The Dark Knight Rises with a BOOM!

Christopher Nolan promised that The Dark Knight Rises would be the end of his widely successful Batman films, and boy does he ever end on a high note, or, if not on a high note, definitely a loud one. I happened to see Rises in IMAX, where the music and gunfire sent vibrations throughout my entire body. It was an assault on my senses, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

While I have been a fan of Nolan's interpretation since Batman Begins, I was worried that Rises would not be able to top The Dark Knight. It may take a few more viewings, but I think Rises at the very least is a worthy conclusion to a phenomenal series.

When I first started to write this review, I kept thinking that the lack of a "Joker" type character somehow lessened the film's tension. Heath Ledger's performance created so much tension, and his dialogue was so fascinating (terrifying, actually, in that his logic lead down some dark alleys), that it was hard for me to imagine Nolan repeating the feat. However, I feel this approach was all wrong. Rises is a new film, a continuation of what Nolan started in Begins. Comparing Rises directly to Knight based solely on the performance of one actor would be a disservice to the story of the latter film.

Wisely, Nolan sidesteps any mention of the Joker. In fact, any references to him are indirect, most notably in a picture of Rachel Dawes (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal in the second film), and of course in any reference to Harvey Dent (played by Aaron Eckhart). All of these references are merely flashbacks, mile-markers to aide the audience in understanding the motivations of the characters in the current film.

Rises opens with an impressive, almost Bond-like, capture of an airplane in mid-flight, all for one man, Dr. Pavel (played by Alon Aboutboul). This scene introduces us to Bane (played by Tom Hardy), the central villain of the film. Bane's reasoning behind the kidnapping of Dr. Pavel is later revealed and will have devastating implications for the city of Gotham.

Meanwhile, it has been eight years since the events of The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne is a recluse (leaning on a cane), Batman hasn't been seen in years, and Gotham has enjoyed what I'm guessing is a crime level that is relatively peaceful compared to the Joker's antics eight years prior. It's probably safe to assume that crime occurs, especially since the police are still needed, but organized crime has been virtually wiped off the streets.

Commissioner Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) has lost his family (his wife has taken the children and moved out of their house) and his feeling of self-worth because of the lie he is forced to maintain: that Batman is to blame for the Harvey Dent murders. In addition, it's revealed that Gordon may not be the Commissioner much longer.

Enter Selina Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway), who starts the film in Wayne Manor as a waitress. Quickly, however, she establishes herself as a very accomplished thief. Hathaway is quite an adept actress (I still feel like her best work is in Brokeback Mountain), and she establishes herself as an equal to all the other fantastic actors Nolan has assembled.

There's also the problem of Wayne's finances and his relying on Miranda Tate (played by Marion Cotillard) to save Wayne Enterprises, Bane's successful takeover of Gotham and defeat of Batman, and Wayne's subsequent imprisonment. Going over all of the plot points in the film would take much longer than is necessary for a blog post. Suffice it to say, everything goes to hell.

Nolan's film is well-paced and never once feels like a long movie, and at two hours and forty-five minutes many might consider it a very long movie. For me, the film is as long as it needs to be to tell the story. It's impressive that Nolan is able to juggle all the characters, allowing them space within the film to establish their characters, even the ones you'd think we knew quite well.

Hardy is quite effective in creating menace and terror with just his eyes, and it's even more impressive how large he got for the role. I don't remember that much bulk in Inception. Even though I couldn't understand all of his dialogue, but that doesn't matter; his intentions are clear, and other characters have the responsibility of providing his motivation. He's even allowed a moment of vulnerability near the end of the film.

Hathaway looks impressive as Selina Kyle (she's never once referred to as Catwoman), and I'm not talking about her cat-suit either, which fit her figure quite well. She was able to look convincing in her fight scenes, a regular femme fatale who's motivations are questionable.

Michael Caine also has some wonderful moments. As always, he carries the emotional center of the film, and his relationship with Wayne is definitely put to the test.

Nolan has mentioned before that one word drives each of the three films: "fear" for Batman Begins, "chaos" for The Dark Knight, and "pain" for The Dark Knight Rises. All three represent the arc of Wayne's character development. "Fear" drives Wayne to become Batman. "Chaos" is a reflection on the consequences of his actions, and it also illustrates the very nature of him being Batman, an agent of order who is breaking the rules by being a vigilante. And now, "pain" represents the pain each character must overcome to move on, especially Wayne's own pain, and that if we fail to overcome that pain we can turn into monsters.

The film brings everything full circle. While some critics may feel that the characters are not fully developed and that Nolan's composition style lacks a three dimensional quality, I feel otherwise. The editing style never confused me, nor did the lack of meaningful compositions affect my viewing of the film. I happen to like Nolan's style, so it's probably a matter of taste. Over the last few years, he has created some of the best films I've seen. Each time I've gone to one of Nolan's films I've enjoyed myself immensely, usually smiling at some point, and I usually feel an emotional satisfaction I cannot deny.

My only concern with the film is the complete disregard for Gotham's citizens. Is there never a point when the people of Gotham rise up to help fight for their city? In The Amazing Spider-Man, there's a wonderful moment when the people of New York help Spider-Man, not so in Rises. Everything depends on Batman and his friends.

The Dark Knight Rises may not meet the incredibly high expectations of The Dark Knight, but I might change my mind after a couple of viewings. Either way, it's a wonderful conclusion to an incredible series of films.

Hanging with Karlee: Part 6

As I sit here, readying myself to type out the final entry in my "Hanging with Karlee" series, I am struck by a feeling of sadness. I wish I didn't have to stop, didn't have to end what has been a rewarding experience, both for the glimpse into parenthood and in having something new to write that has (so far) been well received by my friends and family. For all of you who have been keeping up with these posts, I thank you.

Our sixth day with Karlee ended up being our last. We had planned on keeping her for a couple more days, but those plans fell through, and I am thankful to point out that it wasn't because Karlee wanted to go home. I think by the sixth day, Karlee had grown used to her uncles, and we had grown used to her, although not so used to each other that we'd want to make the situation permanent right this moment.

Since we had missed our scheduled trip to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History the previous day, we decided to head over to the museum that Thursday. The main draw was the dinosaur exhibit and a new exhibit called "Grossology," which promises exactly what the title suggests. A more appropriate title I could not imagine.

