Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts

Sunday, December 28, 2014

This years movies in review

There have been several movies I've enjoyed seeing this year. Some I have even enjoyed taking the time and money to see in theaters.

Some of my favorites were Maleficent, Dracula Untold, Planes: Fire and Rescue, Guardians of the Galaxy, Alexander and the Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, and Big Hero 6 were just a few. Maleficent and Dracula were new versions to old stories. Much like Into the Woods, but that was a chaotic musical that is more of an acquired taste. I'm still trying to get in to see the new Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies. I hear its a great one, though lags with the telling of the love story between the dwarf and the elf. I'm mainly interested in seeing Legolas....
Divergent was pretty good. I'm not sure exactly how I feel, but I did enjoy it as entertainment.

While the Game Stands Tall was a good one as well, even though it was a football movie. I'm not a sports fan, but the story of this dedicated coach was a really inspiring tale.

Future movies I am looking forward to or have an interest in seeing would include Ant-Man and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Ant-Man is another super hero movie. Since producers and writers are on a roll with those types, they are branching out from the widely known to add the heroes we don't often think about. Unless you're a nerd like me... Paul Rudd will be the star of this one coming out next summer on July 17th, 2015. Who among you plans to watch this one? How many of you actually know the story behind the Ant-Man?? I can see some of you looking it up right now....

"Based on the Marvel comic character first published in 1962, Marvel’s “Ant-Man” continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures chronicled in Marvel’s “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the upcoming Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Star Wars has always been a favorite of mine. Can you blame me? I'll admit that the 3 original movies were the better ones, but even the 3 latest had their good things. I'm skeptical about whether Disney will keep in line with the original story and make it worth watching. The teaser trailer looked more like a spoof than the real deal.


I still haven't seen Captain American: The Winter Soldier, The Wolverine, Mockingjay Part 1, How to Train Your Dragon 2 (though I bought it), The Maze Runner, 300: Rise of an Empire... So many on my list that will have to wait until they are Netflix or I catch them on sale because I worry about wasting money on a bad movie. What have you seen? What do you look forward to seeing?

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Big Hero 6 movie review

This was an amazing movie! Great graphics, comedic moments, and family-friendly. I took my 4 1/2 year old with me to see the prescreening.

Hiro Hamada lives with his older brother and Aunt. Their parents passed away when Hiro was very young. Now that he's a teenager, he's prone to getting into trouble. Particularly when it comes to Bot Fighting (robot fights). His older brother comes to his rescue and their Aunt bails them out when things go too far.
Both Hamada boys are science geeks. Tadashi is in school, putting his brains to good use building medical robots for the future. He designs and builds Baymax, a personal medical robot. Baymax responds to "Ow" and makes you better with his huggable, tech-filled self and won't stop his care until you are "satisfied with your care".
Hiro Hamada, however, has a penchant for getting in trouble and skipping school. His older brother sees potential though, and he intends to show Hiro where he could go if he applied himself better. Hiro is a natural born, robotics prodigy. His mind is sharp, his inventions are innovating.
Tadashi shows Hiro where he goes to school at a big university with a large laboratory for developing technology. Imagine a place where the future is born. That would be this University! And the things that Hiro witnesses, has him changing his tune. Tadashi introduces Hiro to his fellow classmates. Honey Lemon, Wasabi, Fred and Go Go Tomago. Each one has their special gifts. They show him a world of possibilities that has him wanting to pass on Bot Fighting. He enters the contest for showing off his abilities and reasons why he should be chosen and given a scholarship to the University. He creates a project that has eyes popping. All using mini bots. Millions of them. And all controlled by his neuro system. But just as he given the future in the form of a white envelope and things seem to be going along gloriously, there is a tragic accident at the show. Flames claim the life of someone Hiro holds dear in the attempt at saving a professor. Tadashi's world is plunged into sadness. He doesn't know how to go on or how to proceed with his future. His aunt tries to push him into still enrolling in the University. His brothers friends are continuously reaching out to Hiro. Then Baymax comes back into the picture. Hiro didn't realize that his older brothers invention had so much potential until a single "ow" wakes him up.
A series of events uncovers a sinister and dangerous plot that plunges Hiro into crime-fighting and maybe even revenge mode. He recruits the four friends from the University and transforms them all into the Big Hero 6 group that will save the world, starting with San Fransokyo.
This movie was fantastic. Its family-friendly, funny, and touches the heart. Hiro learns what true friendship is. He learns to deal with heartache and move on in a positive way. I definitely recommend this one!

