The Evolving Gender of the Magic Kingdom

As you all know, the D23 Expo announced this massive expansion being done to Walt Disney World, that not only eliminates the poorly-visited Toontown Fair, but pretty much doubles the size of Fantasyland. The different themed lands WITHIN the themed land include places from Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, the Tinkerbell movies, and Little Mermaid. From the sounds of it there will be one major attraction addition (Little Mermaid), many more interactions with the princesses, and a larger version of Dumbo’s popular ride. All of this is exclusive to the Magic Kingdom, after all, Disneyland has bested us so many times before (They got Nemo, Star Tours, Innoventions, new Space Mountain, etc.) so finally the Florida folks have something to be excited about. Of course, this news comes to counter the Harry Potter land that’s fast-approaching in Universal Studios. Will all this expanding strip away from the potential audience rushing to Harry Potter? The potential is definitely there, as this is the biggest expansion in the history of the Magic Kingdom and easily the biggest addition to any Disney World since the inclusion of Animal Kingdom back in 1998.

The rumors had been around for a long time, but the fact that it’s actually true is ringing good news into the hearts of the die-hard Disney fans that were so sure that the higher-ups had forgotten how to try to improve what’s already there. So, to recap, Walt Disney World has Space Mountain II coming out, Star Tours II (Year 2011ish), and an entirely new Fantasyland. It’s been a good month for Disney fanatics. However, with all this good news, one has to wonder: what about the boys?

Fantasyland has all these princesses, and then a Tinkerbell section, and then a Little Mermaid ride. What to the boys get? Star Tours II. And Marvel---which doesn’t do any good since we have to respect the partnership they have with Universal. The poor young and teenage boys have definitely gotten the short straw since the expansion is highly appealing to only one of the genders, leaving the boys with an updated Space Mountain and that’s about it. No news to expand Frontierland, no news to improve the underrated Tom Sawyer’s Island. No news to actually provide more pirate stuff (that doesn’t involve dress-up and only dress-up) to appeal to the boys. Why not make Frontierland a bit manlier? Why not provide an equal amount of attention to appeal to the male species? And why on earth has Epcot not received a facelift of this magnitude? Wait, that’s off topic.

The point is, the expansion is nice and all, but the appeal isn’t mainstream and widespread, it’s limited to the female gender. From an economic standpoint, it makes sense, after all the gals spend more than the guys (this isn’t sexist, this is true, look it up yourself and look at the failure of the Pirate and Princess Party as proof). Yet, its still bad news for Little Timmy, whom has to accompany his sister Little Suzie for about three hours as she wants to visit every princess out there. Yes, the boys do like the princesses (boys will be boys after all), but the feministic appeal in Fantasyland will begin to dwell and bother the kids. And what about the dads? They’ll be dead-tired too. The girls should be giddy with absolute excitement; but the boys have little to cheer about.

Bottom Line: A much-needed and long-overdue Magic Kingdom expansion is finally underway, but not all will be absolutely happy. The expansion looks amazing, looks very detailed, and definitely looks like it will improve one of the best overall theme parks in the entire planet. But while the girls in the world will have their wildest dreams coming true, the boys don’t have necessarily much to cheer about; unless they love the princesses as well. Adding salt to the wound is how the only section in this new Fantasyland that was even geared towards the boys is the Gaston section. Check that, the only thing for the guys is the villains. Way to reinforce the stereotypical cliché of boys being boys and always doing harm to the girls. I say, Disney, please focus on the boys too, there are indeed male Disney fans; even if it does pale in comparison to the amount of females that heart Disney to the core.

Make Epcot or Hollywood Studios a bit more for the boys. Or, introduce a theme park that will appeal more to the boys. Magic Kingdom has been conquered by the gals, so let’s make something for the guys too.


You already took away Pleasure Island an------I’ll stop.

(Credit of this Image belongs to: http://www.subsonicradio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5722 )

This is now about a piece of sith.

