Get the Bucket

Family Movie Night

By Karyn Bowman

Last week, we had a sick kid in the family. I could tell you the whole story that involved a trip to the firehouse and a failed trip to ER that resulted in said child throwing up in the car.

Then again, this is the child who is almost never sick, almost never feeling bad enough to miss school. He proudly shows me the part of his report card that tells the story of no missed days. Well, not for this quarter.

The problem is how must one stay quiet and rest after resting too many days and feeling ready to move but not feeling well enough to move. When the boy cannot finish a bowl of his favorite soup, you know he is sick.

Usually in my house the solution is simple. I find animated films so that rest can happen but a person is ‘occupied.’ Some would call this a win-win situation. But this child is not the other kids in the family. Tarzan or Toy Story are not among his choices of movies.

So I made the choice that I felt was the best for the situation. I picked up Transformers. I am talking about the mixed live action/computer animation, loud as thunder, action packed movie that help launch the career of Shia LaBeouf from TV to the silver screen.

The story is about a young man who is buying his first car. OK, Dad is buying it and he is shopping. At the first lot they walk onto, the kid spots a car that looks run down. He is trying to decide function over fashion but Dad seems determined to go for cheap. After a momentary glitch in which the windows of all of the other cars break, Sam is driving home a rusty Camero that needs a little work.

It doesn’t take long for Sam to try to leverage his new car as a way to get not-so-secret-crush Michaela into his life or to find out maybe the car is not exactly what it appears to be. In fact, the car is something more, an alien who is to protect Sam from other forces that wants something he has and it is not Michaela.

Soon, Sam finds himself on a dangerous journey, trying to return the cube to the military. We get the pleasure of watching giant mechanical beings destroy a city and Dad’s garden. There are plenty of great lines to repeat day after day so kids will understand the importance of the tasks faced in this movie.

Should this movie be ridiculed? Yes because there are times the action and or dialogue is just awful. But the delivery from our various actors such as Josh Duhumel, Kevin Dunn, and Megan Fox somehow works. And then there is Optimus Prime, perhaps one of the best super good guys who gets that sometimes self sacrifice is the only way.

Sure watching this movie makes my house shake to its foundation. And there are times that I look at the animation and wonder how anyone could have come up with these spectacular shots.

But I also have to admit that for a few days after watching this movie I wonder if my cell phone would ever turn on me.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Loving Stanley

Family Movie Night

by Karyn Bowman

So this past weekend, our youngest made a point of watching Transformers: Age of Extinction. Baseball is finished and the boy had a friend over spending the night.

All that was left to do was make popcorn and salt it down.

In this version, Optimus Prime has become an outlaw in the minds of the American people and the government. In the opening scenes, we see Rachet hunted and killed by soldiers and different creature, Lockdown, willing to tear apart the metallic creatures for scrap.

It is sad and disheartening.

That is till we find out Optimus Prime is alive and hiding out. Once he is ‘found’ by a poor mechanic/inventor played by Mark Wahlberg, it is only a matter of time before havoc is wreaked upon the lives of all humans who try to help him.

So I am watching because I find the special effects in these movies just fascinating. We are watching metal beings have fights but in reality they are computer programs. But then I noticed something else. There are some good actors in this movie. People such as Kelsey Grammer and Stanley Tucci.

I can hear it now. Kelsey Grammer? That guy who played the snobby psychiatrist for nearly 20 years? Yes, I do mean him because he plays a great villain. Grammar uses his deep voice and hulking manner to make us fearful of him. We know that he is always in complete control and that control might mean the end of someone else’s life.

Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci in Transformers: Age of Extinction

It was seeing Tucci that really made me stand up and notice. I mean this is a guy who repeatedly works in some of the best movies of our day. He works with Merle Streep because he can keep up with her. But every now and then I have seen him in cheesy action/adventure movies like the Transformers.

It makes me wonder why he does it. My personal theory is that after a very dramatic role that takes a high amount of energy, it is fun to perform in these movies that require much physical exertion and the chance to pop off fun one-liners. Stanley Tucci works in high profile movies such as The Hunger Games, The Lovely Bones, Julie and Julia. I have seen him in light-hearted fare such as Shall We Dance and Maid in Manhattan. I have also seen Tucci do action adventure in The Core.

Stanley Tucci in Burlesque

You know what? It is worth it every time. He makes bad movie better just by showing up.

Tucci has perfected self centered characters. But he can be powerful and good-hearted. It doesn’t what type of character he is playing, I just want to watch him to see what his choices will be in whatever project he is working because it is always interesting and compelling. No matter what, I always believe him in whatever role he is playing.

