Saturday's Warrior makes a comeback

Movie Title:  Saturday's Warrior

Grade:  B-

Rating:   PG, 119 minutes

In a Nutshell:  I first saw this stage musical when I was a little girl.  I LOVED it and immediately began memorizing all of the songs day in and day out.  It was turned into a schmaltzy movie in 1989, so I was excited to see this new remake, directed by Michael Buster. 

I’ve been a huge fan of the talented Lex de Azevedo for many, many years.  He added 3 new songs to this version, which are great, but also removed some from the original fan favorites.   If you're unfamiliar with this story, know going in that it's super cheesy and melodramatic.  If you're a fan of this Mormon legend, feel free to sing along.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Life on earth is going to be difficult.” – Heavenly guide   (Alex Boye)
• “Truth is truth.” – Mack (Carlton Bluford)
• “Freedom is knowing who you are.” – Pam
• “Nothing is impossible.” – Tod (Mason Davis)
• There is more to this life than what you see. 

Things I liked:

• I got a kick out of the “There” and “Here” clocks in heaven.  
• The “Captain Uchtdorf” announcement at the airport made me laugh out loud.  That was awesome and hilarious.  You gotta be LDS to appreciate that one.
• They did a great job with 70’s costume design and home décor.
• A new song was added when Jimmy’s band, “Warrior”, played for Capitol Records. 
• I liked the new song “There’s Got to be More”.  What a fun addition to include the Piano Guys.  I love those guys.
• I thought Pam (Anna Daines) was lovely and I'd like to see more of her in other movies.  I felt the same way about the actress/singer who performed in the original stage play and soundtrack.
• Julie (Monica Moore Smith) has a really beautiful voice, although she over-acted like she was on a big stage.  
• The ending actually had true emotion, unlike most of the other scenes that felt over-acted.
• Keep watching as the credits roll to see Jimmy sing his version of “There’s Got to be More” with sweet Emily watching from the side.
• Mason Davis, who plays Todd, is also an artist, like his character.  All of the artwork you see Todd make was really made by Mason Davis himself.  He looked like a Ken (Barbie) doll to me.

Things I didn’t like:

• It feels like a stage play.
• It's super corny with very low production value.
• The technical dubbing issues were extremely distracting.   

• You can see what looks like microphone packs on the backs of the performers quite often.
• Non-Mormons won’t get some of the jokes or even the pre-mortal world scenes.
• Why is Emily (Abigail Baugh) in a yellow dress in heaven, while everyone else is wearing white?  She sure is adorable.
• Julie says, “I’m going to miss this beautiful place” while she and Jimmy are standing in a building with old, brick walls.  That line would have been more accurate if they were standing in a beautiful garden or something.
• There is an odd, unexpected, funny “gay” moment during the family’s concert towards the beginning of the movie.
• There are a lot of artificially white teeth.
• What happened to the song “He’s Just A Friend”, “Dear John”, and “Daddy’s Nose”?  Why did they take those songs out of the original?
• While everyone else looked "normal", Jimmy (Kenny Holland) always looked like he had a ton of make-up on. His boy-band nasal voice started to really grate on me.
• I recognize I had very high expectations, but I felt a bit disappointed.

Funny lines:

• “Stake President material for sure.” – Elder Greene (Morgan Gunter)

“Maybe one of my counselors.” – Elder Kestler (Clint Pulver)

Tips for parents: 

• I counted 3 times that people were slapped.
• No profanity.  Thanks Mormons!
• There are a lot of "downer" scenes that make the movie feel pretty heavy.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Before I Fall is Groundhog Day meets Mean Girls

Movie Title:  Before I Fall

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 99 minutes

In a Nutshell: Teenage girls.  Squee!  (I’m so glad I have 4 sons.  Translation = no exhausting drama.)  

This is sort of a teenage girl version of  Groundhog Day (one of my all-time favorites.)  Another film that did the repeat-each-day format well was Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow . 

This thought-provoking flick is based on the young-adult novel Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (2010-03-02).

Uplifting theme: 

• Become who you are.  (on a poster in Kent's bedroom)
• Friendship, kindness, not judging others
• On a bathroom wall at Sam’s school, someone wrote “Only those who attempt the absurd achieve the impossible.”
• “Just focus on that one good thing and you see where it leads you.” – Mrs. Kingston (Jennifer Beals)
• Cherish every day you have.
• “What you do today matters…in the minute and maybe into infinity.” –  Samantha Kingston (Zoey Deutch)
• What do you want to be remembered for?

Things I liked:

• Zoey Deutch is lovely and has a bright future in films if she wants one.  
• Adults will most likely roll their eyes, but for teens who are developing their moral compass, it just might give them pause to reflect on their own behavior and attitudes.
• Teenage girls need to remember that their mothers often have the same insecurities that they do.  It was sweet when Samantha told her mother she thought she was beautiful.
• The English literature teacher (played by Diego Boneta) asks the students if they know what Sisyphus means, but you never get to hear him actually explain it.  It means a difficult or futile endeavor, named after Sisyphus, a son of Aeolus and ruler of Corinth, who was punished for his trickery by being forced by the gods to roll a stone to the top of a slope, only to have it roll back down for eternity.  Samantha has a similar challenge of pushing through some problems that seem to go on forever.
• This is the perfect movie for teenage girls to watch at a slumber party.  They'll all be hugging and crying and vowing to be more kind by the end.
• The movie was filmed in only 24 days, which isn't too surprising, since so many of the scenes are told over and over.
• Halston Sage is the perfect mean girl.  She and Logan Miller were both in Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse.   
• The little girl who plays Sam's sister (played by Erica Tremblay) is the real life sister of the little boy who stars in Room (Jacob Tremblay).  They sure look alike!

Things I didn’t like:

• Elody  (Medalion Rahimi) says, “No glove. No love” and hands Samantha a condom since it’s Valentine’s Day.  As a Mormon, I'm very old-fashioned that way.
• Juliet texts and drives. 
• It takes Samantha a very long time before she decides to take bold action.


• Samantha accuses Lindsay of having all kinds of venereal diseases to Lindsay replies, “At least I’m not still a virgin.”  What a ridiculous thing to say, as if being a slut is better than being a virgin?  Our world sure is backwards.
• Why would Sam even want to hang out with such mean girls?  
• It makes me really glad I'm not in high school again.
• There isn’t much humor.
• It's pretty slow-moving.

Interesting lines:

• “If I’m going to relive the same day over and over, I want it to be a worthy day, and not just for me.” – Sam
• “I truly understand how to live this day.” - Sam

Tips for parents: 

• A girl lifts up her shirt to show her bra.
• Discussion of sex and STD’s.
• Some of the teenagers are really mean and bully others.
• Lots of inappropriate behavior.
• Teens drinking alcohol at a party.
• Lots of profanity, including an F-bomb.
• There is a graphic suicide and several bad car crashes. 

@trinaboice