First Giveaway in 2012

We're always trying to come up with ideas for giveaways that have to do with movies and that people will enjoy. We're not always super creative. A giveaway that's a no-brainer for me is a book giveaway. More specifically, a book that has been turned into a movie. And a movie that is heading to the theaters in the near future.

So for our first giveaway in 2012 that's what we're doing. Has anyone read the Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich? I got into them a while back and I'm glad I did. They are easy reads that often times make me laugh out loud. They're about an accidental bounty hunter from New Jersey who is always getting herself into trouble. She has a former prostitute as a side kick and two men that are always complicating her life. Right now there are 18 books in the series and book one "One for the Money" is finally becoming a movie. I was a little skeptical of the cast but we shall see. Check out the trailer.

So, for the giveaway. One lucky winner will get the first three books in the series. One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly. And we're also giving away two tickets (through Hollywood Movie Money - they have tons of participating theaters!) to see the movie.

To Enter:
We're taking an idea from the last movie we saw, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. (If you saw the movie you'll know what we mean.) We're going to have an oxymoron war. All you have to do is leave an oxymoron in the comment section. (For example, bitter sweet) It has to be one no one has used so no duplicates. Once you leave a comment you're automatically entered. And if you want to double your chances of winning you can like us on Facebook and leave a comment here to let us know and we'll enter your name a second time. After our next review (which will so conveniently be One for the Money) we'll announce the randomly chosen winner.

Let the war begin!

2012: Week 3: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close


Genre: Drama

Main Players: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Zoe Caldwell, Max von Sydow

General Gist: The journey of a nine year old boy dealing with the loss of his father who died in the World Trade Center on September 11th.

Tiff's Take:
You never know what to expect going to a movie dealing with September 11th. It seems like it is still fresh enough that only a few mainstream movies have touched on this subject. I imagine it will be different 10, 20, 30 years from now. But for now I still get goosebumps whenever I see anything about it.

However, this movie wasn't so much about September 11th as it was about the effects it had on a boy who loses his father because of it. I was thinking this would be a movie that lead up to that day therefore expecting a really sad ending. It didn't though. It really started out with that day and followed this boy's journey of dealing with the loss of his father. The father was played by Tom Hanks and the boy was played by Thomas Horn. Tom Hanks did great but it was really all about Thomas Horn's roll. He did a fantastic job of being this quirky (on the verge of disorder) boy who thinks he will lose the memory of his father if he doesn't keep around pieces of him. He finds a key his father kept and goes on a mission to see what it opens.  All the while his mom, played by Sandra Bullock, is trying to make sense of it all too.

I've had a little bit of a hard time deciding whether I really liked the movie or not.  It was a little slow but it was interesting and well acted.  Although it didn't leave much of a lasting impression.  For me, that's a big indicator to how well I like something.  So take that how you will.   

Deb's Take:

This movie was definitely not what I was expecting. The advertising made me think I was going to watch a movie about Sept 11, and about one man's journey through that time. As Tiff mentioned, it's really about the reaction of a boy who loses his father Sept 11 and all the struggles and the journey he takes to find some sort of peace and understanding. They sort of played up that Tom Hanks was in the movie, but Thomas Horn was the real star and in the forefront most of the film.

I did have a difficult time getting into the movie. The story line and relationships seemed sort of disjointed for at least the first half of the movie. I felt like I was in an "artsy" film and a lot of the meaning was going over my head or something. I was finding it hard to believe this boy could travel around New York City all day with no adult supervision and that everyone was taking it in stride. Luckily, the ending cleared it all up for me. Thomas Horn really did an amazing job, and I always like Sandra Bullock..(she is a favorite of mine!!). The movie did bring Sept 11 back in a different light, yet as always, made me very sad for the families so closely effected by the terror.

I enjoyed the movie and the message it sent. A good sort of touching movie. My 14 year old didn't think it was all that great, I think mostly because it was just slower paced. Worth an afternoon viewing or week night date.

