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Disney's ZOMBIES Arrives on DVD

I recently came to the realization that I will always love Disney Channel Original Movies. This self-reflection happened during a recent viewing of Disney’s ZOMBIES.

Typically these movies are described as over the top or campy, but that’s part of their charm. With ZOMBIES, any campiness is overshadowed by a great message and a catchy soundtrack. Yes, I have added all of the songs to my Disney playlist on Spotify. And, yes, I do listen to them frequently.

Zombies is an origianl musical set in Seabrook, a cookie-cutter community brimming with perky conformity 50 years after a zombie apocalypse. Today, the zombies pose no threat, but are required to live in an isolated community known as Zombietown. When zombies are finally allowed to enroll in Seabrook High School, charismatic zombie Zed meets freshman Addison who dreams of being a cheerleader – the ultimate form of status in Seabrook. Addison takes a lot of flak for befriending Zed and his zombie friends, but comes to learn that they aren’t so different after all. Zed and Addison show Seabrook what happens when they embrace and celebrate their differences. via Disney

This movie explores a lot of themes, but the central theme is acceptance. We see both central characters deal with societal acceptance and self-acceptance. With production choices and themes reminiscent of the 1950s, this movie reminds us what the lack of acceptance has done. It also lightly warns of what the lack of acceptance could do again. It quite literally calls for everyone to stand up for what is right. A call to action that will resonate with both children and adults.

ZOMBIES is now available on DVD.

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Disney’s ZOMBIES Arrives on DVD was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Valerian Opens Epic World, Forgets Introduction

I knew one thing going in to Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets; I wanted one of those orange pet creatures from the trailer. Outside of that, I had no prior knowledge or expectations for the film. In most cases this isn’t a problem. In the case of Valerian, not knowing the source material meant having to do a lot of leg work to get oriented.

The film opens with some clips of space from the 70’s and a second long history on the titular City of a Thousand Planets. We are then transported 400 years into the future to a planet inhabited by beautiful, thin, very pale sea like land creatures that appear to have a very peaceful harmonious existence. That lasts about five minutes before an apocalypse occurs, this peaceful race is almost annihilated and a flash of light wakes up a guy on a beach.

My thoughts, at this point, were that we were about to get an awesome introduction into this new exciting universe. Those thoughts were only about a quarter accurate. Valerian does, indeed, open up a new exciting universe, but it is a very rude host.

We are thrust into the middle of Pierre Christin’s Valerian and Laureline, the comic book series upon which the film is based. Don’t panic if you haven’t heard of it, it’s French and began it’s run in the late 60’s. This is where my frustration with the film begins. No, I wasn’t frustrated because it was based on a French comic book, I was frustrated because it expected us to already have a working knowledge of said comic book.

There are going to be plenty of reviews that talk about the plot problems in this film, and they are right. However, the plot wasn’t the issue for me. I was on board with the wild left turns the film kept taking, but I was exhausted trying to fill in pieces of the universe that were only kind of introduced.

We hear a lot of complaints about origin stories in comic book films. However, we heard not a single complaint about that when it came to Guardians of the Galaxy. Why? Because Guardians wasn’t a widely popular comic book like Captain America or Batman. Mainstream audiences needed an origin story. Valerian and Laureline needed an origin story.

Christin’s comic books were popular among French audiences and I’d wager they have a pretty solid fanbase in the US as well, but were they mainstream enough to just jump into the middle with the first film? No. Director Luc Besson choosing to adapt the comic books with an English audience was a great idea. It’s an audience that is primed and excited to see comic book film adaptations. His mistake is that he did not give audiences the introduction they needed to ease into this exciting new epic world.

I didn’t dislike Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. In fact, I’d watch it again, especially on the big screen. It is a visually stunning film. And, sure there are some frivolous plot points that could have been cut out, but even those I was all in for. Besson created a tasty treat out of Christin’s world and I was happy for the extra exploring. In fact, exploring is what I wanted this film to be. A first expedition into a new universe that would eventually open up to many exciting new adventures.

