I laughed, I cried, two thumbs up!

A couple weeks ago, I received free tickets to a Thursday night screening of the new movie, The Help. I had read the book, and was looking forward to the movie. Free tickets? Sure! On a Thursday night, which meant it would have to be a girls' night? Heck, yeah!

I took my neighbor and friend along for the screening. I figured we'd be a good pair to give opinions:

-She is 9 months pregnant and full of baby-growing hormones.
-I am not pregnant, and generally not emotional.
-She had never read the book.
-I read the book only a few months ago and loved it.

We are both mamas to a preschooler, and happily (wheeee!) ventured into the city for a child-free evening.

The verdict? I can barely express how much we both loved this film. We laughed out loud, we blinked back a few tears, we clapped at the end. Having read the book, I was not sure what to expect. The movie jumps right into the meat of the story, and one storyline was changed (if you've read the book, you'll notice this change towards the end). Neither of these changes affected my enjoyment of the movie. I was quite surprised by how funny it was. And at the same time, how heart-wrenching.

The Help sends you flying through a roller coaster of emotions.

When it was over, I wanted more. I cannot wait to see it again. I will make my husband watch it. I will tell my family and friends to go see it.

Three-word review? IT WAS PHENOMENAL.

My MVA (most valuable actress) award? Goes to Octavia Spencer, who plays Minnie Jackson. I don't think anyone else could have made Minnie more real - or more hilarious.

Mommies, you know you need a night out. Call up some friends, get a sitter (or hand the kiddos to the husband), and buy your tickets for The Help. It is worth well more than the $9 ticket.

Credit: The Help Official Movie Site, DreamWorks Pictures

Credit: The Help Official Movie Site, DreamWorks Pictures

Credit: The Help Official Movie Site, DreamWorks Pictures

Disclosure: I received two tickets to an Atlanta screening of The Help via a connection within my Georgia Social Media Moms group. All opinions are 100% mine. (They didn't even require a review... but I had to share the word!)

Great movie. Really!!!

Fiction Friday: Hop

Happy Friday!

Today is April Fool's Day. I'm not feeling clever enough to come up with an exceptional practical joke, so I decided to dedicate today's post to the other exciting thing about today.


Today is April 1st - and the release of Universal's new movie, Hop! It's an adorable work of fiction, and fits in perfectly on this Fiction Friday.

Thanks to a local preview event, I was a super cool mom and took my family to see the movie two weeks ago. To be completely honest, I thought it was going to be cheesy. A movie only kids would find entertaining. But, luckily, I was wrong! Hop was quite cute and made me laugh out loud on several occasions.

I don't want to spoil any surprises, but here's a quick overview of the film:

The Story:

E.B. is the next bunny in line for the honorable position of Easter Bunny. But he doesn't want the job - E.B. has a dream to be a drummer. The current Easter Bunny, E.B.'s father, does not understand his son's reluctance to claim his birthright. On the eve of the coronation ceremony, E.B. runs away to Hollywood where he meets Fred, a jobless slacker (played by James Mardsen), who hits the Easter-Bunny-to-be with his car. E.B. convinces Fred to take him in, and wreaks havoc on Fred's already messed-up life. Meanwhile, back at Easter Island, a manipulative chick tries to stage a coup. 

My Favorites:

• The Easter Island factory -- I want one!!!
• Feeding the dogs
• The school play
• The dancing chick

(Don't worry... you'll know what I'm talking about once you see the movie!)

Go see this movie with your kids! You will have a great time. If they are anything like my child, they'll be talking about the "bunny movie" for a long time. One word of caution, however... you will most definitely have "I Want Candy" stuck in your head for hours. Maybe even days.

Visit the official Hop website, IWantCandy.com for videos, images, games, and more!

(Disclaimer: I was granted access to a free screening of the movie. There was no requirement to post or tweet about the film, and all opinions stated here are solely mine. Photo Credit: images from IWantCandy.com)

Relax and laugh

I have never seen "It's a Wonderful Life." A few minutes here or there if it's on television, perhaps, but I have never sat down and watched this classic film from start to finish. My husband thinks this is a travesty.

