I plan to watch/DVR TCM's Star Power Marathon tonight.
A Star Is Born (1954) Garland/Mason
Funny Girl (1968) Streisand
Gypsy (1962) Russell/Wood
Love Me Or Leave Me (1955) Day/Cagney
What Movie Did You Just Watch? ... And Robin
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carolinakid
- Collector's Edition
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- Location: New Jersey but soon to be Florida!
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SmartAleck25
- Special Edition
- Posts: 671
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- Location: The U.S.
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TheSequelOfDisney
- Signature Collection
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(500) Days of Summer - It's one of my favorites from the past few years. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel have great chemistry and I really like the ending for some reason.
The Divulgations of One Desmond Leica: http://desmondleica.wordpress.com/
Knallhart (2006)
German crime drama about a 15 year old boy from an impoverished backgrounds who gets recruited as a drug runner for a local gang. It wasn't all that bad, but if I had to switch it off halfway through and had never known how it ended, I couldn't have cared less.
Anche libero va bene (2006)
Beautiful, very touching Italian drama about the life of a little nine or ten year old boy who has to deal with a broken family; a mother who constantly runs off with other men; and a father who can barely handle the pressure of taking care of him and his sister. Engaging from the first to the last minute, sometimes heart-breaking, and filled with well-rounded, multi-faceted characters you can really care about. Highly recommended.
The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination (2009)
A reconstruction of the coup d'état that took place on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. This documentary is not about the who's and how's and why's. It uses previously unseen archival footage (from amateur filmers and tv and radio stations alike) to show what happened on that fatal day from minute to minute. A very chilling experience to see John and Jackie arrive so care-free, greeted by an ethusiastic crowd and hearing several radio commentators say "there is no negativity at all in Dallas toward the visit of president Kennedy", when you know what is about to happen.
I had to pause it several times before it came to the moment when the evil deed happened. As f it wouldn't happen if I didn't continue to watch...
German crime drama about a 15 year old boy from an impoverished backgrounds who gets recruited as a drug runner for a local gang. It wasn't all that bad, but if I had to switch it off halfway through and had never known how it ended, I couldn't have cared less.
Anche libero va bene (2006)
Beautiful, very touching Italian drama about the life of a little nine or ten year old boy who has to deal with a broken family; a mother who constantly runs off with other men; and a father who can barely handle the pressure of taking care of him and his sister. Engaging from the first to the last minute, sometimes heart-breaking, and filled with well-rounded, multi-faceted characters you can really care about. Highly recommended.
The Lost JFK Tapes: The Assassination (2009)
A reconstruction of the coup d'état that took place on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. This documentary is not about the who's and how's and why's. It uses previously unseen archival footage (from amateur filmers and tv and radio stations alike) to show what happened on that fatal day from minute to minute. A very chilling experience to see John and Jackie arrive so care-free, greeted by an ethusiastic crowd and hearing several radio commentators say "there is no negativity at all in Dallas toward the visit of president Kennedy", when you know what is about to happen.
I had to pause it several times before it came to the moment when the evil deed happened. As f it wouldn't happen if I didn't continue to watch...
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jpanimation
- Anniversary Edition
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Toy Story 3 (2010) 7/10 - I still feel the same way about this movie, it felt tired. It borrowed too heavily from the first two, just redressing situations and characters, and relied far too much on nostalgia. Granted, there are some nice emotional moments but they are few and far between a bunch of fluff (mainly taking place at the daycare). I also feel it ends awkwardly with Andy playing with the little girl. While not bad, the whole movie just felt unnecessary and is my least favorite of the trilogy. Ascetically, this movie looks fantastic (the toys really look like the material they're made out of). It's also animated wonderfully but what else would we expect.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 7/10 - I also feel the same about this movie since the first time I viewed it. Out of all the 3D movies I've seen, this was probably the only one that really took advantage of the format and was worth the ticket price; so it was a shame seeing it in 2D when I rented it. Visually, I still hate all the character (both dragon and humans) designs except Toothelss. I also still find the realistic skin that DreamWorks puts on their human characters creepy. Too bad they didn't do it in the Sanders style. As for as the story, it starts off a little slow, picks up as Toothless and the kid develop their relationship but then comes to a screeching halt when you find out the "reason" the dragons do what they do. From then on, it only gets worst and ends with the cliché 'everyone unite to fight the common enemy' ending. It' closing scene with the dragons and humans being best friends was just lame as hell (not to mention incredibly clichéd). On a positive note, I enjoyed the soundtrack a little more this time, even though most of the John Powell DreamWorks stuff sounds very similar. Overall, it's just alright, nothing special.