My first thought when I left the screening was, ‘Who is going to get the theme park rights to this?’. I still want to know that answer. I want to see more Valerian and Laureline films. This world is too rich not to keep exploring. I just hope that they learn from this film do two things:

Give the audience a little more background information and explain the universe in more detail

Tighten up the plot. Make every encounter, space battle and cheesy quip count

There is a lot here and hopefully this film will have enough life to let Besson continue revealing and exploring the vast universe of which we only caught a glimpse. And, if that doesn’t happen, I’d still take a theme park ride or two, and I cannot wait to see the cosplay that comes out of this film.

  Is Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Worth Spending The Price of a Ticket?

Sure.

  ♥♥♥

Tipsy Recommendation:

A cosmo? That’s a poor attempt at a joke.

  Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Trailer

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  Valerian Opens Epic World, Forgets Introduction was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Lady Macbeth Kills...Literally

Lady Macbeth opens with a boring and slightly unnerving wedding. It is instantly unlike any 19th century period drama ever. Centered around Katherine, a young woman essentially sold into marriage, Lady Macbeth explore sexuality and gender in a most intriguing way. If you’ve ever read literally anything written about women in history and thought, ‘I wish they’d just bite back’, then this film is the film for you.

Katherine is the 19th century heroine I’ve been waiting for. She appears innocent, but thanks to Florence Pugh’s masterful portrayal a knowing slowly bubbles to the surface. A loveless, sexless marriage keeps Katherine bored out of her damn mind for the first quarter of the film .  We see her drift on the edge of depression as she’s kept indoors and chastised for her marriage not producing an heir (something she has no control over).

A light of hope appears when Katherine’s husband and his father are taken away from the family’s home for several days. Katherine is free to leave the house and explore the countryside. She also has a rather intense encounter with one of her husband’s workers. What follows is a love affair with unanticipated twists and turns.

Despite a minuscule budget, Lady Macbeth is a fully baked albeit minimalist film. There are no sweeping romantic scenes or an endless closet of decadent costumes. Everything featured in Lady Macbeth has a purpose. The minimalism, including little to no scoring, adds to the unsettling story that unfolds in the short 89 minute runtime. This is an actor’s film and all traditional period drama trappings are unnecessary.

I can definitively say that Lady Macbeth is not a film for everyone. Many will find it’s themes and presentation uncomfortable. However, for the rest of us it is a treasure. The depths at which it explores sexuality, gender and even race are powerful. Katherine and her fellow characters are not the characters we expect. This isn’t the story we expect. However, these are characters in a story that we very much need and deserve.  It asks the question, “why don’t these women bit back” and then answers with what happens when they do.

Is Lady Macbeth Worth Spending The Price of a Ticket?

Yes!

  ♥♥♥♥♥

  Tipsy Recommendation:

A bottle or four of wine.

  Lady Macbeth Trailer

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  Lady Macbeth Kills…Literally was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Necessary Nostalgia: The Babysitters Club

If you grew up in the late 1980s or early 1990s, chances are you loved The Babysitters Club. What could beat curling up with one of those fantastic books and reading about the adventures of Kristy, Claudia, Dawn, Mary Anne, Stacey, Jessi, and Mallory? And don’t pretend you didn’t try to start a Babysitters Club of your own with your friends. We all did!

Image Courtesy of Scholastic

The Babysitters Club trend was huge. There were dolls, a board game, hand-held electronics, and, of course, a Disney television show popped up in 1990. Frankly, I think it’s a tragedy that they only made one season, but it’s now available on Netflix so you can watch it anytime you want, in all its 90s glory.

Image Courtesy of Disney

My favorite part of The Babysitters Club franchise, though, is the 1995 film. It’s a great adaptation, and the casting was fantastic. To this day, I think Bre Blair, who played Stacey, is one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen. I really looked up to her as a kid.

