The Princess and the Frog

The Princess and the Frog is the first black Disney princess in a movie. I find it insane that Disney didn't make a black princess until 2009! The movie is based all around the great city of New Orleans. The Princess and the Frog isn't just based on the girl finding her prince, this movie has more morals to it.

This movie is about a hardworking waitress named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) who has been working her entire life in order to open up her own resturant. She has dreams, big dreams. While Tiana is on her way to making enough money to buy her own place, she crosses paths with Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos). The prince is then cast under a spell, which turns him into a frog. When Tiana walks into her friends bedroom, she sees the frog. Tiana jokingly goes to kiss the frog hoping that he will turn into a Prince. All of a sudden the frog starts to speak, begging for her to kiss him. Tiana is freaked out but finally agrees. When she kisses the frog, she too turns into a frog!

From that moment on Tiana and Prince Naveen must adventure all throughout New Orleans to try and find a way to break the spell. Along the way they encounter many mysterious friends. Tiana needs to break this spell as soon as possible so she can continue fighting for her dreams.

What I loved most about this Disney movie was that it wasn't like any other. This movie portrays working hard for your dreams and making them come true. Of course there is a prince, but Tiana is not royally a princess. I also loved how this movie was based in New Orleans, my best friend goes to school there and it isn't like anywhere else. There's constantly music and everyone is extremely friendly. Disney did a good job at using morals and showing essence of the New Orleans flow.

Rotten Tomatoes gives this movie an 85% and says, "The warmth of traditional Disney animation makes this occasionally lightweight fairy-tale update a lively and captivating confection for the holidays."

Check out the trailer below...

Precious

Life is hard... Life is short... Life is painful... Life is rich... Life is... Precious... These are the words from Sapphire's novel and movie Precious. Sapphire first wrote Push in 1996, a true story based on her life. This movie is heart breaking but inspirational. The acting is beyond believable, all the actors were truly able to portray the characters from Push.

This movie is about an obese 16-year-old girl named Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) who is pregnant with her second child, from her father. Precious lives everyday in agony, whether its her father raping her or her mother abusing her. Her mother Mary (Mo'Nique) despises Precious because her husband would rather have sex with her than his own wife. Every day Mary tells her daughter that she is fat and ugly, that she is worthless and wont ever be loved. Every time Precious is being abused, she imagines that she is a beautiful movie star, and everyone loves her. Precious never fights back until one night when she has had enough.

Precious never wanted her father to rape her and never wanted to hurt her mother, it was something she has lived with since she was 10-years-old. After Precious fights back with her mother she is kicked out of her house. She is also kicked out of school because she is pregnant. Precious moves into a half-way house where she learns to read and write. Her life begins to change.

Mo'Nique has always been known as a comedian, to see her playing a role of an abusive mother is very shocking, but extraordinary. She really becomes the character that shes trying to portray. Mo'Nique won her first Oscar for Supporting Actress. People Magazine says, "Even though she seemingly had a lock on the Supporting Actress Oscar, Mo'Nique triggered a welcome jolt that reverberated through Hollywood's Kodak Theatre when her name was announced. She first thanked the Academy 'for showing that it can be about the performance and not the politics.'"


This movie was undeniably amazing and if you haven't seen it... you really should.
Check out the trailer below...

Titanic

When Titanic first came out I was 7-years-old, but I still can remember going to see the movie in theaters with my family. When I was seven I obviously didn't understand Titanic as well as I do today, but I recall liking it as much as I do today. Its the perfect love story whether your seven or 47, although a little scary for a 7-year-old. This film was made in 1997 and was directed by infamous James Cameron, who also recently directed Avitar.

Most people have seen Titanic, and millions fell in love with it. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio who plays a poor boy living his life day-by-day, and Kate Winslet who plays Rose, a rich girl about to get married to a wealthy man named Cal (Billy Zane). Jack and Rose meet on this "unsinkable ship" and fall in love the moment they see each other. Rose realizes that she does not want to marry Cal, and once the Titanic anchors she is going to get off the boat with Jack.
Before the Titanic is able to anchor, it hits an iceberg and the bottom of the ship starts to fill up with water. The unsinkable ship is going to sink. Jack and Rose fall deeply in love during a major crisis. Not only does Rose have to worry about her mother, Cal, and the ship men, but now her life is put in danger as the Titanic begins to sink.

