I Want My Mummy!

The Mummy: Tomb of The Dragon Emperor (The Mummy 3): Any fan of The Mummy series will enjoy this movie! I am such a fan! The first Mummy movie was not expected to be such a huge hit, even the actors thought it was a risky project. Instead it catapulted careers and spawned two more installments and a spin-off. My favorite of the series is still The Mummy from 1999. If you have not seen it yet, then see that before seeing this one.
The Mummy 3 is full of action and fun - just as you would expect from the series. Jet Li plays the title character and it shows a great deal of history of his character. It is so interesting that you really want to see a movie about his character! It showed him conquering China and building the Great Wall but he wanted to conquer death as well. Also, introduced in this segment is a sorceress played by Michele Yoeh, you also want to see more of her. The movie focuses on the discovery of the Emperor and his army appearing as statues buried deep underground (like the famous Chinese terracotta army that was found in 1974). Our heroes and their son get involved with the unfortunate reviving of the Emperor and the fact that his army will be invincible if it leaves the Great Wall of China. Brendan Frasier leads the O'Connell clan with his usual wit and charm. His wife, Evelyn, is not played in the this movie by the lovely and talented Rachel Weisz. Instead she is replaced by Maria Bello who doesn't appear to have had any significant movie roles. She lacks the chemistry with Frasier that he had with Weisz. We do find out in the beginning of the movie that that is the problem that Rick and Evelyn have. They are bored. This movie picks up in 1946, after the war, when they had apparently been spies for the British government. They miss the excitement they used to share and jump at an opportunity to go to China on a mission for their government. There they run into their son, Alex (who looks to old to be their son), who just so happened to be in China because he quit school to dig up this Emperor. Well, the Emperor has his 1946 henchmen who want to raise the Emperor from the dead and give glory back to China.
There are lots of intertwining plots and characters and you can tell a lot must have been left on the cutting room floor. And even though I loved this movie - I feel more could have been cut. More Jet Li, less Rick and Evy family drama. Jet Li and Michele Yoeh are great. Li doesn't speak any English in the movie (neither did Imoteph) but Yoeh does by the end (she turns out to get some satisfying screen time). There is also some classic Chinese butt whopin'. And as I said, I would have loved to have seen an entire movie about the Dragon Emperor...but maybe that will be another spin-off.
MMMM (out of 5 M's)

The Vacation Mommy

The movie mommy has hit the road with the family for a summer vacation! We have only taken one long vacation with the kids before this and that was trying (March 2008) but the kids are older and better trained - or maybe we are.

We always take little weekenders but this was THE big trip. The kind of travelling tradition we will always have. Overall it has been a good trip. We had the trip to the ER but other than that, uneventful. We travelled about 7 hours the first day and arrived at my Dad's. The kids loved the beach and their uncle whom they now call "Dude." We went to the boardwalk until well after dark and the children loved the boardwalk rides. Even my son who never liked a ride that moved - a big breakthrough for him. After a weekend at "the shore" we headed to the Adirondack mountains and our family lakeside cabin or camp, as they call them up here. The kids are having a blast. They have been boating, on a train ride and today we took a ride on a paddle boat - something I first did as a baby (same boat). My son has been swimming off our dock with glee. His smile is wide and he is proud of himself - another breakthrough event for him.

This vacation has been good for our family. Our short trips have prepared us for this long one. We know what we need and don't need. The kids are at an age where they can really enjoy family activities with us.

These are just some ramblings I decided to write...in between my crushing amount of online work I have to do for school.

We head in the direction of home on in a couple days - and we are exhausted. A good vacation should always need you ready for another one!

New Reviews!

The following reviews are by the Super Mommy, special guest reviewer!

Wall*E
The Movie Mommy can attest to the fact that the Super Mommy is almost always able to find something to complain about. So imagine how shocked she was when I told her I couldn’t find a single thing to criticize about Wall*E, Pixar’s latest animated offering. From start to finish, the movie is just a gem – arguably the best the studio has put out in a string of excellent movies.

Wall*E predicts a distant future that we can easily imagine evolving out of Earth’s current environmental and social issues. Humans have literally trashed the planet and abandoned the debris-choked world for life on a luxurious starliner created by a Big Brother-style corporation. Before splitting for the stars, however, people left behind an army of robots to clean things up and prepare the Earth for eventual repopulation. Several hundred years later, all the robots have broken down. The only one left is Wall*E, an adorable little ‘bot who bears a striking resemblance to the main character in Short Circuit. Somehow, Wall*E has developed a personality and now spends his days compacting trash, playing with the only living thing left on the planet – a roach – watching a videotape of “Hello Dolly” and pining for companionship.

