In this week's Misc. Monday I'm going to share with you some of the things I did/watched over break, when I wasn't doing family things. I hope everyone's week was as relaxing as mine!
The Muppets
Josh had been looking forward to this new Muppet movie for months. The Muppets were a huge part of his childhood, so the nostalgic value was up there with how I feel for Beauty and the Beast. For me, I didn't see most of the movies until a bit later in my life, with the exception of The Muppet Christmas Carol which I love. I enjoy them, but I'm not the fan that Josh is. So I went in expecting to feel pretty apathetic. Well...I cried. It was the Rainbow Connection number that did me in, and I'm a weepy person in general. Nonetheless, I cried at a Muppet movie, and I laughed a lot too. Overall, it's about as good as you can ask for from a family movie, so I highly recommend it.
How to Train Your Dragon
I rented a ton of movies, and this was probably the one I enjoyed the most. Obviously I love fantasy books and movies. And, damn it, there just aren't enough dragons in movies these days. It has a cliched plot with a geeky son who's warlord father can't accept him. The son befriends a dragon that he's supposed to kill...it's pretty predictable. But it's also funny and clever in some respects, and it gave me my dragon fix so it was a winner in my book.
Beastly
This was the other notable rental for the week. I've been on this whole fairy tale kick, so I picked this one up even though I sort of knew it wouldn't be very good. And it was pretty awful. The dialogue was awkward, the acting was terrible for the most part, and the romance felt lukewarm. There were some cool or at least interesting ideas, like the tree tattoo on Kyle/Hunter that changes with the seasons. There were moments where I really wanted to like it. I really think that modernizations or re-imaginings of fairy tales can work, but it has to be done with thought as subtly. This movie is anything but subtle about everything from it's character personalities to it's overall message, and that more than anything is why it was a fail for me.
Lego Harry Potter (Part 2)
Yet another indulgence for my inner child. Josh and I played the first game and loved it, so I went ahead and got him the second one for his birthday. The Lego games are great for me because they're fun, easy, and low pressure. When you die, you lose coins, but you pop right back up on the screen. That's good because in video games I'm extremely death prone. I didn't play any when I was growing up, so it just isn't a skill that I've acquired. In any case, I really enjoy playing as my favorite Harry Potter characters--Tonks! Luna! Snape!
Poll Results!
| Time Machine was the favorite of the mad scientist inventions. I think it's best, however, that this one never be invented. Think of all of the paradoxes we'd cause just trying to go back in time to kill Hitler or forward in time to memorize lottery numbers. The world would be a mess! It's a lovely thought though. |
|
|
|
|
| This week, since I shared with you my love of dragons, I'm asking what classic fantasy creature is your favorite! Take a second to vote in the poll on the right side of your screen! Thanks a bunch, and Happy Reading! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I rented a ton of movies, and this was probably the one I enjoyed the most. Obviously I love fantasy books and movies. And, damn it, there just aren't enough dragons in movies these days. It has a cliched plot with a geeky son who's warlord father can't accept him. The son befriends a dragon that he's supposed to kill...it's pretty predictable. But it's also funny and clever in some respects, and it gave me my dragon fix so it was a winner in my book.
Yet another indulgence for my inner child. Josh and I played the first game and loved it, so I went ahead and got him the second one for his birthday. The Lego games are great for me because they're fun, easy, and low pressure. When you die, you lose coins, but you pop right back up on the screen. That's good because in video games I'm extremely death prone. I didn't play any when I was growing up, so it just isn't a skill that I've acquired. In any case, I really enjoy playing as my favorite Harry Potter characters--Tonks! Luna! Snape!
I really enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon as well, but you're right, it was very cliche. I'm going to try and read Beastly the book before I watch the movie because sometimes that helps me enjoy a mediocre movie better :)
ReplyDeleteI went to see The Muppets this weekend too and LOVED it! I'm glad you enjoyed it. And I cried too so don't feel bad at all. I always liked How to Train Your Dragon, I want to buy that one. I'm sorry you didnt like Beastly, we really liked it. I liked some of the changes from the book. We bought Lego Harry Potter 1-4 for Wii but haven't played it much yet.
ReplyDeletehttp://deadtreesandsilverscreens.blogspot.com/
Lan, I didn't read Beastly the book, but I have a feeling that some of the story elements worked better in the novel. In books you can often get away with very overt moral messages in a way that becomes cheesie when carried over to a movie.
ReplyDeleteDead Trees--When it comes to Beastly, do you feel like you enjoyed it more because you read the book? I was comparing it to other beauty/beast stories that I've read and for me it didn't measure up, but maybe I'd feel differently if I'd had some knowledge of the novel.