The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Rated: PG-13

Barbara Says: 

While I am not a fan of vampires/werewolves/and not really human beings type of movies we had nothing else to go see.   And, as we were leaving, we realized the movie had been 2 hours long and we had not been aware of it.  So we started to pick it apart and came to the conclusion we had enjoyed it.  Surprise!  The movie has only one or two actors I even knew and a group of young ones I did not. But we agreed they did a very good job of acting. There was an interesting story and not a bunch of bloody scenes to gross one out (such as myself who does not care for vampires,at all) and a sweet love story with the twist that was needed to make it an impossible one. Actually looking forward to the second one. Told by my daughter there are 3 Twilight films. Cannot claim to have watched any of the movies with the woman who shall remain nameless (lol) and her vampire lover and the werewolf who loved her too. Because they just looked to be not worth my time and money. Cannot say I liked anyone of the actors in it either.  But did like the ones in this movie.This is a group of Shadowhunters who find and destroy demons that live among us. The Shadowhunters cannot be seen by humans. While killing one such demon, one of them is seen by what seems to be a human and, knowing it is not possible, he follows her.  It turns out she the most powerful Shadowhunter of them all and does not know it because her mother took her and hid her. Her father has been trying to find her because she holds the clue to a cup he needs to control the entire underworld. All in all, I give it a good 7 because it held my attention for 2 hours. 

Cat Says:

We went to go see this movie the other day simply because there wasn't anything out there to see and we wanted to get out of the house and see a movie. I'm a fan of Jonathan Rhys Meyers so I figured, what the heck, why not give it a try and hope it wasn't worse than Twilight. I know, I know, there are a lot of Twilight fans out there, I'm just not one of them. The main reason being the cast. I didn't have that issue with this film.

This movie is a mash up of Twilight, Harry Potter and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Lily Collins (Singer Phil Collins daughter) plays Clary. Like in Potter and Buffy, Clary has no idea that she is a Shadow Hunter (part human, part angel that hunts demons) until suppressed childhood memories break through. She suddenly can see other Shadow Hunters who are invisible to the regular human eye and it, well, understandably freaks her out. She has a best friend who, of course, is in love with her, named Simon (Robert Sheehan plays this role with just enough geekiness and just enough on-the-edge-of hunkiness that it makes it more fun) and she finds herself in an uncomfortable situation, not really a love triangle, with the Shadow Hunter, Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower plays this role convincingly but he's not really Hollywood beautiful so it's more interesting too) who decides to help her out even before learning who she is.

She finds out that she has been suppressing some pretty powerful memories including who her father is (Jonathan Rhys Meyers, who is hunky as always with that edge of evil attached) and how her mother, who is kidnapped in the beginning, hid them both for years and how this fits into his scheme and the whole puzzle. When the puzzle finally comes together and all of the pieces fit Clary finds herself having to save her mother and her world. Not the big scale problem of saving THE world but you get the feeling that saving her world is just the tip of the iceberg and that we are going to see another installment in this story. They do wrap this one up neatly though so if it ends up being the only one you won't be left hanging.

The special effects are very good. There are times when you know that what you are looking at isn't real but it sure looks real! There is violence, of course, in the battle scenes but they don't get gory with it and killing is pretty much hidden from camera view while getting the point across that this is what is happening. The demons are gross and creepy at times but, like the violence, it's brief. Because of this I think you can go a few years under the "13" of the rating if you have a 9 year old or older who wants to go see it.

The issues here are really with the lightweight Stephanie Meyer/Twilight type script writing (and since this is also based on a "teen" book series by Cassandra Clare) I guess that is to be expected) which will make you roll your eyes from time to time or think "wow, he actually said that with a straight face!" moments but they are brief and mildly distracting. The movie is 2 hours and 10 minutes long and it never felt like it was dragging or too long so I always find that to be a good sign especially when I am watching a movie that is a genre I don't usually like. I give it a solid 8 out of 10. Do you need to go see it in the theater, well, no, it could wait for DVD. BUT, and especially, if this is a genre you normally go to see then I think you will love it and it will be even better on the Big Screen!

