Movie Reviews

Unknown

2011-05-19T18:15:00.001-07:00

We saw this movie at the theater while we were in Mexico. It was still in English, but had Spanish subtitles.

The story is about a doctor who has just arrived in Germany with his wife for a conference. He realizes that he left his briefcase at the airport, so he hails and cab to get it while his wife checks into the hotel. He's in an accident on the way to the airport, and ends up hospitalized. When he tracks his wife down, she doesn't recognize him, and someone else is posing as him. He sets out to find the truth with the help of the cab driver.

The movie was pretty interesting, but I was distracted by the way Liam Neeson speaks. It worked well in "The A Team", but not such much in this movie.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2011-05-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

This third movie in the Chronicles of Narnia series was well done as far as acting, special effects, etc., but I was almost bored. There just didn't seem to be a lot happening. The two oldest siblings didn't have much of a part in this one. I'm not sure if that played a part in my feelings about the movie or not, but since I liked the other two more than this one, I'm guessing it played at least a small role.

The Tourist

2011-05-17T14:52:00.001-07:00

The critics (and many other people) didn't like "The Tourist", but I enjoyed it. Angelina Jolie plays a woman with connections to a wanted criminal (his crime was stealing A LOT of money). She's being tracked in an effort to find Alexander Pierce. She receives a note from Alexander telling her to find someone on a certain train of his height and build so the police will be thrown off track. Johnny Depp's character is who she picks. He's a tourist, and gets into all sorts of trouble because people think he is Alexander.

It had a lot of humor, and some suspense. I think I liked it because I figured it out. It's not that it was totally predictable though, so I felt sort of good for getting it (I'm usually very slow to catch on to these things).

Megamind

2011-05-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Such a cute kids' show about a supervillian (Megamind) that doesn't know what to do when he actually defeats his rival, Metro Man. He ends up creating another hero so his life can have meaning again, but this new hero turns out to be a bad guy.

Overall it was very fun. I thought the Lord's name may have been taken in vain, and there is one part when the hero gone bad says something about there being no Easter Bunny or Toothfairy. He followed that up by saying their was no Queen of England, but it seems like for a little kids' movie, that should have been avoided all together.

Zoie and I loved the show, and I ended up buying it.

Morning Glory

2011-05-16T21:55:00.000-07:00

Rachel McAdams plays a TV producer that gets hired to produce a failing network morning show. The job is what she's been wanting for ages (other than the failing show part of it), and she has to work very hard to try to get the ratings up.

Some parts of the show were pretty entertaining, but it's wasn't great.

Temple Grandin

2011-05-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

This movie was based on the real story of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who was brilliant and did work that improved businesses that work with animals.

It was somewhat hard to watch though. Autism was very misunderstood as Temple was growing up, and she wasn't treated very well in many situations.

Waiting for Superman

2011-05-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

This was a very interesting documentary about the many children that are in the lottery system for better educations, and how many public schools are failing. It was a bit heartbreaking following some of these kids, only to see that they weren't able to get into a school that could make a huge difference in their lives.

The Switch

2011-05-16T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm embarrassed to admit that I watched this one. It was sort of cute (at times), but the whole story is just kind of crazy when I have to write it down.

Jennifer Aniston plays a woman who is getting older and really wants to have a child, but doesn't have a husband, or even the prospect of one. So, she decides to get pregnant via a sperm donor. Her best friend, played by Jason Bateman, is torn up by the whole idea, and he replaces the donor sperm with his own.

It was pretty predictable, and had awkward moments here and there. There are a lot better ways to spend your time than on this movie.

Fair Game

2011-05-16T21:37:00.000-07:00

This film was about CIA agent Valerie Plame whose identity was leaked by the government when her husband, Ambassador Joseph Wilson, wrote articles about how the government had mislead the public about the reasons for invading Iraq.

It was very interesting. It would have been better with less profanity though.

How Do You Know

2011-05-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

This film focuses on three characters that each wonder how they know when they are in love. It looked better in the trailers than it actually was. And, there were several uses of the F word.

I'd recommend skipping this one.

Hereafter

2011-05-16T19:02:00.001-07:00

This was a pretty sad movie about death. Matt Damon's character can communicate with the dead. This "gift" has made his life very difficult, as he learns things about the living that they might not want him to know. Or, they can't get past his ability and they use him to communicate with loved ones.

The movie also focuses on a few other people that have dealt with death. Once you saw these characters, you knew they were going to have to face death in some way. It was a pretty emotional movie.

X2: X-Men United

2011-05-16T18:42:00.001-07:00

I haven't seen the first X-Men movie, but we had some time to kill on a recent vacation, so we decided to watch this. Maybe watching it without having seen the first movie was a mistake, but I really didn't like X2. It wasn't bad enough that I turned it off, but it was just silly. And Wolverine's hair was totally distracting.

Ondine

2011-05-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

Colin Farrell plays a down and out fisherman in Ireland. One day he catches a woman in his net. She was nearly dead, but refused to go to the hospital. She said she didn't remember her name, and said to call her Ondine (meaning of the sea). Her singing brings Colin luck. Colin's daughter (who lives with his alcoholic ex-wife) believes that the woman is really a selkie (a mythical lady of the sea).

The movie was interesting, although a bit strange.

Deja Vu

2011-05-16T16:13:00.000-07:00

Deja Vu opens with a tragic ferry explosion. Denzel Washington's character works for ATF and is involved in the investigation. A group working for the government has developed some technology that allows them to bend time (kind of) and they can look back on things 4 days before. They follow some leads Denzel has and are able to use the technology to help solve the crime, with the hope that they might be able to prevent it.

So, it's a bit strange, and some parts are just gross, but the acting was good and it kept my attention (although I was looking away a time or two).

Unstoppable

2011-05-16T15:58:00.000-07:00

"Unstoppable" stars Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Both work for the railroad. There is a runaway freight train that is headed into very populated area. Its freight is quite dangerous, and many lives are at stake. Denzel and Chris come up with a plan to try to stop the train.

Overall the movie was pretty enjoyable. Matt was put off by some of the seemingly casual conversation during the moments that should have been only tense. I didn't care for some of the railroad language.

Jane Eyre

2011-05-16T15:29:00.000-07:00

I recently listened to the "Jane Eyre" audiobook, and LOVED the story. It was quite long, but such an interesting story (especially considering that it was written in the mid-1800s). I immediately Googled what movies were available, and found that a new version was just coming out. I was so excited to see it! Then I found out that it was a limited release. But, after a month or so, it came to a local theater and I got some friends together to watch it with me.

Although the movie starts in the middle of the story and uses flashbacks to cover Jane's early life, I thought it was well done. I think almost everything important was included. Unfortunately, the end was HORRIBLE! So short, and Mr. Rochester was gagable in his unkempt appearance.

My friends and I decided we need to have another girls' night to watch the 2006 BBC version.

You Again

2011-03-02T20:19:00.000-08:00

One word can describe this movie pretty well . . . PAINFUL!

Again, another show that the trailer makers did a great job; however, it bit, and it bit hard.

