masterwordsmith-unplugged

I cannot believe that I watched four movies today. Yea - madness I know. My son's exams ended last week and we had been waiting for this weekend when we could sit down together to be enthralled by the dvds which we had put aside for ages.

We started off with Hotel for Dogs, a recent release directed by Thor Freudenthal. This movie is based on Lois Duncan’s children’s book HOTEL FOR DOGS. Sixteen-year old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), are orphans living with their foster parents (Lisa Kudrow and Kevin Dillon), two washed-up musicians.

Desperate to keep what’s left of their family together, Andi and Bruce have secretly been caring for their family dog, Friday, on the sly for the last few years. One evening, they follow their beloved pet into an abandoned hotel and find stray dogs living there, so the two brave siblings decide to round up all the strays in the city and expand their family. With the help of Dave (Johnny Simmons) and Heather (Kyla Pratt), two teens who work at the local pet store, they transform the abandoned hotel into a canine wonderland, using young Bruce’s skills as an inventor to make an automated feeding system, doggie restrooms, and some fun amusements, such as a car-ride simulation and a fetching machine. If ever anyone discovered this hideout, all the residents of the hotel will be taken to the pound, and it’s up to Andi and Bruce to save their new family.

Believe me - I was overcome with emotion at the end when I realized the secret message of this movie. These two siblings were rejected by one potential set of foster parents after another but they did not let rejection rob them of their capacity to love and their desire to create their own family with dogs. In their own way, when they had no family, they created their own haven with the doggies. This heartwarming tale reinforces the importance of family and the idea that families can come in many shapes and sizes. Although the inventions/gadgets are pretty far-fetched, it’s still loads of fun to see the gadgets and gizmos that Bruce creates to keep the dogs fed, in shape, and content. Roberts and Austin have the right bond on-screen as brother and sister while Kudrow and Dillon are amusing as washed-up '80s rockers. Don Cheadle also appears as the compassionate social worker assigned to Andi and Bruce’s case.

Well, if you are a doggie-lover and if you have kids who love digs - this is one movie which you must not miss.

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After a while, we went on to watch X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. I must confess I watched this one for to reasons - I am a die-hard X-Men fan and I believe Hugh Jackman is probably one of the three most handsome men in the world today!!! :-)

Basically, the movie is the back story of the fiery and conflicted Wolverine (James Logan), whose mutant powers include killer claws that shoot from his knuckles and a regenerative ability that allows him to live seemingly forever. Initially, the movie did not appeal to me because the director took a few mild liberties from the original story but remained relatively faithful to the comic-book source material.

ORIGINS follows Logan from his first recognition of his mutant powers as a young child up through his infamous rebirth and the total memory loss that would subsequently fuel his angry quest. Wolverine’s story has enough intriguing details to allow for a grown-up psychodrama in the mold of THE DARK KNIGHT, and the actors on hand--including Danny Huston as Stryker and Liev Schreiber as Logan’s half-brother, Victor (aka Sabretooth) are really very three-dimensional characters! Unfortunately, Gavin Hood used cinematic razzle-dazzle heavy on John Woo-style action-ballet and CGI glitz to jazz up this movie. There's enough swordplay, suspense, the usual dose of romantic drama and the climatic fight scene in the film’s finale to give us the usual adrenalin rush.

Hugh Jackman with his glorious sideburns :-) is PERFECTO for the role - macho, muscular, handsome, with so much character and integrity. Yup. The director definitely capitalised on Hugh Jackman and the sum of his parts - muscle, brains, looks, stature etc make for an unobtainable whole. This movie has certainly elevated him into a fantasy figure. Just as we equate Superman with Christopher Reeves, Wolverine is Hugh Jackman personified.

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Just before dinner, we watched "Marley and Me". I did a post on the book on April 20th over at THIS LINK. As far as possible, I try to read the book first before watching the movie and of course, if I wept while reading the book, I do not have to tell you what happened to my boy and I while watching the movie.

Based on the hit memoir by John Grogan, MARLEY AND ME chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) as they face the challenges of marriage and work to start a family. The star of the show is their beloved dog, Marley, who can chew through drywall, got expelled of obedience school, and never met a leg he didn't like.

Marley's antics remind me of the unexpected challenges that everyone faces in adulthood, and the film is ultimately a paean to unconditional love. While others may see Marley as the "world's worst dog," but throughout it all, he proves to be the couple's most faithful friend. MARLEY AND ME is shot in sumptuous sets that look too good to be true in typical Hallmark card style.

Although I am not a Jennifer Aniston fan, she is radiant in this role and Wilson can admittedly make me go a bit weak in my knees with his lovable comedic persona. The other stars give almost stellar performance but in the end, the movie belongs to the dogs. Warning - watch it with a packet or two of tissues. This is one film that will surely make you crack up and crying. Trust me - once you watch it, MARLEY AND ME will become your family favorite.

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At the point of doing this post, I am halfway through INKHEART. For once, I am watching a movie based on a novel of the same title whichI have not yet read. *blush* I am sitting through this movie because of my son and not because of Brendan Fraser or the storyline...

Cornelia Funke’s best-selling novel, INKHEART, comes to life in director Iain Softley’s feature-film adaptation of the same name. For 12 years, bookbinder Mo (Brendan Fraser) and his daughter, Meggie (Eliza Hope Bennett), have been traveling the world, poking around secondhand bookstores. Meggie correctly assumes that her father is looking for her mother, Resa (Sienna Guillory), who disappeared without a trace.

Meggie doesn’t know is that her dad is a Silvertongue that is to say when he reads a story aloud, the details and characters come to vivid life. But when a character comes out of a book, someone has to go back into the story.

The movie is about Mo is searching a copy of the book, titled "Inkheart," into which Resa literally disappeared. When Mo read the story aloud, unaware of his powers, she was sucked into the story, and the fantastical novel’s villainous characters were released. Now, Mo and Meggie have to keep evil Capricorn and his henchmen from realizing their diabolical plot, and send everyone back where they belong.

I have been watching 55 minutes of the movie so far and have yet to reach the end. Definitely not my cup of tea - the book and the movie but I must say many teens and kids will love the plot and the sets (largely filmed in Italy). Girls seem to like this film which is quite similar to The Never Ending Story. As such, this is a typical family movie with rich layers and familiar characters and worlds to look for here that can be enjoyed by all.

If I still have enough energy, "Milk" is next on the list - I am definitely a Sean Penn fan!! Do leave a comment, especially if you have watched any of the movies mentioned here. Am I mad? Yes, sometimes - especially after a very challenging week. Gosh - am I glad tomorrow is Sunday! Have a pleasant evening and enjoy the rest of the weekend. Good night.
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Update: I finished watching Inkheart (I would give it a C rating) and am now watching "BEDTIME STORIES", a 2008 American family-fantasy-comedy film directed by Adam Shankman that stars Adam Sandler (his first appearance in a family oriented film). Sandler's production company Happy Madison and Andrew Gunn's company Gunn Films produced the film, and is distributed byWalt Disney Pictures. At the point of writing this, I have only watched 10 minutes of this movie but from what I have seen so far, BEDTIME STORIES is an uplifting family fable that can be appreciated by parents and children alike. Well, I guess it is not a very objective view as I am an Adam Sandler fan....;)