Movie Review:: Judy Moody and the Not-so-bummer-summer.

WHY is it raining in the middle of July?! Apparently, the rest of the nation is taking all of the energies of the sun and it doesn't have the energy to shine here (not bitter, just annoyed). I HAD to get the kids out of the house for little to no money. Since The Science Factory isn't open until 12:30 this week, we chose the buck-fifty theater. Except on Mondays (the day we went), tickets are only 75 cents!!!!

Judy Moody is such a fun movie! Judy Moody has the fashion sense inspired by Rebekah (I'm sure), and an attitude inspired by a 9 year-old that wants to be more mature. It's the kind of movie that reminds you what it's like to be a kid, teaches you to take time to have fun with your kids, and what's important in life. I totally want to make a family thrill chart (much like Judy's in the movie).

There's friendship, forgiveness, family, and FUN! It's clean (aside from using "crap" a couple of times--which I'm guilty of nearly every day). There are some parts that some kids might find scary: A Big-foot sighting in the middle of the night that scares the characters, and a spoof horror movie that Judy and her friend go to in an attempt to earn Thrill Points. My girls didn't mind these scenes at all and they are usually kinda chickens. I was always amazed how REAL Judy Moody seemed. And it's always nice to see kids learn a lesson the full-circle sort of way.

Although the lack of sun in Oregon might try to ruin our summer, we will choose to have a not-so-bummer-summer! Thanks, Judy Moody, for the inspiration!

Movie Review :: Hoodwinked Too: Hood vs. Evil

In true Oregon style, it rained on our campfire/bike riding plans today. Because the girls got all smiley faces at bedtime (AGAIN!) this week, we treated the family to the cheap theater and some (not-so-cheap) popcorn. We didn't let it rain on OUR parade!

I had already checked the movie reviews , and knew that although rated PG, Hoodwinked Too was more appropriate for my girls than the G-rated Rio.

Hoodwinked Too is full of some big voices like Glenn Close, Joan Cusack, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Andy Dick, Brad Garrett, and Martin Short. But its the content I was most impressed with.

This is a movie all about hope! When it seems there's no way out, no way for good to overcome evil; that is when victory is the sweetest. Most impressively, it displayed forgiveness, redemption, justice, teamwork, and admitting when you're wrong. I can use the theme of this movie to teach my kids! When's the last time you could say THAT about a movie?!

It did have a lot of potty humor (which the 12 year-old boy in me totally enjoyed), and some innuendo. If I'm not mistaken though, none of that innuendo was sexual. There is a part where Twitch the squirrel comes out of his trailer with a couple of hot-babe-squirrel-girls, however (not a plus). Rather than using curse words or almost-curse-words, the movie resorts to "muffins." This is something I'm fine with my kids doing, so I wasn't disappointed by it. The reviews on line don't really agree with me on this movie, but as we all know...

I'm right, they're wrong!

Movie Review :: Gnomeo & Juliet

Bekah and Maddy were invited to a Birthday party today. Leaving Izzy to a date with just Mom and Dad. We decided a movie was a great way to make the afternoon special. So, we made our way to the $1.50 theater in town. Izzy chose Gnomeo & Juliet over Rango.

Let me start by saying that I am in TOTAL support of movie makers creating Rated G movies! It just doesn't happen much anymore. And like the difference between 6 and 7 on my TV's volume, there's a huge leap between G and PG sometimes.

This movie is a re-make of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. There are the reds (Montague) and the Blues (Capulets), two families (these families are yard gnomes) feuding for generations. Of course, Gnomeo Capulet falls in love with Juliet Montague-- a forbidden love. The whole time, I'm wondering how they're going to make such a tragic love story into a kids' movie, but I was actually surprised how well they did it in a WAY LESS TRAGIC way (without ruining any endings for you). All in all a cute movie. I was quite impressed with this movie that received nearly no recognition or kind ratings.

There is one main problem, however, with this movie. It is a blatant love story. One with rebellion, full-mouth kisses, and the end of the world when it doesn't seem like it's going to work out. Cute for me and my not-so-interested-in-boys-in-that-way daughter. NOT cute for my 4 year old that is just plain boy crazy (who just happened to be at a princess Birthday party)! In the end, Chuck, Isabelle, and I agreed it was a good movie--worth our time and $1.50. However, not a movie I will be allowing my 4 year old to watch. She doesn't need any help getting ideas about love from the media.

You might think I'm overreacting. I'm pretty secure on this stance. Click here for a GREAT article that does a fabulous job giving reason for my stance on this issue.

“Don’t excite love, don’t stir it up, until the time is ripe and you’re ready.”~ Song of Solomon 2:7

Movie Night!

I can't blame them, but my girls think that every night is a slumber party. Especially Isabelle, who until a month ago slept by herself, is excited to share a room with her 2 best friends in the whole world. Unfortunately, this does not suit me well. I'm off the clock and only on an on-call basis after 8 pm, in case of emergency. So, I put my professional expertise to work and made a bedtime chart (how useful a Master's Degree is for a stay at home mom). They strive to show me whether they want a smiley face or an X. 4 smiley faces = movie night on Friday. 7 Smiley faces = Movie Night at the theater. That was all the motivation they needed! We got to go see Toy Story 3 at the cheap theater--IN 3D! Here is my Bringing-Up-Princess Toy Story 3 Movie Review:

The beginning is another Pixar Short called Day & Night. It is nothing but creative genius! One character only sees the world in daylight, the other character sees through night time. How will the two of them ever come to an agreement? You'll have to watch and find out. The 3 D effect was wonderful! Watching my kids watch 3D was even more wonderful! Maddy kept exclaiming, rather loudly, that various objects were coming off the screen, receiving chuckles from people throughout the theater.

I have to say, Toy Story 3 is my favorite in the Toy Story trilogy! My mom and I like to rate movies based on a Kleenex rating scale. The more kleenexes necessary, the more you can expect to cry. This movie provided what I like to call a "good cry," earning a rating of a "2 kleenexer movie." It provides humor, as is expected with a Toy Story movie, and also provides suspense. I am not embarrassed to say that I held my breath several times throughout the movie. One of those instances, is considered the scary part of the story by my kids, but I don't want to ruin any plot points for you. You all know that Andy has to make a decision of what to do with his toys when he leaves for college; take them along with, throw them in the trash, donate them, or put them in the attic. Come to find out, some toys are bitter (not Andy's toys), and create a toy mafia of sorts, complete with torture scenes and ultimatums (in the most amusing ways)! Will Woody, Buzz, and the gang be able to work things out one last time?

It was ironic to be watching a movie about growing-up, with my girls who already seem to be growing too fast. I had to sit and relish their sweet little faces, covered in 3D glasses. I wanted to snapshot that moment in my memory. I came away from this movie with some fun little lessons to point out to the girls. First of all, do you want to be the girls that take good care of their toys, whom their toys love to belong to? Then there are the lessons of teamwork, being kind to one another, and taking care of your yucky feelings, instead of becoming a bully like Lotso.

This is a great movie! And I'm excited to add it to my movie collection! I'm also happy to have a positive experience for my girls to be motivated to keep getting smiley faces...