To escape the heat we saw The Secret Life of Pets. It gets good reviews and other people we know really enjoyed it, but the trailer never impressed me. It looked like another perfectly OK kids movie that would be on Netflix in a few months.
I wasn't wrong. It was perfectly OK and that is about it. The movie, which is a rarity these days, does have more going on than the trailer implies. That was a nice surprise.
The funniest part was the minions short before the movie.
Anyway, Bug gave it a thumbs up and thought the crazy bunny was her favorite character.
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kids. Show all posts
Sunday, August 14, 2016
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Cinderella
Initially I had no intention of taking Bug to see this movie. I was firmly in the camp that thinks remakes can never be as good as the originals. The Frozen short was a bit of draw, but it would eventually end up on You Tube….
Then I heard the Wittertainment review and interview with smiling Sir Kenneth Branaugh. The good doctors sold me on it.
I am glad they did. Bug and I had a good time. Bug thought it was beautiful. She was a little antsy towards the end of the movie, so I wasn’t sure she liked it. Then we got home and she went on and on telling H about how great it was.
The movie is beautiful. The colors and costumes are colorful and well done.
I think the best part for me was that this version sticks to basics of the original, but makes Cinderella a strong character. She is treated terribly and bad things do happen to her. She does rely on the help of magic to meet the prince. However, she chooses to stay with her step-mother. She chooses to accept the prince’s hand. Her strength and character draw the prince to her. She tries to get to the ball on her own.
The message is also great “Always have courage and be kind."
There is a lot of dying parents, but the deaths are not dwelled upon. Instead, the love and strengths of the parents are played up.
The step-mother is scary. However, she is over the top which blunts some of the effect. Her back story also serves to humanize her.
The Frozen short was cute. I liked the song and Bug was singing it for a day.
The combination of the short and the feature is a bit long for fidgity kids. Bug spent the last 10 - 20 minutes standing, walking, and generally fidgeting. She liked the movie, but couldn’t keep her little body still for two hours.
Then I heard the Wittertainment review and interview with smiling Sir Kenneth Branaugh. The good doctors sold me on it.
I am glad they did. Bug and I had a good time. Bug thought it was beautiful. She was a little antsy towards the end of the movie, so I wasn’t sure she liked it. Then we got home and she went on and on telling H about how great it was.
The movie is beautiful. The colors and costumes are colorful and well done.
I think the best part for me was that this version sticks to basics of the original, but makes Cinderella a strong character. She is treated terribly and bad things do happen to her. She does rely on the help of magic to meet the prince. However, she chooses to stay with her step-mother. She chooses to accept the prince’s hand. Her strength and character draw the prince to her. She tries to get to the ball on her own.
The message is also great “Always have courage and be kind."
There is a lot of dying parents, but the deaths are not dwelled upon. Instead, the love and strengths of the parents are played up.
The step-mother is scary. However, she is over the top which blunts some of the effect. Her back story also serves to humanize her.
The Frozen short was cute. I liked the song and Bug was singing it for a day.
The combination of the short and the feature is a bit long for fidgity kids. Bug spent the last 10 - 20 minutes standing, walking, and generally fidgeting. She liked the movie, but couldn’t keep her little body still for two hours.
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Paddington
Bug and I were excited to see Paddington. She loved the trailer and the Witterati had nothing but praise for the movie. It seemed like the perfect way to spend a snowbound Presidents Day.
The movie was gorgeous. Paddington looked real and like it was filmed with the actors. The cast did a fabulous job acting against a ghost.
The story is pretty magical as well. It could easily slip into sentimental slop, but the writing is honest and infused with wit and charm and peril.
Lord Grantham in a dress is worth the price of admission.
The only criticism I have of the movie is the scares. There were two very scary sections that seemed a little over the top. The last one, in particular, felt gratuitous.
Bug liked the movie, but the scary parts were a little too much for her. She wasn’t overwrought and didn’t have nightmares, but she didn’t really like them.
The movie was gorgeous. Paddington looked real and like it was filmed with the actors. The cast did a fabulous job acting against a ghost.
The story is pretty magical as well. It could easily slip into sentimental slop, but the writing is honest and infused with wit and charm and peril.
Lord Grantham in a dress is worth the price of admission.
The only criticism I have of the movie is the scares. There were two very scary sections that seemed a little over the top. The last one, in particular, felt gratuitous.
Bug liked the movie, but the scary parts were a little too much for her. She wasn’t overwrought and didn’t have nightmares, but she didn’t really like them.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Annie
Bug has been a obsessed with Annie for a few months. We took her to see a live performance in the fall and H plays the songs in the car all the time. When the new Annie movie opened, we knew Bug would see it.Last Saturday we decided to give Bug the choice of activities for the afternoon. She had been doing our choice for days and days. She choose to see Annie.It was playing at a bunch of theaters and it was out for a few weeks. We decided not to preorder tickets. The chances of a show being sold out was crazy low....
