Olaf’s Frozen Adventure Review

Olaf's Frozen Adventure is a short that’s the latest instalment in the Frozen franchise and is currently playing before Pixar’s Coco. If you know me you know I LOVE Frozen so I had to talk about this Christmas short.

On the one hand this is shameless marketing to sell Frozen Christmas products. Anna and Elsa have new dresses which means Disney can make more toys (which I have already bought!). And possibly the actresses playing Elsa in the theme parks can have a slightly warmer dress for winter instead of that weird looking padded version of the ice dress.

However Olaf’s Frozen Adventure was actually a really entertaining little short. As the title suggests this instalment really is all about Olaf who continues to be funny and endearing. It’s slightly longer than the previous short Frozen Fever and is set in Arendelle during the holiday season. Olaf’s Frozen Adventure is full of little jokes and references to Frozen, much like Frozen Fever.

Olaf’s Frozen Adventure also adds something to Frozen. There’s something which expands upon what Anna and Elsa were doing during all the years that lapsed during Do You Want To Build A Snowman? Honestly this thing they added made me cry and I suspect that I will see Frozen in a slightly different way because of it. I think Anna got a chance to shine more than her sister this time round, which is nice because Elsa usually takes the spot light.

I think it says a lot about Disney that what is essentially a merchandising opportunity for their two most popular characters managed to be a heart-warming story. I think Olaf’s Frozen Adventure might have become a new holiday tradition to watch at that time of year.

Coco Review

Pixar have done it again. Pixar have made some fantastic films over the years and Coco is their latest triumph.

I am going to keep this review as spoiler free as I possibly can. If you want to experience Coco completely fresh then don’t read on, but otherwise I promise I won’t reveal any major plot points in my review.

Coco follows the story of Miguel Rivera on the eve of the Day of the Dead (also known as Dia de los Muertos) as he tries to follow his passion for music and learn more about his family. This is a movie about family, music, love and yes, it is also a movie about death.

Dia de los Muertos really is a perfect subject matter for a Pixar film. It’s a festival that’s colourful, about family and emotional, all of which are things that Pixar excels at. My assessment on how culturally authentic the depiction of Dia de los Muertos was is limited by my being a cultural outsider however I think Pixar did a good job at representing Mexican culture. I think they made a culturally authentic film that celebrated Mexican culture and avoided falling into stereotypes.

I would say in the canon of Pixar films tonally Coco feels most similar to Monsters Inc and Inside Out, both of which are some of their best films. There’s one moment towards the end which really reminded me of a moment from Monsters Inc. Whilst I would like to see Coco again before I make a full judgement I think it fits pretty highly up the list of Pixar films.

If you’re thinking about going to see Coco then I would urge you to go see it whilst it is still in cinemas. This is a movie that you will want to see on the big screen. Pixar are known for their stunning visuals and Coco is no expectation. There’s some scene which I can honestly only describe as breath-taking! I want to buy the art book and study every minute detail! Seriously, Coco is a really aesthetically pleasingly movie.

We all know Pixar movies are emotional. I think probably everyone who has ever seen a Pixar movie has cried at something (Bing Bong from Inside Out always makes me cry). Well, Coco continues that tradition. I’m not going to say what made me cry but I cried multiple times. Bring tissues with you when you go to see it. That said, despite the fact that Coco is an emotional movie it is not a sad movie.

Pixar have really done it again. I honestly think that this is one will be talking about and praising for many years to come.

Justice League Review

Justice League is a good comic book movie. This is a movie that is aimed at DC and comic book fans. Don’t go into it expecting a cinematic masterpiece, go in expecting an enjoyable superhero movie.

I am going to try not to give away any spoilers in my review however if you want to watch the movie completely unaware then don’t read any further.

At times the plot is either a bit incoherent or very predictable however this is a movie that is more driven by character and action scenes so I feel I can overlook that a little. Justice League is a relatively standard end of the world apocalypse that the heroes must come together to fight and save the world. The main villain was weak but I don’t mind too much as really this movie is about the heroes coming together and forming the Justice League.

