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The Help 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack Review

December 17, 2011 By Momstart 5 Comments

I read The Help over a rainy Seattle weekend back in November of 2010. I had a hard time putting the book down as it was so well written and filled me with a wide range of emotion. When I heard that that the movie would be out in the summer of 2011, I was eager for its release. Unfortunately, I never did get the opportunity to see it in the theater. Since becoming a mom, the only movies I tend to see in the theater are rated G and in 3D. So when I was given the opportunity to review the 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack of the The Help, I was thrilled! And my anticipation was not in vain as this was a great movie, true to the book and performed by some amazing actors.

If you’re not familiar with The Help here’s a synopsis:

The #1 New York Times bestseller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful
performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. The Help is an inspirational, courageous and empowering
story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project — one that breaks society’s rules and puts them all at risk. Filled with poignancy, humor and hope — and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features — The Help is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change.

The Help stars Emma Stone as the courageous Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, who goes against the beliefs of
her family and friends to find her own voice. The critically praised, emotional performance of Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark, a woman who secretly dreams of one day having more than she has been given, offers a deep emotional storyline. The breakthrough performance of Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson, whose sass and tough exterior disguise the pain and fear she faces every day, brings both drama and humor to the film. Bryce Dallas Howard breathes life into the catty Jackson socialite Hilly Holbrook and Jessica Chastain brings charm and humor as Celia Foote, a kind housewife living outside of town who longs to fit in. Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney and Ahna O‟Reilly also provide vivacious performances that round out this all-star female ensemble.

On December 6th, 2011 The Help was released on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, Digital Download and On-Demand. I love owning a Blu-ray DVD player, not just for the superior sound and image quality, but also since most Blu-ray movies come with tons of extras. I received The Help 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pak which includes the Blu-ray disc and a regular DVD disc that I can put in my car, portable DVD player or just lend to my Blu-ray deprived friends. There is also a 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pak available that has a downloadable copy of the movie.

Both the 3-Disc and 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Packs include a number of bonus features that are well worth checking out. They include:

The Making of “The Help:” From Friendship To Film Find out more about the friendship between director and screenplay writer Tate Taylor and author Kathryn Stockett and the process it took to bring this story to the big screen. Commentary from the crew and actors on the making of the film is also included which is always an entertaining way to learn more about their time on set.

In Their Own Words: A Tribute To The Maids Of Mississippi An informative look at the women who worked as maids and provides a deeper understanding of the relationships that form between maids and their employers as well as the children they care for.

Also included are deleted scenes (my favorite!) and a music video, “The Living Proof” from nine-time Grammy Award®-winning and multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter, Mary J. Blige.

The Help can be found just in time for the holidays in these formats:
3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) = $44.99 U.S./$51.99 Canada
2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) = $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada
1-Disc DVD = $29.99 U.S./$35.99 Canada
For Fans of The Help movie:
“Like” the Help Facebook page
Follow The Help Movie on Twitter
Visit the website and mobile site:

Disclosure – This product was provided to me free of charge by the manufacturer or representing PR agency for the writing of this review; however, opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

About Emily:

Emily is also very active in the local MOMS CLUB. She raises chickens and has 2 shih tzus. Her daughter Caitlyn attends Montessori school and she hates housecleaning, loves wine and enjoys dining out. She would love to find a cure for the depression and anxiety she has dealt with on and off over the past 10 years, just like me. She is an amazing mom and friend.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: dreamworks, Movie review, The Help

Behind The Movie War Horse: An Interview With Steven Spielberg

December 14, 2011 By Momstart 17 Comments

I really wanted to meet and interview Steven Spielberg myself, but I know everyone else involved with War Horse did too. He’s an important man with a very busy schedule so I understand how he had to be selective with who interviewed him. So I watched this interview and will share some of the highlights with you, and suggest that you watch the interview as well. It’s almost an hour long but so interesting and informative to watch.

An interview with Steven Spielberg.

Thoughts and Highlights From The Interview With Steven Spielberg:

The horses were choses by trial and error. Abraham and Finder were the main two horses. Finder did most of the work but both Finder and Abraham bonded the best with all of the actors. The other horses used were specialty horses, a jumper or a runner.

