I Saw Sorcerer's Apprentice

Normally, I don't like to see movies until they've been out for a week. I avoid crowds and crying babies that way. Plus, I hear that the local theatres make more money off the films after the first week because the first week they pay most of ticket cost back in film fees.

But I felt like I really needed a night out yesterday. I had been cooped up in the house for nearly two weeks and I was getting antsy. So we bought our tickets on Fandango and went to the theatre.

There's a new theatre in Sioux Falls and it's nice. It smells like a new car it's so new. The seats are really comfortable and the temperature control is perfect. I actually didn't need my sweater this time.

Anywho... (as my daughter likes to say)

I wasn't really sure what to expect. It seems like forever since Nicolas Cage has been in a good movie and in the past, I haven't liked many of the movies in which he died his hair brown or black or just plain muddy dark.

Needless to say, I was suprised that I actually enjoyed the film.

I would say that the plot had one huge drawback, though. I was so annoyed with the boy's insistent need to chase after the girl and not give his new plight his all. It seems like everytime the film began to pick up speed, it was immediately put on hold to deal with his need to impress and catch the girl. So the film got going good, then it lulled, then it got going good, then it lulled.

It was as though the producers were trying to put in a summer romance film for the chicks and an action adventure for the guys.

If I had my way, I would've stuck to the action adventure.

The plot was safe. There was no big battle between good and evil, there was not enough time spent on the boy's training to prepare him for the final battle, and though we understand that he won the battle based upon his brains and the law of physics more than his magic abilities, we would've liked to have seen that more balanced out.

I also found the whole talking through his nasal cavity really annoying--but my son says that's the way Jay Baruchel actually talks. Who knew.

Overall, this is a kids' film.

This is a film meant to entertain the whole family. This is a formula that tweens enjoy and if that was this film's intended audience, then it did a darn good job. But if it was meant for adult men and women, it missed the mark a bit.

Still, having realized who I felt the film was made for allowed me to enjoy the movie for what it was. There were funny parts in which I laughed, too--which always helps.

As for costume design and set design. Right on the money! Such a nice balance between Steam Punk and Modern World.

Now onto to Nicolas Cage's performance. A little bland but that has more to do with the screenwriters than his performance. I suppose that I would've liked to see him a little more forceful with the kid and a little more angry with his enemy. What I saw was a man tormented by his 1,000 year plight. I saw a man who was tired and burnt out and a character who wasn't allowed to live up to its full potential.

And yet, I liked the film. As a tween film, I think it hit its mark. It was not dark and sinister. It was not suspenseful and full on action-packed. It was, for all intensive purposes, a safe film. It was a tween film.

13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo And The Closer

While I'm not a big fan of Vincent Price's earlier films, I am of his later films. And I especially love his guest appearances on variety shows, Halloween specials, and yes, Scooby Doo.

I think one of the charms of the entire Scooby Doo franchise is the ability to bring in guest stars from all walks of life--remember Sonny & Cher.

Read my full review of 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo!

Then stop by and check out my review on The Closer. It's a great show about a southern gal who heads the Los Angeles Crime Division while trying to juggle a new marriage.

Creative Awakenings

Creative Awakenings is great for artists who want to believe in themselves, move past their fears, and give themselves the permission to believe they can follow their artistic dreams.

You can read my full review here: http://thedabblingmum.com/reviews/booksart/creativeawakenings.htm

I Wish You Enough

One day while traveling Bob heard a heartwarming conversation between a daughter and her father. At the end of the conversation they said to one another, "I wish you enough".

Curious, Bob asked the father what they meant by that and the father responded with a poem that had been passed down from one generation to the next.

The poem, I Wish You Enough, goes like this:

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough Hellos to get you through the final Goodbye.

Moved by the meaningful poem, and his conversation with the father, Bob created this amazing devotional.

Each stanza of the poem opens a chapter with a beautifully illustrated page that brings the stanza home. Each chapter consists of heartwarming stories that bring the stanza home and are followed by Biblical quotes.

Do you know someone struggling through this economic depression of ours? Is someone in your life going through a personal crisis and finding it difficult to hold on to the positives? Do you know someone who would be encouraged by the idea that regardless of where they are at, God wishes them enough?

Then I highly recommend you give them a copy of this book and help them "Embrace life's most valuable moments one wish at a time".


Order I Wish You Enough: Embracing Life's Most Valuable Moments...One Wish at a Time Today!

Disclosure: I was given a sample to review. This is "my opinion" of the product. I was not paid to give a positive review.