the balance in their story design makes it so the book is a constant good read no matter which characters are in the issue, like this one where regulars like Supergirl do not show up but that does not take away from the story one bit.

This issue of Tiny Titans shifts the focus of the book from the regular cast of Tiny Titans to the water-based members of the group. Aqualad and Lagoon Boy go swimming and meet Aquagirl, her super hero team and their pets. There is also cameos by Starro, Batcow and Atlantis has to deal with a wet pants epidemic. Deliciously funny moments once again in the pages of Tiny Titans.

Baltazar continues to be stellar with his art on the book. The cover with Lagoon Boy, Aqualad and Aquagirl is cute and fun to look at and stands out on the shelf. The best thing about the Tiny Titans style is that any character that gets brought into the universe for the first time looks like they were always a part of the book and brings the energy onto the page like previous characters. Every panel flows with the story and the quality brought is so great I would not minding seeing an absolute version of Tiny Titans someday.

Tiny Titans is becoming a regular top of the stack winner lately with its last two issues and it always seems to be one of my favorite books to read month in and month out. As long as Baltazar and Franco continue to be the creative force behind the book I don't see my enjoyment of the title changing anytime soon. It is always one of the first books I mention when recommending people on titles to try out. The brilliance of this comic should not be contained to just pages and I hope that in the future DC can turn it into an animated series.

FILM: Living the Dream - Tangled (Review)

Two decades ago, Disney Animation entered a golden age of feature film releases with the likes of Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. One decade later, the sun began to set on Disney's animated hits leading to an eventual philosophical change in 2006 when Pixar was bought and the minds in charge of that studio were brought in to run Walt Disney Animation Studios.

And now, after putting finishing touches and improving the quality of Disney Animation feature films like Meet the Robinsons, Bolt, Princess and the Frog, the product has been taken to a new level with their latest release, "Tangled", which also happens to be the fiftieth Disney animated feature produced.

Directed by Nathan Greno ("Meet the Robinsons" screenplay writer) and Byron Howard ("Bolt"), "Tangled", like Princess and the Frog, is a return to Disney's wheelhouse - a princess fairytale. "Tangled" is based off of the German tale "Rapunzel", about a girl who is forced to live in a tower by an enchantress that took her from her parents and she has incredibly long hair and meets a prince.

With Disney's version, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is a lost princess living in a hidden tower with who she believes is her mother. Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy) actually kidnapped Rapunzel from her parents, the king and queen, because of the magical abilities contained in her hair. Along comes the thief, Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi), who has just stolen the tiara of the missing princess and needs a place to hide from the kingdom guards and the accomplices he double crossed. Rapunzel has a wish to see the floating lights that always appear only on her birthday and sees Rider as an opportunity to do just that and that is where the fun begins.

In the classic style of Disney, "Tangled" is an animated musical and as such the main characters were cast brilliantly. Musician and actress Mandy Moore plays Rapunzel perfectly with the cheery attitude and peppiness for the girl's innocence along with her melodious voice for the catchy songs. The film ends up being a breakout performance for actor Zachary Levi ("Chuck"), who as Flynn Rider plays the devilishly handsome hero role well and displays a talent for singing that was never before heard from him. And to bring veteran stage actress Donna Murphy into the film to play Mother Gothel might be the film's smartest move. Her voice captures the wickedness needed for a Disney villain and her singing takes the film to the next level.

The most magical part of the film may have to be the look and feel of it. It is by far one of the most beautiful animated movies I have ever seen, and very smartly they seemed to mold the design of the main characters to reflect the actors that voice them. Along with Pascal, the cute chameleon who at the beginning is Rapunzel's only friend, and Maximus, the kingdom guard horse that eventually becomes an ally to Flynn Rider thanks to Rapunzel, the film is filled with fabulously designed characters to fill out the supporting cast of "Tangled".

Any animation or Disney fan should immediately go out and see "Tangled" because you will not be disappointed. It is unfortunate that the film came out in a year where Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon had already wowed audiences and will probably be considered underrated as a result but in every respect this film matches their level of quality and entertainment. In my eyes it is an instant Disney classic that I will repeatedly rewatch in the future endlessly. It is worth a look without a doubt.

TV: Smallville the Final Season Mid-Season Reflections + Finale Trailer (Commentary)

With six hours left to air in Smallville's final season starting with tonight's episode, "Kent", it felt like the right time to look back at season ten so far and see how the show has lived up to expectations and leave some final hopes for what is left to come in the last episodes.