Rapunzel (2010) 7/10 - here is the mini review/gathered thoughts I wrote in the Tangled thread right after I saw it:
First of all, they should've left the title Rapunzel, as this is still very much centered around her more then anyone. Anyways, I'll give a brief review (I may make a more detailed one later). I'll start by saying I didn't like the way they bookended this movie; just didn't care for the execution. As a whole, the movie feels very generic, with nothing highlighting that more then the songs. It just seemed to steal from other movies and make the sequences bland and uninteresting. I personally feel this movie would've been much stronger had it not been a musical. I also feel the movie lacked a distinct personality as it was trying to showcase every Disney princess trope that we've seen. On a positive note, both the main characters of Flynn and Rapunzel were charming and interesting but it was just the story I really didn't care for. The sidekicks were pretty worthless, with neither having an arc or real significance that couldn't have been substituted with some very minor tweaking. I was also underwhelmed with mother Gothel, as she felt underdeveloped and single minded. Maybe if she developed feelings for Rapunzel after 18 years of raising her that would cause internal conflict, IDK. I feel there was some really well executed sequences pared with some no-so-good sequences (mainly the musical numbers). The animation was excellent, as usual, but I was really bothered by Rapunzel's character design (on a number of occasions, she looked inhuman, with her eyes being too big and face too wide, like the cute lemur from Madagascar). While the story and characters are a little more organized then The Princess and the Frog, I feel it lacks any kind of distinct personality that will leave an impression, like the former. Overall, it was just alright, not great.
While none of these movies are bad, they were all equally disappointing. At this point I could care less who nabs the Oscar, which is why I still want to see Despicable Me, The Illusionist, Legend of the Guardians, Megamind, and Summer Wars (I'm hoping it's as good as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time). Maybe one of them will catch my attention.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 7/10 - I also feel the same about this movie since the first time I viewed it. Out of all the 3D movies I've seen, this was probably the only one that really took advantage of the format and was worth the ticket price; so it was a shame seeing it in 2D when I rented it. Visually, I still hate all the character (both dragon and humans) designs except Toothelss. I also still find the realistic skin that DreamWorks puts on their human characters creepy. Too bad they didn't do it in the Sanders style. As for as the story, it starts off a little slow, picks up as Toothless and the kid develop their relationship but then comes to a screeching halt when you find out the "reason" the dragons do what they do. From then on, it only gets worst and ends with the cliché 'everyone unite to fight the common enemy' ending. It' closing scene with the dragons and humans being best friends was just lame as hell (not to mention incredibly clichéd). On a positive note, I enjoyed the soundtrack a little more this time, even though most of the John Powell DreamWorks stuff sounds very similar. Overall, it's just alright, nothing special.
Rapunzel (2010) 7/10 - here is the mini review/gathered thoughts I wrote in the Tangled thread right after I saw it:
First of all, they should've left the title Rapunzel, as this is still very much centered around her more then anyone. Anyways, I'll give a brief review (I may make a more detailed one later). I'll start by saying I didn't like the way they bookended this movie; just didn't care for the execution. As a whole, the movie feels very generic, with nothing highlighting that more then the songs. It just seemed to steal from other movies and make the sequences bland and uninteresting. I personally feel this movie would've been much stronger had it not been a musical. I also feel the movie lacked a distinct personality as it was trying to showcase every Disney princess trope that we've seen. On a positive note, both the main characters of Flynn and Rapunzel were charming and interesting but it was just the story I really didn't care for. The sidekicks were pretty worthless, with neither having an arc or real significance that couldn't have been substituted with some very minor tweaking. I was also underwhelmed with mother Gothel, as she felt underdeveloped and single minded. Maybe if she developed feelings for Rapunzel after 18 years of raising her that would cause internal conflict, IDK. I feel there was some really well executed sequences pared with some no-so-good sequences (mainly the musical numbers). The animation was excellent, as usual, but I was really bothered by Rapunzel's character design (on a number of occasions, she looked inhuman, with her eyes being too big and face too wide, like the cute lemur from Madagascar). While the story and characters are a little more organized then The Princess and the Frog, I feel it lacks any kind of distinct personality that will leave an impression, like the former. Overall, it was just alright, not great.
