Wondering what to expect when you take the family to the movies? Movie Choices for Kids takes the guesswork out of going to the movies with your kids. These movie reviews by Jean Joachim offer parents a preview of what to expect, before you take your children on a movie date.

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THE VISITOR (Running time: 108 minutes) 041408
Rated PG-13 Starring Richard Jenkins, Hiam Abbass, Haaz Sleiman
This gentle film seems to make a statement about the methods the government takes to eliminate terrorists by deporting illegal, innocent aliens. Walter Vale (Jenkins), a lonely widower has lost his enthusiasm for anything. A college professor, he is just going through the motions of teaching at a college in Connecticut.
Forced to attend a conference, Walter returns to stay at the vacant Manhattan apartment he owns. While he was gone, someone broke in and rented his apartment illegally to two illegal immigrants.
Walter befriends the two young people. He lets them stay and their lives become entwined. Tarek (Sleiman) and Walter play the drums together in the park until Tarek is picked up for allegedly jumping a turnstile in the subway.
Then this sweet picture turns grim. Walter tries everything he knows to get Tarek out of detention, but he is unsuccessful. The movie makes these innocent immigrants sympathetic as they are caught in the tightening web created by 9/11.
There is no violence, sex or bad language. But this is a slow movie about the different generations coming together and those in need helping each other. It might be too adult for most children, especially those under fifteen. Still it is a beautiful film.

NIM’S ISLAND (Running time: 95 minutes) 040708
Rated PG Starring Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler
Nim’s Island, from the book by the same name, is a lovely movie with no violence or bad language, however the mother is dead when the movie opens and the father gets lost at sea, albeit temporarily.
The opening begins with charming animation and arty cut-outs that introduce us to Nim and her dad, Jack. They live on an uninhabited island near a volcano that can’t make up its mind whether to be active or not.
Nim’s friends are a lizard, a sea lion and a pelican. She is home-schooled and is happy to be alone with her Dad on the island in the South China Sea, where every day is summer and the sun always shines. For fun Nim loses herself in the book adventures of Alex Rover, a courageous soldier of fortune.
Then dad has to go on an expedition to retrieve special plankton and Nim insists on staying behind to rescue sea turtles about to be born. From this point on the movie doesn’t have a dull moment. It moves back and forth between Nim’s adventures on the island and her father’s attempts to survive an unexpected storm.
Nim’s Island crams many adventures into 95 minutes, which makes it engaging and lively. The beautiful cinematography may have your kids asking to move there. This fairy tale, while a little harrowing when the father is struggling, is fun and enchanting. Everything turns out well in the end and there is nothing to be frightened of – no violence, no bad language and no sex – except becoming an orphan!
Nim’s Island should provide a fine weekend outing for parents and kids ages 7 and up who won’t be bothered by the dead mother and almost-dead dad.

LEATHERHEADS (Running time: 114 minutes) 040708
Rated PG-13 Starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, John Krasinski
Leatherheads is a period movie supposedly about the start of professional football in the U.S. However, the movie never states that anything is true in this story. Leatherheads opens in the 1920’s when pro football players were a bunch of thugs, misfits and losers and liquor was illegal.
The Duluth team has a 45-year-old quarterback named Dodge Connelly ( Clooney).
A hotshot player, Carter Rutherford (Krasinski), is tearing up the field playing for Princeton University. When told that his team is folding as are the other teams because there is practically no attendance and therefore no money, Connelly gets the idea to hire the Princeton hero.
There is a subplot of phony war heroism and both men are out to get the girl, ace reporter, Lexie Littleton (Zellweger). The movie has the look and feel of an older movie with muted tones and absolutely marvelous music; some from the era and the rest is the masterpiece of Randy Newman, musical genius.
Leatherheads is not a brilliant movie, but its fun. The old fashioned clothes, football scenes in those old-time uniforms and the old cars all make this journey back almost a history lesson for kids. There is some bad language, bar scene brawls, lots of illegal drinking but no sex in Leatherheads. The messages are mostly positive. Leatherheads is a good rainy day movie for parents and kids 11 and up who will understand what’s going on.

SUPERHERO MOVIE (Running time: 85 minutes) 033108
Rated PG-13 Starring Sara Paxton, Leslie Nielsen, Drake Bell
Yawn. Another supposedly funny movie doing take-offs of other movies. Yes, this movie makes fun of Spiderman. But none of these types of movies is as funny as Scary Movie, the first, the pioneer of this type.
Instead of clever humor, the movie uses bathroom humor and silly sexual references. Instead of being bitten by a spider, our hero is bitten by a dragon fly, which is wrong, since dragon flies don’t bite humans. But anyway, he gets his superpowers from the enhanced dragon fly.
Then there is the blond bully, the girlfriend our hero is afraid to be honest with about his feelings and the elderly aunt and uncle. Leslie Nielsen as the uncle is the one bright spot. Although he doesn’t have great lines as the writing isn’t great, he is funny anyway.
What passes for humor should really appeal to middle school and high school students. But the adults in the theater didn’t seem too impressed. I didn’t crack a smile. This tired stuff is a waste of time when you can be watching Be Kind, Rewind, and laughing your head off.
There is some violence, sexual and bathroom humor. Superhero Movie should be okay for kids 12 and up. Perhaps this is just one movie too many in the category for me.

RUN FAT BOY RUN (Running time: 97 minutes) 033108
Rated PG-13 Starring Simon Pegg, Thandie Newton, Hank Azaria
Run Fat Boy Run, a badly titled movie, isn’t nearly as funny as Hot Fuzz, also starring Simon Pegg. But it is funny, very warm and touching. The story is about Dennis (Pegg) a security guard with low self-esteem who, somehow, has managed to attract the attention of a warm and beautiful woman, Libby, (Newton). But when it’s time to marry this lovely creature, Dennis is afraid and runs out, leaving her at the altar, pregnant.
Simon spends the next five years regretting his cowardice. While he is still in love with his lady fair and sees her regularly as he has a terrific relationship with their son, he’s afraid to try to get back together with her.
Then he meets Libby’s new boyfriend, Whit, (Azaria) who is tall, dark, handsome, successful and crazy about Libby. Dennis feels competitive with Whit. So much so that he decides to run a marathon, which is a joke since he can’t even run one block without getting winded.
The competition between the two men mushrooms into a full blown battle which comes to a head during the marathon. Will Dennis run? Will he finish? See the movie and find out.
The best parts of this movie are the relationships between: Dennis and his best friend, Dennis and his landlord, and Dennis and his son. The supporting characters are quirky, interesting and funny. Run Fat Boy Run has good messages along with the bad language and the decadent behavior, which includes: gambling, drinking and smoking. There is no sex and only a little violence.
Run Fat Boy Run is not really a movie for kids because it is about adult issues, like commitment, responsibility, discipline and self esteem. If you have a teen or tween who wants to see it, it should be okay for kids 13 or 14 and up. Fine for adults, too.

