Guest Review (Movie) - Despicable Me

Remember how I went to Peru? I met awesome people on the trip - both in Peru and members of my mission team. As I mentioned already here, one of my new friends is a teacher who liked my blog enough to help me out with it.
Without further ado, I would like to present to you my first guest review! *(with minor editorial changes made by me...Juan likes to tell me how he has impressed even military aptitude test proctors with his brilliance, but his spelling is atrocious)

A “Juan-in-a-Million” review.



Being evil doesn’t always mean being bad…Does it?


Rated: PG for rude humor and mild action.


For ages 8 and up.

Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) is your atypical super-villain with an odd Russian accent. He lives in a dreary looking house that sticks out like a sore thumb in a small American neighborhood with a secret lair that is full of Oompa Loompa-looking minions that each have a very distinct personality. Gru's number one ambition in life is to be known as the greatest super-villain in all the world. There is just one problem…the biggest heist the world has ever seen was not done by him, but by a younger, more cunning villain by the name of Vector (voiced by the hilarious Jason Segel). Gru continues to look for help in his biggest scheme of all, stealing the moon! His evil plot comes complete with an Igor like assistant who creates very unique and sometimes strange weapons, and a plan to steal a shrink-ray, adopt three orphan girls that will challenge him in every way, and the use of robot cookies to once again prove to everyone that he is the number one villain of all time. What he doesn’t realize is that somewhere deep within himself, his Grinch-like heart is about to grow three sizes bigger than before.


Even with the predictable set up, Despicable Me still made me laugh, even at times that I didn’t want to. It uses a wrong vs. right atmosphere to teach a lesson, but strangely uses the wrong side of that equation to bring it on home. With a bit of mild humor and a ray-gun blast or two of violence, this family friendly movie allows laughs for the young and old.

Carell does a wonderful job voicing Gru and his hilarious “glasses wearing” helpers steal every scene even though you can’t understand a word they are saying. The rest of the voice cast is filled out by Nickelodeons “iCarley” Miranda Cosgrove as the oldest of the orphans, Kristen Wiig as the eccentric “mom- like” figure that is in charge of the “Home for Girls” orphanage, and the wonderfully talented and always surprisingly funny Julie Andrews as Gru’s un-accepting mother. 


If you are looking for a fun movie that doesn’t make you think all that much, this is the movie for you. It is 95 minutes of mindless entertainment that has a feel good ending. I will be honest, I am not going to run off to the theaters to see it again, but I might take a gander at it when it comes out in a few months on DVD.

*The credits at the end of the movie are worth a second look for sure. Make sure you stay until the very end!

Juan's rating for this movie:

If you are interested in guest reviewing on my blog (for anything children/YA friendly), feel free to go here and contact me!

Review[ish] (Movie) - A Walk to Remember

This is a different type of movie review - more like a coherent list of why I love this movie. If you have any thoughts [on the movie], feel free to share. I tried to keep it as spoiler-free as possible.


Last weekend I was asked what my favorite movie was. I thought about it for a moment and decided that it hasn't changed in the past ?? years; it is still A Walk to Remember. So when I was asked why it was my favorite movie, I felt bad that I couldn't really give a reason. To fix this, I sat down with a notepad last Monday to watch the movie for the first time in a long time to take notes. I thought being distracted by note-taking would prevent me from coming to tears, but who was I kidding?


Reasons why A Walk to Remember is my favorite movie:

• Because I love the soundtrack - especially “Someday We'll Know”.
• Because I love the quotes – especially "It's like the wind. I can't see it but I feel it." And whose response to “I love you” would be "I told you not to fall in love with me”? I’ve watched the movie so many times I start reciting the lines before they’re said and either start laughing like an idiot or crying before the sad part even happens.
• Because I love the characters -

Jamie is my hero/role model. She doesn't care what people think about her, she is faithful, strong emotionally and physically, at peace with dying, helpful, forgiving, smart, modest but still pretty, and it was her character that inspired Landon to want to change, and taught her own father lessons. She had a bucket list before [the movie] The Bucket List made it “cool” to have one. The comeback "He's too busy looking for your brain" is DEFINITELY something I would say. It would probably take both hands and feet to be able to count how many times I've heard the line "It's the quiet ones you gotta watch out for" about myself. She also makes passengers wear their seatbelts…go ahead and ask me how I almost threw someone out the windshield of my car who wouldn’t put on their seatbelt. Haha


Landon has the “bad boy” rep, but shows that chivalry is not dead. He could have had the girl who invited him over when her parents weren't home, but instead he chose the "good girl". He’s willing to defend a girl with his fist if he has to, asks her dad permission to date his daughter, and does everything for her – he helps her accomplish as much of her “bucket list” as possible, while totally respecting her modesty (i.e. the graveyard scene & when her sweater falls off her shoulder), and he doesn’t leave.

