I would do anything for my children, this has been proven many times, starting with pregnancy and labour. More recently by watching a Batman movie. This wasn’t any old Batman movie, this was The Dark Knight Rises (DVD + UV Copy). Warner Brothers sent us a copy and at 12A it was infeasible that it would be suitable for Lil H at the grand old age of five and a half but I promised him I would watch it “please mummy just to check” – bless him!
Mr L couldn’t wait to view the movie so a date night in the living room with a bottle of red and Batman it was!
My verdict “Well, one minute in and I can’t believe its only a 12A and not an 18! Genuinely gripping action packed story, great twists & turns. It is one of those movies you are compelled to see to the end to find out how on earth its going to end. Fantastic cinematography and special effects. Honestly I didn’t expect to like it. I would never have chosen it. I loved it!”
Mr L says “An excellent movie, thoroughly enjoyed it. Not so sure a comic book should have progressed past the point of being suitable for children. Highly recommended viewing.”
Tired of vampires? Fed-up of Frankenstein’s Monsters? If you’re looking for some original, spooky Halloween ideas this year, then a great place to start is your movie collection. Halloween doesn’t necessarily mean horror movies either – there’s plenty of inspiration to be found in everything from adventures to comedies. To start you off, here is a list of classic films to watch, with some great ideas for costumes that can be created from scratch or purchased online.
Beetlejuice Darkly humorous and creepy in equal measure, this film tells the story of two ghosts that create a crazed bio-exorcist named Beetlejuice to drive out a family who have just moved into their home. The deranged title character played by Michael Keaton has an iconic look, with a black and white thick-striped suit and green ‘mad-professor’ hair – perfect for standing out at a party!
Ghostbusters Another classic ‘80s comedy with a supernatural twist, Ghostbusters tells the tale of a firm that specialises in…well, busting ghosts! The simple, beige overalls are surprisingly effective as a costume, however between this movie and its sequel, Ghostbusters II, there’s more than enough ghastly ghouls to give you inspiration too.
The Addams Family This film is based on the black-and-white series, which was in turn based on a series of magazine cartoons, and follows the ghoulish happenings in the house of a strange family of eccentrics whose lives are entwined with the macabre and supernatural. From the elegant Morticia to the strange Uncle Fester, the film contains a whole host of characters to dress up as.
Star Wars (Episodes IV-VI) An absolute goldmine of iconic costumes, the original trilogy of George Lucas’s timeless science fiction tale will leave you spoilt for choice in terms of inspiration. From the sinister Darth Vader to Luke Skywalker and his mentor Yoda, there’s a lot to choose from across the three films and some great ideas for themes too.
The Wizard of Oz The Wizard of Oz isn’t a spooky film, but it does feature the most iconic witch in celluloid history, as well as a good-sized collection of other characters including good witch Glinda, and the Tin Man, Lion and Scarecrow we all know so well. Emerald City is also a great party theme idea, with all-green clothes, food and decorations, and your own yellow brick road for guests to follow!
This weekend I watched the movie The Blind Side on DVD. I loved it.
It made me happy.
It made me sad.
I laughed.
I cried.
My hubby enjoyed it too. The Blind Side is a true story, extra blub inducing, about a boy who so easily could have become a gangland statistic who through the kindness of others gets a second shot at life. I saw why Sandra Bullock won an Oscar in 2010 for her performance here, I’ve never rated her before to be honest. Truly powerful performance and well deserved.
I don’t think I’d have picked it off the shelf for myself so thank you Warner Brothers for sending me the DVD. Have you seen The Blind Side? What did you think? I loved this movie what else would I enjoy? Leave me your thoughts in a comment! Claire x
I have discovered I love school holidays, it’s like a great big long weekend. I didn’t appreciate them enough before at had a child of school age now “I know”. I’ve blogged before about how much we enjoy our Friday movie night and during school holidays movie night isn’t just for Fridays. Warner Brothers sent us some great kids choices for the holidays including Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated Volume One and Two. Lil H has watched Scooby before on TV, I love the fact it’s something I remember from my own childhood. Not much has changed the mystery machine and the student quartet haven’t aged or changed over the last three decades and are still solving crimes and spooky goings on. Popcorn popped we enjoyed the DVD’s, I’ll let Lil’ H, 4years & 10months, tell you more:
Me: Do Your friends watch Scooby Doo?
H: Yes, lots, we all love it.
Me: What’s good about Scooby Doo?
H: That they set traps.
Me: Who’s your favourite character?
H: I like Shaggy … And Scooby … and Fred …. and Thelma … And Daphne. (No clear winner there then!)
Me: Do you think boys & girls will like Scooby Doo?
H: Yes boys will like it cos it has monsters and aliens and traps and girls will like it because it’s got girls in it. (Not sure girls are this easily pleased I’ll be honest but Diva G enjoys Scooby Doo too).
We do enjoy movies at Villa Lancaster and the good get watched over and over and over again. Friday night is movie night, we pop the popcorn, turn the lights down, curl up on the sofa in pyjamas and pop on a DVD.
Most of our family viewing to date, certainly the favourites, have been animated features, Toy Story, Cars, Up, Tangled etc. Over Christmas ET was on TV and my children, Lil H (who will turn 5yo in April) and Diva G (who turned 2yo last October) loved it. ET is an amazing film of course but it is also a film with actors and dialogue, a new genre of movie to consider for movie night.
Last week when we snuggled down with our popcorn to watch Dolphin Tale I was interested to see how H and G would be with another non-animated story. 108 minutes later and everyone was still on the sofa, having thoroughly enjoyed the heart warming and inspirational true story of Winter the dolphin who got a second chance at life. It’s just my sort of movie, one me, Mr L and the smalls all enjoyed, it has Harry Connick Jnr in too which is always pleasant viewing! I’d recommend having some tissues at the ready there’s some tear jerking moments and I cried! Lil H has been checking on Winter the dolphin on her webcam which is a nice continuation of the story bringing how real and true the story is. Dolphin Tale is available on all formats DVD, Blu-ray, 3D Blu-ray and digital download is out now.
We brought the movie on our weekend away and my 9yo twin god daughters are currently on their second viewing of Dolphin Tale. Dolphin Tale is our recommendation for Half Term movie watching. Thank you Warner Brothers for sending us a copy to review.
and 
are available on DVD from all the usual places.
