This is the second time in two weeks I've seen a 3D movie.  But the first time ever to really experience a 3D nirvana.  Yesterday we saw 'Fly Me To The Moon', and I still can't say the movie title without singing 'Fly Me To The Moon' by Frank Sinatra.  So every time you see the title 'Fly Me To The Moon', trust me I sang it out as I typed it.

Okay back to the business at hand...'Fly Me To The Moon' is the first ever animated movie created for 3D.  The movie utilizes nWave 3D technology.  The 3D stereoscopy technique, quite literally, make the characters in the movie jump out of the screen.  It is a visual experience that will have you in awe!

Firstly, the story is predictable.  They go to the moon and come back.  Okay, I give you that.  But this movie gives you a 'fly on the wall' perspective.  And I will tell you that you have not seen a 3D film until you've seen this one! 

'Fly Me To The Moon' (I bet your singing it now too), is about three houseflies that hitch a ride on the Apollo 11 space mission.  Nat, I.Q., and Scooter, are three young flies that dream of going somewhere different.  And with the help of Grandpa, voiced by Christopher Lloyd (Doc from Back to the Future fame), inspiring Nat to be adventurous, the three plot a way to get into space.  My favorite character by the way, is Grandpa.

Tim Curry, Kelly Ripa and Nicollette Sheridan join Lloyd in lending their voices to characters in 'Fly Me To The Moon', along with Trevor Gagnon, Phillip Bolden and David Gore as Nat, I.Q. and Scooter, respectively.

I won't write any spoilers here, but suffice to say that I give this movie a must see for the 3D experience alone.  Fortunately, I can also recommend you see it for the story as well.  It has a good message for kids of all ages - that it is possible to attain your dreams.  Also a good message for parents - sometimes we need to let our kids go... a little.

Finally, my son gives 'Fly Me To The Moon' an enthusiastic 4-Star.  He says, "he wants a fly as a pet".  Of course in the movie the houseflies were cute; didn't change my view though, I will continue to swat the little annoying creatures!

One last thing - even though I loved this 3D experience, I have an issue with paying $2.50 extra per person for your 3D (polarizing) glasses.  Let me clarify, I have an issue to paying extra for the polarizing glasses every time I go to a 3D movie. Check out the post above to see why.

We saw Journey to the Center of the Earth yesterday, and must say it was a great 3D experience. 

Journey...is about a science professor whose brother (built a monitoring system for volcanic activity) has been missing for 10 years, and while keeping his nephew discover secret codes inside a copy of Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.

So Trevor (Brendan Fraser), his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) and a mountain guide Hannah (Anita Briem), set out to find out what happened to Trevor's brother, Sean's father.  And action persues.

My favorite quote from the movie:

Trevor: [as they were climbing] Hey, look at all the shist.

Sean:  What?!

Trevor:  It's a metamorphic rock.  Green shist, white shist, micro-guarded shist.

Sean:  Oh.  Shist.

I give Journey to the Center of the Earth a 3 1/2 star, although I do feel like it is more like a long IMAX movie.  The 3D effects were cool and over all an entertaining movie.

However, my son gives it a 2-star.  He is a tougher critic than I am.  Actually, his favorite genre of movie is a comedy.  So the funnier the movie the better it is to him.  He said Journey... is "too boring".  Yep, he likes action movies okay but if it doesn't tickle his funny bone -- it's too boring.  However, he did laugh a few times and he did love the 3D effects.  He would hold his hand out and grab at things that would appear to float before your eyes.

I recommend Journey to the Center of the Earth for the 3D experience alone...but do think it is a movie parents will enjoy with their kids.  By the way, older kids may enjoy this movie more than say, seven year olds and younger.

On the Cable RETRO channel tonight they aired the movie The Wiz, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.  It first aired in 1978 and I remember when it first came out being upset that they were trying to mess with The Wizard of Oz, one of my all time favorite movies.  However, this version was entertaining (and by no means can be compared to the original). 

From IMBD here is the synopsis of The Wiz:  'In this version of the classic story - based on the smash Broadway musical - Dorothy is a shy 24-year-old Harlem kindergarten teacher who is brought by a snowstorm to the mysterious Land of Oz, a sprawling, decaying, nightmarish, and dangerous megalopolis that resembles the physical characteristics of New York City. The re-telling of the tale includes various urban settings, extreme sadness and melancholy, and features themes of rising above one's background and the expectations of others.'

The Wiz starred Diana Ross as Dorothy, Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow, Nipsey russell as the Tinman and Ted Ross as the Cowardly Lion.  With Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch and Richard Pryor as The Wiz.

They was great singing in The Wiz...I mean Ross and Jackson were/are fantastic singers.  And Russell and Pryor were great comedians.  So there was good entertainment value in The Wiz.

I do wonder what L. Frank Baum who wrote 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz', would have thought of The Wiz?  I'm not sure, but I think if you have never seen The Wiz, I think you should experience it. 

If given the choice though between The Wiz and The Wizard of Oz...well that's easy...The Wizard of Oz, hands down.

Have you seen The Wiz?  What did/do you think of The Wiz?  Let us know.  Hope to hear from you!

I have come to the realization that I will only be seeing G rated (and sometimes PG rated) movies...at least for a few more years.  But that is okay with me, especially if the movie is entertaining or has a good message.   We took our son to see 'Space Chimps' this weekend, and I'm glad to say this movie was both.

"Space Chimps" is an intergalactic comedy that highlights the antics of astronaut chimps with the wrong stuff.  Ham III (Andy Samberg), the slacker grandson of the first chimp blasted into space before manned space flight, joins two other astronaut chimps for a dangerous mission through a black hole to an inhabited planet.  When they're stranded there, the chimps must help the inhabitants rid themselves of a tyrannical leader, and then figure out how to get back to Earth.

My son loved the movie!  He laughed throughout the movie and talked about it for hours afterwards.  That is high praise indeed!  He gives it a 5-star and I give it a 4-star.  I highly recommend this movie for the whole family!  As a bonus go to spacechimpspower.com and check out this cool web site.  Great site with fun and games for your kids to enjoy!

And as for seeing 'adult' movies, well my husband is seeing the new Batman movie 'Dark Knight', while my son and I are out of town visiting family.  As for me, I'll wait till it comes out on DVD.  We think that "Dark Knight" is too dark of a movie for a 5 year old.  In fact, Christian Bale (who plays Batman) says he wouldn't recommend children under the age of 9 or 10 see it. 

If you see 'Space Chimps' share with us what you thought of it.  Hope to hear from you!  Enjoy life!!!

We recently watched the DVD Martian Child.  I really liked this movie!  It is an intelligent script with a great cast.  It stars John Cusack, Bobby Coleman, Amanda Peet, Joan Cusack, and Oliver Platt.  It’s about a recently widowed science-fiction writer who adopts a young boy that claims to be from Mars.  There is a series of strange occurrences that lead David (played by Cusack), and we the viewers to believe that Dennis’ (played by Bobby Coleman) claim of being a Martian may be true.  The on screen chemistry between Cusack and Coleman is beautiful. 

I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn’t seen it, so I will just say that it is a good family movie.  It will give parents an opportunity to discuss the feeling of insecurities and abandonment to name a few, if you feel so inclined.

Finally, I think the reason this movie touched me was the fact that it is based on a true story.  To know that David and Dennis exist and lived this story makes the movie truly come to life!

If you have watched Martian Child, I would love to hear what you thought of it.  Hope to hear from you!  Enjoy Life!!!