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Kids' movie review: Puss in Boots

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:22:32 GMT

THIS week’s movie for review is Puss in Boots. Yes, he’s a very cute pussycat but to learn more about the storyline before letting the kids watch it, read the review by the Australian Council on Children & the Media. uss in Boots is an entertaining animated action adventure that targets a wide ranging audience from seven year olds and up.

Younger children may be scared by the violence and scenes of the main characters in peril. The main message from this movie is that friendship and love can turn even the worst of characters around.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:
- being willing to atone for one’s crimes
- selflessness and bravery

Parents may also wish to discuss the way in which Humpty treats his friend Puss and the far reaching consequences that result from lying and manipulating others for personal gain.

Journey 2: The Mysterious Island—The Rock's Latest Family Role

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:25:39 GMT

A majestic mountain of muscles, Dwayne Johnson is fully capable of using his pectorals to catapult small objects hither and yon, a skill he demonstrates with berries in the blithely idiotic family movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. But the muscles that matter most to Johnson, the actor, as opposed to the former pro wrestler, are the zygomaticus major, which control the smile. They are as buff and ready for action as his chest and arms, an emblem of easy charm.

He uses the quick smile on his future stepson, Sean (Josh Hutcherson, returning to this Jules Verne-goes-21st-century franchise, which began with 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth) but to no avail. The boy dislikes Hank even though he seems to make mom (Kirstin Davis) happy and is kind and decent. The movie’s largest emotional concern is creating a bond between the recalcitrant, Verne-obsessed teen and the man obsessed with being a good father figure to Sean. Hank’s motivation comes from his own bad dad experience; his father “left when I was eight and I haven’t seen him since.”

Don’t worry; their emotional journey is a piece of cake, as is every easily earned triumph in this lightweight adventure tale. The story opens with Sean puzzling over a coded radio signal he believes is a message from his missing grandfather. (The family has a tendency to wander; Dad was missing in the first Journey, which starred another muscle man, Brendan Fraser.) Hank, who has a Navy background, cracks the code far faster than most parents decipher the grading system on an elementary school report card. The radio communiqué contains an announcement to quicken the heart of any Vernian; the writer’s allegedly fictional island from his 1874 novel The Mysterious Island is in fact real and located in the South Pacific. Come visit!

If ill-mannered Sean were my future stepson I doubt very much I’d want to take him halfway across the world, and particularly not to an uncharted isle where we could potentially get stuck together for all time, but that’s just what Hank does. Mom stays behind (Davis has maybe four minutes of screen time, all of it smiling benevolently), but two other travelers join them, a hapless helicopter pilot (Luiz Guzman) and his daughter (Vanessa Hudgens). Another quibble – if I’d traveled all that way to see a hidden tropical treasure, where butterflies are the size of condors and elephants the size of cocker spaniels, I’d plan to linger and smell the hibiscus or at least let red-faced, immature Grandpa (Michael Caine) cook me a nice plate of scrambled lizard eggs. But not Hank; he’d like to keep the visit as short as a pit stop on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Danger in the form of giant lizards and bad jokes await them, as well as a clumsy mishmash of classic literature references – not just Verne – meant to make the audience feel erudite while explaining the complexities of the island. It’s Jonathan Swift’s Lilliput or Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island or Atlantis, or maybe all three at once. (I was disappointed that Sean, Hank and their companions — who provide comic and comely relief — didn’t spend a few nights at CliffsNotes Cottage.) All this is just an excuse for action sequences broadly influenced by the Indiana Jones and Pirates of the Caribbean movies but nowhere near as technologically lively, even in 3-D. The crumbling caverns and skeletons all look as fake as the drooling volcano towering over the center of the island.

