katts-55613 Reviews

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

A Captain Worthy of Leading

[9/10 · 23 March 2019]

I had forgotten just how much I like this movie. Wholesome and sweet, a true hero who doesn't want to beat up the bad guys but does want to protect the vulnerable, who has never had the ability to achieve his desires and is suddenly and unexpectedly given incredible power- and uses it to live up to his ideals. Uplifting and inspiring :)

Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

Place Your Bets on This One!

[8/10 · 23 March 2019]

If you enjoyed "Oceans 11" and "Ocean's 12," then you've got to see this 1 because it's the best of the 3! All of them are so ingenious, and they do such a great job of bringing you in, making you feel like you're part of the team, explaining how they pull their ridiculously genius scheme. This 1 has even more "family" feel to it as they protect 1 of their own who has been taken advantage of, taking down the villain who "should have known better." And although they kind of detract from the film a little, I appreciate the parts where team members become more socially conscious- makes it seem almost like they're growing up a little, becoming more aware of the world around them and the impact they can have on it. Overall, it has all the fun of the first 2 films, with a little more depth.

The Secret of Kells (2009)

Beautiful Mesh of Mythology and Storytelling

[8/10 · 22 March 2019]

St. Patrick's Day was coming up and I had heard about "The Secret of Kells" for years, so I had to check this out. I didn't know what to expect, but I wasn't disappointed. It was a wonderful mesh of myth with history and beautiful storytelling. And of course, the hauntingly beautiful score couldn't help but make it even more enjoyable. I wouldn't suggest it for very young children as it can be a bit scary for them in parts, but I truly enjoyed all of the mythology that went into it.

The Good Witch (2008 TV Movie)

Completely Magical

[10/10 · 22 March 2019]

I had seen the series on Netflix and enjoyed it enough to check out this movie, but...

I was NOT expecting to like this movie so much!!

I can definitely see how this movie spawned so many follow-up movies and a popular series.

It is fun, relatable, sweet. a definitely family film, but in the good kind of way where everybody in the family can enjoy the film, not just where it's safe for everybody in the family.

I admit that it is totally up my alley- with a mysterious woman who you can't quite figure out whether she's magical or incredibly, impossibly intuitive happily and unselfishly going around changing people's lives for the better. And I like how upbeat she is even when karma doesn't quite seem to be taking care of her the way I think it should be. And of course, the way the good people around her rally for her when she needs them is heartwarming.

Definitely making it into my library and going to become 1 of my more worn out DVDs pretty quickly.

And now, I'm off in search of the rest of the movies :)

The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns (1999)

What Would Shakespeare Think?

[8/10 · 19 March 2019]

Hallmark brings us Romeo and Juliet if Romeo was a Leprechaun (solitary fairy) and Juliet was a Fairy (trooping fairy). But it's not quite as simple as that, and they make sure to throw in a bunch of differences so that maybe the audience won't recognize it from the beginning. The biggest difference is Randy Quaid- the human who comes to Ireland on his vacation (or is it? From the beginning doubt is thrown on how much of a vacation this actually is) and falls in love with the girl who believes he's a Peeping Tom. Definitely the comic relief of the movie. Whoopi Goldberg plays an interesting Grand Banshee, which seems to be 1 of her favorite types of roles as she teaches us social mores about how we should all treat each other. Strangely enough, she begins to kill these immortal races when they fight with each other, which instead of fixing things or getting them to begin to prize their new mortality (which only affects them if they disobey her and fight) seems to get them more riled up eventually leading to an all-out war. There's a lot more involved in the war between the fairies and leprechauns than what we see in Shakespeare's story, we see a lot more behind the scenes, and a lot more goes on in "Romeo" and "Juliet's" relationship- which gives it more credence that they may actually be in love than 5 minutes at a party and now they're going to accidentally kill each other. Speaking of- there's slightly more intelligence going on here, too. Overall, it's a fun movie, probably something I'll be adding to my library just for convenience because it's one of the better St. Patrick's Day films I've been able to find.

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)

Beautiful Story in a Beautiful Location

[8/10 · 19 March 2019]

This was a surprisingly enjoyable movie in a beautiful location that made me want to go hunting it down (unfortunately, as far as I could tell Roan Inish doesn't exist- in fact the original source book is based in Scotland). It taught some good lessons about perseverance, sacrifice, and the strong and healthy bond between humans and nature that we should be striving for (and they did it without being preachy).

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018)

Cute Movie that Doesn't Live Up to Its Potential

[7/10 · 19 March 2019]

I don't feel as harshly about this film as a lot of other people do; although, I do agree with a lot of their complaints- characters that don't connect and don't have the depth you're hoping for and a script that doesn't have the strength it could have had (and we wish it'd had). I'm not such a fanatic about Disney as to believe that they don't make mistakes, and they made quite a few with this one, most especially not living up to its potential. However, this will probably still make it into my library because it is a cute show. As far as a lot of Christmas movies go, it's a lot better than a lot of others I've seen (which of course is not a reason for a good rating, but let's allow it to be viewed and compared in its genre). The visuals are spectacular. The music is beautiful (which it should be considering its source and inspiration). And, again, the story is basically a cute, fun concept.

Far and Away (1992)

Far and Away a Great Movie

[9/10 · 16 March 2019]

I haven't watched this in ages and had forgotten how great it is. Cruise and Kidman do an absolutely fantastic job of acting, complete with realistic accents (Cruise spent months working with a dialogue coach to perfect his working class brogue). The scenery is breathtaking- shot in both Ireland and Billings, Montana. The storyline is fascinating- the Oklahoma land rush is such an interesting part of American history (Ron Howard based it on stories of his own family). And the storyline is so sweet and simple as they come from such different worlds and learn to see each other in new lights, discovering and appreciating what each has to offer, and beginning to care beyond socially-imposed divisions.

Dwegons and Leprechauns (2014)

Good for Young Kids

[4/10 · 16 March 2019]

This movie is a cute story about a father and son who fall on hard times and have to move with their granny to a decrepit home the father has inherited from his uncle in the hopes of remodeling the house into a sort of bed and breakfast. In so doing, they discover the centuries old friendship their family has enjoyed with the Dwegons- half dragon, half leprechauns, who make it their mission to help the Fitzgeralds. Enter 2 art thieves and some Russian mobsters, and the Fitzgeralds and Dwegons band together to try to overcome all the troubles that are coming their way. This movie doesn't seem to be designed for adults, but it wasn't too bad since I had it playing in the background during St. Patrick's Day activities. It does seem like younger children, keeping them under 6 or 7 years old, are more prone to enjoy it.

Song of the Sea (2014)

Hauntingly beautiful score

[8/10 · 16 March 2019]

This movie is beautiful with a moving storyline, character relationships, and a hauntingly beautiful score. It is a touching story of loss and how the love found between family helps to heal if you open yourself to it. The Irish mythology is wonderfully wound throughout with selkies, the owl witch Macha, and the giant who cried an ocean. I use this movie as part of our St. Patrick's Day celebrations, and it's the perfect addition to the other activities I was doing.