Fly Me To The Moon is a 3-D animated movie from Disney nWave Pictures & Illuminata Pictures that is about three fly's who stow away on Apollo 11 and have the adventure of their lives going to the moon and back with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Well, that's the basic boring marketing premise. In actuality it was really more of a showcase of Disney's new 3D movie making techniques and a lot less about the flys, their adventures, or even the moon for that matter.
The movie starts with the 3 young "teenage" flies hanging out in a junkyard building their own model rocket and dreaming of their own opportunities for adventure. They are quickly taunted by two apparently"cool" flies who are off to a great adventure of visiting a neighboring town. At this point the story goes into one of it's many lulls and the viewer is subjected to a 3D travel sequence. These generally meaningless segments of the movie happen quite a bit but I suppose they aren't any worse than the boring and stereotypical group of heros; the rebel and his two friends (the smart one and the fat one), the soft but cagey old grandfather, the boring and oft-fainting mother, and the too-good-for you cool kids. Add into this mix the typical cold-ware fare Russian stereotypes (where in Soviet Russia even the Fly's are Communist) such as the beautiful and mysterious lady who falls for the roguish American, the scarred spy, and the short and belligerent colonel. In general the cast of characters was pretty lame and predictable (kind of like the incredibly shallow story).
The boys adventure to space attracts the attention of the Soviet flies and the impending danger helps the old American fly reunite with his lost Russian love as well as brining all of the American flies together to save our intrepid heroes. Yawn. To top it all off the price of admission was $27 for three people - or, as the cashier put it, 1 adult and 2 children. $9 a person! Why? Because the studio had opted out of actually telling a story and, instead, decided to try and WOW us with their 3D technology. Consider me unimpressed. We did get some high-grade plastic 3D glasses though; however, I doubt we will be able to use them to save money at a future 3D movie.
If it weren't for the fact that my 7 year old daughter liked the movie so much I would say there is nothing worthwhile in the film. However, the 3D effects really did entrance her and she spent quite a bit of time acting like she was grabbing at the various flies, mosquitoes, and maggots that seemed to jump off of the screen. On a scale of 0-5 I'll give this a 1/2 and only because she liked the effects.
A settled nomad living on the edge of Appalachia. I love to listen to music, spend time with my family, and play sports. I'm lucky enough to write code for a living. I'm often accused of having no "filter" as I tend to overshare. I make beer on occasion and try to sample new beers whenever I can.
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Fly Me To The Moon - A Review
3 min read
Anyone Using NetFlix?
1 min read
My older brother and I both use netflix but I'm wondering if anyone else who reads my blog uses it? They have a "friends" feature on there that could be cool for using in getting recommendations to other movies based on the stuff your friends like. So far just 2 of my brothers are on there as my friends so it would be cool to add a few more. I'm not sure of the best way to connect with others who are using netflix already but hopefully we can figure it out. I know you can click on this link to be my friend I'm just not sure if it is reciprocated or not automatically.
Chris Rock - A Sucka?
1 min read
My older brother and I have this movie, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, that we just love. Why? Because it is hilarious. It's a Wayans brother film with Keenan the headliner but their is this small role by Chris Rock in the movie that cracks me up everytime I think about it.
Now, to be honest, this recording doesn't really do it justice, but it's still funny - enjoy.
Stranger than Fiction - a Belated Review
4 min read
I have a net-flix account that I am pretty bad at using. I have had three DVDs sitting on top of my TV since mid-august waiting on me to watch them. This past week I actually got around to watching all three, but only one, Stranger than Fiction, was good enough, to me, to warrant any commentary.
Stranger Than Fiction is a Will Ferrell movie that is totally and unequivocally like no other Will Ferrell movie. He plays the role of Harold Crick, an IRS Agent, who is also, oddly enough, the protagonist in a book that is being written by a high respected author; Karen Eiffel (played by Emma Thompson). I realize, if you haven't seen the movie that that little summation probably doesn't make any sense. However, it didn't make much sense to Harold either as he was brushing his teeth and suddenly heard the authors voice narrating his normal, and dull, daily life - narrating in a voice only he can hear.
Most people, I think, would think that they might be crazy. However, the authors narration is uncannily accurate and so Harold is both frustrated and intrigued, until suddenly, while waiting on the bus, he hears the narration that foreshadows his impending, and nearly-immediate death. At first Harold visits a psychiatrist but he disagrees with her diagnosis so he follows her secondary advice and visits with a literary expert, Professor Jules Hibert (played by Dustin Hoffman). Professor Hibert tries to help him make sense of the narration but, overall, is little help beyond telling Harold that he should just live his own life.
Thankfully, Harold listens to the professor and starts to break out of his mold of living his days in a cookie cutter fashion and he pursues a love interest with the most recent victim of one of his audits, a baker named Ana Pascal (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal). Harold not only finds Ana exceptionally attractive and intriguing but Professor Hibert alluded that were she to fall in love with Harold that perhaps his story would become a comedy and not a deadly tragedy.
At this point I am reluctant to really reveal more about the movie's plot for fear of ruining it. I rarely write reviews and they are normally very brief and cursory. However, I think this movie deserves a little more effort on my part. I throughly enjoyed it. I am not a Will Ferrell fan but I thought he did a superb job in this movie and, much like Harold Crick I found Maggie Gyllenhaal to be irresistible. I have not seen her in any other movies before and I doubt I will watch any of her previous work based on this movie - but her performance, and presence, in this movie was a very nice complement to Ferrell's. Dustin Hoffman was his typical odd self - very much the same person he always seems to be to me; his motions always seem a little jerky and his dictation equally unbalanced - but he was still an interesting character who added a little flavor to the movie. The best performance however, was by Emma Thompson - the Author. Not only did I really enjoy her voice as she narrated her caustic and torn character, when the audience experienced her personally was a great counter to the hum-drum existence of Harold and his friends, and Ana and her edgy cuteness.
I doubt kids would really enjoy the movie just because it does move along at a slow pace, the scenes are generally pretty dry, and the humor quirky. However, I think most adults would enjoy this film - I will even watch this one again with Lisa - I think she will like it as well.
RATING7
My Daemon - Help Me With It
1 min read
I haven't seen the movie The Golden Compass yet but their website has this neat tool that pairs you with some kind of animal spirit called a daemon (pronounced just like demon). In the fantasy world the movie is based on each person is split into a physical form and a spiritual form - their human body is the physical and the animal is their spiritual half. On the website they have a 20 question personality quiz that they use to match you up with a Daemon. My daemon is currently a female lion (daemons are almost always opposite gender to the physical half) named Theonella.
However, it is possible I don't really know myself as well as my friends and family do. So they have this add-on questionaire that you guys can answer to help better identify my daemon. So, if you don't mind please just answer these quick questions and we will see how it ends up. We only have 12 days to further refine my daemon before it is finalized so please just take a moment now to complete it. Thanks
"A Girl Like Me"
1 min read
I just watched a short documentary on Google called "A Girl Like Me" by Kiri Davis that discusses the view Black women, and children, can have of themselves. While it isn't a surprising story it is a sad testimony about the point we are at dealing with race in America.
The saddest part of an entirely sad movie for me was when the little girl was trapped by the series of questions. She was first asked to pick which baby was the "good" one (between a white and black baby doll). She picked the white one. Then she was asked to pick the bad one and she picked the black one. Next she was asked why one was good and the other bad and the young girl (maybe 6) choose their skin color for her determining factor. Finally, the interviewer asked the young girl which one looked like her and, reluctantly, the girl pushed the black one forward. Six is way too young to a self-image that equates to "bad" and it is a shame that is based purely on the fact that she is Black.
