Mom's Movie Blog

Yes, I know I’m terribly late in getting these most recent reviews posted. It’s summer, the kids aren’t in school and that leaves pretty much *zero* time for me to get anything done that *I* want to do.

Enough of that tomfoolery though, and on to my review of Dreamworks “Kung Fu Panda 2″. Jack Black is back along with the other vocal talents from the original 2008 “Kung Fu Panda”. It was pretty much a given that Dreamworks knew they had an automatic WIN with KFP2, building on a successful established franchise and releasing just in advance of school getting out, being the first of the kids’ summer movies to hit the screens.

We get a glimpse of the history of Po, ultimately seeing how it is that a Panda comes to be raised by a duck. I like the positive message of adoption in KFP2, that even though Po does learn about his biological past, nothing can replace the love & upbringing that his dad (the duck) gave him. Adoptive parental love is just as strong as biological parental love, and I think that was a really great message.

The “bad guy” in this movie is really pretty sinister, and could be scary to skittish little kids. The evil peacock commits mass genocide as he slaughters every [or so he thinks] panda in China in an attempt to ensure that a prophecy of his destruction doesn’t come to pass. There’s a lot of action, and dark scenes with the evil peacock.

Po and his comrades face the challenges valiantly and save the day, with all the humor and silliness of the 1st KFP. Definitely a must-see, or rent as the case may be… as this is probably posted too late to still catch it in theaters.

“African Cats” is Disney’s 2011 Earth Day movie. My 6 year old LOVES all things animals, lions and cheetahs included, so I took him to see it this morning while older son was in school. I don’t think he would have had quite the same appreciation for it…

When you have a big budget, and the Disney name behind you, it’s pretty hard not to come up with some pretty spectacular footage, and Disney doesn’t disappoint. The scenery/visuals are truly awe-inspiring, absolutely beautiful. Samuel Jackson lends his voice to the documentary for the narration, and handles it quite nicely. His voice is the only “human” aspect of this movie, there are no humans seen, the film focuses entirely on the animals and their natural environment, their actions not disturbed by humans.

The main characters of the story are a lioness and her cub and a cheetah mom and her cubs. They are followed as the cubs grow and learn, and as the circle of life moves around them. The differences between their lifestyles are explored, lions living in prides and cheetahs being solitary creatures. Some elephants, warthogs, zebras, buffalo, hyenas and some assorted birds also make guest appearances. The individual lions and cheetah mom are given names, and help the view to “bond”, per se, with them.

“African Cats” is basically a 90 minute long nature show/documentary. So, keep that in mind when thinking of taking kids to see it. If the kid is really, really into animals, especially lions & cheetahs, they’re going to love it. If they’re not so much the “nature loving” type, it’ll be hard to get them to sit through it, especially if they’re quite young. My little guy sat spellbound the entire time, that’s how much he LOVES animals. The movie doesn’t sugar-coat the realities of nature either (which I liked and appreciated). There are some “bad” things that happen, animals get eaten by predators, die, and other assorted not-so-niceties that are a very real part of nature. These are presented not in a sensationalistic, gruesome way, but in as gentle a way possible, while still making it quite clear what has happened. This could be disturbing to some kids.

This latest addition to the Disney Nature series earns it’s place in the series among the others, another beautiful Earth Day release.

Happy Earth Day to all, and to all a good night.

You know what sucks? Wanting to see a movie, but having kids misbehaving SO badly that there’s no bloody way that I would step foot in any public place with them, let alone a place like a theater where they’d be expected to be quiet. So our planned Saturday viewing of “Rio” didn’t happen. Yesterday (Sunday) whatever demons possessed my two little hellions had passed, and we were finally able to see it.

From the previews “Rio” looked to me to be pretty, well, fluffy … So I wasn’t expecting too much from it. I could tell from a lot of the scenes (flying over the jungle, the scenes of the city of Rio, etc) that it was made with the expectation of being seen in 3D. I don’t “do” 3D though, it annoys me, but the Hamilton IMAX 16 did show the 2D version on their big screens, so it was still visually pretty cool.

