Movie review: ***^Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

This movie of Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate Events takes scenes from the first three books.  It also adds a few scenes.  It comes back to the end of the first book for its ending.  Not being true to the story, this movie is true to the characters.  The three Baudelaire children are wonderful.  Jim Carry makes an excellent villain as Count Olaf.  And the relatives are wonderful, Meryl Streep as Aunt Josephine and Bill Connolly as Uncle Monty.  The scenes with Uncle Monty are my favorite.  I really enjoyed the most deadly viper.  I still do not like the forced wedding.  Catharine O'Hara plays Justice Strauss.  In the movie the wedding is foiled differently than in the book.  In this case Klaus comes to the rescue rather than a left handed signing.  I have fun with this story.

Picture Book review: Lemony Snicket's A series of Unfortunate Events Behind the Scenes with Count Olaf

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events: Behind the Scenes with Count Olaf, Harper Entertainment, New York, 2004.
This is a pictorial behind the scenes at the making of the movie, from the viewpoint of Count Olaf.  Count Olaf has a very interesting perspective on life, and this book provides a look into that character/  Of course the movie Count Olaf was portrayed by Jim Carrey.  We get costuming pictures, sets and other interesting aspects.

Movie Review: ***^The Truman Show (1998)

This movie has a very interesting theme, which is carried off by Jim Carrey, who portrays Truman, the subject of a reality television program.  Everyone he meets is an actor, and the producers have a hit show with watching truman's interaction with this false world.  They have been watching him since he was born.  But how will he react if he discovers everyone's secret; that his world is not real.
 This movie hits on finding that spirit that makes us human, the desire to live our own lives.

Movie Review: ****How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Cindy Lou (Taylor Momsen) Who makes this move.  She sings the "Where Are You Christmas?" and does a beautiful job.  It is also her questions about the meaning of Christmas which get everyone thinking.  The Grinch (Jim Carrey) and his antics almost make it so the movie is bearable to watch.  However, in the end, even the Grinch discovers the true meaning of Christmas.  This movie uses the original script and poem by Dr. Seuss, but also adds its own dialogue and explanation.  Ron Howard directed.

Movie Review: ***^ Mr. Popper’s Penguins (2011)

***^  Mr. Popper’s Penguins

This is a good forum for Jim Carrey to interact with some penguins in his suite in New York.  Carrey portrays Mr. Popper, a businessman who is hoping to be made partner.  He has one more assignment to earn the promotion.  Purchase the property of Mrs. Van Gundy (Angela Lansbury), the last available property in Central Park.  The company wants to knock it down and then make a large sky scraper of some kind to make lots of money.  Popper approaches the project with this goal in mind.  However Mrs. Van Gundy is not selling, she does not want to let down her staff.

In the mean time, Popper receives a last present from his father who has deceased—penguins. 

At first the penguins are a nuisance and troublesome, but eventually they grow on Popper.  It is when his son comes for a birthday, and thinks they are his cool present, that Popper decides to keep them instead of giving them to the zoo.  However, the penguin master at the zoo is intent on getting them.

The penguins destroy a meeting with Mrs. Van Gundy, but Popper persists.  When they have eggs, he becomes obsessed with the penguins; but then one egg doesn’t hatch.  He becomes discouraged, and sends the penguins to the zoo.  He is just the same old Popper who is only worried about his career, not his kids or ex-wife.  However the kids are so disappointed, he decides to get them back, and his wife goes with him as a date.  The zoo keeper says they can’t have them, he has traded them with other zoos for other specimens.  However they haven’t been sent yet and we have a big zoo escape scene.

This movie was pretty fun.  Sheri had read the book.  It is another family oriented theme movie—what is more important, your career or your relationships?

Christmas Movie Review: ***^A Chrstmas Carol 2009: Jim Carrey

This is the Disney version of "A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey.  The characters are so real with their animation, which is their strength and down fall.  It is just too much over done with the new animations.  It makes the characters scary, much to scary for children, and sometimes for me.  I cannot watch this with Tony.  Gary Oldman plays Bob Cratchit and Colin Firth the nephew, Fred.