The Muppets

PG
Starring: Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and The Muppets
2 Hours

It has been twelve years since there has been a "Muppets movie" made. Jason Segel, co-writer and co-executive producer is a die-hard Muppets fan and he stars in this new movie as well.
This movie takes place in Smalltown, USA. Gary (Jason Segel) a really sweet and innocent guy who grows up and his younger brother Walter (a muppet) stays the same and never changes. They are very close, the best of brothers and love each other dearly. They love the Muppet shows and watch the re-runs over and over.
Gary has a girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) who is a very sweet and naive girl that has patiently been dating him for ten years.
They decide to go to Los Angeles with Walter and celebrate their ten year anniversary with a special dinner. They also take Walter to Hollywood to find the Muppet Theater in hopes of helping the Muppets to perform "just one" more time at the Muppets theater.
When they arrive there they are very disappointed to find it in shambles and a greedy mean man, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) trying to buy it so he can drill underneath it for oil.
Gary and Walter are on a mission to save the theater and locate Kermit the Frog to help them. They want to save the theater and restore it to its former glory days. They have to raise ten million dollars to save the theater. They need to locate all of the former Muppets who have all moved on and are living their own individual lives. They travel all over with Kermit trying to convince the Muppets to join in with them. When Kermit gets back together with Miss Piggy, it was adorable! In order to raise the money they decide to host a fund-raiser at the theater. Tex Richman tries every way he can to undermine all of their efforts. It is successful and everyone is happy. Mary and Gary finally get to have their anniversary dinner and he proposes to her. There was a big song and dance scene at the end that was great!
They also have several cameo scenes from actors including Mickey Rooney, which was a lot of fun!
I absolutely loved this movie! I was so impressed that they stayed true to the original Muppets storyline. The songs were sentimental and very touching. It took me right back to the original TV series. I would recommend this movie for children of all ages. The parents will appreciate it and enjoy returning back to the Muppets they remember.
I am giving "The Muppets" four bags of popcorn!

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1

PG-13
Starring: Robert Pattinson,Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner
1 Hour and 48 Minutes

Ok-here we go again! The last movie Eclipse, left off where Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Bella (Kristin Stewart) have decided to get married. So, that is where Breaking Dawn begins. The wedding was absolutely beautiful and Bella looked as radiant and gorgeous as any bride could hope to look on her wedding day. Edward looked dashing and seemed to be happy and excited as well. Jacob (Taylor Lautner) showed up and Bella spent some private time with him thrilled that he would come and see her on her special day. It was absolutely picture perfect. Then they left for their honeymoon. Edward whisked her off on a private jet to Brazil where they honeymooned on the Cullen family's private island escape.
It was a spectacular, romantic setting and things were a little awkward for the new bride Bella.
They consummated their marriage and with Edwards vampire strength, he broke the headboard on the bed. She also had some bruises on her body as well.
She immediately became pregnant (which was not suppose to happen, Edward was not suppose to be able to father any children because he is a vampire).
When Jacob became aware of the pregnancy, he was furious and went to the Cullen home and confronted all of the Cullen's. Bella reassured him she wanted the baby and for everyone to please accept it.
The pregnancy was very fast and taking every ounce of nourishment from Bella. She was starving and they came to the conclusion that she needed to drink blood (and a lot of it) to stay alive and also keep the baby alive. Bella became stick thin and very sickly! The baby was breaking her ribs from the inside out and she was very weak.
When she went into labor Jacob was also there and he helped Edward to deliver the baby. They had to perform an emergency C-section on her. This was a really graphic scene that went on for a long time. There was a lot of blood and it was hard to watch. Edward kept shaking her trying to get her to wake up. They were able to save the baby. Jacob went and saw the baby and he imprinted on the baby! Bella went unconscious and basically died. The only way for her to stay alive was for Edward to bite her all over and transform her into a vampire. Jacob was devastated and the wolves (Jacobs brotherhood) came to get and kill the baby. They had a big confrontation with the Cullen's and finally honored Jacobs wishes to leave them in peace.
After a long time, Bella finally woke up looking beautiful and healthy and had the standard vampire eyes that the vampires are known for.
This movie was extremely intense! This is definitely adult material. I know that a lot of young girls will want to see this movie, but I advise parents strongly that it is very graphic and intimidating. It made me squeamish and feeling a little overwhelmed. There was a lot of sensuality, brief nudity and sex, violence and a graphic C-section scene.
It definitely deserves its PG-13 rating! I would recommend it for youth 13 and over.
I am giving " Breaking Dawn part 1" two and a half bags of popcorn!

Jack and Jill

PG
Starring: Adam Sandler, Katie Holmes and Al Pacino
Running Tine: 1Hour and 31 Minutes


This is a story of a boy named Jack and a girl named Jill who are identical twins. Adam Sandler plays both characters. They are born and raised in New York. They are both grown up and living separate lives now. Jack is married to the beautiful Katie Holmes, has two children, a great job, a beautiful home and lives in Los Angeles. Jill is still living in New York and is very lonely after the passing of her mother, she comes out to LA to stay with Jack and his family for Thanksgiving and ends up staying until New Years Eve. Jack is dreading every minute of it. He finds her to be overbearing and a big embarrassment to him!
The movie chronicles Jill interacting with his children and trying to find a guy to date through online dating services. She is really happy staying with him and his family and keeps wanting to extend her vacation. He is completely unbelievable as a woman and is really gross and disgusting. There is one scene where she has bathroom issues and it was over-the-top and really vulgar! Al Pacino had a strange role in the movie, not quite sure about his character either.
I was really hoping for a fun holiday movie with a good story but, this one just did not deliver. Be advised that there was a lot of silliness and some really bad bathroom humor, there were some laughs but, basically a really lame movie.
I am giving "Jack and Jill" one and a half bags of popcorn!

Footloose

PG-13
Starring: Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid, Andie Macdowell, Miles Teller and Ziah Colon
Running Time: 1 Hour and 53 Minutes

This movie is the remake of the 1984 version of "Footloose" starring Kevin Bacon. Craig Brewer directed this film and
I feel like he did a really good job and followed through with the original story very closely. I enjoyed this movie and I really wish they would have had even more dancing in it.
The story is set in a small country town Bomont, Georgia. The town was traumatized by a terrible car accident several years ago when five teenagers were driving home from a dance and they were all killed. The City Council decided in order to keep the youth safe that they had to outlaw dancing and the playing of loud music and it was to be strictly observed!
When the new kid Ren MacCormack (Kenny Wormald) moves in to town from Boston to live with his Aunt and Uncle after his mother had passed away, he finds the town rules outdated and antiquated. He struggles to find his fit in the community. He is introduced to Ariel Moore (Julianne Hough) and he is immediately attracted to her. Her father is the town's minister, Reverend Shaw Moore (Dennis Quaid) who just happens to be the father of the boy who was driving the car when the five teenagers were killed. Reverend Shaw feels strongly that if you don't let the kids play music or dance they will all be safe and no one will ever get hurt.
Ariel is a girl who tries to get away from the stress of her fathers rules, she has a difficult time trying to communicate with him and they don't see eye to eye. She also has a boyfriend who is selfish, he tries to take advantage of her and is physically abusive to her.
When Ren tries to get her attention she is aloof and she resists him. Finally, they start to like one another and the sparks fly. Her father does not want her to see Ren or have any relationship with him.
Ren gets tired of the city rules against music and dancing and decides to appeal it before the City Council. They try not to hear his case but he demands to be heard with the support of many of the local townspeople including Ariel and her mother (Andie Macdowell). Her father the Reverend Moore is totally opposed to overturning the rules. The Reverend has a change of heart and finally realizes he has been to strict with his daughter.
The kids get clearance to host a dance party across the county line with the help of some adults. They have a great time planning for the big event. Her father agrees and allows her to go to the dance with Ren. That was a really special scene. The dancing was really fun and well worth seeing.
I really enjoyed this movie and found it to be very entertaining. I enjoyed the supporting characters and found them to be a lot of fun as well.
Parents be advised this is definitely a PG-13 rating, with teenage rebellion, alcohol and drug use, domestic abuse, sexual references, profanity and fight scenes.
I am giving "Footloose" three and a half bags of popcorn!

