My Big Fat Cuban Family: A Cuban-American Blog

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - a Review

I am pretty much the worst person to have with you in a movie theater when the film in question is an action/adventure type. It has to do with learning styles.

Let me explain...

Because I'm a visual learner and have a vivid imagination, I see things and feel them viscerally and then I react audibly. (Of course, you could chalk this up to the fact that I'm Cuban, but that's not important right now.)

Anyway, the "reacting audibly" (in a movie theater) part is where it becomes problematic for someone trying to quietly enjoy the film in question.

My daughter, Lucy came with me to the pre-screening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier a few weeks ago. Lucy is the type of learner who takes in all the information and digests it and then later discusses the conclusions she has come to.

Me? Not so much. I see it. I feel it. I. AM. RIGHT. THERE.

Although I enjoyed the first Captain America film and am a big über-nerdy fan of the entire Marvel Universe, I was not prepared for how awesome this film was. Again, I'm a big fan of the franchise anyway.

I'd have to say that unless you've seen the original Captain America: The First Avenger and also The Avengers, you won't appreciate this film as much as we Marvel über-nerds will. You totally need Steve Rogers' back story, particularly when they do the reveal of The Winter Soldier. I may or may not have yelled loudly, "No way!" at that point in the film, but that's not important right now. Lucky for us, we happened to have seen it with a theaterful of equally über-nerdy Marvel fanboys, so there was no call for my removal from the theater. Also, everyone was thinking the same thing.

The Winter Solder is slightly different than the other films in that it has an element of being a political thriller, which I appreciated. And one of the best, most jaw-dropping, did-they-just-do-that car chases in any film ever. (I'm talking all the way back to The French Connection. Wait. Did I just date myself?)

What I appreciate most about Captain America is that Steve Rogers (played by Chris Evans - *sigh*) is a true conservative hero. The old-school, moral, fight-for-what-is-right type.

"You hold a gun on everyone on Earth and call it protection," he says. "This isn't freedom, this is fear." I can't think of another film where they've ever discussed the moral implications of trading in freedom for security. I was impressed. Also, I may or may not have loudly yelled, "YES!" at that point, but again, that's not important right now.

Did I mention that I tend to react audibly when I get engrossed in a film? And believe me, I was completely engrossed in this film.

I don't want to spoil anything, but for all my fellow Marvel über-fans (and you know who you are), I just have three words for you:

The. Elevator. Scene.

I'm not going to give any more away. I'll just say that Lucy and I both enjoyed the film tremendously.

Also, her arm is healing quite nicely from the bruises incurred while sitting next to her mother who enjoyed the film so much that she provided both action and adventure. Learning styles, people.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens in theaters everywhere on Friday, April 4th, 2014.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier *sigh*

I got to attend another press junket a few weeks ago.

Also, it's just recently that I've started actually using the word, "junket" with regularity in coherent sentences. Mostly because I finally looked it up.

jun•ket noun

1. a sweet, custardlike food of flavored milk curdled with rennet.
2. a pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.
3. a trip, as by an official or legislative committee, paid out of public funds and ostensibly to obtain information.

verb (used without object)
4. to go on a junket.

verb (used with object)
5. to entertain; feast; regale.

So, there's that.

This time it was for the upcoming Marvel Studios release, 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' (win) and it was in Beverly Hills (double-win).

Of course, you know that we are all super-über-nerdy Marvel fans around here. So, getting invited to the press junket for Captain America and pre-screening put my Mom Points way off the scoreboard. (Thanks for that, Disney and Marvel!)

Cast of Captain America: The Winter Soldier -Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson

I managed once again to get a front row seat to the awesome. (Charmed life, you know.) So already this junket was pretty much shaping up to be 2. a pleasure excursion, as a picnic or outing.

The thing that impressed me the most about the Q & A with the directors and cast was how much they love the franchise. Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios and producer of the film is wonderfully committed to staying true to the comic book stories and heroes, which is truly a beautiful thing.

And speaking of beautiful things, ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to - The Winners of the Genetic Lotto...

From left to right, Anthony Mackie (Falcon - by far my favorite character, but that's not important right now), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier), and Chris Evans (Captain America).

I'll post a review of the film in delicious detail in a few days, but right now I'm still reeling from being in the same room with all this beauty. Oh, yeah, and Scarlett Johansson was there, too.

My favorite quote of the day came from Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury).

It’s a dream come true. You sit there and read comic books when you’re a kid and you wonder if there’s a world like that. You grow up as an actor and they start making movies like that and you wonder, “How can I get in that movie?” and the next thing you know you’re inside it going, “Yeah!”  So, it’s all plus there.

I know. I feel the same way about getting invited to this junket, Sam.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens Friday, April 4th, 2014.

Muppets Most Wanted - A Review

Speaking of the Muppets...

My family and I were delighted to attend a pre-screening of Disney's Muppets Most Wanted. Well, technically, I've already seen it twice, but that's not important right now.

The first screening took place at the Disney Studios in Burbank, which is always magical, particularly at night.

As any serious Disney fan knows, this has to be one of the coolest places to visit outside of the parks. This is the Legends Plaza which is a courtyard filled with bronze handprints of all the actors, imagineers, and anyone related to everything in the Disney Universe.

If I get invited to a screening of a Disney picture at the Studio, I will always say yes. (That, and wearing red lipstick at all times are my two unbreakable rules, but that's not important right now, either.)

I saw the Muppets Most Wanted at the studio with my daughter, Amy and a visiting friend. I hoped that the Muppets would deliver, as they usually do, and I'm glad to report, we were not disappointed.

The beginning sequence in which the Muppets are singing and dancing to the song, "They've Ordered a Sequel" was partly filmed right here on this lot, which, of course, made us feel sooo accidentally cool.

Also, being big Muppet fans, there are certain elements that we expect in their films.

Memorable Characters - the introduction of Constantine, Kermit's evil doppelganger with the telltale mole, makes me already wish for a sequel to this sequel.

Celebrity Cameos - it goes without saying that a lot of the fun of a Muppet movie is looking out for and identifying the celebrities as they pop in and out of scenes. But hands down, my favorite was Tom Hiddleston (Loki!) as the Great Escapo, trying to find yet another way out of the Siberian gulag run by Tina Fey as the Russian warden Nadya. Her accent, by the way, was wonderfully over the top.