The acting was ok, but . . . the overall movie was just bad.

Marni was a major nerd in high school, and was teased mercilessly by Joanna (beautiful cheerleader). But, she's become successful in her job and life is going well. She comes home for her brother's wedding, and it turns out he's marrying Joanna. Things get awkward.

Marni's mom tries to get her to focus on the present instead of the past, and gets her past thrown in her face when her ex-best friend ends up being Joanna's aunt. More awkwardness.

Revenge, awkwardness. Attempted revenge, more awkwardness. Funky wedding planner that has a thing for singing and dancing, more awkwardness.

AVOID THIS MOVIE!

The Dilemma

2011-03-02T20:10:00.001-08:00

This show isn't worth watching. I caved due to a free baby-sitter (thanks Ash) and Kevin James (Hitch, King of Queens). However, the movie was just one awkward situation after another. I did know going into it that Vince Vaughn's character sees his best friend (Keven James' character)'s wife with another guy, and he's torn about telling his friend. But, the trailer made it look like a good show. Those trailer makers sure do a good job getting people in seats, even when the movie really bites.

Channing Tatum is in this too. I'd only seen him in "Dear John", and I thought his character in that show was a pretty good guy (withstood Amanda Seyfried's blatant temptations when she was married to someone else). "Dear John" ruined Amanda Seyfried for me, and "The Dilemma" ruined Channing Tatum for me. I'm not sure why I continue to watch anything with Vince Vaughn though. His movies seem to be all sorts of awkward situations. Kevin James isn't totally ruined for me yet. I may just have to stick to watching King of Queen's reruns though.

True Grit

2011-03-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

Matt took me to see this on my birthday. True, it's more of a Matt-film than and Andrea-film, but it was very well done.

The acting was great. Although, Matt Damon with a mustache and a funky Texas Ranger accent didn't do anything for me.

The non-use of contractions was odd. It took a little bit to figure out what was so squirly about how they were talking, but once you noticed,
it was distracting. I imagine that this was done based on people really not using contractions back in the day. I'm quite a fan of contractions.

Some of the scenes were a bit violent for my taste (ie. I closed by eyes, but not soon enough-dang knife and fingers part).

I'm not sure that I'd recommend it, because of a few graphic violence scenes, but it was well done.

Tangled

2011-02-01T08:58:00.000-08:00

I took the kids to see this over Zoie's Christmas break. Zoie and I really liked it, and Jonas kept asking to leave.

I would definitely see it again, and we will probably own it at some point. It was probably a little more enjoyable for me because the actor who does the voice for Flynn (the main male character) is the guy who plays Chuck in the TV show Chuck.

Extraordinary Measures

2011-02-01T08:55:00.001-08:00

This is a touching story about a father who fights to help find a cure for Pompe disease, which two of his children have. Their bodies are shutting down, and they don't have much longer to live.

It was a good story. I think it was well done, although you do have to see Harrison Ford running at one point and that's disturbing. ;)

I'm not sure that I loved it, but it was a good story.

Salt

2010-12-23T14:51:00.000-08:00

The storyline for this movie was very interesting. Soviets had gotten their hands on American children when they were very young and trained them to be on their side to help overthrow governments when they were older. Somehow they got back to their parents or others to raise them (outside of the USSR), but they had this brainwashing instilled in them.

At the beginning of the movie, Angelina Jolie's character, Evelyn Salt (a CIA agent) is accused by a Russian of being one such Russian spy. She realizes her husband is in danger and runs from authorities to make sure he's ok.

The trailers for this movie made it look better than it was. But, it did keep me guessing. I had no idea if Salt was a good guy or a bad guy. Unfortunately, Jolie's fight scenes weren't very believable (and there were quite a few of them, so that was distracting). And, the movie is left wide open at the end.

The A-Team

2010-12-19T16:05:00.001-08:00

The A-Team wasn't something I watched when I was little (I had other things on my mind when I was 3-6 years old). But, my husband was a fan, and rented this yesterday. When B.A. Baracus had his first scene, I said, "Mr. T", so that gives you and idea how familiar I am with the A-Team. ;)

Matt seemed a little disappointed in the film. I thought it was ok. I was in and out of the room changing laundry, and then I watched while I folded laundry.

Killers

2010-12-19T15:58:00.000-08:00

I rented this a few weekends ago when Matt was out of town, because he had no desire to see it. However, I think he would have at least sort of liked it. It reminded me a lot of RED.

Ashton Kutcher plays an assassin who quits his job after meeting and falling in love with Jen (Katherine Heigl). They get married and have a happy life for three years or so, and then his old boss contacts him. He's not interested in getting back in his old line of work, but he suddenly finds himself on a kill list. People he thought were his friends, neighbors and co-workers are suddenly trying to kill him for a huge amount of money. His wife is very surprised, but fights alongside him.

So, it was an interesting show. I didn't love it, didn't hate it. People do get killed, and it's portrayed almost in a funny manner, which is just weird to me (since murder isn't funny).

Toy Story 3

2010-11-28T18:08:00.001-08:00

This was a pretty cute continuation of the Toy Story movies, but it had some definite scary parts (ie the crazy monkey). Zoie (7) really liked it, but I think she left the room once. Jonas (3) left the room several times and hid on my lap once or twice too.

How to Train Your Dragon

2010-11-28T18:03:00.001-08:00

Matt's parents gave this movie to Zoie for her birthday a few weeks ago and she really loves it. She and Jonas quote lines from it daily, and they've only seen it a handful of times.

Anyway, it was a cute cartoon about Vikings and dragons, and how the Vikings come to realize that they don't need to kill the dragons.

The voice of the main character was a total shock to me. It didn't really fit what I was expecting (it's the main character from Sorcerer's Apprentice, who has a Christian Slater-ish sound to his voice).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-11-28T17:27:00.001-08:00

I was pretty excited to see the newest Harry Potter film. In anticipation I listened to the book. I know, I know, that can ruin a movie, but I hadn't read it since it came out in 2007, and I thought brushing up would be good.

For the most part I thought that the movie was pretty true to the book. There were some definite changes, but I found myself not bothered by most of them. I thought about why they didn't keep certain things by the book, and decided that most of what they did were time savers that still kept the main story line in tact.

My husband thought it was kind of boring, and I can see what he meant, although I didn't feel exactly the same way. I felt that the 7th book dragged on while Harry, Ron and Hermione are wandering around trying to find Horcruxes and hide. While some parts of the movie were a little slow moving, there was a lot of action.

Part of Matt's beef was that the whole 2 1/2 hour movie was spent finding and destroying one Horcrux. That's not all that happened, but as that is the main goal of the trio, it does seem like a lot of time spent on one item.

I thought where the movie ended was actually a pretty good spot. The trio had some success, so it wasn't leaving on a defeatist note (although they weren't the only ones with success, so there's the suspense angle).

