As a parent, I understand how hard it can be to find an appropriate Halloween movie that can interest adults and give kids a mild scare. Monster House is a rare gem that delivers on just that. Back when the film was in theaters in 2006 I was still in the movie business (selling popcorn) and took my little brother to see it. We both thought it was great, him in his early teens and I in my early 20s. This Halloween season, it has become a favorite of my four year old son and I’m so happy to see him enjoy it.
In Monster House, DJ lives across the street from Mr. Nebbercracker (voiced by Steve Buscemi), the creepy old man on the block, and his equally creepy house. Whenever a ball lands on his lawn or a little girl veers her tricycle off the sidewalk, Nebbercracker runs out yelling, “Get off my lawn!” and takes the toy, scaring the kids away. Lately, DJ has been watching his every move.
While DJ’s parents are away, just days before Halloween, his friend, Chowder, comes over and his new basketball lands on the forbidden lawn. As DJ darts across the lawn to retrieve the ball, Nebbercracker is on him, physically shaking the kid and suddenly collapses on top of him. After the ambulance leaves, the kids think Nebbercracker is dead and DJ is riddled with guilt. All night, it seems like the house is watching him. He even gets a call from across the street, knowing no one is home. And soon, the house is outright attacking people and snatching them up, throwing them inside. Could it be Nebbercracker from beyond the grave? Or could the house hold a mystery even more macabre?
The unique design used in Monster House sets it apart from most other animated films. The characters are a slightly stylized out of reality but not created to be overly cute, like in so many other animated films. Nebbercracker and Bones are both wonderfully creepy characters in very different ways while DJ and his friends are lovably dorky kids. Even better, the imagination and style used to turn a creepy house into an all out monster works great here. Little details go a long way, from the way shingles ruffle and the porch contorts to teeth to the interior’s dark and cavernous appearance.
Monster House is a lovably creepy film perfect for Halloween that will engage the whole family. Some themes might be a bit much for very young kids, but the older ones will appriciate a cartoon that isn’t watered down too muh. And while you may think you know how this story is going to go (duh, the house is a monster) there is more here than you would have expected. Way back when I first saw this film, my brother and I really enjoyed the major revelation and how it became a very redeeming factor. That and the high caliber animation helped seal the film’s Oscar nomination for best animated feature. I suggest enjoying this film as a family before trick-or-treating.
“Chowder, your ball just landed on Nebbercracker’s lawn. It doesn’t exist anymore…”
Ever since I was a kid there was this particular image associated with the name Hellraiser. It might come to your mind as well; a man wearing tight black clothing and all over his chalk white face in a very geometric pattern are thin needles protruding out. Like a human albino cactus. I saw this image with nearly every visit to the local video store, slapped on countless VHS tapes of Hellraiser. It intrigued and scared me. Now over twenty years later, I’ve finally seen the movie that scared me with its box.
…And it kinda sucked. But hear me out! It’s not a complete loss. While I can’t say it’s a very good movie or that I really liked it, in the moment I honestly enjoyed and appreciated this sick, twisted, gross, creepy mess of a film. 
Yeah, the plot is a hot mess, but it is kind of fun in a dumb way. By the end of the movie I was enjoying how over-the-top some moments could be and I had some serious questions. Like who was that guy at the pet store and why did he turn into pterodactyl bones at the end? And why? Why, god why? But honestly, I don’t care, I was just happy to witness this weird, messed up wild ride.
From the very beginning, the filmmakers of The Conjuring want you to understand that what you’re about to watch is based on a true story. Maybe they know that makes this story all the more terrifying. With any movie, we expect some exaggerations and liberties to be taken for dramatic effect, but when deciding how much of this horrific tale is true, I’d be left aghast at any of these creepy occurrences being true. The Conjuring tells the story of a case Ed and Lorraine Warren (portrayed by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) took in the early 1970s. Supposedly, it’s so terrifying that they decided to keep it under wraps, until now. 
When the Perron family move into an old farm house, they start noticing some creepy occurrences. As the family happily walks into their new home, the dog refuses to go in. They discover a cellar that’s been boarded up. And soon strange noises happen. The youngest child starts talking to an imaginary friend. Another starts sleepwalking, always bumping into an old wardrobe. Soon, doors start closing, the mother has unexplainable bruises and one daughter sees someone behind her bedroom door. This case has it all and the family call the Warrens for help.
The whole setting is designed to be so dark and foreboding. That dog had the right idea to not even step foot in that creepy house. The inside feels like a cave; hollow, deep and dark. The walls are a creepy texture of gray with a touch of green for a sickly color. The whole house looks like no happiness could ever occur within those walls. Only fear, pain and tragedy. 
What I believe makes this film so truly scary is the careful storytelling. We see these events unfold so organically around this family that we can relate to so easily that we cannot help but be pulled in and feel a part of this terror. And when Lorraine explains the history behind these hauntings, the story gets a whole level deeper and thrills viewers even more. By the crazy-intense third act, we are hanging onto our seats and crucifixes for dear life. 
Overall, The Conjuring is a truly scary movie and one of the best horror films I’ve ever seen. The dark setting, the uneasy suspense and horrific third act all add up for a terrifying ride. Whether or not you choose to believe, the based on a true story bit can make it even more horrific. I watched this film at home, in the middle of a hot summer day with my newborn son. I’ll admit that at one point I jumped so hard while holding him that he woke up and was not happy with me. And I tried my best not to think about this movie during his late night feedings. Unless you’re really not scared of anything, keep the lights on and don’t do it alone. 
