Star Wars is Back!

We just got home from seeing the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. I give it two thumbs up! I am a lifelong Star Wars fan, so I was going in with a critical eye.

When we first sat down in the theater, the guy next to me said this was his third time back, so that was a good sign.

I did keep the negative reviews in mind. Some said that there were too many scenes that blatantly copied the first film. I did see some familiar elements, but I don't think they copied the scenes. Dialogue was used again because there are certain lines that always have to be in every Star Wars movie, such as "I have a bad feeling about this.". That didn't bother me at all.

I had read all the spoilers. Sorry, but I've always been a spoiler junkie. I don't like surprises. I'm very happy to know the ending of a movie first, then watch the character journey to that end. I knew what the big climactic scene was going to be and I was ready for it.

SPOILER ALERT: Someone dies. (You're shocked, I know.)

Honestly, I was more upset when Luke lost his hand in The Empire Strikes Back. I won't really miss the character and it was good drama, pivotal to the story. I look forward to the aftermath in the next film.

One thing I was pretty upset with (mini spoiler alert) was the fact that Luke Skywalker was not in the film! Okay, we do get to see him in the last moment of the film, but that was not enough for me. I love Luke Skywalker, always have. I wanted this movie to be about him training the new generation of Jedi warriors. I think we will get that in the next film, though.

All in all, I think J. J. Abrams was the perfect choice to direct this new trilogy. He's a fan and it shows.

Movie Review: Friends with Kids

We just watched Friends with Kids, starring Adam Scott, Jennifer Westfeldt, Maya Rudolf, Chris O'Dowd, Kristin Wiig and John Hamm. It was like a Bridesmaids reunion! It was full of witty conversations and sex jokes, but at the heart of it was a serious drama.

The story is about a group of friends from college who grow up together and start families. Two of the friends are not involved, but very close. They see their other friends having kids along with relationship problems and decide it must be because the romance was ruined by the kids. These two friends want to have children, but don't want to see it ruin their possible romances. Since they haven't found their true loves yet, they decide to have a kid. They can share responsibilities and search for love, since the hard part is out of the way. Their friends all think they're insane. Having a kid changes everything. They find that out the hard way.

My 14 year old daughter, my husband and I had a great discussion over this story. Once you are a family unit and find your groove do you really want to change things? What if the other partner finds love and you don't? What if one friend falls in love with the other friend? Can you trust those feelings? Or is it just the convenience of the family unit?

I liked the movie, but the ending left me hanging. I was hoping for a bonus scene.

Movie Review: Mockingjay, Part 2

Yesterday I took my daughter to preview night of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2.

In a word it was AMAZING! It was so close to the book that I cannot complain much. The only problem I had was a lot of important moments went by too quickly, but when you're reading something it does get stretched out a bit with commentary. Then the ending I just had hoped would be embellished a bit. The book jumped to the epilogue too abruptly for me and so did the movie. It was still great. I just wanted more.

In this final chapter we follow Katniss and company into the Capitol on her quest to assassinate Hitler, er, President Snow. He knows they're coming and has booby trapped the entire city. With cameras rolling he intends for this to be the greatest Hunger Games ever.

The special effects worked seamlessly. There were jump scares throughout, making everyone scream and gasp. My daughter and I were clinging to each other at one point, knowing what was to come (since she's the one who made me read the books).

By the end of the film you don't know who is the real enemy and who is just trying to keep the peace for the greater good, no matter how screwed up their thinking might be. Well, if you read the books you know.

This story is quite a political statement on war. You may think your government is doing the right thing, but there are hidden agendas everywhere.

The theater was pretty packed, but everyone was respectful and vocal at the right times. We laughed and booed and cheered together.

The series has ended, so I guess you could say I am hungry no more.

Movie Review: Khalil Gibran's The Prophet

Just wow.

I think I sat through most of the film with my mouth hanging open in wonder and awe.

On the surface The Prophet is a children's film about a little girl who befriends a political prisoner who teaches her how to live life to the fullest, no matter where you are.

