Deadpool 2 is over-the-top with surprising depth

Movie Title:       Deadpool 2

Grade:   B+

Rating: R, 119 minutes

In a Nutshell:   Marvel is on a roll.  The X-Force team assembles under the guidance of the most disrespectful, irreverent superhero ever, Deadpool, played expertly by Ryan Reynolds.

As Ryan Reynolds says in the movie, “The Academy’s watching.”  The sequel is definitely bigger....is it better than the first?  Umm....probably not.  Did it make me laugh?  Definitely.  

                                    

Tips for parents: 

• Deadpool says in the beginning, “Believe it or not, Deadpool 2 is a family movie.”  Nope.  Not true.  This is a true rated R movie.  If you set filters on VidAngel to delete profanity, violence and gore, this would be a 20 minute movie. 
• Crude language and TONS of F-bombs.  I hate it when kids swear especially, which Julian Dennison does as Russell.
• Scoutmaster pervert joke.  Ouch.  I have 4 sons.
• Lots of severed limbs and brutal, gory deaths.
• Lesbians
• You see a bottomless little kid’s junk full Winnie the Pooh style and a man’s naked rear end.
• Super high body count, destruction, violence, crude gestures.
• Guns.
• Some fun music, but other songs with very crude lyrics.

Uplifting theme: 

• “We all need that sense of belonging.  We all need a genuine sense of home.” – Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds)
• “Kids – they give us a chance to be better than we are…better than we use to be.” – Vanessa (the beautiful Morena Baccarin)  
• Family
• Sacrifice for others
• “Pain teaches us who we are.” – Blind Al (Leslie Uggams)
• “No child is hopeless.” - Blind Al

Things I liked:

• The trailer was hilarious. I loved the crack about Superman’s mustache in the trailer, referring to when DC had to use CGI to remove Henry Cavill's mustache in the movie Justice League.   
• I got a kick out of the opening credits.  Most of the time, we just ignore them, but read them this time!
• This is the year of Josh Brolin as the evil villain.  He voices a fantastic Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War
• Great action sequences.  As Deadpool says, “Big CGI fight coming up.”  Yep, LOTS of them.
• Tons of fun jokes and visual gags, all lightning fast.  You’ll have to see the movie again in order to catch everything.
• We learn a lot more about Wade Wilson, making his character development more deep and grounded.
• You’re going to get a kick out of some new twists.
• Keep watching after the credits for a couple more fun scenes, but there’s nothing at the very, very end of the music.
• The Logan music box in the very beginning scene got the audience I sat with to immediately start laughing.  There is a running gag about Logan during the entire movie.  So funny.  For example, both films played the same music during the death scenes.  Ha ha
• Tony Robbins.  Love that guy.
• Wade and his girlfriend watch the movie Yentl  I always loved that movie and the music.  Deadpool points out that the song, “Papa, can you hear me?” is the same tune as Frozen’s “Do you want to build a snowman?” I never noticed that!
• X-Men – trainee!  Ha ha
• I like Dub Step too.  Ha ha
• Several Canadian jokes.  A lot of locations in Vancouver were actually used in the movie. 
• At the end of the movie, it says that 15,000 jobs were created to make the movie.  The stunt work was amazing.  Sadly a stunt woman, Joi Harris, died while filming one of the stunts on a motorcycle. Production stopped for two days.
• Tons of fun Easter eggs.  For example, Deadpool refers to Cable, played by Josh Brolin, as "One Eyed Willy", which was a character in the 1985 movie The Goonies which starred Josh Brolin.
• Tons of movie, song, and pop culture references.  One of the movie posters shows Deadpool in a Flashdance pose on a chair with bullets raining down on him.  He definitely takes a beating in this film.

