The Incredibles 2 (2018)


The Incredibles 2 (2018)

Director:

Brad Bird

Starring:

Holly Hunter

Craig T. Nelson

Sarah Vowell

Huck Milner

Samuel L. Jackson

Plot:

Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for the kids while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world.

Review:

This is the first movie I took my daughter to see in theaters, because of that I did miss parts of the movie because I was focusing more on her and she does not know how to plan a bathroom break lol.

The Parr family is back and just as good as before, even after such a long break. This time around instead of a husband trying to relive the glory days he’s trying to take over the job of mom so that Elastigirl, Holly Hunter, can prove to the world that supers deserve to be able to fight crime.

I loved that Elastigirl got her chance to shine. She’s smart and capable and a total badass. In the first movie she was mostly a mom, just trying to keep everyone safe and on track, while Mr. Incredible, Craig T. Nelson, got to go out and save the day. She saved him, which was nice, but it was more of a mom thing than a superhero thing. In 2 she gets to have that superhero spotlight and you see why she was a beloved hero.

Mr. Incredible was very much in the traditional father role in the first movie. He went to work, backed up his wife’s parenting decisions (when he wasn’t accidently undermining them), and tried to find ways to hold on to his hero persona. The role reversal in The Incredibles 2 was a relief. He started out dismissive of what his wife did, learned he was wrong, and figured out the best way for him to handle things. He loved his kids and of course rose to the occasion.

Naturally, it took the whole family to save the world from the villain. We also got to see a whole new group of superheros as well as the most important superhero of all, Frozone! He’s my daughter’s favorite so she was super excited when he showed up.

There were some dark moments, but I wouldn’t say as dark as Toy Story 3, and a very long warning at the beginning about possible seizures, still I had no problem with my four year old watching the movie.

5/5

Letters to Juliet (2010)


Letters to Juliet (2010)

Director:

Gary Winick

Starring:

Amanda Seyfried

Gael Garcia Bernal

Vanessa Redgrave

Christopher Egan

Plot:

Sophie dreams of becoming a writer and travels to Verona, Italy where she meets the “Secretaries of Juliet”.

Review:

I was in the mood for a light Romance and this just popped up on Amazon Prime movies so I figured why not. I watched this years ago and remember it being really romantic. I’m not sure what I watched all those years ago but I did not feel much romance. Maybe I was in the wrong mood?

The setting and plot are all super romantic, Italy, finding a long lost love, but the two young leads had almost no chemistry. They also just sort of happened. Amanda Seyfried’s character was engaged, her fiancé was just sort of there, it was clear they weren’t working. She argued with Christopher Egan’s character a lot, he was a pessimistic ass, but it’s okay because he’s a lawyer for human rights. It was all just sort of eh.

The best part was the ending. Finally, all the passion and chemistry I expected made itself known, though, Seyfried was a bit flat in the buildup. Whatever, it was something sweet to have on in the background.

3/5

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)


A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Director:

Ava DuVernay

Starring:

Storm Reid

Oprah Winfrey

Reese Witherspoon

Mindy Kaling

Levi Miller

Deric McCabe

Plot:

After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.

Review:

When I was a child I read the first book in this series, I know I did, I vaguely remember it, but I don’t remember really anything about it. Still, I was excited to see this so as soon as it was out at Red Box and I had time I rented it.

Visually the movie is stunning. The settings and costumes are gorgeous. So bright and colorful and fanciful. I loved them all.

Sadly, the story was lacking. I don’t remember the book, but the movie felt disjointed and it jumped around. It didn’t flow very well. One minute things were progressing at a breakneck speed and then all of sudden you’re looking at flowers in a field. Honestly, I got bored. Things were crazy but it didn’t hold my attention. I didn’t care about what was happening. I liked the characters alright, but you were just thrown into this mad world and it just didn’t work for me. Made me sad because I was hoping for another “Tomorrowland.”

I wanted this movie to work for several reasons, female director, kids sci-fi, but it didn’t.

