5 Stars: More Reviews

Though I'm sad to see the Thanksgiving vacation end, the days off were great! Not only did I get to spend time with the people I care about and love the most, I got to sleep in (always a blessing) and take some time to do things that I want to do (also a blessing).

One thing I like to do is watch a good movie. Doesn't matter if it's at home or in the theatres, a good movie is a good movie. I also like the fulfillment of reading a good book.

This weekend, I was blessed to catch two flicks at the theatre with friends and family, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Unstoppable.


The Deathly Hallows: Part 1

I had not read any of the Harry Potter books before this last book of the series, which I read two summers ago. I was excited to see the movie, more excited than I've been to see a Harry Potter movie, simply because I'd actually put the time in to this book. 

I must confess, I think I'm a bit disappointed by the movie, which covered 2/3 of this thick book. The problem is that there is so much in the book, so many events, so many levels to relationships between the characters, that there's no way that movie makers could truly do an excellent job. The movie would just be too long. It occurred to me today that this last book would really have made a great TV series. In fact, I'm sure there was a lot left out of most of the books, so maybe they should have made the whole book series into an everlasting TV series. I know I would have tuned in each week. Well, I would have once I realized how great it was.

(I wasn't an immediate Harry Potter fan. In fact, I remember a friend giving me the first book as a gift. And though I tried to read it and get in on the hype surrounding it, I just wasn't interested. Then the movies started coming out, and I wasn't interested in watching those at first, either. Somehow, somewhere, I started to enjoy the movies. And now that I've read the last book and was hooked the whole way through, I want to go back and read and see how much more I can learn from the other Harry Potter books.)

Of course I went back through the book to figure out what was missing. I even made a pretty hefty list (yes, I'm a list maker). Then, I also read through the last 1/3 of the book closely to review it for the next movie coming out in the Spring. A few family members who went to see it thought it was slow. They expected more action. (They obviously hadn't read the book to know most of the action happens at the end.) All-in-all, I think I will give Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 three and a half stars out of five. Maybe Part 2 will be more fulfilling.

* * * 1/2



Unstoppable

Unstoppable is another great Denzel Washington movie that also stars Chris Something-or-other from the newest Star Trek movie. It was inspired by a true story of a runaway train in Ohio. It had funny moments, not just smile-because-it's-humorous but laugh-out-loud funny moments, even in the touching ending. While I felt the beginning was somewhat slow, the middle and end really picked up speed and were very interesting and entertaining. I'm torn between giving it three and a half or four stars.

* * * *



On a side note, I did see Despicable Me with my husband and his brother while we were in California at the end of the summer, and I thought it was great. I did not catch Nanny McPhee Returns in the theatre, so we'll have to rent that. I also have not yet seen MegaMind. It is yet to be determined as to whether or not I'll have to rent it or if we'll make it to the theatre before it leaves. I am also interested in renting Tangled once it comes out on DVD (it just entered the theatres), and I know Mom has already made plans for us all to see the latest Narnia film The Voyage of the Dawn Treader during the Christmas break.

Yikes! Lots of movies!
Happy movie watching!

5 Stars

Watching movies is another of my free time To-Dos. I guess this is why working at the movie theatre during high school was a good job choice. I'm not sure which happened first, though, my interest in watching movies or my job at a movie theatre. 
So, in true blog fashion, I decided to share some of my personal reviews of some of the movies we've watched this summer. Of course, my husband and I prefer watching  in a movie theatre, but sometimes we rent some great ones to enjoy in our home "theatre." We also prefer to only watch a movie in 3D if it was originally filmed that way. There IS a noticeable difference to avid movie watchers.


* * * *
Toy Story 3 in 3D 
I tend to be skeptical of the quality of a sequel, probably due to the fact that I've seen plenty of not-as-good sequels. Dare I say this movie is AS GOOD AS Pixar's original Toy Story movie?
Andy is going to college and his mom is requesting him to go through items in his room to either store them in the attic, donate them, or trash them. (Been there, done that.) The toys are accidentally placed in the trash, so they quickly run to the donation box. The toys think they've reached toy paradise, where toys are always wanted and loved, but find they feel differently once the daycare toddlers arrive.  (4 out of 5 stars)


* * * *
Inception
Usually the characters in this sci-fi are stealing secrets from people in their dream states, this time they are planting one. This is not a movie where you can feel comfortable with taking a bathroom or snack break from the theatre. The storyline keeps you interested through the whole duration of the movie and leaves you to draw your own conclusion in the end. On top of that, the special effects are great.  (4 out of 5 stars)


* * *  1/2
The Book of Eli (rented)
This is a great movie with a twist at the end, which I love. A man is on a journey in a war-torn world to the West. Along the way we learn that he carries with him the last remaining Bible, which another character is after. I love a good movie that keeps you in suspense and keeps you trying to figure out exactly what's going on.  ( 3 1/2 out of 5 stars)


* * * 
Knight and Day
This movie falls under the spy and action movie category. One cool thing is that part of the setting of this movie is Wichita, Kansas. Woot! Woot! A secret agent is attempting to expose a fellow agent gone rogue. Along the way, a young woman is swept up in the action and adventure, forced to decide which agent to trust.  (3 out of 5 stars)


* * 1/2
The Last Airbender (in 2D, not 3D)
M. Night Shyamalan directed this movie, so our expectations were high. This movie is unlike his other movies, which we like. The main character, a young boy, is the next successor to a long line of Avatars that bring unity to the world. One particular race of people is after his knowledge and domination of the world. One problem I had with the movie was that the characters in this movie didn't really follow the ethnicity you would expect based on where they were coming from. The movie was directed in such a way that the director could make a sequel (or series of sequels), but because of the criticism, I'm guessing there will not be others.  (2 1/2 out of 5 stars)


The rest of this year looks to produce
some much anticipated (by me, of course) movies:
Despicable Me, Nanny McPhee Returns, MegaMind,
and part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows