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The Imitation Game is based on a true story with which most audiences probably aren't familiar; I was not, and now am curious enough to try and look up more of the story. The film takes place during World War I, and has an all-star cast - Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley have both scored SAG and Golden Globe nominations for their acting, and the movie itself is up for Best Picture - Drama for both awards as well. Alan Turing (Cumberbatch) is a geek and a loner, but also very intelligent. He is one of a select few chosen to help England try to break Germany's codes during World War I - breaking the codes would mean being able to decipher all of Germany's messages, giving England a distinct advantage in the war. He eventually is made head of the team and must recruit a few other members, including the team's first woman, Joan (Knightley), with whom he works very well. The rest of the team finds his seriousness and focus a bit off-putting, although they will ad

Before I saw Into the Woods , I knew that it was based on the Broadway musical of the same name, and has a fantastic cast of A-listers. I didn't know that it was going to be so whimsical and funny, though, at least for its first half, and I ended up enjoying it a lot. There are four or five fairy tales that converge in this film. Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) wishes to go to the festival with her stepmother (Christine Baranski) and two evil stepsisters (Lucy Punch and Tammy Blanchard). Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) is trying to make it safely to her grandmother's house, but Mr. Wolf (Johnny Depp, in a fantastically creepy role) tries to detain her. Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) lives with his mother, who is trying to make ends meet, and she makes him sell the family cow, Milky White, because it has stopped producing milk, even though it's his best friend. Finally, the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) wish to have a child, only to find out that The Witch (Meryl

*Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #PlanesToTheRescue #CollectiveBias Looking for last minute holiday gift ideas? Delight the little ones in your life with Disney Planes items now on Rollback at Walmart! All items listed below are on rollback through the holiday season! #PlanesToTheRescue #ad Disney Planes Flight to the Finish Speedway ($24.97) Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue Die-Cast Vehicles, 3-Pack ($14.97) Disney Planes: Fire & Rescue Deluxe Talking Vehicle Assortment ($19.97) I saw Planes: Fire & Rescue  in the theater back in July, and it was a cute movie! The 3D was fantastic, as well. Have you seen Planes: Fire & Rescue , and if not, do you plan on it? Which of the toys above would you give as a gift?

L to R: Alysia (Michigal) , Anna Mae ( Ann Arbor with Kids ), Amber's husband, Amber ( Metro Detroit Mommy ), me, Julie, and Crystal ( Mom Among Chaos ) Last night, a group of bloggers and I had the pleasure of trying out The Great Escape Room , which is in the midst of its soft opening this week in Royal Oak. Prices normally range from $23 to $28, but if you try it out this week (12/19-12/21), you can experience it for $18 . Here's how the room works: After entering a room with your team (up to 12 people), the door is locked behind you. You have 60 minutes  to solve the puzzles and escape from the room! You must work together to find clues and solve puzzles that will lead you to your escape The room is part scavenger hunt and part puzzle game Only about 20% of groups  are able to meet the challenge and escape in time! I thought it would be more of a real-life Clue game, but it ended up being more like Sherlock Holmes, complete with a Holmes-esque soundtrack (and s

A photo posted by Liz Parker (@yesnofilms) on Nov 11, 2014 at 1:25pm PST *Disclosure: I received Sartori products to facilitate this blog post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. When I was attending the #EcoTravelwithadoba event in Dearborn last week, our hostess, Gwen, had some delicious treats for us in her hotel suite the first night we were there. We feasted on chips, pretzels, cookies, and more, and one of the foods I liked very much was Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago cheese on a cracker, which I later found out was Sartori brand. The nice people over at Sartori were kind enough to send me a few cheeses to try! I love  cheese, although sometimes have issues with dairy, so a little bit of cheese with crackers is a good portion size for me. I received five different cheeses to try: Rosemary & Olive Oil Asiago: This one continues to be my favorite. It goes well with just about anything, and it was the one I definitely dug into first when I received my pa

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #OwnTheGalaxy #CollectiveBias I reviewed Guardians of the Galaxy  back in August 2014, and I attended the screening of the movie with my dad; however, my mom was unable to go. So when the movie came out on Blu-ray/DVD, I knew I wanted her to finally see it. She's a huge fan of '70s and '80s music, which Chris Pratt's character loves in Guardians , so we headed to Walmart to pick up the DVD and also the soundtrack as an early holiday present for her. The DVD was easy to find on the shelf, on an end display. It's offered in DVD, Blu-ray 3D/Bluray format, or just Bluray, and I selected the DVD, as my parents have a DVD player but not Blu-ray. Walmart also offers exclusive character "O-sleeves" for its Blu-ray copies, as you can see in the top two rows of movies here; the DVD also has a music zinepack and a 64-page magazine with cast

Though I unfortunately don't have a review of Wild up on my book blog, I read it in May 2013 as the first book chosen by my book club. I don't read much nonfiction, but I do sometimes like autobiographies, and Cheryl Strayed's story was an unusual one that stayed with me: she chooses to walk the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) to try and straighten up her life, and get rid of some of the demons plaguing her. I was excited, then, to hear that the book was being made into a movie, with Reese Witherspoon as Cheryl, and the film adaptation did not disappoint. Cheryl (Witherspoon) has gone through a lot of hardship recently, so she decides to walk the 600-plus-mile PCT even though she doesn't have much hiking experience. Her childhood and early 20s is shown in flashbacks; she loved her mother, Bobbi (Laura Dern), who recently passed away from cancer, and she wasn't as close with her brother, Lief (Keene McRae) as she would have liked to have been. Cheryl meets a lot of int

Disclosure: Yes/No Films did not receive compensation for this post and is not responsible for prize fulfillment. Hosted by: Queen of Savings , Tammie's Reviews Giveaways & More , Busy Mama Reviews , Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom , Mommy Makes Time & Baltimore Mom Sponsor: Wonder Forge I've partnered with a few other bloggers to bring you this giveaway - it would make a great holiday present for any children in your life! (or, keep them for yourself too if you like ...) Frozen 6-in-1 Games - It's six classic games in one—Bingo, Go Fish, Crazy 8's, Four-in-a-Row, Dominoes and Matching—all featuring Anna, Elsa, Olaf and the rest of your favorite friends from Frozen! Star Wars Rebel Missions - It's a dark time in the galaxy as the evil Galactic Empire tightens its grip of power. Work together as the ragtag crew of the Ghost starship and fight Imperial forces on the remote planet of Lothal! In this exciting team strategy game, race agains

So you think you know Arnold Schwarzenegger ... but do you know the whole story? I have a chance for one of my lucky readers  to win an HD (digital) copy of the new movie about him, Pumping Iron. About the film: From Gold's Gym in Venice Beach California to the showdown in Pretoria, amateur and professional bodybuilders prepare for the 1975 Mr. Olympia and Mr. Universe contests in this part-scripted, part-documentary film. Five-time champion Arnold Schwarzenegger defends his Mr. Olympia title against Serge Nubret and the shy, young, deaf Lou Ferrigno, whose father is his coach; the ruthless champ psyches out the young lion. Sardinian Franco Columbu competes in the lightweight class; at home in Italy he solves a tight parking problem by lifting the car into place. Joe Weider is the marketer; Mike Katz and Ken Waller go for the title of Mr. Universe. Bodybuilding and a celebrity-to-be go mainstream. Special Features: Still Pumping: Success in bodybuilding is a mental chall

*Disclosure: I have been compensated for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. I reviewed When the Game Stands Tall  back in August of this year, and it was a great movie. I love films that are sports-related, and especially films that are based on a true story. Here's the synopsis of the movie that I gave in my review: Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel) is in the midst of "The Streak" - 151 wins for De La Salle, over about a ten year period - until, at the start of the 2004 football season, he's suddenly not: the team loses their first game. The players and seniors, especially, are understandably upset, but Ladouceur is not: to him, it's more of making "a perfect effort" than winning every game. Two games later, the team starts winning again, and there's talk of another "streak" starting to take hold, which Ladouceur doesn't like; freshman and sophomores at the school are even starting to dream of the number th

*Disclosure: I received TSO tickets in exchange for this post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own. The TSO (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) will be at the Palace of Auburn Hills this month, and I'm excited to finally attend one of its shows! I've heard a lot about the TSO, and I know it will be a great concert. A little bit about the show: Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) will wrap up 2014 by performing their rock opera The Christmas Attic live for the first time in arenas across the nation on their Winter Tour 2014, including two shows at The Palace of Auburn Hills on Saturday, December 27 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tickets are  $74, $64, $54, $44 and $34 reserved, and can be bought here . A portion of the proceeds from every ticket sale benefits The Salvation Army and Gilda’s Club. While 1998's The Christmas Attic features one of the band's most popular songs “Christmas Canon,” surprisingly, it is the only album of The Christmas Trilogy never to be performed