Real Steel

PG-13
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lilly, and Dakota Goyo
Running Time: 2 Hours and 7 Minutes

This movie takes place somewhere in the future when human boxing has been eliminated and robot boxing is now the sport to watch. These robots box each other until the underdog is literally knocked-out! This is a total rock-em, sock-em robot movie.
Hugh Jackman plays Charlie a down and out former boxer who is really down on his luck when he bet more than he had.
His former girlfriend dies and leaves him with an eleven year old son (Max) whom he has never had a relationship with.
Max is adopted by his mother's wealthy aunt and she pays Charlie a large amount of money while she and her husband vacation for the summer. When he receives both the boy and the money, he buys another robot to box.
He and his son Max start to form a bond and become close with one another, Max insists upon going with him to the match. After his robot loses the match, they go to an old robot junkyard and after Max falls down a long, deep chute, he comes upon an old sparring robot. He and Charlie pull the robot up and take him to clean him up and get him ready to rumble. Charlie has his doubts and doesn't believe that this robot named Atom will amount to anything. But, this robot has a special gift, the ability to shadow, which enables him to follow the movements of humans. He shadows young Max and learns all of his moves. They enter him into some matches where he shadows Charlie with his own personal boxing experience.
When they dare to compete with the worlds greatest robot boxer, Zeus, the tension mounts and the action begins.
This movie has a lot of heart and soul. The relationship between Charlie, Max and Atom is sweet and tender. Parents be advised there is a lot of robot boxing violence and some human violence. There was quite a bit of profanity, even young Max had his share of profanity as well.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie, I thought the robots and the sounds they made were really fun. I would advise parents to follow the PG-13 rating guideline.

Dolphin Tale

PG
Starring: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Morgan Freeman, Nathan Gamble and Cozi Zuehlsdorff.
1 Hour and 52 Minutes

This movie is based on the true story of Sawyer (Nathan Gamble), an 11 year old middle school student who is lonely and sad after his father has abandoned he and his mother (Ashley Judd). He is very close with his cousin Kyle who was a High School all-star swimmer and is being deployed in the Military. He is struggling to get through summer school when he comes upon a man working with a beached dolphin and demanding the use of his cell phone. The dolphin was caught up in a crab trap with ropes and is severely injured. Sawyer cuts the ropes to try and help free the dolphin. The marine rescue team is called and they take the dolphin in to try and rehabilitate it. Sawyer locates the aquarium where they take the injured dolphin and goes inside. While there he is met by a young girl named Hazel (Cozi Zuehlsdorff) and she sneaks him in to see the dolphin which she has already named "Winter". Her father, Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick Jr.) is a marine veterinarian and a very private person. When he realizes that Sawyer has formed a bond with the dolphin he allows him to come around and spend time with Winter.
They diagnose that the dolphins tail was broke and dolphins have to use their tails to swim and stay afloat. They try desperately to try and nurse her back to health.
When Sawyers cousin Kyle is injured by a bomb and sent home to the Veterans Hospital, he encounters Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman) who is a specialist in prosthetics.
He helps a very depressed cousin Kyle to overcome his injury and they decide to try and help Winter as well. After several tries, they are finally successful.
This is truly a great movie. It deals with a lot of life's current trials that we are all dealing with today. The devastation of war injuries, the economic conditions, a hurricane, abandonment, death and belief and hope that everything will be okay!
I really enjoyed this movie and it pulled at my heart strings, and knowing that it is a true story even made it that much better. I would recommend this movie for adults and children over the age of six because of the injuries.

