Category Archives: Movies

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A Mother/Daughter Review of Maleficent

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Malefecient

NerdMom’s 2 cents: I really enjoyed Maleficent! Before the movie came out, I was sure the effects in Maleficent were going to be fabulous but I had no faith in the story line. I figured it would be fine but meh. As a true geek, I went to see it for the effects and grandeur the movie was sure to deliver. Well, it delivered all the grandeur and it also delivered a wonderful story. I was very impressed! Maleficent was a fabulous movie! I don’t want to give anything away so it is hard to review it. But be sure, this isn’t just a case of the mean person was right to do what she did. But just as life is, the story is complicated and layered.

As to the intensity of the movie and kids. I was a little concerned after watching the trailers that Maleficent would be a little dark and scary. There are intense moments but overall it wasn’t that scary. My kids have all watched The Avengers and Captain America 2. I will have no problem letting any of my kids watch Maleficent but I am prepared to hold hands at a couple of points;).

Bottom line: I loved this movie! Now for 10 year old’s thoughts;).

From the NerdPie: I think that Maleficent was better then Frozen. Maleficent was all about humans coping with magic using the story of Sleeping Beauty. The graphics were so amazing, it almost seemed like fairies were normal. It’s cool how, unlike other Disney movies, every thing isn’t centered around love.

(Disclosure: I was graciously given press passes to see Maleficent with my daughter. All thoughts and opinions are mine!)

Comics, Entertainment, Movies, tech

The Avengers Are Out on DVD!!!!

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Did you realize that Marvel’s The Avengers came out on dvd this week? Well I did! And I bought it! I think this seals it, I am an awesome mom;). Ok, this wasn’t really about the kids but they are benefiting from NerdDad’s and my geekness.

Now my kids had already been introduced to the awesomeness that is The Avengers when we all went to see it in the theater. We all immediately agreed that this would be a movie we would have to own. As the commercials started up the talk continued.

Then I heard that Walmart had this awesome app that had augmented reality in it so of course that meant we had to go to Walmart;). Since we knew our Walmart wasn’t going to be one of the ones with special Avengers Character appearances on Saturday Sept 29th. So we went after a long day of choir and science. The kids were so stoked! We went in with the plan to find the 6 character cardboard cut outs with the codes on it. You scan it with your phone and then you get 3 questions on each one that help you find out which Avenger you are.

The first thing we did was go to find our dvd set! The kids wanted to grab the first set that they saw. But I took them around to the other side of the display. The kids didn’t realize that there would be the option of a comic book. They were excited to say the least. But in full disclosure… they still haven’t gotten their mitts on it yet. NerdDad isn’t done with it yet;).

We went off in search of the character displays and quickly found out that our Walmart didn’t have the displays. The kids and I were disappointed because we wanted to see the cool stuff but we found other fun;). We decided to wander around and check out the toys. I think the Hulk hands were the big hit. I still am wondering if they would fit me;). I mean, I can be angry for Halloween.

Tuesday is my long day. So getting pizza for the kids was just as much a treat for me as it was for them. They were excited to get to pizza to begin with. They were even more excited to get to pick out one with an Avenger hero on the box! Ironman won 2 to 1 and 1;). One kid wanted the Thor all meat and one wanted the Captain America pepperoni.

The kids didn’t know that the augmented reality app worked with the pizza box! You scan it with you phone or tablet and you can see a scene from the movie. You can move and see it from all angles as long as you keep it in focus. The characters don’t move a lot but it is the bomb! the kids are chuckled in delight and I obviously found it worth documenting;).

We settled in to eat dinner and watch the movie! Have I mentioned that I love Black Widow in The Avengers? Joss Whedon did a phenomenal job with her as he does with all his female characters;).

We even had a special Avengers themed dessert. True I bought a flat pack of premade Jello that I used in them but did I mention that Tuesday is my long and crazy day;). I paid $2.58 for 12 cups of Jello so I had some left over. It was a great night!

