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Reviews
Chimpanzee (2011)
A Disney movie made with kids in mind.
Today I saw the latest DisneyNature release, Chimpanzee. While I thought it would be a lot like every other G rated Disney nature film, I admit it - I liked it. Although, I wondered through the whole showing if this was a scripted movie. Stuff like this doesn't really happen in true-life nature, does it?? So I came home and Googled it. This IS a Disney/Jane Goodall Institute Documentary about the life of Oscar, a very young chimp in the African jungle. It took 4 years to film. And the incredible turns of events are all true. The film makers lucked out in coming across a story that is fairly rare. My biggest caution is that Disney put together this movie in such a way as to get you very attached to the chimps they filmed. In this way, Disney leaves behind the detachment that should be present whenever a documentary is produced.
This movie was made with children in mind, however they didn't gloss over too much real life in the jungle sort of thing. They show chimps hunting (for monkey meat) and they show different chimpanzee "tribes" at war. There are also some mothers nursing. And in true Disney fashion, a parent dies. The thing that stings a bit is that it really happened, so, as always, take into consideration your child's personality if you take them to see it. Disney did a good job of letting us adults know what was happening without being too graphic. While there is hunting for meat, there is no blatant devouring or ripping and tearing of flesh. And when the parent dies they talk about it, but she isn't seen shortly after she is separated from her group. And in the end, it isn't totally a story about warring chimp tribes but rather a story about one chimpanzee going against his nature to care for a helpless, orphaned youngster. There were several pre-schoolers in the audience when I saw it and none of them had a problem that I was aware of.
Tim Allen narrates this movie with the style and voice of a typical Disney movie. In fact, at the beginning I was wondering where they got that guy from the nature films I saw in 1970! The film makers got extremely lucky to have the honor of catching on film a rare story that gives us a glimpse into a world normally hidden by jungle trees. The photography is amazing (how did they possibly get that close to wild beings to get the shots they did??). I was glad, too, that Disney has made a nature movie with children in mind. I loved Disney Nature movies when I was a child and I am glad that my grandchildren can see them too.
Mirror Mirror (2012)
Great movie to see with the kids
When was the last time you went to a movie just for fun? This is the movie to see if you find the need to just kick back and relax or take your kids to the movies without too much worry. It is a bit of fluff with great costuming and sets. This version of the classic tale is a comedy and you should be aware of this when you go to see it. There will be no lessons to learn, no bad mood to get over and no tears to dry. And we could all use a good laugh these days. I initially wanted to see this movie because of the trailers. I have to admit, though, that I saw most of the fun - one liners in the trailers. So, no surprise there. Darn it! Julia Roberts reminded me why we loved Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman so much. Her sense of humor and fun are contagious in Mirror Mirror too. Lily Collins is a picture perfect Snow White. She also has a twinkle of humor in many of her lines. But it is the dwarfs that steal the show. These are not your conventional 7 rebel dwarfs. They are lots more fun than the trailers suggest. ***Spoiler***I did get one surprise, however, at the end. What's up with the reception dance from India? Snow White is a German tale, and the whole movie has a northern European feel to it – till the end. Tarsem Singh needs to stay "in character". After all, isn't that what he expected from his actors? Maybe the dance would have been better placed after the credits. It is fun to see little add-ons and out takes for those faithful that wait till the full end of the movie. All in all, it is an especially good movie to take the kids to and a great way to spend some family time. And after all, I think that is what it was meant to be.
Touch (2012)
Well written, great acting.
Wow! Even though they've only aired 2 shows at this writing, I'm hooked. "Touch" wraps the language of numbers in emotion. This show will not overwhelm you with tears. Rather it will cause you to FEEL and THINK and WONDER all at the same time. The acting is great. I never saw Kiefer Sutherland in 24, so I am not comparing Martin Bohm to Jack Bauer. But I have seen Kiefer Sutherland in several movies, and this story really shows the acting range of Kiefer Sutherland. The kid that plays Jake Bohm (David Mazouz) was absolutely the right pick for this character. He makes an unbelievable character seem believable. Amazing acting for a child of about 11 years old to play a savant. The writing for this show is intricate and well plotted. It pleasantly surprised me with its twists, turns and revelations; and left me wanting more for next week. The storyline vividly shows the connections we all have to each other. I gave "Touch" an 8 because I don't know how long the writers can keep the story line fresh. But I am willing to watch and see!