long-winded movie reviews: playing severe catch-up

movies i have seen recently that i have a few cents about...


king's speech

before you write this off cause it's rated R, the "family friendly" PG-13 version should be available if it isn't already.  though, i don't know that it is all that necessary as long as you are adults- there is a scene of swearing, and it is vital to the story... outside of that, sheer brilliance.  i get now why this one all of those oscars - not to mention - best picture! Colin Firth plays the king and he captures the role and the history so well. Helena Bonham Carter shows very well as his wife too.  I know- you are trying to picture her in a semi-normal character role... well, she is- and it is tasty.

in my humble, yet correct, opinion: 5/5 - at least rent it... i might even need to own it...
















social network

fascinating to watch.  i knew this one would win awards for screenplay- that is definitely what shines in this one- the way it evolves is too fun that you almost miss some really great acting jobs in there... i think that half the fun of watching the film though is just knowing how much this one kid has influenced the world as we know it now- what would we do if we didn't have a place to spatter all of the meaningless details of our lives to each other just so we have something to do at 2am?  {i will answer: i would go crazy- now that i am up 2-3 times a night for at least 20 minutes without anywhere to go, it is my saving grace.}

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 4.5/5 - also a renter...



unstoppable

classic case of denzel the hero just doing what he does in all of his movies.... but it isn't any less entertaining i guess cause they keep making em.  again the fun is that this story is based on true events.  i thought it got kind of slow in the middle... it does sort of feel like you are mindlessly watching the news after a while. but it was a decently entertaining action film. not one you need to own though.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 2.5/5 - rent it.



















unknown

we went to see this one in the theater a few weeks ago just before we had the baby... like a babymoon- since we know we won't get to see current movies for a long while. thank heaven for netflix i guess.  so this is another fun action one that actually surprised me.  usually i guess the plot in the first little bit and tick of my husband by doing so... but this one turned and i liked the surprise factor.  the characters don't gel perfectly for me, but the story is fun and drove me crazy not to know what was going on the whole time! liam puts out a great performance, and that one chick has a pretty decent accent, but other than that- i would call it an average man flick.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 3/5 - can't really watch it more than once.















RED

for the all-star cast that was in this movie, i am sad to say that it was not the sheer entertainment that i thought it would be.  it has moments, and it helps that all of the actors are great- but the story itself seems patchy.  it has an over-the-top/borderline campy action vibe to it that is fun as long as you know to expect it, but to have such an expensive cast, i would have paid my writers and editors to figure out how to keep some more depth to the characters.... you will enjoy it though- light-hearted man flick. sensing a pattern in movie choices lately?

in my humble, yet correct opinion:  3.5/5





life as we know it

 look at the cover. yep - that's exactly how it goes. there are few surprises here, but its not that you need many in romantic comedies... its charming though, and we enjoyed watching all of the baby humor now that it is so close to home. even when it was over, i couldn't tell if i thought the casting choices would have been my top picks for this one- but it works enough. cute chick movie- girls' night kind.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 4/5
{ps- i try to rate chick flix as compared only to other chick flix...}

i hope you are watching good movies too!!

inspiring movies - invictus

this weekend,

we got back on the netflix train and watched

invictus

if only all movies could be this fun to watch.

true stories + movies = good entertainment.

if you haven't seen it, do so immediately.

{we both thought this movie was just about soccer,
it isn't.}

i heart documentaries

we've been on a bit of a documentary kick lately,

and if you have netflix- these are easy to get...

note on documentaries- they are fun, and informative,

but not all of them are action-packed.

some move kinda slow and you have to be ok with that.

also, docs are not rated. 

so yeah, the baby ones are going to show things...

 you've been warned.

heart of the game

possibly my favorite. 

this one follows a high school basketball coach and his career over 7 years. 

it captures the heart and spirit that i can almost remember about high school.

toward the end, it gets pretty involved and it is hard to believe that its real.

you can't write this stuff.

trekkies

yes, this is exactly what it looks like.

 yes, it involves lots of crazies that believe they are the real thing...

yes, it has moments of sheer hilarity.

 otherwise, it is a fascinating commentary 

on what media has done to the world as we know it!

king of kong

 after losing his job,

this guy decides- "what else is there to do?"

and goes after the world record

of the old school donkey kong game.

 also full of crazies,

and way entertaining.

it's crazy how intense it can be watching some dude shred a game of kong.

but it is.

babies

we love to watch babies everywhere we go these days...

but it is fun to watch these 4 from completely different cultures

 without words

and get an idea of what life is like on the other side.

