Movie Reviews by David

With three little ones, we don't get to the theatre often.  That is why we are loyal Red Box devotees.  The past three or four months have seen us catching up on many movies.  Here is what I (David) thought about them, with just some brief comments.  Elizabeth may think otherwise, but I'll let her chime in should she like to (and yes, it still would be great to see my much better half contribute more to the blog!  Let her know you agree with me...perhaps she'll succumb to peer pressure!)

MUST SEE

Toy Story 3: The girls and I just finally saw this yesterday and all I can say is WOW.  It is one of the best family films I've ever seen.  The story, the humor, the sentimental aspects, and the Disney brilliance combine to make it a MUST BUY. 

Invinctus: Amazing story about Nelson Mandela and the South Africa's soccer team.  Well told and inspiring, although it had a hard time deciding if it was a biopic or a sports movie. 

The Blind Side: Perhaps the best movie we've seen in years.  Such a moving, tear-jerking movie.  Sandra Bullock is outstanding.  Best part: it's a true story!  We bought it earlier this year. 

Love Happens: Really poignant story about a husband who lost his wife and has been crusading to help others cope with their losses.  Aaron Eckhart (BYU alumnus) and Jennifer Aniston (not a BYU alum) have great chemistry. 

Prince of Persia: Yes, I'm as surprised as you are to have this listed as a must see.  It was MUCH better than I expected it to be.  Very entertaining in a National Treasure-esque way. 
The Ghost Writer: Very suspenseful, thought-provoking flick.  Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan. 

WORTH THE TIME (or at least somewhat worth the time)

Karate Kid: It's sacrilegeous to take one of my childhood's classics and redo it.  It was okay.  I kept wondering throughout if the kid was actually going to win :). 
How to Train Your Dragon: Nothing to write home about, but the girls enjoyed seeing it in the theatre. 
Iron Man 2: Another entertaining movie.  Not as good as the first and tried to jam a bit too much into it. 
When in Rome: We didn't know much about this and it was quite enjoyable romantic comedy.
The Lovely Bones: Eerie, ethereal, and scary.  Directed by Peter Jackson, who directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, it details a girl's experience in limbo after she is murdered.  As a father to daughters, it was hard to watch. 
Killers: Some funny parts with Kyle KorverAshton Kutcher.  Pretty witty. 
Date Night: Steve Carrell and Tina Fey...should've been better. 
Back-up Plan: Thoroughly predictable.  Jennifer Lopez is downright overrated and suffers from Meg Ryanitis (plays essentially the same personalities and characters in all her films).
Clash of the Titans: I really enjoyed this, but mostly because my brothers and I grew up on the original 1980s version.  Good action scenes. 
Letters to Juliet: Nice romantic story with some beautiful scenery. 
Bounty Hunter: More predictability. 
Leap Year: More predictability (yes, I copied and pasted this).  All these films here are at least worth seeing once. 
Avatar: Graphically breath-taking.  The special effects are spectacular, but the story and acting are weak (much like Independence Day).  Ferngully on steroids.  We saw it on the IMAX screens at Thanksgiving Point.  Pretty neat
Sherlock Holmes: Should have been much better than it ended up being.  Long.  Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor, though. 
The Young Victoria: I enjoyed the parts I saw (fell asleep).  Wouldn't mind giving it another try. 
Did You Hear About the Morgans?: Didn't expect as much, so were pleasantly pleased.  We are Hugh Grant fans, but not so much for Sarah Jessica Parker. 
Everybody's Fine: mediocre at best. 
The Last Song: Better than usual for Nicholas Sparks (refer Dear John below).  Hate Miley Cyrus, but the rest of the cast was pretty good, especially Greg Kinnear.
Robin Hood: Super long.  Don't watch it expecting to hear the same Robin Hood story the recent iterations have portrayed.  More along the lines of the literary version. 

AVOID AT ALL COSTS

Dear John: Pointless Nicholas Sparks drivel with the same plotlines.  Girl meets boy.  They fall in love with each other.  Enter conflict in the form of a tragedy.  Sloppy, rushed ending.  Horrendous overacting. 

Valentine's Day: Too many story lines and none of them likable.  Too many stars. 

Orson Welles and Me: Artsy, artsy, artsy = blah. 

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Not worth the $1.

Time Traveler's Wife: Hard to follow and hard to swallow.

There you have it.  Feel free to add your thoughts on these or other movies you've seen. 

A Whole New World

Stockton is enjoying his brand new perspective...facing forward in his car seat.  He has been happy as a lark since we've made the switch!

The Things These Girls Say!

Kadence: "Daddy, I'm going to go get married."
David: "Who are you marrying Princess?"
Kadence: "I don't know...I haven't met him yet."

(guess this eliminates the boys in the ward!)

Tayah, during our family scripture study: "What are wickinies?" (inquities?)

Trip to Pocatello

We may a quick, one-day trip up to Pocatello for our niece Olivia's baptism. Congratulations Olivia and thanks Marc and Marie for having us, albeit for a brief visit! Here are some photos of the occasion:



The Family Shot

Those who participated in Olivia's confirmation

The Johnsons' neighbors threw a big birthday party for their son and we joined in on the fun.  Here are the girls jumping in the bounce house (a first at a baptism for us!).