Tongue-in-Cheekiness (<--is that a word?) - the film is obviously very entertaining for little kids, but don't underestimate the appeal for those of us who appreciate some serious smart-aleckiness. (<--is that a word?) Ty Burrell plays a French detective, paired up with America's own Sam Eagle, who tries to unravel the mystery behind a series of break-ins at museums that happen to be at the same location where the Muppets are performing. He completely satirizes all-things-European, from their tiny cars to their penchant for long lunches and holidays. He was my hands down favorite.

Goofy Musical Numbers - I hope I'm not spoiling too much by telling you that Celine Dion and Miss Piggy make a winning duet. My favorite was the Interrogation Song performed by Burrell and Sam Eagle.

Bad puns - you couldn't have a Muppet movie without them and this one delivers plenty.

I went to a second screening, this time at our local theater, taking my husband, Eric, as well as Lucy and her Beau.

I'm happy to report that they too loved the Muppets Most Wanted. We laughed and rolled our eyes at all the puns and clapped at key moments. I may or may not have teared up a bit at the end when, in classic Muppet style, the underlying message of love and loyalty to friends and family finally wins the day.

It's so appealing that it makes you want to become one of the family. See what I mean?

I recommend Disney's Muppets Most Wanted. If you're anything like me and my kids, you'll totally enjoy it. Prepare to be completely delighted. And yes, I think you might want to bring the kids, too.

Muppets Most Wanted opens everywhere on Friday, March 21st.

It's Not Easy Being Green

Last week I had the incredible pleasure of participating in the press junket for Disney's "Muppets Most Wanted," the sequel to the 2011 film, the aptly named, "The Muppets."

Here are Tina Fey, Kermit the Frog, Ricky Gervais, Constantine, Ty Burrell, and Sam Eagle.

There I sat at the beautiful Beverly Hilton Hotel as part of the group of invited journalists who were asking pertinent and pointed questions about the filmmakers, the movie making process, their inspiration, the stars talent (<--that's the cool way to refer to the people in the film) interaction with each other and all that.

There's my curly haired self as we journalists (wink, wink) are being regaled with stories from Producer Todd Lieberman, Director James Bobin, and Music Supervisor Bret McKenzie.

And there were the filmmakers and the stars talent answering those pertinent and pointed questions in a lovely conversational manner while bantering with each other about things that happened on set and their best moments on the film and all that.

The brilliance of this particular junket was that the Muppets were themselves and never broke that "fourth wall." They were very much themselves, just as you wanted them to be.

Let me just tell you why it's fun to be me at these things - because while I sat there posing as a real journalist, I was truly just a star struck über-fan. I have always loved the Muppets and faithfully watched their show even when I was a young adult, and then later I introduced my kids to them. They are part of our collective pop culture. Their sense of humor always intact.

My favorite part of the panel had to be when Sam Eagle just gushed about how he bonded with Ty Burrell in the film and howTy's accent was so good that Sam actually believed that Ty was French. (I know. It feels a little surreal writing this.) But that's what made the day so lovely. We all embraced the Muppets as the real characters they are to all of us.

Finally Sam excused himself announcing to us that he had been summoned by hotel security and was mindful of keeping all of us journalists safe. Off he went.

The vacancy in the panel was soon filled as Miss Piggy, fashionably late (of course) swished in and made a fashion statement in a gorgeous purple gown.

You can totally picture it, can't you? I know. Shut up.

I suppose I could pull some of the more memorable quotes from the film makers and stars talent, but my take-away from the day was that I was not the only über-fan. It was obvious that everyone who worked on the picture had the same reverence for Jim Henson's legacy and the very real characters people he created so many years ago.

I am a writer, of course. I have been sharing my life and thoughts right here in this space for years. But a journalist? I still have a lot to learn. I am, in fact, pretty green.

And you know what Kermit says about being green... (<--yeah. I went there.)

I'm so very grateful to Disney Pictures for allowing me to participate in this über-memorable event.

Muppets Most Wanted opens in theaters on Friday, March 21st, 2014.

Everything is Awesome - The LEGO® Movie

A few months ago when we first became aware that Warner Bros was going to be releasing The Lego® Movie, we sat up and took notice.

My husband, Eric, who is now 48 played with LEGO® bricks as a kid. As a matter of fact, he would tell you that they were his very favorite toy. He would spend hours, he says, lost in the world of bricks and his imagination.

Well, the apple does not fall far from the tree. Jonathan quickly, happily, and easily became addicted to the bricks. See here and here.

Last week we were delighted to have been invited to a preview of The LEGO® Movie.
The story is about an ordinary LEGO® minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary Master Builder, and is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO® tyrant from gluing the universe together.



We were captivated from the start. The story, the characters, the execution - all brilliant. I don’t say that lightly. Chris Pratt is the voice of Emmet, the average, rule-following everyman.

Elizabeth Banks is Wyldstyle "Are you a DJ?," the daring and independent female lead who believes Emmet is the "Special." Her real name, by the way, is Lucy. (Yay!)

Will Ferrell starts as the voice of President Business, an uptight CEO who has a hard time balancing World Domination with micro-managing his own life (see what I mean? Already the premise is hilarious.), while Liam Neeson voices the president' powerful henchman, known as Bad Cop/Good Cop. (<--You can totally predict how this is going to happen, right Lego® Lovers?) Nick Offerman lends his voice to a craggy, swaggering pirate obsessed with revenge. And Alison Brie plays a sweet, lovable member of this unlikely dream team with a powerful secret. (What's there not to love already?)



Our favorite was Will Arnett as Batman. He delivered Batman’s lines in that choppy, deep, let’s-mock-all-the-Batman-movies-you've-ever-seen voice. Every time he spoke, we held our sides from laughing so hard.

All that to say this: The LEGO® Movie is a must see.

On the day we saw it, the theater was filled with mostly families with young children. Jon and his best friend, Nathan - the two lone 18 year olds - were the oldest. Their take was that the little kids will find it funny, but the adults will totally appreciate the sublime humor.

There are lots of fantastic voice cameos, like Channing Tatum as Superman, Jonah Hill as the Green Lantern, and Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman. You really need to be paying attention to catch some of the nuances of the jokes.

This film was very obviously made by people who love LEGO® as much as we do. There was old-school Spaceman Benny (voiced by Charlie Day), with the space ship that so easily fell apart. Eric totally identified with that. It was clear that the film makers were all true LEGO fans. You could feel the love in every frame.



There was a nod to all the varied and extensive collectors sets. Hello, Shaquille O’Neil and the 2003 LA Lakers! Do you remember that? My guys did.

I loved that they even made a point to highlight the odds and ends that randomly find their way into the LEGO bin. I won’t spoil that, but be on the look out for the "Relics." The best homage to childhood ever.