I Don't Know How She Does It

PG-13
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Munn, Christina Hendricks, Kelsey Grammer and Seth Meyers.
1 Hour & 35 minutes

Dilemma, dilemma, dilemma, what is a young working mother to do? This is the situation that Kate Reddy (Sarah Jessica Parker) finds herself in. As a young professional woman working for a Boston-based financial management firm and a wife to Richard (Greg Kinnear) an under-employed architect and mother to two young children, mothers guilt is rampant! Trying to be a super-mom and a great executive at work, she tries to balance everything. Never getting enough sleep, to-do lists running through her mind and trying to be a good wife and mother all take their toll on her.
This is most definitely a "chick-flick"! I think a lot of women, whether they are stay-at-home mothers or professional business women, will find themselves relating to this story in one way or another.
You can't help but get caught up in her life and her situation.
Kate was awarded a big account at her work and it demands that she fly to New York to meet with Jack Ableman (Pierce Brosnan). She is forced to fly to New York at a minutes notice on multiple occasions and leave her wife/mommy life behind.
Trying to balance the age old family/career becomes a real hardship for her. Her husband finally lands a big job and he needs her around more often.
When she succeeds at at landing a huge contract, Jack Ableman starts to find her attractive and hopes to further his personal relationship with her. She feels pressure from every direction.
This movie is based on the novel of the same name, "I Don't Know How She Does It", by Allison Pearson.
I actually enjoyed this movie and having three children of my own I could certainly empathize with her situation. Her assistant Momo (Olivia Munn) was a lot of fun in the movie as well.
It is rated PG-13 for some adult humor and a little profanity. Overall, it is just a fun girls night out kind of movie. I would advise parents to follow the PG-13 rating.

Fresh Living

Check me out on Fresh Living on channel 2 today at 1:00pm. I'll be reviewing "Mr. Popper's Penguins"

Mr. Popper's Penguins

PG
Starring: Jim Carrey, Carla Gugino, Angela Lansbury, Ophelia Lovibond, Madeline Carroll and Maxwell Perry Cotton
1 Hour & 35 Minutes

I can honestly say I went into this movie having absolutely no expectations. I never know quite what to expect when it comes to Jim Carrey. I always feel that in most of his movies he has a tendency to over-act and he is usually over the top.
Jim Carrey plays Tom Popper and the movie begins when he is a young boy communicating on a ham radio to his father who is a world traveler and seldom if ever at home.
The adult Tom Popper lives in New York City, he is a very successful businessman who lives in a fancy penthouse and has lost touch with his family. He is a divorced father of two children; a cell-phoned obsessed teenage daughter, a young son and an ex-wife with a boyfriend.
He receives word that his father has passed away and that he will soon be receiving something from his father. When he opens the package, there is a penguin inside. Then he receives another package and there are five penguins inside that package He has absolutely no idea what to do with the penguins. He is expected at work as usual. He has a huge deal that he needs to negotiate in order to get the big account which just happens to be the world famous restaurant "Tavern On The Green", where he has his own childhood memories.
Needless to say, his world is turned upside down and he has no idea what he should do. He still has all the demands of his work, his obligations and his children.
He is helpless when the penguins take over his home, he concedes and turns his home into a penguin playground. He struggles to keep them safe and keep them inside the penthouse.
When his ex-wife brings the children over for a visit, they see inside the door and they are overwhelmed at all the mayhem. They all fall desperately in love with the penguins and they want to stay and play too.
There is an evil zookeeper who gets wind of the penguins and he wants to take them and put them in the zoo.
The family comes back together and the parents realize they still love each other.
I found myself actually liking this movie. It had some really sweet parts in it. Jim Carrey did a great job. I enjoyed the penguins and I thought it was a fun and happy movie. The children are going to love this movie and the adults will enjoy it too. It has your standard bathroom humor which I think we've all come to expect in children's movies these days. I personally think they should have waited to release it during the holidays just because it takes place during the winter. Overall, it is a fun and happy family movie with some really tender moments. I would recommend this movie for children ages five and older.

