The new Annie is just ok for a Redbox slumber party

Movie:  Annie

 PG, 1 hour 58 minutes

Grade: B

In a Nutshell:   In the midst of the current Sony hacking drama, the studio released a family-friendly film that is loosely based on the original comic strip by Harold Graycorny, as well as the 1982 movie.  It’s a modern take that is somewhat cheesy, and sometimes charming.   Selfies, cell phones, Social Media, and high-tech gadgets speak to a younger generation who is discovering Annie’s uplifting tale for the first time.  (I’ll bet you didn’t know there was a cell tower in the Statue of Liberty, eh?) 

This modern “Harlem” version of Annie includes some new songs, but don’t expect the big production numbers you saw in the original movie.  It’s not as magical as I wanted it to be, but it’s certainly  Redbox-worthy for a girls’ slumber party.

Uplifting Theme:

·         The sun will come out…tomorrow.  Duh.

·         “No matter who you are or what you are, you’ve got to work with what you’ve got.” – Will Stacks

·         “Sometimes what you’re looking for is right in front of you.” – Will Stacks

Things I liked:

·         Jamie Foxx (Will Stacks) is the highlight of the movie and the best singer by far.

·         Miss Hannigan is always playing good dance music in her apartment.  The soundtrack to the movie should be popular with young girls.  They might even turn off Frozen for a few minutes.

·         I loved Will Stacks’ “Smart House” apartment with the awesome, digital, changing wall designs and dancing fountains, not to mention the incredible view of New York City. 

·         New York City stars in the movie. The cast spends quite a bit of time flying around in a helicopter, giving you plenty of beautiful aerial views of the Big Apple.  We took the fam there a couple of years ago and had a great time.  What an incredible city.

Things I didn’t like:          

·         Quvenzhane Wallis (Annie ) is charming at times, but doesn’t have the million dollar voice that Broadway Annies are known for.  She should dazzle when compared to the other orphans surrounding her, but she often looks like she’s acting, and sometimes even has a vacant stare.

·         Bad transitions and editing pull energy out of scenes.

·         The moment Annie meets her parents should be more powerful since the story leads up to it, but it seemed pretty bland and dismissed quickly.

·         While I really like Cameron Diaz, I’m sad to say she can’t sing.  (I can’t either.) During her big moments, the music played louder than her voice and I wondered if it was intentional to cover up the lack of talent.  It’s not very believable to cast a beautiful young woman as the curmudgeonly foster care mother to begin with.  Strange choice.

·         While the movie is a fresh take on the original, the dance moves and music feel like the movie was made a decade ago.

Fun cameo celebrity moments:

·         Michael J. Fox      Will Stacks says “Michael J. Fox is a saint. “   Guy (Bobby Cannavale) then says “I hear there’s a tape…”

·         Rhianna

·         Mila Kunis

·         Where was Emma Thompson?  She helped write the script!

·         Where were Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith?  They helped produce this Broadway classic, along with Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Laurence “Jay” Brown, and Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith.

Funny lines:

·         “I’m ten.  I’m not an idiot.” – Annie

·         “I haven’t been to Disneyland, but I don’t think they have a paperwork ride.” - Annie

·         “Wanna go out tonight?  I got my dance pants on.”  -  Lou (David Zayas)

·         “He has nice hair.” – Grace

“I wouldn’t bank on the hair, sista.” - Annie

·         “Don’t pick that one – it’s licking it’s own hoohah.” – Will Stacks while letting Annie choose a pet dog

Interesting lines:

·         “I think when people say no, they’re really afraid of saying yes.” – Annie

·         “People shouldn’t be scared of governments.  They should be scared of cell phone companies.” –  Adewale   (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje)

Tips for Parents:

·         Some “light” foul language.

·         Sexual innuendos, including a hooker joke.  In a kid movie? Really?

·         Four barfing scenes…count them.

Want to see the original musical or hear the new soundtrack? Check out these products on sale now:

"Don't let your people go" see this version of the Bible's Exodus story

Movie:  Exodus: Gods and Kings

PG-13, 2 hours 22 minutes

Grade: C for Could have been so much better

In a Nutshell:  

Don’t “let your people go” and waste their hard-earned money on this.  How can a movie full of attacking alligators, oozing boils, and fighting Egyptian armies be so bland?  But it is.  While full of action scenes, impressively grand scope, and vivid imagery, the movie lacks heart, soul, and inspiration.  It's so disappointing, especially because it had all of the tools to make for a great movie, but sadly, it misses the mark.

Director Ridley Scott is fantastic at creating “sword and sandal” 
battle sequences, but I wish he had consulted some faithful Jews, Muslims and Christians who are passionate about the story behind the action.  He seems to have studied the general story line, but not the  source of the source material, if you know what I mean.

One of my biggest gripes is that Moses, God’s prophet, is clueless and faithless most of the time in this film.  Apparently, God is a bratty child who throws tantrums and wants revenge.  That’s not how I picture either of them.   If you want to see a REALLY great movie about the Biblical Exodus story, revisit Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments .”   Better yet, read the book.  It's always better and it's pretty popular this time of year...

Uplifting theme: 

*  God will save you after 400 years of slavery.   (wink)   Sadly, this movie depicts a vengeful god, rather than a loving one.

Things I liked:

• ·         The CGI and 3D immersion techniques were stunning. 
• ·         There was a lot of rich texture the fabrics, architecture, landscape, clothing, and faces.
• ·         Joel Edgerton was a convincing Ramses, but I wish Oscar-winning script writer Steve Zaillian had given him more meaningful and layered internal motivation than just revenge.  Joel must have gained weight during the filming, because practically every time we see him as Ramses, he’s eating something.  ha ha
• ·         I wanted to laugh when I first saw comedic actor John Turturro as Seti, Ramses’ father, but I was pleasantly surprised at the mature elegance with which he played the part.
• ·         I’m always happy to see Ben Kingsley in anything.  It’s too bad he didn’t have much to do or say.
• ·         Some of the movie was filmed in Spain.  I lived in Spain for 2 years, so that wins it some points.  The landscapes and aerial vistas were truly awesome.
• ·         Ridley Scott is 77 years old!  Wow!
• ·         The musical score was sweeping and fitting.
•        I really like the subtitle: "Gods and Kings."  It also seems sweeping and fitting.  Ridley Scott said he picked it because the title "Exodus" was already taken.

Things I didn’t like:

• ·          It’s a bit slow-moving in parts.
• ·         The parting of the Red Sea wasn’t as dramatic as it was in The Ten Commandments , but the gigantic, crashing waves were.
• ·         I wanted to see more faces of the Children of Israel.  They were treated en masse, so the audience never felt emotionally invested in their personal stories and everything felt very one dimensional.
• ·         Many are criticizing Ridley Scott’s casting decisions that did not include Middle-Eastern looking actors.  He recently told Variety magazine “I can’t mount a film of this budget, where I have to rely on tax rebates in Spain, and say that my lead actor is Mohammad so-and-so from such-and-such. I’m just not going to get it financed. So the question doesn’t even come up.”
• ·         The ending was anti-climactic.  Bland.
• ·         At least this movie wasn’t as terrible as Hollywood’s attempt at Noah.  Read why I hated that movie so much. 

Did you notice?

• ·         Christian Bale seemed to dig a little deeper than he did in his role as the monotone Batman Begins .  The spot in his mustache where he can’t grow hair was a bit distracting for me.  Was I that bored that I noticed such a small thing?  Did you notice his curly-toed sandals?
• ·         Aaron Paul from Breaking Bad: Season 1
• ·         All of the actors attempted a British accent, except Sigourney Weaver.  It reminded me of the Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves where he didn’t even try.
• ·         The beautiful Indira Varma from the pornographic Game of Thrones: Season 1 plays Miriam, Moses’ wife.  Their scenes together are the only ones that come close to feeling any emotion.
• ·         Ben Mendelsohn from The Place Beyond The Pines
• Egypt actually banned this movie from their country because of "historical inaccuracies."

