Zathura

Who: Amber & Jonathan
What: Zathura
Where: on cable
Why: I've never seen it

I really enjoyed Zathura. It's basically the movie Jumanji, but in space, but it was still good.

The movie features 2 brothers, a 6 year old and a 10 year old. Of course, the 6 year old wants to play with the 10 year old, but the 10 year way too cool for that. He's in 4th grade and has a girlfriend for crying out loud!

As the 6 year old goes in the basement (of an old house his divorced father just bought) he finds the board game of Zathura (nobody saw that coming huh?). The tin game is obviously from the '50s or something, but everything is automatic. He presses a button to "spin", and a card shoots out of the game. "Watch out for meteors". Since the 6 year old can't really read, he asks his brother for help reading the card. All of a sudden, meteors are crashing thru the roof and falling all over the living room. The boys hide in the fireplace, and after a couple minutes, the living room is totally trashed, but the shower is over.

Well, now the 10 year old has been "forced" into the game. He reads the instructions and realizes that if they finish the game, everything will go back to normal. Thank goodness, b/c the living room is totally trashed and their dad ran out for a moment!

Crazy thing after crazy thing happens as the boys keep playing. By now their house is floating in outer space, aliens are about to board their 'house', and their older sister (the girl from Twilight) is frozen in a cryogenic state.

Thankfully, an astronaut (Dax Sheppard) shows up at their floating house to help with the alien problem. Dax the astronaut also had an alternative motive for being there. I won't ruin the surprise for you, but it didn't make a whole lot of logical sense, but it was still kind-of sweet.

Of course, they manage to get out of the game and the brother learn to work together, but how they get to the end game is pretty cool. Neat space effects! I highly recommend it!

The Parent Trap

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  The Parent Trap
Where:  Fort Wilderness campfire movie
Why:  I've never seen this movie!

I highly recommend this movie to everybody.  This is the version from the early 90s staring a new actress … maybe you've heard of her … Lindsay Lohan.

Say with you will about current Lindsay, but little 11 year old Lindsay Lohan is adorable and a wonderful kid actress.

Halley is a tomboy from California.  Annie is a proper girl from London.  Both are *ironically* sent to the same summer camp.  When they first lay eyes on each other, they are stunned.  Besides Annie's long hair, they are identical.  As 11 year old girls go, being identical is not cool, so they dislike each other.  Silly camp pranks ensue, and Halley and Annie are sent to the "Isolation Bunk".  Stuck all alone, they eventually being buds and talk about their lives.  Halley has a father but no mother.  Annie has a mother but no father. Their birthday is the same … dum, dum, dum … they are related!!

Since neither one has met the other parent, they decide to switch places.  Halley learns a fake British accent and Annie cuts her hair, and the switch is on!

Neither parent knows what's up, the Halley's cook and Annie's grandpa seem to think something is off.

A problem arises when the father is remarrying a 26 year old bimbo!  The girls must stop it and get their parents back together.  They all meet up in California and the parents are totally shocked, but pleased to see the family is all together again.  A ruckus at a hotel pool and a camping trip gone awry, and everything is happily ever after (in true Disney style).

This movie is very sweet, and little Lohan is adorable. The mother is played by Natasha Richardson, who recently passed away.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Harry Potter 6
Where:  AMC Pleasure Island
Why:  I just re-read the book

I just love everything and anything Harry Potter. I'm kind-of embarrassed about it, but I just can't help it. JK Rowling is some sort of genius.

Movie 5 ended with the death of Sirius Black, Harry's godfather and only real 'family'. Remember in movie 4 Harry's classmate Cedric Digory died? There seems to be a "movie ending with death" theme going on here … and movie 6 continues with that. Although I won't tell you who dies, but I guaranteed you'll be surprised (that is, unless you read the book).

This movie is less action and more character development. The Hogworts kids are all around 16-ish, so love is in there air. It's actually quite adorable. Hermoine is really into Ron, but he's such a doofis, so he has no clue. He just wants to date anybody to be cool, and Lavender Brown (a semi-ditzy girl) steps in. Lavender and "Won-Won" are snogging all over Hogworts. In the meantime, Hermoine is crying and obviously upset (Ron has no clue). Harry has a thing for Ron's little sister (Ginny), but it conflicted. #1, Ginny has a boyfriend. #2, it's Ron's little sister -- will that cross the line?

Did I mention that Ron's older siblings have a magic shop, and their hottest selling item is a Love Potion? Let's hope the girls at Hogworts don't get their hands on that! (duh - of course they will).