TYLER PERRY’S MEET THE BROWNS (Running time: 100 minutes) 032408
Rated PG-13 Starring Angela Bassett, Tyler Perry, Rick Fox
I like the way Tyler Perry creates real, hard luck situations to get his messages across about the power of love and family and doing the right thing. But some of his characters are so extreme as to be more annoying than funny.
This is the story of ( Bassett), single mother, who has three children by three different men. She is working very hard to support her kids, alone.
Brenda gets a letter telling her that her father, who she never knew, has died. The letter includes four tickets to Georgia for his burial. Brenda, losing her electricity and her struggle to survive, goes to Georgia. Her kooky family takes her in and her children too. She finds love and acceptance, but returns to Chicago to try again anyway.
Michael, her oldest and a basketball star has a friend who sells drugs. Michael goes to his friend to return the drugs he has decided not to sell when trouble breaks out and Michael is shot. Perry shows that even hanging around temporarily with a bad element can get you in trouble.
Despite some annoying family members with loud, shrill voices, this is a warm film about love and hope. There are drug situations, no bad language, some violence and no sex. Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns should be fine for kids 13 and older who understand the adult themes.

DRILLBIT TAYLOR (Running time: 102 minutes) 032408
Rated PG-13 Starring Owen Wilson, Leslie Mann
I’m not a fan of Owen Wilson perhaps because he is overexposed in so many bad movies, but this one isn’t his fault. The writing here is awful. This movie is a mean-spirited, bully movie that is supposed to be funny but ends up being sadistic instead.
Three nerdy boys are terrorized by two horrible bullies their first week in high school. The “pranks” are not funny. The pain the boys feel is not funny. They go to the principal, who doesn’t believe them and doesn’t help. So, having no one to turn to, the boys are reduced to hiring a bodyguard who turns out to be a homeless bum just out to steal from them.
In walks Owen Wilson, a panhandler and thief. He needs to get $387 to get airfare to Canada and a start at a new life. These boys are his ticket to Canada.
That these young guys are terrorized, then victimized again by Drillbit (Wilson), is sad and not funny. Fat jokes aren’t funny. Punching weaklings isn’t funny. Masquerading as a teacher and taking advantage of a lovely lady teacher. Letting down these boys isn’t funny.
The bully is such an evil villain that you really cheer when he is beat up. But that isn’t funny either. In fact, nothing is funny about this movie. That Drillbit is “saved” by these boys and turns himself around isn’t believable.
I’d like to give the writers fifteen minutes with the horrible bully they created and see if they think he’s funny. Drillbit Taylor is a total waste of time. There is violence, bad language and implied sex…in school no less, between two teachers! Reserve this waste for kids 13 and older who have absolutely nothing else to do. Mr. Wilson, you should know better.

HORTON HEARS A WHO (Running time: 88 minutes) 031708
Rated G Starring Jim Carrey, Steve Carell
Wow! Dr. Seuss runs away at the box office, which proves that his animated figures outdo live performances by a mile. Perhaps this is true because in the animated version, the emphasis is on the characters and the story, not on the actors hamming it up.
The story of an elephant who sticks to his guns to save a village of tiny people is as fresh, lively, funny and charming as it was when it first came out so many years ago. Jim Carrey reins himself in to let the character of Horton shine through.
Steve Carell as the Mayor of Whoville, lets the warmth and frustration of the character shine through. The animation is beautiful and completely true to Seuss’ characters. Also, the narration is in rhyme, straight from the book, while the dialogue is more up-to-date.
There is no violence, bad language or sex, as usual in Dr. Seuss’s works. But the glory of the story fills the screen and the hearts and minds of the audience.
One note: if your child can’t sit for an hour and a half, then he or she is not ready to see this in the theater. Otherwise, Horton Hears a Who, a “don’t miss” movie should be most enjoyable for kids from 5 to 95.

COLLEGE ROAD TRIP (Running time: 83 minutes) 031708
Rated G Starring Martin Lawrence, Raven Symone, Donny Osmond
This silly movie is about a father (Lawrence) who can’t let go and his perfect daughter (Symone) who is getting ready to go off to college. The father wants his daughter to go to college 40 miles from home and she wants to go to a college 700 miles away.
While the antics of the ridiculous police chief dad range from unbelievably stupid to laughable, parents will be able to understand the worry that comes from sending kids off to college far from home. Donny Osmond plays the most annoying movie dad of all time.
Teenagers might like this movie because it makes the father look like a complete nut job, over-the-top control freak. While the movie has some funny parts, they throw in tired, clichéd comedy situations, hoping to boost the laughs. I’m wondering why we can’t have more “G” rated movies that are less annoying and predictable than this one.
College Road Trip is completely harmless – no violence, bad language or sex -- and should be fine for kids from eight to eighteen. Although younger children won’t understand the college angle, they will enjoy the silliness and the pratfalls.

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (Running time: 93 minutes) 031708
Rated PG-13 Starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day takes place in London just before WWII broke out in England. Miss Pettigrew (McDormand) is a nanny who is unemployed and starving when she steals a job opportunity to work for a young woman.
The young lady she works for, Delisha (Adams) is a nightclub singer sleeping her way to the top. She is trying to become a legitimate actress by illegitimate methods.
While all comes out well in the end, the movie does not have great messages for teenage girls. I enjoyed the costumes, humor, and wonderful performances, but this is strictly for adults.

THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (Running time: 114 minutes) 031008
Rated PG-13 Starring Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson. Eric Bana
What can I say about a movie that I expected would be an entertaining history lesson and turned out to be a movie about lust? Yes, The Other Boleyn Girl is about: Mary’s affair with King Henry, Anne’s sexual teasing of King Henry, the downfall of Catherine of Aragon and the Catholic Church in England and the competition and sexual jealousy between the sisters. Was all this based on historical fact? No. The moviemakers started with history as the spring board and then took a dive into imagination land for the rest.
Facts are twisted, obscured or omitted to suit the story. The movie even said that Anne attempted to have sex with her brother to get pregnant in the hopes of producing a son and keep her throne. And that she was executed for incest. My research has shown no evidence of this, or other contentions, like Mary’s child was Henry’s bastard son or even that Mary was younger than Anne. Making up stories for movies is standard; distorting and changing historical facts to make a sexier, better-selling movie confuses children.
The Other Boleyn Girl was definitely not for children. It was entertaining as fiction, but not to be fed to gullible children who would assume it was fact. Besides, the emphasis on sex – as if nothing else was happening in England during that time, makes it inappropriate for children.
There is no bad language and little violence until the beheadings at the end – which are gruesome. If your child is dying to see the costumes, it is best for children 16 and older. Better yet, stay home and read about Anne Boleyn, girl adventurer, in a history book.

