Trolls

Movie Title-- Trolls

Release Year-- 2016

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 40 Minutes

Director-- Mike Mitchell

Cast-- Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, James Cordon, Russel Brand, Zooey Deschanel, Gwen Steffani, Jeffery Tambor, Ron Funches, Icona Pop, Kunal Nayyar, John Cleese, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christine Baranski, Walt Dohrn

After twenty years in hiding, Princess Poppy must go on a quest to save her friends from being eaten by the Bergens, who one day a eat trolls to make themselves happy.

The Trolls are small creatures that live their lives by singing, hugging and dancing, keeping themselves always happy. One day their Troll tree is discovered by the Bergens, a race of large, ogre type creatures that are never happy but they realize that they can be happy, if only for a moment, by eating a Troll. The Bergens put a cage around the Troll tree and one day a year they celebrate “Trollstice”, where they eat a Troll to be happy.

On this particular, very special Trollistice, Bergen prince, Prince Gristle Jr. (Mintz-Plasse) is to have his very first Troll, all the Bergens gather at the Troll tree and Chef (Baranski) gives Prince Gristle a very special Troll; a princess for a prince. However, when Prince Gristle eats the Troll, they learn that it is a fake. The Bergens then go on a mad dash to find the Trolls who at that very same moment are being led by their king, King Peppy (Tambor) through underground tunnels to safety. Furious that the Trolls have escaped, King Gristle Sr. (Cleese) banished Chef from Bergentown.

Twenty years later King Peppy's optimistic and extremely happy daughter, Princess Poppy (Kendrick) is getting set to throw a large party in honor of their heroic escape, although she has been warned against it by Branch (Timberlake) a gray and grumpy Troll.   Branch believes that by throwing a large, loud party, it will attract the Bergens.

Branch's fears are realized when Chef, who has been searching for the Trolls since she was banished, sees the fireworks from the Troll's celebration and follows them to their hiding place. Chef collects a handful of trolls to take them back to Bergentown so she can be accepted back.

Poppy, feeling like the kidnapping of her friends is all her fault, is determined to follow her father's motto from 20 years previous “No Troll left behind!” and to save them, she recruits a very reluctant Branch to help her, since he knows the most about the Bergens.

Once they arrive in Bergentown, they learn that Chef has presented the once Prince Gristle, now King Gristle with the Trolls and they are preparing to have a Trollstice dinner the following night. As a show of good faith, Chef encourages King Gristle to eat one of the Trolls and she picks out Creek (Brand) at random. Poppy and Branch watch as Chef pops Creek into King Gristle's mouth.  After this, Branch believes that Creek is a goner but Poppy has hope that he is still alive and knows that they only way she can try to find him is to free the rest of her friends.

Poppy and Branch learn that the castle scullery maid Bridget (Deschanel) is guarding the remaining Trolls and when they find them, they see that Bridget is in love with King Gristle. Determined to show Bridget that happiness can be had without eating Trolls, they all work together to transform her into Lady Glitter Sparkles, in order to get her a date with King Gristle while getting close enough to find out if Creek is still alive.

This movie is GREAT!!  Let's just be serious, it is basically a movie musical and the music is just awesome. Yeah, most of it seems to be revamped versions of older songs but that doesn't matter because they are all done so well.

After being so long winded in the summary, I don't really have too much to say about this film. I have watched this more than a dozen times (that's what happens when you have a 4 year old!) and it doesn't get old. Sometimes the music gets stuck in your head (even for days...) but it gets stuck in your head in a good way. Sometimes when we need a pick me up, we will turn the soundtrack on and just dance.

I say pick this film up, it is a great watch and a great sing/dance along kind of film. Grab your favorite little people and Don't Forget the Popcorn!!!

Newtown

Film Title-- Newtown

Release Year-- 2016

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 25 Minutes

Director-- Kim A. Snyder

Following the December 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut, the family members of the deceased remember the short lives of their children and their attempts to move on from such a horrible tragedy.

