Saturday, June 28, 2008

Wall-E

Since the princess was off at her drama/music camp yesterday, I took my little hunka-hunka-burnin-love on our own little adventure. Let's pause for a moment so I can show you a picture of said hunka-hunka...




Yes, ladies and man readers, we went to the very first showing of this:



And, I just want to tell how much I thoroughly and completed LOATHED it. Is there a stronger word than that for extreme dislike? Because I would use it. I absolutely HATED, hated, hated it. Oh I feel better saying that out loud. Honestly don't waste your money or your time. It's not even worth seeing for free. (The best part of the movie was seeing the previews for "I like to move it move it" Madagascar 2) You are really going to have to suspend disbelief for Wall-E. It is set 600 years into the future when earth is uninhabitable because it is covered in trash as a result of all our excess living vis a vis large warehouse type stores like Costco. (They had their own version in the movie) For the first 30 minutes, there isn't one bit of dialogue as you watch WALL-E the trash compactor single handedly build trash skyscrapers out of 12 by 12 cubes of garbage. Oh and you know how there is always a lovable side-kick in these movies? Well, this one was a cockroach, (can't wait to see the merchandising on that) that kept getting squished and coming back to life..hahahahaha...oh that's so cleverly unexpected now isn't it. Where are all the humans you ask? Apparently, we have all become morbidly obese and are living on a ginormous Love Boat type space ship floating around in chairs that have TV's, Ipods, phones, and large quantities of everything attached to them. I. kid.you.not. Wall-E falls in love with another robot and together they whisper sweet nothings Teletubbies style and do their little love dance to some Hello Dolly song that is played ad nauseum throughout the movie. Groan. Double groan. There is very little dialogue at all throughout the movie. Lots of special effects and star wars style lasering and loud noises and zapping and large space ships landing with...oh, it was just too stupid to describe. I spent 15 minutes watching it through my eyelids and the other hour and 15 composing a blog post in my head about how much I truly hated it.

Wall-E can stay in the Pixar trash heap. Bring me back Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie, Nemo and my new absolute favorite "Enchanted." Patrick Dempsey aside, that movie is clever, sweet, and watchable as an adult over and over. At least to me it is.

So all you mamas who have had to watch many movies over and over and over and over and over again until you wanted to make it somehow disappear as in --wink wink--"kids, I'm not sure where that DVD went" what are the kids movies that you can still watch?

PS. I did my own little focus group after the movie asking a group of kids 9, 10 and 11 years old what they thought of the movie. They said they didn't like it at all because "there wasn't any talking." My 5 year old son, well, he just liked the little guy Wall-E. The rest of it was too esoteric for him. Heck, it was too esoteric for me.

P.P.S. If you do go, please come back and tell me what you think.

Ok, resume commenting about your favorite kids movies.

post signature

48 Comments:

Rhea said...

Oh, god. My kids want to see this, and now I'm going to have to sit through it with them. It looks awful. Now, after you're review, I can see I'm going to need to sneak in a pen and paper to work on something else during the movie...or play Sodoku on my phone...

Thanks for the head's up!! lol

Unknown said...

Thanks for the heads up...I could watch Finding Nemo weekly...but as for losing the movies...hmmm...I think the Pokemon movies are like nails on a chalkboard to me...

Rene said...

When DH and I saw the previews for Wall-E we both looked at each other and went "NOPE..we ain't goin' there!" Glad to hear we won't be missing anything but I'm sorry you had to be subjected to it. I usually love kids movies -- lots of happy feelings and very little brain power needed. My favs are Mary Poppins, Princess Diaries 1 & 2, all the Harry Potters, Snow White, Cinderella, Alladin, oh, heck...just about anything with the Disney logo on it. Gotta go put something in the DVD now -- I'm getting all nostalgic for some Peter Pan all of a sudden!

Kathi said...

Oh thank you sooooo much. I was thinking of taking Garrett. I will now switch to something else. My faves would have to be Nemo, Monster's Inc., Enchanted, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Many more, but don't want to bore. LOL Have a great weekend. Kathi

Elena said...