Interesting lines:

• ·         “You can tell a lot about somebody by looking him in the eyes.” – Moses
• ·         “The leader will be saved and the savior will lead.” – Sefora
• ·         “A little venom in your blood is a good thing.  It makes you less vulneravble to the next bite.” – Ramses
• ·         “The men who want power are the best fit to acquire it and the least fit to use it.” – Ramses
• ·         “You have honored me with your trust.  Now I honor you with my faith.”  - Moses

Tips for Parents:

·         Children will get bored in parts, but they may be frightened by bodies being burned and hanged.  There is a lot of fighting, violence, and scenes with disturbing plagues that might also scare your kids...vengeance is a messy thing.

Now, if you want to learn more about the story behind the action, check out some of these:

Penguins of Madagascar is cute and cuddly enough to make you laugh out loud at least once

Movie Title:  Penguins of Madagascar

PG, 1 hour 32 minutes

Grade:  B

In a Nutshell: The zany, spy penguins from the Madagascar franchise finally got their own feature film, full of high-jinks and frivolity.  No matter what age you are, you’ll laugh at least a few times.  It’s brightly colored, frantic, and fun. Parents’ patience will probably wear thin towards the end, but there are enough clever puns, and jokes to keep you mostly entertained.

This movie has 2 words for teenage girls:  Benedict Cumberbatch.  He voices the studly Agent Classified.  Listen to how he pronounces the word “penguins.”  Kinda quirky and awesome.  Just like he is. Other voice talents include the iconic John Malkovich, Tom McGrath, Andy Richter, and Ken Jeong.

Directed by J.P. Simon and Simon Smith….I wonder if it ever got confusing whenever someone on the Dreamworks animation team yelled “Simon!”

Uplifting theme:

·          “Looks don’t matter.  It’s what you do that counts.  And look at what you did.” - Skipper

·         Never leave a man….um…penguin behind.

Things I liked:

·         The gag rate and fast-moving action sequences make the movie feel like an old Looney Tunes cartoon on Saturday morning.  (Am I showing my age?)

·         Cheezy Dibbles dust!

·         The scenes in Venice were gorgeous animation.

·         The visual details and humor that were included were excellent, such as when they the roll over the black and white lines to break into Fort Knox, and when they were lost at sea and growing facial stubble.

·         They had several funny runs with celebrity names like:

         -          “Kevin, Bake On….we’re still going to need that victory cake!”

         -          “Hally Bury them!”

         -          “Hugh Jack on!”

·         I laughed out loud during the scene when Dave the evil Octopus was trying to figure out how to use the technology to do a live video conference call with the penguins.  I’ve experienced that with my own parents and hate to admit that I've caught my own kids rolling their eyes when they’re trying to teach me how to use my cell phone. 

·         I love word play.  There is a LOT of it in this fun flick like:

                    “Venetian blinded again!”

·         Like all good adventure movies, it ends in amazing New York City.

·         I thought the film crew scenes in Antarctica were hilarious.  They featured a cartoon version and real voice of Werner Herzog who actually filmed a documentary in Antarctica entitled “Encounters at the End of the World.”

Things I didn’t like:

·         I can only take frenzied silliness for so long.

·         It’s not the greatest animation to hit the big screen this year, but cute and cuddly enough for the girls and screwball enough for the guys to enjoy.

·         It would have been fun to see a cameo of some of the other Madagascar characters.  I counted how long the penguins actually spent in Madagascar during this movie: 0 seconds.

Funny lines:

·          "Remember our talk about true, but unhelpful comments?” – Skipper

·         “Canada is secretly training an army of Sasquatch.” – Skipper

·         “Cancel our Improv class!”  - Skipper

·         “How long do we stand here like this?” – Corporal

      “Until we’ve reached maximum coolness.  (Pose)  There it is.” – Skipper

·         “I find reason tedious and boring.  We’ll use force.” – Skipper

·         “Time travel.  You just want to slap a hippie, but all you get is multiple Kowalskis.” – Skipper

·         Entire web sites have been dedicated to all of the funny lines Skipper has ever said in the 3-movie Madagascar franchise.

