Set in the not too distant future, Real Steel follows Charlie Kenton, a former professional boxer, who took to robot fighting after his own fighting career ended.  Charlie now takes his robot around looking for fights to enter him in.  There is a professional robot boxing league, but Charlie’s not a part of it.  His robot fights usually take him to places like an underground match or having his robot take on a bull at the state fair.  Charlie hasn’t done so well for himself and it seems he owes money to just about everyone.

Charlie learns (or always has known) that he has an 11 year old son, Max.  Max’s mother recently passed away and Charlie shows up at a court hearing in which he plans to give up all rights to his son so that Max’s Aunt Debra can adopt him.  Debra doesn’t really seem to know Max either, but she’s got an older rich husband and thinks she can give Max a pretty good life.  Besides, she really doesn’t like Charlie much anyway.  Charlie finds out at the hearing that Debra and her husband are leaving the country for the Summer and they want him to take Max for the Summer until they return.  Charlie agrees and makes a deal with Debra’s husband (on the side) that gets him the money he needs to buy a new fighting robot since his last one got trashed.

Max goes with Charlie and watches him take delivery of both the money, and later the new fighting bot that he bought.  Max seems to know a great deal about Charlie’s new bot, Noizy Boy.  Noizy Boy used to fight in the professional robot fighting league and has been overseas in Japan for the last several years.  Despite his size and upgraded capabilities (like voice command)  Charlie rushes to get Noizy Boy in a fight before fully learning how to use him.  He enters into an underground fight and goes up against the top fighter.  Charlie bit off more than he could chew, as his new toy gets broken and beheaded.

Later that evening, Charlie breaks into a junkyard looking for parts to build a new bot.  By chance, they end up finding Atom.  Atom was an old sparring bot and seems to pre-date a lot of the fighting bots of the time by several years.  Despite his simple appearance, Atom is tough and can take quite a beating in a fight.  After winning several smaller matches, Max and Charlie get a chance to take on the top robot fighter in the professional league, Zeus.  Zeus is undefeated and no bot has even made it past the first round in a fight with him.

By this time, a pretty good bond has formed between father and son.  One that Charlie didn’t see coming, and it seems that Max really has the instincts of a good fighter, as well as being pretty handy with technology.  Max was pretty resourceful in being able to pull the voice command circuitry from Noizy Boy, install it into Atom and even reprogram it.

I won’t go on and spoil the ending here for you so you can go and see it for yourself.  I will go on to say that I really enjoyed this movie!  I remember after seeing the first trailer for it (on the Blu-ray release of “I Am Number Four”) and thinking “Oh great! Looks like Rock Em Sock Em Robots got a movie”.  I didn’t have very high hopes for it, but was glad to be disappointed by my low expectations of the film.

Picture and sound looked fantastic on the Blu-ray I watched.  I should also mention that this movie has been nominated for an Academy Award in the category of  Visual Effects for the amazing work they did in bringing the 2000 pound, 8 foot tall fighting robots to life.  This is the second Academy Award nomination for Erik Nash (previously nominated for I, Robot in 2004) and first-time Academy Award nominations for John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg.

Bonus Features:

3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (1 Blu-ray Disc + 1 DVD + 1 Digital Copy)

• All 2-Disc Blu-ray Bonus Features
• All DVD Bonus Features

2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (1 Blu-ray Disc + 1 DVD)

• REAL STEEL SECOND SCREEN
• Countdown to the Fight—The Charlie Kenton Story
• Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ
• Deleted and Extended Scenes with introductions by Shawn Levy
  —Extended “Meet Ambush”
  —Deleted “Butterfly” Storyline
• PLUS All DVD Bonus Features

1-Disc DVD (1 DVD)

• Making of Metal Valley
• Building the Bots
• Bloopers

HIGH-DEFINITION & STANDARD DEFINITION DIGITAL

• Sugar Ray Leonard: Cornerman’s Champ
• PLUS All DVD Bonus Features

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I did some searching and it appears that Comcast is the only provider in my current and former hometowns that is carrying the channel.  That leaves out AT&T’s U-VERSE, Cox Communications and both DIRECTV and Dish Network.

