4 movies, 2 flights.

[GasSavers_Scott]

On the plane I just saw The Time Travelers Wife, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Up, and 4 Christmas'.

The The Time Travelers Wife is like a book, its a no science fiction, science fiction, there is no machines or gadgets, it is a person and a family that naturally travel time. If you like a movie that jumps around, fore shadows, and puts a mild mystery together, this is the movie for you. Would I see it again, No, once you figure it out, you have solved the mystery. For kids? Get ready to explain death.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is great, my other half has read all 7 books, its magical, whimsical, fun, cute, dark, and sad at some points, the seamless special effects add to the charm. Would I see it again, Yes, I rented it for my other half after I saw it on the plane, its was even better in HD. Plus there is so much story, its good to see it again to catch up on the Potter Journey. For kids? Get ready to explain death again.

Up is a joy, its almost European in some scenes in the movie, its again another leap foreward in computer animation. Its a charming adventure, slow in the begining, but picks up speed in the middle and turns into a roaring adventure in the end. Would I see it again, Yes, its fun, it leaves you wanting more, it wets your apetite, this is a movie you want to see the making of. Its on the computer animation formula, all of these type of family type computer comedies give you a begining, middle and an end, much like any Disney movie. There is death in the begining, but the movie explains it so you wont have to translate it for your kids, there is also death in the end, kind of wierd, but it just kind of brushes it off and goes right back to the story. There is hard fought triumph in the end, you feel like you have won.

4 Christmas' was abismal, its starts off smart and funny and degrades into pudding, its really kind of 3 and a half Christmas' characters from the first and second families show up in the third family. How many times can you try to reinvent a Christmas comedy, the way this one works is by taking the most extreme of family relatives and isolating them in four short stories, they have taken the Christmas movie jokes and just made them raunchier. Spoiler Alert! and I have to say this only incase someone rents it. The characters become what they hate, this movie leaves you feeling as though you failed, its depressing at the end, you check your watch and can't wait for it to be over. This movie is so dead at the ending, that you expect some one to die, but there is no death involved. I wouldn't buy this movie even if it were at the $4.99 bin at Walmart, let alone see it again. Now I love Christmas comedy movies and they usually deliver, 4 X'Mas' bombed.

[theholycow]

I agree about Four Christmases.

[bowtieguy]

thanks for the reviews. i had no intention of seeing(buying) any of those, and you've just confirmed that.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Originally Posted by Scott

How many times can you try to reinvent a Christmas comedy,(?)

About as many times as you can re-record the same Christmas songs, it seems.

Some Christmas movies (not all comedies) are truly good...It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, the Invader Zim cartoon "The Most Horrible Xmas Ever", and the cartoon from 1939 "Peace on Earth" all come to mind as Christmas video material I could watch over and over without tiring of them.

But...it seems there's only so much you can do with Christmas. And it gets done, year after year, with minimal variation. So you wind up with new stuff that looks and sounds like the old stuff. Just new faces and voices.
I guess I'm jaded...Happy Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanza, Eid, Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, Christmas Vacation, Winter Break, and if I've missed your particular holiday, let me know and happy that too!

[VetteOwner]

DUDE! you forgot one of the best Christmas Vacation!

Ive seen UP and the older harry potter movies (thier all pretty good) but yea usually pixar movies are always good.

[GasSavers_JoeBob]

Haven't seen Christmas Vacation...maybe I should...

If we stretch media to include old time radio, I could add the 1939 Campbell's Playhouse version of "A Christmas Carol", with Orson Wells (when he was a child) and Lionel Barrymore.