Some of you may have been curious about nudity rumors you've heard. Having just listened to the book, I knew that the only nudity in the book would have been in Part II (near the end, and hopefully that part wouldn't be in the movie since it doesn't seem necessary-but when does Hollywood ever go for necessary). So, for a little refresher. The horcrux that the trio finds is a locket. They don't have the means to destroy it, and when they wear it it affects their moods (in a negative way). So, they take turns wearing it to carry the burden. When they finally get what they need to destroy the locket, Ron is the man given the task. But, the locket is trying to stop him, so he thinks all these things that aren't true (namely that Harry and Hermione have a relationship). With a bit of a cartoonish look to their images, you see Harry and Hermione apparently shirtless embracing and making out. Although I think the book did have a relationship between those two as one of Ron's fears, this definitely was not in the book. The shirtless-ness was totally unnecessary.

Anyway, I did like the movie, but it's not one for young kids that have probably seen the other movies. I'm looking forward to the final movie.

RED

2010-11-28T17:13:00.000-08:00

I saw this the day after Thanksgiving, and I'm still trying to process it. Not process as in I didn't get it, but process as in decide if I liked it or not.

It's about Retired and Extremely Dangerous ex-CIA agents. A group of these "oldies" gets on a hit list, and they get together to fight for their lives and figure out who is behind the kill orders on them.

I was laughing quite a bit. My confusion was just that some of it seemed like things I shouldn't be laughing over. You know, like when a bad guy gets blown up.

My favorite part was probably when Bruce Willis stepped out of a moving police car he'd stolen and he steps out of the way just in time for it to spin past him while he goes to shoot the guy who is trying to kill him (I'm doing it no justice, but you can probably see that part in a trailer if you Google it).

City Island

2010-11-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

Weird show that Matt picked. Rotten Tomatoes actually gave it a pretty good rating, but it was just strange. About a family that lives in City Island, Bronx, that doesn't communicate well at all. They all hide things from each other, and don't get along well. The dad, played by Andy Garcia, is a corrections officer and discovers that a new inmate is his son that he didn't know about. He takes him home, but doesn't tell the son or the rest of his family who the guy really is. Of course everything comes out in the end.

There were some entertaining and funny parts, but I wouldn't recommend it.

Remember Me

2010-11-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

Horrible movie-don't waste your time. It's pretty depressing throughout, and will leave you needing to watch something else or read something or do whatever you can to get some happy thoughts in your mind.

Date Night

2010-11-03T09:59:00.001-07:00

This movie is about a couple that's been married for several years, and their life is pretty routine. Get up, get ready, get the kids ready, go to work, come home, take care of kids, sleep. They get concerned about their marriage when they learn that some friends are getting divorced, and try to have a plan a date that is not the boring one they usually go on. Of course, everything goes wrong, and they end up being mistaken for a couple that is involved in some bad stuff. They're running from bad guys and have to pull together to survive the night.

There were a lot of funny parts. Things you could totally relate to in marriage, and just other funny things. Unfortunately, there was some language and a few other things that weren't great. If you could watch it edited, I'd definitely recommend it.

The Karate Kid

2010-11-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing like the remake of a classic movie (can I use the word classic for a movie that was made in the 80s?).

Matt and I watched this with Rorie and Nate, and I'm not sure if we really liked the movie, or if it was just a fun one to watch with them. We were throwing out Karate Kid lines and stuffing our faces with junk food. Good times.

The remake was alright. Dre (not Daniel, played by Jaden Smith) and his mom move to China. The maintenance man (Jackie Chan) agrees to teach Dre Kung Fu after a beating by the mean boys in school. It followed the original in many ways, with just a few changes (names, locations, etc).

I didn't care for Dre's mouth. The kid is 12 for crying out loud (although I shouldn't have been surprised since he said the f word in The Pursuit of Happiness-a movie several years ago that he was in with his dad, Will Smith). Anyway, he wasn't dropping the F bomb in this one, but searing in any form, especially by young kids, is a turn off to me. The movie didn't have a lot of swearing-it just seems to stand out more when a kid is the one swearing.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

2010-11-03T09:45:00.000-07:00

If you aren't into boogers and other young boy isms, AVOID THIS MOVIE!

Matt let Zoie choose this one, and it was painful to watch (I stayed in the room but I think I was reading a book or something else).

Just Wright

2010-11-03T09:37:00.000-07:00

Leslie Wright is a physical therapist who is a major Nets fan. She meets Scott McNight at a gas station one night after a game. They hit it off, but like every other guy, he is just interested in being her friend. Her god-sister Morgan is looking to be the trophy wife of an NBA star, and McNight falls for her. Then McNight is injured during a game, and Leslie gets the job of being his physical therapist to get him playing again. When it looks like he might not recover, Morgan ditches him. Leslie pushes him hard and gets him playing again, and they fall for each other and then Morgan shows up again.

It was a cute story, although the acting was subpar. And, it was pretty predictable, but I guess most romantic comedies are.

I did like how Scott McNight wasn't a womanizer like I picture most NBA stars to be. I also thought it was interesting that it showed players on opposite teams being friends. I hadn't really thought about them having friendships with their opponents.

The Bounty Hunter

2010-11-03T09:33:00.001-07:00

This movie is about a divorced couple that comes together when the ex-husband gets hired to track down his ex-wife because she skipped a court appearance when she got a lead for a newspaper story she's working on (thus resulting in a warrant for her).

Parts were funny, other parts were not worth watching.

There aren't many great movies being made these days.

The Backup Plan

2010-11-03T09:28:00.001-07:00

I decided to rent this when Matt was out of town (since I knew he didn't want to see it). I should have gone with his feelings-definitely not a winner of a show.

Zoe's going on with life, and decides she wants a baby (although she's not married and far from even having a relationship). She gets artificially inseminated, and then meets a guy. They fall for each other, and stay together even though she's pregnant.

The acting was ok, but it just wasn't a great show.

Dear John

2010-11-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Matt and I watched Dear John a few months ago. John, a soldier, is home on leave. He meets Savannah and they're together for two weeks or so and they fall in love. They keep in touch through letters when he goes back. (Totally reminded me of a missionary situation.) They have plans to be together as soon as his time is up, but following September 11, John reenlists. Savannah eventually sends him a "Dear John" telling him she's marrying someone else. And it goes on from there.

Overall it was a descent story, but I didn't like several things. I didn't feel like the "night in the barn" was necessary. And, I was totally bugged at Savannah's actions when John saw her after she was married. At least he was strong and left, but what a skank. You decide to marry someone-you deal with the consequences (even if you still love the other guy).

Alice in Wonderland

2010-08-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Okay everyone. Let's all have a round of applause for my first post on this blog. It's a big day, I know. Anyway, I think Andrea asked me a couple weeks ago what I thought about this movie, so I thought I'd do the full-fledged review.

The story goes along pretty well with the original. Same characters, same events (mostly). Johnny Depp obviously looks a little freaky, but he does an awesome job as the Mad Hatter. I thought the girl playing Alice did a pretty good job. The Queen of Hearts was awesome! The visuals were really well done in my opinion.

I'd give this movie two thumbs up, and I'd definitely watch it again. This is one I'll probably buy. Maybe a little scary for kids, but then you never know.

