Movie/Book Review

First - the blog has been super quiet the past week (or so) because my house has been rather extra loud.

Full to the brim with hollering children.

My Love is being tackled by our 4 kids (7 1/2, 5 1/2, 3 1/2, and 2) and 2 nieces (3 1/2, and 2)...3rd niece is only 1 month, so she's not in on the wrestling just yet!

I had the treat of bringing my sister-in-law and her 3 daughters to our home for 10 days.

We played and snuggled and wrestled and mediated about half-a-million skirmishes.

We had 7 children - 7 and under - and plenty of crazy.

Good times were had by all. :)

On to my movie and book review....

I am a white woman who grew up in the American South.
A place I love.
A beautiful place, brimming with delicious food, gorgeous landscapes, and wonderful people.
People full of stories.

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, sought to tell some of those stories.

Stories of people in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi.

Black people.

White people.

I was struck by how recent these fictional lives were lived.
Segregation.
Separate but equal.
Those things have always seemed like long ago issues - things from history books, not as recent as yesterday. This book helped me register - for the first time ever - how close the social disparities in the South were.

The characters were beautifully created with depth, struggles, and imperfections. One of my favorite things about the book - aside from excellent writing - was that each of the characters had aspects of who I am, or who I've been.  It was a story full of ordinary people given choices every day to choose right or wrong.  Ordinary people -people who chose kindness; people who chose evil; people who knew they were choosing wrong, but lacked the courage to choose right - people just like me.

The movie was the best adaptation of a book I have ever seen. They changed some things to allow the story to flow smoothly in a different medium - but they were carefully chosen and enhanced the story. There were not wasted moments. The casting was superb. The script was flawless.  I have never been pleased with a movie based on a book I love - but this was truly excellent.

The Help challenged me to inspect my own life.
What accepted atrocities am I party to? 
Am I in a boat that needs rocking?  

The point of the book was this:

We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I thought. 

AND 

Maybe I ain't too old to start over...I laugh and cry...Cause just last night I thought I was finished with everthing new.

The book and the movie are completely worth your time - it will grip your heart, and hopefully inspire you to not accept the status quo.

~Whitney Copyright 2013

Movie Review!

Okey dokey...so, I'm about 30 years behind in movie watching.
Yes.
I am 30.
I've not watched a bunch of movies in my life....life (or a book) was always more interesting. And, when I was pregnant I had serious trouble concentrating on anything longer than a 30 second commercial. But now? Sometimes it is really nice to just sit on my bum and watch a show.  Not a documentary (I have to be in a special mood for that) but a movie that tells a story of humanity.

I'm a sucker for a good story.

Which brings me to this whole movie review business. I recently asked, via facebook, what movies I should see while My Love is away.
Holyheckamama.
Did that ever get a response.
Apparently, people are attached to their movies. 
Which is exactly what I wanted!  
So I'm starting with whatever I can watch that is already on Netflix, then I will see what I can borrow from friends or the library, then I will pay to rent something...but it will probably take me so long to get through this massive list, they will be free by the time I get to those!

This past week I watched 
The King's Speech (2010) and 
Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (2009) and
Tinkerbell and The Secret of The Wings (2012).

They were all excellent.
Seriously.

The King's Speech 
The King's Speech is definitely a grown-up only movie.
There is some serious language at parts - although it does make sense in the story line.  (Due to muting a couple curse words, they dropped the rating from R to PG-13. )  The movie tells the story of King George VI of Britain and how he learned to overcome his stutter. Honestly, I had not wanted to see it, because it sounded like it would be super boring. It was not. While I am sure the historical record reads differently than the movie (like most movies based in history), the over-arching story line rings true. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It is the story of a man not only finding his voice - but finding someone who wanted to hear it. That is what resonated the deepest with me - the universal struggle this movie captured. We all have speech impediments of some sort...finding someone who cares enough to listen, to give us the time to find our way through the difficulty...that is the point I gathered from this movie. Due to the language, I would recommend it with reservation. For me, the story, the characters, the inspirational aspect of facing fears and conquering them - far out weigh the language and make it worth your time to see.

Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story
This is a great movie for the entire family for a couple of reasons -
1. It is true
2. It clearly demonstrates the importance of self-discpline and hard work
3. The mom is an AMAZING person
4. It is a true-life rags to riches/hero story.
Honestly, I don't want to spoil the story - but know that Ben Carson overcame great odds (Through his faith in God, the determination of his mother, and his own personal drive) to become a Pediatric Neurosurgeon. I finished that movie - having laughed and cried - completely inspired. I was challenged as a mother, as a Christian, as a human. If you have a child who wants to believe they are dumb - or wants to cop-out on the hard work success requires - watch this movie. And read the book. You really will not regret it.


Tinkerbell and The Secret of The Wings
Now, before you skim over this one because it isn't some high-falutin' fancy pants movie...you should get off your high horse and give it a shot. And here is why:
1. The story is well told
2. The animation is beautiful
3. The music is lovely
4. It has a GREAT point and can be an excellent spot to start relationship discussions
First - we are interactive movie watchers with the Beans. Sometimes, when it is nearing a key moment, I'll pause the movie and ask the Beans what they think will happen. And why they think that. We really hash out and discuss many of our movies and shows....every single one is sending a message, and I want my Beans to be aware of that.  I am a HUGE fan of Tinkerbell because it is a story for little girls that doesn't revolve around a love interest. Tink is industrious, creative, determined, hard-working, loyal, dependable, and not perfect. (She has anger problems - she's working on them)  I like that throughout all the movies (this is the 4th installment), Tink realizes friendship is worth a sacrifice. The Secret of the Wings takes yet another twist on relationships - this time it is familial. The way they portray the importance of family - even when extreme self-sacrifice is required - is beautiful.
The clothing the fairies wear is shorter than I'd want my girls sporting, but we just talk about modesty whenever the issue comes up. (Jasmine showing her tummy in Aladdin is a pretty frequent conversation!)  Overall, I'd say it is completely worth your time.
(And there are enough fast-flying-fairy moments that it even held Boy Bean's interest!)

There ya' go! 

My thoughts regarding my most recent movies...what do you think? 

Any movie recommendations I should add to my list?

~Whitney
 Copyright 2013