I just got back from a free Advance Preview screening of Brave at  the Hoffman Theater (Thank, Disney!). I took my seven year old daughter, who, as a result of her recent birthday, already owns eight Brave dolls, a bow and arrow, a costume, the Brave: Temple Run app and several story/coloring books about the movie. Needless to say, she was vested.

Brave tells the story of Princess Merida and her quest to change her fate. Until now, Princesses have been the purview of Disney's traditional  animation division.  With Brave,  Pixar breaks the royal seal and, as usual, who works excels.

I've heard Tiana from Princess and the Frog described as the modern princess role model who works for her goals and doesn't need a prince to  make her whole.  However, at the
end of the day, Princess and the Frog is a love story and, like it or not, a  prince was a necessary prerequisite for a happy ending.  Brave is an  action movie, so Merida is allowed to take the modern princess to another  level.  Merida is as fiery as her  hair and challenges both fate and tradition to become the first truly free  spirited Princess.

But this is a Pixar movie, so while there is some great action and comedy, there is an emotional core and the movie has heart. This time, the focus is on the relationship between and mother and her daughter.  I should note that this is the first Pixar movie in a while that didn't  make me cry like a baby. But, perhaps I didn't relate as closely to the theme as I did in Toy Story 3 and Up!

Is this Pixar's best movie? Not by a long shot. While the animation is top notch (there is a close up of Merida's hair that boggle the mind with its detail), the movie lacks the whimsy of Toy Story, the characterization of  Finding Nemo, and the pure emotional of Up!  Still, Brave is a top notch film that is worthy of the Pixar name. And Merida easily stands with Cinderella, Snow  White, Aurora, Rapunzel, Ariel, Jasmine, and the other Disney princesses.  Brave could easily be adapted into a  Disney Channel Show, which expands the world of Merida and her family (of  course, I thought the same thing about the Incredibles, but it never happened.)

I should add that I did overheard some audience members say they were
disappointed that the themes in Brave not as "mature" as Wall-E, Up, or 
Rattatouile.  I'm not sure these people are correct since Brave takes on some
pretty lofty issues about the effects of tradition on society and the
ramifications of deciding whether to challenge that tradition.

I did want to mention La Luna, the short before the movie. La   Luna tells the story of three workers (a father, son, and grandson) with a unique  job.  But, really the short is
about finding your place in the world.  Like their other shorts, Pixar delivers a lot in a short amount of time and will clearly be a contender come Oscar time.  I really do like that Disney (and Pixar) have continued the trend of having shorts, since that is how Walt started.  But, I digress. 

My daughter wanted to pass on the following when I wrote my review. She says (and I quote), "Daddy, please tell them that you thought it was  great, but I only thought it was good. Some parts were too scary for me and kids should know that." When I asked her if she regretted getting all the  merchandise, she smiled and said, "don't be silly Daddy, the movie was only good. But Princess Merida, she's AWESOME!" And then mimicked shooting a bow and  arrow for emphasis.

Someone sent me a link to a shaky cam/found footage horror movie made for the Baltimore 48 Hour Film Project called the Munchies. 

Participants in this festival put out some top notch entries.  I attended a screening of a couple superhero ones.  On Friday, On Friday night, participants get a character, a prop, a line of dialogue, and a genre to include in their movie. 48 hours later, the movie must be complete. Then it will show at a local theater, usually in the next week.  A lot of them  are surprising good (some, sadly, are not).  But, this is one of the best I have seen.  It is a horror with a really creative premise, so obviously don't let the kiddies watch--unless your kiddies are into horror. :-)   I really enjoyed it even though I am kind over the shaky cam/found footage genre.

I hope you enjoy it.

I am very excited to be in Indie Comics Magazine Summer Issue (#6).  Even more so because I am joined by incredibly talented people like Rob Anderson, Frederick Kim, Don McMillan, Glenn Møane, and others. 

I should note that this is my first comic in Preview, which, if you don't know, is the Holy Grail of Comics.  Except that I am pretty sure that the Holy Grail is slightly easier to find than it is to get into previews.  That means that if you make it in there, you need to have enough orders to be respectable.  Sadly, Indie Comics Magazine is, as the title implies, an Indie Comic.  That means that if people don't go in to their comic shops and preorder the book, the shop probably won't order any.  But, sometimes, if they get people who ask or orders for a few copies, they order extra for the store.

Personally, I think you should buy  this book because it will be awesome.  All I am asking is that if you think you want to buy it, please preorder it. (or if you aren't going to buy it but still want to do us a solid, you can ask a comic shop if they plan on carrying it.)  Glenn Møane's site has these simple instructions on how to preorder:

"If you go down to your local comic shop you should find the newest edition of the Diamond Previews catalog (the June 2012 issue). Flip it to page 228 and you'll find both a solicitation for Indie Comics Magazine #6 and an ad for the issue taking up half the page. Tell your shop that you would really like to order one or more copies of this issue, and that the Diamond order code is JUN120752.

Or in the case that you don't have a comic shop in your immediate area, you can order the book online through stores such as Comics America or Midtown Comics." I will add my favorite online seller, DCBService.com to Glenn's list, who are offering the book at 30% off.

Here is a flyer you can print out and a youtube video for what is in the issue.  Thanks for the help. The Order Cut Off Date is June 27th, 2012.  I have a feeling, there won't be reorders filled (again, the word Indie is in the title)