The first time I saw Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey was about ten years ago on a computer screen across the room. Though I was intrigued, it was late and collectively, my husband and I slept through half the movie. Disappointing, I know. However, a few weeks ago, my brother gave me a wonderful birthday gift: the chance to see this great film the best way possible, in 70 mm IMAX. It was a beautiful, immersive experience that blew me away and made me truly appreciate this amazing science fiction classic. 
Sometimes even after seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey people have trouble putting into words what exactly this film is about. It’s not the sort of film that focuses on a tangible story, but more of a medication of linking images that connect to show the human race advancing thanks to some help from mysterious beings across the universe. That’s how I interpret it anyway, but let me try to plot out a plot. 
By the end of the film, we’re left more questions than answers. Who brought the monoliths to Earth and the moon? Why does it make such an ear-piercing noise? Does HAL want to prevent humans from reaching the next monolith? Where exactly did Dave go? What’s up with the space baby? I don’t know if there are any concrete answers, and that’s fine by me. I feel that this film is supposed to make us feel a bit uneasy, question our existence and what’s beyond everything we know. 
What makes this film so amazing is the spectacular visuals. The Earth, moon and Sun align with the triumphantly iconic opening music. An ape smashes sun bleached bones that fly into a dazzling blue sky. The bone white spaceships move gracefully along a background of stars. We see huge, spinning space stations and spacecraft moving together in a mesmerizing cosmic ballet. Inside the spacecrafts, people move in precise, gravity defying ways that boggle the mind. HAL’s menacing red eye is ever-watching. Traveling beyond the infinite is a technicolor ride that I had me holding onto my seat in Indiana’s largest IMAX theater. 
It’s been fourteen years since we first met Pixar’s family of superheroes, yet their story picks up from the moment the first film ended. It opens with the Parr family springing into action to stop The Underminer, while they juggle babysitting Jack Jack, and it ensures us that this film will be full of fun, family focused, fast paced action. 
However, the day does does not end well for the Parrs, as superheroes are still illegal. The agent who has been helping them stay undercover for years can only offer them two weeks in a motel before they’re on their own. So when a wealthy, nostalgic benefactor hoping to make supers legal again offers Elastigirl a job, complete with a swanky high tech house for the family, the Parrs take it. Soon a new villain rises, targeting Elastigirl and could jeopardize the plan to legalize supers. 
One of the funniest scenes shows Jack-Jack fighting his first enemy: a raccoon in the yard. Many of his powers are revealed as Jack-Jack moves through the glass door, morphs into his monster-baby form, bursts into flames throwing lawn chairs and splits into multiple clones, chasing off the hilariously bewildered raccoon. And when Bob finds him, the excitement about his baby’s new powers is soon met with the insurmountable task of keeping him safe. Thankfully, Edna is willing to help, in her own fabulous way. 
One thing I want to warn viewers about is the fact that the film uses a visual effect similar to a strobe light in multiple parts of the film. For those sensitive to such visuals, beware or wait to watch the film at home. It was pretty intense in a dark, crowded theater. 
Hello readers, sorry it’s been a while. As of the last post here, I was uncomfortably 31 weeks pregnant with kid number 2. Since then, I swelled up to the point that I could barely walk and gave birth to a nearly 9 lb baby. My son was born on July 4th, so we’ll be watching Yankee Doodle Dandy and Born on the Fourth of July at some point when he’s older. Between diapers, late night feedings, postpartum recovery, and taking my 4 year old to preschool, there has been little time for film fun. 
Mother’s Day is here and just like a hot latte and clean yoga pants Tully is here just in time to help us celebrate with a thoughtful, smart and brutally honest story of modern motherhood. However, if you’re looking for a cute, uplifting, Bad Moms style barrel of laughs, Tully might not be for you
Written by Diablo Cody and directed by Jason Reitman, Tully continues their collaborative work telling stories of strong women facing some tough times. Here, Marlo (Charlize Theron) is a mother stretched thin and stressed over all that motherhood has handed her. Her kindergarten aged son is “quirky” and having trouble in school, her eight year old girl is growing up fast and her husband seems to only be present for a few hours in the evenings. As Marlo prepares to give birth to her third child, her brother offers her a big gift: a night-nanny to help with the newborn. Anyone who’s ever cared for a brand new baby knows it’s a lonely, 24 hour job, especially for a breastfeeding mom, but Marlo is hesitant to let someone besides herself care for her new baby. 
As I sat in the theater on a rare kid free afternoon with my 31 week fetus kicking away, I laughed, empathized and connected with the harsh realities and parenting imbalances in Marlo’s life. Honestly, if you can’t laugh at it, you’ll cry. Night after night she’s the only one waking up with the new baby, feeding it, changing it, pumping milk. And by day she’s dealing with her kids, their school, the baby and the never-ending housework. Her husband, Drew (Ron Livingston), sleeps at night, goes to work, helps with the kids in the evenings and then plays video games on a damn headset before bed. The shot of him asleep in the middle of the day at the hospital, while Marlo entertains guests after giving birth infuriated me. Honestly, Drew’s not a bad guy, but he would get a swift punch in the nuts if he were my husband. 
Charlize Theron lets her character be portrayed in all her raw, postpartum glory. It’s refreshing for those of us who’ve lived this chapter of life. She constantly looks exhausted, physically and emotionally, not a flowery image of motherhood we’re used to seeing. We get a shot of her in that ugly hospital gown with the mesh underwear and huge pad on, an image that might bewilder most men in their 20s. We see chapped nipples and how she’s hooked up to the breast pump. And I swear, my mother owned the exact same robe. Other films seem obligated to sell motherhood; make us marvel at some glowing dolled-up goddess of fertility, laugh at the absurdity of the pain and pretend it’s sexy. But Tully tells it like it is in all its raw, primal, painful glory and I for one am all for it.