But as cartoonish as those giant lizards, spiders and hungry, angry birds appear, parents are advised to take that PG rating seriously. A child near me at an advance screening hid his face in his chair during every chase sequence and bellowed “this is not a movie to take kids to!” (Okay, he was sitting right next to me. And on our car ride home, he voiced the opinion that PG should be for kids 9 and up.) Certainly it’s not for very small kids. It’s silly enough that young teens are unlikely to be drawn to it unless they’ve got a thing for Hudgens or want to take an early peek at Hutcherson, who will soon be seen as Peeta in The Hunger Games. He was great as a sulky brat in The Kids Are All Right but in Journey 2 he comes across as wooden, dull and though not yet 20, too old for roles like these. So an awful lot is riding on Johnson’s zygomaticus major. They’re powerful, but they can’t work miracles.

Get ready for the movies

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:06:57 GMT

Last year “The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn” ruled the screen. So did the “Chipmunks and Chippette”s winning the hearts of the audience the third time around.

“Puss in Boots” had all glued to their seats with their 3D glasses. The good new for film buffs is that 2012 has a lot more featuring animated movies, sequels, superheroes and a lot of adventure.

“Children this year too would look forward to animated series. The promising movies for the year would be “Madagascar 3”, “Ice Age 4” and “Hugo”,” says T. Srikanth, General Manager of Prasads IMAX.

For superhero lovers, Disney is coming up with “Avengers” which would have all the Marvel comics heroes like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk and more in a single movie battling out together!

ACTION TIME
Talk of action and Captain Pirate would be setting out on a mission this summer, in “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.” In March, the two brave siblings can be seen tracking and killing witches all over the world in “Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.”

“I am looking forward to watch “Madagascar 3” and “Ice Age 4” as I love animation films. I am also looking forward to “Spider Man 4”,” says Vihar Pratapwant, a Std. IX student of Hyderabad Public School, Ramanthapur. Animal lovers can look out for “Chimpanzee”.

Sequels of the superhero movies like “Amazing Spiderman” and “The Dark Knight Rises” is for teens to add in their must-watch list for the year. This years dose of movies would end with “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey”, which is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings stories, where Bilbo Baggins will take you on an adventurous journey.

Barbie movie latest in Marbles' IMAX kids movie series

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:06:26 GMT

In the movie, Barbie returns as Merliah, the fun and fashionable surfing champion who is also a magical mermaid princess. The story unfolds as Merliah heads to Australia for a surfing competition where she must stop the evil mermaid Eris from taking over the throne of Oceana ... in other words, a fun movie for Barbie fans.

The movie series started in October with "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" and continued with "Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels," which is now showing, and "Olivia's Wintertime Cheer."

Tickets are $8.95 for ages 12 to 59; $7.95 for ages 60 and up; and $6.50 for ages 1 to 11. A combo pass that includes admission to both Marbles Kids Museum and the film is $12.95 for ages 12 to 59; $11.95 for ages 60 and up; and $9.95 for ages 1 to 11. (Admission to Marbles Kids Museum on its own is $5 per person).

Children under age 1 are admitted free to the IMAX theater and Marbles Kids Museum. For sold out IMAX shows, a child under age 1 with no ticket must sit in the lap of a paying visitor.

Movie review: The Muppets

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:55:13 GMT

Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones Director James Bobin You'll like this if you liked the Muppets!'''It is a big risk re-animating Jim Henson's singing, dancing Muppets after a 12-year absence from the big screen. On one hand, most kids of today wouldn't know what a Muppet is.

On the other hand, kids who grew up in the 1980s on the long-running Muppet Show and its six movies are now in their 30s and 40s. Will they have enough nostalgia for it to relive their childhood through this new movie?

Will they use it to introduce their kids to Henson's felty marionette-puppets (Muppets) such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and co? Will we witness some bizarre backwards reality, where parents drag their kids to the movies instead of kids dragging their parents? Will kids buy into it? Who knows.

But if The Muppets can attract both demographics, it will be a hit. It certainly deserves to be a big hit. It's not just a vintage piece of Muppetry or a fitting tribute to the late Henson's wonderfully wholesome creation. It's not just a playfully self-reflexive and cameo-laden family comedy. Heck, it's one of the best screen musicals in years. Muppet fan or not, what more could anyone want?

