Garr and Sally

First 2 Months with Aayla Jo Van-O

2012-01-22T20:18:00.000-08:00

Month zero, the Ewok is there for scale.

Riding the Millennium Falcon, like you do.

Rockin' the swaddle and the baby sambas, not everyone can pull this off.

Watching TV with Mom.

This is how Garr often holds AJ, she's a cute little crotch warmer.

Ready of a jog in her newborn running suit...or to live in New Jersey....or take a nap....one of those.

Hanging out with Dad in the Star Wars/Baby Room. Sorry for interrupting.

First real bath, she didn't totally hate it....just mostly.

Nice and warm thanks to Aunt Katie. When Garr sees her bundled up like this, he says, "Its not Siberia out there." Better safe than sorry.

With Grandma Van Orden.

Quince "holding" AJ.

With Grandpa Van Orden

Blessing dress, my mom wore it, I wore it...it was made from my Great Great Grandma's wedding dress...I was a little paranoid that she would be the one to ruin it by picking that time to blow out. Luckily she was perfect and did not.

With the Van Orden Fam.

Family picture, she's less than thrilled.

May/Sexton Fam.

Another family picture, its for fun.

Christmas presents for AJ.....I sense a theme.

With Uncle Chris in Arizona.

With Grandpa May.

Cute in her swing. Where she likes to spend a lot of her time.

Gotta love a bearded burly man with a front pack...at the Mesa Temple.

Hanging out with Grandpa May...I think this is where she gets her snoring from.

1 Month Old

With Aunt Alice.

Looking at Uncle Henry's dreamy eyes.

First smile I was able to capture.

With Uncle Tom. I had to force him to hold her. He kept saying "I don't like to hold little children." TO BAD! How else was I supposed to show their twinner hair?

Hanging with Uncle Justin.

She loved Aunt Reina!

"SHUT. UP!"

Nice Cheeks!

She fell asleep in the football hold...and yes I did finally take the mistletoe down.

Love her.

Such an adorable little sleeper....not that I'm biased.

Garr displaying the fruit of his loins.

Hanging out with Aunt Carey.

A rare picture with mom. I look ravishing I know.

Watching Clone Wars while I make dinner, Dad was so proud.

Tummy time. She likes it for about 2 minutes.

Silly Walks Onsie I made for her.

Our jolly baby in her Silly Walk Onsie, if she can't walk she might as well celebrate the silliest of walks with her attire...I'm pretty sure that's what she is thinking.

The Artist

2012-01-22T15:38:00.000-08:00

The Artist is a black and white silent movie about the advent of talking films. It is beautifully done and reading the dialogue does not get tiresome because the story is so charming and the acting is so good. We highly recommend it. 9.5/10

Red Tails

2012-01-22T15:35:00.000-08:00

This is what Garr said about Red Tails: I just saw and loved the beautiful, exciting, powerful, and inspirational movie Red Tails. This is an important movie that we all should support. If you don't see it within the week or so, I will consider you a racist and no friend o mine. 10/10

Moneyball

2012-01-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

We also ended up redboxing Moneyball. We had heard really good things about it and were not disappointed. Its not just another sports movie, its almost the anti-sports movie. Its a really interesting take. The acting and story is phenomenal, there is some language but other than that I highly recommend it. 9/10

Puss in Boots

2012-01-22T15:33:00.000-08:00

How high can your expectations be for the fifth Shrek movie? I was surprised how good it was, it was witty and fun. We actually really liked it, kids an adults will like it. Not too shabby for Shreck VI. 7.5/10

Midnight in Paris

2012-01-22T15:31:00.000-08:00

We ended up redboxing this movie. Having a baby sometimes gets in the way of your theater moving watching. Garr had heard good things about it, so we gave it a try. We really enjoyed it. I’m a sucker for anything that references art history and this does quite a bit. The story is really good and the acting is seamless. It really just made me want to go to Paris, even more than I did before. Although I think now I might be a little disappointed if I don’t get to actually meet my favorite artists and writers from history. Its a really beautiful well written and executed movie. 9/10

Tin Tin

2012-01-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit that I fell asleep during this movie. I haven’t been getting a ton of sleep lately and I succumbed. What I saw was pretty good, and Garr liked it alright. He did say it was a little violent for a kids movie though. 7/10.

Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol

2012-01-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

Of all the Mission:Impossible movies we think this might be the best one. The name is a the cheesiest but the action is even more intense. They got some new cast members that really helped to freshen it up and the story is actually pretty good. We had a good time, and Aayla slept through her first movie experience, in IMAX no less. 8/10

Hugo

2012-01-22T15:25:00.000-08:00

Hugo was marketed as a children’s movie, because children are the main characters and it is a whimsical movie. We really enjoyed it, but we thought that it was a little slow paced for kids. It is much more enjoyable for adults, who can appreciate its slower pace and references to silent movies and film’s beginnings. We liked it a lot 8/10.

Tower Heist

2012-01-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

We really enjoyed Tower Heist, it was funny but also kind of intense and thrilling at times. It was a good time and we thought it was well done. 7.5/10

The Muppets

2012-01-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

What’s not to love about the Muppets? You got humor, dance routines, and musical numbers. For us it really is the whole package. The Muppets have been around for a long time, so you know what you are signing up for when you watch Muppet movie. If you don’t like hilarious good clean fun then don’t watch it. 9/10

Johnny English Reborn

2012-01-22T15:21:00.000-08:00

In order to prepare to see Johnny English Reborn we watched the original Johnny English. This was of course a necessity in order to understand the intricate plot and complicated characters.
Ok, it was a fun movie with a lot of juvenile humor, so of course we enjoyed it. 7/10

Warrior

2012-01-22T15:19:00.000-08:00

Garr really wanted to see this movie and I was not as thrilled. Neither of us like Ultimate Fighting so I was confused why he was so adamant about seeing it. After watching it I understood why. It has a story that you get sweeps you away. It is really intense and very moving. It is one of the best movies of the year and you definitely don't need to be a MMA fan to like it. The acting and gripping action transcends any preconceptions. 9/10

Not A Movie, But Still Pretty Cool

2011-12-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

Aayla Jo Van Orden, born 11/30/11 at 8:55 8 lbs 3 oz.