Besides all the lovely, dovey stuff, the main part of the story is Harry and Professor Dumbledore trying to learn everything they can about Lord Voldemort. They figure anything they learn about him will help. We see flashbacks to little Voldemort's life pre-Hogwards and life at Hogworts. Voldemort has discovered a very dark magic trick. You can actually split your soul into pieces and put your soul into a random object. This way, if your body dies, you don’t actually die! In typical Voldemort fashion, he's split is soul into 7 pieces. Dumbledore has found one of them, and takes Harry on a crazy journey to find it and destroy it.

I won't ruin anything else about the movie. The ending is a total shocker (if you've been living under a rock and didn't read the book … or had somebody who read the book ruin it for you) … so go see the movie!

Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

Who:  Amber
What:  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (HP5)
Where:  borrowed it from my friend Dawnita
Why:  I'm getting ready for the next Harry Potter movie

Hi, I'm 33 years old and I love the Harry Potter movies and books.

This movie was great, as they all are, but extremely long. It seems like it would never end!

This movie starts where the 4th movie ended. Cedric has been killed by Voldemort, who is 100% back. Unfortunately, only Harry has seen Voldemort, so nobody really believes that he's back for good. Everybody is pretty much in denial. Harry is annoyed and ticked off at everybody who fails to believe him.

Thankfully, the Order of the Phoenix believes Harry. The Order of the Phoenix is a group of all the 'good guys' who plan to fight Voldemort. Ron's Parents, Sirius Black, Lupin, Tonks, etc. They are all living and planning things together at Sirius's boyhood home. Harry, Ron, Hermione are all staying there for the summer as well. As usual, the adults don't really tell Harry much of anything, which also really annoys him.

Since Harry knows Voldemort is back, and most of his friends believe him, they decide to take action. They need to learn how to defend themselves, and fast. Harry creates the "D.A." (Dumbledore's Army), and they sneak around after classes, practicing spells and jinxes.

The big finale is a huge showdown at the Ministry of Magic. There is a random prophecy that Voldemort needs (for some reason …). Since the prophecy is about Harry, he is the only one who can retrieve it. I can't remember why Harry thinks it's a good idea to retrieve the prophecy, but he does. In a "we're friends till the very end!" moment, Ron, Hermione and 3 other friends go with Harry to help him. Voldemort shows up, along with his powerful Death Eaters, and the showdown begins! Spells, jinxes, broken prophecies and the death of a major character later … (should I tell you the ending … I think not!)

Up

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  UP
Where:  AMC Pleasure Island
Why:  It's Pixar!

I had been seeing previews and photos for UP for about 8 months now.  Since it was Pixar, I knew it would be good, but I wasn't so sure about the story and if it would be as good as all the other Pixar movies.

And, as a friend mentioned to me today, if I told you the plot and the funny scenes of the movie, it would just seem ridiculous and lame.  But the movie is WONDERFUL.

Maybe because I'm such a sap for seeing movies with cute old couples who have been happily married for ever ... or maybe because my life is kind-of like Carl and Elle Fredrickson.  They are happy to be around each other, and they happily just live their lives.  They aren't really extravagant or noteworthy.  They just build a home for themselves and enjoy being married.

If you don't really want to see UP, or if you're embarrassed that you want to see UP, but your friends won't see it with you, I highly encourage you to at least watch the first 15 minutes.  After that, you're ok to leave.

Also, the classic Pixar short film before the the movie is adorable.  I think it might be my favorite yet!

Go see this movie immediately!!!  Adults will love the romance, kids will love the adventure.  It's a win/win!

Run Fatboy Run

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Run Fatboy Run
Where:  @ home
Why:  Jonathan owns the DVD

Dennis Doyle (Simon Pegg) is a lazy and slightly overweight guy. 5 years ago, he left his 8 month pregnant fiance Libby (Thande Newton) at the alter because he was too scared to get married. Ever since, he's been a great dad to his son and he's regretted his decision. He really loves Libby.

When he discovers that Libby has found a hot new boyfriend, Whitt (Hank Azaria), Dennis tries to make his move on Libby, even if that means befriending Whitt. Whitt is good looking and in shape - he even runs marathons!

In order to prove to Libby that he's a worthy man, Dennis vows to also run the marathon.

Now, this sounds pretty cheese huh? Running a marathon to impress a woman. But the story is pretty solid. Libby and Dennis both admit that running a marathon won't the love back "on". But the running scenes are pretty funny, and it's really a moving story. I highly recommend it!

