Western Family Popcorn

I'm getting hooked on Ronnie Ron and Roscoe

2010-01-29T09:11:00.000-08:00

Ronnie Ron & Roscoe - Episode 14 - Musical Interlude from BYU Basketball on Vimeo.

Princess and the Frog

2010-01-09T17:12:00.001-08:00

Well, Kristi and I got a great present from a great sister! Free tickets to AMC. We used them to go see The Princess and the Frog. I can't help but think about Kristi (the Princess) and Todd (Toad, the Frog). We make a good couple no?

This movie was great. It actually made me miss the mission; I'm needin' some good old southern cooking. The music doesn't have that catchy feeling of Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, but the story is captivating and fun. Also, I love the message...

The Prince is lazy, but he has fun and appreciates fun and living life. Tiana is committed to pulling herself out of the mud through hard work and determination. The film focuses on learning how to balance family and work. Go see it...an instant classic.

Avatar

2009-12-31T08:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, let me just say for Dad, I loved this movie. Kristi and I went and saw Avatar in 3D and it rocked my socks off. I have never seen a movie so beautifully constructed. My mouth was open and drooling through most of the film. By the end of the movie I was pretty much convinced that the planet Pandora really existed, floating mountains and all.

The story follows a paralyzed marine who gets to be involved in a science team who are trying to build relations with the native people on a planet rich with some made up mineral we want to harvest. The native people act and sound a lot like the Native Americans too? hmmm...Yeah, I will admit I felt like I was being preached at for a while. The villains are a corrupt corporate tycoon and the evil conqueror military captain guy. Also, we have a shout out to environmental destruction of earth. Refreshingly, the preachiness wasn't focused on global warming. The message of the film is more about the fact that the human race has lost it's connection with the earth. We don't respect the planet and we take whatever we want. The film feels a lot like "Dances with Wolves" or something like that.

2012

2009-12-01T14:29:00.000-08:00

So, the mother of all conspiracies finally got backed by Hollywood! What conspiracy you ask? Well the hacked Outlook calendar that reveals our pending doom! About a billion cheesy history channel specials have already been done about it. Nostradamus and the Mayan's seem to think we are headed down the toilet...Just think if we never tried to profit off those dead people before 2013 rolls around.

As you know, I'm frugality's best friend, so I won't pay to see this on the big screen. This time I saw it cheap. I had friend willing to pay for me. I have to admit though, seeing the world end before my eyes - with a giant screen and surround sound - was very, how shall I say, satisfying. If of course you ignore the whole story thing and just oogle over he special effects. But, I can't let the story down so easy. Check this trailer for it:

Okay, so what would the government do? I'll tell! They'll build giant arks to avoid that giant flood and sell tickets to the highest bidders. You and I just get to try and die quickly. The whole premise is retarded. The world governments could never pull off the feat this movie suggests, let alone predict all of this destruction step by step! Maybe that shows my lack of faith in the government. I think I like this awesome Omega Code version better:

Maybe the scriptures and the Mayans are connected right?

How do I rank 2012? The Movie gets 2.5 out 5. How do I feel about the actual 2012? Sigh...Y2K anyone?

The Public Library

2009-11-22T11:27:00.000-08:00

A Cheap Victory

So, I've reached a higher plain in my frugality. Now I like finding movies that I can check out for free! Unfortunately though, looking for movies there seems a bit like animals fighting at the watering hole during a drought: mass chaos!

The movies are supposed to be organized by genre, but because you can only take two movies per library card, people pick up anything that sounds good before they narrow it down to their final picks. Once they've done that, they just drop them wherever they happen to be standing at the time. You should try and experience the adventure...

Recent Picks

My most recent picks have been Fires In Kuwait (a documentary), Lifeboat (an Alfred Hitchcock film based on a John Steinbeck novel), and Rescue Dawn (A Vietnam era piece with Christian Bale and Steve Zahn)

Do you want to hear about Rescue Dawn? Okay good, because I'm going to ramble about it...

The movie follows the story of a downed pilot who gets captured and put in a Vietcong prisoner camp. The movie makes him look like a perfect Boy Scout. He eventually escapes with a fellow prisoner and lives in the jungle eating bugs and snakes. Christian Bale plays the main character. I have to say that his American accent is pretty cliche and fake, but ignoring that fact, you'll be impressed by his ingenuity. The story itself is a little slow moving until toward the end you will be shocked by an intense random act of violence. I'll just say that you may be disappointed, but I enjoyed it.

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-11-16T10:49:00.001-08:00

The title of this blog is western family popcorn for a reason: I'm cheap. I love movies, but I hate selling appendages to go see them in the theater ($20.00 for tickets is outrageous! Don't live with the regrets of a $7.00 soda and a $3.00 pack of gum people!). If I do go to the movie theater, it's on Tuesday night at the dollar theater, but usually I just curl up with my wife on our futon with a store brand bag of popcorn.

Last week I made an exception. I strayed from my usual rule to go see "Where the Wild Things Are." I grew up loving the children's book. The simple story follows a young boy on his imaginary journey from his bedroom across the sea to a jungle. There, he is crowned a king by giant monsters. Eventually he becomes homesick and returns to his house in time for dinner. THE END

The book is beautifully illustrated and it captured my imagination. I think that's what made it so great: you could make the story far deeper by falling into the story yourself.

Sadly, watching the movie as an adult didn't have the same effect. The monsters are pretty amazing and the world Max constructs is fascinating. However, you are left feeling empty, like the movie was pointless. This isn't a coming of age story. You merely get a glimpse into the mind of child. The characters all represent different emotions in Max's life: anger, jealousy, love, kindness, fear, adventure, etc. By the end of the film you get the sense that Max has worked out his feelings about the driving events that cause him to leave, but he is still just a kid. He hasn't changed, he hasn't grown up over night. This leaves the audience kind of feeling unfulfilled.

I loved the music; I enjoyed the adventure. Honestly though, I would have been content paying a dollar at red box and then eating some Western Family Popcorn.