Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (#7)

imdb.com

I saw this film in the theatres, but, as it came out during the Christmas season, never had time to write a review. I just recently saw it again on a flight, so I'll review it now. Consider it a little reminder before Part 2 comes out next week!

I will admit, I am a Harry Potter fan. I love the books and I've enjoyed seeing them come to life on-screen. Some have been better than others, but they've all been crowd-pleasers.

The older Harry gets, and the more powerful Voldemort gets, the darker the stories get. That definitely rings true for this film! It. Is. DARK. So dark, in fact, that I was sure something was wrong with the small screen on the seat in front of me on the plane; many times I couldn't see anything at all!

What could be seen was definitely a PG-13. The film's content is pretty dark, and not for young children, no matter how much they like the books. It follows the story pretty well, which for me also meant that you can feel like you are watching the bulk of 700+ pages; I remember in the theatres glancing at my watch near the end, wondering if it would be over soon. That's never a good sign.

As much as I love Harry Potter, I was disappointed with this installment overall. The screenwriters took a few liberties with the book's storyline, and one scene in particular made me squirm.

When Ron and Harry are destroying the Horcrux necklace in the forest, Ron sees a vision of Harry and Hermione together, as in unclothed and "snogging". I had been forewarned about this scene, and saw the arguments that the young actors were in fact decently covered, that not much is shown, that the vision is hazy. So when I saw a silvery, though pretty clear picture of a topless Hermione and Harry, it made me pretty uncomfortable.

It's just a shame that movie producers think that these kind of scenes are necessary. I mean, a simple clothed snogging session between the two could have made Ron just as mad. Unfortunately, most in the movie industry care more about money than morals. And we fall for it every time. I mean, despite that, I still went to see it. And I'm going to see the next one, too.

What about you? Midnight showing, anyone?

The Dilemma

*imdb.com



This is the other movie I saw at 30,000 feet. You could argue that my opinion is tainted by the fact that I'd already been traveling 24 hours straight when I saw it. But really, I think this film would be just as bad on the ground, after a nap and a shower, on the best day of my life. 

I'm beginning to be convinced that any movie starring Vince Vaughn is an automatic no-go. The weird thing is, I want to like him. People ("I ain't people!") say that he's a lovable 'everyman', and I can understand that. He's cool, he's funny, he's the kind of guy you want to be friends with. It seems he might even be charming if he wasn't always playing an insensitive buffoon who's unknowingly or knowingly being a jerk about things.

Unfortunately, Kevin James is also a good sign of a bad movie. He's hilarious, and I love him in the series "King of Queens" and in "Hitch". In fact, I wish the latter was all about him and not so much about Will Smith and Eva Mendez... but I digress.

In "The Dilemma", best friends Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) are in the middle of closing a deal with Dodge to make electric cars with muscle-car sounding engines. Ronny discovers things with his 'perfect couple' friends Nick and Geneva (Winona Ryder) aren't what they seem. They're both having affairs, him with a shady massage parlor and her with a tatooed, yet sensitive young Channing Tatum. In Ronny's efforts to spare Nick's feelings and his sanity, Ronny threatens his own relationship with his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly).
It's obvious from the plot that this movie does not promote good values. Even the better relationship in the film has unmarrieds living together. (I realize this is the norm for Hollywood, but that doesn't make it right. It's just not right.) The worst part is that Geneva is totally unrepentant and justifies her adulterous behavior. With a cast full of talented actors, I wish I could like this film, but even the edited airline version can't remove all the bad from this film. See, the thing about a comedy is, it's supposed to make you laugh. This one fails in that regard. Miserably. And not just because I'd been on the plane 4 hours too long.

How Do You Know?

*imdb.com

Oi. There's something about the movies you see on a plane; it seems to me that they're all bad! Or at least they're not movies you'd choose to watch if you weren't confined to your seat at 35,000 feet. Such was my case with this one (and another I'll review later on).

"How Do You Know?" is supposedly posing the question of how you can know, really know, that you're really in love. It's something everyone in the dating game wonders, right? You can't go wrong with answering that universal question, right? Wrong.

