Letter's To God

Sniff, sniff. Excuse me, while I wipe away a tear. This movie was one of the most heartfelt movies I have ever watched! I wasn't even sure what it was about, but I decided to watch it after I learned that Jason Deere, who is the master mind behind the Nashville Tribute band, had written a song on the soundtrack.

No matter what faith you are, if you believe in a Heavenly Father, you will be able to relate to this story. It's the story of 8-year-old Tyler, who is suffering from a very aggressive form of cancer. It's the story of his family and how his life touches those in his small neighborhood. Tyler has the faith to move mountains and is an amazing little boy. Tyler likes to talk to God and he talks to Him through these letters that he writes. And that pulls in a rather down on his luck, mail man. And Tyler's letters do amazing things for Brady. In the end his letters do amazing things for so many people.

It is such a feel good story. I loved it. My little boys watched part of it with me last night, but had to go to bed before it finished so we will be watching it again tonight. I don't know how I'll handle it again. I was sobbing by the end of the movie. It's got such a great message, it is definitely one you should watch. It leaves you a little bit better than when you started watching!

Oh, and Tyler's little friend, Sam is the cutest thing ever! There is one scene in the lunch room, where she shoves a little boys face into his mashed potatoes for making fun of Tyler, and I laughed and laughed. I have a feeling my little Piper will be a lot like that one day. I really loved her character.

Hope you enjoy it! It's a definite must see.

Toy Story Double Feature

What a lot of fun. Mandee and I took our kids to see it on Saturday afternoon. It wasn't nearly as busy as I thought it would be. We went about 45 minutes early to get popcorn and to wait in line, but we were second in line.

Here is Mandee and I in our awesome glasses!

This is our kiddo's waiting in line. The kids loved it. It was great to re watch both movies on the big screen. They added some funny new little things in both movies. The effects were great, also. 3 hours is a long time for the kids, but they do a little 5 minute intermission, so you can do potty breaks and restock the popcorn tub.

It was fun. If your a big Toy Story fan, you'll want to go and watch it. You have one week to do it. They are only keeping it out for 2 weeks. They also have a little teaser to get you excited for Toy Story 3, which comes out next summer. We are super excited for that. What was great about having it on the big screen, was that my kids didn't get to see it the first time on the big screen and every kid loves a 3D movie.

Shorts: Movie Review

This was a pretty cute movie. My boys, ages 7 & 4 loved it! It has a great moral to the story, be careful what you wish for. It has William Macey in it, who I love and also Leslie Mann who is another favorite of mine.

The story is about a magical, rainbow stone that grants wishes. The main character of the story is Toe Thompson, who wishes for some friends. He is the narrator of the story and it kind of jumps around to different kids in the neighborhood and what happens when the stone comes into their possession. Everything is going okay until the adults get a hold of the stone and then the trouble really begins!!

There is a little girl in the story named Helvetica Black, and she cracked me up. She is 2-year-old daughter in 10 years. She's the leader of the bullies and gets her older brother, Cole to do all the dirty work. She had me in stitches.

This movie did not get any great reviews. I looked at some fan reviews and a lot of people did not like it. We did like it. It is a little diffrent. The story is told completely out of order and in sets of short stories. It was kind of fun. It's a kids movie, what can you expect? It's better than some and defiently not as great as others. If you have any doubts, wait until it comes out on dvd!

The Proposal

This was a FUNNY movie! Mandee and I went and saw it this weekend. It was my first time and her second time. She thought it was even better the second time around. It's a laugh out loud, pee your pants kind of funny!!

I love Sandra Bullock and she did an amazing job. I loved Ryan Reynolds, whom I had never seen play a leading part. He's pretty cute, too, I must add.

The movie is about an unlikely love. Facing deportation back to Canada, Margaret (bullock), blackmails her assistant into marrying her. The spend a weekend in Sitka, Alaska, with his family and things go far from planned.

