With plenty of gorgeous sweeping landscapes, a generous helping of bibbity bobbity boo, and a tightly corseted heroine, Cinderella makes her way to theaters as Disney's latest princess to get a live action adaptation. It stays very close to the original 1950's telling, not taking the generous liberties that last year's Maleficent did, but it still has plenty to inspire dreams and foot fetishes.

After her father unexpectedly dies, young Ella (Lily James) finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and stepsisters, who reduce her to scullery maid. Despite her circumstances, she refuses to despair. An invitation to a palace ball gives Ella hope that she might reunite with the dashing stranger (Richard Madden) she met in the woods, but her stepmother prevents her from going. Help arrives in the form of a kindly beggar woman who has a magic touch for ordinary things.

Director, Kenneth Branagh brings his picturesque landscapes and love of Shakespeare out in full force. In every rolling scenic pan, the focus remains on Cinderella, highlighted as almost a beacon. She's just a little bit brighter than anything around her, even from a distance. Every scene, especially the Prince's fete is so opulent and textured, it brings a whole new level of awe to the beautiful picture. Cinderella's classic ballgown is beyond gorgeous with its lavish layers, and butterfly accents.

The story itself plays on the safe side, all the while shoving the message of being brave and kind will conquer all. It gets a little preachy, and repetitive. While much is the same as the classic cartoon, there are a few changes, which makes the classic feel new again. One of those changes is the introduction of Ella's parents that have only been mentioned in back story in the past. A golden haired Hayley Atwell brings Cinderella's mother to life, displaying both strength and tenderness. She like her daughter, are so sugary sweet, that she's too good to be true. Ben Chaplin is Cinderella's handsome traveling salesman father, who is dotting on his daughter, and utterly in love with his wife. The loss of her father is utterly devastating, and  so well done, that its tear worthy.

From there the story delves into the more classical aspects with Cate Blanchett's Lady Tremaine turning the young Ella slowing into nothing more than a servant girl waiting upon her and her horrible daughters. Blanchett really shines in this aspect, delivering a performance that is reminiscent of the movie stars of the golden age such as Bette Davis. She revels in her wickedness, and had the film focused on her instead it would have been a delightfully darker tale. The little back story into her descend into darkness really helps to flesh out her character.

Instead Cinderella goes for a much more naive and lighthearted feel, and excels there as well. Lily James is mindnumbingly sweet as Cinderella. Her childlike positivity can make the most callous of us believe in magic. She emits a fresh exuberant attitude while being free speaking and earnest, its easy to see why the Prince would fall head over heels for the girl after a chance meeting in the woods. And the way the girl effortlessly glides into the Prince's fete, its no wonder that she's the belle of the ball.

And speaking of the Prince, Richard Madden is so shiny and bright as the Prince, he's almost hard to look at. Seriously shiny, to the point I think they must have applied Vaseline to his teeth. I'm not sure if it was the beard or dire scowl on his face during his Game of Thrones days, but his blue eyes have never shined so bright.

The rest of the supporting cast are equally delightful in the very small parts their given. Delivering an extra bit of glitter and Helena Bonham Carter brings to life Cinderella's playful and slightly ditzy Fairy Godmother. Holliday Grainger's Anastasia and Sophie McShera's Drizella are byproducts of an overly doting, but fairly rotten mother, who've spoiled them beyond repair. Derek Jacobi is the kind hearted king, with a bad ticker, who's part is all too brief. Rounding out the cast are Nonso Anozie as the Prince's sound board and Captain of the guard and Stellan Skarsgård as the dubious Grand Duke.

Many will come for the mass appeal of the short Frozen Fever playing before it, but will find themselves falling in love with Cinderella. The story lacks the panache or uniqueness of Enchanted or The Princess Bride, but more than makes up for those short comings with charm delivering a story with loss, love and magic.

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It's a little campier than the one they released just days ago, if you missed it you can see it here.
The entire film seems to be heavy in the camp department, which is not surprising seeing as Tim Burton is helming the picture, but the original Dark Shadows soap opera was not this campy.

Warner Bros. has released a revamped trailer for Dark Shadows, just days after the original trailer debuted. Take a look at some new footage from director Tim Burton's soap opera remake, which features a cameo appearance by rocker Alice Cooper singing 'No More Mr. Nice Guy', and Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp) mistaking him for a very ugly woman.

Dark Shadows hits theaters May 11, 2012.

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote. 

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Warner Bros. has released nine character posters for director Tim Burton's Dark Shadows, which debuts in theaters May 11, and boy are they colorful.

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin.

 The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

Take a look at these posters, which feature Johnny Depp, Chloe Moretz, Eva Green, Michelle Pfeiffer, Bella Heathcote, Helena Bonham Carter, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, and Gulliver McGrath. And if you missed the first trailer you can find it here.

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Have you been sitting on the edge of your seat like I have for this movie? I'm not old enough to have seen the soap opera in it's original run, but that doesn't make me any less excited for this movie, and now Dark Shadows has released a trailer!

In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet—or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better, each harboring their own dark secrets. Matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard (Michelle Pfeiffer) has called upon live-in psychiatrist, Dr. Julia Hoffman (Helena Bonham Carter), to help with her family troubles. Also residing in the manor is Elizabeth's ne'er-do-well brother, Roger Collins, (Jonny Lee Miller); her rebellious teenage daughter Carolyn Stoddard (Chloe Moretz); and Roger's precocious 10-year-old son, David Collins (Gulliver McGrath). The mystery extends beyond the family, to caretaker Willie Loomis, played by Jackie Earle Haley, and David's new nanny, Victoria Winters, played by Bella Heathcote.

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