A Dog's Purpose is manipulative, but you'll still cry

Movie Title:   A Dog's Purpose (DVD)

Grade:  C+

Rating:  PG, 120 minutes

In a Nutshell:   This sugary-sweet family flick feels like a Hallmark card that blends reincarnation with one dog’s discovery about what his purpose is.  We could all learn a lesson from him. 

Life lessons learned from a dog:
• Have fun. Obviously.
• Whenever possible, find someone to save and save them.
• Lick the ones you love. 
• Don’t get all sad-faced about what happened and scrunchy-faced about what could; just be here now.  Be. Here. Now.

Things I liked:
• Josh Gad’s voice is unmistakable and awesome.
• Britt Robertson seems to be in every family-friendly movie lately.  She’s adorable and so doggone likable.
• Other likable cast members include Dennis Quaid, Peggy Lipton, KJ Apa, and Jon Ortiz.
•   It's a film version of W. Bruce Cameron's best-selling novel in 2010.
• Puppies!
* If you've ever lived with a dog, you'll be able to relate to many of the
moments in the movie.

Things I didn’t like:
• It’s manipulative for sure, but you’ll still cry.
• Children will enjoy it, but a lot of adults will mostly tolerate it on their kids’ behalf.
• The trailer pretty much tells you the whole story.
• You’ll feel sad about the times you didn’t play with your dog.
• There are quite a few sad death scenes.
• There are some dogs on the movie poster that are never shown in the movie.  For example, the dog never becomes a pug.

• PETA and TMZ have created a lot of stink about animals that may have been harmed in the making of this movie, but those involved in the film say their reports are inaccurate and misleading.
• The dog reports on what he sees happening from a dog’s perspective, which is often amusing, but not funny enough to evoke actual laughter from the audience.



Interesting lines:
• “If I can get you licking and loving, I’ve served my purpose.” - dog    (This line is in the trailer, but not in the actual movie.)
• “Life’s a mystery.” - Ethan•

Funny lines: 
• “I got a name. My name is Bailey, Bailey, Bailey, Bailey.” – Bailey

Tips for parents:   
• Young children will probably like it, although the reincarnation aspect of the story will be confusing for them.  You’ll need to decide if you’re going to affirm that as true doctrine or instead, teach the principle of resurrection.
* You see Bailey die over and over again.
*  There are some dark story lines that include a gunshot death (with blood), domestic fights, drunkenness, kidnapping, a prank that burns a house down, and people who don't treat dogs well.
*  Clean language.
*  Kissing.

Moana is picture perfect for families

Movie Title:         Moana

  

Grade:  A+

Rating:  PG, 103 minutes

In a Nutshell:   Disney brings us another animated film that is simply gorgeous.  Each frame in the movie could be a postcard.  The animation is stellar and absolutely breathtaking.  The hair, sand, water, feathers, fabric and textures are done so well you feel you could reach out and touch them.

It has everything you want in a family-friendly film: solid characters, adventure, memorable music, a positive lesson for kids to learn, a good role model, comedy, peril, and touching family moments.

Before the movie begins, another Disney short entitled “Inner Workings” plays that reminds us to live our lives with meaning and joy.  Adorable.

Uplifting theme: 

• You need to have heart.
• “Find happiness right where you are.” – lyrics in one of the songs
• “That voice inside is who you are.” – Grandma Tala
• Sometimes our strengths lie beneath the surface.” – Moana
• “The things you have learned will change you.  The people you love will guide you.”  - Grandma Tala
• Your weaknesses don’t define you.

Things I liked:

• Some of the song were written by writer and star of the Broadway smash hit Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording) [Explicit], Lin Manuel Miranda.  The lyrics are powerful and meaningful.
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson recently earned the title as “Sexiest Man Alive”.  Now we get to hear him sing!  He has great comedic and dramatic timing in everything he does.
• Auli’I Cravalho does a fantastic job voicing Moana.  The character even looks like her.
• Hei Hei, the stupid chicken, got lots of laughs from the audience.  I adore Alan Tudyk and was tickled to learn that it was his voice that brings the chicken to life.  Pua, the cute pig, was just that…cute, but didn’t grab the audience’s attention nearly as much.

