The House is a piece of garbage

Movie Title:  
The House

Grade:  F because it has 3.8 million F-bombs in it (and it's a terrible movie)

Rating: R

In a Nutshell:   Why are so many trashy movies coming out in theaters that glorify extremely bad behavior?  

If you like being assaulted by an F-bomb every 2.7 seconds, watching people throw up and get high, then this raunchy piece of garbage is for you.

Uplifting theme: 

•  Family
•  Crime pays? 
• College is expensive and makes parents go crazy

Things I liked:

• I liked seeing Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler together again.  Besides their SNL background, they were both in Blades of Glory ten years ago. Honestly, Amy Poehler was better than Will Ferrell in this flick. If you see this in theaters, you'll also see Will Ferrell being featured in the upcoming sequel of Daddy's Home.
• Jason Mantzoukas was really good in this.  He and Amy Poehler were both in the zany  Parks and Recreation: The Complete Series TV show together.
• The premise is somewhat interesting, so I was curious what they were going to do with the idea.  I live in Las Vegas, so I'm definitely familiar with the idea that the "house always wins." The movie could have been really interesting.  It wasn't.
• There is mention of Panera Bread.  Man, I love that place! I thought it about during the rest of the movie.

Things I didn’t like:

•  It's vulgar and stupid.   
• You might chuckle a time or two, but it's not very funny.
• The family is totally into watching The Walking Dead: Season 1.  I was a fan for a few seasons, but I'm over it.  It seems they could have picked a newer TV show to be obsessed about.
•  This is director Andrew Jay Cohen's first film.  Hopefully, he learns from his mistakes and chooses better writers next time.

Funny lines:

• “One of us has to be an adult here.  So, you be it.” – Kate Johansen (Amy Poehler)
• “What about Bob?” – Bob  (Nick Kroll)   The Johansens laugh and refer to the movie Bill Murray was in called What About Bob?.  Bob then says, “Am I the only one who doesn’t get Bill Murray?”  Yes, Bob.  Yes, you are.  By the way, you should see What About Bob? instead of this one.  
• “Did you just say whom?” – Scott Johansen  (Yeah, I’m a Grammar Nazi too.)

Tips for parents: 

• TONS of marijuana, cocaine, alcohol, gambling, blood-gushing violence, and vomit. 
• People flip the bird.
• Full frontal nudity of men and women walking down the stairs quickly.
•  This is NOT a movie you could show your family with a filtering service.  You would see about a 5 minute clip after the service wiped all of the garbage out.  This is a true Rated R movie.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Inside Out is one of Pixar's most honest and deep hits

Movie:   Inside Out

PG, 1 hour 34 minutes

Grade:  A

In a Nutshell:   This is Pixar at its finest.  It’s fresh and original and surprisingly deep.  It’s about emotions, so expect to bring tissues.  With a fantastic cast and great writing, this insightful animation will touch the hearts of all ages.  It’s honest, sophisticated, and imaginative and will make you think about your own life and memories in a new way.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Amy Poehler’s character asks in the very beginning of the movie: “Do you ever look at someone and wonder what is going on inside their head?” The film is extremely creative in showing how our emotions work, as well as evolve.

·         “You can’t focus on what’s going wrong.  There’s always a way to turn it around, to find the fun.” – Joy

·         I think everyone can relate to the feeling of sadness and melancholy we feel when remembering the past.  Feeling sadness is OK.  It’s a part of life and learning.

Things I liked:

·         It’s a mature kid’s film.  In other words, there aren’t stupid farting and burping scenes, like in most kid movies.

·         The color is lush and rich and meaningful.  I love how some of the colors glow.

·         Keep watching when the credits start rolling at the end of the movie.  I love it when movies give you more.

·         “Train of thought”….ha ha
-    The funny voice talents include: Amy Poehler (Joy), Bill Hader (Fear), Lewis Black (Anger), Mindy Kaler (Disgust), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), and Richard Kind (Bing Bong).

·         I love how Joy gives herself pep talks and focuses on the good to keep herself happy.  Shouldn’t we all do that more often?  She says, “Joy, you’ll be in charge of the console, keeping Riley happy all day.  And may I add I love your dress?  It’s adorable.  Oh, this old thing?  Thank you so much!  I love the way it twirls!”  A few years ago I wrote a “Things that make me happy” list that I refer to when I’m feeling down.  I’ve been trying to fill each day of my life with more of the things on that list.  It sounds like such an “Oprah” thing to do, but it works and I highly recommend it!

·         There are several poignant moments when someone is feeling down and Sadness reflects the emotion, while carefully listening.   Joy is surprised and learns that Sadness’ response is more helpful and appropriate than simply trying to cheer someone up or change the other person’s attitude.  I’ll never forget when a dear friend’s husband died.  Everyone was at a loss as to what to say.  Most of us weakly grinned and said something like “I'm so sorry. Everything will be OK.”  I watched as someone wrapped her arms around my friend's sorrowing body and simply cried with her.  She later told me that meant more to her than anything else.   

·         I loved the teenage boy’s reaction towards the end of the movie at the hockey game.

·         I remember being 11.  It seemed like it lasted 2 years.

·         I get tired of being slapped and preached at by so many movies nowadays, but this film does none of that.  It’s an intelligent movie that allows you to reflect and dig as deep as you would like.

·         Director Pete Docter successfully manages to make you feel happy and sad at the same time, like he did in Pixar’s brilliant movie “Up”.

Things I didn’t like:

·         Some parts of Joy’s journey seemed super random and willy-nilly.  Then again, some parts of my own journey are that way too.

Funny lines:

·         “I read somewhere that an empty room is an opportunity.” - Joy

“Where did you read that?”  - Anger

“It doesn’t matter. I read it and it’s great.” – Joy

·         “Congratulations, San Francisco.  You’ve ruined pizza!  First, the Hawaiians and now you!” – Anger

·         “Crying helps me slow down and obsess over the weight of life’s problems.” – Sadness

·         “When I’m through, Riley will look so good, the other kids will look at their own outfits and barf.”  - Disgust

·         “Being cool is so exhausting.” – Emo teenager

·         “Wait Joy!  You’ll get lost in there.” – Sadness

“Think positive!” – Joy

“Okay…I’m positive that you’ll get lost in there.”  - Sadness

·         “Maybe it was a bear?” – Fear

“There are no bears in San Francisco.”  - Disgust

“I saw a really hairy guy.  He looked like a bear.” - Anger

Tips for Parents:

·         Watching this film together creates a great opportunity to talk to your kids about life’s experiences and how they’re feeling.  As a society, we’re often told to just have a good attitude and everything will work out.  Well, sometimes things don’t work out.  Kids need to know that their feelings are valid; they’re allowed to feel angry or disappointed or scared.  It’s acting on our feelings that can often get us in trouble.

·         The movie is clean and inoffensive.

·         There is a scary clown scene that might worry wee ones (I just got back from Scotland and so I have to use the word “wee”).

·         Pixar has always been mindful of parents who are paying for the movie tickets and sitting through the film with their kids.  As a mom, I definitely appreciate that.  This movie is different in that parents may actually enjoy this movie more than their kids will, because of the profound truths layered underneath the color and fun. 

This is one you'll want to watch again:

Sure, there will be merchandising.  I don't mind on this one.  It's already out: