Book review: Charlie Bone and the Beast

Charlie Bone and the Beast: Children of the Red King Book 6 by Jenny Nimmo, Orchard Books, New York, 2007.
Charlie Bones adventures continue in this fascinating book.  His father was discovered in the previous book, but already his mother and father are off on a second honeymoon.  This leaves Charlie with his Uncle.  At the same time his evil aunt marries, and takes control of a stepson that knows how to animate objects, and there happens to be many stone objects around town.  But the most interesting thing they learn is that people are looking for a secret will, which would leave the old castle to Charlie and his family.  Asa, the boy who was with the evil side, and turned at the end of the last book, has been confined in the dark, making him a perpetual beat.  Charlie and Billy determine to rescue him.  This story continues to be very exciting. 

Movie Review: ****Maleficent (2014)

This is a different take on the Sleeping Beauty story; at least from a different angle.  This is great Halloween fare.  It gives some idea of where Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) comes from, and tells the story from her perspective.  I really enjoyed the young Maleficents Isobelle Molloy and Ella Purnell), who were still happy.  Maleficent became bitter after her wings were removed.  Maleficent's crow (Sam Riley), who becomes human, is also a very interesting character.  Turns out the Sleeping Beauty, Aurora (Elle Fanning) is able to melt all hearts.  This includes Maleficent's.  As a result it is Maleficent who grows and changes and this leads for a good story. 

Movie Review: Always

This movie was not what I was expecting.  I knew it was about people in planes fighting firers; and there is a love story involved.  However I did not expect the love story to come off the way it did.  Firefighting in the early days, after WWII was a scary business.  The fires sometime could look as bad as WWII bombing; but the pilots persisted.  This movie features four actors:
Richard Dreyfuss As Pete Sandich
Holly Hunter as Dorinda Durston
Brad Johnson as Ted Baker
John Goodman as Al Yackey

directed by Steven Spielberg

Yackey and Sandich are best friends.  Durston is Sandich's girl, who worries about the danger he puts himself in.  Turns our Yackey gets too close to a fire, and puts his plane on fire.  However Sandich saves him by dumping his load on the flames.  He gets our, but in doing so his own fuel tank blows up, killing him.  This movie ends up being an after life film, with Sandich using his influence to motivate others.  Audrey Hepburn has a cameo as the lady managing the gates to heaven.

Movie Review: **Venom

Venom is a popular Marvel Comic.  Eddie is a hard nose reported, and in doing an interview with Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) industrialist, he uses secret files of his girlfriend (Anne (Michelle Williams).  Eddie (Tom Brock) become enmeshed with the symbiode Venom when he visits the industrial complex of Carlton Drake who has brought to earth three alien creatures, trying to expose him for performing experiments on humans, killing most of them. When Eddie and Venom are combined there is quite a struggle, but over time Venom decides he likes humans.  This leads to and attempt to undo the plans of Drake, and Riot (a symbiode that has combined with Drake.)  They want to bring millions of creatures to earth so they can feed on the population. 
Too much violence for me.  I just can't stand the thought of people getting their heads bitten off and eaten. 

Movie Review: ****Smallfoot (2018)

The Bigfeet live in a community above the clouds, where people cannot survive.  The all are comfortable in their lives, except those who suspect something is not quite right.  Migo (Channing Tatum) is not one of them.  He is the son of the bell ringer.  On his first trial, he misses the gong, and travels well outside of the community, where he sees a plane crashing, and the pilot who jettisons in his parachute.  He observes the pilot, and sees his small feet before the wind carries him through the clouds. 
However Migo's story is not welcome; in fact it is scary, and he is banished when he refuses to recant.  While banished he meets the King's daughter, Meechee (Zendaya).  Migo is convinced to go through the clouds, which he does, and finds people, and brings one of them back, Percy (James Corden) a reporter..  The king (Meechee's father) (Common) takes Migo under his wing, and shows him pictures of history where the humans tried to kill the Yeti, forcing them to hide.  Their community is an elaborate scheme to keep their community balance.  This is done through deceit.  The Yeti (which are much bigger than people) decide to return the on they brought back.  However this results in the humans chasing after the Yeti as they try to capture them.  They have different languages, and it is hard to understand each other.  Only with Percy's help are they able to escape. 
This movie is about relationships, and whether we can get past differences and find common ground.  Both sides have to give.
This movie feels like a ray of sunshine amongst all the "R" rated fare available.  Great family movie.

Movie Review: ***The House With a Clock in its Walls

The House with a Clock in its Walls

A fun movie, but I found it lacking just a little.  I think it was that the main character were supposed to be weird, and at times it just came across a little too weird.  Lewis (Owen Vaccaro) goes to live with his uncle(Jack Black) after his parents die in an accident.  He meets his uncle's friend (Cate Blanchett).  Over time Lewis discovers that his uncle and his friend are both involved in magical pursuits, and that there is a clock hidden within the wall s of the house which is counting down, and portends some great tragedy will take place when it does.  At any rate, Lewis starts to learn magic, but is also manipulated by the former owners of the home, Isaac and Selena Izard (Kyle MacLachlan and Renee Goldsberry).  Isaac was involved in an experiment which killed him, and he had apparently killed his wife during the experiment.  However by manipulating the boy, they both reappear with the intent of ending the world where there is war.  It takes all the skills and wit of our little threesome to overcome this evil. 
Great Halloween movie with seed spitting pumpkins--they don't have teeth so can't really hurt you, and other spooky goblins. 

Movie Review: ****Disney's Christopher Robin (2018)

Disney Christopher Robin

This is a fun family movie.  It is nothing like the historical biopsy Goodbye Christopher Robin, but instead uses animated and live characters to tell a delightful story, as Pooh and friends come back into the life of Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor), after he has become a Heffalump.  However in the end, he is reminded of what is important, and turns the Heffalump label onto his boss, who had Christopher Robin work when he was scheduled for holiday so the boss could take credit while playing golf.  Very entertaining.  I think the really hit the personalities of the Pooh characters.  
Hayley Atwell portrays Robin's wife and Bronte Carmichael his daughter.

Movie Review: Heidi (2016)

Heidi  (2015)

I have always loved this story.  In Argentina many of the children liked the story as it was a cartoon serial on TV.  One child drew me a picture of Heidi.  This version, which was originally produced in German and is dubbed, has great emotion as Heidi and Peter and Klara and Grandfather figure out their relationships.  The most fascinating thing about this movie is Heidi’s smile.  That is closely followed by Grandfather’s heart which melts in the presence of that smile.

Anuk Steffen Heidi

Bruno Ganz: Grandfather

Quirin Agrippi; Peter

Isabelle Ottmann: Klara