That is the sign of a good actor.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Transforming to the Next Age

Family Movie Night

 

By Karyn Bowman

 

This week the Bowman family is celebrating.

 

We are celebrating because the youngest member of the family turns 8 years old.

 

As some of you may know, Sam was not planned or even expected. But he came as a present on my 40^th year. He has been the most challenging as he has the most energy of them all. Sam is in constant movement until it is time to go to bed. Chances are he will fall asleep wherever he is at the moment.

 

Poster Image from Wikipedia

So I asked him to tell me his favorite movie. I expected a batman movie or some cartoon. But not him. He went straight for the gusto with Transformers 2.

 

For those not familiar with the series, Transformers are aliens who are giant mechanical robots that can take the shape of vehicles. They have to see one in order to change into that car.

 

The favorite one seems to be Bumblebee which is a yellow Chevy that has black strips detailing. He is a loyal friend to the lead character, also named Sam, but Bumblebee cannot speak although he can channel music or movie dialogue to express his feelings.

 

The leader is Optimus Prime who changes into a blue and red semi truck. Optimus is the last member of the Prime family. He believes in freedom for all, not for some, and is the sworn enemy of Megatron.

 

In the first movie which stars Shia LaBoeuf as high school senior, Sam Witwicky, who wants a car and his father buys him an old junker that is yellow with black strips. Soon enough, Sam will discover the secret of his car as well as the rest of the group. Eventually, they will save the world from Megatron and his ilk.

 

But, of course, that is never enough. In the second movie, Megatron is brought back from the depths of the ocean and is helping a greater being who wants to literally devour the sun. But he needs a few things from Earth.

 

Meanwhile, Sam is going away for college while leaving behind Mikaela and Bumblebee. His first few days do not go as planned as Sam begins to see images of a plan. Then he discovers that an assassin has been sent for him in a very pretty package. Soon enough, he is back with Agent Simmons trying to figure out the images and saving the world once more.

 

This is an intense movie as there is constant fighting going on. The noise level is very loud with constant explosions, gunfire and the vrooming of vehicles. We will be taken around the world, into museums, through the pyramids and finally back to home. It is a bombastic adventure with comedic moments involving new transformers. And there is a good chance that we will watch this movie sometime this week.

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

Recovering from Pumpkin Fest

Family Movie Night

 

By Karyn Bowman

 

So did your family have fun at Pumpkin Fest?

 

I know we did. We loved the parade – Frankenstein was funny – and getting out to play a few games was great. We had kids in the variety show and most of Sunday was spent at the truck pull.

 

Our 4H group runs the food stand, serving hamburgers, hots dogs and brats. It is a great fundraiser and you do see our kids in 4H doing a good bit of the work. And that is what I like about 4H. It gives the kids a chance to try out different things and find ways to be busy that does not involve getting onto trouble.

 

I bet many of you are thinking that 4H has the kids doing a lot of things that are farm related. But how many of us can have a cow in the back yard? I have had kids in 4H for a long time and we have never shown a cow. But we have shown rabbits and guinea pigs. Even Storm the wonder dog was a 4H project for a few years.

 

Plus, the kids show their art projects, worked on rockets, collected rocks and bugs, read books and baked cookies. There are so many projects to try out and kids get value out of the program. That is what I like about it.

 

So I was looking over the list of movies coming out and I have to say there are two I am looking forward to seeing because I never did see them in the theater.

 

Transformers: Dark of the Moon; Image from IMDb.com

The first could be a family movie if you do not mind a loud movie full of chase scenes and explosions.

Transformers:Dark of the Moon comes to the home market this week with thrilling scenes set in Chicago. Once more danger is coming to Planet Earth and it is so big even the Autobots may not be able to save us.

 

I know what to expect. Big action, grand statements from Optimus Prime and Sam making a run for his very life. It should be humongous.

 

 This next selection is not a family friendly movie. It is best suited for a girls night in although I guess the guys could watch it as well. Bridesmaids  is the

Movie Poster Image from IMDb.com

story of how an inept woman manages to pull off the wildest weekend of her best friend’s life just before her wedding. And then there is the complication of the sister-in-law who thinks she is in charge.

 

You call it a hangover movie for women, you can call it crazy. But Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Illinois native Melissa McCarthy really give this movie their all. With the “R” rating, there is no way that this movie is appropriate for the small children in the house. Maybe it is ok with your teens but that depends on your rules.

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.