The bottom line is that we laughed. Long and hard and out loud throughout the entire film. The first thing we said as we left the theater was “We need to see that AGAIN."

The film has very broad family appeal, not just because it has a PG rating. My family appreciated that they didn’t didn’t dumb anything down for a particular age group and totally respected how beloved the bricks are to so many generations of Would-be Master Builders. It could have easily devolved into a long commercial for the popular toy brand, but much to their credit, instead the story had us laughing out loud and rooting for the unlikely hero. The film is a total win.

The only character missing was this Coffee-drinking, Red-lipstick wearing, Curly-haired, Cuban LEGO Mama. See what I did there? (I totally crack myself up.)

Make your own LEGO® Sigfig here.

Also, as soon as we got home we downloaded the very catchy theme song by Tegan and Sara. I'm convinced that after you see this movie, you too will agree that “Everything is Awesome.”



Well played, Warner Bros. and LEGO®. Very well-played.

In theaters everywhere on February 7th, 2014.

Saving Mr. Banks - a love story

The year was 1964 and my family had just moved from Florida to California. (Obviously, we've been here ever since, but that's not important right now.) I was nine years old.

One of the very first things we did was visit Disneyland. It had captured our imaginations from early on and we were so excited to visit the iconic park. Of course, as you know we fell in love with all things Disney at that point and pretty much never looked back. (Read about my mom's special Disney wish, made the year I was born.)

Another thing that happened in 1964, was the release of Walt Disney Pictures' Mary Poppins. My older sisters took me to see it in a theater in Westwood, as I recall. I can still even remember where I was sitting. The impact on my young imagination was immediate and visceral. I have never in my life had a theater experience like that one. I was completely captivated.

Immediately, I started begging for the long play album. In stereo. *sigh* The Disney magic is quite a force to be reckoned with. I played it and played it and memorized every song and practically wore out the grooves on that LP. Good times.

Recently, Lucy and I were invited to a pre-screening of the film, Saving Mr. Banks, which was being shown in the Frank G. Wells Screening Room on the Walt Disney Studios lot.

So, to clarify...we were going to see Saving Mr. Banks, which is about the relationship between Walt Disney and the author of Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers and the making of Mary Poppins on the exact same lot that both pictures were filmed. If you've seen the trailers, you already know it's a beautiful thing. (Somebody pinch me.)

Having grown up during this specific time period, I can testify to the fact that Disney got the 60's look just right. Having been a lifelong Disneyphile (<--is that a word?) I was hardly surprised by how intensely I responded to the film. Almost the same reaction I had to seeing Mary Poppins back in 1964.

My favorite part of this clip is when songwriter Richard Sherman talks about how the film makers and designers did their job so well that he felt it was like watching a home movie.

Picture me and Lucy bouncing around the studio lot (seriously - there was bouncing) going from one spot to another. "Look at this! This is where that one scene was shot! Walt's office was up there!"

We had just seen the film and our emotions were still raw and the excitement was spilling out of us.

See what we did there?

A few days later, I was invited to the press junket for Saving Mr. Banks, which made me feel sooo accidentally cool and a bit stressed at the same time. Burning question: What does one do at a press junket? And where exactly did that word come from?

So I dragged Eric along with me to the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel where I would get to ask questions of the actors and film makers.

The List of People at the junket made my head spin.

• Tom Hanks ("Walt Disney")
• Emma Thompson ("PL Travers")
• Colin Farrell ("Robert Goff Travers")
• Jason Schwartzman ("Richard Sherman")
• BJ Novak ("Robert Sherman")
• Bradley Whitford ("Don DaGradi")
• John Lee Hancock (Director - he also directed The Blind Side.)
• Kelly Marcel (Writer)
• Alison Owen (Producer)

Seriously. Somebody pinch me.

I loved being a part of this day. The cast was brilliant as they patiently answered our questions. They were also were delightfully entertaining. I especially loved this moment when Tom Hanks describes the day he took his grandaughter to Disneyland. (Please excuse the herky-jerky, grainy, potato-phone video and enjoy the story.)

When the press event was over, some of us bloggers kind of rushed Tom Hanks for photos. He was very accomodating for a few minutes, but was being called to another appointment. We are all pushing to document the moment and get on camera with Tom Hanks.

Here's how this went down...

Me: "Tom! Selfie?"

Tom Hanks (starting to lean in)

Disembodied voice: "Mr. Hanks, we have to go now."

Tom Hanks look up to respond to the voice.

Marta snaps this shot.

I lead a charmed life, don't I?

My opinion of the film? Oscar worthy. Beautiful. Iconic. Magical. Not-Enough-Superlatives.

Emma Thompson is by turns electrifying and cringe-worthy as the fussy P.L.Travers. An amazing performance. Tom Hanks is the embodiment of Walt Disney himself. Jason Schwartzman and BJ Novak are phenomenal as the legendary songwriters, Richard and Robert Sherman. Colin Farrell breaks your heart.

Full disclosure: I cried. Not just a single tear escaping the corner of my eye, but I wept. Openly and loudly. I guess you could call it "ugly" crying. Having said that, I encourage you to go see this film. Much the same way that Mary Poppins affected me back in 1964, my imagination has been captured and so has my heart.

Also, guess what's playing on a constant loop at my house right now?

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

See the film. And take tissues. You've been warned.

Disney's Saving Mr. Banks opens everywhere on December 20th, 2013.

The Book of New Zealand - The Hobbit Event

You know how seriously nerdy my family is about Tokien, right? If not, let me direct you here, here, and here. I'm about to go seriously uber-Tolkien-geeky right here. You've been warned.

Last week Lucy and I got to participate in The Hobbit Event, much to our über-Tolkien-nerdy delight. 

In partnership with Tourism New Zealand, the filmmakers of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, created a larger-than-life pop up book depicting four of the phenomenal sets that were featured in this film. So, picture this...we physically got to walk through these fantastic sets. (Jealous yet?)

But first, they served us a delicious lunch and there were prizes. Very, very cool prizes. I won a fabulous gift basket which included a ton of this year's Warner Brothers DVD and Blue Ray releases, which made me a total hero to my kids. Big Mom-win here. Thanks, Warner Brothers!

They told us in the invitation that, besides, lunch and prizes there would be "...surprises."

Were we ever surprised and ridiculously delighted by the appearance of the Dwarves, Fili and Kili. I know. Shut up!

Actually, these are the actors who play them, but when you're as seriously nerdy about this stuff as we are, you just call them by their drawf names even though, duh, we know they're only actors, but that's not important right now. Aidan Turner on the left is Kili. DeanO'Gorman (on the right) plays Fili. Or as you are more likely to recognize them, in all their Dwarf-lord glory...