When you dig deeper it is really a philosophical essay on the meaning of life disguised as the Fantasia sequel Disney was afraid to touch.

The movie is a series of poems and essays by Khalil Gibran set to beautiful animation, like paintings that come to life and dance, with narration by Liam Neeson or songs. They are strung together by a simple animated story of a little girl, her mother, a poet/artist arrested for his "radical" writings and the townspeople who love him. To them his words make their lives more meaningful. They would do anything for him. Of course, the military see this as dangerous.

This is something everyone should see. Parents should take their children.

Then afterwards you can discuss philosophy and rush out to buy the book.

Here is some of the art from the movie. Imagine it on the big screen and dancing to music. Gorgeous!

Movie Review: TRAINWRECK

What can I say? I'm a Judd Apatow fan. My favorite comedy of all time is The 40-Year-Old Virgin, so it's no wonder I loved TRAINWRECK. It's almost the exact opposite story. Instead of a shy male virgin we have a totally promiscuous commitment phobic woman
(played by the hilarious but raunchy Amy Schumer). When she falls in love for the first time with a kind young doctor (played by the adorable Bill Hader) she gets so freaked out she keeps waiting for any excuse to break up. At first she is not a very likable character, but as we get to know her better, it's obvious she is in pain. She drowns herself in alcohol, drugs and meaningless sex due to her fear that she will never have the fairytale ending she secretly longs for.

I don't recommend this movie for people on a first date. It could be awkward. There is a lot of nudity (male butts) and sexual situations. I have no problem with that. Couples will enjoy this. Women will identify with Amy, while men will love all the sport cameos. LeBron James is very funny as Hader's best friend and fellow Downton Abbey fan. Tilda Swinton as Amy's boss is brilliant (but she's brilliant in everything).

On the surface Apatow films seem like immature comedies, but they really aren't. The characters might be immature, but the writing is quick and smart and very honest.

Movie Review: SIRIUS

Another movie review??? What's up with that?

Sorry, I write what I feel like writing. Today, it's not about puppies.

A new world, connected by the information superhighway, no longer beholden to government misinformation? That is pretty much the main idea behind this film I thought was just going to be about alien encounters.

Sirius is really a thought-provoking commentary on government cover-ups and corporate greed. Whether you are into conspiracy theories or not, this was a fascinating documentary. I've always loved UFO and paranormal stories, but you don't need to be a believer to enjoy this film. It delves into the science of energy, technology, genetics, shadow government, and much more. It is long, though, so you do need to be a fan of documentaries.

Watch Idiocracy to see where we're all headed if we don't wise up. That's me talking, not the documentary.

Movie Review - Song of the Sea

We just watched a really sweet family film called Song of the Sea,

A young boy finds himself among the magical beings of Ireland when he discovers his little sister is a selkie.  In the beginning he resents her. Along the way he learns about love and selflessness.

This was a beautiful story and animation at its finest! Very stylized. It reminded me of Sita Sings the Blues (another very cool animated movie).

My husband had been to The Cartoon Art Museum a few weeks ago, when they were showing the art of the film. He came home and put this at the top of our Netflix list. I'm glad he did.

I'm not a big fan of animated movies, unless they're Disney or Pixar, but once in a while I'll see something that really grabs hold of me and won't let go. This was one of those times. I highly recommend it. Great for all ages.

The Search for Happiness

A movie review: Hector and the Search for Happiness

My daughter chose this film on Netflix tonight because she is a huge fan of Simon Pegg. He is most known for writing and starring in his own comedies. This was not one of them.

Pegg plays Hector, a psychiatrist who is not happy with his monotonous life. He sets off on an adventure to find the meaning of happiness. This movie has a beautiful message about what happiness really is.

One of my favorite scenes in the movie is where a cancer patient tells Hector he has a true talent, that "listening is loving". That line was very special to my daughter because she wants to be a therapist when she grows up. I told her she is going to make a lot of people feel loved. That made her very happy.

Go make someone happy today.