Aayla's hairy daddy holds her for the first time.

First time Grandma held Aayla.

With mom, we think she is the cutest baby ever, but we are a little biased. Neither of us think we are cute enough to claim any part of her.

Get it, Cause he's a dad now.

In her take home outfit, just after we brought her home.

Dad singing Beatles songs to Aayla.

Wearing a bow made by the lovely and talented Sarah Anderson, her favorite aunt.

In the "old man sweater outfit" as dad calls it.

Fat and Happy.

Another bow courtesy of Aunt Sarah.

Wide awake with Aunt Sarah.

Even a Star Wars bow, dad was a little too proud. Its really not that big but he wanted the bow to be the main part of the picture, Aayla was kinda a afterthought.

In her cute sweater after she had to get her Billiruben tested. They finally went down, no more foot pricks is a great thing.

Thor

2011-10-07T15:18:00.000-07:00

Thor was the movie that I was most anticipating for this year. What can I say, Thor is awesome. The story was good, there were funny parts and the action was awesome, it also set itself up for the Avenger movie. Garr liked it too. It was a really great superhero action movie. I completely recommend it. 9.5/10

X-Men 1st Class

2011-10-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

Although I thought I was a big X-Men fan, this movie crept up on me. Apparently I'm not as big a fan as I thought. Garr was looking forward to it and I kinda went a long. This was definitely one of our favorites of the year. It was interesting to see the origins of Professor X and Magneto. It is one of the best X-Men movies. It is a new spin but is still as true to the series as it can be. 9/10

Contagion

2011-10-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

There are a ridiculous amount of a-list actors for how average this movie ended up being. The story was slow and the ending was anticlimactic. It was interesting enough to keep my attention but I never felt there was a good pay-off. It was a decent movie, but it could definitely make you a little paranoid. 7/10

Hanna

2011-10-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

The previews for this movie showed a teen-aged girl version of the Borne movies. This is pretty much what you get in the movie, minus the shaky cam. The story is interesting but if you can't take some brutal violence and gore this is probably not the movie for you. We liked it for the most part. 7/10

The Conspirator

2011-10-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

This is the story of Mary Suratt who was charged as a co-conspirator to assassinate President Lincoln. The acting was amazing and the story was well executed. It is a very interesting period piece, it shows a side of the Lincoln assassination that is not as well known. It was finely crafted movie and we both enjoyed it. 8.5/10

Mars Needs Moms

2011-10-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

We both really liked Mars Needs Moms. It did seem a little intense for a kid's movie, but we enjoyed it. There were also a lot of 80's jokes that kids wouldn't understand. It is actually a kids movie that is geared too much toward adults, but this happens to be perfect for us. It had good action and an interesting story. 7.5/10

Captain America: The 1st Avenger

2011-10-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

Captain America was one of the best movies of the year. Yes it was a little cheesy a times, but give it a break, its a superhero movie. The story was good it showed Captain America's origins and led into the Avenger's movie. It did what Green Lantern didn't, it gave us a protagonist that the audience could root for. It even had a nice love story. We both really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. 9/10

Kung Fu Panda II

2011-10-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed the first Kung Fu Panda, and the second one was also very good. It was entertaining and funny. The story was well thought out and the action was good. It was a very solid kid's movie, definitely see this instead of Rango. 8/10

Green Lantern

2011-10-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

Garr was excited about this movie, and we were both looking forward to it. Unfortunately it was a complete letdown. Ryan Reynolds was difficult to root for because his character is such an a-hole. Not that you should expect an amazing plot in a superhero movie, but this one was just boring. If you watched the preview, you saw pretty much all of the good action. It really was a complete waste of time. Just watch the trailer and you will have seen the best of it. 2/10

Cowboys & Aliens

2011-10-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is a movie that Garr was very excited about this movie. The story could have been better, but the action was cool. Harrison Ford did a good job as a grumpy old man. It was an interesting idea and a decent action movie, but nothing great. 6.5/10

Mr. Popper's Penguins

2011-10-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

When we went to this movie we didn't expect much. Really it turned out to be about what you would expect. It's a clean kids movie, but really beyond that there isn't all that much to say for it. It really was a very forgettable movie. 5.5/10.

Super 8

2011-10-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Super 8 was possibly the best movie of the year. I had not heard a lot about it before I saw it and wasn't very excited to see it. Garr really wanted to see and practically dragged me to it, I'm glad he did. The action was incredible, it was a thrilling ride. It was funny at the right moments and the plot was intriguing. If you can stand 13 year old kids cussing a lot then it really is a great movie. 9.5/10

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

2011-10-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

The most recent Pirates movie does not have Keira Knightly or Orlando Bloom and we thought this was an advantage it had over the previous one. We though that it was better than the last one, it was a fun ride but forgettable. 6.5/10

Winnie the Pooh

2011-10-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Garr surprises me in the movies he is persistent in seeing, this is one of them. He had to have asked me a least four times to go see it. I wasn't in the mood for a kid's movie, but I relented. We both actually really enjoyed it. It was funny and charming, another perk is that it was also short. They didn't have to draw it out. The story was cute and it helped me remember why I like Winnie the Pooh so much and why it is such an enduring children's story. 8.5/10

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules

2011-10-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

We saw the first Diary of a Wimpy Kid and enjoyed it, this one was just as good. It is a funny family movie, its refreshing to see a family movie that is actually funny and not cheesy and obnoxious. The characters are interesting and fun to watch. 7.5/10.