You can check availability in your area by going to the following link.

Here’s the limited info that’s on the webpage Disney set up for the channel’s upcoming launch:

Introducing Disney Junior, the channel.

A brand-new place on TV where the magic never ends, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Disney Junior, the channel has favorite pals like Jake, Mickey and Minnie… new characters like Doc McStuffins, exclusive shows like Guess How Much I Love You and returning favorites like Rolie Polie Olie.

Plus, get ready for weekend family movie adventures with the Magical World of Disney Junior.

Disney Junior, the channel, all day and all night!

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NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today the first two Android™ smartphones under the “Disney Mobile on docomo” brand that it is launching in cooperation with The Walt Disney Company (Japan) Ltd. The “Disney Mobile on docomo F-08D” model will go on sale in the end of February and the “Disney Mobile on docomo P-05D” model will launch in March. Both models will be sold in Japan only.

The magical world of Disney is featured throughout the two smartphones, from their outer designs to user interfaces, including main displays and screen icons. Both models are waterproof and compatible with popular DOCOMO services, such as Osaifu-Keitai^® mobile-wallet services.

Users will enjoy free access (excluding packet-data charges) with their smartphones to movie services, original live wallpapers, puzzle and music game applications for children and family-entertainment.

Special customer benefits also will be offered from this spring in cooperation with Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, where DOCOMO is an official corporate sponsor.

Pre-orders for the “Disney Mobile on docomo F-08D” model scheduled for release in late February will be accepted at docomo shops from February 17. Pre-orders for the Disney Mobile on docomo P-05D model scheduled for release in March will be announced later.

Disney Mobile on docomo Smartphones (2 models)

	Disney Mobile on docomo F-08D	Luxury smartphone with sparkling silhouettes of Mickey and Minnie. Tabletop holder featuring the world-famous Mickey Head Design. 4.3-inch high-resolution HD display with 1.2 GHz dual core CPU to experience dynamic Disney video content. Waterproof/dustproof design and compatible with Osaifu-Keitaimobile-wallet service and one-seg services.
	Disney Mobile on docomo P-05D	Stylish smartphone designed to fit comfortably in the palm of one’s hand. Two customizable Disney jackets for personalized styling. Slim 7.8 mm body combined with large 4.3-inch Organic EL display for full enjoyment of Disney content. Waterproof/dustproof design and compatible with Osaifu-Keitaimobile-wallet services.

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The annual special event, included in regular theme park admission, will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 18-June 10, 2012.

The power of the Force and magic of Disney combine as plenty of out-of-this-world characters – including Wookiees, droids, Ewoks, bounty hunters and Jedi – roam the streets of Disney’s Hollywood Studios for meet-and-greet opportunities with guests.

The centerpiece of the celebration is the spectacular 3-D attraction, “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue.” The attraction, which opened last spring at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, uses eye-popping 3-D, a dramatic musical score and motion simulator-based technology to immerse guests in the Star Wars galaxy like never before.

“Jedi Training Academy,” one of the interactive entertainment experiences at the theme park, allows young guests to learn from a Jedi Master before testing their newly acquired skills in a battle with Darth Vader.

Also featured at Star Wars Weekends: the chance for fans to purchase one-of-a-kind Star Wars memorabilia, Star Wars games, plus there’s special Star Wars parades and motorcades, star conversations and autograph sessions with Star Wars actors and creative talent (celebrity lineup will be announced at a later date). The ever-popular “Hyperspace Hoopla” ends each Star Wars Weekends day with a show filled with comedy, dancing, high-energy music and many of the famed Star Wars characters.

For more information and future updates, guests may go online to disneyworld.com/starwarsweekends or starwars.com.

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Set in Vermont, the story takes place in 1959 at an all-boys college preparatory school named Welton Academy. Welton is bound by years of tradition and seems a bit elitist, but the whole point of such a school is to prepare these young men for college.  Typically going on to attend ivy league universities and on to such careers as lawyer, doctor, politician or business, the boys lead a very structured and sheltered life.

Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke) arrives for the new semester at Welton.  Following in his older brother’s footsteps of attending Welton he is paired with Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard) as a roommate.  Todd’s course in life has been plotted by his parents, as has Neil’s.  Todd should go on to Yale and will eventually become a lawyer and Neil is to eventually become a doctor.  Unfortunately Todd would rather become a writer but is too shy to tell his parents and Neil discovers he would like to become an actor but could never tell his domineering father (played by Kurtwood Smith).

The boys (along with the rest of their class) get quite a surprise when the new English teacher, John Keating arrives at Welton.  A former student of Welton himself, Keating is very liberal, and nothing like the other teachers at the academy.  On the first day of Keating’s class he has one of the students read the introduction from their poetry textbook.  He then goes on to tell them that what the author of the textbook wrote is rubbish and that they should tear the whole introduction out of their books.  This, combined with Keating’s passion for poetry (which he manages to impart on all his students) starts a chain of events in motion.

A small group of Keating’s students found that when he attended Welton he was listed as a member of the Dead Poets Society.  When asked what it was, Keating responds that they were a group of men that were “dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life”, a quote from Thoreau that was to be recited at the opening of each meeting of the Society.  These students seem to be entranced by what Keating has just shared with them and decide to reform the society, holding secret meetings in a cave in the middle of the night while reading poetry, smoking cigarettes and pipes and sharing about the life that they (and not their parents) really wanted for themselves.

If you’ve never had the opportunity to see this movie, do it!  If you have seen it, then this is an excellent opportunity to add it to your blu-ray collection.  Not only is this a wonderful story about conformity vs. free-thinking, but the location shots are incredibly scenic and colorful and the hi-def remaster really makes the cinematography of this film shine!

Film Synopsis:
For generations, Welton Academy students have been groomed to live lives of conformity and tradition – until new professor John Keating inspires them to think for themselves, live life to the fullest and “Carpe Diem.” This unconventional approach awakens the spirits of the students, but draws the wrath of a disapproving faculty when an unexpected tragedy strikes the school. With unforgettable characters and beautiful cinematography, Dead Poets Society will captivate and inspire you time and time again.

Bonus Features:

• “Dead Poets: A Look Back” featuring interview footage with Director Peter Weir, Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard and many others
• “Raw Takes”
• “Master of Sound: Alan Splet” – interviews with David Lynch And Peter Weir
• “Cinematography Master Class” – an intensive and inspirational lighting workshop with Cinematographer John Seale
• “Audio Commentary” with Director Peter Weir, Cinematographer John Seale and Writer Tom Schulman
• “Original Theatrical Trailer”

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Alongside a cast that includes Bruno Kirby, Forest Whitaker and Robert Wuhl, in Good Morning Vietnam, Williams plays Armed Forces Radio DJ Adrian Cronauer.  Taking place during the Vietnam conflict (or war depending on who you ask) Cronauer was brought in from Crete to Vietnam to bring a bit of humor to Armed Forces Radio.  Cronauer seems to break all the rules to bring a good time to the airwaves and becomes wildly popular with most of the troops stationed there.  He does, however, create waves for Sgt. Major Dickerson (J.T. Walsh) and Lt. Steven Hauk (Bruno Kirby) with his particular brand of humor and penchant for not sticking to the “approved” playlist and playing rock and roll of the times instead.

In a performance that feels like it came directly from one of his stand-up shows, Williams delivers and incredibly outrageous (and sometimes serious) portrayal of Cronauer.  In fact, Director Barry Levinson liked to just keep the cameras rolling while Williams would improv in the radio booth (something you can see more of in the bonus features).

Bonus features include outtakes and interviews with cast, crew and even the real Adrian Cronauer who comments on Williams’ performance saying that “Anyone who has spent any time in the military at all, knows that if I had done half of the things that Robin Williams did in the movie, I would still be in Leavenworth.”  He also recognizes the fact that if poetic license were not taken with Williams’ portrayal of him, that it probably would have been an incredibly boring movie!

Picture and sound both look amazing on this release!  I’m not sure what might have been done in the way of restoration for its Blu-ray release, but the transfer looks very clean for a 25 year old film!

Film Synopsis:
For the first time in stunning Blu-ray High Definition, Academy Award winner Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor, Good Will Hunting, 1997) delivers a tour-de-force performance in the 25th Anniversary Edition of the hit comedy Good Morning, Vietnam!