                                                      

Things I didn’t like:

• This is the first Marvel film to NOT give Stan Lee a cameo performance!  Drats!  I always look forward to those little moments.  Instead, you can see him in a quick picture montage.  Definitely not as good.
• Sometimes trailers are deceiving.  In an earlier trailer for DEADPOOL 2, Deadpool says, "Pump the hate brakes, Thanos," referencing Josh Brolin's role as Thanos in Avengers: Infinity War, but in the actual movie, he's talking to two lesbians and he says, "Pump the hate brakes, Fox and Friends."
• I don't read the comic books, but Domino's character and alliances are much different there than in this movie, as well as her color and eye circle.  It certainly didn't bother me, but some fans might be annoyed.  Zazie Beetz did a fantastic job.
• SPOILER:  Have you seen The Terminator?  Yeah, that's this plot.

Funny lines:

• “Forgive me for being late.  I was busy gathering all the gluten in the world so it can not NOT hurt us.” – Deadpool
• “That is why the man bun is just the Millennial mullet.” – Deadpool
• “So dark.  Are you sure you’re not from the DC Universe?” – Deadpool
• “Mission accomplished?” – Dopinder (Karan Soni)

“Well, in a George W. sort of way.” – Deadpool

• “Every family film starts with a vicious murder…Bambi. Lion King. Saw 7.” – Deadpool
• “It’s time to get back on LinkedIn.” – Weasel (T.J. Miller)
• Vanisher….ha ha  IMDB shows his face listed as Brad Pitt!  The studio actually wanted Brad Pitt to play Cable, but he had to decline that role due to scheduling conflicts.
• “Never underestimate a man with a mustache.” – Deadpool
• “I have no idea what’s happening.” –  Blind Al

“It’s probably best.” - Deadpool

Interesting lines:

• “Family was always an F word for me.” - Deadpool
• “You are not your father.” – Vanessa
• “I fight for what’s right.” – Deadpool

                                           

                                           @trinaboice

A Wrinkle in Time isn't smooth sailing through the universe

Movie Title:    

A Wrinkle in Time

Grade:   C+

Rating: PG, 1 hour 49 minutes

In a Nutshell: Despite its best intentions, A Wrinkle in Time is disappointing as a film, although kids will probably still like it.

Based on the very popular book A Wrinkle in Time (Time Quintet) by Madeleine L'Engle , it doesn't quite deliver the magic I hoped for, especially since screenwriter Jennifer Lee had done such great work with Disney's Frozen , Zootopia (DVD) Wreck-It Ralph and even Frozen Fever. 

                                                  

Tips for Parents:

• LOTS of moral lessons kids and parents can feel good about.
• Kids in peril
• Mrs. Whatsit uses the word “prodigious.”  In case your kids ask you what it means, you can tell them “remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.”  Your kids will be so impressed that you know. 
• Bullying
• No profanity.  Thank you!
• Multi-racial family

                                               

Uplifting theme: 

• The only way to defeat the darkness is to become the light.
• Love rescues
• “Be a warrior.” – Mrs. Which  (Oprah)
• Center yourself.  Become one with the universe and yourself.
• “The wound is the place where the light enters you.” – Mrs. Who

Things I liked:

• Chris Pine!  I love him in anything.
• Storm Reid is adorable and did a pretty good job, although a bit straight-faced during most of the movie.  Her best scene, by far, was with Chris Pine towards the end.
• It's a colorful ride.  The gossiping flower scene was the best part of the film.
• Fun hairstyles on the Mrs.'s.
• Zach Galifinakus was pretty funny and did a lot with the very small role he was given.
• I think frequencies and energy are so interesting. If you're fascinated by science, check out A Wrinkle in Time Book of Fun, Facts, and Science  Energy is everything.
• Some of the scenes were shot in gorgeous New Zealand.

