Are you Ready for this? TV of the Day: Breaking Bad

As I was going through my post i realized I have yet to talk about any of the vast array of television I watch.  This is my first TV post.  We're really kind of in between seasons right now and really I haven't watched too much 'NEW' TV since April or May when all the series had their finales.  So I've been re-watching my favorites or I started watching Downton Abbey... which i absolutely love or all the TV shows on Netflix or Hulu while i wait quite impatiently, I might add, for all my Favorite TV to once again start up with new Seasons.  All I can say, is I sincerely hope it's not Daryl that dies in the walking dead.  They'll have a bunch of really angry people on their hands, I'll tell you what.
In the meantime... i went back and over the last two weeks I did a Breaking Bad marathon.
Breaking Bad was so well done and so well acted and I totally regret not watching it while it was on live TV so I could enjoy 'Talking Bad"... just like i enjoy "Talking Dead".

True... Breaking Bad has a totally terrible subject.  Meth.  I hate drugs and it is one of the worst plagues in modern day.  It destroys so many lives.  Breaking Bad doesn't sugar coat that fact it all.  There are overdoses and it shows how terrible addiction can be.
It takes a totally relatable and everyday guy, Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and literally by the end of the series he is the devil.  Total transformation.
He starts out as a hard working Chemistry Teacher, devoted to his family.  When he is diagnosed with Lung cancer he decides he needs to discover a way to provide for his family after he is gone.
His brother in law, Hank (Dean Norris) sparks the idea in Walt when he takes him with him to work one day.  Hank, by the way, is a Drug Enforcement Agent DEA. Walt Witnesses a drug bust and the stacks of cash confescated by the police.
He is an excellent Chemist and cooking Meth would be a piece of cake.  He recruits a former student of his, Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul) to help him distribute his superior Meth.
Over taken with greed and the excitement this alterior life provides Walt becomes addicted to cooking Meth and the danger that his secret life provides.  His arrogance and pride ultimately become his downfall.

So bad... and so good all at the same time.

This was an excellent television show and I know that Bryan Cranston won several, well deserved Emmy's for his performance.

My thoughts.... watch it.  watch it.  watch it!

Movie of the Day: Jack the Bear

This is a pretty old movie.   It was released in 1993.  Wow!  That's over 23 years ago!  But I think it's a virtually unknown movie.
John Leary (Danny Devito), plays a single father trying to raise his two sons, Jack (Robert J Steinmiller Jr) and Dylan  (Miko Hughes).  The movie is told from Jack's perspective and is kind of A coming of age story.  John Leary is the host for the midnight horror films on a local television channel.  Really, he's just a big kid which leaves Jack to handle a lot of responsibility, such as taking care of his 3 year old brother.
There is a creepy guy in every neighborhood in America.  In Jack's neighborhood the creep is played by Gary Sinise and is known as Norman the Zombie.  After a few petty pranks the kids of the neighbor hood perpetrate against Norman, Dylan turns up missing with Norman as the main suspect.

The cast also includes Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Reese Whitherspoon.

Was the acting oscar caliber?  No.  Was it the tightest script ever written?  No.  But it was plenty emotional and honest and sweet.

The IMDB only gives it a 6.5
Rotten Tomatoes gave it 29% critic rating and 59% audience rating.
I give it a 2 out of 3 stars and a very big WATCH IT.

Book of the Day: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Okay, obviously I'm not really going through an entire book, an entire NEW movie and the latest TV shows and a Broadway type show, or live theater all in one day.  Nobody could possibly do that.  At least not with the most current films and books and TV shows out there.  And as far as the live theater or plays go... I make it to one of those maybe once or sometimes, on a rare occasion two times a month.    But I would like to post on both of my blogs at least every other day, and on the weekends when I have a bit more time. every day.

Long story short -- sometimes I will talk about old favorites.  I will usually be talking about the books we do in book club but when I have no new books to talk about. I'm going to talk about the books that have given me so much enjoyment and comfort over the years.  Alot of my favorite books are either children's books or young adult books.

