In a playful fantasy romp, the star-crossed lovers of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet come to animated life as garden gnomes in a re-telling of the classic story in Gnomeo & Juliet.

Gnomeo (voiced by James McAvoy) and Juliet (voiced by Emily Blunt) are the representatives of the feuding Blue Gnomes and Red Gnomes, respectively.  They meet serendipitously, fall in love, battle their family stereotypes and feuding, and eventually convince both the red and blue gnomes to live in peace and harmony for the good of all.  In between there are plenty of silly puns, slapstick humor, and lawnmower races to keep the kids interested in what is, at its essence, a tragic love story.

In this version however, everyone lives happily ever after, dancing along to Elton John music circa 1970-80’s.  One new song is features, a duet with Lady Gaga, titled “Hello, Hello.”

Who will like Gnomeo & Juliet:

• Younger kids laughed at the gnome antics, brought to a standstill any time a human appears on the scene, as well as the action scenes of the lawnmower races and the lightweight violence of a tomato feud.  They may be a little bored by goo-goo eyes of the gnomes as they fall in love, and they won’t relate at all to the Elton John songs, popular long before you they were born.
• Mid-aged kids seemed to be the ones most restless in the audience, perhaps finding the races and animation a bit too corny and the love story a bit too silly.
• Teens and adults in the audience seemed charmed, and I overheard lots of chatter afterward about how “cute” it was.  With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it is, perhaps, a cute little movie to enjoy with someone special.

Rated G.  There is some gnome violence, with one having his gnome hat cracked off and one death by shattering, the latter appearing glued back together later in the movie.  One gnome wears a mankini-thong type of thing, of the sort seen on Borat, which exposes a round little gnome butt.

Gnomeo & Juliet is a nice little movie, nothing earth shattering, and in may not instill a love for Shakespeare in the kids.  But, it’s a pleasant escape into a world divided into red and blue; a world where gnomes eventually unite because to do else wise is destruction for all.  Reality check, anyone?

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There’s nothing like a little red carpet glamour to make you realize how hopelessly out of synch you are with pop culture.  Watching the Golden Globes the other night I could count on one hand the movies I’ve seen, and none of those were up for any major awards.

With on-demand options available via any number of sources, it just seems easier (to say nothing of cheaper) to catch a movie at home.  I can snuggle up with a blanket, even stay in my pajamas if I want, and it’s sort of a big slumber party like back in my teen years.

While I should have been doing something profound to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, like working for social justice, attending a rally, etc, I bundled myself up against the Seattle rain and set off to the mall to catch a movie.  I didn’t have anything specific in mind, when you haven’t seen anything there’s not a lot to dither over, so I figured I’d make the best choice once I arrived at the theater.  I was willing to wait for a little while, but didn’t want to put my entire afternoon on a movie schedule.

What was up next when I arrived?  Gulliver’s Travels starring Jack Black.

Perfect,  I plunk down tons of cash for my ticket, get my 3-D glasses (I’ve yet to figure out the fascination with 3-D), and settle in for the show.

Lest you think this movie could be categorized a kid’s flick, let me remind you that the classic novel of the same name (published in the early 1700’s) is both a parody and a satire, so there’s plenty of funny stuff for kids and plenty of aaaaaaah moments for adults.  And, as an extra bonus, in this version Gulliver was a travel writer.  Sure, there’s some frat boy humor (a giant wedgie and peeing to put a fire out), but there’s plenty to give us pause to think as we pause to think about the human condition.

Watch the trailer in the sidebar, and leave a comment if you’ve seen it.

Photo credit:  Amazon

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I read the book The Reader LONG before a movie was in the making.

CAUTION:  Spoiler Alert.  If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, you may not want to know the details I’m going to talk about.  Just click away!

I remember being shocked when I found out, at the same time Michael did, that Hanna was illiterate.  She had done unspeakable things in the Nazi camps, but the shame of her illiteracy was far greater than the shame for her participation in the killing of Jews.

Shame is a theme that permeates the entire movie, and it shapes the choices the characters make.

Hanna has shame that she cannot read, and goes to great length to conceal it.  She winds up works for the SS because she quits a job rather than take a promotion and be ashamed when illiteracy is discovered.  She “admits” to planning a strategy to exterminate Jews in the concentration camps,rather than providing a writing sample and being subjected to the shame of illiteracy.  And finally, it is true shame, for her behavior in the camps, that leads her to suicide.

Michael also has his share of shame, beginning with his affair with Hanna at the age of 15.  He then experiences shame that he knows a Nazi war criminal, shame at the things she did in the camp, and finally shame that she seems to feel little remorse for her actions.  His shame (that he did not intervene and provide information that would have helped her at trial) is assuaged by his reading and send her tapes of books.  He feels less like he has abandoned her this way.  After Hanna’s suicide, his shame is greater as he realizes how much more he could have done for her.

Any therapist worth their salt would tell clients that shame is a negative and unhealthy emotion to operate with.  It is insidious in its destruction, and little good can ever come of it.  If you had any doubt of that principle, this movie drives it home.

I think most people have had bouts with shame, to some degree or another.  Far better to come to terms with our actions and process them, than to live with a shame death sentence hanging over us.

Let’s all leave shame behind us.

Photo credit:  Amazon

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I’m still catching up on movies from this past Academy Award season, and most recently I watches Doubt, starring Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and Amy Adams.

The story is set in 1964, at a Catholic school that has accepted it first African-American student.  This young boy serves as an altar boy to the friendly, and religiously progressive, Father Flynn.

After noticing that Father Flynn appears to be paying a great deal of attention to the boy, young Sister James mentions it to the tough-as-nails school principal, Sister Aloysius.  If you were raised Catholic during this time frame, you probably knew a version of Sister Aloysius.

Seeing the circumstances as an opportunity to push Father Flynn out of the parish and school, sister Aloysius sets out to destroy the priest.  Is her zeal justified as she fights fiercely to protect a student, or is she blinded to the truth by her refusal to change as the world changes around her?

Ultimately the viewer is left to wrestle with that question, and to decide which interpretation is beyond doubt.

What do you think?  Who do you believe, and why?  Do you have any doubts?

Photo credit: Amazon

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I just finished watching Slumdog Millionaire.  This was one of those movies that was both compelling and painful to watch. 

With all the awards that the movie received, I knew a little bit about what to expect.  Still, seeing the slums of Mumbai, even in a movie, is pretty depressing.  I haven’t yet decided if the movie filled me with despair or with hope, and it’s probably going to take awhile to sort that out in my mind.

I can see why it won Best Picture!

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