Things I didn’t like:

• While director DuVernay was very enthusiastic and creative, her vision was probably overly ambitious, resulting in a choppy mess.
• A lot of the green screens look fake with some special effects that don't really work. 
• Some weird moments with missing details.  Sometimes I really wish directors would let me see their movies before they released them so that I could point out some of the mistakes that could be quickly fixed.
• Deric McCabe as Charles Wallace is super cute, but sometimes it was hard to understand what he was saying.
• I couldn’t understand a word Storm Reid was saying during the tornado scene in the woods.
• Cliched scene where someone says, “Do you trust me?”
• Mindy Kaling looked so awkward trying to run in her ridiculous dress.  What was her character's purpose?  She didn’t actually do anything to help.  
• Over-the-top make-up.  The costumes were creative, but they looked like costumes.The “Mrs’s” looked more fake than magical. 
• You don’t need to pay extra money to see this in IMAX.  It's fine on the regular screen.  Better yet, watch it when it comes out on Netflix.
• The dialogue may sound good in the book, but it's awkward in the movie.
• Lots of close-ups that don't really work.
• A scene in the second trailer was completely cut out of the movie.
• I actually looked at the clock on my cell phone.  That's never a good sign.
• There's no real villain.  There's only a wispy, menacing "it." 
• Kids who haven't read the book might think that Oprah's character's name is Mrs. Witch.  While Oprah really is bigger than life (I laughed when Mrs. Which was gigantic), her acting is not good.  I heard her speak to a room full  of 10,000 a number of years ago at the California Governor's Conference for Women and she was mesmerizing.
• Surprisingly, some of the acting was not good by quite a few of the other actors too.  It felt forced and contrived.

Interesting lines:

• “You can do this.  You’re choosing not to.” – Happy Medium (Zach Galifianakis)
• “It’s ok to fear the answers, Meg, but you have to face them.” – Happy Medium
• “What if we are not just in the universe, but the universe is in us?” – Mr. Murry (Chris Pine)
• “You just have to find the right frequency and have faith in who you are.” – Mrs. Which (Oprah)
• “We can’t take credit for our talents.  It’s how we use them that counts.” - Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon)
• “Your house is so warm.  You’ve done a good job keeping the darkness out.” – Mrs. Whatsit
• “Love is always there, even if you don’t feel it.  It’s always there for you.” – Mr. Murry
• “Don’t give up hope.” - Mrs. Murry (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) 

                                   

                                               @trinaboice

Coco celebrates family and honors heritage

Movie Title:  Coco (Theatrical Verision)

Grade:  A

Rating: PG, 1 hour 49 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This extremely vibrant, colorful animation by Pixar has heart, visually stunning effects, and celebrates a wonderfully rich Mexican culture that we rarely get to see in the movies.  

It will have you contemplating what happens to you and your loved ones after we die as an added inspiring bonus.

If you’re not familiar with Mexico’s “Day of the Dead” holiday, you might be a little creeped out by all of the skeletons at the beginning of the movie, but by the end, you’ll wish your country celebrated it too.

My twin sister and I wrote a book together about how to research your family tree and celebrate your heritage.  People from around the world sent us their inspiring stories about how they felt their ancestors from “the other side” helping them to find the missing information they were looking for on their family tree!  If you want to have a spiritual experience, do your genealogy!  Click here to learn more about our book called Climbing Family Trees, Whispers in the Leaves.

 

Uplifting theme: 

• “One cannot deny who one is meant to be.” – Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Pratt)
• “Seize your moment.” – Ernesto de la Cruz
• Helping friends
• “Nothing is more important than family.” – Miguel .  Families ARE forever!
• Life goes on beyond this mortal experience.
• “That’s what family is supposed to do…support you.” – Miguel
• “Never underestimate the power of music.” – Ernesto de la Cruz

Things I liked:

• I adore Jaime Camil.  His character is ridiculous and charming on Jane the Virgin, Season 1 (5 Discs). 
• The colorful, stacked houses in the movie were inspired by Guanajuato in Mexico.
• The music is really engaging.  The actual composer of the movie appears in caricature as the conductor at the end of the movie.
• I thought it was cool how they used the Aztec marigold throughout the movie to connect things together.  It’s used traditionally on the Day of the Dead for the same purpose: to connect the living with the dead.
• If you see this film in the theaters, you’ll get to see an ADORABLE 21 minute musical short of “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” with characters from the movie Frozen (2013)  Apparently, quite a few audiences in Mexico have complained that it’s too long!  Ha ha  I thought it was awesome and the audience I saw with applauded happily at the end of it.  It’s all about families and their traditions during the holidays.  Super cute.
• After the Frozen (2013) short, the directors of the movie COCO also talked for a minute, which is something I rarely see before a movie starts.  Interesting.
• The beginning of the movie was clever how it told Miguel’s ancestry through lacy flags.
• The movement of the animation was AMAZING. The details were so impressive.  I watched an interview with director Lee Unkrich, who explained that they tied GoPro HERO cameras on people playing the guitar in order to get the fingers exactly right as they played.
• I loved the tiny details in each frame.  For example, you could actually see tiny little chin hairs on Great Grandma Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguia).
• Voice talents include Benjamin Bratt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Anthony Gonzalez, Alanna Ubach, Gabriel Iglesias, and Latino legend Edward James Olmos.

Things I didn’t like:

• It reminded me a lot of Book of Life movie, which came out three years ago from Twentieth Century Fox.  I personally liked this one more.

Fun Facts:

• In Brazil, the name of this movie is “Viva”, which means “life”, because the word “coco” sounds too similar to the Portuguese word for "poop."
• This film broke the record for the longest production time, because it started in 2011 and didn’t hit theaters until November 2017.
• Merchandising has really gone big.  Southwest Airlines actually painted one of their Boeing airplanes in Coco design.
• The Santa Cecilia graveyard in the movie is named after the Catholic saint of musicians.
• Dante, the dog, is named after Dante Alighieri, who wrote The Divine Comedy and also went on a journey to the world of the dead.

Interesting lines:

• “You don’t have to forgive him, but you shouldn’t forget him.” – Miguel
• “The music is not just in me.  It IS me.” – Ernesto de la Cruz
• “No one was going to hand me my dream.  I had to reach out and take it.” – Ernesto de la Cruz

Tips for parents: 

• You’ll hear the word “chamaco”, which means “kid.”  In some Latino cultures, it has more of a connotation of “brat.”
• The story might be hard for young children to follow.
• Some of the dead ancestors are a bit spooky and creepy.  There are TONS of skeletons!
• Challenge your kids to spot the Pixar character pinatas hanging along the street in the beginning of the movie (Buzz Lightyear, Wood, Mike Wazowski).  You’ll also see the Pizza Planet delivery truck in another scene.  I love that.
• A lot of Spanish words are spoken with no subtitles.  You’ll still understand the story if you don’t speak Spanish.  Here are a couple that are important to know:  

          Mijo  = Mi hijo = my son
          Ofrendas = offerings

• There are some “spirit guide” animals in the story.  This is a perfect time to talk to your kids about what you believe happens to people and animals after we die.
• People drink alcohol.
• No profanity.

How to Be A Latin Lover is offensive, and I'm not even Latina

Movie Title:  How To Be A Latin Lover

Grade:  C

Rating:  PG-13, 115 minutes

In a Nutshell: Welcome to the multi-cultural talent of Eugenio Derbez.  He’s one of the most successful actor/comedians in Mexico.  You may have seen him in a various Adam Sandler projects before, but you’re about to see more of him…a LOT of him in this movie (he takes his close off often), but in upcoming movies too.

Nah, I wasn't seduced.  It was too filthy to be fun.