 there are some boobs in this one, 

but they are all mom boobs so it isn't at all offensive.

this movie makes me giggle, 

and it makes me so grateful to live in a place 

with all of the technology and support that we have to raise a child.

spellbound

admit it, 

you have totally stumbled across the spelling bee on espn at some point in life 

and found yourself watching for hours.

these kids are the classic bunch- 

some are complete nerds, obsessed with winning,

 some are forced by psychotic parents to study fort nightly,

and all of them have a unique story.

entertaining and intriguing for sure.

super size me

i know this is one of those you may have already seen,
if you haven't, you have at least heard about it.


if there was any piece of media your mom could make you watch to put down
all that fatty crap you are eating and stop going to mcdonalds,

this would be it.

it is brutally disgusting,
horrifyingly informative,
and pretty funny...

it would probably have changed my mind about fast food altogether
if i hadn't jumped right into,
"i have to have curly fries and cheap burritos" 
mode so soon after...

my date with drew

this wasn't as entertaining as i wanted,

 but it is fun to see an average joe with a life crush

using the 6 degrees of separation to his advantage.

because he had a very low budget it reads very real and 

he is an easy guy to root for.

business of being born

if you had any questions about midwives vs. hospital birth-

get this and watch it now.

this made me even more confident to go natural with a midwife.

this one talks more about the home-births specifically,

but definitely outlines why midwives are so great.

bottom line: midwives are trained to deliver and handle all aspects of the birth of a child.

obstetricians are surgeons.

and hospitals are businesses.

they will explain why the cesarean rate in american hospitals has shot up 

and remained there in the last 20 years...

and it has to do with inducing labor, and doctors making the call.

[warning: if you are not prepared to see a few naked women giving birth, maybe hold off.]

if you know of any other docs that i need in my life, please share!!!

long-winded movie review - inception

i had a dream saturday night.
something bad happened and it was so real it scared me.
i ran to find chris (in my dream) , and when i did,
i grabbed him by the face and said,

"this is a dream!
we just watched inception yesterday remember!!!"

i woke up and was still thinking about the friday night daze from this movie:

inception


sure, the acting was fun - the characters mesh well
and dicaprio and ellen page are delightfully complementary.
also stars Marion Cotillard and Ken Watanabe.
it was obviously well-cast.


truth be told,
you won't really notice the acting.

if you are not watching closely,
you may not even catch some of the crazy effects.
destruction + matrix + crazy


star player here:
screenplay.

the plot is so juicy and sucks you in.
at first you think, "it's a dream!"
but there are some components that raise the stakes and give me
the nervous back pain just like the end-of-the-world type movies...

it's one of those movies that you will see and remember
you will walk out of there and contemplate it for hours and days (apparently)
and don't be surprised if you start to dream differently.

it's that good.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 5/5
rent it or own it? i might just need to own this one.

(and that is because you may need to see it 5 times to catch all the detailed fun)

long-winded movie review - despicable me

so,

arriving in our new place last weekend,

we had no boxes, no furniture.

nothin.

so we went out to dinner and a movie.
dinner was not amazing,
but we are finding that most things in our immediate town are not...
have to drive a bit to get the good stuff.
noted.

the movie?

this one:

despicable me



the characters are fun and the dialogue is witty...
the girls are adorable.


the minions are hysterical. you want one.
and if you go you have to download the app they tell you to translate them at the end.
so funny.

the 3D is fun in this one too- they ride a roller coaster,
and the minions come out at you...
pretty cool.


and honestly, i forgot it was steve the whole time! The cast does a great job at creating new voices and characters... cept for that kid from 30 rock- he's pretty blatant...

good flick. great story.
completely entertained for an evening
in our charming little small-town movie theatre.
(it has stairs and it's never busy, just minus the stadium seating...)

i would give it a 4/5
rent or own? probably own.

long-winded movie review - karate kid remake

you and i both had a crush on the first karate kid.
don't even try to deny it.

but this karate kid remake proves one thing:
jaden smith has a future ahead of him

i will be honest, initially, this was one of those,
"oh, ok dear, lets go see a movie that you want to see"
moments,

but i absolutely enjoyed it and would own this.
(i might even go as far to say i like it better than the original...
but that may or may not be blasphemous...)

best features:
* jackie chan character is priceless -
so different from some of the dumbed down guy movies he's played in.
this guy has depth - great performance
and the chemistry between him and the kid is fun to watch.

* music - from the beginning i was dancin -
the credits feature a song jaden wrote himself.
that just makes me smile.

* parallels to previous karate kid. look for em.
some are subtle,
but because i was raised by men, i caught em.

