Frozen Rated: G

Tory Says: 

I am a Disney fanatic…really I am. I love Disney movies, I go to Disneyland almost every year and even my toddler is in love with Mickey Mouse! So of course I just HAD to go see Frozen.

Wow! Wow…did I mention WOW! For me, this is in the top 5 animated Disney movies of all time. (Not counting Pixar films.) I want to just take over a theater for a day and watch it over and over and over…but that’s just not possible. I might be the first person in line to buy it when it comes out though.

Frozen is about two sisters who are princesses. One sister, Elsa has magical powers to control ice and snow while her sister Anna is just a normal, rambunctious girl. One day, there is an accident and Anna is hurt by Elsa’s powers. So Elsa (through her choice but more her parents) is separated into another room in their castle so she can learn to control and not hurt anyone with her powers. Also, Anna’s memories of magic are stripped so she has no idea Elsa has powers. Well one day, when Elsa’s secret gets out and she is shunned from the kingdom. Upset and feeling alone, she runs away leaving the kingdom in eternal winter. Anna goes after her sister to try to talk her into stopping the winter. Along the way she makes friends with Kristoff an ice dealer, Sven, his trusty reindeer and Olaf a lovable snowman who was brought to life with Elsa's powers.

Of course it has the great Disney lessons about love, trust and friendship. Nothing too scary (my toddler was just fine seeing it) and beyond fantastic music! I can’t rave about this one enough. My absolute favorite part is that Anna (our heroine) is not a pushover. She is a quirky, clumsy and daring princess. A wonderful role model for little girls. I’ve noticed Disney has been doing this lately and I love it!!! (Ex. Brave, Tangled, Frozen…) My husband and I have seen it twice. My niece (who is 4) is obsessed and so is my sister. I’ve yet to meet someone who didn’t love it! GO SEE IT! Take your sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents…they will love it too. If I could give this an 11 I would but I do give it a 10 out of 10. A must see and a must own. 

Cat Says:

Our family are huge Disney fans so it was hard to wait until Christmas Day to go see this film especially since everyone I knew had been to see it several times already! So it was with much anticipation that we went to go see it and it didn't let us down.

Tory outlined the story above so I don't need to go over it again. We've been a fan of Idina Menzel (Elsa here) since Enchanted but had never heard Kristen Bell (Anna here) sing before. It was wonderful! This is a true musical...in other words, dialog that would be spoken is often sung here instead, so there is a lot of singing going on for the entire film. The songs are catchy so be prepared to go get the soundtrack or head out to itunes for your favorites.

But it's the story here that will touch you. Two little girls who are brought up in such seclusion and how they are each frustrated by their circumstances. Because of this they don't make great decisions when they are faced with real life situations but they have had to rely upon themselves for so long that they are able to figure it all out in the end. And this is what I love about this film. That the princesses don't "need" some guy to come save them. They save themselves. Add in a singing snowman and you have a winner!

I give it an 8 out of 10. Not my favorite Disney musical but right up there in the top 5!

Barbara Says:

As a lover of these kind of films it is hard to disappoint me with one.  I enjoyed Frozen and some of the songs were very good. The movie had funny areas too and I liked those.  Well made and beautiful scenes. But as an older woman did not as get as caught up as others in my family did.  Sorry, but loved The Little Mermaid or The Princess and The Frog a whole lot more. Now do not get me wrong here. It is a good movie and you should go see it for sure on the big screen so those beautiful scenes are in their full glory. The girl being kept away because she is different from others has a good lesson for young people at most but for older ones as well.  The fact that you can still love those people is a lesson a great deal of people could learn.  Also, that something that looks terrible on the surface can be turned into something good if you just try would be great for people to come to grips with too.     People give up too easy today (would never have made it in the early days of Indians and covered wagons) and need to learn a little more to fight on till the end and change the outcome.  Nothing is ever final, except death.  And love, well , love is most definitely the answer to all our troubles in this world. Out of 10 I would give it a 7 for story and a 10 for beauty

Hours Rated: PG-13

Tory Says:

I’m a huge Paul Walker fan and was devastated to hear of his passing on November 30^th. In the two weeks following his death both Fast & Furious 6 (DVD) and Hours (Limited Theaters) were released.