See what a great day we were having?

And then it was time for a tour of The Book of New Zealand, also known as The Giant Pop-up Book of Middle Earth. Which, if I wasn't thinking about it before made me totally want to vacation in New Zealand because....hello? New Zealand.

There was the head of Thror which stands guard at the entrance to the Lonely Mountain. (Anyone else geeking out over this yet?) In real life it's Turoa on Mount Ruapehu. (Look at me, learning NZ geography!)

Could it get any better than this?

Well, yes. The next stop was walking into Beorn's house. Beorn is the shape-changing-giant-bear-man who helps the dwarves and Bilbo on part of their quest for the Lonely Mountain, but of course, you already knew that (or at least, you would if you were a Hobbit über-geek, too, but that's not important right now). Everything was giant-bear-man size kind of awesome.

Then there was Laketown, where all the death and destruction will happen once the dragon Smaug, who lives in the Lonely Mountain is awakened by Bilbo (but you didn't hear it from me). Lucy was interviewed by the crew here.

For those of us (I'm looking at you, faithful homeschooling parents) who have read and loved all the Tolkien books, this was a Tolkien fan-girl's dream come true. Although, I have to confess, I'm  a bit disappointed that Peter Jackson decided to turn a 300 page book into a trilogy of movies, but I still don't care because we über-geeks could happily lose days (or at the very least 3 hours at a time) in all things Middle Earth.

Food, prizes, Fili, Kili, and Middle Earth. A perfect Tolkien über-geek holiday.

A few days later, Amy and I went to see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in Real 3D. My kids were fighting over who got to see the movie with me. "But you already took Lucy to Middle Earth!" they protested. (That just sounded cool to say.)

This second part picks up where the last film left off. And not to spoil too much, but I thought the first half took a little too long and because I'm a Tolkien purist and I struggled with what was in the film and what wasn't. The question that remains, of course, is: Is there such a thing as too much Legolas? The answer, of course, is no.

So our company of Hobbit and dwarves arrives at the Lonely Mountain. (Just like we did!)

And Bilbo came face-to-face with the you-will-totally-believe-dragons-are-really-real Smaug. This part of the film captured our imaginations like nothing else and then it became difficult to sit still from all the nervous excitement. Added bonus: Smaug the dragon is voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. I practically wept.

I'm sincerely grateful to Warner Brothers for their generosity and for letting us be a part of The Hobbit Event. For this über-nerdy Tolkien fan-girl, it has been a very rewarding adventure.

 The Hobbit - The Desolation of Smaug opens everywhere on December 13, 2013.

Thor: The Dark World - A movie review (and love letter)

A few nights ago, my son, Jonathan and I had the pleasure of previewing the film, Thor: The Dark World in LA.

If you don't already, please read about my great über-nerdy love of the character of Thor here.

I was so thrilled to receive the invitation from Disney Pictures to see the film. Especially because I got to share the moment with Jon.

But just before we went in...

Me (engulfed with a sudden surge of insecurity): "Jon! I'm wearing orange."

Jon: "What does that matter, Mom?"

Me: "We're in LA! Everyone knows you're supposed to wear black and attempt to look hipsterish in LA."

He smirks at me.

Jon: "Quick! What's the name of the realm where Thor lives?"

Me: "Asgard. Duh."

Jon: "What's the name of the gatekeeper of Asgard?"

Me: "Heimdall. Why?"

Jon: "Where was Loki born?"

Me: "Yodenheim. To the Frost Giants. What's your point?"

Jon: "I think you're good, Mom."

That, as any middle aged mom knows, was truly the highest praise. In we went to watch the 2nd installment of Thor: The Dark World.

In Real 3D. There's a mellower, realistic quality to Real 3D, as opposed to just regular 3D. For once, I really enjoyed it . Who knew?

Our consensus on the film: Chris Hemsworth as Thor is still magnificent as The God of Thunder. Particularly when he bursts out of nowhere and expertly wields Mjolnir. That's the name of his hammer. Pronounced: "Mee-yol-neer." (Wow. You probably had no idea I was this über-nerdy.)

Tom Hiddleston is the best good guy/bad guy ever. You hate him. You love him. You laugh at him. You root for him. You trust him. You don't trust him. He's evil. He's conflicted. He's hurt. He did what? Your mind is blown. Seriously, Marvel. Thank you for such a wonderfully watchable and complex character.

I'm not going to go through each member of the cast or spoil the movie, but when you see it (and all you über-nerds out there, you MUST!) please pay attention to Rene Russo as Frigga, Thor's mother. Her scene is one of the most brilliant and beautiful mom moments ever. (I may or may not have gasped and cried. Your interest is piqued now, isn't it?)

Thor: The Dark World is beautifully made. The story is compelling. The characters are all utterly engaging. I liked Natalie Portman as Jane! The special effects enhance the plot and move the story along which is not always the case in these days of easy CG effects (I'm looking at you, Transformers).

Best of all, I got to enjoy it and spend an über-nerdy evening with my teenage son. We talked about all the plot twists and turns all the way home. And for that gift, I'm über-grateful, Disney Pictures and Marvel.

Also, be sure to sit through all the credits until the very end. But if you're a Marvel über-nerd, you already knew that.

Thor: The Dark World opens in theaters everywhere on November 8th, 2013.

For the Love of Olaf

Remember that time I spent the day at the Disney Animation Studio in Burbank? Obviously, being an artist myself, and a techno-geek, and a lover of all-things-Disney made it a fantastically fantastic day for me. (Emphasis on the "fan" part.)

We had the priviledge of being immersed in the world of Disney's FROZEN, the latest animated feature from Disney Pictures.

Today I wanted to tell you about one of my favorite characters in the film. "It's too soon to have a favorite," you say. "The film hasn't even come out yet," you say.

I promise if you've seen any of the trailers, you too will already be in love with Olaf. He's the snowman.

 Allow me to introduce you to my new best friend, Olaf. Watch. And love.

Directed by Chris Buck ("Tarzan," "Surf's Up") and Jennifer Lee ("Wreck It Ralph"), Frozen is already shaping up to be a must-see Disney classic. And Olaf is one of the sweetest pieces of the story for me.

Kristoff and Anna face fierce weather, wolves—and a strangely familiar snowman named Olaf, who takes them—and the audience—by surprise. “When Elsa flees Arendelle,” says Lee, “she starts playing with the very magic she’s been hiding for so long. The snowman she creates comes from memories of the happy times she shared with Anna when they were young. Olaf represents that pure innocence and childhood joy. The minute we imbued him with that, he just took off. He’s funny in a way that children are funny. He’s completely unaffected by the world. He’s the one character who isn’t struggling with fear versus love. He is love.”