I don't have much more to add as a summary than what the description above says. This is an uplifting documentary while being sad all at the same time. The audience is introduced to a few people, some of them parents, other friends or neighbors and they talk about their children. How full of life they were or how funny or brilliant and all of this leads to the most devastating day of their lives.

After describing their horrible loss they begin to talk about what they have done to try to move on from their tragedy, most of which have gone to D.C. To try to tighten up gun laws in this country. Don't get me wrong, I am the mother of a small child and if it were me, I have no clue how I would be able to even try to pull my life back together if I lost her but these parents have found the strength to try to move on and do good in the names of their little lost loves.

The BEST part of this documentary is that NOT ONE TIME does anyone that is being interviewed mention the name of the gunman. They do not give him the honor or the recognition that I am sure he was hoping for before he did this heinous crime (for anyone that doesn't remember this story, the gunman (I will also refuse to use his name since they did such a great job of avoiding it in the film) killed his mother, then went to the school she worked at and killed 20 children and 6 adults before killing himself). I believe that is one of the worst parts of the media and that is, most of the time, they give more attention to the person that committed the crime than to the victims and this documentary shows that the people that were affected by this crime is giving absolutely no thought to man who did this to them. They are making sure they remember everything they can about the child that was taken away and as hard as I am sure that is, it is a beautiful thing. To honor those sweet babies memory is the best thing the community can do to heal themselves, even 5 years later.

Now, let's touch on a very sensitive subject—gun control. These parents went to D.C. And helped to petition the high courts to try to tighten gun laws and unfortunately for them, stricter gun laws were denied.

In MY PERSONAL OPINION I think that people should be able to keep their guns, for protection and for hunting or whatever it is people use their guns for but I DO NOT think that ANYONE should be walking around with an assault weapon. If you are not in the military and out on missions or training, there is no reason for you to have control of an assault weapon (let's be clear, if you ARE in the military but just hanging out at the base, far from danger, you also should not have control of an assault weapon). An assault weapon is not for protection, an assault weapon is for murder and death. I don't believe that people should have their guns taken away but if that gun is an assault weapon, you are not protecting yourself, you are waiting for an attack or to attack and that isn't something that someone should just be sitting around waiting for.

This is a documentary that every parent should watch, if for nothing but to see and feel these people's strength. Watch this documentary with a box of tissues and when it is over, go squeeze your children because you are lucky enough to still have them by your side and Don't Forget the Popcorn.

Chronic-Con, Episode 420: A New Dope

Movie Title-- Chronic-Con, Episode 420: A New Dope

Release Year-- 2015

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 24 Minutes

Director-- Ryan Polito

Cast-- Doug Benson, Brian Posehn, Joe Rogan, Kevin Smith, Patton Oswald, Morgan Spurlock

In response to Morgan Spurlock's “Comic-Con: A Fan's Hope”, Pot Comic Doug Benson shows Comic Con through his hazy eyes.

On stage at a show, Doug Benson announces that he wants to make spin off documentaries that mirror the ones made by Morgan Spurlock and so far he is behind by two films. He goes on to say that he is going to rip off Spurlock's film “Comic-Con: A Fan's Hope” by going to Comic Con stoned and showing it from his own perspective and then throws out a handful of names that he would possibly call his documentary.

Benson has two soul purposes in this film; track down Morgan Spurlock and get high with someone on his superhero wish list that includes Rorschach from “Watchmen”, Darth Vader, Spider Man or the Dark Knight (but he did throw in Adam West just in case that happened to be an option).

So, there isn't much of a summary of this film but basically what I wrote sums it up perfectly. This would be a basic stoner documentary. He starts out with a mission and then it gets a little sidetracked. There were some amusing and even downright funny parts to this film but it was also a little out there. If I am going to be honest, it felt more like a long, drawn-out, rambling type of conversation.

This film is okay. Not the worst I have seen but really not the best. I am sure it would be much better if a person was high for it instead of sober but I will leave what is best for you up to you. Either way you decide to watch it, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Boondock Saints

Movie Title-- The Boondock Saints

Release Year-- 1999

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 48 Minutes

Director-- Troy Duffy

Cast-- Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus, Willem Defoe, David Della Rocco, Billy Connelly, Bob Marley, David Ferry, Brain Mahoney, Carlo Rota, Ron Jeremy, Gerard Parkes

Two Irish-American brothers turn vigilante after being attacked by the Russian mob and decide to save their home city of Boston from further corruption while being pursued by the police and FBI.

Two Irish-American twin brothers, Connor (Flanery) and Murphy (Reedus) MacManus are celebrating St. Patrick's Day in their hometown of Boston, Massachusetts when three Russian mobsters come into the bar they are at and announce they are closing the bar. The brothers try to play it off, telling the mobsters that they are all having fun for the holiday but the Russians are not interested and a brawl ensues.

Embarrassed that they lost the bar fight, the Russians track down the MacManus brothers and try to get revenge but are instead killed by the brothers in self defense. When the local police learn that the men that have been murdered are connected to the Russian mob, they call in the FBI. FBI agent Paul Smecker (Dafoe) is assigned to the case and accurately profiles the events that happened there the night before. As Smecker is giving a briefing to the police force about the newly dubbed “Saints of South Boston”, the brothers come into the police station and turn themselves in. The MacManus brothers are questioned but are not charged for the crime as it has been deemed self defense.

Upon being released, the brothers decide that they should rid Boston of corruption and evil men. They learn of a meeting with the Russian syndicate bosses happening at a hotel, outfit themselves in weapons and quickly dispatch of the nine bosses quickly. Right after they finish the job there is a knock on the door and they find that their friend, Rocco (Rocco) has been sent by Giuseppe “Papa Joe” Yakavetta (Rota) as an unknowing pawn to kill the mob bosses. The next day after learning that he truly was betrayed (he had been sent in to kill nine Russian mob bosses with a six shooter gun), he decides to join Connor and Murphy's cause to rid of the city of evil. Papa Joe, thinking that he may become a target of the Saints, contacts a ruthless mercenary known only as Il Duce (Connolly) to deal with them.

Although this film is quite violent and very graphic, it is one of my favorite films. I have watched this film every year on St. Patrick's Day since it was released (hey, some people drink, I watch this film!), it has become a tradition for me, one that I have shared with many people of the last few years. And sure, the film only focuses on St. Patrick's Day for a whole half hour or so of the film but that doesn't matter either, if you can stand the violence and killing, this is a good film to sit through. It is funny, it is serious, it is sad, it has every thing a good story needs.

Let's talk about the acting...for the most part, the main characters are great. Willem Dafoe is HILARIOUS and Sean Patrick Flanery and Norman Reedus as Connor and Murphy MacManus are not only perfectly cast but their sex appeal helps to draw in female viewers because honestly with the violence and graphic nature of this film, it is really more of a dude flick. However, this is a low budget film, there fore there are a LOT of editing mistakes and some of the extras are not real great, even when it comes to just laying dead on the floor (watch it, you will see what I am talking about).

Overall, if you can stomach graphic violence, this is a great film. It has become a huge cult classic and once you see it once you quickly realize why. This film is funny and it does actually hit on a big social discussion...if you could rid your hometown of evil without consequences, would you? Ponder this question with the brothers MacManus and Don't Forget the Popcorn!!

Beauty and the Beast

Movie Title-- Beauty and the Beast

Release Year-- 2017

Running Time-- 2 Hours and 9 Minutes

Director-- Bill Condon

Cast-- Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Josh Gadd, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, Kevin Cline, Nathan Mack, Hattie Morahan, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ray Fearson

After a vain young prince is cursed by a beautiful enchantress, he must find someone to break the spell or remain a beast forever.

One winter's night, in a castle in France, a young, rude, vain Prince (Stevens) is having a ball when there is a knock at the door. An old beggar woman (Morahan) comes in looking for a place to keep warm during the storm that is raging outside and offers the Prince a single rose in exchange for shelter. The Prince, being selfish and cruel, laughs and refuses the woman, who then warns him about his ways before again asking for shelter. When she is refused again, she transforms into a beautiful enchantress who curses the Prince, turning him into a Beast and all of the people inside the castle into enchanted inanimate objects. She then erases the memory of the castle from the neighboring townspeople and enchants the woods surrounding the castle into a dark and foreboding, everlasting winter. Before she leaves, she gives the Beast the rose and an enchanted mirror and tells him that he must learn to love another and have them love him in return before the last petal falls in order to break the curse, otherwise he would stay a Beast forever.