• Because I love being connected to the story enough to feel the emotions. For some reason, I’ve always loved the frantic look Jamie gives Landon after he suggests she wants to be with him too. I could feel the line "I'm scared of not being with you." tug at my heartstrings. And he knew how to hug/hold her like he meant it.
• Because I love the situations Landon and Jamie are put in together. I wish somebody would make me dance with them, even if we stepped on each others’ feet.
• Because the last scene of the movie still leaves my face drenched.
• Because I love love.

Random tidbits about me and this movie:

• I saw this movie at least twice before I realized what the "WALK" to remember was.
• It's the only book/movie adaptation where I cried more reading the book than the movie, and considering the first time I watched this movie in its entirety I sat directly in front of the TV with a box of tissues, I definitely didn't think that was possible.
• I've never cared enough about any other movie to make a list of why I like it so much.

I made a bucket list after watching this movie -

• Complete an 8-second ride
• Conquer Summit Plummet
• Cross the Med
• Find all the Hidden Mickeys in Walt Disney World
• Hug a sea lion
• Indulge in some sort of all-inclusive vacation
• Learn to read music
• Run a marathon
• See the Cliffs of Moher (in person)
• Skydive
• Stand at the top of the Eiffel Tower
• Stay in a castle
• Swim with Sharks
• Take an ABD vacation
• Visit all the Disney Parks around the world

Some "impressive" feats I have already accomplished -

• Backpacked the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim
• Kissed a stingray
• Scored a championship goal
• Swam with dolphins
• Won the Amazing [Cozumel] Race

Review (Movie) - Avatar

Recipe -
1 part Alice In Wonderland
3 parts Doom
8 parts Pocahontas
8 parts Ferngully

Directions -
Combine parts on a film reel. Add silver nitrate and 3D glasses and mix well.

Put it all together and what have you got?

Since we didn't get to go Disney for Valentine's Day, my boyfriend took me to see Avatar in IMAX 3D.

The movie had stunning special effects. The 3D was done tastefully - thankfully, James Cameron didn't feel the need to have everything pop in your face to show off. Hopefully this means we won't be missing too much when the movie comes out on DVD (or if you see a non-3D version of the movie in theaters). In movies these days it is growing increasingly difficult to determine what is CGI and what is real; this movie will not [visually] disappoint.

Rated PG-13, I didn't notice an excessive use of curse words, but according to IMDB's parents guide (I always check there before showing a movie in the library if the movie is rated anything higher than G if I haven't seen it before - and sometimes if I have) "every scene has at least 2 semi-strong swears". There is only one "mating" scene in the movie, and it is only implied, not shown. When in doubt, get permission slips signed!

If you don't like the storyline of Pocahontas, or are looking for an uplifting movie, you might want to wait until it comes out on DVD. Personally, I got slightly depressed during the movie as the slow realization washed over me that the movie was accurately portraying the evil, greed, arrogance, and disrespect for our surroundings [most] real humans show these days.

Speaking of Pocahontas, yes, she was a Native American. And I am failing to see why some people are making a huge deal about this movie being racist. It seems to me that Cameron and his producers were writing the story based on what they know from history. White men were invading someone else's planet, and the Na'vi were the ones smart enough to know how to treat their own land, yet they were getting forced out because of the human's greed. Sounds pretty historically accurate to me. Would those who are complaining of racism rather the whole movie been whitewashed so that the humans and the Na'vi were white? Because not acknowledging that other races do exist would have been so much less racist... It's not like they were portrayed as the "bad guys", they were the good smart guys.

So, I liked the story and the visuals, and I haven't heard from many who feel differently. I don't understand why it is suddenly everyone's favorite movie, but when it comes out on DVD, Avatar should still be a hit for your library (or home) for teens and adults.

My Rating: