The Rise of Skywalker

The newest Star Wars movie, The Rise of Skywalker, opened last week. However, we had a lot going on since then, so we weren’t able to see it before today. Marina and I slept late, so our late morning am time at the movie theater became our breakfast time.

We arrived a bit early and went to our seats. There were already quite a few people in the theater. We decided what we wanted to eat, but it took our server a long time before she took our order. We were both really hungry and it seemed to take forever for our food to arrive. By then the movie had started.

It had lots of action and a few surprises. We both really enjoyed the movie.

Frozen 2

It’s been six years since Marina and I saw Frozen for the first time. We’ve both been excited to see the sequel which officially opens tomorrow. However, tonight was the preview night. So we decided to go see it tonight.

We arrived at the theater early – too early since the movie before it hadn’t gotten out yet. Once it was ready we went to our seats and placed our food order. Shortly after we settled in, a group with three little girls in costume came in. They reminded me so much of Marina when she was little!

Our food arrived just before the previews started. Marina was very excited. Frozen 2 was action packed and emotional. We both enjoyed it. Marina wasn’t happy about staying for the last scene after the credits but it was cute.

After the movie was over we found it was snowing lightly outside. that seemed appropriate somehow.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Marina has been a fan of the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas for many years. I’ve never seen it however. Over the past few years, the symphony has presented it in concert right around Halloween. We’ve wanted to go but hadn’t been able to make it happen in the past. So I decided to buy tickets this year.

Marina wore her Sally dress and drew stitch marks on her face. She decided not to have her hair colored red like Sally’s however.

We left the house early to deal with rush hour traffic. Once we were inside the concert hall, we decided to check out the activities they had set up. Marina decided to try one of them out.
Once her craft was done, we bought drinks and went tour seats. The symphony has a new screen set up that made it much easier for us to see.

Marina loved seeing the movie again. After it was over she said it “took me back to my childhood.”

Maleficent at the Movies

Marina has been on fall break this week and she has spent most of it with her dad. I was able to take time off today to spend with her. So we decided to see the new movie Maleficent: Mistress of All Evil. We went to the for a lunchtime showing.

Maleficent Mistress of All Evil was more action packed than the first Maleficent movie. When it was over, Marina said “I think I have a new favorite movie.”

The King Has Returned

This evening we invited one of Marina's friends to join us seeing The Lion King. We ordered dinner and settled into watch the movie. It was much like the original animated version, but the animals looked more realistic. Of course, the girls loved them!

We all enjoyed the movie. After it was over, we headed home. The girls went into Marina’s room and put themselves to bed.

The Toys are Back in Town

This afternoon it started to rain. We ventured out to see Toy Story 4 at our favorite movie theater restaurant. We arrived a bit early and decided to order appetizer platters again. Our food arrived quickly. Since we were both hungry, we dug in right away.

As we waited for the movie to start, we talked to the woman sitting next to us. It turned out she works at the Renaissance Festival, so Marina was very interested in hearing what that is like.


We both enjoyed the movie. It was funny and sad at times. Marina admitted she almost cried at a few points.

Aladdin Movie

Jasmine has always been one of Marina’s favorite Disney characters. So she was very excited to see the new Aladdin movie. Our tickets were for the 3D version.

Both of us really enjoyed the movie. We loved Jasmine’s costumes, the small changes to the storyline and Will Smith as the Genie. And, of course, Marina loved Rajah, the tiger!

Captain Marvel

Marina has been into super hero movies lately. We’d heard good things about Captain Marvel who opened last week, so we decided to go see it tonight.

There seemed to be a lot of previews and Marina and I were getting a bit bored with them. Fortunately they finally ended and the movie started. We both really enjoyed it. Marina especially liked the cat.

Aquaman

Marina and I saw the movie Justice League last year and we both enjoyed it. Aquaman was one of the new characters introduced in it, so we were both looking forward to his movie that came our last week. We both slept in this morning and went to the theater around lunch time.

We thought about ordering our usual platter to share, but we were both really hungry, so we looked at the menu. Marina was excited about the chicken quesadilla, so she ordered that for herself. When it arrived it was very large but she managed to eat most of it.

Aquaman was full of action and humor. Marina clearly enjoyed it. After it was over she basically said she loved all the main characters. “We need to get this when it comes out on video,” she told me as we left.

Mary Poppins Returns

Last week I entered a contest for tickets for a sneak preview of the movie Mary Poppins Returns. I won tickets to see it tonight. Marina was thrilled.

We didn’t leave the house as early as we had hoped but were glad to see there wasn’t a huge line to get it. When we went into the theater, we found good seats next to a woman who had come on her own. So, we happily joined her. I bought popcorn and a drink while Marina chatted with her

The movie started late and Marina got a bit restless. But once it got started, Marina was completely engaged in it. The story had plenty of fantasy and musical numbers which she loved. At the end she said she really liked it.

Ralph Breaks the Internet

The movie Ralph Breaks the Internet opened earlier this week. Of course, Marina and I were anxious to see it. So we decided to check it out this evening.

We had a bit of a sleet storm this afternoon so we were glad the theater isn’t too far from home. We arrived early, so we settled into our seats.

Once the movie started, we both enjoyed it. Since Marina loves playing video games so much, she really enjoyed that part of the story. And of course, the Disney Princesses showing up was something we both loved.

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Marina has really missed Ainsley this week. So we decided to make plans for today with her. It was cold and snowy, so we decided to see a movie. Marina and I wanted to see The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. At first, Ainsley said she wasn’t interested, but after watching a trailer with her mother, she changed her mind.

