The dust hasn't even settled on yesterday's announcement of Kong returning to Orlando and we have another big announcement today. Nintendo and Universal have partnered up to bring Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds into the Orlando and Japan parks in the form of major attractions! Nintendo holds the rights to some of the most profitable properties in the world and with Universal's recent successes in bringing IPs to life, this partnership seems like a perfect fit. This will be the first time attractions and theme park experiences will be based on Nintendo characters and worlds. Read below for more information and my take on possible venues in the Orlando parks for Nintendo-based attractions.
Universal Orlando Announces ‘Skull Island: Reign of Kong’ for Summer 2016
Universal Orlando has officially announced the new King Kong attraction. We've got a name, "Skull Island: Reign of Kong", along with some concept art, descriptions, and even a video! As expected the ride will feature a tour set in the 1930s of the great Skull Island temple. We find ourselves surrounded by prehistoric creatures and then we get an up-close experience with the eighth wonder of the world himself, Kong! This new multi-sensory attraction will be opening Summer 2016 at Universal's Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida. Read more below for images, description, and interviews with the creators.
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Universal Orlando to Announce Kong Attraction Tomorrow May 6th at 11AM EDT!
Following up on their tweet earlier alluding to something Huge coming, Universal has posted a Vine showing the Kongstruction zone with the text "Something HUGE is on the horizon... Join us tomorrow @ 11 AM EDT." So, I'm guessing we can expect an official announcement tomorrow for King Kong coming back to his rightful home of Orlando. Stay tuned for more information, check out today's post from earlier, and see my recent Kongstruction photo update while you wait for the announcement! ...continue reading
Movie Review: Avengers: Age of Utron
As a stand-alone film it doesn't work as well as some of the other films, most notably The Winter Soldier. It feels like a long episode of an Avengers television show, (and I do mean long). I'm exhausted just watching all of these films from the Marvel cinematic universe, so I can understand why Joss Whedon is tired of making them. There's too many characters to pay service to, too many plot-lines to pay attention to, and too much special effects for the filmmakers to get them all done well. (The opening sequence had rubbery digital people as bad as The Matrix Reloaded's Agent Smiths fight. Haven't we moved past that phase of CG?) As one would expect there was some great comedic moments in the film, and clever dialogue in true Whedon style. But the film is drably directed, trudging along its set path, moving from one scene to another, without really sitting long enough to completely take anything in. Surprisingly, Hawkeye had some of the most memorable moments, and I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Bettany as The Vision, although there wasn't nearly enough for him to do in the film. Strangely enough, this was one of the smaller storylines in the Marvel universe, and yet, once again, the fate of the entire world was on the line. It's hard to stay invested after the world has been in peril this many times.
3 Stars (out of 5)
Universal Teases ‘Something Huge’ – Could This Finally Be the Kong Announcement?
"Something Huge is on the Horizon" Those are the words on an image recently posted to Universal Orlando's Twitter feed. The image looks to be of Skull Island in the distance, (although it kinda reminds me of Godzilla's back in the water). Looking forward to seeing the actual announcement, hopefully within the week, along with some concept art and ride description! Can't wait.
Be sure to stay tuned here for more details as they develop. And check out my recent photo update of King Kong construction. See all Kongstruction updates here.
Raptor Meet and Greet Construction Update at the Old Triceratops Encounter in IOA
I'm going to go out on a limb and say I'm 99% sure they're building a Raptor Show/Meet and Greet near the entrance to the old Triceratops Encounter at Islands of Adventure. Construction is picking up pace, and with only 41 days until Jurassic World opens in theaters, they better hurry up to be ready. During my last visit I was able to grab some snapshots of what looks like a semi-circle of supports, done in a Jurassic Park style. They could be marking off what will become a stage-like viewing area, or maybe even a small set of bleachers for guests to view the animals. Either way, it's looking much more like a permanent viewing area (with scheduled appearances throughout the day perhaps) rather than just a staging area for street events. Check out the images of construction below as well as some more information and rumors! ...continue reading
Kongstruction Update: Facade Looking Amazing as Construction Walls Start Closing In
Kongstruction is looking amazing today in Islands of Adventure! The creepy faces are coming along nicely, the brick color is looking beautiful, and the temple facade is growing across the right side of the structure. The construction walls have begun encroaching on the pathway, having moved out about to 10 to 20 feet in some places. The food stand is gone now, considering there isn't enough room to accommodate it on the path anymore. The walls have probably been moved out to make way for construction of the outdoor scene that will take place in front of the structure. Supposedly the ride vehicle will exit the structure after load and venture into an outdoor scene before re-entering the building through the enormous temple gate. See all the pictures from today below!
Movie Review: Ex Machina
The underpinning scientific theories described by the film are fascinating to me, and the film does a good job of illustrating them and their real-world importance. It's as beautifully stylized as any great science fiction film. The performances are believable on every level, from Oscar Isaac's reclusive, eccentric, and unpredictable inventor/millionaire, to Alicia Vikander's mysterious artificially intelligent being. Domhnall Gleeson ties the story together as the relatable every-man, Caleb, navigating this futuristic scenario through the eyes of today's tech.
The film explores the ideas of the Turing Test, the Chinese Room thought experiment, and the A-I Box Experiment, as well as modern dilemmas like tech companies using our personal data to do whatever it is they wish. All these concepts are meshed together into a science fiction story that plays like a cautionary tale more than your average Hollywood sci-fi, imparting the average movie-goer with some heavy philosophical ideas to contemplate after they've left the theater.
4 Stars (out of 5)
Movie Review: Unfriended
The gimmick of Unfriended is cleverly executed. The entire film takes place on a laptop screen and that's probably the best thing about it... That, and the 82 minute run-time that is. Every character in the film is thoroughly unpleasant, obnoxious, and self-absorbed, which makes it hard for the anti-cyber-bullying message to come across. Don't cyber-bully or ghosts will kill you through Facebook! Other than the poor characterization, the film handles the story well, explaining motivation through well-thought out mouse movements and strokes on the keyboard. Seeing the main character type something, hesitate, backspace, and start again helps illustrate what's going on in her mind. Web searches and YouTube videos help with delivering exposition. While I liked the execution, let's hope this is a one-of-a-kind found-footage film, because I've had my fill and don't need any more copycats (looking at you Modern Family).
3 Stars (out of 5)
Movie Review: The Longest Ride
I would call this film "serviceable". It accomplishes what it sets out to, hits all the Sparks marks, but just didn't pull me in. I took issue with how it tried too hard to be too many things, never really satisfying all of them in the end. The dual storyline is handled well in the first half, but after a bit I found myself not caring at all about the current-day characters. The trailers may have promoted the film as the story of a bull rider and young woman finding love despite being from different worlds, but reality is it's a love story about a couple that meet in the early 1940's, as described to a young couple, with a few brief sequences of bull riding thrown in. It succeeds more in its historical fiction than it does as a modern romance or a sports film. The message of the story is clear by the end, as is the case with Nicholas Sparks films, but the movie is unfortunately dull and all over the place.
2.5 Stars (out of 5)