Hank: Suck it, bipeds!
— Finding Dory
McCoy: A negative attitude is no good to us. We can’t just leave them out there, wherever they are.
Spock: We shall continue sensor scans, Doctor. At the moment, that is all we can do, except hope for a rational explanation.
McCoy: Hope? I always thought that was a human failing, Mister Spock.
Spock: True, Doctor. Constant exposure does result in a certain degree of contamination.
Star Trek — Season 2: Episode 17 — “The Gamesters of Triskelion”
Now You See Me was a pleasant surprise for me. I went into the under-the-radar hit three years ago with no expectations and came out having thoroughly enjoyed myself. It combined a winning cast with a sense of visual flair to tell a fun, twisting story that that kept me engaged and guessing throughout. But while it ended with a surprising reveal and a cliffhanger, I never really felt that it needed a sequel. Nevertheless, Now You See Me 2 is now in theaters, and I went into it with much higher expectations based on my experience with the first. The sequel mostly succeeds, reuniting almost all of its talented cast and giving us a film that captures a lot of what made the original feel special while throwing in some new wrinkles to keep things feeling fresh. I may not have been clamoring for Now You See Me 2, but I’m generally pleased it’s here.
Xander: Willow, did you remember to tape Biography last Friday?
Willow: Uh-huh.
Buffy: See, I told you. Old Reliable.
Willow: Oh, thanks.
Buffy: What?
Willow: ‘Old Reliable’? Yeah, great. There’s a sexy nickname.
Buffy: Well, I-I didn’t mean it as…
Willow: No, it’s fine. I’m ‘Old Reliable’.
Xander: She just means, you know, the geyser. You’re like a geyser of fun that goes off at regular intervals.
Willow: That’s Old Faithful.
Xander: Isn’t that the dog that, that the guy had to shoot…
Willow: That’s Old Yeller.
Buffy: Xander, I beg you not to help me.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer — Season 3: Episode 16 — “Dopplegangland”
I’m as big a Disney fan as they come, but I’ve never been a fan of Pete’s Dragon. It’s not like I hate it or anything, it just wasn’t a movie that particularly interested me growing up. I liked Elliott the dragon well enough, but the story was too silly for my tastes and the songs weren’t particularly great. Pretty much the only aspect of the film I have fond memories of is the Elliott float in the Disney Main Street Electrical Parade. And considering my love of all things dragon, you’d think I would have been more into Pete’s Dragon, but it just didn’t work out that way. And considering the relative obscurity of the 1977 film, I figured I wasn’t alone. So I’ve been surprised by the strength of the backlash against the remake due out in a few months. While I assume most of the rejection of this new version is mostly a symptom of resistance to the Disney live-action remake trend, it’s true that the first teaser trailer was underwhelming. We got a new trailer today, with the film just two months out, that gives us a much better look at the story, the tone of the film, as well as Elliott himself. Take a look below and read on for my comments and screencaps, and then tell me what you think!
Luke: Hey, wrong table.
Rory: Since when is there a right table?
Luke: Since the coffee cake I baked for you and the stupid balloons I blew up are at that table, over there.
Rory: You blew up balloons for me?
Luke: Yep.
Rory: Oh, Luke, you old softie.
Luke: I count to three, it’s gone.
Rory: Thank you.
Gilmore Girls — Season 1: Episode 6 — “Rory’s Birthday Parties”
Disney originally planned to release the trailer for Moana earlier in the day yesterday (and actually did for a brief time before removing it), but decided to hold off until the evening out of respect for the horrific shooting in Orlando. The actual debut of the trailer coincided with a commercial during the Tony Awards, which were fantastic and a cathartic way to finish an emotional day, so we can finally dive in to this much-anticipated next offering from Disney Animation, due out in November 2016. Disney already has one animated smash hit this year with Zootopia, and the excitement around Moana could spell another hit for a studio that has been on a roll lately. (Seriously, with Wreck-It Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, and Zootopia, this has been an excellent stretch for Disney Animation.) So take a look at the gorgeous trailer below and then read on for my thoughts and screencaps, and then tell me what you think!
The Love Pirate 