When I heard the news yesterday that Robin Williams died of an apparent suicide, I just couldn't believe it. It almost felt like a cruel hoax, some fake news announcement that would pop up on Twitter on April Fool's Day. While I am now old enough to recall the death of countless celebrities, none of them had the impact on my childhood the way Robin Williams did.
Williams actually appeared in the first movie I ever saw in theaters, Fern Gully: The Last Rainforest, which I saw when I was four. In it, Williams voiced Batty Koda, a bat that is not only experimented on, but raps about it. But it was his performance as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin that people of my generation will surely remember him most by. Aladdin is a great movie by itself, but it was the Genie that made it extraordinary, not just because of his comedic impersonations but because he gave the role a hundred percent even though nobody could see his face (although a dispute with Disney caused him to drop out of the role of the Genie in the video sequel Return of Jafar, he did return to voice the role in Aladdin and the King of Thieves).
When I was seven, I went to see Jumanji with my mom, grandmother, and brother. The movie was way too scary for my brother, who was five at the time, so he and my mom left the theater to see Balto instead, while my grandmother and I continued to watch the fantasy-adventure film based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg. My grandmother still watches it every time it comes on TV, and to this day I consider it one of the best plot-driven movies I have ever seen. And when I was nine my mom took my brother and I to see Flubber. I don't remember much about that movie, but I do remember Robin Williams being the motivating factor for us seeing it.
Mrs. Doubtfire is by far one of his greatest performances, yet the movie is also a great way to help children of divorce cope. When Williams as Dobtfire looks into the camera and talks in a calming manner about the realities of divorce, about how some parents get back together while others don't, it's as if a real human being is speaking and not some guy dressed in drag. My own parents were getting divorced when I was re-watching the ending of Mrs. Doubtfire, and it helped me feel better about the whole situation.
As I got older I saw Williams in his more dramatic films such as Dead Poets Society, Jack, Patch Adams, and Good Will Hunting, which earned him the Academy-Award for Best Supporting Actor. Of all his dramatic performances, Patch Adams will arguably be the most talked about in the days, weeks, months, and even years after his passing since it almost disturbingly parallels what happened in his own life. In the beginning of the movie, Williams character is sent to a psych ward for trying to kill himself, and in the middle of the film he contemplates jumping off a cliff after his girlfriend is killed in a murder-suicide
In a statement, William's wife Susan Schneider said she hopes that "the focus will not be on (her husband's) death, but on the countless moments of joy and laughter he gave to millions". To me, Robin Williams will always be the Genie that turned a street rat into a Prince, a divorced father who dressed up as a woman in order to spend more time with his kids, and a board-game player battling against lions and other wild animals. In other words, the guy who helped make a my childhood a very special one.
For the past several months, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice was scheduled to go head-to-head with Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016, creating an epic showdown between Disney-owned Marvel and Warner Bros.-owned DC Entertainment.
But last week Warner Bros. announced that it will be moving Batman vs. Superman up several weeks to March 25, 2016. Although the film had been widely buzzed about since its announcement last year, DC has a lot more to lose than Marvel. Marvel, which has been on a winning streak as of late, can afford to take a hit, while DC is still trying to establish itself and needs Batman vs. Superman to be a colossal success. (The $94 million debut of Guardians of the Galaxy may have also convinced DC and Warner Bros. not to go head-to-head with Marvel).
While the shift was indeed a smart move, it also underscored something even more significant going on in Hollywood: the diminished importance of the summer release date.
It used to be that blockbuster movies came out during the summer months between May and August or during Thanksgiving and Christmas, with the rest of the year reserved for mid-budget movies like romantic comedies and teen fare.
Although March is a time when kids are still in school, the month does have a history of movie debuts that became mega blockbusters such as 1999's The Matrix ($464 million worldwide) and 2010's Alice in Wonderland (over $1 billion worldwide).
Hollywood may have learned its lesson from last summer, when a crowded marketplace produced mega bombs such as RIPD, The Lone Ranger, and White House Down. Meanwhile, the success of last October's Gravity ($716 million worldwide), last February's The Lego Movie ($468 million worldwide) and last April's Captain America: The Winter Solider ($712 million worldwide) showed studios that a movie could be a hit no matter when it is released.
Batman vs. Superman isn't the only mega budget flick scheduled not to open during the summer months or holiday season. Disney's live action re-imagining of The Jungle Book is set to come out in October 2015, while Warner Bros. own Jungle Book movie is set to come out October 2016.
Not only has Warner Bros. missed a gigantic train wreck by moving up Batman vs. Superman by several weeks, but the movie now has a better chance of being hugely successful since it will now have the entire month of April 2016 to itself. But if the movie does become a hit, not only would it be a victory for DC and Warner Bros., but it would also be a victory for theatre goers and theatre owners, since it would further convince studios to release blockbuster movies year round.
If you have an iPhone and are thinking about getting the new Fire Phone from Amazon, my advice would be to stick to the iPhone.
I got the chance to test out the Fire Phone at an AT&T store in Long Beach, not because I'm interested in getting one someday, but because I was curious as to what all the fuss is about. Is the Fire Phone the phone that will bring Apple to it's knees, or is it just another Apple wanna be?
The best feature on the Fire Phone by far is Firefly, an innovative piece of technology that recognizes music, movies, TV shows, or any type of product. Whenever I hear a song I like in the car I always have to remember the lyrics so I can later google it so then I could buy the right song on iTunes. The Fire Phone instantly recognized Lenny Kravitz's Again playing in the background at the AT&T store and pulled up info about the song.
Other than Firefly, however, the Fire Phone is not worth the $649, or even the $199 two-year contract with AT&T.
While the FireFly makes it easier to buy music and Dynamic Perspective makes playing games a lot more fun, a smart phone is supposed to be a lot than fun and entertainment. It is also supposed to be a companion to make everyday life just a little bit easier, and unfortunately, the Fire Phone is unable to do that.
There are some very annoying things about the Fire Phone that you can take for granted on an iPhone. For starters, when you go to the E-Mail app you can type up an E-Mail, yet there is no search bar to look up an E-Mail you sent days, maybe even months ago. There isn't even a "sent" part of the E-Mail app that lets you make sure that your E-Mail even went through. This is a problem if you rely on your smartphone to send E-Mails throughout the day.
Another problem with this phone is the Weather App. Of course the app shows weather in your city, but what if you're planning on going to say, Hawaii, and you want to know what the weather will be like when you get there so you can pack accordingly? With the iPhone you can look up the weather in cities from all around the world, yet the FirePhone doesn't give you that option.
And then there's the problem with the Notes App. On the Fire Phone you have to remember to press the check mark on the top right hand corner in order for the note to save, while the iPhone saves notes automatically.
Buying music may be easier with the Fire Phone, but you can't set one of your songs to be your alarm sound like you can on the iPhone. This is a major bummer if you want to wake up and start your day listening to your favorite artist.
Even the calculator app on this phone is disappointing. Whenever I leave someone a tip, all I have to do is take out my iPhone, type in the bill plus 15%, and then give the right amount. But with the Fire Phone there is no % button, so you have to do all the percentages manually.
But by far the biggest problem with the Fire Phone is the internet. It is virtually impossible to open more than two screens at once, and while it has sites such as Amazon, FaceBook dedfaulted, it doesn't default any news sites, not to mention navigating the internet on the phone is extremely frustrating.
The Fire Phone does have some potential, and maybe in a few years, if Jeff Bezos and the rest of the people of Amazon read this review and fix all the complaints I have listed, then maybe it might be worth taking a trip to your local AT&T store. Until then, stick with what you've got.
