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The Desolations picks up pretty quickly where we left off in the first film. Now on the run with a pack of fierce orcs close behind we follow Bilbo as he journeys with Ganldalf and his 13 Dwarf companions to reclaim the Lonely Mountain and the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. If you missed The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I highly suggest you pick it up on iTunes or Amazon or at least read our review and synopsis.
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Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) teams up with rugged mountain man Kristoff 
(voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven in an epic journey to find Anna's sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.
During the 2nd Golden Age of Disney that was ushered in with The Little Mermaid we were treated to movies that had beautiful visuals, compelling stories, and moving music. I'm convinced this age died with Tarzan for one reason, music! Disney movies were basically animated musicals, but without that piece we were given films like Bolt, Meet the Robinsons, and Atlantis. They aren't bad movies, but they can't hold a candle to Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, which have both been turned into Stage Musicals.
When Tangled came out in 2010 we saw a reemergence of this era. Frozen continues this pattern of beautiful visuals, compelling stories, and moving music.
There have been some heated arguments online this week about "Grey Thursday" and being "Part of the Problem." I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts.
The world is careening down a path to increased secularism. We see it in how Christmas is portrayed in the media. When you think about your favorite Christmas Movies, there are very few that actually mention the birth of Jesus Christ. Usually they are about helping Santa save Christmas, getting along with family, or finding the special toy for your child. Although if Jingle all the Way is your favorite Christmas Movie you have a whole other set of issues besides increased secularism. Luckily there are still Christ centered Christmas films, (Amazon made a great list) but they are getting fewer and fewer.
I see a similar thing happening with Thanksgiving. Although Thanksgiving has been celebrated in many ways since the Pilgrims, it was Abraham Lincoln who instituted that national holiday as we know it today. During the Civil War when old and young were fighting, and dying, the President chose to set aside time to remember our blessings. In an excerpt of the proclamation he states;
We have been getting a lot of questions lately about our format change. For those of you who are new here, let me bring you up to speed. Back in 2010 I started a Movie & Media Review Blog to help like minded individuals find content that is entertaining without being offending. I love movies and I love writing about them!
Source: This Week in Mormons
Geoff and Al records a weekly Podcast about what is happening in the world of Mormons. Currently there is a petition gaining signatures with the purpose of making online pornography an opt in feature with ISPs, just like it is Cable TV. Geoff writes a convincing argument as to why this is in the better interests of our faith and society as a whole. Geoff has written for us before on the revival of Arrested Development, this post is of a more important matter.
Quality: 
Marvel has done a great job of establishing a cross franchise universe in Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, and the other Avengers. Because of this success Thor got an extra 20 million in its budget and it really shows with some great actors. There were some real missed opportunities though.
Quality:
My November 1st daily gratitude Facebook update was, “I'm grateful for books. For without them, we would not have awesome movies."
In the near future, a hostile alien race has attacked Earth. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Graff and the International Military seek to find a future leader who can save the human race. Ender Wiggin, a shy but strategically brilliant young mind, is recruited to join the elite, where he's trained to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth
One of the things a lot of people don’t know about me is that I’m a bit of an introvert. Like my sister Summer at Made by Munchies Mama posted about herself two years ago we are really good at faking it. For those of you who know me personally, or listen to the Podcast I seem pretty outgoing. But here is my trick, I rarely initiate conversation. I just don’t. I don’t know what to say or even if that person even cares to chat.
Once the ice is broken (usually by the other party) I can hold my own and be very charming and entertaining. For me to approach someone it is a very conscious decision that takes a lot of pumping myself up. But here is the funny thing, I don’t really mind. I can go through a church 3 hour block and be perfectly content to limit interpersonal conversations to a few handshakes, smiles, and a friendly nod of the head.
Source: Deseret News
It is currently hard to be a man talking about the importance of modesty. To admit that seeing a woman in revealing clothing makes our “minds wander” has recently been reflected back on to us. As if to say inappropriate images leading to inappropriate thoughts are some how a sign of our individual deviant nature. Us men who desire to live chaste lives have a lot to tempt us and it takes a lot of moral and mental strength to refocus our thoughts when presented with content that objectifies women. It’s like having headphones on playing “I Like to Move it” from Madagascar on repeat… all day. When they day ends and you are safe in the refuge of your home, what song do you think will be going through your head? It is going through my head now. Is it going through yours?
Like hundreds of thousands of other families around the world tonight we just finished out Semi-Annual General Conference Prep Family Night. (The Annual occurs in April). General Conference is one of my favorite times of the year. There is the family togetherness as we gather at my parents house with the siblings and grand kids, Donuts on Saturday, Cinnamon Rolls on Sunday, getting dress up to go to priesthood with my Dad, and getting dressed up in our Pajamas for other sessions at home.
My sister, Munchie’s Mama, posted my wife’s General Conference Cinnamon Roll recipe as well as some other fun packets to keep the kids busy/engaged in conference. I wanted to post about I am doing, and you can do, as an adult to get ready for conference.
Last year we posted How to Watch Downton Abbey Season 3 in the US Before it Airs on PBS. It is the most popular post we ever had! So naturally with the new season starting this Sunday in the UK we wanted to let you all know how to watch it before it airs in the US in 2014.
If you are one of our UK readers you can simply go to iTV's website (the English broadcaster of Downton Abbey) and watch it from their site. But if you are here in America you get an error, "This Video in not Available to Play in Your Region." It is a rotten thing that iTV & PBS make us wait 4 months to see Downton Abbey here in the US.