Check it out for yourself and enjoy! http://www.disney.com/BigHero6


 

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Great movies

Guardians of the Galaxy was a wonderful movie that I look forward to owning. And there is a cool video of Groot dancing that I thought I'd share! Poor Drax is in the dark on what happens when he's not watching. As my friend said after we watched this, "Can you see the dancing Groot toy?" I just might have to buy something like that if it comes out!
On top of this, are other movies that will be coming up in the future. Such as Ant-Man. Hero movies are popping up more and more as popularity grows. Paul Rudd will be the star of this one coming out next summer on July 17th, 2015. Who among you plans to watch this one? How many of you actually know the story behind the Ant-Man?? I can see some of you looking it up right now....

"Based on the Marvel comic character first published in 1962, Marvel’s “Ant-Man” continues the lineage of epic big-screen adventures chronicled in Marvel’s “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” and the upcoming Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

 
Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, con-man Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world."

What other movie do I look forward to seeing? Into the Woods! It brings a modern twist to several Grimm brothers tales. I love a lot of the old fairy tales, but the Brothers Grimm certainly have the darker ones. Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk, Cinderella are all tied together by the story of a baker and his wife who are cursed. Even Johnny Depp stars in this one.
I'm thinking he's the Big Bad Wolf. Here's to hoping its a great movie!

Monday, July 21, 2014

Have you seen Planes: Fire and Rescue yet??

If your child loves the Planes movies, this will tickle them so much! You can help them write a letter to members of the Planes team and they will send an Airmail back! Just go to the link below and go through the prompts. Its so much fun!
http://www.planesairmail.com/

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Thun-der! (read it like you are singing Thunderstruck by ACDC!)

This movie was such a pleasure to pre-screen for the review. My 4 year old was practically dancing in his seat the whole way through.
And when they played ACDC's Thunderstruck at that perfect moment... Laughter rang out clear!
Dusty Crophopper has gone from a simple crop dusting plane with dreams of racing, to being a world renowned racer. In the first Planes movie, he proved to the world that just because you are born and raised into something, doesn't mean you can't change your destiny and follow your dreams!
In this sequel, you see that he's racing and winning across the globe. He brings pride to his tiny home town. Until one race... He red lines and something breaks. Dottie checks him out and delivers the crushing news that his racing days might be over. A special part has busted. Without it, he can no longer reach top speeds. Dusty is devastated. Racing has become his life, his passion, his self-made destiny! To have it taken away... Just about crushes him. He gets into an accident when he pushes himself too hard. A fire breaks loose in the town. When the fire is doused in a rather sloppy way, the town is deemed unsafe and shut down. This all happens right before the towns Corn Festival. Everyone knows that every small town has their festivals and that its not just popular with the locals, but with those it draws in. Its a disappointment that everyone feels heavily. In order to be reopened, they have to make changes to prove they are ready for emergencies. One of those changes is to have a deputy fire fighter to serve alongside the fire truck, Mayday.
No one has been trained or certified. So what are they gonna do?? Dusty is faced with a choice. He's probably never going to be able to race again. So why not serve his town and help his old friend? He volunteers to go far from home to be trained by a great pro fire fighting helicopter. It takes a great deal of growing up for Dusty to see what's truly important in life.
He meets some friends, including an air tanker who is obsessed with Dusty - Dipper.
His trainer has a hidden secret that leaves most baffled.
One day, while training, there's an accident. On that same day, one event leads to another and disaster strikes. Will Dusty rise to the occasion? Will he be the hero he needs to be and help his new friends?
There were some other lessons to be learned. Things like how lightning can cause fires. The lightning can send sparks flying. Those sparks can start one or more small fires that can grow quickly. Fires can combine to create a larger, more dangerous fire. And most of all, fires that are blown by the wind, can jump over cleared paths.
Its a great way to talk to kids about fires. They show how the aerial firefighting is possible. A friend of mine joined us and commented on how its so cool to see how the planes with pontoons can scoop up water from nearby bodies of water to dump on raging flames. Even if they  are in cartoon form.
Check out this cool activity book!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Free DVD rental from Redbox

Text EMAIL to 727-272. They will respond with a text asking for your email address. Once you have sent that, they will then email you a confirmation email that you click the link in to confirm. You have to subscribe to their newsletter but you can always unsubscribe later. Then of course you wait. I've done it twice so far but haven't received my code yet. Its supposed to be good for 2 weeks. I don't know about you, but I love getting to watch a movie for free first so I know whether I want to buy it or not. Let me know how it works for you!
Check out the movies available near you: http://www.redbox.com/

Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The Princess stories continue....

