Archive for Children & Family

Cars (Widescreen Edition) 2006

Posted on Aug 18, 2008 under Anime & Animation, Children & Family | No Comment

Cars (Widescreen Edition) 2006

 Cars (Widescreen Edition)

There's an extra coat of hot wax on Pixar's vibrant, NASCAR-influenced comedy about a world populated entirely by cars. Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) is the slick rookie taking the Piston Cup series by storm when the last race of the season (the film's high-octane opening) ends in a three-way tie. On the way to the tie-breaker race in California, Lightning loses his way off Route 66 in the Southwest desert and is taught to stop and smell the roses by the forgotten citizens of Radiator Springs. It's odd to have such a slim story from the whizzes of Pixar, and the film pales a bit from their other films (though can that be a fair comparison?). Nonetheless, Cars is another gleaming ride with Pixar founder John Lasseter, who's directing for the first time since Toy Story 2. There's the usual spectrum of excellent characters teamed with appropriate voice talent, loads of smooth humor for kids and parents alike, knockout visuals, and a colorful array of sidekicks, including a scene-stealing baby blue forklift named Guido. Lightning's plight is changed with the help of former big-city lawyer Sally Carrera (Pixar veteran Bonnie Hunt), the town's patriarch Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), and kooky tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy). The Incredibles was the first Pixar film to break the 100-minute barrier, but had enough story not to suffer; Cars, at 116 minutes (including some must-see end credit footage), is not as fortunate, plus it never pierces the heart. Trivia fans should have bonanza with the frame-by-frame DVD function; the movie is stuffed with in-jokes, some appearing only for an instant. Ages 5 and up.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Monsters, Inc 2002

Posted on Aug 18, 2008 under Anime & Animation, Children & Family | No Comment

Monsters, Inc 2002

Monsters, Inc. (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

The folks at Pixar can do no wrong with Monsters, Inc., the studio's fourth feature film, which stretches the computer animation format in terms of both technical complexity and emotional impact. The giant, blue-furred James P. "Sulley" Sullivan (wonderfully voiced by John Goodman) is a scare-monster extraordinaire in the hidden world of Monstropolis, where the scaring of kids is an imperative in order to keep the entire city running. Beyond the competition to be the best at the business, Sullivan and his assistant, the one-eyed Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal), discover what happens when the real world interacts with theirs in the form of a 2-year-old baby girl dubbed "Boo," who accidentally sneaks into the monster world with Sulley one night. Director Pete Doctor and codirectors David Silverman and Lee Unkrich follow the Pixar (Toy Story) blueprint with an imaginative scenario, fun characters, and ace comic timing. By the last heart-tugging shot, kids may never look at monsters the same, nor artists at what computer animation can do in the hands of magicians.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Finding Nemo (DVD) Review

Posted on Aug 18, 2008 under Anime & Animation, Children & Family | No Comment

Finding NemoFinding Nemo (Two-Disc Collector's Edition)

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Finding Nemo continues the Disney tradition of producing high-quality, blockbuster films that entertain audiences of all ages. Featuring the wonders of the Pixar animation technology, the film is a breathtaking window into the future of animated pictures, with borderline 3-D visual effects and the introduction of original animated film techniques certain to influence future masterpieces. Boasting a slew of talented voiceovers such as Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and John Ratzenberger, Finding Nemo is certain to maintain a place in the hearts of children of all ages for generations to come…

The epic story begins somewhere in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia. A clown fish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) lives a wonderful life in a peaceful underwater colony of fish and other fascinating sea life with his wife. However, that serene setting is demolished when a vicious predator attacks their home, killing his wife. Distraught, Marlin takes comfort in the egg left behind which grows into his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould).

Because of this early trauma, Marlin is extremely overprotective when it comes to Nemo. He follows a step behind everywhere his son goes, makes Nemo stay in the house whenever possible, and remains quite apprehensive about his son going to school. Marlin’s fears are realized when Nemo is captured on his first day of school and taken away to live in a fish tank on land. Intent on freeing his son, Marlin sets out on a bold and daring quest to retrace the path of the abductor’s boat.

Wandering through the ocean depths, he meets up with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) – an absent-minded, yet friendly – fish who remains determined to help her new friend recover his lost son. Together, they encounter a pack of sharks and a countless array of diverse and fascinating underwater creatures.

Meanwhile, Nemo is plunged into a dentist office fish tank overlooking Sidney Harbor where he meets a number of new and exciting friends. The other aquatic life, long confined to the tank themselves, initiate Nemo into their fraternity, revealing the history of their attempts to escape. Enlisting Nemo as their point man (or fish), they concoct a number of schemes such as clogging the tank’s filter so they can make a break for it when they’re taken out for the tank cleaning. With the threat of the dentist presenting Nemo as a present to his nerdy niece, the stakes are raised for our young hero and time is of the essence…

Sporting one of the best written animated screenplays of all-time and a breathtaking original score by Thomas Newman, Finding Nemo is a pleasurable affair for both parents and children. The writers pull off an admirable job of combining adult and kid humor throughout the script in such a way that it doesn’t detract from the experience for either age group. With a number of likeable characters, the audience will find itself rooting for Marlin, Nemo, and all their friends to accomplish the task before them. Overall, this is a must-see film for all age groups, not only because of the great story and artful performances, but if anything, simply because the animation is a wonder in-and-of itself…

About the Author

Britt Gillette is author of The DVD Report, a movie review site where you can find more reviews like this one of the Finding Nemo (DVD) Review.