Marina was anxious to see Ainsley so we left the house really early. We were too early for the movie, so we stopped for warm drinks before the show. We arrived early for the movie, so we ordered our food.

The movie was more of an adventure than a romance. Both Marina and Ainsley loved it. After it ended we brought Ainsley over to our house where the girls worked on their photo albums for a little while and then went into Marina’s room and played dress up. After a couple of hours, Ainsley was ready to go home for dinner.

Football and Film

Marina used to be a member of the Broncos Bunch. Unfortunately, she got too old for the club last year. Since then they made some changes and now anyone can buy tickets. This evening they had movie night with the film Coco. We decided to go. Marina dressed in her black lace dress that she wore to the Day of the Dead celebration last year.

We arrived early to make sure we got a good spot on the field. That worked out well because there weren’t lines for many of the activities. We got a photo with Miles on the way in and a couple of cheerleaders as well. There wasn’t a line for face painting, so Marina got a rose on her cheek.

We found a great spot on the field to set up. However, it was a long wait for the movie start. Marina wasn’t interested in any of the crafts, so she played on her phone and ate popcorn until it finally started.

The people around us were pretty noisy, but overall we enjoyed the movie. And fortunately it wasn’t too late when we left.

Jurassic Movie

Marina has been a fan of the Jurassic Park franchise for a while. So, of course, she was looking forward to the newest movie in the series, Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom. Today was the opening day, so I got tickets to see it at our favorite movie theater this evening.

Naturally, Marina wore her Jurassic Park t-shirt. We arrived early for the show and found a dinosaur greeting us at the door, we loved that! We got to our seats and ordered food and popcorn. There were quite a few previews before the movie. Marina was excited when it finally started.

This movie was more intense than the previous ones. Marina seemed a bit more scared of this one than the other ones we have seen. Near the end she got up to use the restroom. She admitted later she was a bit freaked out! After the movie was over, Marina said she really liked it despite being scared by it.

Incredible Movie

The movie The Incredibles came out the year Marina was born. When she was two, it was her one of her favorites to watch. She dressed as Violet that year for Halloween. Despite all that time, we were both excited to see the sequel. Tonight was the preview night, so I got tickets to take Marina to see it this evening. She wore her Incredibles skater dress for the occasion.

We were to our favorite theater and arrived early to order dinner. It arrived before the previews started so we were pretty much finished when the movie started. The move was very funny and full of action. Marina loved it. I think she also liked that she is right around Violet’s age now!

Solo Story

We decided to see the new Star Wars movie Solo this afternoon. Marina was so excited she wore her Jyn Urso costume.

We arrived at the movie theater early and found that even though the menu has changed, our favorite dish is still on it So, of course we ordered it. The food arrived shortly before the movie started.

Solo was action packed and fun. We both enjoyed watching it. Marina didn’t even mind when I spent time with other fans afterward trying to get the timeline straight.

Jurassic Park in Concert

We have enjoyed going to the symphony for years. They often screen movies in the concert hall with the music being played live. When Marina heard they were screening Jurassic Park, she immediately wanted to go. I love the music from the film, so I got the tickets.

As usual, Marina wanted to cosplay. She wore her red Jurassic Park t-shirt, khaki shorts and hiking boots – very similar to Laura Dern’s outfit in the movie. She even put her hair in a ponytail.

We picked up drinks before the show and settled in to our seats. We both wished we had popcorn to much on as well! Once the conductor walked onstage, Marina was excited for the movie to start. She paid close attention to the movie and had very strong reactions to the action. We both agreed it was much scarier than when we watch it at home.

The Music of John Wiliams

With her growing interest in music and movies, Marina has developed an appreciation for the music written by John Williams. His birthday was yesterday, so the symphony had a concert featuring his music. When Marina heard about it she wanted to go. So I got the tickets. However, when the music list came out, we were both a bit disappointed, very little music we were familiar with was on the list.

We arrived at the concert hall early and since it was a cold night, we ordered chai lattes to drink. Our seats were near the stage by the percussion section. Before the concert began, she played on her phone.

Once the music started, Marina did a good job of paying attention to the performance. She admitted she enjoyed some of the music, even if it wasn’t familiar to her. At intermission we talked to a couple who were sitting near us.

After the concert was over we were able to get home quickly. I was proud of how Marina behaved despite not getting quite what she was expecting.

Coco Movie

During the busy holiday season, Marina and I didn’t have time to see the new Disney movie Coco. It seemed like a good idea to see it to start off the new year.

We were early for the movie and the theater was not crowded, so we were able to get our tickets and buy popcorn quickly. We picked out our seats and had a bit of a wait until the previews started.

The action of Coco took place around the Day of the Dead festivities. We have gone to the botanic gardens celebration the last two years so Marina loved that connection. It was a beautiful movie about family. I was a bit teary by the end. Rather than teasing me, Marina offered me a napkin to wipe my eyes.

At then end of the  movie, we agreed that we loved it.

The Last Jedi

Over the past year Marina has become quite a big Star Wars fan. We’ve been so busy, we haven’t been able to see the new movie, The Last Jedi, until today. Marina was excited. She wore her Rey costume and brought along the stuffed porg she got for Christmas.

We went to the our favorite theater to see The Last Jedi. We arrived a bit early and I was glad I had purchased our tickets online because the place was packed.

Marina was excited when the opening credits began. The movie was full of action and Marina was fully engaged the entire time. She only talked to me a few times. When it was over, she was quite happy with it. The fact that Rey was the center of the story only made it better for her!