Perhaps I'll get a chance to sit down and watch it this year. Maybe it will re-arrange my personal list of Christmas favorites. But until then, here are my current recommendations for holiday entertainment.

Elf
Starring the always quotable Will Ferrell in some fashionable yellow tights.
"I'm a cotton-headed ninny muggins"

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
An influx of family, an electrocuted cat, and Cousin Eddie. Gotta love it.

Miracle on 34th Street
I like the 1994 remake because Mara Wilson is just too cute.

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas
Another quality remake. No one makes grinchy faces like Jim Carrey. And I can't get enough of Cindy Lou Who's rendition of "Where Are You Christmas?"

A Christmas Story
I may be a loser for never seeing "It's a Wonderful Life", but you are a nerd if you've never seen this one. Everyone wants a leg lamp for Christmas.

A Muppet Christmas Carol
Yeah... I like Muppets. ("The Great Muppet Caper" and "Muppets Take Manhattan" are even better!)




Clearly, I like laughs. Here's to Christmas joy. Hope you find time to relax and laugh this holiday season!

Hand over the popcorn

Have you ever noticed how kids can watch the same exact movie over & over & over again and never get bored? Amelia loves movies. If she had her way, she would probably watch movies all day, every day.

Some movies are more parent-friendly than others. Here is my list of kid movies that won't drive you crazy over, and over, and over again.


1. A Bug's Life (Disney/Pixar): I don't think this movie got the attention it deserved. It's so cute! I can't get enough of chubby Heimlich.

2. Monsters, Inc. (Disney/Pixar): Another lesser-acclaimed movie that is really quite clever. Amelia loves the little girl in the movie. She's already practicing her "Mike Wasowski!" exclamations.

3. Stuart Little (Columbia Pictures): Simple, sweet dialogue and a colorful quirky family. Not to mention talking cats and a mouse in khakis.

4. Wallace & Gromit (Aardman/DreamWorks): There are several Wallace & Gromit movies available. I like these because they are usually just set to music, with little talking. Not too bad as background sound. And the claymation characters are loveable.

5. Cars (Disney/Pixar): All kids like cars. Even the little girls. This is a really good movie with no frightening antagonists to scare the little ones.

And for the holidays, we're big fans of the Imagine Entertainment's How The Grinch Stole Christmas (the one with Jim Carrey as the Grinch). At first I worried it would be too scary for Amelia, but she decided it is quote hilarious. She calls it "the funny green guy movie". The Whos are interesting and colorful as well.


What are your family favorites? Leave me a comment and share!

The most important

My husband and I have very little quality time together. He works extremely hard and is incredibly talented. He leaves the house early Monday through Friday, and often comes home after Amelia and I have already eaten our dinner. By the time he eats and we get the dishes clean in the dishwasher, he's lucky to have 90 minutes to devote to silly playtime (the kind dads do best!) before Amelia's bedtime. If it's a bath night, even less. His quality time with her is extended in their nighttime reading/singing/laughing ritual, while I get myself in my own comfy PJs. Often, I'm so worn out I struggle to keep myself awake past 9:00.
In an attempt to spend more awake time together, we instituted movie night. We get a $1/night Redbox rental and watch it together in our room. No computers, no iPhones, no child needs. One night per week, every week. It is a good thing. I hope we keep it up.

Recently we watched Crazy Heart.

I would say it is worth seeing, but definitely not an all-time favorite. Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal portray their characters vividly, and certainly deserved the accolades. One line in particular really stood out to me.


Bad Blake asks Jean, "What's the most important thing about you?"

Jean replies, "I have a son."

So many days I complain about how hard it is to be me. How much I juggle on a daily basis. Work, feisty preschooler, chores, grocery shopping, cooking - holding up our family of three with barely a moment for myself. I get the blues when I think about who I used to be. And when I can't figure out who I am now.

