Movie Review: Finding Dory

Art Imitating Life

This is a movie that we have seen twice in the theatre. Originally we were invited to a private screening from the Swain Center. James liked it so much that we saw it again last month. I am glad I had a chance to see it again because the first time I missed a lot of the soundtrack.

Not that I would have missed that original showing for the world - oh no. I was in a theatre FULL of parents who got a jolt to the solar plexus along with me, watching Dory's parents worry about what was going to become of her. How could she live a normal life? Trying to stay cheerful when they feel caught in a nightmare; trying very hard not to cry. Because your child cannot do something basic that others can do. Because you see how they could be lost or hurt. That this sweet kid has no idea what is out there and you do. The possible consequences of your child wandering off … Yeah. There were a couple of us gripping the arm rests, vaguely comforted that we were in a room of people who would understand. Some parental tears were shed.

I think many of us saw ourselves also in Marlin's role: caring, exasperated, and in need of pausing now and then to remember what really matters. That the quirky person who can drive us nuts is also a unique, caring, special thing. Because this differently abled character has achievements and strengths. Because real friendships are there. While the accomplishments may seem boring and mundane to others, we, like Dory's parents, can stop and appreciate the victories. We all saw our trial and errors at teaching expected behaviors, coaching speech, communication through singing, and coming up with snippets to help stay on track mirrored in their efforts with her.

Review and Semi Spoilers Alert

As for the movie itself, my impression is that the journeys trumped the story. There were plenty of great new characters, as well as refreshers of familiar ones (stay  through the credits, y'all!).

Hank, the cranky octopus (or septopus) stole my heart. Becky was runner up. The colours are gorgeous and the water and ocean effects are amazing. The kids loved the lively sea creatures, such as the possessive sea lions, fallible whales, and traffic-stopping sea otters.

I greatly enjoyed Sigourney Weaver as the voice of the Oceanographic Institute. As a sometime member of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, I recognized some onscreen counterparts to the real thing.

There are many chase scenes! Yelling! Sneaky scenes. Rock stealing. Marine science. Disguises aplenty. Breakups and reunions. A continued message of finding the family of your blood and your heart. The favorite for many was the climactic car chase and dramatic conclusion. Even that had a manageable sound level. Every time a scene felt as though it might begin to drag, there was a quick change of pace or comic scene. In short, this is a really nice movie to see with your kids. While not as fantastic as Finding Nemo, it is still a very solid movie.

Four starfish and a recommended movie for kids, families, and the holiday break.

Angry Birds Movie: Review

So this week I found out there really is an Angry Birds movie and heard some decent buzz around it. James missed the last day of school, due to a 24-hour flu bug. I thought seeing the movie would be a good way to cheer him up and for us to have some quality time.

 Yes, it's a movie about a video game; an app. You don't need to be up on all the birds' names and characteristics, but it helps make the movie more enjoyable. You are introduced to the main Angry Birds characters and the whole community of Bird Island (who remind me of the Lotus Eaters, but never mind). Nicely done, Rovio.

There is a nice set up for both the movie and game premise. We will overlook the comedic but oddly  unnecessary heroic eagle character who has no counterpart in the game. The ending of the movie, however deals with him rather neatly.

The piggies arrive. They are gleeful. We the audience know they are wicked: cowboy hats, chaps, trampolines and all. I enjoyed the setup. It feels true to the games and doesn't try to be too clever. It does not take too long.

There are explosions! Egg nappings en masse! Weeping parents who ended up at a loss as to what to feel or do next. The angry characters and the whole Angry Birds backstory suddenly made a lot of sense. I felt like the gang at Rovio saw Inside Out and became inspired (although I know this is probably not what happened).

Spoilers (and come on, you probably already know this is going to happen)....

The Sacking of Piggie Island is glorious. I have rarely seen James so animated, so gleeful!! He spent about 20 minutes jumping around in his seat with elation, laughing and stimming with "Eeeeeeee!", punctuated with "Did you see that, Mother?! What is your favourite part?" I thought the destruction of the Piggie Town was well and lovingly executed. You can just tell the entire team took pride in demolishing the structures following the spirit of the games.

