Truman is well done and well said

We watched this movie during election week--Powerful! I was surprised how many things haven't changed: like media bias, unrest in the Middle East, fragile European alliances, and making tough military decisions based on the best-guess of the facts at the moment.

Gary Sinise does a Harry Truman that's so believable you would think you were in Independence, Mo! This biographical movie of Harry Truman is true to history and based upon the Pulitzer Prize winning biography by David McCullough. My kids had read about his childhood beforehand. We also visited the Truman Library and saw his grand piano, his two "Truman Chryslers," and his love letters to Beth.

Truman was a WWI soldier, a failed business man, a latecomer to the Senate, and a compromise candidate for vice-president. Then he unexpectedly became president when Roosevelt died only 3 months into his fourth term. Three years later, Truman boasts a come-from-behind victory (see "Dewey Defeats Truman" newspaper headline) in the 1948 election which showed that his integrity and All-American values resonated with the average American voter. His presidency was actually full of historical significance: the Marshall Plan, the atomic bomb, beginning of the Cold War, NATO, Israel becoming a state, anti-Communism in our foreign policy, the United Nations charter, Civil Rights, and the Korean War. Great movie for a unit study within many subject areas!

Warmly,

Candise & Crew

Kit Kittredge: A Review

Kit Kittredge is perfect.

Okay, it’s not perfect. It’s a bit predictable and wee bit sentimental (meaning, my husband groaned from time to time and my daughters & I cried) but for a family movie, yes. It’s almost perfect.

Set in the 1930’s during the heart of the depression, this movie inspired some great discussions at the dinner table as well a new conservatism on the part of my husband. (“Do I really have to finish my carrots, Daddy?” “Yes, you do.”)

Abigail Breslin is spunky and capable as the heroine of this American Girl tale. Wallace “I don’t lisp!” Shawn (of The Princess Bride fame) was a favorite among my children, and Joan Cusack’s librarian, too, had them besides themselves with giggles.

Oh, and the character of Countee steals the show at the end.

My 11-year-old son followed his father’s lead in complaining good-naturedly about the “girliness” of the movie, yet (don’t tell him I told you) was glued to the screen throughout both viewings.

Yes, we watched this movie twice: once to see if it all turned out (What do you think? Did it?) and a second time, to revisit all our favorite scenes. There were many.

3 ½ stars out of 4 for this very fun family movie.

See Candise's review here.


All for the greater glory of God,

Henry Poole is Here

Three parents and nine teens from our Catholic homeschool group went to see "Henry Poole is Here." All of us really, really liked this movie. It is definitely hard to write about it without giving away the whole plot. It's also hard to find the right adjectives to describe it. Henry Poole knows he is going to die soon, and takes a sad/angry/depressed approach to meeting his death. He uses the Lord's name in vain twice, but he says it in the context of moaning in exasperation (and for deliverance). It was very appropriate to the script, no matter how offensive to my 40-something ears.

Henry's conscience is being pricked by the "religious" neighbors. Esperanza is a beautiful Catholic woman, who cares for his feelings and his eternal soul. She brings her priest over (George Lopez?!) and he says all the right things about the apparition on Henry's house. It is not an anti-Catholic movie at all! That's all the spoilers I will give away.

Prepare yourself for a slow-moving plot. Stretches of silence give you the depths of Henry's despair and his solitude actually brings him to reflect on his childhood and make sense of his life. The background music is very "techno" (Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, U2) - I don't know how to describe it. The music and the main character are very odd! I probably would not take my 10-year-olds because they might think it moves too slow. However, there is nothing to prevent that age group from going! I can heartily endorse this movie for showing the honest struggle of man's deepest questions about life and death. It is both funny (we laughed out loud) and sorrowful (we passed out tissues). Enjoy!

Miss Potter

After a summer of watching films my family chose, Iron Man, Wall-E, The Incredible Hulk, There Will Be Blood, 3:10 to Yuma and finally the Dark Knight, I was happy to see them sit down to watch one of my movie choices without me even asking them to do so. Tonight's movie was 2006's Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan MacGregor and directed by Chris Noonan.

The movie tells the story of the author and illustrator of the beloved Peter Rabbit and the other delightful animals still popular with children worldwide even after all these years.

As I watched the beginning of the movie, I was not sure that the actor chosen to portray Miss Potter was the right choice. I felt Miss Zellweger's acting was too stilted and that she made too many exaggerated facial expressions. However, as I continued to watch, I found her portrayal of Beatrix Potter to be charming. She was the right actor for this part.