So funny! It's one I am going to have to buy. It has some old faces that you rarely see anymore. It has the amazing Betty White, who did a fabulous job!!! You also see Craig T. Nelson!! I haven't seen him in years!

Mandee and I give this an A+ rating. It's defiently worth seeing if you want a good laugh!!

The Tale of Despereaux

I know this movie has been out for quite some time. My children had watched it at our house, whose ages are 7, 4, & 2. It has a G rating and We went to the Piute County Fair this past weekend and watched it as an after dark movie, in the park. So for those of you who haven't yet seen it, here is my thoughts.....


It's about a rat, a mouse, and a servant girl who become 3 unlikely heros. The village in which they live suffers a series of events when the King sends out a decree agianst nature. It teaches of goodness, bravery, loyalty, and courage.

I thought it was a beautifully done movie. They have a narrator who tells the story in fairytale fashion. It might be a little dark for younger kids. My sister thought it was really dark. I didn't think it was until I sat back and thought about it. There were a few scenes that were a little scary, but not unlike any other movies that you see today, G rated or not. It's not a movie that makes you laugh, but it is action packed and the morale of the story is wonderful. My little boys loved it. I defiently recommend it.

Harry Potter was........

Amazing, fabulous, and exceptionally well done!

I am a die hard Harry Potter fan! I love the series and I have really enjoyed the movie franchise. I was to TICKED when Warner Brothers changed the release date last year. But I must admit, I got over the moment I heard the familiar theme music!! I honestly think this was the best movie yet. I mean sure there were some changes that I didn't like, but for the most part it followed the book.

I also think that the actors have come into their own. I was so happy to see Rupert Grint get some more screen time. He did a phenomenal job!!! Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliff did an excellent job, as always. The whole movie was really well done. One of the things that I have most enjoyed about the movies, is that the characters have for the most part stayed the same. I HATE when you love a series and the actors change right in the middle of it.

The only thing I missed was the final battle scene at Hogwarts. That should have been in there. There was a certain scene in the middle of the movie (I don't want to spoil it for anyone) that was AMAZINGLY DONE, but didn't happen in the book. They could have replaced it with the battle scene and the movie would have been perfect. Jim Broadbent also did a wonderful rendition of Horace Slughorn. He was perfectly cast for that part.

Go see it this weekend. And if you don't want to brave all the crazy fans, go see it next week. It is DEFIANTLY one you won't want to miss. And if your one of those people who wait and rent the video, don't because it won't do it any justice at all.

I am also curious what others thought? Any die hard fans want to share their thoughts and opinions???

My Sisters Keeper

Ever since we save the previews for this movie, Mandee and I have been dying to go see it. Well we went on Saturday and I have to say, it wasn't quite what I expected.

The story is about Kate, who was diagnosed with Leukemia at a very young age. Her parents decide to conceive a baby who can be a donor for her older sister. After 11 years and countless surgeries, the daughter has had enough and sues her parents for medical emancipation. You watch this poor family go through trials and each bares their own individual pain in regards to Kate and her illness. Kate is an amazing girl who has such a beautiful spirit and they did a wonderful job portraying that in the movie.

It is truly a touching and poignant story. I haven't yet had the chance to read the book, but plan on reading it soon. The movie truly was fabulous and I bet the book is even better.

As much as I liked it, I don't know that I would be able to watch it again. Mandee and I both sobbed our way through the movies. I'm sure the crying began about 20 minutes into it and lasted the entire time. Mandee said after the movie, that they should just let us watch that movie over and over and we wouldn't have a drought! It was truly a tear jerker. I haven't cried like that in years. Out of the 7 of us who went, Mandee and I were the only ones who came out of the theater looking like this..........

You have been warned! This movie will cause red puffy eyes and dehydration!

We do recommend seeing this. Just plan on taking an entire box of tissues. It's one of those movies where you will absolutely fall in love with the characters. There are moments when you will hate some of them. There is lot's of laughter but also tears. It's a movie that will make you appreciate your children and make you want to go home and hold them and never let them go.

