The Book of Goodnight Stories by Vratislav Stovicek(re-read) I got this book a long time ago because I had it as a kid and I wanted my kids to have it. There are 365 stories, one for each day of the year, although a lot of them are multi-parters, and each day is only about 250 words. I have fond memories of this book, but on the re-read, it started becoming hard to get through. The stories I remember as a nine-year-old weren’t as full of whimsy and wonder. The tales weren’t diverse and magical. They started getting samey (right around August, I believe) and it’s not as much a…
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Analyzing the Disney Villains: Pinocchio’s Villains (Pinocchio)
HONEST JOHN and GIDEON and STROMBOLI and THE COACHMAN and MONSTRO Origin: Pinocchio (1940) This movie’s got four different antagonists and they all get equal screen time. None of them stand out, none are related, and none of them are particularly threatening. But they all play a part in Pinocchio’s quest — to gain moral fiber. So I decided to try a quadruple threat match. Motivation: Monstro is probably the most memorable — he gets his own level in Kingdom Hearts — but he’s a being of nature. He doesn’t do anything out of malice, just instinct. Honest John and Gideon are the Laurel & Hardy of street swindlers, a…
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Analyzing the Disney Villains: Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
Well, let’s kick this one off right, with one of the best (and by syllogism, one of the easiest). MALEFICENT Origin: Sleeping Beauty (1959) The mistress of all evil and one of Disney’s iconic villains. The question is, does the hype pay off? Personally I think she peaked in Kingdom Hearts — she was a great enemy and a great part of that storyline, especially when you have to fight her in her dragon form. Kingdom Hearts II… not so much. She’s an unnecessary addition, peripheral to the story. And at the end, she starts helping the good guys! Good thing we’re not considering external sources part of this evaluation,…
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Once Upon a Time
There’s been some buzz lately about these “real fairy tales” + “dark and edgy” shows that are popping up. “Once Upon a Time” is ABC’s entry. “Grimm” is NBC’s, which has something to do with a detective. It’s a natural evolution of “Twilight” and its spin-offs like “The Vampire Diaries” and “Supernatural”, all of which evolved from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, which evolved from “Interview with the Vampire” and so on. Plus non-serial works like “The Brothers Grimm”, “Shrek”, “Wicked”, “Tin Man”, and “The 10th Kingdom”. I saw the free-to-watch pilot of “Once Upon a Time” on IMDB a few days ago. I haven’t watched a real show meant for…
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The Little Mermaid Sony “Re-Telling”
Okay, there’s this. Sony Pictures is going to do a dark-retelling of “The Little Mermaid”. Here’s some choice bits of info. It is based on the book “Mermaid: A Twist on the Classic Tale” a book that is based on the fairy tale, but basically expands on the human princess (essentially the Vanessa character, if you’ve only seen the Disney movie) who is fighting to unite her warring kingdom. It will be directed by Shana Feste, who directed “Country Strong” (a movie I didn’t see but looked like a serious version of Lurleen Lumpkin). First, reading the Amazon summary, it seems like it’s just another two girls fighting over one…