The Ghost Writer

2010-08-05T15:27:00.000-07:00

Two thumbs way, way down. I'd give it more thumbs down if I had more thumbs. I definitely do not recommend this one. I'd seen a trailer, and thought Matt would like this suspense film. It . . . was . . . so . . . s . . . l . . . o . . . w!

Here's a spoiler breakdown for you:

The former prime minister of England (Pierce Brosnan) is writing his memoirs. He has a ghost writer helping him with it, but that guy ends up dead. A new ghost writer is hired (Ewan McGregor), and then Brosnan's character is accused of war crimes. McGregor's character finds that the memoirs have some lies, and he tries to get to the bottom of them. His life is in jeopardy. The prime minister is shot and killed, and then the memoir gets published. Then the ghost writer finally puts things together at the release party and realizes that the widow was a CIA agent, and she was influencing the prime minister's decisions (including the war crime actions). And then he walks out of the release party and is hit by a car and that's the end of the show. It felt like three hours, but apparently it was just over two. I was reading for the last half or so, occasionally looking up to see what was happening. I wasn't even sure what the point was. The ending was so abrupt, and since the only person who knew the truth was killed at the end, there was no resolution.

Eclipse

2010-07-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

I gathered together six friends to watch Eclipse with me. I was quite excited to see it, but we didn't go opening day (in fact we waited until Monday, July 5th, which turned out to be an awesome day to go because the theater had their Family Day promo going and tickets were only $3 each).

I thought the movie was well done. It followed the book fairly well. I loved the beginning when Edward is trying to convince Bella to marry him and she tells him that everyone would think she was pregnant (the way she worded it was just funny). I also loved when Charlie was trying to give Bella "The Talk". So funny (and awkward). I was so sad for Jacob again. I wouldn't have minded if they gave an alternate ending to this film and had her choose Jacob instead.

I left not being completely satisfied, although I can't really put my finger the reason. Maybe it's just because it's still not over.

Anyway, enjoyable movie with great friends, and most definitely worth three bucks.

The Lightning Thief

2010-05-08T20:13:00.001-07:00

My six-year-old and I went for a girls' outing to see this at the dollar theater. It is PG, so I hoped it'd be appropriate for her. She loved the book when we listened to it on CD.

Anyway, overall I thought the film was enjoyable. Zoie said she liked it and wasn't scared (there are quite a few Greek monsters).

Some of the things that were changed from the book didn't really seem great for a six-year-old though. The characters were older than they were in the book (Percy is 12 in the book, but seemed 16 or so in the movie). Thus, there were hormones. I don't recall the book having Hades' wife, but the film had her (quite skankily dressed). I also don't remember any swearing in the book, but the film had some.

I was bothered by the character Annabeth not being blonde. Seems like hair color is something you can easily follow.

There were quite a few other changes from the book, but on the whole, I thought the story was still told well.

Leap Year

2010-05-08T20:07:00.000-07:00

Anna has been with her boyfriend Jeremy for four years, and is anxious for him to propose. When he gives her earrings instead of an engagement ring, she decides to follow him to Ireland (he's there for a medical convention) to propose to him on Leap Day (an Irish tradition). Bad weather causes her flight to land in Wales, and she has a very rough time trying to get to Dublin. Early on in the journey she meets Declan, who is in need of money to save his pub, so he offers to take her the rest of the way.

The story is predictable, but cute. I did have a hard time understanding some of the Irish dialogue though.

When in Rome

2010-05-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

I went with some friends to see this at the dollar theater. We had a great time, but I think it was more the company than the greatness of the film.

Beth's life is all about her job. Her younger sister is getting married in Rome, and Beth goes over for the wedding. She takes some coins out of the Fountain of Love, and the guys who threw the coins in fall in love with her (complete strangers). They find her back home in New York and try to win her affection. She actually fell for one of the guys she met at the wedding, but can't tell if he really likes her or if he's under the spell too.

Kind of cute story, but silly (how serious could the show be with Jon Heder-aka Napoleon Dynamite-as one of the smitten men?).

Basically I'd give it an "eh". Fun to see with friends. Definitely not one I'd buy.

Happy Valley

2010-03-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

Talk about a depressing movie (documentary). It's about the drug issues in Happy Valley. I went into the show thinking it was going to talk about the meth problems around, but that wasn't really touched on. It was more about how teens and adults get hooked on pain pills (and how that leads to harder stuff like heroine). Quite a few of the people interviewed said how the religion and culture here hinders people from admitting that they have a problem, so they don't get help. I can see how that could be the case, although I think I was trying to fight that idea.

Most kids are taught that drugs are bad (ie. the DARE program in schools). Unfortunately some kids don't get the anti-drug idea reinforced at home (one of the stories in the documentary talked about a girl getting high with her mom). One drug officer in the show said he'd been at parties where many of the kids taking pills (like percocet) were LDS, and they didn't think they were breaking the Word of Wisdom because it was a pill. Wow!

It made me really scared for my kids. Some of the parents of kids who had died from drug ODs seemed like they had good relationships with the kids. How can you avoid/prevent your kids from getting involved with this junk? How can kids be taught about the dangers of drugs, and not get it? I'm so glad my friends were good, and weren't into these things.

The editing in this was a bit distracting at times, but I'm glad I watched it. It helps strengthen my resolve to build my relationship with my kids. I want them to feel like we're friends, and want to be at our house instead of always going to friends' houses.

Sherlock Holmes

2010-03-31T16:49:00.001-07:00

This was a pretty good film, but it was freakier than I expected. The way it showed Sherlock figuring things out was cool (the slow mo and the details he noticed). It was definitely left open for a sequel.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2010-03-31T16:40:00.000-07:00

The title of this movie sounded familiar, so when I saw it at the library I thought I'd give it a try (it was free you know).

The basic storyline is about four close friends that will be going separate directions during their summer break (they're all 16 I think). They are out shopping before they leave and find a pair of jeans that (miraculously) fits all of them. They decide to rotate the jeans around during the summer, and the movie tells what happens to each girl during the break.

I liked their friendship, but I was TOTALLY bugged by the blonde girl (skank). Yes, she had some issues with her mom having past away and all, but going after a college guy who had to have been over 18 just made me mad. The age issue happened with the girl who went to Greece too.

So, I wouldn't recommend it. There are plenty of friendship movies out there that have legal relationships in them.

The King of Kong

2010-02-28T01:14:00.000-08:00

This is a good one. It's a documentary about a competition between two guys trying to get the world record top score in Donkey Kong. One guy is the king of the dorks, the reigning champion of DK (he's pretty much like Dwight from the Office) who thinks he's all that, and the other is a humble, hard-working family man that has learned to play DK as well as the other guy.

There is an abundance of laugh-out-loud incredibly nerdy nerds in this film. It's like this secret world that you get a peek of. And you will get caught up in the rivalry for sure.

The one and only bad thing I can remember in this is actually one super gross thing. They show a photo of a guy (self)named "Mr. Awesome" posing in the buff with a lady covering his you-know-what with her own pose. So when they start elaborating on Mr. Awesome's background, just skip it.