There is nothing wrong with wanting a little "me" time. Or wishing I could be the spunky, happy half of my marriage that I used to be. And striving for it. Stretching the days to make time for non-Amelia enjoyment. But I have to agree with the character in the movie.

The most important thing about me?
I have a daughter. I have my Amelia.

The most important thing about my husband?
He is a father. A darn good one.

After the end of our lives, when mourners are gathered to remember us, no one is going to say, "gee, they were good at their jobs." Or, "their house was always dusted & vacuumed". They are going to talk about how we lived as a family. And about Amelia.

About the things that matter. The most important things.

What was I thinking?

I went through a big horror movie phase in my high school years. I could watch any awful, disgusting movie and not blink an eye. I could watch all by myself, downstairs in our house, lights turned off. My family members certainly did not want to watch with me. I had some friends who shared in this movie interest, but sometimes I was on my own.

I specifically recall movies like

Candyman


Leprechaun


and Dr. Giggles


I thought they were GREAT!

But now I have to wonder, what on earth was I thinking?
These movies are pointless. Usually a very weak, underdeveloped plot. Just gratuitous violence and gore for two solid hours.

These days, I can't hardly even bear to look at these photos. I am revolted by violence and gore. I have enough natural stress in my life - WHY would I want to use my rare free time to watch a stressful movie?

I am super sensitive to anything scary or violent for Amelia. I'm definitely not a "no TV" kind of mom, but I choose her shows carefully. She sticks with Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, SuperWhy, and Sesame Street. Granted, she's under three years old. My horror movie phase didn't begin until at least 14. But I just can't imagine my little girl finding entertainment in such awful movies!

At least I know my own interest was a passing phase. So if Amelia brings home a Dr. Giggles DVD one Friday night, I will try my best to be patient and wait it out.

But I will make her watch all alone, just like my family (wisely) did.


---
This post is linked up to Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop. This week I selected the prompt: A book (or tv show … or something) that you watched/loved as a kid, that you see through entirely different eyes as an adult/mom.

Amelia's movie experience

Amelia was treated to her very first big-screen movie yesterday morning. Our local theathers offer free children's movies on Wednesday mornings, so it was a no-risk event. I thought we'd have to leave halfway through.

But to my surprise, Amelia did really well! I shouldn't be surprised after experiencing the miraculous effect of the car DVD player while on vacation. There's nothing like a really BIG screen with moving pictures and colors. Amelia sat in her seat and barely moved for over an hour.

She enjoyed her experience - I think. But did you ever stop to think about the movie Polar Express from a 2-year-old's point of view? The entire first half of that movie can be scary! She gripped my arm from about 10 minutes in, until the train reached the North Pole.

There's the obvious scary scene with the broken toys:

And the frightening gruff hobo on the rooftop:

And the also-gruff engineers:

And believe it or not, Amelia even grabbed my arm whenever this kid talked! I guess his harsh voice and know-it-all aggression were cause for some concern.

Amelia is always concerned about boo-boos. On other people as well as herself. So when the train hit the patch of ice and went out of control, she nearly freaked out yelling, "Oh no kids! Watch out kids! Stop choo-choo, STOP!"

Thank goodness for the North Pole!!!

Amelia loved the colorful ending to the movie with all the elves and gifts. And she waved her little heart out when Santa departed on his sleigh. All ended well for the kids, and all ended well for our very first movie theater adventure.

But...

I'm not sure we'll attempt a paid movie just yet. While she sat still and behaved well, she also acted as a narrator throughout the entire movie. I didn't worry so much knowing that everyone watching got in for free, but if a family spends $40+ to see a movie, they may not want Amelia's view of every scene for two solid hours.

"A choo-choo train!" "Where is your ticket, kid?" "Uh oh - hold on!"

"It's snowing outside." "Fix it! He fixed it!" "I don't like that."

"Watch out moose! (to the caribou in the movie) Oh no moose!"

"Elf! Another elf! Another elf! Look Mommy, presents!"

"Bye-bye Ho Ho. See you soon Ho Ho! Bye! I waved! I waved!"

(Warner Brothers movie, The Polar Express, as narrated by Amelia)