I had been very much looking forward to Hours and I wasn’t disappointed. Hours is about a father, played by Walker, who loses his wife to childbirth during Hurricane Katrina. His daughter is born but is 5 weeks early and must be in an incubator for 48 hours to survive. Due to the force of the hurricane, the hospital is evacuated but he refuses to leave his daughter. A nurse promises to come back with help so he stays…and then the power goes out. There is a backup battery but it is faulty and he must hand crank a generator every 3 minutes to keep the power going and keep his daughter alive.

Even if Walker had been alive, this would have been an intense movie. There are a few funny parts but for the most part, very serious. One of his better films. Few actors could pull off this much screen time alone but he does it very well! I felt like I was there, holding my breath for the whole film. As a parent I totally understand the lengths to which you are willing to go for your child.

It was perfectly timed too. Only 90 minutes long or so. By the time I thought “Ok. This has to be over soon, right?”…it only had a few minutes left. This is not a film for kids or honestly, anyone under 16. I only say that because there is some violence and I don’t think they would appreciate the subject matter. I think they would be bored. For adults though, I recommend it. Is it Oscar worthy…eh…I’m not sure. Is it worth it? YES! I give it an 8.5 out of 10. Only because I found myself wanting a little more at the end.

 

SPOILER ALERT:**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

 It DOES have a good ending.

The Worlds End Rated: R

Tory Says:

My review for this is simple. Did you like Shaun of the Dead? Did you like Hot Fuzz? If you answered yes, go see The World’s End. Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are just as hilarious in this one as they were in the first two. Only this time, they have a slightly bigger cast to help.

The plot for this one is pretty easy to follow. Five high school friends attempted an epic pub crawl called “The Golden Mile” on the day of their graduation. Their goal was to get to “The World’s End” (the last pub on the list of 12) but they didn’t get very far before all of them had to give up. 20 years later, they have almost no contact at all. Gary (Simon Pegg), a total screw-up who was their leader, hasn’t changed much since high school while the rest of them have grown up and moved on with their lives. One day, Gary has the idea to get them all back together to go to their hometown and finish “The Golden Mile.” Reluctantly they all agree (with some trickery and persuasion by Gary.) What started as a mission to get to “The World’s End” actually ends up being a fight for survival from the body snatching “robots” that have taken over the town!

I spent the first part of the movie waiting. There is always that part in the other films. (If you’ve seen them you know what I’m talking about.) That part where is goes from totally normal British film to ridiculous and hilarious! I felt like it took a little bit longer to get to that part but well worth it.

As usual, this film is way over the top and side-splittingly funny! However, it did seem to have much more explicit language than the others. I think the “F” word is in almost every line if not every 3 lines. So this is NOT appropriate for kids under 17. The violence aspect actually isn’t too bad because when the robots “bleed” they bleed what looks like blue paint and when they get smashed apart, it looks like an egg cracking or exploding. So nothing truly horrifying. However, the language is just insane! (I think if they ever show this on TV they will have to re-shoot the film to clean it up! Lol)

We saw it after an exhausting day so it was nice to just sit and watch something fun! Plus we got a date movie out of it which is rare! I would happily give this a 7.5 out of 10. I think some of the language could have been taken out. It wasn’t as good as Hot Fuzz but better than Shaun of the Dead for me. Like I said, if you liked those, go see this one and just enjoy!!

Thanks For Sharing Rated: R

Barbara Says:

Addictions...we all have them of one kind or another.  Some are ones you can tell people about and others you hide very carefully. This is what the movie `Thanks for Sharing' is about..'addictions.'  The kind we can accept and the kind we think is a joke or cop-out.  This movie has some very good actors.  Tim Robbins,Gwyneth Paltrow,Mark Ruffalo and Patrick Fugit.  It deals with drinking,drugs. and sex addictions.  Mark Ruffalo plays a guy with a sex problem who has been on the wagon for 5 years. He meets a woman he really likes and then knows he has to tell her about his past.  But he knows this is an addiction people laugh about and do not believe is real. And most definitly not a problem. But it is not only a very real problem but one that can destroy your life. Patrick Fugit plays a younger version caught in the undertow of the same addiction and going down for the last time. It is funny at times and you feel so sad for them too.  Trying not to think about sex all day is like trying not to drink when you work in a bar.   There was one line in the movie thats very funny and I will remember it. Mark tells Tim he has all these feelings that are driving him crazy.  Tim tells him``feelings are like children..you don`t want them driving the car but you can`t stuff them in the trunk either. Deal with them." That is so very true.  This a very adult movie but it is a thinking person`s movie too.  It gives us a good insight into the everyday problems those with these serious addictions must handle without going down.  We enjoyed it and recommend it those who want a funny,tender and serious movie for a change. Out of 10 I gave it a good 8 for acting and content.

Cat Says:

First of all, I love Indies. We don't get many in our part of the state because we are a "small" market. So I'm happy for the ones we do get. We headed out to go see this movie not really knowing what is was about and only knowing the Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins and Gwenyth Paltrow were in it. What we got was a very good movie.

Ok, to break it down for you. Ruffalo is a recovering sex addict. He's been 5 years "sober". This means no sex or sexual contact of any sort for 5 years. Robbins plays his sponsor who also had substance abuse issues as well as the sexual addiction. Add in there Josh Gad who plays a fairly messed up addict who is just starting to attend the meetings and not succeeding in his recovery efforts and you have 3 guys who are trying to make their way through this very difficult process. Ruffalo meets Paltrow and, for the first time in 5 years, he has a relationship which leads to sex which confuses the issue and his recovery greatly. Robbins is still married but, while being a wonderful guidepost for those he helps, still has many unresolved issues in his own family with his wife and grown son. Gad meets and mentors Pink (yes, the singer) who plays a substance and sex addict trying to find her way in an environment that is mostly made up of men. Gad's character is able to help her, and she is able to help him, just by being a platonic touchstone. All of these stories are touching, sweet, and evlolving. All of the characters are interesting, entertaining, heartbreaking, flawed, damaged and real. 

Due to the subject matter it is very adult. There are scenes that include masterbation, sex acts, pornography and nudity. Fortunately they don't go terribly far with any of these scenes. They are supposed to make you feel uncomfortable while they give more details about each of the characters. This does make the film for 17 and older. I give it an 8 out of 10. Doesn't need to be seen on the big screen but very good.

The Book Thief Rated: PG-13

Barbara Says:

The Book Thief is one of those movies you had better take tissues with you.  But, my oh my, is it good. We were very taken with the story and the actors. Of course, Geoffrey Rush is always great at whatever he does. But the girl, Liesel, (Sophie Nelisse) and the boy, Rudy, (Nico Liersch )were just wonderful as children who form a close friendship during the rise of Hitler.  She has lost her brother to death and her mother to being very poor.  She goes to live with Geoffery Rush and Emily Watson and meets her next door neighbor, Rudy. Along the way they shelter a young Jewish man, Max (Ben Schnetzer), from the troopers. The whole story is narrated by DEATH talking about how he becames interested in Liesel on the train when he came for her brother. It is a story of friendship, love, hardship, lost and how to endure when everything seems to have gone to hell in front of your eyes. It shows how some people even though they love you find it impossible to show it. It reminds us of how entire countries can become blinded by hate and thus destroy themselves.  Out of 10 I give this one a 12.  I will long remember it.