It's mostly thanks to writer, producer and star Jason Segel. Growing up, he was inspired by The Muppets to become a skilled puppeteer (remember his vampire puppet musical at the end of Forgetting Sarah Marshall). He convinced Disney and the late Jim Henson's company that he could bring The Muppets back from the dead.

True to his word, he has delivered a clever, winning comeback that appeals to the young and young at heart. Segel plays Gary, a happy-go-lucky guy who has become a brother to Walter, a 60cm puppet who's always thought of himself as a Muppet (he's their No.1 fan). When Gary heads to LA for a week's vacation with his perky girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), he invites Walter and promises a tour of Muppet Studios.

The trio soon discover the studios are derelict and The Muppets disbanded because they are no longer popular. Worse, an evil tycoon (Chris Cooper) is planning to raze the studio and drill for oil. That drilling for oil actually took place under the old Fox Studios is just one of the many playful jibes towards Hollywood’s tradition of "out with the old and in with the new".

Indeed, Segel and Nicholas Stoller's script includes a playful meta-narrative that recognises The Muppets as outmoded has-beens and that the world has become a weirder and dumber place (Lady Gaga's cameo is a prime example).

Anyway, Gary, Walter and Mary reunite Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and co. In one scene that perfectly encapsulates the meta-narrative, Miss Piggy is now a Vogue-style magazine editor, Devil Wears Prada-style, and Emily Blunt plays the same bitchy secretary she did in that film. This one scene not only pokes gentle fun at the Prada movie but recalls Orson Welles' sneezy secretary scene from the original Muppet Movie. Brilliant!

To save the studio, the Muppets must do what they do best — put on a show. Cue the montage of rebuilding the studio ("we always work to music," one winking Muppet appeals). And cue the celebrity cameos, with Dave Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg and Selena Gomez turning up to help out.

Others have bigger roles, with Alan Arkin as a depressive tour guide, Zach Galifianakis as a hobo, Rashida Jones as a TV executive and Jim Parsons (from The Big Bang Theory) as the human version of Walter (Parsons sings, plays piano and almost steals the show). His hilarious duet with Segel in the song Am I a Man or a Muppet deserves Oscar attention for best song.

This new Muppet movie is lively, upbeat, cleverly self-aware and thoroughly entertaining stuff — and that's not bad for a bunch of characters made of felt, feathers and wadding. Older fans will love seeing them in action again while new fans will love the corny jokes, colourful characters and joyous song-and-dance numbers. It’s a win-win situation. Like old friends inviting you to their reunion, these 2.0 Muppets deliver one of the surprise delights of the year.

SNSD’s Sunny and SHINee’s Taemin Release Movie Preview for "Koala Kid"

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:11:24 GMT

Earlier today, “Koala Kid: Birth of a Hero” released its first teaser music video. The film, featuring the voices of SNSD’s Sunny, SHINee’s Taemin, and Yoon Da Hoon, opened in theaters on January 12. The one minute 21 second video has SNSD’s “Way to Go” in the back ground, and shows snippets of the animation film as well as BTS shots of the three recording the movie. Sunny plays the role of Miranda (the dark koala) while Taemin lends voice to the role of Johnny (the white one). The movie is a safari adventure animation about a lonely circus koala named Johnny, who tries to protect the environment with his other animal friends by standing up against a gang of alligators and as a result, is named a true hero. Learn more about the movie here!

'Hugo' is me, Scorsese says of new film

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:06:43 GMT

Martin Scorsese leaves the tough guy world far behind with his latest film Hugo, a 3D fantasy set in pre-war Paris about an orphan and a toymaker -- as well as about himself, the US director said Monday.

Hugo, which hit US screens last month, is at once a warming Christmas carol and a cinephile's tribute to one of the art form's founding fathers, the Frenchman Georges Melies, a real-life magician turned experimental filmmaker.