Lee Daniels:The Butler Rated: PG-13

Barbara Says:

History has always been one of my favorite things.  I am a firm believer in the knowledge that to make a better future - then learn from the past. Just by being the kind of man he was, he made people think about WHAT he was. A black man with a pride in his work and a passion to make a better life for those he loved then the one he had to endure as a boy. From field hand to house "nigga" (they use this term in the movie in order to make you feel the uncomfortable feelings he felt and keep it realistic) to hotel servant to butler in the White House.  This was this mans road to travel.  Forest Whitaker has always been one of those actors that Hollywood over looks because he makes it look so easy.  He can say more with one glance at someone then ten words can do.  You feel his pain as a man who must see and listen to powerful men discuss what they will or will not do to help people of his color. When Jack Kennedy is shot the real sense of loss he feels is clear and when Jackie gives him a tie her husband loved he treasures it like diamonds.  The love he feels for both his sons comes back to wound him deeply.  The older son played by David Oyelowo does a great piece of work here as someone trying to change the world around him and paying a high price to do it.   Oprah Winfrey, as the wife who spends too much time alone but still loves her husband a great deal, does a very good job of her role. You can feel her suffering as she drowns  in liquor and an affair.  All in all, this is a quite movie that will tear at your heart if you have one. It brought both of us to tears several times. To know that your fellow humans can treat someone as these people have been (and still are) being treated makes me ashamed .  How can we talk about what some other country  is doing to their people when this one continues to look down on someone for the color of their skin is shameful. If you are a courageous  person who believes in Life, Liberty,and the pursuit of Happiness for everyone regards of the color, race or religion go see this movie and I dare you to walk away from it without a feeling of shame for the way they were and still are in some cases treated. This man served faithfully through several presidents for a great many years and was well regarded by them.    These are the stories I love to watch on the big screen.  The Butler is a movie worth spending your money on. I give it a 10 out of 10.

Blackfish Rated: PG-13

I have loved the ocean all my life. When Free Willy came out in 1993, I fell head over heels in love with these amazing Orcas (also known as Killer Whales.) When I saw an article about a new Orca documentary called Blackfish that was really getting under the skin of Sea World, I knew I had to see it!

The documentary mostly follows the history of Tilikum, a male Orca weighing over 12,000 pounds. He is the largest whale in captivity to date and has been linked to at least 3 people’s deaths. Directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, this documentary is a highly critical look at the treatment of Orcas at Sea World parks over the years. It starts with him being captured as a young Orca, his journey to different parks, the attacks that have happened over the years and most especially, his part in the death of trainer Dawn Brancheau who was killed during a 2010 show at Sea World.

It was a very powerful documentary. I considered myself to be pretty knowledgeable on the subject of Orcas. After watching this documentary, I realized just how little I actually knew. I thought this would be a documentary where the director shoved a microphone and camera in people’s faces and accused them of their crimes…but I was wrong. There is no “hounding people”, no “stalking” or rushing up to people to get the story. It is told mostly from the point of view of 4 former Sea World trainers, other interviews and never before seen footage. I don’t recall hearing the director’s voice at all.

I think it is hard for me to give this a “number” rating so I think I will give it a letter…an A! I never felt like this was Cowperthwaite’s view of things, I felt like she was very impartial but wanted to bring light to this subject. Sea World seems to have gotten away with a lot in the past and she wanted to make sure people saw the truth. In the end, I feel most sorry for the victims and for Tilikum, not Sea World. I was impressed with how tactful it was in regards to the trainer who lost her life. There was nothing disrespectful in it at all except for the fact that Sea World blamed her for her death and not Tilikum. As a matter of fact, I left the theater feeling ashamed that I had gone to Sea World San Diego last year.

I don’t think for a second that I would consider taking anyone under the age of 16 to see this film. There are some very violent images and even a few Orca attacks that were caught on film. This along with stories from the trainers & victims might prove to be too much for a younger audience. I had more than a few moments where both my friend and I gasped out loud at either footage or interviews. If you are a fan of documentaries, I say go see it. I don’t feel it “needs” to be seen on a large screen but I’m certainly glad I did.

(My heart goes out to the friends & family of Dawn Brancheau and for all of those who have been lost or injured due to marine animal attacks.)

 

2 Guns Rated: R

Barbara Says:

When we went to see `2 Guns' I knew I would like it.  After all, it has Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in it. When you start with the best you get a good movie to enjoy. It is never really explained completely how they got together but seems it was due to Mark Wahlberg`s character being told to throw in with him.  Neither one knows the truth about the other. But more important neither is aware they have both been set up.  They end up robbing a bank trying to steal this drug lords money but end up with CIA slush funds in the amount of  43 million. Which everyone wants back and them dead. The two guys are like brothers who simply cannot get along but need each other to survive. Lots of shooting, fighting, smashing of cars and things blowing up.    All in all it was just good fun.  Out of 10 I give it a 8 3/4 for a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.  There is a high body count so don't go if that turns you off.  There are some fun lines though to quote afterwards. Such as, "Don't rob a bank across from a diner that sells good donuts." I leave you to figure out why not.