My sister Summer is the voice behind Made by Munchie’s Mama. She recently shared some great General Conference traditions as well as my wife’s awesome General Conference Cinnamon Roll recipe. My wife doesn’t care for Banana Pancakes or Jack Johnson she started making these beauties. Even though they are very sweet we typically don’t give our kids sugar during the first year. My dad thought it would be funny to give one of our 10 month olds ice cream in the other room while we were over for a visit one day. My wife cursed him with no more General Conference Cinnamon Rolls. He thought it was a joke until we showed up two months later to watch Conference empty handed. He quickly apologized and the next April called to see if she had forgiven him yet. (and if she was bringing Cinnamon Rolls)
“Every six months our Church holds a General Conference where we hear messages from our church leaders through a television broadcast. My family lovingly referred to it as Pajama church since we would roll out of bed and gather in the living room to watch the broadcast. My Dad always makes banana pancakes and when my brother got married, his wife added the tradition of making cinnamon rolls too. They are to die for and since our next General Conference is coming up in October I thought I would share the recipe with you all. Trust me that you are going to want to pin this sucker for your next brunch, shower or Sunday morning.
This recipe is super quick and easy and great for bakers from beginning to advanced. I have no idea how to use yeast and I have yet to screw it up. The rolls always turn out golden and flakey on the outside and soft, chewy and just the right amount of gooey on the inside. It's spiral perfection.
General Conference Cinnamon Rolls
Adapted from All Recipes.com
Ingredients:
Dough:
1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
½ c margarine, melted
4 ½ c bread flour
1 t salt
½ c white sugar
2 ½ t bread machine yeast
Filling:
1 c brown sugar
1 ½ T ground cinnamon
1/3 c butter, softened
Frosting:
1-3 oz package of cream cheese
¼ c butter
1 ½ c confectioners’ sugar
½ t vanilla
1/8 t salt
Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press start…”
For the rest of the recipe and more great ideas read the full article here.
Your source for Netflix news is back just in time for an extended weekend. September 1st brings in a fresh batch filled with some oldies but goodies. Men In Black, There Will Be Blood, The Seven Year Itch, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Requim For A Dream and the classic, Zoolander!!
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Turbo is the story of a snail who loves speed, but as a snail doesn’t have much of it. Then a freak accident involving a street racer and Turbo is born! Turbo has big dreams of becoming a race car driver like his hero, Guy Gagné, but his brother Chet doesn’t understand his need for speed. Turbo believes that no dreams are too big and no dreamer too small.I took my boys to see it and they loved it!
Author’s Note: I have a pronounced respect and love for the Temple. It is a place where I have received inspiration and made promises that draw me closer to my Family, my Savior, and my Heavenly Father. All the information shared is available through official church public sources. I have taken great care to be respectful to the sacred nature of the Temple and I hope that you would show the same respect in comments.
Today I went to the Newport Beach Temple; being inspired to see the new Temple Film after talking with Mormon Movie Guy, Jono Decker, during the recording of our last Podcast. I had first heard about it while listening to the This Week in Mormons Podcast.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has a section on their public news site giving an explanation of the Temple. It gives the history of Temples stating:
"Lately in the media it seems that there is growing attention being given to the movements for the so-called Mormon feminist movement," said one man. And that's true. In the recent past, women have worn pants in Church, agitated to pray in general conference, and even started a movement to allow women to be ordained to the priesthood. And right or wrong, they've been making a big splash and stirring up controversy both within the Church membership and without. "I don’t think I’m wise enough to really say much about how right or wrong these people are," he continued, "but the one thing they seem to attack the most is the idea of priesthood leadership. It hurts to think that women find our leadership so distasteful."That is the official video title, not my words. But man, talk about PR. I think it is so awesome that these missionaries took an opportunity to interact with these guys.
I remember as a missionary going to a home to teach a family. We would spend the first 10-15 minutes just plating football in the front yard the the neighborhood kids. When we drove up the dirt road to the property kids would pop up out of no where and start running beside the car. I will always remember the day I heard the them shout as they ran,
“It’s the Elders!”
“What’s that?” said a little kid behind him.
“C’mon, its fun!”
I chose the Spanish movie poster to represent this review of “The Wolverine” because Wolverine: Immortal is such a more fitting title. Summoned to Japan by an old acquaintance, Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) becomes embroiled in a conflict that forces him to confront his own demons. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before. 
We were treated to a Wolverine film in 2009’s X-men Origins: Wolverine. While that film is a prequel of sorts this film follows the events of X-men (3): The Land Stand. Logan (Wolverine) has lost all purpose after the events of The Last Stand and lives a secluded live in the mountains of Alaska. He is constantly haunted by nightmares of his lost love Jean Grey (Famke Janssen). And I mean constantly! She has so much screen time she is featured in some of the movie posters. Because I am fundamentally against the movie trope where a girl leave the good guy for the bad boy this relationship is continually problematic for me and I loathe seeing it on screen. (See my pending article asking why is James Marsden the perpetual cuckold?) 
I was very conflicted on my opinion of this movie. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. There were also some glaring flaws. So in true D&C 121:43 fashion, let me give you a short list of my gripes before we give credit to the things praiseworthy. There is some beautiful cinematography in this film, but there is one fatal flaw, shaky cam. I was feeling a bit noxious at times a Superman flies around making the “cameraman” rumble. As a result the view is blurred and the fine details obstructed. (See title photo) We also never really get to see the mind mannered adult Clark. He seems to look more like a stand in for The Wolverine. Lastly of my major issues, cookie cutter casting, more on that later.
My wife is an awesome hair stylist and so she usually works on Saturdays. That means me and the boys usually have Saturdays to have fun (barring a ward movie or service project). This Saturday we went to see Epic! I was a bit nervous after my experience with Wreck-It Ralph, but it was a real great time!
Via Mashable and Slate
FILM