Remember that I got to spend a day with the Disney Animators and chat with them about the making of this film? (I know. I just wanted to say that again.) From the producer and directors to the animators to the actors who voiced the film, the consensus appears to be that Olaf is the most unique of Disney characters.

A snowman who has dreams of playing in the sun... Wait! That might have been an overshare, but that's not important right now.

There's so much more that I want to share with you, but I hope I've whetted your appetite enough that you're anxious to meet Olaf for yourself. He's a snowman after my own heart.

Disney's FROZEN opens in theaters everywhere on November 27th, 2013.

My Big, Fat, FROZEN, Cuban Family

The invitation read as follows:  

"Come experience some cool things heating up at the long lead Press Day for Disney's FROZEN."

In other words, how would I like to spend a day at the Walt Disney Animation Studios and meet the producer, directors, animation team, art directors, and tech geniuses behind the upcoming Disney animated film, FROZEN?

Umm...yes, please!

I have seen the iconic sorcerer's apprentice hat building many times while driving to Burbank. "That's the home of the Walt Disney Animation Studios." We always point it out. Always saying it in reverently hushed tones. "It must be magical in there."  Sigh.

So to be invited to spend a day here and witness the "making of" moments for an animated feature film? Seriously? Somebody pinch me.

We were treated to a sneak preview of the film, FROZEN, which is a stunning, big-screen, comedy-adventure inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen.

"Although ‘Frozen’ is inspired by Andersen’s classic tale,” says director Chris Buck ("Tarzan," "Surf's Up"), “our story is distinctly our own—fresh and new in spirit and style. It is wonderfully emotional, with plenty of action, adventure, magic and unforgettable characters.”


“A story that started as a very simple idea of the power of family has grown into something much bigger,” adds director Jennifer Lee ("Wreck It Ralph"), who wrote the screenplay. “It’s about fear versus love that’s told through a family’s journey—their struggle to overcome fear and find the true meaning of love.”

The preview did not disappoint. It has all the elements of the stuff that makes us love Disney films so much: stunning visuals, strong characters, fabulous storytelling.

We spent the day visiting with the talented folks who brought the story to life.

In the Rigging Lab with the Disney Animators. (I know. Shut up.)

My favorite part of the day was when we got to play on the computers in the Rigging Lab. "Rigging" is CG animation-speak for "giving the characters expression and really making the film come to life," but that's not important right now.

I want to stop and have you appreciate this moment with me.

I. GOT. TO. PLAY. ON. THE. COMPUTERS. WHERE. THE. DISNEY. ANIMATORS. DO. THEIR. MAGIC.

I'm obviously still geeking out just a little over this.

They created a new piece of software they call, TONIC. Tonic allows the artists to really work with hair to make it look and act like, well...hair. You can see all the strands and how they wind up together in intricate braids and hairdos. TONIC is also used for when the characters have a bad hair day. Genius.

Not only does hair have to be animated, so does clothing. So they created CLOTH. With the goal being for the cloth to not just behave like cloth, but to act in a very directed manner to enhance the performance of the characters. I know. Mind blown.

One of the sweet characters in the film is called, Olaf. He's a snowman.

“For the animation team, Olaf was like a giant toy box,” adds Buck. “He’s made up of three balls of snow that can break apart and come together in different ways. His eyes can move around, his nose can slide in and out and off. His stick arms came off. Animators could do anything with him.”

Olaf ice sculpture. And ice cream blizzards. Sooo apropo.

Producer Peter Del Vecho: “Olaf is one of the funniest characters in the movie, but he also has an innocent view of the world, which allows him to say things that go right to the heart very quickly.”

We spent the day interviewing these talented folks, visiting their creative spaces and playing with their tools. And, of course, geeking out over it all. The world of Disney FROZEN came to life for us in a beautiful and intimate way, and honestly, I'm having a hard time picking out the highlights of our day because, for me, the day was absolute perfection.

The film promises to be a true Disney technological masterpiece, with delightful characters and lots of drama and hilarity.

FUN FACT: One of Anna’s favorite phrases—“Wait, what?”—was added to the script compliments of Kristen Bell. I so love that.

Listen for the "Wait, what?" in this trailer.

We toured and played and ate and talked and spent quite the magical day immersed in all things FROZEN. There's so much more I want to tell you, but I think I'll save that post for another day.

A great big THANK YOU to the good people at Disney for including My Big, Fat, Cuban Family in your beautiful and magical FROZEN world.

Check out these 15 seconds of pure Disney-geek-wow-they-animated-this-for-ME awesomeness. Totally made my day.

It was just really cool to be a part of it all. (<--See what I did there?)

"Wait, what?"

Thanks for letting me overshare. It was truly a magical day.

 FROZEN opens in theatres everywhere on November 27th, 2013.

Hello, Outdoor Movie Nights

I know this might sound odd, but at the beginning of every summer, we make a Summer Bucket List. I may just have to blog about it soon, but today is not that day.

We've always been pretty intentional about the things we choose to participate in and the places we go. I think it's a holdover from being homeschoolers for so long. There's always a plan.

A few years back, Eric got me the Best Gift Ever. He bought me a projector and a giant screen in order to show movies in our backyard.

One of our signals that summer is really here is when we start making plans to watch movies outdoors on our big screen.

We usually invite friends and there's probably going to be dinner or dessert, or both. Sometimes we just run over to Costco and buy boxes of candy and set up a concession bar. (I'll blog about that another day, too.)

But what to show?

We determined early on that we would keep the movies family friendly. Comedies? Definitely. Musicals? Absolutely. Animation? Of course. The key is that they must be good stories and have great plots. Or maybe movies that have lots of good lines. We love movie lines.

We choose the kind of movies that we don't get tired of seeing over and over. A mix of classics, action-adventure, cheesy love stories, old-school black and whites, and frankly, they should just be fun.

This Summer Movie List is serious business around here. There's lots of talk and arguments and suggestions. Mostly arguments. Loud ones. With lots of hand gestures.

So, in order to keep from hurting each other we started a list of the ones we all agree on.

Which usurped my menu board for a few days, but that's not important right now.

Everyone has their favorites, or what they believe to be the most entertaining. Some of these will never get old.

