Pages

Thursday, December 12, 2019

What Is Disney Movie Club? Is It Worth It?

What Is Disney Movie Club? Is It Worth It?
Disney Movie Club Logo

Disney has a lot going on at the movies right now. With Avengers: Endgame well on its way to becoming the highest-grossing film of all time, along with Aladdin, The Lion King, Toy Story 4, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Frozen 2, and several more titles expected to make a whole lot moolah along the way, it is no surprise that Disney is finding more and more ways to allow movie-lovers to explore the ever-evolving archive of movies.


With a treasure trove of movies available under Disney's reliable name, there is no shortage of great movies available through Disney. With that in mind, would it be worth securing a membership to Disney Movie Club? Let's take a look at what the service offers.


How Does Disney Movie Club Work?


Through Disney Movie Club, you sign up to join a membership program that allows you to buy Disney movies on both DVD and Blu-ray at a discounted price. The general gist goes like this: Through the service, you get four movies for $1 each, plus free shipping. Sounds pretty sweet, right? From there, you will have two years to buy five more movies at regular price. Every four weeks, you'll be sent a feature Disney movie, which you are allowed to choose or skip according to your preferences.




When you sign up, you get the choice of whether you want to receive Blu-rays or DVDs. DVDs are typically priced around $19.95, while Blu-rays are often $29.95. It should be noted, when you sign up newer releases might not be included as "available" sections. Though they typically become available a few months after their original release date. Once they do become available, the new releases should be counted towards your commitment.


What Does Disney Movie Club Cost?


While there isn't exactly a set price for the Disney Movie Club, you can figure out what you're spending if you do a quick number crunch. As it was mentioned earlier, if you pay for a Blu-ray, that's roughly $30 for a title. Through Disney Movie Club, you're expected to get around nine movies before you can call it quits. So, you're looking to spend about $149.75 (plus taxes, most likely) for the service, at the very least. That's not counting the dollar you'd spend for the initial four-movie bundle you'll get when you start, of course.


What Is Disney Movie Club VIP?


After your commitment and your membership agreement has been fulfilled, you will automatically be enrolled in the Disney Movie Club VIP program. Through the VIP membership, you will be eligible for even more special deals, offers and discounts, including some benefits that are only available through this service. These deals will become known to the costumer in full once they become VIP members. But it should be noted that if you become a VIP member, you will still need to respond to Feature Title offers to accept and decline as you would through the normal membership.




Can You Cancel Disney Movie Club?


Yes. If you want to cancel your Disney Movie Club membership, what you need to do is call a Disney Movie Club cast member at the following number: 1-800-362-4587. From there, you would tell them that you wish to cancel your Disney Movie Club membership. There is a Disney movie cast member who will be able to help you between the hours of 9 AM to 9 PM Monday-through-Friday, Eastern Time.


And it should be noted that you will want to be as clear and concise as possible, to make sure it's known that cancelling your membership is your final decision. Also, be sure to save your confirmation that your membership is cancelled. There should be a letter sent in the mail that confirms that your membership has been terminated.


What Credit Card Payments Are Accepted For Disney Movie Club?


In order to pay for a membership through the phone or online, you must use a credit card. The service accepts all the following credit card companies: Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card. Other credit card services are not likely to be accepted, though you can check with your local company or with a representative with Disney Movie Club to make sure that's the case.




Should You Get Disney Movie Club?


It's ultimately up-to-you, but if you're a Disney movie lover and you buy most of the studio's movies anyway, it's not a bad deal. If you're someone who only get a Disney title like, say, a Frozen DVD or Avengers: Infinity War on Blu-ray here-and-there, though, it might not be entirely worth your while. Regardless, if you have the disposal income to buy a lot of movies on DVD and Blu-ray, particularly if you pride yourself in your Disney collection and you're always making sure you fill your shelf space with the latest movie titles from the Mouse House, you would probably get a good deal out of this service, truth be told. Look into it.


