For a nice evening of friendly family fun you can delve into the Tooth Fairy, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He’s playing a hockey star who is a “big thing” in the minor leagues, as he hits people so hard he knocks teeth out. But, he’s also a hurt man who has had his dreams crushed (through injury at the least) and feels its ok to stomp on the dreams of others — vividly shown in the beginning when he tells a little league hockey player to give up on dreams, they’ll only make him sad and dissapointed.

Because of this and other similar actions, he’s summoned to Fairy Land, ruled by Julie Andrews, where he is sentenced to be an actual tooth fairy for a couple of weeks. There’s plenty of lame jokes, and special effects as he goes about trying to live his life and do his new “job”.

The main message of this film isn’t about how he goes about doing his job and making sure newly toothless kids find a dollar bill under their pillow but instead how he learns to realize the importance of dreaming, how letting go of your dreams and visions and imagination isn’t a good thing to be realistic, but it kills a part of your spirit. Learning how to say “what if” is very important in life.

And it is truly important! You have to believe in yourself, realize that you are just as good as anyone else, that if you have a dream you should try for it. Go ahead, take the risk and believe and do. And above all, don’t give up hope on your own dreams and for goodness sake, don’t destroy other people’s dreams. It’s really sad here to look at some of these kids in this movie and see how hurt and damaged they are when they dreams and fantasies are destroyed. And you have to ask yourself, was there someone who did that for you, ruined your dreams? Or was there someone who believed in you and encouraged you to continue to have faith in yourself that you can do and accomplish?

Things learned from this movie:

1. If you buy black-market fairy products they don’t work right.
2. Becoming invisible is a cool way to play tricks on people.
3. Fairies can live through being flushed.
4. Tutus make mens butts look big.
5. Tooth Fairies now days do not give coins, they give dollars right under your pillow!

Rated PG. 101 minutes (1 hour 41 minutes). Some sports violence, but that’s about it. It is rated PG, by the way.

Tonight Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is here to entertain us. And entertain it does. It’s a visually stunning piece that is unfortunately Heath Ledger’s last film. It is also, sadly, a hard to understand and grasp film because it deals with the imagination. So at times you are wondering exactly what is going on. But, keep in mind that it is a dream world at times and you are meant to view it simply with awe and wonder for what it is.

As mentioned a moment ago, this is a film that revolves around The Great Parnasus, Christopher Plummer, but the show is stolen by Tony, Heath Ledger who died during filming without completing the film. Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrel stepped in and finished Heath’s part donating their fees to Ledger’s daughter, Matilda.

In a nutshell, you have Dr. Parnassus (or Parny as “Mr. Nick”, aka, the Devil calls him), who centuries ago made a deal with the devil for immortality. The condition of that deal, well, would give away a little of the enjoyment of the movie, so I’ll not reveal that snippet. Basically Dr. Parnassus’s theory is that people will always tell stories and have imagination but with modern society his road show is run down because of the lack of imagination and participation in stories (I disagree, but what weight does my opinion hold?). Dr. Parnassus and the Devil continue to engage in little side bets that Parnassus continues to win by just the skin of his teeth. In fact, when the Devil does win one, he says “Damn, I won.” So clearly the Devil is getting more out of the thrill of the bet than from the actual winnings/losing.

As they are moving along, they stumble upon Heath Ledger’s character, Tony, hung from under a bridge. He’s rescued by Parnassus’ daughter and stagehands. But, amazingly Tony is alive, saved from the noose by a sturdy metal whistle-thingy. He’s lost his memory but slowly its revealed who he really is. Tony was once a charity and funds manager but was accused of embezzling the money. He beings to help out with the road show and lures people into Parnassus’s mirror, which is active when he’s in a trance. The mirror, becomes a dreamworld into the imagination of the one who entered. What do they find? The world of their dreams which eventually leads them to a choice — what do they chose, and choosing right or wrong determines if they make it back to the land of the living or head off to the realm of the Devil.

The movie also has some hidden morals. You can see someone running from supposed danger who meets a long stair case, the 12 x 12 x 12 Step Program. The long hard climb back to a normal life. Or, a quick easy walk over to a pub where you “could use a drink”. Choosing wrong here, the pub exploded and the Devil has won. Or perhaps a crossroad, one arrow is the High Road, the other the Low Road. If only life’s choices were so easily laid out like they are here, or as easy as they may seem in our dreams. Why don’t things work so well? Is it our lack of faith? Why do we always chose the easy path when a path that while it may seem harder, it really isn’t much worse of a path and it yields far better results in life. Doing the right thing is important regardless what the options may indicate.

All in all, its a fun little movie. Visually captivating and entertaining to watch. Some people may not care for it, but if you enjoy things that are just a little strange, this one will fit you.

Things learned from this movie:

1. A metal flute can save your life if your being lynched.
2. The Devil doesn’t really understand Black Magic.
3. If your midget was to leave you, you would go and get another.
4. Can you put a price on dreams?
5. Stories must go on.
6. If you see someone weaker than you, you should bully them.
7. Are you a betting man?
8. The Devil always collects at midnight.

Rated PG-13. 123 minutes (1 hours 3 minutes). Very much a “tame” movie. Not too much violence or profanity (there’s some). Valentina sits supposedly nude as Eve in the garden, draped only by her long hair as you scrutinize to see if you can spot a nipple.

A great little film about the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, Green Zone, with Matt Damon. Paul Greengrass is back with Matt Damon (both from the Jason Bourne series) for this tight little war, political drama. Great action and realism, the film shows some of the chaos that went on over there.

Not to give away too much of the plot, the story revolves around the search for WMD or Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. The teams are going to locations provided by top intelligence from an Iraqi source about where the WMD are, only there is never anything there. The source, named Magellan, is trusted and never question despite the string of bad information as the American troops blindly follow lead after lead. So why did such bad information get into the system?

Regardless, the film is well made, the war effects are great, the chaos is well represented. Its an enjoyable evening with a war movie for anyone who like this sort of film. Have at it!

Rated R. 115 minutes (1 hour 55 minutes). Profanity is used quite liberally. As a war film, there is a lot of violence.

This gem of a picture, Everlasting Moments, is a Swedish film about an early 1900s family, and particularly of the mother who finds escape through the lens of a camera. Just before she is married, Maria (played by Maria Heiskanen), wins a camera in a lottery and later in life begins to use it after trying to sell it to a photographer who takes a liking to her and teaches her how to use it. Little by little she gets better and finds more enjoyment in taking the photos as her family grows and through tough times of life her husband becomes cruel and abusive.

Honestly, it is a slow moving picture that Jan Troell presents here, but it sort of has to be. The worst part is, for people like me, its in Swedish and you have to read subtitles. But that isn’t a bad thing. It’s a beautiful picture and very touching — if you look and let it speak to you.

If you think about it, you could ask yourself some intriguing questions that are raised by the film. Why do people stay with abusive spouses? How is alcoholism so destructive and why can’t people quit or manage their addiction without it always getting the better of them? Do people have a propensity to cheat and can they not stop themselves? Why is it that some will realize how their behavior is hurting the ones they love, and even be moved by that realization, but yet are powerless to give it up? How do you make ends meet in tough times? Why is art and creativity such a great release from the cares and burdens of everyday life? Why do we have skills that we take for granted while everyone around us would treasure those skills and use them better? Can you find the charm and beauty inside everyone?

But I guess most of all, the film is entitled “Everlasting Moments” in reference to what is caught on film is an everlasting moment. You’ll never be that young again, that particular event or day will never happen again and you have it captured for it to live (as it were) forever. So like a photographer that chooses what they take a photo of and when to time it and from what point of reference to view it from, can we also mold our memories in the same way and keep the ones that look at life in the best possible way? Life is short and those around us that we love and cherish are worth the most in life how much of the bad things or bad habits should be overlooked in hopes of the future? What does keep people together, is it, as the film asked, is it love?

The film, which is based on the author’s family, ends after Maria’s death with her daughter discovering the camera and an undeveloped plate inside bearing the only photo  her mother ever took of herself, smiling back at us.

Not Rated. 131 minutes (2 hours 11 minutes) – yes, that’s two hours. But, while I started this prepared to sit and endure for the evening it flew by a lot faster than I expected.

This little movie Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief was surprisingly good! This is based on the book by Rick Riordan and was directed by Chris Columbus (Home Alone 2, and the first two Harry Potter movies – Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets). You have Logan Lerman playing the title role of Percy Jackson, who unknown to him he is a demi-god and the son of Poseidon played by Kevin McKidd. Someone, it seems has stolen Zues’s (Sean Bean of the Lord of the Rings) lightning bolt and everyone thinks Percy has it. The gods will have a war if it isn’t returned in two weeks and this war would mean the end of the world … and I reckon this is the 2012 thing the Mayans were predicting.

Anyway, Percy finds out he is a demi-god, his mother (Catherine Keener) is taken off to the underworld as a bargaining chip for the lightning bolt – actually a weapon and Zeus’s special power. So he sets off on a journey to get his mother and find the lightning bolt to return it to Zeus. Along the way little things like a three headed Hydra and Medusa (by the appealing Uma Thurman) her special effects snake head is cool!

Not to give anything away if you haven’t seen or read the books, but on the recommendation of a friend I watched this and was pleasantly surprised because I thought it was a kids movie. There was several good little jokes poked in there, some jokes slid in for the adults and the CGI is well-done. It is interesting that the young Percy and his fellow demi-gods all pretty much despise their god parent (no pun intended) even though they have been told how they can’t be around them – isn’t permitted. I mean, if I just found out I was adopted and my real dad had all these powers and I’d have a few of them too, well – cool!

Things you learn:

1. If you are a demi-god you can go onto the casino floor even though you are underage.
2. If you eat the lotus flowers no one cares if you have goat’s legs – in fact women love you for it.
3. The entrance to hades and the underworld is in Hollywood!
4. It doesn’t take long to drive from Nashville to Las Vegas.
5. Maserati’s are way cool!
6. Even demi-gods love to play games and video games.
7. Swords never go out of style!
8. Apple iPods make great Medusa hunting and killing tools.

Rated PG. 118 minutes (1 hour 58 minutes). Action violence. There is a lot of fighting and the teenagers are playing with real swords and trying to cut.