10,000 BC (Running time: 109 minutes) 031008
Rated PG-13 Starring Steven Strait, Camilla Belle
This fantasy of life for humans 10,000 BC was engrossing. Early men and women in a small village live off woolly mammoths. They live peacefully until a marauding band from far away sweep through and take several members of their village as slaves.
Our hero pursues the bad guys on foot with a few other members of his village. He’s off to recapture his woman. The small group grows as they encounter other small village groups that have lost members to the marauders.
The movie is an adventure movie taking place back during primitive times when there were no fancy weapons. While the plot isn’t original, the computer graphics take you back to early times. I really enjoyed seeing the woolly mammoths. The superstitious beliefs in gods and prophesies added flavor.
There is violence and bloodshed in 10,000 B.C. It reminds me of a backwards Star Wars with everything occurring way in the past instead of the future. The primitive tools, the intelligent hunting, albeit on foot, the basic clothing made from animal hides was fascinating. I pulled my coat around me watching them so uncovered in a land with snow on the ground.
There was no sex and no bad language. 10,000 B.C. should be good for kids 9 and up, as long as they know that it isn’t all facts. Parents will enjoy it, too.

PENELOPE (Running time: 101 minutes) 030308
Rated PG Starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O’Hara
This “Once Upon A Time” fairytale takes place in today’s world. Generations ago, a young man of wealth trifled with a servant girl. When the young man decided not to marry her, she jumped off a cliff. Her mother, a witch, put a curse on the family. The first born girl would be born with a pig face.
This curse didn’t come to pass until modern times. The girl, Penelope, can only break the curse by winning the love of a person of wealth and position. Her mother goes through all sorts of antics hiding her from the public.
Now Penelope is 25 and her mother is determined to find a young man of position and pay him to marry her so the curse can be broken and the mother can have a normal daughter. In the end, Penelope is “outed” and the press falls in love with her.
Much comedy is made of the revulsion the young men feel when they see her face, which looks weird but not repulsive. Penelope is a movie full of good messages. The characters are funny, moving and appalling at turns.
This charming story of love and acceptance has no violence, no bad language and no sex. It should be okay for children 7 or 8, who should get the basic message, and perfect for 10 and above. It’s fun for parents and grandparents, too.

BE KIND, REWIND (Running time: 101 minutes) 030308
Rated PG-13 Starring Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover
I have a soft spot for offbeat movies with warmth and charm, like Be Kind, Rewind. It is also the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time.
The movie takes place in Passaic, where Mr. Fletcher (Glover) has raised Mike (Mos Def). Mr. Fletcher owns the building where he lives and runs a failing cut-rate movie rental shop.
Mike works in the shop, too. Mike’s friend Jerry (Black) is a nut job who lives in a junkyard in a trailer down the road.
The movie starts slowly, but once Mr. Fletcher goes out of town, things pick up. Jerry gets magnetized and erases all the tapes in the shop. Mike has to get a copy of Ghost Busters before 7pm the next day. So he takes a video camera and decides to shoot his own version of the movie. I almost passed out laughing, watching these two misfits paste together their silly version of the movie.
Their movie is a local success. So they have to shoot another one: Rush Hour 2, with Jerry playing Jackie Chan and Mike playing Chris Tucker. I was hysterical with laughter.
The boys make more and more movies as demand grows. They recruit neighborhood people to help with the movie. Each movie they film is funnier than the one before as kookiness and imagination collide.
The boys are trying to save the old building from demolition with their budding movie business. Be Kind, Rewind takes some twists and turns, but you won’t find a warmer or funnier movie anywhere. There is no violence, a little bad language and no sex. Be Kind, Rewind is a “don’t miss” for anyone 10 or 11 and up who wants a few great laughs and many warm smiles.

JUMPER (Running time: 90 minutes) 022508
Rated PG-13 Starring Hayden Christiansen, Samuel L. Jackson, Rachel Bilson
I was so disappointed in this movie. There was the opportunity to create a movie with great messages about being different, having standards, helping people and not being selfish, but Jumper ignored them all.
The story is about a shy boy, David (Christiansen), who has the ability to teleport himself to almost any destination in his mind. This saves him from death by drowning. David comes from a broken home. He leaves home, using his new ability to break into a bank vault and steal enough money to buy a nice lifestyle.
In his posh apartment, you see a flood on TV. I thought that David was going to use his power to teleport and save flood victims who could not be reached. But no. He was too busy living the high life.
Suddenly Roland (Jackson) appears on the scene and tries to kill David. A few minutes later we find out that Paladins, like Roland, spend their lives trying to kill Jumpers. Why? Just because they believe that Jumpers turn bad – according to Roland. What kind of reason is that?
The rest of the movie is Paladins vs. Jumpers. There is no real reason for any of it and we never see the Jumpers use their powers for the greater good. Also, all the jumping made me dizzy and half the time I couldn’t figure out where they were.
Jumper is hollow -- a waste of time with no redeeming value or standards. There is violence and bad language, but no sex. It should be okay for children 12 and older. Better yet, see The Spiderwick Chronicles, a much better movie.

VANTAGE POINT (Running time: 90 minutes) 022508
Rated PG-13 Starring Dennis Quaid, Matthew Fox, William Hurt, Forest Whitaker
The disappointment with Jumper was nothing compared with my disappointment with Vantage Point. The movie takes place in Spain where the President of the U.S. is presiding over a summit to end terrorism. There is a plot to assassinate him. He is shot. We see all this happen.
Then the movie goes back to 11:58 am the same day and we see the same scenario from a different vantage point – that of another set of characters in this thriller. That was fine and interesting, the first time. But the movie goes back to 11:58am the same day six times!
By the fifth time, the audience started laughing. It is tedious to see the same scene six times; even if I am meeting new characters and a little more of the plot is revealed each time.
This silly device ruined a fine thriller. It is over the top – overly dramatic and too repetitious. Being so different wasn’t necessary because the movie has a great plot. There are plenty of twists and turns and a terrific car chase through Salamanca. The last half hour is great as the plot charges full speed ahead, unfettered by devices.
There is plenty of violence, but little blood. There is some bad language, but no sex. The plot is complicated and requires close attention to all the characters and how they intersect. Vantage Point is best for kids 13 and up and adults who can follow the plot and not get annoyed at the repetition.

