Lady's Choice: Favorite Animated Movies (Part 2)

Guess who's taking over!

 If you're not familiar, I'm a huge animated movie fan. If Brian's at work or gone, I am usually watching a animated movie. (He really should watch more of them in my opinion). As always I try to stick to movies that I haven't talked about them before. If you see one that you'd like me to do a full review ASAP, just let me know in the comments. Also if you missed Part 1, please go back and read about those five picks. So let's continue with five more of my favorite animated movies.

101 Dalmatians (1961)
If you read Part 1, then you know that I am a huge dog fan. 101 Dalmatians is probably one of my favorite Disney movies of all time. It's also our puppy's favorite movie, loves the Twilight Bark. Pongo sets out to find his "pet"/owner Roger and himself mates. He ends up finding Anita and her dalmatian Perdita. They have 15 puppies that Cruella De Vil wants to add to her other puppies to make a dog skin coat. When the humans can't help the puppies, it's up to Pongo and Perdita to save 99 puppies and themselves from Cruella and her henchmen while traveling across England. The animation for this movie is wonderful and has its own artistic style.

The Croods (2013)
I saw this movie on a whim on Netflix, and I loved it. The Croods is a story of family and about change. The Croods are a family of cavemen that have survived so far off of fear; however, after an earthquake destroys their cave, they must learn a new set of rules in order to make it in the new world. Grug (father and leader of the Croods), voiced by Nicholas Cage, has the hardest time adjusting. His daughter Eep on the other hand, voiced by Emma Stone, has no problems adjusting to not only the new way of life but also to the "smarter" Guy, voiced by Ryan Reynolds. Of course, Grug isn't happy but, in the end, learns to change in order to save his family from certain doom.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
I absolutely love what I have seen of Hayao Miyazaki's movies. The story telling is top notch. I'm always invested in the stories. The animation is always beautiful. Plus, they're the kind of movies that I can watch over and over again and never get bored. Nausicaä is no exception. Nausicaä centers around Princess Nausicaä (yes she is the princess of the Valley of the Wind), who lives in world that has been poisoned and humans live in scattered all across the world. Nausicaä lives in her peaceful valley but is also welcome in the Toxi Jungle, where the Ohm (giant, ancient looking trilobite) reign supreme. One night an aircraft from the kingdom of Tolmekia crashes in the valley and has aboard the Giant Warrior. It's up to Nausicaä to try and stop all out war from consuming the valley, the Ohm, and her people.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

In the era of CG models, Disney returned to more traditional animation with Princess and the Frog. This story of an independent, hard-working girl turned frog is one of my favorite. Tiana is also one of my favorite Disney princesses. The soundtrack is amazing with songs that feel like you'd actually hear them in New Orleans. Tiana is a young woman that has grown up on the words of her departed father, to work hard for what she wants. Prince Naveen, on the other hand, has never had to work a day in his life and is looking for a girl with money to marry in order to continue his party lifestyle. When both end up as frogs, they have to work together in order to get what they need, not what they want. Along the way, they team up with a horn-playing gator and a bayou firefly against the Shadow Man and his allies. It's a fun filled time for the whole family.

Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Last but not least on Part 2 of my list is Rise of the Guardians. Rise of the Guardians came out around Christmas time and was marketed as such; however, if I had to tag a holiday on to this movie it would actually be Easter, since that is the major holiday that happens during the movie. Jack Frost is known as a prankster and jokester when he is chosen to be a new Guardian. The Guardians (Nicholas St. North/Santa Clause, Sandman/Sandy, E. Aster Bunnymund/the Easter Bunny, and Tooth/the Toothfairy) are attacked by Pitch Black, aka the Boogeyman. They have to protect the world's children from the nightmares and fear that Pitch creates. While their powers disappear, it's up to Jack Frost to prove himself not only to the world but also to himself.

So what are some of your favorite animated movies? Let us down in the comments down below. 

Lady's Choice: Minions

Guess who's taking over!

Let me tell you something: I love the Despicable Me movies! They appeal to both kids and adults. As Brian has said previously that those movies are just a way to pass the time with kids. So with Brian reviewing The Gallows, I have the honor of reviewing the spin-off movie: Minions. And, personally, I got the better movie. In fact, I got the number one movie of the weekend, grossing $115. 7 million. Jurassic World was number two with $18.1 million. Minions is aimed completely at kids from start to finish.

