REVIEW: The Blind Side

The Blind Side
-PG-13-
released November 20, 2009


I loved, loved, loved this film.  AMAZING!  


Sandra Bullock has played many roles, even one who made me cry in The Proposal, but this has to be my all time favorite.


The saying, "A picture says a thousand words" this movie poster makes a STATEMENT.  Not only is this film based on a true story, it will touch your heart in ways no other movie has.


If you only watch one movie this year, this is the one I would choose for you!  


That is all I'm going to say on this!  Please honor yourself by watching it!

REVIEW: New Moon

New Moon
-PG-13-
released November 20, 2009


This Highly anticipated sequel to the popular Twilight film, did not let the fans down.


As most people know, these movies are based on the best selling (and extremely popular) novels by Stephanie Meyer.  


They compare Vampires to Warewolves, but Stephanie looks at these fictional monsters in a different way then anyone ever has.  


New Moon is one of my favorites of the series because it focuses on the werewolves.  I'm very happy the film makers decided to keep Taylor Lautner as the werewolf, Jacob Black.  He was in the first movie and almost did not make the second because of his physic.  Luckily, he proved that he's deserved the role by becoming the part.  I admire him for that.


Joining the cast are those in the royalty of the Volturi, are  Michael Sheen as Aro; Jamie Campbell Bower as Caius; Christopher Heyerdahl as Marcus; Dakota Fanning as Jane; Cameron Bright as Alec; Charlie Bewley as Demetri; and Daniel Cudmore as Felix.


I loved this film and cannot wait for the remaining two to complete the visual series.

REVIEW: This Is It

This Is It
-PG-
released October 28, 2009


Okay......... Michael Jackson was an amazing artist with tons of talent and imagination.  


Now that I've said that, I hated this film.


I worked behind big stage productions and my least favorite part was sitting through rehearsals and all this movie was was chunks of that rehearsal.  I was expecting something much, much more from the pictures and hipe from what this actually became.


I loved all the songs that were picked and the ideas for the performance were great!  I would have loved to be part of the stage production and see it all take place.  Kudos to all of the minds who thought it all up!!!

REVIEW: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs
-PG-
released 18 September 2009


I have always loved animated movies.  Since the dawn of 3D animation there have been great stories and great visual effects.  This only added to the genre of 3D animation, with quirky characters (in their design to their personalities) to the story climaxes that gave it one of those must-see-again feelings.


I saw this with my 5 year-old niece.  Like most children, just going to the movies is an experience in itself, but this little one kept quoting the movie after we left.  She loved that the food was so big and her favorite part was the Jello House!  


Like most of the animated films there are always a good moral.  I'll let you watch it to see what the moral is.

The genius inventor Flint Lockwood is voiced by Bill Hader (Saturday Night Live) and the reporter Sam Sparks is voiced by Anna Faris (House Bunny).


These two make an incredible duo who find in each other the strength to follow their dreams.


If you haven't seen this movie, please see it.  Sony Animation Studios accomplished a great work of art that everyone will enjoy for years to come!

Moving to Colorado....

Well, there is much to be said, because I am moving again. 
I will leave this coming Sunday and stay with some friends in Ohio and trek across the country for the following 3 days.  I'm going to try to push it to 2 long days, but who knows what will happen!!! 
I'm going to move in with my parents in Colorado.  Try to get a fresh start again and see where life takes me.  I have changed a lot since being here in Michigan, and it has done a lot of detoxing that I needed.  My sister and her family have been great and understanding with that.  I hope to be my new self soon and be more comfortable with the new life I'm trying to get to!!! 
Keep me in your prayers that I travel safe this next week.

REVIEW: Whip It

Whip It
-PG-13-
released October 2, 2009


Directed by Drew Barrymore, this classic tale of small town girl taking a chance on life is vivacious and creative.  
Bliss Cavendar, Ellen Page's (Juno) character is from Bodeen, TX.  Bliss's life is filled with working at the Oink Joint and puffing up her mother's dreams of winning beauty pagents. But she is always dreaming of something more.  Then on a fateful outing to a thrift store, Bliss meets some roller derby girls and a spark is lit.
At 17, not very many of us know where we want to be in 20 years.  All we really worry about is what school we're going to and what we're going to do on the weekend.   So as many teenagers do, Bliss and her friend Pash go the the roller derby tournament, without telling mom and dad.  There Bliss finds her bliss.  Roller derby is just what she needs in her dull life.  Unfortunately telling her parents is out of the question so lies ensue and the repercussions are not fun.  


