Eddie the Eagle

I love these human spirit type stories. I'm all about the dreamers that turn into doers, that laugh in the face of adversity and naysayers. Those people who have insatiable spirits that can't be broken... the eternal optimists... I love them! Probably because I definitely ain't one! But I tell you what, I love their stories, and I feel like more and more of them are being told recently in bio pics, and to that I say, Keep 'em Coming!!!

The one I saw most recently was Eddie the Eagle. It looked cute, but a really didn't know the story. Now I am not here to say how accurate the film was to the actual story, just how much I loved the story told in the film.

Plot Summary:
Eddie Edwards grew up with the dream of going to the Olympics despite his physical limits. Becoming an excellent downhill skier he is cut from the Olympic ski team because he just a bit too awkward to represent the British. With the Olympics one year away, Eddie decides he is going to become a ski jumper, because there aren't any British ski jumpers, and therefore, no competition. So with nothing but his tenacious spirit and his disillusioned coach he sets out to train and qualify for the Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Soundtrack:
Oh my, I found the soundtrack to be a fun throwback to the classic 80s soundtrack! With a synthesizer heavily featured it reminded me of Chariots of Fire and Ladyhawk. I loved it.  


Overall Thoughts:
Omo! I loved this movie. I am just amazed by what a person can do when they put their mind to it! I laughed, I cringed, I clutched the arm rests, I cried a little. It was just a fantastic movie. And here is the thing... ah! I can't say what I want to because I don't want to spoil it if you don't know his story... but it is just amazing how happy and excited he is just to compete in the Olympics, he doesn't care about placing, he just wants to compete. Ugh, it's great! (A little side note, this was the same Olympics that the Jamaicans first competed with their bobsled team. Maybe it just because of Cool Runnings and this movie, but that Olympics must have been one for the underdogs!)

Parent Guide:
The coach makes an analogy comparing ski jumping to having sex... which was a bit awkward. Other mild innuendos.  Dangerous scenes and injuries relating to ski jumping.

Trailer:

The Good Dinosaur, Just That

Anytime Disney and Pixar get together I usually think, "Instant Classic," but for whatever reason the previews for The Good Dinosaur were underwhelming. I wasn't dying to see it, I wasn't waiting for opening night to come so I could watch this new movie, like I was for other Disney films. But I knew I would see it eventually, on a night that I just wanted something simple to watch.

So on a Monday night I suggest it to my brother, and we head out. I thought there would be lots of families there for Family night, but we go anyway. We walk into the theater. There is one family there. One. Two parents. Two kids. And us. This doesn't bode well for the movie. We settle in. Previews start... And can I just say I laughed more at the preview for Zootopia than at anytime during the movie. (Like it was almost embarrassing at how much that preview tickled my funny bone... We couldn't tell if the family was laughing at the preview or at me. Sorry, not sorry. Those sloths killed me!)

Plot Summary (SPOILERS):

Arlo is the runt of his family. He wants to make his mark like the rest of his family does when they do a good job. But the problem is he is scared of everything, even the chickens he is in charge of feeding. (Seriously though Arlo, I am right there with you! Chickens are terrifying. I'm utterly scared of birds.)

Me waiting for chickens to move away from the door. Scary chickens. No I wasn't joking!

His dad tries to encourage him and gives him a new job of trapping and killing the critter that is eating all of their food storage. When Arlo can't bring himself to kill the cute little critter (human child) and lets him go, events follow that lead to the death of Arlo's father and then Arlo being swept away and lost. He survives with the help of the Spot (the human critter), meeting friends and foes along the way, and ultimately overcoming his fears and making his mark.

Arlo protected by Spot

Soundtrack:

Wasn't anything to holler about. Good, but not spectacular. This one is kind of fun.