Karlee loves dinosaurs. In fact, I remember the time we went with her to the Fort Worth Zoo--this was during her first trip to Dallas, and she had not stayed with us then. The Fort Worth Zoo is quite impressive, and we all had fun even with the blistering heat of the 2011 summer season. And while Karlee enjoyed all the living animals, she seemed to be more fascinated with the fake animals throughout the park, particularly the dinosaurs. See, that year, the Zoo had placed life-size sculptures of dinosaurs throughout the park. Of course, Karlee wanted to pet them all. It took all our efforts to keep her from crossing the rope barriers to touch every single dinosaur she saw. Believe me when I say she saw all of them.

I've always been fascinated with the connection children feel toward dinosaurs. Once, I read that children love dinosaurs because they are themselves living in a world where they don't feel quite like they belong. That's to say, children find themselves occupying a larger world where they feel unsure and out of place. Dinosaurs, on the other hand, are awkward beings, animals that would also not fit comfortably in the modern world; there's no place for them. This feeling of not-fitting in the world is a wonderful representation of a child's own feelings. However, it could also be that dinosaurs are big, powerful, and just plain cool.

Keeping all of this in mind, we knew Karlee would love this particular museum exactly because it contained an exhibit on dinosaurs, but there was a problem: The exhibit wasn't exactly what I'd call very interesting, at least not to a four-year-old. Yes, there were exhibits, but mostly of skeletons, no statues of more fleshed out dinosaurs. Karlee liked it, yes, but she only liked all the buttons she could push and all the bones she could touch. Tactile experiences seem to be preferable.

We quickly found ourselves out of the dinosaur exhibit and chasing Karlee through the more kid-friendly areas.

A word of advice, when taking your children to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History: take your younger children to the grocery and medical areas within the Kid's Zone. They will love it. Nothing is quite as much fun as whole areas created solely for children to run around and pretend. As much time as they spend in the adult world, where going to the grocery store is anything but fun, a child will suddenly relish the chance to have a grocery store that is their size.

For Karlee, such an experience was a blast; for us, however, it was like having a glimpse of the apocalypse.

Image it: You go into a grocery store. There are about a hundred people running all over the place, some have carts, some have baskets, some are carrying their hoards in their arms. Everyone has a mad glint in their eyes. The shelves are bare, and you're looking for whatever you can find. Even though everyone is running around, there seems to be a nexus of movement at the cash registers. Some people are checking out while others are stealing the discarded food. And the cycle just goes on and on.

Now, image the above scenario with about twenty people instead of hundreds and all of them are about two feet tall.

Poor Karlee spent most of her time looking for a grocery cart, and after she found one she spent the rest of her time bargaining for the food she was looking for. She found a fish, a whole chicken and a various array of vegetables. At least her choices were healthy.

I think we spent about forty-five minutes in that one area. It took all we could just to get Karlee to check out (she refused to leave without checking out) and allow other children to use her cart. Since it took so much for her to acquire the cart, she just didn't want to give it up.

After that, Karlee moved over the hospital and ambulance area; and since we pulled Karlee from all the fun of the grocery store, she found a baby doll and hid herself in the ambulance, making sure not to make eye contact with us should we decide to disturb her fun again. And we did disturb her fun after about twenty minutes.

Next up was the "Grossology" exhibit. Now that I think about it, that exhibit may not have been the best idea, not because it wasn't cool or interesting, but because so much of it was written out and completely unintelligible to Karlee. However, she did like all the weird statues and buttons she could push.

I found the exhibit utterly fascinating because it covered all the grosser characteristics of the human body, presenting the material in a humorous and intelligent way. I do wish I could have spent more time in the exhibit myself. But, we had to keep up with Karlee, who ran from one section to the next, giving us very little time to figure out what each section was showing. Older children will benefit more from the exhibit. And from the great variety of butt jokes Karlee is capable of producing, I'm sure she will find the exhibit quite funny one day.

There was another exhibit that Karlee did enjoy because of two sections she could actively participate in, and it was called "Risk." She quite enjoyed the bed of nails and the metal beam that looked as though it was hovering hundreds of feet off the ground.

All in all it was a fun experience at the museum.... Until, of course, we got the store. Karlee, I believe, was presented with too many options in that store and couldn't quite decide on anything. Though, she did tell us a number of times that a couple of items were what she'd always wanted. Either way, I seemed to have a large black spot in my memory regarding that particular shopping experience.

Back in the car, we discovered that Karlee's Nana, Tim's mom, was going to meet us halfway between Dallas and Odessa to pick her up. So, basically, the Fort Worth museum was the last activity we were all to experience on this trip. We drove back to the apartment and packed up all of Karlee's toys and clothes, and within an hour and a half we were heading toward Abilene to meet up with Nana.

Now that I've been in a car with Karlee for three and a half hours, I'm sympathetic to Tim's mom, who did not relish the idea of traveling for five and a half hours with Karlee all by herself. She would be excited and playful one moment and nearly crying over the state of her seat-belt the next, only to be laughing again at a particularly funny butt joke she'd just made up. It was exhausting, fun, and full of anxiety, wondering when the next tearful moment would explode.

We arrived in the parking lot of a Dairy Queen just off of I-20 and started transferring all of Karlee's things over into the car Tim's mom came in. We exchanged greetings and provided the background information Tim's mom might need to understand Karlee's mood and some of what she may talk about. Karlee hugged us goodbye, thanked us, and then she was gone.

Tim and I drove back in relative silence, enjoying the quiet, and we enjoyed discussing all the fun things Karlee had said throughout the week. While we were relieved to have life descend back down to normal again, there was a small void in our lives at that moment.

We had experienced the closest thing possible to having a child of our own. It was the test before the real thing, and I believe we did pretty well. I know I was surprised by how much one little girl could affect my life, if only for a week, despite my former discomfort around children. Admittedly, I don't know why I wrote "former discomfort," as I'm still uncomfortable around children, but now I'm a bit more prepared. At least now I know what the future holds should Tim and I decide to have children.

With all the stresses, all the tears, all the anxiety, it is still one of the most rewarding experiences I've ever enjoyed. It's no wonder people keep having children.

Next time, maybe we'll be able to actually pull off Unicorn Land.

Hanging with Karlee: Part 5

Well, I hadn't intended on writing a post for every day Karlee spent with us. Oh well. Sometimes I just can't control myself.

Our fifth day with Karlee fell on Independence Day. It was the day Tim and I had scheduled a trip to the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Unfortunately, the website did not sell tickets to the exhibits on that day, and we didn't want to drive all the way out there for nothing. We didn't call the museum, and that was probably an error on our part. But we may not have been thinking all that clearly that morning.

