Last week I had the pleasure of attending an advanced screening of The Help from DreamWorks.  It opened in theatres August 10, 2011.

As a self proclaimed movie buff this is something I looked forward to. I enjoy watching all types movies (except those that make me cry). I have seen the trailers and heard a lot about the book.  It piqued my interest.

I am familiar with most of the cast including:

Viola Davis (Aibileen)

I have watched her over the years in some of my favorite t.v. shows like Law & Order, CSI and New York Undercover. On the big screen I have seen Viola in the movies Disturbia and Law Abiding Citizen.

On Broadway, Viola won Tony® Awards for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play for her role in “King Hedley II” (for which she also won the Drama Desk Award) and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for “Fences.” Off-Broadway, in The Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of “Intimate Apparel,” Viola won Best Actress awards from the Drama Desk and the Drama League, and received the Obie Award and the Audelco Award.

Octavia Spencer (Minny)

On the big screen Octavia has been lots of  movies including Blue Streak,  A Time to Kill, Big Momma’s House and Coach Carter. I have seen her on television shows too: Standoff, Ugly Betty, Dollhouse and CSI: NY.

In 2009, Octavia was added to Entertainment Weekly’s 25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood list.

The Help was set in the 1960′s in Jackson, Mississippi. During this time, segregation and seperate bathrooms were common place. The storyline in the movie involves Skeeter (Emma Stone), who just graduated from college and wants to become a writer. She doesn’t get a job she applied for because of course she has no experience. Skeeter is hired at a local newspaper as a writer for a cleaning column.

Since Skeeter’s family, hired maids to do their cleaning like most white families, she does not know anything about cleaning. Skeeter decides to reach out to one of her friend’s maid, Aibileen (Viola Davis).  Once Skeeter realizes that writing the cleaning column will not get her the experience needed, she decides to write a book from the perspective of the maids in her community.

The maids in this story not only cook and clean houses. They are responsible for raising generations of children in white families. Skeeter wanted to give them a voice since no one ever bothered to ask them what they felt.

Aibileen was a maid who has raised seventeen children throughout her years of working for the same family. Her mother was a maid and her grandmother was a houseslave.  It was a difficult decision for Aibileen to make because she did not want to lose her job. It ending up becoming therapeutic to get her thoughts out. Aibileen eventually convinced her best friend Minny to join in and share her stories. You can’t help but love Minny. She is funny, to the point and a great friend to Aibileen. Plus she is one of the best cooks in Mississippi.

This movie was not about all the civil unrest going on in the country. It was more about the relationships between African American maids and their employers with a brief glimpse into their personal lives. I enjoyed watching the movie. I was caught up in the story and did not even realize it is over two hours long. It is one of those movies where I laughed, cried and  felt empathy for the characters. I felt proud when Minny stood up to Hilly and sad at how people were treated. It was an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. The Help stayed with me way after I left the theatre. Even though Skeeter did the writing, at the end I felt is was definitely the maids’ book.

After seeing the movie I really want to read the book. I have it on my e-reader and plan on reading it this week.

If you would like to enter to win a prize pack from the movie, stop over and visit Deals for Dummies. The Help Movie Pack includes: an adult female sized t-shirt, pocket jotter & pen, fan and a nail file/mirror. The giveaway ends August 21, 2011.

Last year in April, Walmart teamed up with P&G to offer movies that are appropriate for families to watch together. The made for tv movies are a hit in our house. I like it when I don’t have to worry about what the kids might hear or see. Sometimes I have been caught off guard so it is nice to have options where I don’t have to worry about it. We watch a lot of movies and while most are purely for entertainment, I do like for us to watch movies that tackle subjects that will spark a conversation. Field of Vision does this by addressing the subject of bullying and making the right decision.

I was invited to watch an advanced screening of Field of Vision. I was happy to check it out after watching the trailer. 

Bullying is something I experienced as a child. I have always felt that back then it was acceptable. No one ever really went and talked to adults about it. I hate thinking about all that I went through, but it helped me to pay more attention to my own kids and look for the signs. I would never want them to experience bullying and I am a big supporter of anything that brings bullying into the spotlight.

I really enjoyed the movie, even though there were scenes that made me tear up a little. You know I am not a huge fan of emotional movies. I am definitely putting this on my list of great family friendly movies. My kids watched the movie with me and did not find it boring at all. Between the storyline and music, Field of Vision is definitely easy to relate to and has some teaching moments. School can be socially challenging and doing what is right may not always be easy. But it can be done. It is very important to keep the subject of bullying in the spotlight. The more our children are exposed to the reality of it, they are more likely to make the right decision when it comes up.

