The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will have you renewing your passport

Movie Title: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Grade: A-


In a Nutshell: We’re all a little bit like Walter Mitty, imagining ourselves doing great things while reality jails us in some dull cubicle to eek out a living. In this fresh remake (the 1947 version starred the lovable Danny Kaye), Walter Mitty is, ironically, a “negative asset manager” for LIFE magazine who daydreams about heroism and romance, but lives an uninspired life. Because he hasn’t done anything “noteworthy or mentionable”, he can’t seem to catch the eye of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) until... I remember reading this James Thurber’s short story in middle school and began drafting my very first “Bucket List.”



Uplifting theme: Stop dreaming. Start living. I took my family to see this comedy directed by Ben Stiller and asked my kids what they thought. One of my sons said “Motivated.” I prompted “Motivated to do what?” “More.” Another son chimed in “Motivated to do more instead of read about it on blogs.” The magazine Walter Mitty works for is, appropriately, LIFE. Now, go out there and use your passport.

Things I liked:  Gorgeous cinematography! Inspiring visions. Some of the biggest moments of the film were the ones that featured simple joys. The subtle humor had my husband’s contagious laughter fill the theater. Ben Stiller is the king of awkward moments. The 1947 film portrayed an overbearing mother, but in this version the lovely Shirley MacLaine brings to life a supportive, but aging mom who unintentionally brings out the best in her son.

For the younger generation who never had the pleasure of reading LIFE from 1936-1972, it was the photojournalism magazine that introduced us to places all over the world. Its motto, spotlighted in the movie was: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other and to feel. That is the purpose of life.”



Things I didn’t like: Walter Mitty is in really good shape on that skateboard, considering he was supposed to have been working in a dark photography office for 17 years. I know, as if the rest of the film was entirely believable. The great cell phone reception on the mountain top of the Himalayas provided some laughter from the audience.

Funny line: “I have that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button thing.”

Things to look for:  Read all of the signs on streets, walls, and even mountains during the film for insightful narration. You won’t see Stiller’s famous “Blue Steel” humor from Zoolander , but a solid dramatic performance that is endearing.

Tips for parents: Rated PG! Yay! There are some intoxicated guys in a bar drinking REALLY LARGE glasses. A couple of “mild” swear words. A funny Ben Stiller movie with no F-bombs and crude humor…a refreshing relief. It was a nice change to see Kristen Wiig and Sean Penn with clean characters as well. Your family will enjoy the thrilling action scenes and peaceful moments of reflection.

Now I'm ready to go to Iceland or Greenland

Thor gets hammered by movie critics

Movie Title:  Thor: The Dark World

In a Nutshell:  More Thor.  More Chris Hemsworth. More muscles and awesome abs. More beautiful Natalie Portman.  Thor has to save Earth and the Nine Realms from another evil enemy who looks like he stepped off the movie set of Star Trek.  All of Asgard’s soldiers look like they’d be good buds with the characters in the Lord of the Rings.  It feels a bit like a summer popcorn movie where yet one more superhero saves not just the helpless people of a doomed city, but the entire universe.

A lot of movie reviewers have criticized the sequel for various reasons, but if you love Thor or Chris Hemsworth, you’ll be entertained for almost two hours.

Things I liked:  The background story at the beginning is a quick refresher if it’s been awhile since you saw the first Thor movie or are unfamiliar with the comic books. Several fun twists will keep you guessing. I love the high-tech gold lace wall that keeps prisoners in their cells, as well as the barrio that rises up and around the king’s castle to protect it from incoming flying intruders.

I admired the Queen’s (lovely Rene Russo) regal bravery and (SPOILER ALERT) thought the funeral scene was touching and stunning.  Young actress Kat Dennings plays the snarky comic relief that she is known for on “Two Broke Girls” and even a recent Lipton tea commercial she was featured in. I love Heimdall’s fierce loyalty to protect Asgard, reflected in his intense eye color, as well as the cool, shimmering bridge he watches over.  Tom Hiddleston plays a deliciously conflicted Loki.