Summer Movie List

• The Emperor's New Groove
• Galaxy Quest
• Singing in the Rain
• Megamind
• The Italian Job
• Fletch
• Damn Yankees
• What about Bob?
• Superman
• Hellboy (don't judge if you've never seen it.)
• The Sting
• Ferris Bueller's Day Off
• Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan
• 17 Again
• Bringing Up Baby
• Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

We're adding to list every day. Any suggestions?

Also, this is shaping up to be a great summer.

“There is a leopard on your roof and it's my leopard and I have to get it and to get it I have to sing.” -Bringin Up Baby, 1938

 

Summer Movie Must-See: Monsters University

We are kind of serious movie nerds around here. If you've been reading this blog for a while you already know this. We're also serious Disney fans and faithfully worship at the altar of the gods at Pixar. (Oh, you know what I mean. Don't get weird.)

You would think that with no young children in the house the days of must-see-animated-movies be over. You would think seriously wrong. If anything, my artsy clan has a much better appreciation for the genius artistry and storytelling achieved by Disney/Pixar than their usual younger audience.

We were already salivating at the thought of the new installment to the Monsters, Inc. family, Monsters University.

So much so, that my husband insisted we watch the first movie last week. Which we did and were reminded once again why we love Disney/Pixar so much.

You can imagine that when the good folks at Disney/Pixar invited me to a pre-screening for Monsters University, I jumped at the chance.

It would be shown at the Disney's El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. (Double win.)

Which is how we found ourselves in the car early on a Saturday morning heading up to LA. (We live about an hour south of Los Angeles, so this became an Official Road Trip.)

Our expectations were super high and Monsters U did not disappoint.

Usually I don't enjoy 3D, in this case, I loved it! Don't we look appropriately nerdy in our 3D glasses?

The entire cast, not just Mike and Sully were even more lovable than in the first installment. I know. You wouldn't think that was possible, but believe me, you will fall in love.

Wait. Did I just refer to them as the "cast?" How else do you refer to characters in an animated film that makes you forget they're animated and that they are MONSTERS? Still pondering....

So, I'm encouraging everyone I know to go see Monsters University.

It was laugh-out-loud funny. It had poignant moments and drama and all the elements that make for a wonderful story. The cast characters made you want to see more. I loved that there were so many nods to the first film. That made me really happy. (We have already decided we definitely need to see it again, but that's not important right now.)

We got so into it that we may or may not have come home with some Monsters University memorabilia. Also, do yourself a favor and go to the M.U. site. Here's the link: Monsters University. (WARNING: prepare to happily lose hours of your life.)

Genius. Seriously.

Ah, Disney/Pixar, we are soo not worthy. *bows down*

{Disclaimer: I was not compensated by Disney/Pixar for this review. They invited me to the screening of the film. Thank you, Disney/Pixar!  The opinion that it was fantastic and soo worth going to see, is my our own.}

Tickets Winners for Cubamerican, the Movie

Thanks to all who entered this giveaway. I can't tell you how much I love hearing a little bit about all of you. Especially about when you came here to the U.S. and where you're from.

I used Random.org to choose the winners of the movie tickets to see Cubamerican at the Tower Theater in Miami on Friday, June 14th.

And the winners are......

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Congratulations to all four winners! You've each won two tickets for the showing of Cubamerican.

Please send me an email: m darby (at) cox (dot) net. Put HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line so I won't accidentally delete it.

I'll make sure you get your tickets to the film. Trust me, you will love it.

For those of you who didn't win, please try to get to the screening anyway. Trust me, you will love it.

Cubamerican will be showing beginning Friday, June 14th in Miami at The Tower Theater • 1508 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, Fl.

WARNING: take tissues.

“The Hobbit Book” Family Giveaway - A Winner

Thanks to all of you who entered The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Giveaway over the weekend.

The correct answer to the "How many dwarves?" question is "13."

They are: Fili, Kili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin, Bifur, Bofur, Bombur and Thorin Oakenshield. The two youngest are Fili and Kili. Thorin Oakenshield is royalty.

When my kids were little, when we got to the parts where it was time, we would recite the names of the dwarves and they would always yell "Thorin Oakenshield!" at the end of the list. *stops and enjoys a personal mom moment* (I know. Shut up.)

Some Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit trivia: Gimli the Dwarf is Gloin's son. Also, Gimli finds Balin's tomb in Moria. But then, if you were truly a Tolkien über-nerd, you would totally know that, but that's not important right now.

To pick a winner, I entered the number of entries into the True Random Number Generator at Random.org and the following number came up:

Congratulations to the winner:

Please send me an email with HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line, so I don't accidentally delete it. Send me your snail mail address and I will forward to my friends at Warner Brothers Pictures so they can get your goodies out to you ASAP.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be coming to theaters everywhere on December 14th. I can't wait!

Thanks again to all of you who entered the giveaway. I love all of you über-nerds. ;-)

“The Hobbit Book” Family Giveaway

It's no secret that we are über-nerds here at my house. Serious über-nerds.

When the kids were all little, I used to love to read aloud to them. They always preferred for me to read to them because "Mom does the voices." (But that's not important right now.)

And because we have homeschooled for years, we all spent a lot of time reading and enjoying books together.

When I was a senior in high school (en el año de la pera), J.R.R. Tolkien had just passed away. Suddenly bookstores everywhere were carrying The Hobbit and the Lord of the Ring Trilogy. It was then that I was exposed to the charming world of Hobbits and Hobbitlore.

Needless to say, I fell in love. To this day, we still celebrate Bilbo Baggins' birthday (September 22nd) and The Day the Ring was Destroyed (March 25th). See here and here. Did I mention we were serious über-nerds?

How delighted was I when Warner Brothers contacted me about helping to promote the new film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, to MBFCF readers? (The correct answer is "über-delighted.")

Did you know that on December 14, 2012, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be hitting theatres? (Thank you, God, Peter Jackson, and Warner Bros.!)

Directed by Peter Jackson, based on The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, and adapted for the screen by  Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro. It promises to be every Tolkien über-nerd's dream.

Check out the trailer:

Doesn't this just look über-nerdily delicious? Yes. Yes, it does.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY / “THE HOBBIT BOOK” FAMILY GIVEAWAY

I'm excited to host the following giveaway. One lucky reader of this blog will receive the following The Hobbit Grand Prize:

 The grand prize includes the following (as pictured above):

• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Poster
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey The Hobbit Book
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2”X7” Double-Sided Book Mark
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Tattoo Booklet with 17 Tattoo Sheets
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 12”X12” Wall Calendar
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2.25” Button
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Youth Map T-Shirt
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Gandalf’s Hat
• The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Hollywood Movie Money - Admission for 2. Hollywood Movie Money is a free admission voucher to see The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, redeemable nation wide starting 12/15/12 through Thurs., 01/10/12 in any theater excluding AMC Theaters..