DEFINITELY, MAYBE (Running time: 105 minutes) 021808
Rated PG-13 Starring Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Derek Luke
I don’t care if other people gave this a bad review, I thought it was charming. The story is a poignant one: a daughter wants to delve into her father’s past so she can help him find happiness after his divorce. So she has him recount his past loves. This is where it gets a little inappropriate if you keep in mind that he’s telling this to his young daughter.
The stories are about love, not sex, however each time, Dad gets his heart broken. Along with the love stories is the story of Dad’s work life, his successes and his failures, even more fascinating than his rounds with three young women.
I was intrigued trying to figure out which one of the three women actually became his wife. No, I didn’t guess correctly.
This fairytale is sweet. While the stories don’t all seem to have much punch, many love stories in real life end like that, too. I enjoyed this movie with no violence, little bad language, some implied sex and much parent/child love. It’s a chick flick that should be appropriate for girls 12 and over. Mom may get some questions about her past male companions, be prepared.

STEP UP 2 THE STREETS (Running time: 98 minutes) 021808
Rated PG-13 Starring Brian Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Telisha Shaw
This story is so familiar. Teenage orphan expresses herself through street dancing and bad behavior. She lives with a friend of her mother’s who throws in the towel. She can’t handle her. Orphan manages to get admitted to a fancy private arts school.
Her street life clashes with her new dancing school life. But as we all know, dancing is the way out of a bad life. Phooey. I’ve seen this one at least once a year and already twice in the past three months!
I have to say that the dancing was terrific. Still, the new directors don’t know how to photograph dancing. Too much jumping around almost makes you dizzy. They should watch old Fred Astaire movies. The dance photography was perfect.
The movie is fine. Good values, good music and dancing, just a lot of old hat. There is violence, some bad language, no sex. It should be fine for kids 13 and up and parents will dig the dancing.

THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES (Running time: 97 minutes) 021808
Rated PG Starring Freddie Highmore, Mary-Louise Parker, Nick Nolte
This is the most delightful children’s adventure movie to come along in quite a while. The story is about a divorced mother of three moving to the country and a creepy old house she inherited from a maiden aunt.
There is a hidden story uncovered by the “bad” twin, Jared (Highmore). He wants to live with his father and is miserable about the divorce. Simon, the “good” twin (also Highmore) is intellectual and philosophical. Jared doesn’t get along with his mother or sister. He retreats to a secret attic room where he uncovers the secrets of the Spiderwick Chronicles.
Big ogres and trolls are too frightening for young or sensitive children. Small critters are cute and funny. The plot is engrossing and beautifully executed with fabulous effects and gorgeous photography. This is a thoroughly enjoyable “don’t miss” adventure tale for children aged nine and above, parents and grandparents, too.

OVER HER DEAD BODY (Running time: 95 minutes) 021108
Rated PG-13 Starring Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, Lake Bell, Jason Biggs
This movie reminded me of My Best Friend’s Wedding. The interplay has the same mean-spirited attitude. Kate (Parker) is a beautiful, control-freak about to get married to Henry (Rudd) world’s sweetest veterinarian. She is clunked on the head by an ice statue and dies. Henry is grief-stricken for a year.
His sister steps in and takes him to a psychic. She hopes that the psychic, Ashley (Bell), will tell him that Kate says it’s all right to move on and Henry will begin living again. But Henry and Ashley fall for each other and Kate is jealous from beyond. She tries to break them up.
My problem was that I couldn’t see why Henry liked Kate who seemed like a selfish witch. The whole movie is pretty far-fetched. On-screen chemistry was ho-hum and Jason Biggs, as Ashley’s “gay” sidekick was the funniest part.
Over Her Dead Body has no sex, little bad language, no violence and not much else. It’s a harmless way to pass a rainy afternoon for kids 11 and up who can understand grief, loneliness and selfish behavior.

FOOL’S GOLD (Running time: 95 minutes) 021108
Rated PG-13 Starring Kate Hudson, Matthew McConnaughey, Donald Sutherland, Alexis Dziena
While much of this movie was silly, I did enjoy the adventure part. The characters are cartoonish as they are so one-dimensional. You have the battling, divorcing couple – like Cary Grant and Irene Dunne in their fabulous comedies of the ‘30’s and ‘40’s – NOT! Then you have the standard issue cold millionaire (Sutherland) who doesn’t know how to communicate with his daughter. And finally, the rich dumb bimbo (Dziena), a brunette Paris Hilton type.
Even though the dialogue isn’t great and the chemistry between Ms. Hudson and Mr. McConnaughey isn’t what it was in How to Lose a Man in 10 Days, this movie is about a hunt for treasure in the glorious Caribbean. The scenery is fabulous. The chases are exciting and the underwater scenes are terrific. There is some brief implied sex, some bad language, and some violence. Fool’s Gold should be okay for kids 10 and up. Though Fool’s Gold isn’t great cinema, it’s a fun way to pass a cold, snowy or rainy afternoon.

WELCOME HOME, ROSCOE JENKINS (Running time: 114 minutes) 021108
Rated PG-13 Starring Martin Lawrence, James Earl Jones, MoNique
Martin Lawrence keeps on playing the same character: an arrogant guy with no self-awareness. He has issues that become resolved amazingly by the end of the movie. But his movies are always stupid rather than funny. Here the comedy attempts fall flat.  He needs to recruit Tyler Perry to write the script.
The movie is about a successful talk show host who is marrying the grasping, selfish winner of “Surivial”. The “power couple” ignore RJ’s son. RJ (Lawrence) gets strong-armed into returning to his home town for his parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration. Family issues surface with superficial, stereotyped characters. Years of bad feeling get washed away in the blink of an eye. All is resolved happily.
There is violence, bad language and implied sex. Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins is boring and predictable. It should be okay for teens 14 up who really have nothing else to do.

HOW SHE MOVE (Running time: 98 minutes) 020408
Rated PG-13 Starring Rutina Wesley
Here we have yet another movie about step-dancing leading young people out of ghetto lives going nowhere and into the realm of possibility – and a title with incorrect English.
Since her sister died from a drug overdose, Raya (Wesley) is her family’s best hope for the future. Raya is a serious girl who attended private school until her parents ran out of money trying to save their older daughter.
Raya is thrown back into the tough ghetto life in Detroit. She doesn’t want to go back and misses the school where she excelled and felt she had a good chance for a bright future. Now, she is studying hard to pass the scholarship exam and trying to find a way to raise the money to get back into her school.
The best chance, she feels, is competing in a big step dance competition. Of course, a part-time job coupled with a bank loan couldn’t do it. If it did, we wouldn’t have a movie. But my cynicism dies when I watch all the talented teens do the amazing step routines and complex moves. The dancing is marvelous.
The messages are good: study and do well, drugs kill. The characters are stereotyped and the plot is predictable, but the dancing is worth the price of admission. There are drug references, sexual references, some bad language, but no violence. How She Move should be fine for teens 13 and older. Parents may find it entertaining, too.