Many years later in the nearby village of Villeneuve, Belle (Watson), a beautiful young bookworm lives with her father Maurice (Cline), a tinkerer and inventor. The townspeople think that she is strange because she is learned, loves to read and therefore doesn't share the same interests as the rest of the girls in the village. Although she is a little strange in everyone's eyes, the most eligible man in town, a narcissistic hunter and former soldier Gaston (Evans), is pursuing Belle to be his wife. The thought of being a simple housewife to Gaston disgusts Belle who has much bigger hopes and dreams for her future.

Maurice is headed off to market and asks Belle what he should bring back for her and she requests a single rose. Maurice sets off but soon gets lost in the forest and stumbles upon the Beast's castle. He goes inside seeking shelter from the storm and is taken prisoner for trying to take a rose from his garden.

Philippe, Maurice's horse, returns home without Maurice and leads Belle back to the castle. Belle finds her father and demands he be set free but the Beast tells her that he will only let her father go if she takes his place. Belle tricks her father into letting her take his place and Maurice is dragged away. He returns to the village to try to get help to save his daughter but everyone thinks he is a lunatic. Belle on the other hand is learning to adjust to life in the castle among the enchanted objects and moody Beast.

Do I really need to go any further? This film is a “Tale as Old as Time” (see what I did there??) and if you don't already know the story then you have either been living under a rock for a while or you are possibly not old enough to read this yet. No matter how much or little you know about the story, I only have one thing to say about this film:

WOW

I am one of those people that has not been too happy with the Disney animation into live action film remakes. I mean, the first “Alice in Wonderland” was alright, the second one was not my favorite, I was disappointed with “Maleficent”, “Cinderella” was pretty good and “The Jungle Book” does not look interesting to me at all; so you can imagine that I just somehow knew they were going to screw up “Beauty and the Beast”, one of my favorite childhood movies.

I just need to say...before the first 5 minutes had passed, I knew I was going to love this film. Just in the first few minutes the scenery and the effects and the costumes, they made the whole film come alive. I honestly don't want to say too much because I think this is an experience that a fan of the original animation has to have for themselves. The sets and the costumes are beautiful, honestly, if this film isn't nominated for costume design at next year's Academy Awards (although I know it is way too early to be talking awards...) there is a problem because someone deserves recognition for their work.

Here are the things I do want to address. In the animated film people have problems with some of the inconsistency of the story, such as these following points--

The prince is so young, how could he not wanting a stranger come into his home be considered rude?

Belle falls in love with the Beast because she has Stockholm syndrome.

How do the villagers not know there is a castle in the woods?

How does Belle get Beast on her horse to get him back to the castle after his fight in the woods against the wolves?

These questions are all answered in this new updated version. There seems to be an explanation for all of the previous questions, although, we still don't get an official name for the Beast (everyone says it is Prince Adam but just the other day I saw something that said for this film it could be Prince Ian, so I'm just not sure).

The songs are great, the acting is excellent and the characters have grown up! These characters have more substance to them than their original animated counterparts; Belle is not only beautiful and a bookworm, she is smart and innovative. Beast has more depth, he isn't just a gruff, moody hybrid. Gaston isn't just an idiot without a clue, he is smart and cruel and selfish. Lefou isn't just a sidekick, he develops and changes throughout the film and Maurice, he isn't just eccentric, he has an actual purpose in the story, well besides being captured, released and then being the reason that the villagers go attack the castle. The enchanted objects are not just there to be comic relief but they have their own personalities and stories and it helps to make everything feel that much more immersive.

I honestly could go on and on about this film all day but I will save you from that. I would like to mention just one more thing...THE LIBRARY. Oh, the wondrous sight when the Beast opens the door and we see the library for the first time. It truly is enough to make a real bookworm swoon (I know I did).

