Something Blue

Family Movie Night

 

By Karyn Bowman

 

I am on a quest to lose weight.

 

With a family history of diabetes, I am working to build better habits now to ensure that I will have them later.

 

One tool I used to record my workouts is the Noom app I found on my smart phone.

 

Gratuitous picture of Hugh Jackman from IMDb.com

For the workout portion of the program, I can see how many steps I took, my distance, time and rate of speed. It will also map my route using the gps device. During the walk, it even talks to me in an English accent.

 

I call this voice ‘Hugh” because it reminds me of Hugh Laurie from the TV show “House” and Hugh Jackman. I set the volume for Hugh at the loudest rate possible so that I can hear it, especially if Storm decides to chase a squirrel or bird or another dog.

 

So when it came to this week’s column, I thought ‘wouldn’t it be great if we watched the latest Hugh Jackman movie, Real Steal, and tie this all together. But luck or fate was not with us. While I kept the dog outside (there is no way Larry wants my dog running around his store and I am not paying the outrageous food bill that dog will amass), my daughter went in to get the movie.

 

Poster Image from IMDb.com

“The bad news is Real Steal was out,” she said upon coming out of the store. “But I got The Smurfs instead.” There was excitement in her face and I was feeling so disappointed. I did not want to watch tiny blue people on my relaxing Friday night, I wanted Hugh Jackman.

 

The thing is, once the movie came into the house and the other members heard that the movie of the night was The Smurfs, they were pretty happy. Then friends showed up to watch the movie. I made four pizzas and the husband was lucky to get one piece. I was lucky to get two pieces and I was in the house from the beginning.

 

The movie is about how Gargamel (Hank Azaria) brings the Smurfs to New York City in order to steal their power. It is a long drawn out plan that involves leaf blowers and a castle in Central Park .

 

Somehow, the smurfs connect with Patrick and Grace Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays). Well, sooner or later, everyone figures out what needs to happen to get the smurfs back to their own world and take care of business in New York . Papa Smurf, as voiced by Jonathon Winters, gives sage advice to the expectant father and Smurfette (Katy Perry) bonds with Grace, the only other girl she has ever met.

 

The kids loved it. They had a good time watching this movie while I wondered how many times Neil Patrick Harris called his agent and screamed. OK, the sequence in which he went off on the continual use of the word ‘smurf’ was good but the hugs at the end were unnecessary.

 

All I can say is that it is a safe movie for kids to watch alone and they will enjoy it. It is not something I am planning to ever watch again.

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

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What’s New To View This Week

Family Movie Night

 

by Karyn Bowman

 

This is the season in which we watch a lot of movies that are old favorites. Holiday movies impart a sense of hope that we may not feel the rest of the year.

 

Poster Image from IMDb.com

There is so much we want for the holiday season: to gather with family and not have any drama; to get together with loved one and lose old argument; to participate in as much as possible without feeling frazzled.

 

When you get tired of Christmas movies and Christmas songs and Christmas festivities there are always movies from the summer to take us back.

 

One of the hits from this summer was The Smurfs. The kids will have fun with this movie as the little blue people and their nemesis, Gargamel, find a portal that takes them to New York City.

 

The smurfs have to find their way back before the evil wizard destroys everything they know. The movie will be a blast from the past for parents who grew up with the smurfs. And it has a PG rating, making it safe for all family members.

 

Other movies coming out this week are meant for an older crowd.

 

Poster image from IMDb.com

Take 30 Minutes of Less starring Jesse Eisenberg as a pizza deliveryman who is being forced to rob a bank for some petty criminals. He is going to need the help of his former best friend, Aziz Ansari, to help him avoid assassins and various other obstacles.

 

This movie has an R rating due to crude humor, pervasive language and violence. It might be better suited for the older teens hanging around but not for the youngest members of the house.

 

A dippy comedy coming out this week stars Paul Rudd as Our Idiot Brother. His three sisters – Zooey Deschanel, Emily Mortimer and Elizabeth Banks – take in their brother after his latest love affair dies a bitter death. The problem is that their brother is not the smartest of men and constantly trusts people when he should not.

 

So does that make him a idiot in all things? Maybe yes, maybe no. But this gentle comedy works on the charm of its leading actor and how he interacts with the rest of the cast. The movie is rated R and therefore not appropriate for the younger members of the family.

 

Poster Image from IMDb.com

Finally, if you are looking for a romantic movie to slip away with there is the recent release of One Day starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgis. They meet at college and continue to meet up with each other on July 15 for the next 20 years.

 

We see the changes of their lives, as one plays hard and the other works hard. Slowly we see if they are meant for each other or simply the touch point of each other’s lives. The movie is rated PG-13 and can be intense at various moments. I would suggest it for older teens and up, not for children unless you find a censored version.

 

 

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.