Overall Thoughts:

Really I kept thinking, this seems a lot like Lion King... like a lot. I mean there was the death of his dad, a stampede, even a vision where his dad comes back to guide  him. So the plot didn't feel very original. What I did like was that it had a real western feel to it. Herbivores were farmers, and Carnivores were ranchers with herds of bison, and there are rustlers and everything. I liked that the T-rexes were not the bad guys and even galloped when they ran. I liked that Spot had doglike attributes. I did cry near the end... but I cry at tissue commercials, so that really isn't a measure of how great it is, but that I was invested enough. So the Good Dinosaur, was just that, Good. Not great.

I was far more attached to Spot than Arlo... 

Trailer:

Parent Guide:

If you have a gaggle of kids, you probably don't want to spend the $70 to see it, wait for it to come to video. Death of a parent (but it's Disney, I mean come on, what do you expect). Some potty humor. Death of some animals for food. Perilous situations.



AND here is the trailer for Zootopia that had me in fits... I'm a little ridiculous.

Is This Really an Option?

Browsing around Netflix, I was in the mood for a RomCom, so I perused some of the holiday titles, when I started to notice a pattern. A Holiday Engagement, Holiday in Handcuffs... do you know what these two movies have in common? That the women in these movies have a guy pose as their love interest, boyfriend, or fiancé. And for whatever reason, these guys go along with it, pretending to care about these women, and of course being forced into emotionally intimate situations. All for the sake of their families leaving them alone about finding someone to spend their lives with, or to gain their approval. And you know what happens? These guys end up falling for these desperate women!!! Happily Ever After... Really? But then I thought of a new movie that just came out this year... Love the Coopers, and it looks like Olivia Wilde's character does a similar thing... Really?

I started thinking of other movies that have similar plot lines, but not just Christmas time themes. Here are some I came up with... The Wedding Date, One Small Hitch, The Proposal, Pretty Woman, Green Card. I am sure there are even more out there, but this makes me wonder, have people actually done this that it is such a common story plot?

Then I start thinking a little more... Has this strategy actually worked for people? Is this a sound dating strategy? I mean, I am the only single female in my family, I have reached the ripe age of 30, the subject of my dating life or lack thereof is mentioned at least once during each family get together, blind date setups are offered constantly, and my desperate-o-meter is on the rise, is this a strategy I should consider? Approach a man I find attractive and seems to have everything going for him and proposition him in pretending to be my boyfriend and eventually he will fall desperately in love with me? Essentially, the thinking is if someone pretends to do something long enough they will  develop those feelings... Interesting... so you are saying I could get anyone to fall in love with me as long as I get them to pretend that they are for long enough... Extremely interesting.

... Where is Tom Hiddleston?

... though I don't think I can afford his usual acting salary... stupid teacher salary!

Man, I love Hollywood logic. (Also why if I ever had an acting husband, "Sorry Honey, tell your agent you can only do action and horror films now.")

Though I don't think this is something I could actually pull off because I can't even approach a man to have a conversation with me, let alone ask him to pretend to love me.

The Walk... It's a Movie

Ok, I've decided I know it's a really good movie when I want to write a blog post about it IMMEDIATELY!

The Walk! Guys, Gals! Have you heard of it? I remember the first preview I saw of it... I swear it was a year ago. Maybe not, but it was forever ago. And it was really simple.




And I feel like that was it. There wasn't really much hype accompanying it. Why? I don't know, but this definitely deserved more hype. At least for me.  And it's not just because I love Joseph Gordon-Levitt (even though I do, I really do).  It was a great story, told extremely well, terrific actors, with great effects, beautiful music, wit and charm.

Joseph with blue eyes! Weird!

Plot Summary:
This is the true story about how a Frenchman, Philippe Petit, has the dream of walking on his high wire between the World Trade Center Towers. He calls this walk The Coup, because people say it can't be done, he is crazy, it's impossible... oh! and it's illegal. His friends he call his accomplices in his Coup. The Towers aren't completed yet, so they have to sneak up to the roof at the end of the day, hang his wire in the cover of night, and Philippe has to do the walk at dawn. At least that is the plan.

Cinematography:
This is shown in IMAX 3D, 3D, and standard D. I am sure it was incredible in 3D, but I chose to watch it standard definition for fear of getting... height sick? It was simple cinematography, but it was beautiful.