2/5

Jane the Virgin Season 4 (2014-?)


Jane the Virgin Season 4 (2014-?)

Network:

CW

Creator:

Jennie Snyder Urman

Starring:

Gina Rodriguez

Andrea Navedo

Yael Grobglas

Justin Baldoni

Ivonne Coll

Jaime Camil

Anthony Mendez

Brett Dier

Plot:

A young, devout Catholic woman discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated.

Review:

I sobbed like a little baby in season 3 when Michael, Brett Dier, died. Gina Rodriguez’s gut wrenching scream/sob tore my heart. I took a while to warm up to Michael but once I did I was on board team Michael the entire time and then to have him die, it was horrible. I was so glad they did a time skip afterwards because I honestly don’t know if I could have handled the grief.

Anyway, the end of season 3 had Jane finding her first love and I immediately hated him. He would never be as good as Michael and he wasn’t, but I’d kind of warmed up to him and then he came out as Bi and I was really happy. Didn’t love him for her, but he was a good guy and I hoped he would at least stick around as a friend. We had a fairly good episode where he described what being Bi was and Jane realized she had an issue, but then came to terms with it. Next episode she’s deciding to tell him she loves him and he decides to leave for LA. I wasn’t a fan of the timing, it felt too much like bi-erasure, but I never wanted them to wind up together so I dealt with it.

Then Petra, Yael Grobglas, was revealed as Bi and things were fine. I loved that they never even really talked about it. She fell head over heels for Rosario Dawson, naturally, and apart from some surprise from Jane and Raf nothing was really said about it. It was great, she’s honestly one of the best characters, though, you never quite know if she’s telling the truth or not.

Jane moves on, things progress, tons happen, and naturally she winds back up in the arms of Rafael, Justin Baldoni, it was bound to happen, they’re always falling for each other at the worst times, but for once the stars aligned and things worked out. Not a huge fan of them together, but since Michael wasn’t around I was fine with it. They were happy, they have strengths and weaknesses that work together.

At the end of the season it’s revealed that Xo, Andrea Navedo, has breast cancer. It was rough. Those last few episodes I watched in terror of what they would do with her. The last episode I just kept waiting for something horrible to happen. Watching her and Rogelio, Jaime Camil, work on their marriage and become a strong couple has been wonderful to see. They work so well together and they seem solid which the series really needed.

The last episode was as climactic as I’ve come to expect. I actually screamed at the reveal and I never do that. My husband was laughing at me and I just kept screaming. I don’t know what’s going to happen. I don’t know how they’re going to explain it or how the relationships are going to change or even if I want them to. I need answers!!

I don’t have cable and I hate watching CW shows on their app or website, it never seems to work correctly for me, so I end up waiting for it all to be on Netflix. During that wait I end up forgetting how much I love Jane the Virgin but I doubt I will this time. I might actually have to watch live when the new season starts because I have to know. I have to!!

5/5

The Hurricane Heist (2018)


The Hurricane Heist (2018)

Director:

Rob Cohen

Starring:

Toby Kebbell

Maggie Grace

Ryan Kwanten

Plot:

Thieves attempt a massive heist against the U.S. Treasury as a Category 5 hurricane approaches one of its Mint facilities.

Review:

I saw the trailer for this movie in theaters and knew I had to see it. This movie is crazy! I loved it! Seriously, if you liked The Day After Tomorrow there is no reason why you won’t like this one. I realize there is a heist, but the hurricane stuff is great.

Maggie Grace’s character is on her last chance to keep her job. Toby Kebbell and Ryan Kwanten are brothers that are mostly estranged after a tragic accident in their youth put a wedge between them. Full throttle action ensues!

The beginning was great, the ending was great, the middle had a whole scene in a mall that was stupid and dragged and I wasn’t a fan of, but oh well. This was like a 90s action movie and exactly what I was hoping it would be. So happy. Wish it had done well enough to span a series, but oh well at least I’ve got this one.

4/5