Where Hope Grows 5 star family film

I just watched the incredible film Where Hope Grows. In summary it's this: Where Hope Grows is a story of finding redemption through faith, hope and love

Kris Polaha plays "produce" a young grocery worker with Down's syndrome who befriends an alcoholic, struggling, single father. Kris plays this role incredibly well. He is truly what makes this film wonderful. He's very easy to love with a quiet strength that has an undertone through the whole film. Never underestimate him. He is  truly a talented actor.

The film as a whole made my heart swim with emotion, from laughter to tears, to anger at the situations posed both to the father as well as to "Produce" I highly recommend this film. It's just a wonderful movie to sit down with your family to.

The Gallows - Not For the Faint Of Heart

My daughter and I went to see the movie The Gallows today. I had seen the previews and thought it looked really interesting since I have a soft spot for movies that are filmed Guerrilla Style much like the Paranormal Activity movies. 

The movie started with the backstory as to who and why the school was being haunted. In 1993 a boy named Charlie was tragically killed while performing the part of August in a play entitled "The Gallows." The trap door opened on the set piece and he was accidentally killed by hanging. 

This one event set the tone for the entire movie. Jump ahead 20 years to 2013 and another group of students is recreating the play. You meet Ryan who is a snarky jock involved in the stage crew of the new production of the Gallows. He's filming his best friend Reese who is playing August in the revival beside a girl named Pfeifer who he has a crush on. Then there's Ryan's girlfriend Cassidy who is your ultimate blonde teenage scream queen. (What respectable horror movie doesn't have one of these?) 

Throughout the movie you are taken on a roller coaster ride of twists and turns that keep you guessing right until the climactic ending which left me thinking, this is really F***ed up! It was quiet a storyline to say the least! I can't say much about the twists other than you are going to really enjoy trying to figure out who's going to die and why! They left the ending open for a 2nd part to the movie but they will have to treat it carefully to live up to the first one. This movie had gotten terrible reviews, but quite honestly I'm seriously considering adding it to my home movie collection. 

You should definitely go see The Gallows. While it has a no name cast, they do a great job acting and don't overplay the roles. It's definitely a must see! 

Synopsis:

20 years after a horrific accident during a small town school play, students at the school resurrect the failed show in a misguided attempt to honor the anniversary of the tragedy - but soon discover that some things are better left alone.

Max

I got to spend some time with my daughter, so we went to see the movie Max today. I have to say, this is an incredible movie that draws such strong emotions from it's audience. The storyline is gripping and has many "oh my gosh" moments. I found myself whispering at the characters during the movie in reaction to the story.
The movie has poignant moments, moments that make you laugh, and moments that make you cry. This is an incredible story of love, faith, hope, and most importantly family. I highly recommend it.

Fast and Furious Seven

I just saw Fast and Furious 7 and WOW is all I can say. As always it's a wild ride. I like how the theme of family was wonderfully interwoven through this movie. There were so many special moments in the movie, which I cannot divulge because I don't want to ruin it. Let's just say you'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll definitely be on the edge of your seat! The effects were wonderfully done and the final scenes where they used CGI to put Paul Walker's face on his brothers' bodies was truly flawless. The final tribute to Paul had both my daughter and myself in tears and my son and husband silent. I recommend this movie highly. (And it's not because I'm a huge fast and furious fan.) Make sure you go see it in the theater you will be glad you did. When this comes out for sale, it will join my extensive movie collection.

RIP Paul Walker It was a Hell of a Ride!

My Review of Selma,

I watched this movie last night, while it was slow moving it was very interesting. It really covered a lot of the civil rights movement. My 12 year old daughter was particularly interested in the movie and she kept saying. We studied that in school! 

While I didn't know many of the names of the actors in the film I liked the man who played MLK. He really played the character from the heart. Coretta was fabulous as well.

All in all this movie came from the heart and it was great seeing the two sides and how different the approaches were to the civil disobedience that was going on. 

As I was writing this my daughter came and looked at what I was typing and said, I love Selma. That's a really good testament for this movie. The real footage shown at the end of the movie of the marchers was touching and my daughter kept commenting on how the group kept growing. It's a really great movie, a bit slow moving, but super interesting.

Chef

I just watched Chef starring Jon Favreau as an inspired chef whose creativity is strangled by the owner of the restaurant he works in. After losing his job he hits rock bottom. The premise of this movie is brilliant. I especially liked the shots of him cooking, the care he puts into making his food not only shows his love for food but the love for his son who he cooks it for. After discovering social media Jeff challenges a restaurant reviewer after he gives him a 2 star review on his food. Chef Jeff is infuriated and starts a twitter war that ends in his losing his job. He goes to Miami with his son and decides to start a food truck business. From that point on it's an odyssey of discovery, food, and love. Chef Jeff's son twitters all the way and the crowds line up! We watched this movie together as a family with my son who is a culinary student. Needless to say we all truly enjoyed it. My 12 year old daughter said several times, I'm going to bed. She continued to stay up and watch the movie! It's a wonderful family dramedy that I would recommend to anyone. Scraping rock bottom means going back to your roots....even if they are in a rolling truck! FIVE ENTHUSIASTIC STARS....

The Book Thief

I have to say I didn't know what to expect going into this movie. It's a poignant and touching movie about a little girl and her infatuation with books. However that is not all of it, she meets a Jewish man who is persecuted and they hide him in her basement. He tells her that the difference between a lump of clay and a human is a single word. The Jewish word for life. He tells her that words are life, and without them we are all lost. This ignites a spark in the girl's heart. This all happens in World War two Germany. It's incredible it will have you laughing and crying. I don't want to say too much to give it away. This is a movie I will be adding to my collection and one I would watch again and again. 5 plus plus plus stars