Rango

2011-10-07T11:08:00.000-07:00

This CGI in this move was beautifully done. But it is kind of an obnoxious kid's movie. It was also difficult to understand Johnny Depp's mumblings half of the time. It really was not very funny, and the story drug on. I was ready for it to be over half way through. 5.5/10

The Adjustment Bureau

2011-10-07T11:03:00.000-07:00

The idea is intriguing, but it could have been better executed. We felt like it opened up more questions than it answered. The love story is interesting but I got a little bored half way through. We liked it but felt that certain aspects could have been explored more in depth and explained more thoroughly. 7/10

Unknown

2011-10-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

This was a solid thriller and we did enjoy it. It was not completely predictable and the story was decent. Really not anything special. It was a fun ride, but forgettable. 7/10

Morning Glory

2010-12-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

It is about a morning talk show that is having issues. It was nothing groundbreaking but it was a cute little movie and it had a satisfying ending. A lot of the scenes with Harrison ford and Rachel McAdams where really amazing, they really played well off each other. We both enjoyed it and if you are looking for a entertaining somewhat funny feel-good movie this is a good option. 7.5/10

Tangled

2010-12-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

First off, Tangled is a horrible name for this movie it should have just been called Rapunzel. Second, the advertisements were horrible. We didn’t even know it was a musical until like the day before we saw the movie. With that said it was funny, entertaining, and keeps you interested. The whole movie was a fun ride. None of the music was amazing, but it was good enough. I didn’t leave with any one song that stuck out but it moved the story along and was well done. We really liked this movie and recommend it to everyone. We give it a 9/10.

Megamind

2010-12-13T10:24:00.000-08:00

In this movie the bad guy is the main character similar to Despicable Me. We both agreed that it was good but thought that Despicable Me was better. The beginning was huge and exciting and the ending was too, but the middle seemed to lack purpose tended to drag. It has some funny parts and is entertaining enough. We give it a 7/10.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

2010-12-13T10:19:00.000-08:00

I went and saw this with my cousins because Garr had no interest in seeing it. He apparently thinks that Harry Potter is just for nerds, this is coming from the biggest Star Wars geek in the world. I thought it was good. I think that they put as much in from the book that they could without it seeming rushed and indecipherable. I did think the pacing was a little slow, but the first half of the book is a lot like that too. I thought that they set up the final movie really well. There is one part where I had heard there was a “nude kissing scene” between Harry and Hermione. I thought this was blown way out of proportion. It was all CGI and misty, and it actually is in the book just not it as much detail. I enjoyed it and give it a 7/10, Garr would give it a 0/10, but he didn’t see in so he doesn’t get to have an opinion.

Red

2010-12-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

RED stands for “Retired Extremely Dangerous.” This stars Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malcovitch. It is a spy movie but it takes a more light-hearted approach. We both really enjoyed this interesting take on an action movie. I thought it was cool to think about what happens to old spies and special ops people when they get old. If you are looking for a good action movie that is funny and fast-paced then this is a great one to check out. We give it a solid 8/10.

The Social Network

2010-12-13T10:11:00.000-08:00

The Social Network is one of the most successful movies of the summer. Garr really didn’t like it; he felt that there wasn’t a clear person to root for. He said that he needed a hero and thought that everyone in the movie was a jerk and he hated them all. He said that he thought it was the “feel bad movie of the year.” I on the other hand I thought it was interesting and intriguing. I thought it was relatable because I was in my freshman year of college when facebook was being created and I just thought this movie was really geared toward my generation. I didn’t care if they were all horrible people and huge jerks, as long as they where interesting jerks I was entertained. Garr gave it a 5/10, I gave it a 9/10.

Salt

2010-12-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

Salt was similar to Knight and Day but more on the serious side. It stars Angelina Jolie, Tom Cruise was actually offered the role but he was busy making Knight and Day instead. She did a great job in the movie, it’s nice to see a female action star every once in a while. A lot of the move is spent trying to figure out who to root for. It is not obvious at all who the good guy is until the end. This makes it a little harder to enjoy the movie the first time around because you are a little torn. At the end it all comes out, and it’s satisfying. We both really liked it and give it a 7.5/10

Knight and Day

2010-12-13T10:03:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed Knight and Day. It had lots of action and it was funny enough. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz were charming and funny and really made the movie entertaining. The movie was fast paced and that make it easy to watch. There are a lot of locations in this movie and maybe not all of them were really necissary but it’s entertaining anyway. The ending was a little disappointing, it didn’t really resolve itself. So that was a little of a letdown (since the ending is one of the most important parts of a movie). We still enjoyed the ride and give it a 7/10.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story

2010-12-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

“It’s Kind of a Funny Story” was a lower budget movie. It has Zach Galifianakis Costarring along with a bunch of other young actors that are fairly unknown. The story is about this kid who is about to kill himself, but instead decides to check himself into the mental ward of a hospital. The interaction between the young main character and Zach Galifanakis was really entertaining. It was a well made film with good acting a nice ending. We both really enjoyed it. It shows what young people are going through these days and like the title says, it was kind of a funny story. We give it an 8.5/10.