Bedtime Stories

Who:  Amber, Jonathan, MIL & FIL
What:  Bedtime Stories
Where:  Sullivan 6 - the only movie theater near Jonathan's home town (it's only about 30 miles away)
Why:  It looked cute (plus, there wasn't much choice)

This movie was really cute!  The previews kind-of give away the basic premise.  Adam Sandler (Skeeter) is babysitting his niece and nephew for 5 days.  His dad used to tell him awesome bedtime stories, so he decides to keep the tradition alive.

He tells them one story, and the next day it comes to life!  I'm sure we've all seen the 'raining gumballs' scene.  I figured all the stories would come to life unrealistically (like - it was actually raining gumballs), but it was actually 100% realistic, which I really appreciated.  I like a good old fashioned relatively realistic movie.  It actually wasn't raining gumballs, but a gumball truck has crashed (on an overhang bridge), so gum was falling out of the truck onto Adam Sandler below (although he thought it was some kind of magic).

When he realizes his stories are coming to life, he tries to tell stories that will help out him with his dead end job, and help out his niece and nephew.  Unfortunately, the kids just want a funny story, so they always end up with Skeeter not getting 100 million dollars, but he gets stuck in the rain instead.

In true Adam Sandler form, you'll see a cameo from Nick Swardsen, Rob Schneider, the QB from Water Boy, and more of his buddies.

I highly recommend this movie!  It works for adults and kids alike.

Bolt

Who: Myself, Sister, Brother-in-law, Niece, Nephew
What: Bolt
Where: Regal - The Loop
Why: Had to see latest Disney movie and we were sick of eating Turkey

Cute movie. Cute story. The story of a dog named Bolt who thinks he is a super-dog with super powers. He is a part of a TV show filmed in Hollywood and his person, a girl named Penny, is his top priority to protect from the evil people. He never leaves the set or sees anything in real life so he has no idea that he is actually just a normal dog. He escapes one day from the set and through a series of events ends up in New York and learns the truth. He meets up with some other funny characters and tries to make his way back to his person learning valuable lessons along the way.

This is another fine example of great art and a strong story from Pixar. I felt like it was very much geared toward small children and less focused on adults. Not a bad thing but certainly different than the other Pixar-Disney movies. It was enjoyable and my 6 year old nephew couldn't take his eyes off the screen. Miley Cyrus and John Travolta gave very believable performances. The Cat and Hampster characters got most of the laughs and the actors who voiced them were memorable but not necessarily well known. This movie will be a great addition to the Disney family of movies.

Thank You For Smoking

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Thank You For Smoking
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  It looked interesting

This movie was enjoyable.  It was cute.  It was very clever.  I'm just not sure I understood the point.

Not that I needed to understand the point, I enjoyed my time watching it.  But if it had a point, it was way over my head.

Aaron Eckhart (as usual, I forgot his character's name already) is a lobbyist for tobacco.  Basically his job is to talk about all the positives tobacco has to offer.  He kicks butt at his job.

The entire movie is about his smooth talking adventures around Washington DC and various business trips, which his 13 year old son attends with him.  Aaron is a good guy.  He's a good dad and is teaching his son well.  

Just because his job involves smoking doesn't make him a bad guy.  Maybe that's the point of the movie ... don't judge a book by it's cover.  Or maybe the point is 'be educated and make your own choices'.

Heck, all I know is that it was fun to watch Aaron Eckhart smooth talk his way across the US.

The Secret Life of Bees

Who:Terry
What:Secret Life of Bees
Where:Rockford Theater
Why:Cause I love the book

Every since i heard this was a movie I just couldnt wait to go.  Kerri, Emily, Mitchel and I went today, and I wasnt disapointed.  They  stayed pretty much along with the book.  The movie is set in the 60's, racial strife, disfuctional family, ect.  The story is about Lily, who's mother left her father when she was 4yrs old and left her behind.  Lily's father is one mean ass jerk and is horrible to Lily who ends up running away from home with Rosaleen, their housekeeper to find out the truth about her mother.  I wont spoil what happens, but it's a good movie.  Dakota Fanning is one awesome little actress, she had me in tears in multiple scenes.  Queen Latifa was so perfect as the part of August Boatwright, and Alicia Keys as her sister, June,  is one person that I wouldnt want pissed off at me.  Man the looks that girl gave people!!!   I couldnt help but tear up about every scene with Jennifer Hudson, thinking of her recent pain and suffering, so heartbreaking.  This will be a movie I buy.   Go see it, you wont be disapointed. 

