I'm excited. I love that they're trying something new with a woman Doctor, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the show goes out from under Moffat's thumb. (This article talks a bit more about Whittaker and the "prep" for the Doctor regenerating into a female form.)
I wish Peter Capaldi would have stuck around for another season, though. I really enjoyed 12 when Clara wasn't around, and I don't think one season without her was really enough time for him to truly shine.
Also of note:
There was a lot of news out of D23 over the weekend (and there's likely even more to come at Comic Con this upcoming weekend). Star Wars, natch, was a hot topic of discussion. These The Last Jedi posters are particularly striking, and this behind-the-scenes video is supposedly really great. (Haven't watched yet and am not sure that I will; I'm avoiding spoilers at all cost.)
Marvel also shared some news at D23, including information about and a trailer for The Avengers: Infinity War, Part 1. (We'll likely see an official trailer hit the 'net post-SDCC, but there are bootleg versions available, I'm sure.)
Also out of D23: Disney has found its live-action Aladdin (and Jasmine and Genie).
Here's a first photo from the upcoming Ready Player One film.
Live-action cartoon
Hermione meets the Beast
Little Me is awed
An adaptation of the Disney fairy tale about a monstrous-looking prince and a young woman who fall in love.
Let me preface this review: The animated Beauty and the Beast is my favorite Disney animated film, and when I was 8, it was my everything. I had the sheet and comforter set, the books, and the Barbies. I loved everything about the story of a girl who loved books falling in love with a literal beast of a man who just needed some proper guidance on how to behave in polite company. I loved that Belle loved books and reading as much as I did, and have long believed that Beast's gift of his entire library to Belle was one of the best gifts ever given.
So when I heard that they were making a live-action version of the movie, I couldn't help but be skeptical. Would they do it justice? Would Adult Mandy feel the same as Little Mandy about the story (which, yes, is somewhat problematic, but I won't get into that here). Watching the news roll in about the casting, then when watching the trailers, I reserved judgement. This wasn't going to be a case of "it was OK"; because of my connection to the source material, the film was either going to be amazing or absolute crap.
Thankfully, my feelings fall firmly in the former camp. I adore this movie. From the very first word of Mrs. Potts' introductory voice over, I found myself in a trance. An online friend put it perfectly when she said, "Childhood love is a helluva drug."
I've heard some people critique the movie for being a near shot-for-shot remake of the animated version, but that didn't bother me one bit. (See: My long-held love for the original.) I love how the various scenes, characters and costumes are brought to life with updates that made them feel more real and less cartoony. I also really enjoyed the new parts, from the backstory about Belle's mother to the Beast's solo song as Belle leaves the castle to rescue Maurice. (This seems to be an unpopular opinion, but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ .) I thought the casting was excellent, and was surprised at how much I liked both Emma Watson and Dan Stevens' voices. (The latter was largely edited to sound more "beastly," but again—it worked well for me.)
I am always down for Ewan MacGregor in a a singing role, and wish there'd been more of an opportunity for him to showcase his talents. (He's got a killer voice.) Luke Evans as Gaston was spot on, and I appreciate Le Fou's character growth; instead of being the flat, jokey sidekick, he actually had quite a bit of depth.
And I can't even explain how amazing it was to see the Beast's transformation from beast back to man. Dan looked exactly like the animated version, right down to the terrible hair and hilarious manpris.
I do have to nitpick a couple of things, though. One: The Growl. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. That was awkwardly unnecessary. (But I'm totally #TeamBeard.) And two: I find it somewhat odd how the servants reacted to Beast's imprisonment of Belle. The live-action versions of the characters seemed much more inclined to excuse his behavior, while the animated versions only let him go so far.
I highly recommend seeing this movie, especially if you're a life-long fan like me.
OK, yes. We've seen Baby Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 teaser, but there's so much more of his adorable self in the longer trailer that dropped over the weekend!
I CAN'T DEAL. I've watched it at least five times now.
Question: Do y'all think they (meaning the movie's crew) planned to call Baby Groot Baby Groot before everyone (meaning the world) started calling him that? Not that it matters, but I kind of love the idea that fans inspired the choice.
Also of note:
A trailer for the live-action Beauty and the Beast released mid-November, and it looks fantastic. Beauty and the Beast was my fave animated Disney movie growing up, so I'm really hoping this new version does it justice.
Here's a teaser trailer for Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, a new movie (based on a French graphic novel) from The Fifth Element director Luc Besson.
If you're super excited for Mass Effect: Andromeda, like I am, you might want to check out this gameplay trailer.1
FINALLY someone's realized the merchandising potential of creating actual—not "inspired by, not vaguely reminiscent of—jackets like those in the movies *cough*still waiting for a Pacific Rim bomber *cough*: Columbia is releasing a line of Rogue One jackets.2
Happy N7 Day, y'all! And a happy day it is, since the Bioware gods have gifted us this new trailer for Mass Effect: Andromeda:
I've written about this before, but Mass Effect means a lot to me. The original trilogy is the first video game series I've ever played all the way through. The story sucked me in from beginning to end—yes, even the damned Mako missions—and I'll always have a special place in my nerd heart for Commander Shepard and crew. So saying that I'm a little excited for a new visit to the ME universe is a bit of an understatement.
After Colt sent me the link to the trailer, I responded thusly (in green):
Also, please notice his excitement, too. We make an excellent pair.
Learn more about the game, and the Andromeda Initiative, here.
I hadn't heard of the new Ryan Gosling/Emma Stone movie La La Land until recently, but after seeing this trailer, I am so on board.
Here's a trailer for John Wick 2, which also looks awesome. I loved the first movie—minus the incident that set John off in the first place, which still makes me choked up just thinking about it—and had hoped that we'd get to visit the the crazy, assassin-filled world again.
