The Longest Ride surprises with depth

Movie:   The Longest Ride

Pg-13, 2 hours 8 minutes

Grade:   B+

In a Nutshell:   What I thought would just be a sappy, predictable Chick Flick turned out to be a romance with great depth and heart.  We recently saw the beautiful Britt (Brittany) Robertson in Tomorrowland , looking like a spunky teen with gorgeous hair.  A minute later, she’s all grown up and falling in love.  Her boo is the handsome Scott Eastwood whose life revolves around the “toughest sport on dirt”, bull-riding.  He’s the old-fashioned gentleman and hero that every girl wants.

The film is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Nicholas Sparks.   Also featured in two love stories for the price of one are: Alan Alda, Oona Chaplin, and Jack Huston.  I love it when stories intersect and it works well in this movie.

Uplifting Theme:

·         Ruth asks “What right do I have to be happy when there is so much suffering in the world?”  Young Ira wisely states “What right do you have to not be happy?”  Despite life’s trials and challenges, we need to find our own happiness.

·         “Even an accident will have purpose and direction.” – Black Mountain College art teacher

·         Luke explains to Sophia that “All bull riders get hurt.  It’s not a matter of if, but when.”  I think that’s true for humans in general.  We’ll all get hurt emotionally in our lives.  The idea is to get through it gracefully and with love.

·         “Love requires sacrifice.  Always.” – Ira

·         “We focused on all the things we had, rather than the things we didn’t.” - Ira

Things I liked:

·         I live in Las Vegas where “Cowboy Christmas” takes over the town every December.  It was fun to see the bull-riding trials before that big championship.

·         I love the cute  look of a skirt with cowboy boots.  Another good  look is a shy cowboy holding a bouquet of flowers.

·         The film is full of great country music from the Pistol Annies, Black Pistol Fire, The Wild Feathers, Ryan Adams and more.  The Longest Ride (Original Soundtrack Album) will surely be popular.

·         Beautiful North Carolina scenery near where my mother grew up.

·         The first kiss can really say a lot.  Ira explains “Our first kiss – it was the promise of everything to come.”   Couples often spend their lives trying to recapture that original magic.  An older Ira sadly noted “It’s a scary thing how the people closest to you can become strangers.”

·         SPOILER ALERT: I love inspiring World War II movies.  I was surprised to see a cowboy chick flick include a war twist.

·         Sophia explains that her favorite comfort food is a Polish dumpling called “Koldenny”. Want to see what it looks like?
 

·         I thought Ruth was so sweet to her students.  A good elementary school teacher can truly change the direction of a child’s life.

·         The film touches on childless couples and the painful process of adoption.

·         SPOILERT ALERT: The target audience will love the sweet, fairy tale ending.

Things I didn’t like:

·         Over two hours long, some guys in the audience may find new meaning to the title The Longest Ride

·         The ingredients are pretty predictable.  Somebody’s gotta get wet and have to get undressed at some point, right?

·         Both couples include a spunky girl and a quiet, country boy.  Maybe more variety would have added increased depth to the characters.

Funny lines:

·         “I want a cowboy!” – One of Sophia’s sorority sisters

·         “She has the coldest hands I’ve ever felt.  I think she soaks them in ice water before she comes by.” – Ira Levinson  (the wonderful Alan Alda)

·         “How are you feeling?”  - Sophia to Ira

“The better question is how do I look?” – Ira

“Very handsome.” – Sophia

“That’s all I care about.” - Ira

Sappy lines that girls fall for every time:

·         “Our chance at being together was greater than being apart.” – Ira

·         “Today started out like any other day, but when you walked through the door of my father’s store, looking so beautiful and vibrant, I knew my life would never be the same.” – Young Ira (Jack Huston)

·         “I just don’t know how to make this work.” – Luke

“I don’t either, but I know that I want to.” – Sophia

·         “I love you so much, even if that means it doesn’t include me.” – Ira

·         “it’s only 8 seconds.  That girl could be the rest of your life.” – Kate (Lolita Davidovich)

·         “Ruth had an eye for talent.  I only had eyes for Ruth.” - Ira

Tips for Parents:

·         There are moments when you see some naked parts during pre-marital sex, including Scott Eastwood’s bum.  Both couples end up in bed.

·         Mild profanity.

Good for Britt Robertson for having two movies out this summer!

       

Tomorrowland speaks to dreamers

Movie:   Tomorrowland  

PG, 1 hour 47 minutes

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell:  Are you a dreamer?  If so, this Disney film will capture your heart.  Kids will love the non-stop action and futuristic ideas that feel more like believable fantasy than Sci-Fi. Parents will feel young again, but may become annoyed with the preaching about climate change.  It’s kind of a techno-thriller for tweens with a new twist on the ever-popular dystopian genre.