Because the rest is sooo good!

Life is Beautiful

2010-02-28T01:07:00.000-08:00

I know this came out years ago, but I got it again from Netflix because I remembered liking it. Well, it's still good! Many of you have probably seen this, but if you haven't, you've gotta.

Although this is about the Holocaust, I don't remember there being any disturbing images because it's about a father who keeps his son alive by telling him the whole thing is a game. It's super sweet, and every time they showed the mother I just started tearing up.

FYI, it's got subtitles.

The Princess and the Frog

2010-02-21T19:38:00.000-08:00

When Wikipedia says that this movie is based loosely on ED Baker's book, they weren't kidding. The New Orleans setting was totally different from the book, although it was interesting. But, I HATED the voodoo. I didn't realize that was in there, and I don't think I would have taken the kids if I'd known.

Zoie liked it. Jonas didn't like it. Zoie asked me what my favorite part was, and I said "When it was over." That's due to the voodoo, which she didn't quite get. The book had a witch. She was a friendly witch, and the magic wasn't portrayed as Satanic. The Shadow Man in this movie was working with evil spirits. That was just a bit much for me in a kids' show.

The Maiden Heist

2010-02-18T11:32:00.000-08:00

Matt picked this out recently. It's about three security guards that work in a museum. They've all worked there for years, and have become attached to certain pieces of art. They learn that the pieces they love are being sent to another museum, so they come up with a plan to "save" their pieces from being sent to Denmark.

It was sort of funny, but I didn't love it. William H. Macy is in the buff (toosh shots-ew) a few times.

Sons of Provo

2010-02-17T22:15:00.000-08:00

A friend lent this to me recently. It is a mockumentary about a boy band in Provo, Utah. The songs were pretty funny (and well done-the three actors apparently have good voices).

I didn't love the show, but it did have some funny parts. Here's a YouTube video of one of the songs in the show.

Girls Just Want to Have Fun

2010-02-17T22:13:00.001-08:00

One of my friends gave this movie to me for my birthday. It was fun to watch it again. If you were born in or around the 80's and haven't seen it, it's worth watching again for a laugh.

The New World

2010-02-17T22:06:00.000-08:00

A friend lent this to me recently, and wondered if I'd like it. Her husband was a fan, but she wasn't.

Anyway, it's about Pocahontas and her life (although I don't recall the movie actually saying the name Pocahontas at all). I'll come right out and say that I prefer the Disney portrayal (although the Disney version obviously has it's inaccuracies). It was interesting, and I had forgotten that Pocahontas didn't end up with John Smith, but it was much too long and slow. Quite a bit of sadness too (I won't spell it all out and spoil the whole thing).

The Ultimate Gift

2010-02-17T22:01:00.001-08:00

Matt brought this home for a family movie night a few weekends ago.

A very wealthy man dies, and his family gathers to hear what they all get. Most are disappointed. One grandson is left with tasks he must complete in order to get his gift. He's a grown man (young), but hasn't worked a day in his life. He fights the tasks, but his lifestyle is taken away so it's live on the streets or do the tasks. He learns many great life lessons as he completes the tasks.

It didn't hold Matt's interest, and it was a bit long and deep for the kids, but it was a good story with a good moral lesson.

Ice Princess

2010-02-17T21:56:00.000-08:00

Zoie picked this out the other day. It's about a senior in high school that is a physics genius. She does a physics project to help with a scholarship for college, and it is on the physics behind ice skating. She decides to try her theories, and she is a natural.

The acting wasn't great, but Zoie (6) seemed to enjoy the show. Matt spent most of the movie time playing a game on his iPod.

Yes Man

2010-02-17T21:50:00.000-08:00

I find movies with Jim Carrey to be risky, so I wasn't very excited when Matt brought this one home for us.

Jim Carrey's character is stuck in a dead end job, and his life is going no where. He learns about motivational seminar about saying Yes to everything. He follows the idea, and finds that his life improves, until it doesn't.

Interesting idea-I mean, if we always say no to things we won't move forward. Obviously we have to say no to some things, but we should take time to consider our options before shutting everything down.

But, I wouldn't recommend this show. A few things were . . . disturbing. Overall it was a Jim Carrey show to miss.

The Blind Side

2010-01-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

This movie is awesome. It's based on a true story and is really heartwarming (but it didn't make me cry. Yay.)
Since I'm good at forgetting to put the actual plot in my reviews, here you have one copied from nexflix.com:
Oversized African American Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), the teen from across the tracks and a broken home, has nowhere to sleep at age 16. Taken in by an affluent Memphis couple, Leigh Anne (Sandra Bullock) and Sean (Tim McGraw), Michael embarks on a remarkable rise to play for the NFL.

I love, love, LOVE Sandra Bullock's character in this movie. She is my hero. :) And I especially love what she tells Michael about what would happen if he got a girl pregnant while in college. My kinda woman. :)

Eragon

2010-01-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

I recently read the novel Eragon, so when I saw this at the library, I decided to watch it. Unfortunately, it was quite different from the book. I completely understand the need to cut some things out and make some changes, but they really strayed. Urgals and Razac weren't depicted at all in the right way. Even the elf wasn't shown as an elf (the book went into a lot of detail about the pointed ears-would it have been so hard to give the girl pointed ears?).

I don't think I would have liked it, even if I hadn't read the book first.

The story is about a young man, Eragon, (age changed in the movie from the book BTW), who finds a blue "stone" in the forest while hunting. Turns out the stone is really a dragon egg, and it hatches for him. There is a wicked king that rules the land, who got rid of all the other dragons and riders. Since the egg hatches for Eragon, he's now a Dragon Rider, and the movie is about his journey as a Rider.

The Phantom of the Opera

2010-01-19T16:05:00.000-08:00

My parents took me to see this musical when I was pretty young, and we had the music playing in our house quite frequently, but I couldn't really remember what it was all about. This film adaptation was well done, but I saw the stage version so many years ago I couldn't tell you if it was different.

There were a few places where the singing seemed a little off, but overall the acting/singing seemed pretty good. The story itself is a bit disturbing, but it kept my interest.

Bella

2010-01-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

What, you've never heard of this? I'm shocked as the cover totes it as "The best movie of the year!" and #1 Rated Film. Just kidding. I never heard of it either, and came across it the other day.

Not a bad story, although a bit dragged out. The beard drove me a bit nuts though (if you watch it you'll understand).

If it was the best movie of 2006 I must have not watched any movies that year, but it was touching.

Star Trek

2010-01-19T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not a Trekkie (I even had to google that to find the correct spelling), and was hesitant to even watch this movie, but it turned out to be better than I expected.

I didn't love young Captain Kirk-he was cocky and a jerk, and I was somewhat bothered that he had to be the one to save everyone.

But, other than that, it was an interesting story.

Avatar

2010-01-13T20:15:00.000-08:00

We went to see this when we were up in Utah for Christmas. You have the choice of seeing it in 3-D or just regular. We went to the 3-D version, but honestly, I didn't see any way cool 3-D effects, and since the movie is so long (well over 2 hours) those glasses get really heavy and uncomfortable.