Since the museum was out, we decided instead to see Brave, the movie we'd planned for Thursday. Thankfully, we didn't have to get ready so early as the film started early that afternoon. We played "Animal Shop" with Karlee; ate a big breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon; and then got ready for the movie.

Karlee had been excited about the movie the entire week, constantly asking when we'd see it. It probably didn't help matters that her Uncle TJ had purchased a small toy castle with action figures from the film. Or, at least I think he bought it. It was one of the toys Karlee came to Dallas with, but not one of the ones where I was present for the purchase.

We took Karlee to our favorite movie theater, the AMC at Northpark Mall. I love it there, not because it's at one of the "nicer" malls in Dallas, but because the screen images are brighter, sharper and the sound is better than any of the theaters I've been to so far. Plus, Tim and I usually get our usual seats: the ones behind the handicap spaces. We like these seats because of the bars directly in front of us, which makes it easier to rest your feet without having to worry about the people in front of you. And, of course, the seats are pretty comfortable.

All of this didn't impress Karlee, who just wanted to see the movie.

We bought our tickets and made our way up the escalator and into the lobby. Obviously, our next stop was going to be the concession stand. We stood in line for about ten minutes, all the while discussing what Karlee would like to drink. She settled on an Icee, but she kept changing her mind on what color she wanted: pink or red. To be honest, I only think they had pink, which turned out to be white, but Tim had asked if she wanted red and that was all it took.

"I want the pink one... No, I want the red one..... I think I'll take pink..... But the red one is SOOOOO good..... But I like pink...." and on and on and on. Like with car rides, Karlee made waiting in lines an exercise in patience.

She finally settled on pink as we approached the front of the line, and I quietly suggested that Tim take her away from the concession stand so the pair of them wouldn't go crazy at all the candy and treats. I knew that if Karlee had seen all the candy she'd want it all, and Tim would be more than willing to oblige. With both of them away from the concession stand, I could easily get just the drinks.

I was successful......

That is until about thirty-five minutes later....

After getting the drinks ("Why is this white? I wanted pink." "It's light pink, Karlee."), we made our way to the theater, about forty minutes before the movie was supposed to start, and we were immediately corrected on our timing. Karlee informed us that arriving so early was completely unnecessary and that she ALWAYS arrived about five minutes before the movie started so she didn't have to wait. See, Tim and I had been doing it all wrong and knew nothing regarding the whole movie-going process. Well, thanks again to "Plants vs. Zombies" I was able to keep Karlee occupied.

It seems Karlee also does not like for a movie theater to be empty as it's a bit scary to her. She likes for plenty of people to be there. Karlee is going to be an extrovert, I can tell. She doesn't like spending much time by herself. No, she wants to be in the thick of it all. Whether with adults or other kids, she seems to need other people to feel comfortable.

After thirty-five minutes of keeping Karlee busy, and after more and more people filled the theater, Karlee saw a woman cross in front of us with a huge bag of popcorn.

"I want popcorn."

I looked at Tim, and he said, "Okay, we'll get you some popcorn." Five minutes before the movie was supposed to start. Five minutes.

Now, anyone who has gone to the movie theaters with me knows I like seeing the previews. Yes, I know I can see most of them online now, but I still enjoy watching them on the big screen. It's a part of the whole movie-going experience.

As I walked out of the theater and saw the huge line that led up the to the concession stand, I got a brief picture of what my movie-going experiences would be like with kids: missing the best parts of the movies. Whether for snacks or restroom breaks, I was going to have to get used to a different movie-going experience, one that included missing parts of movies; that is, unless I sneak out of the house to watch a movie by myself, but that's really not that fair for the rest of the family. I may just have to wait until they come out on video and watch them at home.

With the expense and the hassle of taking kids to the movies, I can completely understand why some of my friends no longer see very many movies now that they have kids.

Truthfully, my experience was not that bad. I did make it back into the theater with about ten minutes until the actual movie started. Funny. Advertisements and trailers take up the first twenty to thirty minutes of a film's time. I like trailers, but maybe not that much.

"I don't like the white popcorns. I like the yellow ones." Funny. I did not know that. For future reference, Karlee likes the yellow popcorns, which are hard to find in a darkened theater, so bring a flashlight.

We all liked the movie, though Karlee hid her eyes during the scary parts, which there were quite a few (Shameless self-promotion: I do have a review of Brave on this blog, just scroll through the archive under July of this year).

Even though I had a bit of a sarcastic tone in depicting our time watching Brave, Karlee actually is pretty fun to watch movies with. She's attentive and inquisitive. However, I would advise that a parent watch the movies first before letting their kids watch them. This is not to "screen" the film for appropriateness, but to be prepared for the million questions the child may ask as the movie plays. The fun of watching a plot to unfold is just too much for a four-year-old mind.

Maybe I should develop a Blu-Ray feature that simultaneously plays the film and provides answers to a child's questions about character motivation and plot. If I were watching a film I hadn't seen before, this whole exercise might grow tiresome quickly.

Nevertheless, I truly enjoyed hearing Karlee ask the question below in response to seeing King Triton storm in to Ariel's grotto:

"Why isn't he wearing a bra?!"

 Now that I think about it, he's chest is a bit excessive, isn't it?

Hanging with Karlee: Part 4

And on the fourth day, God declared there would be a trip to the library and to the Dallas Aquarium. Not really God, obviously, but that was on our itinerary, and the library just happened to be Karlee's request. I couldn't have been happier. Like with Legoland, the library is the type of place where I can have some fun.

Back in Odessa, when Tim was trying to convince Karlee to come to Dallas (you know, the whole Unicorn Land episode), he asked her where she'd like to go while in Dallas. One of the first places she mentioned was the library. My eyes lit up. To top it off, we'd be going to the first of two museums: the Dallas Aquarium. Another score!

Thankfully, after the long and exhausting day at Hurricane Harbor, we didn't need to get up quite so early. The books and the animals could wait for a more decent wake-up time. Once again, we participated in our ritual. Tim and I got up first. I took a shower, drank a cup of coffee, and we both started to make breakfast. Karlee did a "big stretch" and bounded out of bed, ready to play, but only after a trip to the bathroom.

After breakfast, Karlee and I played "Animal Shop" while Tim took a shower. Another ritual of sorts then took place when Tim was ready: "Karlee, come in here so I can brush your hair."

Any mother, daughter, or relative/friend of a mother-daughter combo who has either witnessed or experienced the "Let's brush your hair" scenario can tell you that it can be quite the ordeal. All throughout Tim and Karlee's "Hair Brush" sessions, I kept having flashbacks to my own childhood, back when my mother and sister used to have their own "Hair Brush" sessions. As a boy with short hair, I did not experience such sessions directly, but I must say witnessing them is just as traumatic--I imagine--as experiencing them.