I say, gather anyone that you can to see this film and go. I took my 4 year old daughter to see it and she loved it. If a 4 year old can sit through it, anyone can, that is how enjoyable it is. I honestly, would LOVE to go see it again. Go see it, you won't be disappointed and when you get to the theater, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

A little under the weather

Hey Folks!

I want to apologize, all of a sudden I am struggling to put a post up everyday but this weekend I have been quite sick.  Just wanted to stop in and say keep coming back!  There will be a new post tomorrow, so check it out and although I am not super sure what I am doing for Wednesday, make sure you come back Thursday for the documentary, "Iris".  This one is a real treat.

Can't wait to see you back, make sure when you do you Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Movie Title-- Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Release Year-- 2016

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 38 Minutes

Director-- Jake Szymanski

Cast-- Zac Efron, Anna Kendrick, Adam DeVine, Aubrey Plaza, Stephen Root, Sugar Lyn Beard

Mike and Dave Stangle are forced to get nice wedding dates for their sister's wedding in Hawaii and are tricked into taking two party girls.

Mike (DeVine) and Dave (Efron) Stangle are brother that bring out the very best and the very worst out in each other. They are liqour salesmen by trade but they are truly known in their family for ruining every family gathering they attend. Wit their little sister Jeanie's (Beard) Hawaiin wedding fast approaching, the two of them are sat down by the rest of the family for an intervention. Once they are shown that they ruin all family gatherings, their parents give them an ultimatum; they must bring nice dates to Jeanie's wedding.

Unsure how to find the prefect girls to take to Hawaii, they put an ad up on Craigslist. Very quickly their ad goes viral and they start to interview women to take with them. Realizing that they are not attracting the right women due to their viral ad, they go on the “Wendy Williams Show” where they talk about their ad then explain what they are looking for in a nice girl.

Elsewhere, Alice (Kendrick) is having a hard time getting over being left at the alter by her fiancee and her best friend Tatiana (Plaza) tries to cheer her up by taking her drinking before they go into work at their waitressing jobs, only to be fired later that evening for showing up to work drunk (again).

The next day they are watching the “Wendy Williams Show” when they see Mike and Dave talking about needing dates and Tatiana decides that a Hawaiian vacation is just what Alice needs to pull her out of her funk. The two girls clean themselves up and go to the bar where the men are interviewing potential dates at. Instead of going in, Tatiana tells Alice that they don't want to look like one of those desperate women inside, so they wait for Mike and Dave to come out. To get their attention, Tatiana throws herself in front of a moving car then lets Mike believe he has saved her.

The four of them go on a date where Tatiana pretends to be a teacher and leads Mike on although she has no intention of sleeping with him. Alice tells them that she is a hedge fund manager and she believes that having sex with Dave is just the thing to help her get over her ex. Mike and Dave, believing they have finally found the perfect girls to take to Hawaii, they invite Tatiana and Alice to join them as their wedding dates.

I thought this movie was great. Honestly, if you are looking for a stupid, funny comedy, this is one to check out. There are a few raunchy parts but if you can handle them there should be no problem.

I am finding more and more that I am becoming a fan of Anna Kendrick. I mean, I have always liked her but I didn't realize before how much I like her. And Zac Efron, what is there to say? He is gorgeous, funny and a good actor for someone so young.

I really don't have too much to say about this film. Say too much and you give all the funny things about the movie away but say to little and it doesn't sound like much of a film to watch, so I am going to end this by saying this--

This film is worth the watch. Watch it with a group of your closest friends and prepare to laugh until you cry. Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Big Hero 6

Movie Title-- Big Hero 6

Release Year-- 2014

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 33 Minutes

Director-- Chris Williams and Don Hall

Cast-- Scott Adsit, Ryan Potter, T.J. Miller, Daniel Henney, Jamie Chung, Damon Wayans Jr., Genesis Rodriguez, Alan Tudyk, James Cromwell, Maya Rudolph

After experiencing a devastating loss, Hiro Hamada teams up with inflatable health care robot Baymax and four friends to become super heroes.

