And Away We Go

Day 23) Your Favorite Disney Ride

I do not have a favorite ride as it is much too hard to pick just one, so these are my top 6 favorites.

6) King Arthur’s Carousel

I just love carousels and merry-go-rounds! They are just some of my absolute favorite rides. I think it was because I wanted to be a cowgirl when I was little and this was the closest I could ever get to being one. When I went to Great America for my senior trip, I rode their carousel like 7 times. I love King Arthur’s Carousel because it shows images from Sleeping Beauty and The Sword in the Stone. When I went in March, I searched that thing for the perfect horse, and ended up with this beautiful Arabian. 🙂

5) The Matterhorn

Always a fav of mine. One of the earliest roller coasters ever created and one of the best. In March, we rode it a gajillion times as it has the fastest moving line of all rides. I’m not kidding. Also if you guys sit in the bobsleds and shift to the sides in proper time (like a real bobsled) you totally go faster. It’s amazing.

4) Indiana Jones

Now I just love the Indiana Jones film series, so how can you not love the ride? It is an amazing ride that combines some of the best scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Temple of Doom. Plus you get to see Indiana in there. In March my friends and I rode it like three times in one day. After our final ride they had to close it down for repairs as something was off.

3) Space Mountain

So I have been to Disneyland three times, when I was 5, 12, and this past March. When I was 5 I couldn’t go on Space Mountain as I was too young and short. I do remember growing up, everyone would say it was the best ride ever. Then when I went when I was 12, the ride was down for repairs. So when I went in March, my friends couldn’t stop raving about it and how awesome it is. They insisted I sit in the front, and am glad I did! IT WAS AMAZING! Words cannot describe how cool this ride is, we must have gone on it like 4 times.

2) Star Tours

Now if you have been paying attention at all to any of my posts, you have probably become aware of how obsessed I am with Star Wars. Now I have always loved this ride, but let’s face it, the old version was kinda boring. When I heard they had updated it, I couldn’t wait to check it out. My ex went in September of ’13 for his birthday, and I kept grilling him about the ride. So in March when I got to go I was so stoked! It is AMAZING! They redid the outside waiting area so it is like you are in a real airport, they have announcements, departures, arrivals, weather forecasts, etc. Then when you go in and sit in your seats Darth Vader comes on the screen trying to get a rebel spy. It depends on the version, but on one trip Princess Leia asked us to help her as we were her only hope. Then you get chased all over by stormtroopers, until you reach the rebel base. It is awesome!!!!

1) Sleeping Beauty’s Castle

So this was a huge fav of mine as Princess Aurora is my favorite Disney Animated princess. I loved her and wanted to be her and wanted my own Prince Phillip.

So this castle is awesome as Walt Disney told his designers it had to look exactly like the castle from their upcoming Disney film, Sleeping Beauty. It caused some issues, but Disney would not be persuaded, it had to be a match.

Anyways, when I was 12 Sleeping Beauty’s castle was closed for repairs. It was right before the 50th anniversary so they were redoing the whole inside. I was so heartbroken. So when we went in March I had to go in it, I couldn’t wait. This is so amazing as they added more scenes from the story and the special effects are sooooo cool. I love it.

For more on Disneyland, go to Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride

For more in King Arthur, go to Disney Lesson

For more on carousels, go to I Wanna Get Off This Ride

For more on Star Wars, go to They’re Alive

For more on Darth Vader, go to Happy Father’s Day

For more on Princess Leia, go to A Hidden Wonder

For more on Sleeping Beauty, go to You’re Just So Pretty to Look At

For more on Princess Aurora, go to That Would Make Me Happy

For more on Prince Phillip, go to Prince of a Man

For more on a Disney Animated Film, go to The Boys Are Back in Town

For more on Disney, go to He’s My Brother

For more on a Disney Prince, go to Wake Up, Dad

For more on a Disney Princess, go to Diamond in the Rough

For more on my height disadvantages, go to I’m Not Short!

When Horror Doesn’t Stay on the Screen: Phantom of the Megaplex (2000)

When horror doesn’t stay on the screen!

I loved this film so much as a kid! There are so many amazing things involved in it!

1. It’s a DCOM (Disney Channel Original Movie). Now I’m from the generation that these movies came out every month and were amazing. Today all the DCOMs are completely dumb, and poorly written, but back in my day they were actually something to look forward to on a friday night.
2. It’s a very well done modern version of the Phantom of the Opera. I loved how well they do it! I love almost everything Phantom of the Opera-y. (The 1945 version was atrocious! Don’t watch it!)
3. They reference so many other movies, that it just makes a cinephile like me squeal in delight!
4. It has MICKEY ROONEY! Yes this amazing man plays a misunderstood guy, and classic film buff. When I watched this film I wanted to be just like him. I wanted to have quotes and film plots memorized that I just whipped out whenever something came up that was similar. Phantom of the Opera, may have started me in my love of classic film, but this film completely changed my personality.
5. It takes place in a movie theater, one of my favorite places to be and where I have always wanted to work at. I wish I could get a job there, but so many others want to work there it’s hard to get in. 😦 One day!
6. Taylor Handley was the main guy. I had the hugest crush on him when this film came out, I was like 8 or 9 and in love with him.