Think of the elements of the scenario: There's the adult, trying to get everyone ready at a decent hour; there's the child, with a nanosecond long attention span (wanting both to go and to play just a bit longer); and then there's the brush, the tool of torture. Of course, add in the fact that Karlee moves so much all the time, even while sleeping, and you have a potentially tear-filled scenario just waiting to happen, and not just from Tim either.

Each time Tim brushed Karlee's hair the dialogue went something like this:

Karlee: "Ow! You're hurting me!"

Tim: "If you'd stay still it wouldn't hurt as much."

Karlee: "Well, if you'd stop brushing it, it wouldn't hurt."

Gotta love a kid's logic, right? For a kid, social conventions are illogical (and to be honest, quite a few of them are).

What I found humorous--though Tim would disagree--was the fact that all the hard work put into the child's hair was defeated within seconds, all thanks to the car seat. See, the moment Karlee sat down in her booster seat, she'd rub her head all over the back seat, creating a fantastic mess of hair thanks to all the static electricity. Naturally, we started carrying a brush with us at all times. Is this how a "Mom's Purse" starts? Where gradually, over the years, parents just start collecting various objects as they need them, so that by adolescence parents will have everything anyone could ever need, all located withing a parent's bag? I can so see that happening. If Tim and I are to be parents, we must get bigger bags.

At the library, it turns out that Karlee isn't all that interested in "kid's" books. No, she's more interested in "reading" thicker, more mature books. I found this fascinating since Karlee can only recognize a few letters and words at the moment. The books she chose were massive compared not just to the normal kid's books, but also to her own physical size.

She'd just wander the isles pulling books at random, whatever looked interesting to her. Tim and I tried to pull out books more appropriate for her, and ones we could read to her in one day, preferably in a few minutes since Karlee's attention span is so short.

Speaking of short attention span. Karlee wanders everywhere at random, very much like electrons in an atom I imagine. She would walk to one area, stay there for a minute or two, and then dart off to the opposite end of wherever we were. At the library, she started at the picture books, then moved to the bigger books, then moved to a small theater room that was playing a documentary (she didn't say there long at all), and she'd go to the computers to play games. And after making one circle, she'd do it all over again, multiple times. We walked over that floor of the library following along in her wake. Apparently, a library can be just as exhausting as a trip to Hurricane Harbor, but it's the kind of exhaustion I do find satisfying.

Frustration did mount however because Karlee never wanted to leave any place we took her to. I've mentioned this before, but it bares repeating: It's like if she leaves, she'll never get to go there EVER AGAIN, and so must experience everything multiple times, just to make sure she gets in enough fun time.

As for the library, she wanted to take everything home with us. Everything. All the books, all the magazines, all the computers, and I'm sure she would've asked all the kids and all the employees to join us at home as well.

Even so, after some negotiations and some pleading on our part, we finally checked out (we ended up only taking three books and two movies). Next up, lunch!

Lunch was at one of the McDonald's downtown, a McDonald's that cannot be reached unless you walk or pay for parking, apparently. It was here that I introduced Karlee to a game called "Plants vs. Zombies" (incidentally, I was turned on to this game by Karlee's Dallas friend, Peyton). So if Karlee's mother, father, grandparents, aunts, and uncles are wondering what Karlee may be referring to when asking about "That Zombie Game," it's "Plants vs. Zombies." Truthfully, it's an addictive and fun game, and it's only three dollars for the iPhone edition.

Karlee soon became as nearly obsessed with the game as I am. Any time she felt bored, she'd ask for the "Zombie" game. It was a good way to distract her while Tim was getting our food, so she wouldn't keep asking "Where's Uncle TJ?" Invariably, after just a moment of sitting, she'd ask the above question, and I'd respond with, "He's in line getting our food."

"Why hasn't he ordered yet?"

"He's in line. It's not his turn to order yet."

"Where's our food?"

It's amazing how a child can transform a few minutes of waiting into an eternity of questions, all circling the same concept: wait.

The Dallas Aquarium proceeded lunch, and once again we were treated with the arduous task of keeping up with a four-year-old. She found everything fascinating. Thus, she wanted to see every single animal the aquarium had. She peeped into every cage, pointed at every source of water, and peered into every nook and cranny of the aquarium. It was all we could do to keep up with her. She wandered off without the slightest regard for her proximity to us. We had some severe difficulties with taking our own pictures and keeping her within sight.

Karlee is brave and unafraid of any form of animal, even the most grotesque. Indeed, she seemed the most fascinated by spiders, snakes, sharks, turtles, and alligators. However, she also liked the more kid-friendly flamingos. And she especially enjoyed a tribal dance ritual that was performed at the aquarium. In fact, she revealed her Texas roots as she watched one of the dancers play with fire.

"If he keeps playing with that fire, he'll turn into a steak."

Karlee sure does enjoy her steaks.

The last stop on our trip to the aquarium was its store, and for once Karlee didn't spend much time in the store. We made it a point that she was to only get one toy from the store. Tim got her a small penguin, a small leopard, and a dolphin necklace. He has always been a sucker for those big eyes of Karlee's.

Later, back at home, we decided to make our way to the pool, where Karlee tried swimming, jumping, and playing hide-and-seek with her toys. She even met a nice older gentlemen with rainbow colored toenails, which Karlee identified as "Funny."

Speaking of rainbows, Karlee seemed to have a problem with Tim and I calling each other "Babe." This is in addition to Karlee thinking that I needed a girlfriend. Tim told her that I didn't need a girlfriend, that he was all I needed.

I told Karlee myself that I didn't want a girlfriend. To which she replied, "But girls are pretty."

"You can have both Uncle TJ and a girlfriend."

"Oh really!?"

Once again, the wonder of a child's logic.

Needless to say, Tim and I kept calling each other "babe," and Karlee eventually got over it.  She even had a nice conversation with her new rainbow-toed friend. Children have the most accepting hearts. I witnessed this in the innumerable friends Karlee made throughout her trip to Dallas; she accepted everyone as a friend.

It would seem that it's our responsibility to help maintain that level of acceptance in a child's heart. Like with a child's own natural curiosity, acceptance needs to be nurtured and encouraged so there's little chance for hate and intolerance to gain a foothold in his/her heart.

