Cin’s Movie Critiques

Guest Review by Mari Peacock

Rated PG for some scary images and mild innuendo.  2007, Romantic Comedy.  Mari’s Critique:

In musicals or Disney cartoons and the like, everyone bursts into song and/or dance as beautiful music begins to play in the background. They are always on key, have perfect hair and clothes and it all seems like a normal occurrence. This is not so in real life. I have on many occasions started singing in the store or while walking or wherever I happen to be (my own made up song of course) or have danced along to the elevator music playing in most grocery stores and have gotten many strange looks. Most of the time I don’t realize I’m doing it until people either start giggling or completely and totally ignore me. I usually make up new words using primary hymn tunes.

In Disney’s Enchanted they bring to real life the make-believe world of cartoons and all their fruitiness and happily-ever-afters. They do a great job of making fun of themselves and the typical Disney Princesses.

Giselle (Amy Adams) is a cartoon princess living in Andalasia who is rescued by Prince Edward (James Marsden) and they immediately fall in love and prepare to be married the next day and live happily… well, you know. However, the wicked stepmother, Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) doesn’t want him to ever marry or she has to give up her throne. She throws Giselle into a fountain and sends her to modern-day New York City. Prince Edward and his “friend” Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) follow after to rescue her.

Giselle meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey- Dr. McDreamy, Hello!), his daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey) and his girlfriend (Idina Menzel- the original Elephaba on Broadways’s Wicked) and becomes entangled in their lives as does Prince Edward, Pip the talking chipmunk, Queen Narissa and Nathaniel.

The adventures run rampant as lives and loves are questioned, mixed then found again as the land of make-believe and real-life collide.

It is quite a silly movie, but the good kind of silly that adults and kids can all enjoy! It was written, re-written and directed by several different people. Alan Menken composed as Stephen Schwartz (Of Wicked fame) served as lyricist.

Guest Review by Dane Peacock

Children of Heaven

When we were young children, my little sister Joye always had her pretty blonde hair fixed in piggy tails. One day, while I was lying awake in my parent’s bed staring at Joye’s piggy tails, a powerful feeling came over me that I should get out of bed and get the scissors.

I was young and I can’t remember all of the details, but I remember thinking that this was one of my greatest ideas yet. After convincing Joye that she could be part it, she let me cut her piggy tails off. It was quick and easy. Afterwards, it sunk in that I could get in trouble over this. I tried to convince Joye not to tattle on me. She must have, however, because somehow my parents found out.

Children of Heaven is a very captivating tale about a boy and his little sister living in near poverty in a tiny apartment in Iran. In the opening scene, the boy, Ali, picks up his little sister’s shoes from the cobbler, but loses them on the way home.

Ali feels terrible and has to explain it to his sister, Zahra. She is upset, but promises not to tell, knowing that they do not have money to replace them, and to prevent Ali from receiving a beating from their father. They come up with a plan that Zahra will wear Ali’s sneakers to her classes in the morning, and hand them off to Ali for his afternoon classes.

After school, Zahra has to sprint through alleyways to where Ali is waiting, and then he must run the rest of the way to his class. He is late for the first few days, and is nearly expelled, but he becomes increasingly faster.

There are several moments in the movie that really tugged at my heart strings:

Zahra’s willingness to wear her brother’s big sneakers and face the humiliation of her class, her sprints through the alleyway, and her worrying as class runs long, all for the sake of her brother who had lost her shoes.

At one point, Zahra sees another girl wearing her old shoes and follows her home, only to find that the girl is also poor and her dad is blind. Zahra is able to look beyond her shoes and the two girls become friends.

Ali wins an award (a fancy pen) for doing well in school and he immediately gives it to Zahra for the sacrifices she is making for him.

Ali goes into the city with his father to earn extra money by gardening for people. They dream out loud of what they will do with the money. Ali suggests that the first thing they do is buy Zahra a new pair of shoes because hers are “torn.”

Everything culminates in multi-school race. Ali enters the race when he learns that the prize for third place is a new pair of shoes. Ali promises Zahra that he will place exactly third and win her the shoes. She believes him and has no doubt that he will do as promised.

The race involves dozens of children (think of a marathon), and Ali starts back in the pack. Thankfully, there are no annoying voice-over announcers, like in most Hollywood films. The race is told visually and it is one of the most intense scenes I have seen in a movie. By now, Ali’s own sneakers are completely worn out and he struggles through the race as he tries to place exactly third…

The last seen is very poignant as Ali returns home to Zahra on blistered feet.

I watched Children of Heaven with my family and we all enjoyed it. Jamin and Xander were engrossed the entire time, which is rare for them. The film is in Iranian and I had to read the subtitles out loud for Xander’s sake. The acting is very good, especially from the two young stars. It is a fantastic film for children. It is full of selfless acts that unfold naturally and are neither preachy nor forced. Highly recommended!