Steven Spielberg mentioned that they were very fortunate with Joey. The horse at times seemed to understand what was going on in the scene and he added to it with his own expressions. It was unbelievable and amazing to see myself on the screen how this happened and to hear from Spielberg that it was the horse that made that magic on the screen.

I’m really impressed listening to Steven Spielberg on his opinion of the age of children and who can see this movie. He said it’s not for little kids but parents know their child best and what their children’s viewing habits are. I know for my kids, they get terrified in a theater when the lights get dark and the music and sound is intense so I couldn’t take my children to this. I wouldn’t take my children, they are 3 and 4. It’s a war movie, use your judgment.

Ok, I have to say the more I watch of this interview the more I love Steven Spielberg. He spoke about the war but not in “unspeakable terms”. There is so much of the movie where you don’t see what happened in the war but you KNOW what happened in War Horse.

In the interview he mentioned what the single most challenging technical sequence. The single most challenging technical sequence for Steven Spielberg of the movie War Horse was when Joey went through No Man’s land. No horse was injured at all in the movie and it was so hard to make this scene. They did it at night and they were up all night and it was just quite a challenge. Here is a look at the No Man’s Land scene:

Steven also talks about how much he enjoys working with musical composer John Williams. For War Horse John Williams created three different theme piano sketches and he said he “was a goner, three handkerchiefs right there”. They also work together on where there should be and where there shouldn’t be music. I never thought about what goes behind the soundtrack before, but I have noticed how in very few movies how a moment of silence is one of the most powerful moments in the movie. I also found it interesting that he’s so flexible with the script. The script changes daily, even the actors might influence a change in the script, while filing the script went through about 25 changes. I’m just fascinated, I highly suggest you listen to this interview if you have any interest in War Horse or in Steven Spielberg and how he creates a masterpiece.

War Horse Arrives in Theaters Christmas Day.

Travel and Expenses, and photos were provided by DreamWorks.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: dreamworks, Interview with Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Behind the Movie: Scholastic War Horse Teaching Guide

December 14, 2011 By Momstart 3 Comments

WAR HORSE is based on the young adult novel by Michael Morpurgo, first published in 1982. While the film is rated PG-13, it’s a great way to educate older children. I saw War Horse over a week ago and I really can’t wait to see it again. I found it very well made as it presented World War 1 to me in a way that it had never been presented to me before. Scholastic has created a War Horse Teaching Guide and I suggest that you check It out.

The First World War is experienced through the journey of this horse—an odyssey of joy and sorrow, passionate friendship and high adventure. “War Horse” is one of the great stories of friendship and war— a successful book, it was turned into a hugely successful international theatrical hit that is currently on Broadway. It now comes to screen in an epic adaptation by one of the great directors in film history.

You can download these worksheets at Scholastic War Horse.

Scholastic also created a children’s version of the story War Horse. It’s a very quick and easy read.

Filed Under: Teaching Tips Tagged With: dreamworks, educational, scholastic, teacher's guide, Teaching Tips, War Horse

Behind the Movie War Horse: Interview with Emily Watson

December 12, 2011 By Momstart 18 Comments

Emily Watson, English actor was asked to play the role of Rose Narracott in the movie War Horse. Before she considers any role she looks at her children’s schedule. Is there a holiday, she considers how long she’s going to be gone and where she’s going, how far away will she be from her family. She said when here children were younger it was easier because she could keep them with her but now has to leave them in school. In fact, she missed the first day of shooting War Horse so she could be home for the first day of school. I can’t blame her, I would want to be home for that too.

She said she just loved the scenery of where the movie was filmed. She said they filmed in the most beautiful part of England. “It’s in the southwest, in the county of Devon which is very fecund and rich and it’s a real, very traditional …..in the middle of it is this moorland called Dartmore where you can stand on it and you are not be able to see any sign of human habitation whatsoever. With these ancient outcrops of rock so that, that was pretty special to be there.”