In the futuristic city of San Fransokyo, 14 year old robotics genius Hiro Hamada (Potter) spends the bulk of his free time hustling illegal robot fights. This time Hiro hustles the wrong man and narrowly escapes his wrath thanks to his older brother Tadashi (Henney) dropping in at the right time to save him. Although they escape, they are caught by the police and put in jail. Their guardian, their aunt Cass (Rupolph), bails them out but once they arrive home Tadashi sees Hiro gearing up to find another fight. Tadashi insists that if Hiro is going to go that he will drive but Tadashi tricks Hiro and instead takes him to the research lab at San Fransokyo Institute of Technology.

There Hiro meets Tadashi's friends, Honey Lemon (Rodriguez), Fred (Miller), Go-Go (Chung) and Wasabi (Wayans Jr.) and they each show him what they specialize in. After introductions, Tadashi takes Hiro to his office and shows him the project he has been working on, a inflatable health care robot named Baymax (Adsit). While Hiro is there he also meets the head of the robotics program at the university, Professor Robert Callaghan (Cromwell). Hiro decides he want to be a part of the program and signs up for the university's science fair for a chance to win a scholarship.

After a lot of heartache and frustration, Hiro invents “Microbots” and gives an amazing presentation in front of a large crowd of onlookers. He explains that the microbots are swarms of tiny robots that can link together by using a neuro-cranial transmitter, making it possible to create anything that can be imagined. The CEO of a company called Krei Tech, Alistar Krei (Tudyk), loves the idea and offers to market and sell the microbots but Hiro declines his offer, instead deciding to take the offer to join the robotics program from Professor Callaghan. Tadashi pulls Hiro aside to congratulate Hiro when they notice a fire has broken out in the building where the science fair was being held. They hear someone say that Professor Callaghan is still inside the building and Tadashi runs inside to save him. Once Tadashi is inside there is an explosion, killing both Tadashi and Professor Callaghan.

Hiro withdraws from everyone and everything in the weeks after Tadashi's death. One day, after finding one microbot that had been accidentally saved from the fire, he inadvertently activates Baymax. Baymax refuses to shut down until Hiro tells him he is satisfied with the care that he has received, so Hiro jokingly says he will feel better if Baymax followed the microbot to see where it is trying to get to. Baymax, not understanding that Hiro was kidding, sets off in the same direction the microbot is trying to go, leading the pair to an abandoned warehouse. Once they are inside they find that someone has saved the microbots and are not mass producing them. They are discovered and attacked by a man wearing a Kabuki mask that is controlling the microbots.

After their escape Hiro decides to fight back by uploading karate moves into Baymax's database and outfits Baymax with armor. The two of them then tracks the masked man to the docks. Unbeknownst to Hiro, Baymax has contacted Honey Lemon, Fred, Go-Go, and Wasabi to try to improve Hiro's mood and they arrive at the docks as well. The 6 of them are then all chased by the man in the mask and after escaping, they go to Fred's house where they all decide to become super heroes to defeat the masked man.

I really enjoyed this film. This film is one that my 4 year old daughter has fallen in love with (some days she is a princess others she tends to be a super hero), so we tend to watch this movie a lot and often. I love the theme song but I will say that I am a little bias, “Fall Out Boy” being my favorite band. All in all, I think this film is great.

I have noticed that Alan Tuydk is starting to become a regular in the Disney animation department, his credits now being Wreck it Ralph (King Candy), Frozen (the Duke of Weasleton), Big Hero 6 (Alistar Krei), Zootopia (Duke Weaselton) and Moana (Hei Hei) and it makes me wonder if he is going to be like John Ratzenberger who has voiced a character in every Pixar film released. I'm not complaining, I am a fan of Tuydk's, it just makes me wonder.

I will add, you may want to bring some tissues along because just like every other Disney animated film, there are tear jerker moments. Another thing to remember is Hiro is a teenager so he does have his angsty moments but stick with him he is growing and learning.