And you know what? I probably will buy it. It is such a great story. It will just be one of those movies I only watch when I need to have a good cry. Well worth seeing!!

Movie Review-Night at the Museum

Instead of our usual friday night date that my husband and I take, we decided to take our two oldest to this awesome movie. It was so great. I know that sometimes a sequel doesn't do the movie any justice, but thank goodness that wasn't the case with Battle of the Smithsonian. It was done really well and it is one we will buy for sure. There was quite a bit of dialogue and a lot of slower places so I don't know how well it would be for younger kids but my 6 year old daughter loved it and wants to go back. It is a movie that I would pay full price to see it again.

It has a lot of the same actors in it which makes it that much better. When the Museum of Natural History is closed for remodeling and transformation, the museum pieces are moved into federal storage at the famous Washington Smithsonian museums. The main part of the movie brings to life the Smithsonian Institution, which houses the world's largest museum complex with more than 136 million items in its collections, ranging from the plane Amelia Earhart flew on her non-stop flight across the Atlantic and Al Capone's rap sheet and mug shot to Dorothy's ruby slippers, Fonzie's jacket from Happy Days, and Archie Bunker's lounge chair from All in the Family. Larry becomes another caretaker at the Smithsonian, where Kahmunrah, an evil Pharaoh will come to life with the reestablishing of a tablet as a magical force in the museum bringing the old exhibits (Such as Theodore Roosevelt and Dexter) and new exhibits (like General Custer and Al Capone) back to life, and in conflict with each other. Larry recruits the help of Amelia Earheart and together they try to put everything back in order while at the same time, they are falling in love.

It was a great flick and it made me say "To heck with a trip to Disneyworld next March. We are going to the Smithsonian!" Believe it or not, the kids were all for that idea.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Ok, so Friday night we celebrated another birthday and took a girls night out to another movie. We went and saw Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and we give it two thumbs up. This was such a funny movie that I dare say it wasn't a "Chic Flick" at all. I am madly in love with Hottie Matthew so I thought it would be a movie just for "Chics" but there was enough humor to make it great for the hubbies too. At first I had a hard time focusing on the movie instead of his beauty but he turns into a jerk of a character and I noticed that when that happened, I lost interest in him. But when he starts being nice, his charm came back. I found that to be very interesting and true to life. When people are mean and nasty, we don't really want to be with them but once they are willing to change, so do our feelings.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past follows the story line of The Christmas Carol and the main character, Conner, is played by Matthew is a famous photographer for a popular magazine and is known for being a player with the ladies. He takes a break from his player lifestyle to go to his baby brother's wedding. It is there that he runs into Jenny (Jennifer Garner) the only girl who ever captured his heart.They have been friends since they were very young. Conners parents were killed when he was young and her and his brother were the ones that stuck with Conner. After Connor delivers a speech at the wedding rehearsal dinner , he's met in the bathroom by the ghost of his Uncle Wayne (Michael Dogulas), a player amongst the ladies as well who in fact led a poor example taught Conner everything he knows about picking up chicks. Uncle Wayne informs Connor that, over the course of the evening, he'll be visited by three ghosts who will lead him through his romantic past, present, and future.

Through Connors adventure he comes to see himself in a different light. As he is visited by these ghosts, you are taken through a musical memory lane and I found myself wanting to stand up and dance to the sound of 80's music. At some points it got a little ronchy but overall it was a great movie and we all left laughing. I strongly reccomend this movie if you need a little laugh.

Am I The Only One

Ok, I have a confession to make! I simply CANNOT get into the Twilight series. I finally finished book one in time to watch the movie.....and I really liked the movie but not as much as the book. They left out some of my favorite parts and added parts that weren't even in the book, which then confused me even more.

I have been trying and trying to read book two but I just can't get into it. First of all I am so not into sci fi type stuff. If it is far out I just can't do it. I just have a few things to say about Twilight and I know it will probably make diehard Twilight fans upset. I think Edward is bad for Bella. Hello! He will eat her if she isn't careful. He is cold, he is sneaky and he sneaks into her bedroom and watches her sleep!! HELLO red flags. :) I say this in all good fun but it is kinda creepy isn't it?

