A Talk with Beauty and the Beast’s Glen Keane
October 7th, 2010 by Sean Ferguson
I was fortunate enough to participate in two separate round-table interviews with the legendary Disney animator Glen Keane who has played a central role in bringing many Disney movies to life including The Little Mermaid and especially Beauty and the Beast, where he was the lead animator for the character of the Beast. Mr. Keane is as modest and friendly as he is talented and he generously spent more time than was originally allotted to answer our questions. Continue reading ‘A Talk with Beauty and the Beast’s Glen Keane’
The best way I can describe this film is “very Disney.” It follows all the rules of the inspiring, Disney-produced, sports film, based on a true story. You have a few underdogs, characters with determination, the wild card mentor character, the skeptical stand by characters, the arrogant former champions, and even a “magical negro character.” All of these factors add up to making a film deemed “crowd pleasing” by general audiences. There is nothing inherently wrong with this film (despite the many character changes for it); it is just very shallow and by-the-numbers. 
I’m all over this. Sorry, but I’m a sucker for this title. Avatar is my #1 Blu-ray of the year so far and if Cameron can make it better, then like I said, I’m all over this. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced a November 16th Blu-ray release date for Avatar: Extended Collector’s Edition. The 3-disc set contains even m0re of the Avatar experience with over 8 hours of never-before-seen material and in-depth exploration into the world of Pandora. 
One of my favorite moments at Comic-Con was undoubtedly when I got to see my childhood hero, Sylvester Stallone, promote his newest film, The Expendables, to the 6,000+ packed and captivated audience in Hall H (see 
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)…I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to seeing this once I found out about this film’s moniker, “100% medically accurate,” earlier in the year while attending a bi-annual horror convention, Cinema Wasteland, in Cleveland, OH. When I heard how bad this movie grossed out even the most die-hard of horror and slasher fans alike, I knew I had to check it out and get a closer look for myself. So once I found out that it was available on VOD, my cheap a$$ wasted no time in checking this out (even though my cable provider broadcasts it in only 2.0 sound). 
Musicals have been around for ages. Spawned from the days of stone amphitheaters, they have evolved into productions delivered on stage and ultimately on the big screen. So how would such a production perform on television? From Yankee Doodle Dandy to today’s Oz-spinoff Wicked, the genre has always garnered a significant audience and maintained its place in the hearts of millions. However, the concept of taking this type of work and translating it to television is largely untested. If it’s not a sitcom, drama, or reality show, what do you do with it? Enter Glee mastermind Ryan Murphy. 
Oh man, this was a movie alright. I need to hurry up and type this one out quickly, because I might literally forget what happened in it in the next few minutes. This was a horror film made as if plenty of others hadn’t done anything like this ever before, and it proceeds without any sense of irony or satire. There is no joke to be in on here, instead you have a film trying way too hard and characters shouting things like “he’s watching us!” and “I don’t wanna die!” And then you of course have the required amount of gore. I’m still recalling things about this movie, so brace yourself for more…
An important thing to note right off the bat about this film is that it is not “Facebook: The Movie.” This is a film, based on a novel that recounts the creation of Facebook through multiple perspectives and the legal action that followed. I believe this film could have just as easily been about the creation of some other type of defining invention and still be able to tell the same sort of story. However, as this film is about the creation of Facebook, it certainly has the task of showing the value of social networking and giving a portrayal of what it means to be growing up in this generation as far as some are concerned. 
Of all the films adapted from graphic novels released this year, Tamara Drewe will probably be the one met with the least amount of fanfare. Despite being based on a very popular British comic strip by Posy Simmonds, it is not one about having a flashy genre premise. As fun as those films can be (and as much as I enjoy them, e.g. Kick-Ass and I think I’ve been clear about my love for Scott Pilgrim) Tamara Drewe is a very enjoyable and sexy contemporary comedy. 
I remember it like it was only yesterday. While watching the Starz Originals heart-pounding series Spartacus: Blood and Sand about five episodes in or so, viewers were forced to deal with the devastating loss of Spartacus’ wife, the lovely Sura (Erin Cummings), pulling at our heartstrings. “Oh no,” we all thought to ourselves. This can’t be happening! Our heavenly eye candy was gone from the show just like that, albeit still visible courtesy of flashbacks here and there, but what was left now to motivate the broken warrior? 
There were two main reasons why I wanted to see, own and ultimately review The Killer Inside Me on Blu-ray. Anyone that knows me can probably guess the first reason with little to no effort on his or her part, Jessica Alba. Yep, that’s right ladies and gentlemen, the lovely Jessica Alba graces us with her beautiful presence, her sultry poise and her pouty lips. And much like the IFC Film before it, The Human Centipede, this feature garnered and generated a lot of controversy over its depiction of onscreen graphic violence. 
Let’s start off with the obvious question. Who out there reading this doesn’t have a Facebook account, a show of hands please? I futilely resisted all these years, but when pressured by the marketing forces behind the studios to get one for promotion of our reviews, I reluctantly succumbed having no choice in the matter really, and you know what? I actually liked it and it can quickly become real addicting if you let it. Heck, even grandparents around the country are on the site daily growing their farms or playing Mafia Wars. 
Here are some fun activities you can do with your kids! There are some pages to color, a puzzle, a tool to help teach your kids how to tell time, a make your own fairy-tale page, and some dining etiquette tips from Lumiere, and a way to make your own bookmarks with your favorite Beauty and the Beast characters! All you need to have fun with these pages is a color printer, crayons, scissors, and some imagination! Just click on the image and print out the pages to have fun! I’d like to say a big thank you to Disney for providing these fun activities for kids of all ages!
One of the biggest movies in Disney history, Beauty and the Beast has finally been released to Blu-ray as a new Diamond Edition release! With its incredible blend of traditional animation with computer generated images, Beauty and the Beast was the only animated movie to ever be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture until the Disney/Pixar release of Up eighteen years later. 
In the fall of 2008, a romantic drama/horror film about two young adults forming a new relationship with one another was released. Of course, the relationship between these two was different to say the least, as one was just a regular kid at school, while the other was a much older vampire. This story was based on a novel that found much acclaim from those who read it. The film was met with mass critical praise and is considered one of the best vampire films out there. 
