Dream #5 - DAVELANDWEB

With so many Disney related web sites out there, do you ever find yourself taking a quick peek at newly discovered ones without much investigation? After discovering Davelandweb.com I'm learning to appreciate the immense work that some entrepreneurs are doing. Davelandweb.com contains a treasure of both new and vintage Disneyland photos. Along with an entertaining blog and some of his own artwork, Dave is proving that the art of truly great content is perseverence. "My website started as a means to share my art and photography with others; sort of an online portfolio. The creation of my site began around the same time that Disneyland was celebrating its 50th Anniversary. As Imagineers began sprucing up the park and making improvements that hadn't been seen there in years, I found myself going much more often and taking more photos. I stumbled upon a few blogs that posted vintage photos of the park and as a result, I started collecting those as well. As an additional way to share those photos with others, I began my blog. That's when the runaway train left the station. It has been quite a journey since then. Over 5 years of blogging and countless amazing friendships and connections since, I have to say that I have been truly blessed with so many serendipitous moments."

What makes Davelandweb.com worth a closer look is the depth of content and attention to detail. "I'm a nut for details. I have tried to capture almost every angle and attraction of Disneyland park, especially the attractions that are no longer there." If you are looking for rare and unique photo's of Disneyland you will probably find it at Davelandweb.com

As a child Dave was first influenced by Walt Disney through his movies. "I remember my parents used to take me to the theater whenever one of the animated classics was pulled out of the vaults (I believe it was every 7 years). I used to look forward to seeing them, as it was a real treat." David took his first trip to Disneyland at age 6. "My mom took me to Disneyland for the very first time in 1970. I still have vivid memories of that trip, and I have been hooked ever since." The early signs of an artist were showing when Dave received a special book from his mom. "I began to have a real appreciation for Disney when my mom gave me the HUUUUUGE book, 'The Art of Disney' by Christopher Finch."

The work to maintain Daveland with fresh content is a huge time zapper. "There have been a number of times that I question why I take the time to do this, especially when there are stupid or negative comments left on my blog, but I have to say the majority have been extremely positive and supportive." But all the work has yielded a number of magical moments. "One of my favorites was when I accidentally acquired some Knott's Berry Farm vintage slides that were part of a batch of (what I thought) were strictly Disneyland slides. Long story short...those slides included 3 vintage shots of Steve Martin making his stage debut there back in the 1960's. Martin saw the photos on my blog and contacted me about them. That was pretty cool; what are the chances of that?" Dave has also had an opportunity to interview Julie Nixon Eisenhower, but he says it all comes together when he receives an encouraging email from folks who say his photo's brought back happy memories for them.

Dave hopes to publish his photo's in a book someday, as he also continues to pursue his painting and photography. Check out Daves work at http://Davelandweb.com or follow him at https://twitter.com/davelandweb or his http://davelandblog.blogspot.com/

To listen to the podcast, on any device that connects to itunes you can search for 'Dreamers Empire'. If you want to listen to it online you can go to the page at itunes. If you don't have access to itunes you can find all the podcast here at our podcast directory. This is episode #13.

Didn't like Tomorrowland?

If I said that there was something wrong with you if you didn't like "It's a Wonderful Life" you'd probably agree. If that movie doesn't reach your heart there is just something wrong with you. Tomorrowland is like that for me, for different reasons. I am very concerned when I read a negative reviews that don't at least quantify their gripes with "but I love the vision for a better tomorrow."

A couple months before Tomorrowland came out I was betting with my brother Bob that Jurassic World was going to be better than Tomorrowland. I was bracing for a formulaic movie that was geared for kids and might have a few cool futuristic moments. I have loved everything Brad Bird has done, especially "The Inredibles", but I am so enamored with the future, I was taming my high expectations. Meanwhile, my brother remained optimistic for something better. Boy did I guess wrong on this one. This movie was fun, paced right for a futuristic film, full of surprises and the future was stunning.

But back to my concerns, who doesn't want the kind of future Tomorrowland presents? Consider..

How does the song "There's a great big beautiful tomorrow.." strike you? John Wirt of The Advocate writes "The film’s vague message seems to be: Think positively — or bad things will happen." That reminds me of working with youth at church and one kid with a particularly bad attitude was claiming to understand everything being taught therefore didn't need to listen to the message given. When I asked what the message was he said "Be good." There ya go, tuck that Bible away and just be good! John's take away is 'think positively or bad things will happen.' I suggest you slowly read Teddy Roosevelts famous "It is not the critic who counts.." speech.

Is the conservative creed "I swear to hate windmills and other alternative forms of energy and promise to scoff at everyone driving a gas efficient car?" Yeah, let me in that smoke filled night club so I can guffaw with conservative know-it-alls like John Nolte of Breitbart.com. If you're a conservative that is open to a little ecological technology, don't worry, there's plenty of us out there.

And consider that Brad Bird and company set out to make a big production film that holds to their values and message without looking for the approval of uber bloggers. Making a high buck film like this is about parents taking their kids to something both can enjoy and be inspired by. Remind you of any 'Disney' guys? It's about sharing your message within the sphere of entertaining a wide audience.

