Tony and Snow: Natalie Wedding Trip

Tony was fascinated by snow falling from the sky.  He said he had never seen it snowing before.  Such is the life of a California boy.  However he had seen snow before, and even played in it.  He remembered having played in snow on a trip to Boise a couple years ago.  We had stopped and found a nice patch of snow, on our drive to Boise, and there had been snow at Sara's house he and Anthony used for making a snowman.
SO on the way home, just outside of Wells, at the base of the Ruby Mountains, the snow came up to the road, so we stopped for some quick play.  I had forgotten how cold snow is.  I made a quick snow man, and Tony made some snowballs to throw, mostly at my snowman.

Movie Time: ***^Battle for Terra

Battle for Terra is a 2007 computer animated movie.  The drawing are very similar to "Ants."  This movie bits the remainders of the human race vs the original inhabitants Terra.  At first they arrive in a large space ship as explorers, collecting some of the native inhabitants.  A group of small ships come collecting.  Mala seems them take her father, and tries to get them to also take her, but she is left, so she pursues a ship.  She is seen as being hostile and the ship begins shooting at her.  Using her knowledge of local terrain, she causes the ship to crash, but then rescues the pilot, Stanton.  She and the pilot form a relationship, as she nurses him back to health.
He takes her to the human ship, to inform the people of what the natives are like.  The humans are torn about how to proceed, with the military wanting to bully their way in.  The military effects a coup, determined that the only choice is war.
There is some logic to this.  The air of Terra is not suitable for humans.  It has to be changed, which would make the air not suitable for Terrians.  The humans have only a three month supply of oxygen, not enough to go elsewhere.  There is a tremendous battle as the humans employ a machine to change the air.  The air is almost changed, when Stanton realizes what exactly is happening.   He turns on the machine, blowing it and himself up.
 The movie ends, with a few of a domed city on Terra, where the humans are able to live, while also allowing the continued existence of the Terrians.  A win for diplomacy.  This won the Toronto Film Festival for animation.  I found it mildly entertaining, but Tony was drawn to it when I started watching, and watched it with me.

Tony's Last Week of School Activities

Tony's last week of school was more a fun week than anything else.  He did not have any homework all week.
Monday was bubbles day.  Sheri bought him a bubble machine to took to school.  Tony kept talking about the bubble machine he had a couple years ago.  He said they had a good time all day playing with bubbles all day.

Tuesday was picnic day.  Sheri packed him a lunch which included Missionary Delight.  This is one of his favorites, and he likes it cold or hot.  We had left overs from the night before.  He took Joey to school with him.

Joey is his most special stuffed friend.  This was also a special day because the took their first foray to the first grade playground.  Tony is really excited for next year and some monkey bars that are a bit more challenging.
Wednesday was movie day.  The movie was a surprise until the got to school.  They joined the other Kindergarten class for "Babe."  This is about the talking pig, who is also a sheep dog.  Joey went to school again this day.
Thursday was beach day.  Tony took a beach towel to lay out.  They also had colored chalk to use on the side walk. 

Friday was graduation day.  You can catch that on a previous blog.  Tony was able to come home early Friday, right after the graduation.
http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2013/05/calebs-graduation-sierra-high-school.html

Movie Night: ****Toby Tyler

Toby Tyler or Ten Weeks with a Circus 1960, Walt Disney.  This movie takes me back to my youth.  This is a classic that never grows old with age.  I recorded it off of BYUTV and finally took the time to watch it when I had a day home sick.  I find this movie fascinating from the boy who finagles himself into a couple more peanuts, until he becomes the circus performing star on the horses.  Toby is portrayed by Kevin Corcoran, who was a common Disney Movie actor.  I like the girl, Mademoiselle Jeanette, and had a crush on her as a child.  However I was too young for her as I was only three when this movie was made.  The relationships Toby has with the other members of the circus is what makes this movie work. His immediate boss tricks him out of money which is rightfully his, and doesn't deliver his letter to him from his aunt and uncle.  Mr Stubbs, the monkey, throws his money away he has been saving.  The strong man befriends him and takes him under his wing, and protects him from the abuse the concessionaire boss has used on other boys.  On of the clowns becomes a good friend, Ajax the horse performer is jealous of him and treats him poorly, and the other horse performer Jeanette is loveable as the trick horse rider.  I recommend this movie.  It is a feel good show.

Movie Night: **^Failure to Launch, **A Little Night Music, ***Avengers Next

Failure to Launch:  Miranda ordered this movie through Netflix DVD and I decided to give it a watch.  It is Paramount Pictures, 2006.  It is about a bachelor, Tripp, who lives at home, and would consider himself a lady’s man.  He would take his girlfriends home, to be discovered by his parents, and in that way he chases his girlfriends away when they are too close.  This is the classic romantic comedy with a few twists.  It stars Mathew McConaughey, Sarah Jessica Parker, Terry Bradshaw, Kathy Bates, and Zooey Deschanel (Bones’ sister.)  The plot goes that a marriage interventionist, Paula, whose job it is to have the main character fall in love with her, and thereby get him out of the house, and then she moves on.  Of course this movie ends how we expect, everything goes awry, and then comes back together.  In the meantime Tripp’s best friends, and Paula’s best friend, find themselves together.  This movie is entertaining and good for a romantic date, but not all that earth shattering.