Scott Pilgrim Vs the World

2010-12-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World is definitely a movie that is built for a certain type of person, mostly for Fanboys and people that like video games and graphic novels. If you are an older person or have never really played video games you probably won’t appreciate very much of the movie. The people that sat in front of us for example where probably in their 50’s or 60’s and they left about half way through. We thought it was pretty cool but it didn’t quite live up to all of the hype. It has a lot of action in it, it’s a fight movie. Michael Cera however is not an action star, and he has a lot of action scenes. It was funny most of the time, but sometimes it was just a little too awkward. Also just to warn you, Michael Cera’s hair was absolutely horrible. I don’t know what was happening there, but it was not great. It was not 100% clean, but not filthy either. We give it a 7/10.

The Other Guys

2010-12-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

The Other Guys is a comedy with Will Farrell and Mark Wahlberg. We enjoyed it, but it didn’t seem like a continuous movie. It felt like the writers got together and thought of a bunch of funny skits and then they tried to somehow work them into a movie that made sense. This didn’t quite work out. The individual scenes were for the most part hilarious. But they didn’t hold up as well when they were all jumbled together. This paired with all of the political stuff made for a weird movie that is hard to recommend. It is worth it for all of the ridiculous crap that Will Farrell does though. We give it a 7/10.

Ramona and Beezus

2010-12-13T09:22:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed Romona and Beezus, and thought it was a good kid’s movie. It was actually better than we expected it to be. It had a love story that was actually better than a lot of romantic comedies. The child actress that played Ramona was charming and funny. The story is touching and has a good resolution at the end. It was completely clean, so if you are looking for a fun clean family movie, this is a good one to check out. We give it a 7/10.

Eclipse

2010-09-04T09:40:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately this is not the funniest movie of the year like New Moon was, but it was still fairly laughable. There were only 22 pointless shirtless scenes this move as opposed to 25 in New Moon. And there weren’t nearly enough slow motion, walk toward the camera, over dramatic shots in the movie. What we should’ve been counting is, “how many kissing scenes went on 45 minutes too long?” There is plenty of bad dialog to laugh at though. But yeah, this movie was pretty much pointless. They just went over the same dumb crap that they went over in the other 2. Do I love Edward of Jacob? In this move she decided: both favorites. She loves both, but loves Edward more. Apparently Edward is more favorite. They also debate whether they should have sex or not like 5 times. This is about how it goes: Bella, “let’s do it,” Edward, “ok let’s do it.” Bella, “Why don’t you want to do it?” Edward, “I do want to do it, but I don’t want to do it.” In the first movie she falls in love with a vampire and in the second one she falls in love with a werewolf. It would have been a lot more interesting if in this one she fell in love with a zombie, then next one with a mummy, then a dwarf, and then a hobbit. Just sayin. So yeah, it’s a mildly entertaining movie to roll your eyes at, but not really worth the time you put into it. See Despicable Me or even Shrek 4 if you want a laugh. 2/10.

Avatar: Special Edition

2010-09-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

See it in 3D, still awesome……..9 more minutes, well worth it. 9.5/10

Prince of Persia

2010-09-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Prince of Persia in the dollar theater, and I’m glad we didn’t pay any more for it. Garr originally wanted to see it the normal theater. I convinced him to wait until the dollar theater. And we’re both really glad we did. This movie was horrible. The thing I think I hated the most was that the story revolves around this knife that if you press a button on it the person holding the knife goes back in time. But they don’t go back in time more than like a minute….so you have to see the same crappy movie 2 times. This happens like 6 times in the movie, it’s ridiculous. I didn’t like the scene originally, but now you are making me watch it again. It was like torture. Jake Gyllenhaal's accent was atrocious, and who said that people from Persia have to have British accents anyway? The effects looked cheap and where way too over the top. After this move we wished we had our own magical dagger with a time machine button on it so we could warp back to before we paid money to see this movie and re-examine our lives. Please for love of all that is good and holy, do not see this movie. Don’t say we didn’t warn you 1/10.

Letters to Juliet

2010-09-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Garr and I are willing to give a romantic comedy a chance every once in a while even if they pretty much all go like this: Girl is in a relationship. Girl meets different Boy. Girl and Boy hate each other at first, and “bring the worst out in each other.” Girl eventually falls in love with Boy she initially hated and breaks up with original boy. This is pretty much the formula and this movie doesn’t really stray from it. With that said it was a really enjoyable movie. The characters are charismatic and the story is good and funny enough. It also takes place in Italy which I’m a sucker for, so I really like it. The only thing that was a little annoying was that the original guy she was in a relationship with was a lot better than the one she ends up with, but oh well. It’s a good date night movie, we both liked it. 7/10.

Shrek 4

2010-09-04T09:23:00.000-07:00

We didn’t expect very much, but wanted to see a movie in 3D at the dollar theater to see what the quality was like, so we went and saw this. We haven’t seen all the Shrek movies, but we still really enjoyed it. It’s easy to make fun of the Shrek movies because there are so many of them, and it seems fairly pointless to keep going with them. But who cares, if you can make a funny movie out of an existing story then why not. There are a ton of different famous people who did voices for this movie, and it was fun to pick them out. We recommend this movie, and I don’t think you really need to have seen the other ones to enjoy it. 7.5/10.

Dinner for Schmucks

2010-09-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Dinner for Schmucks and thought it was pretty good. Steve Carell plays a misfit that latches on to the main character and is invited to a dinner where they make fun of weirdoes like him. Zac Galafanacis plays Steve Carell’s boss, and is hilarious. Jermain from Flight of the Concords plays an eccentric artist and is perfect for the role. There were a lot of funny people in this movie, and it did have a lot of funny parts, but it was also a very PG-13 comedy with a lot of raunchy humor that we could have done without. We enjoyed it, and we give it a 7/10.