The movie was good, as long as you can ignore the shove-it-down-your-throat message. (All humans are evil, polluting creatures, who have already killed their mother earth and now have moved on to kill some other planet. One human "sees the light" and turns traitor to the human race, fighting against his own kind to save the life of the totally-in-tune-to-mother-earth creatures.) Think Fern Gully, only in 3-D.

But other than that message, it was a good movie. :)

Taken

2010-01-13T20:10:00.000-08:00

This is a total guy movie. Full of action, one guy single-handedly kills all the bad guys, without help from anyone else, etc. Violent but not gory, so it was tolerable for me. Not a bad movie. Kind of like the movie "Transporter" only this one actually had a plot to it.

Guys will probably love it. Girls might like it. :)

500 Days of Summer

2009-12-30T13:24:00.000-08:00

The best word to describe this show is interesting (said in a sort of confused tone).

I really don't know if I liked it or not. I liked parts, I didn't like other parts. You aren't missing anything if you haven't seen it, and so here's a breakdown (spoilers included).

It was done in a different style, jumping forward and back over the space of 500 days. Guy meets girl. Guy falls in love with girl. Girl likes guy (and totally leads him on), but doesn't return the love. Girl breaks things off. Guy is depressed and miserable. Girl marries someone else. Guy still depressed and miserable, and gives up on the idea of fate and one person being out there for you. Meets someone else and realizes that he was wrong to change his mind.

I can't decide if I like Zooey Deschanel's acting or not. She sort of reminds me of Keanu Reeves (the lack of emotion part).

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-12-28T21:47:00.000-08:00

I took my two-year-old and six-year-old to see a movie at the dollar theater today. We missed the one I wanted to see (running late and had the wrong time anyway), so we went to Where the Wild Things Are instead.

Here's my review:

*Not a cartoon

*Nauseating camera work

*Siblings don't get along

*Mom swears at Max for being bad

*Max runs away and steals a boat

*Left after about 20 minutes-very glad it was a Monday special and we were only out $2.25

The feel of the movie just wasn't good. Shouldn't children's movies be upbeat? No upbeat feelings during the parts we saw.

New Moon

2009-11-28T20:05:00.001-08:00

It goes without saying that New Moon was made much better than Twilight. The special effects were 100 times better. The acting was better. The makeup was better, although I was still disappointed in Edward's makeup. The person over his makeup clearly needs to have their eyes checked. The lipstick was gross. And, I'm not sure if the eye color would fall under makeup or what, but the new golden color was odd. Think cat eyes.

It was a lot of fun to go with my sisters-in-law. This movie didn't have as much to laugh at. There were funny parts, but we were cracking up over Twilight (how could you not laugh at the escalator ascent up the trees and the sweaty looking sparkly effect?). In New Moon I think we pretty much just laughed at the parts that were supposed to be funny. Oh . . . well, we probably laughed at the part when Jake took off his shirt to wipe the blood off Bella's face, and for sure in Alice's vision of Bella and Edward.

When I read New Moon I didn't like it for the lack of Edward. But, as time has gone on I've decided I like Jacob's character more and more. It may be that I think Taylor Lautner made Jacob seem like a good guy. Someone who would be way better for Bella than Edward. I liked him in the movie, and felt really bad for him when Bella ran off to Italy. Yes, I knew it was coming, but I wouldn't mind at all if they made these movies with alternate endings.

The movie followed the book fairly well. No major things come to mind that were changed.

I would see it again, and I will most likely buy it when it is released on video.

If you've seen it, what did you think?

The Accidental Husband

2009-11-18T20:33:00.000-08:00

Another RedBox email find, and I am happy to report that this was much better than My Life in Ruins. It wasn't the best show in history, but it was a cute story worth the dollar we spent to watch it.

A bride to be calls off her wedding after calling into a radio show and getting advice about her relationship and fears. The fiance heard the call and is devastated. He gets back at the radio personality by allowing his friend hack the state's marriage records, "marrying" him to Dr. Emma Lloyd. She tracks him down to try to clear up the error with annulment papers. And the story goes from there.

My Life In Ruins

2009-11-11T07:29:00.001-08:00

Redbox sends me an email each week to let me know what new releases it has. About a month ago I saw that a show called My Life In Ruins was out. I'd never heard of it, so I googled the trailer. It looked pretty cute, and I've been trying to get it since then at Redbox. I think they hadn't really stocked the RBs here with it until the other day.

Anyway, yesterday I saw that it was available, so Matt and I watched it after the kids went to bed. It was pretty disappointing. It was rated PG-13 for sexual content, and that was definitely present in the show. The cute parts were overshadowed by the innuendos. Could have been done better if the writer had a cleaner mind.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

2009-10-19T20:33:00.001-07:00

Nate and I went and saw this movie for a date night. He was a little skeptical about seeing it, being a cartoon and all. It was so good! I want to take Joey to see it, I think he'll love it. Lots and lots of funny parts.

G.I. Joe

2009-09-10T14:05:00.000-07:00

I LOVED this movie. It was awesome. I didn't really know what to expect, I just remember loving the cartoon when I was a kid. I was not disappointed. Lots and lots of action, cool special effects, and the acting and story line were good. There was very little swearing, a huge plus in my book and very little blood, another huge plus. There was your typically cheesy action-flick romance sequence where in the middle of all the fighting, the hero has to make out with the girl. (Insert eye-roll icon here) But it was a really enjoyable movie. I would probably own this one.

Igor

2009-09-10T14:01:00.000-07:00

Another ehhh movie. It was OK in parts, but seemed to be pretty dark for being aimed towards kids. The part I really, really disliked about it was the swearing. Mild by today's standards but I firmly believe that there should be ZERO swearing in kid's movies, especially cartoons. I wouldn't recommend this movie, mainly for the two reasons I just listed.

Labor Pains

2009-09-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

Eh. That is my review of this show.

Apparently it was initially made to be shown in movie theaters, but instead was shown on ABC Family in July, and then went out on DVD in August.

I'm not a huge Lindsay Lohan fan, and I'm actually surprised that this would have been shown on a family channel. It did teach that you should be honest, but on top of Lohan's character lying about being pregnant so she wouldn't get fired, she was also drinking and smoking, stealing, sleeping with her boyfriend, etc.

State of Play

2009-09-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

What an interesting story with a very recognizable cast.

Crow and McAdams are reporters. Affleck is a Congressman working on a case against a private defense contractor. The spotlight is thrown on Affleck when the lead researcher on his staff dies, and it comes to light that he'd had a relationship with her. Crowe was Affleck's college roommate (although, that seemed a bit odd to me since they don't look anywhere near the same age). He is involved in a story the seems intertwined with Affleck's story, and tries to get to the bottom of the situation.

Very interesting with a bit of a twist.

The Soloist

2009-09-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Matt's friend gave us some movies the other day, and this was one of them.