The ending, as previously stated, was well done. Not over-the-top sweet and very satisfying. We stayed all the way through the credits. James *wanted* to stay for the credits. They were fun too.

Parental Summary:

• Not too loud soundtrack (which is amazing these days). 
• No swearing (although there are plenty of innuendos for the grown ups). 
• Characters got upset but they did not make James upset, which is a neat trick.
• Main characters all got into trouble and had consequences. Very familiar for kids and well handled, I thought. This also can be a trigger for James and it was not for this movie.
• Lots of visual gags and painted puns -- they expect their audience to be quick and on the lookout for fun stuff. 

I feel like James got a big kick out of seeing familiar characters onscreen doing their stuff and from making connections between the whole emotions angle and his Social Communications class at the Swain Center.

Full disclosure - you get an up close (from the back) view of the eagle peeing off a cliff for over a minute. James could not figure that one out and I finally had to tell him I'd have to explain later. Get you potty humour scripts ready, folks!

Five out of five gold eggs! Check it out and enjoy some family time together!

Birthday Boy is Eleven!

James had a very quiet birthday this year. He was sick, the weather was cold, and we were all pretty wrung out. He had presents, we made his birthday cake together using his favourite Lazy Daisy recipe. We saw The Good Dinosaur, the odd Pixar product and enjoyed pizza from Round Table.

James liked his books, movies, and Edward, from the Thomas Train Engine series. He liked the Star Wars movie we took him to, once he was feeling better and crowds had died down a bit.

 

His real birthday party is in a couple of weeks, once the playoff tournaments have finished at our local bowling alley. Happy birthday, James!

Movie Review: Peanuts Movie

Wrapping up a long holiday weekend after a super-stressful couple of weeks. We wanted a family movie, and considered The Good Dinosaur. When I looked up the movie times, I saw a reminder ad for the monthly Sensory Sensitive Films. For November, it was the Peanuts Movie. Sold!

What is a sensory sensitive movie showing? It's:

• Leaving the lights partially up ...
• Turning the soundtrack much lower than regular showings ...
• Creating a welcome environment for families with members who cannot tolerate loud noises, sit still through a movie, or have verbal stims to help get them through something exciting like a movie out in public.

Our local theatre provides this on the last Saturday of each month at 10:00 am, and I salute the heck out of them for this!
Back to the movie ... James knows the Peanuts gang. He may not have grown up reading them in the newspapers the way I did, and we don't have TV, so he's missed the TV specials on holidays, but the Vince Guaraldi soundtrack is a perennial favourite at home and on car trips. Every week on our shopping trip, James looks for Peanuts character dolls in our local Trader Joe's -- James has friends among the crew members, who "help"him look -- he loves his lollipop reward for finding their hideout in the store. We've visited Snoopy's Ice Arena, toured the Charles Schultz Museum (which also sponsors traveling Science Exhibits for our schools), and cursed the Red Barron in the skies overhead during our annual air show at the Charles M. Schultz airport -- of course we wanted to see this movie!

Two thumbs up for a well-done tribute to the series and characters. I was not sold on the 3D-ish animated treatment until I saw it onscreen -- it's a simple (to look at), charming mix of old and new that I think works very well. The characters look, sound, and feel very true to what I grew up with. Snoopy, who I feel became much larger and complicated than originally intended, was, to me, very recognizable. All his personae were there: good dog/Charlie Brown's ally, WWI Flying Ace, Joe Cool, Dark & Stormy Night writer, and Woodstock's friend. Charlie Brown's honesty, compassion, and staying true to himself despite all his bad luck shines through in a very refreshing way that I think has been missing from recent Peanuts animations.

The plot is simple, like Peanuts was written/drawn for the newspapers, and the kids are refreshingly kid-like and timeless, without being cloying or too mature. A lot of familiar and well-loved themes are woven into the simple story in a way that feels like snuggling down in a familiar patchwork quit that visually cues happy memories. If you like the Peanuts gang, you should definitely see this movie. If you are looking for modern re-imaginings classics, like Cat In the Hat, The Grinch, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or the Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland, this is probably not for you.