This movie that had elements of romance, fantasy, conservation, etc. was good enough to capture and hold the attention of two action/adventure loving guys. They even thanked me for movie selection.

The way the movie was created was quite clever. I really enjoyed seeing the familiar characters come to life.

I fell in love with the movie and the characters. This is now on my list of favorite movies.

WALL•E Won Us Over

I talked myself into taking the kids to WALL•E yesterday. (The kids themselves didn’t need much convincing.) My husband was pessimistic—not about the movie itself, mind you, but about the cost of such an outing. I gave him my most winsome smile and told him not to worry. I’d take care of the expense myself.

And then I raided the kids’ piggy banks.

With their permission.

We arrived just in time for the 4:30 matinee and shelled out $50.00 for the six of us. (Hubby stayed home. Go figure.) I bypassed the concessions thinking I’d save a penny (ha) or two.

Well, here’s a riddle: What do you do when you take a 3-year-old into a darkened movie theater? You (quickly) leave when she (loudly) requests some popcorn.

I will tell you that I hated to miss a single minute of this movie. I want to go back to see what I’ve missed. I want to go back to see it all over. I want…

…to stop getting ahead of myself.

Angela and I followed the smell & sounds of popcorn. I held her small hand and felt thankful for the moment. (Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!) As I stood there scanning the options, the guy in the tie behind the counter asked if we’d like to try one of their “specials.”

“Um,” I responded, “How much is a ‘Number 1?’” None of their prices were listed and so I had to ask. A large popcorn and two large sodas sounded good to me, though—just the trick for our group of six.

“$17.00,” the kid replied.

An exclamation point flash over my head. Was he crazy? Are they crazy? Am I crazy? I certainly felt so as I dished out a mere $12.00 for a large tub of popcorn and a single medium soda.

Angela & I made our way back to the movie where my other kids were watching—rapt and laughing—and where I felt both entertained and fairly guilt-ridden. On the one hand, I felt privileged to be watching one of the best family movies that I’ve ever seen. On the other hand, I just felt privileged.

You could say that WALL•E won us over…at a cost.

I wonder why it has to be like this, why the price of a movie & snacks has to be so darned prohibitive? It’s ridiculous. We’ve a throw-away mentality—the theme of this movie attests to that—and it would seem that we are now being asked to throw away our money, too.

Anyway. I’ll stop with my budget-oriented rant now.

I am not at all going to discourage you from going to see WALL•E. It’s brilliant; he’s sweet; I think you should. The irony is that this movie goes “green” in its take on environmentalism—in a good way, in an amazingly creative way—and yet, sitting there with my jumbo tub of overpriced popcorn, I felt much like one of the big fat American consumers that this movie portrays.

Perhaps I’m just a tad too sensitive.

Perhaps I’m just mad at the economy.

Perhaps I should just pack my own snacks next time!

(Would that be cheating? I don’t think so.)


Ad Jesum per Mariam,



PS. If you do go, plan on arriving early and staying late. First off, Pixar throws in an animated short film (“Presto!”) that’s hilarious. And then, at the end of WALL•E (during the closing credits) is a history of art that is not to be missed. Do you hear that, all you movie-goers who were in the theater with us? Plus you’ve got a theme song by Peter Gabriel! Why would you leave?

.

August Rush: A Review

Warning: Contains Spoilers

August Rush is a movie for people who love music. Rumor has it that my children’s choir director enjoyed the movie so much that she went out and bought it! (It's not a rumor, actually. It was her copy that I watched on Friday.)

I agree that the soundtrack is extraordinary and I am clearly not alone in thinking so. When I went to request it at our library, I saw that I was number 17 in the queue. I am itching to give it a listen, though, and for that reason may have to purchase my own copy before then—of the soundtrack, though, not the movie. The music is just that good.

Unfortunately, I cannot say that I enjoyed this movie as much as I should have—not the first time that I watched it, anyway. A little boy gets separated from his mother at birth and spends the rest of the movie looking for her. I assumed that things would go well for him and yet…I didn’t know! I didn’t relax until the credits rolled, which is often the case for a heart-on-her-sleeve sort of gal like myself.

Keri Russell is as beautiful as always and Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays one of those Irish cuties that seem all the cinematic rage these days. (Though frankly I have yet to meet an Irishman who uses “me” as an adjective the way that he does. But that's just me.)

Robin Williams costars in one of his most unnerving roles to date—a “tricky person” of epic proportions. He seems to have channeled both Bono and a Terri Shields-type stage mom to get into this character, and I spent the entire movie being thoroughly creeped out by the incredible creepiness of his role.

For that reason, and a couple of others, I would have to watch this movie a second time to truly enjoy it. It is to the credit of its direction that you don’t know if things will go well for the leading character—a little boy (Freddie Highmore) whose dimples alone are worth your time, Yet, because you don’t know you wind up…waiting. The ending, though cheesy, does not disappoint.

August Rush is a modern day fairy tale. Once you accept that—and hand over your cynicism at the door—you are in for a very good movie.

Another Warning: This movie is not for children under 13. There is too much that you’d have to explain to anyone much younger—homelessness, street violence, and one-night-stands being at the top of the list.

You decide for yourself.

Meanwhile, here is a clip of some of that amazing music that started out my discussion of this movie:




Cum gaudio et pace,

Maggie’s Quick Picks

The movie Facing the Giants is as wholesome, exciting and inspiring as a family movie could be. The acting is great, the southern accents are darling, and the comic relief between the two assistant coaches is most enjoyable. Yes, this David vs. Goliath tale is a little bit predictable, though in an unpredictable way. Your kids won’t care and I’m fairly certain that you won’t, either. You will, however, find yourself wanting to pray more & more by the time the credits roll, and for that reason alone this movie’s worth it.

This film is rated PG for some thematic elements.

The Movie Juno: a Review

The movie Juno is being called a mini-blockbuster and took third in box-office sales this past weekend. I’m not surprised; I dragged my husband to it a couple weeks ago (It was our anniversary; he was feeling amenable) and we both loved it.

Well, “love” is a strong word for my patent attorney husband. He did really like it, though, as far as I can tell, and as far as I could tell (based on my sidelong glances), he even swiped at his eyes once or twice by the end of it.

But don’t tell him I told you.

Anyway. I’m giving the movie one more shout-out because it’s really very good. Clever, quirky, engaging, cute…you’ll laugh and you’ll fall in love with the leading actress for all her sassy smartness. She’s coping as best as she can and I commend her.

You may also be uncomfortable a couple of times—there is a scene of brief but discreet intimacy at the beginning, and the would-be adoptive father (played by Jason Bateman) has some issues—but hey, life can be uncomfortable and teenage pregnancy is certainly out there for us to deal with.

Better a movie that celebrates one teenager’s pregnancy (and her responsible decision-making regarding it) then one that promotes abortion.

That’s why I’m telling ya.

Go to this movie.

PS. This is my first review for Love2learn at the Movies so go easy on me! Also, I do not yet have teenagers so I'm not all that certain on how to go about recommending the ages for this film. I'm going to say ages 16 and up, but feel free to leave a comment and offer your opinion.

*This review has been cross-posted at Minnesota Mom.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

My family and I had been looking forward to this sequel because of how much we enjoyed the movie National Treasure. We went three days after it opened because we wanted to avoid the crowds of this reportedly highly successful box office hit.

From the beginning the movie was intriguing. It starts off with Ben Gates (Nicholas Cage) and his dad played by Jon Voight, giving a lecture about the elder Gates' grandfather during the time of President Lincoln's assassination.

No sooner do they finish their talk than the character played by Ed Harris, dispels the image of the grandfather by proving he was in fact an accessory to the president's assassination.

Well, then the adventure begins.

One clue leads to another and soon they are traveling the world trying to clear the Gates' name by finding the lost city of Cibola.

This movie is geared for everyone's entertainment. It was produced by Disney so for the most part it is good family fun. Except for the fact, that the main character and his girlfriend lived together. Living together without the sacrament of marriage is never a very good message to send to children or teens. Anyway, you would think that since the original movie was released in 2004, this couple would be married and have children by now, instead of still dating...but I digress...

The are interesting little factoids that come up during the movie such as there are actually three statues of liberty; there are identical desks at the White House and Buckingham Palace; there is an underground passage in one of the nation's monuments, etc. If your children are anything like my son, he or she will do a little research via the internet to find out if these tidbits about American history are true or not.

And, don't worry if you haven't seen the original National Treasure. Even though all the characters are the same and I believe all the original main actors return for this sequel, it is a new adventure.

I didn't go into too much detail here because I wanted to leave you with the SciFi Catholic's entertaining review of the movie. The review can be found at the following link.

Can I still have fun if I can't understand it?

For those of you interested and have not seen the movie yet, you can check out the trailer and visit at the Official Website