Preview:

Stay tuned for our first give-away of 2012, and the upcoming movie for the week..."One for the Money"

2012: Week 2: War Horse

War Horse

Genre: History, Drama/Based on true events

Main Players: Jeremy Irvine, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson..and the Horse, (of course)

General Gist: This is a story that follows the life of a horse during World War I. The story captures its' many travels, and the people he encounters and touches through-out his journey.

Deb's Take:

Well...this movie was ok. It was long and very drawn out, to the point of losing my interest early on. I really like the idea of the movie and thought that maybe it would be like the "Black Beauty" of this time. In actuality, it wasn't. The story itself was touching, heartbreaking and pretty amazing when you consider all this horse had to go through in life. The hard part was, I just didn't feel a real connection to any particular character, and just couldn't find myself connected to the horse. I am a total animal lover. I had thought I would fall in love with this horse looking at the previews, but I really didn't. I did feel sorry for the horse a lot of the time, and was disgusted with the idea that horses were so brutally treated during the war, however, I just had a hard time not feeling like the story was drawn out and lengthy. I feel like the actors did a pretty good job, again though, nothing extraordinary. All in all I would recommend this movie as a renter, and although it appears to be made for all ages, I think the kiddos would be mighty bored..not to mention the parents.

Tiff's Take:
Wow.  I'm really surprised in the difference in opinion with Deb and I on this one.  She wrote her review first so I had the luxury of reading what she had to say before I did mine.  I actually went into this movie thinking I would feel almost the exact way Deb ended up feeling.  But I didn't.  This movie was long, I'll admit, but I didn't ever feel like I was looking at my watch wondering when it was going to wrap up.  There was a lot to the story but I enjoyed the journey.  I, like Deb, am an animal lover so I was concerned about the movie being too much.  Because, let's face it, something not so pleasant almost always happens in a movie about an animal.  This one was no different but for some reason the horse actually felt more like a person to me.  So it wasn't so sad.  (Not that I like seeing bad things happen to people but...)  I would agree with Deb that the actors were good but nothing special.  None of them really stood out to me.  I'm not even sure I can say the horse did a fantastic job because well, how do you rate a horse's acting abilities?  But I loved the history and connection between all the people that the horse's life touched.  Another thing I found interesting about this movie was the different perspective it gave on a war.  It was almost shocking how non-strategic everything seemed back then.  How did anyone ever survive at all?  It could have also been because most of the war movies I've seen are about WWII or later.  No matter the reason, it was very interesting to me.  So my rating would definitely be higher then just a rental.  I've actually already recommended it to someone who was on the fence.         

Bonus Review: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Genre: Action

Main Players: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton, Michael Nyqvist

General Gist: Another addition to the Mission Impossible movies. Ethan Hunt's (Tom Cruise) team is shut down and goes rogue to finish their mission.

Tiff's Take:
Another Mission Impossible. How many has there even been? I feel like a ton but I think this is the fourth. Don't quote me on that though. I don't usually get too excited when I see a preview for a new Mission Impossible. Action movies don't get me all hot and bothered. Usually I can miss one and it doesn't hurt my feelings one bit. My husband on the other hand loves a good action movie. Especially one that involves cars and cool gadgets. Needless to say, he wanted to go with me to this one. And I was more than happy to oblige. I love it when he gets excited about a movie. Just like he loves it when I get excited about buying a new car. Oh wait...that never happens. Anyway, off to the movie we went. (And with good friends mind you.) Week 1 in 2012 and I have already gotten to see two movies. Life is good.

So, as impartial as I was about going to this movie I have to say that I really enjoyed it. That's usually how it works though. Don't care if I go to an action movie but usually end up liking it anyway. No exception here. This one has some really good action, good tricks and good humor. What more could you ask for? I was a little worried that Tom Cruise just wouldn't work anymore in this role. He just seems so out there lately and I don't even remember the last movie I saw him in. Well, I guess there's a reason why he does what he does. No matter what you think about him personally he's still got it in movies. I loved all the other actors as well. Especially the token funny guy played by Simon Pegg. If any of you guys out there care about car chase scenes, apparently this one involved an electric car. Russ wasn't completely sold but said it did the job.

I would definitely recommend this one. Especially to please the man in your life. Hopefully Deb will be able to see this with her hubby.

