We loved it. All but the youngest child among us found it interesting, fascinating and entertaining. Based on the true story of the challenges faced by a stammering king, the film provided plenty of opportunities for history lessons over dinner. Heh.

The website for the film includes a link to the actual speech made by H.M. King George VI in 1939. Very interesting. Here it is.

As much as I loved The Social Network and Jesse Eisenberg as Zuckerberg, I can see why Colin Firth won the Golden Globe. He was fabulous.

The “R” rating is mainly due to several scenes which included his spewing swear words as…part of his speech therapy, shall we say. I wouldn’t recommend it for your younger children, but it’s wonderful for teens and up.

and if you enjoyed that and would like to see more, here you go:

Also, check out this comparison of the actors and the people they portray in a “fictionalized” manner:

Some have called it this generation’s Citizen Kane.

Here’s just a taste of “The Social Network.”

This is my kind of super hero flick:

Can’t wait to see it.

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No, I did not (sadly) get an Audi R8 or even a model replica of an Audi A8 for posting this message. I just liked it and wanted to share it.

You may have heard of Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, the movie that came out Friday, February 12, 2010.

Many people have been calling it a Harry Potter knock off. To begin with, the book series is not another Potter. The only comparison one could make is that the main characters are two boys and a girl, and the male protagonist doesn’t fully know about his true powers until he goes somewhere away from home (Camp Half Blood/Hogwarts) to train.

Would Potter ever go to Vegas?!

We both read The Lightning Thief (along with the rest of the books in the series) at a young age and were captivated by how exciting it was. Both of us still consider it the best book we’ve ever read (tied with Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (And So Can You!) and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird). We have also read the Harry Potter books and seen the movies and the Lightning Thief series differs in many ways. The Lightning Thief is a fun way for kids and teens to learn about Greek mythology.

The Lightning Thief brings Greek mythology to the modern world, with the gods and goddesses hidden at the top of the empire state building. Camp Half Blood is the where the demigods gather, the only place they are safe. Demigods are the offspring of a god and mortal, so they are half-human and half-god. Harry Potter, however, is about witchcraft and wizardry. Magic. Contrast that with gods and Greek mythology. Nowhere close to the magic that is described in the Harry Potter series.

Have you seen this promo, where water roars behind Percy?

Percy is the son of Poseidon (god of the seas, which must be noted because the naysayers probably didn’t even know that), not a recently-trained-in-magic Quidditch captain. The people who accused The Lightning Thief of being a cheap knock-off probably didn’t even know that the book was released in 2005, before five of the Harry Potter movies were released. Also, one could make the argument (an inane, ignorant argument) that The Half Blood Prince and Camp Half Blood have something to do with each other. Well, unless Snape’s dad was Zeus or Ares or any other god, they have no connection except for the words “Half Blood.”

Anyway, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series of books was hugely successful, a New York Times #1 Bestseller and given five-star reviews by many, including the writers of this article. The people who criticized The Lightning Thief probably did no (or very little) research and just looked at the ad for the movie while tweeting “Am I the only one that thinks that Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is a total Harry Potter cop-out? #iamnotamused.” (@clawtooth35) or “hilarious: billboards for ‘Percy Jackson and the lightning thief’ don’t even try to hide the fact that it’s a facile Harry Potter ripoff…” (@estherdbrazil) or “the lightning thief dd not lve up 2 my expctations. almost juvenile for my liking. it’s like harry potter with a better looking protagonist.” (@bookletjeff) Uh huh. To quote @pfpaul, “BF#1: “The Lightning Thief looks stupid. It’s exactly like Harry Potter. Different people, same names.” That doesn’t even… “what?!”

Exactly. Different people, same names?! No they don’t…oh, whatever.

We just disagree.

Go see The Lightning Thief.

Let us know what you think.

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First of all, can you imagine Potter using an iPhone or iPod Touch? Ever? HA!

These American kids know how to use technology! W00T!

Our kids loved the Percy Jackson book series and enjoyed the movie. They tire of the comparisons between it and the Potter series. Actually, I wish the promos would have downplayed the Chris Columbus connection and any other similarities.  Millions of Potter fanatics do not want anything to try to replace or follow Potter. Attempting to draw similarities was a mistake.

