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Chris Ryan

About Chris Ryan

Chris Ryan is a film cynic and porg enthusiast from Orlando, FL.

New Trailer for SING 2 + Posters and Stills from the Film!

4 November 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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Fans of Illumination’s 2016 film Sing rejoice! Announced earlier this year, the sequel has received a brand new trailer out today, with some stylish new promo art to boot.

I know I personally was a fan of the original film – featuring performances from Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, and more. The gang is back together for this sequel, and to celebrate, the studio has released a fun poster collection of the cast.

This holiday season, the new chapter in Illumination’s smash animated franchise arrives with big dreams and spectacular hit songs as the ever-optimistic Buster Moon and his all-star cast of performers prepare to launch their most dazzling stage extravaganza yet …all in the glittering entertainment capital of the world. There’s just one hitch: They first have to persuade the world’s most reclusive rock star—played by global music icon Bono, in his animated film debut—to join them.

The cast of the original film returns for this exciting sequel. Joining them are a few fun new faces, and we were provided a set of posters to introduce them! Here are just some of the new members of this ensemble:

(From left to right, Halsey, Pharrell Williams, and Bono)

Advance tickets are now available for the film’s official release – but those who can’t wait can experience Sing 2 on Thanksgiving day. Tickets are available here for sneak preview screenings at more than 1000 theaters nationwide – get them while you can!

I know I’m excited for this one, so stay tuned here for my inevitable review of the film when it releases December 22!

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Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: animated movie, bono, halsey, illumination, Illumination films, matthew mcconaughey, movie trailer, phrarrel, scarlett johansson, sing, sing 2, sing 2 trailer, Sing movie, sing trailer, taron egerton

Holidays Return at LEGOLAND Florida Resort!

1 November 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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It’s beginning to look a lot like Brick-mas! LEGOLAND Florida Resort is preparing for it’s most wonderful event of the year, HOLIDAYS at LEGOLAND presented by Hallmark Channel.

The park will receive a seasonal makeover and bring new entertainment, meet-and-greets, and more all included in general admission. Guests can enjoy:

Rocking around the LEGO Tree

Located in the heart of LEGO® City, our giant LEGO® tree comes to life each event evening with dazzling lights that dance along to holiday tunes. For the first time, guests can enjoy this interactive spectacle in full 360-degrees, making it a magical experience from every angle.

Entertainment that “Sleighs”

Brand-new original stage shows will add even more holiday joy this season, as well as the return of fan favorite, The Very Merry Mix-Up, where Mrs. Claus’s crew of holiday helpers return for some frosty fun with the help of LEGO® Gingerbread Man inside the LEGOLAND® Fun Town Theater.

Kids’ New Year’s Eve Celebration

Ring in 2022 with our Kids’ New Year’s Eve fireworks. Colorful bursts of LEGO® bricks light the night sky over Lake Eloise, at a kid-friendly time of 8 p.m. every night from Dec. 26 to Dec. 31

The event is sure to build memories to last a lifetime! HOLIDAYS at LEGOLAND presented by Hallmark Channel will run November 26-28, and December 4-5, 11-12, 18-19, 24-31 from 10am to 7pm – and the park will add an extra hour of festive fun for it’s New Years Eve event from December 26-31, closing at 8pm those nights.

Check out our past coverage of the event here, and stay tuned for when we visit later this year!

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Filed Under: Florida Theme Parks & Attractions, Latest News, LEGOLAND Florida Tagged With: brickmas, hallmark, holidays at legoland, LEGOLAND, legoland event, Legoland FL, LEGOLAND Florida, legoland florida resort, legoland holidays

First Look at Pixar’s LIGHTYEAR!

27 October 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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Earlier this year, Disney/Pixar announced the new pseudo-prequel to the beloved Toy Story character, LIGHTYEAR. Today, we get our first look at the film in this exciting teaser!

The sci-fi action-adventure presents the definitive origin story of Buzz Lightyear—the hero who inspired the toy—introducing the legendary Space Ranger who would win generations of fans.

The film – which stars Chris Evans in the titular role – is scheduled to release June 17, 2022. No word yet on whether the film will debut on Disney+ Premier Access – something that Disney’s most recent releases have not been doing.

