So the past year or so has been a bit rough. I got a new puppy, my mom died, I've been traveling for her business and a little fun...so I haven't been to a ton of screenings lately. Kinda bad for a critic, but I think these are legitimate excuses.

This year I vowed to get back into the groove despite all my obligations and get going again.

Tuesday I attempted to attend a screening of 20th Century Fox's "Chronicle." This was a 2pm screening, open to the public. My intent of course was to watch it for review. Arriving at the theater downtown, I was greeted by some very disorganized, yet firm security personnel who informed me that if I had a cell phone I would have to turn it over to them to hold for the duration of the film.

Granted, I understand why...Cell phones have cameras with video functions. Fox is obviously worried someone will record the film and post it online. Fine. I get it. BUT I am with the PRESS. I could LOSE MY JOB, get SUED or otherwise if I was either caught doing something like that, or connected to someone doing something like that. Plus I have integrity and would not even THINK of something like that. So I get a little offended when this comes up.

Can I mention at this point, too, that I wouldn't have a problem with it if I was told ahead of time. Being hit with it when I walk up to a theater 5 minutes before the film is supposed to start AND I've parked 4 floors down and a block away, does not make it EASY for me to go put the phone in my car.

I've known the rep that was there for years now, he even offered to hold my phone. No thanks, it's the principle of the thing. Even though I'm press I'm not to be trusted. Okay, then don't trust me to review your film either, 'cause I'm not sticking around to be treated like some kind of cyber punk. Thanks for nothing, 20th Century Fox.

So last week I got a rather surprising email from Focus Features. It read....

Hi Mary,

We are excited to invite you to the set of our upcoming 3-D stop-motion animated feature ParaNorman on Thursday, January 19th.  Invitation below.

Let me know if you are available to make it!

Thank you!

Wow! Heck yeah! Who wouldn't want to go over to Laika? Well, maybe if you don't know what Laika is, haven't seen their first feature "Coraline" and have no idea who Will Vinton is or Travis Knight...then maybe you wouldn't want to go. So let's play catch up.

Will Vinton is the guy who invented the California Raisins and created "Claymation." For years he worked right here in Portland, OR. What was his company was purchased by Phil Knight (you know, Nike) and is now run as Laika by Knight's son, Travis, an animator who used to work for Vinton. In 2009, the company produced what they called the first "hand made" stop motion animation feature with "Coraline." Henry Selick, the guy behind "Nightmare Before Christmas" and "James and the Giant Peach" came in to write and direct the piece. Pretty soon freshman company Laika had a huge hit on its hands that opened the Portland International Film Festival and went on to win rave reviews from critics, Annie Awards and even Golden Globe and OSCAR nominations.

At that point, they weren't sure what the next project would be, but now they're well into the midst of it, it's called "ParaNorman." That's what I was invited to see at Laika's super secret location in a random Hillsboro industrial building.

Now sadly, I can't completely spill the beans in this post, but I'll certainly be able to do a "tell all" closer to the film's release date of August 17th.

What I can tell you now is that I spent a mind-blowing day inside an incredible world where artists and craftspeople of all types from painters and costume designers to woodworkers and computer geniuses have come together in a creative collaborative effort to design and build EVERYTHING for this film. From the puppets themselves that the animators spend countless hours manipulating to the small scale forests and town they roam through.

Everything that's been created for this film is real and yet unreal. It's amazing!

The vision started years ago with the idea for the film from Writer/Director Chris Butler. He's teamed (as they do frequently in animation) with Co-Director Sam Fell. The two are completely like-minded in their vision for the film and are plugging away on a daily basis to get the film completed. It's in full production mode now with 49 units working simultaneously on the different cogs of the wheel that is "ParaNorman."

I liken their operation to putting together a TV newscast. On first observation, there are all these people obviously working on different things, but it's not until you see the final thing on screen that you know what they've done. And still, with this stop motion animation, you can't even imagine the detail that goes into one 30 second or less sequence.

Just know that there's gonna be a pretty awesome piece of work hitting theaters August 17th, and there are over 300 people who worked separately but together to create it. Want a sneak preview? Here's the official ParaNorman website. And the first official photo from the film courtesy of Laika and Focus Features.

Steven Spielberg has been busy over the past year or more. (Super 8, Tintin) This week you'll see his name on another new film, "War Horse." If the title sounds familiar, it's probably because it's already been a successful novel and recently saw success for its translation on the stage in London and now New York. In part because of the incredibly life-like rideable puppets that portray the horses.

The story is a classic sort of "Black Beauty" tale. A young horse is born into a bucolic paradise in Devon, England. But his tale of many owners and adventures begins when a farm-owner pays too much for him at auction. The farmer's son Albert knows the horse and convinces his father to let him train him. Joey as he's called, and the boy become fast friends with an almost magical bond between them. But war comes to England and Joey is enlisted as a mount and shipped off to Europe against the tears and protests of young Albert. The Captain who rides him into battle doesn't keep his mount for long, and Joey is captured by the Germans. Next he becomes part of the German Army and an escape mount for two young soldiers gone AWOL. Those boys are soon taken out of the picture and Joey, along with his friend, the black horse Topthorn, are taken in by a French farmer and his granddaughter.

Once again this moment of peace in wartime doesn't last long as Joey and Topthorn are hauled off by French soldiers looking for fresh mounts and supplies. Joey's struggle gets even more bleak under the control of the French. Finally he has a moment to drum up his last bit of strength and escape, running through the barbed wire of the trenches only to be trapped by the wire. But this story is "Black Beauty"-esque and the horrors of war soon come to a predictable end.

The story ropes you in, but it is almost cheesey at times because the relationship between the boy and horse is almost too ideal, too "Hollywood ending." What's compelling are the animal actors who do convey emotion and their story very well. The humans are each present for a short time, only enough to really drive the story forward as Joey is passed from one "owner" to the next. The film is shot beautifully. One scene in particular when the British mount before they charge the Germans is just incredible. Battlefield scenes are equally bleak with mud, mustard gas and barbed wire. But Spielberg should know what he's doing there, right?

I almost feel like it's too late for this movie. There's been so much buzz over the Broadway translation that the movie almost feels like an afterthought. It's an emotional tale, and certainly can be a tearjerker. It's a classic, beautifully shot piece of film, but there's just something that doesn't work. The ending is so flat, and expected that it's a bit of a let down. Fans of the book may be disappointed because while it is obvious the horses do have a closeness, they're not humanized as much in the film and don't "talk" to one another like in the book. Spielberg's desire for authenticity is apparent and the production design is meticulous. "War Horse" is beautiful in looks, but comes up a bit lame in the end. "War Horse" is rated "PG-13."