Disney's Winnie the Pooh (2011) Marketing Failure

by Tony Dayoub

As the latest entry in the Harry Potter franchise began its run this past weekend (a series I'd given up on once the movies started to blend together in my recollection) I sat with my 2-year-old in a movie theater introducing him to the wonders of cinema with his first film, Winnie the Pooh. I couldn't have selected a better movie to hold my hyperactive child's attention. My older son, J, is a placid little fella, zen-like in his ability to quietly transport himself into the same imaginative universe populated by his Marvel superhero action figures. He loves sitting at the movies with me and falling into the same escapist's world of pleasure I do. The little one, K, is more of a show-me-what-you-got, rampaging ball of hellfire prone to daredevil-like stunts of frightening proportions. But he's always held a soft spot for stuffed animals in a way his older brother never has, cuddling them tightly as he sucks his thumb to lull himself to sleep. Pooh is his favorite. So while I was terrified of exposing him to the adrenaline rush of the vacuous Cars 2 earlier this summer, I had no such reluctance when it came to Winnie the Pooh.

Movie Review: (500) Days of Summer

by Lissette Decos (500) Days of Summer is a rare cinematic experience. The kind where you watch someone suffer through something you have actually endured. But this time it’s funny. It’s about the sad and completely inconvenient truth that in a relationship someone inevitably falls harder. And sometimes, it’s only you. We’ve all been there... some more than others. But regardless of how many times you’ve had your heart stomped on, this time you are at a safe distance and you can laugh at the poor sap on the screen as he flutters about looking silly, misreading things and experiencing those extreme highs and lows that one-way love brings (and you know so well), all while the "one who has not fallen" sits calmly, and sips their tea, and does a crossword puzzle. Zooey Deschanel plays the quirky love interest, Summer (though it’s not a far stretch for Zooey who I believe is quirky without even trying. Probably quirky just sitting there. Taking the bus or blowing her nose. I love Zooey, and I hate that Katy Perry looks like her because Zooey is so unique and quirky). And Joseph Gordon-Levitt expertly plays Tom, who falls hard from the very first moment he sees her.

Ah, why was it so much fun to see this movie? Probably because it’s fun to see someone else get hurt. Someone else misread all the signs. Someone else get their heart crushed. And it was also fun to see it all happen to Tom. It’s always the girls who fall hard and who need to wake up from their unlived life, and falling in love with the "right" guy is what does the trick. She now has the courage to let her hair down and quit her thankless job. In this film all these rules are broken, and it’s the “wrong girl” who gets the guy to do all of these things... which is what makes this film funny, honest and refreshing. The structure of the film is also way cool as we shuffle through Tom’s 500 days of loving Summer in random order. Just like we often remember our own broken love stories. Oftentimes remembering the good days more than the bad. What bad? There were bad? No of course not. And just like the aforementioned poor sap on the screen, you don’t remember the bad ones and hence make it harder for yourself to get over the person.* *Are we all pre-wired for self-destruction? I say, definitely. Otherwise, why would eating healthy salads be so difficult (this would also explain my hourly craving for pain au chocolat)? Finally, we see the signs Tom missed, the ones we missed, nay, ignored. So we’d fall head over heels anyway regardless of the hints and subtle cues we get so early on. Like when a guy avoids your hand when you reach for it, or says things like “I don’t want a serious relationship;” “I’m still in love with my ex;” or “You remind me of my Aunt Edna.” Okay, they’re not so subtle. Right up front we are clearly and painfully aware where a relationship is headed but take the leap anyway. Regardless, I was in a much better mood when I left (500) Days of Summer, this film about a boy with a broken heart, than the last couple of romantic comedies I saw where everything works out in the end.

Movie Trailer: The Happening

by Tony Dayoub



Click on the picture above for the trailer to M. Night Shyamalan's newest film, starring Mark Wahlberg.

Let me know what you think in the comments section.