Super 8

PG-13
Starring: Joel Courtney, Riley Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Kyle Chandler, Noah Emmerich and Elle Fanning.
1 hour & 52 minutes
Directed by: JJ Abrams and Produced by: JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg

This movie is about four young middle-school aged boys in 1979 in Lillian, Ohio who are helping their friend make a movie about zombies. He uses what was the state of the art technology back then, the super-8 camera. He wants to enter his movie into a film competition where the competition is pretty tough. The young man (Riley Griffiths) who directs and makes the movie just happens to be from Cedar City and has acted in the Utah Shakespearean festival.
While they were out late one night filming a scene at the train station, a train gets into an accident and derails while the super-8 camera is rolling and something very unusual shows up on the film.
This movie is filled with action and suspense, young romance and the loss of a parent. You are always on the edge of your seat. This film is reminiscent of the old Spielberg movies and has a really retro feel to it.
The children stole the show, they were great and it was a lot of fun to watch and see them interact with each other.
Parents be aware that there is a lot of action violence with the train wreck, fires, explosions and a mysterious alien monster that might be to intense for younger children. I think this movie deserves its PG-13 rating, there is also some profanity with an unexpected F word as well.
I really enjoyed this movie a lot. It took me back to the days when Spielberg was at his best. Also, don't leave the theater immediately after the movie is over, there is a fun little zombie clip that the kids made that they play after the movie is over.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

PG-13
Starring: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Keith Richards, Geoffrey Rush and Ian McShane.
2 Hours & 17 Minutes
Johnny Depp is back in the infamous role of Captain Jack Sparrow. With this being the fourth installment of the very popular Disney "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, you never know exactly what to expect. This movie will not disappoint you. It was exciting and just plain fun! Johnny Depp is magical as he reprises this role that he was born to play. He is so good as Captain Jack that he literally becomes him!
This movie was inspired by the book "On Stranger Tides" about the pirate Blackbeard and his quest for the fountain of youth by Tim Powers.
This movie is full of adventure with the usual array of weird looking characters and zombies, intense fighting, explosions, rescues and beautiful mermaids who are basically water vampires. There was also a voodoo doll of Captain Jack. The scenery as always was tropical and gorgeous.
This movie introduces Penelope Cruz as Angelica who is the daughter of the ruthless Blackbeard. She and Captain Jack have a love/hate relationship.
The secret for the fountain of youth involves two specific silver chalices, a mermaids tear and the water from the fountain of youth. This is an action packed thrill ride that does not disappoint! Parents be advised that there is your basic pirate violence with swords, guns, explosions and a small amount of female cleavage. I think PG-13 is a good rating for this movie.

Soul Surfer

PG
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood and newcomer AnnaSophia Robb.
1 Hour & 45 Minutes
This movie is a truly inspiring and touching story about young Bethany Hamilton played by the beautiful newcomer AnnaSophia Robb. She is the 13 year old teen-age surfing sensation from Hawaii who had her arm bitten off by a shark while surfing back in 2004.
She was absolutely on top of her game when the tragedy struck. An amazing young lady with many friends and a great family. A fourteen foot tiger shark attacked her out of the clear blue and shattered her dreams and expectations.
She (and her family) were very fortunate that her friends got her the medical attention that she needed immediately and were able to keep her alive.
Bethany was a natural-born surfer having grown up with a surfing family on the island of Kauai. She became an outstanding surfer and had begun winning competitions.
This is her story about coming to grips with an unimaginable tragedy and how she was able to overcome her own obstacles and find her way back to feeling happy and knowing that she had a very important purpose.
Just weeks after her tragedy she went with
her church youth group to Phuket, Thailand in the aftermath of the 2004 Tsunami. While there she helped many people and inspired them to overcome their own fears. This helped her to to overcome many of her own obstacles and gave her the courage she needed to go forward and be strong.
She began to get mail from people all over the world who supported her and found her to be their personal inspiration! This gave her the courage to confront the big waves and try to make a personal comeback. With the help and support of her great family she overcame her limitations and entered another surfing competition. She gave it all she had and it was amazing!
I personally found this movie to be extremely inspirational and touching. I am seriously amazed at the courage and determination of this beautiful young girl! She credits the Lord with helping her to survive and thrive!
Be advised that this movie may make you feel a little squeamish. The shark attack scene was very realistic and difficult to watch. There was a lot of blood and it was very emotional.