Tips for Parents:

·         There are quite a few jokes and gags that will fly over the heads of little ones.  There is so much to see and hear, that all ages will get something.  It’s all pretty harmless fun.  Even the bad guy isn’t very scary, so very young children will enjoy this.

·         It’s a kids’ movie, so expect potty jokes, some rude humor, and animated violence with explosions, tazers, and tranquilizer guns.

   If you missed the first Madagascar movies or can't get enough of these covert penguins, check out some of these fun products:

The Theory of Everything introduces a new Stephen Hawking to the universe

Movie: Theory of Everything

PG-13, 2 hours 3 minutes

Grade:  A-

In a Nutshell:  The movie illustrates the romantic spark between the leads, as well as Stephen’s search for the spark that started the universe.   It explores the struggle between body and soul and expands your own world of thinking.  Movie critic Tom Long from the Detroit News said it best: “It’s a brainy bio that exerts a gravitational pull on the heartstrings.” 

How fascinating that a young man who was only given two years to live has spent his entire lifetime trying to prove the theory of time.  He said “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to prove with a singular equation that time had a beginning?  Wouldn’t that be nice?  One simple, elegant equation that explained everything.  Only time, whatever that may be, will tell.”   Isn’t it wonderful that he has defeated that short death sentence to live to an astounding age of 72?  He’s still going strong and who knows how much longer he’ll live and what he’ll discover.  Only time will tell.

Uplifting Theme: “There should be no boundaries to human endeavor.  However bad life may seem, while there is life, there is hope.”  - Stephen Hawking

Things I loved:

·         Eddie Redmayne (Les Miserables (2012) ) is simply incredible as Stephen  Hawking.  Oscar-worth in my opinion.  Felicity Jones (The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ) as Jane Wilde is lovely and an equal match in her starring role.

·         I loved the ending of the movie that showed, appropriately, their story going back in time and how quickly time really does fly.

·         I’m so impressed with the courage and strength that both Stephen and Jane have demonstrated all of their lives.  Shame on me for ever feeling sorry for myself or complaining about anything.

·         I loved the friendship and support that Stephen’s college buddies and professors extended to him for so many years.

·         I thought the film did a good job showing Stephen’s sense of humor.  His intellect, humor, and human passions were never affected by his disease.

*    I love that the movie poster is turned sideways, just like Stephen Hawking has done to various theories of physics and science.

      I admire how Jane waited patiently for Stephen to work out in his own mind and time how he felt about God.  She should have been knighted by the Queen for her many years of sacrifice and service to Stephen.  

Things I didn’t like:

·         It’s a bit slow-moving for some and young children will be extremely bored.

·       SPOILER ALERT:   Isn't it interesting that you can have an affair without acting on it physically?   

Interesting lines:

·         “This is not going to be a fight, Jane.  This is going to be a heavy defeat for all of us.” – Stephen’s father

Funny lines:

·         “I’m a Cosmologist.”  – Stephen Hawking, introducing himself to Jane

“What’s that?” – Jane

“It’s a kind of religion for intelligent atheists.” – Stephen

·         “You haven’t said why you don’t believe in God.” – Jane

“A physicist can’t allow his calculations to be muddled by his belief in a supernatural creator.” – Stephen

“Sounds less of an argument against God than against physicists.” – Jane

·         “I love you.” – Jane

“That’s a false conclusion.” – Stephen

·         “Now, I’d like to make a suggestion.  It might sound a bit unusual, but I’ve seen it work  wonders.  I think that you should consider joining the church choir.” – Jane’s mother to her daughter when Jane was having a tough time handling everything.

“Mum, I think that’s possibly the most English thing anyone has ever said.” – Jane

·         “So I said I have long been looking for a model of the universe.  I finally found her.” – Stephen  

Tips for Parents: 

·         Teens who loved The Fault in Our Stars and who are interested in learning about the mysterious Stephen Hawking they’ve always known to be in a wheelchair should enjoy this.