Minions is the life story of the minions and how they met Gru. If you have seen the trailers than you most likely have seen the first part of this movie. The minions evolve little. single cell minions to little, aquatic minions to the minions that kids everywhere know from Despicable Me. They are really, really bad at keeping a boss. From accidentally tossing a Tyrannosaurus-Rex in a volcano to shooting Napoleon with a cannon, the Minions are kind of accident prone.

The Minions end up all alone, and, at first, they build something like their version of a civilization. However, they fall into a depression with no boss to serve. So Kevin, Stuart, and little Bob go out into the very changed world in order to find a new boss to help try and rule the world. Since they haven't seen the changes that the world has gone through in the last few hundred years, the Minions are in a strange land but seem to adapt fairly well. From arctic furs to their jean overalls, the Minions blend in and start their search for a boss. It is isn't until they see a secret advertisement for Villain Con that Kevin, Stuart, and Bob start heading in the right direction: Orlando, Florida. 

Through a series of funny circumstances, the Minions end up at Villain Con and also become Scarlet Overkill's , voiced by Sandra Bullock, henchmen. Scarlet is the world's number one super villain, and now she wants Queen Elizabeth II's crown (though it would be even better for her if she could actually be the queen). Her husband Herb equips the three with weapons for their heist, and the next day they head to the Tower of London. Between Stuart being able to dance with some hypnotized guards to Bob becoming King of England to giant Kevin trying to protect his tribe, the minions learn that, while Scarlet is the top villain, this is one boss that won't tolerate any mistakes or mishaps. 

Minions is very kid centered. I honestly cannot think of a message. Despicable Me and Despicable Me 2 had family oriented messages. This movies really doesn't have one, which kind of turns off any adults in the audience. Our showing had mostly kids with parents and few teenagers. The kids were laughing more than we were, so the movie does appeal to kids. I'm just looking for something a little big more I guess.

The new characters, mainly Scarlet and Herb, are not really explored. She's there to be evil, which she enjoys, and Herb is there to supply the lava guns, Scarlet's high-tech dress, etc. Kevin, Stuart, and Bob each have their distinct personalities. Kevin (tallest with two eyes) is the leader and cares deeply for his tribe. Stuart (the middle one with one eyes) is obsessed with guitars and music. He's also trying to out do Kevin. He didn't really come along by choice. Bob (smallest with two eyes) is kind of like the little kid or little brother of the group. He's trusting and loves his bear Tim. Kevin is often taking care of Bob.

The animation for Minions is the same as Despicable Me. The soundtrack is better for the previous two than the spin-off. What is missing most for me is what the other Despicable Me movies had, but this one doesn't: Plot. There's a story of course, how the Minions found Gru (who does appear a couple times in the movie); however, there's no plot, no character development. The Minions do just stumble through the conflict with Scarlet and into Gru. It's not a huge thing for a kids' movie, but I don't think that Minions will land in my top movies of 2015.

Rating:  6.5/10

Buy on BluRay:  Only if the Minions were a huge draw for you to Despicable Me, otherwise no. 

So what did you think about Minions  Was it as entertaining as Despicable Me or Despicable Me 2?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Lady's Choice: Favorite Animated Movies (Part 1)

Guess who's taking over!

I have always loved animation, though I suck at drawing. From Disney to anime, animated movies have been a big part of my life, and they don't get talked about enough  So, I thought I'd share some of them with you from time to time. These are in no particular order and are from no particular studio or time period. However, if I have talked about it recently in another post then I'll wait to talk about it again, particularly if I just did a long review of it. If you want a full review of a movie that I mention, just let me know in the comments. Hope you enjoy five of my favorite animated movies. 

Lady and the Tramp (1955)

I am a huge Disney fan and a huge dog person. Plus my first dog was a Cocker Spaniel similar to Lady, and Brian's and my puppy right now looks like Tramp but smaller. So it makes a lot of sense that Lady and the Tramp is one of my favorite animated movies. Lady is the pet of Jim Dear and Darling (they call each other this so she think that those are her owners' names) and lives in a well off neighborhood. Tramp on the other paw lives on the streets without any owners or family. When Lady's family has a baby and goes away for awhile, she ends up on the streets with Tramp their to try and protect her from the harshness of the streets and from ending up in the pound. Which way of life will come out on top: collar or no collar?

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Based on a book series by the same name, How to Train Your Dragon starts off like any viking-tale, fighting dragons. However, Hiccup is different from other dragons. He is more brains than muscle. Through his inventions, he brings down a rare and powerful Night Fury. However, he can't bring himself to kill the dragon, who he names Toothless and tries to help him fly again. From there, adventure awaits the two unlikely of friends. Not to mention the CG is fantastic. It's more than just a story about a boy and his dragon, though. It's about being comfortable with who you are, even if that's the complete opposite of everyone else in the village. In the end, you might just be what the world or at least your village needs. 

Rango (2011)

Imagine Johnny Depp as a chameleon who wants to be a good actor. Sound kind of funny? That's because it is. I saw this movie in theaters with my family, and it had everyone laughing almost the entire time. Rango get stranded in the Mojave Desert and stumbles on the town of Dirt, inhabited by various desert animals. Rango becomes the sheriff of Dirt, which is literally drying up from lack of water. Hilarity ensues as Rango and his posse have to find the water before the town dries up. Looking for funny watch? Try this animated adventure. 

Happy Feet (2006)

Penguins are adorable, and the creators of Happy Feet have used that to create this awesome little flick. The penguins in Happy Feet live life with song, from making it through the long, cold winter to finding love. Mumble causes a stir when he is born because he can't sing. Instead, Mumble dances like non-other. As he grows up, he is an outcast and later blamed for the lack of fish. His adventures to find out what happened to the fish lead him from a group of small penguins to having humans around the world watching him. The visuals are beautiful, and the movie is filled with great sounding remixes of songs make for a great soundtrack. Whether you take away the environment message or to just be yourself, Happy Feet is a real treat for the whole family.  

Peter Pan (1953)

Last on the list for this week but certainly not the least is the 1953 classic Peter Pan. This Disney classic is about a boy named Peter who lives in Neverland and never grows up. Tinkerbell is his trusty companion fairy, though she has been known to be very jealous. He takes Wendy and her brothers to live there, so she can be a mother to him and the Lost Boys. It's not all fun and games. Neverland is filled with crocodiles and other wildlife, natives, mermaids, and, most dangerous of all, a group of pirates led by Captain Hook. Peter Pan shows the joy of being child but also the need to grow up and be with family. It's beautifully drawn and has quite a few memorable seen including a game of follow the leader and flying to Neverland, second start to the right and straight on til morning.

So what are some of your favorite animated movies? Let me know in the comments down below.

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Lady's Choice: Magic Mike XXL

Guess who's taking over!

So Magic Mike XXL and Terminator Genisys were released ahead of the 4th of July weekend, making Brian's and my date night night at the theater this week on a Tuesday instead of on a Thursday. Once again, Brian and I are going to divide up the movie reviews with what I think is an appropriate division. On a previous Lady's Choice, I reviewed Magic Mike (2012), so makes sense that I'd also review the sequel with Brian reviewing Terminator Genisys. It appears that audiences weren't entirely impressed by the new movie offerings with Terminator Genisys coming in 3rd and Magic Mike XXL coming in 4th with $12.8 million. Perhaps it being a holiday weekend actually hurt it but only time will tell for this stripping filled sequel.

Three years after Magic Mike, things are exactly what Mike Lane thought they would be when he finally was able to open up his custom furniture business and leave the world of stripping behind. This includes Brooke leaving Mike as we find out later. He only has one employee and can't afford to pay the employee's health insurance. After getting tricked into meeting up this buddies from the Kings of Tampa (the stripping group that Mike was apart of) by being told someone died. Luckily none of the Kings have died, but they were abandoned by Dallas and The Kid, who moved to an overseas market. They have decided to go the stripper convention in Myrtle Beach (it makes sense that they'd have one, but it still kind of surprised me that there was one) for one last performance, and they want Magic Mike to come along.

After what I would call a great tip of the hat to the first movie, Mike decides that he will join the Kings of Tampa for a little get away from what is currently going on in his life. One of their first stops is a drag queen show where the boys have a bit of fun. Mike also meets Zoe (played by Amber Heard), an aspiring photographer, when she takes a break from taking pictures of drag queens to him. After continuing their trip, Mike shows everyone that they don't have to do Dallas's old routines. However, due to some shenanigans, Tobias (played by Gabriel Iglesias) has to stay at a hospital, and their truck gets totaled.