Uplifting theme: 

• “It’s never too late to do what’s right.” – Cindy (Kristen Bell)
• Family, true love, friendship
• There are things more important than money.
• "You get what you work for, not what you wish for." - Sara

Things I liked:

• Raphael Alejandro is a jackpot discovery in this film.  He’s absolutely adorable and has a bright future in Hollywood if he wants one.  Those dimples!
• The lovely Salma Hayek plays Maximo’s sister and a struggling single mother. 
• You get to hear Kristen Bell sing.  She was wonderful in Frozen (2013).
• Small parts go to familiar faces you know and like, all named Rob: Rob Lowe, Rob Corddry, Rob Riggle, Rob Huebel. 
• Usually Rob Lowe plays the handsome, rich guy, right?  It was nice to see him be a pizza driver and broke for a change.
• Maximo wakes up on the flat air mattress.  I hate those things!  That’s happened to me before.
• When Sara (Salma Hayek) gets depressed, she turns a sad song into an energetic salsa.  Great idea!
• Cute balloons at Arden (Mckenna Grace) ’s birthday party!
• Raquel Welch has aged, but is still a timeless beauty.
• There’s an authentic, although clichéd Latin vibe in the movie.  Salma Hayek and Eugenio Derbez speak Spanish a lot, so there are a lot of subtitles.

Things I didn’t like:

• If I were Latina, I’d probably be doubly offended.
• A LOT of crude gestures and lines.
• Do you know anyone who has actually earned money by having their car wrapped?  I called a few companies once and it was a real bait-and-switch.  Drats.
• Maximo gives such terrible advice to Hugo.  He’s a terrible role model in oh so many ways.
• There’s an odd moment with Weird Al Yankovic.

Funny lines:

• “I didn’t know we could do that!” – Hugo after he watches his uncle pour cereal from the box directly into his mouth.

“We can’t!” – Sara

• “She doesn’t even know I exist.” – Hugo

“Why do you say that?” – Maximo

“Because she’s a girl…and she’s beautiful.” – Hugo

• “I was named after my grandfather’s dog.” – Quincy (Rob Corddry)

“The legacy lives on.” – Maximo

• “She’s been through too much emotionally…and surgically to put up with this.” – Quincy
• “You guys are getting real creative with these gummy bears.  Most people just eat them.” – Cindy
• “What is a virgin?” – Hugo

“It’s an airline.” –Maximo

“Pull my finger……false alarm.” – Maximo

• “You sound like Dora the Explorer” – Maximo to Rob Lowe when he tries to speak with a Spanish accent
• “I don’t need a Rolex, bro!” – Nick (Rob Huebel) as he points to his FitBit.

Interesting lines:

• “Cokes have no nutritional value.” – Hugo   True.
• “Do I have something on my face?” – Arden

“You have my full attention.” – Hugo

Tips for parents: 

• The title reveals that this is really not a family-friendly movie.  The protagonist is a gigolo, so that should tell you something.
• Lots of profanity and F-bombs.
• TONS of crude, raunchy humor.
• This should be an R-rated movie.
• There is a lot of smacking people on the head.  I hate that.
• Tons of crotch shots and butt grabs.

MOVIE REVIEW MOM

@trinaboice 

Manchester by the Sea will break your heart

Movie Title:    Manchester By The Sea

Grade:  B

Rating: R, 135 minutes

In a Nutshell: Casey Affleck delivers a powerful performance, mastering the art of subtlety. 

He recently won "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama" by the Golden Globes and has been nominated to receive the Best Leading Actor award by the BAFTA Film Awards.  That does no means end the list of awards this film has garnered.

Was it my favorite movie of 2016?  Definitely not.  Does it deserve some awards.  Yup.  I still think Denzel Washington should have won Best Actor for Fences though...

Uplifting theme: 

• Family is everything.
• Guilt, sorrow, grief.
• I've learned in my life that when someone behaves VERY badly and irrationally, I try to give them the benefit of the doubt because I know they are hurting either physically or emotionally.