·         Fans of the Harry Potter franchise will enjoy seeing some familiar actors in this flick.

·         Young men should be inspired by the science geek who is persistent enough to get the pretty girl.

·         Stephen Hawking, apparently, subscribes to Penthouse magazine.

·         This could be a quick start to an interesting conversation with your kids about Quantum Theory and general relativity.  Here are some fascinating questions to discuss that Stephen asked:

-          What is the nature of time?

-          Will it ever come to an end?

-          Can we go back in time?

To learn more about their story, check out the following:

The Good Lie uplifts and inspires with its profound simplicity

Movie:  The Good Lie

PG-13, 1 hour 52 minutes

Grade: A-

In a Nutshell:  It’s very touching to watch the lives of these “Lost Boys” (and girls) from Sudan unfold.  I wanted to adopt them all. It’s truly heart-breaking what they had to endure to survive, walking hundreds of miles barefoot in search of safety and meaning. I love that some of the actors were actually “Lost Boy” refugees themselves. You get to see their pictures at the end of the movie.    

The title of this simple, yet uplifting movie comes from a phrase in Mark Twain’s book Adventures of Huckleberry Finn .”  A night school teacher asks her class what it means.  One of the students responds “Huck uses lies to survive in undesirable situations.”  But the lies change later in the story. Mamere offers insight by explaining that the lies change because Huck changes.  “When he tells the slave hunters that he has no slaves, his lie is credible, so he lies well.  But what is more important is that it is an unselfish lie that saves Jim.  Jim’s freedom means more to him than the money he would get for turning him in, so it is a good lie.”  Before the end of the movie, there are several “good lies” that will both break and warm your heart.

Things I liked:

• ·    The camera lingers on the actors’ faces so you can watch their emotions develop layers.
• ·         I thought it was really cute when the young men from Sudan discovered the “Why did the chicken cross the road” joke and kept laughing about it later.
• ·         I thought the movie was understated, especially considering the profoundly touching and powerful subject matter. Reese Witherspoon's character and role is also muted by the colorful story of the Lost Boys.

Things I didn’t like:

• ·         I enjoyed the movie very much.  What I didn’t like was seeing some of the ugly sides of humanity.  The world is full of horror and beauty.  One of the great challenges in life is to focus on the good and create more of it to outweigh the bad.
• ·         It would have been interesting to see more of how they lived in the refugee camp in Kenya for so many years.

Funny lines:

• ·         “Your survival skills are most impressive.”  - Mamere
•        “Um…thanks.”  - Carrie
• ·         “May you find a husband to fill your empty heart and home.” – Mamere
•        “I’ll work on that.”  - Carrie
• ·         “Man, I wish they wouldn’t do that.”  -  Jack (when he sees the Sudanese young men holding hands)

Interesting lines:

• ·         “I miss Sudan.”  - Jeremiah
•       “Why?”   - Carrie
•        “Because in Sudan you know what a lion looks like.”   - Jeremiah after dealing with a boss he disagrees with
• ·         The movie ends with this line: “If you want to go fast, go alone.  If you want to go far, go together.”  - African Proverb

Tips for Parents:

• ·         Some stupid, lazy Americans introduce one of the sweet Sudanese young men to drugs. 
• ·         It may be too slow-moving for young children, but teens can learn a lot about values, honor, Sudan, humanitarian aid, war, and sacrifice for others.
• ·         This film will make you want to do more.  Your family may want to discuss how you can help other refugees.  There are many organizations online that you can look into, as well as local churches that offer aid to those in camps abroad and who have recently arrived in America.   
• A lot of Americans get angry about all of the money and energy that is spent helping people abroad, especially when there are so many people in our own country who need help.  After you watch this movie, you'll be grateful that the good ole USA has done something to help ease suffering in the world.  It's an interesting and important question: Should we use our resources to help those outside our own boundaries and problems?  If we don't, who will?  

       To learn more about the refugee children of Sudan, check out these interesting stories: