Frozen

PG
Starring the voices of: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Johnathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana and Alan Tudyk
Running Time: 1 Hour and 48 Minutes

This movie is loosely based on the classic fairytale "The Snow Queen", written in 1845 by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen.
This is the story of two sisters who are princesses in the tiny kingdom of Arendelle where the older of the two, Princess Elsa (Kristen Bell) possesses the uncontrollable power to turn ice and snow into everything she comes into contact with. One morning when the younger Princess Anna (Idina Menzel)  wakes her up to play and build a snowman, Princess Elsa accidentally injures her and is devastated by her uncontrollable power! The younger sister is knocked unconscious and has no memory of the accident, she recovers completely shortly thereafter. Their parents, the King and Queen forbade Princess Elsa to ever use her power again. She must always wear gloves to control them. She insists on living her life alone and in isolation. They are to close the kingdom and never allow outsiders inside the castle grounds again. She refuses to spend any time at all with her younger sister in fear that she will harm her. The younger sister Anna feels rejected and does not understand why her sister has  forsaken her.
Several years after their parents are killed, Princess Elsa is old enough to be crowned "The Queen". On her coronation day she is very anxious about allowing the people back into the castle grounds again and her inability to control her powers! She must remove her gloves for the ceremony. After removing her gloves she becomes upset and she turns the kingdom into an eternal frozen winter, she is ashamed and runs far away by herself!
The younger sister sets out on a journey to find her and bring her back home where she belongs.
This truly was a beautiful fairytale. Disney should be proud of this magical story! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I found it extremely touching. The relationship and the strong love and respect the two sisters had for one another was refreshing. The young and gallant Kristoff (Johnathan Groff) was a lot of fun as were the snowman and the reindeer. The music was absolutely incredible too! The songs that were written specifically for this movie are destined to be classic! I can see this story, "Frozen" someday being a smash Broadway play! There were some brief scary moments when the ice scenes were taking place and also when some wolves were chasing Princess Anna, but I think overall children of all ages will enjoy this movie.
I am giving "Frozen" four bags of popcorn.

Monsters University

G
Starring The Voices Of: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Helen Mirren.
Total Running Time: 1 Hour and 47 Minutes

This is the prequel to the Pixar original "Monsters, Inc" of 2001. It is the story of Mike and Sully and how they meet and become buddies.
When they first met, there was a little animosity between them. When Mike (Billy Crystal) applies and is accepted to the "scaring program" to scare human children at Monsters University, he is absolutely elated!
 It has been his dream to attend MU all of his life. On the other hand, Sully (John Goodman) takes it for granted and just expects to be admitted to the scare program because his family had all gone through the program before him.
They are told by the scary and very intimidating Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) that at the end of the program there will be a test that they must take in order to continue on with the program, if they fail it, they will be out immediately!
Mike is terrified and becomes consumed and obsessed with studying and preparing for the final exam.
Sully is more laid back and easygoing. He doesn't worry about the consequences.
Sadly, they both get kicked out of the scare program and they have just one chance to get readmitted.
They have to join forces with a team of outcasts and win the intramural games, that way they will be allowed back into the scaring program.Their team is known as the Oozma Kappa (OK). They have to go up against the tough-guy athletic team known as the Roar Omega Roar (ROR), they are patterned after the Greek systems at many universities.
The games were fun and exciting to watch. All of the monsters and cute little characters were adorable and Pixar as always did an outstanding job on the detail and development of the creatures! Pixar is in a league of its own in the animation department and it did not disappoint in Monsters University!
The one thing missing in this movie was the absolutely adorable "Boo" from Monsters Inc. I really missed the human contact and the relationships that made Monsters Inc. so irresistible!
I really enjoyed this darling little film, but would have loved to see a child or two meshed into the story.
I think children of all ages will enjoy this movie.
Parents be advised that some characters get bullied a little bit and some get their feelings hurt.
I am giving "Monsters University" three and a half bags of popcorn!

Man Of Steel

PG-13
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and Antje Traue.
Running Time: 2 Hours and 23 Minutes

Okay, so there has been a lot of talk about this movie. Some people are even saying that it has an over-riding Christian message to it. If that is the case, then it is alright with me!
While there have been many "Superman" movies, this one, "Man Of Steel", was really good.
 I am partial to Christopher Reeve as the super-hero but Henry Cavill did a very good and convincing job.
We begin as Superman (Henry Cavill) is being born while the planet he is on is under assault. With the transition taking place and his future at stake, his parents Jor El (Russell Crowe) and Faora Ul (Antje Traue) make the decision to send him to planet earth where he will grow up safe and help save mankind.
The evil General Zod (Michael Shannon) is frantic to find the baby Superman and pledges he will not rest until he does! That sets up the plot for this story.
Young Clark Kent grows up on a farm as an only child with his earthly parents, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane). They recognize that he is not an ordinary child.
 They discover that he has super-strength and super-powers that are far superior to anyone living on earth and that he does indeed have an extraterrestrial heritage! They teach him that he can never, ever use his powers, that he must suppress them, that he must fit into society just like the rest of the kids for his own safety.
He attends school and settles into regular life just as any other ordinary child would.
I especially liked one particular scene where he is on the school bus with the other students when he is approached by a bully! He finally cannot suppress his super-powers any longer and uses them to strike back at the bully!
 He eventually grows up to be a very sensitive and responsible young man. He has a very tender and touching relationship with his earthly parents.
He encounters Miss Lois Lane (Amy Adams) as her job takes her to the Antarctic to report on a mysterious and strange occurrence.
When General Zod finally discovers that  Superman is living on Planet Earth, he overtakes the world's airwaves to warn everyone that there will be grave circumstances if this mysterious individual who has been living amongst them on Earth, is not turned over and surrendered to him immediately!
All chaos ensues and the Earth is under a vicious attack!
I really enjoyed this movie a lot. I thought that the characters were well cast and I really liked the storyline.
 It was fun and exciting and the special effects were a thrill ride! The relationships were touching too.
Parents be advised there is a lot is sci-fi violence and action, some mild language and a naked baby boy briefly on three occasions.
I am giving "Man Of Steel" four bags of popcorn.