There are plenty of familiar faces in Field of Vision. Faith Ford, best known as Corky on the hit TV series “Murphy Brown,” stars as Jody McFarland, high school guidance counselor and mom of the star quarterback, Tyler McFarland, who is played by Tony Ollerfrom TeenNick’s “Gigantic” and The Disney Channel’s “As The Bell Rings.” The role of Lucy McFarland is played by Alyssa Jordan Shafer from “The Unit” and dad, Kenny McFarland, is played by Phillip Casnoff, best known for his role as Chief of Staff Dr. Robert Jackson on Lifetime Television’s “Strong Medicine.” Joe Adler (“Prom”) plays the part of a troubled new transfer student, Cory Walker.

Make sure you remember to watch the premiere of Field of Vision on Saturday, June 11 on NBC at 8pm ET/7pm CT. If you won’t be at home, set your dvr. It is worth it!

If you are interested in more family friendly movies, visit the official Family Movie Night website. You can also connect with Family Movie Night on Facebook.

I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of P&G and received a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

The girls in my family love Tinkerbell, especially Jazz. Her 16th birthday party even had a Tinkerbell theme. A few weeks ago, my family was invited to an advanced screening of Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue. I took all girls and Kayla’s friend Christie. I can not even explain how much we loved this movie. We talked about it all weekend.

“Years before meeting Wendy and the Lost Boys, Tinker Bell met Lizzy, a little girl with a steadfast belief in the power of pixie dust and the magic land of fairies. During the fairies’ summer visit to the flowering meadows of England, two very different worlds unite for the first time and Tink develops a special bond with a curious child in need of a friend. As her fellow fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell takes a huge risk, putting her own safety and the future of all fairykind in jeopardy.”

Watching this movie was magical in so many ways. We enjoyed seeing Tink discover humans and had questions answered that we never thought to ask. Like where do fairies come from and can humans understand fairies? The little girl Lizzy, is absolutely adorable and is the first human friend of Tink. Her father is a scientist who believes only what he can see with his eyes and tries to discourage Lizzy from believing in fairies. Tink manages to get caught by Lizzy and the other fairies have to rescue her. But not without a few problems. This movie is funny and definitely worth owning.  It comes out tomorrow September 21st, on dvd.  The colors and animation were beautiful on the big screen and I can not wait to see it again at home. Dvds are great for all the extra features they have and I hope there is something good on this one.

Before you go out and get your copy of Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue, make sure to print this coupon for $10 off. This is for the dvd and blu-ray combo pack. I already have my coupon printed and I am going to get my copy tomorrow!

My family was able to see Tinkerbell and The Great Fairy Rescue for free at a local theatre. The opinions given are 100% our own.

A few nights ago we were able to see an advanced screening of Nanny McPhee Returns which comes out in theatres today. I was not sure what to expect. My family has not seen the first Nanny McPhee movie. I was hoping we would not be lost and have no idea of what was going on.

In Nanny McPhee Returns, Oscar®-winning actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson returns to the role of the magical nanny who appears when she’s needed the most and wanted the least in the next chapter of the hilarious and heartwarming fable that has enchanted children around the world. 

In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave.
Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

The movie turned out to great. We enjoyed ourselves from the moment it started.  The three children were definitely a handful. I was sitting there thinking “I know just how she feels, lol”  They were running and fighting an arguing. Their mom just tried to do her best. She was so sweet and caring.

And once we were introduced to the cousins, I just knew all the madness would be times five!

It was a great movie to watch together as a family. I love way Nanny McPhee works. She is there when you need her and don’t want her. She has to leave when you don’t need her but want her. Nanny McPhee was stern but she cared about the kids. The five rules are a great idea too. Now I need to rent the first one! The kids could not wait to share what they thought.

Kayla (8)

“Nanny McPhee was so funny. I could not stop laughing. The pigs were funny too.”

Favorite Character : Everyone except the Uncle.

Nannah (12)

“I thought it was hilarious. It made me smile. I did not want to get up because I thought I might miss something.”

 Favorite Character: Mrs. Docherty

TJ (10)

“The entire movie was funny, even close to the sad parts. The ending was amazing”

Favorite Character: Nanny McPhee

Jazz (16)

“It was not what I expected, it grabbed my attention much more than I thought it was. It was funny. I did not like the sad parts. Now I want to see the first one”.

Favorite Character: Mrs. Green (the mom)

Nanny McPhee Returns comes out in theatres today, so make sure you take your family to see it. Also stop by 1stopmom Giveaways and Reviews to enter to win a Nanny McPhee Returns Prize Pack.

Do you want more? You can connect:

• At the official Nanny McPhee website
• Like  Nanny McPhee Returns on Facebook
• Check out Nanny McPhee Returns on Youtube

My family was able to attend the screening of Nanny McPhee Returns for free. This review is our honest opinions.