Instead, I recommend putting Potter aside and opening yourself up to something new or, at least something a little different, based on myth and legends.

If you’re looking for respectable teen action heroes for your teens or preteens, I believe this is your film (and I hope an entire series of films). In it, smart, brave, attractive kids discover their demigod selves and embark on a quest which eventually leads them to Zeus and Poseidon. In fact, it’s a fairly good introduction to Greek mythology.

Exercise caution with sensitive tweens or younger kids, though.  Ms. Dodds’ morphing into a flying fury and the minotaur chasing Percy and Grover were quite frightening scenes, though probably the scariest moments of the film. After those two, the intensity eases a bit.

Kids who have read the book series (or at least the first book, “The Lightning Thief”) will enjoy the movie but may quibble over differences and omissions. The parts of the book that were necessarily left out of the movie are not crucial to the storyline. My kids believe that the few aspects that were missing can be easily added in to future movies.

Logan Lerman (as Percy Jackson) strikes the right balance between seeming a little awkward with his new-found abilities and being as confident and strong as one would expect from a demigod. He’s more like Peter in Heroes than Potter at Hogwarts. No wands, just hands (and occasionally a sword).

The attraction between Percy and Annabeth was believable (I don’t really care that Annabeth wasn’t blond) and Luke was a terrific antagonist.

Bottom line? Get over Potter and give this movie a chance.

Images from Google Images

I heard all the hype but was not expecting much from the Twilight movie (based on the books by Stephenie Meyer).

After a friend of mine bought the book for me and handed it to me saying, “You have to read this book.  It’s fantastic!” Soapbox Girl and I read the first book in the series.  My daughter loved it so much that she devoured the next three books, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn within a week.

And tonight we saw the movie.

I’m happy to say that this guy:

looked better in the film than in any of the interviews I’d seen or articles I read about him.

Twilight is basically a love story – a passionate, unusual love story – which happens to involve vampires.  For various reasons, the actor portraying Edward Cullen (main character) had to be gorgeous and the female lead (Bella) had to seem vulnerable, smart and beautiful (but klutzy).

Check, check, check and…check.

Bottom line?

Great love story, fabulous chemistry between the main characters, action, suspense, beautiful cinematography and direction.  Worth a look!

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Note: Heed the PG-13 rating for some intense battles and mature theme.

My hubby and I (yep, he used to watch it with me) were loyal, regular viewers of the series with Sarah Jessica Parker , et al. So it was fun seeing the ladies up on the big screen. I wasn’t expecting much, considering most TV-to-movie attempts just don’t work (at least for me). But, at the end of the day, here’s what I got out of it.

Many women identify with at least one of the characters, whether it’s Samantha, Carrie, Charlotte or Miranda. I always saw a little of myself in each of them, but probably with a tad bit more Charlotte. Always positive, hopeful, and romantic.

In the movie, however, Charlotte (played by Kristin Davis ) was over-the-top uptight, particularly when she packed little pudding cups on a trip to Mexico because she feared the safety of the food and water. Come on now. Last I checked they have pills you can take to prevent acquiring Montezuma’s revenge . No need to starve or subsist on Jello pudding packs. A bit absurd… But then I realized why that stance was necessary. It ultimately gave Charlotte her “bad thing” for the year (see below). And that moment was hysterical. Really funny. Made Carrie laugh at a time when she wondered whether she would ever laugh again.

Overall, writer/producer/director Michael Patrick King gave Charlotte a little more depth in the film than in much of the television series. In fact, for me, her character provided what Oprah refers to as an “Aha!” moment — it happened when Charlotte cried and confided to Carrie that she feared her life was too good to be real, that something bad must be imminent. After all, each of the other girlfriends was struggling (each for different reasons). How could it be that her life was unfolding so smoothly? Carrie assured her that it was okay to be happy. No guilt necessary. Just enjoy it. Let go and enjoy it. It might sound ridiculous, but that was music to my ears. I’ve had similar thoughts, comparable feelings. Not to say that life is perfect (far from it), rather to learn to appreciate the good in life and stop fearing potential disasters. Thanks, Carrie.

Kim Cattrall , as Samantha, was as fabulous and funny as ever, especially when she adopted a nympho-maniacal puppy. The lesson I took away from her character? Well, let’s just say that I worked out when I got home from the theater (at 11:00 at night!). As gorgeous as she looked (especially on that dining room table!?) yet they criticized her for … well, you just have to see it.

