Urban Mama

Movie Monday: Family DVD Giveaway

I think anyone who stops by my blog knows I love movies. And usually when I'm giving away a movie it's from my personal stash of DVDs, but this time I've got some straight-from-the-studio giveaway to share with those of you who love movies, and love watching them with your kids.

 
A Shine of Rainbows starring Aidan Quinn (one of my favorite "I Love That Guy" actors) and Connie Nielsen (whom if you haven't seen since Gladiator, you should definitely see in the amazing Swedish drama Brothers).

Here's a synopsis:

An orphaned boy named Tomás is adopted by Maire O’Donnell (Connie Nielsen; Gladiator) to live on a whimsical Irish isle filled with new friends, secret caves and a lost baby pup seal stranded on the coast. But when Maire’s reluctant husband Alec (Aidan Quinn; Legends of the Fall, Unknown) refuses to accept Tomás as his own son, the boy drifts down a fateful path of adventure and self-discovery, illuminating how rainbows can shine around — and within — us all.

To enter, just comment with the name of your favorite fictional orphan, and if you can guess/know who my favorite fictional orphan is, that will count as TWO entries. I have two copies to give away, so your odds are pretty good (especially if you know my taste in plucky orphan archetypes).

 

I'll pick the winners via Random.org on St. Patrick's Day (hey, it's an Irish movie!), so just make sure you enter by 9AM on March 17th.

 

 

Are You Worthy? Win Tickets to Baltimore Harry Potter Screening

I'm a fairly big Harry Potter fan. It's a fairly recent phenomenon -- I read all seven books in August, 2009, and ever since I've become a pretty avid fangirl (it helps that my nearly 9-year-old son is also rather obsessed with the books). I'm also, as most of you know, a part-time movie critic for my lovely editors at Common Sense Media, so I get to see the movie early -- Monday night, in fact.

Well... thanks to the folks at Liquid Soul Media, I was able to Summon 25 tickets (plus each person gets to bring a guest!) to the Tuesday night screening of Deathly Hallows Part 1 in the Baltimore area. This is the movie of the holiday season, so to score one of these select tickets, I need you to prove you're a true Harry Potter fan.

So leave me a post telling me a) what scene(s) you're MOST looking forward to in DH1 b) your favorite character(s) from the series and c) which actor is most like the character you envisioned when you read the books. Didn't read the books? Tell me which of the Harry Potter movies is your favorite and why.

**To enter, comment by 11:59PM this Sunday night. I will email the super-secret code to RSVP by 10AM Monday morning. The screening is at 6:30PM Nov. 16th in the Baltimore suburb of Owings Mills. Kids 13 & up welcome!

Movies I Love: Mel Brooks Collection Giveaway

When my husband and I were dating in college, we used to frequent this now-defunct video store in Morningside Heights called The Movie Place. It was the kind of old-fashioned video store that kept track of your rentals (two for the price of one) with pen on large index cards. They even used White Out to cross out your late charges once you turned in your late VHS tapes. And the owner schooled his staff, ala Quentin Tarantino before he became a writer/director. They knew everything!

Since we could get two tapes at a time, the then-boyfriend and I decided to do "auteur marathons" and watched as much of a director's filmography as we could before moving on to another director. We did Hitchcock, Allen, Almodovar, Spielberg (to name a few), and obviously, Mel Brooks. We laughed so, so hard.

When we were done with History of the World, Part I we naively believed the fake trailer for Part II was a real teaser. We walked back to The Movie Place to return Part I and ask for the sequel. God bless the manager, who didn't tease us at all. I could tell she was second-guessing herself, and after a few moments, she said, "Oh, that was a joke! There is no sequel!"We were soooooo embarrassed! So Mel Brooks comedies -- that movie in particular -- remind me of all those lovely evenings my husband and I spent watching classic movies together as a young couple. When we found out The Movie Place had closed its doors, we were sad, because it was a little part of our history together that no longer exists. But we'll always remember the video store that is partially responsible for our compatibility in movies.

To enter to win my extra copy of The Mel Brooks Collection (Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, Silent Movie, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, To Be or Not to Be, History of the World, Part 1, The Twelve Chairs, High Anxiety), tell me your favorite Mel Brooks movie, or recall a movie you memorably saw with your significant other. Post by midnight on Saturday, Sept. 18th, and I'll announce the random winner on Monday, Sept. 20th.