Things I didn’t like:  It’s hard to take bad guys seriously when they’re wearing the lovable Jabbawockeez dance crew face masks and beautifully intricate hair braids. It’s such a contradiction to see Asgard possess such advanced technology in one scene, along with relics from Medieval ages, such as sophisticated laser weaponry next to swords.  Another example is the futuristic medical table where nurses attend to Jane Foster, yet they aren’t able to heal a sword wound on another person.  Was it intentional that both Jane (gorgeous Natalie Portman) and the hopeful love interest (Jaimie Alexander) looked alike, including facial beautiful marks?  I wish there were more chemistry between Thor and Jane…their kiss and embraces fall fairly flat. What’s holding up King Odin’s eye patch?  Svartalfheim…really?

Uplifting theme:  Good conquers evil. Yay.  The King of Asgard (wonderful Anthony Hopkins) worries about his legacy and Thor tells him “I shall try to live with honor…is that not legacy enough?”

Funny line:  Dr. Erik Selvig is seen either nude (naughty parts blurred out) or wearing only underwear in most of his scenes.  When the danger heats up, he snaps out of his exhibitionist funk and says “I better get my pants.”  An amusing image is of Thor walking onto a modern-day subway train in London’s famous Tube and asks “How do I get to Greenwich?” sending the female passenger next to him in a smitten trance.

Things to look for:  -  Stan Lee’s cameo performance when he says “Can I have my shoe back?”  I love that he is spotlighted in every Marvel film. 

-        Digestive crackers on a table.

-        Captain America even makes an appearance.  Cute scene.

-        Harry Potter-looking book with moving images

-        Thor hangs up his hammer on a coat rack when entering an apartment.

-        Soldiers using rocket launchers next to sword fighters

-        Giant bowls of spices

Tips for parents:  You can’t expect to see a Superhero battle evil without some violence, although you don’t see gruesome blood.  (SPOILER ALERT) Thor’s hand gets cut off, but it’s a pretty sterile slice.  The kissing is also pretty sterile. No bad language. 

Grade: B+

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2 Satisfies Your Craving

In a Nutshell:  "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2".  Swallow Falls has evolved into an island inhabited of living food creatures, triggered by a machine that young scientist Flint Lockwood designed in the first movie.  Flint returns to his former home with a crew of endearing characters in order to restore the island to normalcy before the food-beings swim onto the mainland and destroy it as well (a la Jurassic Park.)

Things I liked:  The animation is colorful, detailed, and very imaginative.  I can just picture the film designers sitting around a board room table, brainstorming all of the inventive food creatures in the movie which include watermelephant, susheep, shrimpanzee, flamangos, bananostrich, cheesespider, and more.  Most of them are pretty clever and creative.  I love the way the dad’s eyebrows cover his eyes and show all of the expression on his face.  He is voiced by the legendary James Caan. Barry the Strawberry leads the cute factor in the movie.  The little sounds he makes are sure to please every little girl in the audience.

Things I didn’t like:  Be prepared for lots and lots of food puns.  You had to know it was coming.  Some are witty like when the dad captains a small vessel and yells “There’s a leak in the boat!”  The camera then zooms over to a little green leek who yells back at the dad, equally frightened.  Some of the food puns will make you laugh and roll your eyes at the same time, such as “It’s jammed!”, “We’re toast!” or “This is totally bananas!”  If you liked the first movie, there really isn’t much you won’t like in this delicious sequel.

Uplifting theme:  It’s hard to say, really.  The efforts of Flint and his friends don’t really reign in the mayhem on the island, but somehow it’s ok in the end.  There is an evil character (SPOILER ALERT) who appears good, but his greedy motivations are revealed in the end.  So, the moral of the story?  Be kind?  Try hard?  Have loyal friends?

Funny line:  Many of the funny lines are spoken by the beloved cop Earl Devereaux, voiced by Terry Crews, such as “I’m not a barista…I’m a polista” and  “Police tape – the one thing I can’t break.”  The kids in the audience I sat in squealed with laughter when he repeats a phrase from the first movie “It’s enough to make a grown man cry, but not this man…get back in there, tear!”  He’s so tough he can force his own tears to return to his eyeball, and make chest hairs to grow on demand. 

Things to look for:   - The pickle who wears fishing lures as earrings.

