Since it is summer, we try to catch up on movies that we wanted to see during the school year and/or new movies at the theater. We are excited for some new movies that are coming out this weekend and in August...especially The Help! Here are our latest movie and book reviews.
Movies
1. Winnie the Pooh (A): This movie is adorable! If you go to see it at the theater, go for a matinee because the whole movie is only an hour and ten minutes! The movie begins in Christopher Robin's room like the old television show. It pans to these little guys, and then, moves to the cartoon. I want them, but they are WAY too much money! The plot is that the gang thinks that Christopher Robin has been kidnapped because he left them a sign that said that he would be "back son". The Hundred Acre Woods crew spends most of the film looking for the monster the Backson that they have created in their imaginations. The movie is touching and shows how important imaginative play is in the world of a child.
2. X-Men: First Class (A): We were both surprised at how good this movie was! This prequel looks at the beginning of the X-Men and how the mutants came together as a group. Professor X and Magneto are portrayed wonderfully. The plot held our attention, and the action sequences were pretty good (minus one at the beginning with an office/lab). They could still easily make another prequel or two before it would catch up to the first X-Men movie. If you have followed the other movies, you will most certainly enjoy this one.
3. Just Go with It (B): We were not expecting much with this Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler flick. The premise is that Adam Sandler wants to date/marry a woman half his age but she thinks that he is married. He pretends that Jennifer Aniston, his assistant, is his wife and that her children are his. They all go along with the charade, including a tropical vacation! The beginning of the movie was severely lacking, but the movie improved as the plot continued.
4. The Lincoln Lawyer (A): Although complicated at times, this movie is fabulous! Matthew McConaughey plays a lawyer defending Ryan Phillippe who claims that he did not commit the crime for which he has been arrested and imprisoned. The movie is funny, touching, suspenseful, and thought-provoking. I do not want to tell more of the plot because it would give away the ending! Watch this one if you can ignore some language!
5. Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story (B): I know, Lifetime movies are just for women, right? This movie was the unauthorized biography of J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. If any of this is actually true, it was a pretty good movie! Her life is awe-inspiring, and it is interesting to see how she rises from poverty to become one of the most beloved authors of all time. Set your DVR for this one!
Books
I have been reading mostly young adult literature this summer because I thought it would be mindless and a good distraction from graduate work. While it is most definitely the latter, it is not mindless! It seems that many of the current popular young adult books are actually social commentaries on the future and what the world would be like if the government controlled our world completely. All of them seem to have one underlying theme: it only takes one person and their independent thinking to overcome the government...interesting!
1. The Uglies (A): This trilogy (The Uglies, Pretties, and Specials) with a random fourth book, Extras, depicts a world where all children remain "ugly" until they turn sixteen. Then, they have a special operation to become "pretty". Once they have the operation, they can move to Prettytown where they can live happily ever after. There is no fairy tale ending for one character, however. Tally Youngblood is different. She sees beyond the "perfection" of the government and how people can choose to think for themselves. I loved the first two books, and would probably give the other two books a B.
2. Among the Hidden (B): This series is for late elementary school/early middle school and goes up in age as the series continues. It chronicles another government-controlled world where all professions are given based on social status and all families are only allowed to have two children. Some families have secretly had three or more children and have had to keep them hidden from the government, more specifically, the Population Police. Luke Garner is a twelve year old boy who is a third child and spends most of his days in the family's attic so that he can stay out of sight...until he looks outside and sees another child in a window across the field when all of the family has already left for the day. Could it be that there is another third child living only steps from his own house? You'll have to find out! I have also read three of the six sequels: Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, and Among the Barons.
3. Matched (A): I loved this book, and it's part of a trilogy too! The only downside...the other two have not been released! I did not see this information when I downloaded the first one, I just saw "trilogy". If something says "trilogy", you assume there are three books. Oh well! Cassia lives in (you guess it) a government-controlled world where people all wear the same clothes, food is distributed based on a person's genetic and physical make-up, professions are awarded based on status and abilities, and everyone dies at age 80. At age seventeen, young people attend their Match Banquet with their parents where they are matched with someone in the country who they will later marry at age twenty-one. Some people choose to stay single, while others can never marry. Cassia is matched with her best friend, which is unheard of; hardly anyone through history has been matched with someone they already knew. I like the idea for this story because it takes place after our generations and describes how our society had too much of everything: information, technology, food, and stuff! The government wanted to make life more manageable and for people to live a satisfying life. Thus, everything is managed for society so that each person can live until their eightieth birthday when they have their last Banquet...death. What happens when Cassia's grandfather leaves her something that spurs her to consider thinking for herself? Find out for yourself! I am excited for Crossed to come out in November to find out more!
There will be more to come in the next few weeks as I'm sure there will be more movie adventures and tons of books! Stay Tuned!
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