Oh dear....We saw it too, but I thought it was really cute. (Sorry :-) ) I kind of liked the fact that there was no talking. It kept my little kids more entertained that way. They have a hard time paying attention to and understanding lots of talk. So, can't agree with you on this one, but hearing your review about hating it was fascninating to me. And yes, the Madagascar preview was really cute. As far as shows I can watch over and over, Little Mermaid, Enchanted, and Shrek (the first one only), oh and any Hannah Montana sitcom, that show cracks me up. Can we still be friends now? :)

Elena said...

P.S Your son is SOOOO cute. He has beautiful eyes!

Unknown said...

Taylor recently said, 'Nana, I think I might like to go and see Wall.E'

Thankyou ever so much for the heads up. I was eyeing it with suspicion anyways. We rate movies as good if Nana stays awake and bad if Nana falls asleep (she elbows me if I start to snore). I'm going to tell her that it already has a 'Nana in danger of falling asleep' rating.

DVD's that she wants to, currently, watch over and over again and I can stand to do the same - 'Princess Diaries 1&2', 'Daddy Daycare', 'The Pacifier', Pirates of the Carribean 1,2,3','Happy Feet','Harry Potter1,2,3,4,5'

DVD's that she wants to watch, but I have temporarily hidden 'Spy Kids 1,2,3'

Unknown said...

BTW...Hunka-Hunka is soooo cute. You're going to be beating the girls off with a broom, when he grows up.

Unknown said...

Good to know Debbie...I'll trust you and that one. Sounds like a bummer.
Esoteric...I can actually imagine the face you posted saying that...what a cutie he is!

Connie said...

Oh geesh...thank heavens my kids are too old for that movie. (although my 23 yr. old would probably end up going with her bf's little brothers). This was supposedly the last movie made by the merger (pixar)and it sounds like they didn't save the best for last. ugh.

Trish said...

THANK YOU!!!!

You just saved me about 40 bucks!

It is supposed to be HOT here today (100 degrees) and we don't have a/c, so I was going to head to the movies with the boys......we'll just go to the pool instead.

I do love me some good Toy Story though. That was Pixar genius. I took my now 16 year old nephew to see it when he was four, before I had kids. My firstson wore out the VHS copy, then son number 2 wore out our DVD copy!

Seriuosly, thank you for the info on the movie.....
and hunka-hunka is super cute!!

Keys to the Magic Travel said...

I took mine to see "Get Smart" yesterday. There were a lot of pretty funny parts, but over all, "meh." My 10 year old loved it. My 7 year old thought there were way too many guns in it :-). Now, that same 7 year old really wants to see Wal-E. And all the reviews I've read have been great - our paper even gave it an "A."

Not sure that I can get out of it!

I really like most kid movies. And I *loved* "Enchanted." The only ones I cannot deal with are Pokemon ones. Then again, the endless marathons of Sponge Bob and Full House are getting on my nerves as well...

Swirl Girl said...

We were going to see it on Monday. I read reviews and heard a few as well. Perhaps you didn't like it because of the commentary about society. THank god kids aren't that deep. They like the 'bright shiny object' quality of the film.

I appreciate your review and will let you know what I think about it too. My girls are silly with anticipation to see this movie.

Hey- I probably am the only person in the world who didn't think "something about mary' was funny, and I thought "titanic' was the dumbest film of all time....but that's why opinions are like 'bum holes' . Everyone has one!

Unknown said...

Ka and I just got back from it. I liked it. It's not the best Pixar movie ever, but it was sweet. A little "green preachy" for me, but Ka liked it a lot. Which is what mattered to me. Though we both agreed it doesn't hold a candle to Enchanted.

Unknown said...

Your little hottie is a cutie! I'm not much for the newer children's movies - they just don't seem to have a story. Labyrinth - the last movie by Jim Henson - is my all time favorite children's movie.

Lula! said...

He is hot, indeed. Hunka-hunka...

Have no plans to see this, especially after your review. Thanks for being my Fairy Blogmother, as usual. (Should I rename you Fairy Blogsister? You aren't nearly old enough to be my mother.)

We love Cars...we have it memorized, but we love it still. And Enchanted? Bought the soundtrack immediately after walking out of the movie theater, and owned the DVD the day it came out. We LOVE Enchanted. I so want to be Amy Adams.

And now I'm off to sing Happy Working Song, because returning from vacation is a CHORE! Alas, there will be no pigeons or cockroaches to help me in this endeavor...

