Disney

Said story, of course, is “Rapunzel,” the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about a girl with really long hair locked away in a tower by an evil enchantress. Here the girl, a princess kidnapped as a baby by a vain woman who wants the kid’s hair for its magical healing properties, is made into a relatable teenager who manages to escape the tower thanks to the arrival of a roguish thief.

Unlike her classic brethren, Rapunzel (voiced by Mandy Moore), while certainly innocent and naïve of the world, is a spirited girl here, wielding a cast iron frying pan (an object turned into an amusing running joke) and tying people up with her lengthy locks. So she makes for a better role model for girls, and, in a nice gender-reversal touch, especially for Disney, essentially gets to save the day.

The thief is voiced by Zachary Levi (TV’s Chuck), who makes the guy both smooth and vain to a hilarious degree. His funniest scenes usually involve a white palace horse named Maximus, whose behavior and facial expressions help make him the film’s funniest character. There’s also Rapunzel’s pet chameleon, who sticks his tongue in Levi’s ear and shows emotion by changing color.

As well directors Byron Howard (who also made Bolt) and Nathan Greno render the film beautifully, wholly succeeding in their stated aim of making it sometimes resemble an oil painting, in particular the wondrous scene in which hundreds of lighted lanterns are released into the air. They also wring some genuine emotion from the story, like when the queen gently wipes a tear from the king’s eye.

Granted, the characters don’t look perfectly real (their eyes are a little too big), and the demise of Rapunzel’s captor (voiced with perfect wickedness by Donna Murphy) might prove a bit intense for some tots. But such darkness, which is present in the best of Disney’s animated films, is easily balanced out here by the sight of a tavern full of brutes singing about having dreams.- [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Comedy/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 3/29/11

Steve Carell

Carell voices Gru, a bald, Nosferatu-looking über villain who hasn’t been very successful in his chosen profession. So he hatches a can’t-miss plan to steal the moon, which involves retrieving a shrink ray from a rival über villain, which itself involves adopting a spirited trio of little girls.

The funniest thing about the film has to be Gru’s minions– short, yellow, thimble-shaped little guys that wear goggles and speak in an amusing kind of gibberish. They’re used as guinea pigs for anti-gravity rays and fart guns, laugh at the bubbles in a water cooler and go shopping for a new toy for one of the orphans. No matter what they do, you’ll laugh.

Almost as funny is the accent Carell creates for Gru, a Dracula-sounding thing that perfectly complements the character’s pointy-nosed appearance. And the character’s all the more humorous for not really being that evil. More like mischievous on a big scale. His biggest claims to fame include stealing the Times Square jumbotron and the tiny Las Vegas version of the Eiffel Tower.

But the execution of all this is surprisingly uninspired, the attempts at cleverness a little too clever and the action a little too frantic. So the rival villain (Jason Segel) being a big-egoed schlub gets annoying fast, watching Gru’s bad-guy ship shrink in mid-air is not funny, and it’s no surprise that Gru eventually warms up to the girls, the youngest of whom is absolutely adorable.

If anything, the film is proof that not every all-CGI flick is a home run, even with the involvement of talent like Carell, Segel and Russell Brand (funny as the voice of Gru’s old-man assistant, Dr. Nefario). That doesn’t mean it’s a despicable movie. Just a slightly disappointing one. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Comedy/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 12/14/10

Since this is an Emma Thompson project, A-list actors appear for choice bits and cameos. This installment had wonderful surprises in the shape of Maggie Smith, Ralph Fiennes, and Ewan McGregor for the grown-ups and lots of nutty CGI magic (swimming piglets) for the kids. Although the first 20 minutes were a bit cacophonous (noisy children need Nanny McPhee to appear), once Emma T. is on screen the film is an old-fashioned delight for both children and their parents. Also stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as the Mom. - [DVD]

Comedy/Family/Fantasy

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 12/14/10

I’m not really sure what to make of the mess that is The Last Airbender. Adapted from the popular Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender, there was plenty of potential for a great sweeping family-friendly fantasy epic. The show focuses on individuals who can “bend” one of the four primary alchemical elements: earth, air, fire and water. The avatar, as he is called, is a young boy who is the last of the airbenders but who can also learn to bend the other three elements and thus unite the spirit world–or something like that. I’d really suggest you pick up all the mythology from the TV series, because this film has maybe the worst usage of expository dialogue I have ever witnessed. It’s common wisdom in filmmaking to show the audience something instead of telling them about it, and Shyamalan seems to have forgotten this principle entirely.