Mike and the rest decide to continue on to Myrtle Beach. Along the way, the Kings of Tampa have to return to where Magic Mike was known as White Chocolate and an unexpected private audience where previous acquaintances make an appearance. In the end, Mike and the gang have to keep their eyes on the prize: their last blow-out performance.

This movie is both similar to and different from Magic Mike. Let's start out with the obvious: there is more male stripping. From Mike dancing in his furniture workshop to the last performance, the movie probably has double the amount of performances that were in the first one. Not only that but they take place in more than just on the stage, including a convenience store. Also, most of the performances are new in keeping with Mike's strive to not use Dallas's old routines since he left them behind. This was also a bit different because of the incorporation of male entertainers from a different group.

One thing that Brian like about the first Magic Mike was that it had plot (though he says it felt like half a movie). I liked that too. With Magic Mike XXL, there is not the same kind of plot. It feels like a different movie. The first one was somewhat of a love story/finding yourself story. This one is a "getting the band back together" kind of plot. That seems to be the biggest complaint: that it sacrifices plot for stripping. I have to say that they did a bit, but between Brian and I, I see the plot. Both movies are fun. Magic Mike XXL isn't as deep as the first one, and I am okay with that. I still had a good time watching this movie.

That all being said, I honestly don't think they could make a third Magic Mike and hope that they don't. Mike got the girl, lost the girl, and now may or may not have a new one (that is honestly up in the air). The boys may or may not have revived the Kings of Tampa. While I can see this being a trilogy, I am happy with it just being the two. Only time (and success of Magic Mike XXL) will tell.

Rating:  7/10

Buy on BluRay:  If you are a fan of the stripping and the boys having a road trip, then yes

So what did you think about Magic Mike XXL?  Was it as entertaining as the first Magic Mike?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Lady's Choice: 11 More Movies to Look Forward to in 2015

Guess who's taking over!

We are halfway done with 2015, and this year has been the year of movies for me. I have seen a lot this year (almost 1 a day between new ones, old ones that I hadn't see yet, and re-watches), but there are still a lot that I am looking forward to. Now, when I first put this list together I had a lot of the same movies that I put on the first list I made back at the beginning of the year. So I decided that if it was on that list, it couldn't be on this list. Also, it has to come out after July 4th, even if Brian posts this way in after that. Here we go with 11 more awesome looking movies that are coming out in 2015:

Trainwreck (July 17, 2015)

I am not a fan of most chick flicks. I also have not seen Bridesmaids, though I really like Knocked Up. In fact, when I first saw the posters for this movie, I just shook my head. Then the trailers started coming out, and I found myself laughing. Trainwreck stars Amy Schumer as Amy, a girl who has taken her father's advice that monogamy is not possible, and Bill Hader, as the sports doctor Aaron Connors. Amy is assigned to interview Dr. Connors, who becomes taken with her. Of course, hilarity ensues. I'm not expecting Oscar material, but I am looking forward to a good time.

Straight Outta Compton (August 14, 2015)

This one really surprised me. I had no clue they were making a movie about this until about a month ago when I saw the first trailer. I recognize Dr. Dre and Ice  Cube but do not the whole story. Perhaps that is what peeked my interest so much. It looks like it is going to be well acted and well written. Of course, this is based on just seeing the two different trailers. It stars O'Shea Jackson Jr. as Ice Cube, Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre, Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E, Neil Brown Jr as DJ Yella, Aldis Hodge as MC Ren, and Paul Giamatti as Jerry Heller as their manager.  

Sinister 2 (August 21, 2015)

The first Sinister scared the crap out of me. We walked out of the theater, and I kept double checking all the shadows real quick cause I thought I was seeing things. Needless to say, I was excited when I heard that they were making a sequel and a little nervous at the same time. The first was so good that I don't want a bad sequel to spoil the Sinister name. This one picks up after the first one with a young mother and her twin sons moving into a rural house where Bughuul resides. Bughuul of course tries to get one of the sons to murder his family. I find it funny that James Ransone, who also started in the first movie, is actually billed as Deputy So-And-So, a nickname given to him in Sinister. The poster to the left was released not too long ago and give me a lot of hope for this horror sequel.