Soundtrack:
I didn't really notice the soundtrack until the end when he was walking. But, oh my, it was perfect for his walk. These are the two I loved!









Overall Thoughts and Feelings:
I loved the story line, and how it is narrated through out. I love that during his walk, being afraid of heights myself, I was perfectly anxious and yet exhilarated. I didn't realize I was holding my breath until the credits rolled. I also loved the brief tribute to the Twin Towers at the end.

This movie is really about following your dreams. Philippe has a dream, and he is relentless in following his dream. (Cue "I have a Dream" from Tangled) He is unwaveringly optimistic and confident. There are two moments where he doubts his dream. My favorite is when he sees the Twin Towers for the first time. He climbs the stairs to the top. He balances on the beam hanging just a little off the roof and staring at that massive void separating the two towers, then looking down says, "I let myself whisper it. I whisper it so the demons won't hear, 'It's impossible!'... But I will do it anyway." I LOVE THIS LINE!!! His tenacity! How many dreamers have felt this way? It's Impossible. But then they do it anyway!  Did J.K. Rowling feel this way? Walt Disney? Neil Armstrong? Beethoven? I am utterly fascinated by the real life dreamers who overcome their "It's impossible," I admire their determination, will power, heart, and spirit. And that is what I felt this movie was really about. I will definitely own this movie someday. Go see it!

Here is a trailer with a little bit more.



And in case I over hyped it... it was awful... Go see it! ;)

Parental Warning:
There are naked bums. And some mild language. (At least that I noticed, but it is PG)

The Fantastic Four?

It's a Thursday night, I got nothing to do, so I decide to go see Fantastic Four. With a large popcorn and drink in hand, I march into the theater with my independent "I don't need to go the movies with someone because I am sensationally single" swagger (which is really just how I walk normally). The previews are already rolling, and I am the fifth person into the theater. Really? Only five people are here, didn't this just come out? Oh, the foreboding!

Plot Summary:
Previews done, movie starts. Oh look it's Reed and Ben as kids! They are adorable! And as a 5th grader, genius Reed has, in his garage, sent a toy car into an alternate dimension! How smart is he?!

Some years later, Reed gets recruited by some brainy university, were there aren't really any classes and he becomes number one scientist on his experiment to send and retrieve organic matter into this alternate dimension. After some tests, four of them decided it is their turn to make the auspicious journey. And something goes terribly awry! SHOCKING!!!! They get special powers, have to learn to control them... yada, yada, yada... bad guy appears, gotta take him down.

Overall Thoughts and Feelings: 
This movie was Fantastically Okay. Predictable storyline aside, there just wasn't anything really fantastic about it. Which, with all the advertising, is completely underwhelming! And what with Marvel doing amazing Avengers and quite enjoyable Antman, I expected more from this movie. The actors were okay, character development was underdeveloped. The main conflict, it's climax, and resolution happen in what feels like the last 10-15 minutes. It was utterly blasé. I didn't really care about the characters like I should, I was uninspired by their pep talks to each other... just so meh.

And the best actor of the main group, Jamie Bell, wasn't really in it! He was The Thing... Come on People! Why don't you actually use the best actor you recruited?

Soundtrack:
I only noticed it at one point in time, but after looking up that particular song on Spotify, it really doesn't last long. Though the end credits song is quite good. Maybe it was a celebration of the conclusion of such inadequacy? (Was that mean? Well, write a better movie...)

Parental Warning:
Mild swearing, explosions, and a finger is given.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.... A Review

It's a SPY movie! I love a good spy movie. Nothing like the gizmos and gadgets, the furtive glances, the legal naughtiness, and spyrific action. Why yes, it had everything you want a spy movie to have. The  flirtatious fun of the sixties style, the mystery of knowing you don't have all the information, and better than a Bond film, we have two hunky dudes to drool over appreciate. 

Let's be honest, a big reason I went to see The Man From U.N.C.L.E was because of this guy!

I know, he IS dishy! Henry Cavill is not my most favorite actor, but I think that this film lent itself to him performing a bit better. But you can't go wrong with Henry in a three piece suit at any point in time!

