Family outing | Page 5 of 25

Win sneak preview tickets to The Boss Baby in Atlanta

There are a couple movies this year that our 7 year old wants to see. The first one that he said he wanted to see was The Boss Baby and he told me that in the summer of 2016. “I want to see The Boss Baby”, he said confidently as he strode across the office. Fast forward 9 months and umpteen hundreds of Boss Baby questions later our son-and his friends in elementary school can relax on the questions because The Boss Baby is coming to movie theaters.

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Beauty and the Beast is large family entertainment #BeOurGuest

It was about 20 minutes into Beauty and the Beast when I stopped looking for flaws in the film. It’s not that the film is flawless; it’s just that it won’t matter. People could point out any number of things that didn’t work, in their opinion- and Beauty and the Beast would still be a movie juggernaut for ages 5 and older. In the end, Beauty in the Beast is a very good film, countless young girls will have the gold dress that Belle wore in the big dance number and many men will dress up as Gaston or LeFou.

First off, the classic songs used in the original film held up very nicely. They really are great songs and the story that sets up the music is a classic one that anybody can relate to. In this live action retelling of the film there are a couple new songs that aren’t as catchy, but they’re quickly forgotten and the film quickly moves onto the next one.

My Inner Film Critic Speaks

As a film though, it feels like a television movie at times, albeit with a massive budget, flawless costumes and huge sets. It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen a movie that fades out of scenes. However Beauty and the Beast in several occasions fades out, goes dark for a millisecond and then goes into the next scene. I know that they are not built in commercial breaks, but in what other film have you noticed instances when they fade out?

Continue reading Beauty and the Beast is large family entertainment #BeOurGuest

Kelvin and Rosalee Ramer, keeping Monster Jam in the family

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Monster Jam is one of the best family night outs that you will experience. What child does not want to see larger than life trucks jumping over dirt mounds, doing flips or racing around a course an unimaginable torque levels? Plus, torque, it’s a chance to teach school age children about torque and how it makes the trucks accelerate so quickly. We spoke with Kelvin Ramer and Rosalee Ramer, two drivers on the Monster Jam circuit, who also happen to be father/daughter.

Rosalee Ramer is in her second season and was the rookie of the year in 2016. Kelvin Ramer has been driving Monster Trucks for 14 years and their story is really one of talent and family.

Did you see Rosalee when she was on The Ellen Show? Ellen’s reaction after she saw Rosalee do a Monster Truck demonstration in the parking lot is how you’ll walk away if you’ve never seen Monster Jam in person. After seeing it once you will have an enthusiastic reaction every time you hear the vehicle start, spin out and be sure to have your camera on video just in case you’re lucky enough to see one flip.

A truck doing a flip with flames shooting out from the bottom? #monsterjam

A post shared by Daddy Mojo (@treyburley) on Mar 5, 2016 at 8:15pm PST

Win sneak preview passes to Beauty and the Beast in Atlanta, #BeOurGuest

Everything in animation changed with The Little Mermaid. That film started an incredible run on profitability, quality and entertainment that reached beyond the family. With their next film, Beauty and the Beast, the Disney Corporation really hit their stride with a masterpiece of song and storytelling. The live-action Beauty and the Beast is in theaters on March 17 and is one of the most anticipated films of 2017. We’re giving away sneak preview passes to Beauty and the Beast in Atlanta.

This sneak preview of Beauty and the Beast will be on March 13. Winners will be told when the show time is and the exact location. With security and vague details like that one would expect that we’re talking about a Hollywood premier or top secret state meeting. However, such is the demand for these advance sneak preview tickets.

Win a pair of tickets to the Atlanta sneak preview of Beauty and the Beast

The trailer bodes quite well for the film and it looks like it’s reaching people beyond the princess realm. Even when you think back to the original Beauty and the Beast, there was a fair amount of action, lots of comedy and a classic story. The new film evokes that same spirit so much so that both our 5 and 7 year old boys have been clamoring to see the film since they saw its trailer.