Dan in Real Life

Who:  Jonathan and Amber
What:  Dan in Real Life
Where:  @ home - free Starz weekend
Why:  Jonathan really likes this movie

Jonathan and I first saw this movie onboard the Disney Cruise Line (during our 1 year anniversary trip - awww).

This movie stars Dan (Steve Carrel) in an unfunny roll.  He's really good.  Dan is a widower with 3 daughters.  He write a column for the newspaper giving advice.  He's a good Dad, with great advice, but he's a little dimwitted sometimes.

The family is going away for the weekend to Grandma & Grandpa's cabin by the lake.  All the brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles and cousins will be there.  It's a huge group of people.  It's so cute seeing this normal family have a cross word puzzle tournament and put on a play.  I wanted to be a part of this family!

On the way to the cabin, Dan stops at a bookstore and meets a girl.  Meeting a girl to Dan is a big deal!  They talk for hours, until she gets a phone call and has to run.  Dan speeds to the cabin to tell everybody about this new girl.  Unfortunatly, the girl is already at the cabin.  It's  his brother's (Dane Cook - another funny man playing an unfunny role) new girlfriend.  Dan and the new girl pretend to just meet, and the rest of the weekend is very awkward.  It was love at first sight for both of them at the book store, but now they have to pretend to be strangers.

There are a ton of side stories involving Dan's 17 year old (he won't let her drive), Dan's 14 year old (she's in love too!) and Dane Cook.

It's not an action packed movie by any means, but it's got a lot of heart, it's cute, it's funny at times, and the ending is really sweet.  I highly recommend it.

No Reservations

Who:  Amber
What:  No Reservations
Where:  @ home - free HBO weekend
Why:  Figured it would be decent

This movie was pretty cute.  Definitely a chick flick.

Catherine Zeta Jones (Kate) is a work-a-holic chef - one of the best in NYC.  Typical chick in a movie, she's great at her job but has no social life and lives alone.  Tragedy strikes her sister, forcing her niece (Abigail Breslin) Zoe to come live with her.

Side comment:  Zoe is one of my favorite names.

While Kate is taking care of family stuff and helping Zoe move in, Aaron Eckert (Nick) is subbing for Kate at her super famous restaurant.  Kate was a hard butt in the kitchen, and Nick is very laid back.  The restaurant staff love him, and the manager loves him as well.

In typical movie style, Kate and Nick work together, kiss, have a great 'family' montage with Zoe, then get in a huge fight.  Turns out the restaurant wants Nick to run the entire place and Kate is furious!

Does Nick take the job?  Does Nick move to San Fransisco instead?  Do Kate and Nick get back together?  Is Zoe a stable child after having a great movie montage moment with Nick, but now she knows they aren't going to hang out anymore?  Tune in to find out!  Or, you can probably assume that will happen, b/c this is a very predictable movie.

Two more side notes:  Zoe has some really great knit hats and scarfs.  I was jealous of her wardrobe.  And Abigail Breslin always seems to play the super smart kid.  In this movie she was more like a mini adult than a child.  Same thing in Definitely, Maybe (with hottie Ryan Reynolds).  She knew all about complex relationships and was talking about them with her father.  I miss the Dakota Fanning craze - she always seemed to play a great "kid".

Monsters, Inc.

Who:  Amber & Jonathan
What:  Monsters, Inc.
Where: Fort Wilderness Campfire Movie
Why:  This was the scheduled movie of the evening

This might be my favorite Pixar movie.  It's so hard to choose, but this is top 3 for sure.

Monsters, Inc. has everything!  It's hilarious (Billy Crystal is fantastic).  It's adorable (how cute is Boo?!?  I mean, they found the most perfect 2 year old girl to babble into a microphone and it works).  It's a little adventurous, a little scary, and it's so different!

Most stupid movie studios would've made a movie about weird looking monsters, and it would've been about their wacky adventures.  But Pixar made a movie about weird looking monsters, and how they have feelings (along with their wacky adventures).  I'm hungry for a lemon snow cone all of a sudden ...

I think Jonathan said it best ... "This is the best ending of a Pixar movie ever.  Look how happy (Sully) is."  Amen to that!

Get a Clue

Who:  Amber
What:  Get a Clue
Where:  @ home - randomly recorded off Disney Channel
Why:  You can't go wrong with a Disney movie

How cute is little Lindsay Lohan.  She was about 13 in this movie.  She has great red hair, a face full of freckles and minimal make up on.  She 'was' a great little actress.