Emily felt the movie was filmed beautifully and as an anti-war film you really get the idea that that particular war was pointless. 4 years of carnage and so much loss of life and a terrible miss treatment of animals. Steven Spielberg captured all of that beautifully without making you watch all of the carnage.

Emily was also asked about how she liked working with Steven Spielberg. She described him as a director with a lot of experience, “a lot of incredible technical feats and he’s a great action director, but he’s still very focused on performance.” And I have to say that everyone’s performance in War Horse made it an amazing and educational movie to experience.

Because of how important being a mother is to Emily Watson, I really loved Emily. I asked her what advice she would give to other mothers and she said that mother’s shouldn’t be so hard on themselves. Being a mother is hard. As a mother you have to make sure that you take a break and get some sleep. I felt like she was speaking directly to me. I’m always second guessing myself and worrying that I’m doing it wrong. From one mother to a mother, just let it go and move on. Believe you are a good successful mom providing for your family.

A little bit About Emily Watson:

Watson’s status as a leading actress in major Hollywood productions was cemented in 2002 with her roles in Red Dragon (2002), the third installment of Thomas Harris’ Hannibal Lechter series; the futuristic Equilibrium (2002); and, most notably, in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love (2002), playing opposite Adam Sandler. While returning to the stage in 2002 and 2003 on both sides of the Atlantic, Watson has expressed interest in again working with Anderson. Emily Watson lives in London, England, UK, with her husband, Jack Waters.

All travel and expenses were covered by Disney and DreamWorks.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: dreamworks, Emily Watson, Interview with Emily Watson, Steven Spielberg, War Horse

A Glamorous Red Carpet For War Horse

December 9, 2011 By Momstart 7 Comments

I must admit that being in the presence of Steven Spielberg was jaw dropping. I just felt like I was in the presence of greatness, I mean everything he has accomplished and many of my all time favorite movies have his name on the project somewhere. He’s fantastic and I loved how he introduced the cast to all of us before beginning the movie.

We would have met Joey too, if it wasn’t for the fact that there were 14 of them and Steven didn’t want the other 13 to get jealous.

It was a night of glamour for my friends and I too as all of us had the opportunity to get all dressed up. Before we even left the hotel I took photos of as many of the bloggers as I could and had a friend take a photo of me. I can’t remember the last time I had the opportunity to get this glammed up. While I was at the premier I felt like people thought I was someone famous. I actually had people come up to me, telling me how much they loved my dress and how spectacular I looked. It was a wonderful and humbling experience.

And you know all of Hollywood was in New York for the War Horse Premier, check out these War Horse Red Carpet Premier photos. In fact, let’s play, name that star! Please leave me a comment and tell me who is who?

Disney and DreamWorks Took care of all my travel expenses.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: dreamworks, Emily Watson, photos, Red Carpet, War Horse

Getting Red Carpet Ready at Northgate Simon Mall

November 29, 2011 By Momstart 10 Comments

Yesterday, I should have stayed home and worked all day. I really need to get some posts scheduled for my trips this weekend and the next. But instead I spent the day getting ready for my trip to New York. I’m walking the red carpet again, this time with DreamWorks and the movie War Horse. So instead of buying a dress, I bought a coat, but I found such a good deal, that I ended up getting a dress and a coat. So where did I spend my day, I spent the day walking the halls of Northgate Mall. I had a snack, my hair done and found some fabulous clothing.

If you keep up with me on Facebook, I posted both of these coats and asked you guys for some help in picking out a coat. The one vote I had was for the red one and I didn’t see that vote until after I purchased the black one.

I bought a new coat because my current coat is not a dress coat. I really thought having a nice dress coat would be better, plus ever since I saw my sister had a nice black dress coat I wanted one too. While I was there and enjoying my kid less time I looked at dress too.

I think the only reason I ended up getting a dress was because I got the coat for $37.00. Amazing I know, you would think that all the sales would be over, but just because black Friday came and went doesn’t mean you won’t find a good deal. You’ll find fantastic deals at Northgate Mall in Seattle.

I got my hair cut at Regis and you know I bought a coffee and the best part was I just enjoyed my experience today in the mall without kids.