Missy said...

Hands down, my favorite children's move from my childhood is The Parent Trap! Either the original or the new version w/ Miss Lohan in her pre-hoochie days. But it might be a little deep for young ones, as I was certain that I had a long-lost twin in another state for several yrs. (:

Kat said...

I was just telling my Mom the other day that I had no desire to see Wall-E. None. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I suspected it to be a dud. Thank you for confirming that for me.

That little one is a Hunka Hunka. What a cutie :)

Shanan Strange said...

Aawww.. that's disapointing. The guy on the radio said it was "GREAT FUN" and my kids were looking forward to seeing it. Now, I can save our money. Thanks for the honest review. :)

Gina said...

OOOOH, thanks for saving me 50 bazillion dollars. (actually around $50!) I'll wait for it to come to the $1 movie kiosk in the grocery store.

Karin @ 6ByHisDesign said...

Ah Shucks.
I have a HUUUUGE StarWars fan on my hands.

Have I told you I have a HUUUUUGE StarWars fan on my hands?

Hmm. Maybe I've said that.

Shucks. We were going to spend...what? About 40 bucks to take the fam to see it tomorrow. Although I wondered what we would be able to 'understand' (dialogue) as I can't understand the little dude in the commercials.

I read my husband your review.
His response? "Wow."

Oh what will we do, what will we do? Have I told you I have a HUUUUGE StarWars fan?

Ah, shucks.

Tiffany said...

Saw it today. Longest 2 hours of my life. Complete and utter misery. Husband and I both took the boy to see it. Just kept looking at each other, like "Seriously"?

Givinya De Elba said...

Thankyou so much for the heads up. That movie sounds truly horrible. Give me the Shreks or any of your list of decent movies anyday. Or hey how about a nice Mummy movie like "Love Actually."

Gina said...

Nevah mind, the husband took the kids to see this while I was at Women of Faith. They liked it- a lot.

Sissy said...

My husband and FIL went to see it and they liked it! I told them your review in advance and they just said something about cartoons and women and whatever.

I LOVED Enchanted. I saw it twice in the theater and have watched it many times at home. We have the soundtrack and I do clean to it sometimes. And dance around.

Patrick Dempsey is one of my boyfriends. David Cook is another.

Kelly said...

Oh good, then we won't be missing anything......Brianna for sure wants to see the American Girl Kit movie, she collect's the dolls and we have seen all the movies, but minutes before I logged on here she said hey mom what about the Wall*E movie and I said lets see the other one you want to see first ( only cause wall*e just looks like I won't enjoy it )
Personally I could stay home and watch re plays of Camp Rock, Joe Jonas is sooooooo easy on the eyes! Yeh I know * HOW old am I *??????? Hey a girl can dream can't she, haha! Oh now for any that are freaking out, he is 18 so please do not crucify me!!

good post Deb,
Love,
Kelly

Emily said...

I'm with Elena, I loved it! But-- my boys LOVE robots.

Rhea said...

Ok, I took the boys to see it today because they really wanted to. I was fully expecting to hate it. Was ready for an hour and a half of misery....

However, I ended up really liking it! Weird, I know. Both my boys (11 and 6 years old) enjoyed it as well. I thought it had a really nice message, and I didn't mind the lack of talking.

So, I surprised myself by liking it!

Sheri said...

I was turned off after reading the review that said that there was 30 minutes AT THE BEGINNING with no dialogue!

I did see Sex and the City, and LOVED it. Nice to have some closure.

Enchanted: Best, best, BEST movie I have seen in a long time. I bought the soundtrack immediately as well. Fantastic flick!

Michelle said...

Wow, thank you SO much for the heads up. This is something that our local paper gave 4 stars out of 4, which they NEVER do (in fact, I literally cannot recall another movie getting 4 stars -- rarely do they get 3 1/2). I was actually tempted to take Mister Man to this as a reward for his sticker poster (we don't do movies or tv much at all). This has quickly been removed from that list.

As for me, I can continue to watch Dumbo. When Mister Man takes a great nap and is generally well-behaved all day on a Friday or Saturday, we'll do Movie Night With Mommy where I pop popcorn (like in a bowl with tin foil on top on the stove pop popcorn) and we'll watch one of four movies (Robin Hood, Dumbo, Fantasia or hmmm can't even think of the fourth one because we so rarely choose it). Anyway, Dumbo I can keep watching!