Robert Downy Jr. plays a reporter who meets a homeless person (played by Jamie Foxx) on the street one night. Foxx is a very talented musician, and Downy learns from him that he went to Julliard. Downy is struck by how someone talented enough to go to Julliard could end up in the street. He decides to write an article about him. The movie is about the friendship they develop.

It was hard to see the street life, especially those with mental problems. Foxx's character had schizophrenia. The way the film depicted that was so sad. He kept hearing voices that told him how bad he was. His mental condition is why he left Julliard.

If you're looking for a comedy, this isn't the show for you. It was very interesting and heart warming at times, but also sad and somewhat depressing at other times.

Angels & Demons

2009-09-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

Matt and I watched this the other night, and I thought it was pretty well done. Definitely some disturbing parts, but I liked the suspense and how Tom Hank's character could figure out the clues.

*Didn't love Hank's hair style. :)

I was surprised that Ewan McGregor was in it. Guess that's what happens when you don't watch TV and see movie trailers.

It's been a few years since I read the book, but I did notice several things had been changed quite a bit for the movie. These differences didn't ruin it for me, but some of them were pretty big things.

17 Again

2009-09-03T15:29:00.001-07:00

I watched this the other night, not expecting much. Movies about high school actually tend to scare me. Are high schools really the way they are portrayed in movies? That is scary.

Anyway, overall I thought the theme of this show was great. We go along in life, and sometimes lose our focus on what really matters to us. It's important to take advantage of the bumps in the road that put things into focus.

Don't lose focus on the most important things in your life (ie your family)!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

I had mixed feelings about this sixth Harry Potter movie. I thought it was well done. The special effects and videography were excellent. No problems with the acting. But, I was disappointed that almost all of the best scenes are those you can view on Rotten Tomatoes.

I got a kick out of how Harry acted after taking the "liquid luck" potion (those scenes aren't on RT). Ron's obsessed girlfriend was funny.

I was confused about Ron and Hermione. I saw a couple of interviews online about the characters kissing (and it being awkward because the actors have known each other for so long they're like brother and sister), but they don't kiss in this movie. Or, did I miss that?

There also wasn't very much in the show about Harry and Ginny. Seems like they were together a lot in the book, but there wasn't very much about them being together in the movie.

I had forgotten who the half-blood prince was, so that part was a surprise to me.

For being two and a half hours long, it didn't seem like that much happened. I didn't feel like it dragged on, but I wished there was more. Guess that's what happens with series though.

Up

2009-07-05T18:01:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to see this yesterday. We all enjoyed it. Jonas even lasted the whole movie, but you could tell he was getting a bit restless at the end. He loved all the balloons and dogs in it.

I was crying several times. Matt laughed at me for that. Yes, I understand it was a cartoon, but cartoons can still have sad things in them.

Bridge to Terabithia

2009-07-05T17:39:00.001-07:00

I thought this was a really cute show, although some of the make believe was kind of crazy. Zoie seemed to really like it. She and I both cried, although I was practically sobbing and her eyes were just watering. I'd recommend it.

New in Town

2009-06-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

I think I would have liked this show better if it didn't have Renée Zellweger and Harry Connick Jr. (not my favorite actors).

Renée's character is a high up business woman that travels to Minnesota to make some changes to one of her company's plants. The Minnesotan accents and personalities were funny. It is a romantic comedy, so that's where Harry comes in.

Australia

2009-06-11T15:05:00.001-07:00

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie. I heard the critics didn't like it, but that regular people did.

Anyway, overall I liked the story. It was very long though. Some parts definitely not necessary. Matt said there were several holes in the plot.

He's Just Not That Into You

2009-06-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

First things first. I wouldn't recommend this show.

I think the idea of it wasn't bad. It is interesting/funny that a lot of people don't get it when someone isn't interested in them. But, there was too much included in this show that wasn't great.

I'll share the best part with you so you don't have to waste your time watching the whole thing. There's this girl who never gets it when guys aren't interested. She always believes them when they say they'll call (and they never do). A bartender (who by the way is the Mac guy from the commercials-I like him better as the Mac guy) tries to make her understand all of these signals she's missing. They become friends and she often calls him to interpret situations for her. One such call she makes he tells her the guy is definitely not interested, and says she should hang out in her date's bathroom for awhile (where she was calling from). She hangs up and looks around to see what she can do to bide her time. She finds Crest Whitestrips in the medicine cabinet and decides to whiten her teeth.

I'm sure that doesn't really give explain the situation well, but that part was funny.

Mall Cop

2009-05-28T14:11:00.000-07:00

I thought this movie was hilarious. It was pretty evident that it wasn't the greatest movie of all time, but after I watched it, I just kept thinking of all the funny things Paul Blart did and said. Dumb things like "just kidding, I can't grow a beard, but my uncle can!" were repeated to people who had never seen it, and when they didn't laugh it was like, oh, guess you had to see that part. So yeah, Kevin James is funny, and I couldn't repeat any of his jokes at all, so you guys will just have to see it. And the movie wouldn't be the same without him riding his Segway the whole time. He's got moves. I loved it :)

Bride Wars

2009-05-13T11:38:00.000-07:00

Matt really didn't want to watch this with me, especially after seeing that it had a 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But, he did read by me while I watched it last night.

The main characters have been best friends most of their lives, and both dream of having June weddings at the Plaza Hotel. Both get engaged around the same time, and the rush is on the get the planning done in time. The wedding coordinator's assistant messes up and books the weddings on the same day. This causes a rift in the relationship, with each girl trying to mess up the others wedding plans.

I thought it was a funny show, and didn't mind most of it (which means I think it would have been fine without a scene or two).

Duplicity

2009-05-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

We saw this recently and picked it because it was the only option playing at the dollar theater during the time we had a baby-sitter.

I'm not really sure what to say about it. It was slow, but not in the normal slow movie sense. I can't really describe it. It had a hint of Ocean's 12-ishness about it. But, it didn't work for this show (whereas I love Ocean's 12).

I felt like Julia Robert's character was so mean to the main guy character. Not sure why he stuck around.

I did like the ending. It seemed the bad guys got what they deserved (well, maybe not completely, but at least they didn't get what they wanted).

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

2009-05-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

My review: Don't go see this. Ever. Unless you like movies about the sleaziest man alive, and more sexual references than you can count. The last 15-20 minutes of the movie were good, but the rest of it...not. Don't waste your money. Even if you get a chance to see it for free - DON'T.

Forever Strong

2009-04-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

I saw this movie on my birthday back in February, and thought it was well done. It is based on a true story. The main character is a high school rugby star and has drug and alcohol problems. He gets put in the Wasatch County Juvenile Detention Center (that threw me a bit because Wasatch County is not in Salt Lake--a detail it would have been nice to have correct). It was a touching story about a coach that treated his players like family, and taught them to be strong off the field so they could be strong on the field. It was filmed in Salt Lake, and I enjoyed seeing familiar locations.

Matt didn't think the acting was great, but I didn't notice anything bad with it. I'd definitely recommend this film.

Bedtime Stories

2009-04-05T11:28:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law and I picked this up for my mother-in-law at the grocery store last night We've seen several things that say it's not supposed to be released until April 7th--someone at the store must have put it out early.