Karate Kid

2010-09-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Karate Kid (which should be called the Kung Fu kid because it takes place in China) in the dollar theater because neither of us wanted to pay full price for a movie that didn’t really need to be redone anyway. The original is so iconic that it’s hard to live up to. The main character is played by Jaden Smith; I just felt that it was really hard to feel sorry for the beautiful child of Will Smith. Sure he got picked on by all the Chinese kids, but he’s not nearly as pitiful and awkward as Ralf Machio. With that said, it was still entertaining because it’s basically the same as the original; so we did enjoy it, it just felt like, “what’s the point?” It was worth it just to see Jackie Chan in the role of Mr. Miagi. Though it’s impossible to top Pat Morita’s performance, Jackie Chan was definitely the best possible replacement. Although it is not as good as the original Karate Kid, it was still a good movie and we recommend seeing it once. 6/10

Despicable Me

2010-09-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Despicable Me in 3D because I will give almost anything with Steve Carell a chance, and I thought it looked pretty good. Garr was a little more apprehensive, but he went with me anyway. We both enjoyed it a lot. Steve Carell voices a super-villain that takes in 3 orphan girls. It was very funny and entertaining, probably the best kids movie we have see this year so far. The humor isn’t annoying like it is in a lot of kids movies; it keeps you laughing most of the time. We highly recommend this movie. 8.5/10.

Inception

2010-09-04T09:04:00.000-07:00

We went to see Inception in Imax, and it was worth it. Both of us had been looking forward to the movie, but we didn’t know if it was going to be pulled together very well or if we would just be confused the whole time. Well, we were confused most of the time. Garr summed it up pretty well when he said, “The whole movie I was like ‘I have no idea what is going on, but whatever it is, it’s awesome.’” The story is really well crafted, but it is definitely a movie that you won’t completely understand the first time you watch it. We definitely recommend this movie. The visuals are fantastic and the music is superb. The only problem with it is, with Christopher Nolan’s non-linear storytelling and the complexity of knowing what’s going on with being in a dream within a dream within a dream, it’s hard to be completely emotionally involved with characters and it’s hard to know which ones you should be rooting for. We give it a 9/10.

The Last Airbender

2010-07-10T22:16:00.000-07:00

We really like the animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" that this movie is based off of. And we love some of M. Night Shyamalan's other films, but unfortunately this movie was not perfect. There are a lot of things I could say about this movie...but long story short: There's a lot of things they did with this movie that I would've done differently and I don't blame anyone for not liking it, but I still enjoyed it. It really captured my imagination. If nothing else, it's a beautifully shot movie with a spectacular soundtrack. I just really hope that on DVD and Blu-Ray there is going to be an extended version released. That would be awesome because basically this movie just needs more of everything: more characters, more character development, more Appa and Momo, more flying, more bending, more action, more quiet moments, more explanation of certain plot points, etc. The only thing this movie needs less of is The Fire Lord who wasn't even seen in the 1st season. 7/10

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief and in conclusion this is the longest title ever

2010-07-10T22:13:00.000-07:00

I thought this was a pretty good kids hero movie, nothing spectacular. It's better than the crap that is Harry Potter, but not as good as the great Narnia movies. I don't think I will probably ever want to see this again, but I will probably want to see the sequels when they come out. 6.5/10

Iron Man 2

2010-07-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

We saw Iron Man 2 in IMAX and it was pretty awesome. We thought it was really good, not quite as good as the original, but still a really fun movie. Garr liked Robin Hood better than this movie, but Sally thinks it's the best movie of the year so far (and she is always right). There were a lot of new characters in this one, but I think that they where incorporated well. The action was taken to another level, but the story might have been lacking compared to the first one. We both really enjoyed this movie and will buy it and watch it over and over. We have seen it twice already. We highly recommend it. 9/10

Toy Story 3

2010-07-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Toy Sory 3 in 3D, and we really enjoyed it. We both thought that TS1 is better than TS2 and that TS2 was better than TS3. With that said, it was still a really good movie. TS3 has the best animation yet (obviously). There are a lot of the old characters and also a lot of new ones too. It is a really fun kids movie and definately worth watching. I'm sure everyone was probably planning on seeing it, but we recommend it anyway. 8.5/10

The Losers

2010-07-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

We hadn't heard a whole lot about this movie, but we were bored on a Saturday night so we went and saw it. We saw it after the A-Team, and we were amazed at how much better this relatively unknown movie was. It is based of a DC Comic, and it is a much more of a solid action movie than the A-Team. The plot was decent, the characters were interesting, and the action was good. What more can you ask for from an action movie? It even had some good funny parts in it. We would probably give this movie the award for best underrated movie of the year so far. Definitely go see it over the A-Team. 7.5/10

