Maryann's Musings

   Over the last decade or so, our family has watched a lot of Christmas movies. We know the classics and the ones certain family members can watch without feeling sick. This year, I decided to take it a step further. Here is a compilation of our ultimate Christmas movie wish-list; it gets to be our watch-list! Some of these movies we have seen dozens of times. Others were recommended to us. (You'll also notice we have a thing for the Muppets).    I patterned the list to capitalize on variety. We have our 'Funny Friday' with the Santa Clause movies, and our 'Serious Sundays' with more meaningful movies, usually Christmas Carol themed.         We are especially excited to watch the new Grinch release because of Benedict Cumberbatch. Fridays in our house are Sherlock Fridays and we left off on a cliff hanger! You would not believe the patience this is going to take.  For all you How It Should Have Ended  and...

   You know that you really want to watch a movie when you sit for five hours through all the glitches, halts, and messy internet bandwidth to view it. As soon as I heard that Disney was about to release a live-action Beauty and the Beast film, I told my family, "I have  to watch it." Now I have not only seen the movie,  I have listened to the soundtrack uncountable times and can almost list the entire leading cast from memory.  Aidan, Christianna, and I watched it online. For every five seconds that we watched of the movie, there were ten seconds of loading... loading... loading... We still enjoyed watching it, though! There were a ton of funny film stills every time it was stuck and we could voice our opinion about the plot, special effects, or acting during the pauses. I was immensely pleased with every casting decision, especially Ewan McGregor (Lumiere), Ian McKellen ( Cogsworth), Luke Evans (Gaston), and Emma Watson (Belle).   If...

THERE ARE MINOR SPOILERS IN THIS POST    'The Giver' fascinated me at the climax point.   Someone is going to be killed and Jonas is trying to release the memories before they are, which will save them. The Giver is trying to convince the Chief Elder that what they are doing is wrong, and that faith, hope, and love above all with everything human kind used to have can help us overcome the wrong.   "We can choose better." he says. The Elder shakes her head sadly. "When people have the right to choose," she looks at him, "they choose wrong;  every single time. "   This exchange is to me what made the movie. It asked the question, can man make the world better by deciding to make it so, or will they, when given the right to choose, choose selfishly and pick what satisfies them at that moment? The movie looked into human nature and gave you the right to choose. ' I'll let you decide," says Jonas.  There were cert...

  The Giver  stars Jonas (Brenton Thwaites), a normal boy living in a 'Community.' The communities are virtually perfect; there is no hate, jealousy, physical pain, or war. No one has emotions; only feelings. There is no color (literally) and lying is, "against the rules."  Jonas and his friends Asher (Cameron Monaghan) and Fiona (Odeya Rush) are Elevens, (meaning they are 11 years old) and are soon to go through the ceremony of the Twelves. This is when they are given their life jobs and will be seen as adults.  The day before the ceremony, Jonas is at the 'Nurturing Center', where they take care of newborn babies, when he suddenly sees color in Fiona's hair. Fiona of course, doesn't know what color is, and can't figure out why Jonas is staring at her.  At the ceremony the next day, the Chief Elder (Meryle Streepe), when calling them to the stage to assign them, skips Jonas.  She calls him up last and announces he has ...

Jim White & family McFarland USA 's story was one I wasn't prepared for when I first watched it. Truth be told, I was surprised at almost every turn. Jim White is fired from his position as a football coach; he moves to McFarland with his wife and two daughters. McFarland is a primarily Latino town and  very poverty stricken. When White sees incredible talent in his high school pupils, he decides to start a track team. At first the team isn't serious, but he pushes them to the top. They call him 'Blanco', Spanish for 'White.' Competing.  The team     The seven boys he trains soon rise in the ranks. The family gets their real scare on the oldest daughter Julie's quinceanera (15th birthday) when the parade of cars with her inside is attacked by gang members who are targeting the driver of her car, one of their former members. The story of McFarland was based on an actual story of an actual town of the actual peop...

Okay, for all of you who don't want to hear about the end, this isn't for you. But just for a warning, I will be discussing the end in the book and comparing it to the end in the movie. SPOILER ALERT. Not exactly a spoiler, cause you knew there would be kissing, right? The end in the book is unique. I will tell you why. They don't kiss. "Unorthodox romance story!!!" you say. Let me say something. I don't think that there has to be kissing in a romance story. The end in the North & South had kissing. Definite kissing. A LOT of kissing. (my mom thinks that Richard Armatige liked the actress). Personally I like the book ending better because she puts her arms around him the way she did when she protected him from the riot. It was very unique. Not saying the movie ending was wrong or that I don't like it (actually it was pretty romantic :] ) just that I like the book ending better.  DEFINITE SPOILER ALERT   For an extra spoiler you can see the...

For starters, North & South really isn't a movie, it is divided into four episodes; but oh well! I like this adaptation of the book written by Elizabeth Gaskell, and I seriously suggest it as something you should look into!                       North & South is the story of Margaret Hale and John Thornton. Margaret, a minister's daughter from the south of England. Mr. Thornton, a factory owner from the north of England. I think they showed very well the contrast of society and culture, and yet the same nationality. Margaret, her father, and her mother move to the northern town of Milton suddenly. Margaret is shocked by the poverty and apparent lack of propriety in this 'modern' town.  Her father takes on a pupil, Mr. John Thornton. Now, this was not in the book, but in the BBC drama, Margaret meets Mr. Thornton in the mill, and he is beating his worker for smoking in the cotton mill, which ...

The awaited review of Paddington!!! All in all, Paddington was a great, cute, funny, family movie.  It's about a bear who visits London, England after living all his life in 'Darkest Peru.' You can imagine how overwhelmed he is! "London!" While he is in London, he stays with the Browns, a comical family who made us all laugh so hard! Mr. Brown,  Mrs.Brown, Jonathon, and Judy. But danger soon finds the little bear in the shape of a evil taxidermist with one reason in life: To kill Paddington! Millicent was played by Nicole Kidman.  My only (small) complaint about the movie is that Millicent's lines and character were a little over done, but that just made us laugh more at it! Living internationally, I know a lot of people from the UK. So watching this movie I found the British humor even more hysterical. Paddington and one of his 'antics.' Paddington in Judy's room after a bath.... Something my ...