One of my very favorite series of all time is Harry Potter.  I didn't get into the Harry Potter craze until the release of the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  I will not deny that Harry Potter was a level above anything else I had ever invested myself in.  It truly was magical.

Over the years my family and my friends kind of tease and taunt me a bit about my obsession with Harry Potter.  I have a huge collection of Harry Potter memorabelia.  I have a replica of the Mirror of Erisad.  I have scarfs and a Sorting hat.  I have figurines.  My brother, bought my a set of those little Russian Dolls with Harry Potter characters on them.  Ironically the tiniest little doll is Hagrid.  LOL.  I have dishes and wands and a clock and yes, I was one of those nutters that showed up at the book stores the night of each book release and waited for hours and hours for the next installment in the series.  There was a comradery and excitement that just can't be denied and that I don't know if I'll ever experience again.

So when the announcement came that they were going to release an 8th Harry Potter book I was ecstatic.  Then I heard it was merely the stage play script.

And then I started hearing other things... dissapointment being expressed.  Even... bad reviews.  But this was JK Rowling writing about Harry Potter.  How could that even be possible?  So I was not disuaded.  I purchased my own copy of Harry Potter and the cursed Child and delved right in.

With previous Harry Potter books I was riveted to my cozy bed with my nose in the book for hours and hours.  I lived on Harry Potter until the book was finished.  Like a zombie i would make my way to the restroom periodically or I would head to the kitchen for a simple and quick meal and then back to my Harry Potter world.

With Harry Potter and the Cursed Child... not so much, sadly.  The 'Play' format was difficult to follow for me.  The vivid descriptions that I was accustomed to from the novels that were like pictures in my mind... were gone.

And then the concept and the idea of the plot was so... opposite of everything else it was just... almost offensive.  I mean it would be different if Voldemort levels of evil were at play but this was Harry Potter's son... and as much as i despised Draco Malfoy, we all know he wasn't really evil either.
It was just kind of... different.

It took  me two weeks to get through the book and I would read a few pages here or there when i had time... but I didn't MAKE time to read it.

All of that being said... I would love to see the play and see it brought to life and it might be better than just reading the screen play.  When the scenery and the interpretations and the magic is brought to life it will probably be different.  With all the blanks filled it... the scenery and the pictures and all the descriptions from the books that is lacking in just the words of the screen play...

It's worth reading... just maybe not worth buying.  If anybody wants to read it, I'll lend you my copy.

Broadway of the Day: Arsenic and Old Lace

At the Terrace Plaza Playhouse in Ogden Utah they are currently showing the hilarious classic, Arsenic and Old Lace.
To elderly sisters rent out the extra bedrooms in their house to single gentlemen.
They have three nephews,  Teddy, Mortimer, and Jonathon.  Teddy lives with them and he genuinely believes that he is President Teddy Roosevelt.
Mortimer visits his aunts regularly as his fiance lives just across the cemetery from them.  Yes, that is correct.  There is a cemetery between them.  He also is a theater critic.
They don't really talk about Jonathon.
By a fluke Mortimer discovers a body in the window chair in his Aunt's house.  He presumes that his eccentric and crazy brother, the one that believes he is President Roosevelt, has finally crossed a dark and unforgivable line.  However, when he confronts his aunts they admit openly that the body is of their doing and that they have poisoned him with Arsenic.  They also admit they have done away with 12 "gentlemen".  Mortimer is horrified and wracks his brain trying to devise a plan to protect his aunts.
Things are complicated further when their evil brother, Jonathon shows up with a body of his own.  That's when the comedy really begins.

This is a twisted, psycho, hilariously funny little play.  I was torn between shaking my head because the whole concept is just so wrong and LMAO.  Oh my gosh!  Seriously, I was rolling on the floor laughing.

For a little amateur theater the Terrace Plaza Playhouse always does an exceptional Job!

Arsenic and Old Lace will be playing until September 17, 2016.

SEE IT!!!!!

Movie of the day: Don't Breathe

Rocky (Jane Levy), Alex (Dylan Minnette), and Money (Daniel Zovatto), are petty thieves.  They break into houses and rob them but they are careful.  I kind of got the impression that Alex's dad is a cop or law enforcement of some sort.  His rule is they  never steal money.  