Hanging with Karlee: Part 3

Our first couple of days with Karlee were fun. Sure, there were some moments when Karlee didn't feel like hanging out with her uncles anymore, but we all managed to get through it. However, the third day with Karlee started to break down Uncle TJ's "She's only four" attitude and my patience. Apparently, kids are as persistent as a river trying to get the ocean, or maybe even as persistent as Scrat--that squirrel-like creature from the Ice Age movies. Either way, the third day proved to be the day when euphoria being together started to wear off.

That's not to say we didn't have fun, Karlee included; it's just that we faced some of our first true obstacles at a place appropriately called Hurricane Harbor.

We had decided that Hurricane Harbor would be the perfect place to take a four year old. We'd been there ourselves before, and while we didn't quite enjoy that time as much as we imagined we would (as much as we would have if we were still teenagers), we did think our experience would change with a child in tow. And it did. Just not in the way we imagined. Funny how trips to Hurricane Harbor are never what you imagine them to be. I guess the same could be said for most theme parks, with the exception of Disney World, of course.

Anyway, we got up early that morning and got ready. Karlee informed us that she was hungry. Tim said that we'd be getting doughnuts on the way to our friend Jen's house.

"You have to eat something healthy when you're going to eat a doughnut," she told her Uncle TJ.

"Oh, really. And who taught you that?"

"My Mommy."

So, we sliced up and apple for her, no skins, and quickly found ourselves loaded down with doughnuts and on our way to Jen's. Tim was kind to also get me a cup of coffee as an antidote to the early hour.

The running joke about Jen's house is that it looks like a giraffe from the outside. I'm not kidding either. It really does. So, as with most of our car trips, Karlee had me sit in the backseat with her playing the two car games she loves to play: "I Spy" and "Made You Look." Naturally, I pretended to be horrible at these games. Although, Karlee and I did have some fun at Tim's expense while playing "I Spy." I once told Karlee, "I spy something with my little eye... pink."

The answer was Uncle TJ's ear.

Really, I enjoyed the games because they kept Karlee occupied on the sometimes long drives to wherever we were going. However, I must admit that by the third day these games were getting a bit tedious, especially because Karlee is a sore loser, as I'm sure most kids are.

As we turned down Jen's street we were playing "Made You Look," a game of which Karlee is a master--though we did get her a couple of times with puppies and unicorns. It was my turn and I said, "Oh look! A house that looks like a giraffe!"

Karlee snapped her head to the window and cried, "Hey, that house really does look like a giraffe. That's not fair! You're supposed to say stuff that's not really there."

"Forgive me, Karlee."

We trekked our way up to the giraffe-house and were greeted by Jen and her five-and-three-quarter-year-old daughter, Peyton. It was our hope that Peyton and Karlee would hit it off and become friends, if only for the day, probably out of some understanding that we'd be a bit tired by the third day.

The good thing is they did hit it off. Karlee immediately mimicking her new-found friend. 

During our car ride, Karlee had made it clear that she loved doughnuts, especially chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles. However, when Peyton mentioned that doughnuts were unhealthy (kids are just too smart for their own good, right?), Karlee told us, "I don't like doughnuts. They're unhealthy."

All three adults smiled and allowed the girls to play for a little while in Peyton's room while Jen printed out her and her daughter's tickets to Hurricane Harbor.

I helped myself to three kolaches and a chocolate doughnut. Unhealthy be damned! I needed sugar!

Jen, Tim, and I ventured into her office and talked while Jen printed out the tickets. And then she revealed one of the biggest secrets of parenting I know:

Moms don't have eyes in the back of there heads. They just listen for the sudden silence.

Mid-conversation, Jen stopped and yelled, "Kids? What're you doing up there?" To which, they replied, "Playing Princesses!"

I've always found it masterful how parents can participate in a conversation and to their kids. It's like when they have kids they suddenly develop super powers, like hearing and strength. Jen demonstrated the latter at the park.

There have been a few conversations I've had where a parent will stop mid-sentence and rush to his/her children without a second look, and I'm left there wondering what happened. Kids aren't the only ones who create whirlwinds. Parents develop this talent out of necessity. After all, they need it to keep up.

Tickets printed and we were on our way, although not before a small controversy broke out over who Uncle Tony was going to sit next to during the car ride: Peyton or Karlee.

Little did we know that that brief encounter would be the start of something that would get just a bit bigger, something that would inspire me to write:

Competition and jealousy are innate traits. Patience is not.

Turns out, Karlee needed a mother figure by the third day. Despite having not mentioned her mother yet, she latched on to Jen with her little arms and rarely left her side all day. And Peyton's natural reaction was to try and do the same. Mom's arms were going to be holding a child, no matter what!

All day long, both girls clung to poor Jen, who took it all in stride. She never once complained, but Tim and I tried our best to keep Karlee occupied and off of Jen's hips and her back. Our attempts failed. A couple of times, Jen demonstrated her super strength by carrying both girls. We tried many times to have either Tim or myself do the heavy lifting, but the girls would have none of it. Karlee wanted a mom, which is something neither Tim nor I could provide, and Peyton wanted her mom all to herself.

It was at this point when I began to wonder a bit about how a child would respond to having two dads. I mean, Tim and I have discussed the possibility of having children, either through adoption or through surrogacy, but it never occurred to me that a child may want a mother figure. It was a blow to my belief that a family can consist of a variety of different parental figures. Could there be some truth to what all those people against gay marriage say? Could there be some truth to the whole one man/one woman thing?

This was not a happy thought, but it plagued me throughout the day.

Thankfully, after some more reflection, I realized that those types of questions are nonsense. There are plenty of families out there without either a mother or a father. And any child Tim and I have will grow up with both of us in their lives.

Karlee's reaction was natural for her situation, as was Peyton's. Both have mother's in their lives, and both mother's are their constants, their security blankets, if you will. Karlee and Peyton's reactions had nothing to do with Tim and me. They reacted based on what they know, their own experiences. And that's a comforting thought.

However, my own feelings of inadequacy as a potential parent were not only tested by Karlee's attachment to Jen; they were also tested by the kid's section of Hurricane Harbor.

Whoever thought of putting that monstrosity of a jungle gym--with rope ladders, many hidden tunnels, and scary-looking slides--should be shot. I was thankful the day before that Karlee could not get out of the play area at Legoland without either of us there to claim her. There was no such safety net at Hurricane Harbor.

A parent's life must be filled with fear. Everything, and I do mean everything, becomes a death trap when it's your responsibility to take care of a child, and children have an odd and illogical sense of fearlessness, a complete disregard for their own safety.