The A-Team

2010-07-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

It seemed like there was a lot of hype for this movie, and we were excited to see it. We even watched a few episodes of the old 80's tv series on Netflix to prepare. Unfortunately we didn't feel that it lived up to all of the hype. There were some decent action scenes, but it wasn't anything too impressive. What do you think of when you think of the A-Team? I think of building ridiculous weapons like turning a school bus into a tank or making a hearse with a pop out coffin that has a man in it shooting a machine gun. There was planning and building, but nothing like that. And the other thing I think of when I think the A-Team is helping other people out which they did none of. The whole time they were just helping themselves out. And the A-Team van was in the movie for like 5 minutes. You might say that this movie is a prequel to the TV show, so it’s not supposed to have all that stuff. Robin Hood was also an origin story that is very different than the original story, but it still managed to have some robbing from the rich to give to the poor. And I could forgive all of the differences from the TV show if like Robin Hood, at the end of the day, it was a great movie, but it’s not. I hated how franticly this movie was edited. There was no need to go back and forth between the plan and the mission. That was just annoying. There was no need for BA to act like he's peaceful. That was so stupid when he took his hat off. We already knew he cut his hair. And Gandhi said violence is ok so it must be. Dumb. And why did Bradley Cooper need to have his shirt off the whole movie? And why was it necessary that his character, Face, need to do the plan at the end of the movie? Liam Neeson's character, Hannibal, can't come up with a plan that actually works, but Face does. Why? Because Bradley Cooper is the hot young actor. And Liam Neeson was way too serious for this role. The only good thing about this movie is the guy who played Murdock. He was great; in fact, I thought he was better than the original. If you want to see a very similar movie that's more fun and much more well done, go see The Losers. The old 80's show was cheesy and over the top, but we still didn't think that this movie compared to the old show. We would say at the most redbox it. 5/10

The Ghost Writer

2010-07-10T15:00:00.000-07:00

We went to see this in the Dollar Theater because it seems like Garr is willing to give almost any movie with Ewan McGregor a chance. We should have skipped this one. Nothing happens in this movie. It's like watching paint dry. There is a part in the movie where Ewan McGregor's character follows a GPS to a mysterious place. They show pretty much every turn of the GPS, like its so amazing. As if none of us have ever used a GPS before. The pace of the movie is so excruciatingly slow. You are waiting for something to happen the whole time, and it never really does. The most exciting part of the whole movie was when they showed a squirrel in the woods (for no apparent reason) and a guy in the the theater said really loud "A Squirrel!" Unfortunately that guy will probably not be with you if you watch this movie. That would be the only reason to watch it. Please do not see this movie. It is a complete waste of time. 1/10

Date Night

2010-07-10T14:55:00.000-07:00

We went and watched this without any real expectations. We just wanted to see a fun movie. It is really nothing spectacular. It makes you laugh and its worth redboxing or netflixing, but its nothing to write home about. If you are looking for a decent comedy with funny people in it, give this one a shot. Tina Fey and Steve Carell do a good job, but you get the felling that they could be so much funnier. We give it a 6.5/10.

Robin Hood

2010-07-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

We were both shocked and excited when we found out that Robin Hood was going to be rated PG-13. From the previews it looked like a Robin Hood version of Gladiator because both were directed by Ridley Scott and the main star of both is Russel Crow. Needless to say we were excited for this movie. It wasn't exactly what we were expecting. It's more of an origin story of Robin Hood, whereas the previews make it look like the typical robbing from the rich to give to the poor. There were so many good things about this movie. The score is spectacular. We already bought the soundtrack. The acting is great. The action is phenomenal, and it's a really good story. It did get a lot of negative reviews from critics, but I think that was mostly because the story wasn't what they were expecting. We really enjoyed this movie. It is fairly violent, but if you can take that then we highly recommend it. Garr says it's the best movie of the year so far (And he is always right.) We saw it twice in the 1st 2 weeks and want to see it again now that it's in the dollar theater and want to own it on Blu-ray. 9.5/10

When in Rome

2010-07-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

This movie was a kind of funny in parts, but mostly stupid. It was a mediocre romantic comedy at best. 5.5/10

The Spy Next Door

2010-07-10T14:37:00.000-07:00

The Spy Next Door is not a great movie, but it is a fun little kids movie. It is one of the worst Jackie Chan movies that I have ever seen, but I still enjoyed it. I have to say though that it's probably the best movie in its genre: that of an action hero taking care of kids. 6/10

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

More like the Craptastic Mr. Fox. We had heard good things about this movie, but still waited to see it in the dollar theater. We were not impressed at all. The stop motion animation was worse than Gumby. Being able to see different expressions on the character's faces is a big part of comedy that is missing from this movie. We were also expecting a kids movie, but it was way too adult. The director of this movie before this had only directed rated R live action comedies. This movie would have been rated R too except that every cuss word was replaced with the word "cuss" and there was no blood when characters got shot. I felt like half the jokes went over my head, but really they just weren't very funny. We saw this in a packed theater, and no one was laughing. There were a few token funny parts, but not enough to save the movie. We just thought it did not live up to the hype. The worst thing about this movie is the main character is a complete evil tool/jerk/douchebag and he never gets better. The moral of this movie is keep stealing, keep ignoring your wife, and keep doing whatever is pleasurable to yourself even if it's ruining everyone's life because eventually everything will fix itself and be just fine. We give it a 3/10

How to Train Your Dragon

2010-04-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

How to Train Your Dragon might be the best movie that has come out this year so far. It has a really good story that keeps you interested. Its pretty funny, and it is also heartwarming. Its exciting and not completely predictable. The voice actors are excellent, and they fit the characters well. Gerard Butler voices the main character's dad, and it is probably his best role ever. Craig Ferguson voices another one of the Vikings, and he did a really awesome job. It was just a really solid movie that's great for everyone. Garr and I both agree that the title is kinda lame, but the movie is pretty awesome. We saw it in 3D, and we're really glad we did because the flying scenes are amazing. We give it a 9/10.