What I didn't anticipate was liking Armie Hammer (What a name!) a whole lot more than I have in both Mirror, Mirror and Lone Ranger. Don't get me wrong he was adorable in Mirror, Mirror and well, Lone Ranger I don't really remember... (but I do love the soundtrack). But I definitely noticed him in this movie! BOY, is tall!!!!  And with his Newsie hat, and fake Russian accent he comes across as strongly handsome. With some pretty eyes. *Swoon*

Plot Summary: 

It's in the 60's, Cold War. CIA agent and KGB agent are forced to work together to find a missing German atomic bomb engineer before he is forced to make an atomic bomb for another country. They use said engineer's daughter to help find him after rescuing her from East Germany. They, of course, don't have all the information they need, and, of course, don't trust each other, and, of course, try to out spy each other.

Cinematography Notes:

I loved the split screens and views during the action parts. I also enjoyed the surreptitious angles.

Soundtrack: 

Yup, GREAT JOB Daniel Pemberton! I noticed it! It was SPYTACULAR! It definitely gives the correct ambiance for a spy movie. It was sixty-ish, it was spyish and I throughly enjoyed it! Listening to it on Spotify right now for the appropriate inspiration.

Overall Thoughts and Feelings:

I liked it better than Bond. It was witty and made me laugh. It's what you expect from a spy movie, only a bit more fun. I give it 1.5 thumbs, or if you don't like maimed phalanges, 4 out of 5 stars.

Trailer: 

Because I am having technical difficulties, I am linking it here.

Parental Warning:

Several sexual references, and a quite unnecessary profile of a naked woman. For more details, check IMDB parent guide.

My Christmas Movies

Around this time of year certain things become tradition. How we put up the Christmas Tree, the songs we sing, the treats we make, and most definitely the movies we watch. I recently saw a "Top 20 Christmas Movies" list and it got me thinking about the movies I feel necessary to watch during Christmas time. Because, Heaven knows, it just wouldn't feel like Christmas without them. Now some are classics and some of them are quite unusual, and probably only I think of them as "Christmas" movies, but that is ok since this is my list... get your own! ;)

In no particular order, my "Feels Like Christmas" Movies List:

The Nativity Story:


We often think of the Wonder and Awe of the Savior's birth to a Virgin Mary, and the humble stable and manger, the Star, the Angels and Shepherds, the Three Kings with their gifts, and even Mary's long journey on a donkey while pregnant, and this movie captures all of that. But even more, when I watched this movie, it was the first time that I thought of the ridicule both Mary and Joseph had to endure, the fear they probably felt. And it definitely made me understand and appreciate Joseph in a way I never had before. And I still get chills when Christ's birth is portrayed! Love this movie!

It's a Wonderful Life:


Ol' George Bailey (HOT DOG) and his Building and Loan. Love the message. No matter the trials your are going through, if you have love, family, and friends, you have a wonderful life!

Miracle on 34th Street:

Must be watched on Christmas Eve. End of Discussion!

Home Alone:

My first Christmas movie first! I remember just waiting for Christmas so I could watch this movie. As a kid you just can't go wrong with bad guys stepping on sharp objects in their bare feet, catching on fire, and repeatedly hit in the face with Kevin zip-lining it to his tree house. Too fun!

Elf:

"Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?"
"I'm a cotton-headed ninny muggings"
"First we'll make snow angels for 2 hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle"
I LOVE THIS MOVIE. It still makes me laugh.

And now for my atypical Christmas movies.

While You Were Sleeping:


"These potatoes are so creamy.... Mary mashed 'em"
"Hey Lucy, you ok? It looks like he is 'leaning'"
I could go on... Again, it's not Christmas until I have watched this one. And let's be honest, Joe Jr has some of the best lines in this movie.

Little Women:

I'm not sure when this one happened, but one year I didn't watch it and something felt like it was missing. And anytime I sing "Here We Come a Wassailing" I think of this movie.


What would be on your Christmas Movie List?