JUPITER'S CROWN

2009-12-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

In my infinite boredom and apparent goal of wasting time on useless things, I decided to compile a list of what I consider to be some of the best quotes from Disney movies. I researched and got feedback from some of my friends and this is what came out of it. The minimum qualifications were that the quote had to be spoken in a Disney film released theatrically and it could not be a quote taken from the lyrics of a song (that would be too easy as a lot famous Disney phrases come from the songs). However, if the phrase was spoken before or after the song is done, then it qualifies, such as: Hakuna Matata. Also, I was looking for quotes that would be memorable, popular, meaningful, applicable to life situations, funny and/or inspirational. Here is the list:

1. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!" (Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins)
2. "I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." (Jessica Rabbit, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
3. "Always let your conscience be your guide." (Blue Fairy, Pinocchio)
4. "Magic Mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest one of all?" (Queen, Snow White)
5. "Hakuna Matata" (Timon and Pumbaa, The Lion King)
6. "No capes." (Edna Mode, The Incredibles)
7. "T.T.F.N. Ta-Ta for now!" (Tigger, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
8. "Ohana means family, family means noboby gets left behind. Or forgotten." (Stitch, Lilo and Stitch)
9. "To infinity and beyond." (Buzz Lightyear, Toy Story)
10. "Teenagers. They think they know everything. You give them an inch, they swim all over you." (Sebastian, The Little Mermaid)
11. "Just keep swimming." (Dory, Finding Nemo)
12. "A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face." (Blue Fairy, Pinocchio)
13. "Eating greens is a special treat. It makes long ears and great big feet. But it sure is awful stuff to eat." (Thumper, Bambi)
14. "The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it." (Rafiki, The Lion King)
15. "The very things that held ya down are gonna carry ya up and up and up!" (Timothy Mouse, Dumbo)
16. "Eeeee... va?" (Wall-E, Wall-E)
17. "Kitty!" (Boo, Monsters, Inc.)
18. "I'm sorrounded by idiots." (Scar, The Lion King)
19. "All it takes is Faith and Trust." (Peter Pan, Peter Pan)
20. "Meega, nala kwishta!" (Stitch, Lilo and Stitch)
21. "The problem is I got a fifty year old lust and a three year old dinky." (Baby Herman, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
22. "Anyone can cook." (Chef Gusteau, Ratatouille)
23. "Now you shall deal with me, o prince, and all the powers of hell." (Maleficent, Sleeping Beauty)
24. "If you can't say something nice, don't say nothin' at all." (Thumper, Bambi)
25. "Fish are friends, not food." (Sharks, Finding Nemo)
26. "Treguna, Makoidees, Trecorum, Sadis Dee!" (Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
27. "Is that a rabbit in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" (Dolores, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
28. "I'd rather die tomorrow than live a hundred years without knowing you." (John Smith, Pocahontas)
29. "Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance. Like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts." (Narrator, Aladdin)
30. "Man is in the forest." (Bambi's Mother, Bambi)
31. "It happum on one ah dem Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Days. Now dat's the kinda day where you can't opem yo mouf widout a song jumpin right out of it!" (Uncle Remus, Song of the South)
32. ""But you have heard of me." (Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean)
33. "I'm watching you, Wazowski. Always watching. Always." (Roz, Monsters, Inc.)
34. "Change is nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide." (Remy, Ratatouille)
35. "I never look back, darling! It distracts from the now." (Edna Mode, The Incredibles)
36. "Parlay!" (Elizabeth, Pirates of the Caribbean)
37. "The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all." (The Emperor, Mulan)
38. "This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It's little, and broken, but still good. Yeah, still good." (Stitch, Lilo and Stitch)
39. "Let me get this straight. You know her. She knows you. But she wants to eat him. And everybody's okay with this? Did I miss something?" (Timon, The Lion King)
40. ""No! No! No!" Over and over! When you keep saying "No!" it just makes me so... Sometimes you make me so!... angry." (Giselle, Enchanted)
41. "Life's not a spectator sport. If watchin' is all you're gonna do, then you're gonna watch your life go by without ya." (Laverne, The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
42. "You can't run away from trouble. There ain't no place that far." (Uncle Remus, Song of the South)
43. "Oh bother." (Winnie the Pooh, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
44. "Come in. Come in, my child. We mustn't lurk in doorways. It's rude. One might question your upbringing." (Ursula, The Little Mermaid)
45. "I don't believe in giving animals ridiculous names. I call him Cosmic Creepers, because that's the name he came with." (Eglentine, Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
46. "Is he always this funny, or only on days when he's wanted for murder?" (Dolores, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
47. "What does an actor want with a conscience anyways?" (Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio)
48. "Ladies do not start fights, but they can finish them!" (Marie, The Aristocats)
49. "Yes, words are useless! Gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble-gobble! Too much of it, darling, too much! That is why I show you my work! That is why you are here!" (Edna Mode, The Incredibles)
50. "Keep Moving Forward." (Wilbur Robinson, Meet The Robinsons)
51. "No, impassible. Nothing's impossible." (Doorknob, Alice in Wonderland)
52. "Oh good! My dog found the chainsaw!" (Lilo, Lilo and Stitch)
53. "Yes, I think I do. After reading a lot of overheated puffery about your new cook, you know what I'm craving? A little perspective. That's it. I'd like some fresh, clear, well seasoned perspective. Can you suggest a good wine to go with that?" (Anton Ego, Ratatouille)
54. "And thirdly, the code is more what you'd call "guidelines" than actual rules." (Barbossa, Pirates of the Caribbean)
55. "Of course. I said, "If." (Stepmother, Cinderella)
56. "First of all, I would like to make one thing quite clear: I never explain anything." (Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins)
57. "I'm a damsel. I'm in distress. I can handle this. Have a nice day." (Meg, Hercules)
58. "Directive." (Eve, Wall-E)
59. "He can call me a Flower if he wants to. I don't mind." (Flower, Bambi)
60. "What do you want me to do? Dress in drag and do the hula?" (Timon, The Lion King)
61. "Nothing's more suspicious than frog's breath! Until *you* taste it, I won't swallow a spoonful!" (Dr. Finkelstein, The Nightmare Before Christmas)
62. "All of this has happened before and it will all happen again." (Narrator, Peter Pan)
63. "We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say? Come on." (Hades, Hercules)
64. "Mike Wazowski." (Boo, Monsters, Inc.)
65. "It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it." (Eeyore, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh)
66. "Oh, it's not the first time I was tossed out of a window, and it won't be the last. What can I say? I'm a rebel." (Old guy, The Emperor's New Groove)
67. "Enchanted? Ha-ha ha-ha! Who said anything about the castle being enchanted?" (Cogsworth, Beauty and the Beast)
68. "Well! After this, I shall think nothing of falling down the stairs!" (Alice, Alice in Wonderland)
69. "The greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter." (Fa Zhou, Mulan)
70. "I'm not worthless...and I don't have fleas." (Aladdin, Aladdin)
71. "Nobody wants to stay cooped up here forever." (Quasimodo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
72. "She's a female! And all females is poison! They're full of wicked wiles!" (Grumpy, Snow White)
73. "If it's not baroque, don't fix it." (Cogsworth, Beauty and the Beast)
74. "Look Flaps, first I say "what were going to do?" then you say "I don't know, what'cha wanna do?" then I say "what we're going to do" then you say what'cha wanna do" let's do something." (Buzzie, The Jungle Book)
75. "Oh, well, what's a royal ball? I suppose it would be frightfully dull, and boring, and completely...completely wonderful." (Cinderella, Cinderella)
76. "Well, women in London must have learned not to breathe." (Elizabeth, POTC)
77. "Forever is a long long time and time has a way of changing things." (Big Mama, The Fox and the Hound)
78. "You never forget kids like Emily, or Andy, but they forget you." (Jessie, Toy Story 2)
79. "Curiouser and curiouser." (Alice, Alice in Wonderland)
80. "Somebody's got to nail that girl's fins to the floor." (Sebastian, The Little Mermaid)
81. "Remember: Faint heart never won fair lady." (Robin Hood, Robin Hood)
82. "Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid." (Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean)
83. "No matter how many times you save the world, it always manages to get back in jeopardy again. Sometimes I just want it to stay saved! You know, for a little bit? I feel like the maid; I just cleaned up this mess! Can we keep it clean for... for ten minutes!" (Mr. Incredible, The Incredibles)
84. "That's a piecrust promise. Easily made, easily broken." (Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins)
85. "You've heard of the golden rule, haven't you? Whoever has the gold makes the rules!" (Jafar, Aladdin)
86. "Off with her head!" (Queen of Hearts, Alice in Wonderland)
87. "Work's been kinda slow since cartoons went to color. But I've still got it. Boo boo be do, boo." (Betty Boop, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
88. "Pull-yourself-together! "What will you do?" Is this a question? You will show him you remember that he is Mr. Incredible, and you will remind him who *you* are. Well, you know where he is. Go, confront the problem. Fight! Win! And call me when you get back, darling. I enjoy our visits." (Edna Mode, The Incredibles)
89. "Oh, right. The poison. The poison for Kuzco, the poison chosen especially to kill Kuzco, Kuzco's poison. That poison?" (Kronk, The Emperor's New Groove)
90. "I don't LIKE food. I LOVE it. If I don't love it, I don't SWALLOW." (Anton Ego, Ratatouille)
91. I'm packing your extra pair of shoes, and your angry eyes just in case." (Mrs. Potato Head, Toy Story 2)
92. "Practically perfect in every way." (Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins)
93. "Squeaky, uh, squeak, sqeaker, squeakin'." (Kronk, The Emperor's New Groove)
94. "I told you before. My name's Koda. Say it with me... Ko-da." (Koda, Brother Bear)
95. "PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS! Itty-bitty living space!" (Genie, Aladdin)
96. "Megara. My friends call me Meg. At least they would if I had any friends." (Meg, Hercules)
97. "Then it appears we've crowned the wrong fool. The only fool I see is you!" (Esmeralda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame)
98. "Try looking at it another way." (James' Mom, James and the Giant Peach)
99. "When a baby moves in, the dog moves out." (Tramp, Lady and the Tramp)
100. "Welcome to the Caribbean, love." (Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean)

My Rant on 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' VS. 'New Moon'

2009-12-14T07:10:00.001-08:00

This is a perfectly mismatched double feature...or is it? On the one hand, there's 'The Fantastic Mr. Fox,' a stop-motion animated family film directed by Wes Anderson and based on the book by Roald Dahl (of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,' 'Matilda,' 'James and The Giant Peach' and 'The Witches' fame) and on the other hand, there's 'Twilight Saga: New Moon,' the highly anticipated sequel based on the second book on the Twilight franchise by Stephanie Meyer. Although I came with an open mind when I saw the films, I also had low expectations, even lower for 'New Moon.' The result: 'Fox' is a winner and 'New Moon' is a complete dud.

The sad news is that 'Fox' will never reach the wide audience that has embraced 'New Moon' because it is probably one of the weirdest animated and children's films to be released in any year. And although all the elements that make 'Fox' so quirky, witty, and enjoyable, including the amazing voice acting, old-fashioned animation with great production design, and a cool soundtrack that features The Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys and even a song from Disney's 'Robin Hood' as a nod to that other famous anthropomorphic fox character, it is not the kind of film that would appeal to most moviegoers. Sure, George Clooney and Meryl Streep are billed on the poster as voices, but the fact of the matter is that unless you are a fan of animation, Wes Anderson films, or just want to take the family to a movie that isn't 'The Blind Side,' then you are most likely to ignore it, which is a shame.

The film has a lot going for it. When I first saw the trailer, I doubted that Wes Anderson, who had never directed an animated film and whose live-action films tend to contain the kind of humor that goes over most people's heads, would be able to make 'Fox' into something worth going to the theater to see. Boy, was I wrong! Yes, the animation is a bit choppy at times (and the size of the animals seems odd -for example: a rat character is almost the same size as Mr. Fox), but ironically it becomes part of the charm. In fact, the whole film has a feel and look of another era, added to the fact that fox fur never looked this good on the big screen. Plus, stop-motion has that creepy, yet appealing quality of blurring the lines between animation and live-action, for what we are seeing is a collection of puppets and sets being moved ever so slightly every shot to achieve the illusion of life. Unlike this year's 'Coraline', 'Fox' feels more homemade. There are no big special effects or CGI enhancements. The special effect here is an effective, quick-witted script that delves deep into the psyche of the characters and delivers top-notch dialogue that most live-action films could only dream of having. I won't reveal much about the plot, because I urge everyone to go see it. Let's just say, 'Chicken Run' meets 'The Royal Tenenbaums'...and then some. Themes about marriage, paternal figures, fitting in, loyalty, honesty, and morality abound. That might be a lot for a "simple" little movie about a fox to tackle, but from a Wes Anderson film, well, you really really wouldn't expect any less.

Now for 'New Moon'...so after watching an excellent film about a fox, I sat through this hodgepodge of sappy drama, awkward dialogue and bad acting, that featured a teenage wolf (there you go...a wild dog connection between the two films). After all, the first film, 'Twilight,' provided me and my friends with a different kind of entertainment: making fun of it. The only way we could enjoy it was by quoting lines and acting out scenes to make a point about how horrible it was, even as a guilty pleasure. This second installment, however, is no laughing matter. Only Twi-hards (what the 'Twilight' fans call themselves) would really find something enjoyable here, as the movie's plodding pacing makes way for a rather uninteresting plot. The camp of the first film dies here as the movie actually tries to make itself feel more professional and better made, but a bigger budget does not a better movie make. Vampire leaves girl, girl becomes depressed and starts falling in love with her best friend, who turns out to be a werewolf, and then, decides to go find her vampire lover when she is told that he is about to commit suicide because he thinks she's dead. That is, in one sentence, everything that happens in the film. Too bad it takes over two hours to get to that, which means, that the film, like the book, is rather inconsequential. Aside from the werewolf revelation, this chapter in the series seems rather unnecessary. It ends the way it begins, but for those who are fans of the films, the books, or the characters, nothing more needs to be provided, and that sucks (pun intended) for the rest of us.

Rolling Stone Gets It Right - The Best Songs and Albums of the Decade

2009-12-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

Rolling Stone is the foremost authority on music-related news, articles, and reviews, so it's no surprise that their list of the best albums and songs from the past decade is perhaps the best one I have seen so far. They do, obviously, favor rock over any other genre, in their album list, but are conspicuously friendlier to R&B, hip-hop and pop in their songs list. One can argue that this decade was definitely music-oriented, what with the revival of musicals, American Idol, and a little show called 'Glee,' not to mention the Disney pop franchise of Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers, but the overproduced top 40 hits, while enjoyable, proved to become somewhat annoying after a while. Then again, at least this decade didn't have Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Spice Girls, or "The Macarena." Oh, wait! Is that a good or bad thing? Here are the lists from Rolling Stone:

TOP 100 ALBUMS OF THE DECADE:

1 | Radiohead: Kid A

2 | The Strokes: Is This It

3 | Wilco: Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

4 | Jay-Z: The Blueprint

5 | The White Stripes: Elephant

6 | Arcade Fire: Funeral

7 | Eminem: The Marshal Mathers LP

8 | Bob Dylan: Modern Times

9 | M.I.A.: Kala

10 | Kanye West: The College Dropout

11 | Bob Dylan: Love and Theft

12 | LCD Soundsystem: Sound of Silver

13 | U2: All That You Can't Leave Behind

14 | Jay-Z: The Black Album

15 | Bruce Springsteen: The Rising

16 | OutKast: Stankonia

17 | Beck: Sea Change

18 | MGMT: Oracular Spectacular

19 | Amy Winehouse: Back to Black

20 | The White Stripes: White Blood Cells

21 | Coldplay: A Rush of Blood to the Head

22 | Green Day: American Idiot

23 | D'Angelo: Voodoo

24 | Bruce Springsteen: Magic

25 | Radiohead: Amnesiac

26 | Cat Power: The Greatest

27 | The Flaming Lips: Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

28 | Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Fever to Tell

29 | Sigur Rós: Ágaetis Byrjun

30 | Radiohead: In Rainbows

31 | My Morning Jacket: Z

32 | Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III

33 | Daft Punk: Discovery

34 | OutKast: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below

35 | PJ Harvey: Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea

36 | U2: No Line on the Horizon

37 | 50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Tryin'