I bought a movie that I love for me and my kids think that I am a rock star. What could be better;)?

Are you interested in Marvel or The Avengers? Then you can check out the Marvel site, follow them on Twitter or like the Marvel Facebook page! You can also check out the exclusive DVD/Blu-Ray/Graphic Novel pack at Walmart.

You can also see my full shopping experience over on Google+!

 

(I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™ and Marvel. #MarvelAvengersWMT #CBias #SocialFabric They may have picked the subject but all the thoughts are mine!)

Movies

Oz the Great and Powerful

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Comic Con is great, even for those of us who can’t go, because of all the great stuff companies now do for it! Disney released this new trailer this week for Comic Con. While I am not a huge Franco fan I this looks awesome. I am wondering if it will be to scary for the kids?

Entertainment, Free, Frugal Homeschooler, kids, Movies

Brave Fun

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Brave is coming soon! As a matter of fact on June 22nd! In preparation for Brave coming out there are some awesome activity sheets that kids will love. I may even take a couple for my daughter to do while she waits for the movie to start.

There are also some great recipes too!!!

Deals, DVD's, Entertainment, Geeky Stuff, Movies, Online

May the Fourth Deals

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To celebrate “May the Fourth” Amazon has some awesome Star Wars deals!

The all day Gold Box deal is Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) [Blu-ray] for only $78.99. They are also having Lightening Deals that become available through the day. Right now the deal is for the Old Republic video game for only $34.99! But that deal is only available until 10am (pst) and then there will be another deal.

Entertainment, Movies

Joss Reigns!!! A Glimpse at Marvel’s The Avengers

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I got to see Marvel’s The Avengers (in 3D) and there are so many thoughts, great thoughts, that it might be hard to organize them;). But I gotta give it a go and I am not giving details because I will not ruin this movie for you!!!

For those who don’t know, I am both a comic dork and a huge Joss Whedon fan girl. I like the shows, movies, comic books and wed shows that he has done;). So I have to say that my expectations were extremely high which means the odds were very high that I would be disappointed but alas, I wasn’t.

The Avengers started off with a bang! In true Whedon style we jump right into the action that sets up the premise for the whole movie, then we got a title sequence;). The action was glorious, as expected of a big blockbuster. Black Widow was wonderfully written as expected with Whedon’s wonderful talent for writing strong women. I had heard people bemoan the fact that Norton wasn’t returning as the Hulk but Ruffalo was perfect for the role. His little half smile fit the role so very well. And of course the rest of our stars were born for these roles. I think Robert Downey Jr. isn’t even actually acting in the Stark side of the role;).

But the thing I loved the most was the story and dialogue. With all of the other movies in this Marvel franchise once I knew who the hero and villains were, I basically could map out the movies. I mean, they were all done well with nice effects and some great lines but you kind of knew what was going to happen. That is what I expect of comic book hero movie. But this one is different. The plot had not twists that didn’t expect but also huge plot lines that I had no idea were coming!

The dialogue was fast in true Whedon fashion. You will not get bored waiting for the next action sequence. The dialogue you saw in the trailer pales in comparison. The dialogue actually got as many cheers and audible laughs in the theater as the action got. It makes the movie! It gives it a dimension and depth that really makes the movie phenomenal! I also the fact that it was so clean! Captain America had quite a bit of innuendo and was stoked that this didn’t! My kids will be so happy to see it. There may be a birthday surprise for them after the crowds die down!

Oh, and it my first 3D movie. It is so worth an extra few bucks! And if you have any idea how cheap I am that is saying something;). The 3D effects weren’t just water coming at you and cheesy stuff like that. It was awesome.

Did I mention that I really loved this movie;)? Marvel should do whatever it takes in order to get Whedon to write the rest of this series!!!

Have you seen it? Do you have plans to see it?

(Disclosure: I was given a press pass from Marvel to see The Avengers for free but the opinions are all mine!)