                                   - Watch for the “Cheese, Grommit” hand motion when you hear

                                      someone say “It’s made of cheese!”  (I loved the Wallace &

                                     Grommit shorts.)

                                   -  Simon, the Electronic Memory Game

Tips for parents:   It’s easy as pie to enjoy this movie.  If you’ve seen the first “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs”, then you’re already familiar with most of the characters and know what you’re in for…lots of silliness and chuckles.  There is no bad language or inappropriate material, unless you’re offended when it’s announced that someone cut the cheese.

Grade: B+

Captain Phillips receives heroic praise

Movie Title:  Captain Phillips

In a Nutshell:  This intense docudrama of the Maersk Alabama hijacking keeps you on the edge of your seat, an especially impressive feat, considering the movie is over two hours long.  I kept imagining myself in each situation, wondering what I would have done, sure I would have been toast in mere minutes.  Each decision has consequences and turns the direction of the outcome.  Even if you remember the news story from 2009, you’ll feel like you’re experiencing the dramatic ordeal for the first time.

Things I liked:  I absolutely adore Tom Hanks.  Who doesn’t?  His emotion at the end brought tears to my eyes.  So powerful.  (SPOILER ALERT:  I wanted to be that nurse and give him a big hug.)  Some of the close-ups were SO close that you could see the pores of the skin on people’s faces.  Not that I’ve ever actually met a real Somali, but the actors seemed very authentic.  You hate the pirates, yet feel sorry for them at the same time.  (SPOILER ALERT: The audience I sat with cheered at the end when the words on the screen revealed that Captain Phillips returned to work on ships after the terrifying ordeal.)  The human spirit is inspiring.

Things I didn’t like:  I wish there had been more character development of the crew on both sides – good guys and bad guys.  The beginning scenes in the flick were a bit choppy…perhaps intentional to reflect the movement of the water that was to come?   

Uplifting theme: Heroism is doing scary things with courage.  Navy Seals are total studs.  In the words of Captain Phillips, “You gotta be strong to survive out there.”

Funny line:  Not really funny, but true:  “I got bosses" says the leader of the Somali pirates.  Captain Phillips replies "We all got bosses.”

Tips for parents: Violence and blood, but not as much swearing as you would expect from a ship’s burly crew.  The Somalis constantly feed on a stimulant called Khat.

Grade: A-

Gravity takes off at the box office

Movie Title: Gravity

In a Nutshell: Wow. How did they film that? Gorgeous. Simply stunning. A feast for the eyes.

Things I liked: I loved it when Sandra Bullock (SPOILER ALERT) finally gets back into the capsule, strips off her astronaut gear and slowly sinks into the fetal position, floating and breathing like a baby in the womb. Very powerful. I also loved it when she (SPOILER ALERT) crawls out of the ocean like a primordial creature and collapses with the sand between her fingers. She staggers and has a joyful, celebratory moment of life on earth. The musical score was wonderful and the pictures of earth from space were breathtaking.
Sandra Bullock is more bankable than ever.

Things I didn’t like: There wasn’t much of a plot. It really was about the physical and emotional journey and the miracle of life. I get dizzy easily, so I specifically chose not to watch this film in IMAX 3D, but I imagine it’s amazing.

Uplifting theme: Life is worth fighting for. While the universe is an incredible masterpiece, mankind is God’s greatest creation.

Tips for parents: Two swear words. Two scary dead people faces. Young kids may be a bit bored.

Funny line:  "Man, I hate space."

Grade: A-

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters gets a big waterlogged

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters movie review

One of the best words to describe this sequel to PercyJackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief is “demi-good.”  If you enjoyed the first movie, you’ll get a kick out of seeing the characters move on to another adventure.  If you felt the first movie was mediocre, I’ll warn you that this sequel is more cheesy than ever.

If you’re completely unfamiliar with the Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan or the first movie, it helps to know that they’re based on Greek myths, bringing classical characters to life with a modern twist.  Unfortunately, the characters in the movie are a bit one-dimensional and the acting certainly won’t win anyone any Oscar nominations.