Things I liked:

• I loved the jazz version of “Oh What A Beautiful Morning” in the bar scene towards the beginning of the movie.
• There is some soft humor to break up the dreary, somber sadness.
• Kyle Chandler gives the best performance I have seen him give.  He usually seems like he's acting, but he felt "real" in this story.
• Michelle Williams was fantastic.  The scene where she runs  into Lee Chandler on the street was breathtaking.  I literally stopped breathing while I watched her.  
• Director and writer Kenneth Lonergan doesn’t talk down to the audience and trusts that you will be able to follow the emotional ride and timeline. 
• You definitely don’t feel like you’re watching a movie, but rather, real life.  It’s almost like you’re a fly on the wall, watching real people go through some pretty terrible trials. 
• I love Matthew Broderick in anything, so even though he has a very small role in this film, it was great to see him.

Things I didn’t like:

• I like movies that allow me to escape the mundane, sadness of the world, but this movie throws you right in the middle of it and assaults you with incredible difficult situations and rough-and-tumble people you wouldn't want to spend a day with.
• There is a lot of bouncing around from past to present.
• No family should have to experience such heartache.
• Some of the music choices seemed mismatched for the scenes.  Most of it sounded like old Catholic music, yet the characters never really embraced their religion to help them through their struggles.  Elise (Gretchen Mol) tried, but was unsuccessful.
• I hate watching “Playas”…slimy, scumbag guys who sleep with a bunch of different girls.  
• How naive can parents be to allow their kid to close and lock their bedroom door with someone of the opposite gender inside?  My dad NEVER allowed that. EVER.

Interesting lines:

• “I can’t beat it.” - Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck)

Funny lines:

• “I think if you’re going to freak out every time you see a frozen chicken, I think we should go to the hospital. I don’t know anything about this.” – Casey
• “What happened to your hand?” – Patrick (Lucas Hedges)

“I cut it.” – Casey

“Oh, for a minute there I didn’t know what happened.” – Patrick

Tips for parents: 

• About a thousand F-bombs and other profanity.
• Pre-marital relations among teenagers.  There is a lot of discussion about it and you see some teens start to take off their clothes.
• People getting drunk and behaving badly.
• This is not a family-friendly movie.  It is a mature character study and look at coping with loss and sorrow.

@trinaboice 

Sully soars at the box office

Movie Title:    Sully

Grade:  A-

Rating:   PG-13, 96 minutes

In a Nutshell:  This is an inspiring, true story of Captain Chesley Sullenberger III, who saved 155 souls by landing a US Airways airplane on the Hudson River in 2009 when both engines failed.  

Known as “Miracle on the Hudson,” the story dramatically measures numbers and facts against human frailties and instinct.

Combine the legendary Clint Eastwood (who directs the film) with Tom Hanks’ excellent performance and you get solid tribute to a deserving hero.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Everything is unprecedented until it has happened.” – Sully
• “A pilot never stops acquiring knowledge.” – Sully’s crop-dusting trainer when he was young
• Here’s to the hard-working, unsung heroes who do their best every day without fanfare or awards.  Sully explained, “I don’t feel like a hero.  I was just a man doing my job.” - Sully
• "A delay is better than a disaster." - Sully's Chinese fortune cookie

Things I liked:

• I wondered how this story would be stretched into a feature film and what we might learn that we hadn’t already heard in the news when it happened.  Clint Eastwood does an outstanding job building tension and drama by looping forwards and backwards through the story, creating a powerful end to the movie that we didn’t know.
• Great cinematography and CGI work.
• Fans of disaster movies will get a few glimpses of what kind of destruction could have happened if the plane had crashed differently, as imagined by Sully in nightmares and flashbacks.
• Anna Gun from Breaking Bad and Mike O’Malley from Glee do a great job as the critical investigators who questioned Sully’s decision to land on the Hudson River.
• Audiences will likely compare Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Sully with his role as Captain Phillips in that award-winning movie.  Tom Hanks delivers powerful and stirring performances in both.  How is it he has only received two Oscars so far?  Even stranger is that they were both back in the ‘90’s.  He’s everything we want in an actor and truly carries this understated film.
• Hollywood often glamorizes “bad boys” as heroes, so it’s truly refreshing to see an honest, hard-working “good guy” win the praises and adoration he deserves.
• Don’t leave the theater after the last scene.  Keep watching during the final credits and you’ll be rewarded with photos and videos of the wreckage, rescue, and reunion of the passengers from Flight 1549.  You get to hear the real Sully announce, "This is your captain speaking."
• You can never go wrong when you add New York City as a character in your movie.

Things I didn’t like:

• Laura Linney plays Lorrie Sullenberger who withers under the pressure and spends the entire movie walking around her house on the phone. 
• Aaron Eckhart had the most gigantic, distracting mustache I’ve ever seen on him.  I normally love him (he has my son’s eyes), but all I could see when he talked was that super bushy mustache.
• Because the film is pretty short, there simply isn’t enough time to develop any characters other than Tom Hanks’ portrayal of Captain Sullenberger.  We don’t even learn anything about his co-pilot played by Aaron Eckhart.
• I thought it was almost creepy when the flight attendants started chanting “Brace for impact!  Heads down! Stay down!”  Obviously, that’s what they’re trained to do in a crash-landing scenario, but it seems like that would make the situation even more stressful and scary.
• I wish the camera had stayed on Tom Hanks' face longer when he was given the news in the hospital that 155 souls were saved that day.  That was a missed opportunity for what could have been an incredible performance by Hanks.  He started to deliver powerful emotion, but then the camera moved away!

Interesting tidbits:

• The movie was filmed with IMAX cameras.
• The famous aircraft carrier Intrepid is featured in the movie.
• A local bar in New York City created a drink they called “The Sully” which has some Grey Goose with a “splash” of water.
• The water in the Hudson River was an icy 36 degrees that day.  A few passengers jumped in the water and could have easily been frozen to death if rescue workers hadn’t quickly arrived on the scene.  Sully never took credit for saving all the people on the plane day; instead, he attributed the combined efforts of his entire crew and all of the rescue workers to their survival that day.
• Chelsey Sullenberger III was included in Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential Heroes and Icons” of 2009.
• The aircraft for Flight 1549 was recovered and is now on display at the Carolinas Aviation Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Sully has received several awards and authored two books since that fateful day.  He was hired as an aviation and safety expert by CBS News and currently gives speeches.

Funny lines:

• “I’ve never been so happy to be in New York in my life.” – Jeff Skiles (Aaron Eckhart)
• “It’s our job to investigate how the plane ended up in the Hudson.” – Charles Porter (Mike O’Malley)

“ON the river.” – Jeff

• “You know the only way to get out of La Guardia on time?” – flight attendant #1

“What’s that?” – flight attendant #2

“Go to JFK.” – flight attendant #1

• “I’m thinking about running over the press with a car.  Self-defense.  Do you think a jury would convict?” – Lorraine Sullenberger (Laura Linney)
• “Can you believe they charge $5 for a Snickers?  I could bankrupt the airline in 5 bites.” – Jeff Skiles

• Interesting lines:

• "It's been awhile since New York had news this good, especially with an airplane in it." - US Airways representative
• “Life’s easier in the air.” – Jeff Skiles
• “They should pin the medal and put you back to work.” – Jeff Skiles
• “I don’t like not being in control of the process.  I’d like myself back.” – Sully
• "There was no calculating.  I had to rely on my experience." - Sully

Parent tips:

• 1 F-bomb, which is actually surprising, considering how many people could have easily lost their lives that dramatic, stressful day.
• It’s a little slow-moving and boring for children.