• Maui’s tattoos interact with Maui and even the audience.
• Clever use of tapa bark cloth prints to set up the story in the beginning.
• I love a good romance in a movie; however, I love that there is no prince or hero in this one...Moana is the hero. Moana’s future is determined by her own efforts and leadership.  She is a strong role model for your daughters. You go, girl!
• This movie will make you want to go on vacation to Hawaii or some other Polynesian destination.  If you’re in Hawaii, be sure to visit the famous Polynesian Cultural Center where you can get a taste of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Zealand and more!
• Stay seated until the very end of the rolling credits for a funny moment with the crab.
• While watching the credits, you’ll notice a long list of babies who were born during production.  Cute.
• I loved it when baby Moana helps a baby turtle find its way to the ocean.  I got to participate in a turtle release in Cabo San Lucas in November several years ago.  The turtle sanctuary invited us to help them release hundreds of babies. Soooooo cool!
• Cute choreography.
• Who knew coconuts could be so dangerous?  ha ha
• The plot is pretty simple, yet Moana has a lot of interesting and creative adventures along her journey.

Things I didn’t like:

• For some reason, Chief Tui (Temuera Morrison) was the only character with a Polynesian accent.
• You have to listen to the songs a few times to understand the clever lyrics, because sometimes they're sung so fast you can't catch everything the first time around.
• You don't have to see it in 3D to love it.

Funny lines:

•  “Nothing?  Really?  What’s a demigod gotta do?” - Maui
• “Really?  A blow dart in my butt cheek?” – Maui
• “I’m the village crazy lady.  That’s my job.” – Grandma Tala
• “When you use a bird to write with, it’s called Tweeting.” – Maui
• “What’s nunya?” – Moana     “None of ya business.” - Maui

Interesting lines:

•  “The call that calls isn’t out here – it’s inside me.” - Moana

Tips for parents:

• There is a theme of reincarnation you might want to talk to your kids about.  Do you believe in reincarnation?  Resurrection? Talk to your children about where you believe you go after this life.
• There is a fiery lava monster that might scare young children.
• Young children may need to be reminded that they have to be very careful in the ocean when they go to the beach.

Highway to Dhampus is lovely, inspiring and heart-breaking at the same time

Movie:    Highway to Dhampus

Rating:    PG

Grade:   A-

In a Nutshell:   This is not a fast-moving action flick, but a very sophisticated, simple journey of the soul.  It’s lovely and inspiring and heart-breaking all at the same time.

Written and directed by Utah filmmaker Rick McFarland, this indie film recently won several “Best Film” awards including the Madrid International Film Festival, the SoHo International Film Festival and the Heartland Film Festival.

When I asked Director Rick McFarland what inspired him to write this film, he told me "The characters and messages in the film are all based off of qualities that I want to have or wish I didn't, and experiences that I've had in my life--but I did't want to tell the story of me or my life. I wanted to transpose these things that were personal into a story that was more allegorical and less literal, more romantic and less pedestrian than my life could show. Living well, loving, giving, being kind and changing--all things I wish I knew how to do better."

This is the first indie feature film shot entirely in Nepal by a foreign director and crew.  It opens October 9^th in select theaters.  Check this web site to find out if it’s going to be playing in your neighborhood:  http://www.highwaytodhampus.com 

Uplifting Theme:

·         “It’s not really an effort to make a change in the big picture.” – Elizabeth James (played by Rachel Hurd-Wood)

·         We don’t serve to change the world.  We serve to change ourselves. - (me....Trina Boice...quick, somebody quote me!)

