Disney World's Pandora

Nathaniel popping in from a vacation I forgot to tell you about at Disney World to say hello. (Thanks to the team for keeping you occupied!) Disney opened "Pandora – The World of Avatar" just a week back and the lines are loooong. It's two to three hours for the Avatar related rides and pricy gift shop purchases. The most popular of the souvenirs are banshee puppets that sit on your shoulder. All the little kids seem to be wearing them but it seems like adults might like them even more. They're gorgeous and have a ton of realistic movement you control with a small device in one hand. There are also custom made Avatar action figures that are meant to look like you. That's an exceptional audience-friendly concept for a toy but I personally didn't see enough resemblance in the examples to justify the $80ish price tag.

We fast-passed the "Flight of Passage" ride and it is breathtaking. You mount motorcycle like contraptions and wear some form of 3D glasses for the ride. For a hot minute or so in the middle of the 4 minute ride, I literally forgot I was at an amusement park I was so caught up in it as if I actually were flying a banshee in Na'vi form. James Cameron, never one to shy away from hyperbole, has described the ride as "dreaming with your eyes open” and that's not far off. In theory it's not so different from other rides which are more "virtual" than purely physical (like, say, old school rollercoasters) but this one is the most immersive and transporting ride of its kind that I've ever experienced.

Mamma Mia, it's a Sequel!

by Murtada

By now you’ve probably already heard the news. There’s a sequel to Mama Mia! (2008) coming our way in July of next year. The release date will be exactly 10 years after the first one. Yes we are that old! It will be unimaginatively titled Mama Mia: Here We Go Again, taken right from the chorus of the song. They must’ve spent all of 2 seconds coming up with that. The original wasn’t exactly a good movie, but it was a fun summer time at the movies buoyed along by everyone’s familiarity with the ABBA song catalog. More of that is definately not an unappealing prospect.

The studio announced that all cast members are expected to return. However so far only Amanda Seyfried is confirmed. If Meryl Streep does indeed sign on, 2018 will mark her first foray into sequels. And of course she’s going big with not one but two of them. She will also appear in a supporting part in that other musical sequel; Mary Poppins Returns, albeit her character there is a new one. Frankly this is not the character we would’ve liked to see her reprise. We are still waiting for The Further Adventures of Miranda Priestly.

Which ABBA song not in the original would you like to see in the sequel? Our vote goes to Waterloo for reasons totally unrelated to Greek island shenanigans or even the famous 1815 battle. But rather to something that happened in Waterloo, Iowa!

It's June!

How is your June bustin' out, readers? Are you doing some seaside sailor choreography to celebrate the arrival of summer? Watching some theatre before the Tony Awards in a week? Or just catching Wonder Woman this weekend? Tell us your weekend movie plans in the comments!

Julia Roberts Returns to HBO

Chris here. Add another high profile limited series to the mix - Julia Roberts has signed on to lead an adaptation of Maria Semple's novel Today Will Be Different for HBO. While this would be Roberts's first season-length run on television, she did scoop up an Emmy nomination for HBO's The Normal Heart.

Today should be a more lighthearted pairing for Roberts and the cable giant: the series (which Roberts will also executive produce) will follow a single day in the life of Eleanor Flood as she attempts to be her best self despite what lies ahead. Messy hilarity and existential crisis follow.

Semple will be writing the script from her novel but I'm already curious at who might direct the adaptation. With prestige director-chasing production company Annapurna at the reigns, we can expect a significant directing talent to come on board as well. Semple and Annapurna also have Where'd You Go, Bernadette? (a delightful read, if you haven't picked it up yet) from Richard Linklater and Cate Blanchett in the pipeline, so clearly they're already creating intriguing projects sight unseen.

Will we have another Big Little Lies-level hit on our hands?

Wonder Women: Eve

We're talking female movie heroes all week to celebrate Wonder Woman! Here's Chris Feil on a feisty robot...

Wonder Women don’t necessarily have to be human, right? Our cinematic female heroes can range from real people, fantastical creatures, and even artificial intelligence. One such non-human hero for me exists in one of my favorite romances - Eve of Wall-E. In short order Eve saves humankind and her big-eyed beloved, all while having feelings and goals all her own that some flesh and blood female characters seldom get to display in a love story. She’s a hero with a soft side, a curious nature, but it doesn’t mean she has time for your bullshit.

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