It follows Reese Witherspoon as a softball player for Team USA, trying to find the answer to this question and decide between the two men in her life. The trailer makes it seem lighthearted and fun. Totally chick flick material here. But it's a lot heavier than it should be, and never really reaches the "romantic comedy" it aspires to be.

First -- The main characters are so... miscast. Reese Witherspoon as an Olympic softball player?? Really? Who are they trying to kid here? Don't get me wrong - I adore her! She's darling. But she's tiny. She'd never make it in the majors, so to speak. Her body is fit, but not what I'd call athletic.
Owen Wilson could be a baseball player, but why do they even bother showing his profession? He's playing - again - a clueless, narcissistic ladies man. That's his whole character. Period.
The only two that are believable at all are Paul Rudd and Jack Nicholson as businessmen. Paul Rudd is adorable as usual. And seriously, I'm no Jack Nicholson fan, but his performance is fantastic.
The supporting actors are also great. It's a shame the subplots were so underdeveloped or we could see more of them.

Second -- /Sigh/ There is no real plot in this film. To rephrase a classic movie line, 'Let me sum up. No, there is too little. Let me explain.' She goes on a date with Owen Wilson and they sleep together. Meanwhile, she meets Paul Rudd and they talk, share insights into their turbulant personal lives, and spend time together. **SPOILER!** (Ha! Hardly a "spoiler", it's so cliche...) She leaves Owen for Paul as they discover they really, truly love each other. And all this happens in just a few weeks. Naturally. Because isn't that how we discover true love?

In a word, NO. Well, some people do manage to find love in a couple weeks, I suppose. But it's rare.

I guess one thing that I really DO like about this film is that she realizes the one she really loves is the one she doesn't just hop in bed with. Here's a life "spoiler" for you -- Having sex with someone you're not married to will not bring you love. Sex can (and MUST) be based on love - a love so committed you'll wait until that marriage certificate is signed. But love can never be based on sex. It just doesn't work that way. So I guess that's one thing the movie actually got right.

However, there are so many bad things (her relationship with Owen Wilson, the drinking binges, etc.) in this film, that that one snippet of wisdom is hardly redeeming enough to justify watching it.

Little Miracles - Proof We Really Are Our Father's Children

This post has nothing to do with movies and everything to do with REAL life. (I did warn you this might happen.)

Yesterday I was once again - and many times over - reminded that we are children of a Heavenly Father. He loves us in a similar, yet even better way, than our parents. Not only loves us, but knows us intimately, and He works in ways to help us in every aspect of our lives.

I was taught how true are President Spencer W. Kimball's words that, “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." Sometimes that person walks here on earth - our coworker, our neighbor, our friend. Sometimes that person is the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of God that touches us so subtly that we consider the thoughts that come from Him as our own.

Let me `splain...

I recently got a new job. With new hires, they usually restrict time off, so I was really nervous at the prospect of telling them I need to take off two weeks. With the demands and restrictions of my job, when was I to find time to speak with my supervisors? I’d have to find someone to cover me just to tell them I need someone to cover me! Then out of nowhere, my boss came up to ask if I needed any time off. "Actually... I do!" Coincidence? Well, since I’m not known to project my thoughts into others’ heads, I think not. Shortly after, my new work friend came up to see if I needed a break. “In fact, yes I do! Then I can talk to my other supervisors.” It was amazing.

That evening at home, I decided on a whim that I was going to finish installing that new food storage rotation system. It’s just a simple little one I can fit in our closet pantry. No big deal. But wait. Why is the carpet wet here? Oh. Well. It just so happens one container was recently punctured and we’d lost 2/3rds of a gallon of water. Into the now-soaked-through carpet. Had I not been inspired to retreat to the pantry, we wouldn’t have discovered that little gem until the carpet was moldy and smelly and needed replacing (which we certainly can't afford to do!).