Lindsay Lohan is a rich kid in NYC with a great wardrobe.  But the refreshing thing is that she's really smart and extremely polite.  She has an attentive dad and a wonderful mom.  She's not a stupid movie ditz.  Very nice!

Lexi (Lohan) writes a newspaper story for her school paper, and her teacher turns it in to a regular newspaper - and it gets published!  It's a story about 2 of her teachers, with a photo of both of them.  Turns out, the guy teacher (Mr. Walker) is a fugative from 12 years ago.  Somebody sees his photo, and he 'disappears'.  Lexi, her best & super fashionable friend, and 2 boys from school team up to figure out what happened to Mr. Walker.

Will they find Mr. Walker alive (his car was found in the river)?  Who is this homeless guy wearing Mr. Walker's ugly jacket?  Who is this so-called private detective who is also looking for Mr. Walker?

If you're ever surfing the channels, and run across Disney Channel, and Get a Clue is on - I recommend giving it a try.

Lovewrecked

Who:  Amber
What:  Lovewrecked
Where:  @ home - recorded off cable
Why:  I'm on an Amanda Bynes kick

This movie was cute!  I searched for 'Amanda Bynes' on my DVR and stumbled across this movie.  I had never even heard of it before.

Basically Amanda Bynes is a really smart high school grad.  She and her best friend (who is a guy) are working at a Caribbean resort for the summer.  Jenny (Bynes) is also IN LOVE with some hot singer guy.  Jenny is one of those annoying girls who screams and screams during a concert.

What do you know - the hot singer guy ends up at this Caribbean resort.  He schedules a booze cruise for his posse.  Jenny manages to get a waitressing job on the ship.  Hot singer guy gets sick, starts puking overboard, and falls in!  Jenny is the only one who sees it, so she jumps in the water with him.  They raft thru the ocean all night and land on a deserted beach ... or is it?

After 3 days being deserted together, Jenny discovers that they aren't on a deserted beach.  They are on the same Caribbean island as the resort.  Jenny doesn't tell hot singer guy that they truly aren't deserted.  What will happen next?!?

Did I mention that Jenny's best friend (a boy) wants to be more than just friends?   What ever will happen?!?

Big Fat Liar

Who:  Amber
What:  Big Fat Liar
Where:  @ home - DVRed off cable
Why:  I like Amanda Bynes

I admit it.  I, a grown woman, looked up 'Amanda Bynes' on my DVR and recorded all her movies.  She's such a cutie, and she's a great little comedian.

This was a fun movie.  Frankie Muniz and Amanda Bynes are 14.  They are best friends (nothing more - that was kind-of sweet).  Frankie is a liar.  He lies to his English teacher, he lies to his parents ...

Long story short, he writes an English paper about a big, fat, liar (himself).  It gets stolen by a Hollywood producer and is going to be made into a movie.

So Frankie and Amanda head to Hollywood.  How do two 14 year olds get to Hollywood on their own?  Don't worry about it.

They find the producer, he won't admit that he stole the story, so they try to make his life a living hell.  Good thing the producer is a huge jerk, because his assistant, director, limo driver, stunt man, security, etc all agree to help Frankie and Amanda.

Is this movie over the top and silly - yes.  Is there a pointless montage of trying on Hollywood costumes - yes.  Do Frankie and Amanda ever eat anything while they are in Hollywood on their own - no.  Do I recommend this movie to adults and children alike - YES!

Maid in Manhatten

Who: Amber
What: Maid in Manhatten
Where: at home - DVR'ed off some random cable channel
Why: I like to watch/listen to TV as I'm making dinner. I watched this movie over the course of 3 evenings.

This was a cute, but very typical romantic comedy.   I'll ruin it for your right now - and say that it all works out in the end.   Although, it was also semi-realistic, and I really appreciated that.  Even thought it all worked out, it didn't work out right away, hence the realism.  Jennifer Lopez is a hotel maid (she's a "maid" in "manhatten"!), but she knows she's a stereotype, which you don't see very often.   And her kid isn't some overacting annoying movie kid, he's just a cool kid.

As a maid, J Lo tries on a rich lady's clothes (how stupid is she?), then she meets a senetor, and I'm guessing you can figure out the rest . . .

It's always refreshing to see actresses who have a real butt! You go J Lo!

Mary Poppins

Who: Amber & Jonathan
What: Mary Poppins
Where: @ home on DVD
Why: Jonathan picked it out

I've seen Mary Poppins about 100 times (it used to be my favorite Disney movie - recently beat out by Bedknobs and Broomsticks), but I realized something. Mary Poppins is kind-of a jerk!

