All Queued Up

Movies we've recently seen, courtesy of Netflix:

13 Going On 30 - Okay, it was cute. I'll admit it. But ONLY because Jennifer Garner was the lead. If it had been Brittany Murphy, I'm pretty sure I would have hated it. It also made me think about (because Aaron asked) how seeing my now-self would have changed me at age thirteen. I appreciated the the pseudo-ending was realistic, not the happy ending that you (me) expected. HOWEVER, I also appreciated the movie's magical premise that enabled a truly happy ending to happen anyways. Which is all I care about.

Shrek the Third - I wasn't impressed with Shrek 2 - there were too many innuendos, and really perverted ones at that. I didn't think it was appropriate for it's target audience, even though I suppose most of those jokes would have gone over their heads anyway.


So I was pleasantly surprised to find that the third Shrek seemed to leave out a lot of that garbage. A lot was made of the princesses defending the kingdom and going all kung-fu...this was more of a minor element than I anticipated. Snow White impressed me the most, especially her vocal range...

Secondhand Lions - Many people told me how great this movie is. If you are one of them, or share their opinion, I respectfully disagree. Aaron and I both found "I see dead people" Haley Joel Osment's acting very stiff, and the plot too predictable and sentimental. Also, I totally don't buy Michael Caine as a Texan. No way, no how.

Monster-In-Law - This one is a draw for me. I thought the plot was cheesy, but I did enjoy Jennifer Lopez as a normal kind of person, and Jane Fonda as an insane type of person. In general, there were a few surprises from what I expected, but not enough to make me really excited about this movie. Oh well.

The Spiderwick Chronicles - This movie is based on an adolescent novel, which I've never read. But if I was still teaching, I think I would, because it was a very fun movie. There were some scary parts, but they really just eased into it, starting with one friendly hobgoblin, and then adding another, before a bunch of meanies show up. The target audience is middle-schoolers, I believe, but younger kids with a high "scary" tolerance would like it, too, especially with the chances to opt out.

Also, the bad guy dies in one of the best death scenes ever. Want to know what it is? Okay, I'll tell you: He turns into a bird, starts to fly away, and gets plucked out of the air and eaten by the bird-(eating)-loving hobgoblin. It is fantastic.

So there you have it. And now we are on hold with Netflix while we watch the Olympics every evening for five hours.

We will be on vacation next week visiting Aaron's family, so my posts my consist of photos of the kids, and maybe some fun anecdotes. If I can contain myself.