Iron Man 3

DVD Release Round Up! Iron Man, Gravity Falls and Little Mermaid Out Now

19 October 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

There have been quite a few Disney DVD’s out lately, and the latest three I’ve gotten offer something for every member of the family! Now out on DVD and Blu-ray is Iron Man 3, The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition, Gravity Falls: Six Strange Tales, and coming up soon, Monsters University, releasing on October 29. Here is a wrap-up of the extras and bonus features offered for each and why you should run out and add these to your Disney DVD (or Blu-ray) collection!

Iron Man 3 – I’m pretty sure Iron Man 3 is my favorite Iron Man movie of the series so far. I actually really like Tony Stark in Avengers, but in Iron Man 3 we really see what makes him tick (literally). I have a full review of Iron Man 3 here. But I was finally able to see the bonus features on the Blu-ray and was so entertained by all these extras. The “Agent Carter” one-shot was amazing. I loooved seeing more of Agent Carter – who you will immediately recognize as Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers (aka Captain America)’s long lost flame. As you will recall from the first Captain America movie, Peggy Carter can hold her own under any circumstance and when an emergency mission falls into her lap, she proves just this to the boys club who thinks of her as nothing more than a skirt with a typewriter. It was wonderful to see her in action again, and the ending makes me want an entire movie, or at the very least a TV series on the original members of S.H.I.E.L.D. A wonderful little treasure on the Iron Man 3 Blu-ray!

In addition, the bonus features like the gag reel with bloopers and flubs, and the deleted scenes make for hours of additional fun and information about the making of Iron Man 3. Seeing Ben Kingsley reel off every accent he can do as “The Mandarin” is hilarious and it’s really fun to see the filming bloopers before the special effects have been added. There’s also a ton of ‘making of Iron Man 3’ featurettes and audio commentary to keep you entertained and informed. Definitely a must-add to your collection!

Gravity Falls: Six Strange Tales was released on October 15 and offers over 2 hours of hilarious adventures, irreverent humor and unforgettable characters plus free exclusive Mystery Book: Journal #3. If you have anyone that loves the ridiculously crazy stories from Gravity Falls, they will love this DVD set. If by chance you haven’t seen this popular series on Disney XD, here is a synopsis of the animated series: In this animated adventure comedy riddled with mystery, twin brother and sister Dipper and Mabel are sent to spend their summer vacation with their great uncle. Upon arrival, their great uncle, also known as Grunkle Stan, enlists the siblings’ help in running The Mystery Shack, a fun tourist trap he owns that overcharges unsuspecting customers. While Dipper has a hard time getting used to his new surroundings, Mabel’s upbeat optimism comes in handy in her quest to find true love. When Dipper stumbles upon an elusive book, he discovers that it is the key to unlocking the town’s mysterious secrets, and the brother and sister duo soon realize they must rely on one another to navigate the unfamiliar place.

Six Strange Tales includes the following episodes:

1 – “Tourist Trapped”

2 – “The Legend of the Gobblewonker”

3 – “Headhunters”

4 – “The Hand That Rocks the Mabel”

5 – “The Inconveniencing”

6 – “Dipper vs. Manliness”

Lastly, a family favorite The Little Mermaid is finally out on Blu-ray! It was so wonderful to see this again and be reminded of the great songs and animation in this now classic. There are quite a few extras that will provide lots of mermaid-y fun for your little ones (or for you – you know you love this story too!) including the Crab-eoke, a fun sing-along to all your favorite songs, some wonderful behind-the-SEAnes features and audio commentary. Also included is this deleted scene for a character called Harold the Merman:

The scenes with Jodi Benson visiting Walt Disney World’s New Fantasyland with her two children totally made me tear up. It is pretty amazing to see the voice of Ariel riding Ariel’s Undersea Adventure in the Magic Kingdom. And she and her family look like huge Disney fans, which is wonderful to see. Other Blu-ray bonus features include:

All-New Music Video for Part of Your World by Carly Rae Jepsen

Behind the Scenes at Disney Animation Studios

Disney Intermission – press pause and see what happens

Deleted Character Harold the Merman

The Real Little Mermaid: Live Action Reference Model

Part of Her World: Jodi Benson’s Voyage To New Fantasyland

Howard’s Lecture – Music in the Movies

Classic DVD Bonus Features

This is another must-add to your collection, whether you are sharing it for the first time with your children, or reliving your childhood with an old favorite. The Little Mermaid Diamond Edition is available now.

Stay tuned for future releases and reviews – I’ll have one for Monsters University

up soon! The next Disney animated classics to get the Diamond Edition Blu-ray treatment are THE JUNGLE BOOK and SLEEPING BEAUTY. Released from the Disney vault for a limited time only, THE JUNGLE BOOK opens to colorful new life on Blu-ray Diamond Edition in February 2014, while SLEEPING BEAUTY awakens on stunning Blu-ray Diamond Edition in October 2014. Can’t wait. I’m SO excited for Sleeping Beauty on Blu-ray!!