Back in August before the Fall TV season started, a season ten wishlist was posted here on GeekPlate and now it is time to see which of those dreams have come true so far.

"#10 Clark & Tess - I would like to see a relationship between Clark and Tess to happen either due to both being under a spell or because of the situation they are in." CHECK. While it was not the regular characters, this coupling did occur thanks to the alternate Clark/Tess that existed in episode ten "Luthor". Anytime Tom Welling and Cassidy Freeman can share the screen is bonus, and to add the twist of intimacy with these alternate characters just increases the entertainment factor. Expect a return to these waters in "Kent".

"9 Bruce Wayne/Graysons & 8 Wonder Woman - I would enjoy it if they were willing to at least mention Bruce Wayne in passing/I think it would be fun if they had the circus come to Metropolis in an episode and had Clark watch a young acrobat couple, The Flying Graysons. & I would love to see the interpretation of Diana for the Smallville universe." CHECK. CHECK. Ignoring the Graysons wish that was an extreme long shot, the Bruce mention did happen and Wonder Woman came along for the ride. In the episode "Fortune", Chloe says to Clark, "I have met several others like you - a billionaire with high tech toys and a wondrous woman who's gonna throw you for a loop."

"7 Directing - I think what would be awesome for the final season is if they allowed all of the actors that have directed an episode over the series' run to come back and direct an episode of season ten." CHECK? All of the actors directing might have been asking too much, but Tom did direct an episode "Patriot" and in the final few episodes yet to air Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen) will be making his directing debut.

"6 Guest Star Arcs - I would like to see in the final season guest stars get more than one episode to explore their character." CHECK? Not quite what I was expecting but this season has so far brought multiple episode appearances by Lionel Luthor ("Luthor", "Beacon", "Scion"), Alexander/Conner (Played by 3 actors "Lazarus", "Isis", "Harvest", "Beacon", "Scion"), Rick Flagg ("Lazarus", "Shield", "Ambush", "Collateral"), Slade Wilson ("Patriot", "Icarus"), Desaad ("Abandoned", "Masquerade"), Carter Hall ("Shield", "Icarus"), Jonathan Kent ("Lazarus", "Kent") and the final few episodes will include a second appearance this season from Supergirl.

"5 More Interconnectivity - how the characters on the show used to interact with each other a lot more without needing Clark to be there." CHECK? This is something that is made more difficult this season with such a small regular cast but to my enjoyment there have been many scenes with Tess and Lois, and when Chloe returned right before this last hiatus she and Lois had some classic Chlo-Lo scenes as referred to by the fandom.

"4 Diversified Cast - the disappearance of different age groups involved in the cast." FAIL. I really thought this would be one of the first wishes to happen but it seems the show went against growing the supporting cast to focus on the story and returning guest stars. Mia, Zan & Jayna have not appeared nor been mentioned once, the same goes for John Jones with only Perry White having had a few mentions. Scant appearances by returning guest stars Lionel Luthor, Martha and Jonathan Kent have represented the older generation, and the newcomer Conner Kent is the sole youth character this season.

"3 Return to the Red and Blue - As nice as it was for Clark to be wearing the House of El crest in season nine, it came at the suffering of his signature color scheme which went dreadfully gray and dark." CHECK. Not only have primary colors been returned to Clark's wardrobe, but his Blur persona got a brand new red jacket with the House of El crest on the front in "Shield". Brilliant and most welcome style choices this season. Not to mention Conner wearing the flannel in "Scion".

"2 Cast Reunion/Retrospective for DVD" INCOMPLETE. It is still too early for this wish as the season is still ongoing but given the fan support this season and the focus of creating a great season I still hold out hope that they will be able to wrangle everyone together for one day to reflect on the show, their experiences on it and how things/actors changed/developed over the years.

"1 Chloe Sullivan - my sincere hope is that she is in the final episode - would be nice to have her in episode 200 as well - and maybe even in the final scene of the series." CHECK? At the time of the wishlist the rumors around Allison Mack's character Chloe Sullivan was that she would only be in a handful of episodes. While for the most part that was true, the show did its best to keep her presence around, showing photographs, flashbacks, and texts when possible. It was disappointing that she could not be in "Homecoming" and that they restricted story possibilities with Oliver by continuing their romance even while she was away but her return arc of episodes were all entertaining and true to her character. Now just the finale awaits, which she is confirmed to be in.