Kids between 6 and 15 will probably enjoy it, but most adults will experience a mixture of mild humor and rolling of the eyes. The dialogue is pretty lame, such as when the Greek god Hermes says “Rome wasn’t built in a day….trust me, I was there.”  On the other hand, he later tosses a golden nugget when talking about the “Hercules Show” and says “It was the best TV show ever.  So, of course it was canceled.”    Who hasn’t experienced that?  I laughed out loud during one of his sycophant moments when he said “I am killing these shorts.”

The entire movie felt like I was on a Disneyland ride.  Now, I enjoy the “Pirates of a Caribbean” ride at Disneyland, but you have to admit it’s pretty cheesy and tired.  There is some mention of “half-bloods” and this movie franchise seems to try a little too hard to replace our beloved “Harry Potter” flicks.

Die-hard Percy Jackson fans say the movies aren't completely true to the books, yet satisfying enough to make for a fun ride.

Grade: B-

Parental guidance:  The language is clean, and appropriate for family viewing, but small children may be frightened by some of the scary scenes.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians creates a teen following

 
The newest teen movie Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters is in theaters nationwide and before I review it, I felt like I had to at least watch the first one.  Better late than never, right?


Directed by Chris Columbus, who loves to make movies where teens are the heroes who save the day, The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) is the popular book series' first venture onto the big screen.  Like Percy says: "It's like high school without the musical."

 In a nutshell, a teenage boy suddenly discovers that he's the son of the mighty Poseidon and he sets off on a journey to save his mother (a mere mortal) and prevent a terrible battle between the other Greek gods on Mount Olympus. Percy is taken to Camp Half-Blood (sounds like Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince , right?) where he learns fighting skills and shows that he has what it takes.

It's a fun mixture of mythical characters and modern exploration into various dimensions.  It doesn't quite capture the Harry Potter magic that Chris Columbus is now famous for, but your pre-teens will enjoy it, especially if they've read any of the fantasy books by Rick Riordan.  Fans will tell you that the movie franchise is loosely based on the books, but it's close enough to leave them satisfied with the effort.

Logan Lerman plays the gutsy Percy who can stay under water for over 7 minutes in a swimming pool at the beginning of the movie because that's the place where he "can think."   Brandon Jackson (Grover) stars as Percy's best friend/comic-relief/secret guardian/half goat/junior protector who tries to earn his horns for watching over Poseidon's son.  The lovely Alexandra Daddario plays the aloof love interest (Annabeth) and Jake Abel provides the twist in the plot.  (Spoiler alert)

I loved seeing the beautiful Uma Thurman as the snake-covered Medusa and the gorgeous Rosario Dawson as Persephone, the bride of Hades.  Two beauties who are terrific actresses who can also sing very well.  I have a hard time with Pierce Brosnan, however.  I used to think he was so handsome, sophisticated, and charming when he played 007 in several James Bond flicks, but after his singing fiasco in Mamma Mia! The Movie , I just can't look at him the same.  He plays a wise centaur and, luckily, there is no singing.  The special effects in the film are a bit rough, but still pretty fun.

Because I currently live in Las Vegas, I got a kick out of the three teen heroes' visit to Sin City where they were sucked into the glitz and glamor of the Lotus casino.  The sign on the casino says "You Will Never Want To Leave" and the teens realize, after 5 days of partying, that their senses have indeed been dulled and that they lost track of time.  So true of Vegas.  By the way, there really was a Lotus Casino in Las Vegas, but it closed in 1978.  Casinos in Vegas don't have windows, so you really do lose track of time.   The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas 2013 (Unofficial Guides)

On a spiritual note, it's the father's voice that finally reminds them to get back to their mission.  Can you recognize your Heavenly Father's voice?  Do you know what your mission is?
 
As the teen trio enters the Underworld, they are told it is a pace where "wishes never come true, a scrapheap of human misery, and a place of lost hopes and dreams."  While the Percy Jackson films may not be as complex and artistic as those deserving Oscar wins, they keep the young-at-heart dreaming of adventurous fantasies and noble accomplishments.  Dreaming is good.


Grade = B

Parental warning: No bad language.  Scenes entering Hades are a bit scary for young children, including bodies grabbing at the teen heroes. Hades appears as a frightening and fiery monster twice.