"As I was making the film, more and more people kept telling me: 'That's you'," Scorsese told a press conference in Paris. "And ultimately by the time we had finished editing, there was no doubt. "'C'est moi'" (It's me), he quipped in French, picking up on the line by the 19th-century writer Gustave Flaubert who famously proclaimed the same of his seminal work Emma Bovary.

Set in an imaginary Paris circa 1930, the film tells the story of 12-year-old Hugo Cabret, played by Asa Butterfield, who lives hidden in the walls of a Paris railway station, tasked with keeping its giant clocks wound and ticking.

Hugo crosses paths with an old toymaker played by Ben Kingsley, who turns out to be none other than Melies, now fallen on hard times. As it turns out, Hugo is trying to repair a toy robot left to him by his dead father.

Scorsese adapted the movie from a best-selling illustrated novel by US author Brian Selznick, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" -- which in turn was inspired by a study of Melies' collection of lost automata.

Melies' intricate automata become a parable for the dream-machinery at the heart of filmmaking. Scorsese's first 3D movie leads the viewer into the imaginary world of the soft-spoken Melies, whose experimental films like the 1902 science-fiction adventure "A Trip to the Moon" have a magical, home-made quality.

Hobbled by acute asthma as a child, Scorsese said he felt a strong initial resonance with its lonely boy hero. "The boy's isolation, and the fact that it resolves itself through Melies and the invention of cinema -- this for me was a direct connection, with a fantasy of my own childhood in a way," he said.

Though a handful of scenes were filmed in Paris, most of Hugo was shot at Shepperton Studios outside London, in a make-believe station based on Paris' Gare de Lyon, Gare du Nord and the old Montparnasse station. "We would have loved to be here the whole time," Scorsese said, "but the film had to have another kind of Paris -- a heightened Paris."

Scorsese's sepia-toned French capital is, by his own admission, an American's impression of the city, made larger-than-life by gorgeous 3D imagery that magnifies the slightest snowflake, the hissing steam from the trains and the hot oil poured into the clocks' innards.

REVIEW: Spy Kids 4

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:24:16 GMT

I’m a pretty big fan of Robert Rodriguez, and I’ve even enjoyed (for the most part) his Spy Kids movies. I thought the first one was the best, but the second one was good, too. The third one had it’s moments, but I was glad to see the series end.

And then Spy Kids 4 came. And since they’re the only Rodriguez movies I can show my kids, they were big fans and I just HAD to see Spy Kids 4. It’s out on Blu-ray this week and I have to say that it holds up much better than the last film in the franchise.

Retired OSS spy, Marissa Wilson (Jessica Alba) has a new baby, two stepkids, Rebecca and Cecil Wilson (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook) and a husband Wilbur Wilson (Joel McHale), who is a spy hunter. Things take a turn for the worse when the villain Tick Tock escapes and goes after her stepkids to tries and retrieve the necklace Marissa gave to Rebecca.

The original Spy Kids come back to help save the world. Rebecca and Cecil have been activated along with the dog and the baby. These characters and their antics keep kids laughing throughout the movie.

It is not only an entertaining movie, it teaches children the importance of family, but then again, that is a reoccurring theme in all of the Spy Kids movies. It’s a movie you can sit and enjoy with your kids without wanting to shoot yourself.

And I loved watching Jeremy Piven chew the scenery in a number of roles in this film. Joel McHale, too. It’s just kind of campy fun that you can’t help but enjoy if you’re sitting with your kids. It could be worse, they could want to watch The Smurfs.

What Your Favorite Christmas Movie Says About You (Watvh Movie Trellier)

Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:37:44 GMT

It's December, which means there are a few obligations that come with the holiday season–last minute guilt-shopping for the ancillary people in your life who unexpectedly bought you a gift, gradually going insane from incessant Christmas music, trying your best to avoid being that person the company holiday party, etc. But for every burdensome obligation that comes with Christmas, there are at least nine others that make the season the warm and wonderful experience we all look forward to throughout the year. One such tradition: Sitting down for a viewing of your favorite Christmas movie. But what does your favorite festive flick say about you?