Join the “All-In Burger Debate” at Applebee’s, #Giveaway

Hey, we were compensated for this post. All (tasty) thoughts are our own. Here’s an argument that we all can get behind. It involves Applebee’s, a hamburger that’s stacked high with exotic toppings and it ends with contest where the grand prize winner goes to New York City-where they’ll then be transported to Bristol, Conn to go behind the scenes of the Mike & Mike show, get a tour of ESPN and be their producer for the day. Big prize and it’s simple to enter, just get something from the Applebee’s All-In Burger menu, snap a picture and share it.

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Motofest is the intersection of dirt bike, family friendly entertainment

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I am a Motofest novice. That’s partially due to the fact that it’s never happened before. However, I’m also new to Monster Energy Supercross and AMSOIL Arenacross. For the first time ever those two are competing in the city, at the same venue and over the same weekend. It’s the inaugural Motofest and it’s happening February 24-27 at Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

Watching Motofest is what you imagine being an extra during the filming of Fury Road is like. The balletic precision of dirt bikes flying 30 feet in the air, engaging in incredibly tight turns and doing it all at rocket speeds. It’s an unexpectedly beautiful thing to watch.

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Help Pete the Cat become a real puppet at Center for Puppetry Arts

20 years ago if you lived around Atlanta or were into the folk art scene you knew Pete the Cat. The groovy, blue Chuck Taylor wearing, blue cat with yellow eyes has an easy going attitude that made him a favorite for those on the cutting edge. Come to current times and Pete the Cat is a staple in children’s entertainment with music, books and more. Another staple in children’s entertainment is Center for Puppetry Arts. Combine the two and you’ve got a bluer, groovier story of Pinocchio. Center for Puppetry Arts is creating a Pete the Cat puppet show-and they need your help to bring Pete’s groovy adventures to the stage.

First off, Center for Puppetry Arts is one of the go-to places to visit in Atlanta. They’ve built a massive museum that is jammed with hundreds of puppets from all over the world. This includes lots of Muppets and characters from Sesame Street, plus some stop motion classics like Coralline and more. The puppets change out from time to time, there are puppets that you can use and play with, create your own puppet stage show and see things reflective to all stages of puppets.

Now, combine that with the fact that Center for Puppetry Arts still has ongoing puppet shows. Pete the Cat is coming to Center for Puppetry Arts, but they need your help. Through March 2 they’re raising money to get this show off the ground. Hat’s off to the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs for DOUBLING the amount of each donation through that time period.

The mere thought of Pete the Cat in puppet form at Center for Puppetry Arts makes you smile, doesn’t it? Go ahead, re-watch that video that breaks down the research and work that they’ve already done to prepare for the show. The Pete the Cat show is happening at Center for Puppetry Arts from April 4-May 21. Get groovy and support it before it takes off.

Win a family 4-pack of tickets to Monster Jam on March 4

In 2016 we were blown away by one of the most family friendly events we’ve ever attended. Monster Jam is back in Atlanta on February 4 and 5 and we’ve been looking forward to it ever since we left the arena last year. For us, Monster Jam was the graphic novel that we were casually interested in that we couldn’t put down-and then immediately re-read it once we were finished. Monster Jam will most likely have the same reaction for you and your family.

Monster Jam is a live motorsport event that’s operated by Feld Entertainment. There is more to Monster Jam than you might realize. It’s broken up into two parts. The first is a competition, where two trucks go head-to-head on a short track. They’ll do two laps of the course and the winner will then go on to face the next field of wining trucks. Eventually the fastest two trucks will face each other and the results will make ages 5 and up yell, scream and be enthusiastic beyond your wildest dreams.

Win a family 4-pack of tickets to Monster Jam on March 4

That was our then 6YO, a normally reserved child who was waving his hands, yelling and shouting cheers of enthusiasm for whichever truck he liked during that round of competition. As a parent it was amazing to see this side of my child, who I thought I knew inside and out being more boisterous than we’d ever seen him. It was all for good reason because we were doing the same thing and perhaps the apple was not falling far from the tree.

The crowd at Monster Jam is diverse in background and age. Having said that, bring ear protection with you. If you arrive in time they sell ear protection, but it does sell out. We’re buying ear protection before this year’s Monster Jam, because we know we’ll be back for more.

A truck doing a flip with flames shooting out from the bottom? #monsterjam

A post shared by Daddy Mojo (@treyburley) on Mar 5, 2016 at 8:15pm PST