Movie Review: "Avengers: Age of Ultron"

I will start off this review by making a semi disclaimer that may or may not explain my opinions about the movie:  I am NOT a hard-core Avengers fan and I am in no way familiar with the intricacies of every character; I am, however, an avid movie goer who enjoys action/super hero films and is looking for high quality entertainment...
With that said, I will go ahead and state that I'm utterly disappointed on this movie, which proves once again that the increased hype is not always a good thing... I remember reviewing the first Avengers movie 3 years ago and my conclusions are scarily similar.. (I wonder why!? LOL)....
The movie is overpacked with action sequences that don't always flow well; some of them lacked connection with the plot, which was incredibly dense and lame at the same time. There was definitely a waste of special effects going and during some parts of the movie I almost wished the characters would "chill out" a bit.  I also felt like the characters had no depth at all and the "team" concept was really lacking; there is no exploration of character storyline (except for Hawkeye's family life) and even the strange romance between the Hulk and Black Widow was silly fluff to the movie.
But my biggest issue with this movie is the fact that not even the villain was memorable enough to make an impact on the viewer and the idea that artificial intelligence somehow always reigns over its human creator has been done too many times and I found it incredibly boring.
The movie drags on and the fight scenes are too repetitive and even pointless; it is way too long and not worth all that time.  The new characters lack versatility and even the "well known" Avengers fall flat in this installment.
Sadly, this movie probably gets 1 out of 4 stars from me; I did not enjoy it and I actually thought of walking out a few times.  Hats off to all the true Avengers fan who are loyal to the franchise no matter what... this one was painful!

Movie review: "The Avengers"

"The Avengers" is probably one of the most hyped movies of the summer, if not of all year.. it is such a big budget film and so far it has lived up to its expectations... at least box office wise...
So we joined the millions of people who went to see this movie on opening weekend and let's just say we should have waited a few weeks since the 40 minute line we made was definitely not worth it.. AT ALL!
Strangely enough I generally enjoy super hero movies and believe special effects are quite entertaining...For some reason a muscular man with super powers dressed in a tight suit sounds appealing to me so this movie was a must see...
We took the girls with us, which was probably the first mistake about this experience.. this is NOT a movie for kids.. it is LONG and very complex for a little child.. Even though the girls got through it just fine, there were some "scary" parts for Gaby and they just didn't get it...
While I have to admit that the movie does feature some kick ass special effects, the plot is just really weak and some of the super heroes don't really add anything to the already lame story...
As I suspected the movie revolves around Iron Man and the other characters are just fluff.. The story is the same old plot of an evil enemy stealing some power source for malicious reasons, which could potentially destroy the world...until the superheroes save the day with their magic tricks and physical abilities...In the end they win (of course!) but the possibility of the evil archenemy returning remains open... (we need sequels, after all!)...
In my humble opinion, the movie is "ok"... entertaining yes... but good?... I don't think so...
It did make over $200 million on its first weekend, so there's definitely "something" to it...
I give it 3 out of 5 stars....

He turned 6!

When I look at Oliver, it's hard to imagine my life without him. To think that he wasn't part of our plans makes me seriously doubt my planning abilities because he's certainly one of the best things that have happened to our family so I am glad God always has THE best plans for us and that He entrusted us with such a wonderful child. 

Oliver is the sweetest little boy I ever did see; so caring and loving, always coming up with different ways to bring happiness to whoever he meets. He loves superheroes, Math, art, and all things dessert! He enjoys sports, particularly tennis, is learning to play the piano, and has gotten quite good at reading too!

He is currently loving Kindergarten and has made lots and lots of new friends. I love to see him thriving in school and I am so proud of him.  He truly is a ray of sunshine in my life and I feel so blessed to be his mom. 

Oliver celebrated his birthday this past Saturday with an Avengers-themed party; he invited all of his friends and had an absolute blast. At the end of the party, he said to me "thank you, mom, for the best party!" I could truly see the light in his eye. 

I love Oliver's personality and I am always in awe of how mature he is.  He is incredibly self-aware and communicates his needs so well; I can definitely see the effects of having two older sisters and growing up in a "go-go-go" kind of family.  He enjoys the action but also loves relaxing at home.  I love that he adjusts so easily to our crazy dynamics and I can always count on him to make me laugh or lift my spirits at any given point. What a special kid!

Thank you, everyone, for the wonderful birthday wishes for Oliver. We are truly grateful for the blessing of his life. 

Happy 6th birthday, buddy! We love you so much!