“Rio” starts off in, well, er, Rio, where we’re introduced to baby Blu, who ends up being sent to Minnesota and adopted by a little girl. The scene transition from Rio (sunny, beautiful, tropical, exotic) to Minnesota (NOT Rio) is hilarious. I busted up laughing. The other people in the theater were probably wondering what the heck was wrong with that crazy woman in front laughing so hard… Blu is propositioned to go to Rio to meet up with Jewel, the only other known blu macaw, and get together to, you know, repopulate the species n’ stuff.

Blu and Jewel end up stolen, are handcuffed (footcuffed?) together, and since Blu can’t fly they have to learn to work together and get along in order to find a way to get separated. Their adventures are somewhat predictable, however given the target audience (kids!) the plot/story is perfect. I found myself laughing out loud lot a LOT (it really is very funny), and my kids (6 and 7) absolutely LOVED it. It was a big hit with them, and they talked about it all the way home.

In the movie, both birds are stolen (birdnapped?) and there are some scenes with birds in cages in a dark room with the “bad guys”. It’s a little “dark” I suppose in those scenes, but I think “Tangled” rated higher on the scare factor than “Rio” does. My 7 year old asked several times if the bird was going to get back to the girl. I told him yes, and to keep watching… but I didn’t see any real fear or scaredness (is that a word?) from either of them.

Jesse Eisenberg is a doll, I saw an interview with him on Letterman not long after he did “Social Network”, and he was hilarious. His flat, kinda monotone voice is PERFECT for Blu’s character. All the characters are well-voiced, but Blu’s in particular was a very good fit. The musical numbers throughout are silly, but fitting with the movie.

We all loved “Rio”, and think it definitely deserves a spot on the Netflix queue once it comes out.

Yes, I bought into the type and took the kids to see “Hop” on it’s opening day today. It looked kinda silly, kinda goofy, something light to start the spring break off with. I was pretty much right on… It wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful, but it was cute, and it was funny. And it had David Hasselhoff. So, really, what more could a silly kids’ Easter movie ask for?

From what I’ve seen, this movie hasn’t been getting the best critical acclaim. Well folks, this isn’t “The King’s Speech”, this isn’t “Hurt Locker” or “The Blind Side”. It’s a kid’s flick about the easter bunny. What exactly were they expecting? Yeah, the bunny poops jelly beans. It’s juvenile, it’s silly, and the girl eats one. It’s FUNNY. It’s supposed to be. So keep in mind, that I base my critiques of movies based on what they’re supposed to be, I don’t compare all movies to the same standards. Movies that are meant to be FILMS, like “King’s Speech”, are in an entirely different league than something like “Hop”. I judge on a sliding scale, keeping in mind the intent of the movie, what it’s supposed to or trying to be, instead of grading everything as though it’s in competition with “Casablanca” or “Gone With the Wind” for Best-Movie-of-all-Time.

“Hop” starts off with E.B. being shown the easter factory. It’s a pretty cool factory, my 7 year old loved all the mechanical assembly lines and machines. We’re also shown a scene of a young boy seeing the easter bunny in his yard delivering his easter basket. Flash forward 20 years and E.B. no longer wants to be the easter bunny, and the young boy is now an unmotivated out-of-work guy living with his parents. The two (E.B. and the character Fred) together work through their issues with their fathers, and the happy ending was a bit cheesy with the Christmas parallels, but goofy enough that it fits the movie.

I absolutely loved David Hasselhoff’s appearance. It’s great that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and can be silly enough to have such fun with a part like this.

Don’t go to this movie expecting a moment of cinematic grandeur. You’ll be disappointed. Go expecting a silly kids movie with plenty of laughs and you’ll have a grand time.