This is not a compensated post but I am a Northgate Mall Ambassador.

Filed Under: personal Tagged With: dreamworks, Northgate Mall, personal, Simon Mall, War Horse

DreamWorks War Horse Seattle #TweetDrive 2011 Swag Bag Sponsor @SeaTweetDrive

November 27, 2011 By Momstart 3 Comments

I love working with Disney and Dreamworks and I’m super excited about walking the red carpet next weekend with Steven Spielberg. Well, he’ll be taking photos for the media while I’m walking the red carpet with 20 of my best blogging buddies. But good news SEATTLE!!! War Horse is coming to you too!

I have War Horse Screening tickets to give to the first 100 people that show up for the Seattle TweetDrive December 1 2011 at 5:30 at the Hard Rock.

Screening Date: Wednesday, December 14

Screening Time: 7:00PM

Location: AMC Pacific Place (600 Pine St, Seattle)

Join us on Thursday December 1st for a Kick-off to the Holiday season party at The Hard Rock! "Price" of admission to this fabulous party is a new toy for Treehouse! Last year, we gathered 330 toys. Can we break that record this year?

Come for the Tweetup at 5:30; stay for the music at 8:30.

The Seattle Tweet Drive is part of a national event, Holiday Tweet Drive, taking place in 36 cities. We’re collecting toys for Treehouse. Treehouse serves over 5,000 foster kids annually.

In conjunction with the Seattle Tweet Drive, MySeattleNightOut.com will hold the finale of an 8-week Jammin’ Challenge at 8:30 p.m. Come for the Tweet Drive; stay for the music! If you arrive after 8:30pm, admission to the event is a new toy for Treehouse or a suggested cash donation of $15.00. Seattle Wave Radio Jammin’ Challenge will give one lucky and talented local artist or band an opportunity to play on-stage with some of the “greats” in the Seattle music scene at Play it Forward, the All Star, Icon Jam with Music Aid Northwest on Jan 14, 2012.

Follow @SEAtweetdrive on Twitter, and please use #TweetDrive when tweeting about the event.

Filed Under: charity Tagged With: dreamworks, Seattle Tweetdrive, tweetdrive, tweetdrive 2011, War Horse

A Sneak Peek at DreamWorks War Horse

November 15, 2011 By Momstart 11 Comments

I keep telling all my friends that I’m going to see War Horse, and their response is unanimous. I haven’t heard about it, what is it about, uh!. I’m SUPER excited about this movie, I’ve been super excited about this movie since I saw the teaser trailer and I think I saw the teaser trailer this summer while watching Harry Potter. If it wasn’t on Harry Potter I’m really not sure which movie it was because truth be told, my husband and I don’t get out much. It was the best teaser! This is the War Horse Trailer:

So Coming out Christmas Day is War Horse and I have a sneak peek for all of you. I’m reading the children’s book War Horse that Scholastic printed and I was surprised when I first started reading the book that it’s from the horse’s prospective. It’s obvious from how far I’ve gotten in the book that the horse, Joey is going to fall in love with Albert who is the only human to show him compassion from the time he was born. With an outstanding story to start with, War Horse was originally a play, director Steven Spielberg is sure to turn this into a masterpiece.

Movie Synopsis:

War Horse is an epic adventure, it is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. Just like what I’ve been reading in my book, the synopsis of Spielberg’s “War Horse” begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him.

When they are forcefully parted (and in the book, this was not the first time Joey had been forcefully parted from someone, his mother), the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—

British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man’s Land.

Now who would be the best choice for music? You guessed it, or you should have. The War Horse Sound Track was composed by John Williams. "The dramatic countryside of Dartmoor has inspired John Williams to compose a score of such beauty and quiet majesty that one might think the earth was speaking through him, much as the heavens have done for nearly five decades. When I first heard John s sketches of the four central themes for War Horse, I didn’t need my memories of the film to underscore the feelings I was having. The music was a stand-alone experience and it affected me deeply, as have so many of John s scores during our nearly 40-year collaboration. I feel that John has made a special gift to me of this music, which was inspired not only by my film but also by many of the picturesque settings of the poet William Wordsworth, whose vivid descriptions of the British landscape inspired much of what you are going to hear." – Steven Spielberg (This quote was found on the Examiner)

War Horse comes out December 25th to a theater near you!