A Christmas Story
For starters, you're the kind of person who doesn't mind repetition and likely uses TNT's 24-hour marathon as an excuse to veg out in front of the TV rather than participate in your family's other traditions. There's no better excuse to avoid dinner prep or neighborhood caroling than saying you're engrossed in your favorite Christmas movie, even if it's for the sixth time that day.

Also, you probably like to use A Christmas Story as a guilt weapon. Settle in with your parents and constantly remind them of your version of the Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle that they refused to get you. It's never too late.

Home Alone
Holidays are traditionally family filled, but if you're a Home Alone fan, it's all about having the house to yourself. Who needs the chores doled out from your mom or constant pestering from your older brother when you can just create your own family out of a Michael Jordan cardboard cutout and a few mannequins? Eat whatever you want, stay up as late as you desire, and be free from those unfortunate life update conversations with each family member where you have to find new ways to say "I'm currently unemployed."

Also, you're big on the fantasy that even you could thwart career criminals with a few paint cans, Christmas ornaments, and a strategically placed blowtorch. Don't suspend your disbelief too much, we doubt you'll be as successful as Macaulay Culkin.

A list of kids’ movies centered around awesome female characters

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:45:08 GMT

This is a list of girl centered movies with strong girls in them. That sentence may seem redundant but sadly, it’s not. Many girl centered movies feature a main character who is a princess in distress, a cheerleader trying to keep a boyfriend, or Barbie worrying about what she’ll wear to prom after her dress rips.

If Hollywood allows a strong girl to appear in a kids’ movie, and she is not confined to a typical, cookie cutter “feminine” dilemma, too often, her screen time is limited; her role is supporting: she is there to help the boy on his quest. To clarify: the following is a list of movies with strong female main characters where the narrative is based on her brave quest.

This is not a list of GGG (triple girlpower) movies. Some movies may be included in this list such as a Barbie adventure or Kim Possible that would not earn a GGG rating because of the main character’s plastic looks or princessy identity; the movie may be listed here because, in spite of a stereotype, it’s still centered on a brave female hero who has cool adventures.

Remember, this is also not a list of movies only with a strong girl character in them. To see a list of strong girl characters in movies, check out Reel Girl’s list of awesome female characters in kids’ movies. That list includes characters like Princess Leia from “Star Wars,” Astrid from “How to Train Your Dragon,” and Colette from “Ratatouille.” Strong female characters with supporting roles in male dominated films are included in that list. Nominate female characters for that list here.

If you’re still unsure if a movie qualifies for the list below, please see Reel Girl’s list of questions to ask yourself before shelling out your $10 to take your kids to a movie. These questions are to help parents notice the gender programming aimed at kids, so ubiquitous, it’s ironically often invisible. This list of questions is supposed to help you notice the different status frequently attributed to girls and boys in kids’ media. The questions are also there because, mostly, I don’t suggest not showing your kids many films. There are some I won’t show, and there are many I won’t pay for. But I think it’s best to teach kids how to watch critically, question what they see, and ultimately make their own decisions. Kids live in the world just like we all do. Even if you don’t take them to the movies, they’ll see the toys, the characters on diapers and cereal boxes. Most of their friends will have seen the movies, will be talking about them and acting out the characters on playdates. So teach them not to be passive receptacles of media. The questions on this list aren’t for young kids but for their parents. When you talk to your kids, its best to be specific about the characters in the film they see.

Wow, this is why it has been so hard for Reel Girl to recommend, but here we go. The movies on the list are for young kids. My three daughters are ages 2 – 8. Movies are awarded 1 – 3 Gs for Girlpower. Remember, these are movies for your sons to see as well as your daughters.