For me Wonder Woman stole the show. This is probably not a surprise if you saw Wonder Woman. DC continue to get Diana’s character spot on and combine the badass warrior with her compassionate nature. Gal Gadot delivers another good performance. It was also nice to see more of her being Diana Prince this time round. (Though she still needs to get the Invisible Jet!)

Finally, once again we have an optimistic Superman! If you know Superman from any other media then this is that version of Superman. The positive hero who stands for hope and justice. He’s likeable, he’s funny and he’s a badass! There’s also a moment during a fight scene where he goes off to save the civilians which is just such a Superman thing to do.

I liked Batman in this movie. This is a Batman with tons of gadgets! He feels very much like the character we know from the comics, but he’s not unrelentingly grim. We get moments where he actually gets some good one-liners!

If you know me you know that I am a massive Flash fan, therefore it probably isn’t a surprise that I have very strong feelings about the Flash. I was against the take on him that the DC Cinematic Universe has been doing from the initially casting but I really wanted to be proved wrong. I wasn’t proved wrong. The Flash was good, he is quite likeable and has some decent one-liners but he is not Barry Allen. For me this version of the Flash feels like a weird hybrid of Wally West and Spider-Man which just doesn’t work. As a Flash fan this is annoying because Justice League is likely the first time that a general audience will be seeing the Flash and they’re going to be seeing a character who just is not Barry Allen’s Flash. Grant Gustin is still the best live action Flash.

I must admit that I really don’t know much about Aquaman so I’m not sure how much I can judge him. However I sort of felt like they were trying too hard to make him cool. But there’s moments which seem promising for setting up his solo movie. (Also he swims wearing jeans. Who thought that was a good idea? As anyone who has ever worn jeans in the rain can tell you, denim and water are not a good combination!)

I like the take they’ve gone for with Cyborg. He’s right at the start of his journey and he’s not yet the more fun hero he will later become, it’s an interesting set up that is clearly intended to be followed on from in later movies. Also, he gets to say his catchphrase Booyah!

There’s a lot of moments and lines in Justice League that are there to be fan pleasing. These sort of moments don’t take away from the main plot but they’re there to be spotted by the geeks and things like that make me smile. There’s also several appearances from the main hero’s supporting casts of characters. We see Lois Lane, Jim Gordon, Mera and Henry Allen, maybe these appearances weren’t entirely needed but they were definitely something that helped to round out the heroes and give another fan pleasing moment.

I saw Justice League in 3D because the 3D showing worked best for my schedule but honestly I would say that it was actually worth seeing in 3D. Wonder Woman’s action scenes are definitely worth seeing in 3D!

Stylistically I would say Justice League felt more like watching a comic book than any other superhero movie I have seen. For example there’s a scene near the beginning set in Gotham that honestly felt like it had been lifted straight from a comic.

A few things I would like to have seen are…

·         Hal Jordan (Green Lantern), even if it was just a brief appearance I really feel like Hal should have been there somewhere.

·         The Invisible Jet, I’m not going to stop talking about this until Wonder Woman gets her Invisible Jet.

·         I would have liked Jim Gordon to have referenced his daughter Barbara. I know that’s a very specifically geeky one but given a Batgirl movie is in production it would have been nice to get a little reference to Barbara Gordon.

But overall I enjoyed Justice League. It is a good, but not exceptional, comic book movie. Certainly I think DC fans are going to like it. Personally I am looking forward to seeing what comes next in the DC Cinematic Universe. 

My Haul – From A Day Out In Toronto

This weekend I had a day out in Toronto. As promised here’s a My Haul post about what I bought this time in Toronto.

Eaton Centre

I started out in the Eaton Centre where I got some things I like from Disney Store and Hallmark.

Disney Store

I bought the Christmas Anna plushie wearing her new dress from the upcoming short, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure. As soon as I heard that a Frozen Christmas short was in production I knew it would mean new dresses for Elsa and Anna which would mean new toys of them. I was actually pretty disappointed with how the dolls look but I really like how the plushies look. I managed to get Anna for only $10 thanks to a couple of offers in store.

Hallmark

As has now become tradition I bought two more Itty Bitty’s from Hallmark. I bought Rocket Raccoon from Guardians of the Galaxy and the new Avengers version of Captain America. If you know me it’s probably no surprise that I wanted to add these two to my collection.