I fell in love with Director Brad Bird’s talent during his animated hit The Incredibles .   While Brad Bird provides the lighthearted fun he is great at, the story gets tangled up by Lost: The Complete Seasons 1-5 writer and co-creator Damon Lindelof.  I think the writers of Lost got lost in their storytelling and that happens a little bit here.

During Spring Break this year, I took the fam to Disneyland.  It happened to be the last day Tommorrowland was to be opened before its reconstruction.  When I was a little girl, it featured an exhibit of what houses would look like in the future.  Up until a couple of months ago, it spotlighted Marvel's The Avengers superheroes and interactive video games mostly.  I can’t wait to see what the new Tomorrowland will highlight to spark our imaginations.  There is a lot from the movie that could easily end up as an awesome new ride…

In the words of Frank, “You wanted to see Tomorrowland…here it comes!”

Uplifting Theme:

·         “There are two wolves and they are always fighting.  One is darkness and despair.  The other is light and hope.  The question is: "Which wolf wins?”   - Casey

“The one you feed.”   - Nate Newton

·         Issues covered in the film include domestic terrorism, industrial sabotage, crime, death, climate change, unemployment, and hope.

Things I liked:

·         Visually, there are some intriguing things to look at and dream about.

·         The musical score is beautiful and feels like Disney magic.

·         What kid doesn’t want to ride in a jet pack?  Scratch that….what adult wouldn’t want to either?  When young Frank is asked why he built a jet pack, he says “If I was walking down the street and I saw some kid with a jet pack fly over me, I’d believe anything’s possible.  I’d be inspired.  Doesn’t that make the world a better place?”  So true!

·         I thought George Clooney (Frank), Hugh Laurie (David Nix), the adorable Raffey Cassidy (Athena), the lovely Brittany Robertson (Casey) and Thomas Robinson (young Frank Walker) all did a terrific job with their characters.

·         In a flood (pun intended) of dystopian movies that preach about the horrible future that awaits us because of our greed, I like that Casey says “I get things are bad.  But what are we doing to fix it?”  Great question.

·         I loved the hopeful ending. 

·         I love both Brittany's and Raffey's gorgeous, long hair.

·         Kids will get a kick out of all the gadets, gizmos, and machines.

·         Super cool multi-layered swimming pools in Tomorrowland!  I love swimming pools somuch that I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to them.

·         Did you notice the Hans Solo in carbonite tribute?
-     I thought it was interesting that they talked about how society is currently obsessed with the dystopian genre and various versions of the apocalypse to the point that we embrace and even celebrate the impending doom with movies, TV shows, books and music.  It's kind of true that we're "feeding that wolf."

Things I didn’t like:                               

·         It’s an infomercial for Disneyland, as well as Coke, and Apple.

·         David Nix’s pants looked like an unimaginative costume designer got lazy.

Funny lines:

·         “Frank, it’s not personal.  It’s just programming.”  - Athena

·         “This is a story about the future and the future can be scary.” – Frank

·         “Frank, you want to know why you could never make me laugh?” – Athena

“Why?” – Frank

“Because you’re not funny.” – Athena

·         “Do I have to explain everything?  Can’t you just be amazed and move on?”  - Frank

Inspiring lines:

·         “Did you make this yourself?  - Athena

·         “Yeah”  -

·         Why?”  - Athena

“I guess I got tired of waiting for someone else to do it for me.” – Frank

·         “It’s hard to have ideas and give up.”  - Casey

“But you won’t give up, right?” – Casey's brother

“Never” – Casey
·         “Which way do you want to go: backwards or forwards?” – Athena

·         Even the teeniest of actions can change the future.” – Casey

Interesting lines:

·         “You’ve got simultaneous epidemics of obesity and starvation.  Explain that one.” – David Nix

Tips for Parents:

·         There is a lot of violence and fighting that results in multiple forms of death: vaporization, crushing, dismembering, implied genocide, etc.

·         Parents are finding that their children are asking thought-provoking questions about fairly deep subjects after the movie.  Yay!

·         Very young children may be frightened by the menacing robots with creepy faces.

·         There is a discussion of tachyon particles to explain some of the science behind the technology in the future.  Your kids may be surprised to learn they’re real.   

·         It’s a great opportunity to introduce your kids to some of history’s great inventors which are mentioned: Tesla, Verne, Edison, Eiffel