The Karate Kid

I'm always cautious when it's a remake of a classic film.  They succeeded in this one.  It stayed true to the original storyline without making it feel repetitive.  They made it current for today.  The characters were fully developed  in a unique way.  The culture and beauty of China was captured wonderfully.  Even though you knew exactly what was going to happen in the plot, each scene held surprises and intrigue.  When Jaden Smith was asked on a talk show what the best advice his dad had given him, he said it was not to "act" but to "be" the character.  He certainly followed that great advice.  He definately is and will be a star.  I also loved the fact that it is the perfect family film.  Nothing that needs to be edited.  It is for all ages to see.  The messages were strong and needed in todays world.  This is a 10 out of 10!

The A Team

Now that was fun.  Even though I didn't watch the series, I did know who the characters were.  But Mike was a fan and said it was very nostalgic.   The great thing about it was you felt like you were getting your money's worth because it wasn't just one mission, it was like four.   I thought it was a cross between The Italian Job with strategy and revenge and Indiana Jones for making the absurd seem possible.  The comedy was laugh out loud fun!  And of course the action never stopped.  I hope they do a sequel.

Marmaduke

This is the perfect film for children 5 to 11 years old.  The special effects for talking dogs was done very well.  The facial expressions on the dog even looked like Owen Wilson.  I would not rank this film in the same category of Marley and Me or Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  Both of those films I would probably see again.  Marmaduke most likely not.  6 out of 10 for children only.

Killers

What a fun movie!  Ashton Kutcher and Kathering Heigl are hilarious.  I'll compare it to Mr. & Mrs. Smith.  The twists and turns in the plot were pleasantly surprising.  If you don't like violence, miss this one.  But we loved it.  The only disappointment was in the last five minutes the f word was used un-necessarily. 9 out of 10 rating for fun entertainment.

Oceans

Beautiful and inspiring for the entire family.  We viewed it at the Cine Capri which is the largest non-IMAX screen in Arizona.  10 out of 10 for a documentary.

Robin Hood

Because we had heard so many negative reviews on this movie, we were not expecting much.  It is true that it strays from the original storyline, only we liked the new storyline.  There was not as much violence as expected and maybe some would be disappointed in that but we were not.  It had much more to do with the political situation at the time and more about their cause.  This made it more interesting to us.  The humor was subtle and enjoyable.  8 out of 10 rating

Prince of Persia

We saw this at the Cine-Capri also.  It makes you feel like you are there.  Extremely full of action.  Even though it is a Disney film, probably too violent for little ones.  Lots of slicing and dicing!  Other than that, very family friendly.  9 out of 10 for adventure.

Letters to Juliet

I love a romance.  It was very predictable and I still enjoyed it.  What you see in the previews is what you get, only more of it.  8 out of 10.

Iron Man 2

You have to have seen Iron Man I to enjoy this film fully.  It was a great sequal.  Full of action, humor and suspence.  A must see for action.  9 out of 10

Shrek Forever After

This is another sequal you have to have seen the previous ones to enjoy it fully.  I laughed the whole way through.  The only thing I didn't like is that most of it takes place at night and it was almost always dark.  Great message in appreciating what you have!  9 out of 10

How to Train Your Dragon

Loved this cute family film.  Full of great messages.  This is one kids can watch repeatedly.  9 out of 10

Date Night

A must see for married couples.  Many meaningful messages  filled with hilarity and adventure.  Caution for those who might be offended by pole dancing, sexual refferences, and a mans bare chest. 9 out of 10 for a couples comedy

City Island

This one is hard for me to  refer to just anyone.  Caution for the PG13.  It has pole dancing, sexual situations and launguage.  I just happen to love dysfunctional families, and this is certainly one.  I don't think I have laughed harder at any film this year.  My cheeks ached when I left.  It started out slow and ended like Arsnic and Old Lace with everything coming out all at once.  Excellent comedy timing.  9 out of 10

AVATAR

WOW! WOW! WOW! This is a must see. I was so intrigued when I heard about the details of making this film It was 14 years in the making and waiting for technology to catch up to his creation. Just like Star Wars was a new demention in fantasy, so is AVATAR for the twenty first century. Not only was it full of fabulous action, but the storyline was excellent and full of symbolism and heart. This film does have a lot of violence in it and probably not appropriate for young ones. I've been waiting for a film to give a 10 to since UP, and this would have been it, only they had to throw in inappropriate language every once in a while for no good reason at all. Star Wars was great without that kind of language. So I'll give it a 9.5 and probably see it again.