The Black Canary – Comic Coffee Shop

Of course I bought comics whilst getting a coffee. I bought the next volume of Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps after I enjoyed the first one which I got over summer. I also decided to get a comic which has been on my ‘To Get List’ for a while, DC Bombshells which is an alternate universe series where Wonder Woman leads a team of female DC heroes during WWII.

So that was what I bought this time. Itty Bitty’s, something from Disney Store and comics. I’m noticing the emergence of a pattern when I go shopping in Toronto!

A Day Out in Toronto

Yesterday I went to Toronto for the third time though this was the first time that I have been with a friend.

As I did previously, we caught a Greyhound into Toronto. I think I have previously mentioned how good the Greyhound service is but it really is true. Also now that it has got significantly colder it is nice that the Greyhounds have the heating on at just the right level.

When we arrived in Toronto we got a Starbucks and then went off to browse the fantastic Eaton Centre Mall. I’d forgotten how much fun it can be to go round shops with a friend. There will be a haul post about what I bought coming tomorrow. We had a really good curry for lunch in the Mall food court and then went out into the city for an exploration of the city. 

As it is now November most stores are getting ready for Christmas and there were some fabulous window displays. We also went down to the Old Town area of Toronto which is a new one for me but is definitely worth going down to for some really interesting looking old buildings.

After all that walking we decided that it was time for an afternoon break so we went to my favourite coffee shop – The Black Canary, comic coffee shop! I love this place so much, it is just so cool! This time I had a Black Widow to drink. I also bought a couple of comics which I shall share in My Haul post.

Once we had re-caffeinated and felt refreshed enough we decided to go back out and see some more of the city. Particularly this time we wanted to find out about the PATH, which is an underground walkway that connects most of Downtown Toronto. After several failed attempts and wrong turns we eventually managed to enter the PATH, now that we know where it is I would say that it will be worth remembering for when it gets even colder later on in winter.

The day was starting to get on and before we knew it we were having to start thinking about finding our way back to the bus station. We had dinner, a quick final browse in the mall and then walked back. Toronto looked really nice in the dark last night.

Both of us had a really good day out in a fantastic city. I love going to Toronto and I definitely want to go again. I’d like to go again soon once all the Christmas stuff is properly out as I suspect it looks fantastic!

New Doctor New Look

It’s been too long since I wrote something about Doctor Who so in light of the BBC releasing the first official image of Jodie Whittaker as the Doctor I thought I would just share a few thoughts about Doctor Who Series 11.

Image BBC©

Series 11 seems like it is going to be a near complete relaunch for Doctor Who. I think that this will work similarly to the transition between the David Tennant and Matt Smith eras of the show. There were some aspects of continuity between the two of them but for the most part it was a change. More or less everything from the TARDIS (both inside and out) to the Sonic Screwdriver changed. That’s the level of change I expect we will be seeing by the time Jodie Whitaker is on our screens as the Doctor.

Based on the newly released image Jodie Whitaker looks very much like she is the Doctor. The whole ensemble of her new outfit just looks very Doctor-ish. I'm glad that they haven't done anything sexist and cringey like putting the Doctor in something pink or making her wear heels just because she's a woman (I was slightly worried they might do that). I'm also glad that once again the Doctor will be wearing a long coat.

In the background of the newly released promotional image of Jodie Whitaker as the Doctor we got our first look at her new TARDIS. To me the Police Box now looks a lot like the version that was used back in the 70s by the 3^rd and 4^th Doctors. I wonder if that’s a possible hint as to what the interior is going to look like. Will we finally see a TARDIS which has “the round things” again?

The Doctor is also going to be travelling with a team of companions in Series 11. My main thought about this is that it reminds me of the very first Tardis team with Ian, Barbara and Susan. I wonder if that's going to be something that's referenced. Perhaps giving her a full team of companions is a way of legitimising Jodie Whitaker as the first female Doctor by echoing the early years when multiple companions were the norm. I'm going to be reserving judgement until we know more because we literally know nothing about them right now! And remember people dismissed Billie Piper and Catherine Tate when they were initially cast yet no one (or at least no sensible person) would dismiss Donna Nobel and Rose Tyler now.