Clash of The Titans

2010-04-17T12:02:00.001-07:00

So we went and saw Clash of The Titans opening weekend, and we really enjoyed it. It has gotten some pretty bad reviews from critics, but we thought it was pretty cool. If you have seen the old Clash of the Titans, this is absolutely amazing compared to that. But if your in love with the old one, you may not like this one. You shouldn't go into it expecting the greatest movie of all time. What you should expect is some awesome monster killing action, and that's what you get. The fight scenes were pretty spectacular, so if you like a movie with a lot of action that is pretty clean other than a lot of violence then this is the movie is for you. We happen to be those kind of people. We give it a 7.5/10.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-04-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

We saw Alice in Wonderland in Imax 3D. It was pretty weird. Not that I didn't expect it to be a little bazaar but wow. It was just a little hard to follow, and there was a lot to take in. The story was ok, but I started to get a little bored. Johnny Depp was decent, but he switched between two different accents throughout the movie for no apparent reason and it got a little old. The best part of the movie was definitely the Red Queen played by Helena Bonham Carter. She was really funny and perfect for the role. Overall we thought the movie was decent and maybe worth seeing from redbox. We give it a 6/10.

Sherlock Holmes

2010-04-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

We saw Sherlock Holmes a few months after it came out in th Dollar Theater. We had heard good things, but I'm glad we didn't full price. It was a pretty big disappointment. It seemed really long, and that is never a good thing for a movie. We just felt that it didn't live up to all of the hype. There where a lot of unresolved issues, and the plot seemed way too similar to the movie Young Sherlock Holmes which is also really horrible. We don't recommend it and give it a 4/10.

The Blind Side

2010-04-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

We ended up seeing The Blind Side in the dollar theater after everyone else had already seen it and Sandra Bullock had won Best Actress for her role. So we already knew that it was a really solid movie that everyone loved. Fortunately, We really enjoyed it too. It's just a really awesome story, and it's really hard not to get invested in it and love it. I would suggest this movie to anybody. We give it a 9.5/10.

Extraordinary Measures

2010-02-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

Extraordinary Measures was a solid feel good movie. It doesn't blow your mind, but it leaves you feeling uplifted. Both Brenden Frasier and Harrison Ford did an awesome job and played off each other well. The only criticism of the movie that we heard was that it was like a really good made for TV movie. For me a movie is a movie and if it's good it's good. We really enjoyed it and think anyone who does not like this movie must hate terminally ill children. Get it from redbox its pretty good. We give it a 7.5/10.

Twilight New Moon

2010-02-26T12:05:00.000-08:00

We went and saw New Moon in the dollar theater, and it was hilarious. Before the movie started we decided to count the number of guys that were shirtless for pretty much no apparent reason. We were not disappointed. The grand total was 25. You could pretty much look at the picture above and you have seen 2/3 of the movie. Half way through we realized we should have been counting the number of "slow motion walk toward the camera shots" there were as well. Maybe next time. But lets face it, we won't be seeing this movie again. If you want a good laugh, go and see New Moon. We give it a 1/10.

The Princess and the Frog

2010-01-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

We went and saw The Princess and the Frog over Chistmas break and thought it was ok. The beginning was good and the ending was too, but the stuff in the middle seemed to drag on and seemed fairly pointless. It would have been much better as a 20 minute short than as a feature length film. Avatar was almost 3 hours, and this movie seemed twice as long as Avatar did. There just isn't much to the story of The Princess and the Frog, and the way they lengthened it wasn't exciting or interesting to us. Little girls will probably love it, but it just didn't seem as good as past Disney movies. If you want to see a good Disney movie rewatch Snow White or Robin Hood. We give it a 6.5/10.

Avatar

2009-12-20T11:21:00.000-08:00

We went and saw Avatar this past Friday in Imax 3-D, and it was amazing. We had heard that it was a really long movie (almost 3 hours), so we were a little apprehensive about whether it would hold our interest the whole time. We didn't have to worry about not being entertained at all. It was an exciting ride the whole time. I honestly cannot think of a part I would want them to cut out. Other than having too much language, there wasn't anything that wasn't relevant to the story. The movie makes you feel like you actually go to this amazing planet of Pandora. It almost seems like a National Geographic film of this place that doesn't even exist. The effects are absolutely breathtaking. We walked out of it not knowing which parts where CGI and which were actually there. We assume that pretty much all of it is computer generated, but it is amazing that it was so well done that we didn't know for sure. Some critics said that the story was lacking, but I felt that the story was really good. It had a good message. Although it is hard to miss the liberal agenda in this film, I didn't feel like it was shoved in my face. I felt like I knew it was there, but I didn't have to see the whole movie in that light. The action blended perfectly with the story. The more quite moments were nicely balanced with awesome action. We really enjoyed this movie, and as we were walking out all we could think of is when we can go back and see it again. We give it a 9.5/10

Thanksgiving in LA

2009-12-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

We recently took a trip to California for Thanksgiving. We saw Conan live, went to 6 Flags, and visited friends. It was a really great trip, and it was Sally's first time making Thanksgiving dinner. Luckily it turned our pretty well.

Here we are waiting in line for Conan. These are our excited faces. We made Andy and Conan t-shirts.

Here is Sally and Sarah waiting in line. Sally is trying to recreate Andy's face.... unsuccessfully. Sarah has LaBamba's face on her shirt.

Here is Garr with some of the guys on the show. They were doing a bit with Pierre Bernard in the 5 million dollar jock strap. It was on of Garr's finest hours.

Sally posing with "Wonder Woman". This "Wonder Woman" is obviously a fake, since Sally is actually Wonder Woman.

Here we are posing with Bugs Bunny, Garr wanted a picture with The Flash...next time.

This is Garr embracing the Families of Gotham City at Six Flags, I guess he just got carried away in the moment.

