Movie review: "Rio 2"

By now you all probably know that I am entirely mildly obsessed with animated movies; I watch them, I enjoy them, I dissect them, I review them... I basically LOVE them!
When the movie "Rio" came out back in 2011, I knew they HAD to make a sequel; the characters were fascinating and everything about the movie was perfect (the review for the original "Rio" can be found here); I thought there was so much material to explore within this compelling story...
Fast forward 3 years, and here's "Rio 2" (yay!).  As much as I agree that sequels are never as good as the originals, I have to say that this one was pretty close.
We are back with Blu and Jewel and their lovely Blue Macaw family; in the first part of the movie their day to day life is described and we get a glimpse of all the familiar characters!
The story unfolds as Linda and Tiago (the human characters) discover the possibility that there might be a whole other flock of Blue Macaws in the Amazonia and they decide to save their ecosystem.  Blu and company decide to fly out to help them out and once they reach their destination, they run into some crazy adventures and hilarious characters!
The sequel follows up with the witty humor of the first part and the characters do not disappoint! There's music, colors, great scenery and of course a wonderful lesson at the end!
I really loved how the writers delved deeper into each character and produced yet another fantastic movie; entertaining for the whole family.
I will say, however, that the movie was a bit slow around the middle part and the kids seemed to drift off for a bit, but in the end it was an overall success!
This one gets 3.5 out of 4 stars and definitely deserves a trip to the theater! :)

Movie review: "Heaven is for Real"

As some of you know, I recently lost my grandma and I have struggled to grasp the concept of not having her physical presence in my life anymore.  Mourning is a long process and everyone lives through it differently.
When I was invited to a special screening of the upcoming movie "Heaven is for Real" (in theaters April 16th) I saw it as a sign from God; ironically the invitation came a few days before my grandma died and it was scheduled for the day after her passing so when I realized that I felt more compelled to attend the screening and write a review; nothing is ever a coincidence, right?
I'm a sucker for true stories and this movie is IT; it tells the story of a 4 year old boy who went to heaven and had an encounter with Jesus and some of his deceased family members; knowing that this boy and his family are real people really made it a compelling story, especially during this very difficult time for me.
I had heard of the book "Heaven is for Real" and even though I had no idea a movie was about the come out, I really enjoyed the experience.  Whether you're religious or not, I believe everyone will find this movie to be very touching; the explanation of "heaven" as a state of mind vs. a place is very well handled and the story is very engaging. The lesson of "heaven on earth" is also one that is delivered beautifully in one of the movie's final scenes.
I will say, however, that except for Greg Kinnear the acting was very lame and almost excruciating to watch; I think because the movie was a low budget film they could not afford A-listers and in turn had to settle for random, unexperienced actors which definitely showed.
Either way the movie was a very healing experience for me and had the audience shedding some tears; it was passionate, deep and inviting.
I give it 2.5 out of 4 stars!