So the film starts out with the credits and Fugue in D Minor, classic, horrific stuff! Love the creepiness of the organ! We are also told that when the original theater was destroyed to create the new megaplex, a man was supposedly trapped in there and now haunts the megaplex for all eternity.

Taylor Handley’s character, Pete Riley, introduces us to the megaplex where he works at.

 

They are getting ready for a huge film premiere, Midnight Mayhem, at the theater. He is the assistant manager and not only in charge of a making sure everything goes just right, but a crazy collection of workers.

1. There’s Shawn MacGibbon and Senior Manager. He is getting passed over for the owner’s doofus son. Something he is not happy about. He’s Pete’s boss.
2. Ricky “Rules”. He always follows the rules to a T and makes sure everyone else does.
3. “Scary” Terry. She is always talking about some seemingly innocent thing turns out to be murderous. She loves the macabre.
4. Hillary “Honey”. She’s the mom of the group and always calling everyone dear, sweetie, or honey.
5. “Question” Mark. Whenever he’s told to do something, he always answers with a question mark.
6. “Racy” Lacy. Always moving a mile a minute.
7. Merle. He’s not really under Pete either, he kind of does what he wants. He’s the projectionist and handyman extraordinaire. He feels under-appreciated at his job.
8. “Movie” Mason. Played by the wonderful Mickey Rooney! I love Movie Mason and wanted to be just like him. Movie Moreland!  I love the sound of that. Mason is mistreated by Shawn MacGibbon. Everyday Mason comes with a mock schedule, his family owned the old theater and it was his personal playground. MacGibbon hates him, and is verbally abusive to him every time he sees him. Mason is absolutely awesome though. He has an amazing speech in the film. It was so well written.

“Movie Mason: When we arrive in this world magic is all around us…Yet as the years pass, simple pleasures aren’t quite so simple to find. Myths… Legends… Fall away. Santa’s secrets are revealed. Card tricks lose their fascination. True wonder is hard to come by… But there is always magic at the movies. Pirate ships… bicycles that fly… angels earn their wings, beautiful women marry handsome men and we all learn that there is no place like home. To destroy that magic, to shatter those moments to me is a sin so grave it would almost be incomprehensible!”

Pete’s mom is going out that night so he ends up being stuck with his cinephillic brother and sister. This turns out to be the least of his problems as there is a masked figure roaming about that is causing all kinds of disasters all over the theater.

Electrical systems fail, a candy machine breaks down and shoots the gumballs all over the lobby. Then the popcorn machine goes haywire and Pete has to figure out how to stop it. Every time he solves one problem new ones start popping up.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Phantom then starts pranking films based on their plot or name. In Cyclone Summer, a Twister like film, he places a giant fan that blows destructively at the audience.

In Cut to Black, he makes lights flicker on and off, cutting to black. He continues on this spree. Giant blowups ballons are misplaced and pop up elsewhere, MAYHEM ALL OVER.

Pete valiantly tries to stop him and determine who he is! Will He find out? Watch and see!

Now for movies he references are the following (I watched this a few weeks ago so sorry if I don’t list all of them, comment any I don’t catch):

1. King Kong: The Gorilla balloon that attacks the people in the Mayhem Movie
2. The Wizard of Oz: Mason quotes from it and references it.
3. Twister: Cyclone Summer is a parody of it
4. Godzilla, The Giant Behemoth, The Great Gila Monster, or The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms: Midnight Mayhem has a huge dinosaur that attacks a city.
5. Scream. The girls are in the bathroom and the phantom is lurking around scaring them much like he tries to scare Sydney.
6. Scream 3. A similar scene with the phantom lurking around happens in here too.
7. Sleepless in Seattle. The kids hope that the mom will be proposed to in this way.
8. Miracle on 34th Street. He references it in his speech he gives on magic.
9. Hollywood Hotel. Mickey Rooney sings the song “Hooray for Hollywood“.
10. The Sword in the Stone. They are running a promotional that if you pull the plastic sword out of the plastic stone you will win free movie passes. Pete runs and grabs it to destroy the blow up balloons.
11. Tarzan or George of the Jungle. Pete swings on a vine over to capture the phantom.
12. Phantom of the Opera. Of course, the whole film is based on it!

That’s the fearful post for today! More to come! 3 Days ‘Till Halloween

Here is a cover page/poster I made for my facebook page for my countdown to Halloween.

To start Horrorfest from the beginning, go to I Don’t Belong in the World

For the previous post, go to Feast Your Eyes on My Accursed Ugliness

For more on The Phantom of the Opera, go to It’s BACK: The Sequel

For more of horror happening in a movie theater, go to Midnight Madness

For more on Disney, go to I’m No Warrior, I’m An Assistant Pig-Keeper

For more on Disney Channel Original Movies, go to Bowled Over

For more on The Giant Behemoth, go to From the Sea Burning Like Fire 

For more of my fav quotes, go to I Want Friend Like Me