Mars Needs Moms - March 11, 2011

A young boy named Milo gains a deeper appreciation for his mom after Martians come to Earth to take her away.

I SAID - First of all, I LOVE broccoli, doesn't everyone?  I learned a few more quotes that I can use around the house now.  The girl alien was really cool and she loves colour, in a graffiti kind of way.

SHE SAID - What can I say but wow!  There were a lot of laughs throughout, great action, great story, but in the end, the real theme for this movie is LOVE and what a mother AND child will do to keep it.

The story even brought tears to my eyes at one point (thank goodness for 3D glasses to hide).  I later admitted to my daughter who also teared up and she seemed quite relieved yet impressed at the same time.

If you notice how realistic the humans are, it's because they did motion capture using performance-capture suits, much like in The Lord of the Rings and The Polar Express movies.  It gives much more realistic body and facial movements that regular animation has yet to conquer.

This is definitely the best-animated movie we've seen so far in '11.  You will be entertained from start to finish.

To all Moms out there, if you are a disciplinarian with love, be proud.  If you are the kind of mother that gives your child toys and treats just to make them happy, no worries, aliens will not abduct you!

Don't forget to stay during the end credits; it's quite educational and entertaining.

Rango - March 4, 2011

A chameleon that aspires to be a swashbuckling hero finds himself in a Western town plagued by bandits and is forced to literally play the role in order to protect it.




I SAID - I forget. Oh yeah, I liked when Rango and the gang were in the underground tunnels and Rango said not to look down and then he did. That was funny.


SHE SAID - The first half hour or so was what you expected it to be....funny.   Once the story progressed, it shifted to a serious, more grown up movie.   Some scenes dragged on forever while others didn't explain enough. This could be why many of the kids seemed to be getting restless in the theatre. The animation was probably the best I've seen. It was no surprise that ILM was in charge, they are the leaders of visual effects. One scene said damn and hell. Not what I would expect for a family animated film. I expected a lot from this movie and was very much looking forward to it. Although it's tops at the box office, it didn't hit a home run for me. Too long, too serious, too grown up.  **MY BAD - I only looked at the rating after seeing and writing this review.  It is PG with violence.  All animated we are used to seeing is 'G' Family rated, so bearing in mind that this is PG, it does fit the bill.  Keep this in mind if you have young children who still live in fantasy land!