Civil Disobediance

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

With Pumpkin Fest coming and the theme being Pumpkins in Paradise, my mind keeps playing the old Jimmy Buffet song, Cheeseburgers in Paradise.

Wrong, so wrong and yet there it is.

Instead, I am trying to focus on the fun aspects of the annual fest with the parade going by my house, pumpkins on our steps for decoration, and the need to make sure all cars are properly parked and out of the way before parade time.

Well, at least our steps are filled with pumpkins.

But this week has also seen the release of the latest Marvel Comics movie, Captain America:Civil War.

For fans of action movies and movies with a bit of fantasy, this is a winner.

I like Marvel for allowing characters to grow and develop. I like that they explore themes and realistic emotional scenarios. Most of us may never deal with aliens trying to take over our world. But we do have family members dealing with post-traumatic stress. And for those who follow politics, we know people who may like each other but really disagree on how to keep America safe.

In fact, that issue drives this movie. Because of the events in past movies and lives that have been lost and cities that have been damaged beyond repair, it has been decided by the UN that superheroes need to register and that they will only ‘help’ in situations in which they are called upon to help.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) agrees with this policy and feels superheroes need to be reined in. But Captain America (Chris Pine), the WWII hero, feels this is the wrong way to go. He is a veteran of the war in which people were separated out for their differences and does not want to be impeded to give help whenever help is needed.

The fight becomes brutal and personal when Bucky, the Winter Soldier, resurfaces as the possible culprit of a nasty bombing and assassination of an African king. There will be long time repercussions from this event. Soon, people are divided and they are recruiting new and old members to join the fight.

I find this to be a well done addition to the series. It is the last of the Captain America movies, although not the last time for us to see Captain America. It features the inclusion of new characters (Ant-Man and Falcon) while unveiling a few new friends (Spiderman and Black Panther), one of whom are clearly in awe of everyone he is fights for and against.

It is an entertaining movie with it’s one-liners and smart retorts. Characters still speak to each other as friends, even when they hate each others’ guts. There are plenty of explosions and fights to the death, including the last big fight between Cap and Iron man.

This may not be a movie for your youngest child or one that has a short tolerance for the action violence. There is one spot that might make a protective parent wary. But in the end , I enjoyed the movie for being willing to ask tough questions about power and the wielding of it.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

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A Few New Releases

Family Movie Night 

Recovering from the Pumpkin Fest should not be that difficult. No more will our family take nightly bike rides to find Waldo. No longer are we going to look at all of the scarecrows. 

Happy Birthday, Sam. Picture by J. Durham.

 

I am planning to place my hiker guy scarecrow in the front yard as soon as there is a free moment or the husband is done with touching up the paint on our trim. Plus, we have a birthday to celebrate. Our youngest turns six this Friday and there is a party to get ready. Cupcakes, pizzas and other boys sleeping over for the night. Should be fun. 

One thing he can look forward to is the DVD release this week of Iron Man 2 which stars Robert Downey Jr. This time around, people know him and his alter ego. But we see the man is having problems, difficulties with adjusting to real life, difficulties with the relationships most dear to him. 

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, having a donut while sitting in a large donut. Picture from IMDb.com.

 

He must also deal with other issues regarding his suit that are good and bad. And there is the man whose father helped create the suit that Tony wears. It is a tangled web.  

 This movie is rated PG-13 and is one that makes me cautious with the younger members of the family. However, we saw it in the drive-in this summer and thought for the most part it was OK viewing for our youngest. It will not be played at the party but saved for a family-only time. 

 We do not always get to the theater to see movies the first time around. The husband and I try to sneak out for date nights but this is not always possible. So some nights we stay up late and watch a movie we rent for us. 

 This week the movie coming out on DVD that is best for adults only is Get Him To The Greek starring Russell Brand and Jonah Hill. My every attempt to rent this movie since Tuesday has been met with disappointment as it is always gone. 

This movie was produced by Judd Apatow, so you should feel pretty confident in knowing that there is going to be boozing, sex, swear words and blue humor galore, especially if you get the un-cut version. Otherwise, it is a solid ‘R’ rating. 

Jonah Hill and Russell Brand in Get Him To The Greek. Picture from IMDB.com

 The story is about an intern (Hill) who must get a former rock god (Brand) to the Greek Auditorium in Los Angeles from London to start his comeback tour on time. It is going to take cunning and trickery to do it but Hill is prepared to do anything and everything to keep his job. 

 I have enjoyed the adult-specific comedies that Apatow has specialized in over the last few years. I am hoping this will be a good flick that will make me laugh heartily at someone else’s mistakes and foibles. Plus, I do enjoy how Brand can be incredible sensitive and the next second a total jerk. Perhaps he, like Jack Black, is an acquired taste. 

 Until next week, see you in the rental aisle. 

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