Movies

Here are a few movies we watched this summer that surprised me in a good way. We've watched all of these movies multiple times. And I'd gladly watch them all again.

First, Oz The Great and Powerful.

This movie gives us a story of how the Wizard of Oz came to be the Wizard and how the Wicked Witch became wicked. I thought this movie was fairly faithful to the spirit of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and also faithful to the visual themes of the old original movie.

My favorite scene in Oz The Great and Powerful is when the Wizard begins to describe his plan to confront the witches, and he says, "Prestidigitation!" with theatrical flair. He's so sexy when he does that. Do you know what the word prestidigitation means? The scientist did. (I did not.) (But I do now.)

Next, The Muppets.

I do not remember being a fan of The Muppet Show when I was a kid. It was too zany for me. But now that I'm a grown up, it's just zany enough. This is a great, funny movie with lots of heart. It tells the story of how Walter, a lone and lonely muppet, travels to Los Angeles and gets the ol' Muppet gang back together. I love the main opening song and dance number; I love Kermit; I love the villians' maniacal laughter; and I love Walter's whistling. I love it all. Except the Swedish Chef.

Finally, Journey 2 - The Mysterious Island.

This one was the biggest surprise of all because I had very low expectations. This is a fantasy adventure with a little bit of geek thrown in. It tells the story of a group of people trying to get off a crazy and mysterious island. There was a previous movie called Journey to the Center of the Earth, which has the same boy character. I liked Journey 2 better. Besides having a common character, the two movies completely stand alone.

I thought Journey 2 had great characters and pretty good acting. It was funny. There is one scene in this movie ... I'll call it the peck pump scene. The first time I saw it, I was dumbfounded. Other characters throw berries at The Rock's chest and he bounces them off them with great force. The character Shawn is clearly as dumbfounded as you the viewer are, and that's what makes this scene great. The peck pump is bizarre, but it grows on you. It's a fun movie.

Now, I just have to come back to Muppets again. I've always been fascinated with them - both the "regular" muppets and the Sesame Street muppets. For instance, how are their faces so smooth? Is it foam or is there fabric stretched over the surface? How do they walk and dance right along next to the people, covering all kinds of distance? How does Kermit blow out a flame? I'm sure these questions fascinate you as much as they do me, just as I'm sure the scientist knows some of the answers.  I'll leave you with a little bit of Muppet goodness.