Let's all go to the movies!

Song Stuck on the Brain: Watching You by Rodney Atkins. This song makes me laugh and cry and scares me to death at the same time. It's scary when you realize how much little kids watch you as an example. I love that the dad CARES that he makes the right impression on his little boy - and it shows. Great song.

Last night Angel, Karen and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. We had been avoiding the theater because it's just so darned expensive anymore, but we've discovered that the AMC theater here offers cheaper tickets on weeknights. We save $3 a ticket, so the movies are an entertainment option once again. Anyway, last night was Pirates, and man was it awesome!

I read all the reviews, listened to all the (pardon my French) Crap that's been tossed around about this film, and I just want to say... Pllllbbbtth! (That's French for blowing raspberries.) I loved the film. It was long, coming in right at 3 hrs, but it didn't FEEL long. The plot was twisty with plenty of surprises, the cast was incredible and the adventure left nothing unturned.

I can kind of see why some people might find these second two movies disappointing compared to the first. I loved all three, but I also love fantasy. The first movie was much more grounded in reality, with the sequels invading Fantasy territory a great deal more. Especially this last one. But really, give it a chance. It's Epic fun at it's best.

There was one scene, where you see Captain Jack Sparrow in Davey Jones Locker for the first time, that was... well, strange. It was so stark and just completely different from the rest of the film, that it almost seemed out of place. It kind of threw me at first, but looking back at the movie as a whole now, it kind of makes a really cool contrast between this state of limbo so to speak that is driving Jack crazy, and the real world that he longs to be a part of again.

The ending really threw me for a loop. I didn't see it coming. I was just sure I was going to hate the ending, but it worked. The important thing to note here, is that you HAVE to stay and watch the clip at the end after all the credits have run. It's EXTREMELY important to the ending of the movie. So, no excuses. Even if you have to pee. HOLD IT. You'll be glad you did.

We've also seen Shrek 3 recently. My sisters and I took my 4 yr old niece, Em, and her 17 yr old brother to see it the Monday after it was released. Man, I did not think Em was going to be able to wait until Monday. She begged all weekend to go see Shrek. The child LOVES Shrek. She wants to marry him. She pretends to be princess Fiona all the time.

By the time we got settled in the theater, she was nearly bouncing in her chair. When the "This Preview has been approved for all audiences" screen popped up she shrieked, "Look, it's green like Shrek!" Of course she did the same with the dream works slide (two letters were green.) She loved the movie. She was a little concerned that Shrek and Fiona had to spend so much time apart during the film. She kept asking, "Where's Shrek goin? Why isn't Fiona goin too?" By the end though, she was dancing happilly in the aisle to Donkey and Puss' rendition of Thank you For Lettin Me Be Myself... Again. She boogied all the way out of the theater.

I know there was a lot of critics dissing this one too, but again... Pllllbbbtth! We all loved it. The voice casting is just so inspiring. The warrior princesses were great and the ogre babies of course were just adorable. I appreciate the fact that Shrek and Fiona have a very strong and loving marriage and that they aren't afraid to show that. Kids get enough of the dysfunctional everyday, so I'm glad that Shrek and Fiona are kind to one another and don't argue and treat each other badly.

That's all we've managed to see lately, but they were both worthy of the ticket price. Let me know if what you thought of the movies.

A.