The Barnyard
2 min read
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The Barnyard was a decent movie. Shannon (5yrs) really liked it. I enjoyed it as well but far too much of the storyline seemed like a blatant ripoff of "The Lion King"; except this movie had more humor.
To give a basic overview The Barnyard is about the son (Otis) of the leader of the animals (Ben). When he encounters tragedy he has to face responsibility he doesn't really want yet and deal with the continuing threat of the coyotes and their leader Dag, but before he does that he burns off some juvenile steam with a trio of rebel cows. This basically seemed like the same scenario that was in the Lion King to me. The son (Simba) of the Leader (Mufassa) had to deal with tragedy and then was forced to face responsibility by dealing with the threat of hyenas led Scar. Both also have the requisite love connection (Otis - Daisy and Simba - Nala). Both have a wise old man who helps guide the lost hero (Miles and Rafiki) that are both even voiced by black actors. Both even end up with a baby they get to present to their respective followers.
Basically, what I'm saying is, if you have seen the Lion King you can skip The Barnyard. However if you want some fun lighthearted animation comedy that your kids will enjoy even if they have seen the Lion King then the Barnyard is a fine choice. There were a couple of dark scenes that some very young children may get scared during but Shannon had no trouble with any part of this movie.
2.0 stars
We Are Marshall - The Movie
1 min read
You may not know this but back in the early 1970's the entire Marshall University football team died in a horrific plane crash as it approached their plane approached the Huntington WV airport. It is considered the biggest tragedy in US sports history. There have been a few different documentaries that tell the tale of Marshall's rise from "ashes to glory" where they managed to win the NCAA 1-AA championships in the mid 1990's (including a perfect season in 1996). Now there is an actual drama being made that details the crash and the following season where Marshall managed to rebuild a team, and in the process, help bring some healing to a devastated community. The film, We Are Marshall, is scheduled to be released on Dec 22, 2006 - but you can see the trailer right now! The link takes you to the full screen version (it is better that way) and requires the "flash" player. If you would prefer to watch the film in a smaller version (for those with a dialup connection http://
Talladega Nights
1 min read
Instead of a movie review, today I offer you a movie preview. As a preface let me say I am not, in anyway, a NASCAR fan. However, the movie, "Talladega Nights - The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" looks fantastically funny. It stars Will Farrell as a NASCAR driver and the events that occur in his life. Normally I am not that big of a Will Farrell fan but he seems perfectly cast for this movie. True, I have only seen the trailer - but I laughed WAY out loud during the trailer. Look for this movie in August of 2006 - hopefully it will be as funny, if not funnier, than the trailer!
Mission Impossible III
2 min read
The mission, and I chose to accept it, was to endure MI:3 last friday night. I entered the theater with very little hope of being entertained. The first two movies in the series were bad. The second, in fact, was one of the worst movies I have ever watched. Yet, for some strange reason, I was there, in the padded seat, waiting for Tom Cruise to once again make a mockery of the Mission Impossible franchise but then something happened - this movie had a decent story. Sure, there were scenes where I couldn't suspend my disbelief enough but that's ok because over the top events are a core of Mission Impossible; I mean, they are Impossible Missions afterall.
MI:3 started with a hook that pulled me in and, while there were times I rolled my eyes, I stayed and actually enjoyed this movie. In fact, If someone asked me for a action movie recommendation I wouldn't be embarrased to send them to this one. Tom Cruise was alright even if I couldn't help but imagine him jumping up and down on a couch everytime he smiled. His costars were better even if they were just fluff on the sides of a movie that focused almost purely on Cruise's character Ethan Hunt.
In this movie he actually took on 4 impossible missions. The first was a rescue mission for a star pupil. The second was a kidnapping, the third a theft of "the rabbits foot" (the key plot device), and the final was another rescue; this time of his love interest. I don't want to spoil how any of the missions worked out but each had it's ups and downs and even a bit of humor.
In the end, I thought the resolution was pretty predictable and kind of easy - but overall it was still a good movie.
RATING7