The Magic Faraway Tree

This was loosely based on Enid Blyton's series. I felt the same way I did about the books that this was just so so. I like how the movie goes over the family's life, something that the books didn't do. In this movie two parents and their three kids move to the country to start growing tomatoes. The kids miss their friends and technology and hate it at first. Eventually the kids find that there's a magical world nearby. More needed to be done about the villain in this movie. Andrew Garfield was the best thing in this movie. This movie did well in England but not the US.

The Heart of the Beast

The ending to this movie wasn't what I thought it was going to be. That alone pleased me. This is a movie about a veteran and his combat dog. It's about the friendship between them both and their journey through Alaska. It also shows how scary mother nature can be. If you like Jack London novels you might like this. I'm glad I watched in the theatre. This is the kind of movie I would have played on my phone during if I watched it at home. I feel that the movie not only respected dogs but the trials that veterans go through too. Brad Pitt did a good job.

The End of Oak Street

In this movie Jurassic Park meets 1980s suburbia. It was ok. Dinosaurs enter into a suburban neighborhood and the whole movie involves a family running from them. Beforehand the family had been experiencing problems particularly the mother who had been writing a secret book about the struggles of her marriage and parenthood. So if anything there is more of an appreciation for each other. The ending seems like a happy one but is more complex than it appears on the surface. Ewan McGregor (who played the husband) and Anne Hathaway did a great job.

Young Washington

This was just ok. I was surprised. It actually did well at the box office and I wouldn't expect a historical movie to do so. I guess there is a market for this time of movie. I think it was because the movie came out around July 4th. It was about George Washington before he became a president and The French and Indian War. It was made by Angel Studios which is more rigid than most studios like no nudity. I'm in support of their policies.

Disclosure Day

This isn't one of Spielberg's best. It went over the top by the end and my sister and I laughed at the end unintentionally. Still it was a movie that would have been less good had I not watched in the theatres. It's about a weather girl and a person who does cypersecurity. They have an extraterrestial connection. Soon they are on a mission to uncover alien life and most of it is a chase movie. Colin Firth plays the bad guy in this and he does a good job. However, this is really Emily Blunt's vehicle. Yet, most of the time only good performances are noticed by excellent movies.

The Devil Wears Prada 2

This was the worst movie I watched in the theatres this year. It was unnecessary. It didn't add anything to the original. It was just an excuse to make money and I forgot what happened in the movie the next day I watched it. Even a good cast needs a decent script.

Wildwood

This animated movie is getting a lot of praise. I thought it was ok. The plot reminded me too much of Labyrinth which I consider to be a superior movie because it was more entertaining. A girl's brother is kidnapped in a strange world. The girl and her friend enter the world to save him. They soon find it is controlled by an evil witch governess. The place is populated with talking animals and bandits. It's not just the girl. Many people have been wronged by the governess which concludes towards the end with a battle. It's PG-13. I think it wants to be a children's movie and not be one at the same time.