John Carter

PG-13
Starring: Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins
2 Hours and 12 Minutes

John Carter has finally arrived! I'm sure many in Utah know that this was a movie shot here in Utah, Southern Utah to be exact.
I had no idea what to expect from this movie after seeing all of the trailers and the TV commercials. This movie is based on the books written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the John Carter: Adventures on Mars series.
John Carter (Taylor Kitsch) is a confederate Army veteran who has lost his family and does not want to comply with the Army officers. He only wants to go to Arizona and find gold in a special cave.
When he finds the cave along with his superior, he has a strange encounter with a different kind of being!
He finds himself transported to the planet Mars!!!
There he has no gravity and he can jump up in the air very high. He encounters many strange and unique beings and because he can jump he is hailed as somewhat of a hero to them. He is especially looked up to by a cute little character named Woola that is extremely loyal to him, such as a dog is to it's owner.
He then encounters the beautiful princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins) who is being forced to marry the enemy by her father and she turns to John Carter for help.
I found this to be an interesting movie but I also found it to be really jumpy and somewhat hard to follow. I got lost on several occasions but the special effects and and the characters were fun to watch and it reminds me a little bit of Star Wars.
I would recommend this movie for kids around 12 and older just because it is somewhat hard to follow.
I am giving " John Carter" two and a half bags of popcorn!

This Means War

PG-13
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Chelsea Handler
Running Time: 1 Hour and 38 Minutes

This story is spy pitted against spy. It is about two CIA operatives who work together and they fight international crime rings to help keep the world a safer place.
It stars FDR (Chris Pine) and Tuck (Tom Hardy) as the two spies. Tuck is divorced from his wife (because of his double life) they have one son and he is looking for love. He reluctantly decides to try online dating. FDR is a ladies man and has no interest in any long term relationships or commitments.
When Tuck arranges to meet a young lady through online dating, he meets up with Lauren (Reese Witherspoon). She was also reluctant to meet men through online dating and after her good friend Trish (Chelsea Handler) encourages her to do it, she signs up. She meets up with Tuck for a short date and then directly after runs into FDR at the video store where he notices her and won't take no for an answer when he wants to take her out. She finds herself going from dating no one after a break-up with a long-term boyfriend to dating two really incredible guys.
She has a fun job as a consumer tester in Los Angeles, testing new products for companies before they are released to the public.
When the two spies find out they are both interested in the same young lady, they try to out do each other with their dates and the time they both spend with her. She on the other hand has no idea that they know each other. She finds herself in a real dilemma. She is starting to fall for both of them!
Chelsea Handler was great as the friend married with children and living vicariously through Lauren's life giving her advice on the two guys and how to handle her relationships.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was just a lot of fun and a good escape movie. They had some fun action scenes with the spy sequences and the romance was fun and uplifting.
Parents be advised that there were some sexual innuendos, some profanity and adult humor. I would recommend this movie for youth 13 and older.
I am giving " This Means War" three bags of popcorn!

The Vow

PG-13
Starring: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Jessica Lange and Sam Neill
1 Hour and 44 Minutes

This is a movie inspired by the true story of Kim & Krickett Carpenter.
It is about a young married couple who were married in an impromptu wedding ceremony that they performed themselves with their close friends. They had both written their wedding vows on menus from their favorite restaurant. They got into a car accident on a cold snowy night in Chicago when they were hit by a snow-plow. Paige (Rachel McAdams) is thrown through the windshield after she removes her seat belt and suffers traumatic brain injury. After coming out of a coma, she has amnesia and has absolutely no memory of her life with Leo (Channing Tatum).
Her memory goes right back to her life prior to Leo.
She comes from a wealthy family and she had a fiance and was attending Law School. Her family shows up at the hospital and wants to take her back to live with them so they can help nurse her back to health. As time goes by they try to get her to leave Leo and resume her former life. She decides to take their advice and go back to law school.
Leo is fighting for every second he can find to help her to regain her memory and the life they shared together. He struggles to keep his work going and figure out what he can do to win her back.
While she was with Leo she was a sculptor and had been commissioned for work for some businesses in Chicago. She was much more of a free-spirit with Leo.
After finding out that her father had had an affair with a friend of hers, she confronts her mother to find out what had happened to cause the affair.

After struggling to put her past back together, she finally comes back to Leo at the end of the movie and it looks as though they are going to try and make a go of it.
This movie is rated PG-13 for some sexual references, infidelity and Channing Tatum appearing nude from the back-side for a bit.
I found this movie to be way too cheesy and predictable. It wasn't the story that I had hoped for.
I was disappointed and let down with the story. I would recommend this movie for youth 13 and older.
I am giving " The Vow" two bags of popcorn!

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.