Popularity: 4% [?]

The Game Plan – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Delivers Another Hit!!

Posted on Oct 02, 2007 under Children & Family, Comedy | 1 Comment

Joe Kingman played by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is a self centered, ego centric superstar quarterback who has everything in life. He is rich, a superstar and is about to clinch a championship if he can keep his head in the game. But his superstar lifestyle is interrupted when he learns that he meets his 7-year daughter for the first time. He has to now learn how to become a father, how to keep the team focused and not disappoint his magnificent city and fans.

The Game Plan was not so much a surprised hit for me. I have followed Dwayne movies since he left the WWE and he has always delivered a strong performance with plenty of depth in his parts. This movie was not an exception. Dwayne delivered a heart filled act that left you either rooting or crying in your seat. I loved the scene where the Rock learns how to do ballet. I would not have ever thought I would have seen the Rock do anything like this. But he seems real focused on the task. This turns out to be a great comedy scene with the whole team.

Joe Kingman and Peyton Kelly (Madison Pettis) grow a bond that had me crying in the end. Don’t be surprised if a tear or two roll down your cheek. You will see what I mean when you see it.

I can’t forget to say something about Madison Pettis as Peyton Kelly. As a newcomer Madison had me rolling in the alias with her straight to the point logic. She was quick and was able to hang with everything that Joe Kingman could dish out.

Other supporting cast included Kyra Sedgwick as Joe’s PR manager and Roselyn Sanchez as the ballet coach and eventually a love interest with Joe Kingman. Other supporting casts include Morris Chestnut, Brian White, Gordan Clapp, Jamal Duff and many more.

This is definitely a must see for the whole family. I brought my daughter and 3 sons to see this one and they all enjoyed ever second on the movie. There is a lot of comedy and their aren’t any parts that could be offensive sexually. Cursing, you will not find one bad word in this film. This is truly a Walt Disney movie that will be a classic.

Rated PG - For the whole family

Also see:  Rental Movie

Popularity: 5% [?]

Film Review – Ice Age: The Meltdown

Posted on Feb 12, 2007 under Children & Family | No Comment

by By: Rianne Hill Soriano

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown survives the fall of famous hits' sequels in an eco-conscious adventure about the exodus of a community of prehistoric animals forced to abandon their valley due to an impending flood. A loaded slapstick with the usual plot, this animated film is still charming and enjoyable as it features appealing characters in recognizable familial situations and universal emotions.

Looking into the brighter side of life is what this movie is all about. And though there is nothing brilliantly new and exceptional in the making of this picture (the film is already expected to be, at the least, as technically good as the first installment and its other Pixar and Disney counterparts), the way its elements are utilized to come up with an amusing movie creates brightly funny scenes that will submerge your heart into laughter and audio-visual entertainment. A screen of vultures singing 'Food Glorious Food,' a traffic vulture sounding like a low-voice announcer as he pages the parent animals not to leave their children unattended as all unattended children will be eaten, the 'Fire King' encounter and the sacrificial fire pit all make funny gags.

The main plot involves the evacuation of the animals before the meltdown drowns them all. The story centers mainly on Manny's struggle against extinction and his effort to develop a relationship with a lady mammoth who happens to think she is a possum. Ironically, the film's weaknesses manifest themselves in the wake of its actual strengths. The spectacularly funny scenes featuring scene-stealer Scrat (Chris Wedge) in yet another maddening quest to capture his beloved acorn are the most inventive, imaginative and entertaining parts of the movie. But these scenes also make the audience increasingly more interested in seeing Scrat reunited with his acorn than seeing Manny and Ellie find true love. Once again, his bit part is technically the most elaborately created. And with this, he continues to be a fan-favorite and he is not seen as a tedious and irrelevant cameo but the most charming character of all. Who knows, he just might get his own movie next time around...

The animation complements the film's simplistic approach and characterization. This makes the audience feel light inside the theater. Even when 'The Meltdown' starts, it's still fun to look at. Some hard-to-impress ones may question petty things as the actual feel of the place not reflecting the literal coldness of the ice age setting. But some may interpret this as a treatment to feel the warmth amidst the physical coldness of the place.

The voice works are good: Ray Romano's wooly mammoth role as Manny, Denis Leary as the cranky saber-toothed tiger Diego, John Leguizamo's wispy voice as the underachiever sloth Sid, newcomer Queen Latifah as the lady mammoth Ellie, and the rest of the characters give their fair shares for such wacky moments and nutty entertainment.

Also See:  Rental Movies
About the Author:

Check out my site: Rianne's Film Blog
Having been bitten by the film bug, I have realized that pain is temporary; film is forever. I'm a free-spirited artist who is in constant search for the ultimate experience in every place-seeking inspirations for every work...

Popularity: 3% [?]