Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

Lucasfilm

Awesome!

Star Wars: The Force Awakens arrives in theaters on December 17.

Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer 3

Marvel

Here's another trailer for Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron. I like the way this one gives a little more backstory on Ultron.

Avengers: Age of Ultron arrives in theaters on May 1.

For more Avengers information, be sure to follow the official Marvel's AvengersFacebook page and Twitter

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Target

The final film in the Hobbit trilogy arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD today. There are a few different options available, but personally, I'm going to buy the Target version. What can I say, I really love the Legos! This set includes Bard the Bowman and his son, Bain. (I got the Legolas set when I bought The Desolation of Smaug, so I need these to go with it.)

I had the chance to see this movie in the theater, and I absolutely loved it. Just be sure to have a big stack of tissues on hand before you watch it, because you're going to need them. I knew what to expect, having read the book years ago and watched the cartoon many times as a child, and yet I still cried for the last 30 minutes or so. (And that was after Bean and I had watched the cartoon so she'd know what to expect!) Caution: Spoilers Ahead!

As I'm sure you've guessed, the story begins with the destruction of Smaug. I must admit that I felt the previous movie should have ended with the death of the greedy fire drake, but the story moves along quite swiftly after his demise. This story has many characters working toward their own goals, and then coming together as these goals collide. Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman, fight the darkness of Dol Guldur to free Gandalf. The dwarves finally have their home, but everyone who has heard of their quest seeks to lay claim to the treasure within Erebor. Thorin succumbs to Dragon sickness, which puts him at odds with the Men of Laketown, whom come to claim the aid he promised them. The Elves of Mirkwood seek their own treasures, lost within the mountain. Thorin refuses all, which leads to The Battle of the Five Armies: the Dwarves and their kin from the Iron Hills, the Elves of Mirkwood, the Men of Laketown, the Gundabad Orcs, and the Eagles.

The battle is quite a spectacle, with the dwarves, led by Dain Ironfoot (portrayed by Billy Connolly, which really cracked me up) prepared to fight against the allied men and elves, until the arrival of the overwhelming forces of the Orcs. After the horror of war, with the expected accompanying deaths, Bilbo finally prepares to return home, a changed hobbit. I was quite curious to see if Peter Jackson would include Bilbo having to evict Lobelia Sackville-Baggins from his home when he arrived, and was quite glad that he did.

The credits begin with a song written and performed by Billy Boyd (Peregrine Took in LOTR), called "The Last Goodbye". It's enough to make you cry all over again.

And so, at last we have come to the end of the tale. I must say, I'm rather sorry that the journey has ended. I love the Hobbit films and the Lord of the Rings films. But at least now I can watch all six in order. (It's going to be a long weekend!) I'll leave you with Billy Boyd's video of "The Last Goodbye".

Oh, dear, it's going to make me cry again. :(

Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron Trailer

Marvel

I love Marvel movies. They have great stories and a lot of action, and this one looks even more action packed than usual. Are you planning to see it?

Marvel's AvengersAge of Ultron arrives in theaters on May 1.

Hotel Transylvania 2 Teaser Trailer

Sony

Have you seen the trailer for Hotel Transylvania 2? It looks even funnier than the first one!

Hotel Transylvania 2 arrives in theaters this September.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Aardman Animation

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the warm rays of Sun fall upon your home,

And may the hand of a friend always be near.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Tomorrowland Trailer

Disney

Tomorrowland looks so cool!

New Disney Princess Legos

Have you seen the latest Disney Princess Legos? Bean and I absolutely love Legos of any sort, but she's especially fond of the Princess ones. The latest sets feature Jasmine, Aurora, Ariel and one of her sisters, along with Anna, Elsa,and Olaf.

Jasmine's Exotic Palace includes Princess Jasmine and Rajah, a magic carpet, a small section of the Sultan's Palace, a market stall, and fountain. Oh, and I can't leave out the most adorable little Genie's lamp.

Sleeping Beauty's Royal Bedroom includes Princess Auroras and a bunny, her bed, dressing table, a window, and of course, a spinning wheel complete with spindle. Her bed opens up to hide secret treasures, such as one of the fairies' wands.

Ariel's Undersea Palace is a large set, which includes Princess Ariel and her sister Princess Alana, Sebastian, Flounder, and a dolphin, and King Triton's Palace complete with bedroom, dining room, music room, and a slide. There's also a chest filled with Ariel's human treasures, such as a treasure map and spyglass.

Elsa's Sparkling Ice Castle is the last new set. It includes Queen Elsa, Princess Anna, and Olaf, a three story castle dripping with ice, a sleigh and ice hill to slide down, and Olaf's summer picnic. The ice hill opens to hide Olaf's sandwich and cookies, and the castle stairs close up to keep out unwanted visitors.

I love all these new Legos, but my favorite has to be Elsa's Sparkling Ice Castle: Kristoff's sleigh and Olaf's picnic just crack me up. These new sets range in price from $12.99 for the Aurora set, to $54.99 for the Ariel one, but they are well worth the price for the hours of creative fun they bring. Which Disney Princess Lego set is your favorite?

Photo Credit: Lego

Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast

Are you ready for the new Tinker Bell movie, which comes to Bluray and DVD tomorrow? I had a chance to see Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast this weekend and I loved it! It was at times happy, then sad, with an amazing story and an important overall message: never judge a book by its cover. Below is my review of the film. Caution: Spoilers Ahead.

The story is centered around Fawn, and begins with another of her misadventures while trying to help an animal deemed too dangerous by other Animal Talent Fairies. This time, she is trying to return a young hawk named Hannah to the wild now that her injured wing has healed. Unfortunately, hawks eat fairies, and when Hannah becomes frightened, she calls other hawks to her aid. As most of the fairies and animals hide, Nyx and the Scout Fairies appear to drive away the hawks and save the day. After the dust settles, Queen Clarion advises Fawn to look at animals not just with her heart, but with her head.

That night, a green comet passes through the sky from the fourth star to the right. This comet only appears once every thousand years. According to fairy lore, the comet will awaken a great monster, the Neverbeast. Not surprisingly, Fawn stumbles upon this giant creature with glowing green eyes, roaring with pain caused by a thorn in his paw. Being Fawn, she immediately tries to help the wounded beast, and then to learn everything about the Neverbeast, whom she names Gruff. Although it is slow going, Fawn and Gruff eventually become friends, while she helps him build strange towers of rock. After getting to know Gruff, and deciding that he's not dangerous, she decides to introduce him to her friends, who are less sure he won't harm them.

At the same time, Nyx is searching for the Neverbeast, convinced that he will destroy all of Pixie Hollow unless she can find him and stop him. Fawn is unconvinced that Gruff means any harm, even when presented with drawings from an ancient book of lore. She and her friends decide they must protect Gruff from the Scout Fairies, and especially Nyx.

I won't tell you how it all comes to an end, but I will tell you to have a few tissues handy. I shed a few tears during several of the final scenes, although it ends well, as most Disney movies do. In my opinion, this is the best of the Tinker Bell stories, and it may be the last. Unlike previous Tinker Bell movies, there was no preview for a new film on this disc, but if this was the final story, it was a wonderful way to end the series.