Rocky and Money are determined to get enough to leave their unhappy lives in Chicago and go to California.  When Money announced he has the solution for them Alex makes it clear he is not up for it.  A veteran's daughter was killed in a car accident and the family settled for over 300,000 dollars.  Money is desperate to get Rocky away from Chicago and he begs Alex to help them.

They are all a little hesitant when they find out their victim is blind.  But it's a easy job and Money and Rocky, at least, are determined to find the stash and leave town.

The blind man (Stephen Lang) is no pushover though and he fights back with a vengeance.  

I won't spoil everything.  So I'm not going to talk any more about the plot.  

What I liked about it:  This is a horror movie and there are plenty of moments of sheer suspense.  A blind man trying to defend his home from intruders and since he can't see he uses all of his other senses, but mostly hearing to ferret out the thieves.  There were a few moments when I felt I couldn't breathe.  It's so quiet and eerie I found myself holding my breath too.  As far as that goes it's pretty good.  

I like that the characters are all human.  That is, there is no supreme evil and there is no supreme good.  It's kind of a change that there is no true victim and there are no true heroes.  The fact of the matter is three people break into a man's home and he has every right to defend himself.  Too bad he's a bit psycho and extreme.  But unlike a lot of horror movies where the psycho has very little to NO reason for their unscrupulous acts of violence... there was a somewhat logical reason behind everything that is happening in this movie.  The extreme that things are taken I don't understand but there is purpose.  And in horror movies... that's pretty rare.

Things i didn't like:  Complicated... confused me.  The reason I liked it so much is the same reason i didn't like it.  There were no true heroes.  There were no innocent victims.  I had no sympathy or empathy for any of the characters.  The blind guy totally had justification in defending himself against thieves, no matter their noble motivation.  However, like I said... the guy was also psycho in his own right and he took his retaliation to such an extreme that I couldn't relate to him either.  And part of me was cheering on the Thieves.

The swearing was on the extreme side although it does lessen up a bit after about half an hour or so into the movie.

Extreme violence.  The blind man has psycho mad skills... and he's not nice.

There wasn't a lot of sex in this movie, another division from the normal horror movie.  However, towards the end of the movie there is some disturbing stuff.  Without actually doing the deed there is some intense stuff going on.  

The IMDB gave it 8.0

Rotten Tomatoes:  86% both critic and audience ratings.

I give it a 2.5 out of 3 stars.  

It worth giving a watch.                                              

Broadway Show: La Cage Aux Folles

We all tend to get embarrassed by family.  Some times the things our parents do are beyond humiliating.  I remember being embarrassed by my own parent's as a teenager.  My mom running around with pink and turquoise blue curler's in her hair and she had an extra loud voice.  And I was a normal, extra sensitive teenager.                                              Imagine that your fiance's father is an ultra conservative well known for his political views regarding transgender people and gay people.  Now imagine that you have fallen deeply in love with a beautiful, lovely young lady and she wants you to introduce her and her ultra conservative mother and father to meet your parents.  

Problem.  Your parents are gay and you mother is a man that prefers to dress as and behaves as a woman.  Sounds like trouble.  So Jean-Michael (Daniel Pack) goes to his parents and tells his father, Georges (Caleb Perry), no, he begs his father to call his biological mother and that Albino (Cameron Kapetenov) the woman/man who has raised him as her/his own must make herself/himself scarce for one night.  Just this one night!  Imagine what Anne, Jean-Michael's fiance will think?

Bigotry and hate shouldn't be accepted on any level for any reason.  Who are we to judge?  Who determines what is right and what is wrong in this world?   The social pressures now-a-days are strong and very real.  We all have our opinion on morality but it should be kept in mind, whoever you are whatever you believe, that it is not our place to judge.  Tolerance, love and a little understanding go a long, long way.