While none of these movies are bad, they were all equally disappointing. At this point I could care less who nabs the Oscar, which is why I still want to see Despicable Me, The Illusionist, Legend of the Guardians, Megamind, and Summer Wars (I'm hoping it's as good as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time). Maybe one of them will catch my attention.
Well frankly, if none of these movies impressed you, the rest definitely won't.jpanimation wrote:Toy Story 3 (2010) 7/10 - I still feel the same way about this movie, it felt tired. It borrowed too heavily from the first two, just redressing situations and characters, and relied far too much on nostalgia. Granted, there are some nice emotional moments but they are few and far between a bunch of fluff (mainly taking place at the daycare). I also feel it ends awkwardly with Andy playing with the little girl. While not bad, the whole movie just felt unnecessary and is my least favorite of the trilogy. Ascetically, this movie looks fantastic (the toys really look like the material they're made out of). It's also animated wonderfully but what else would we expect.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010) 7/10 - I also feel the same about this movie since the first time I viewed it. Out of all the 3D movies I've seen, this was probably the only one that really took advantage of the format and was worth the ticket price; so it was a shame seeing it in 2D when I rented it. Visually, I still hate all the character (both dragon and humans) designs except Toothelss. I also still find the realistic skin that DreamWorks puts on their human characters creepy. Too bad they didn't do it in the Sanders style. As for as the story, it starts off a little slow, picks up as Toothless and the kid develop their relationship but then comes to a screeching halt when you find out the "reason" the dragons do what they do. From then on, it only gets worst and ends with the cliché 'everyone unite to fight the common enemy' ending. It' closing scene with the dragons and humans being best friends was just lame as hell (not to mention incredibly clichéd). On a positive note, I enjoyed the soundtrack a little more this time, even though most of the John Powell DreamWorks stuff sounds very similar. Overall, it's just alright, nothing special.
Rapunzel (2010) 7/10 - here is the mini review/gathered thoughts I wrote in the Tangled thread right after I saw it:
First of all, they should've left the title Rapunzel, as this is still very much centered around her more then anyone. Anyways, I'll give a brief review (I may make a more detailed one later). I'll start by saying I didn't like the way they bookended this movie; just didn't care for the execution. As a whole, the movie feels very generic, with nothing highlighting that more then the songs. It just seemed to steal from other movies and make the sequences bland and uninteresting. I personally feel this movie would've been much stronger had it not been a musical. I also feel the movie lacked a distinct personality as it was trying to showcase every Disney princess trope that we've seen. On a positive note, both the main characters of Flynn and Rapunzel were charming and interesting but it was just the story I really didn't care for. The sidekicks were pretty worthless, with neither having an arc or real significance that couldn't have been substituted with some very minor tweaking. I was also underwhelmed with mother Gothel, as she felt underdeveloped and single minded. Maybe if she developed feelings for Rapunzel after 18 years of raising her that would cause internal conflict, IDK. I feel there was some really well executed sequences pared with some no-so-good sequences (mainly the musical numbers). The animation was excellent, as usual, but I was really bothered by Rapunzel's character design (on a number of occasions, she looked inhuman, with her eyes being too big and face too wide, like the cute lemur from Madagascar). While the story and characters are a little more organized then The Princess and the Frog, I feel it lacks any kind of distinct personality that will leave an impression, like the former. Overall, it was just alright, not great.
While none of these movies are bad, they were all equally disappointing. At this point I could care less who nabs the Oscar, which is why I still want to see Despicable Me, The Illusionist, Legend of the Guardians, Megamind, and Summer Wars (I'm hoping it's as good as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time). Maybe one of them will catch my attention.
Megamind is very fun, but if you thought that Toy Story 3, a film that I felt has a great script, was too formulaic, then Megamind will bother you since it features every single cliche there is in the book.
I have yet to see Legend of the Guardians, but people either love it or hate it. From what I read the film is a visual wonder thanks to amazing animation and details on the owls. But the story was too similar to Lord of the Rings according to some reviews.
Despicable Me I haven't seen either, but it was this year's nice surprise film, as in it was better than expected. It too suffers from cliched concepts but I heard it is very fun.
The Illusionist is definitely the prestige film of the year, so this might be the one you need to look up info on and maybe watch as it may be the most daring of them all.
