Movie Review Monday - The Grey

My husband picked this film because he has a man-crush on Liam Neeson (well as an actor) he thinks he's the Cats Meow or at least the epitome of what an actor should be. And . . . that may be all well and good and even true but The Grey took more than a few liberties in the name of entertainment.

First off, when they say in the film that wolves are the only animals that hunt for revenge, I'd say right away you have to think of humans as the only animal who hunts for revenge. I'm not saying that a wolf or even a dog won't remember that someone has committed an act of abuse against it, it will and it might even get mad enough to turn on its owner if it continues. But, I've never heard of one hunting for revenge.

Next, with all the dead bodies laying around, those wolves would have been feasting for weeks - and since the bodies were buried in the snow partially they wouldn't have rotted too quickly. Why would the wolves waste precious energy and risk wolf lives to go hunt people who were going to fight back with fire, sticks and knives, when they had a cache of easy picking food available? They wouldn't have.

And when they swung across the crevice, I doubt anyone would have made it (and if they had made it across the great divide) I'm not too hopeful they would have survived the impact . . . had the clothesline been able to hold their weight.

But the worst offense of all to my survivor girl instincts was when John and Pete plummeted into the icy water, they would have died of hypothermia within a couple of minutes...at the most. And where the heck did Liam get the dry clothes? Because if those weren't dry clothes he would have definitely died for hypothermia.

All in all I have to say this was a suspenseful fantasy more than fiction. I think the acting was good but . . . and this is a BIG but...I wouldn't recommend the film. It was too fraught with fantasy for my liking...

I know, I know, I love zombie, vampire and werewolf movies so what the heck am I talking about? Well, this movie was compared to ALIVE - and meant to simulate real life, no vampire, zombie or werewolf movie makes that claim, at least none that I know of.

Movie Review Monday - Underworld the Awakening

Okay, so I'm a huge fanpire. But this is a story based on an age old theme and I'm not talking about Vampires or even werewolves. What I'm talking about is forbidden love. This is a true Romeo and Juliet story and what could be more apropos than a vampire falling in love with a lycan? This theme seems to be used over and over again, like with a red gnome falling in love with a blue gnome - as in Gnomeo and Juliet.

But the thing I like about Underworld is that Selene is the quintessential tough girl. She is both feminine and fatale. She is beautiful but also a death dealer. There is something alluring to me about a woman not being the victim in the vampire show. For once the woman is the one dealing the death but usually for a good cause, like saving her lover or her child.

The one thing I didn't like so much about this show in the series is that the story wasn't developed as much as it could have been. It was a lot more of the fight scenes than the story. I think there could have been more talk about the father and son Lycan duo who became the "enemy" in this episode. Like, why did the mother leave them, when, what happened to her? I was left curious about that portion of the show and walked away without any answers.

But I did like how the next movie was set up with Michael being ready to jump on the scene. I actually thought he would be the one who came to the girls' rescue in this story but nope it was the women themselves - which was fun. The mother and daughter duo were pretty tough.

All-in-all I'd rate this as a "C" movie. If you're a fanpire, and have been following the series, it's worth seeing. Kate Beckinsale is beautiful and the costumes she wears are devilishly enticing but, if you haven't been pulled in by the other shows in the series, maybe best not to see this one.

If you do see it, let me know what you think. I'd love to hear another perspective.

Movie Review Monday - WAR HORSE

War Horse is an emotional, tear-jerking drama. Of course, with a name like War Horse, you don't expect a comedy. But for an animal lover it is a hard show to watch.

My daughter and I used to have our own horses (a paint and a quarter horse) so this was more difficult than I expected because Joey looked a lot like our paint. But, I tried to remind myself that a lot of this story would be absolutely impossible.

If he had been a quarter horse, maybe... this War Horse might have been able to pull a plow through rocky terrain but a thoroughbred...? I doubt it. They're built for speed not strength.

Of course, I believe animals are very smart. And, I wasn't at all surprised that Joey would remember Colin. That seemed very real to me. But, talk about being born under a dark cloud...this seemed like a horrific example of tragedy after tragedy.

All-in-all, I would definitely recommend this show. At it's core, it's a story about a boy and his first love (it could have been a dog - but in this case it was a horse). And, I love that he wasn't a cowboy. This relationship was built on more than driving cattle. It was a bond that started from birth.

Some of the cinematography reminded me of Gone With the Wind. It was epic.

