Guardians of the Galaxy TV Series: First Footage

It's official! The biggest movie of the year so far is now making its way to the small screen, despite producers recently claiming that a Guardians of the Galaxy series was only a rumor. Marvel's Head of Television Jeff Loeb made the announcement at New York Comic Con this week, stating that "Everyone wants more of Star-Lord and his crew – now they’ll get it.” 

Film School Friday Lesson #37 - How To Make A Disney Movie

Last time, Film School Friday taught readers how to stay awake for late night movies. If you invested in the kind of eye clamps seen in A Clockwork Orange, your eyes will now be dryer than the Sahara Desert and you probably lost your sight around three days ago. That's ok though. Just ask your children or a friend to read Manilovefilms.com to you from now on. It will be like the audio book version, but instead of hearing someone famous and talented speak our words, you'll just have to endure the dulcet tones of someone you already know.

It's unfortunate that you're now blind, as you'll no longer be able to appreciate the beauty of animation from production companies like Disney, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't enjoy these timeless classics, so grab a paintbrush, put on a cartoon voice and grab a camera as we read on for today's lesson.

The Big Hero 6 Trailer Is Here! But Where Are The Rest Of The Team?

Superheroes are ridiculously popular right now and Disney have just had their most successful hit in years with Frozen, so it doesn't take a genius to work out that combining the two could be a huge earner at the box office. Lo and behold, Walt Disney Animation Studios have finally released the first full length trailer for Big Hero 6, a Marvel superhero adaptation that looks set to repeat the phenomenal success of Frozen and Wreck-It-Ralph.

Nine Animated Disney Characters Who May Be Stuck In The Closet

Homosexuality is more prominent in the mainstream than it has ever been before and now even Disney is getting in on the act. The studios latest animation Frozen featured Disney's first prince to be voiced by an openly gay man and the hit TV show Good Luck Charlie has recently announced that a lesbian couple will appear in an upcoming storyline. How scandalous!

It's refreshing to see one of the world's largest corporations finally relax their conservative views somewhat, although unfortunately, an openly gay Disney prince or princess still seems some way off. If only the Mickey Mouse crew could take a leaf out of Laika's page, the production company who featured a male character come out at the end of last year's Paranorman.

For now though, we'll just have to contend with the 'secretly' gay characters who regularly pop up in Disney animation. That's right guys. Some of your favourite cartoons from childhood may have batted for the other team. Why else do you think the Cave of Wonders only opened up for Aladdin? If you don't believe me, read on to find out which nine animated Disney characters may be stuck in the closet. Big emphasis on the 'may'. PS. I won't even insult your intelligence by including Ryan Evans from High School Musical on the list.

My Neighbors The Yamadas (1999): Mini Movie Review

A lot of things can get in the way of finding time to review films including work, family and THE ATTACK OF THE FLYING MONKEYS, but some movies still deserve a mention, so that’s where my Mini Movie Reviews come in. Each is less than 100 words long or your money back. That’s a promise people! Today it’s My Neighbors The Yamadas.

Disney's Frozen Review (2013) Has Disney Finally Reclaimed Its Crown?

Home On The Range, Treasure Planet, Atlantis: The Lost Empire... all is finally forgiven Disney.

Since the 1940s, the world's most iconic animation studio has tried it darndest to adapt Hans Christian Andersen's classic fable The Snow Queen, but not even the great Walt Disney could get it right. Finally, in 2013, the Magical Kingdom has nailed it with their 53rd animated classic Frozen, which had the largest ever opening weekend for a Disney animation in the studio's history.  

Film School Friday Lesson #12 - How To Become An Anime Hero

Last week, Film School Friday taught readers how to make their very own version of a Hitchcock movie. If you did take my advice, then quite frankly, I'm surprised you're still reading this feature. Shouldn't you be promoting your film for the upcoming Razzies? I hear McG has a new film out so there's stiff competition ahead! Oh, and if you've been sued by Hitchcock's estate, we never spoke.

Now where was I? Ah yes. Mistaken identity has always been a strong theme in Hitchcock's work so bizarrely, this got me thinking about anime. I've never seen more confused looking characters than I have in Japanese animation. Am I a boy? Am I a girl? Am I a about to be sexually assaulted by an octopus? I thought it might be best to try and clear the air with today's lesson so grab some hair gel, sharpen your sword and brush up on your Japanese as you read on. This one's for the fan boys.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 Review - "There's A Leek In The Boat!"

Never have I ever been so hungry watching a film.

Chance Of Meatballs 2 (CWACOM2... just rolls off the tongue) is executive produced by the original film makers Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who have since moved on to the 21 Jump Street franchise. In their stead, we have Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn, the promising directors behind...Open Season 3. Don't worry though Cloudy fans; director Cody Cameron is the voice behind Pinocchio and the three little pigs in the original Shrek... and they were funny right? With such a strong creative team, surely CWACOM2 will best the inevitable decline in quality that most sequels fall prey to, right?

Film School Friday Lesson #7 - How To Bag A Disney Bride

Last week, Film School Friday went a slightly different route, teaching us all how to revive a dying career with the help of Southern charmer Matthew McConaughey. As king of the bad Rom Com, McConaughey had a lot to answer for but now, with a series of critically acclaimed films under his belt, we can look back at this dark period of cinema and rejoice in its demise. However, there's always a lesson to be learnt from cinema and as I researched McConaughey's crappy old films, one thing did occur to me. That man sure does know how to talk to the ladies...

I've decided that I need to give out more realistic advice that will help readers in their daily lives. No more 'How To Be The Best Zombie You Can Be' or 'How To Become A Successful Super Villain'. What do people want most of all? To be happy in love. Let's take a page out of McConaughey's book then and pursue only the most beautiful partners to spend the rest of our lives with. Want someone with an incredible singing voice, flawless hair and eyes so huge that they must have been born at Chernobyl? Go Disney. So dust off your song book, saddle your loyal horse and throw away your morals once more as we begin today's lesson.