Even later that night, our friend dropped by and asked to take an exam online. He has a computer at his own home, but decided to do it our place. He and I are in the same class, and I NEVER would’ve remembered that I had an assignment due in that class by the end of the night! If he hadn’t taken his test at our house, I would’ve gone to bed, not submitted an assignment, and probably failed the class. But he didn’t. And so I didn’t. (At least not by missing an assignment!)

Sure, these things seem small, but that’s the beauty of it. God knows that, to me, these things are important. And He knows enough and cares enough about me to help me with them as needed. I guarantee that on your worst days, if you look for it, you’ll see that He knows and loves you just as much. He will help us as much as we allow.

"...I would that ye should remember, that as much as ye shall put your trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day." - Alma 38:5

Going the Way of the Dodo

Like its more widely known predecessors (CleanFlicks and CleanFilms), today CleanPlayDVDs.com is closing its virtual doors. I don’t know if it’s because the Hollywood bullies are threatening to defend their “art” again, or if the owners are just tired of peddling their edited wares.

I’m guessing the latter, since most people have never even heard of CleanPlayDVDs.com. Personally, of all the companies that have sold edited films, they are my least favorite. Their website is terribly user-unfriendly, the prices are ridiculously high (though perhaps more reasonable today), and they only offer one expensive shipping option.

Even after all the trouble, it takes a long time to be processed and ship to you; and when you do receive your dvd, it’s not in a proper movie case as Clean Flicks’ were, but in a little white paper sleeve.

Oh well. It’s what we have to put up with to NOT put up with filth. It’s what we have to pay from our pocket to NOT pay from our soul. And it’s only something we have through midnight tonight.

Two Weeks Notice

*imdb.com

This film pairs two of today’s best romantic comedy stars – Sandra Bullock and Hugh Grant. I don’t know what it is about Hugh Grant. I personally don’t think he’s that attractive, but he’s so dang charming you can’t help but love him! Like many of his other films, in this one he plays a rich spoiled irresponsible 30-something, this time a big businessman. Sandra Bullock, the quintessential girl-next-door, plays a down-to-earth, tree-hugging, underdog lawyer who somehow ends up working for her arch nemesis.

As with most romantic comedies, the plot gets pretty predictable, especially near the end. But it doesn’t matter because it’s a story we all like to see. On the whole, I remember really enjoying this film. I thought it was very cute, and very funny. The two main leads are so good at comedy! And it’s got some great music by Michael Buble and Nora Jones.

However - as usual - Hollywood can’t resist putting in a few suggestive lines and situations, particularly one scene that shows a girl in her underwear. I hate that part! It always makes me feel so awkward. I mean, wouldn’t it be just as effective for her to catch them just kissing or something? Skip that scene and you’ve got a pretty decent movie. I don’t remember too much profanity, though I’m sure it’s in there.

Overall, this is a cute “rom-com” with great stars. Just don’t let your kids watch it, or you might have some `splaining to do.

The Proposal

*imdb.com

The other day my sister-in-law requested I review a few romantic comedies she was thinking of adding to her collection. This particular movie falls under the classic “It’s great! …except for that one part” category. Which is a shame. Because it really is great… except for that one part. (Ok, maybe even a few parts...)

The Proposal stars Sandra Bullock – one of my personal favorites! – and Ryan Reynolds. She plays Margaret, a no-nonsense, needs nothing, not a nice person boss to Andrew, a funny, easy-going, loves his family kind of guy. It’s like a “Two Weeks Notice” role-reversal, only without the granola Save-the-World overtones.

Suddenly, she finds herself on the verge of being deported to Canada, so she cons him into marrying her so she can stay in the U.S. As ridiculous as the plot sounds (and is), this movie is hilarious! Reynolds and Bullock have great chemistry and great comedic timing; it helps that the script is full of witty one-liners, and has a great supporting cast, too. It really is one of the funniest romantic comedies I’ve seen in a long time!

BUT!