Nevertheless, if you are a bargain hunter, and you want to get the best deals you can on these movies, you might want to give it a second look. As I mentioned earlier, if you're simply trying to get the best deal on The Lion King DVD or another one-off title, you'll be better off trying to find the movie elsewhere. This is a service that rewards you for spending full value on select titles, staying true to your brand commitment, and buying several titles from the Disney archive. Like we said earlier, it depends on what you want. If you buy a lot of Disney DVDs/Blu-rays, you might be getting a lot of bang for your buck. But if you just want to shop for some good deals on popular movie titles, there are certainly other alternatives.


It should also be noted there are a few Disney titles that appear to be available only through the Disney Movie Club, though it's unclear if that will change once Disney+ allows viewers to watch a number of different titles through the newfound streaming service. In any case, there are definitely advantages and disadvantages to getting Disney Movie Club. Weigh your options based and make the decision that works best for you. To learn more about Disney Movie Club, head here.



Watch Avengers: Endgame's Professor Hulk Introduction In Official Marvel Clip

Watch Avengers: Endgame's Professor Hulk Introduction In Official Marvel Clip

It goes without saying, but Avengers: Endgame SPOILERS are ahead!


For years, we were promised that Thor: Ragnarok, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame would form a special arc for the Hulk, and now we finally know the end result. In Endgame, rather than seeing the traditional dynamic between Bruce Banner and his monstrous other half, Bruce instead melded his intellect with Hulk’s physique, creating what’s unofficially known as Professor Hulk.


Whether you’ve already seen Avengers: Endgame once or a handful of times, or you haven’t made it to the theater yet and would like a more spoilery glimpse of the movie, Marvel has released the clip that introduces the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Professor Hulk. Check it out!




Although Hulk popped up at the beginning of Avengers: Infinity War last year, after getting pummeled by Thanos, he refused to come back out for the rest of the movie, which directors Joe and Anthony Russo attributed to the Green Goliath getting tired of saving Bruce’ banners ass. We then spent a year wondering what was next for the Hulk, with many fans theorizing that Bruce and Hulk would become one being.


That is indeed what happened, as following Avengers: Endgame’s five-year time jump, one of the things Scott Lang was caught up to speed on after breaking free from the Quantum Realm was how Bruce Banner finally stopped looking at Hulk as a disease and instead viewed him as the cure. Several gamma radiation sessions later, and Bruce has the best of both worlds, with the public now seeing him as a superhero and kids wanting to take selfies with him and definitely not Ant-Man.


It’s also worth noting that this Avengers: Endgame clip doesn’t play out exactly as it does in the actual movie, as it cuts out the part where Scott Lang tells those kids “Take the goddamn phone!” I guess Marvel wants to be careful in case any young'uns are watching this clip.




Although Mark Ruffalo appeared as normal Bruce Banner at the beginning of Avengers: Endgame, for the rest of the movie, Professor Hulk was Bruce’s normal form, with only Ruffalo proper appearing again when The Ancient One knocked Bruce’s astral form out of his body in 2012. However, the Russos have confirmed that the injury Hulk sustained to his arm when snapping Avengers: Infinity War’s dusted individuals back into existence is permanent, so he’ll have diminished strength going forward.


While Mark Ruffalo has at least one movie left on his contract, there’s no word yet on if we’ll see Hulk again in the MCU. Unlike what happened with Iron Man and Captain America, Avengers: Endgame didn’t completely close the book on Hulk’s story, so there’s potential for him to appear in another movie down the line. Nevertheless, the character’s come a long way since he first appeared in The Incredible Hulk, especially considering he never got to star in another solo movie.


If you haven’t already, be sure to read CinemaBlend’s review of Avengers: Endgame and stay tuned for more coverage on the movie. If you’re already looking ahead to the future of the MCU, browse through our comprehensive guide concerning what’s coming up.



Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Disneyland Mishap Prompts Boat Evacuation

Disneyland Mishap Prompts Boat Evacuation
Storybook Land Canal boats

If you're looking for a thrilling experience at the Disneyland Resort, I would suggest checking out Space Mountain or perhaps the Incredicoaster. However, earlier this week guests found themselves having an unexpectedly exciting time in probably the least likely of locations, Fantasyland. While the Storybook Land Canal Boats are traditionally a pretty relaxing attraction, that changed for about 10 guests, a combination of adults and children, as one of the boats began to take on water.