Stockton got in on the fun too!  He wasn't too sure...

Granny became Stockton's favorite...and not just because of the ice cream and cake :)!

The girls holding one of their newest cousins, Alyssa.

Just a cute shot of our cute baby!

Of One Heart: I wish I could bake them some brownies | Mormon Times

Of One Heart: I wish I could bake them some brownies Mormon Times

Here is a blog entry of a colleague, as LDS Philanthropies has the opportunity of contributing regular blogs for the Mormon Times. Many people ask me what I do at work. Well, this gives a little insight into this, as well as why I love it so much!

Utah Jazz Blog Post: Internal Improvements

http://www.addthis.com/bookmark.php?v=250&username=xa-4c2122dc38f27d51

Stockton's Birthday Celebration

Here are some photos from Stockton's big day.  As you can see from this first photo, he was more interested in Mommy and Daddy than his presents.  This will end next year!  As you can see...

...he eventually settled down.  This was a special gift his big sisters chose for him. 

Here is the wonderful birthday cake Elizabeth conjured up for him.  Love it, as did our little man.  He does indeed enjoy "playing" with a basketball.  To reiterate, he was NOT named after another basketball player!

Some basketball cupcakes.  Can't have too much of a good thing. 

The carnage begins!

Love this face!

And so do his sisters!

Be Strong and of a Good Courage

I think blogs are great places to share many things about ourselves, including what we believe.  One thing we believe strongly is that the Gospel of Jesus Christ helps us "be strong and of a good courage," or in other words, it allows us to be able to make good choices.  When we are doing what is right, what Heavenly Father wants us to do, we are guided in the decisions we make and the paths we take.  This is a musical presentation shared with the youth (ages 12-18) of our church, young men and women we have faith in because of their goodness.  Many talk about the problems and ills that affect the young people in our world and those are indeed real.  That is why our youth need to strong in the face of trials and temptations and they can with help from above.  We all can.  This song inspired us and it shows how we are grateful for the youth who truly are "strong."  Just click on the link above and you'll see why!

Happy First Birthday Stockton!

To our sweet, little baby boy...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Stockton!  We are so very grateful to have you in our family, home, and lives.  You bring us such joy with your bright smiles, your fun noises, the snuggles, and the laughs.  We really don't know what we'd do without you Stockton.  We love you more than you will ever know...

Daddy, Mommy, Kadence, and Tayah

September Highlights!

From our September 2010 Nuts and Bolts entry...a little look into what we did last month, some of which was chronicled in this very blog!

• Kadence started pre-school! She attends three times a week and is taught by a wonderful teacher and friend in our ward. She loves going with her best friends and is learning a lot. She comes home each time with some fun projects, pictures and crafts.

• Tayah also started a neighborhood pre-school too and is loving it. They get together once a week, with Elizabeth teaching every third week.

• After three amazing years, Elizabeth was released as Laurels advisor. She loved the calling and misses it, especially the young women and leaders with whom she served. Before that, she helped plan a combine YW/Relief Society activity and went with the Laurels to the Latin Amercian festival in Provo.

• She was called, however, to serve as a ward missionary and excited for the opportunity.

• We enjoyed a fun day with my mother at This is the Place Heritage Park. The girls enjoy this yearly tradition.

• We went to the temple for a sealing assignment.

• Elizabeth and I also went to a Jon Schmidt concert at Thanksgiving Point. Incredible musician in a beautiful setting.

• We spent a day at the Utah State Fair, another annual event for our family.

• Ditto for Swiss Days in Midway.

• And ditto again (redundant?) for the Hogle Zoo. The kids all loved the animals and Stockton was extremely entertained.

• We enjoyed the annual pear-picking at Grandpa and Grandma Smith’s!

• I took the girls each on their Daddy/daughter dates—Dairy Queen for Tayah and Wendy’s for Kadence, their choice. Better enjoy the simple dates now!

• We had a busy stake conference weekend. It started with the Stake High Priests social—a luau with entertainment. We had visiting General Authorities, Elder Craig Christensen and Elder Lund who conducted a Priesthood leadership meeting and then, before the regional broadcast, split our stake. Created six years ago, we went from 3,000 to 6,500 members and 14 units. It did not change the dynamics or make-up of our ward, but we were excited for the growth in our area!

• I took a pair of business trips to Ogden and to Rexburg.

• We were able to present a bishopric fireside for our youth about education. We first toured the Educating Zion exhibit at BYU.

• Darrell, Danny, and I took our father out for a belated Father’s Day outing, dinner and Avatar 3D.

• BYU won once and lost three times. Ouch.

• On a brighter note, the Jazz opened up camp. I love writing blogs for the Utah Jazz website. Feel free to read them at www.utahjazz360.com.

• We had a stake emergency preparation test, with our house as the headquarters.

• Elizabeth and I are still members of the No Cavity Club.

• Stockton continues to astound with his amazing adorableness. He is much more mobile and gets around quickly, including a few unattended jaunts up the stairs (hasn’t ever fallen down). He is very patient with his sisters’ doting. Sweet, sweet boy!

• Tayah continues her potty success and we couldn’t be happier!

• It seems like this month flew by and that we were busy each and every day. That is the absolute best way to live life…