THE EYE (Running time: 97 minutes) 020408
Rated PG-13 Starring Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola
I tried to avoid seeing this as these kinds of thrillers scare me to death. I had to see it and was pleasantly surprised: there was a plot! Sydney (Alba) is a concert violinist who is blind. She gets a transplant and begins to have vision for the first time since she was five years old.
But the vision she is having is not her own. Along with the new eyes, Sydney is having visions of the dead girl whose eyes she inherited. These are disturbing images of people who have died and people who will die. Sydney can see angels of death taking the souls from the bodies. Of course, when they see her, they don’t like her and make horrible faces in your face and practically scare you do death.
I figured out about when the scary stuff was going to happen and closed my eyes in time to avoid most of it. I really object to lazy filmmakers who use loud noise to scare the audience. Instead of really scaring you, like in Psycho and other classic thrillers, they startle you. I really hate that as I come leaping out of my seat. Every scene of these death angels is startling. It wasn’t long before I knew what was coming.
But the plot of the movie was actually good; it wasn’t just horror for horror’s sake. Enough said lest I spoil the surprises. The Eye will startle you to death. It is best for unflappable teens over 13 not prone to nightmares. There is violence, suicide, death by fire and death by falling, but no sex and no bad language.

CLOVERFIELD (Running time: 84 minutes) 012808
Rated PG-13 Starring Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David
Cloverfield is filmed in the same way as the Blair Witch Project was: with a hand-held camera. The effect is strong, making you feel claustrophobic and occasionally dizzy at the same time. You want to see more, but you can only see what the small camera sees.
The movie begins with filming people at a cocktail party saying farewell and sending good wishes to Rob who is being promoted to a big job in Japan. We meet several characters here and the relationships are spelled out. I felt there was too much time at the cocktail party and it became dull, as do some parties where you know no one.
Then there was a crash and a monster was tearing up midtown Manhattan. People were running and screaming. We follow four of the party goers: Rob, the cameraman, Rob’s brother Jason’s girlfriend, and Marlena, a girl the cameraman is interested in.
Shades of 9/11 as we see buildings crumble. The head of the Statue of Liberty lands on the street. It is a while before we see the creature, and even then, just glimpses. Rob wants to go rescue his girlfriend who is trapped in a building in midtown. Everyone tries to talk him out of it, but to no avail.
By now, the military has landed. I saw the creature several times and was repulsed and scared at the same time. We follow Rob and his friends through the tunnels of the subway where they are attacked by small, horrible creatures that came off the back of the big creature. They manage to escape, but lose one member, who explodes after being bitten -- really gross.
Cloverfield is totally different from anything else I’ve seen. The movie is intriguing in the filming, the way the small camera helps to build suspense and the way we live the horror, too. Cloverfield is not for the faint of heart or sensitive people who are easily scared. It’s too scary for anyone under 13 except the most hearty. There is bad language, no sex, and many scary scenes.

MEET THE SPARTANS (Running time: 84 minutes) 012808
Rated PG-13 Starring Sean Maguire, Ken Davitian, Carmen Electric, Method Man
Another spoof of other movies, Meet the Spartans spans the spectrum from truly
funny to truly gross. They take potshots at Brad and Angelina, American Idol, Gladiator, Troy, Paris Hilton and a host of other pop stars and icons.
We meet Leonides, King of Sparta (Maguire) and his wife, Queen Margo (Electra) just before they are going to be attacked by Xerxes and his men. Meet the Spartans is like an ancient Rome version of Scary Movie, but not as funny. There is gross bathroom humor.
Leonides gathers his men together to fight. When the men, dressed in gladiator outfits, got together, held hands and skipped along to the tune “I Will Survive”, I cracked up. Those bits and the take offs were funny, but the gross humor was not – mostly adolescent humor.
There is some bad language, no sex, but much innuendo, homosexual humor, and fake violence. I was in the theater with a school group from a local middle school. The whooped it up and thought the movie was hilarious. I rest my case.

27 DRESSES (Running time: 104 minutes)012108
Rated PG-13 Starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin, Akerman, Edward Burns
Brian Kerwin
It’s been a while since there has been an old-fashioned romantic comedy in the theaters. 27 Dresses is In Her Shoes meets any Harlequin romance. Jane (Heigl) is the good sister; Tess (Akerman) is the bad sister. Jane helped raise Tess after their mother died. She cannot seem to say “no” to any friend who asks for her help planning their wedding or requests that she wear some incredibly silly dress as a bridesmaid.
Jane is in love with her boss, George (Burns). Tess comes to town and steals the boss with a bunch of lies about who she really is. The sisters are secretly envious of each other and this unfortunate turn of events brings everything to a head.
While the characters are extreme: George and Jane are too good, Tess is too bad and Dad is too clueless, the scene where Jane models her 27 bridesmaid dresses for Kevin (Marsden) is priceless. The focus of the movie is on love, romance and weddings, so a scene of implied sex in a car, no matter how brief, seems out of place. There is also one female character known to be “easy” with strangers at weddings – thrown in randomly to get laughs.
Otherwise, 27 Dresses is fun for a cold winter afternoon for kids 12 and up and their parents. The themes of love, jealousy and self-esteem are too adult for eight-year-olds. Do you want to have to explain to your youngster what those people were doing in the car? If not, keep the young ones home.

MAD MONEY (Running time: 107 minutes) 012108
Rated PG-13 Starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson
I was pleasantly surprised by Mad Money. The dialogue was smart and funny. The idea of stealing the worn-out money about to be shredded at the treasury was a nice wrinkle that made their crime seem like an innocent act. Perhaps not a message you want conveyed to your child.
Don (Danson) loses his high-powered job in a down-sizing and, in no time, he and Bridget (Keaton) are hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Nina (Latifah) is a single mom struggling to make ends meet. Jackie (Holmes) is a space cadet who is tripping through life plugged into her music and tuned out.
This unlikely crew work at the treasury. They come together to steal the about-to-be-destroyed money without being detected. This money means that Bridget can keep her home, Nina can send her sons to a private school and Jackie and her husband can get a new mobile home.
The women become friends and bond in their good fortune. Of course, they do get found out, but escape punishment, though they get stripped of the money.
Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah play familiar characters, but Katie Holmes as the space cadet is terrific and hilarious. The movie is fun. Mad Money has no violence, no sex and little bad language. However, you will have to deal with the “crime does pay” message. If you go, take children 13 and older who understand this is a fantasy and won’t try to figure out how to pull off the perfect robbery by stealing the school lunch money.

