Tom, Jerry, After School and the 80's

I was your stereo-typical latch key kid growing up in the eighties.  My mom had to work and never made it home until after 5pm.  We didn't have dvd players, video games, or computers to keep us busy. We didn't have Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or Disney Channel to watch our cartoons or kid friendly shows.  In fact our cable consisted of 13 channels.  And some of them were just repeats of affiliates coming out Salt Lake.  But there were shows that I watched every day.  Tom and Jerry, The Brady Bunch, and Little House on the Prairie were on every weekday from 3pm until 5pm.

I turned on Cartoon Network this afternoon and happened to catch an hour worth of classic Tom and Jerry cartoons.  All the memories came flooding back to me.  For a moment it was like it was 1982 all over again. It's funny the things that can bring back memories.

What was it like after school when you were a kid?

One of my favorites of all time....

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Movie Preview: Toys, Dragons, and Jeff Bridges

Here's a look at some movies that are coming up that I think might be worth seeing. There are a couple that I didn't add here do to slowing down the loading of the page.

Some of the movies I didn't include here are:

Alice In Wonderland
Johnny Depp plays the mad hatter. I don't think its anything like the book, but it looks good.

Nightmare on Elm Street
A remake of the original. It could be good. But then again it's made by Michael Bay, so it could be stupid and over the top.

Clash of the Titans
Now of course this one was pretty good when it first came out. The special effects were not all that great. But I think that was part of its charm. This one of course looks like it has mind blowing special effects. It could be cheesy on that point alone. Isn't it sad that great special effects can potentially ruin a movie these days?

Prince of Persia
Starring Orlando Bloom. Of course this will attract a whole audience just because of him. The plot seems to go something like there is a dagger that controls the "sands of time" and bad guys want to get a hold of to change history. Their only hope is to take it high into the mountains to be hidden away forever. Will they succeed? Hmmmmmmm


Here are a few previews that I thought were worth posting. My favorite is probably Tron. Enjoy.



This of course is the third movie. They never get old. Pixar Rules!




Coming in a close second, is Dreamworks. And this one looks to be as good. In fact, I think it may have a bit more heart than some of the others.




I thought this movie was cool when I was a kid. I remember it being a big deal because of the computer graphics that were used to make it. Well this one of course will have a lot better graphics. But, Jeff Bridges is in it again...as a bad guy?





I am a sucker for animation. I have always wanted to do voice overs. This one looks good too.

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Up in 3D

The fam had the chance to take in a flick yesterday at our local cinema. After much deliberation between the new Transformers movie and Pixar's Up. I decided on Up. After comparing reviews, Transformers (unfortunately) seemed like a movie I would rather spend $2 on rather than $50.

So, my family and I trekked into the local Edwards cinema and purchased the pricey ($64 for my entire family) 3D version of Disney-Pixar's Up.

The first twenty minutes was an impressive attempt to show the potential of this new type of 3d entertainment. In fact my son commented afterwards that the commercials were more impressive than the movie itself. The 3d did add tremendous depth to the movie. It felt 3d in that area. But if you have been to any of the Disney 3d theaters in their theme parks, you will be disappointed by this 3d experience.

The movie is preceded by a cute (and typical) cartoon short by pixar about a gloomy cloud that creates dangerous creatures for an unlucky stork to deliver. It was an engaging piece and should be up for an animated short oscar.

The movie itself opens up with a young boy pretending to be his explorer hero, when he runs into a little toothless girl who shares the same interests. Thus begins the intro to the movie following the two from marriage to the end of the girl's (Ellie) life. This touching segment has no words but sets the theme for the whole movie. The adults in the audience will find it hard to maintain a dry eye.

After the audience is informed of the goals and aspirations of the couple we are brought to present day where we find our "hero", sitting on the porch of his house while high rises are going up all around him. It's at this point our adventure begins. We see the balloons come up and our hero takes off into the wild blue yonder.

The movie has typical Pixar slapstick comedy with wonderful animation and great dialogue. As with all Pixar movies, this movie is filled with many wonderful qualities that are sure to make parents happy. Love, honesty, loyalty are but a few character traits that are presented in this fine animated piece.

If you are looking for quality family entertainment that is fulfilling whether you're 80 or 8, give Up a try. Compared to most of the summer fare out there this year, Up is quality and well worth the investment. Save the other "blockbusters" for you Netflix que.

Nate's Rating
4 out of 5 nateys


ratings info
1=better used for trash liners
2=okay but not great
3=good and average fare
4=excellent and worthy of many awards and a trip to the theater
5=Simply Divine

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