"Tangled" Up

In the land of kings and queens, of witches and princesses, of Prince Charmings and white horses, there's distress, magic and a true love's kiss, and then there's Disney.

Disney, the creator of some of the best films such as "The Lion King," "Peter Pan" and "Beauty and The Beast," has whirled its pixie dust once more and has created something so marvelous, so golden, 3-D glasses are required.

The creation: "Tangled."

The animated film, directed by Byron Howard and Nathan Greno, is Disney's take on the fairy tale of the golden, long-haired dame, Rapunzel (Mandy Moore). It starts off with the events that led up to Rapunzel's entrapment in a secluded bricked, high tower. She lives with her overprotective mother, Gothel (Broadway veteran Donna Murphy), who's actually the villainous, heavily-wrinkled witch of the story.

For her 18th bash, Miss. Lady-Long-Hair wants out of the tower because she wants to personally see the floating lanterns that light up the night sky every year. Her mother vetoes her daughter's birthday wish by singing a catchy number with the line "mother knows best," which is repeatedly mentioned throughout the song.

Alas, Flynn Ryder (Zachary Levi), the thief with the smoldering good looks, tumbles unintentionally into Rapunzel's frame and after a few frying pan beatings becomes the rescuer or Rapunzel's guide of the story. Together, along with Rapunzel's comical chameleon friend, Pascal, they embark on a trip to the village to see the lights.

Along the way they meet the vikings, run into cupid donning his white skivvies and holding on to a bow and arrow, are chased by a dog-like royal horse, swing from one place to the other using Rapunzel's golden locks, glide on water to escape the castle guards, and have their moments of romance.

This time around, Disney got the action scenes just right. It's pretty intense to see how Flynn manages to become a swashbuckling buccaneer with only a skillet in hand and Rapunzel take on the baddies with courageous hair stunts.

The animation, overseen by Glen Keane, is hands down fantastic. It's realistic. You can almost touch Rapunzel's velvet tresses. You can almost touch the water that surrounds the castle. You experience the sight of the spectacular hovering lights on the canoe with the two leading characters.

The PG-rated Disney flick is a laugh-out-loud film with cutesy scenes, interesting characters and memorable tunes. With a running time of 104 minutes "Tangled" might just be the film that puts Disney's animations back on top.

Grade: B+

Harry Potter 7 is a Charmer

If you've been following the Harry Potter series, if you've enjoyed J.K. Rowling's books but also take pleasure in seeing the films, if you own a Gryffindor scarf or a shirt emblazoned with "Team Slytherin," then 'Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows' should be on your list of must-see films. Plainly said, if you enjoy sitting on the edge of your seat and you like a movie with an interesting story, this is the film for you. Period.

The first part of the final Harry Potter films is worth your pocket money as this film continues to stay true to the magic, wonder and awe of Harry Potter.

After Dumbledore's demise, Voldemort, the pale-skinned bad guy is in a frenzy to get his hands on Potter. And so our film begins with a wild car, in-air supercharged chase through dark gray skies in the world of the Muggles, the folks without magical powers. Even without the 3D effects, you can almost feel the thrill and chill. 

In this seventh installment, we are out of Hogwarts and we follow Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) and his two best mates, Hermoine Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) on a journey to track and destroy the items which keep Voldemort immortal-- the Horcruxes.  The trio set off with their gifts given out by Scrimgeour on behalf of Dumbledore's will, a golden Snitch (which Harry attained in his first Quidditch match) to Harry James Potter, a deluminator to Ron Billus Weasley and a first edition of "The Tales of Beedle the Bard," to Hermoine Jean Granger.

As the film progresses we warp in and out of different worlds with the Gryffindorians. We see them struggle as their friendship is tested and pulled apart by the Dark Forces.

This movie is well-rounded, packed with action, suspense (it's been named as the darkest Harry Potter films), humor, truly poignant scenes and there's even a little bit of awkwardness when the audience is shown some of Ron's thoughts and darkest dreams. 

The characters’ performances have grown immensely and this first half of the final Harry Potter films, directed by David Yates, goes to show that acquiring state-of-the-art backdrops and set-pieces, convincing performances, and a powerful story-line is still possible, even when a film has reached the last of its series.

With a running total of 145 minutes, which you're likely to not even feel, be prepared to cry, laugh, and want more once the credits start rolling.

Overall, it is safe to say that die hard fans of Harry Potter will be satisfied with the seventh film and they'll have reason to say "Twilight blows," with certainty and pride.

Grade: A+