AmericanPanascope

If you ever had to deal with the pressures of growing up a nerd, this movie feels your pain. It will wrap its big white fluffy arms around you and say, "you belong". So sit back with some hot popcorn and let this fantastic cinematic confection press all your awesome buttons. You're in for a dose of roller-coaster therapy.

Let me begin by saying the animation in this movie is beyond fantastic, and this movie plays out much like any live-action film would, as opposed to following the traditional structural formula of animated films, and I think its Japanese influence has a lot to do with this. The influence of Tezuka and Miyazaki are strongly felt. The visual environments at times are so photo-realistic it actually looks as if our animated characters are inhabiting a live action world. I was so swept into it, there were times I honestly forgot I was watching animation.

Which brings me to our Hiro. If you don't recognize this character from your school days, you were this character in your school days. Let me say, he brought back memories, and I haven't identified more with an animated character, ever. Allow me to explain:

In fourth grade I formed a club called The Technologists where we'd take apart old computers and appliances to see how they worked. As a kid, I was obsessed with the concept of human flight and one day being an inventor of flying machines. Hiro's circle of friends are extremely relatable as well. I hung out with kids like these. In middle and high school we had to form lunch groups in empty classrooms or computer labs to escape the wrath of the student body, while we played some of the first online multi-player games, or discussed the likes of JRR Tolkien and Frank Herbert, or whatever fantasy worlds we inhabited. But a certain loneliness nevertheless came with being a nerd. One that led to a longing for adventure, which in turn typically led back to Middle-Earth, Narnia or Arrakis. Which brings me to the most beautiful and touching point this movie makes - adventure is therapeutic. Hiro's entire journey, as facilitated by Baymax, is medicinal, and no matter your mood, there are moments in this film that will make you forget your worries and cry tears of awesomeness. You're along for the ride, and if you're like me, you're going to come out exhilarated and empowered.

Yes, you'll catch whiffs of other classics, such as Terminator 2, E.T., Stargate, and How To Train Your Dragon. But that doesn't drag down the movie for me. The only thing I would have loved more than what I saw would be if the movie had a classic-rock soundtrack. Nonetheless, I think I have found a new comfort movie.

I am satisfied with my care.

This is a show I've wanted to see happen since I was in middle school - more or less. This show is awesome. The people who do the jobs we'd rather not think about finally get their dues in this brilliant show from the creators of "Mythbusters". Host Mike Rowe injects some great observational humor into the proceedings, without being insulting to those brave men (and the occasional he-woman) who take part in these dirty jobs.

You actually watch this show with a sense of reverence rather than in a totally grossed-out state. Rowe and his crew, rather than spending their time being totally freaked out, turn each outing into a fun little adventure. And wouldn't you know it, Mr. Clean sponsors this show.

Check this show out before it goes off the air (God forbid that should happen anytime soon). This is a really unique, entertaining, and fascinating show.

I waited over a week to see this with not very high expectations - I was expecting a half- documentary, half-dramatized kind of thing. The Yellowstone SuperVolcano was something I had wanted to see a movie made about for years, this is finally it. Way better than that lame, horrible cliché-wracked turkey called "10.5" that NBC cranked out last year.

Although I had some gripes, I was overall impressed, specifically with the acting. This had cinema-quality performances that made it all the more believable. I was surprised by the magnitude of the visual effects, given that this was a TV movie. They were also of superb cinema quality.

The one thing I wanted to see which, alas, did not present itself, was the mass detonation of the entire Yellowstone region and the expulsion of a vast ocean of lava, as this is how I had pictured the Yellowstone super-eruption, and the actual geology of the area does show such immense layers of lava flows that come from a single eruption. This did not detract from my enjoyment of this film, though.

A surprisingly good production for television. 8/10.