The movie was loooong, though it only covered some of his career, in a hit and miss way, and felt like the story ended in the middle. We were all a bit disappointed. (Rated R)
The Vow: Princess Artiste and Prince Inventive gave this to me for Mother's Day after the prince had watched it at a friend's house and thought it a great one. He was right. Happy, sad, touching, frustrating. A tear-jerker, of course, with a young, loving marriage disrupted by an accident in which the wife loses all memory of her husband, so he fights to help her remember and strongly maintains his love and commitment.
I love such movies that are based on real peoples' lives, and now I want to read the book to get all the actual details. What a horrible odyssey to live through, but amazing. (Having Channing Tatum to look at helps, too... LOL) Definitely recommended. A little language, and a little partial nudity, but I think it was still family-friendly.... Not a younger kids' movie, of course. It left me feeling a little disappointed in my timid life, as I so admired how she'd changed her path and reached outside the box to do what she loved. (PG-13)
Moneyball: Hubby and I were fascinated by this look at the business side of baseball and the behind-the-scenes financial inequities the poorer teams have to face. This story-line was also based on real people and an actual situation that occurred in National League Baseball. It was great to see how it was possible to win big using less money and evaluating players in a different way... and sad to see how quickly an achievement is lost in the shuffle if the team doesn't go far enough in post-season. The power of the long-term system too often wins out.
I'm not a big Brad Pitt fan, but I looked past this for the story. Some bad language, that it seems impossible to avoid these days, but Prince CuddleBunny also loved this movie, even though we had a long talk the next day to explain what it was really all about. He just liked the part about underdog baseball players becoming successful. Also, even though she lived with her mother and step-father, the main character made his daughter a priority. (PG-13)
Joyful Noise: I really enjoyed this movie, and there was more depth and realistic family drama than I'd expected, mixed in with the music, comedy, and fun. It was a little like a church-based, and more moral version of the tv show, Glee. I liked hearing pop songs converted into good, praise music without losing their fun. I was happy that faith and God were respected throughout, especially when Queen Latifah as the mother of a boy struggling with his Asperger's Syndrome, explained God's love for her son and why he wasn't a "mistake."
Christian's weren't portrayed as overly pious, perfect, or hypocritical, but just as people getting through life's challenges... Death, marital problems, parenting adolescents, job loss, etc., etc. They were all there, touchingly and humorously portrayed.
Some bad language, but it is judged as such in the movie. Unfortunately, Dolly Parton's plastic surgery has turned her into someone who looks more like a caricature or puppet of her former self (not that she ever looked quite 'real')... but she still sounds as good as ever, and I think Queen Latifah is a good actress. Some of our kids were a little more critical of the movie, but with less life experience, they didn't see and understand how many tough situations it covered, and were a little too uppity to just enjoy the fun of it! (PG-13)