The story is about an uncle that has to watch his niece and nephew for a week, and the bedtime stories they make up together end up coming true (in a way) the next day. We picked it up after the kids were in bed, so I'm not sure if they'd like it or not. It was definitely more for kids than adults though. By the end I was partially watching and partially playing on the computer.

P.S. I Love You

2009-04-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Matt's parents left this for us to watch the last time they visited. I hadn't ever heard of it, so I didn't know what to expect. If you read anything about it, you'd find out right off that the husband dies very early in the show (from a brain tumor I think). Prior to his death he arranged for letters and things to be delivered to his young widow after his death.

This was a major tear jerker for me. It is just over two hours long, and I must have cried for at least half of the show. Afterwards when I was in the bathroom throwing away my sixth or seventh tissue, I noticed that my eyelids were totally swollen from all the crying. Sheesh!

Overall, I thought the story was sweet. There were some things that weren't recommendable in the show though.

Flash of Genius

2009-04-02T21:41:00.000-07:00

I really liked this movie. It's the true story about the guy who invented the intermittent windshield wipers. You know, the ones where you can have a 3 sec, 8 sec, etc. delay. So he invented it, took his idea to Ford Motor Company, and then they took his model and never called him back basically. A couple years later he sees his wipers on the new Mustang, and the rest of the movie is him trying to get Ford to admit they stole his idea.

One of the reasons I really liked it, is because I get really into stories where something is insanely and tragically unfair. I remember crying in The Little Princess when I was like 9 for the same reason.

I would recommend it. It's pretty family friendly with maybe 3 swear words, although I'm sure it would bore children. It's a good one to watch with the hubby anyway.

HSM 3

2009-03-13T08:33:00.007-07:00

I rented this for my five-year-old because she saw the other two and really liked them. Also, it's rated G, so I figured it would be "safe".

It followed suite of the others, and was CHEESY! I was a bit surprised that it was rated G with all the lovey-dovey stuff between the two main characters (there was even a bit of KISSING).

But, the kids seemed to like it, and joined in with the dancing sometimes.

Bolt

2009-03-08T01:28:00.000-08:00

This is one of the few movies I went to the theater to see with the kids. My kids LOVED this movie. The hamster was particularly cute, as well as the pigeons. It was a very funny story of a dog who is in show business and takes it all very seriously. Then he gets thrown into the real world and realizes he really doesn't have super powers, and has a hard time dealing with it. It was so funny and had a good moral in the end. I recommend this one.

An Unfinished Life

2009-03-08T01:21:00.000-08:00

This movie came out a few years ago. It is about a single mother who needs to get out of a bad/abusive relationship. She turns to the only family she has, her dead husband's father. Robert Redford is the man, he lives on a ranch in Wyoming, and his friend is played by Morgan Freeman. It was such a wonderful movie, and it really surprised me at how much I loved the characters. It was very funny, sad, endearing and in the end very very good. I hope you can watch this one!

Nights in Rodanthe

2009-03-08T01:16:00.001-08:00

Don't laugh, I am doing a lot of posts, I can't sleep tonight for some reason...

This movie was sad! I like Richard Gere, and he and Diane hit it off pretty good in this movie. I just couldn't get that into it for some reason. It was adapted from a book by Nicholas Sparks (he wrote The Notebook too). The beach house it was filmed in was gorgeous, and it had some good conversations in it, but in the end, I didn't like it that much.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2009-03-08T01:09:00.000-08:00

Prince Caspian... where do I start. I didn't see a post on this movie. We watched it in January and I am still thinking about it. I loved it. It had quite a few war scenes, and I am not quite sure if I'd let my kids watch it yet. The message of the movie was quite powerful. A lot of good lessons to learn from it, about believing in yourself, and believing in those you love.

The soundtrack was beautiful, and the scenery was amazing. I need to go to New Zealand. I highly recommend this movie :)

I am Legend

2009-03-08T01:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted to this forever, and I read your comments all of the time. So I had better contribute. Mark and I watched this movie last night. First of all, I didn't realize it was a zombie-esqe movie. It was scary! Well, I am easily scared, mostly because you don't know what is going to jump out at you around the corner...

A so-called cure for cancer is found, but it turns out to be a horrid disease that spreads all over the world, turning people into these crazed zombies that want to kill everything. Will Smith's character's blood is immune to any of this and he searches high and low for a cure. Most of the movie it shows him roaming around a shut down New York with his dog. It was scary, and in the end it left me wanting.

Deja Vu

2009-01-24T11:32:00.001-08:00

This is one of those movies that totally keeps you guessing all the way to the end. Many twists and turns that you never would have thought of. I enjoyed the movie, but parts of it we had to watch twice to figure out what happened. I can't really explain much about the movie without giving the cool parts away though.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom on the Crystal Skull

2009-01-07T12:27:00.000-08:00

This was a lot like your typical Indiana Jones movies (but maybe it was just that song they play that ties them all together). I have to admit that Shia LeBeouf didn't bug me like he does in every other show I've seen him in. I think it was while watching this show that I saw a connection to MacGyver.

Anyway, it was descent. There were a few parts I closed my eyes for, but I have to say the way things turned out at the end were a bit crazy, and so much not Indiana Jones. I liked the bantering between the good guys. Kept the show from being too intense.

Seven Pounds

2009-01-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

This movie was nothing like what I thought it would be (all preconceptions were based on Will Smith's appearance on Leno), but it was amazing.

The exposition is really hard to follow at first: You aren't sure what is a flashback or what's present time or what. It seems really confusing, however, if you're patient, it all begins to make sense and I think it was really effective.

I am fairly sure every person in the theater was bawling by the end, especially this one girl I saw in the bathroom afterward just sobbing. I cried. My mom cried. I heard sniffles throughout.

It really makes you think...and it's not light-hearted at all, even though that's what Will made you think when he came on Leno and showed the only scene that was even a little comedic in the whole movie. :)

Anyway, I really liked it. A fantastic story about guilt, love and redemption.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

2008-12-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

Before I say anything, I have to say, I loved this movie. I didn't realize until we got there that it was going to be 3 hours long, but I thought it was great the entire time. I didn't realize until it was over that it was adapted from the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'll have to read it.

If you've seen the previews, then I'm not giving anything away (especially since this is in theaters right now). The film is a love story, which by itself is pretty darn good. The twist, is that Benjamin Button ages backwards, or grows younger with time. That complicates things. This movie had so many thought provoking moments. The whole time I was thinking about how lucky I am to be able to grow old with the person I love. I guess that shows how into the movie I was.

The story, the emotion, the hint of magic, it was all spectacular to me, and I don't think there could have been better actors for the main roles–Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. Wow.

That being said, I wouldn't recommend this for kids. Not only because it might be confusing to them, but also the inevitable shirtless Brad Pitt makes some appearances (no complaints). There's sexy scenes in this movie, but in my opinion they were in good taste. There's some creepy parts and a little violence too. Also, even though there was romance, I wouldn't leave your husband at home.