When another robot – this one a sleek, flying, laser-blasting Princes Leia-like character – arrives on Earth, Wall*E sees a chance to end his yearning and make a friend. Wall*E and Eve do become friends, and their bond takes the little robot on an adventure from the trash-choked cities of Earth all the way to the distant starliner that bears the last remnants of the human race. Inactivity and freedom from Earth’s gravity have turned humans into a race of sluggish, fat, sedentary creatures that seem like they would be ill-prepared for the challenge of repopulating their home world.

You could say Wall*E is a cautionary tale of the future our world faces if humans don’t clean up their act. You could interpret the film as a profound statement on the transcendent power of a simple touch. You could even view it as a story of redemption on a truly grand scale. But more than anything else, Wall*E is just good, clean fun – with a message. Kids will enjoy the animation, cuteness and slapstick moments. Adults will feel uplifted by the movie’s more grown-up themes.

Don’t wait for this to come out on DVD. Go see it in the theater. The sound effects are awesome (the first 30 minutes are dialogue-free yet brilliantly communicate the characters and situations), the animation is top-notch and the characters will win your heart.

MMMMM (out of 5)

The Walker
Almost every time I see Woody Harrelson in a movie I think to myself he was a sorry replacement for Coach and he hasn’t gotten much better with experience. But I have to give credit where credit is due; Harrelson shines in this psychological thriller set in the dirty social underbelly of Washington, D.C. Harrelson portrays Carter Page III, the son of a well-respected and long dead politician who never quite manages to live up to his father’s legacy. In his own way, “Car” is as much a mover and shaker as his father was. Carter is a “walker,” a socially adroit gay man who “walks” the wealthy, beautiful wives of Washington, D.C. politicians from fund-raiser to dinner to canasta game. When one of his canasta partners (Kristin Scott Thomas as a singularly self-centered wife of a powerful senator) finds her secret lover brutally murdered Carter’s loyalty is tested. He covers for his friend and is drawn into an ever-twisting plot that points an accusing finger all the way to Capitol Hill.

Harrelson is brilliant as the deeply insecure yet outwardly polished Carter. A stellar supporting cast includes Lilly Tomlin as the passive-aggressive, manipulative wife of a behind-the-scenes power broker adroitly played by Ned Beatty (who seems to be channeling Karl Rove). Wilhem DaFoe is the well-intentioned and powerful senator who seems oblivious to the indiscretions of his wife (Thomas). And Lauren Bacall steals every scene she’s in as the grand dame of Washington socialites – and perhaps the only true friend Carter has in the city.

The story is complex and compelling and Harrelson is a lot of fun to watch. Highly recommended for an evening of adult DVD-watching.

MMM (out of 5)

The above reviews were by the Super Mommy! Many thanks from the movie mommy and her readers.

The Student Mommy

The movie mommy has been silent of late because of school. I am now in the process of getting my Master's Degree and it is all consuming. I work full time, mommy full time and wife full time. Even though I am only taking 2 online classes...it is ALOT more work than I expected. 26 hours of video lectures, 5 book reports and 4 textbooks of reading. There are also discussion panels and group projects. ALL in 8 weeks! Like I said, more than I expected.
Basically, I am not going to see another movie until my classes are over in August. Next semester I plan on just one class and I am hoping that will free me up a bit to continue my movie watching.
I will be squeezing in The Closer, which begins it's new season this month but that will probably be it. I don't know what I would do if this was during the regular TV season...TiVo?
I am just letting everyone know that I will be doing some posts but not about any new movies. I have a guest reviewer, The Super Mommy, that will doing most of the reviews. She sees a new movie a week and is a regular renter of the latest releases. So, be expecting some good stuff on here.
Back to the studies!

Guest Reviewer!

The following review is by the Super Mommy:

