The Three Stooges

When hearing about the making of this movie, I had mixed feelings. You see, my father is a huge Stooge fan and owns about every episode of the three bone heads. While I usually take my mom's side of the entertainment boat, I have always found myself enjoying the Stooges. It's more than just smacks and puns. It's the characters, their history, and their ability to make you laugh.

So when this movie came out, I was worried. Hollywood has a tendency to.....how do I put this.....slaughter TV history's most lovable characters. And when the trailer was realized I was also a little worried because of the dreaded and unneeded "bikini nun" scene.

But during the time of the release my father was very stressed. You see, he is a pastor and a police officer. Both jobs don't really fall under the "fun" category. Some things popped up at the church and county work was starting to get to him. So I thought it might be good for us to wing a visit to the local theater and take in an hour and a half of the Stooges.

Grabbed my popcorn, sat down, and my fingers were crossed....Either this movie would do justice or ruin the Stooges for everyone.....and before I could even finish my first handful of popcorn I started choking on it....from laughter....

Another fact you may want to know is that my father doesn't laugh much. He's got a gift for making people laugh and he's got an amazing sense of humor. But, he doesn't laugh that much. Well, as soon as the movie started that all changed. I have never, repeat, never heard him laugh so much. This movie left you with a huge smile on your face. They did the Stooges, they weren't just doing them, they WERE the stooges. The quirks, the gags, and the "NUKS" were all there.

It took me a full day to get rid of that stupid smile I had on, but that didn't stop me from seeing it again (mom dodged it the first time, but the second my dad MADE her see it). He now calls it his "Favorite movie".

I'm a pushover for movie with good writing....and that's not really what I saw here, there were more slaps than words. But to see the Stooges after all these years come to life again, that was priceless. Would I recommend this movie? That depends. If you loved the Stooges, you need to see this film. If you didn't, then don't torture yourself. But again, for those people who know them, and enjoy them. This movie will make your day and always bring a smile to your face when you think about it.

The Hunger Games

Being a huge fan of the books, I wanted the movie to do justice. And you know what? I'm pretty happy about the justice going around here.

The movie's deep meaning was very important to it's success. Showing that we, as a culture, are becoming more and more desensitized to violence. And what would be a good way to show that? Showing violence you don't want to cheer for. In too many movies today we start cheering on the hero (who is normally gunned) to blast away his baddies. By doing this we start to loose our grip on morals, and they end up falling to the floor, shattering. This movie creates a world where violence is completely wrong, and no death is cheered on unless you want to be a part of psychotic and evil capital.

This helps us try to find that one piece that slid under the fridge, out of reach of the vacuum.

But what everyone really is thinking is, "Should I be taking my kid to this?" and "Kids killing kids? Are you crazy?" Let me first say this, whoever says "That movie is evil because of the teen-kill-teen thing" has obviously never read the book. There is a whole other layer to it that would take rewriting the book to explain. The movie isn't cheering it on, it's doing the opposite in fact.
Now, with the kid part. It was on the more violent end of the movie spectrum. In fact, a bit too much for my taste. Speaking of taste, they did the violence quite tastefully. With quick cutaways and the more violent parts of the book skipped over, the movie delivers the book without the book's blood. But that doesn't stop a few splatters here and there. Hey, who's going to get the film's message if there aren't a few shocking moments to slap some sense into people? Another problem for kids is that there are about four swear words in the movie (D's and H's) and that more than anything turns me off to a movie. The words are so out of place that it seems like they finished the movie and said "Oh no! We forgot the swearing!" and then dubbed some right then and there. I would not recommend this film for anyone under 15.

This film also gives us a "On the edge of your seat and on the tip of your toes" feeling. Causing you to stuff as much popcorn in your face as you can just to keep up your energy.
For a movie that was 2 hours and 22 minutes long it kept it's interest going until the credits, giving us a movie that kept feeding us, not just dangling a carrot. That takes skill and great story telling (two things that this movie owns)

My only problem with it is that, if you have not read the book, prepare to be lost. The movie has a strong "If you want to understand what's going on, read the book" mentality, leaving the boyfriend who was dragged there by his girl friend at a complete loss. But, for those of us (let me rephrase that) The majority of us who saw it because the books gave us (as Melvin the Martian said) "All a tingle!" it was a great cinematic experience that did honor to the book and tipped it's hat at the fans along the way.

Hugo

One of the best movies I've ever seen, one that makes me want to jump out of my chair and say "YES!" in a crowded theater.

I thought I was all alone in my movie-loving world. I thought that what I felt for the cinematic arts was something no one else felt. That is, till I saw Hugo. It showed me that what I felt for movies was real and something shared by those in the industry. Something that was not directed toward money (Although many today are that way) but something purely for the love of the art.

The movie is extremely colorful and fun, it's a movie so filled with passion and care that it almost brings tears to your eyes just watching it.
Every shot is planned out beautifully, even where there are dust specs it was on purpose.

The passion it gives is unbelievably hard to explain using just meager words, I guess that's how Scorsese felt, because he used a  movie to better explain it.

Tin Tin

Tin Tin is an amazing ride for kids and adults alike, it's pure blend of awesome animation and clever script is something that is rarely seen in today's movie-mad box office.

The camera angles and the transitions are enough to capture the eye of a typical movie goer, not just someone who looks for them, this takes believable creativity and imagination.
The characters are clean and funny, full of life and know right where they belong in the CG world, giving you the impression that the characters you love will make it through the entire film without any problems. And all the while giving you a ride for the entire family without shying away from the "always needed" action that everybody wants.

I can't say much more than that you need to go to your nearest redbox, rent it, look for the angles and transitions, and just have a good time!

Oh, then buy it.