Speaking as a parent of sensory-overloaded kids, having the soundtrack down low was a big help. I really liked the way the dogfights were not too loud or chaotic and the planes sounded realistic, but reproduced on a muted level. While James squirmed and started asking if the movie was going to be over before we hit the 2/3 way through mark, the vignettes were short and attention-getting. I enjoyed being able to redirect James by connecting his local experiences with the Peanuts characters to the characters onscreen, without feeling like I was detracting from the movie experience of the rest of the audience. Twice, James had to use the bathroom, and because the lights were partially up, this was not a big deal. A couple times we heard verbal stims from other audience members, and felt right at home.

Definitely, I give the movie, theatre, and film series two big Thumbs Up. We plan to return for next month's movie: The Good Dinosaur.

Movie Review: Puss in Boots

Please note this is NOT the new Dreamworks movie, rather an ... interesting version from Canal + (among others). The full title is "The True Story of Puss'n Boots."

Oh dear, where to begin?

First, I need to let you know we found this on Netflix and watched it at home in our Bedroom Drive-In, so my experience was very relaxed. If I'd have paid rental or movie ticket money to see this, I would have been much more annoyed with it.

Next, the movie is a European production, which makes for a cultural shift and a different movie experience. Some people might find it interesting, but from the online reviews I've read, most found it to be a combination of bad imitation US animation and creepiness.

It is a mish-mash of genres, IMO. The animation is gorgeous in many places, and this production pulled from a richer background of architecture and art history to come up with a small, unique style and kingdom. The action pacing reminds me of old-fashioned pantomimes, where things happen, but clumsily, and the audience is not expecting a lot of logic. I found myself looking at the Art Nouveau doorways and caught up in the rich palettes, which helped me overlook some of the more annoying (and yes, slightly creepy) characters.

When pulled away from the sets and design, I was confused. Were they trying to imitate Shrek? If so, why did the cat sport a pirate bandana and medallion that was ripped off from Jack Sparrow? And what was the cat doing with William Shatner's voice?

I thought they did a bad job of trying to tell a classic fairy tale with a modern twist. In particular, the Royal Family was incredibly hard to watch. I didn't like any of them. I could not get my head around Ma and Pa Kettle as serious Royalty, who had a daughter of colour (stuck in the 1980s in spandex) who sang in disguise at the inn where everyone knew her identity except the Miller's son, who's in love with her -- what's up with that?). And the Miller's son was not engaging. If anything, he looked half asleep the whole time.

They most lively characters were the Chamberlin (who is really creepy, especially if you don't like evil clowns), the Cat (William Shatner seems to enjoy the heck out of this role and almost carries the movie with his joie de vivre, at times), and the Ogre (who does this weird transformation into Bill Nighy's Davy Jones of the second Pirates' movie).

There are many surreal moments, such as a monkey suddenly appearing and becoming a quasi main character. His weirdest scenes include playing what looks like a Pez organ to calm the Ogre from hulking out into a giant, murderous squid (which pretty much goes contrary to everything I've ever heard about an ogre). I cannot describe the music paired with these scenes, it its bizarre in the extreme. I am sure Dali would have been intrigued. The Ogre's voice, by the way, is a really good imitation of Robby Benson's voice for the Beast.

Our 9 and 7 year olds stayed through the movie, although James (7), had extreme difficulties in sitting still and concentrating after the first 15 minutes. I asked James just now if he liked the movie and he said "yeah." When asked which part he liked best, he said, "The windmill." I rest my case.

My husband and I just had to watch it, it was just that strong a mix of bad with splashes of good. Most reviews give it almost 2 stars, and I agree.

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Screened this one with my husband, as I'd heard a few things from people who'd seen it that made me think we needed to preview it before going with the kids.

Oh so heck yeah. Kids are not going to see it any time soon.


*** Warning: Semi-Spoilers Ahead ***
==========================

My daughter would not do well with the issues of toys being made prisoners and being beat to heck in school. She would ask me uncomfortable questions, such as do parents replace lost toys and pretend they are the old ones ... and have I ever done that? She would not be happy with my attempts to plead the 5th. Especially because the answer would be "yes" to the special kitty from a loved relative and her Woody Doll.