One of the main things that Series 11 is going to have to do is recapture the family audience. Doctor Who should never ever get too dark. Dark stories belong in the expanded universe and in adult spin-offs like Torchwood. There’s no denying that throughout the Capaldi era Doctor Who has struggled in the ratings and mainstream popularity. A part of why Doctor Who was such a massive success back in 2005 was because it aimed at the family audience. Jodie Whittaker needs to connect with the younger audience in the same way Christopher Ecclestone, David Tennant and Matt Smith did. Doctor Who needs to re-attract the 9 year old kids that will then read Doctor Who Adventures magazine and hunt down the action figures of their favourite characters. If the show if to survive beyond Series 11 it needs to bring in a new generation of fans.

In conclusion, I am cautiously optimistic about the future of Doctor Who. I really want Series 11 to be the smash hit success that Doctor Who deserves. So far I haven’t seen anything to make me nervous about the future of the series but I hope that my faith will not turn out to be misplaced.

Little Differences

The 5^th of November, back in the U.K it is Bonfire Night. But here in Canada it’s just the Sunday that the clocks go back.

Generally I have been pretty lucky in that I have not experienced home sickness or culture shock. In the run up to going to study abroad I heard so many things about how ‘you will get home sick’ but honestly I haven’t and this far into my exchange I think that it’s unlikely it ever will hit me. However that doesn’t mean there aren’t some little differences which when I come across make me miss home.

·         As I mentioned at the start of this post, Bonfire Night. I want to go see a firework display tonight but there isn’t one.

·         Halloween, yes I had an awesome Halloween but at the same time I did miss going to the Halloween event that I have been to every year at my UK uni.

·         Tea. I haven’t had a single cup of proper English Breakfast tea since I’ve been here because the ones imported from Britain are too pricey and I don’t like the look of any of the other brands.

·         Instant coffee, you can’t buy decent instant coffee over here. As I need my coffee every morning I had to buy a coffee maker.

·         Halloumi, it’s not available in Walmart.

·         Having a full reading week, we don’t have one in the fall semester but it’s nice to have a break.

·         Money, I’m fine with saying dollars instead of pounds and using notes but the coins keep confusing me. This is awkward if you’re at a till when there’s a queue behind you and you’re faffing around trying to figure out what’s a 10 cent and what’s a 5 cent.

This isn’t a list of all the differences between being a student in the UK and Canada or everything that I miss but it’s just a few things that have stood out to me.

Halloween is Over

Well it’s the start of November today which means that it is the beginning of Christmas season and the end of Halloween 2017. But before we completely say goodbye to Halloween I wanted to share a few thoughts about my Halloween in Canada.

In the weeks running up to Halloween there was quite a lot of anticipation amongst most people I know. Especially after Thanksgiving there seemed to be a lot of excitement building for Halloween. To be honest in the end more things seemed to be happening over the weekend instead of on Halloween itself, in the UK at uni we tend to do Halloween stuff both on the weekend and on the night itself.

For me Halloween really began on Saturday with my trip to Haunt at Canada’s Wonderland which was undoubtedly the highlight of my Halloween this year. I had a really good time.

Tuesday, Halloween Day went more or less as a normal day for me. This year for Halloween I was Clark Kent/Superman, I was actually going around all day in my costume just with the shirt buttoned up for most of the day. I guess the glasses really do mean that Superman can hide in plain sight.

It was more or less a normal day until I went to my night lecture, then suddenly about 5-10 minutes into the lecture the lights suddenly went out and there was a powercut. I’m 90% sure that the powercut must have been caused by ghosts. Either that or it was karma for scheduling classes on Halloween night. We got let out of the lecture and I walked across a darkened campus to my residence. Everyone was just gathering together and hanging out in the dark. Usually we’re a very social group in my accommodation however something about the dark made us all even more sociable than usually, maybe it was because without power we were all forced away from our screens. This was not how I expected my Halloween night to go but honestly it was actually a lot of fun. There’s something inherently spooky about being in the dark without power but then when you’re enjoying spending time with friend it’s even better.

So maybe I did not have the Halloween I had been anticipating but I have had a good one this year.