Of course, save for Tangled (which I haven't seen), I disagree with your views on Toy Story 3 and Dragons, but hey, if there weren't any disagreements there wouldn't be boxers and briefs to begin with
.My main problem with Dragons is that I wish Dreamworks had gone with the original story rather than changing it completely. I have never read the books but based on the info I read online, the original story dealt with kids going on a rite of passage journey where they already have trained dragons and it is more about how the kids grow up to become great vikings rather than just trying to tame dragons.
It bothers me because as great as the final film is I wish Dreamworks would just bite the bullet, stop trying hard to appeal to an older audience and just do a whimsical film. I feel the reason the story was changed was because it was deemed too childish and not "cool" enough.
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dvdjunkie
- Signature Collection
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- Location: Wichita, Kansas
Watched Unstoppable with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. This is based on a true incident that happened in 2002 in Ohio. Story is about a runaway train and how two brave engineers, one with 28 years experience and the other a rookie, chase the train in reverse and hook on to it to slow it down enough so another engineer can get in the cab and shut everything down.
The movie is based on "Crazy Eights" CSX8888, an engine with a history of having a 'mind of its own'. It seems that this engine has been involved in several documented minor 'runaway' incidents and this one in 2002 was the most horrific. It could have been disastrous, and turned out to be 'another day on the job' for the engineers who stopped this train.
Really good movie directed by Tony Scott, who tried to make "Pelham 123" exciting and just ended up with movie filled with expletives and nothing redeeming about it. Here he succeeds marvelously, and I truly can recommend this movie.
The movie is based on "Crazy Eights" CSX8888, an engine with a history of having a 'mind of its own'. It seems that this engine has been involved in several documented minor 'runaway' incidents and this one in 2002 was the most horrific. It could have been disastrous, and turned out to be 'another day on the job' for the engineers who stopped this train.
Really good movie directed by Tony Scott, who tried to make "Pelham 123" exciting and just ended up with movie filled with expletives and nothing redeeming about it. Here he succeeds marvelously, and I truly can recommend this movie.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
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PixarFan2006
- Signature Collection
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- Location: Michigan
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carolinakid
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- Gender: Male
- Location: New Jersey but soon to be Florida!
Deception (2008)
Description from IMDb: "An accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist." Got a 5.9 rating on IMDb, but I thought it was worth at least a 7.0, because it's thrilling enough to grab your attention and holds it all the way through the film. It also has Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman playing their roles very well and convincing: a loser anti-hero you root for, and a calculating villain you love to hate. Oh, and it has Michelle Williams as a drop-dead gorgeous blonde.
Description from IMDb: "An accountant is introduced to a mysterious sex club known as The List by his lawyer friend. But in this new world, he soon becomes the prime suspect in a woman's disappearance and a multi-million dollar heist." Got a 5.9 rating on IMDb, but I thought it was worth at least a 7.0, because it's thrilling enough to grab your attention and holds it all the way through the film. It also has Ewan McGregor and Hugh Jackman playing their roles very well and convincing: a loser anti-hero you root for, and a calculating villain you love to hate. Oh, and it has Michelle Williams as a drop-dead gorgeous blonde.
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jpanimation
- Anniversary Edition
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- Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:00 am
Kind of hard to review these films since they're a bunch of different segments of varying quality but I'll just give some quick thoughts:
Fantasia (1940) 7.5/10 - not the most engaging movie but artistically captivating. The classy interstitials compliment the quality of the visuals (which are astounding). I love The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the evolution part of The Rite of Spring, and Night on Bald Mountain. Classics in every sense of the word. The rest are well made but not my favorites (although I appreciate The Pastoral Symphony much more since taking myth back in high school).
Fantasia/2000 (1999) 6.5/10 - much faster paced then the original and easier to sit though. Unfortunately, the whole movie is about a half hour too short and the interstitials are just obtrusive/obnoxious. Rhapsody in Blue is masterful and Firebird Suite is classic (the only one that feels like it could've been in Walt's original). The rest are just decent (well, The Carnival of the Animals is good but way too short).
Fantasia (1940) 7.5/10 - not the most engaging movie but artistically captivating. The classy interstitials compliment the quality of the visuals (which are astounding). I love The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the evolution part of The Rite of Spring, and Night on Bald Mountain. Classics in every sense of the word. The rest are well made but not my favorites (although I appreciate The Pastoral Symphony much more since taking myth back in high school).
Fantasia/2000 (1999) 6.5/10 - much faster paced then the original and easier to sit though. Unfortunately, the whole movie is about a half hour too short and the interstitials are just obtrusive/obnoxious. Rhapsody in Blue is masterful and Firebird Suite is classic (the only one that feels like it could've been in Walt's original). The rest are just decent (well, The Carnival of the Animals is good but way too short).