The film does actually have some nice visuals in places–the firebender nation sails around in a fleet of nifty ironclad warships and the climax takes place in an impressive city that looks like it was whittled out of a glacier. A better director might have lingered on some of these sights and let his audience immerse themselves in a new fantasy world, but Shyamalan seems impatient with them and cuts away as fast as he can. But cuts to what? Some of the worst acting I’ve seen in a while–the cast includes a few interesting people, like Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire‘s title character) as the disgraced villain, but in most shots they seem lost or confused about their motivation. Aasif Mandvi, best known as a “correspondent” on the Daily Show, actually turns in one of the better performances. My strongest reaction watching Airbender was actually one of indignation on behalf of all the people who clearly put a lot of work into the sets and effects only to have their efforts betrayed by a muddled vision. Maybe someday the film can be recut into something sensible. Or maybe, if there are indeed sequels (the ending certainly sets one up), they might hire someone to knock some sense into the franchise. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Action/Adventure/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 11/16/10

Which is too bad, because I thought the film started out well, especially in how Zemeckis establishes Scrooge’s stingy disposition. We first see him half-hidden in shadows as he tends to his dead business partner Marley. He’s reluctant to pay the man who prepared the body, and then snatches the coins off the dead man’s eyes as the body is carted away.

It also helps that Zemeckis includes details I’m guessing are in the book, like Scrooge’s view of unions and such, as well as certain pieces of dialogue. They lend the early goings-on a nice ring of authenticity. Zemeckis also does a beautiful job of rendering London itself, from the buildings and fog to the falling snow and kids sliding around on the ice. You get a nice sense of place.

But I lost any serious respect for the film once the supernatural shenanigans started. Scrooge zooms around the sky, gets chased by some red-eyed horses and is shrunk down to Lilliputian size, which allows him to ride on some icicles. Such antics will probably appeal to the tots, but they only serve to take away from the film’s more interesting dramatic aspects.

As does the fact that the CGI characters, as real as they may look, simply lack the appropriate emotional expressiveness. Which is a shame, because the vocal work from Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Bob Hoskins and Robin Wright-Penn, among others, is excellent. Same goes for Jim Carrey as Scrooge (and the three ghosts), though he occasionally over-employs his I’m-an-actor voice.

Overall, it’s decent family entertainment, with a few scenes–like the Ghost of Christmas Present turning into a skeleton–that might be a mite scary for some kids. But it’s not nearly as good as the 1984 version starring George C. Scott. I mean, no one says “Bah, humbug” better than the man who played Patton. - [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Drama/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 11/16/10

Fraser plays a real estate developer whose new subdivision threatens the habitat of local woodland creatures, who in turn try to drive Fraser away, leaving Fraser’s boss (Ken Jeong), wife (Brooke Shields) and bratty teen son (Matt Prokop) baffled at his increasingly exasperated behavior.

I gotta give Fraser credit. The guy’s game for anything, no matter how embarrassing. He gets sprayed by skunks, bitten in the crotch and peed on by a raccoon, runs around in a woman’s jogging outfit, falls off a roof and goes for a ride in a portable toilet. At one point he even sits in a bathtub and dumps tomato juice all over himself.

But none of what he endures is funny, unless, perhaps, you’re four years old, and the so-called direction by Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions) essentially amounts to him turning on the camera. I also didn’t like the creepy way the animals utter evil little laughs whenever Fraser suffers their wrath.

Jeong, Shields, and Ricky Garcia as the construction foreman all earn some laughs, but the only time the film shows some life is during the end credits, when the cast sings along to “Insane in the Brain” while parodying everything from “The Blue Lagoon” to Robert Palmer videos. It really has nothing to do with the rest of the movie. Neither should you. – [DVD]

Comedy/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 8/17/10

The movie is the story of a kid named Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) who is just beginning middle school, and is having a hard time of it. His main goal is to be popular and be accepted at school, but Greg is kind of a wimpy kid and small for his age. His best friend Rowley (Robert Capron) is kind of a nerd, so that doesn’t help any. During the course of the movie, Greg has conflicts with Rowley, and their friendship is challenged. Greg also faces the “tortures” of his older brother, and the revenge of a girl he had teased in kindergarten. Plus there is also the eventual revenge of some teenagers whose car Greg and Rowley had scraped on Halloween night. The film chronicles the dangerous territory that is middle school and Greg is an excellent narrator for this journey. He is kind of an “everyman” of middle school, and learns many valuable lessons and is wiser at the end of the movie. This is mostly a comedy, although there are also some sad and poignant scenes as well. The screenplay is smart and funny, and the actors, especially Zachary Gordon, do a great job.

