Me: OMG. This is going to be really bad. Despicable Me? Are you kidding me? And I have laundry to fold.
(30 minutes into movie)
Me: Haw, haw, haw. This is pretty funny.
(At end of movie)
Me: *SNIFF* I can't believe I'm crying at the ending. What an incredible movie!
I went through this with several films. I mean, who cries at the end of Toy Story 3? Any parent who (SPOILER ALERT) has pictured her kid going off to college, that's who.
I've been dragged unwillingly to the following flicks, and I ended up loving all of them:
Shorts: The Adventures of The Wishing Rock - First of all, great title (NOT.) And the trailers looked dumb. But I loved the character called Helvetica Black - wish I had thought of that name - as well as the way the stories were all linked by the wishing rock and the two kids having a staring contest.
My recommendation: Pretty good, but do look away during the Mucus Monster scene.
Aliens in the Attic: I really protested at this one. First of all, it starred the actress who plays Shar-Pay in HIgh School Musical. Second, the aliens looked cheesy. Ditto special effects.
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| See what I mean? Looks worse than Ninja turtles. Good movie, though. |
Then Kevin Nealon and Tim Meadows turned on the heat. Meadows, in particular, was charming as a small town policeman who tangles with the kids and the aliens.
Plus, the concept of being able to control an ex-boyfriend's body with an alien device is just really, really satisfactory. Not only did I enjoy this movie, I dragged my kid back to see it again.
The Corpse Bride and Coraline: Got on my high horse about these. "This movie is too scary for my kid... blah blah blah..." Yeah, my kid LOVES them. She accepted the concept of the Bride as well as the Other Mother and never had nightmares. Tim Burton rocks. Plus, the music in Coraline is so lovely that I want to get the CD now.
We ended up buying both DVD's.
Anime: I thought anything anime would be like Pokemon cartoons, with bad dialogue and terrible animation. Boy, was I wrong. When my friend introduced us to Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service, I fell in love with Miyazake, an affair that lasts to this day. He is probably at his best in those two, but Arietty was amazing, and Spirited Away is one of the most beautifully animated films I've ever seen. Plus, that fantasy concept is breath-taking.
So, I may complain today as we head off to see Hotel Transylvania, but don't pay any attention to me. I'll be the one in the back, laughing and sniffling through the popcorn. Plus, it is a few hours that I get to spend with my daughter. Isn't that really what it is all about?