We got to the theater 30 minutes early and discovered that there were only two seat, that were not together, left for the showing we wanted.....
The Internet saved the day. I opened the Movies app on my phone found a nearby theater that had three, just three, tickets left that happened to be together. Not sure when theaters started using assigned seating... Crying averted.
The seats were spectacular. The theater was equipped with powered recliners. Our assigned seats were in the front row and the reclining made watching the movie doable. Bug was particularly thrilled. The seat wrapped her in cushy comfort.
The movie itself was a fine update. The music updates the original while maintaining a clear heritage. The new Annie was well acted. The star walked the fine line between upbeat and saccharin. The adult cast was passable. Cameron Diaz almost pulls off Ms. Hanagin as a basically good person. Jamie Fox is wooden. The poor adult acting doesn't really detract from the movie. Annie manages to carry the weight on her own.
The writing is bad. Jamie Fox's character, aside from his acting, is hard to believe. The new Ms. Hanigan character is also pretty poorly drawn. I never really bought her sudden change of heart. The only character who is well drawn is the villain. He is appropriately over the top.
On a personal note I did appreciate that the new Annie is African-American. It is nice to have a young, strong, positive role model for Bug.
Bug sat through the whole movie without much fidgeting and only one potty break. There was occasional quiet singing. After the movie she danced it out to the end credit songs. Since she has repeated some of the lines in the movie and talked about the story. When asked thumbs up or thumbs down, she responded thumbs up.
Annie is a nice movie for the kiddie crowd and not a terrible one for the adult crowd.
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Boxtrolls
Bug and I needed something to do on a rainy Saturday. The movies, while still staring at a screen, at least require getting out of the house.
Bug saw an advert for Boxtrolls weeks ago. Using our generic iDevice, we also watched the trailers. Bug and I thought it looked fun. H wasn't so sure. The BBC's flagship movie program gave Boxtrolls a positive nod. The only issue was that it was PG and a little scrungy.
H was gone for the weekend; it was rainy; Bug handles scrunge with aplomb. The plan was set. Off to one of the local independent theaters for an afternoon of scrungy, stop motion movie fun.
We got to the theater with plenty of time. I checked if Bug needed to use the potty. "No." Then we rushed past the vending area to get some choice seating.
Bug wanted to sit in the front row. In a newer theater I would have weathered the storm of saying no, but this theater is set up to make front row viewing pleasantish. The screen is big, but not crazy big. It is also close to eye-level. You don't need to sit in astronaut position for the whole show or worry about only seeing part of the screen.
We got settled in and starting watching the few previews when a family sits next to us and they all have treats. "Daddy, I really wish I had popcorn." "We'll miss some of the movie." "I want popcorn more than missing some of the movie." So, we go get popcorn. Again I ask about the potty. "No."
Once we settle in with our popcorn, "Daddy, I need to go potty. I cannot hold it." The bathroom is right outside the door to the theater and is not occupied.
We settle in for the final time having missed about ten minutes of the movie. The bits we missed didn't hinder us from enjoying the movie or following the story. I'm sure it was fun stuff, but not terribly important.
The movie was great. The animation was beautifully scrungy. The story was cute. The characters were very well done. It is pretty amazing how much character a box can have. The humor worked for both Bug and I.
Kenzie had a good time and reported that she like it. She sat for the whole time without much fidgeting. The few scary bits didn't bother her much. She was appropriately tense. Bug doesn't like loud noises and nothing bothered her.
I'd give it a definite thumbs up as a family movie. It works on several levels. Fans of Beckett will enjoy the end credits.
Bug saw an advert for Boxtrolls weeks ago. Using our generic iDevice, we also watched the trailers. Bug and I thought it looked fun. H wasn't so sure. The BBC's flagship movie program gave Boxtrolls a positive nod. The only issue was that it was PG and a little scrungy.
H was gone for the weekend; it was rainy; Bug handles scrunge with aplomb. The plan was set. Off to one of the local independent theaters for an afternoon of scrungy, stop motion movie fun.
We got to the theater with plenty of time. I checked if Bug needed to use the potty. "No." Then we rushed past the vending area to get some choice seating.
Bug wanted to sit in the front row. In a newer theater I would have weathered the storm of saying no, but this theater is set up to make front row viewing pleasantish. The screen is big, but not crazy big. It is also close to eye-level. You don't need to sit in astronaut position for the whole show or worry about only seeing part of the screen.
We got settled in and starting watching the few previews when a family sits next to us and they all have treats. "Daddy, I really wish I had popcorn." "We'll miss some of the movie." "I want popcorn more than missing some of the movie." So, we go get popcorn. Again I ask about the potty. "No."
Once we settle in with our popcorn, "Daddy, I need to go potty. I cannot hold it." The bathroom is right outside the door to the theater and is not occupied.
We settle in for the final time having missed about ten minutes of the movie. The bits we missed didn't hinder us from enjoying the movie or following the story. I'm sure it was fun stuff, but not terribly important.
The movie was great. The animation was beautifully scrungy. The story was cute. The characters were very well done. It is pretty amazing how much character a box can have. The humor worked for both Bug and I.
Kenzie had a good time and reported that she like it. She sat for the whole time without much fidgeting. The few scary bits didn't bother her much. She was appropriately tense. Bug doesn't like loud noises and nothing bothered her.
I'd give it a definite thumbs up as a family movie. It works on several levels. Fans of Beckett will enjoy the end credits.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Frozen
For Bug's first movie we decided on Frozen. It got generally good reviews from both the critics and other parents. I had also heard enough about it to believe that it wasn't the standard Disney princess movie where the hero and true love save the day. I'm not reflexively opposed to traditional fairy tale based princess movies, but I also like subverting tradition when possible.
Despite a rocky beginning, the outing was a success.
It turned out that the screening we went to was in 3D, so Bug was a little thrown by the glasses. Some of the previews were a little intense for her as well. The worst trailers, for a little kid, were for Maleficent and How to Train Your Dragon. How to Train Your Dragon was rough because, Bug saw the nice holiday special, so had happy feeling towards it. After the initial intro to the trailer, things get a little scary.
Frozen was excellent. There are a few heavy moments, but nothing truly scary. The music is great. The animation is luscious. The 3D effects were the smoothest I have seen. I do think that the movie is just as good without them; the 3D doesn't add anything. Bug stayed quite through the entire movie. She moved into the aisle a few times to get a better view of the screen. After the movie, she went home and asked to watch the trailers again. When asked what her favorite part of the movie was, she replied "the music."
Most of the story went over her head, which is to be expected given that she is under four. For us, or for a child old enough to follow it, the story is great. It balances serious and humor well. The tension is modulated well for the audience. You get that big things are being dealt with, but there are very few scares. The best thing about the story, for me, is its subversiveness. In many ways, it plays like the standard princess fairy tale with slight updates to make the princess more spunky ala Tangled. Then the plot turns and it is no longer in traditional fairy tale land.
The pre-movie feature, featuring classic Disney characters, is also top notch. To be most effective, it does require 3D, but it is a fun use of the technology.
Despite a rocky beginning, the outing was a success.
It turned out that the screening we went to was in 3D, so Bug was a little thrown by the glasses. Some of the previews were a little intense for her as well. The worst trailers, for a little kid, were for Maleficent and How to Train Your Dragon. How to Train Your Dragon was rough because, Bug saw the nice holiday special, so had happy feeling towards it. After the initial intro to the trailer, things get a little scary.
Frozen was excellent. There are a few heavy moments, but nothing truly scary. The music is great. The animation is luscious. The 3D effects were the smoothest I have seen. I do think that the movie is just as good without them; the 3D doesn't add anything. Bug stayed quite through the entire movie. She moved into the aisle a few times to get a better view of the screen. After the movie, she went home and asked to watch the trailers again. When asked what her favorite part of the movie was, she replied "the music."
Most of the story went over her head, which is to be expected given that she is under four. For us, or for a child old enough to follow it, the story is great. It balances serious and humor well. The tension is modulated well for the audience. You get that big things are being dealt with, but there are very few scares. The best thing about the story, for me, is its subversiveness. In many ways, it plays like the standard princess fairy tale with slight updates to make the princess more spunky ala Tangled. Then the plot turns and it is no longer in traditional fairy tale land.
The pre-movie feature, featuring classic Disney characters, is also top notch. To be most effective, it does require 3D, but it is a fun use of the technology.
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Despicable Me 2
H and I decided to go see this based solely on one joke that happens in the first twenty minutes of the movie. As far as I was concerned, the movie had little else to recommend it. I am not a fan of Steve Carell's work in general and reviews of the first film were pretty like warm.
It turns out that the sequel is better than the original. It must be because they ramped up the minion count. The adult characters are forgettable. The children are cute, but forgettable. The story is sweet, but predictable and forgettable.
What keeps things interesting is the comedy of the minions. I laughed enough to not feel like we wasted our money. I can imagine watching with wee child on Netflix and enjoying it.
It turns out that the sequel is better than the original. It must be because they ramped up the minion count. The adult characters are forgettable. The children are cute, but forgettable. The story is sweet, but predictable and forgettable.
What keeps things interesting is the comedy of the minions. I laughed enough to not feel like we wasted our money. I can imagine watching with wee child on Netflix and enjoying it.
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