When the eminent Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron was brought on to direct the third (and still best) Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban, he proved that the franchise would be strongest when it departed from a rote retelling of J.K. Rowling‘s books and charted its own identity and style. As the books progressed, each [...]
Read More action, adventure, blu-ray, Daniel Radcliffe, David Yates, DVD, family, Fantasy, Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, PG-, Steve Kloves, willWhile this second entry in Ben Stiller‘s family-friendly, Mannequin-inspired franchise is certainly calmer and more entertaining than its hyperactive predecessor, it earns points alone for featuring Darth Vader and Oscar the Grouch in the same scene. It sees Stiller infiltrating the Smithsonian Institute to help his wax figure friends, who have been shipped there, along [...]
Read More action, adventure, Amy Adams, Ben Stiller, Bill Hader, Christopher Guest, comedy, David, DVD, family, Hank Azaria, Night at the Museum 2, Owen Wilson, PG-, Robin Williams, Shawn Levy, Steve CooganOnce while I was in the 5th Grade, I wrote a story about a pair of kleptomaniacal chimpanzees who escape from the San Diego zoo and, after a series of adventures, end up flying around in a raft kept aloft by two parachutes filled with wind. When Pixar made Up, a tale of an old [...]
Read More adventure, animation, DVD, Ed Asner, family, PG-, Pixar, Up, willSo there was a lot of hype when this came out last year. My more conscientious friends told me I had to see it. Well, I put it off for a long time, because, growing up the way I did, in a hippie new age environment, I felt that I probably knew all about its [...]
Read More documentary, DVD, Food, Inc., PG-, TovahThat my interest in this CGI kid-flick franchise has even been mild is mainly thanks to the somewhat off-kilter casting of Ray Romano, Denis Leary and John Leguizamo, and so it’s to my pleasant surprise that their presence is not the only reason I enjoyed the third entry as much as I did.
Read More action, adventure, animation, Carlos Saldanha, comedy, David, Denis Leary, DVD, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, John Leguizamo, Josh Peck, Mike Thurmeier, PG-, queen latifah, Ray Romano, Seann William, Seann William Scott, simon peggImagine That is a pleasant enough Eddie Murphy comedy that’s far from his best but merits a look nonetheless because it actually seems to rely on him, rather than fat suits, talking animals, special effects or jokes about pee and poop, to try and make us laugh. Granted, it is still a family flick with [...]
Read More comedy, David, drama, DVD, Eddie Murphy, Fantasy, Imagine That, Karey Kirkpatrick, PG-, Ronny Cox, Thomas Haden Church, Yara ShahidiMonsters vs Aliens starts out where most Disney fairytales leave off-a wedding. Susan Murphy (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is about to marry the weatherman of her dreams Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd). But alas, it seems that no one ever told the couple that it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride in [...]
Read More Amy Poehler, animation, DVD, Ed Helms, Fantasy, Hugh Laurie, Jeffrey Tambor, John Krasinski, Kiefer Sutherland, Monsters vs Aliens, Paul Rudd, PG-, Rainn Willson, Random Girl, Reese Witherspoon, Sci-Fi, Seth Rogen, Stephen Colbert, Will ArnettLike Kindergarten Cop and Agent Cody Banks before it, this hyperactive reboot of the beloved ’70s Disney flicks was ostensibly made for kids to watch and enjoy but contains a mite too much menace and violence to really be appropriate for them. It takes the original idea of two teen siblings (Alexander Ludwig and AnnaSophia [...]
Read More adventure, Alexander Ludwig, Andy Fickman, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, David, DVD, Dwayne Johnson, family, Fantasy, PG-, Race to Witch Mountain, Sci-FiCoraline is a collaboration between author Neil Gaiman and master animator Henry Selick. Big names in their respective fields, these stars come together here to create one of the most startlingly different pieces of animation I have seen in years.
Read More adventure, animation, blu-ray, Coraline, DVD, family, Fantasy, Henry Selick, Neil Gaiman, PG-, SpookThe thing I liked most about this slapstick-silly sequel to the 2006 franchise reboot is that, though it derives most of its laughs from watching 63-year-old Steve Martin fall down a lot and act like a bumbling fool, it doesn’t stoop to kicks in the crotch or fart jokes to entertain you. Martin again performs [...]
Read More adventure, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, comedy, DVD, Emily Mortimer, Harald Zwart, Jean Reno, Jeremy Irons, John Cleese, Lily Tomlin, Mystery, Peter Sellers, PG-, Steve Martin