Mamma Mia

V: Fun, fun, fun! We really enjoyed this show. It was silly and quirky and rompy - just really fun. Meryl Streep, as always, is great. And she can sing! We actually pulled up a couple of the movie soundtrack songs afterward - and she sounds really good. The "Winner Takes It All" number was the best - really powerful and touching. The music by ABBA is so addicting. And I hear they make an appearance in the film (but I don't know what they look like.) I loved the filming location - I want to go there. Pierce Brosnan, I think, sounds better if you don't look at him. His face seemed awkwardly strained when singing. The rest of the cast was very likeable, as well. I really laughed hard and out loud at the very end when the stars are dancing in full sparkly bellbottoms and platforms. Seeing Fitzwilliam Darcy wiggle like that was priceless. 3 1/2 stars

M: To start, V and I went and saw Mamma Mia in Las Vegas and absolutely loved it. The woman who played Donna in the play put together what I think is the greatest performance I have seen by an individual in a play. Meryl Streep and this movie rendition of the play had big shoes to fill. And they did a pretty darn good job. Meryl Streep was fantastic, likable, believable, and a great singer. Amanda Seyfried, who played Sophie, had the best voice of the bunch, while Collin Firth (Pride & Prejudice) and Pierce Brosnan made me squirm with embarrassment at times when they broke into song, but even they were lovable and enjoyable. All and all, a very good show. The play is better, especially at a big venue, but $6.50 for a ticket beats the $120.00 (each!) V and I paid in Vegas any day. 3 1/2 stars

National Treasure 2

M: After enjoying the original so much, I was disappointed in this sequel. This movie lacked both the originality and the cleverness of its predecessor. It was a decent adventure movie, but the characters were not super likable and the adventure seemed unnecessary, unbelievable, unrealistic, and, ultimately, unfulfilling. Ed Harris' character was completely beyond my understanding, one minute he was a maniacal murderous monster chasing the good guys through the streets of London, hell bent on beating them to the treasure even if it meant killing them all along with half the city of London, the next minute he was seemingly part of the team. an OK show, worth a red box, but ultimately, fairly disappointing. 2 stars

V: Yeah, the first was so fun because of all the puzzles and clues they had to figure out. This one had just a few puzzles. The big problem was that -unless I missed it - I saw no justification for what they were doing. Supposedly it was to clear his ancestor's name, but there was no reason finding the treasure would clear his ancestor's name - if anything (!) it further proved his ancestor's guilt in being involved with the original bad-guy-gold-hunters! So that could have used some clarification. The villain was oddly motivated, too. If it's just for money or fame, keep it at that. What's with the artifacts and then destroying them, and being so intensely violent, when he had been so calculated and cautious for so long before? The relationships between the good guys were fun, though. Fairly entertaining, even if there were a few puzzle pieces missing. 2 1/2 stars

Bee Movie

M: This is the latest cartoon about a bug that is unsatisfied with its lot in life and wants to shake the mold, ala A Bug's Life and Ants. In Bee Movie, a young bee, Barry B. Benson, graduates from school and discovers that he has to immediately decide which job he wants to perform for the rest of his life, every day, until he dies. All the other bees seem happy to work their lives away, but not Barry. So Barry goes off on an adventure and meets a human woman and falls in love. Up to this point, about the first third of the movie, I was on board and really enjoying myself. However, the movie then takes the viewer on a disjointed adventure where the story seemed to really unravel. A lot of potential, and pretty good, but disappointing in the end. My 4 year old really seemed to like it though. I give it a B. 2 1/2 stars

V: Had some very funny parts. Thank you, Jerry Seinfeld. I agree it got a little discombobulated at the end. And the point seemed to be (unlike Ants and Bug's Life): Maintain the Status Quo. Which is, I admit, a little uninspiring. But kids liked it. I enjoyed it, too. (I actually found the tv ads that Jerry did to promote the show hilarious.) For light-hearted humor, I give it 3 stars.

Penelope

M: Heart-warming, funny, well acted and well written. I really liked this movie. Penelope is born with a pig-nose. Her family hides her in shame, waiting for the day when her love will accept her as she is and marry her and break the curse. However, the curse is not as simple as they think, and before the end of the movie, the characters will all learn some good lessons. Such funny lines. Cathrine O'Hara plays Penelope's mother and nearly steals the show. James McAvoy plays the same character he played in Becoming Jane (one trick pony? I guess we will see). The movie is hilarious and definitely worth seeing. 3 1/2 stars

V: A really charming little movie! This is a darling story about loving yourself, and looking for the beauty in people. Great cast. Great color. Liked the characters a lot and the quirky little world they lived in. It shows that everyone has their freakiness and their lovliness, just depends on where they wear it. I loved that the investigative photographer, who is trying to discover Penelope, is a little person. Christina Ricci is great, and James McAvoy charming. Penelope's parents, hilarious. Very sweet show. 3 1/2 stars

