by Mark T. Locker.

Did anyone else reading the Tintin comics? Tintin and Asterix are intertwined in my mind. But if I had to choose one to bring to a desert island, I’d choose Tintin in a heartbeat. Needless to say I had trepidations about the new American production of my favorite eager Belgian reporter. And although the weird sort of CGI used in the movie takes some getting used to, overall I think the movie turned out to be quite good. My only issue: the noses. So many characters have weird looking noses. What’s that about??

Tintin and his faithful and brave dog Snowy get caught up in international intrigue when he learns that a model ship he bought contains a hidden document which contains clues to a lost treasure. Full of family-friendly action, drunken captains and harrowing escapes, this is a fun way to wrap up a long week.

Tags: Adventures of Tintin, bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Movie Reviews, Movies

Post by Mark T. Locker.

As both the movie and bedtime story reviewer, it is kind of fun to find a great crossover piece that I can write about. I have read The Gruffalo more times than I care to remember with my son. When I saw that there was a animated movie version, let’s just say I wasn’t running out to get it. But when it happened across my eyeballs, I watched it and was pleasantly surprised. Being derived from a picture book, it was ridiculously easy to stay true to the text and I dare say the movie is actually an improvement.

The story is about a little mouse that is trying not to fall prey to the hungry animals in the woods. Whenever “invites” the mouse over, he declines, explaining that he is to meet with the Gruffalo, a terrible monster who is sure to eat the predators. But the mouse has invented the Gruffalo as a clever ploy to scare off his enemies; he isn’t real! Or is he? For who should the mouse encounter but A GRUFFALO!

The movie is short (about 30 minutes) and rather charming and cute. And the Gruffalo is about as scary as the monsters from Where the Wild Things Are. (Which is to say not at all.) A great movie to watch with the family, especially if you are short on time.

Tags: bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Gruffalo, Movie Reviews, Movies

Post by Mark T. Locker.

I have never been very good at watching “smart” and “fancy” movies but if I am going to watch a fancy-pants movie, I figure something selected by the esteemed Criterion Collection is a good place to start. And with certain unnamed streaming services offering Criterion’s entire collection at one’s fingertips, being fancy just got a whole lot easier.

One of the more recent additions to Criterion is Down By Law, one of those understated, long-periods-of-silence black and white Jim Jarmusch  numbers. What sets this one apart, however, is the cast. Boasting the unequaled silly Italian Roberto Begnini and timeless cool cat crooner Tom Waits, their presence in this film launches it into excellence.

Three guys find themselves in the New Orleans prison system: two were framed and one killed a man with an 8 ball. They decide to make a break for it and flee prison. That’s about all the movie is about, but the dialog is so perfect, the acting sublime.  It’s also very quiet and subtle, so it’s excellent for falling asleep to. I recommend you do so tonight.

Tags: bed, Charles P. Rogers, Down By Law, Jim Jarmusch, Movie Reviews, Movies

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Sometimes, the best movies to watch in bed are the old classics from childhood. I had not seen Peter Pan since I was a very small child and recently picked it up from the library to watch with my son. When it comes to movies to give you exciting dreams (and who doesn’t dream at least once in a while about flying?) Peter Pan is hard to beat. Pirates! Eternal youth! Fairies! Flight! It’s pretty exciting stuff. There is the rather uncomfortable issue of the Indians who are depicted exactly as you’d expect a film of this era to depict them. But other than that, there’s much to love. I especially liked realizing that Smee’s voice is the White Rabbit, Wendy is the voice of Alice and, slightly more obscure, Captain Hook is the voice of Thorin from the Hobbit animated cartoon. What fun!

So get out your tights, tie on your shadow, and head to Neverland tonight!

Tags: bed, Bedtime, Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Movie Reviews, Peter Pan

Post by Mark T. Locker.

I know, I know, this is also not a movie but I don’t care! If I haven’t been watching movies of late it’s because I have been watching Burn Notice instead. Now, I’m not one to usually watch spy shows with car chases, explosions, and shameless product placement but there is something about ever-cool Michael Weston and his mojito-swilling sidekick Sam and trigger-happy girlfriend Fiona that just tickles me pink. The premise is that Michael Weston was a spy for the U.S. government but got blamed for a bunch of horrible stuff he didn’t do and got burned. As the beginning of each episode reminds us, being burned means no cash, no credit, few friends. So while he and his buddies try and clear his name, they take on odd jobs facing off scary drug lords, low-life con artists and myriad other bad guys, always in creative ways and always while educating us on some very important tools of the spy trade. Since I finished the last season available on Netflix, I have wandering around weeping and moaning, seeking desperately for new meaning for my life. It’s just that fun.

Tags: bed, bedroom, Burn Notice, Charles P. Rogers, Movie Reviews, movies in bed, Television Reviews