What I liked about that storyline is that it demonstrates that there is simply no excuse for letting ourselves go as we get older. Or, at least, there’s no excuse for not accepting responsibility for choosing to let ourselves go. If 50 can look like that , I’ll work for it, baby. Why not?

She’s an inspiration.

Speaking of inspiring figures over 40, Parker, as Carrie Bradshaw, was positively radiant and glorious. Without giving too much away, her scene in the church (and the five minutes or so thereafter) were just brilliant. She upstaged Chris Noth , unfortunately, who seemed a bit stiff in those moments.

Miranda…ah, Miranda.

Played by Cynthia Nixon, this character annoyed me. Especially in that scene in a store with Charlotte shopping for Halloween costumes when she made that pithy, nasty comment about moms who have nothing to do. Grrrr…. Didn’t like that line. Not. at. all.

Miranda can often be snippy, snide and harsh with a rather irritating, whiny voice. Bottom line? If Miranda and Carrie were in a presidential election, I’d vote for Carrie Bradshaw before I’d vote for Miranda Hobbs. You know what I mean? (Oh, and please understand I would never be so simplistic so as to completely overlook policy positions, background, qualifications, etc. I’m making a point which, for the purposes of this post, is necessarily limited to one particular facet of these multifaceted women).

Dianne Feinstein isn’t hard to listen to. Margaret Thatcher didn’t have a scratchy, harsh tone. Sandra Day O’Connor spoke softly, as did Faye Wattleton. Kathleen Sebelius leads in an elegant, confident, assertive manner.

And it’s not just women’s voices and temperaments. Look what happened to Howard Dean when he shouted. Was that reaction anti-male? Yeah…no . Nobody wanted to hear that for four (or eight) years. Likewise, I can only take so much of Charlie Rangel , can’t stand listening to Bill O’Reilly (also a shouter) but love listening to Barack Obama and actually enjoyed William F. Buckley’s pompous but strong voice (just the voice, not its substance). John McLaughlin drives me a little nuts sometimes, but I could listen to Tim Russert for hours (and have).

But, back to the movie …

I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a subtext of the movie is about forgiveness. There was a lot of forgiveness going on in that film. What a wonderful message . I think one’s ability to forgive is such an important aspect of life. I practice it with (and teach it to) my kids all the time. Spilled water? Not a problem, rather, an opportunity to learn. Learn from it and move on. I forgive you. Left your bike out in the rainstorm? Not good. Learn from it, though, okay? I forgive you. Broke your brother’s front tooth when you threw a hard plastic ball at his face? Not good. Shocking, really. Don’t. ever. do that. again. I forgive you. Move on. On and on and on.

Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself . It does not excuse the bad behavior, rather, it releases the bind which the slight would have on you if you refused to forgive. It helps prevent you from being stuck in the past. Helps you live with more joy and fewer burdens. By forgiving, you’re free to live in the present.

With those ideas in mind, I loved the scene on the bridge. Loved it. And the concept behind it. Fantastic. Forgive. Let go. Move on. Easy? Of course not. But they alluded to the necessary work which preceded that moment (when they showed Steve and Miranda in the psychiatrist’s office). I would never suggest that forgiveness is easy; I’m just saying that I liked the way they weaved the value of it into this film.

Spoiler alert (well, sort of)!

Finally, I thoroughly appreciated the fact that Carrie came to the realization that despite the Manolos , the Dior & Westwood gowns, and the D&G shoes, materialism and bling are not, as my mom used to say, the be-all and end-all of life. At the end of the day, her instinct (remember the first dress?) was right. It was only when her competitive friends and colleagues got involved (criticizing her choice of dress, etc.) that she was unfortunately led astray.

Parker has mastered the art of mixing haute couture with her own line of budget fashions, called Bitten . And I think we’d all benefit from reducing the focus on labels and bling and paying more attention to the feelings, needs and wants of our loved ones.

Well, from that … and … from having more rollicking good times with our always-there-for-us best girlfriends.

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Soapbox Bottom Line? Recommended. 4/5 bars of soap

Go see it! Preferably with a bunch of friends or your significant other.

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Photos from Movie Website .