Jumper

V: This show was pretty entertaining, but didn't give you enough story or info to cause you to really care. Like the characters, it jumped from place to place, and lacked good connections. But most importantly, the real conflict was never developed. Why do these people just want to kill them so bad? It would have been so easy to develop some grudge that Samuel Jackson's character had - like a Jumper killed his son or something - to explain why he's this crazily driven Jumper-killer. And the main guy's mom - doesn't she have a choice? - she just has to hunt Jumpers? That's just who she is? The only thing they offered was that Jumpers "think they are gods." So what, you're jealous? Poorly developed - were they so assured of a sequel? Also, some simple carelessness: They are blocked by the guards from entering the Collosseum, so they "sneak" in another door - and you can clearly see more guards and lots of people at that door, too. Good visual effects. 2 stars.

M: Great visual effects, and I loved the concept of jumping through space and loved even more they way the movie portrayed the jumps. The movie grabbed me from the start. Unfortunately, the storyline was a bit weak and the acting not superb. Plus, I never figured out why the paladins wanted to kill the jumpers so bad. Come on, it has to be a serious deal for a mother to consider it her duty to hunt her own son. Where did this hatred come from? The explanation of "we have always done it" didn't quite do it for me. See the movie though, its a fun watch. 2 1/2 stars.

I am legend

M: Will Smith is a lone man in New York after a virus strikes which turns people into "dark seekers," creepy monsters that cannot come out during the day. I am not entirely sure how this virus caused this incredible transformation in people, or how it have gave these monsters their insane strength, speed, and their unhuman monster look, but it did, and I accepted it. Unfortunately, Will Smith's role caused me to draw comparisons to that of Tom Hanks in Cast Away. You know, both guys living alone for a long time and trying to cope and survive. For me, the comparison hurt Will Smith because he just wasn't as believable in the role. Nevertheless, he was likable and the action and suspense of the movie kept things interesting. All in all, a good movie and worth seeing. But not amazing. 3 stars.

V: This movie was way creepier than I expected. I guess I was thinking more of a Planet of the Apes-type flick, or something. It's very suspenseful and sometimes joltingly scary. Creepy. I thought Will Smith did a good job. I heard there was an alternate ending, which would have been interesting. I just didn't feel totally engrossed or fulfilled by this movie. It was interesting though. But creepy. 2 1/2 stars.

The Golden Compass

M: Woody Allen said, "This food is terrible . . . and such small portions."

This movie felt like it tried to cram so many characters and scenes into its - actually not so short time allotment - that the story just bounced randomly from character to character and event to event. The movie wasn't exactly short, but I can only explain the splintered presentation by a lack of time to present an un-splintered version. I didn't feel like I knew, or liked for that matter, any of the characters. Because I didn't know or understand them, I didn't know why they did the things they did (like the little girl going into a scary tent by herself in the night). The movie was definitely made for people who have read the book and know what is going on. For the rest of us, it makes no sense. And the discussion of "dust" just doesn't matter, who cares. Give us an idea of what you are talking about and maybe we can get on board. Instead, I was just bored. The movie was very pretty and and well made, but it was very high on the "what the" factor. After pausing the movie for a brief intermission, we came back, pushed play, and discovered to our amazement that the movie was actually over. A major "what the" moment. After sitting through over 2 hours of head shaking moments, the movie presented us with a "leaves you wanting more" moment. Woody Allen's refrain fits: the movie was terrible, yet it was too short and it ended too soon. 2 stars

-

V: I was looking forward to seeing this, and it left me quite underwhelmed. When it ended, we were both asking, "Really? Really, that's it?" (We know they hope for a sequel, but still.) The positive is that it is very, very beautifully done. (Oscar for Best Visual Effects, nominated for Art Direction) It might even be worth watching just for that. Maybe just mute the sound. No, the script isn't that bad, but it does have a few of those obvious "power" lines that the characters repeat later in the film (or a couple of lines later) for dramatic effect. My biggest complaint was that it just quickly jumped from event to event with little lead-up or suspense. It was incongruous and inconsistent. For example, we asked (spoiler!) why the bear was nothing without his armor, owed his life to the girl for (very quickly and casually) helping him get the armor back - then spent so much time without it - then had it again after traveling long distances. Stuff like that bugged us. A shame as it is obvious that a lot of money and effort was spent on the rest of this film. We'd heard Tom Stoppard was hired then fired for this film - now that might have been a great movie. And the religious controversy - it's pretty harmless. (I would say more about that, but this is already getting long.) I'm adding half a star because it's so pretty. 2 1/2 stars