Image Courtesy of Columbia

The Babysitters Club was such a great representation of transitioning from child into young adulthood. The stories dealt with real issues, from divorced parents to chronic illness. I will probably always look up to these girls, even though they weren’t real.

What were your favorite books, TV shows, and movies as a kid? Let me know in the comments section!

-Katie

Necessary Nostalgia: The Babysitters Club was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Tipsy Review: Labor Day

Image Courtesy of Paramount

On the surface, Labor Day might seem like a total creeper fest. An escaped convict weasels his way into the lives of a severely depressed and anxiety-ridden single mother and her young son. He intimidates them into letting him “lay low” at their house, and causes all sorts of unnecessary tension in their lives. Then the mom becomes a victim of Stockholm Syndrome, and falls in love with they guy. On the surface. But let’s dig a little deeper shall we? (P.S. There are some minor spoilers below.)

First of all, Adele (played by Kate Winslet), is one of the strongest female characters I’ve seen portrayed on film in a long time. As someone who struggles with depression and anxiety, I strongly related to the epic levels of inner strength it takes for her just to get out of bed in the morning, let alone care for a child. Winslet portrayed her so convincingly, I believe she deserves another Oscar nomination.

Image Courtesy of Paramount

Then you have her son, Henry, brilliantly portrayed by relative newcomer Gattlin Griffith. Not many 13-year-olds would have been able to handle a bleeding stranger asking to hitch a ride with him and his mom. Even fewer would have coped with a feigned kidnapping. And I really have to applaud Gattlin for handling all of the rather awkward “coming-of-age” conversations with an enormous amount of maturity.

Image Courtesy of Paramount

Finally we have Frank, played by Josh Brolin. I’ve never been a big Brolin fan, but I liked him in this film. He certainly has a past. He’s serving time for the murder of his wife and son. Yes, he was responsible for the death of his wife, and the circumstances are reprehensible. However, there are plenty of real life people who have found themselves in horrific scenarios they never intended, and their lives are forever changed by an event that was essentially an accident. And perhaps the book goes into more detail, but based on the film, I’m not convinced he was responsible for the death of his son. It was tragic, certainly, but I’m not sure it was his doing.

Yes, these two deeply troubled individuals do fall in love with each other. The circumstances are extraordinary, and definitely not ideal. But I think the heart of the story is that these people need each other – desperately. It’s not right, it’s not wrong, it just is. And that is beautiful.

Tipsy Recommendation: You’re going to need a bottle of Red and a box of tissues. Enjoy!

Tipsy Review: Labor Day was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Necessary Nostalgia: Clueless

The coolest people ever. Image Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

No 90s childhood could be complete without the adventures of Beverly Hills princess Cher and her crew. The clothes, the ginormous cell phones, the lingo. What’s not to love?

I recently sat down to watch this movie again, for the first time as an adult, and saw it in a whole new light.

These girls were BFFs before it was cool.

First of all, I now know that this movie is loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma. I did not know this the last time I watched the film, approximately around the year 2000. Being able to draw parallels between the two stories makes me feel a little less guilty about watching a shameless chick flick.

Second, I was definitely not aware of all the pot references at the tender age of 11. I’m slightly less naive now, and am thankful that my parents were not aware either, as they would never have let me watch this movie if they had been.

Feather pens. Can these make a comeback? Pretty please?

I also realize that, weirdly, I have a lot in common with Cher. She’s an idealist, a romantic, and wants the people she cares about to be happy. She tries to be a good person, but frequently lets trivial things get in the way of that goal. She has no “gay-dar,” and had to take her driving test twice. She was also super popular, well dressed, and rich. I was none of these things.

Don’t deny it, you still wish you had a computer to tell you what to wear in the mornings.

