Movie Monday 6/8

We took a mini vacation last week, camping at Shenandoah National Park, but it was cool, rainy, and very foggy the entire time. So, we escaped into town in the evening and went to the movies! The theater in Luray, VA, was hot pink on the outside and had about 8 tiny theaters inside. Ours had about 6 rows of seats and a screen not much bigger than the TV at my mom's house! In this photo, the suits of armor on either side were life-sized, so the screen was only about 5-6 feet high.

Our tiny movie theater - we had it all to ourselves!

After much deliberation, we saw Poltergeist in the tiny theater. We just shared the original Poltergeist with our sons last summer, and they really wanted to see the new version. I had my doubts since the original is so great, but I have to admit, they did a good job with the remake. It follows the same basic story as the original (what? you've never seen it?)...a family moves into a house in a suburban neighborhood and soon finds out that it is haunted by a poltergeist. As with the first movie, the little girl is the main target (and is just as adorable), and in the remake, she begins talking to these "imaginary friends" as soon as they move in. Things escalate quickly from there, until the family calls in the supernatural experts. As with the original, the movie is very well-done, not strictly horror because of the in-depth plot and good acting, though it is plenty scary with some jump-in-your-seats moments. They did a nice job of updating the story by using modern technology, including cell phones, tablets, and a drone camera that is able to show the audience what is happening behind the scenes in the supernatural world. We all enjoyed this very good update of an old favorite, but you might want to pass it up if you don't manage suspense well!

Once we got back home (a day early!) and the kids both took off with their friends, my husband and I got a DVD on Friday night - we finally got to see Mockingjay, Part 1. We both read - and loved -  the entire series (The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins) and have been wanting to see this latest movie adaptation for a while. I have to admit, I did not have a great attitude going into it because I was annoyed that Hollywood had taken a relatively short book and turned it into 2 movies. But, this excellent adaptation quickly won me over. If you are familiar with the basics of the earlier books/movies (a future world pits children and teens against each other in an annual to-the-death contest that is like reality TV on steroids), this last portion (well, part 1) of the story continues after the latest Hunger Games has ended. Panem (what is left of the US) has degenerated into war, with the Districts beginning to revolt against the Capitol. Katniss is at the center of the action, with a group of revolutionaries wanting to use her in a propaganda campaign to convince the Districts to join the revolt. I was blown away by everything about the movie - it was all so well-done. As with the first two movies in the series, it featured great acting, excellent scripts, lots of action, and amazing special effects. I was brought to tears at one point. If you haven't experienced this series yet, you are missing out! The books were top-notch - The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay (reviews at the links - no spoilers) - and the movie adaptation have been excellent.

Have you seen any good movies lately?