"Frozen"

        Frozen follows the story of Princess Elsa and Princess Anna. Elsa, the oldest, is told that she is cursed with ice magic, and that in order to protect her sister and the kingdom she needed to be locked away in the castle until she could control her power. Anna, who used to be very close to her sister, feels abandoned by her. On Elsa's coronation day she loses control, and unleashes some of her power. Fearful of who she might hurt, and of what people will do to her, she flees the kingdom. But her enemy is not so easily defeated, for her greatest enemy is herself. As fear causes her to lose control of her abilities she brings an eternal winter down upon the kingdom. Now Anna must go find her sister to try and have her reverse the winter in the kingdom and in herself.

      Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee this film stars the voices of Kristen Bell as Anna, Idina Menzel as Elsa, Jonathan Groff as Kristoff, Josh Gad as Olaf, and Santino Fontana as Hans. This was herald as the best Disney movie since Beauty and the Beast, and lets just say my expectations were high and they were definitely not met.

        So to start off I didn't hate the movie, but I just don't understand why so many people love it. The songs throughout the movie (besides the opening credits song) sounded more like dialog stuffed into a song rather than actual music. The one song that was apparently "the best song ever" was "Let it Go".... While the song was catchy, it was not an instant classic like some other mainstay songs of previous Disney movies. I almost had to take my headphones off because one of the notes Idina Menzel hits it is ear drum shattering... Ouch! Maybe I was expecting to much, but with all the press and rave reviews I was stoked to see it. I mean "Beauty and the Beast" has to be one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, and to hear Frozen compared to that got me excited, but sadly Frozen has to be my least favorite Disney princess movie (so far).
 
       There were only a few funny parts, and I felt like I was only getting to know the characters when the movie ended. I felt no connection to any of them. The story felt rushed too, as if they had all these things they wanted to put in there, and they decided to put it in even though it didn't fit. From what I remember reading of Hans Christian Anderson's story "The Snow Queen", which the movie is based off of, their is not much of the original story in their. I applaud their efforts on trying to make this as true to the Norwegian culture as possible, but it just didn't hit home for me. My favorite moments from the film were probably the scenes with Kristoff and Sven, and I feel like they should have done more of those scenes!!!

     Was it a terrible movie, no, but was it the best, I don't think so. I would give this movie 6 out 10 purely because it did have some cute parts, and funny parts mingled in. Follow me on Twitter and make sure you tell everyone you know about the blog!! haha

Peace,
Jake

P.S. Check out this YouTube video of how Frozen should have ended!! hahaha Hilarious!

"Captain America: The Winter Soldier"

     Following the events of The Avengers, Captain America starts to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. Working with S.H.I.E.L.D. has given him a purpose after the battle of New York, but while he is still trying to adjust to this modern lifestyle his past seems to be catching up with him with a vengeance. Secrets, lies, and treachery seem to surround Cap as he tries to figure out the secret of the past that was ripped away from him. With Black Widow and The Falcon at his side he must race to find out what S.H.I.E.L.D. really stands for, and if it can weather the coming storm.

     Directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo this film stars: Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/ Captain America, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Sebastian Stan as The Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/ The Falcon, Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill, and Emily VanCamp as Kate/ Agent 13. This was seriously one of the best Marvel movies yet, and that is saying a lot because all of them are so good!!! (Excluding some of the older Marvel films, of course.)

      This movie had such a good blend of action/adventure, political drama, and of course some superhero awesomeness. Behind the CGI and amazing fight scenes there lies a relevant and terrifying political message... Do you want to trade liberty for a perception of safety? Now that is one deep question! Now lets not forget the simply astounding action scenes, they were seriously top notch. Another thing I loved about the film, was the humor they put into it. The mall scene was hilarious, and Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson clearly show why they were chosen for these roles. If you haven't seen it yet... What are you waiting for?

Can you believe this is already the ninth film that Marvel Studios has released since Iron Man back in 2008? We are already deep into Phase 2  which started with Iron Man 3 then Thor: The Dark World, and now Captain America: The Winter Soldier. (For those of you who didn't know Phase 1 consisted of Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Avengers.) Phase 2 will continue with Guardians of the Galaxy in August, and then conclude with Avengers: Age of Ultron in May of 2015. Kevin Feige, the producer and the man behind the genius of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has just announced that they have Marvel movies planned till 2028. That's a lot of superhero movies, but I'm okay with that!

     The mid-credits scene was absolutely amazing with Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker, one of the heads of Hydra, and the twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff being Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver respectively. All three of these characters are set to be in the Avengers: Age of Ultron with Wanda and Pietro most likely playing large parts in the film.

    I would give this film a 10 out of 10! It had me wanting more from the second it ended! Guardians of the Galaxy here I come! Make sure you follow me on Twitter and check back here this Sunday for (hopefully) a new blog post. Share this with your friends, and make sure you vote on the poll up on the top right-hand corner.

Peace,
Jake

P.S. If you aren't watching Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. then you are missing out on some big reveals and one awesome tv show. Tune in every Tuesday at 8 EST on ABC!