Debra here, blogging at Fun On A Dime. Before you spend your precious pennies at the theater this weekend, read my reviews to see if it’s worth the trouble of changing out of a shirt full of baby-snot and actually combing your hair.
Warning: I really love almost all the movies I take the time to see, so I mostly recommend everything. Although I am pretty selective about what I’ll watch. If I know it’s going to raunchy or depressing, I’ll skip it. I don’t need that in my life. And I have been known to walk out of a movie and get my money back (or at least a pass for another movie). Hope you find this helpful 🙂
A few weeks back I had dry-spell with going to the movies. You all know how I loooooove going to see a flick every Friday night. Well, I went a whole two weekends without making an appearance at my favorite joint and boy was I cranky!
I really hadn’t meant to drag my husband to see “The Help”, but I couldn’t stand not going to the movies for one more weekend, so drag him I did. And I’m glad that I did. I really liked this movie. It is certainly not a kid movie, but I think it should be required viewing for every high-schooler learning about the Civil Rights movement.
The jist: A small-town girl wanting to be taken seriously as a journalist enlists the help of a few of her friends’ hired “help” to give her the low-down for a book she is writing about the injustices of their lives. They are treated so low by some of the more ruthless ladies of the so-called higher class. There are some ladies that secretly hate what they are doing to women that are dear to them, but are afraid to act otherwise in a society that looks down on anyone who is not white. My mother-in-law’s sister lived in the south in the 60’s and said that that is what is really was like.
I read the book about a year ago and enjoyed reading it very much. I loved the adaptation to the big screen. Those don’t always go over smoothly, but this one did. I think the casting was excellent, too. There is some raw language. I don’t condone it, but I don’t know how they would have gotten their point across otherwise. By the end of the movie, if you haven’t had your heart touched, you are made of stone.
Even my husband was touched.
Seeing as how this movie has been out for ages, you’ve probably all already seen it a billion years ago. But in the off-chance you haven’t, you should.
The following weekend we saw “Moneyball” with Brad Pitt. We actually veered from our “No kids allowed” rule and took our oldest, Hallie with us. One of her school teachers had a role in it and she was so excited to see him on the big screen.
Now, I am not a fan of baseball in any sense of the word, but I found myself liking this little movie with a big heart. I don’t know how close it was to actual events (it was based on a true story), but I didn’t care. It was good. Again, not a kid movie (f-word twice). I was a little squeamish about taking my child to see it, but then I remembered: she’s a high-schooler. She hears the f-word every 5 seconds (not that that makes it okay) on a daily basis.
The jist: A baseball team that is a laughing-stock in the Big League hires someone to help them look at baseball from a statistical point of view, propelling them to the World Series in that very same season.
Taking our daughter on our date was actually fun. We got to talk to her one-on-one, which she doesn’t get very often. I think it helped us feel closer. I’m sad to think that she only has a few years left at home.
After the movie we went to IHOP for a late dinner. I totally recommend taking a child out with you. It lets them know you think they are special. Now we just have to work in a date with other kids. It’ll probably take us all year because you know I’m not gonna be taking a kid with us every week. I’m too stingy for that!
This past Friday we left all the screamers at home and saw “Real Steel”. I am so torn about this movie because I thought it was great. The special effects were great, the storyline was touching, the acting was good–but not great (Hugh Jackman forgive me–you were a little weird as an old-timey east-coast boxer. I love you in everything else, though!!!)
The problem I had was the language. Again with the language. Now if it was just adults going about cursing, I probably wouldn’t have as big of an issue with it, but the little boy in it cussed, too! This movie would be have been such a great little boy movie. It had cool, fighting robots, cool music, and a great father/son story. But the cussing!Oi!
A really big beef I have with it, too, is that it is marketed towards little kids, as evidenced by the huge display in the toy section at Wal-Mart, but is rated “pg-13”.
That is bunk! I know the producers were afraid that if it was “pg”, people would view it as a kid movie and stay away. But they ruined a really great movie by putting all that language in.
There were so many little boys in that theater. I know they loved the fighting, as they were all “boxing” on the way out of the theater. But what did they learn? That if you want your dad to take you seriously you need to sound more adult by cussing?
Other than the language, I didn’t feel there wasn’t anything else inappropriate in it.
Did you see it? Are you going to? I’m curious if I’m just getting more sensitive as my kids get older.
Go to this website to read a complete analysis.
So, this weekend: go on a date with your spouse. And maybe take a kid along for fun! 🙂
Debra is super talented, an awesome mom and very funny. In her words, “I am a mentally and physically exhausted mother of five (six if you count Curtis), caretaker of too many pets, piano teacher to the most amazing students, and always a day behind on the dishes. Where are those dish fairies when I need them?” She blogs over at Curtis Fan Club.
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