Deb's Take:
Well, my husband and I got to go out for an afternoon date, (thanks Tiff for keeping the kids entertained!) and we went to Mission Impossible. (It came highly recommended from a good source.)

I totally agree with Tiff. This movie was actually quite rockin! I will admit, I am not a great big Tom Cruise fan...I know, I should be based on my age, and yes in Top Gun he was a hottie for me, but as I have wisely aged I have come to the realization that I am not really impressed with him all that much. I feel like he always has the same sort of characters and uses his movies as an adrenalin rush most of the time. I think I was most impressed with Jeremy Renner. I really liked him in this movie. I don't remember any of the other films he has played in, I even looked them up and nothing really sprang out at me, but he did an exceptional job!

Some of the tricks action scenes in this movie were awesome. I also enjoyed all the scenery of the different cities in the world. By far the coolest scene though was the parking garage scene. It's amazing what is out there in the world!

I would say...go see it! Best movie of the year for me so far...okay so there has only been 2 official and then this bonus, but still, I am just saying....

2012: Week 1: Joyful Noise

We decided to try formatting our reviews a little differently this year. It seemed like we were writing a lot of the same things as far as actors, plot, etc. So we're trying out only one post per movie. Let us know what you think!

Joyful Noise

Genre: Musical, Comedy

Main Players: Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton, Keke Palmer, Jeremy Jordan

General Gist: A church choir's road to a national competition with love, drama and music along the way.


Tiff's Take:
Our first movie of the year and it was a freebie. Gotta love that. I'll be honest. If it wasn't a freebie I may not have chosen this one. It looked okay but just not my cup of tea. Musicals are generally not my thing. (Except Chicago. Love it!) But I actually didn't realize this was going to be so much of a musical. You know, with multiple, full length songs. I thought it would just have a little music here and there inbetween the story. I was wrong. Long songs, more than one and in the gospel variety. Unfortunately a recipe for boredom for this sister. Don't get me wrong, it had a good message but it was just a little too much for me. The relationships didn't seem real thought out either. Or maybe just a little shallow and thrown together. The acting was okay and the singing was definitely good but it was a snorefest for me. You win some you lose some.

Deb's Take:
Yep, gotta love that we started with the Freebie. Also, we were happy to have two friends, Chris and Troy, join us for this one. Thanks for coming! You should do it more often!! Well, I LOVE musicals. Although, technically I don't know if this could be considered a true musical. The songs were part of the movie, but never used as people "talking" or singing to eachother, rather just performances that fit into the story line. While I did enjoy the singing quite a bit, I have to agree with Tiff that the relationships were weak. I also felt the movie kind of kept hitting the same points over and over again. Nothing like beating a dead horse. I was not bored, but have to say that the singing is actually what made the movie tolerable for me as the rest was a little slow. I think maybe I spent more time analyzing where Dolly Parton's plastic surgery took a turn for the worse than how the movie was going to end. If you like to hear singing, go and have fun, if gospel isn't your thing you may want to reconsider.

The Best (and Worst) of 2011-Deb's

Well, it's been an amazing movie year. A "New Year's Resolution" turned into one great adventure for my sister and I. I think it was a wonderful idea. Our husbands were so very supportive, willing to give up a night a week staying at home with the fam so Tiff and I could enjoy our new hobby. Granted, some of our movies were seen with others, even our hubbies and kids got in on the action. I have to say, it was one of the most fun things I have decided to do. Getting a little sentimental on you all, I have to say what I really enjoyed the most was spending time with Tiffany. You see, Tiffany is my "little" sister. She is 8 years younger than me and we spent most of our childhood at home with me being the grouchy, overbearing, controlling, older sister who never wanted her little sister to bother her. Tiff was the younger sister who followed me and my friends around begging us to let her stay, and promising she wouldn't talk or breathe, if I wouldn't send her away. By the time Tiff had grown up and I grew out of my--leave the little sister behind- mode I was gone away to college. We lived apart until she graduated from college and I had already had 2 kids. By some unforeseen, yet perfect freak of nature, we both ended up in Blue Springs MO. We have enjoyed each other like two sisters really should, sharing our family, our joys and everything in between. So you see, this adventure may seem to be all about the movies, (which it is) but more importantly it is about sharing a passion with someone I truly love and care about.

Now, on to my picks. I must say, these are MY favorites, the ones I enjoyed the most, maybe not what a critic would look for, but what I like in a movie!

THE BEST OF 2011
. The Way - Inspirational, motivational,
. Warrior - I stand by my review, "Rocky on Steroids"
. The King's Speech - Superior Acting, intriguing story
. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- Perfect pick of actors, action packed, on the edge of my seat sort of movie
. Red Riding Hood - Suspense, Love Triangles, and all the stuff a good movie is made of.
. Crazy Stupid Love - Romantic, Love, Life and Marriage
. The Debt - Great acting and storyline

THE WORST OF 2011
. Your Highness -Natalie Portman this wasn't your brighter days
. The Hangover Part II -You should have stopped at 1.
. The Three Musketeers - Really? How could they be that bad?
. Bad Teacher - The Title should have warned us
. Jack and Jill - yep, they fell
. Midnight in Paris - Just not my thing, sorry, don't like Woody Allen
. 30 Minutes or Less - I wish it would have been

HONORABLE MENTIONS
. The Help- Great job, the book was just a little better
. Justin Bieber:Never say Never- Pretty amazing story of stardom-plus I loved watching my 8 year old at this one!
. African Cats- Great photography, Loved the nature
. J. Edgar- Kind of bizarre, but good in a weird sort of way
. Contagion - pretty interesting

So..There you have it! Would love to hear your thoughts

The Best (and Worst) of 2011

Man, we saw a lot of movies in 2011.  I mean a lot.  What does that say about someone who goes to movies that much and doesn't get paid for it?  I'm not sure I want to know but I'll tell you one thing...I've enjoyed it tremendously!  I mean, who wouldn't?  And because our husbands have so graciously agreed to support our movie habit we are continuing on in 2012.  But before we get into the new year we wanted to give a little recap of the movies that really stood out to us.  Both the good and bad.  So here's my list (with links back to my original reviews).  And remember that these were all the movies we saw in 2011 and not ones that necessarily came out in 2011.

The Best of 2011 

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - such a great ending to the year
• Black Swan - loved the darkness in this one
• The King's Speech - I had goosebumps multiple times while watching this
• The Way - a refreshing, thought provoking movie
• Crazy, Stupid, Love - one of the best romantic comedies I've seen in a long time
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Part 2 - what a way to end the saga!
• Warrior - a surprising hit

The Worst of 2011

• The Three Musketeers - I can't believe Orlando Bloom agreed to be in this
• 30 Minutes or Less - not sure I would even rent this one 
• Bad Teacher - Cameron Diaz was so annoying in this movie
• Your Highness - Ugh, this was just awful
• Beastly - bad modern day remake
• Just Go With It - a romantic comedy gone bad
• Something Borrowed - the storyline just didn't do it for me

Honorable Mentions

• The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I - still doesn't compare to the book but the movies are definitely getting better with each one
• The Help - loved the book, loved the movie
• Bridesmaids - this was a really great comedy
• Justin Bieber: Never Say Never - I know this wasn't the greatest movie but the experience was just plain fun
• 50/50 - touching and genuine 

What do you think of my lists?  Do you agree, totally disagree??  Inquiring minds want to know.

Movies of 2011

Ok, so we are wanting to give you our top picks of 2011. I think first, I will go ahead and list all the movies we say in 2011 to give you a quick view of what we actually saw. Here they are in order of viewing.

Black Swan
Country Strong
The King's Speech
No Strings Attached
True Grit
The Company Men
Justin Bieber:Never Say Never
Just Go With It
Unknown
I Am Number 4
Beastly
Red Riding Hood
The Lincoln Lawyer
Limitless
Source Code
Hanna
African Cats
Water for Elephants
Something Borrowed
Bridesmaids
Pirates of the Caribbean 4
The Hangover Part II
Kung Fu Panda 2
Thor
X-men:First Class
Bad Teacher
Midnight in Paris
Monte Carlo
Super 8
Captain America
Crazy Stupid Love
The Change up
The Help
30 minutes or less
One Day
Warrior
The Debt
I Don't Know How She Does It
Moneyball
50/50
Footloose
The Ides of March
The Three Musketeers
The Way
Tower Heist
J. Edgar
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I
My Week with Marilyn
The Descendants
New Years Eve
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
We bought a Zoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Bonus Movies:
Your Highness
Jack and Jill
Cars 2
Horrible Bosses
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Dolphin Tales
Contagion
Happy Feet 2

Week 53: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Everytime I see or say "Dragon" I think of my nephew and his little giggle. Tiff and I are from Montana, we say "dragon" incorrectly..it sounds like dregon, vs dragon..anyway, I know I say the title of this movie wrong for all my fellow friends of the world, but those from Montana probably would hear it the "right" way!

So, I didn't read the book. Usually I do, but this time the movie came out before I could get to the book, and I decided to be surprised. I was very pleasantly surprised! I loved this movie, and felt we couldn't have ended on much better of a note!

I don't think I will go into the details too much, except to say, it's a suspense mystery type of movie with a great story line and good development of characters. Daniel Craig was perfect for the role. I couldn't help but kind of feel like I was watching a James Bond movie, and actually it kind of sort a was. Rooney Mara did an amazing job. I was really intrigued with her, and think I may actually pick up the second and third book because I really want to know where her character goes from here.

The Chemistry of Daniel and Rooney was really quite cool. I did have a little bit of a cringe because she seemed so much younger than him, but all it all it wasn't too weird.

All I really have to say is...go see it! It's a great man or woman movie! (Not so much a kid movie though, lots of sex and violence.)

The year is done! Can we really stop seeing movies? I doubt it. We will be posting our 2011 favorites, and then figuring out what 2012 brings. Love to hear your comments on our movie filled year! Thanks for the adventure, and guess what! I accomplished my New Years Resolution!! YEA!!!

Week 53: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Ahh, the elusive week 53.  Yes, it does exist in our minds here on Two Sisters.  Read my week 52 review if you're interested in my long, drawn out explanation of why there is a week 53 in 2011.  Or don't that's fine too. 

For our last week of movies this year we went to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  In my opinion it was a great movie to end the year.  I thought I would like it but I'm actually surprised by how much I liked it.  I can't stop thinking about it if that tells you anything.

So, of course this was a book made into a movie.  I just finished the book a week or so ago so I was super excited to see this one.  And I might add that it's a remake of a movie released in Denmark in 2009.  I was hoping to see the original version before I saw this one but I didn't get around to it.  If you can believe it it's a lot harder for me to watch a rental then to go to a movie. 

As I'm sure you know by now, I love seeing a book come to life.  I might be going on a limb here by saying that this was probably one of the best ones I've seen.  Meaning that the movie followed the book so well.  Of course there were slight differences but overall it did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the book.  Excellent. 

I might be slightly bias with the characters because I saw who was playing the characters before I actually started the book.  So I had those people in mind while I was reading.  But let me tell you they were perfect.  I'll start out with saying I love Daniel Craig.  When I saw him in the his first James Bond I was sold.  He's perfect in my mind.  (Did I say that out loud?  Sorry)  Since he's not American he was able to pull of a European character very nicely.  Very nicely.  And don't get me started with Rooney Mara.  She couldn't have been better at playing Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo.  I really can't imagine a better Lisbeth. 

Since I read the book I was prepared for the more disturbing and sexual scenes.  But if you haven't read the book you might want to keep in mind that this is definitely not a feel good movie.  Also, take note of who you are going to the movie with.  This probably isn't one you want to go with your grandma.  It would be a good one to go with the man in your life.  It's a very male movie.  Lots of action, suspense and sex. 

I'm so happy this was the last movie of 2011.  I thought for a while there that 2011 would fizzle out in the end.  But it didn't.  And I'm glad. 

To Sum it up:  Wonderful casting, lots of crazy, sexual suspense all with European flare.

Stay tuned for our Top 5 favorite movies in 2011!