This post is now dedicated to Kanye West, whom after last night’s events has emerged as one of the biggest pricks in the history of music. I have followed the douchebagness of West ever since his reign of arrogance started. However, I have never seen him stoop this low. As a matter of fact, I have never seen any sort of musical artist stoop this low. The last time such a prick move was handed in the music world was when Michael Jackson backstabbed Paul McCartney back in the 80s and bought all the Beatles music. My response to him stealing the microphone from Taylor Swift, announcing that she should not have won, and then walking away was this: “Are you kidding me?”

How does ANYONE in the music industry support this man? Why does anyone even follow his music, productions, and life in general? Well, I for one am sick of it. I am sick of everyone just letting him clown around, offend people, say stupid garbage, and also prowl around his racist ways. He must be reminded that there are indeed other people in this world and he must be reminded that he isn’t God.

From now on, I will protest his music. I will protest all his work. He’s rather overrated now, but until that prick can calm down and see the light, I refuse to even consider listening to any of his overplayed, overrated, arrogant, self-centered, hypocritical, repetitive, repulsive trash. If you want to join me in this banning of self-centered dog dung, that’s great. If you still forgive him (despite it being his fifth or sixth outburst at an awards ceremony) well, I applaud you for looking in the other direction and denying the filth within.

So, tell your friends, neighbors, brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, dogs, cats, fleas, kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, and total strangers: Say NO to Kanye.

He must be stopped.

The Best Superhero Films of All-Time

In honor of Disney’s attempt-to-take-over-the-entertainment-world-buy-purchasing-the-only-decent-comic-book-company-worth-noting brouhaha, I have compiled a list of the greatest superhero films ever created for cinema. Now, there are more superheroes then one would think, and they are most certainly not limited to only the Marvel or DC realm. While there have been many many comic book movies over the years, there’s still plenty of room for improvement, and hundreds of characters to be introduced to audiences around the world. In the meantime, here are the 10 you should definitely watch:

Special Mention:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (So, so close, but you must give this movie a watch. Its 80s campy fun)


#10: Wanted
Year: 2008

In this deliciously painful film, we follow a cynically sarcastic blue-collar worker rise above the ranks to become an incredible assassin. However, his superhero skills took forever to take off because of his inability to see anything special in himself. Then add to that the brutal beatdowns he had to participate in. Wanted works because it’s a nice blend of subtle sarcasm with comic book action, intense car chases, and juicy plot twists. If none of that excites you, there’s always Angelina Jolie….

#9: The Mask of Zorro
Year: 1998

Of all the movies on this list, Mask of Zorro has easily the best chemistry of them all. The interactions between Zorro and Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones..mmmm…) alone makes this a delightful viewing. I guess we can add the wonderful fights, excellent music, good acting, and beautiful cinematography…right?

#8: Iron Man
Year: 2008

Sometimes, all it takes is a very good lead to carry a superhero flick. In this case, the highly underrated Robert Downey Jr. gives us the performance of a lifetime as he blends the suave and egotistical mannerisms of a playboy with the gritty determination of a man who wants to save the world. Iron Man’s appeal is because of the everyday-man persona; Tony didn’t develop powers or obtained them by birth. He built his powers from the ground up, and the movie does an excellent job showcasing his rise to hero-hood. Here’s to hoping that Iron Man 2 can contain twice as much action though.

#7: The Dark Knight
Year: 2008

Now I know everyone is going to go bananas on this pick. The Dark Knight, not the best? And at a low #7? Here’s the truth: I did not enjoy the movie as much as everyone else did back in 2008, and in 2009 the opinion remains. The Dark Knight is an intense movie full of memorable performances and incredible moments. Of course, Heath Ledger gives his most amazing performance here. Despite all that, this Batman movie isn’t the best (Continue reading list), isn’t the darkest (Batman Returns), isn’t the most accurate (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm), and overall, isn’t even the most visually appealing Batman (See: 1989 version). It is good, and it’s the 7th best I’ve ever seen, but it won’t go any higher.

#6: Batman Forever
Year: 1995

Instead of explaining why its #6, I shall explain (because I am sure everyone is asking for it) how it’s better than Dark Knight:

1) Better soundtrack
2) In this movie there is at least an attempt to create a version of Gotham
3) Batman doesn’t have a raspy voice
4) More action
5) More accurate
6) Better Batmobile
7) Better 1-2 villain combination (Dark Knight had an amazing Joker, but a superbly sub-par Two-Face and Scarecrow)
8) Jim Carrey and Tommy Lee Jones does an even better job scene-stealing than Heath Ledger, whether you like it or not
9) Better ending


Batman Forever isn’t perfect, but its still a very fun comic book movie with some serious undertones and an overall whimsical package of action, comedy, romance, and drama. Would have been even better if Warner Brothers hadn’t edited the extra 22 minutes that does a better job explaining the movie and Batman’s motives.

#5: Spider-Man
Year: 2002

After years of fighting, legal mumbo-jumbo, and constant attempts, 2002 was finally able to see a serious attempt at a Spider-Man film. The movie definitely worked, and its mostly because of the special effects, Sam Raimi’s directing skills, and the ability to blend action, comedy, romance, and drama to the tale. The New York flavor only enhances the movie, and the Green Goblin was definitely no joke. While the movie is easily not the most realistic of the superhero genre, its emotional impact is just as effective as any Batman movie. It was a grand start to a money-making franchise with many hits, and few misses.

#4: Unbreakable
Year: 2000

The most underappreciated, underrated, and least popular in the list, Unbreakable is a deep engaging drama about a man who could potentially be a nearly-invincible superhero with many powers. Before M. Night became a joke and a hack, he delivered a remarkable story that asks what would happen if Superman is unaware that he is Superman. Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis provide some of their best performances here, as this film is not to be missed.

#3: The Incredibles
Year: 2004

Watchman, a mediocre movie that came out earlier this year, is a look at the life of superheroes after the superhero stuff is over. The Incredibles is what Watchman should have been. While this movie isn’t based off of any comic book or DC/Marvel creation, The Incredibles has all the elements needed for a grand superhero film: massive action set pieces, deep engaging storylines, a bit of drama, good amount of humor, and a down-to-earth attitude that we can all loosely relate to. The Incredibles isn’t exactly Pixar’s best, but it does stand tall as one of the better comic book movies of all-time. Plus, any movie with Edna Mode earns more points.

P.S. The villain was also awesome.

#2: Batman
Year: 1989

The movie is dated. I know. There is Prince music. I know. Batman does have a gun. I know. However, this is the best of the Batman movies, and does the best job resembling Batman whether you like it or not. We can start with the incredible set pieces and scenery that resembles a hellish city full of gothic and borderline-demonic colors and shades. Then we can throw in the Joker and Jack Nicholson’s spell-binding performance. While Ledger’s Joker was quite sinister, the 1989 Batman had literally the first really gothic and grim interpretation of the Joker, whom was usually more of an immature street punk criminal prior to this. Then there’s the soundtrack, my goodness could Danny Elfman weave a good theme song. Last but not least, there’s Michael Keaton whom can pull off an intimidating Batman and a charismatic (in a weird kind of way) Bruce Wayne.

This Batman is the best, remains the best, and shall continue being the best until Warner Brothers learns to drop the Godfather-crime drama-like storylines and give us stories that more resemble the comic books. Of course, after making a billion, I doubt they will change a thing. In the meantime, this is the one Batman movie that started it all, and remains one of the better American movies of all-time.

#1: Spider-Man 2
Year: 2004



Excellent villain? Check. Borrows from a great comic book storyline? Check. Plenty of drama and tension? Check. Unpredictability? Check. A bit of horror? Check. Plenty of humor? Check. Great acting? Check. Improving upon the original in every possible way? Check.

Spider-Man 2 is one of the best sequels of all-time, and remains the top dollar of the superhero movies. Peter Parker, despite having something we can’t relate to, goes through a barrage of emotions that we can definitely relate to. Spider-Man 2 has it all: great music, incredible action, Oscar-winning special effects, and an overall funfactor that just beats any other superhero film out there. It’s the complete package, and is a must-see film. Such a shame that Spider-Man 3 turned out to be such a disappointment and also managed to ruin some of the dramatic issues in part 2. I usually neglect the existence of part 3, and continue praising part 2. This is Sam Raimi at his best, and comic book movies at its peak.