Unfortunately, Hollywood writers feel that quick wit and talent isn’t enough. Naturally, the two main leads are forced to share a room – mistakenly, no one thinks people can be morally clean before marriage – and if that’s not enough, they end up naked at the same time (for whatever reasons they invented). The bare backsides and close-to-full-monty’s are completely gratuitous. This, and the scene where she’s taken to a club for her bachelorette party totally ruined the film for me! Actually, that one was almost worse! Though it’s intended to be awkwardly funny, it’s more take-me-to-my-happy-place uncomfortable. I closed my eyes through this one, and have tried really hard to disassociate the song they played from the scene they played it in.

So, as much as I loved this film, I can only recommend it if viewed on a Clearplay or purchased through CleanPlayDVDs.com. Hurry on that last one though - it looks like they'll be shut down on the Ides of March... "Beware the Ides!"

Redbox Killed the Video Store

I’ve decided that I don’t like redbox (or Netflix, etc.). It’s like the video that killed the radio star. All those forlorn looking buildings with jagged mountains or blue ticket stubs being the only remnants of former video stores… It’s all so… so depressing.

And on a Friday night, when the sudden craving to watch, oh, I don’t know… “Multiplicity” or something like that hits you, how do you satisfy it? There’s no redbox in town that holds movies that old. Naturally, Netflix isn’t ‘instant streaming’ it either, and who wants to wait three days or more? By the time it arrives in the post the craving has passed and you’re wishing you put “Step Up” in your que instead.

Makes me glad I live in a town small enough to still have a little local video store!

Am I the only one that feels this way?

Moonstruck

*imdb.com

I’ve decided I should’ve started this blog when I could actually afford to go to movies. But since I didn’t, and now I can’t, it might take me a while to review them. Maybe even a few decades.

This particular movie I had never been interested in seeing (since I was only a kid when it came out), but was on a list in the newspaper of movies to watch on Valentine’s Day. Movies that wouldn’t end with your man whimpering on the sofa (and NOT because he’s so touched by the storyline of “The Notebook”).

So for our budget-friendly V-Day, we ate our candlelit gourmet meal at home and moved to the sofa to watch “Moonstruck”.

Well, for one thing, this movie stars Cher. Have you heard her speak? Yeah, neither have I. Still. That should be enough said. It also stars a very young and scrawny Nicholas Cage. With his own hair. Still. The paper described it as an Italian version of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”. Now, I love Italians and all, but I think the Greeks did this one better.

Cher plays Loretta, a middle-aged widow who gets engaged to a guy she doesn’t love so she can do it right – in a church, unlike the first time. Her fiancé asks her to convince his estranged brother, Ronny (Cage), to attend the wedding, and in their arguing about his going or not going, Ronny and Loretta sleep together. (So much for doing it right!) In the night when they wake up together, they see an abnormally large moon in the sky. I guess it struck them... or something.

What should have struck them is how morally wrong the whole premise of this movie is. Girl meets boy, boy loves girl, girl sleeps with boy’s brother, boy’s brother steps out with girl. Girl’s mom loves girl’s dad, girl’s dad steps out with someone not the girl’s mom… and supposedly romance and hilarity ensue. I didn’t really see either. I guess I just have a hard time finding “romance” in immorality.

Eventually it all comes out in the open, and it also all works out in the end. I guess the only reasons to see this movie are to catch a glimpse of a young Nicholas Cage play a boy disgruntled over ‘losing his hand and his girl’, see Frasier’s ‘dad’ as a womanizing college professor, and hear Olympia Dukakis’ (Rose) Oscar winning line. … But wait, even that takes the Lord’s name in vain. Tell you what. I’ll save you the time and give you the edited version.

Rose: Do you love him, Loretta?
Loretta: Aw, ma, I love him awful.
Rose: Oh, that's too bad.

Isn't it About... Time?

Call me old fashioned, but I love to read the newspaper.

Sure, it makes your hands all black and inky. It smells funny, and after a couple weeks, it starts to multiply itself and suddenly you're buried in a sea of ads, comics, and old news.

But I love it all the same. All the memories I have of a regular weekday evening at home involve my dad hiding behind one. (No, we weren't that badly behaved.) He just liked to be informed. And maybe he liked to look too busy to do the dishes... Or that could have been just me.