To enter this fabulous grand prize giveaway, please leave a comment on this post for a chance to win this entire gift package, please answer one or both of the following questions:

• Count and submit the number of Dwarves you see on this The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey poster you see above.
• Are you a Tolkien fan?

Only U.S. entries, please. I'll choose a winner on Tuesday, December 4th, 2012 at 11 am.

When the Zombie Apocalypse Happens, Havana Will Be Ready

And now for something completely different....

I don't usually enjoy horror movies. Wait. Let me rephrase. I don't like horror movies. At all. In fact, I hate them. They're usually so... well, horrific. (But I did enjoy An American Werewolf in London back in the day, mostly because of the comedic elements, but I'll deny it if you tell anybody.)

But, when I was contacted by Focus World to get the word out about their latest film: “a zombie comedy made in Cuba,” I was intrigued. When I read the synopsis, I laughed out loud. When I saw the trailer, I knew it was something I wanted to share.

Plus it's October and I'm kind of more tolerant of gore and silliness the closer it gets to Halloween. (Don't judge me.)

I totally understand that this is a departure from my usual fare, but I think you will enjoy it (or at least your teenage kids will). It's a zombie relajo set in the land of my birth.

From the studio that brought you Shaun of the Dead, meet Juan of the Dead. (He's Havana Killer Day. <--Best tagline ever. Am I right?) In Spanish, with English subtitles.

Synopsis:

Juan is 40 years old, most of which he spent in Cuba doing absolutely nothing. It’s his way of life, and he’s prepare to defend it at any cost, along with his pal Lázaro, as lazy as Juan but twice as dumb. Juan’s only emotional tie is his daughter, Camila, a beautiful young girl that doesn’t want anything to do with her father because the only thing he’s good at is getting into trouble.

Suddenly some strange things start to happen, people are turning violent attacking one to the other. Juan was first convinced it’s just another stage of the Revolution. Official media refer to the attacks as isolated incidents provoked by Cuban dissidents paid by the US government. Little by little Juan and his friends start to realize that the attackers are not normal human beings and that killing them is quite a difficult task. They’re not vampires, they’re not possesed, but they’re definitely not dissidents; a simple bite turns the victim into other violent killing machine and the only way to beat them is destroying their brains.
Juan decides that the best way of facing the situation is making some money out of it…..

“Juan of the Dead, we kill your beloved ones” becomes his slogan. Lázaro, along with his son Vladi, and Camila (who had no other choice but joining her father after he rescued her from grandma´s killing desires) are Juan´s army, and their mission is to help people get rid of the infected ones around… at a reasonable price.

But this plague of bloodthirsty attackers is out of control. The population is helpless. There comes a moment in which the only way out people found is throwing into the sea and try to run away from an island that became a real carnage, and Juan has no choice but to do what he avoided all his life: take some responsibility assuming a hero role, to guide his beloved ones with the hope of getting them safe out of the madness in which Havana, full of flesh eating zombies has turned.

I especially loved that so much of it was true to Cuban life today. In fact, all the actors are Cuban.  And the premise that the state media blames the zombie attacks on dissidents who have been hired by the U.S. government? Classic.

It's not Shakespeare, but it's So. Very. Cuban. And I didn't love the gory parts (duh), but listening to the dialog with the hilarious deadpan (pun intended) Cuban delivery was just awesome.

The story was told creatively and in a very, very Cuban way. Juan of the Dead mocks everything that the Cuban government has sold for 50 years as “The Triumph of the Revolution,” and that's where its value lies.

For me, personally, I can barely stand the over-the-top slasher-oh-holy-hell-there's-blood-everywhere scenes even though they were way too campy to be genuinely scary. But there were a lot of moments of surprise, so I had to keep covering my eyes. Also, the zombies were really, really slow, which I totally appreciated because that gave me time to cover my eyes, but that's not important right now.

But my favorite part of the entire bloody-undead-Havana-zombie-slash-fest was that Cuba's salvation comes in the form of Capitalism. Isn't that just too delicious? 

{Disclaimer: This is not what you will usually find here on MBFCF, and I get that Cubans are already living their own horror movie, but I think there's an audience for this sort of thing out there somewhere. Also, my 16 year old, Jonathan loved it in that way that 16 year old guys do.}

MBFCF Blogiversary Giveaway #3:

Juan of the Dead (DVD)

Leave a comment on this post for a chance to win a DVD copy of Juan of the Dead and please answer one or all of the following questions:

• Do you like horror movies? (Is there someone you know who is into this stuff?)
  
• Zombie Apocalypse in Havana...your thoughts?

I'll choose the winners at the end of MBFCF Blogiversary Giveaway Week on Monday, October 8th, 2012 at 11 am.

Havana killer day. LOL!

Marvel's The Avengers (A Winner)

Thanks to all of you who entered the giveaway for the Very Uber-Cool and Uber-nerdy Avengers gift pack from Marvel.

I love that you guys are as caught up in Avenger Madness as we are.

And because I personally can't get enough of Thor, here's yet another photo from the film.

Isn't that just beautiful....umm.....lighting? (I know. Shut up.)

Congratulations to the winner of the Marvel The Avengers Gift pack:

 

Congratulations, Shelby! Please send me an email with your snail mail address and your preferred tshirt size and "Hey, Marta! I won stuff on your blog!" in the subject line. I'll forward to the good folks at Marvel so that they can get your goodies out to you ASAP.

This is what you won:

Marvel's The Avengers T-shirt.

The Avengers pins.

The Avengers 3-D glasses.

We're almost finished with our movie countdown. Thor (be still my heart) is on tonight and Captain America is up on Wednesday.

Speaking of Thor and Captain America, I almost wept when I saw this clip. Watch. And love.

The Awesomeness is in theaters everywhere on Friday, May 4th. And yes, we're seeing it in IMAX 3D.

That's just how we uber-nerds roll.

Tony Stark: "Doctor Banner, your work is unparalleled. And I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Bruce Banner/The Hulk: ..."Thanks."

Friday can't come quickly enough.

Kikita Loves Monkeys

Familia! It's Kikita here.

In case you didn't know, I love monkeys.
I also love movies.
So when the chance to see a movie about monkeys comes up, I'm SOOO there.

"The Lion King" is my favorite Disney movie and Rafiki is a huge reason for that.
"Aladdin" is one of my favorite Disney movies because of Abu.
Can you guess what my favorite part of "Tarzan" is? Yes, the "Trashin' the Camp" part (Of course, the fact that N'SYNC and Phil Collins sang it was a HUGE plus).
Before those came out, "The Jungle Book" was my favorite.