* end credits feature very cool fotos of the production
with jada pinkett and will hangin out the whole time.
they were the producers of the film.

watch your tail end for this jaden kid -
he's coming on up.

long-winded movie review times two - cartoons!

my team says i am "wholesome"
and that may or may not be cause cc and i spend our weekends
watching charming animated films, baking our own wedding cakes,
and meeting friends at the malt shop (well, frozen yogurt)

a few weeks ago, we went to see Alice in 3D as a matinee on a Saturday.
apparently you can't see Alice in 3D as a matinee on a Saturday.

so, the stubborn 3D movie-goers that we are,
we decided to go to this:

how to train your dragon
(in 3D)

and, i have to say,
we were incredibly surprised.

i was very entertained by the 3D,
the animation was pretty great,
and i thought i would hate the viking and dragon stuff,
but alas,
i loved every minute.

it is bright and colorful, and just funny most of the time.
we left smiling, glad to have paid the few dollars for the entertainment.

side note:

my feelings on men getting married:
pretty much so they can see all of the girly movies they always wanted to see before,
but would look sort of "off" if they went without the girlfriend/wife that "made" them go...

feelings on why parents have kids:
pretty much so they can go to all of the kid flicks that they want to see
and blame it on the kids that really wanted to go...

just my thoughts...

well, we also recently saw
this movie:

the princess and the frog
(old school animation)

now, i know what you thought when you saw this preview,
i did too:

"what? old school animation?"
"Wow, Disney is a little late trying to get a black princess in the mix!"

cause i do believe both were purposefully chosen.
and i do think the animation was the only way to really say there is a black princess in the mix.
and she deserves to be there for many reasons.

however,
this throw back to classic animation days
and musical cartoons like the good ol' days...

makes me smile the whole way through.

maybe it is anika noni rose, who just wails
(one of the Dreamgirls, and played Nala in Lion King)

maybe it is that the music is catchy that i sing in the car,
maybe it is that i love the story shift from older princess movies...

this princess works her tail off to be one!

and i could never imagine another place to set the story of
princess and the frog.

it was meant to be in the bayou of the South
and with all the funk of jazzy beats and color that come with it.

like it or not,
i will probably have to own both of these flicks.

why?
uh, cause my kids.
yeah, they need them...

long-winded movie reviews

alice in wonderland

i know i know,

we are so late to the party.

here's the deal-
this is one of those movies that you would normally catch on tv on a saturday night at say 9pm or so-

you know,
those days that you found yourself alone
with nothing to do
and suddenly you are entranced in the weirdest movie but you can't rip away?

sort of how i felt - i love the weird, i do,
when i came back to reality,
i was still trying to imagine all of the ways to create alice's black and red dress for myself...

the costumes were fabulous, the idea was creative,
and i was entertained.

was it weird?
of course it was!
but you knew that when you sat down to watch tv by yourself on a saturday night...

i will say this-
i heart both johnny depp and helena bonham carter.
perfectly disturbing and fun.

rent or own?
well, if you do need to own it- go with blue ray

(i know, i know,
i am now brainwashed to think i need blue ray player
and no less than 58 inches to watch it on.
thanks, hon.)

long-winded oscar nite review

my thoughts:
[which prove that this blog is way more about my need to write than your need to read...]

#1-- who cares about the twilight kid- could he even act?

did neil patrick harris really just sing that really lame song?
that. just. happened.

alec baldwin and steve martin- great match-up
i am loving the roasting of all of the actors...


but why is george clooney so ticked at life?
what a jerkface.
{some confused non-english speaking chick that he pretends to like for the cameras...}

miley cirus... can't you just stand up straight...?!



UP wins for best animated feature.

surprised?
shouldn't be.

then we have an homage to 80s films including
that macaulay culkin kid whose face blew up.
didn't know he could get uglier.
guess so.

ben stiller in the blue avatar make-up
equals pretty great.

best supporting actress...
that one chick form the precious movie...
"thanks for awarding a good performance and not politics..."
um....well...

ew... i so don't care about the twilight peeps-
she. can't. act.
or announce for that matter....
sorry, i know many of you like them...
but that kid looks like a white kid injected with monkey and asian...

saundra bullock-
looks stunning.

james taylor mo to tribute the dead.
i heart that.


oh- and a pretty rad dance
to tribute to the scores.
and i cried to the UP part...
and it won.
[for it's fab score. duh]

george clooney is a huge bass.
who knew he was so arrogant?

jeff bridges wins best actor for crazy horse
after a great tribute about being such a great family man, husband, and father.
i do like that kind of positive PR.
married 33 years, 3 kids.
gotta love it.