I was unimpressed with the first “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” movie, and was pretty “meh”‘ about seeing the new one. I was pleasantly surprised though, to find myself laughing out loud the whole way through. Most sequels suck, this one, IMO, was better than the first.

“Wimpy Kid” mark II again takes us into the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books, and the Heffley family drama. The two young stars (Zachary Gordon and Devon Bostick as Greg & Rodrick Heffley) are the reason this movie is as good as it is. They are both perfect for these roles, and together they carry the entire movie. One positive thing about both these movies is that it has inspired more reading on the part of my 7 year old. After seeing the first one he wanted one of the books, and now he’s even more desirous of indulging in a few more of the written series.

Nothing scary or anything in this movie, though Greg does get locked in the basement for a little bit. (Yes, he does get out.) I wouldn’t bother taking any kids under the age of 5/6, the situations and humor will be completely lost on them. It does get a high “cringe” factor rating, in that several of the awkward scenes made me VERY glad I wasn’t actually a part of it!

Certainly not in the running for “Best Picture” or anything like that, but if you’re looking for a couple hours’ escape to go laugh at the awkwardness of middle school, this is it.

Ahh, we’re over the Jan/Feb funk of nothing new in theaters, and off we went today to see Disney’s latest: “Mars Needs Moms”. I have not read the book, so I have no preconceived notions about the story or characters from a book. Some people freak out that movies-based-on-books aren’t exactly true to their literary predecessors, a few friends of mine hated “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” because of that, but I loved it. I am curious now, though, to find a copy of the book, just for curiosity sake.

A boy is startled one night to find his mom being abducted by Martians. He attempts to follow as she’s taken through the woods to the spaceship, and ends up stuck in the ship and going along for the ride. He finds a couple allies to assist him, and they uncover some secrets, have some adventures, and save the day. The movie is a bit of an emotional roller coaster, with lots of feelings expressed and dealt with. The possibility of the death of “mom” is a traumatic thought for any kid, and both of my kids gave a few gasps and worried looks a few times as they were worried about the character’s mom dying. (Yes, there is the quintessential happy ending, but I won’t spoil the details.)

On a different level, that kids probably won’t get, is the subject of the division of the sexes. The baby Martian boys are separated from the baby Martian girls soon after hatching. The girls are sent to be raised in a strict disciplinarian environment by their Nanny-Bots, and the boys are tossed into the “garbage” (basically) to be raised by the previously tossed out boys that are now grown, hairy, “wild” men. At the end, the realization of the importance of family comes about, and the sexes come back together. At first I was a bit bothered by the boys being tossed into the garbage, but I suppose they make up for it at the end, but I don’t really care for their portrayal as language-less, stupid, good-for-nothing creatures.

Seth Green and Joan Cusack are AMAZING in their roles as Gribble and Mom. They’re perfect, and there are no two better people to voice those roles. The Martians are a little creepy looking and Avatar-ish, but not so much as to make them unlikeable. As always, Disney animators don’t disappoint, and they provide a stellar visual experience. It’s a great movie, though I would recommend it for the 4 and up crowd. Any younger and there just isn’t the “toddler/little kid” draw to keep them engaged.

Disney hits the mark. Again. Will be adding this to our collection when it’s available on DVD/Blu-ray.

“Rango” was new in theaters this weekend, and we headed out in the monsoon-esque rains to check it out! My little guy has been looking forward to seeing this for MONTHS, since he saw the first preview for it ages ago. He loves lizards, snakes, animals, etc and was so excited to hear we were going to see it. From his perspective, it was a huge WIN! He loved the lizard main character and when Jake the Snake was introduced, the deal was sealed, it was his favorite since “How to Train Your Dragon”. For my older son, he’s nuts about sprinklers, so his favorite part was seeing the sprinklers in the Las Vegas scene.