Guest Review by Matey

The Two Worlds of Jenny Logan

Lindsay Wagner, Mark Singer. Made for TV, probably rated PG for sensuality. 1979, Romance. Matey’s Critique: *****

I know Cinnamon has already critiqued this, but like she said, it is my all time favorite show to watch.  It is a story about a woman going back in time and meeting the owner of her home, and then returning often. Whenever she wanted to go back and spend time with her new love, she would put on this beautiful white dress, which was in the house when she moved in, and she’d do a few other things, and would be transported back in time.

All the way through the story I kept thinking how neat it would be if I was able to do that.  Time travel really intrigues me.  It’s a love story, but not mushy.  The story kept your interest all the way through.  I could hardly wait to see what was next, and the best part of the story was when she was back in time.  It was stormy between her husband and the man she had met, probably fifty years earlier. Also the intrigue of the other characters and happenings kept you glued to the screen.  The ending was very profound, you expected some things, but it was quite a surprise.

I loved this show and have watched it over and over and I never get tired of seeing it.  I even recorded it every time it came on TV.  Just so I would have a back up copy in case something happened to the original.  I think I might have four copies now, and I watch them often.  Lindsey Wagner and Mark Singer were perfect in these roles.  Of course I give this movie a five star rating, even ten if it were up to me.

Guest Review by Raelynn Stewart

YOUR VOTES ARE IN! WHO IS OUT? LIVE…THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!!!!!

TV. Raebear Review:

I only watch one show a year and this is it!! In my book it is the only reality tv show!!! (I can hear all of you Survivor and Lost and American Top Model viewers boo-ing me…hahahahha) Ironically, I didn’t even watch season one. I was in Phoenix with Jaimie when she had Dalynn and got hooked during season two, and haven’t missed one yet!.

Televisions number one show debuted its seventh season in January with host Ryan Seacrest and 160 million viewers across the globe. It airs Tuesday nights on FOX TV, with the results show on Wednesday night. The show gives the power to the viewing public to vote who will go home at the end of the series with the coveted American Idol title. Thousands and thousands of singing hopefuls travel to major audition cities across the United States to take their chance at receiving a “golden ticket”, the passport to go onto the show and sing their hearts out! The first few weeks we see all the pathetic auditions of people who are sadly mistaken about their singing voices, life in general, sex appeal, talent, intelligence, and just plain common sense. It really is quite entertaining! Then the judges, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell narrow the contestants down to the top 24, 12 boys and 12 girls, and the competition really gets started.

Every season they start with a few themed nights to get the ball rolling. So far this year we have had the Beatles songs and songs from the year the contestants were born. Next week will be the first of celebrity visits with Dolly Parton coaching the contestants singing her songs. Should be interesting!!!

Season seven has been the best season yet for real talent! We have a good mix of rockers, blues, country, soul and just good ol’ singers. Carly Smithson is from Ireland, Michael Johns was born in Australia. Chikezie parents are from Nigeria and Ramiele is Philipino. Amanda is a rocker that sounds like Janis Joplin, and Brooke White is the top twelve sweetheart with a big smile and sultry voice. At 17 David Archuletta is the baby of the group but WOW what a beautiful voice!! Kristy Lee Cook is the cowgirl with an attitude and Syesha Mercado has one of the purest voices I have heard in a long time. Jason Castro is a favorite among the girls with those blue eyes and un-traditional dreadlocks! Which leads me to my favorite David Cook. He is by far the most unique and confident of all the idol contestants. His rock songs and vocals are the best in my book. To see his lastest and best performance click here.

Not only will you see David in action but you will get a glimpse of the judges and Ryan Seacrest also. A major part of the draw of the show is the interaction of Simon Cowell , the blunt Brit judge, and host Ryan Seacrest, the hot guy with the quick wit! (The Brit and The Wit…wow that wasn’t even on purpose…) Check this video out of Brooke White my next favorite.

So take a chance and try something new if you haven’t yet delved into the genre of reality tv!! It is well worth the time and it’s great to see many of the contestants go on to have very successful careers. You won’t be sorry! Past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks and recently crowned Jordin Sparks already have risen to the top of the recording industry. Not to mention Chris Daughtry who was voted off the top 6 last year and had a contract and a record released almost before the American Idol was crowned!

Last season, AMERICAN IDOL entered the philanthropy arena with “Idol Gives Back,” which raised more than $75 million to fight extreme poverty in the U.S. and Africa. Check out Americanidol.comto get the total scoop!!

ENJOY!!! And all you American Idol fans out there tell me who you are rooting for to win!