We know we’re excited to see what this story has in store, so be sure to stick around here for more updates on the film!

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Filed Under: Disney News, Latest News, Movies & Books Tagged With: animated disney movie, Buzz Lightyear, Disney Animation, Disney movie, Disney Pixar, lightyear, lightyear movie, lightyear trailer, Pixar, Pixar animation, pixar movie, pixar news, pixar trailer, Toy Story

LEGOLAND Florida Celebrates 10 Years!

23 September 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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It feels like LEGOLAND Florida has been for longer than I can remember – but it’s only celebrating its 10th anniversary next month! In that time, the Florida resort has become a classic destination for locals and tourists alike. To celebrate these 10 Awesome years, LEGOLAND is debuting attraction openings, party pop-ups, and Halloween fun.

The LEGOLAND Story

The LEGOLAND® Story will immerse LEGO® lovers in the unexpected origin story of everyone’s favorite brick. Guests will also learn about the ever-evolving theme park experience and how LEGOLAND® Parks were built, brick by brick!

LEGO MASTERS: L-R: Contestants Mark and Steven in the “Master Build – Day & Night” season finale episode of LEGO MASTERS airing Tuesday, Sept 14 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2021 FOX MEDIA LLC. CR: Tom Griscom/FOX

This new attraction will bring guests into the history of LEGO with exclusive, photo-worthy displays, and artifacts from LEGO’s past. Fans of LEGO MASTERS will also find the official winning models from Season Two of the show, along with the second and third place models on display.

In the entry to The LEGOLAND Story, will be the all new LEGOLAND Coffee Co., a new café featuring flash-chilled iced coffee and seasonal flavors.

Birthday Bash Party Pop-Ups

WINTER HAVEN, FL — Brick-or-Treat at LEGOLAND Florida Resort. (PHOTO / LOCK + LAND, Chip Litherland for LEGOLAND Florida Resort)

Families are invited to join in the brick-tastic birthday bash on October 15 to dance along with their favorite LEGO® characters and friends. Party-packed play moments, surprise character appearances and pop-up entertainment will make this one awesome party!

LEGOLAND Florida will become home to a “more-than-20-foot” birthday cake, on display now through the end of the year. And if that wasn’t sweet enough, Granny’s Apple Fries – a LEGOLAND staple – will be offering the Apple Fries Cupcake and Birthday Cake Latte, ONLY on October 15.

MINILAND Reopening October 15

LEGOLAND’s most iconic area of the park has been under construction this year to fit the entire area with a new shade structure. That reopened area will finally be open October 15, just in time for the park’s exciting celebrations.

Brick or Treat Returns: Saturdays & Sundays in October

The classic Halloween event returns this year. It too has become a staple of the park – with its BOO-tastic fireworks, treat trails, and extended hours every event night.

 This kid-friendly event is the only time of year guests can meet exclusive classic LEGO® monster characters, enjoy Halloween shows and go trick-or-treating to collect loads of candy during the ultimate kids Halloween celebration.

While you’re at the park celebrating ten crazy years, be sure to check out the other awesome experiences and attractions that have debuted in 2021!  Those looking to find tickets or passes can do so here.

And be sure to stay tuned here for more LEGOLAND updates!

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Filed Under: Florida Theme Parks & Attractions, Latest News, LEGOLAND Florida, Parks Tagged With: Brick or Treat, florida halloween, floriday halloween, Halloween, halloween event, holidays at legoland, LEGO, lego masters, lego mater builders, LEGOLAND, legoland 10, legoland 10 years, legoland 10th anniversary, legoland anniversary, LEGOLAND Florida, legoland florida resort, legoland flroida resort, legoland tenth anniversary

REVIEW: DEAR EVAN HANSEN, Your Movie Is Bad

22 September 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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As with all of my reviews, I want to make sure people are aware that I won’t be spoiling any of the plot here. That being said, the Dear Evan Hansen stage production premiered in 2016, and it’s been a moderately well known story since. Even if you’ve never heard a song off the soundtrack, you likely understand the concept of the story – which is so simple conceptually that you’ll be able to guess exactly how it ends.