Grab your favorite kids and watch this one early because I guarantee that when this film is through you are going to want to play superheroes but whatever you do, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Vessel

Movie Title-- Vessel

Release Year-- 2014

Running Time-- 1 Hour and 30 Minutes

Director-- Diana Whitten

Cast-- Dr. Rebecca Gomperts,

This documentary follows a pro-choice Dutch organization founded by Dutch physician Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, “Women on Waves” and it's sister organization.

Dr. Rebecca Gomperts goes to work on the Greenpeace ship, the Rainbow Warrior II, after she finishes her abortion training. While she is in South America she heard many heart wrenching stories from women who were raped, were unable to provide for a child or even were at physical risk by being pregnant with no safe way to terminate their pregnancy. These stories pushed Dr. Gomperts to do something to provide safe alternatives for women in countries were there was no legal option for them. This led to the creation of “Women on Waves”.

In the Netherlands it is legal to have an abortion as long as it is in a licensed clinic, therefore they build a mobile clinic out of a shipping container in order to be able to obtain a medical license. It started out as a privately funded project but once the word got out, Irish women's group in Ireland invited “Women on Waves” to have their maiden voyage there and donated the money to get the mobile clinic up and running.

Once everything was completed and arranged, they set off for Ireland. The taking off of this ship became big news, so as soon as the ship set off, they began getting emails inquiring about when they would arrive and how people could set up appointments. The only problem is, when the ship leaves the Netherlands they do not have their medical license and the press gets a hold of this information, causing more problems than they were already facing in Ireland and they are forced to leave before they can help anyone. Once they arrive back in the Netherlands, they get word that they do not actually need a license to do early term abortions.

Every where they go they run into very strong and harsh opposition and they come up with inventive ways to get word out and keep women's identities private. Dr. Rebecca Gomperts goes on television in Portugal and tells women how they can abort an unwanted pregnancy with medication and after that they started to get tons of emails, first from Portugal and then from other places around the world, asking how they can get the medicine or how to take it; “Women on Web” was then born.

So, there is SO much more to this documentary than posted above but I didn't want to give all of it away because honestly, no matter how you feel about this subject, it is a good watch. I will go ahead and warn you, I watched it on Netfilx with the subtitles on so that I wouldn't miss anything and there are times when they are in different countries, speaking the native language and it isn't translated. That being said, knowing the subject matter and seeing the situation the women are put in, you don't really need to know what they are saying to understand what is going on.

There are tons of statistics throughout this film. I neglected to post them however because the statistics are about 3 years old now and I am not sure how much they have changed.

I just want to say, no matter your opinion, you have to give Dr. Rebecca Gomperts her due. She is a woman, striving to help women that have no means of helping themselves. She and her crew are making a difference, even if you don't agree with what she is doing.

As of the time this film was released the “Women on Waves” campaign helped to change the laws in two countries dealing with legal abortion. They have set up safe abortion hotlines in Ecuador, Chili, Peru, Venezuela, Argentina, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kenya, Thailand, Poland and Morocco. They have set up “Women on Web” that provides questions and answers for women that are seeking help and importantly, they help to provide contraceptives. I don't care how you feel about the subject, for a woman and her supporters to achieve this kind of success is amazing. Love it or hate it, she is getting results.

Watch this film. If you are a pro-lifer, watch this film but go into with an open mind (if at all possible). A pro-lifer should watch this film just to see how hard this woman works for what she believes in. If you are pro-choice, watch this film and if you are interested, see what you can do to help out this organization.

I hope that I did an alright job not putting my own personal opinions in this week's documentary. This subject is not one I like to get into debates with people over, so I try to keep my opinions to myself. Also, I can not review a film like this one and not list the information for the organization, so if you or someone you know needs help or someone to talk to, the websites you can go to learn more will be listed below. If you are just interested in helping out or joining their cause, click the links. I went to the websites while doing research for the review and they do have a lot of information for people to look into. If you need to speak to someone, the hotline information is listed on the “Women on Waves” website.

Thanks for stopping by, give this one a watch with an open mind and Don't Forget the Popcorn!!

(The websites you can go to for information are as follows:)

www.womenonwaves.org

www.womenonweb.org

www.who.int
(The World Health Organization)