Jean-Michael takes down all of the decorations in his parent's house and begs them to 'tone it down' to appease his fiance's father.  And his parent's, because they love him so much oblige.  They adorn suits and ties and do away with their regular flamboyant garb in an attempt to please their son.

Again, I must talk about my mom for a minute.  I remember a few instances in school where I forgot my lunch or a homework project or something little and I would call her and ask her if she would bring it to me.  It was clear she wasn't happy about it... but she never failed to say she would do it.  And she would come marching down the halls of my school with whatever I had asked her to bring to me and rather than being thankful and adoring I would run up to her snatch the thing away from her and usher her away because I was so embarrassed by her.  My friends though would tell me  how lucky I was that my parents loved me so much.  Back then I couldn't comprehend it.  Doesn't every parent in the world just drop what their doing automatically to fill their child's every desire?  To bail them out and clean up whatever mess they've gotten themselves in to?  Isn't that how life works?

Yeah.

Eventually Jean-Michael realizes the error of his ways.  Recognizes how much his parents love him and have sacrificed for him and he apologizes for asking them to pretend to be something they are not.

La Cage Aux Folles is playing at the Ziegfeld Theater for a limited time.  Below is the link for the official press release.  And also the link to the Ziegfeld Theater

http://www.theziegfeldtheater.com/

http://www.theziegfeldtheater.com/la-cage-press-release

See this hilarious, beautiful, heart warming show before it is gone!!!  It was just amazing!!!!

Movie of the Day: Florence Foster Jenkins

Oh, the Power of Music.  Most of us love it.  It can influence your mood.  A slow, ominous or haunting melody to a fast and exciting tribute that can get your heart pumping!  There is no denying music.  Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) is a woman who love music and show business.  She is a wealthy heiress of a fortune let to her by her father.  She is a socialite and she lives to entertain!  It is her joy and her happiness.  Problem.  She's really, really, really bad at it.  Her charming and devoted husband (Hugh Grant) bribes news papers and spends a fortune trying to protect his wife's delusional dream.  She just wants to act and sing and spread her joy.  They hire a young man (Simon Helberg) to give Florence Voice lessons.  He is horrified but the phenomenal money he is offered is too hard to resist although he leaves the first lesson with Florence laughing because his pupil is just such an awful singer.
St. Clair Bayfield clearly loves and is devoted to his wife, but because she has cephalus they cannot be intimate so he has his honey on the side.  I verge between admiring the man and thinking he's a slimy dog.
While he's away on one of his excursions Florence arranges to put on a concert for the soldiers fighting in the war.  She books Carnegie Hall and her performance there has become legendary,  It is based on a true story.

I thoroughly enjoyed this move.  I had the same reaction I'm sure the people that witnessed the real Florence Foster Jenkins felt... I was embarassed for her, mortified by her, and mesmerized by her.  She was truly such a bad, off key, loud, horrific singer that it should be illegal...  and yet she had the courage and the fortitude to follow her dreams.  She was an inspiration!

The IMDB gave this move a 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes 87% critic rating and 77% audience ratings
My rating:  Watch it!

Book of the Day: The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer

Every month I meet with an amazing group of people, my friends.  We are involved in a book club and every month we read both a non-fiction book and a fictional story.  I cannot express in words how much this comradery means to me.  And I totally love the fact that we do both a fictional story and non-fictional story.  Never before in my life had a been the least bit interested in non-fictional stories.  To me that was just too close to studying and I'm through with school.  I want enjoyment and make-believe in my entertainment and during my free time.  But through our book club my horizons have been expanded and I find myself enjoying the Non-fiction ever bit as much as the Fiction, if not, at times, even more.
This month we decided to read The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer, you know, that comedian from Saturday Night Live, I guess.
I usually commit myself to the books we choose during book club and I'll be honest... we've chosen some really... long and interesting... yeah, I'll go with interesting... books.  Subjects so far removed from what I normally like to read that I had  never even heard of them.
I'm a pretty... prudish... person.  I don't mean to be and I have loosened up a heck of a lot in the last few years but there are still subjects that make my nose wrinkle and that I'm like... uh... why?  i don't understand why anybody would want to expose themselves to 8 to 10 hours of vulgar, graphic, obscene... ick!  There's been a few books that... because we were doing it for book club... I listened to the book.  The entire thing with disgust and unhappiness but by gosh i was going to finish!
There have only been two books that I could not finish... well technically three books.  The first one was Mark Twain's Autobiography.  This was such a monster volume that it was broken into 2 seperate books and one of the books was 26 hours and the other one was 24 hours,  It was so dry and written in such a confusing way I think I hold the record within our group by listening for 5 or 6 hours and it was agony..  Nobody else even made it close to listening that long.
Most of us didn't make it through Monuments men... but i did.  Most of us struggled with The Embrace because the reader was so awful but i made it through...
I struggled a lot with the Jenny Lawson books because she's pretty... descriptive and vulgar too and while I found it mostly distasteful there were parts that I laughed and enjoyed.  And I forced myself to listen to them.  And I did find myself laughing and being able to overlook some of the totally unnecessary and offensive subjects she totally goes off about.  I'm sorry but referencing the word vagina in a book... is that really necessary?

