Saturday movie review: Disney's Zootopia (with printables and other fun stuff!)

/

I like comedies. I like crime capers.

I like bunnies and foxes and sloths.

I definitely like sloths!

I like Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons, Octavia Spencer, Bonnie Hunt, Tommy Chong, and Shakira, too.

And I like Raymond Persi. As a sloth.

Those are just some of the reasons I liked Disney's ZOOTOPIA. If you like those things, you'll like ZOOTOPIA, too. So will your kids and grandkids — no matter their ages.

zootopia poster

Disney's ZOOTOPIA appeals to all ages, drives home the message for one and all that...

Read More

Saturday movie review: Brooklyn

/

Immigration is a hot topic right now, though most of the talk focuses on negative aspects related to those who seek a better life, legally or not, in America the beautiful. In stark contrast to the anger, ire, and divisiveness the word elicits in today's heated (and hate-filled) political climate, immigration as depicted in the Oscar-nominated film BROOKLYN inspires and warms the heart, focuses on possibility and positivity.

I far prefer BROOKLYN's take on the topic.

brooklyn movie poster

The romantic drama BROOKLYN tells the story of Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan) who, in the '50s, left her homeland of Ireland in search of the American dream. Eilis' older sister, Rose...

Read More

Saturday movie review: Far from the Madding Crowd

/

I have a confession: When it comes to reading classic literature, I'm woefully lacking. Though I vaguely recall reading a few classics in high school and college literature classes, I'm relatively ignorant of most classics that seem common knowledge among many of my more educated friends.

Another confession: Every time I've seen mentions of Thomas Hardy's 1874 classic, Far from the Madding Crowd, my mind interpreted the M-word in the title as maddening, not madding. Forever. Even up to my pressing play on the movie FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD and through to the end of my screening of the romantic drama over Valentine's Day weekend. It was only after I pressed stop that I realized the word is madding.

Did I mention my ignorance?

Far from the Madding Crowd movie

Thank heavens for films based on classic novels for I now...

Read More

Saturday movie review: Youth

/

The movie YOUTH has a lot going for it. Beautiful imagery. Dreamlike cinematography. A soul-stirring score with ethereal notes floating throughout. A superior cast: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Paul Dano, Rachel Weisz, Jane Fonda. Poignant scenes featuring that cast, all marked by longing, melancholy, loneliness, folks young and old searching for wisdom, connection, contentment.

YOUTH movie

What YOUTH doesn't have, though, is a satisfying story. I watched and waited, often...

Read More

Saturday movie review: Infinitely Polar Bear

/

Two of the most important commitments we make in our lives can be the most challenging to uphold. Those being vowing to remain with a spouse for better or for worse and committing to placing the needs of children ahead of our own wants and needs. Such commitments become even more of a challenge when mental illness is a factor, as is the case in INFINTELY POLAR BEAR.

Infinitely Polar Bear

INFINITELY POLAR BEAR is an autobiographical tale from the perspective of a young teen in the '70s whose bipolar father (Mark Ruffalo as Cam Stuart) and black mother...

Read More

Saturday movie review: The Martian

/

When I first saw previews for THE MARTIAN starring Matt Damon, I thought, Meh... seems just like GRAVITY.

THE MARTIAN isn't just like GRAVITY, but it is very much like it. An astronaut gets lost in space and fellow astronauts do their darnedest to save him or her. Only in THE MARTIAN, Matt Damon is stuck on Mars instead of floating about far off in space as Sandra Bullock did in GRAVITY.

THE MARTIAN dvd

That said, though, THE MARTIAN, based on the novel by Andy Weir, is light...

Read More

Saturday movie review: Twinsters

/

When it comes to book selections, I typically read a couple novels then alternate with a non-fiction of some sort, usually from the biography, memoir, or essay categories.

I do the same with movies. I watch a few dramas then feel the need to balance out the fiction with something real, some sort of documentary. As I recently watched and reviewed THE REVENANT, CONCUSSION, and JOY (funny that they were all dramas based on true stories, right?), I found myself craving a documentary this week.

Twinsters

The winner of my scroll through Netflix Streaming was TWINSTERS, an autobiographical film about a twenty-something Korean gal named Samantha who lived in California and, in a bizarre twist...

Read More