Jack thinks that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is appropriate for viewers ages 6 to infinity. The middle school experience is so universal and so perfectly portrayed that most adults will generally have no trouble whatsoever enjoying the film. It’s great to get a bunch of laughs about a transitional time that is often awkward for a lot of us. No reservations at all about highly recommending this movie. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Comedy/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 8/3/10

She meets the Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp, with whom she develops a deep understanding. Both are very worried that they are losing their minds. The Hatter and Alice attend the mad tea party (a great scene!) and leave to meet the blue caterpillar (Alan Rickman). Alice learns from the caterpillar that in this journey to Wonderland she is destined to kill the Red Queen’s pet Jabberwocky and save Wonderland. Alice can only slay the Jabberwocky by using the Vorpol sword guarded by a ferocious monster that she must trade back an eye that Alice’s friend the Dormouse stole. But before she does, she must deal with the Red Queen, Helena Bonham Carter (one of the highlights of the movie), and her head knight Stayne (Crispin Glover). Alice sneaks into the monster’s cage and trades the eye for the Vorpol sword and returns it to the Red Queen’s good sister, the White Queen, played by Anne Hathaway, who is so good that she almost throws up every time she looks at the Jabberwocky. Tim Burton’s Alice is more fun because Alice has a Quest to complete and the fight against the Jabberwocky is reminiscent of Perseus’ fight against Medusa. Boys liked this part the best. (I loved everything about this movie except the Hatter’s cheesy dance at the end.)

Robin’s Notes: I was skeptical (thumbs down to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) but instead thoroughly enjoyed Burton’s take on the story. He obviously loves and understands the colorful characters and gives them depth that is lacking even in Carroll’s book. Depp channels his inner Hatter, Mia Wasikowska is a brave, reluctant, exhausted heroine (as opposed to a hapless little girl) and Helena Bonham Carter is the perfect, irrational Red Queen with a HILARIOUSLY HUGE HEAD. I love children’s movies that have a bit of an edge for the parents as well as something for the kids to think about. Recommended for kids 7 and up (not little kids…) Boys will love it, too! – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Adventure/Family/Fantasy

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 6/1/10

I mean, really. The CGI critters go to school, fall for some girl chipmunks and compete in a music contest, all while being watched over by a slacker of a substitute guardian (Zachary Levi) and dealing with the slimy antics of their former agent (David Cross).

As such the film, despite the best efforts of director Betty Thomas, feels distracted, especially in the lazy way it solves Levi’s problems. There’s also the just plain weird sight of Cross in a gold-lame dress trying to make sock puppets sing, and disturbing references are made to The Silence of the Lambs and pole dancing.

I know, I know. It’s made for kids, who will really only care about seeing helium-voiced Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) spin around in a juicer, fight in a dumpster, ride around on little vehicles, get smacked by dodge balls and play football. Not to mention sing generic tween pop tunes, including a version of “We Are Family.”

As an adult I appreciated any scene with Wendie Malick as the school principal who’s also a closeted Chipmunks fan. But as a big fan of Levi’s TV show Chuck, I was even happier to see him moonlighting in an actual movie, even if he does play second fiddle to chattering chipmunks who give wedgies to high school jocks. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Comedy/Family/Romance

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 3/30/10

Anderson takes characters and basic plot points from the book, deconstructs most of the story, and goes on to create a bona fide “Wes Anderson” film. But the funny thing is, it works. Anderson likes to create precise, contained little dollhouse universes. So stop-action animation may actually be the perfect medium for him. His playful visuals inject a completely new energy into Dahl’s 1970 text. By combining them with a dream team of actors voicing the characters (some newly invented for the film), a harmonious balance between children’s lit classic and 2010 postmodern claymation art film is achieved.

The premise, roughly, is a daredevil cat- er, make that fox-burglar (Mr. Fox, voiced by George Clooney), who targets the creepy and joyless triumvirate of farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean in his larceny, promises his fox-wife (Meryl Streep) he’ll lead a straight-and-narrow life once they have their first kit (Jason Schwartzman, here in all his awkward glory). However, when the opportunity for one last heist presents itself, our Mr. Fox can’t resist starting to scheme. Complicating life for the Fox family is nephew Kristofferson, staying as a guest while his father recovers from pneumonia. Community members including the lawyer Badger (Bill Murray) and the ferret-like Coach Skip (Owen Wilson) make up a background of complex relationships in this world of woodland creatures, who all find they must ultimately depend on each other to survive.

There does seem to be a deeper message about ecology and wildlife conservation in somewhere among the whimsy.  But this is mostly an endearing diversion, with nods to modern-day heist films like, say, Clooney’s past hit Ocean’s 11, as well as claymation classics of yore. All the while, Anderson plays with his storytelling in both method and form, ending up with something that feels fresh and original, while retaining the nostalgic details that make the story so enduring. The animals are bestowed with blends of distinct human and animal characteristics and mannerisms, and the look of both the characters and the settings is fun and intriguing. There have been many Roald Dahl adaptations that missed the mark a bit (not counting The Witches and the 1970’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory), but Anderson demonstrates that a film adaptation can be successful if it incorporates its own unique and thoughtful ideas. – [DVD] [Blu-Ray]

Animation/Adventure/Comedy/Family

Rated PG

DVD Release Date: 3/23/10