Sigh.

I did not make it through the Amy Schumer book.  I was revolted and put off by Jenny Lawson's books for the reason I stated above. and I really, really struggled to get through them.  I stopped listening to the Amy Schumer book after about five minutes into the first chapter when she devotes the entire thing, in letter form, TO her vagina and she talks about all the adventures they've been on together and all the good times and all the men and I was thinking.... this just makes you a slut and whore and its not really something to brag about and I couldn't get past it.

Different Strokes for different folks.  She's a world known celebrity and obviously a lot of people find her funny and entertaining.

I couldn't get past the swearing or the filth and smut of what she was writing about and if you want my opinion... the amusement that society finds in the degradation and mocking of things that should be private... if not out and out sacred... things that should be beautiful and treasured rather than used as a tool to shock or the irreverent and frivolous attitude,,. it's part of the reason the world is in the state that it is.

This is not humor.  It's not funny.

I was never a huge Amy Schumer fan anyhow but any kind of respect I might have had for her... is gone.  The few minutes of this book I FORCED myself to listen to put a bad taste in my mouth.  For decencies sake:  Pass,

Book of the Day: The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly

Jurassic Park, but with dragons.

China has built a new zoo and they are seeking experts to give their endorsement of this fascinating new exibit.  (sound familiar?)

CJ is a reptile expert and she's a little bit baffled why they have sought her opinion.  until they arrive in China and discover that the Great Zoo is stocked with hundreds of real live dinosaurs... i mean... Dragons.  It's dragons.

The head hanchos take the group of experts on a fascinating and intriguing tour and talk about all the safety measures they have taken to ensure that nothing can go wrong.  (spared no expense, right?)

until of course everything goes wrong.  The safety measures (some kind of electronic pulse or force field kind of idea) is useless because the dragons have figured it out and clawed out their own ears so that the shields are useless against them.

They even talk about Jurassic Park in the book but mentioning the idea you copied doesn't make it less of a copy.

The body count was a lot higher.  It was definitely a lot more graphic.  Heads being continually bitten off or people being torn in two... it has it's element of excitement and intrigue for sure.

but the fact of the matter is... it's Jurassic Park with dragons.  And I had a really, really hard time getting past that.

My rating -  Eh.  I'd pass.

Movie of the Day: War Dogs

A struggling massage therapist, David,  (Miles Teller) teams up with his best from from High School, Efraim, (Jonah Hill) in the profitable business of selling fire-arms in this intriguing movie based on a true story.
War, David narrates at the beginning of the  movie, is not about politics or some meaningful cause, it is about money.  This is not a new idea and it is very true.  With the war in Iraq waging, Efraim has discovered a little known loop hole that allows small business to bid on U.S. Military contracts.  Somehow they land a 300 million dollar contract to stock American Allies with ammunition in Afghanastan.

