Christmas Carol Movie Review: ****Spirited (2022)

 This version of Christmas Carol is available on Apple TV.  It is a musical version and some of the songs are very catch.  Here is a unique take on "A Christmas Carol" from the view point of the ghosts and what goes into making a good changing intervention; even for unredeemable persons.  Big twist towards the end in the version which I will not reveal.  The plot centers around converting an unredeemable, Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) into a better person.  Christmas Present (Will Ferrell), Past (Sunita Mani), Yet-to-Come (Loren Woods) and Jacob Marley (Patrick Page) all embark on this endeavor.  Briggs' decisions and ruthless business nature are ruining his niece, Wren (Marlow Barkley) his administrative assistant, Kimberly (Octavia Spencer) and his brother Owen (Joe Tippet) with his ruthless win-at-all-cost nature.  He was very callous at his sister's death.  He is a very hard nut to crack.  

Movie Review: Curious George (2006)

This is a full length movie based on the lovable monkey of Margret and H.A. Rey.  Will Ferrell gave voice to Ted, The Man with the Yellow Hat.  There is a woman (Drew Barrymore) who has interest in Ted  the museum owner (Dick Van Dyke) and his son Junior (David Cross) who is determined to sell the museum for a parking garage.  George's noises are voiced by Frank Welker.
In this movie, George befriends Ted when he visits Africa looking for a relic.  George comes away with his hat, and follows him to America, and eventually to his apartment.  The relic, turns out to be only three inches tall.  However it is billed to be 40 feet tall.  And this was the last effort to save the museum.  George, in his usual way, crashes the dinosaur bones, and all efforts seem to fail.  Ted has to eventually decide what is really important.
I found this movie cute, and the grand babies love it.  It is good for the little ones, however even Tony likes it.  The music is very catchy.  It was done by Jack Johnson.  The music track CD album hit number 1.

Upside Down lyrics - Jack Johnson

Who's to say

What's impossible

Well they forgot

This world keeps spinning

And with each new day

I can feel a change in everything

And as the surface breaks reflections fade

But in some ways they remain the same

And as my mind begins to spread its wings

There's no stopping curiosity

I want to turn the whole thing upside down

I'll find the things they say just can't be found

I'll share this love I find with everyone

We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs

I don't want this feeling to go away

Who's to say

I can't do everything

Well I can try

And as I roll along I begin to find

Things aren't always just what they seem

I want to turn the whole thing upside down

I'll find the things they say just can't be found

I'll share this love I find with everyone

We'll sing and dance to Mother Nature's songs

This world keeps spinning and there's no time to waste

Well it all keeps spinning spinning round and round and

Upside down

Who's to say what's impossible and can't be found

I don't want this feeling to go away

Please don't go away

Please don't go away

Please don't go away

Is this how it's supposed to be

Is this how it's supposed to be

The song "We Are Going to be Friends is just as enjoyable. 

Movie Review: ***^The Lego Movie

  This movie has many parallels, parallel universes with different types of Lego worlds, such as Western, under water, in the clouds, Star Wars etc.  And in the end a parallel between the Legos and the humans playing with them.  There has been much talk about this being an anti corporation movie, but I didn't see it.  It is more a movie of finding what your niche is, and then doing the best you can in that niche, even if the niche is being normal, regular.  With regards to the double theme presented by the father and his son; and Emmet versus Lord Business the father is gluing his Lego set together so his son can’t mess it up; but in the end he changes, he repents and invites son to play, and his daughter.  In the same manner Lord Business wants to glue everything so it is in the perfect position.  He also changes, when he realizes people can like him for who he is.  There is another theme I find in the movie.  Sometimes we can be lolled into complacency, letting others take our rights away in the name of change and making things better, until it is too late, we have be rocked to sleep until the day when it is too late.  In the movie this was done by manuals, songs and control of the media. 

However the song is fun: Everything is awesome
Everything is cool when you're part of a team
Everything is awesome, when we're living our dream

Tony and I came home from the movie singing the first two lines of the song.  Tony gives the movie a big thumbs up by the way.  I had a hard time dealing with everyone and everything looking like a Lego.

Emmet voiced by Chris Pratt

Lord Business and father by Will Ferrell

Wyldestyle by Elizabeth Banks

Vitruvius by Morgan Freeman

Bad Cop/ Good Cop by Liam Neeson

Christmas Movie Review: *** Elf

***Elf

I have always thought this was just a stupid setting to give Will Ferrell a platform to do stupid stuff.  I must admit, it has that element which kept me from really watching it.  I finally did this year, and the story is really cute.  Bob Newhart is his Elf father and James Caan his birth father.  My favorite character is the fellow elf at the store, Jovey played by Zooey Deschanel.  She adds a touch of beauty and class to the show.

Movie Review, *^The Land of the Lost

However I asked my son and his friend what they thought and they thought it was funny.  Am I too old to have seen the humor.  It looked like they were trying to copy Napoleon Dynamite at one point, but I did not find it funny.  However I did like the big boiled lobster.

Sometimes a movie just misses, and for me this is one of those movies.  I did not find the humor very funny, and most of the attempts at humor missed with me.  I think it is probably the dumbest movie I have ever seen.   The concept is stupid, and the acting is canned.  It really is poor.  Will Farrell is not his best.

Could this be an instant when with some people it just misses, and then other people really love it.