My Week with Winnie

My two weeks as a lone soldier have come and gone. In 14 days I was able to take in 13 movies…not too shabby!

That did include a second viewing of Harry Potter, this time in IMAX. Let me say, it was worth it. The Harry Potter saga was drawn to a worthy conclusion and it was absolutely spectacular on the H-U-G-E screen. The battle at Hogwarts was good the first time and it was great the second go around, with a more leisurely watching to take in all the nuance.

My 13 flicks also included two versions of Captain America: The First Avenger…on Friday night with The Kid and his lovely bride (who, by the way, needs a worthy nickname! “The Bride” perhaps?). we saw Cap in vivid 2-D and I was compelled to check it out again in 3-D. I for one am a 3-D apologist. Yes, I know it dulls the brightness a tinge, but the added depth of field control gives so much texture to the film.

I hope that 3-D is here to stay!

Perhaps the most interesting of the films I saw was Winnie the Pooh.

I don’t know if it was the nostalgia of seeing ol’ Pooh on the big screen or if it was the wholly competent animation and effective storytelling, but this movie just got me.

What a great soundtrack/score throughout with some wonderful and surprising tunes from Zooey Deschanel! The original songs in general were great and the voice cast was spot on for the Pooh-crew, exactly as I remember them. Jim Cummings voiced Tigger and Pooh, and while he wasn’t the Pooh from back in my day, this guy has quite the resume. The only recognizable voice among them is Craig Ferguson as Owl.

Usually, plot is of no consequence in a film of this nature. This is a well told story that is both touching and funny. For starters, Eeyore has lost his tail and all of the gang sets out to find him a replacement. While they are all out looking, Pooh head’s over to Christopher Robin’s and discovers a note: “Back Soon, CR.”

When Pooh brings the note to Owls, he sets the group in a panic…the “BACK-SON” has abducted CR! Chaos ensues...

The movie is short, as a young children’s feature should be, at 63 minutes. Fear not, though, for your hard earned movie dollar. There is a great short before the feature, “The Ballad of Nessie,” an animated film telling the origin story for the Loch Ness Monster. Now in and of itself it was cute, but narrated by Billy Connolly, it was sublime.

Take a trip down memory lane…check out the Pooh and crew! 5 of 5 Horns

Cowboys and Aliens and Crazy, Stupid, Love are both in my sights for this weekend. Any thoughts on either?

Have a great movie going weekend! Perhaps I’ll post more later…

Reel Rhino