Even if the film was good, the story would’ve been a hard sell on its own. To describe the film, the word that kept coming to mind was ‘cringe-worthy.’ Not ‘cringe’ in a modern ‘uncouth’ or ‘out of touch’ way, but cringe-worthy in the way you would describe watching someone’s marriage proposal get rejected. It’s just genuinely hard to watch Evan’s actions in the film – it’s not an enjoyable experience.

Evan Hansen is not a character that anyone is rooting for (and I don’t think by the end anyone will be), but the movie expects us to listen to this character who is so self-centered and sociopathic that he ruins the lives of people around him. I do believe that a large part of this is due to Evan’s casting – and we’ll get to that in a moment.

Dear Benj Pasek and Justin Paul,

Ben Platt as Evan Hansen in Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Stephen Chbosky.

I’d like to take a brief pause to talk about the music. It’s a big musical, so surely the music is good right? Well, not necessarily. 

I personally have never been a fan of the songwriting duo behind Dear Evan Hansen. The only work of theirs I particularly enjoy is 2016’s La La Land – and that’s entirely because the soundtrack is primarily the work of Justin Hurwitz. 

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who’s previous work also includes The Greatest Showman and two original songs for the 2019 Aladdin remake, have a particular style to their music – pop songs pretending to be musical theatre songs. And I definitely understand that some people are very big fans of their work – The Greatest Showman’s soundtrack is very popular to this day, and Dear Evan Hansen’s stage production won just about every Tony imaginable. It’s just not the best that the musical theatre genre has to offer, despite now making up its most popular tracks in decades.

Still, I would be lying if I said ‘Waving Through A Window’ didn’t make a frequent appearance in my musical theatre playlist. Before watching the film, I deliberately avoided listening to the original soundtrack again to enter bias-free. As a result, when the film began, I was really enjoying the first three tracks – and I thought to myself ‘Wow, this is way better than I remember!’ But after ‘Sincerely Me,’ the track list takes quite a dip.

The issue with Pasek and Paul’s work is that – with a few exceptions – most of their songs sound pretty identical. If you were to randomly assign a singer four songs from the duo’s discography, I don’t know if you’d be able to identify what songs came from what production.

Needless to say, there’s nothing in the film version that adds musically to the original version. If you’re curious at all about the show, I really recommend just listening to the Broadway recording instead, it’ll save you some money and about 137 minutes of boredom.

Dear DEH Cast,

(from left) Larry Mora (Danny Pino), Cynthia Murphy (Amy Adams) and Zoe Murphy (Kaitlyn Dever) in Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Stephen Chbosky.

Okay, so the story’s bad, the music’s bad, surely the cast has to be good right? You’d think that would be the case. Before I get too into the weeds here, I’ll begin with what I enjoyed. I didn’t know that Amy Adams was here, and she was a nice surprise. It’s not her most phenomenal role (she didn’t have very much to work with after all), but she’s still one of the more watchable characters of the film. 

The MOST watchable performance goes to Colton Ryan (no relation), who played Connor Murphy. It goes without saying that he doesn’t have very much screen time, but he truly makes the most of what he does have. He actually served as an understudy for the role in the original Broadway production, and it shows that he has experience with the character.

The last highlight goes to Kaitlyn Dever – who you may have previously seen in 2019’s Booksmart, one of my favorite films of all time. Her character isn’t the best written, but she does bring a lot of realism to Ben Platt’s scenes, which is extremely necessary.

Dear Ben Platt,

(from left) Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) and Jared Kalwani (Nik Dodani) in Dear Evan Hansen, directed by Stephen Chbosky.

Ben Platt may very well be the worst part of this film. As mentioned before, he also played the titular role in the original Broadway production. Now, I didn’t see his Broadway performance myself, but the Tony’s and clout he earned seem to speak to how good it was.

However.

He’s not the only person who played the role. The stage production cast a new lead 4 different times, not including the national tour of the show, which featured a different actor altogether. Many people have taken the helm of the lonely high schooler who takes a lie too far. As a result, many people were confused when Platt was announced to play the character in the film adaptation.

Sure, he’s the most well known portrayer of the role, but that doesn’t mean he’s the only person who can play it for the rest of time. Take for example, the recent film adaptation of In the Heights: the character of Usnavi was initially played by Lin Manuel Miranda, someone who’s already become stereotyped with casting himself as a major role in whatever he writes. And yet, the role was instead taken by Anthony Ramos. LMM was older than he was in the initial production, and it was time to give it to someone else who deserved the spotlight.

It seems like a weird thing to be up-in-arms about, but Platt’s casting in the film seems even weirder when you learn that his father is a producer for the film, likely playing a big part in giving his son the lead role. Platt later responded to the cases against him by saying,

…were I not to do the movie, it probably wouldn’t get made. And so I think, you know, my defensive response is to want to like, go onto twitter and be like, you know ‘F you guys, like you don’t even know that like this wouldn’t exist without me.’

Never in my life have I seen something so disrespectful and egocentric from someone who was very publicly handed a lead role in a major film by his father. It does such a disservice to everyone else who has played the role on stage – one of whom I should point out is Platt’s current boyfriend – all of whom are equally as qualified to play the character again.

All of this to say, Platt’s performance is very difficult to watch. I had read that Platt would be digitally altered to appear younger (ideally to make a 27 year old appear 17). Either that article was fake, or it was done so subtly that it didn’t make a difference at all, because Platt still appears significantly older than any of the other high school students in the film.

Evan Hansen seeming like a creepy guy hanging around at a school severely changes the tone of the film. Rather than being a quirky misunderstood guy who gets caught up in wanting a life that he doesn’t have, Platt’s performance in the film instead gives us a hunched and awkward sociopath who is too egocentric to understand when he’s severely upheaving the familial lives of people who he doesn’t know at all.

I won’t even go into the issues now present Hansen’s romantic side plot with the character played by Kaitlyn Dever, an actress who just naturally looks young in general. Platt sadistically reciting all of the absurd minute details of Dever’s character who he obsessed over – of course, under the guise that these were actually the thoughts of her dead brother – is just something no one should ever be forced to sit through.

It really changes how Evan Hansen as a character will be interpreted by audiences, and it’s entirely because Platt got Daddy on the phone and decided he needed more attention.

Dear readers,

As a whole, this movie is not good. It’s absolutely minimalist stance on ‘mental health’ boils down to about as progressive someone tweeting ‘I just learned eating yogurt is a trauma response.’

I just truly cannot advise you enough to not see this. It’s not even entertaining in a “Oh I just want to see the train wreck” kind of way, it’s just not watchable at all. By the end of my screening, the audience, which was made up of the target demographic for this film, were simply laughing in embarrassment at Platt’s asinine emotional breakdown. 

I assume studios were clamoring for the chance to bring this to the silver screen, but all of the negative press and negative reviews pretty much guarantee this version will be unmemorable in about 6 months.

Just go listen to the Broadway soundtrack instead.

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Filed Under: Movie Reviews, Reviews Tagged With: ben platt, benj pasek, broadway, dear evan hansen, evan hansen, justin paul, movie musical, movie review, musical, review, tony award nominee, tony awards

OH BOTHER: Tickets Available for Disney’s WINNIE THE POOH Stage Adaptation

26 August 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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Want to visit Winnie The Pooh in the Hundred Acre Wood? Just book a ticket to Broadway! Featuring songs by the Sherman Brothers’ and by A.A. Milne, this beautifully crafted musical stage adaptation of the classic characters opens on Time Square’s Theatre Row beginning October 21, 2021.

WINNIE THE POOH: THE NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION is developed and presented by renowned family entertainment creator Jonathan Rockefeller – whose spectacular puppetry was previously seen in productions of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show and Paddington Gets in a Jam.

Tickets to the show are now available here.

Due to an overwhelming response, Rockefeller Productions is opening a new block of weekend tickets for the highly anticipated show.

Jonathan Rockefeller and Rockefeller Productions [in association with Disney Theatrical Productions] embraced the challenge of re-imaging Disney’s Winnie the Pooh for a new audience by bringing it to life on stage in puppet form.

I know that I personally wish I could book a flight to New York just to catch a performance of this show, so stay tuned here for more updates on the production as we receive them!

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Filed Under: Disney News, Disney on Broadway, Latest News Tagged With: aa milne, broadway, broadway show, broadway tickets, Disney Broadway, Disney on Broadway, disney show, Disney trailer, rockafeller, sherman brothers, Winnie the Pooh, winnie the pooh braodway, winnie the pooh musical

New Featurette Released for DEAR EVAN HANSEN

26 August 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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Musical fans rejoice! The film adaptation of the Tony phenomenon DEAR EVAN HANSEN is practically here! Today, Universal released a new featurette of the film. In the featurette, the cast talks about the meaning and impact of the track “You Will Be Found.”

