Rapunzel: I can’t believe I did this! [Gasps] I can’t believe I did this. [Laughing] I can’t believe I did this! Mother would be so furious. But that’s okay. What she doesn’t know won’t kill her, right? [Crying] Oh, my gosh! This would kill her. This is so fun! I am a horrible daughter. I’m going back. [Laughing] I am never going back! I am a despicable human being. [Whooping] Best day ever! Flynn Rider: [Walks over to a crying Rapunzel and clears throat] You know, I can’t help but notice you seem a little at war with yourself here. Rapunzel: What? Flynn: Now, I’m only picking up bits and pieces of course. Overprotective mother, forbidden road trip. This is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure, that’s good. Healthy, even. Rapunzel: [Chuckles] You think? Flynn: I know. You’re way over-thinking this, trust me. Does your mother deserve it? No. Would this break her heart and crush her soul? Of course. But you’ve just got to do it. Rapunzel: “Break her heart”? Flynn: In half. [Picks grape from vine] Rapunzel: “Crush her soul”? Flynn: [Crushes grape] Like a grape.
Thanks for everyone’s submissions and congratulations to the following people for answering correctly:
The Beer
Harpoon Chocolate Stout – Chocolate flavored beers aren’t my beer of choice, but Harpoon Chocolate Stout was good. The chocolate flavoring wasn’t as powerful as other chocolate stouts I’ve had before, making it one of the better ones. Verdict: Enjoyed it.
The Movie
Synopsis
Rapunzel (Mandy Moore (voice)) has been kept in a tower hidden deep in the woods by Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy (voice)) for eighteen years. When Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi (voice)) stumbles upon her tower, she makes a deal with him to help her discover the world she has been concealed from.
Review
Ever since the end of the Disney Renaissance, not many Disney films were as successful at capturing the magic in those films. Everything began to turn around with The Princess and the Frog, but Disney began to once again hit their stride with Tangled. Offering the humor, music, and lovable characters like many Disney favorites, Tangled proved that there is still a place for new princesses in Disney’s pantheon.
The animation of this film is one of Disney’s best. I really enjoy how vibrant the colors are. It is a great contrast to the awesome animation of How to Train Your Dragon, which was released the same year. Where HtTYD excelled in dark contrasts, Tangled keeps things full of light and color. Many of the scenes take place in the woods, so there are a lot of greens. Even in the city, the orange and similar colors of the roads and building really stand out. I’d me remised if I didn’t mention Rapunzel’s hair. Everything with the animation just worked.
Disney is very good at creating memorable animal sidekicks. Maximus and Pascal easily are near the top of that list. Like most animal sidekicks, they don’t say anything (at least verbally). But let’s be honest, they don’t really have to. They say enough with their body language. Maximus is the loyal horse of the Royal Guard, tirelessly pursuing Flynn Rider. The chameleon Pascal is Rapunzel’s best friend who keeps Maximus in line and helps Rapunzel with anything she needs. They are both great individually, but as a pair, they are comedic gold.
Flynn Rider not your usual fairy tale hero. He’s a thief. Now I know that has been done before, Aladdin for example. But the difference is that Flynn is a thief because he wants to be, not because he needs to be. His reasons for helping Rapunzel initially are purely selfish. His transformation is predicable, but hey, it’s a Disney movie. What did you expect?
Alan Menken composed the scores for many of the films from the Disney Renaissance. So it’s no surprise that the music of Tangled is amazing. There are so many unforgettable songs, like “When Will My Life Begin,” “Mother Knows Best,” and “I See the Light.” The soundtrack is very reminiscent of songs from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid.
There is a lot to love about Tangled. Stunningly gorgeous animation and fun, memorable characters make this a can’t-miss film.
Rating
4/5
Trivia
Rapunzel’s hair measures 70 feet (21.3 meters) long and is comprised of more than 100,000 individual strands. Special software had to be created to simulate the hair movement because animating that much hair had never been done before.
Trailer
Cast & Crew
Nathan Greno – Director
Bryon Howard – Director
Dan Fogelman – Screenplay
Mark Kennedy – Head of Story
Dean Wellins – Additional Story
Alan Menken – Composer
Mandy Moore – Rapunzel (voice)
Zachary Levi – Flynn Rider (voice)
Donna Murphy – Mother Gothel (voice)
Ron Perlman – Stabbington Brother (voice)
MC Gainey – Captain of the Guard (voice)
Jeffrey Tambor – Big Nose Thug (voice)
Brad Garrett – Hook Hand Thug (voice)
Paul F. Tompkins – Short Thug (voice)
Richard Kiel – Vlad (voice)
Delaney Rose Stein – Young Rapunzel (voice)
Synopsis
In the aftermath of Loki’s (Tom Hiddleston) treachery, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) returns to Asgard after bringing peace across the Nine Realms. However, Malakith (Christopher Eccleston) and the Dark Elves return after a 5,000 year slumber. They plan to use The Aether, a force older than the Universe itself, to destroy the cosmos and return everything to darkness. Thor must face an enemy that even his father Odin (Anthony Hopkins) can’t withstand, in order to save everything, and everyone, he loves.
Review
Marvel Studios told some great stories in their Phase One slate of movies, culminating in the grand and marvelous The Avengers. But they are really hitting their stride in their Phase Two movies. Thor: The Dark World took cues from The Avengers and is funny yet serious, without becoming comical (in the bad way).
Probably what I like best about Thor 2 is that it develops so many of the characters, particularly Loki. Despite finding out his true heritage as a Frost Giant in Thor, and attacking Earth in The Avengers, we learn there are still people he cares about. Loki has become one of (if not the) best villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He is a multifaceted character that is hard to trust but easy to love.
Anything that comes out of Kat Dennings mouth in this movie is comedy gold. I don’t think she said anything that I didn’t at least chuckle at, let alone laugh out loud. Stellan Skarsgård plays a crazy Erik Selvig perfectly. I think I missed the explanation of why he went coo-coo (It was from his manipulation at the hands of Loki in The Avengers, fyi), but it was an interesting turn for the character that Skarsgård pulled off. Easily, though, the best performance of the film belongs to Tom Hiddleston. It is hard to image anyone else in the role nowadays. Hiddleston has come to embody the character so well.
The action this time is bigger than it was in Thor. The scale of it is somewhere between Thor and The Avengers. Instead of just Asgard, now all of the Nine Realms are in trouble, culminating in a showdown between Thor and Malakith in London. The final showdown looks fantastic. The special effects are well done, especially considering the fight bounces between Earth and the different Realms.
Like all Marvel Studio movies, this film as a scene to set up a future film. So don’t forget to watch all the way to the end of the credits, because there is both a mid-credits and post-credits scene (Now Marvel is just getting obnoxious). The mid-credits scene can be compared to the post-credits scene in Iron Man. In Iron Man, it showed the course the movies would take in Phase One. Here, it shows the story arch the movies could take potentially up to Avengers 3.
Thor: The Dark World continues to build off previous Marvel films, while also standing alone. Tom Hiddleston has completely become the character of Loki, who gets some great character development. Great comedic timing by several actors and bigger action, really giving gravity to the threat, keeps Marvel’s Phase Two moving along strong.
Answer to MWL 6/3/15: Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi (voice)) – Tangled
Drew's Movie Reviews 