Hotel Transylvania 2 (September 25, 2015)

When I found out about this sequel and talked to a colleague about how I couldn't believe it got a sequel, she told me that the first one was actually pretty good. So, Brian and I rented Hotel Transylvania, and it was pretty good. It was fun despite staring Adam Sandler as Dracula. With all of the cast returning, I am looking forward to this kid friendly Halloween-time release. Dracula is now a grandfather and has to face the fact that his grandson, who's mother is vampire and his father is human, might not have inherited any vampire. To make things more stressful for Dracula, his father Vlad arrives at the hotel for a family visit.
 

The Martian  (October 2, 2015)

This year seems to be the year for a lot of big budget sci-fi movies from Jurassic World  to Ex-Machina. And that is not a bad thing. I have always been a fan of sci-fi movies. Matt Damon stars as Astronaut Mark Watney who is believed to be dead after a storm on Mars and the rest of the time leaves. This leads to his fight for survival and trying to make contact, which a rescue mission will take four years or more. This movie reminds me of the Alien franchise in that it appears to have a confining set. It probably is also important to mention that Ridley Scott, who directed Alien, is the director.

Pan (October 9, 2015)

Disney has done and plans to continue a string of live action versions of their animated classics, which I happen to really like. While this is a retelling, live action version of Peter Pan, this is a Warner Bros production with Hugh Jackman as Blackbeard, Rooney Mara as Tiger Lily, Gerrett Hedlund as Hook, and Levi Miller as Peter Pan. This also isn't just a retelling  of what we know of Peter Pan running around with Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys. Instead, this is about Peter before he became a legend when is just a orphan who gets taken to Neverland for adventure. It has a good looking cast and great visuals.

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (October 23, 2015)

I didn't see any of these movies until Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones came out on DVD. However, I am a fan found footage movies with one of my favorites being Quarantine. While I haven't seen Paranormal Activity 4, I have liked all the others in the series. They have released the first trailer for this movie, and it looks good. A family moves into a new home in Palo Alto, California, and they find the types of Katie and Kristi from the previous movies being taught supernatural abilities. In these tapes, one of the girls notice the brothers presence despite the time difference. There is also a camera that can see paranormal phenomenons. This is also supposed to the final in the series, which is produced by Blumhouse Productions.

The Last Witch Hunter (October 23, 2015)
I have recently developed more of a liking of Vin Diesel as an actor. This is probably because Brian and I watched all of the Fast Furious series before seeing Furious 7. Vin Diesel is an immortal witch hunter named Kaulder who has to protect humanity from the New York City covens and their plague. Rose Leslie plays Chloe, a female witch that teams up with Victor, and Julie Engelbrecht as the Witch Queen. It also has Elijah Wood in it. Again the visuals of the trailer were a big draw for me. 

Spectre (November 6, 2015)
Brian's already talked about the newest bond movie in his Most Anticipated of 2015. Again, this is a case of liking the actor the more a series progresses. Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond (and no I haven't seen all the Bond movies).The talk of this being Craig's last Bond movie makes me a bit sad if it is true. What grabbed my attention second after Daniel Craig is that part of the movie takes place in Mexico during the Day of Dead celebrations. The plot also shows just how complex James Bond is a character and how MI6 stays alive when political forces want to shut it down.

The Good Dinosaur (November 25, 2015)

Now this is a movie that I have already mentioned on Lady's Choice when I listed my favorite dinosaur movies. Arlo the Apatosaurus (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) lives in a world that was never hit by asteroid that wiped out all the dinosaurs. Arlos ends up loosing his father in an acident and  falls into the river. He wakes up far from home. He has to make a long journey home and along the way finds a cave boy that he names Spot (voiced by Jack Bright). I am so looking forward to Pixar's next film. I haven't seen a bad Pixar movie yet (I believe that the only one I haven't seen is Cars 2).

In the Heart of the Sea (December 11, 2015)
First off, the release date is not March. It got moved back to December after the poster to the left was made available. I think they're going for the "prestige" release date since it appears to be a movie that would probably get Oscar attention. This movie is based of the book (same title) by Nathaniel Philbrick and stars Chris Hemsworth as Owen Chase, the First Mate, and Benjamin Walker as Captain George Pollar, Jr. It is being directed by Ron Howard. Set in 1820, the Essex, a whaling ship, is sunk when it is rammed by a very large bull sperm whale. This story was the basis for Herman Melville's Moby-Dick.


