Leap! inspires viewers and has messages for children about how to succeed to achieve your dream. Yes, you need to work hard, maybe cut a few corners (careful!), know who your friends are, have people rooting for you (but not distracting you), and cash in on a lot of luck. And, by the way, you […]
In this version of the Nut Job stories, the animals have found that the nut store from the first story is abandoned and filled to the brim with nuts and nut products. They are gorging to their hearts’ content, getting lazy and spoiled, according to Andie (Heigl); she realizes that the store has a real
The special effects, humor, and sheer imagination of the Despicable Me series continue to be refreshing and delightful for children. There were many chuckles from children (and adults, by the way) in the screening I attended, as well as sighs during the tender moments. Like its predecessors, 3 is mostly entertaining (as it’s meant to
Actor turned director Joel David Moore’s film on the topic of legal human euthanasia isn’t the first of 2016 to cover such grounds. I point to Me Before You this past summer and of course the Oscar winning Amour in 2012. Moore (Savages, Avatar) directs the script by newcomer Andrew Eisen in the vein of
Surprise! This is a clever film making a comedy of intelligent protest against ridiculously stringent rules at a middle school, where the principal is more about power than about education. Poor Rafe (Gluck) (as in Rules Aren’t for Everyone) has been accepted into the only school left for him after suspensions from other schools. He
I can’t remember a time that I have enjoyed Oscar nominee Eddie Murphy (Dreamgirls) on screen this much. Mr. Church is an unconventional story, not about the family you are born with, but the family you choose (or often the one that chooses you). It’s a bittersweet drama that maintains a bit of mystery and
This nWave animated production comes from Belgium, but the language for U.S. release is in English. Directors are Vincent Kesteloot and Ben Stassen. It’s basically an extended cartoon, with endless chases and miraculous last-minute saves. There are some implied messages, but these will likely go over preschool children’s heads, the audience for which I think
As Disney films go, Pete’s Dragon, the latest in their crusade to turn all animated films into live action, is exactly what you expect from the family friendly studio. It’s got all the touchy feely moments, all the predictable outcomes, cue the positive music at the end, you know it’s time to exit. Disney (and
This is the seventh in a series of Ice Age films, and is largely empty animation and special effects without much of a story. My interest was piqued when I saw that Neil DeGrasse Tyson was going to be one of the voices in the film, in hopes that it would have some educational value;
It might just be the most adorable film of 2016. Writer/director Taika Waititi (Eagle vs. Shark, What We Do in the Shadows) has crafted a film that appeals to all ages. For younger children it’s a wild adventure in the New Zealand bush, for adults it’s a hilarious coming of age story. Hunt for the