UPDATE FOR MY BLOG:

I APOLOGIZE TO THOSE WHO ASKED ME TO DO THIS BLOG. I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO UPDATE IT FOR SOMETIME. LIFE GOT HECTIC AND WE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO GO SEE ALL THE FILMS WE WANTED TO. SO I WILL GO AHEAD AND RATE THE MOVIES THAT WE DID SEE SINCE OCTOBER, BUT THEY ARE NOT FRESH ON MY MIND SO I PROBABLY WON'T REMEMBER DETAILS, ONLY HOW MEMORABLE THEY ARE LATER!

The Princess and the Frog

A Christmas Carol

Blind Side

Everybody's Fine

2012

New Moon

Where the Wild Things Are

An Education

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

For a Halloween fun type film it was great, only too much cussing for young ones to repeatedly watch on DVD. For this type of film only, I give it an 8.

The Stepfather

I don't usually view horror/suspense/thriller films because I don't scare easily. I would probably annoy the audience by laughing at every unbelievable thing. But this one looked different. It looked like it could be real, a psyco stepdad. It did not scare me, but I did enjoy it. It started out slow and built up near the end. I did like the way it ended. The young man star, Dylan Walsh, did not look young enough to be a high school senior. It was filmed more like a TV movie. I could hear the girls next to me and behind me squirm and scream, so it did scare some viewers. My choice of scary films are Misery, Disturbia, and Silence of the Lambs. This one is not of that caliber, but was fun. 6 out of 10.

Couples Retreat

This is definately a Vince Vaughn film. A little crude but humorous. Sexual references throughout. You could at least tell it was trying to give marital advice. I liked the Break Up better, but it was still fun. 6 out of 10.

The Invention of Lying

Here is another movie that I was looking forward to because it could have been great. It was soooooo disappointing that we did not even stay to see the end. The concept was an alternate reality in which lying does not exist until one man discovers it. Sounds interesting and I like Jennifer Garner. The problem was in having everyone speak their thoughts and their thoughts were either sexual or negative. Even without lying you don't have to say everything that is on your mind. Truth can be positive and interesting also, which was not included. It makes God the ultimate lie of all. If the first five minutes does not offend you, you might like it. There were no redeeming qualities. It's one to miss and not even rent. I give it a 2 out of 10.

Whip It

It's rated PG13 for a reason. It is more adult themed. There is a teenaged sexual situation. But considering the movie is about teenage rebellion/parent conflict, it was minimal. I appreciated the fact that it showed both points of view and wasn't one sided and showed consequences of bad choices. If you liked Juno you will like Whip It. Drew Barrymore did a great job in producing, directing, and acting in this movie. All the characters were well casted. I like dramas that have action, humor and are thought provoking. There were many lessons to be learned. It was fun to watch. Mike rated it 6 (because is wasn't a sci-fi) and I rated it an 8 out of 10.

Surrogates

Science Fictions are not always my favorites, but it was the boy's choice tonight. It was a winner! It just goes to show you that Bruce Willis can make an action movie without bad language and have it be great. The special effects were realistic and the absurd believable. Isn't that what sci-fi's are all about? If you enjoyed 'The Island' you will like this one. I will enjoy watching this one again when it comes out on DVD. I rate this one 8 out of 10.

Bright Star

This romance was enjoyable because Nancy and I like the Jane Austin type stories that are delicate and lovely. The attention to detail in the costumes and landscape was beautiful. It might be too slow for the average person, but it was very relaxing to us. It makes us marvel at the social injustices of the time and thankful for our privileges today. Even though I enjoyed it, there have been others of that genre that I like better. I rate this one 6 out of 10.

Fame

We were so excited for this movie to come out that we went to the Thrusday midnight showing. Sadly, I was disappointed. It started out great with good character development and I couln't stop tapping my feet and swaying to the music. But the storyline was too fragmented. I kept waiting for it to come together somehow, but it never did. Each segment could have been great if it followed through and didn't just skip to the next year. It was like seeing a promo for a series of shows and not getting to see the actual show. I compare it to having a gormet chef prepare your favorite meal and then dropping on the floor before it gets to you. Chay thought it was great though. Mike rated it a 5 and I give it a 6 out of 10 because I liked the music and dancing. (I was expecting a 9 or 10 :( )

My One and Only

This movies was a nice surprise. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it was very unpredictable and witty. I loved all the characters, and then to find out it is slightly based on a true story made it even more fun. I rate this one 8 out of 10.

Love Happens

We enjoyed this sweet romance. Not only was it funny, but dealt with issues about grieving in a tender way. I rate this movie 7 out of 10.