Karlee never hurt herself or got lost at Hurricane Harbor. The three adults that tried to follow her into the monstrosity mentioned above, however, came out of it breathless and with rope torn feet. Karlee disappeared into the maze of tunnels, and for the first time I felt a terrible anxiety for her safety. A water park must be a terrible place for a parent, where even a few inches of water becomes dangerous.

I couldn't relax the entire time we were there. Jen, Tim, and I had discussed having a couple of beers while the kids played, but we soon realized that such a luxury was impossible. Our anxiety was just too great. But I do want a drink now, just thinking about how anxious I was that day.

Maybe I'd get used to it. I don't know. I do know that I discovered another reason why many parents always look exhausted, and it's not just out of physical exhaustion. Fear. Fear for a child's safety.

After Hurricane Harbor, we were all exhausted, and of course, pulling Karlee away from all the fun--and Jen--proved torturous to the poor child. Once again, she asked to be taken to everyone in her family, except her uncles that is.

Our patience was starting to wear down by this point. Not because Karlee was asking for her family, but because we were starting to feel the effects of having to take care of a child, in all its glory.

Yes, children can be fun, and they often say "the darndest things," but they are definitely all id. They have no problem expressing exactly how they're feeling, no matter how much you tell them that that feeling will go away soon. They live for right now. Which is not necessarily a bad thing, however, it does present some frustrations for the adults.

As expected, Karlee fell asleep on the way home and completely forgot about being stressed out and tired and hungry and thirsty. See, all naps are important not just for the parent's sanity, but also so the child can shut down and reboot.

Hanging with Karlee: Part 2

The morning after Karlee's arrival came fast. Tim and I were up pretty earlier, earlier than Karlee at least, who looked as though she was never going to get up--arms and legs jutting out at odd, improbable angles. We had set up our air mattress and pushed it up against the couch so all of us would be able to sleep in the same room, hopefully, to curb any fears Karlee may have had sleeping in a new place. Unfortunately for the both of us, we soon discovered that Karlee bounces in her sleep, and every movement woke us up.

Needless to say, we awoke that morning a bit tired. It should also be noted that Karlee tried everything, I mean EVERYTHING, to keep from going to sleep the night before. She bounced all over the place and asked a seemingly endless array of questions about the movie we were watching.

After all the acrobatics and chit-chat, you'd think Karlee would be slow to rise in the morning. No. It turns out Karlee is equally energetic at all times of the day. Morning's be damned! I need at least half a pot of coffee in the morning to refuel my tank; Karlee just needs a "big stretch."

That morning started a ritual of sorts: Karlee would take out all of her toys and set up a "pet shop" in our living room while Tim and I made breakfast. After breakfast, one of us would take a shower while the other played "pet shop." Afterwards, we'd switch, starting a tag-team style of shifting responsibility.

I have to say, having a partner in this endeavor was incredibly beneficial, especially since we soon learned that trips to the bathroom alone with a child in the house are a luxury. In the coming days, we also learned that it was better to let Karlee sleep and do the whole shower/bathroom thing before waking her up. Either way, I began to truly appreciate how difficult doing something as simple as going to the bathroom must be for single parents. As a single parent, I can only assume that dignity and privacy are traits best forgotten for the first few years of a child's life.

I bow down to all the single parents out there.

Well, back to our first day with Karlee. The first item on our (and by "our" I mean "Tim's") schedule was Rainforest Cafe, followed by Legoland. Since it took us a bit longer to get ready than we had planned, we had to switch our itinerary up a bit. Lunch moved ahead of Legoland.

Now, Rainforest Cafe is not known for the quality of its food, which is not bad, but it's not great either, definitely not worth the price you pay. However, we knew that Karlee loved going there the last time she was in town, and so we thought she'd like it again. Our trip there inspired this Facebook post:

Atmosphere trumps food quality.

As usual, Rainforest is loud, busy, and utterly fascinating to children; and I ended up being the one to lead Karlee around the entire restaurant, for Tim had spent the first part of our Rainforest experience in the Build-a-Bear section getting her a fox. This very same fox will later become a gender switching miracle, all depending on Karlee's mood: some of the time the fox is Mr. Fox (in girl clothes) and other times the fox is Mrs. Fox. I guess the fox is a combination of husband and wife; she also got a baby fox to go along with the "older" fox.

While making our way through the restaurant, I was having to guide Karlee to all the animals, carefully avoiding the other guests, muttering "Excuse me" all over the place, and trying to explain why she couldn't pet the animals. This was one of my first attempts to keep Karlee from getting bored, which is apparently extremely difficult. A few moments with nothing to do usually produced a "I'm bored."

Back at our table, we learned something interesting about Karlee, something that may not be common among all children: She loves to eat a wide variety of foods... at the same time. I don't think we went through an entire meal where she ate just one type of food. Usually, if one of us had a burger, she wanted half. Since I had a turkey wrap, and probably because she was at that point still too shy to ask, Karlee didn't have anything off of my plate.

After lunch, we headed over to Legoland, and boy was that an experience. Truth be told, I almost wish I had a kid--or could borrow a kid--just to have an excuse to go back. It's a pretty cool place. There were, naturally, Legos everywhere.

But I think the most impressive--from a parent's perspective, maybe--feature of Legoland is the giant playground area, accessible only to kids. It's a huge play area complete with massive Legos, slides, a veritable maze of tunnels, and most importantly the entire thing is covered in protective foam. The kids can bounce of walls and poles without seriously injuring themselves.

Another cool feature of this play area is that the kids are not aloud to leave the are unless they can see a familiar adult. There were a couple of boys, who were obviously friends, that couldn't find their moms. It was distressing to witness them attempt to maintain their composure while clearly freaking out. The longer they couldn't find their moms, the more their composure started to crack, and the moment their moms came back, the tears burst forth. Tim, the moms, and I all started to giggle a bit at the the two boys' unabashed display. Really, it was sweet.

We weren't laughing AT the poor children, that would be mean. No, we were laughing because we were all relieved, and because the scenario ended happily when it could have ended differently. The laughter was of the nervous kind.

Tim and I let Karlee run wild in that play area for about forty minutes. The idea was to let her run herself ragged, to the point of exhaustion and then take her home. Like most kids, I assume, Karlee forces herself to play for as long as the adults will allow--thinking that play time will never come around again, ever. The moment she slowed even the tiniest bit, and noticed that we were watching her, Karlee forced herself to run wild some more. And that little girl can run, fast. After the first ten minutes, I gave up trying to keep up with her.