OUT OF 10 WISHES: 8 SATISFIED, 1 FAIL, 1 INCOMPLETE

That is an amazing result for a list made before the season when I had no idea what would take place and probably why I have thought this final season so far has been outstanding and enjoyed it so much.

With five episodes left counting "Kent", there are only simple hopes for the rest of the final season of Smallville: more guest stars, the suit, flight, Luthor involvement and a finale as timeless as the pilot that created the series. No Darkseid need apply.

Here is the CW trailer for the two-hour Smallville series finale:

FILM: Detailed Look at Green Lantern (News)

Warner Bros. got off to a rough start with its promotional direction for the upcoming Green Lantern movie when the first trailer was unveiled back in November. Fast forward to now with the studio continuing to repair the movie's image first with positive feedback from fans at WonderCon where twelve minutes of film footage was previewed and now with the release of new hi-res images of Ryan Reynolds in the finished Green Lantern costume.


Using the power of CG technology to create the mystical costume of Hal Jordan, Warner Bros. is going in a new, previously unexplored direction for superhero films. The result? A unique look and feel to a character and film that is different from any other previous comic book franchise that has been brought to the silver screen.

Green Lantern lights up theaters on June 17, 2011.

FILMonBLU-RAY: The Chronicles of Narnia - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (Review)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
2010 - 20th Century Fox
Released on Blu-Ray & DVD on April 8, 2011

# of Discs: 3 (Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital Copy)
Runtime: 113 minutes

The third film set in the magical world from C.S. Lewis' fantasy books, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader takes place three years after the events of Prince Caspian and brings back Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley) to the world of Narnia. This time around their crabby cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) comes along when the three are swallowed into a painting back to Narnia where they join King Caspian (Ben Barnes) and crew on the magnificent Dawn Treader. They find themselves on a wondrous journey through uncharted seas, mysterious islands and confront their very own fears to save Narnia once again.

Much of the story has the characters traveling on the Dawn Treader, a majestically designed ship that was the clear focal point for the film. They visit several islands on their journey to rescue the seven Lords of Narnia that were once banished, each island with its own look and problems. The Lone Islands is their first stop where they battle slave traders and become aware of a mysterious green mist that people were being sacrificed to. Later islands reveal a magical pool that transforms anything it touches into gold, cursed treasure that turns Eustace into a dragon and Aslan's Table where three of the lost lords sit in a spelled sleep.

Much like the characters' zigzag journey, the navigation for the special features disc is much the same. It is a cute idea to separate the features with a map display of the islands the characters visit, something I have seen before on older DVDs like Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but it is also a frustrating method to use to get around. Without a detailed explanation of what each extra is and where it is to be found, users are left wandering aimlessly and having to guess at the titles of the extras as to what content is held inside.

The packaging is very much like the navigation of the special features, an original design that veers away from the typical Blu-Ray case and instead the cardboard structure has folds with sleeves where sit the discs on each side and the middle holds a selection postcards with photos from the film.

Whether it is a result of knowing that Disney was no longer involved with the film series or not, there was a definite look and feel to the Voyage of the Dawn Treader that was different from its predecessors. Despite the film nearly being two hours in length, the story felt like it needed ten to fifteen more minutes to help support some of the character developments that happen between Lucy and her sense of self and with Edmund and Caspian.

Having not read the book I cannot speak towards the adapting of the story, but some points like the Dufflepud characters seemed more silly and pointless than useful to the story or the main characters. Eustace was wonderfully portrayed as an annoying boy, and that made the transformation of his character along with the bonding to Reepicheep that much more compelling. Fans of the previous films should find this next chapter in the story an interesting watch as well as fans of actors Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley, who have both matured as actors and shine in this film with their elevated roles.


Look to buy The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Blu-Ray over at Amazon for only $19.99.
Check out GeekPlate's Tumblr for today's The Chronicles of Narnia themed picspam.

TV: Cartoon Network's Thundercats Trailer (News)

Momentum continues to build for Cartoon Network's upcoming franchise relaunch of Thundercats with the first trailer of the new animated series that was shown at WonderCon this past weekend released online today.


Fans of the franchise will recognize many characters from the original series in the trailer interpreted in the new style of the show along with several of the newer aspects this new series brings to the story.

Thundercats is scheduled to premiere this fall on Cartoon Network.