FIRST SUNDAY (Running time: 96 minutes) 011408
Rated PG-13 Starring Ice Cube, Tracy Morgan, Katt Williams
From the TV advertisements, I expected the worst from this movie. For the first 45 minutes, that’s what I got. This Sunday is about two African-American men who are victims of their circumstances. One was a foster child and one was raised in a single-parent household.
All their lives, Durrell (Ice Cube) and LeeJohn (Morgan) have made bad choices. They have blamed everything on their circumstances. The only thing Durrell cares about is his son. When threatened with the loss of his son, Durrell and LeeJohn decide to rob a local church.
There is much silliness in the beginning, with Tracy Morgan going over the top to the point of becoming very irritating. Of course these two bunglers get caught by church members who use their faith to heal the boys and fix the situation. The underlying message of folks with bad histories taking responsibility for their choices and choosing to make things better comes across loud and clear. In addition the movie makes a strong point for forgiveness and help to those in need.
Ultimately, the movie pulls it out in the end. There is a gun, threatened violence, but no real violence, no sex and little bad language. First Sunday should be fine for children 12 and up, parents and grandparents, too – if you can get past the first half hour.

CHARLIE’S WILSON’S WAR (Running time: 97 minutes) 011408
Rated R Starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Granted, this movie is rated “R”, there is brief nudity, including the backside of Tom Hanks, there is bad language and lots of implied sex – including sex-for-hire – and drug references, but Charlie Wilson’s War is about one man getting things done in Washington. Everyone knows that you can’t get things done in Washington without money changing hands, sex, cocaine and bad language.
The movie zeroes in on one congressman, Charlie Wilson, a divorced rep from Texas. Wilson came from a fairly well-to-do district that didn’t need much from Congress. So Charlie spent years doing favors for other members and rising to a position of power on the appropriations committee.
The Russians invaded Afghanistan in the late 1980’s. Charlie’s patron and occasional lover, Joanne Herring (Roberts) is rich, powerful and a rabid anti-Communist. She pushes Charlie to get aid for the Afghanis who are being slaughtered by the Russians superior weapons and helicopters.
Charlie meets with Gust (Hoffman) a low-class CIA operative and together they manipulate and maneuver Congress, Pakistan, Israel and others to meet their end.
What I like about this film for teens 14 and older, is that it shows how some corruption can be turned around and used for the good. That people like Charlie Wilson, who may not have Moral Majority values, may still be principled and willing to do what it takes to bring about justice.
Based on a true story, Charlie Wilson’s War has relevance today; perhaps because the people who produced funding for a war were not willing to fund peace – to get Afghanistan on its feet again. This allowed the Al-Qaeda and other terrorist factions to move in and take over. Maybe this is why we had 9/11. Charlie Wilson’s War, a serious and entertaining movie is a don’t miss.

P.S. I LOVE YOU (Running time: 126 minutes) 010708
Rated PG-13 Starring Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler
I really hated this movie. It is so pretentious and depressing. What purports to be a romantic comedy told partly in flashback after the beloved husband dies, falls flat. First, Hilary Swank, a terrific actress, is miscast in this. She comes off as a whiny, selfish, worrywart – you know the kind, the one who always finds the fly in the ointment. She doesn’t appreciate her husband when he’s alive and after he’s dead, she canonizes him.
Ms. Swank and Mr. Butler have no chemistry. Mr. Butler is larger-than-life on the screen, dominating with his Irish charm and good looks. You wonder what he saw in Holly (Swank) in the first place.
Then there are her friends and family. They go to such great lengths to cheer her up and take her out. When her two best friends move their lives forward – one with a marriage and one with a pregnancy – Holly is so jealous she doesn’t return their calls for months. Not nice!
But it’s really the whole premise of the movie: that the husband, while dying of a brain tumor, arranges for a whole year of letters, trips and parties for his wife for after he’s gone that just doesn’t cut it in the first place. Add the fact that the movie is over two hours long and what tries to be a cute chick-flick becomes a maudlin, boring waste of time. P.S., I didn’t love it!
There is some bad language and one scene of implied sex between husband and wife, but no violence. If Swank can’t make you care about Holly, no one can. This is a “don’t bother” movie. But if you must, it should be okay for teens 13 and up who don’t mind watching Swank grimace and thinking about death for two hours.

THE BUCKET LIST (Running time: 97 minutes) 010708
Rated PG-13 Starring Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman
Speaking of death, The Bucket List is another movie that keeps death in the forefront for the entire movie. Two terminally ill men from completely different backgrounds spend their last days doing things they always wanted to do. The theme is positive and uplifting when they are off on their adventures. However, death is always looming, waiting in the wings for just the right moment. The movie never lets you forget that, because it doesn’t want to paint this as a wild frolic, but rather a finishing touch on a life. Their shared adventure creates a bond and friendship for a man who had no friends or family with a man who had warm relationships in his life.
Perhaps seeing both these movies in the same week compounded to double the dose of depressing end of life issues for me, but I felt weighed down by the combination. While this is a fine movie with excellent actors, I think the topic of facing the end of your life is inappropriate for children, even teens and ‘tweens, who are just beginning their lives.
There are sexual references, but no violence and some bad language. The Bucket List is okay for teens 14 or 15 and over, but best for adults only.

I AM LEGEND (Running time: 100 minutes) 121707
Rated PG-13 Starring Will Smith
I didn’t know what to expect with this movie. Everything was revealed slowly, you have to pay attention to get all the nuances, but that’s not a problem as I Am Legend is riveting.
The story begins with a cure for cancer that mutates into an unstoppable virus. The virus is spread by the air and by contact. Most of the people in New York get infected. But Will Smith, as a scientist, is immune. The virus turns people into rabid dog-like creatures who are vampire-like in that they can’t be out during the day.
Will Smith and his dog have survived. They hide away in a Manhattan townhouse, doing experiments and looking for a cure for the virus. The movie flashes back to the evacuation of Manhattan and then to a completely, eerily empty city, with weeds growing up through the pavement. It’s jarring to see such a vibrant city totally empty.
This is a terrific story. However, the infected folks are truly scary. They attack and scream and make your skin crawl just to look at. The concept that science could open a Pandora’s Box with a cure for one disease and create something that threatens the existence of man by mistake is also a bit frightening, but fascinating at the same time.
I Am Legend is a terrific movie to see with your children who aren’t prone to nightmares and are 11 or 12 and older. Even unflappable younger kids might not understand the concepts.