Dynamic Duos in Classic Film Blogathon - Maleficent & Diablo

When I first saw the idea for a Dynamic Duos themed blogathon on Classic Movie Hub Blog, a number of classic pairings immediately came to mind. Batman and Robin? Too obvious. The two killers from Hitchcocks' classic 'Rope'? Already been done to death. In the end, I realised that I needed to choose a duo who no one else would ever think of. 

Waking Sleeping Beauty (2009) Or How Mickey Mouse Almost Went On The Dole

2009 was a huge year for animation, where critically acclaimed releases such as 'Up', 'Coraline' and 'The Secret Of Kells' fought for the honour of Best Animated Feature at the Oscars. It's ironic then that one of the years most underrated documentaries explored Disney's triumphant comeback of the early 90s, including the Oscar nominated 'Beauty and the Beast', which is the only hand-drawn animation to date that's received a best picture nod.  

Five Films To Change Your Mind About Anime

The other day, me and a friend were trying, with not much luck, to select a film to watch. When I asked her if she wanted to watch an anime she replied "no, I don't like anime films." So of course, I asked her which ones she had seen. "I haven't" was her reply. Now, how in the bloody hell can you say you don't like something unless you try it first? That's like saying you don't like films that are in black and white because they're not in colour, something someone else I know has said... fool! Well these people are simply missing out on some of the best movies ever made. So I challenged my friend to watch at least one anime film, to help change her opinion on this incredible genre, and if you haven't seen any anime then I challenge you to do the same. Here is a list of my five favourite anime that you need to see.

Wreck-It Ralph (2012) - Which Classic Video Game Characters Were Missing?

The release of 'Wreck-It Ralph' has everyone pining for classic video game characters and it was amazing to see some long forgotten favourites arrive on the big screen, including Q*Bert, Dig Dug and Neff from 'Altered Beast'. A whole host of retro heroes and villains appear in the films opening act but I was still disappointed to see some missing, so here are the childhood favourites of mine which I think should have made it into the final picture, copyright issues aside. 

5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)

Makato Shinkai. You might not have heard of this anime filmmaker yet but you should have. The triple threat talent produces, writes and directs beautiful movies which have encouraged comparisons between him and the king of anime himself, Hayao Miyazaki. Films such as 'Voice Of A Distant Star' and 'The Place Promised In Our Early Days' have won Shinkai many honours in his native Japan but I first noticed him for his acclaimed work on '5 Centimeters Per Second', which explores the relationships that a boy named Takaki Tono develops from his youth up to the present day. The film consists of three segments which each focus on a different time in Takaki's life, titled Cherry Blossom, Cosmonaut and 5 Centimeters Per Second.

So Why Does Disney's Paperman (2012) Deserve The Oscar For Best Animated Short?

After being shown theatrically before 'Wreck-It Ralph' in US cinemas, 'Paperman' received a huge amount of critical acclaim from the press and well, just about anybody who got a chance to see it in full. John Kahrs animated short is only seven minutes long but its impact has been huge. This week, it finally became available online and I watched it for the first time. So did Disney's latest short live up to the hype? Most definitely. 

And The Oscar for Best Voice Acting Goes To...

...No one. So why don't they have an Oscar for Best Voice Acting? These days, a whole host of famous actors and actresses have lent their voices to animated films and for some, these characters have since become signature roles. Maybe it's just a lack of respect for animation in general from the Academy, although an Oscar was created for Best Animated Feature back in 2002.

So what gives Academy? Any fan of animation over the age of 6 knows that brilliant voice acting can make all the difference. Some of my favourite characters of all time have been voiced by legendary performers and they shouldn't have been penalised for their work just because they appeared in an animated film instead of live-action. But who do you think would have deserved to win such an award? Love them or hate them, here are my five best picks;

Bored of Les Miserables Yet? Try South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

Hands up if you've seen the film version of 'Les Miserables' yet. Keep your hands up if you thought that it was pretty good but was ultimately far too long, with many songs blending into one another... wow that's a lot of you. Ok, hands down. 'Les Miserables' is a great film with a knockout performance from Anne Hathaway but it just wasn't consistent enough for me. 

Oscars: Best Animated Feature 2009 - Who Should Have Won?

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature is surprisingly contentious. While some critics believe that the honour has helped increase the visibility of the animated industry since its creation in 2002, others believe that the award was devised as a kind of consolation prize, so that animated films wouldn't have to be nominated for Best Picture. 'Beauty and the Beast' was the first animated feature to be nominated for Best Picture back in 1991 and it remained the only film to receive this honour until 'Up' was nominated back in 2009.

I Love The 90s: Disney

When Disney made 'The Little Mermaid' back in 1989, they began what would become their second golden age, known as the Disney Renaissance. After a few decades of films that weren't up to their usual standards of excellence, 'The Little Mermaid' changed Disneys fortunes around, making animated musicals more popular than ever before, both critically and commercially. What followed was a string of some of the best animated films that have ever been made,  that would help to define a generation of children. And I'm happy to say I'm one of them, I love Disney. 

 

Disney's Scariest Moments of All Time!

Classic scary films; 'The Exorcist', 'Halloween', 'The Little Mermaid'?! 

Forget what you thought you knew about horror and cast your mind back to those 'innocent' Disney films that warped your young fragile minds as a child. Sure Disney seems all cute and light but underneath the bright colours and catchy sing-a-longs, there are some darker moments that seem surprisingly messed up in retrospect. Damn you Walt!

I'll bet you money that the Mickey doll is possessed. Stay out of the Disney store kids!