Once we decided it was time to leave the wondrous Legoland, Karlee stalled some more, and it was at this point that she again made a plea for her Mommy. It was starting to become clear to us that Karlee was only asking for her mother for the following reasons: when the fun was over, when she wasn't getting her way, and/or when she started to feel unsure/afraid/insecure of her surroundings. Not that we placed her in some terrifying situations. What I mean by "fear" is simply the overwhelming anxiety a child feels when he/she realizes just how far away Mommy/Daddy are.

Of course, Karlee fell asleep the moment we drove away from Legoland, and it wasn't until the next day, while at Hurricane Harbor, that we realized that there is no male substitute for Mommy, which gave me the idea for the following post:

When Mommy's away, any mom will do so long as she has the Mommy-gene (or, as a friend of my commented, that Mommy smell).

But I'll save that story for the next post. :) For now, I'll leave you all with the super cute pic below.

Hanging with Karlee: Part 1

A couple of months ago, Tim came up with the idea of having his four year old niece, Karlee, stay with us for a week. Needless to say, I was extremely nervous at the thought. After all, I had never spent more than a few hours being responsible for a child. There was that one babysitting session when I was about eighteen, but that only lasted about four hours. This was promising to be much longer.

The idea came about, I believe, after Tim and I visited his family to watch Karlee's first dance recital. It was a weird recital, with the teacher's seemingly paying more attention and time on their own dance routines than on their students. But anyway, I digress. Afterwards, Karlee decided she wanted steak for dinner to celebrate her performance, and so we all went to Logan's Roadhouse for dinner.

Dinner was good and filling, and in the parking lot, as we were leaving, as her Uncle TJ (Tim) was trying to get Karlee into her dad's truck, Tim mentioned Karlee coming to visit us in Dallas. Karlee wasn't so sure of the idea. She kept saying, "Maybe." That's when her Uncle TJ brought out the "big guns," so to speak, and promised that if she came to Dallas, he'd take her Unicorn Land.

Well, as any little girl, or boy, who thought seeing a unicorn would be awesome, Karlee said she'd come to Dallas to see the unicorns; and, of course, she wanted to take one home with her. Tim told her that taking a unicorn out of Unicorn Land wasn't possible, and when she inevitably asked why, he responded, "Because unicorns turn into rocks when they're taken out of Unicorn Land." Naturally, Karlee then became fascinated by all the rocks in the parking lot, of which there were many.

Weeks and weeks of planning followed. Nerves kept building, so much so that I ended up breaking out around my lip (ery attractive, I know). Tim planned out the entire week she was to spend with us. Just looking at the plan was exhausting. His theory: "Keep her going for as long as possible so she'll fall asleep sooner." Karlee is famous for not wanting to go to bed, using every trick in her arsenal to stall, and we soon discovered just how large her arsenal is.

Karlee kept informing her Uncle TJ that she was only going to spend one day with us and then come home that same evening. Time and space apparently don't mean much to a four year old. There was an exception however: If her Nana (Tim's mom) came, she'd stay two days.

Most of Tim's family, myself included, didn't believe she'd stay the entire week. I mean, it was going to be the longest she'd ever stayed away from her mother ("Firsts" obviously occurred all over the place during that week). And right up to the moment when she flew into Dallas, she kept reminding us that she was going to spend only a couple of days with us. In fact, just a day or two before she arrived, Karlee told her Uncle TJ that he only had one chance to make her happy. Just one.

Well, the time kept coming closer and closer, and I kept getting more and more nervous because Karlee's trip coincided with finals week of my first summer class. In my foolishness, I decided to give my students six writing assignments, completely unaware that I'd have to grade all those writing assignments at some point. I am not the fastest grader.

Anyway, Tim flew out of Dallas to pick up Karlee. The flight back was her first time on an airplane, and she was excited and a little scared, naturally. During the flight, Karlee looked out of the window the entire time, informing Tim that the plane was flying higher and going faster than it was supposed to. Having never been in a plane didn't stop her from criticizing the pilot's flying.

Also, Tim got a lovely preview of what our week would be like: Karlee never stopped talking throughout the entire flight. Thankfully, the other fliers were amused by what she said, thinking her an adorable little girl, and she is.

Upon her arrival, Karlee did something she'd never done before, at least not without being pushed to do it: She ran up to me and hugged me. Now, I'm not the most comfortable around kids, although I have frequently found myself either being followed or being begged to play with kids. It seems whenever I do play with kids, they want me to play with them all the time.

For instance, just a couple of weeks ago, we were at a friend's house. Tim and a couple of people he met through work were "talking shop" and Peyton (who Karlee met during her week with us) kept asking if anyone would like to play "Barbies." Naturally, since no one else seemed willing to partake in the request, I said I would. As many of you may guess, this would not be my first time playing "Barbies."

Well, she didn't have any of her Barbies at her mom's house, so we played Legos instead. I think I played with her for about a couple of hours while Tim and his friends talked. After that, she wanted me to sit next to her in the car; she wanted to show me ALL of her toys.

This is not the first time something like this has happened to me. One time, while back in Odessa, I was doing laundry at my apartment's laundry room when a couple of kids came in and just started talking to me, informing me that I looked like Spider-Man. I was flabbergasted. These kids didn't know anything about me, and there they were striking up a conversation, no parents in sight.

Personally, I feel like kids can smell fear, and they glory in the chance to make an adult feel nervous.

But, back to Karlee.

Karlee and I had always been super nervous around each other, but not when she got off the plane. She flew right into my arms and allowed me to hold her hand while we walked back to the car.

On our way to a McDonald's to pick up dinner, Karlee kept talking about how she was only going to stay one day with us, and that after she saw Unicorn Land she'd go home. It was at that point I wrote the first of many Facebook posts indicating what Tim and I learned about children while hanging with Karlee:

1. When you promise a child Unicorn Land, you better be prepared to deliver Unicorn Land.

Karlee was excited about her time with us throughout the entire car ride home, right up to the point when she passed out in the car from exhaustion, but through her excitement I sensed that she was starting to get a little scared. The "big city" was starting to seem a little too big.

Well, we got her some chicken nuggets to go and finally arrived at our apartment. Inside our apartment for the first time was the moment when fear seemed to over take Karlee's excitement. She sat down on the floor and said, "I want my Mommy."

Tim was getting the rest of her luggage, and I didn't know what to say. I asked her, "Don't you want to stay with us? Your Uncle TJ has so much planned for you." She responded with, "No, I want my Mommy." So, I just got our food ready and waited for Tim to get back. Please hurry! was the thought running through my head, I believe.