This movie is filled with love, passion, death a disaster. This three and a half hour long movie keeps your attention at every scene. The digital affects in this film are unbelievable. For the last 13 years of my life I have watched Titanic over and over again, each time I gain a new appreciation for it. I'm sure I will continue to watch this movie forever. Leonardo DiCaprio was the first man I fell "in love" with, and I don't think I'll every grow out of it.

The Titanic is based on a true story (minus the characters) and therefore makes this disaster even more of a tragedy. Thousands of people are very interested in the sinking of the Titanic. People have become so interested that they even made a Titanic museum. Of course I went to the museum in NYC and it was very interesting. You start off with a card that has a persons name on it, then you go through the entire musuem, at the end you are able to find out whether your person survived or not. In the museum they have real models of the dinning rooms, bedrooms, staircase and even an iceberg that you can touch that is just as cold as the water the passengers died in.The Washington Post said, "You could stay awake till the wee hours extolling the extraordinary stunts, cinematography, production design and special effects of "Titanic." James Cameron's $200 million epic about the doomed ocean liner is easily the most visually stunning experience of the year. Of course, it should be. It's the most expensive production in movie history, and it had the demonically energetic Cameron at the helm." This just goes to show how amazing Titanic really is!

Check out the trailer below...

Finding Nemo

I have seen Finding Nemo at least over 30 times. I know every word, and every scene of the movie. From the first time I saw Finding Nemo I fell in love. This movie is perfect for adults and children, which makes it the perfect family movie. The movie is full of hilarious jokes and an adorable plot. The cartoon animation is incredible, PIXAR really came together to make an amazing film.

The movie first opens with clown fish, Marlin(Albert Brooks) who's wife and fish eggs were killed by a bigger fish. Out of the hundreds of fish eggs that were eaten, only one remained. Marlin decided to call this fish, Nemo, just like his wife wanted.

Years later Nemo (Alexander Gould) is starting to grow up and its time for him to start attending school. Marlin is extremly nervous for his son to leave the reef because Nemo is all he has. Nemo becomes fed up with his father being so protective. When Nemo is at the "drop-off" with his classmates, they start to set bets on who can swim out the farthest. Nemo goes to touch the "butt" a.k.a the bottom of a fishing boat, when he is captured by a fisherman from Sydney.

Marlin is freaking out and so nervous that his son was just captured. He starts to swim as fast as he can after the boat, but he cannot catch up. This is when Marlin runs into Dory,(Ellen DeGeneres) a blue tang fish suffering from memory loss. From then on Marlin and Dory swim across the deep blue in hopes of finding Nemo at P. Sherman 42 Wallabe Way, Sydney, by following the East Australian Current. They meet many interesting and funny characters along their journey.

Finding Nemo has become such a huge hit in American culture, that it even has its own ride dedicated to the movie at Disney's EPCOT. Children everywhere carry around little clown fish. Parents are able to enjoy the humorous characters. Even my 54 -year-old father loves this film. Rotten Tomatoes gives this movie a 98% and says, "Breathtaking animation, talented vocal work, and a well-written screenplay add up to another Pixar success."

The New York Times says, "The humor bubbling through ''Finding Nemo'' is so fresh, sure of itself and devoid of the cutesy, saccharine condescension that drips through so many family comedies that you have to wonder what it is about the Pixar technology that inspires the creators to be so endlessly inventive." And they are exactly right.

If you haven't seen this movie... then that's a real shame.. YOU MUST check out the trailer below....

I Love You Man

I Love You Man is a hilarious movie about a friendship. Starring Paul Rudd from Knocked Up and Jason Segel from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Rudd plays Peter Klaven, who's world revolves around his real estate work and fiancee Zooey. After Peter proposed to Zooey, she called all of her friends to tell them the news. Zooey asked Peter if he would like to call any of his friends, but he soon realized he didn't have any.

Peter overhears Zooey's friends hounding her about him being friendless. Peter decides he "needs some fucking friends."He needs to find his best man. Zooey, her friends, and even Peter's brother Robbie try to help him friend friends that lead to many awkward encounters.

Finally at an open house Peter meets Sydney (Jason Segel). They engage in a hilarious conversation and end up exchanging business cards. Later on Peter builds up the courage to call Sydney and invite him to get drinks. Soon they become good friends and what seems like a harmless friendship threatens Peters engagement and career.