Thanksgiving at Denny's, for our Slamapaloosa. It was almost worth the pointless 45 min wait.

Here is a second picture that was taken when Sally went a little crazy and Garr really liked the food.

Sally about to open the best Secret Santa gift ever.

Melissa in a phone booth in Solvang a little Dutch town, it felt just like home.

Garr and I sitting outside some mission in Solvang after walking all the crap long day.

Summer Sequels

2009-12-06T16:11:00.000-08:00

We thought we'd give you a quick rundown of the summer sequels we saw. So in no particular order, here it goes.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had everything in the original, just MORE. So that's both good and bad. The good: more transformers, more action, more explosions, more cool special and visual effects. The Bad: more stupid annoying pointless characters, more language, more sex and raunchy jokes. It was one of those movies where you walk out of the theater blown away by how awesome it was, and then later as you think about it and you realize that it wasn't that great. I'd give it a 6.5 out of 10.

We actually liked Madagascar 2 way better than the 1st one. The 1st one didn't have that great of a story, but what it did have is some great characters. Add that with the great story of 2nd one along with some great new characters and some fantastic music makes for one heck of a movie. I'd give it a 8.5 out of 10.

Terminator Salvation was great. We've since gone back watched all the Terminator movies edited and they are all good. For some reason there are a lot of people that were disappointed with T3 or TS or both and I can't understand why. I'll agree that T2 was the biggest jump in quality from its predecessor, but they're all good. We recommend them all and TS is probably the best because you don't have to watch it edited.

The 1st reboot of Pink Panther with Steve Martin was surprising at how hilarious it was. We totally recommend you see the 1st one if you haven't seen it, but unfortunately we can't recommend the 2nd one. The 1st one stuck to a certain realism that this one did not and that ruined the overall comedy. Also the 1st one was what you'd expect: a spy comedy. This one was more of a romantic comedy. I'd give it a 6 out of 10.

And finally and quickly I'll just say the Night of the Museum was surprisingly just about as good as the 1st one.

Where the Wild Things Are

2009-11-22T15:42:00.000-08:00

We've heard a lot of mixed reviews about this movie. Some people love it. Some people hate it. We fall somewhere in the middle. I think most of the movie was really good. The only problem is they screwed up on the most important part: the ending. It started getting really dark toward the end and it never really resolved itself. So I'd like to give it a higher rating but I have to give it a 6.5 out of 10.

A Christmas Carol Imax 3D

2009-11-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

We saw A Christmas Carol in Imax 3D, and it was breathtaking. We have seen lots of movies in 3D and lots of movies in Imax but never the two together. It was definitely worth the extra money. This is Bob Zemeckis' 3rd movie using motion capture animation technology and this was clearly the best. Polar Express was the first one. That was pretty good, but the animation wasn't as good back then. Beowulf was the second one and they really messed up the story to make it not as good. I think they learned from their mistakes because it seems like they stuck a lot closer to the source material with this movie. This story has been told a million times before but I think this is my favorite version of the story. It felt very fresh. The effects really helped improve the story. There was only one short moment that I felt the effects got in the way and they became more of a gimmick. Scrooge was shrunken down and chased by horses, which was cool, but I was thinking "what is the point of this." So being that this is the best use of this technology so far, the best version of this story, and the best 3D experience I have ever had, it is no wonder that we give this movie a 9 out of 10.

Gentlemen Broncos

2009-11-08T15:40:00.000-08:00

Gentleman Broncos is the latest movie from Jared Hess who directed Napoleon Dynamite and Nacho Libre. If you loved those movies, than I think you should check this out. I don't think this movie is as good as those other movies, especially Nacho Libre, but it's still very unique and hilarious. I think the main difference with this movie is the main character: in those other movies the main character is basically a cartoon. He's very quirky and funny. Whereas in this movie, everything is much more weird and bazaar, but the main character is grounded in reality. This works against the movie in a way because you feel really bad for him. I personally really related to this character. He spent most of the movie depressed because of all the bad things that happen to him, so I consequently started to feel kind of depressed too. But at the same time, when I left the theater my face was hurting from smiling the whole time because of how funny it was. This movie isn't for everyone. It's extremely bazaar. Not everyone will get it, but those who do will love it. This movie came out in limited release and is slowly growing to more and more cities. If it comes to a big city new you, I recommend you go to see it. I'd give it a 7.5 out of 10.

This is it, Coraline.

2009-11-01T09:02:00.000-08:00

Michael Jackson's This is It came out for 2 weeks, and it's basically like seeing him in concert with a few good and bad exceptions. The Bad: The footage is of Michael and his crew practicing, so they aren't doing as good of a job as they would if they were actually performing live. Michael even says a few times that he's saving his voice. The Good: You get to see things close up to the screen, you also get to see a lot of cool behind the scenes stuff, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than going to see MJ live in concert. Plus, you don't even have that option anymore do you? If the idea of going to see Michael Jackson concert is at all appealing to you than I recommend seeing this movie. I'd give this movie a 7 out of 10. I don't think it has as much re-watch-ability as other movies. You could wait and watch it on DVD, but I recommend seeing it now while it's still in theaters so you can get some of that concert feel.

On Halloween we saw the movie Coraline for the first time. I'm not a huge fan of movies like Nightmare Before Christmas and Corps Bride, but I think this is my favorite one. Those other movies are hard to relate to because everything is so weird. In this movie there's a normal world and a weird world which makes it easier to follow and get involved in. The stop motion animation is top notch. I just wish they would have taken out one scene of some naked old ladies dancing. I'd give this movie a 7 out of 10.