Cold Souls

This independent film fell very short for me. The premise was good but did not follow through. Nancy liked it better than I did. She thought it was thought provoking. I thought it did not show any difference in the character whether he had a soul or not. I think if you lived without your soul your character would change drastically. I rate this movie 3 out of 10.

Aliens In The Attic

Another fun family film. Very creative and humorous. Probably for a little older school aged kids. I rate this one 7 out of 10.

G Force

Fun family entertainment. Lots of action. Predictable outcomes, but very entertaining for school aged kids. I rate this one 6 our of 10.

500 Days of Summer

If you like a unique perspective on a love story, this is it. I loved the ending and Lizzy didn't. Even though I enjoyed it, it did not represent the type of relationship that I value. For me dating is also about finding someone with family values and creating a family together. None of that was shown in their relationship. But it does give you insight to the imbalance of passion for each other that occurs in relationships. There were times it was slow, but that's how relationships develop. I rate this one 6 out of 10.

Adam

This independent film lived up to our expectations. It let you into the life of someone struggling with an autistic disability. It was well acted and the love story was genuine. I rate this one 7 out of 10.

Departures

This was one of my favorite films of the year. Yes it is a foreign film and you have to read subtitles throughout, but it is worth it. I hope it receives an academy award. It has all the elements: love, humor, drama, meaningful storyline, music. I forgot I was at the movies. I felt like I was a fly on the wall in someones life. Very realistic. It honored death in a way I had not seen before. I cried more times than I can count. It was very touching and memorable. I hope I will be able to get it on DVD next year. I rate this one 9 out of 10

Food Inc.

What an eye opener. I already knew there were problems with our food sources, but this documentary was excellent in specifically bringing to light why the imbalance of control is there. It is a film everyone should view so control can shift back to the consumer. We can only make change if we are aware. I rate this documentary 9 out of 10. If you don't have access to a theater that shows it, make sure you rent it when it comes out!

I Can Do Bad All By Myself

Nancy and I like to watch disfunction in films, it helps us appreciate our own set of problems. Tyler Perry does disfunctional families and relationships well. I am not a Madea fan though, even though I appreciate her candidness. Some of his films balance humor and drama, like Diary of a Mad Black Woman. This one did not, not much humor. I rate it a 5 out of 10.

9

I did not view this futuristic animated film. Chay and Mike went to see it. (father and son bonding time) Chay (14) loved it, Mike thought it was okay.

All About Steve / The Proposal

Sandra Bullock did it again. She plays ditsy very well. She also plays drama well, and I'm looking forward to seeing her in Blind Side. I think I have most of her DVD movies. If you don't like crazy you won't like this one. We liked it though, it's just plain fun. I really enjoyed the wordplays from crossword puzzels. I rate this one 7 out of 10.

On the other hand, The Proposal was humorous, but I had a hard time recommending it to anyone because of the nudity. Yes it was embarrassingly funny, but it would have been just as funny without that much skin showing. I was disappointed with the rating system.

Time Traveler's Wife

People who read the book did not like this movie as much as I did. If you can take something so far fetched and make it almost believable, I will enjoy it. The special effects were creative and were close to looking realistic. The love story was sweet and showed devotion. There was some nudity in timetravel, but it was done in good taste. I rate this one 6 out of 10.

Bandslam

This movie did not get enough publicity. None of my friends had heard about it. I thought it was going to be another Disney highschool type movie, but it was not. It was sooooo much better. It had real depth to it. I wouldn't even mind having the soundtrack, great music. I actually saw it twice and loved it both times. It's one worth seeing. I rate it 8 out of 10.

Paper Heart

I couldn't wait for this movie to come out. But it was different than I thought it would be. Some things were better and some were worse. I really liked how kooky it was! It was fun and fast paced until the end where it dropped off dramatically. I rate this one 6 out of 10

Shorts

If you are a ten year old boy and you like to see bugers come to life, this is the movie for you. I am glad they are making fun wholesome films for children. But for myself and my family it was really stupid. I rate it a 5 out of 10. Wait for the DVD unless you have elementary aged kids.

Juie & Julia

What a fun movie! Meryl Streep is amazing. It doesn't matter what character she plays, she becomes that person. She has to be the most versatile actress out there. I love true stories and this one was not only interesting, but had so many elements to it. It was a love story, pursuing passions, overcoming obstacles, and just the pure enjoyment of food. It did have a couple of swear words, but still worth seeing. I rate this one 8 out of 10.