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Lady's Choice: Magic Mike

Guess who's taking over!

With Magic Mike XXL  drawing in women for it's long weekend release, I decided to take a look at the first Magic Mike (2012). Now I got Brian to watch this movie with me by agreeing to watch 21 Jumpstreet (2012). It was like we were having an exchange of Channing Tatum movies. Between the two I preferred Magic Mike. Staring most notably Channing Tatum as Mike "Magic Mike" Lane and Matthew McConaughey as Dallas (Mike's boss and male stripper), Magic Mike made $167.2 million in the box office with a budget of only $7 million.

The movie opens up with club MC Dallas getting a crowd of women all riled up for some male strippers or male entertainers that are about to come out. It then goes to Mike Lane, aka Magic Mike, waking up and giving the audience a nice shot of butt as he starts his day. Mike's dream is to start his own business: Mike's Custom Furniture. Mike works construction during the day, where he meets Adam. He gives Adam a ride after Adam's car  won't start. Adam lives with his sister Brooke, who is upset that Adam won't get a job and stick to it. Brooke has a boyfriend who works insurance. At dinner, Adam gets up, leaves, and see Mike in the crowd. Mike gets him into the club, saying that Adam owes him.

Unknown to Adam, Mike is there to spread word about the male strip show down the street called Xquisite. Mike gets Adam, now known as "The Kid," a job working props. Dallas starts the show, which starts out with a version of "It's Raining Men," see the picture to the right. The rest of the night is a progression of each of the men, Mike, Tito, Tarzan, Dallas, Ken, and Richie. When Tarzan can't perform, Mike pushes Adam on stage, since he owes him. The rest of show goes off without a hitch. Dallas offers him a job at Xquisite, with Mike in charge of getting him stage ready.

Adam's sister confronts him about his box filled with stuff for work and shaving his legs. She then proceeds to find out where her brother and Mike works. She instructions him to take care of her brother. We also see Mike struggle to get his furniture business up and running. As time progresses, Mike and Brooke get closer while Adam gets addicted to the life that Dallas an the other strippers lead, though many have dreams aside from being strippers. This leads to Mike having to bail out Adam several times and having to make a few big life changing decisions.

When I first saw this movie advertised, the only thought in my mind was that it was women's porn that could be shown in theaters. So, it was quite sometime before I saw it in that movie exchange with Brian. In a lot of ways, I was wrong. Yes, there are lots of good looking men taking their clothes off. However, there is also a lot of plot. From Mike wanting to get his furniture business off the ground to his relationship with those around him, especially Brooke and Adam, the movie strikes a good balance between the plot and the stripping. The plot will progress then Mike and Adam go to strip at a sorority house. Sometimes it was painful to watch Adam, not the stripping part but the choices that he makes are not the best.

I think that Brian puts it best that while it has a good plot the movie only feels like half of a movie. We see the big choices being made and then nothing. End of movie. No strong conclusion to what happens to those that follow Dallas, to Adam, even to Mike. That feeling of it being half finished is why I rated it as low as I did. I was hoping that Magic Mike XXL would be the second half of that story or at least provide some sort of conclusion, but that is for another time.

As for the music, I could take it or leave it, but it serves its purpose. The choreography is fantastic. From both the group dances to the individual ones, every move is on point. Re-watching Magic Mike, I could also see the different styles of each man, including Tarzan who doesn't really do a lot of dancing due to his bad knees. The camera angles and variety of shots also help to illustrate the difference between Mike and Adam's job and the "rest" of their lives. It also includes a nice through the floor shots of the dancing. I fully believe that Channing Tatum's background as a stripper and being a dance heavy movies like Step Up helped this movie out quite a bit.

In the end, this movie isn't a heavy one or one that is just this side of not being a porn. Magic Mike is fun. Even Brian liked it. They also did a lot with the talent and the budget they had to work with. So, when I found out about Magic Mike XXL, I was excited. But you're gonna have to wait for another time for my thoughts on the sequel.

Rating:  7.5/10

Buy on BluRay:  For a fun filled time? Yes.

So what did you think of Magic Mike?  Will you be seeing Magic Mike XXL?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Lady's Choice: Inside Out

Guess who's taking over!

Since Brian's schedule is a little out of whack right now, I though that I'd help by doing an extra blog post. And since Brian and I saw Ted 2 and Inside Out the other night , I thought we could split the new movies (plus I just did a top Pixar list). Besides he is much better suited to handle Ted 2. Inside Out is Pixar's latest creation and made over $90 million during its opening weekend. It was also released with a short film Lava. Now, we saw this with some little kids in front of us, and they were confused at first. I'm not sure if they liked it, but I know that I liked it. 

Lava is a musical about a volcano that is surrounded by various couples (two whales, two birds, etc.). He sings a song for someone to love. He sings until his lava goes out, aka becomes dormant. Under the waves is a girl volcano who has heard his song and erupts out of the ocean. Her eruption though causes him to sink beneath the ocean. That is until he hears her sing her version of the song. Lava erupts, and the two volcanoes end up being together. It was a really touching short film. 

As for Inside Out, on the surface it looks kind of like this:

When I first saw the trailer, I was extremely skeptical and thought that Pixar might have stretched too far; however, I can assure everyone that they have not. Pixar has created a story about growing up and all the emotions that go along with that. So of course they start with birth. Joy was the first emotion in Riley's head. Then came the rest: Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness. Each with their own job to help Riley grow up, and Joy was their leader. Joy explains to the audience that as Riley grows up core memories are made, and all of them are yellow (aka happy/Joy).

Each of the core memories link to islands of Riley's personality, from Goofball Island to Hokey Island to Family Island. They have also all been created in Minnesota, where Riley was born and has lived all 11 years of her live. This all changes suddenly when her father gets relocated to San Fransisco. Ask anyone, and they'll tell you that moving halfway across the country to a new city can be extremely difficult for any child. Through Joy's eyes this is made worse when Sadness starts to turn happy memories sad when she touches them.


When Riley tries to make the best of things, Joy tries to get everyone ready for the first day of school. Everything seems to go well until, as Fear predicts, the teacher calls on Riley. While telling the class about herself, Riley starts to cry because Sadness touches the console, creating a new sad core memory. Joy tries to stop the sad memory from becoming part of the core, causing all the core memories plus Joy and Sadness to be sucked up the tube to long term memory.

As Joy and Sadness try to return to Headquarters with the core memories, the three that remain to control Riley's emotions (Fear, Anger and Disgust) are not able to keep Riley her normal happy self. Also without the core memories, Riley begins to make decisions that lead to her personality islands disappearing. Joy must learn that life isn't always happy and to accept the new Riley. Same way that Riley has to adjust to being in a new place, even if that takes her the whole movie. In the end, the headquarters of Riley start to look different since the beginning of the movie.

Not to be punny or anything, but this movie is full of feels, both Human and actual Feelings. Like many of the Pixar movies, it is all about a change that most children and adults can relate to. It's about growing and up and learning that you don't have to be the same person all the time. Life is full of emotions that make up who we are. This movie really takes me back to my own childhood and the emotions and trials that I had growing up, which is a big draw for the adults of the movie. It's a different way to think about parts of our childhoods, and for the children, it is a lesson about what they are going through or will go through.Joy and Sadness also have learn that they need each other and that Riley needs both of them equally in  life.  Joy had the most to learn about Sadness, saying in the beginning that she wasn't even sure what Sadness did.

The CG for Inside Out is stunning, which is something that I have come to expect from Pixar. Each feeling and each human are distinct, from Riley and her parents to how Joy and Sadness glow different colors. The beauty in this CG is the attention to detail. It's harder to get realistic looking blonde hair compared to other colors, and Riley's hair looks convincing. The "insides" get the same type of treatment from the imaginary friend made of cotton candy to the glitter in feelings' hairs.

Overall, this is another fantastic film from Pixar. From the story to the visuals to the overall pacing of the movie,  time flew by while watching this movie. I was sad that it was over so quickly and that I didn't put it on my most anticipated for this year. Good job, Pixar.

Rating:  9/10

Buy on BluRay:  A feelings-filled YES!

So what did you think of Inside Out?  Was it as good as other Pixar movies?  Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

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