Keith's gone on a business trip for a week (half of that time he's spending in Cancun, which he reports is hot -- poor guy). So, I thought I'd take the girls to see a movie yesterday. Our choices were rather disappointing . . . "Avatar"? Not for us. "The Princess and the Frog"? Leslie said no, and I haven't heard great things about that one from my friends. We finally settled on "The Tooth Fairy". My thoughts on the show:
- I have a feeling that Dwayne Johnson might possibly be a pretty good actor if he had decent material to work with. I don't think I've seen him in anything that wasn't Disney-type kids' fair -- maybe some of his other movies are better. But in the three shows I've seen him in, he's played basically the same character. And no doubt, he does the arrogant super-athlete bit very well, but it's getting old. I see occasional glimpses of the possibility of depth in his performances. I'd love to see if that's an illusion or not. Someone give the man a real script.
- I love Julie Andrews. She also seems to be playing the same character over and over again lately (even Eastin commented on that). But for Pete's sake -- she's Julie Andrews!! Just looking at her smile and listening to her talk take my blood pressure down a few notches. (Except in the Eloise movies -- not even the divine Ms. Andrews can calm the nerves that bratty child sets on edge in me.)
- Someone apparently couldn't sell a script for a Christmas movie, changed up the mythology a bit, and convinced some producer out there that this was an original idea. This had all the same tired plot and theme of the typical modern Santa Claus movie. Mr. Grown-up doesn't believe, destroys a child with his skepticism, meets said mythological being amid mishap and misadventure, and comes away a believer . . . with happy smiling children and a lovely girlfriend to boot. Blah, bl-blah, bl-blah.
- I've gotta admit -- The Rock is a pretty thing to look at. But almost too pretty. In the scenes where the biceps take a starring role, the muscle definition there is almost a distraction. What are all those ridges and bumps? Ew! And the man has overdone the teeth whitener a bit, I contend. Maybe they just look extra white against his dark skin, but seriously. Blinding. And distracting.
- Once again, I have to wonder at myself. I agreed far too much with the pre-conversion Rock character about the Tooth Fairy business. I ALWAYS had trouble maintaining the Santa/Tooth Fairy/Easter Bunny stories with my kids. And not for any "religious" reasons about the holidays (obviously, or the Tooth Fairy wouldn't be an issue). But because I have a real problem with flat-out lying to my kids. Movies like this would condemn me as a cold, imagination-less person out to destroy the dreams of children. Not so! I just have a real problem with flat-out lying to my kids. Encourage dreams . . . encourage imagination . . . but tell the truth!!!
Tonight we're watching "The Princess Bride". I have many friends that rave about this film, so I have high hopes for an entertaining experience. Let's hope those dreams of mine aren't crushed in a shower of cliche and mediocrity.
2 comments:
You must give your thoughts on The Princess Bride. I will be shocked but intrigued if you found it disappointing.
Disappointing? Hmmm. That may be too strong a word. I think I felt the same way about it as I did about Monty Python and the Holy Grail the first time I saw it. Which was "hmmm". By no means am I gushing over the thing like so many I know. Funny moments, certainly. But I'm sure I missed a lot, some of it because I had a hard time understanding what was being said by several characters.
But after having seen Holy Grail scores of times (thanks to hubby), it's now one of my favorite movies. So, I could see that happening with The Princess Bride, too.
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