In Appreciation of Joseph Gordon-Levitt

I recently saw Christopher Nolan's movie "Inception," and the critics aren't lying (I know I am one too, but I wasn't assigned to review it) when they've called it "the movie of the summer." Not only is ridiculously original, it's got an amazing cast (Leo! Marion Cotillard! Ellen Page! Joseph Gordon-Levitt! Ken Watanabe!), an intense, mind-bending plot, whip-smart dialogue and dazzling visuals you have to see to understand. Even the supporting actors are fabulous (the always fabulous Irishman Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite, new-to-American audiences Tom Hardy, and my God yes that's Tom Berenger gone gray). 

The film, which is a thinking-viewer's thriller, is a direct descendant of Nolan's breakthrough "Memento." You can't be a passive observer of the film, or it will blow you away. Seriously, don't even get a medium soda or you'll miss a scene and wish you hadn't.

With such a stellar cast, I'm sure you're wondering why the title of this post is about Gordon-Levitt. I mean, Leo is Leo. He's the Big Star, and then there's the other Academy Award nominees like Page and Watanabe -- not to mention winners, like Cotillard and Caine. Frankly, I'm also a huge fan of Murphy's (please see "The Wind That Shakes the Barley"), *but* there's just something about Gordon-Levitt that I find irresistible as a viewer. I don't mean physically, although that's certainly part of it (he's quite handsome), but his intensity, his ability to be a believable leading man ("500 Days of Summer"), action hero (it's horrible, but it proves my point, "GI Joe"), or young street hustler ("Mysterious Skin"). He's just plain amazing, and I'd pretty much watch him in anything -- well, OK, I couldn't finish "G.I. Joe."  

Age: 29

Breakthrough Role: "3rd Rock From the Sun" (he obviously learned a thing or two from world-class actor John Lithgow)

Best Films: "Inception" is ultimately Leo's film, but Gordon-Levitt's sensible, detailed, and bad-ass Arthur is Leo's right-hand-man, and he's got an unforgettable, gravity-free fight scene that's amazing. Oh, and he rocks the designer leather jackets.

"500 Days of Summer": He believes in true love. He likes The Smiths. He's a sweet mess when Summer (the excellent Zooey Deschanel) calls it quits. Plus, he does a little soft-shoe routine.

"Brick": As The Guardian's critic said, it's "Dashiell Hammett meets Southern California high school as a 16-year-old loner investigates the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend."

"Mysterious Skin": One of the most difficult indie dramas I've ever seen. Gordon-Levitt is a young gay hustler who's bound to a young man (Brady Corbet) by a shared history of molestation.

Ten to See This Summer

 I often get asked which movies I personally can't wait to see. A mom on the playground asked me this today, and I appreciated it so much more than "Which movie should my husband and I see on our date night?" So for the five of you on this particular F-list. Here are 10 movies I'm looking forward to this summer (in no particular order).

1. Shrek Forever After: Yes, the kids wouldn't forgive me if I didn't take them, but I was interested to see how the whole time-paradox-for-kiddies thing worked out. It's hard enough for adults to wrap their heads around those sorts of story lines.

2. The Kids Are All Right: I love the idea of Annette Bening & Julianne Moore playing lesbian mamas, and the two kid actors (Mia Wasikowska, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Josh Hutcherson, Bridge to Terabithia) are fabulous up-and-comers.

3. Eat, Pray, Love: I didn't read the best-selling book, but I am a huge fan of Javier Bardem, Billy Crudup, James Franco and America's Sweetheart herself (Julia Roberts).

4. Toy Story 3: It's Pixar's flagship franchise, and I think Pixar can do no wrong. 

5. Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The story alone is worth checking out: A regular guy (Michael Cera) has to defeat a girl's (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven evil ex-boyfriends before they can be together.

6. Holy Rollers: Hasidic jews selling ecstasy? As a Brooklyn girl at heart, I can vouch for the believability of this plot. Jesse Eisenberg + Justin Bartha & Q-Tip = compelling indie.

7. Ondine: I love Irish filmmakers, and Neil Jordan is the country's pre-eminent director. It doesn't hurt that Colin Farrell is so easy on the eyes and that the movie sounds a little bit like Splash.

8. The Tillman Story: I'm a documentary nut, and I recently bought my husband Jon Krakauer's book about Pat Tillman, so this is a must-see.