There are times this movie is funny and exciting and thrilling but mostly I was just amazed at the greed and lack of morals of these two main characters, especially Efraim who i consider a slime bag if ever there was one.  A person willing to betray his own friend on a massive level.  They bumble through their business dealings, mostly, through sheer luck.  And then exploit a vulnerability in the system to land a once in a life-time deal.  They cheat and lie to meet their end.  (Bradly Cooper) Henry has provided them with the ammunition they need to fill their phenomenal order, but it turns out the ammunition is from China which is banned.  They can't use it.  So they decide to rebag, and rebox the rounds and then ship them to their destination.

Teller's character is a bit more sympathetic and you can at least relate to him a bit.  Hill's character is just a low down jerk.  I despised him!  So... good going Jonah Hill because i think that's how we were supposed to feel.

It's worth seeing and the storyline is interesting, if not slightly overdone... How many movies have been made regarding the crooked dealings of everyday people in order to make shady money?  Too many to count.  The acting is decent and it did what it was supposed to do, it entertained me for a couple of hours.

The language was a bit on the... vulgar side.  Lots of swearing.  Lot's of "F" bombs
but the sex and violence was minimal.  considering this is a movie about running guns.

The IMDB gave it 7.3 stars
Rotten Tomatoes only gave it 59% (critic ratings) but 73% (audience Ratings)
my rating is based on 3 stars.  I give it 2. stars.

Book of the Day: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

We all seek a Utopia.  We all want that perfect world with complete happiness, peace and harmony where everybody is content.  There are plenty of Dystopian type novels and books out there.  The Giver, Divergent, 1984... and dictators such as Hitler even tried to accomplish a Utopia in real life.
It never works.

In Aldous Huxley's classic Brave New World, his version of the perfect world is basically manufacturing identical twins and then their behavior is conditioned into them at the earliest stages of their development.  Everybody is happy.  Everybody is content.  Everybody is the same because they don't know any better.  There are no mothers or fathers or brothers or sisters... they all have their assignments.

On the reservation they still do things the old way.  That is... they have babies.  There are mother's and fathers and children are raised by their parents.

Bernard visits the reservation and starts to question the order of things.

This book was written in 1931 or at least published in 1931.  It doesn't have the exciting revolution or war like in Divergent but it does bring to question the set standards of how their society lives their lives.  I think questioning the leaders and the people who dictate the rules and laws and the way we do things is the first step to changing things that might not be proper.

I won't lie.  I felt like i was missing a lot of stuff.  I had a hard time following it sometimes.  I was listening to it rather than reading it and that might have been some of my problem but usually i don't have a really difficult time following an audiobook.  It might have been the language or the accent of the reader or that the style of writing was a little bit different than what i'm accustomed to.  But i had to rewind it alot and re-listen to it and i still felt i was missing stuff.  Maybe i;m just a little slow.

However, I really enjoyed this book and it made me think and I would recommend it.

Movie of the Day: Pete's Dragon 2016

The original Pete's Dragon released in 1977 was always one of my favorite movies.  It still is.  There is something magical about the cartoon version of Elliot and the songs still can cheer me up and often get stuck in my head. Helen Reddy, Mickey Rooney and Jim Dale brought to life memorable and unique characters and it was all woven together to make a true classic of a movie.  I grew up with that version of Pete's Dragon.  I enjoyed every second of it and when one is a little child the stories we experience on screen truly are bigger than life.  Part of you really believes that the things your watching are real.  The imagination is sparked when you are young in a way that isn't possible once you are grown.  It's just a fact.

Many of us grew up watching and loving that original piece of art and when Disney announced they were going to remake Pete's Dragon I don't think I was alone in clapping and hoping that the new Pete's Dragon was just as whimsical and wonderful as the original one was.

My hopes were very high.  Especially with the re-release of the phenomenal Jungle Book production that was released earlier this year.

Here's the problem.  The new Pete's Dragon is not the old Pete's Dragon.  It was not the fun, energetic, slightly silly filled with amazing songs... there was no Candle on The Water or Razzle Brazzle day.  There was no catchy 'A Dragon! A Dragon! I swear i saw a dragon!"  There was no scheming doctor fantasizing about all the good Dragon parts could do for his business.  There were no ghoulish Gogan's trailing after Pete.  All the pieces that made the original movie great, sadly were missing from the remake.