Have you noticed how many of those princess stories you grew up with, are being re-written? Or you are seeing a different side to them than what you were used to. I've got mixed feelings on some of these. I loved reading the variations of princess stories when I was growing up. Did you know that most of the originals were dark and horrifying? Disney softened them up for young girls here in America
The latest one stars Angelina Jolie as Maleficent. As you might remember, she was the evil witch that cursed baby Aurora to prick her finger on her 16th birthday and fall asleep. This version has Angelina Jolie as the evil Maleficent. But they added a twist... What if she was right to feel anger, resentment and want revenge? Okay, so its never right to feel that way. But there are times when we feel justified.
What about Red Riding Hood (2011)? The story we know: Little Red goes to visit grandma's and the Big Bad Wolf tries to trick her after eating Grandma. But the Woodsman hears the cries for help and saves Red before cutting Grandma out of the belly of the Wolf. Sound familiar? But in this movie, Red was related to the Wolf. Her own father, in fact. And he was looking to change her so they could go on the killing sprees together. Its dark and contains other sub plots to keep you busy. She's conflicted about which guy to pick (like a Twilight tale). Then comes the Wolf problem. Her sister was killed, mom injured, scandals revealed.... Who is the Wolf is asked... Quite a busy tale.
Cinderella has been made into so many movies, there is no way I can list them all. But they are usually about teenage girls who are living with a step mom and exploited. Cooking, cleaning and caring for someone who has no love for them. They are placed in various time periods. Ever After is one of my favorites. She was strong and saved herself. I just didn't see the "carrying the prince" scene as my thing. But they wanted her to be the tough girl.
Snow White has been revamped as well. More times and ways than I can mention. Snow White and the Huntsman (2012) was more on the action side. I found it to be more stupid though. A young woman who has been locked in a tower until she has beauty surpassing the Evil Queen's. She falls in love with the older Huntsman who was supposed to kill her. He's just a drunk who can't get over losing his love before. I did like Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen. Kristen Stewart plays Snow White, the princess that is the very essence of life. She's as dull here as she was in Twilight.
The horror version was indeed creepy. Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) takes it to a new level of scary. The Evil Queen becomes obsessed with being the fairest in the land and goes around killing to get there.
Another one I thought was okay was Snow White: The Fairest of them All (2001). I love Miranda Richardson. She plays the queen. She wants everyone to see her as being the fairest. And goes out casting spells.
Beauty and the Beast has not only been made into movies but is now a TV show on the CW. Beauty (Belle) is the most beautiful girl in a country village. When one wrong turn leads her father in the dungeon of the Beast, its up to Belle to sacrifice her freedom to save him. And over time, her love for the Beast sets him free and returns him to human form. So far, one of my favorite versions has been Beastly. It wasn't the most awesome rendition, but it has some good parts.
 
I believe movie makers should spread out their horizons. There are plenty of princess stories out there. And perhaps they could retell them in ways that are enjoyable, but maybe closer to the originals. Who was/is your favorite Princess?

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

How many of you plan to check this one out? What movies does your family like?

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Sunday, February 9, 2014

That Awkward Moment is now in theaters!

Most of us have been there... That moment when you pass the "friends" stage and are beginning to move into the... whatever comes next stage of the relationship. But how do you approach that moment when you realize you are ready to move into the next stage? How do you bring that conversation into being? Or do you have that amazing telepathy to read his/her mind and not even have to ask?
That Awkward Moment is all about couples who are moving along but find themselves stumbling over the moment when they have to embrace a new relationship status or admit they'd rather be alone after all. Zac Efron, Miles Teller, and Michael B. Jordan star as three guys who after Michael's character gets dumped, all agree not to get into a relationship unless they all do it together. However, a night at the bar meant to be a pick-me-up as well as pick up one-night-stands, changes the games for these buddies. One of those funny moments included are self medicating together when confusion strikes... They work together to get through the decisions they face and have plenty of awkward moments throughout

For fun, you can check out this video with quiz to see where you stand in the relationship realm.