i think the best actor/actresses are like the prom king/queen
of the oscars...

and george clooney, the arrogant bass, is ticked.


sandra bullock wins her first oscar for blind side
a delightful upset.
"did i really earn this, or did i just wear you all down?"
[me... crying watching one of my favorites]
she thanks her mom for making her practice
and her "lover" meryl streep.
i love her realness and her charm

{meryl streeep, by the way, was fashionably wearing her robe and curlers...}


first woman to win best director....

and then best picture for hurt locker.
a movie i will probably need to see soon.

what an enjoyable evening...
i can't believe you read all of that.

go get a life... and go to bed.

a not love story and a love story...

(i originally wrote this post back in august, but hesitated to post it....
then i remembered that this is my blog.)

a long while ago we went and saw this movie.

beautiful, quirky, fun, real.

i love zoey deschanel and i really like this jeffery guy

(whom you might remember from ten things i hate about you...)

it is a non-linear look at what those relationships do to us...
the highs the lows the pain and the fun.

quite frankly, it felt like i was watching the last few years of my life on film.

they don't hide the fact that this movie isn't a love story.
its not really.

but she says:
"i found, with him, what i couldn't find with you."

that's really it.

99% of the people we date we feel this way about.

i have been thinking about it a lot because
i know i have hurt people before in telling them that it just wasn't it.
i spent so much time fretting over how to make it work,
when it just was't going to.

we left the theater, and had conversations about past relationships
and how funny it is that they lead you here.

we have to tough out those highs and lows and near-"it" experiences to get it.

i needed each one of those to learn what i know about myself now.
even though i have more to go

another true sign that my Heavenly Father loves me.

"and thy pain and affliction shall be but a small moment..."


thanks. i needed that.

long-winded movie review: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

harry potter and the half blood prince

i would like to begin by expressing how much

cc whined to see this flick. this makes me happy. he is, however,
the type that has to see the movie first, or it would ruin the book. right.

i normally do not agree with this,

but i was glad to have forgotten much of the book until i saw it
because it all comes rushing back

and it's so fun to watch

why this one was my favorite HPs of the 6 so far:



the best edit we've seen of the books.
whoever was the exec editor deserves a standing O.
they finally figured out how to keep the fun details that add to the plot
and lose the ones that don't.
so it moves fast and you can keep up.
and it was, in my opinion, the most true to the book of any...



the acting/directing is so much tighter.
the kids have grown up, sure, but they are better,
and so was the directing.
timing was better, and the flow was more succinct.
the relationships could really pop.



screenplay.
speaks for itself.
much wittier and quicker.
add a few fun actors
and you have a show.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 5/5
own it or rent it: own it.

(cause it would be stupid to not have 6
when i know you already have the rest!)

long-winded movie review #5 - The Proposal

deciding what movie to watch for date night:

cc: oh, well lets watch the trailors to decide.
me: yeah ok, this one looked funny...

[started to watch this trailor...]

cc: [stopping mid-movie and standing up] ok. lets go.

mm: you mean, i just won?!

it's essentially
meet the parents meets how to lose a guy in ten days

consider yourself briefed.

a comedy-romance.
not a romantic comedy.
all i mean by that is that you are going to laugh,
and men will laugh.

it is that almost painful situational humor stuff that is just so fun.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 4.5/5

own it or rent it: own it

long-winded, and possibly too personal movie review: up

i hope this doesn't offend the cliffords for sharing,

but you should know why i fell in love so easily

g-pa clifford is staying at cc's parents' house.

he is letting us stay in his while we house hunt.

we couldn't be more grateful.

the 2nd day cc and i were dating,

we went to g-pa's 90th birthday party.

the family was so charming,

and i couldn't help but notice how much

nyle (g-pa) was so in love with marie (g-pa).

she's in a home and he visits her daily.

chris said he wanted to be just like him,

and love his wife and wait on her always...

being in their home,

along with having their same names,

has been humbling.

perhaps this is why the first 20 minutes of this ever-so-real

cartoonish replica will break you down.

then bring you back

UP

thank you again, pixar,

for telling another untold, nemo-rivaling story.

mom (in-law) took g-pa to see this one.

he said it was like watching his life.

as sad as it is to watch, it is equally as inspiring.

not only because the story is, but because you know so many who live it.
it has some laughs, but mostly you will just keep a smile on for 2 hours
and leave feeling more happy about being alive.

i love g-parents, all 5 of you.

in my humble, yet correct opinion: 5/5

own it or rent it: i might need to