OK, first let me say that The Happening is NOT as bad as you’ve likely read. Yes, I read all the reviews that basically said M. Night Shyamalan has lost his mind and finally produced the stinker that will sink his career. You know, the ones that said The Happening is not only HIS worst movie, but one of the worst movies ever. (I tend to think those reviewers never saw Gigli or Message in a Bottle and so don’t really have a good basis of comparison for saying a movie sucks.)
I went to see The Happening anyway because … well it’s M. Night Shyamalan and I’ve seen every one of his flicks on the big screen since The Sixth Sense. There are millions of worshippers like me who will go see this movie just because it’s … M. Night Shyamalan. And therein, I think, lays the heart of the problem. If anyone else had made this movie, I don’t think critics and the public would be bashing it quite so viciously.
In brief, the movie revolves around a phenomenon – a “happening” – that is inducing people to commit suicide in some very grisly ways (hence the R-rating, the only one of Shyamalan’s movies to get the rating). Elliott (Mark Wahlberg), a Philadelphia high school science teacher, goes on a spiritual journey – and physical jaunt through the Pennsylvania countryside – to keep his loved ones safe while trying to discover the cause of the phenomenon.
This movie is definitely worth seeing. It’s got a thought-provoking ecological message, a lot to say about human nature in times of crisis, and some very good performances from Wahlberg and John Legiuzamo (one of my favorite under-rated actors). And pay attention to Betty Buckley – who arrives late in the movie.
You’ve probably heard the story is dull, and I can understand how many people would think so. There are no explosions, no high-speed car chases, no profanity, no nudity and – frankly – not that much gore. How in the world Shyamalan thought he could make a summer movie without at least ONE of those blockbuster elements is truly bewildering to me. He’s not guilty of making a bad movie; he’s guilty of seriously misreading what Americans want in a summer blockbuster.
The Happening is a thinking movie, as are ALL of Shyamalan’s films. Like all his work, the movie is built on an underlying message and you have to pay attention to glean what that message is. Unlike his previous films, however, there is no punch at the end, no “Ah-HA!” moment when it all comes together. We’ve come to expect that from Shyamalan – from the revelation of Bruce Willis’ life-challenged status at the end of The Sixth Sense to the true nature of the community in The Village. That payoff isn’t present in The Happening, and critics and fans are crucifying him for it.
If The Happening truly fails as a movie – and I don’t think it does – it’s because the writer/director overestimated the maturity of his audience. After five successful films, he thought his audience had grown up enough to NOT need that final bonk over the head that sums up his movie’s message and delivers a final adrenaline spike. Apparently, he was wrong.

The above review was by the Super Mommy. The Super Mommy is an experienced movie goer, writer, mommy, reviewer and regular contributor to the movie mommy blog.

Separate Lives

With my daughter in preschool and my son in summer day camp I have come to the realization that I don't know how they are spending their days. Seems silly doesn't it? But in the past they were in small day care home environments with only a few other children (sometimes they were the only children). I would get reports on cute things they did or new things they said or experienced. Now that they are among the masses I don't get such reports. Only that they, "Had a good day."
I have to admit that I feel like an "empty nester." Once again - silly notion. But there they are...off on their own having conversations, meeting other people, even going places...without me! I have no idea what they are doing! Silly.
I worry about them but have be confident that they are being well taken care of and will know what to do and how to act. The wish of every parent to be sure...until their child is well into adulthood.
It's a little scary that I don't have total control over their lives or know how they are being taken care of. Will someone be there to cut up his pizza? Do they know she doesn't like apples?
They come home with songs and sayings that I have never said to them. And scraped knees. They also give the standard answer on how their day was, "Okay." I ask them what they did and sometimes they tell me and sometimes they don't. I really have to pry to get any real response.
They are growing up before my eyes and when I drop them off...I wonder...what are they going to do, see, say, hear and experience. I will never know.
I just have to let go...a little.

Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: If you can get over Harrison Ford looking like the Crypt Keeper, the references to the past Indy movies and the other worldly nature of the plot...then you can enjoy this movie. Of course Indy is gonna look old, I know it's set 20 years since the last movie. Now that we are in the 1950s there is also a new enemy...exit Nazis and enter Ruskies. The Russians are in search of artifacts that can give them an advantage...even an alien advantage over their capitalistic enemies.
I liked this movie but if you are not a fan then I don't think you will. It's basically made for fans. There are all the references to the old movies and even bringing back Karen Allen's character from the first Indy movie. There some predictable plot lines that come up involving Shia LeBeouf (least impressive role I've seen him in) that we didn't need...well, we didn't need his character at all. I don't think him being in the movie will be appealing enough for young movie goers to really go for this movie.
There is action! Good old fashioned Indians Jones action! Whips, knives, guns, vehicles, snakes, quicksand, bugs, waterfalls, booby traps...you know the usual stuff we come to expect from this type of movie. In that aspect - it will not disappoint!
The whole crystal skull thing is pretty cool and some parts of that mythos I would have liked to have seen more of but they spent so much time on set up that they didn't leave much for the actual meat & potatoes of the movie...then they rush to the ending - which was interesting.
I won't give too much away about the movie because I still recommend it.
If you are a fan - go see it! You should have seen it already! I liked it. I'm a fan.
MMM1/2M (out of 5 M's)