I love monkeys.
You get it.

When Mami got an invitation from Disney Nature to go see their new movie, "Chimpanzee," she knew exactly who to call.
She called before she even looked at the date and realized she would be out of town.
She called so that I could have time to clear whatever I had planned to go see it.

10 am on a Sunday in Hollywood?
No problem.

I shouldn't admit this, but anyone who knows me knows that I go to church on Saturday nights because 10 am on a Sunday is just too early to get to a church that's only 10 minutes away...
Does this mean I love monkeys more than I love Jesus? I hope not.

I digress.
I went to the movie.

I was in awe.

"Chimpanzee" is a documentary, but not your typical documentary. It was a story. But it was FULL of information. Even for my love of monkeys, I had no idea that chimpanzees were omnivores, did you?

It was truly an incredible story.
And FUNNY!

In fact, I was loving it so much that I found myself wondering, "Would it be wrong to name my first-born son "Oscar" after the little baby chimp who is the star of the film?" (No, I DO NOT have any children yet, I'm just planning ahead.)
I settled for buying a plush-monkey of Oscar instead, but I call him "Oscarito."

The movie is in theaters right now.
Do yourself and your kids a favor, go see it. 
If you don't have kids, then call a friend and go see it.
You won't be disappointed.
I promise.

And you just might learn a thing or two that you didn't know before. 

Blue Like Jazz - Love it or hate it?

A few years ago a book came out called, Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality. I both loved and hated it. Loved it for its honesty and beautiful storytelling. Hated it because as the story developed, it caused a glaring light to shine on the darkest parts of my soul. (Okay, that was probably a little bit of an intense over-share for me, but that's not important right now.)

If you mention this book in Christian circles, there is no neutral ground. The book is either loved or hated. I think, depending on the reaction, it probably tells more about the reader than about the content of the book.

But those that love it, love it with a passion. They recommend it. Often. They quote the author Donald Miller and follow his blog religiously. (No pun intended.)

We Christians often get a bad rap, and sometimes (but not always), I think we deserve it. I, personally have some tensions with the church, at least as it exists today. But not with God. This is where the rubber meets the road. The difference between following "the rules" in the Bible and having "a relationship" with the God of the Bible are light years apart.

Enter Blue Like Jazz, the Movie.

It's a testament to just how much fans love this story that the film was even made. From the IMDB:

The movie was made possible by the efforts of fans the refused to see the project die. A campaign on KickStarter was started after a September 16th blog post by Donald Miller that the project was dead due to the lack of backers. By the end of the funding period on October 25th, Save Blue Like Jazz had raised $345,992 (of the $125,000 goal or 276%) from 4495 backers. The earns the project a Hall of Fame ranking on KickStarter as the highest funded project ever.

When I heard that the movie had finally been made and was invited to a local screening, I was thrilled. Trying to explain to Lucy what it was about was more of a challenge.

"I think you'll love it," I told her, "Unless you hate it."

She agreed to attend the preview with me and some friends (who also love Donald Miller).

We were delighted to meet Donald, himself before the show.

When the movie was over, Lucy made a beeline for the two young actors, Marshall Allman, who plays the young Donald Miller in the film:

And Justin Welborn, who plays The Pope (favorite character, hands down):

After the powerful, hand-me-a-tissue ending, she insisted we get over to the bookstore and pick up a copy of Blue Like Jazz, because she had never read it and was intensely curious after seeing the film. I'm guessing she now falls into the "love it" category.

A very wise pastor once told me, "Sometimes God offends the mind to reveal the heart." And this is the power of the story in Blue Like Jazz. I would absolutely not categorize it as a Christian film, but more about a film that shines an intensely bright light to reveal what's in our hearts.

It also has a well earned PG-13 rating. If you have ever read the Bible itself, you'll know that it's not squeaky clean by any means. The rating was quite shocking and satisfying.

Blue Like Jazz opens in select theaters tomorrow, April 13th. Go see it.

You'll love it.

Or hate it.

My (Super) Hero

A few months ago, my son, Jonathan (16) breathlessly runs in.

"Mom, you've got to see this!" He then proceeds to show me the following movie trailer:

Explosions! People in peril! ! MARVEL SUPERHEROES ! ! (Win.Win.WIN!)

He knows (because I've told him repeatedly, as I have all four of my kids) that I was a nerdy comic-book-loving kid. That's right. Little known fun fact.

{WARNING: Over-sharing-Uber-nerd Alert!}

My dad used to take me to the local drugstore on weekends and let me pick out 3 or 4 comic books every week. It's how I learned to read in English. This probably flies in the face of all kinds of English as a second language research, but, whatever....

I would very carefully choose a variety of comic books, from the Harvey classics, like Richie Rich to the "teen" comedy, Archie (for the record, I was always very pro-Betty, but that's not important right now). I also really loved the action/adventure Marvel comics.

Thor was my favorite of the Avengers. Mostly because he said cool things like:  

"WE'LL NEVER BE BEATEN! FOR WE ARE...THE AVENGERS!"

(By the way, the only time you should EVER use the Comic Sans font is in a comic book. There. I said it.)

Back to the Avengers. And specifically to Thor. The Mighty Thor. I loved Thor. He had the hammer. The cool Viking vibe. When I was in high school we were The Mighty Vikings. It like one big cosmic Thor Love-fest.

In fact, when Adam was three, I dressed him as Thor for Halloween. I did. I swear. (Excuse me while I go dig up some proof.....)

Ta-da!

Hey! Superheroes come in all sizes (and my son has since forgiven me). But that's not important right now.

As I got older, my comic book consumption diminished, but my love of all things Marvel did not. In the late 70's, I religiously watched Bill Bixby/Dr. Bruce Banner turn into Lou Ferrigno/The Incredible Hulk . (Who didn't?)

So back to Jonathan and The Avengers Movie Trailer....

1. I am thrilled that my 16 year old and I have such awesome common ground.
2. We are out-of-our-skin excited to see the film. In theaters everywhere on May 4th.

Were doubly excited that the makers of LEGO are also aboard the Avengers-train. Embrace the awesomeness:

And so is Target. This is seriously the cutest ad ever. Watch. And love.

We are definitely going to be following the Awesomeness that is The Avengers on Facebook. And counting down to May 4th. (Thanks, Disney Pictures!)

I don't know about you, but in our family, nerdiness does not skip a generation.

So, any other uber-nerds out there? I know there are. Come on. Talk to me.