ALVIN & THE CHIPMUNKS (Running time: 91 minutes) 121707
Rated PG Starring Jason Lee
I was really expecting the worst with this movie. Fortunately it wasn’t as bad as I expected. First of all, it does have the chipmunk’s music, which is so much fun. Also, the story is not too adult, it’s pretty basic. The chipmunks fall into the lap of a frustrated songwriter who cannot sell his songs.
The chipmunks sing for him and he’s inspired to write their Christmas song, which is their best, of course. Then the movie bogs down as fame and fortune enter the scene. Of course, Dave (Lee) is their guardian and doesn’t like them to live without rules. They argue and he lets them go live with the greedy music producer who doesn’t care at all about them.
Interwoven in all this is a failed relationship with a woman. The chipmunks try to help out, but end up messing everything up. But it all works out in the end, as does their relationship with Dave and the greedy movie producer loses out. No surprise there.
With the computer animation there are lots of funny scenes with the chipmunks messing up the house, accidentally breaking things and so forth. The kids in the audience loved those scenes the best…and so did I. The story is ho-hum, but the chipmunks are so cute and lively that younger kids will get a kick out of this, even if they don’t understand everything.
Alvin and the Chipmunks should be fine for kids as young as six, who will laugh at the silliness, love the music and put up with the story. I have no idea why this is PG. It should be rated G.

THE GOLDEN COMPASS (Running time: 118 minutes) 121007
Rated PG-13 Starring Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Daniel Craig
To be able to follow this movie easily, you have to have read the book. I haven’t read the book and found that I had to concentrate on what was going on to understand everything. Even then, I was left in the dark on some aspects. I suppose those will be cleared up by a sequel.
The Golden Compass is a movie about children in peril. It’s frightening from the scary adults kidnapping children to the animal spirits of people, like the evil monkey or the battling bears. Despite the advertising, this is not a movie for children under 11 or 12 years old.
The story is fairly interesting, but the animation takes the cake. It was fantastic. The realistic animals and the idea of your spirit living outside your body, being embodied by animals was novel and intriguing.
The movie is dark with danger everywhere. Adults in the mainstream are not to be trusted. As for the underlying anti-religion theme, I doubt most children, even older ones, will get that. They are used to bad guys and good guys. That these bad guys dress like clergymen may easily go unnoticed by teens and ‘tweens. Repressive adults as bad guys are not new to children.
They live with and rebel against the pressure of conformity every day.

JUNO (Running time: 91 minutes) 121007
Rated PG-13 Starring Ellen Page, Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Alison Janney, J. K. Simmons
Wow! This is a great movie about teenage angst and the problems of teenage pregnancy.  Juno (Page), a 16-year-old, decides to have sex with her friend, Bleeker (Cera). Even though it’s only once, she gets pregnant. Now she has to deal with that and all the fallout that goes with it.
I loved this movie for the realistic characters portrayed. For example, Juno’s stepmother (Janney): obviously likes Juno, maybe even loves her, but their relationship is rocky – close one minute, arguing the next. Juno’s boyfriend, Bleeker, doesn’t really know what to say to her most of the time. He’s nervous and tentative about the pregnancy, obviously too immature to step up and yet caring enough not to desert her.
The dialogue is terrific: spare, quirky, colloquial yet perfectly descriptive of the feelings and actions going on. The movie confronts the difficult decisions a pregnant teen has to make. Juno finally decides to give the baby up for adoption. She finds what she perceives as the perfect couple and proceeds to forge a relationship with them. In the meantime, she undergoes all the negative attitude surrounding her pregnancy in school, with her friends and the administration. Her father (Simmons) initially disappointed in his daughter, steps up to the plate and is most supportive.
This is a very warm, real movie. There are human mistakes, bad attitudes, arguments, caring and support interwoven throughout the story. These are the most real characters I’ve seen for some time in a movie. Juno has talk about sex, implied sex, some bad language, no violence and many tender moments. It’s a terrific movie for teens, age 12 and up. This is an excellent movie to see with your teens, if they still do that. If not, see it on your own. It’s one of the best movies of the year.

ENCHANTED (Running time: 107 minutes) 112607
Rated PG Starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden
Enchanted is both funny and charming. It mixes animation and live action in the most intriguing way: what if animated characters came into our world. How would they react to us and how would we react to them?
The resulting reactions are pretty hilarious and touching at the same time. The story is one of the about-to-be princess who meets her prince. The evil queen doesn’t want to lose her reign in the kingdom to the young princess, so she gets rid of her, by banishing her to our world.
So what happens to the saccharin sweetness of our storybook princess when she comes in contact with the gruff cynicism of New Yorkers? What happens to those New Yorkers when they come in contact with her pretty sweetness?
There are many laughs for both children and parents in this delightful movie. The only sour note is the evil queen. She comes to NYC and becomes a hideous dragon. The movie tries to tone down the scariness of the dragon by giving her a relatively gentle voice and making her funny, but she is still a very scary figure and somehow doesn’t belong in this lovely movie.
I never understand why Hollywood has to scare the pants off kids. Enchanted is best for children nine or older or those who are not easily frightened. It’s great for parents and grandparents, too.

AUGUST RUSH (Running time: 113 minutes) 112607
Rated PG Starring Freddie Highmore, Keri Russell, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Robin Williams, Terrence Howard
This movie is about star-crossed lovers – two musicians – who come together in the 1990’s to be separated almost immediately. The young cellist finds she is pregnant. Her father gives the child away behind her back. He ends up in an orphanage.
I wondered why a baby in good condition wasn’t adopted. But never mind, logic doesn’t work here. So the boy grows up looking for his parents. I don’t like movies that hold out hope for adopted children that they can find their parents and be reunited into the family they have always dreamed of. I don’t think it’s a good topic for children. The fantasy created by this movie of a musical prodigy stumbling into Julliard, writing a rhapsody that gets played in Central Park and draws his parents to him like he said all along is too much baloney.
The movie was well done, but not my cup of tea. Robin Williams is good as a modern-day Fagin, earning his living from musical runaways who play in parks in New York City.
August Rush is a grim movie for adults, not for kids, regardless of the rating. Better to take the kids to see Enchanted. Runaway orphans don’t make for very cheerful holiday movies.