Enjoy the unsurpassed digital sound quality of Blu-ray High Definition as Army deejay Adrian Cronauer (Williams) spins a red-hot soundtrack of ‘60s hits. His sidesplitting comedy and rapid fire wit make him a hero to the troops, but quickly get him in hot water with his by-the-book superiors. Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at Williams’ hilarious radio monologues, Good Morning, Vietnam remains the quintessential Robin Williams comedy.

Bonus Features:

• Production Diary (5 features) – How The Movie Came To Be, Actor Improv; Music Of The Movie, Origin Of The Good Morning, Vietnam Sign-On, Shooting In Thailand & Overview Of The Film A Year Later
• Raw Monologues
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• Original Theatrical Teaser Trailer

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Foreign tourism means big bucks to the United States.  On average, it can generate about $6,000 dollars per tourist.  What’s more, every 65 foreign tourists that visit the United States equates to approximately 1 new job being created in the U.S.

Obama wants to make America the “top tourist nation in the world” and his new plan would speed up the process to get a visa for tourists visiting from fast-growing nations such as China, Brazil and India.

Obama also confessed that he was excited to see Mickey Mouse on his visit to the Magic Kingdom and said it’s always nice to meet a world leader with bigger ears than me.”

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On yesterday’s Ellen show, host Ellen DeGeneres confirmed that Finding Nemo is getting a 3D re-release.  She then proceeded to show a “preview” (you have to see the video for this one) telling us it’s going to be a bit shorter than its original release due to some “updating”.  Of course this was simply her being funny for the sake of the audience, but it would have made the film much shorter!

So, here’s what the re-release for upcoming Disney and Pixar films (that have been converted to 3D) looks like:

Beauty and the Beast 3D – January 13 2012
Finding Nemo 3D – September 14, 2012
Monsters, Inc. 3D – January 18, 2013

And finally, Monsters University 3D (the prequel to Monsters, Inc.) will have it’s theatrical debut on June 21st, 2013

I’ll be interested to see how Beauty and the Beast looks after its 3D conversion, but I really feel that Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc. should do well since they were entirely computer animated to begin with.

What’s your take on this?
Will you go see any of the 3D re-releases, or are you holding out until Monsters University (which is being made for 3D)?

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When it reopens sometime this Fall, it will do so as “Test Track presented by Chevrolet” and will have some cool new features to boot.  One thing that will be new will be the “Chevrolet Design Center at Epcot” in which park guests will get to create their own custom concept car.

According to a press release “The adventure will then shift into high gear as guests buckle into their six-person ‘SimCar’ ride vehicle and put their design through its paces on the exhilarating hills, switchbacks and straight-aways of the Test Track circuit.”  Afterwards, guests will get to see how their “SimCar” stacks up against the performance of those that other guests have created.

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The animated short will show us the royal wedding of Princess Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) and Flynn Rider (Zachary Levi) as well as all the chaos that leads up to the ceremony which involves Maximus and Pascal’s frantic search (or misadventure) to locate the wedding rings!

By popular demand, directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard are bringing back some of Disney’s most beloved characters when “Tangled Ever After” picks up where “Tangled” left off. The Kingdom is in a festive mood as everyone gathers for the royal wedding of Rapunzel and Flynn. However, when Pascal and Maximus, as flower chameleon and ring bearer, respectively, lose the gold bands, a frenzied search and recovery mission gets underway. As the desperate duo tries to find the rings before anyone discovers that they’re missing, they leave behind a trail of comical chaos that includes flying lanterns, a flock of doves, a wine barrel barricade and a very sticky finale. Will Maximus and Pascal save the day and make it to the church in time? And will they ever get Flynn’s nose right?

“Tangled Ever After” is the perfect accompaniment to “Beauty and the Beast”, which is returning to the big screen in Disney Digital 3D™ and introducing a whole new generation to the Disney classic with stunning new 3D imagery. Beauty and the Beast was nominated for six Academy Awards®, winning Oscars® for Best Song, by the renowned Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, and Best Original Score (Menken).

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