Dec 9 2014

TouringPlans – Beaches & Cream Soda Shop Review

Please check out my latest article on TouringPlans – A review of Beaches & Cream Soda Shop!

Nov 7 2014

Disney Movie Review – Big Hero 6

Last night my boys and I decided it was time to hit the movies again. This time, we ventured out to the theatre to see the newest Disney release, Big Hero 6. We have been seeing the preview for this film for months, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting its release. From the trailers, it looked like we would be in for an action-packed ride with a healthy dose of emotion. It proved to be quite the roller coaster ride and we were not disappointed!

WARNING – SPOILERS FOLLOWING THE PHOTO!!

This film is inspired by the Marvel comic book of the same name and follows the story of 14 year old genius, Hiro Hamada. Hiro enjoys spending his time fighting robots until his brother, Tadashi, shows him the robotics lab at his university. Hiro immediately decides that he would like to be a part of the program and sets out to design an invention to win admission. He creates impressive microbots that can be controlled telepathically and is awarded a place at the university on the spot. Before they can enjoy working together, a fire break outs at the university killing Hiro’s brother, Tadashi. This is just the beginning of what is an hour and a half emotional roller coaster as we watch Hiro and Tadashi’s friends deal with the loss and at the same time battle the evil forces that were responsible for the fire and ultimately the death of Hiro’s beloved brother. Tadishi leaves behind his legacy, Baymax, an adorable personal health companion and the true heart of the film.

Overall, my boys and I truly enjoyed Big Hero 6. This movie was definitely more emotional than most Disney films where you have an isolated death at the beginning of the story like Frozen or Finding Nemo. The film begins with Tadishi and Hiro having already lost their parents, the entire plot of the film is driven by the passing of Tadishi and the peril in which we find another beloved character is gut-wrenching. But as you find with most Disney movies, all of the emotional upheaval is purposeful and creates a meaningful and touching story. I would definitely recommend this film to families with kids of all ages, but you may need to prepare more sensitive children in advance. I’ve included the trailer below and for more details, reviews, ratings and for help determining if it might be right for your family, please check out this link.

Have you seen Big Hero 6?
Did you enjoy it? Please leave a comment!

Oct 10 2014

Disney Movie Review – Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Photo Courtesy of Disney.com

Today my boys and I decided it was time to hit the movies again. This time, we ventured out to the theatre to see the newest Disney release, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. We have been seeing the preview for this film for months, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting its release. From the trailers, it looked like it would be a perfect combination of comedy and a meaningful message. We were not disappointed!

WARNING – SPOILERS FOLLOWING THE PHOTO!!

Photo Courtesy of Disney.com

This film is based on a book by the same name and follows the story of Alexander who is about to turn 12 years old. The day before his birthday, he has a particularly bad day while the rest of his family’s lives couldn’t be better. He makes a wish that his family could experience a day like his and the rest, as they say, is history. What follows is the hilarious and heart-warming story of what happens to each member of his family over the course of Alexander’s birthday. The script, characters and acting are all exceptional and there is a little bit of something that everyone can relate to in this film. Seriously, who hasn’t had such a bad day that you just have to laugh?

Overall, my boys and I loved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day! This is by far one of the best family movies that we have seen this year. I would definitely recommend this film to families with kids of all ages! I’ve included the trailer below and for more details, reviews, ratings and for help determining if it might be right for your family, please check out this link.

Have you seen Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?
Did you enjoy it? Please leave a comment!

Aug 2 2014

Disney Marvel Movie Review – Guardians of the Galaxy

Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com

On Friday, my boys and I decided it was time to hit the movies again. This time, we ventured out to the theatre to see the newest Disney Marvel release, Guardians of the Galaxy. I had a few concerns heading into this movie. First, I am typically not a fan of science fiction or superheroes. To be honest, the first superhero movie I ever saw was The Avengers that came out a couple of years ago. I surprisingly loved The Avengers so I went into this film with an open mind. Secondly, I was a bit concerned about the violence in Guardians of the Galaxy and if it would be suitable for my boys (ages 8 and 11) considering that it had received a PG13 rating. Finally, I wondered just how bad the language in this movie would actually be and would I have a lot of things to explain when we got home. Luckily, my worries were for nothing and we all truly enjoyed it!

WARNING – SPOILERS FOLLOWING THE PHOTO!!

Photo Courtesy of Marvel.com

This film follows the story of Peter Quill who was abducted from earth after his mother’s death. Years later, Quill steals an orb that contains an infinity stone that he plans to sell for an enormous sum. After being arrested, Peter teams up with a unique gang of characters; Rocket, Gamora, Groot and Drax each dealing with their own issues of loss and uncertainty. Together they have to fight against the evil Ronan who plans to use the orb to destroy a planet. The things my boys and I enjoyed the most were the humor and themes of teamwork and friendship that were incorporated throughout the movie. The character of Rocket the Raccoon, voiced by Bradley Cooper, stole the show! Things to keep in mind before seeing this film:

This movie begins with the gut wrenching death of Peter’s mother.
This movie is violent. My boys thought the level fell more violent than Star Wars less violent than Lord of the Rings. It was what I would consider sci-fi violence; mostly hand-to-hand fighting, lasers, explosions and similar.
Death is spoken about often in the film. One character talks about avenging the death of his wife and daughter. There are also a lot of death threats made.
There are at least a dozen uses of profanity during the movie and one obscene gesture.
There are some veiled references to Peter being with a lot of women. These would easily go over the heads of younger kids.

Overall, my boys and I really enjoyed Guardians of the Galaxy. I would definitely recommend this film to lovers of science fiction and superheroes! I’ve included the trailer below and for more details, reviews, ratings and for help determining if it might be right for your family, please check out this link.

Have you seen Guardians of the Galaxy? Did you enjoy it? Please leave a comment!

Jul 23 2014

Disney Movie Review – Planes: Fire & Rescue

Photo Courtesy of http://www.movies.disney.com

On Friday, after returning from our Disney cruise to Alaska, my boys and I were exhausted from traveling, unpacking and doing laundry. We decided it was time to take a break, so we headed off to the movies to see Disney’s newest feature Planes: Fire & Rescue. To be honest, I was less than thrilled to be seeing this movie. I was not a fan of the first Planes movie and couldn’t imagine that this one would be any better. However, I was pleasantly surprised!

WARNING – SPOILERS FOLLOWING THE PHOTO!!

Photo Courtesy of http://www.movies.disney.com

In this sequel, we continue to follow the story of Dusty Crophopper, the former crop duster. He is now a famous champion training for his next important race, when he discovers his gearbox is damaged and out of production. When he realizes his racing days may be over, he accidentally starts a fire that starts a chain of events that has him training to become a firefighter. Planes: Fire & Rescue is so much better than the original in every way. The characters are more likable, the storyline is well-developed, there is more action and the scenery is spectacular. I would definitely recommend seeing this movie and my boys (ages 11 and 8) loved it! I’ve included the extended trailer below and for more details, reviews and ratings, please check out this link.