December 2012 Movies

Parental Guidance
This was certainly a family friendly film. As my mother said when we went to see this together on vacation, "you know it's a family film when they make  pee, poo, and vomit funny." With all that being said, this Billy Crystal and Bette Midler feature was really thoughtful and fun.

Parental Guidance is the tale of a set of grandparents taking care of their grandchildren while the parents are out of town.  When you hear that, you may think, "cute, but what makes it worth watching?"

Here is why you should consider it: It is a humorous and thoughtful story of struggle and growth within each individual character (grandparents, parents, and children) and has a great message to share with its audience: we are never too young or too old to start again.

Something great to watch with the family! 

This Is 40
Marketed as Judd Apatow's "sort-of sequel" to Knocked Up, the film seemed like it would be all comedy, based on the released trailers.

Apatow, known for releasing comedic films with a dose of morality, certainly stuck to his genre with This is 40.

It was funny, but it wasn't the typical cleaver concoction of perfect amounts of humor and seriousness. The marriages and relationships featured within the movie lead to an all too real feeling that one gets when going through a rough patch. Let's just say, Paul Rudd and Apatow's wife, Leslie Mann, are great and very convincing actors.

As for the movie being a sequel to Knocked Up, it certainly was just "sort-of" as there was no mention of Katherine Heigl or Seth Rogan's characters, nor the child they were "knocked up" with. As a big fan of the first film, I was a bit disappointed, but I still enjoyed this addition to Apatow's repertoire.

If you are looking for a feel good flick, this one is probably not your best bet, but if you like the actors featured in it, you may find you enjoy your time spent watching this.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Jackson's newest film may not have received ratings as high as expected, but I found that it was a positively phenomenal work of cinematography.  My guess as to why the film received some criticism is that Lord of the Rings fans are some of the most thorough movie viewers.  

Everything I can think of to review about this movie (the music, the actors, the film style, the special effects, etc.) was amazing.

Some films that have a runtime similar to The Hobbit may be considered tedious to watch, and for good reason, but Jackson made good use of the three hours in which the first part of the trilogy takes place.

It was really a treat for the eyes. It is somewhat debatable whether it needed to be released in the 3-D format, as there is not too much material that really "jumps out at you," but it looks great either way.

A great story and a must-see for fans of the fantastic.