Why do we all lie about things that make us happy?  Bliss eventually had her happy ending and her family supports her, but if she had not lied, would she have had the outcome she did?  If she would have told her parents upfront, then they wouldn't have let her go.  So in lying about it she hurt her family, but got what she wanted.  It's a hard lesson.  I wish all kids could find something they love and have the full support of parents, but most kids find things that their parents would never support.  Then again, if we don't make our own choices and feel the hard life lessons from them, we would never learn from them.  


This film does have a great moral that many might not see right away.  When you find something you love to do, don't let anything stop you from getting it!!!!  Even with all the pain and heartache, it's still what you love and that makes everything worth it!


I love Ellen Page and I believe she's going to be a great upcoming actress... It would be nice to see her outside of these "charater" roles, to prove that she can stand on her own when it comes to acting.   


Once again check out Wikipedia for more info on this flick.

REVIEW: District 9

District 9 

– R –

Released August 14, 2009

If you do not know what this movie is about, please refer to Wikipedia.  The detail in this description is better then anything I could come up with in a short period of time.

Yes, this movie is rated R, and it is justly so because of the language and gore.  Because of those two facts, many people would truly hate watching this movie.

I loved it!  It was compelling from the start as it was filmed as a documentary.

Set in Johannesburg, South Africa, the film looks back on when the alien ship first arrived on earth in 1982.  Hovering above the city for 3 months without any contact, humans decide to investigate and go up to the ship, but they find an alien race (somewhat looking like what I imagine the Buggers [Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card to look like), who have an insect quality.  Although throughout the entirety of the movie they look less "alien" and more human as we follow the interaction with Wikus (the main antagonist of the aliens, played by Sharlto Copley) who reveals that they are more human then most of the humans they connect with.  

District 9 is the section of land sanctioned for the aliens to live on.  Each of them live in shacks and are forced to live in squalor.  The racism in the film is thick, much like the way the movie was advertised with posters like this.  

As stated before, the film takes on a documentary feel at the beginning where Wikus, Sharlto Copley's character, is in charge of moving all the "non-humans" to a new area called Distict 10, over 20+ years after the arrival of the alien ship.  His job is to retrieve the signatures of the aliens, stating that there will be no resistance.  As the documentary goes on, Wikus is given away as a traitor.

Meanwhile, one of the aliens has been collecting a liquid from their technology for over 20 years.  The collected liquid is contained in a canister the size of two Red Bulls cans long.  So as Wikus searches through all of the homes of the aliens, he finds this canister, disrupts it somehow and becomes infected.  It takes a few hours for him to get the effects, but he begins to change into one of the aliens.  

Now, I have left out a key component of the story.  The aliens weapons are only operational biologically.  Though very powerful, humans cannot use the technology.  So when the government finds out what is happening to Wikus, he is tested and enlisted to be the main experiment.........meaning they are going to dissect him to find out how it works.  Luckily Wikus escapes, only to become a fugitive and find refuge in the part of town he was trying to clean out for his country.  

Wikus ends up helping one of the aliens return to his ship, because Wikus is promised to receive the antidote for his sickness.  But he learns that the alien must first return to his home planet to retrieve the technology and bring reinforcements to transport is kind home.  

So Wikus must wait....... for years to become human again.  

Not only do I love the SciFi element, but the story is very compelling, and yet predictive in parts.  There is a ton of action, yet equal drama to keep you on the edge of your seat.  Beware of the vulgarity and crudeness of language, especially the term "prawn" that is used for the insect aliens.  

The CG element is beautiful.  I love watching movies that look real!  It looked like part of our world history.  I only wish I could meet an alien and see into their soulful eyes.  This element alone shows that the CG element was tastefully done and there should be an award for those who did the animation.  

The moral is obvious, but worthy of bringing up.  Prejudice and racism happens in every country, between many races.  Unless you walk a mile in another's shoes, no matter who they are (alien or not, or even someone of your own family) you have no right to judge them.  
This is one of the main reasons I watch movies.  All of the effects make it entertaining, but the lesson I take from it will live longer than anything else.

I really hope a sequel is made.  There are so many things left unsaid, but sometimes that is the best way to end things.