A lot of you are probably asking yourselves, "Well, Mandee. If you don't like it, why are you reading it for heavens sake. Put the book down and start a new book". Well, I can't do that. Haven't you noticed that every group of ladies will bring up the book at least one time during a girls night out? It is the talk at church groups, playgroups, PTO meetings, school functions (even my 6 year old is convinced she is Alice-thank heavens she isn't Bella :) ). If I don't read this series, I will have to sit like a muntint with nothing to say. I can't be the only person in the room that hasn't read this bizzare series. When I say I am only on book two eyes seriously bulge out of their shocked faces and they say "YOU ARE???YOU HAVEN"T READ THE WHOLE SERIES???" See my problem????

Thank heavens my friends still love me and still invite me to midnight movie primeires and book releases. I am always up for a girls night out as long as they will go with me to movies like Die Hard and Taken!

Any advice on Twilight? Do the books get more interesting?

Coraline: Not A Movie For Kids

Ok, so it was my turn for a one on one with my 6 year old daughter. I thought I would take her to a cute cartoon movie for girls. HELLO! This movie was terrible. I should have just gotten up and taken her out. That is what a lot of you will wonder by the time I am done telling you about this movie.
It was about a little girl who moved into a new house with her mom and dad. They were too busy to pay too much attention to her so she often thought about what it would be like to have a different set of parents. Well, a little boy in the neighborhood became her friend and gave her a doll that looked just like her. Well, this doll ended up being a spy for her "other mother" that lived through a little door in the wall. Coraline ended up going through the door each night and her "other parents" seemed to be perfect. I likened this to satan. He tries to make all evil appealing. Well, come to find out, the "other mother" looks into the childrens souls, convinces them to leave their families, and live with her. In order to do this she has to pluck their eyes out and replace them with buttons. Coraline never made it that far. She ended up killing the "other mother" (who is really a very scary witch).
In the middle of the movie there were two big ladies that do musicals. Well, one came out with tasels on her .......breasts. It was soooooo bad. I am really kicking myself for not leaving. It would have been a great lesson. But my 6 year old wanted to make sure that Coraline ended up ok and I felt it would be more traumatic to not know. Ok, really, should I have to ask myself if I should leave in a cartoon????? I feel like I was beckoned to this movie because it looked cute......well, it was anything but that.
So, as we were leaving, my daughters church teacher was two rows in front of us. I asked her what she thought and she said, "I was impressed by the creators imagination". So maybe I totally overreacted......no.....I don't think I did. We will not be buying this movie.

Taken

I just have to say I love this movie! I think every girl 15 and over needs to see this movie. I have been twice and it is one I will buy. Lastnight I went with two of my "sisters" to see it and one of them is 16. She is going to Europe in a couple of months with her school and it really made her aware that she needs to be careful while she is there.
I lived overseas for six years and lived what I consider to be a "sheltered" life. My parents would let me go with my friends to Venice and Florence without adults. We were 16-18 years old and I never would have thought that there were people out there that would hurt me. I felt invincible and I trusted everybody. Now granted that was 20 years ago (wow) and things are different now but it really made me think. My 16 year old "sister" said that everybody that is going on this school trip to Europe needs to see this movie.
It is about sex trafficing of teenage traveling girls and it is done with such class and accuracy. Liam Neeson does such a great job and I told my husband that if I knew Liam Neesons character in the movie, he would be my American Express card and I wouldn't leave home without him!
This movie reminds us that we need to be more aware. It showed that parents need to have good communication with eachother and with their children. The parents in this movie were divorced but there was deceit about their daughters trip to Europe. Alot of it could have been avoided if they would have trusted eachother. Some times I like to think that things like this don't really happen but the truth is, it does. So, if you like action packed, intense movies you would love this movie.
If you have seen this movie I would love to hear your opinion!