9. Inception: Christopher Nolan is wonderful at messing with our minds (The Dark Knight, Memento, The Illusionist), so if he's brought along Leo, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page, and Marion Cotillard for a mind-bending ride, I'm definitely going to be on it.

10. Babies: Because I've got three of my own, and they're hard to resist when on-screen. I'm seeing it tomorrow night, so I hope it's good!

Eight-Year-Old Boys

My son turned 8 years old Feb. 3rd, and I'm still getting my head around it. In a couple of years he'll be a tween. He's closer to adolescence than infancy. He's a sweet child who loves his baby brother, tolerates his younger sister much more than we expected, and still likes to cuddle with his parents.

The week of his birthday, E and I went to see "Percy Jackson" in our continuing effort to "read it, then see it." As we left the parking lot and walked toward the theater, he held my hand, looked up at me, and said "I love you Mama."

I don't know how much longer boys (or kids in general) do that -- hold hands with their moms and proclaim their love in public -- so I consciously savored the moment and decided 8 was off to a great, great start.

John Hughes: A Tribute

Writer-director-producer John Hughes died this morning in Manhattan at the relatively young age of 59. Although he had not helmed a film since 1991 (he continued to write and produce, however), he was the unparalleled master of '80s teen flicks. Six of the eight movies he directed (Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, She's Having a Baby, Uncle Buck) remain among my favorite films of tweenhood.

I never quite understood why he stopped directing after Curly Sue, although he continued to write and produce many TV and film projects. It was as if the '90s swept in and washed away his directorial creativity. Now that I'm a professional movie reviewer, I often see an adolescent-targeted movie and long for the Hughes movies of my youth.

Part of Hughes' legacy, in my opinion, is that so many people mistakenly think he directed all of the teen-oriented '80s movies like Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful, both of which he wrote but Howard Deutch directed.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Hughes' movies. I'd love to see yours.

John Bender: "Oh God, you richies are so smart, that's exactly why I'm not heavy into activities."

John Bender: "My impression of life at Big Bri's house, "Son?" "Yeah, Dad?" "How was your day, son?" "Great, Dad. How's yours?" "Super. Say, how would like to go fishing this weekend?" "Great, Dad. But I got homework to do." "That's okay, son. You can do it on the boat." "Gee." "Hon, isn't our son swell?" "Yes, dear. Isn't life swell?""

Andrew: "Just me. Just you and me. Two hits. Me hitting you. You hitting the floor. Anytime you're ready, pal."

John Bender: "Sweets. You couldn't ignore me if you tried. So... so. Are you guys like boyfriend-girlfriend? Steady dates? Lovers? Come on, sporto, level with me. Do you slip her the hot beef injection?"

Principal Rooney: "I did not achieve this position in life by having some snot-nosed punk leave my cheese out in the wind."

Ferris: "Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

Schoolgirl: "Um, he's sick. My best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who saw Ferris pass out at 31 Flavors last night. I guess it's pretty serious."

Jeannie: "Look, it's real nice that you hope my brother is feeling better, but I'm in danger, okay? I am very cute, very alone and very protective of my body. I don't want it violated or killed, all right? I need help! Speaka de English?"

Ferris: "Not that I condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the walrus. I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people."

Grandma: "Oh Sam, let me take a look at you. Fred, she's gotten her boobies."

Jake: "Happy birthday, Samantha. Make a wish." Samantha: "Well, it already came true."

Pixar's Marital Advice

One of the things I loved most about UP was its opening sequence chronicling the friendship, romance, and marriage of Carl and Ellie. In just a few minutes Pixar's latest animated film captured the essence, the intimacy, the dreams deferred but not forgotten, of a long and loving marriage. Most of the sequence is wordless, and I couldn't hold back the tears by the end of it.

My husband and I were also best friends first. He was not my Edward*, my obsession-at-first-sight. He was my Ron, my Harry, my close-and-then-best friend I went to cafes, movies, plays, restaurants with all.of.the.time. When our romantic relationship finally began my sophomore year in college, we already knew all the secret-handshake stuff about each other -- like the fact my husband recoils from the film adaptation of Cabaret, because creepy Joel Grey in full-on Weimar costume and make-up freaked him out as a kid. (That's about all I can share without being considered a turncoat). 

In UP, life (mostly bills and other mundanities) gets in the way of Carl and Ellie's lifelong dream to visit remote Paradise Falls together. In my marriage, our own bills multiplied by our three loved-but-unexpected children have made it difficult for us to fulfill some of our dreams, to go on certain adventures (say, traveling extensively), but in the meantime, like Carl eventually realizes, we have had so many other adventures together. And no matter how long it takes, we'll make it to Paradise Falls one day. I know we will.

*Yeah, I read the Twilight books

Page to Screen

Ever since the Where the Wild Things Are trailer was released, I keep thinking about other film adaptations of my favorite children’s books. Those that got it right, like the sweet Bridge to Terabithia or the amazing Lord of the Rings trilogy are as good as a fan of those books could've hoped. Other adaptations have fallen short and made me wish they'd never been turned into movies in the first place.  

I know I'm not alone in wishing some children's books (and books in general) had been left alone, or at least for a better writer or director to reimagine. Adaptations offer a unique opportunity for us to talk to our children about the many differences between literature and film. The books that delight us can easily be movies that disappoint us; it's a valuable lesson for any media-savvy child to learn. 

Personally, I’m wishin’ and hopin’ Where the Wild Things Are is true in spirit, even if it isn’t (nor should it be) exactly like Maurice Sendak’s classic tale. From the little that the trailer depicts, Spike Jonze seems to have captured the story’s ethos without straying too far out there.  

This year also brings us the release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which was originally supposed to hit theaters last fall and is finally gracing the screen this July. And I know more than a few dazzled mothers, not to mention tweens, who are salivating for New Moon, which is currently filming and comes out in November. Both movies have a massive audience of die-hard (or should I say Twi-hard) fans who expect a faithful, mind-blowing adaptation.  

As excited as I am about all of the movies I've mentioned, I'm also a little nervous. I'm always a little bit anxious that my favorite lines or scenes won't make the cut or that an actor won't honor the beloved character he or she's playing. I know my nieces and nephews will be pretty devastated, for example, if the Volturi sequence in New Moon doesn't live up to their expectations. 

What are your favorite page-to-screen adaptations? Which books are you dying to see made into movies?

The Oscars as Family Bonding

Originally posted at DC Metro Moms

Some families rally around college and professional sports. You know the type. They're the families where everyone watches ESPN, reads SI and can recite obscure statistics about Heisman winners and NFL/NBA/MLB Hall of Famers. Not the family I grew up in, and most likely, not the family my husband and I are creating. We don't really have a "bag" (music, art, drama, camping, scouting, pets, etc.) that unites us all in a common passion or hobby. What my siblings and I (and to a lesser extent, our spouses) do have in common is a love of movies, and in particular of the Academy Awards.

Since my brothers and sister are all at least 10 years older than I, I was the rare 8-year-old who got to stay up late on Oscar Sunday to watch the telecast. Some of our family's favorite memories are of watching the awards together, a feat which has never been easy with us being spread all over the U.S. for most of our adult lives. There was the year my sister Diana yelled "Oh My God!" and nearly fell off of the sofa when she saw a tan, long-haired and gorgeous Daniel Day-Lewis accept his trophy for "My Left Foot." She was apparently expecting someone who looked, well, a little more like the Christy Brown in the film. And then in 1999, there was an audible collective gasp, leading to immediate phone calls, when "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan" for Best Picture. Six years later, my brother and sister called to rub it in that "Crash" had topped "Brokeback Mountain," a film they deemed overrated.

Yeah, we're an Oscars-loving bunch, even in years when I'm the only one who's seen more than two of the nominated films or performances. So, every year, for more than a decade, my three siblings, our step-sister and I have participated in a family Oscar pool. I should disclose here that I've written about entertainment for 10 years -- my entire professional career -- and yet for many years my sister would beat me at the pool. It's a "closed" pool for now -- all work and friend pools must be done on the side. I think even our spouses at one point wondered if they were invited to participate, and now they all do -- last year Richard, a brother-in-law, even won!

So while this Sunday may not be a big event in your home the way, say, Superbowl Sunday was, it definitely is to the 10 participants in our family pool. We predict in 3-4 years, when the oldest of our children are in their mid-teens, they'll want to chime in too. As for me, I'll make sure to get the kids down extra early, so I can sit down with all the print-outs of picks, keep my speakerphone nearby, and watch as "The Oscar Goes to...," well, perhaps Daniel Day-Lewis again. Only this time my sister's jaw won't drop.