   

The Huntsman: Winter's War is a mixed prequel/sequel

Movie Title:  The Huntsman: Winter's War

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 2 hours 3 minutes

In a Nutshell:    This ain’t no Frozen Film critics are ripping this prequel/sequel to shreds, but I actually enjoyed it.  There is some humor, adventure, great CGI, beautiful landscapes, fun action sequences and even romance.

Sure, the story is a little messy and uneven, but it’s still entertaining and visually stunning, especially if you liked Snow White & The Huntsman .  It has more enchanted charm than the first one, even if it’s a sequel that viewers never asked for.

 Uplifting theme: 

• “Love doesn’t make you weak.  It’s all that ever gave me strength.” – Eric/The Huntsman
• What does the mirror show YOU?
• What is the source of YOUR power?
• “Love conquers all…so I’ve heard.” – Queen Freya   (It really does.)
• Jealousy and revenge hurt you more than the other person.

Things I liked:

• The majority of the CGI is really impressive.  Some of it is fake looking (the fog on people's breath), but most of it is really good and believable.  I thought it was cool (pun intended) how there are delicate snowflakes in the air wherever Queen Freya stands.
• The musical score by James Newton Howard is really good, noticeably good.
• I could watch Charlize Theron all day long.  I think she’s absolutely beautiful…the fairest of them all. Unfortunately, the story about how she comes back to life is a bit weak and vague. Who cares though, really?  We get to see Charlize in beautiful gowns looking wicked and glamorous.
•  I loved the river scene with the sprites and the enchanted forest scenes with the fairies.  Adorable turtle covered in moss.  (You might miss him if you're not paying attention to the background.) The film is from the same producer who worked on Maleficent and has that same feel.  You can read my movie review for Maleficent here.
• The dwarves offer plenty of comic relief.
• You get to learn a little bit more about Eric/the Huntsman and his back story. Chris Hemsworth works his charm and even has some funny lines.  I don't remember him talking with a Scottish accent in the first film, but he lays it on pretty thick in this one.
• I really like the title "Winter's War".  It refers to the coldness of heart and the internal battle between good and evil, love and hate, as well as the actual snowy winter scenes where battles are fought in the movie.

Things I didn’t like:

• They talk about Snow White, but you only get to see her from the back.  Apparently, Kristen Stewart didn’t want to have anything to do with this film, so they used a body double.
• I really like Emily Blunt, but her portrayal as Queen Freya was a bit...shall we say...cold?  She has a new movie coming out in October called The Girl on the Train  
• Lots of leather.  Lots.  Some of the clothing looked like new, fresh costumes and should have been messed up a little bit to look more authentic.  Queen Freya and the Evil Queen look wonderful.
• There is a fight scene in a tavern that has good action, but it’s filmed too close, so you can’t see everything that’s going on.  It has no music in the background, just fight noises, which actually was an interesting sound choice.
• Like Maleficent , the protagonist could teach young girls an important lesson in personal empowerment, yet becomes completely unhinged and evil because of a man who betrayed her.  Not exactly a good role model for our daughters.
• The beginning and end feel a bit heavy, but the middle feels like a magical adventure.

Funny lines:

• “This is the worst plan ever.” – Eric/The Huntsman
• “What are you going to do: take on two evil sisters and their entire armies?” – Sara (Jessica Chastain)

“Yeah, pretty much.” – Eric/Huntsman

Interesting lines:

• “Men have forgotten what it means to be afraid.” – Queen Freya
• “You may know much, Ravenna, but you do not know all.” – Queen Freya

“I’m afraid I do.” – Ravenna

• “If she could not raise a child, she would raise an army.” – narrator who is the wonderful Liam Neeson
• “In my kingdom, there is but one law: do not love.  It is a sin.” – Queen Freya

Tips for parents:   

•  Some profanity, as well as "colorful" Scottish insults
• The goblins might scare very young children
• There are some inappropriate sexual innuendoes, but they’re subtle and will probably fly over most kids’ heads.  There are two scenes when sex is implied, but you don’t really see anything.