I think the hulking mafia Baby doll would freak her out. She'd be seeing it in her dreams and telling her second grade teacher about her doll hallucinations (I know this because last year we went through this with the imaginary rat friend she had).

She'd be worried about Bo Peep being gone, and wonder if the same thing would not, some day, happen to her, or a special toy that she loves.

Also: She does not really get Barbie and Ken. Do we really need to give her more proof that Mommy finds really odd things to be funny? And: I am trying to get her to clean her room. The girl has inherited my clinging genes. This movie would make her lock her door and go into hoarding overdrive.

The noise level for James would be tough, especially the preschool. OMG, the school. He's starting a brand-new one, complete with new teachers and aides next year. Last thing I need him to watch is noisy, violent kids terrorizing the nice, brave, friendly toys. Watching them try to ... escape the school by running away. Dudes! Do *not* put this idea in his head!

The furnace scenario at the end would completely terrorize them. I don't know if James would get the fact that, without a rescue, the toys would all go up in screaming flares of flame and die, as his big sister would. But the noise and very visual distress on the faces of all the toys would get to him, and not in a good way.

Heck, it gave me nasty flashbacks to being in the Oakland Hills Fire in '91, where parents and I had to run for our lives, knowing that our house, photos, and other life things (including my long-loved toys) were incinerated behind us in that roaring, whirling 2,000°+ inferno.


 That said: I loved the movie. The Spanish Buzz and Ken? The poker game at the top of the vending machine? OMG, hilarious. Mrs Potato Head's mystic eye was an excellent and intriguing plot/story device. The little girl who really loves and plays with her toys was so touching, and neatly avoided being maudlin. The final play scene with Andy? Was real and satisfying.

Overall, I thought this movie was excellent. But I don't think I ever want to see it again. I also think that there will be children that will not have problems seeing TS3. Mine just don't happen to be in that crowd. I think when they are both older (say around age 9 or 10) they would enjoy many, many parts of this movie and not be overly bothered about the dramatic, semi-traumatic scenes with toys facing separation, imprisonment, or almost certain flaming death.

The Morning Milk Train

The kids watched The Polar Express last night, and now James is curled up on the sofa, in blankets, watching it again. First he wanted to wake up his sister, so she could watch it again with him; then he asked for "mo milk peese, Mommy" so he could have it to drink for the Hot Chocolate scene. He is just so darned cute.

Am I ever glad I took him to see the Disney Train last month!

WALL*E Walking, a movie review

**warning, semi-spoilers ahead**

My husband and I took both our kids to the first matinee showing of WALL*E this morning. James did pretty well, considering our seats were waaaay up front and they'd cranked the sound (not that it was needed, the entire audience of all ages fixed rapt attention on the screen).

About 20 minutes in, James had reached his limits of maintaining through storms, explosions, and loud machinery, and we started a slow dance around the theatre. Up the stairs. Then down. On his tummy. Always checking to make sure mommy saw he'd oozed down another riser. Up to the front corner of the screen, getting ready to run and yell. Another 20 minutes, easy. So then we went walkies. I got a bathroom break and he got a noise break. We missed the big jail break scene, but what the hey.

James started showing wear and tear from hunger. He wasn't interested in his cereal snacks and had finished his water. His dad reports the last portion of the movie was spent in the lobby, screaming into the carpet, or superglued to the car video game.

So, hard to tell. Loud noises and explosions: bad. EVE is definitely scary for little ones at first -- WALL*E was really loney! If loud, roaring (or blasting) noises set your children off, avoid until you can control the sound!

Lack of food definitely had a negative impact.

But: James really liked the cockroach. And the singing & dancing. I think the machine noises (that were communication) intrigued him. The robots flying around inside the cruiser made him go "Woah!" in awe and respect.

My husband and I really liked the movie. The ending and end credits blew me away. We'll have to see it again sometime, to catch the parts we missed.

PS: James loved Presto, the animated short that came before the movie. Our daughter loved both films.