Heather said...

You're the third person to tell me it was really bad. I wanted to take the girls, but now I think we'll just wait until it comes out on DVD.

Karin @ 6ByHisDesign said...

SO we saw it today - you know, robots, space, laser sounds ... those sorts of things are right up the boys' alley. The Man said thanks for the heads up about the underlying green message. He was ready for it and able to focus on and enjoy the rest of the movie with the older kids. (I had Fussy out in the lobby. SO glad we paid for MY ticket...)

I thought it was clever. But no caffeine led me to be a might bit sleepy already...

The Momster said...

Oh no! I'm thinking this might be one that we have to wait to see at the 'dollar' movie in town... dread.

Thanks for the review and saving me some bucks - now I can just buy more Starbucks and nail polish :)

Skeller said...

Wow, Debbie -
I had to scroll FOREVER to get to the "Leave your comment" space...
Thanks for the review :-)
A kid movie (I think there's just one ...) that I can watch over and over is:
Shrek (the first) - great music, funny one-liners, quirky spin on fairy tale themes, and the best message: Donkey: "Because that's what friends do. They FORGIVE EACH OTHER!"

Rhea said...

omg, skeller, Shrek is like my favorite movie of all time! I totally agree with you!!

Unknown said...

I think I'm on board with ya. My oldest saw it and proclaimed it "too environmental". My two youngest saw it and liked it. I have to admit, I have not been that interested at all in seeing it. Videos that I wish would go away....Barney....after all of my kids, and now my daycare kids...let's just banish him to the Imagination Cemetery....

Amy said...

I may get stuck having to see this one also, but now I am really not looking forward to it. Thanks for the heads up!

I don't really care to re-watch movies over and over so I can't really say there is ONE that stands out. Maybe The Wizard of Oz, but that's it.

Kaza said...

Thanks for warning us! We had planned it for my 3-year-old's first movie in the theater, but now we won't bother.

Jennifer P. said...

I have heard from many-a-folk not to go see this. When will they ever learn that we want to be ENTERTAINED not PREACHED TO, darn it! I do feel bad for all the parents who will unknowingly buy this on DVD and then be subjected to possible multiple viewing of it.

And so glad to know I'm not the only one who writes blog posts in my head when I've got a little time.... :)

Jennifer P. said...

oooh---oooh wait! So distracted by WallE stuff that I forgot to say HOW CUTE your little guy is! How could you EVER say no to those eyes?!

Jennifer P. said...

Oh yeah--I was ALSO suppose to tell you a kids movie I liked---just about any of the Veggie Tales, Shrek 2, and was pretty entertained recently by Kung Fu Panda as well (but probably more for my Jack Black fetish than the the actual movie!)

Heathahlee said...

Ugh. How will I ever explain to my 8 year old who thinks that anything out of Disney is perfect that it isn't worth spending the moolah over? Uh, oh. Double ugh. He'll then tell me he still has a Malco gift card and since it's HIS money...I may have to go anyway...wait a minute...I'm still the Momma, right? :)

My all-time favorite kiddo movie is Disney's Beauty and the Beast, followed closely by Cars...two very different movies, but I love them!

Heathahlee said...

btw, your little man is adorable!

Julie H said...

I just saw this yesterday and OMG I so totally agree with you. I felt like maybe they had someone from the "global warming" conspiracy on their shoulders while they made it.

Darcy @ m3b said...

I already told Kat this story - but I'm going to blog about our experience with Wall-E. The short version is that it was very split. I'm learning it's a love it or hate it kind of movie.

Melissa said...

My kids were so excited to see it and we took them on opening day (sorry I'm just getting around to commenting now) to see this movie. I got up to take Em to the lavoratory 4 times. She wanted to see it more than anyone else! SNORE. The obese people really annoyed me. I was kind of grossed out. Not that, in real life, I don't love obese people, but this was just excessive. Which, I guess, was the point. Okay, right now I feel like the I have the look of Rose Nylan(Betty White), from the Golden Girls, on my face as she is talking about St. Oloff. Bewildered......

Mrs. Jones said...

It was so bizarre, it was almost surreal watching it. I love Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.

Anonymous said...

Good post.