Check out the trailer for That Awkward Moment here. Or go to the lineup on YouTube for multiple videos that give you a wide variety of laughs.
So what was your awkward moment? Or one of them if you're like me and have more than you wish to remember... I'd love to hear it! Share a laugh with everyone else.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

That Awkward Moment movie

This movie is ADULT content and even the trailer is rated R. I like the premise though, all those awkward moments you have in the dating arena. I know I had mine. How many of you plan on seeing this one? Its about 3 guy friends who find themselves in shifting relationships. Reactions are quite comical.
http://www.thatawkwardmomentmovie.com/

Friday, November 8, 2013

Thor: The Dark World review

Now that Thor: The Dark World is available to everyone in theaters, I can tell you I saw the prescreening! What. A. Movie! Loki is his devilishly witty self with every part of his scenes rolling the jokes out. Jane Foster, played by Natalie Portman, is a scientist (did you know she really is a scientist in real life?!) who has been mourning the fact that her beloved Thor hasn't come back to her... Even though he did come to New York to save the world. She's as fired up as ever and let's loose on Thor and his brother, Loki. The All Father, Odin, has his hands full trying to return peace to the warring realms since Loki's last attempt at domination went awry.
Odin is played by another favorite actor of mine - Anthony Hopkins. And the Queen, Friga, desperately wishes to find the son she once knew in Loki. He of course has turned to bitter hatred and is dripping with sarcastic comebacks.
So what's the gist of the movie? First we hear the ancient history concerning the Dark Elves. They tried to cloak the entire universe in darkness with a special power that can only be unlocked when the realms align. He attempted such, but the previous All Father (Thor's grandfather), destroyed the vast majority of the dark elves and thought he had completely annihilated the threat. Except he had the powerful weapon they made buried deep where no one could find it. But someone does...
In the present - Loki is now prisoner in Asgard.

Peace is being re-established in the realms. A certain scientist is looking for Thor and can't seem to date anyone else because her mind stays on Thor. She finds a nightmare instead. Thor comes back, ready to rescue his damsel in distress. Only he gets more than he can handle.


Can he trust his brother (whom he'd have to break out of prison)?  Can he commit treason and go against his fathers law? Or will the entire universe be plunged into darkness and overruled by dark elves and the Kursed?
So much to accomplish before the Convergence of the 9 realms!


 The fight scenes are splendidly done. I saw it in 3D and was pleasantly surprised by all the intricate detail. One of my favorite parts? Stan Lee's appearance! He makes a cameo appearance in all his Marvel movies, and Thor: The Dark World was no different. In this one, Stan Lee is in the mental institution with another returning character who was arrested and put in the asylum for running nude through Stonehenge. I won't tell you, but it shouldn't be hard to guess.
 Now I'm no expert and never read the comics, so get mad and say what you want concerning the truth in the story, but so far as I can tell - it's amazing.
Bonus: should you be patient enough to watch past the credits, you will see something that could point to towards the next movie. And leads you to the truth of what really happened to Loki! I won't spoil it for you, but I do want to remind you that Loki is the master of illusion... Also, if you stay for more credits and show the last bit of patience possible... There is further storyline! Can it truly be?! Two lovers just might be reunited....
So check it out and tell me what you think!
And just for fun ;-)
 

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Delivery Man movie preview

There is a new movie on its way to theaters near you. I’m sure at least some of you have seen hints of Delivery Man.
I’ve been chosen to deliver a little more information and a limited release preview to appeal to your movie-going senses. It’s about a guy that, in his younger years, donates to a fertility clinic “anonymously”. For whatever reasons, a large number of various women get pregnant using his donated sperm and in the end there are 533 children bearing the same genes thanks to an unknown father! Vince Vaughn plays the father. A large number of these children that were fathered thanks to him decide to sue for the right to know who he is. As you can imagine, he doesn’t want to have anything revealed. He’s a bit of a loser with no real purpose to his life other than to survive the day-to-day monotony. He’s given a folder with names and information on these, now adult, children that are suing the clinic.
Despite being warned by his lawyer that he shouldn’t show interest in them, he decided to open Pandora’s envelope and check up on these people and see what he unknowingly created. As he meets them, his views on everything in his life and the lawsuit begin to shift and change dramatically. He finds himself wanting to help these people.  
I think it’s a very interesting concept. I was adopted by my Dad. My mom got pregnant by the guy I dearly refer to as the “sperm donor”. He was young and scared and ran off like a pup with his tail between his legs to his mother. But love found my mom and me in the form of the only man worthy of me calling Dad. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now I’m a grown woman with my own family and 9 siblings to boot! Couldn’t be happier.
“Family” has so many variations and meanings to people today. But I think the one thing they hold in common is that families are made of the individuals who stick with you and love you no matter what. I believe this movie opens up a touching family theme and I hope you all enjoy it! Be sure to check it out and then tell me what you like/dislike about it. What does family mean to you?