I really enjoyed War Horse and I hope you do too. If you see it, let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Movie Review Monday - Harry Potter - No Spoilers

I love going to see holiday films with the fam. Every year on Thanksgiving we've gone to see a "family" show. This year we had to go a little early because Kara had surgery and wouldn't be able to go with us on Thanksgiving.

Anyway, we went to see HP. There were lots of good "moments" with superior graphics and even a few thrills and chills but...

Overall, I'd say it was slow and disappointing. It appeared that the producers were stretching the book out just in order to make two movies out of the story. It went on-and-on, when I turned to my husband and said, "these 'kids' are wizards and witches with amazing abilities, so why don't they simply transport themselves to another place when they need to get out of a jam now?"

The question goes unanswered except to say that without conflict there is NO story.

But, my biggest disappointment was the ending. There was no resolution to anything in this portion of the story. It was apparently meant to be a prequeal to the real story, or the second part of the book-which I hope will be so amazing it will make up for the money I feel I wasted on this show.

Anyway, that's just my opinion. If you see or have seen the show, let me know what you think.

Movie Review Monday

Sunday was a rainy day in P.O. so I watched a couple of movies I had wanted to see when they came out in the theater but didn't have time to see.

Daybreakers was one. I am a true fanpire and always love to watch vampire movies. This one had a new twist on an old theme. The vampires were living the lives of human - only at night. And the vampires were farming the people for their blood. But being greedy, blood-sucking creatures, they'd overeaten or maybe I should say over-drinken - anyway there were not enough people left to feed the humanity or vampirity. So, what to do?

If you want to find out, you'll have to watch it 'cuz no spoilers here. However, even though it was interesting - I wouldn't say it was recommended by me. Not a "must see" but like Arte Johnson used to say, "Very interesting. . ."

Movie Review Monday - ROBIN HOOD

This was a new angle on an old story: Robin Hood. And I enjoyed this fresh perspective. The story takes a while to get going - or so it seemed to me but once it was on its way, it was great.

I loved the costumes - very realistic. When I was growing up, Robin Hood was always squeaky clean and I wondered how he stayed so clean, living in the woods. This show seemed more realistic and I loved that. Plus the acting was great. Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett both did amazing jobs, but so did the entire cast.

All-in-all, I would recommend the movie. But, remember there are a lot of people who die - so no little kids. Still, there was no gratuitous violence. And, no horribly bloody scenes - even though there was a war going on between the French and the English.

Movie Review Monday - Ironman 2

For Mother's Day we all went to see a fun family film: Ironman 2. It was a fun way to spend a day. We enjoy the Marvel hero story.

It was a little slow at times but near the end there was plenty of action to make up for the slow moments in the start plus there was a little romance, and lots of fun with heromania.

Now, we're all looking forward to seeing Robin Hood - hopefully this coming weekend.

Have you seen any good shows lately?

THE ORPHAN - Movie Review Monday - NO spoilers

Friday was a nice hot day to go to the movies, with MacKenzie.

The Orphan was super-suspenseful. I love that feeling of sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for something to happen. And, in this show, something happened – more than once. It has a bit of a twist in the end. It was EZ to see Esther was crazy but there was one part I hadn't figured out, and I watch/read/write a lot of horror-so that was interesting. It made me want to come home and google a bit of research to see if it was "real".

Anyway, like I said, I don't want to give any spoilers away but. . .

In the end, I knew who would “get it” but that didn’t bother me. I kind of expected more catastrophes that didn’t materialize but there was one spot where I literally jumped in my seat – and so did MacKenzie.

After the show, we met up with Kara and Shay and went shopping. It was a fun girls’ day out. And, if you like horror/suspense/thrillers, without a LOT of gore, I would recommend The Orphan.

If you see it, come back and let me know what you thought. What's the last movie you saw?

Movie Review Monday-THE UGLY TRUTH

Went and saw The Ugly Truth this weekend - it really wasn't so "Ugly".

Check it out here.

Definitely not for little kids but "HE"larious. I've loved Gerard Butler since The Phantom, so maybe I'm a wee-bit biased-NOT.

Of course I think he's an amazingly talented singer, devilishly handsome and an awesome actor . . . well, okay, maybe I am a tiny tad biased but all you gals looking for a little fun, a few laughs and a good look at a hottie from Scotland, you might want to learn a little more about The Ugly Truth. Go see it - just don't take the kids.

Oh yeah, and Katherine Heigl wasn't bad either.