A Little Night Music:  this is a 1977 movie version of the Stephen Sondheim Musical, which I got through DVD Netflix.  I got this to listen to some Sondheim music, and to hear the song “Send in the Clowns.”  Turns out those were the only things to recommend this movie.  It was a story of bad, irresponsible love, which in the end it says at least we get to fix our mistakes.  I don’t think “fixing your mistakes” really fixed the broken hearts and the pain the characters endured, because of illegitimate relations.  Elizabeth Taylor, singing “Send in the Clowns” could not save this show.

Avengers Next:  This is a movie Tony got for his birthday.  It is about the children of the Avengers, because the original Avengers were killed by robots.  The robots were built by Tony aka Ironman.  They then turned on the Avengers in an effort to make a perfect world.  Unfortunately Tony has also built robot replacements for the Avengers, and these are also taken over and turned to the robotic side of the equation.  The robots break into Tony’s base, and the young Avengers who Tony has been raising barely escape.  Instead of fleeing, they decide to attack the robot city and free Tony who has been captures.  They find a few other Avengers, who also help, including the strongest of them all.  (You’ll have to watch the movie to see who that is.)  I have watched this movie two or three times since my Tony’s birthday.  It is really pretty fun, and Tony loves the superhero animated movies.

To the Movies: ****Hugo

Tony and I visited the Marketplace Theater where all movies are three dollars.  Hugo 2011 is a movie directed by Martin Scorsese and with Ben Kingsley who of course is better known for playing Ghandi.  It features a couple young actors, Asa Butterfield and Chloe Grace Moretz, Huge ad Isabelle in the movie.  The story is very intriguing.  It never developed into the all powerful revelation I was expecting, but was surprising in the revelations and conclusions it did make.  The show is more about relationships of the boy with those around hi.  He is living in a train station watching the clocks.  This is in fact his Uncle's job, who took him in when his father died.  However his uncle has disappeared.  There is an inspector who likes to grab kids and send them to orphanages.  The boy's father left him and automotron, which together they were trying to repair.  An automotron is essentially a wind up robot.  Tony liked the robot, even though he only moves and works properly once.  This once is enough however to provide the clue that leads to the adventure for Isabelle and Hugo, and in the end changes everyone's life.  This is a feel good movie, which has a happy ending for everyone, even the inspector.  I enjoyed myself, as did Tony.

Life in Manteca: 10; At the Movies and Movie NIghts:***^" Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules"

This week I am dedicating myself to movie reviews.  Sheri and the kids have all been gone, all week.  It is getting old, but I am persevering.  Tonight Ty and I went to the movie.  I thankful I went t the funny rather than the action adventure as Ty suggested.  "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules" was really very good.  At times I was laughing so hard my eyes were watering.  I watched the first movie, but don't remember it being as entertaining.   http://billywardlefamily.blogspot.com/2010/06/movie-review-diary-of-whimpu-kid.html  I previously wrote a review of the first movie.
This movie allowed further development of the characters, and of the relationship between the brothers.  It is almost a coming of age, which is hard for seventh grade.  It also presents the parents and develops their characters as well.  I like the ending much better than the first movie.  The magic show was truly magical.  It had me laughing. 

This movie is currently at the $3 theater and I would encourage people to see it before it is gong.  It was fun.

I have also been watching movies on satellite, with everyone gone, and here are a few reviews.  **^"Alice in Wonderland" is very strange.  I am still trying to decide if I like the way they did it.  It is so different than what I was expecting.  I do not like either of the queens.  They are just too much.  Anne Hathaway keeps her wrists in such a feminine position it quickly becomes old.  However Alice, is a much more enjoyable character as she is the one who grows through the movie.  The creatures and animals are fun.  I like caterpillar and his wisdom, as well as the Mad Hatter. 
**^"Salt" is an action spy movie with Angela Jolie.  I must admit, I wanted to dislike it because of the whole Jolie/Penn thing.  I don't want to like her.  However I must admit the movie was entertaining.  Jolie looks like she could kick my butt.  The plot was also very intriguing.  The question throughout is whether Salt is on the good side or the bad. 
The last movie is **^"Did you Hear What Happened to the Morgans?" with Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker.  The critics did not like this movie.  It is about two socialite New Yorkers being placed in Western Wyoming.  It is a classic fish out of water type story with a marriage relationship problem on top of that.  I enjoyed this movie.  The characters were a bit stereotypical, but I didn't care.  It was fun all the same. 

The biggest winner though is the movie about a seventh grader, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  It really is funny, and it isn't potty humor, although the pooping bird is nice .  It is much better than the first.

At the Movies: **^ Yogi Bear

I took Tony to see Yogi bear.  It is fun to sit by him and her him laugh.  He laughed most for the "Roadrunner" cartoon which they showed before the movie.  He tloved seeing the coyote's failures, and get smashed by rocks and trains and such things.

Yogi Bear was fun as well.  It pit the ranger and Yogi Bear and Boo Boo against the mayor and the logging company.  After Yogi ruins everything with his water skiing accident which accidentally sets fire to the fireworks display, he saves the day in the end.  The frog-mouthed turtle was a best friend of Tony, and Tony was rooting for him to be OK.  However, other than the antics of Yogi and Boo Boo, this movie was fairly predictable in its good guy environmentalist, bad guy logger theme.