Friday I was looking through Netflix and realized I have not updated the system in quite a while.  I am normally one of those people who complains about software that auto updates but this is one instance where I don’t feel that way. Anyways, I am so glad I chose to update. Everything is like 10 times better. I can finally search for movies and it is broken up into categories. When Wii added Netflix to their console I fell in love with the way it was set up because it had features that I was looking for. Now I just wonder how long have I been missing out because I forgot to update.

TJ was rewarded for doing all of his homework with a homework first field trip.My kids love participating in this program at school.  He went to the movies to see How to Train Your Your Dragon.

In his words: “It was about a boy called Hiccup and he wanted to be a viking like his dad but he couldn’t because he was too weak. The place he lived had a small pest problems, dragons. His dad would not let him fight because every time he went outside something bad happened. The ending was great.“

TJ thought the movie was pretty funny and all of his friends enjoyed it. He even gave me the ok to buy it when it comes out on DVD, lol. And now he wants some How to Train Your Dinosaur toys. He actually told me how much they are at Walmart.  He has been talking about dragons nonstop since he came home from school, Kayla wants to see it now. Has anyone seen it?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

 On my Saturday Sharing post I talked a little about Alvin and The Chimpmunks: The Squeakquel.  It came out today and you can buy it now  in one of three ways. You can get the DVD Double Pack that comes witha bonus disc that includes singalongs. You can also get it on Blu-ray or if you need it NOW, there is digital download. My kids saw the commericial again today and made sure they reminded me that I promised we would watch it on Movie Night. Of course I am already ahead of them because my plan is to watch it this weekend It is on the way from Netflix. I am just excited as them. I watched Alvin and the Chipmunks back when it was still a cartoon! I am a fan from waaaaay back, lol. So you know I have to have a favorite and of course it’s Alvin. I just can’t help it, he is always up to something.

Along with the movie, there is a site where you can find More Munk Mayhem and get the chance to Munk Yourself. My kids had fun with it.

I will be back with a post to let you know what we think of it. Be sure to to visit http://www.foxfamilyflicks.com for more munk mayhem!

If you have read my blog you know I am a ginormous movie lover. I did a review last year for Roku and fell in love with my Netflix even more. I just opened my email and saw that tomorrow I will get the streaming disc for my Wii. That means the kids will be able to watch Netflix in the living room. And I don’t have to share my Roku

By the way, make sure you attend the Ultimate Blog Party April 9-16  with me, 5 Minutes for Moms and lots of other bloggers! I am going to be giving away 2 Netflix memberships because I love it so much!!!

Last weekend our movie pick for Family Movie Night was Cloudy with a Chance of  Meatballs. Have you had a chance to watch this yet? It has was on my Netflix queue list of movies to check out but somehow was moved down the list. I finally decided to scan my queue and move it to the top. We all enjoyed this one. Even my husband stayed up to catch the end. In my typical “mommy” mind set I kept wondering (out loud) with all the food dropping from the sky why didn’t they think to save some for later? At least freeze your favorites, lol. One of our favorite parts is when Flint has his first snowball fight with ice cream. He was running around town throwing snowballs at unprepared children and adults. We could not stop laughing and had to rewind it a few times!  Steve the Monkey is pretty funny too. When I watched the credits later I noticed Bruce Campbell was the voice of the mayor. I am surprised I did not even catch it. I did catch the voices of James Caan and Mr. T though.

Last night we watched Monsters vs Aliens.  We picked another good one. The kids were excited to watch it and could not get their treats together quick enough. This week we had popcorn and italian ice cups. I try to switch it up a little each week. It included some funny references to Area 51 and explained how each of these monsters came to be. You will not be able to stop yourself from laughing throughout the movie. From the general that always wears a parachute, to the genuis cockroach, to the not so smart president. It was also great to see the “Monsters” come together and help one another.

Saturday was movie night for me, hubby and TJ. We let TJ pick so our movie of the night was Transformers 2.  I was pretty excited. My younger brothers played with transformers when they were little. The whole family went to see the first one. I thought it it was ok. So I was ready for part 2.  But I was not ready for the swear words and inappropiate scenes.  I am not talking a bad word here or maybe there. The Transformers were actually cussing, alot. There were dogs humping and quite a few other scences that I just did not feel comfortable watching with my nine year old son.  I don’t know. I think I expected the movie to be a little more “clean”. I mean kids and Transformers do go together.  Now don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoyed the movie. It was funny and had some great action. I just wish it was a little more clean. Then I realized that I never bothered to even check the rating. I seriously was thinking , Transfomers=safe.  I just wanted to share what I thought about  our movie experience.  I think Transformers 2 is a good movie but just not appropiate for kids.