Spoiler-Free Review: Iron Man 3 Changes the World

3 May 2013 by Suzannah Otis 4 Comments

I’ve said before that it is very difficult to choose a favorite Avenger movie; I do love Captain America and his storyline (and am excited for part two to come out soon), but I do believe Iron Man holds the biggest place in my heart as far as the Marvel movies go. I never really got into super hero movies until Iron Man came out. I had always been a fan of Robert Downey Jr. and when I saw that he had imbued the role with his famous RDJ charm and wit, I was hooked. Of course, the storylines and action were a plus too. So, when I saw the first trailers for Iron Man 3, I was absolutely thrilled with how it looked; so many visual ‘wow’ moments and it truly left me excited to see more. And more is definitely what I saw, earlier this week at a media screening of Iron Man 3. My review of the film follows, but given the almost crazy amount of twists and turns within the plot, my review will be safely major-plot-point-spoiler-free for your reading pleasure!

I think part of why I love Iron Man, and Tony Stark so much is that at the end of the day, he’s just a man. He has no super powers when the suit is off, he’s just a guy trying to figure life out too. And those human struggles are where Iron Man 3 begins its story. Tony Stark has been having difficulty dealing with “New York” -as the events of the Avengers film are referred to in this movie. Just as he is at his breaking point of handling the stress, a villain appears on the scene and gives him no choice but to get back into action, save the world, and in the process, save himself.

What proceeds from there on in Iron Man 3 is a series of events that you could never see coming and challenge your belief that it will all be okay in the end. We see Tony Stark pretty much at rock bottom and being forced to rely on others as well as returning to the most base elemental components that make up “Iron Man” and Stark as a human being – he “fixes things.” I loved it from start to finish and really enjoyed the humor throughout the film, even poking fun at traditional villains, and of course, Iron Man himself along the way. It really humanized the super human, and made me feel for all of the characters within the film. The theme here is rebirth, reinvention, and getting back to what you know, and it’s a message that so many can relate to, myself included.

Here is the latest released clip, showing some of Tony Stark’s struggles

I will say one thing, there is a sub-plot within the film where Tony interacts with a young boy, and I thought this was a great addition to the movie and story. The scenes may have worked just as well without this character, but what this young actor brought to the screen was wonderful, and as a parent, even heartwarming to see. It was a great counter-point to the non-stop action going on around the rest of the story. In addition to this, the entire cast works so well as an ensemble, it’s great to see more of Don Cheadle and Gwyneth Paltrow in their respective roles.

I can’t really say too much else without giving things away, so I’ll end my brief but no less heartfelt review here. As I said on twitter after seeing the screening, “Iron Man 3. Amazing. That is all.” And really, that’s all the review you need, go out and see this movie – today! (And stay past the credits as always!)

Iron Man 3 is open today in theatres everywhere! I was provided a free media screening of the film, but my opinions are my own.

Like IRON MAN 3 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ironman

Follow IRON MAN 3 on Twitter: @Iron_Man

Visit the website: http://marvel.com/ironman3

Latest Iron Man 3 Trailer and Official Movie Posters

5 March 2013 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

I’m not sure how Iron Man 3 can get any more exciting, but the latest trailer manages to pack more action (and raise more questions) than any other. I really love how committed and fearless Tony Stark seems in the trailer. I know I’m not alone in my anticipation to see Iron Man 3 in theatres on May 3rd! Here is the official synopsis of Iron Man 3:

Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?

And without further ado, the latest Iron Man 3 trailer –

And here are the official movie posters for Iron Man 3:

“Like” IRON MAN 3 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ironman

“Follow” IRON MAN 3 on Twitter: @Iron_Man

Visit the website: http://marvel.com/ironman3

Iron Man 3 Official Trailer and Production Photos

23 October 2012 by Suzannah Otis Leave a Comment

While, after catching up on the Avengers series of films, Captain America takes a close second, Iron Man will always be my favorite. His acerbic wit and ability to be so pompous, full of ego, and self-deprecating at the same time has captured my heart from the first Iron Man. Now filming for Iron Man 3 is well under-way and we are now being treated to the first official trailer and some fun photos from the production. So let’s get right to that, because goodness knows, you are here to see Robert Downey Jr. not read my silly thoughts on him! (But if perhaps you’ve just emerged from a seaside cave that you’ve called home for the last 4 years, here’s the official synopsis of the newest adventures of Tony Stark –)

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley,“Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.

Official Iron Man 3 Trailer