With the hindsight of a twenty-something who has made peace with the hell that was middle and high school, I see now that it was silly to think knee socks and a plaid skirt would instantly boost my popularity level (though God knows I tried). And I certainly don’t condone the blatant materialism portrayed throughout the film, but that doesn’t mean I don’t occasionally fall victim to it myself. The lessons learned in both Emma and Clueless are confusing at best. It’s not a good idea to meddle, except when it is. You should do things for others, except when you need to be selfish. It’s not okay to date your former step brother, but it is.

At any rate, Clueless is a fun movie to watch. It takes me back to simpler days filled with gel pens and believing that drinking Diet Coke made you seem more grown up. I thoroughly enjoyed this particular trip down memory lane.

  Necessary Nostalgia: Clueless was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Muppets Most Wanted is Perfect for the Whole Family

Image Courtesy of Disney

Okay, I admit it, the only reason I agreed to see Muppets Most Wanted with Michelle is because I heard Tom Hiddleston had a cameo. But I was very, very pleasantly surprised. This particular adventure finds the Muppets in a bit of turmoil. Faced with the possibility of having to part ways, the Muppets partner with a new manager to embark on a world tour, hoping it will kick-start their floundering careers.

Things go awry, though, when an evil frog named Constantine arranges to switch places with Kermit, landing Kermit in a Russian gulag. Constantine is planning his most evil scheme to date, and he plans to use the Muppets to get what he wants. What ensues is a the Muppets’s most epic adventure yet.

Image Courtesy of Disney

From Berlin to Madrid to London, this movie has it all when it comes to fantastic locations. And the musical numbers are the best I’ve seen in a long while. They’re well written and well performed. And the cameos! Oh, the cameos! They are many, and they are spectacular. Oh, and Tom Hiddleston’s cameo was awesome.

Image Courtesy of Disney

Mupets Most Wanted is great for the whole family. Kids will love the antics, and parents will enjoy the cameos and witty humor. Michelle and I giggled like 10-year-olds at a sleepover the whole time!

Tipsy Recommendation: Go to a theater where you can order food at your seat, and get some milk and cookies like I did. You will not regret it.

Muppets Most Wanted is Perfect for the Whole Family was originally published on The Tipsy Verse

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Necessary Nostalgia: Flash Forward

Image Courtesy of Disney

Does anyone still remember Flash Forward? I thought it was a great show when I was a kid, but when I was researching this post, I was shocked to find out there was only one season. Sure, it had 26 episodes, but that’s not the point. Tucker and Becca, along with their friends Christine and Miles, were so cool in my eyes. And from a seven-year-old’s perspective, they were also very grown up.

Image Courtesy of Disney

Sadly, my middle school experience was not quite as awesome and friend-filled as theirs was, but I did learn some valuable life lessons from the show. For example, it is okay to have a friend who is a boy, and not your boyfriend. Also, when your two best friends aren’t getting along with each other, sometimes you need to reevaluate those friendships…or just start hanging out with them separately. This was also the first time I learned that throwing parties without your parents’ permission is generally frowned upon; waxing your legs hurts like the dickens; and tangerine and seafoam, when used as paint colors in the same room, look like throw up.

So I guess the next question is, Where are they now? Well, Ben Foster, who played lovable goofball Tucker, played Angel in X-Men: The Last Stand, had parts in Alpha Dog, 3:10 to Yuma, and the recent Lone Survivor. Next up, he’ll be playing Lance Armstrong in a biopic about the controversial cyclist.

At this point, Jewel Staite, aka Becca, is probably best known for her role as Kaylee Frye on Firefly. She has a new sci-fi project coming out soon, called State of Syn. Asia Vieira, who played Christine, has been out of the acting game since 2009 (according to IMDb), and Theodore Borders, who played Miles, has been working steadily in TV since the end of the show.

Whether you liked this show or not, I can’t stress enough how much I enjoyed it as a young kid. It seemed so much less contrived than other shows, which was something I was sensitive to, even at that age. If you’re able to find a way to view it, I strongly recommend it!

Necessary Nostalgia: Flash Forward was originally published on The Tipsy Verse