Nobody was injured during the incident and guests were transported from one boat to another before being transported to dry land. The attraction then went down for inspection. It has since resumed normal operation, so whatever the issue was, has apparently been cleared up.


It sounds like everybody made it through the ordeal without issue. The situation may have actually been a serious gain for the affected guests. According to the Orange County Register, affected guests were provided with dry clothes and shoes by Disneyland, which likely means they got some free park merchandise out of the deal.




The attraction takes guests on a slow boat ride past miniature versions of many classic Disney movie locations, like Toad Hall and Geppetto's Workshop. A guide drives the boat around while pointing out the tiny buildings and you get to sit back and rest your feet for a few minutes while checking out the intricate work on display. It's basically the Jungle Cruise, but without animitronics or jokes.


The ride was part of Disneyland's opening day in 1955 and has remained in operation ever since. Although, like the park itself, it sees regular replacements and updates. While potentially overlooked by some, the Storybook Land Canal Boats represent an important part of Disney history. Miniatures were a particular passion for Walt Disney and he once planned to create a traveling exhibition of Americana which he called Disneylandia. Eventually, the exhibition was deemed too costly an impractical, but many of the concepts behind Disneylandia were incorporated into Main Street U.S.A. and miniatures themselves became part of the Canal Boats attraction.


Usually, the most important thing to worry about on that ride is proper weight distribution on the boat, as it does need to be properly balanced for a smooth ride, but it's difficult to imagine that had anything to do with a boat actually taking on water.




It's good to know that everybody is ok and that there's nothing seriously wrong with the attraction. It may have been that one of the boats was simply in need of repair and that the problem had been missed on a previous inspection. Considering how few accidents, even of this relatively small size, take place at Disneyland, and considering how long the park has been around, the cast members clearly do an amazing job keeping things in working order.

Bond 25 Is Already Breaking New Ground For The Franchise

Bond 25 Is Already Breaking New Ground For The Franchise

The James Bond franchise is one of the longest running in history, but there are things even it has never done before. However, the new film, the 25th in the series, is breaking new ground by becoming the fist in the series to shoot scenes on IMAX cameras. Director Cary Fukunaga confirmed the use of the cameras designed for the large format screen via Instagram.


The comment from the director that "some days" are IMAX days confirms previous reports that only some of the new James Bond film will be shot on IMAX cameras, but that's par for the course for your average blockbuster these days. While IMAX cameras are getting used more and more, it's largely only for specific sequences that can take full advantage of the format.


If you're a fan of the IMAX format, or James Bond, and especially if you're a fan of both, this will likely be great news. Large format screens like IMAX take the normal theatrical experience and amplify it to an entirely new level. While many modern blockbuster movies can be, and are, formatted to an IMAX screen, using a camera designed for that screen makes the experience noticeably better.




While the IMAX cameras might be new for James Bond, they're not new for cinematographer Linus Sandgren. The man in charge of filming Bond 25 was also the man behind the camera of First Man, which used IMAX cameras to film the iconic moon walking scenes, which we can all agree were the best parts of that movie.


Of course, while we can now be sure that the action sequences will look amazing in the new James Bond movie, we still have no idea what any of them could be. The main cast of the new film, which will include Rami Malek as the villain, was recently confirmed, but that's nearly all we know.


The basic plot of Bond 25 will see James coming out of retirement to assist his old friend CIA agent Felix Lighter in a search for a missing scientist.




James Bond has been the home to some of the most memorable action sequences in the history of film. In the Daniel Craig era alone we have had fantastic foot chases, hand-to-hand fights, gun battles, and car chases. Each new film in the series has to try to take things to the next level and while it's not always easy, it's almost always worth watching.


I don't often go to IMAX movies but part of the reason for that is that it doesn't always seem all that necessary. However, when a movie uses IMAX cameras to shoot it usually means there's a vision for a particular sequence that requires them. If there's a reason to film in IMAX, then there's probably also a reason to view the finished product in IMAX.


Are you more likely to see Bond 25 in IMAX knowing it was filmed that way? Let us know in the poll below.



Dark Phoenix Will Have Two New Characters, One Being A Hellfire Club Nod

Dark Phoenix Will Have Two New Characters, One Being A Hellfire Club Nod
Dark Phoenix characters

While still not officially confirmed, it’s looking like Dark Phoenix will be the end of the main X-Men film series that began in 2000. Still, this saga looks to be wrapping things up with a bang through its new adaptation of The Dark Phoenix Saga that bares little resemblance to 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand. Among the many differences in Dark Phoenix is the introduction of two new characters, Selene and Red Lotus, with Selene being a nod to the Hellfire Club, the organization that played an integral role in Jean Grey being corrupted into Dark Phoenix. Here’s what director Simon Kinberg had to say about Selene’s inclusion:



One of the characters is based on a character from the comic, and the other character is sort of an amalgam of different characters from the comic and inspired by different characters. The one that’s from the comic is Selene, which is a little bit of a nod to the Hellfire Club. It’s obviously a huge part of the original Dark Phoenix Saga in the comics, and it’s not something we really explore in this film. I wanted to have something that would at least be an homage to that, and it’s also a character I always thought was cool and cool-looking.



For those unfamiliar with X-Men comic book lore, the Hellfire Club was introduced in 1980’s Uncanny X-Men #129, and with the organization’s Inner Circle at the time consisting of Sebastian Shaw, Emma Frost, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce and Jason Wyngarde, a.k.a. Mastermind. Mastermind slowly manipulated Jean Grey into doing his bidding on behalf of the Hellfire Club, but she eventually broke free of his control and went on her infamous reign of terror, which included consuming a star. The Hellfire Club was introduced to the big screen in 2011’s X-Men: First Class, but following the death of Kevin Bacon’s Shaw, it hasn’t been seen or referenced since in that universe (presumably it collapsed). Still, Simon Kinberg decided to use Selene as a stand-in for the organization during this latest exploration of Jean’s fall from grace.




Selene is played by Kota Eberhardt in Dark Phoenix, and Simon Kinberg told CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg at WonderCon that although she’s a brand-new actress, he saw her audition tape and found her to be “really interesting.” Since Selene doesn’t have a lot of screen time in Dark Phoenix, the person who would play her needed to be “striking,” and Eberhardt was deemed the right woman for the job.


As for Red Lotus, he’s played by Andrew Stehlin, but don’t expect him to be an exact copy of how he is depicted in the comics. Simon Kinberg continued:



And then the other character is a character that, like I said, is sort of a combination of different mutants and an original creation. And that’s played by, actually, a guy who’s one of our stuntmen, and he was originally doing the stunt choreography and the coordination for it. And I was looking at him, and I was like, not only is he so good at doing the action, which is primarily what that character does in this film, but also he’s just very interesting-looking. And it turns out he can act as well, ‘cause he’s got a couple lines in the movie.





Simon Kinberg also noted that Red Lotus’ braids are connected to his powers, so some of the time the braids is real and other times they’re CGI. We have yet to learn how Selene and Red Lotus will be brought into the Dark Phoenix proceedings, but as you can see in the image at the top of the page, they will be affiliated with Magneto, perhaps indicating that they share his sentiment that Jean Grey is beyond saving and needs to be eliminated before she gets too out of control.


Dark Phoenix arrives in theaters on June 7, so keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on the project. For now, check out our 2019 release schedule to learn what other movies are coming out this year.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile Writer Explains Why The Netflix Movie Has No Actual Murder

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile Writer Explains Why The Netflix Movie Has No Actual Murder
Lily Collins and Zac Efron in Ted Bundy Netflix film Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile

Netflix’s Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is centered on an infamous Ted Bundy who confessed to 30 murders across the United States before being sent to the electric chair for his crimes. If you’ve seen the film starring Zac Efron though, you know it doesn’t classify as the gory slasher one might expect from a movie tracing the serial killer’s life.


This was intentional and there’s a good reason why. Here’s how the film’s writer Michael Werwie explained that creative choice:



I was compelled by all of the mundane domestic details of his life and I thought an interesting way into a serial killer's story would be to show no serial killing at all. I wanted to explore the love story of it all. This is more of a human side of the story. It’s about the people who had an emotional connection to Ted Bundy. This is about seduction, betrayal and it’s also about the truth. The emotional side of the story is what makes the movie different than the documentary.





