Cloudy with a chance of crap balls...

So, I took Danna to see this film a few weeks ago when it first came out and I have to say that I wasn't impressed. I was expecting a really fun and exciting comedic animated film - you know like The Incredibles or Finding Nemo - but I found it a bit tedious and boring. I never really routed for the main charcter, I found him dry and not very interesting. Danna loved it, of course, and we went back last weekend with the rest of the family.

Now seeing it for the second time, I enjoyed it more. It was a cute kids flick. I don't think that it will be one that I will get on DVD, but it was more fun when I saw it again. I still think that it drags in areas and some things are just completely insanely ridiculous - but maybe that's what they were trying to do with this story. I enjoyed the book a lot but didn't connect with the characters or their animated voices. Hmm, I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say about this one. You know how there are some animated films that both adults and children enjoy, this was not one of them for me. It was really a kids film...cheezy lines, animation was ok - not incredible though and I didn't like the voices. Maybe I need animated films with characters that burst into song at a drop of a hat...that's it!! Where was the music???

Go see it and let me know..."Cloudy with a chance of crapballs"....hmmm.....

I didn't make it through Zack and Miri

And it's not because I fell asleep or I found it boring. The disc froze when it got to the sex scenes. (Is it a sign?)

Now I probably have 20 minutes to the end and I have to drive back to Rogers. Is it worth it? It looks like it's getting sappy

Jon and I laughed a lot though, I loved the lines when Zack says:"Give me 2 sticks and a rubber band and I'll find a way to Fuck it. That's what we do!"

I'll write more about it later when I watch the whole thing.

Where ARE the Wild Things?

So my evening plans changed for tonight and I was able to take my kids to see the new movie, "Where the Wild Things Are". I was excited to take them, as we have the book (still packed somewhere) and both children enjoyed reading it many, many times when they were younger...plus I have to say that since I saw the preview several months ago, I have been looking forward to seeing this movie.


First of all, the the child actor that they found to play Max was fantastic. Those eyes...oh lord - those eyes are incredible. He can portray a whole realm of emotion with them without using any words. The character is so playful and yet angry so much is just simmering inside him. His mother is played by the wonderfully talented and yet so underrated Catherine Keener. She, really, plays the best Mom. A working, single mom with two kids who is trying to keep it all together and have a life and a family. I really enjoyed the portions with Max and his mom. Even though sometimes they made me cry and would remind me of my own "wild thing" at home - now whom is 14 years old - I found the entire family situation very touching.


When Max has a big fight with his mother, he ends up running away to the land where 'the wild things are' and finds Wild Things. These creatures are absolutely incredible. The likeness to the book illustrations are fantastic and the voices that have been provided, Catherine O'Hara, James Gandolfini and Chris Cooper to name only a few are perfect in their roles. They bring life and words to the pictures that I have enjoyed for years. Max ends up staying with them and becomes their king. He claims to have special powers that will keep them happy. They laugh and run together while discovering all the exciting things that his imagination will allow. What he doesn't expect is that all people (or creatures) come with their own personal backgrounds or baggage - which is a term that I have been using quite frequently. Max, is a child of course, and discovers that life is not as he hoped and things are more difficult than originally imagined. When too much conflict arises, Max returns home.


The reunion between mother and son was very sweet. It was one of the many times that this movie brought me to tears - not overwhelming Schindler's List tears like my heart was being pulled out of my tush, but sweet, tender and familiar tears of one family trying desperately to stay together and be loving and safe with each other.


After the film as we were walking back to the car, I asked my kids what they thought of the movie. "It was ok, yeah it was good, I guess". Hmm, maybe one needs to be a parent to be able to see the bigger picture when it comes to these types of movies. You know the type, movies that come from the heart and yet instead of disappearing they leave a lovely impression there. Hmm, or maybe I am just one big mush ball who crys at anything...go see the film and let me know.

Seriously?

Our first movie! I don't know where to start.

The Serious Man... I would probably call it "The No Backbone Man".

It was very frustrating to see him never standing up for himself. Specially his wife! Wow! What a crazy woman! I liked the goy neighbour. His last line was hilarious

The moral I understood was: Even though you try to do the right thing, don't. Everybody else around you won't and you'll end up living a boring life with nothing in the end. And, oh yes! if you think you have problems there are always something worse coming up for you. Oh, If you try to ask for advice? No point because nobody really knows what to do, they just pretend to be virtuous and smart. And we're all going to die so, might as well hurry, live and not take life so seriously.

But all in all, I didn't get it. The movie ends abruptly, they should have wrote "Etc..." instead of "The End". The bad events kept coming with no end in sight. Maybe the twister was the end of this specific story.

Allison, did you get the part at the beginning? "The dead Rabbi's visit"? Was it another kind of story a Rabbi would tell. Like the teeth story? I still can't make a co-relation between the 2.

I can't wait to read your take on the movie, you probably got it better that I.

It was ok but not very good. 4 on 10. Eeech! Your company was way better than the actual movie!

I'll be watching Zack and Milli make a porno tonight. Not sure if I'll be able to finish it but I'll try. I remember you liked the movie when it came out, we'll see what I think. Jon will be watching it with me.

Seriously Man, Where's the Rabbi?

What a movie...Who knew what to expect when the first scene is done completely in my Bubbie's language, Yiddish. It was like sitting with my Bubbie and Zaida in their kitchen and listening to them bicker about whatever. It was an interesting idea and ballsy choice. I really enjoyed this movie. I thought that in some ways it was a typical black comedy from the Coen brothers - that we have come to expect and enjoy - but that this time they paid homage to their Jewish roots. Our main character Lenny, is a nebesh. A nothing of man who is stuck in his life rut and can't seem to get anything to go his way. The man needs some betzim! Betzim I tell you. The scene where his wife's boyfriend dies and he accepts his wife's demand to pay for the funeral - are you kidding?? What a schlub! I enjoyed the twist with the Korean student and the bribe - I thought that this was very creative and the father was hilarious. The scary neighbours were very funny - with Lenny getting twisted up over his property line concerns. Once again we see in a Coen brother's film, lots of interesting characters, good dialogue with a decent story line. I thought that it showed the hilarity of some Jewish traditions and situations and they were able to show that with a good deal of respect. One of the things that I found quite funny was the difficulty that Lenny had trying to get some decent advice. He went to see the junior Rabbi, who for some insane reason was thrilled with the parking lot behind his office - really? The parking lot? The next Rabbi, told thrilling tales of teeth writing that didn't do anything but confuse everyone. The goyim and their teeth...I always thought that teeth were teeth. The oldest Rabbi, which unfortunatley Lenny never got to go see, was a wise old man who ended up giving advice to Lenny's son at the end of the film. Somehow, I think that anything the old Rabbi said to the Bar Mitzvah boy was wasted on the boy. Lenny could've used some direction first. The poor man was getting it stuck to him from all angles and was desperate for something good. The movie ended a bit abruptly for me, I was wanting more...needed them to explain a little more. Basically, what I am saying is that the movie family was very interesting to me and I wanted more time with them. More time to watch them, cry with them, laugh with them and of course laugh at them. Excellent movie. Can't wait for the sequel "Oy, You Thought I Was Serious...Wait Until After The Funeral."

A serious man

Tomorrow...

WELCOME!

Hi Allison, welcome to our new blog! Do you like it?