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ajmrowland
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But a small portion of the movies I've been watching....
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
all the other HP films
The Aristocats
Kung Fu Panda-Really good movie. great action scenes
My Neighbor Totoro
Ponyo
Spirited Away
Happy Feet
Batman Begins
Tankman Begins
Bolt
All very good movies, ranging from "great" to "Love".
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
all the other HP films
The Aristocats
Kung Fu Panda-Really good movie. great action scenes
My Neighbor Totoro
Ponyo
Spirited Away
Happy Feet
Batman Begins
Tankman Begins
Bolt
All very good movies, ranging from "great" to "Love".
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PixarFan2006
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- Location: Michigan
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dvdjunkie
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Die Hard 2 - Die Harder, the second in the "Die Hard" series. This time it takes place, again, at Christmas time, with John McClain waiting for his wife's plane to arrive, and terrorists taking over the airport.
Kinda like this one a little better than the first one, but the series is all good, as long as you check your brain at the door before watching.
Kinda like this one a little better than the first one, but the series is all good, as long as you check your brain at the door before watching.
The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!
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PixarFan2006
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- Location: Michigan
Broken Flowers (2005)
On tv tonight. Turned it off after about 40 minutes. What a horribly boring movie! This one's a real snooze-fest. The events depicted crawl past at a rate that will put you to sleep very soon. All the boring parts that shouldn't be in a film are featured prominently here, as if the director decided to use this filler to add some more quantity at the cost of the quality. The film has an interesting premise, a great lead in Bill Murray and a frontal nude shot of a teenage girl (at least that was what she was playing) --and it's *still* not interesting!
So I popped in: A History of Violence (2005)
Now this was an entertaining movie. Great rolea for Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris; decent story, good action. Not all too surprising or innovative, but at least something *happens*!
On tv tonight. Turned it off after about 40 minutes. What a horribly boring movie! This one's a real snooze-fest. The events depicted crawl past at a rate that will put you to sleep very soon. All the boring parts that shouldn't be in a film are featured prominently here, as if the director decided to use this filler to add some more quantity at the cost of the quality. The film has an interesting premise, a great lead in Bill Murray and a frontal nude shot of a teenage girl (at least that was what she was playing) --and it's *still* not interesting!
So I popped in: A History of Violence (2005)
Now this was an entertaining movie. Great rolea for Viggo Mortensen and Ed Harris; decent story, good action. Not all too surprising or innovative, but at least something *happens*!
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TheValentineBros
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- Contact:
Tangled.
It was awesome. Sure, some of the songs weren't as memorable as other songs from other Disney films. I say some, because there are others that are good, such as Follow Your Dreams. I also like Maximus the Horse, that horse was just freakin' entertaining. Overall, it's a great animated Disney movie even though it doesn't rank as a bit high as The Lion King, Aladdin, or The Jungle Book.
It was awesome. Sure, some of the songs weren't as memorable as other songs from other Disney films. I say some, because there are others that are good, such as Follow Your Dreams. I also like Maximus the Horse, that horse was just freakin' entertaining. Overall, it's a great animated Disney movie even though it doesn't rank as a bit high as The Lion King, Aladdin, or The Jungle Book.
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disneyboy20022
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Vampires Sucks -
Well I only watched 20 minutes of this awful movie my dad rented (Thank goodness we didn't see it in theaters) It was so bad that me, my girlfriend and my father who have Asperger Syndrome turned it off.....you know a movie is bad when 3 Aspies says no
In about an hour i'm taking my girlfriend to see Tangled at the local theater, I've seen it already due to a free ticket voucher I had when I bought BATB on blu ray but my gf hasn't seen it....I think she'll like it...
Well I only watched 20 minutes of this awful movie my dad rented (Thank goodness we didn't see it in theaters) It was so bad that me, my girlfriend and my father who have Asperger Syndrome turned it off.....you know a movie is bad when 3 Aspies says no
In about an hour i'm taking my girlfriend to see Tangled at the local theater, I've seen it already due to a free ticket voucher I had when I bought BATB on blu ray but my gf hasn't seen it....I think she'll like it...
Want to Hear How I met Roy E. Disney in 2003? Click the link Below
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx
http://fromscreentotheme.com/ThursdayTr ... isney.aspx