Ice Princess

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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).