That being said... in the modern movie industry full of special effects and incredibly fast moving action... quick frame changes that get your heart pumping and what we are accustomed to in our movie now-a-days... this movie was also not that.  A lot of times the thing that I often find lacking in modern movies is the character development and the story line.  We like the flashy visual effects and the almost dizzying action sequences.  Comparatively, Pete's Dragon was a very thoughtful and almost slow moving film.

SPOILER ALERT!!!
Four or five year old Pete and his parent's are driving down a scenic road  in the wooded mountains seeking an adventure when a deer jumps out in front of their car causing it to crash.  Pete is left to fare for himself in the woods when he encounters a dragon.
Fast Forward, i believe it was 6 years.  Pete and Elliot have a strong bond and together they have thrived.
In the remake, Elliot is not a cartoon goofy dragon but a computer animated and somewhat furry green dragon.
There are no lighthouse keepers or fishermen in the remake, but lumberjacks cutting down the trees near where Pete and Elliot have made their home.
Bryce Dallas Howard plays Grace, a police officer who finds Pete (Oaks Fegley) after her fiance, Jack's (Wes Bently) brother, Gavin (Karl Urban), chases the frightened boy and causes him to fall and hit his head.
Pete wakes up in the hospital confused and scared and all he wants is to go home to Elliot.
Of course, Gavin thought he heard something more in the woods and goes seeking whatever it was.  There are rumors and stories of dragons in the woods and eventually Elliot reveals himself and then Gavin decides he needs to catch the dragon to make his fortune.
Love, Loyalty and family.  That's what this movie is about.

Was it as good as the original?  No.  But it was very good.

I've heard lots of negative things about this movie.  Alot of people when I mentioned i had gone to this movie said they heard it was horrible.  I had one of my friends tell me it was dumb and boring and that her kid.s thought that it was dumb and boring.
the IMDB gave it a 7.4 rating.  Rotten Tomatoes gave it an 87% critic rating and an 82% audience rating which is actually very, very good so i don't know where everybody is getting their opinion that this was a terrible movie.  Was it as exciting and as action packed as a lot of the movies we watch now-a-days? Nope.  Was it jammed packed with innuendos and dirty little jokes that go over the kids' heads?  nope.  It was sweet and beautiful and meaningful and a lot of times... i don't think this wicked, evil world is all that receptive to that kind of movie anymore,

Long Story short... i loved it.  Pete's Dragon is STILL one of my favorite  movies of all time and it doesn't matter whether it's the 1977 version or the 2016 version.  I loved them both.

Suicide Squad 2016

SPOILER ALERT!
Suicide Squad is a movie about a bunch of evil doers with super abilities who are recruited by the government.  Deadshot (Will Smith) leads the reluctant dysfunctional team which includes Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Diablo, Captain Boomerang, and the Enchantress. 
I'm not a huge comic book reader and I will admit I haven't watched every movie ever released based on DC comics so somehow, somewhere I missed the situation in which Superman dies.  The last movie with Superman in it I can think of is Batman vs Superman and I only saw half of the show.  Is that how Superman dies?  I don't know.  I missed that part.  But at the beginning of Suicide Squad Superman is dead and Amanda Waller (Played by Viola Davis) is trying to get the government's buy in to form this team full of supervillains in case another otherly world threat should appear.  She promises the powers that be that she will have total control over the bad guys and that these bad guys might just do a lot of good.
Of course, things don't go as planned.  The Enchantress goes rogue and frees her brother and they plan on taking out all humans.  And the Joker (Played by Jared Leto) is determined to rescue his girl friend (Harley Quinn) so he shows up and puts a wrench in the plan. 
But in the end loyalty and friendship bond this group together and the bad guys triumph over the... uh... badder guys.  Harley Quinn is rescued by her green headed knight and the movie ends leaving a lot of room for a sequel. 

All in all, I would recommend this movie.  It was pretty predictable and really there wasn't too much I haven't seen before but it was fun and entertaining.