So last night was basically fantasy/fairytale movie night. We watched “Enchanted” and then we, or rather I, watched “Seeker: The Dark Is Rising.” Emily ignored the begining, chatted online, then passed out on my LoveSac (not what some may think, a giant bean bag chair). Note to self, next time Emily does that take a photo to post on the blog the next morning to shock and horrify her.

“Enchanted” is a Disney movie which spoofs all the classic Disney cartoon films, such as “Snow White,” “Cinderella,” and “Sleeping Beauty.” It stars Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsy, James Marsden and Susan Sarandon. The movie starts off in cartoon form where the beautiful maiden Giselle meets her Prince Charming (Prince Edward), who of course has a wicked step-mother for a queen. The jealous queen then casts Giselle into the real world of New York, where she stops being a cartoon. Nevertheless, she doesn’t stop acting like one, continuing to break out in song and have all the animals (aka vermin) in New York help her with chores and dress. The movie really pokes fun at all the silliness of the old Disney films, but does it in a good way. As with the classic movies, it’s about finding and rescueing your true love, only with some twists. It’s very cute, predictable, but enjoyable. Props to the people at Disney for also throwing in a quick gay reference that probably made the family friendly crowd throw up when they watched it, but kids wouldn’t get at all. Two thumps up for all.

“Seeker: The Dark is Rising” is a fantasyesque movie based on the novel “The Dark Is Rising.” I never read the book, which from what I understand is actually a series of books, so I can’t make comparisons. Something tells me though that a lot was probably left out. The movie description says that it’s about a young boy who upon turning 14 learns he’s the last paladin of light and must stop the rider, who is trying to overtake the world with darkness. Well first the word paladin was never mentioned at all, so I think that tells me stuff from the book was left out. The movie had a good cast, including Ian McShane, Frances Conroy and Christopher Eccleston as The Rider. The plot I felt was a bit rushed, again telling me a lot was left out. The boy, Will, basically suddenly learns he’s this warrior of light “The Seeker” and must seek out 6 signs in order to stop The Rider. From there it’s just a rush to find these signs, with a few plot devices thrown in which are all predictable, all leading to a predictable ending. Was it enjoyable? Yes. Predictable? Obviously I would say yes. I would recommend it to those who liked “Harry Potter” or “Narnia,” but this film seems a little more teenager/kid oriented than even the former ones. Again I have a feeling the book was much better and it’s one of those movies that people who loved the book hated the film version. Two thumbs up for a family movie night, your kids will probably like it.