Cat Says:

I went into this movie knowing just the bare bones outline of the story, what I had seen in the trailers and a warning from a friend that it's an emotional rollercoaster but ends well. It is a sweet story about how people during the 40's were forced to place their children up for adoption and what happens to the children. The couple (Rush and Watson) think they are adopting two children but only one, Liesel, survives the journey to their home. Rosa (Watson) is disappointed that it wasn't the boy who survived so she has a very gruff exterior for Liesel to penetrate but Hans (Rush) is immediately kind and loving and giving. His helping Liesel to read is one of the most touching things I have seen in film. 

The title refers to that reading quest. Rosa does the laundry for the Burgermeister in town and his wife, having lost her own son who was a voracious reader, decides to share their library with Liesel. At this time the Nazi's are beginning to round up the Jews for the camps so Hans and Rosa take in a young man for shelter. Max and Liesel become fast friends as he recovers from an illness. Their bond takes a brother/sister level and when Max becomes so ill, hiding in the freezing basement, and almost dies, Liesel makes it her mission to keep him going by any means and the best one she knows of is the stories that she reads outloud to him. When the Burgermeister calls a halt to Liesel using his library she is forced to climb into their window and borrowing books to read to Max, always being careful to return the books when she gets a new one.

Her friendship with the next door neighbor boy, Rudy, is never really fleshed out because they spend so much time on the parental relationship growing between Hans and Liesel and Rosa and Liesel as well as the growing brother-like relationship with Max that they run out of time to fully develop the friendship with Rudy which leaves you to feel like you are missing a whole bunch of the story. Based on a book, this is clearly part of it that they glossed over in the movie making process.

As the war takes a turn for the worse for the Nazi's it brings the bombing of Germany home to Liesel and her family. The ending of the film is also rather rushed. For an hour and a half you get the very slow movement of how Liesel came to live there, how those relationships grew in the shadow of the war and highlights from that such as the book burning parties they would stage for the towns. The last half hour is quickly showing how fast life can change on a dime and how Liesel's life ended up decades later.

The most interesting view of this movie is the narrator. It is told from the view of Death. He speaks of how he first came into Liesel's life when he came to collect the life of her brother on their journey to Hans and Rosa. Then he follows from there with how he returns into her life from time to time and ends with when he finally comes to collect her life in her old age. It really is a very wonderful approach to the movie and sets up that there will be very sad moments to come in the film. 

But, as my friend let me know, it does end happily for Liesel even though she loses a lot along the way. It's a sweet slow moving film that tries hard to show as much as it can about the world Liesel grew up in at that period in her life in a short amount of time. I have a feeling that the book version of this would reveal a whole lot more that is missing here. For this reason it gets an 8 out of 10 from me. I just kept thinking that, while well written, well acted and cinematically beautiful, it isn't well balanced story-wise or time-wise. I would have rather had an other half hour added to the film time and actually have the weaker parts expanded and the ending not so rushed.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Rated: PG-13

Tory Says:

I am a Harry Potter and Twilight geek to the core. I was expecting to LOVE The Hunger Games. I liked the first one but wasn’t jumping to go see Catching Fire. However, I’m so glad I did. I actually loved this one. I haven’t read the books so I can’t give that comparison but I was on the edge of my car’s seat (I saw it at the drive-in) almost the whole time!

The acting was SO much better in this one. I’m a big Jennifer Lawrence fan and this role feels made for her. The relationship with Peeta is a complicated one and the story line for this film definitely leaves you wanting more! There are moments of emotion that make you want to cry. I almost lost it when she is sent back into the arena. Without giving anything away, they tug on some heartstrings during that part. Jenna Malone as Johanna was fantastic! I truly enjoyed her performance. She had the perfect combo of smart aleck, angst and bad ass. Lol

As soon as it was over, I wanted to stay for the next show. It really was that good. Those I have talked to who have read the book say that this film nailed it! Let me put it this way, it was SO good that I went home and started reading the series. I can’t wait to get to this book and the next as well. There is a bit of a cliff hanger at the end of this film so beware if you haven’t read the books. I’m excited to see how this story will end up. No different from the first Hunger Games as far as your kid being able to see it but for ones who haven’t read the books, the cliffhanger maybe confused or upset them so keep that in mind. I’m giving this one a 9 out of 10. I can’t wait to own it! I’m already betting that I’ll see it again before it leaves theaters.