Reading the newspaper made me feel grown up and well-read. (Of course, I only read the comics and the movie listings, but trust me - reading the wisdom of Calvin & Hobbes on a daily basis can make one feel very mature!)

Anyway, now that the only free T.V. is the pixelated mess they call "digital", and not actually really free (with the cost of converter boxes, antennas, or new HDTV's), the newspaper is not just a sweet tradition or past-time; it's my window to the world! Everything I know about politics, movies, news, etc. I owe to my daily paper. I thought one day I might even owe my career to it.

One of my many aspirations was to be a movie critic for the newspaper. But then I found out you had to watch the crappy movies as well as the good. So I changed my mind. I figured even better, I could become one of those journalists who got to write about anything or nothing. How cool would that be?! But then I heard it's a pretty cutthroat biz, writing about nothing. Who knew?

So I ended up being a blogger who writes about the movies I choose and anything or nothing else I want to write about! Dream come true!! .... Except I don't get paid. Bummer. What was I blogging about anyway? Oh yeah. Newspapers.

Specifically The Deseret News. They just started an online tool called the "Family Media Guide". It's still in the testing stage, but users can rate movies based on how they thought they should be rated - BRILLIANT!, how good they were, and the bottom line - if they were really worth your time.

Because even though you may have left a movie thinking, "What a waste of 8 (or 10 or 12) bucks! I want my money back!", isn't it even worse to have left a movie thinking, "What a waste of my life! I want my two hours back!"??

After all, we can always earn more money. But we live on only borrowed time.

Eat Pray Love

*imdb.com

For reasons I will not go in to here, I often find myself home alone. Not like Kevin McCallister Home Alone - forgotten and left to fight bad guys on my own – but like my-attitude-is-not-fit-for-human-consumption-today so I need to be home alone… It’s the perfect time to watch the movies no one wants to watch with me. One of these was “Eat Pray Love”.

This film features Julia Roberts as a woman disenchanted with her job, her marriage, her life - ultimately, with herself. We follow her on her journey to find self through eating in Italy (because that’s what Italians do best – LOVE them!), praying in India, and eventually finding “true love” in Bali.

Let me just say first that this movie is GORGEOUS!! Julia is gorgeous– seriously, how does she look even better with age?!? – the scenery is gorgeous, the food is so gorgeous I wish I were watching it on Wonkavision. There is so much for the eye to feast on! I loved how this movie allowed me to explore places I may never visit in my own life, to really feel the experience of the countries and the peoples and the cultures she visits.

However… this movie is filled with all kinds of things I have issues with, some just plain old false doctrine in ‘self-discovery’ sheep’s clothing.

First, at the beginning of the film, she is in a marriage – a binding contract between a man and a woman to cleave to and love one another, at least as long as they live. And her man, though not perfect, loves her and has, in his own words, “kept my vows”. She admits throughout the film that she once loved him, too. BUT, one restless night, she prays for help. And this starts her on her journey to leave her husband and her former life to find herself...? Because marriage and families are essential to God’s plan for us, His children, I find it almost impossible to believe this path she takes would be inspired by Him.

She jumps ship from the marriage she’s scuttled to the arms of James Franco. Let’s be honest, as most people who have casual sex outside of marriage experience, this doesn’t make her feel any better about herself, so she leaves him. To Italy. And food. Now I am a big fan of food. And this portion of the film has some wonderful characters that I loved best in all the film. It also unfortunately has “eat, drink, and be merry” written all over it.

From Italy, we move to India, where she spends time in prayer, meditation, and service. Though I do not personally believe in the religion practiced there, I do appreciate the focus on these three fundamentals. I believe that if we give ourselves time to pray and meditate or ponder, we will find inspiration. And in looking for others’ needs and serving them, we will find joy. Like gravity, these are natural laws, and I know for myself they work.