I mean, the kids are sad and ask her a question, and all she can answer with is "spit spot". And "Practically Perfect in every way"? She's kind-of full of herself!

Regardless, she still rules! And I could watch 2 straight hours of Dick Van Dyke doing his "Step In Time" song. And Mr. Banks (David Tomlinson - also from Bedknobs and Broomsticks) rules! I was very sad when he died a couple years ago.

If you haven't seen this movie (for shame!), or if you haven't seen it in a couple years, it's worth your 2 hours. If nothing else, just watch "Feed the Birds" and "Step in Time".

Monsters Inc.

Who: Monica
What: Monsters Inc.
Where: Home
Why: B/C I bought the 2 disc version a month ago and hadn't watched it yet.

Last night I pulled out my brand new 2 disc version of Monsters Inc. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the extras on these movies and couldn't wait to see what goodies I'd find in Monster world. I decided to watch the movie first, I think it's been a few years since I've seen it.

Every time I watch a Disney movie, I am always joyously surprised about how much I adore each and every one. I have favorites yes, but they are all amazing in their own way. Sulley (John Goodman) has to be one of the most lovable characters ever created by Disney, despite the fact he's.. well, a monster!! Mike (Billy Crystal) is a hoot and full of energy, just like Billy Crystal. Randy Newman songs and music run throughout, there is nothing greater in Disney films than music that sets the stage, tugs at your heart strings and sticks in your head for days!!

The detail in these movies are fascinating when you stop to notice!! I do love Pixar despite many "old school" Disney traditionalist who'd want to shoot me with that confession. There is something to be said for both kinds of animation I believe. The details in monster world are crazy: door knobs that are horns, paperwork and posters around that are designed for monsters, the props/characters that go into the "other worlds" when the monsters step out of monster world, the kids rooms and on and on and on... It's just one of the things that sets Disney movies out of the league with all the others!

The plot: Mike & Sulley are best friend monsters who work at the energy company in Monstropolis.. To get energy for Monster world, they must capture screams of children in our world, the monster in the closet. Then the worse thing to ever happen, happens .... a CHILD gets into Monster World!!! The monsters are terrified and much chaos follows. The child, Boo, is the cutest thing ever. Her unintelligible babbles (and singing when she's on the potty) are the sweetest sounds! There are things to make you laugh out loud, a plot to be solved and some touching moments as well.

If you haven't seen the "out takes" at the end of this movie, you have missed something incredible. I think this is my favorite part of Disney movies, when the characters have out takes. Are you kidding, who thinks of this stuff?? I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!! It's in the details...

Then there is the bonus material. This may very well be my favorite bonus material of all time. It lets us look around the Pixar buildings where it all happens, the secret room (that even Roy Disney has visited) is just craziness. The monkey, what's with that? You get to see how much work goes from story boards and pencil drawings, to animation and character development, to adding color, details, shadows and lightning. It's a crazy process and I have no idea how people are so creative. I am thankful they are though! I loved each and every minute of the extras and watching the movie again with commentary on. So much to soak in.

If you haven't pulled out a favorite Disney animated movie lately, do it, you wont be sorry!!!!

Definitely, Maybe

Who:  Amber
What:  Definitely, Maybe
Where:  flight from Honolulu to Houston
Why:  It looked cute

Maybe I was a little motion sick, but I was totally confused at the beginning of this movie - and it wasn't supposed to be hard to follow.

It starts out with Ryan Reynolds picking up his daughter from school.  He is divorced from her mom, and he picks her up twice a week.  The daughter (Abigail Breslin) is WAY too grown up for my taste (I don't like it when movie kids are too adult); she's asking all kind-of "tell me about when you were dating mom" questions.  The rest of the movie Ryan and Abigail sit up all night in bed talking.

Turns out Ryan Reynolds had 3 serious girlfriends - Rachel Weise, Amy Adams and Elizabeth Banks.  He tells of how he dated #1 and was friends with #2 and #3.  #1 breaks up with him, and he dates #2, all while still being friends with #3.  #3 and him aren't friends anymore, and he breaks up with #2, but they are still friends.  #1 comes back into his life, etc, etc, etc ...

Abigail Breslin is very curious about which girl #1, #2 or #3 does he end up marrying (when he tells the story, he doesn't use the women's real names).  See how confusing it is!  (Ok - I'm just lame).

We eventually find out who he married, and got a divorce from.  Does he still have feelings for one of the other women?!?  Watch and find out.