Cat Says:

I am the only one out of the three of us who has read all three books. For the "fan boys" out there this will not disappoint. The outline of the movie is that it picks up where the last one left off. If all three books were put together into one this would be the middle section. The first part of the book would be the set up. Introducing the concept and the world that they live in and what they face. This second part, the middle part, shows you what happens after the first games ended and how Katniss brings about a revolution on her own. The Capital tries to slow her down by throwing her and Peta back into the games but this is the beginning of the end for the Capital and everyone knows it. The movie ends at a part that feels unfinished. A cliffhanger. Sort of like you stopped reading right in the last third of a great book. It is set up for the third section of the story which will be told in two movies. Those are the ones I'm dying to see and find out how they manage to translate it onto the big screen because, in the books, the effects are just SO fantastic! For those who have not read the books please do brace yourself for an abrupt ending to this movie. But it's SO worth it. 

For those of you with kids. The first games were a lot more brutal than what they show in the second movie. The other victors are not really the danger here, the Capital bent on killing them all is the real threat. These effects can be very scary for smaller kids but the movie, as a whole, isn't as violent. 

My only regret is that they didn't flesh out the newer characters as much as I would have liked but at over 2 hours in length they really just didn't have the time or it would have ended up being a 3 hour movie. All of them are very interesting characters and my favorite, Finnick, (played by Sam Claflin) has a larger role in the third book so it would have been nice to have seen more of his character fleshed out a bit.So for this it loses a point. I give it an 8 out of 10. See it on the big screen if you can! Definitely go get the books so you can catch up with what they didn't have the time to show in the movies!


Barbara Says:

Some have said this movie did not have enough action but for me it was just right. I watched it on just about every lunch break and saw the movie completely twice. The entire cast is perfect in their roles..even the villans. In my eyes at least, Donald Sutherland is one of the best old time actors.  As for Jennifer Lawrence, she is a up and coming young actor who will go far if she does not let it all go to her head.  Only 21 and she has it all.  This second in the series of Hunger Games is mostly setting up the coming last two.  Yes, you read it correctly.  The last will be broken into two movies so they can get everything into it. One woman came out of watching this one and was very upset about how it ended.  When I reminded her there were others coming she replied "Yes,in a year.''  I do know where she is coming from because a year is a long time in my life too.  But I keep wandering away from the facts of this movie.  It keeps you guessing on just what Katniss feels for Peta.  I, at my age have come to know you can love two people at the same time..just in different ways for different reasons. There are a few surprises for those who have not read the books (I have not) and so makes for a very good time.  I like this series (never cared for Twilight series) and the actors are very good .  So will look forward to next year and The Uprising.  I give this one a 9 out of 10 rating.

Thor: The Dark World Rated: PG-13

Tory Says:

I saw this one because my husband wanted to and because it looked better than the first which I barely remember. This one is SO much better. At least this one felt like it had a real story line.

 

Once every 5,000 years the 9 realms of Asgard align, including Earth. In London, Jane Foster and her crew find a portal that has been created between the realms. While Jane is investigating the portal she comes in contact with a substance called Aether. After 2 years, Thor is drawn back to Earth and after realizing that Jane is infected with the Aether, takes her back to Asgard to be cured. Unfortunately it draws more than just Jane there including another being called Malekith who wants to use the Aether to destroy Asgard. Thor must call upon his imprisoned brother, Loki, for help to save the realms.

 

For me, Loki actually makes this movie. He is such a wonderful smart aleck and trickster. All his one liners had us cracking up! The special effects are done well and I never felt “bored” like I did with the first. I actually remember the plot to this one and would see it again!  I think whether you liked the first Thor film or not, you should see this one. It felt more like “The Avengers” which was fantastic! If your kids saw Thor or The Avengers, they can see this one. So I would give it a 7.5 out of 10. Good and I would see it again but I don’t feel I need to own it.