“Rango” is a surprisingly deep movie, with messages most kids will probably miss. Not to say that it isn’t a movie for kids, because there are plenty of elements that kids will laugh at too. But the messages of “you are who you want to be”, and the deep self-awareness the main character develops aren’t something little kids are going to grasp. This movie isn’t all light-hearted and cutsie, but it is entertaining on multiple levels. So take the little kids, let them enjoy the silly parts, and hope that the older kids are able to let the deeper messages sink in.

The characters are animals, and some of them are rather “scruffy” in appearance. To the very skittish child they could be pretty scary looking, and there are a few scenes that could be a little frightening for some. All-in-all though, the scare factor is pretty low, with the “scary” parts being more “sinister” than full-out SCARY.

I think this is a quirky, off-beat movie that may gather some more negative reviews because it’s not all bright colors & light like Toy Story. But I think “Rango” has a good message, and makes for an enjoyable experience. Enjoy it for it’s quirkiness and use it as a start for good conversations with kids about “being themselves”.

Usually when I dig in the archives for something, it’s for something good (ala Brave Little Toaster). Disney’s “The Black Hole” is something that should just stay tucked away. I LOVED LOVED LOVED the epic “Forbidden Planet”, so don’t think I’m a modern-special-effects-only snob or anything like that. TBH’s special effects were, for their time, actually not that bad. It’s not the effects that sucked, it was, well it was the plot that sucked. What was Disney thinking? The storyline drags, the characters are flat, and the ending is a MASSIVE cup of WTF?

First, this is NOT a kids movie. I’m so glad I did this as an evening screening after the kids were in bed. Kids under 10 won’t grasp any part of the story, and there are some pretty creepy parts that just aren’t for younger eyes.

With the exception of Maximilian Schell, the actors deliver pretty stiff characters. Schell and the evil robot tie for best character. That’s not really saying much though. Okay, I will give Schell credit for the best performance of the movie, his “crazy-insane-evil-freak” is actually not too bad.

During the movie I was constantly having to adjust the volume. The audio is insanely dynamic, to a horrific extent. The volume on my TV was at everything from 8 during the crazy loud music and gunfight scenes to 22 during the quiet dialog scenes. I could NOT hear the dialog without cranking the volume, but then the music would blast me and I had to turn it way down again.

Despite my characteristically unusual negativity of this particular movie (I like to be positive, and I look for the “good” in any and everything), I will say that I think the actual concept of TBH has potential. Normally the thought of remakes makes me cringe, but I actually think that with some story tweaks (especially the trying-to-be-all-thought-provoking-but-failing religious-toned ending that left me with a massive WTF?!) this could actually be a great piece of sci-fi. With modern effects, more dynamic characters, a good cast, and a re-write of the ending this could be a new classic.

I found “Tugger” on Neflix, it’s available for viewing via instant streaming (as of writing, 21FEB11). It looked interesting, my guys are interested in jeeps & airplanes and we’re an “airplane” family.

“Tugger” brings together the unlikely duo of Jim Belushi and Carrot Top. No, no need to read that again, you read it right the first time. I really didn’t have time for form any preconceived notions about this little flick, had I, I may not have watched it. Believe it or not, this is actually a really neat little movie! We are an airplane/aviation family, so anything with airplanes, airports and all things mechanical and flying we’re up for.

Belushi shows his singing talents several times throughout. I’m not a big musical fan, so I really could have done without the musical numbers, but he’s actually not a bad singer!

The film starts out with the history of the jeep, and I love how the writers incorporate the history of the jeep and the war into the story. The jeep suffers a mechanical issue and has his engine fan replaced with a prop blade. This makes him feel part “airplane” and his sole dream in life is to fly. His story is a heartwarming tale, and at the end he joins up with a team he could only have dreamed of.

I don’t remember ever seeing this in theaters, though in 2008 my kids were still too little for movie-going, so it’s not surprising I missed it. However, thank you to Netflix to bringing it up as a suggestion!