 The breathtaking, generation-defining Broadway phenomenon becomes a soaring cinematic event as Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award winner Ben Platt reprises his role as an anxious, isolated high schooler aching for understanding and belonging amid the chaos and cruelty of the social-media age.

In addition to the featurette, Universal also released two singles from the film’s soundtrack on music streaming services. “Waving Through A Window” and “You Will Be Found,” as well as the preorder for the film’s soundtrack are available here.

The film is in theaters September 24, and you can bet we “Will Be Found” first in line to see it. Stay tuned here for our review!

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Filed Under: Latest News, Movies & Books Tagged With: broadway, broadway show, dear evan hansen, dear evan hansen featurette, dear evan hansen trailer, featurette, musical, musical movie, musicals, soundtrack, tony award

New Trailer Released for THE KING’S MAN

26 August 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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It seems like it’s been so long since we last saw or heard from THE KING’S MAN – originally scheduled to release last year. But fans of the original Kingsman films don’t have to wait much longer for this awaited prequel. Today, 20th Century Studios debuted a brand-new, action-packed trailer, full of director Matthew Vaughn’s signature style.

As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them. Discover the origins of the very first independent intelligence agency in “The King’s Man.” “The King’s Man” is directed by Matthew Vaughn and stars Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Matthew Goode, Tom Hollander, Harris Dickinson, Daniel Brühl, with Djimon Hounsou, and Charles Dance.

A red band trailer was also released for the film, available here.

As a big fan of the original two Kingsman films, I am avidly looking forward to this one, which releases in US theaters on December 22. Be sure to stay tuned here for our inevitable review of the film!

 

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Filed Under: Latest News Tagged With: kings man, kings man secret service, kings man trailer, kingsman, kingsman golden circle, matthew vaughn, movie trailer, new trailer, ralph fiennes

SHANG-CHI Advanced Tickets Now Available

16 August 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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The latest installment in Marvel Studios’ Cinematic Universe is another step closer to release. Starting today, SHANG-CHI is available for advanced purchase at select theaters.

Fans can purchase advance tickets through Fandango to see the movie on the big screen in select theaters.

To commemorate the sale, Marvel has released a brand new TV spot of the film as well,

Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings” stars Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, who must confront the past he thought he left behind when he is drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.

While advanced ticket sales at select theaters are available now, there has been no confirmation from Marvel or Disney on whether the film will be available on Disney+ Premier Access. If so, it will be the first major Disney release since Mulan to not be included on the service at it’s premiere date. Be sure to check here if there are any updates to this in the future.

SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS opens in theaters on September 3, 2021.

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Filed Under: Disney Movie News & Reviews, Disney News, Latest News, Official Disney Tagged With: Disney, Disney movie, disney movie tickets, Marvel, Marvel movie, marvel trailer, MCU, mcu movies, mcu trailer, movie tickets, phase four, shang chi, shang chi and the legend of the ten rings

Advance Tickets For FREE GUY On Sale Today

2 August 2021 by Chris Ryan Leave a Comment

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In early December 2019, Twentieth Century Studios uploaded the first trailer for their new epic adventure comedy FREE GUY. Over a full year and three release delays later, the film is finally set for release this summer on August 13.

Today, Twentieth Century Studios announced that advanced ticket sales for the film are available for purchase at fandago.com. There’s also a strange new featurette of the film to view.

In “Free Guy,” a bank teller who discovers he is actually a background player in an open-world video game decides to become the hero of his own story…one he rewrites himself. Now in a world where there are no limits, he is determined to be the guy who saves his world his way…before it is too late.

I’m personally excited for the film, which also features cameos from several notable Twitch streamers. Those of you who agree can stay tuned for more updates from the film and an inevitable review by checking here.

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Filed Under: Latest News, Movies & Books Tagged With: free guy, free guy movie, free guy tickets, free guy trailer, movie, movie news, movie tickets, movie trailer, twentieth century, twentieth century studios

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