The Kite Runner

Khalid Abdalla. Directed by Marc Forster based on the best selling book by Khaled Hosseini. Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material, violence and brief strong language. 2007, Drama. Cami’s Critique:

I was invited to watch a screening of this movie while I was in Vegas. I went with my friend Amanda who always seems to find fun cultural things like this. The movie itself was pretty intense. To see a different kind of view of a country going through war was very interesting. Afghanistan is where this movie takes place and Amir is the name of the main character and that in itself affected me even more. Watching him grow up in a turbulent country on the verge of war with Russia with his best friend Hassan we see the daily life of these two boys. In the first few scenes of the movie we are swept through the streets of Kabul in a kite flying competition in which the two boys are winning. Other events of the day have a rippling effect that causes problems in the relationship. Soon after Amir moves to the US with his father to escape the problems in their country. It was also very interesting to see the lives of Amir´s family before they arrived and what they had to go through once they got to the US.

20 years later Amir is contacted by an old family friend pleading him to come back to Afghanistan. His journey back home turnes out to be a way to redeem his “fearful act of betrayal” to his friend Hassan. Scenes of the Taliban in action made my stomach knot up. It just sickened me to see such horrible hateful people and their actions.

We had the opprotunity to meet the actor who played Amir. He was in the theater to take questions and talk about his experience. I have never attended an event like that and it was incomparable. He added an entire new depth to the movie by being able to share his point of view as an actor. His comments on being an Arabic actor in the world after Sept. 11 and the war in Iraq were thought provoking.

I left the theater in tears. Sad for seeing the lives of two innocent boys so dissrupted and how hatred and war can tear friendships, oneself and a country apart.

This movie is sad but it´s so real. It´s heart wrenching but it opens your mind. One of the phrases in the movie was “be good again”. I really liked this idea and Amir´s actions help you believe that it is possible.

Guest Review by Rusty Keele

I remember well the day one of my best friends went missing. The officer came to my house to break the sad news. “Are you Rusty?”

“Yes.”

“I’m afraid one of your best friends has gone missing.”

“Amazing. I was just thinking that.”

He said that he needed my help and the help of my little sister, Cinnamon. We both nodded our heads enthusiastically, eager for the challenge. We grabbed all the gear we thought we would need, and then threw in our swords and staves – just in case.

The officer took us to the mysterious sagebrush wilderness that was just a hundred yards from our house. “There you go,” he said, pointing into the dark and tangled mess. “He is somewhere in there… I think.”

“No problem officer, this is nothing that Master Thor and his sister can’t handle,” I said raising my staff and working myself into a fit of wizarding power.

“Are you ready?” I asked Cin through the sheen of magical power surrounding my body.

She nodded, her eyes focusing to beady points of pure concentration as she raised her sword, “Let’s do this.”

Just as we gazed into the depths of the unknown our spell was broken by a call from our mother, “Come and eat!” The sagebrush forest faded from view, and concern for our imaginary friend would have to be put on hold, albeit temporarily, until tomorrow afternoon.

“Mmm – I’m starving,” I said as we walked back through the desert-y landscape to our house – our *real* house this time.

Opal Dream

Sapphire Boyce, Christian Byers, Vince Colosimo and Jacqueline McKenzie. Rated PG for mild thematic elements, language and some violence. 2006, Drama. Rusty’s Critique:

Kellyanne, the young daughter of an Australian opal miner, becomes sick when her imaginary friends, Pobby and Dingan, go missing. Her brother, recognizing the true cause of her sickness, tries to raise awareness of what is happening by putting up posters around town. As the community begins to divides itself, things finally come to head when an adjacent opal miner takes Kellyanne’s father to court.

I enjoyed this movie especially because it reminded me of my own childhood, except for that going to court part. But don’t let that keep you from watching it – it contains a great message of learning when to believe someone. A truly heart warming film for the entire family. Plus, who couldn’t do with a little more faith in things that make you
happy?

You can learn more about Opal Dream at IMDB and Wikipedia.

Guest Review by Sadie Somerville

Is it just me, or have you all realized how much the world uses the Internet? There is almost everything on the Internet. Schools, videos, music, books, everything. Especially videos. It seems like people always get a kick out of watching videos on the Internet. Some are intelligent and information, some are for music and most are just for silly entertainment. I noticed that lately my grandpa Brett has been a YouTube fanatic. I never really got into the whole video online stuff, but he seems to enjoy it. It seems like each time I come over to his house he has a new video to show me. It’s quite amusing. Some of my friends also have been showing me videos and I grin and bear it, because I personally don’t think they are that funny, but they do. But that’s with a lot of things. I might as well have Party Pooper stamped on my forehead, but I do try. Anyways, there are a lot of sites that show videos and whatnot. Like I said, there are videos about almost everything. Some are actually quite gruesome-