38 | Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker

39 | Kings of Leon: Aha Shake Heartbreak

40 | Kanye West: Late Registration

41 | Arctic Monkeys: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

42 | Elliott Smith: Figure 8

43 | The Killers: Hot Fuss

44 | System of a Down: Toxicity

45 | Kanye West: Graduation

46 | Justin Timberlake: FutureSex/LoveSounds

47 | Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes

48 | TV on the Radio: Dear Science

49 | Fiona Apple: Extraordionary Machine

50 | Bright Eyes: I'm Wide Awake It's Morning

51 | Spoon: Kill the Moonlight

52 | M.I.A.: Arular

53 | Kings of Leon: Only By the Night

54 | Norah Jones: Come Away With Me

55 | Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand

56 | Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

57 | Death Cab for Cutie: Transatlanticism

58 | Danger Mouse: The Grey Album

59 | Interpol: Turn on the Bright Lights

60 | Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

61 | The Shins: Oh, Inverted World

62 | Johnny Cash: American III: Solitary Man

63 | Kanye West: 808s and Heartbreak

64 | Gillian Welch: Time the Revelator

65 | Manu Chao: Próxima Estación Esperanza

66 | Antony & the Johnsons: I Am a Bird Now

67 | Björk: Vespertine

68 | U2: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb

69 | Missy Elliott: Under Construction

70 | Sleater-Kinney: The Woods

71 | Bright Eyes: Lifted or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Eart to the Ground

72 | Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand

73 | Coldplay: Parachutes

74 | Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium

75 | Arcade Fire: Neon Bible

76 | Sigur Rós: ()

77 | Yo La Tengo: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out

78 | Sufjan Stevens: Illinois

79 | The New Pornographers: Electric Version

80 | Kings of Leon: Youth and Young Manhood

81 | Ryan Adams: Gold

82 | Queens of the Stone Age: Rated R

83 | The Black Keys: Attack & Release

84 | Eminem: The Eminem Show

85 | Coldplay: Viva La Vida

86 | The Postal Service: Give Up

87 | Gnarls Barkley: St. Elsewhere

88 | Brian Wilson: Smile

89 | Radiohead: Hail to the Thief

90 | Amadou & Miriam: Dimanche a Bamako

91 | The Hives: Veni Vidi Vicious

92 | Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

93 | Johnny Cash: Unearthed

94 | The Libertines: Up the Brackett

95 | Alicia Keys: Songs in A Minor

96 | The Streets: Original Pirate Material

97 | Wilco: Sky Blue Sky

98 | TV on the Radio: Return to Cookie Mountain

99 | The Hold Steady: Almost Killed Me

100 | Leonard Cohen: 10 New Songs

REBOUNDERZ

2009-03-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

I have never been known to be physical. In fact, I don't play or enjoy any sports, except perhaps bowling, even though I thoroughly suck at it. So, one random Friday while I was at IKEA enjoying my free breakfast, my friend David called me to invite me to a trampoline-type place. I wasn't exactly sure what he meant by that and in fact I wondered if I should even bother wasting my time (and money) by going to some place to work out by basically jumping around. It didn't sound fascinating, but at the same time, I had nothing better to do and I was touched by the fact that a person that barely knew me had actually thought of me and decided to invite me to something. So without much hesitation, I accepted and joined him and his roommates on this adventure. Flash forward a few weeks later, not only is Rebounderz one of my favorite places to go now, we go every single Friday without fail. It is so much fun...it's a great excuse to hang out and do something different, even if it has become tradition. It feels awesome to be a part of this since my Fridays now have a purpose. I'm so glad I decided to go the first time since I would have regretted not giving myself the opportunity to do something out of the ordinary. Thank you David!

So much fun! Check it out here!

JUPITER'S CROWN

2009-03-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

So for many months, I have been wanting to open up an account with a blog site so I can impart my knowledge, comments, opinions and reviews on movies, music, life and more. So here it is! If you want to know a little bit more about me, I suggest you check out my Deviantart page (to see some of my artwork) and The Freak Show (to find out what I do when I get bored).

First off, I might as well begin by giving a shout-out to WATCHMEN. I saw this film last weekend and I thought it was great. The film was incredibly faithful to the graphic novel it was based on...maybe a little too faithful, in fact. The alternate 1985 universe both the movie and novel depict may seem somewhat dated and perhaps not as relevant to people today as it was almost 25 years ago, but that's the last thing to worry about in a film that packs an epic story of six vigilante superheroes and their origins, relationships, and fates into a disturbingly violent, yet ultimately satisfying eye-popping visual spectacle. Trust me...you don't want to miss this one! Why would you, why with all the graphic violence and nudity? And if times are tough to be dishing out money at the theater, well at least the 165 min. runtime more than makes up for that and is worth every penny...fine, every nickel. (Inflation...)