·         Namaste means please, thank you, and welcome. What a touching concept.
-    Love, kindness, charity, doing what's right

Things I liked:

·         The music in the film features a Bansuri flute.  It's a wooden flute that is a very typical native instrument in Nepal.  I asked McFarland about it and he said "We tried to also weave a very well known Nepali melody into the music--a folk tune called Himalayan Trekking Song." 
-    Laxmi is such a sweet character.  The lovely Suesha Rana plays her beautifully.  Her stirring reaction at the end of the movie brought me to tears.
-        I love learning other languages and so I noticed the term “Babu” mentioned several times. When I asked about it,  McFarland explained it as: "Babu is a term of endearment--it simply means "boy," but with the warmest familial connotations. I repeated it in the script a bunch between Laxmi and Prabhujee, in an effort to familiarize the viewer with the word. The hope was that as we heard Mahendra call Ajit babu in the third act, that we would get a subtle sense of the father-son relationship that they have." 

-  I loved seeing the bustling street scenes, landscapes from the plane,  and charming people of Nepal.

·         I liked how Colt (Gunner Wright) started up a friendship with Ajit (Raj Ballav Koirala) immediately.  Their relationship deepens and you get to experience growth in everyone in the movie in this true character study.

·         Elizabeth looked ridiculous in her fur coat sitting next to the poor orphans.  The contrast between how she physically looked in the beginning and end revealed her inner transformation as well.  She even lightens her hair to illustrate her illumination.

·         There are quite a few music montages with songs that range from instrumental to more modern ballads on the guitar.  They carry the feeling of the movie, although they also seem like lazy writing when there are so many of them.

·         I really loved how McFarland chose to finish the story.  It was powerful, simple, and understated, just like the entire movie.

·         Prabhujee is adorable.  He is played by Sayush Gurung Bajracharya.

·         Reincarnation is a common belief in Nepal.  I thought it was poignant when Ajit looked up and saw the bird flying in the sky over a cremation site.

·         The cinematography is beautiful.  I would have loved to see even more.

Things I didn’t like:

·         The subtitles flash so quickly that you don’t have time to read AND spend time really observing the faces of the characters as they speak.  Don't worry.  The entire film is not in a foreign language.

·         The air really is dirty there in the big city.  Ick.

·         Colt’s personality seems so uneven. One moment he’s playing tenderly with the children and the next moment he’s bad-mouthing them.  His unkind outburst to Elizabeth when she was reading a book to the orphans was odd coming from a guy who seemed so sensitive and easy-going earlier.  He crushes her spirit again in the car on the way to the airport after their second trip to Nepal.  I suppose it's meant to be ironic that he's criticizing her for being shallow when he is also.

·         There are a few strange edits and cuts that are distracting.
-     The movie needed more MONKEYS!
-     It's a bit slow-moving.

Funny lines:  

·         “Look at the mountain.  It’s ‘namaste-ing” to the whole world.  So, when you Namaste back to the mountain, it bestows you with peace, progress, and prosperity.” – AJ

“I’m the first one to do that, right?” = Colt

“Actually, I just made that up.” – AJ

·         “I bought this stuff.  I don’t even know what it is.” – Elizabeth

·         “I’ve heard that the girls like scars.” – Mahendra Sharma (played by Deshbhakra Khanal)

“Yeah, I’m really dreamy.” - Ajit

Things to look for:

·         The beginning of the movie starts with a poem: “As the little heart leaf of the bettle tree, grows my love for you.   Day and night.  Day and night.  Ebbing and swelling like the Marshyangdi it flows and flows.“   Marshyangdi is a mountain river in Nepal.  It's the perfect imagery to illustrate how two people in the movie come together, as that particular river starts from a confluence of two rivers.

Tips for Parents:

·         There is a scene where Elizabeth is taken to a sacred temple where people burn bodies of their loved ones who have died.  While Westerners are often frightened by such an image,  to those in Nepal, it is an honorable ceremony that demonstrates respect.
-   Young children may be a bit bored watching the story.
-    No profanity or sexual innuendos.  This is a family-friendly film.

·     After you see the movie, you and your family will want to do more to help others who are suffering in the world.  FiftyFilms and Highway to Dhampus have partnered with Mind the Gap Worldwide to help raise money to send to Nepal.  You can learn more at www.mindthegapworldwide.com