Untraceable

Diane Lane, Billy Burke. Rated R for grisly violence and torture, some language. 2008, Suspense. Sadie’s Critique:

Untraceable is about a cyber killer. A cyber killer who has a website that shows people slowly dying. The more people who visit the site, the faster the victim dies. FBI Agent Jennifer Marsh begins to investigate the case, trying to figure out where the site is coming from, to find who has created it. She does all of this, only to find that the site is untraceable. The victims on the site begin to increase, as do the viewers. Now the victims are dying in minutes, verses hours. As the investigation continues, Jennifer Marsh becomes a target. Now in a race to protect her own life, she has to figure our who the sick-minded Creator of the site is and who the next victim is-before it’s too late.

Despite the occasional sickening sites in this movie, the plot and such were very good. It kept you guessing. You definitely had to follow what they were saying and had to concentrate to keep up with the movie. I really enjoyed it. I’d give it four stars.

The movie reviews are in from our contest at Whitehole.net. Every day this week I’ll be posting a review from one of the contestants. I will post them in the order in which they were received. Please leave your comments and feel free to spark discussions! When all the guest reviews are up, we’ll vote for our favorite, and the winner will receive pride, recognition and a big pat on the back the next time I see them.

How is it possible that I lived my entire 32 years in Utah and never learned to ski? That is as bad as all those people who live within a mile of the ocean and never go to the beach. Insanity I tell you! So for my 32nd birthday, my very good friend took me to Monarch Ski Resort in Colorado and taught me to ski. I know, I didn’t even learn to ski in Utah, the irony never ends…

After learning a few basics, and with much protesting (I was happy on the bunny hill ok?), we took to the lift. Ever been on the sky ride at Lagoon? Yeah, that was nothing compared to this baby, we’re soaring 10 times higher, there is no protective bar in front, we’re swaying in the sub-zero wind, and I was a wee bit nervous to say the least. We glide to the top of the mountain, I somehow manage to get off the lift without dying, and then I look up.

Before me is the most beautiful, white sparkling landscape, and it takes my frosted breath away. It was in that moment that I got it, this beauty is what all these people are here for, and I was hooked. I knew this was something I’d be doing for the rest of my life. (Come to find out, the scenery really isn’t what it’s all about, it’s the rush of adrenaline speeding through your veins, but hey, it was a nice moment.)

Warren Miller Ski Movies

Sports. Cin’s Critique:

I’ve watched Warren Miller Ski Movies before, but it wasn’t until I had experienced the thrill myself that I really understood them. I never appreciated watching someone ski off a cliff, or jump out of a helicopter while attached to a snowboard.

Even if you’re not a skier, you will enjoy the extremes Warren Miller takes you to in his ski movies. You will laugh, you will cringe, you will ooohh, you will aaaww. Miller has released a movie every year since 1949 to celebrate the beginning of the ski season. He got started by filming himself and his buddy ski, to improve their technique. He showed the films to family and friends, inserting his own funny comments and remarks to get some laughs. After a while he would be invited to show the films at parties and such, and he got the brilliant idea to try to make some money off of his hobby. (Wouldn’t it be great if that worked for all of us?) Anyway, to read a bit more about Warren Miller, click here. And for a short example of the content in his films, click here.

I LOVE Thursdays! Because Thursday is the day all my favorite shows come on TV. Used to be they were all spread out on different days of the week, but then the planets and networks aligned, and voila! all three in one night!

So on Thursday nights, I cuddle up in front of the tele in my jammies. I get my coke, get my blankie, turn the ringer off, and I settle in for an immensely enjoyable evening of staring at the tube. 7:00 Survivor. 8:00 Lost. 9:00 Eli Stone. Who could ask for more?

Eli Stone

Jonny Lee Miller, Victor Garber, Natasha Henstridge. Cin’s Critique:

Eli Stone is a newbie, and if you haven’t seen it, give it a try. It’s got all the key elements for a great series: humor, romance, mystery, drama, and a warm fuzzy at the end of every episode that lets you once again believe there is some good in the human race.

Eli Stone is a lawyer at the top of his game when he begins having hallucinations. These hallucinations are, in my opinion, what make the show worth watching! So many possibilities and bizarre events you can throw into an episode if none of it is real… The hallucination that got me hooked: George Michael singing “You Gotta Have Faith” in Eli’s living room.

Eli discovers the cause of these hallucinations is an inoperable brain aneurysm. He also discovers that if he finds the hidden messages in his hallucinations, he learns more about himself, and he helps other people through his work. Each episode has been fabulous, I highly recommend getting caught up on abc.com (only 5 episodes have been aired so far) and then spend your Thursday nights like I do!