Movie Review: ***Joseph the King of Dreams

This Dreamworks animated musical tells a very good story, but from my point of view the music is mostly forgettable.  Ben Affleck voices Joseph, and David Campbell provides his singing voice.  Mark Hamill voices Judah, and Richard Herd gives voice to Jacob.  This presentation portrays Joseph as being very bitter because his brothers sold him into slavery.  His wife, Zuleika (Judith Light) confronts him about his bitterness.  However, it isn't until he sees how his brothers are willing to given their own freedom for that of Benjamin, and because the truly express forgiveness of their previous actions, Joseph's heart is melted and he takes his brothers in and reveals who he is.

Movie Review: ***Turbo (2013)

This is an animated Dream Works film which has a snail as a fast race care; albeit still very small.  You can see where he is as he is so fast he leaves a track of light where he goes.  How he is allowed to race is beyond me, but a co race driver is determined to not lose to a snail, even if he has to squish the little thing.  I watched this with the two-year-old grandson.  Entertaining but still kid's stuff.

Christmas Movie Review: **^DreamWorks: Holiday Classics

**^DreamWorks: Holiday Classics  This presentation is available through Instant Netflix.  It has four different shorts; two presenting the Madagascar characters, then a Donkey Shrek-tacular, and finally a film with "Dragons" and the characters of "How to Train Your Dragon."  Of these films, that one that captured the holiday spirit is one of the penguins in Central Park Zoo "Madagascar Penguins and a Holiday Caper."  The private of the penguins, notices that the polar bear is all alone, and so he determines to get him a Christmas present.  He has to leave the lair secretly, and gets into trouble himself as he is sold as a chew toy to an old woman.  The other penguins come to his rescue and they perform a holiday service for the bear.  The only redeeming song from Donkey is Puss N' Boots singing Fleas Navidad.

Movie Review: ***Joseph, King of Dreams (2000)

I watched this on Instant Netflix.  This is a Dreamworks animated film.  Ben Affleck voices Joseph, and Mark Hamill voices Judah.  As I watched there were a couple things that struck me, first  I really didn't enjoy the art.  They tried many times, especially with the dreams, to give it a Van Gogh flavor.  The people were all long and angular, mostly skinny and tall (except the bread maker who was killed.)  The other thing I kept saying to myself is, I prefer the music from Andrew Lloyd Webber's version more.  (Donnie Osmond singing "Close Every Door to Me" gives me goosebumps.)  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVWpgmiIbas&feature=fvsr
However, this movie did get to me in the end.  I think that is because of the story of forgiveness and family.  These win out over Joseph's anger towards his brothers.  This is a story that is timeless.

I had an interesting religious experience at the end of this movie.  Joseph was a true prophet, and was prepared to save his family.  Israel, his father, likewise was a patriarch and a true religious man.