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: dreamworks, movie, Movie review, Sneak Peek, Steven Spielberg, War Horse

Sneak Peak at The Secret World of Arrietty in Theaters February 17th

November 4, 2011 By Momstart 5 Comments

Early one morning while I was in LA with Disney/DreamWorks, I was shipped off to one of my favorite viewing studies, the Dick Clark Studios. There we viewed The Secret World of Arrietty.

Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler), is a borrower. She’s a tiny but very ambitious character that doesn’t have very much fear in her. I think all 14 year olds think they can conquer the world, not matter how big it may be. She lives beneath the floorboards trying to quietly live undetected in a secret world to be discovered, where the smallest may stand tallest of all. From the legendary Studio Ghibli (“Spirited Away,” “Ponyo”) comes “The Secret World of Arrietty,” an animated adventure based on Mary Norton’s acclaimed children’s book series “The Borrowers.”

‘Like’ THE SECRET WORLD OF ARRIETTY on Facebook.

I can’t give you my full review yet, it’s still under embargo, but I can share with you that it’s quite the intellectual movie that makes you wonder where does all of our stuff go? She lives with her parents (voices of Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) in the recesses of a suburban garden home, unbeknownst to the homeowner and her housekeeper (voice of Carol Burnett). Like all little people, Arrietty (AIR-ee-ett-ee) remains hidden from view, except during occasional covert ventures beyond the floorboards to “borrow” scrap supplies like sugar cubes from her human hosts. They only take what they need.

Everything is find and dandy until she makes a small mistake. 12-year-old Shawn (voice of David Henrie), a human boy who comes to stay in the home, discovers his mysterious housemate one evening, a secret friendship blossoms. If discovered, their relationship could drive Arrietty’s family from the home and straight into danger. The English language version of “The Secret World of Arrietty” was executive produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, and directed by Gary Rydstrom. Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall are highly successful producing partners whose films, separately and together, include “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “E.T.,” “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” the Indiana Jones films and the Jurassic Park films. In total, Kennedy and Marshall have earned 11 Oscar® nominations.

The Secret World of Arrietty hits theaters Feb. 17, 2012.

All travel expenses and experiences, and photos were provided by Disney/DreamWorks.

Filed Under: Movie review Tagged With: Arrietty, Disney, dreamworks, movie announcement, Movie review, press trip, The Secret World of Arrietty

Photography: A Walk Through Universal City Walk

October 11, 2011 By Momstart 15 Comments

Since I’m still trying to motivate myself to write reviews and get caught up, I thought I’d do a personal post. When I was on the Real Steel Press Junket I did a walk through of Universal City Walk. Andrew and I did this walk quite a few years ago, and I’m not exactly sure where all of those photos are but it sure does look different to me.

All of these photos were taken on a trip with DreamWorks when I did the Real Steel Press Junket. The Real Steel Red Carpet event took place on the Universal City Walk. It looked like a fantastic event. If you haven’t seen real Steel yet, it’s now in theaters and was number one in the box office last weekend. GO SEE IT!

Filed Under: personal, photos Tagged With: dreamworks, photography, Real Steel, Universal City Walk

The Help 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack Review

Behind The Movie War Horse: An Interview With Steven Spielberg

An interview with Steven Spielberg.

Thoughts and Highlights From The Interview With Steven Spielberg:

Behind the Movie: Scholastic War Horse Teaching Guide

Behind the Movie War Horse: Interview with Emily Watson

A Glamorous Red Carpet For War Horse

Getting Red Carpet Ready at Northgate Simon Mall

DreamWorks War Horse Seattle #TweetDrive 2011 Swag Bag Sponsor @SeaTweetDrive

A Sneak Peek at DreamWorks War Horse

Sneak Peak at The Secret World of Arrietty in Theaters February 17th

Photography: A Walk Through Universal City Walk

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