My favorite part of the film takes place in Bali, when she and her friends help a single mother and daughter own a home. The joy portrayed in this part of the film is true happiness. By incorporating prayer, meditation, and little acts of kindness here, she finally finds herself in Bali. Note: This is not to be confused with her new-found love that she romps around with. Though he is charming and sweet, their immorality ruins it for me. I couldn’t care less about that relationship… I guess I never got over her leaving her husband, even though she did.

So, what’s the moral of the story here – Well, I don’t think one has to leave everything behind and travel around the world to find oneself. I think that if we pray, ponder, and look for ways to serve those around us right where we are, happiness will come. Even greater happiness will come as we add all these things – and fidelity – to our marriage relationships. Looking for it in any other way just won’t work.

So Eat, but not too much. Pray, but not too little. And Love; it will never fail.

My New Celebrity Crush

I have three words for you today:

Nico.

Evers.

Swindell.

I'm sure you, like I, have never heard of him. But if you happen to see the upcoming Lifetime movie "William & Kate", you probably will hear of him someday. He's been cast as Prince William, and according to a website called zap2it, "You can see from his headshots that he's obviously got the Prince William good looks."

Um, excuse me!?! He's got FAR BETTER than Prince William's looks!! If people think Kate caught a prince, she should see who her TV counterpart caught! NICE!

I definitely think he falls into the "lovely...of good report, or praiseworthy" category, don't you?

*Disclaimer* These pictures are from his imdb.com profile. I do not claim to own or have any rights to them whatsoever. I just wanted you to see what he looks like. ... *sigh*

"Precious" and The Sundance Film Festival

*imdb.com

It's that time of year... when the world falls in love... with Utah.

Every January, there's this little gathering in a little ski town called Park City. You may have heard of it. You know, the Sundance Film Festival. Robert Redford's little indie films project has morphed into a Who's-Who-of-Hollywood's favorite winter outing.

Crazed fans of either independent films or (more often) Hollywood actors fight their way through narrow streets and suffocating crowds to be the first to catch a glimpse of their favorites. I must admit, as much as I love movies (and certain actors) it doesn't seem to be worth all the hassle. Tickets for locals are almost impossible to snatch, though they've expanded over the past couple of years, bringing the movies to the people in various cities across the northern area of the state. Last year, I was one of those people!

Ok, it was actually my friend who got tickets. But she invited me and I was stoked to go! Being a little wary when it comes to un-rated films, she assured me it would be clean, that it was a documentary on ... something... tame. I don't remember. Why not? Because when we got in our seats and the movie started, it was NOT a documentary. It was a film called "Push" (at the time).

It was later named "Precious" and it won two Oscars. Normally, I would love to have a sneak-preview at an Oscar-winning film. But in the first opening minutes, out comes the f-word. "Ok, I don't like that.", I thought. But I kept my seat. After that same foul word was used too many times to count, I was thinking, "I've got to get out of here!" Unfortunately, I didn't manage to escape the theatre before being subjected to the scene where she is raped by her ... I don't know, stepfather maybe?

Now, I realize that this is a horrible movie review. I don't even know what happened in the movie. But well, what can I say? It was a horrible movie. They showed this poor girl being RAPED. On screen. To a completely unsuspecting, film-going, documentary-expecting public. Let's just say I didn't want to stick around to find out the rest of the story.

I don't know how the others managed to keep their seats, let alone their lunch! It was sickening! The Spirit -- what is also called the Holy Ghost, or Spirit of the Lord -- had definitely bolted LONG before I did. You know that yucky, uncomfortable feeling you get when something just isn't right, or good, or enriching at all? That's how it feels when the Spirit has gone.

So I followed it out the door, and wondered to myself, "Why do people make films like that?", "How can they feel good about portraying that smut on screen?", and "Why is everyone so enamored with Sundance?" I must admit, it definitely turned me off. Now that I've seen the sort of films they screen, and approve, and give awards to... it's not so glamorous, even if James Franco is in town for it. 

Some may call it ART... And that's their opinion, as much as mine is mine. After all, they say, "One man's trash is another man's treasure." Hollywood may call "Precious" a treasure, but to me, it was TRASH.