I found this movie to be beyond funny. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel have been in many comedies together but this may be their best role yet! The New York Times says, "A man without a woman is like a pistol without a hammer, wrote Victor Hugo. But a romantic comedy without a female lead, well, that’s just a fine bromance and now Hollywood business as usual, as most recently demonstrated by "I Love You Man" a fitfully funny comedy that owes much to Judd Apatow, the king of such sublimated man-on-man affairs."

The Last Song

I know EVERYONE hates Miley Cyrus, but I had to see this movie because I read the book. The Last Song was first written by Nicholas Sparks and then became a movie directed by Julie Anne Robinson. If you can look past Miley Cyrus' annoying voice and corny music, then you will really enjoy the story line.

This movie is about a teenage girl named Ronnie (Miley Cyrus) who just graduated from high school. Her parents have been divorced for three years, and within those years Ronnie cut off all connections with her father. She holds a grudge on her father because she blames him for the divorce. Ronnie is soon told by her mom that she and her younger brother Jonah (Bobby Coleman) have to go live with their father in South Carolina for the summer.Ronnie is extremely pissed off and acts like a ridiculous teenager.

When Ronnie first arrives to her Dads (Greg Kinnear) she ignores everything he says, storms out of the house, and heads towards the beach. When Ronnie is at the beach she meets a sexy and buff volley ball player named Will (Liam Hemsworth). Will is not the typical guy that Ronnie is ever interested in, but there's something about him that drives her crazy.

Ronnie spends the rest of her summer falling in love with Will and bonding more and more with her father and younger brother. When the summer starts to come to an end Ronnie does not leave. She has fallen in love and has gained a strong connection with her father. Ronnie soon discovers that her father has cancer, and has had cancer for almost a year now. The whole reason as to why Ronnie and Jonah were sent to live with their father for the summer was because he's dying.

When you first watch the trailer to this movie you would not think it would be as depressing as it is. Even reading the book I could not stop crying. I love the story of this movie, however the acting was a little cheesy. The book was definitely a hundred percent better. If you like corny, romantic, and depressing movies, then this movie is great for you!

The Los Angeles Times says, "Those hungry for this kind of calculated, faux-emotional escapism can order the usual from this familiar menu, and really, what's wrong with that? There was audible sobbing in the screening this reviewer attended, so somebody cares. But for those wondering if the continuing popularity of such exercises might make this one worth the ticket price, the same effect might be achieved by writing names and obstacles (make some tragic) on index cards and tossing them in the air."

The Los Angeles Times has this film figured out. If your into Nicholas Sparks movies like The Notebook or Dear John, then you'll love it. If you don't like his movies, then DO NOT see it.

Check out the trailer below...

Up

Up is one of the best cartoon movies I have seen in a long time. It is full of love, comedy and good morals. The movie starts off with Carl Fredricksen (Edward Asner), a shy and quiet young boy who meets a young loud and energetic girl named Ellie (Elie Docter). They discover that they both have the same hobbies of exploring. They plan explore all over the world. Ellie tells Carl of an idea to movie their club house on a cliff right next to a water fall in Paradise Falls, South America.

Ellie and Carl wed and grow old together. For years they saved up for South America, but never made it there. Ellie dies of old age and leaves Carl in the world alone with no reason for living. He is still living in their house that they built together years ago, when he is court ordered to move into Shady Oaks Retirement Home because he attacked a construction worker outside of his house.

78-year-old Carl decides he is going to keep his promise to his wife and go to South Africa. He ties thousands of helium balloons together and have they pour out of his house. With the balloons Carl plans to fly his house to Paradise Falls. After Carl is in the air he hears a knock on his front door. He finds 8-year-old Russel (Jordan Nagai) who is trying to earn his final merit badge for "Assisting the Elderly," on his front porch. With no way of getting home, Russell is along for Carl's journey.

The both of them encounter hilarious adventures while trying to make it to Paradise Falls. I found this movie to be heart warming and amazing. It really should the love a marriage has and how far a person will go to show their love. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Up made over $292,979,556 and received a review of 98%. This just goes to show how truly wonderful this movie was. Its perfect for all ages and keeps your attention the entire time. Pixar really knows what they are doing when it comes to making cartoons.


Check out the trailer below: