Post by Mark T. Locker.

If you are looking for a movie that Angry Birds has built a game theme around, look no further than Rio, the most recent (I think) release from the creators of Ice Age.

So, it’s probably pretty obvious I’m a parent, isn’t it? I am yammering about the creators of Ice Age, for crying out loud! However, as a parent, I’m not crazy about movies featuring lots of fighting and explosions like superhero movies, and the more saccharine and meaningful message-y a movie gets, the more I want to gag. Rio is neither of those. It’s about birds and propogation of a species (but not in a dirty way) and it’s got Tracy Morgan as a bulldog. And Will.i.am as a rapping bird. As far as kids’ movies go, this one is pretty fun. Mind you there is a bad guy (or bad cockatoo, in this case) but it’s not scary, not violent, not dumb. If I want family movie night to be bearable, I need a movie we can ALL tolerate. My boy laughs at the stupid parts, I laugh at the actually funny parts and everyone is happy.

Tags: Charles P. Rogers, Children, family, Movie Reviews, Movies, Rio

Post by Mark T. Locker.

A couple weeks ago we discussed a classic Humphrey Bogart detective movie, The Maltese Falcon. This past week I had the opportunity to spend the night at a house on the Oregon coast. While the day started out unseasonably mild and nearly sunny, the wild wet weather swept in suddenly and ferociously. So while the rain and wind lashed the windows, we stoked the fire, filled our glasses with whiskey and pulled off the shelf another great Bogart classic, The Big Sleep.

The most interesting I learned while watching this movie was that it was the inspiration for another favorite of mine, The Big Lebowski. Now, I am not a movie scholar, I don’t “read” the movies or anything, so I haven’t really figured out what the parallels are. Whatever Philip Marlowe and The Dude have in common, it certainly isn’t clothing choices.

I like this movie for a few reasons: William Faulkner co-wrote the screenplay; Raymond Chandler wrote the novel; Humphrey Bogart is, well, awesome; and finally, two little words: Lauren Bacall. Need I say more? Watch it. It’s dark, sinister, mysterious, and exciting.

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

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Ah, the hot, dusty landscapes of a good old Western movie…nothing better to wipe away the endless chill of a cold January night. Newly released on Netflix, you can now enjoy the parched, dusty, gritty goodness of Joel and Ethan Coen’s 2010 adaptation of True Grit.

Jeff Bridges and the drunken one-eyed Rooster Cogburn who, despite all his attempts to not get involved, finds himself hired by a headstrong young girl who is looking for the man who killed her father. They are soon joined up with a young Texas Ranger named LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) who has been on the trail of the same man for a long time.

I love the way in which Jeff Bridges comports himself in the role of Rooster Cogburn; it is so startlingly similar to my crotchety Texan father-in-law that when my wife and I first saw a clip from the movie we just stared at each other in awe. If you knew him, you’d understand. Anyway, if you haven’t seen this movie, it’s definitely worth a watch. If you have seen it, watch it again!

Tags: bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Jeff Bridges, Movie Reviews, Movies, True Grit

Post by Mark T. Locker.

It’s dark by 5:30. A screaming wind whips around the house, clattering the shutters and whistling eerily through the branches. Rain beats against the windows as if demanding an audience. What better recourse than to pull out that bottle of whiskey, climb under the blankets and wrap yourself up in some good old-fashioned film noir?

Personally, I’m a sucker for the old Humphrey Bogart films, most notably The Maltese Falcon. The Maltese Falcon is based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed mystery writer Dashiell Hammett. It’s got all the good twists and turns, red herrings and hard-boiled hard-drinking detective stuff that makes great film noir. Plus, anything with creepy old Peter Lorre just makes for an even more engaging story. Peppered with humor, suspense, and razor-sharp dialogue, The Maltese Falcon is the perfect way to while away a cold and dreary winter’s night.

Tags: Charles P. Rogers, Humphrey Bogart, Maltese Falcon, Movie Review, Movies

Post by Mark T. Locker.

Okay, so this may not be available for watching in bed quite yet, unless there is some kind of Bedroom Theater in your neighborhood, like the Living Room Theaters but with comfy daybeds instead of sofas. And this would be a great movie to watch just before falling asleep as it is full of beautiful, magical imagery and is the kind of movie you walk out of feeling good about the world.

Hugo is Martin Scorsese’s lovingly created adaptation of the Caldecott-winning novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Don’t forget, I was waxing poetic about this book before it was a major motion picture! I was skeptical of anyone’s ability to turn such an incredible story mixed with an homage to early filmmaker Georges Méliès into a good movie. I was horribly, happily wrong.

Hugo is a boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station, quietly keeping the clocks running since his uncle disappeared. His only possession is a highly complex automaton, a wind-up figure seated at a desk, pen in hand. When he is caught stealing parts from the toy vendor at the train station, he becomes entangled in a ever-mounting number of mysteries involving the toy vendor, his daughter, and his enigmatic automaton.

Tags: bed, bedroom, Charles P. Rogers, Hugo, Movies, Reviews