While many movies of this subject matter have focused on the shocking crimes themselves, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is a study of the killer’s life outside his infamous murders. The film tells the story from the way his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth “Liz” Kloepfer, learned of his dark psyche. They met at a bar in 1969, fell in love and lived out a happy life with her daughter for many years before news of his crimes surfaced. Some have accused the film of glamorizing the killer but it’s telling the story through the eyes of someone who loved him.


Lily Collins, who plays Liz in the film and director Joe Berlinger visited Kloepfer prior to shooting the film. Berlinger said looking through the photo albums of skiing trips, camping and birthday parties that reminded him of his own memorabilia cemented the film’s direction to be from the perspective of Bundy’s home life with Liz.


The director had recently explored all the gruesome details of Bundy’s crimes in his documentary Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes and wanted to go in another direction for the feature film. In his words to THR:





Conversations is much more of a clinical dissection of the terrible things he did. This movie is an emotional unwrapping of the level to which he was able to deceive, not just Elizabeth Kloepfer, but the American media that kind of made him into a perverse folk hero and the American judicious system.



The film also shows how the courts where Ted Bundy was being tried was lenient with him because of his clean-cut look and charisma. Bundy was allowed to represent himself as a defense attorney. He escaped from prison twice because of how careless the security was about him. Berlinger noted that if he’d been a person of color he wouldn’t have been able to get away with so much with the justice system that he did.


If the perspective was shifted to one full of violence and slaughters, the audience wouldn’t get the view of Ted Bundy everyone around him had. It’s not until the end when Liz accepts his crimes and confronts him in prison to confess to him do we see a moment of Bundy being capable of brutality on screen.




Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is available to stream on Netflix now, along with these new titles coming to the platform this month.

Avengers: Endgame Writer Is Teasing Big Changes After Phase Three

Avengers: Endgame Writer Is Teasing Big Changes After Phase Three
Chris Evans as Captain America in Avengers: Endgame

While Avengers: Endgame is barely over a month away, we still have no idea what's going to happen to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after it's over. Yes, we're going to get a Spider-Man movie, but how will the events of Endgame change the characters and stories we're going to get in Phase Four of the MCU? We don't really know the answer yet, but one of Avengers: Endgame's writers wants us all to know those changes are going to be real and they're going to be big. According to Christopher Markus...



The MCU continues to exist. What happens to be in it is a fluid and evolving thing where, because it's all connected, you can't reboot one. All the parts have to work together. Things continue, but like life, losses are real, and change is real.



We have some expectations of what some of the big changes that are coming will be. Certain actors are set to leave the MCU and as such those characters may die or be written off in some other way. Maybe the hero and the costume will live on being worn by another, maybe not. However, if you were expecting things to largely go back to something resembling "normal" once these few changes happen, Christopher Markus' statement would seem to discount that idea.




The Marvel Cinematic Universe was an attempt to take the long term continuity and crossover aspects of the comic book world into the cinema. In the comics, while each character is largely left to their own devices most of the time, things do happen in one part of the world that can have repercussions on others. The MCU, because there are far fewer movies than there are issues of comic books, feels these changes in a much greater way.


However, Markus' comments to Empire would seem to spotlight one major place where the MCU and comics differ. It's an area I had wondered about myself previously. In the comics, while things do go through major upheaval from time to time, the world always returns to the status quo eventually. Steve Rogers has died and lost his powers at different points and others have taken up the shield, but eventually Steve Rogers is Captain America once again. That's not going to happen in the MCU.


Whatever changes we see at the end of Phase Three, as Christopher Markus says, will be real. If Steve Rogers dies in Avengers: Endgame, he's almost certainly going to stay dead. If Robert Downey Jr. is too expensive to keep in the MCU now, that's not going to change in the future. And at some point these actors will simply not want to return to these roles, even if they're offered all the money in the world. Eventually, these characters will change for good and there will be no return to the status quo.




While this is, on the one hand, going to be frustrating for those that lose their favorite heroes, it's also incredibly exciting. Major, real change in a persistent universe is something that Marvel has never really tried in the comics. How well will it all work? What new exciting characters or major changes to existing ones could happen that will take stories in entirely new directions? We'll begin to find out very soon.

 

Blogger news

Blogroll

About