When he returned, Karlee told him the same. He informed her that we couldn't go back right now, but maybe after she ate something. It was a brilliant move because the moment Karlee's attention was pushed onto something other than her own fear, she transformed back into the extremely talkative and excited girl she had been on the plane.

Whew! One crisis averted!

It wasn't the last time she'd ask for her mother, or her Nana, or her Daddy, or any other family member she could think of, but we learned something that I never posted on Facebook:

1a. When a child starts to go to THAT place out of fear, it's best to distract them with something shiny. 

Thankfully, Karlee's visit was filled with mostly moments of fun, but there were those moments when we truly had a taste, the merest of tastes I know, of what it'd be like to have a child of our own. There were moments when we'd get frustrated with Karlee, and there were definitely moments when Karlee'd get frustrated with her uncles.

To find out more, keep reading, as I plan on writing about our entire week hanging with Karlee. In small chunks to make it more manageable. :)

The Amazing Spider-Man: The Reboot I Didn't Know I Wanted

I must admit, when I first heard about The Amazing Spider-Man, I had some serious reservations. Why would anyone think about "rebooting" a film series just a couple of years after the release of the overburdened Spider-Man 3? Hadn't we had enough of Spider-Man for the time being? At least Batman Begins came out eight years after Batman & Robin, and Spider-Man 3 isn't nearly as awful as that film. To this day, I still wish I could forget I had ever seen Batman & Robin. Thankfully, Batman Begins came around. And thankfully, The Amazing Spider-Man has come around now. It does to the Spider-Man series what Begins did for Batman. Maybe not to the same extent, but definitely in the same ballpark. This new Spider-Man film is the reboot I didn't even know I wanted.

This new Spider-Man has darker tones, both aesthetically and psychologically, than Sam Raimi's Spider-Man. Peter Parker, played by Andrew Garfield, is a boy of deep psychological scars, scars only hinted at in Raimi's origin story. While following the basic origin story most of us know, the film does take some departures. For instance, the famous line "With great power comes great responsibility" is never uttered. Instead, we get an emotional confrontation between Peter and Uncle Ben (played by Martin Sheen).

Peter is left at his aunt and uncle's place one night as a young child. His parents presumably die in a plane crash not too long after leaving their son behind. The assumption is that Peter's father is killed because of his work. Years later, we see Peter painfully awkward and even more of a social outcast than Tobey Maguire's characterization. However, Garfield's brilliance in this role is that he creates a character that is simultaneously awkward and yet completely loveable. Throughout the whole film I wanted to give poor Peter a great big hug; and if I ever run into the real Andrew Garfield, I may do just that.

As Peter begins to discover his identity, more conflicts arise, and instead of Mary Jane he has Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) for a love interest, who's father is Captain Stacey (played by Dennis Leary), the man in charge of arresting Spider-Man. In addition, Dr. Curt Conners (played by Rhys Ifans) is continuing his research on cross-species genetic splicing. This, of course, has predictable results. He transforms himself into the Lizard.

The plot is pretty basic, but it's the details, and more specifically the performances, that uplift the film and take it beyond its more lighthearted predecessor. After watching this film, I went back and revisited Raimi's series. What I found was a more cartoonish film series than I remembered. In the recent update, Peter frequently comes home with cuts and bruises, much to the surprise and wonder of his aunt and uncle. This is a much more believable film in tone and presentation than the previous series.

More importantly, the performances are pitch-perfect. Even Sally Field (Aunt May) and Martin Sheen, who respectively don't have much screen time, make a wonderful pair of parental figures for Peter. It's amazing how great actors can fill such small roles with so much emotion and power. But the best performance has to be Garfield's. This is his film, and he rises to the occasion, in much the same way he did in The Social Network.

The Amazing Spider-Man is a very, very good film. I haven't decided yet if it's better than Spider-Man 2; after all, they are very different stylistically, but it's definitely worthy of comparison. I may even decide to compare it to another great reboot, Batman Begins. Thanks to some coupons, I saw this movie for free (almost, Tim and I had to pay two dollars, for taxes I guess), but I would gladly pay to see it again. In fact, it's now the second film this year that I want to see again, soon. 

Brave: Pixar's Latest, but Not the Greatest

Pixar has a wonderful track record when it comes to creating quality animated films. Toy Story (1, 2, and 3), Wall-E, Up, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille are examples of Pixar at its best, at least as far as I'm concerned. Quite a few people would probably disagree with me on the last of that list because of a natural aversion to rats, but I still find it among the greatest of Pixar's endeavors simply due to their accomplishment in creating a sympathetic rat who wants to be a chef. However, Pixar isn't perfect. Even so, when the films aren't great, they are generally pretty good. Their latest creation, Brave, falls into the "good" category.

The story follows Merida as she rebels against tradition and her mother, Elinor. Elinor attempts to transform her daughter into a well-mannered, marriageable young lady. The problem lies in Merida's refusal to play by her mother's rules. She just wants to ride out into nature, practice her archery, and delay marriage for as long as possible. Of course, this leads both women on a path that will challenge their relationship.

After an intense argument with her mother, Merida rides out into the forest and meets a witch/woodcarver (one of many humorous scenes), who provides the perfect opportunity to changer her fate. Now, this sounds all good to Merida, but the resulting spell transforms her mother into a bear.

This is not necessarily a spoiler because the knowledge of the transformation didn't change how much I enjoyed the film. The real surprise is in the wonderful, hilarious, and quite appropriate reaction of Elinor to her situation.

While somewhat inventive, the story and characters didn't really connect with me in quite the same way as Pixar's best films. Most of the characters are mere caricatures, even Merida and Elinor don't offer much depth, but the animation is so well done that a lack of character development can be overlooked.

The true pleasure of the film is in the beauty and great detail of the animation. Scotland is beautifully brought to life in the film. Indeed, the land seems to take on a character of its own. In addition, special mention must be paid to Merida's hair. It's simply fabulous. Also, there is plenty of humor for children and adults alike. Elinor's reaction to finding herself transformed into a bear rings with same kind of physical comedy that made me fall in love with Linguini in Ratatouille.

Despite the lack of well-rounded characters, I must make a special note here: Pixar has a wonderful way of making ever single character distinctive, even the ones that don't have more than a moment or two of screen time. Dreamworks, or any other mainstream animation studio for that matter, has not been able to accomplish this from my experience. Most of the peripheral characters look too similar. 

On another note, there are some scary moments in the film, mostly in the form of a truly terrifying bear, so be mindful of that when taking the little ones. Otherwise, it's well worth the trip and the expense of watching Brave at the theaters.