I couldn't have enjoyed this film more. George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie were great. Raffey Cassidy brought sparkle to every scene. The story moved perfectly and the future looked inviting again. I expect others like myself to come to Brad's defense and see a resurgence of this film. Don't wait for the DVD, see it on the biggest screen you can. 

Tomorrowland - Brad Bird

I was pleasantly surprised by Tomorrowland, it surpassed my expectations on two fronts. First off, the presentation of Tomorrowland. There is a Tomorrowland sequence, maybe between 5 and 10 minutes, that is worth the entire film. If you see it twice as I did, watch very closely, look to far corners of the city, and notice the details. Tomorrow never looked so hopeful and fun, A+ on visuals.

The second front was the story. I braced myself for something formulaic, childish. While some may come away with that impression, I did not. The three major roles were all done spot-on, interesting, never wasted one moment of on-screen. Every scene moved with purpose just like The Incredibles.

As good as Clooney and Britt Robertson were, I have to give my favorite performance to Raffey Cassidy. This girl brought the sparkle to the film. I look forward to seeing more of her.

The last time I enjoyed a "dreamer" movie this much was The Astronaut Farmer. I'm feeling more persuaded to believe that hoping for a great big beautiful tomorrow is not such a silly thing after all. I stress the word 'hoping' because man will screw it up. Too bad, this film conjures up those old exciting ideas we had about the future. Maybe the hardest thing to digest is that we will never experience something this film was built on, the kind of vision presented at the 1964 Worlds Fairs or Walts original plans for EPCOT.

I've seen it three times and really hoping the DVD will have some good story behind how this concept became a reality.

Thanks for coming!

A big thanks to everyone who came to see "The Ten Commandments" on Wednesday, April 1st. The classic film group has ended but you can always catch great classics at the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights.

Ticket purchases

Given the good response we've had the doors will now open at 6:15 PM and we will have the organ player so come early and enjoy!!

If you are buying tickets for the Wednesday, Apr 1st show of The Ten Commandments I will hold them for you at the window. Just give your name. For directions to the Heights click on 'Read More' and then click here.

Apr 1st, 2015 - Heights Theater - Minneapolis

I'll be running "The Ten Commandments" on Wednesday, April 1st at the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights, MN. The doors open at 6:30 PM and the film starts at 7:00.

Cecil B Demil's classic starring Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner is recognized as one of the greatest epic films of all time. It dramatizes the biblical story of the life of Moses, an adopted Egyptian prince who becomes the deliverer of his real brethren, the enslaved Hebrews, and therefore leads the Exodus to Mount Sinai, where he receives, from God, the Ten Commandments. This is an inspirational film for the whole family. 

You can purchase tickets on the right hand side of this page, or if you prefer, send an email to dean@dreamersempire.com to reserve tickets.

Click here to join the meetup.com 'Twin Cities Classic Film' group to keep informed about future events. 

Click here to join the event through Facebook

Dream #4 - Rona Gindin - Little Black Book of WDW

Try to imagine the ideal career, one that keeps you busy doing exactly that you enjoy doing. How does writing about Disney, travel and eating at fine restaurants sound? That’s exactly what Rona Gindin, author of The Little Black Book of Walt Disney World. is doing. "I am living my ideal when it comes to my professional goals. I write about restaurants, travel and Disney World, from the comfort of my home. I have amazing clients who care about quality as much as I do. I get to snoop behind the scenes at all kinds of attractions and in all kinds of restaurants. And I get to share my discoveries with like-minded readers. It's a good gig."

So naturally Rona must have grown up with a passion for all things Disney, right? "Honestly, I wasn't that impressed with Disney World at first. I'd heard about it as a kid. Fellow students returned from Florida vacations joyous at their experiences -- oh, the talk when Space Mountain opened!" Unconvinced, Rona took a trip to find out what all the excitement was about. "I finally made it down to Magic Kingdom in my early 20s and spent the day with a friend who had visited many times. She squealed with glee over the Enchanted Tiki Room, Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World. I was underwhelmed. I suppose my expectations were unrealistically high so my response was disappointment."

Trained in New York City and based in Orlando, Florida, Rona takes editorial projects from conception to finished product. She is the author of two travel guides, was the founding editor of three magazines, and is a respected restaurant critic. She hosts a popular local television show celebrating Central Florida restaurants.
So how did this skeptic go from disappointed in WDW to Disney author? "I felt the same way when I moved to Orlando 15 years ago, although I did go wild when one of my 3-year-old's favorite characters glided by during a parade. Then, slowly, over the years, partly as a regular park guest, partly as a travel writer, I began to learn about and appreciate what Disney does. Every animal carved into Animal Kingdom's Tree of Life, the stern waitresses at Prime Time Cafe who "punish" mothers for not finishing their vegetables, the green army men costumes ... Disney's brilliance, its creativity, its attention to detail ... I gained respect for it all gradually over the years."

Who inspires Rona? "It's my kids who are my personal heroes. I have marveled since they were infants at how creative they can be, how open to new ideas and now, how comfortable they are with technology. Their amazingly open brains inspire me."

You can keep up with all of Rona's work at RonaGindin.com and also follow her at Facebook as well as her Blog and Twitter page.