MR. MAGORIUM’S WONDER EMPORIUM (Running time: 109 minutes) 111907
Rated G Starring Dustin Hoffman, Natalie Portman
I was looking forward to seeing this movie, but I was disappointed. How could anyone with an imagination be disappointed? Because the movie didn’t know what to do with itself outside of special effects and the story was too grown up for kids.
The story is about the magical toy store and the two people who run it, Mr. Magorium (Hoffman) and Molly Maloney (Portman). All is well, the store is great, but Molly can’t compose the music she feels she was destined to compose. She’s been working at it, but she’s stuck. So now she thinks that maybe she’s not talented at all. Her confidence is shaken.
Is this the plot of a kid’s movie? The plot is obtuse, but the moving toys and the special effects are great. I’m sorry it isn’t in 3-D. Still, the movie bogs down with Holly’s problem and Mr. Magorium announcing that he’s leaving. He’s going to die and Molly, who doesn’t have anyone else, is frantic trying to keep him alive. Is this for kids?
This movie tries so hard to be cute and clever. If the movie concentrated more on the toys and less on being “fun” it might actually have been fun. But it was forced and contrived and really is more for adults. Such a disappointment. Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium is fun, in parts, for kids ages 8 and up. But kids should be about 11 or older to understand everything.

BEOWULF (Running Time: 113 minutes) 111907
Rated PG-13 Starring Anthony Hopkins, Angelina Jolie, Ray Winstone
Beowulf should be rated “R”; it is a very bloody, violent and scary movie. This is the first movie I’ve seen with realistic animation since Polar Express. It’s so good that you almost believe the people are real. I saw it in 3-D, which made it more exciting and more scary.
The story is a Middle Earth-type story from ancient literature. Beowulf, a born hero, comes to rescue this European town from some evil monster named Grendel, who looks like he doesn’t have skin. Grendel, being animated, can do more horrifying things than a flesh-and-blood actor can, like bite the head off of a warrior and eat it. This makes the action more exciting, but, especially in 3-D, it makes him more frightening.
The spears come right at you and the blood spurts everywhere. People are ripped in half, hung and flung against anything hard and spiked. And there are huge sea monsters with giant, threatening teeth.
The story of Beowulf is a good one. It’s engrossing. But the gore is significant. Despite the wincing, jumping out of my seat when something horrible was in my face and closing my eyes when things got scary, the worst part was that the movie was too loud. I had my fingers in my ears for the last third of the movie and could hear fine. The sound effects and the music, which was wonderful, were blasting from both sides of the theater. Bring earplugs.
Beowulf is violent and has implied illicit sex. It’s too frightening for anyone under 11 or 12, and better for older children. It’s visually stunning and the story is good. Can’t beat that 3-D effect!

FRED CLAUS (Running time: 116 minutes) 111207
Rated PG Starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Kevin Spacey, Kathy Bates
Fred Claus was actually better than I expected, because its heart is in the right place. The story of Santa’s, or Nick’s, older brother who couldn’t measure up to Nick, who became a saint and was highly revered by his mother, is a bit adult for kids. Kids who suffer from sibling rivalry may not understand all the rivalry Fred feels for Nick. But they might understand it when Fred says to Nick, “it would have been better for me if you had never been born…” or words to that effect.
On top of this serious story is some garbage about an efficiency expert at the North Pole who wants to shut down Santa Claus. How ridiculous! Then there is Fred as the perpetual screw-up because he’s jealous of Nick. And Willie, the elf, who is afraid to approach a girl who is twice his size. I would stop here except for one redeeming part to this movie.
Fred is put in charge of reading children’s files and stamping them naughty or nice, which will determine if they get the toy they wished for or not. Fred says the one important line in the movie, after stamping all the files “nice”, he says to Nick: “No children are naughty. Some have issues…” And then he goes on to explain a bit. I really liked that being said out loud.
Every year my boys displayed the worst behavior of the year during the two weeks before Christmas. I always felt that it was this naughty/nice pressure and the anticipation. Perhaps this part of the movie will relieve some of that for kids.
Otherwise the sets were beautiful and magical. The music and dancing were terrific. There was some fighting, but no serious violence. No sex and no bad language. Fred Claus should be fine for kids 10 and over who understand about siblings. It’s okay for parents, even if silly in places.

LIONS FOR LAMBS (Running Time: 88 minutes) 111207
Rated R Starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise
There is no reason for Lions for Lambs to be rated “R”, except that the issues discussed are quite adult.
This movie takes three groups of people, one in Washington, one in Afghanistan and one in California, and follows them during the same period. In Washington, a politician (Cruise) is manipulating the Mideast war to catapult himself into the presidency, while a journalist (Streep) is trying to sift through his words to find any truth or value.
The professor (Redford) is trying to talk a student into doing something worthwhile with his life. And the two former California students who joined the army are fighting to stay alive on a frigid Afghani cliff.
Lions for Lambs is an important movie that all teens and adults should see. It makes a case for the necessity of today’s youth to reach for more than a cushy life, to make changes in America so that we can all have a better life. While this is a tough message in a quiet, powerful, wordy movie, it is delivered beautifully. Its intelligence makes their message the more powerful. With some violence, no sex and no bad language, this adult movie is perfect to see with your kids 12 and older.

BEE MOVIE (Running time: 84 minutes) 110507
Rated PG Starring Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zelleweger, Matthew Broderick
Bee Movie is the perfect blend of educational information about bees and hilarious Seinfeld comedy. Seinfeld creates the story of Barry B. Benson, a bee who is not satisfied with the standard bee jobs. He leaves the hive to find adventure and breaks the cardinal bee rule, “don’t talk to humans,” by speaking to a pretty florist, Vanessa (Zellweger).
Barry and Vanessa spend time together, teaching Barry about the world. All is well until Barry sees jars of honey on the grocery store shelves. He finds out that humans have been stealing honey for years. So he sues the humans to stop.
The courtroom case is hilarious. Barry wins and the honey is returned to the bees. But then the bees don’t have to work and make honey anymore. Without bees gathering nectar, no pollination is happening. The results are catastrophic. Barry and Vanessa make it okay.
Not a preachy or didactic movie, Bee Movie, is charming, funny and informative. Just a spoonful of honey makes the bee facts go down so smoothly that you don’t even know you’re learning. I adored this movie. And it’s great to have a movie out there that is fine for children as young as five or six. They won’t get all the jokes, but they’ll understand most of what is going on. With no violence, bad language or sex, Bee Movie is excellent for adults of all ages, too.

MARTIAN CHILD (Running Time: 108 minutes) 110507
Rated PG Starring John Cusack, Joan Cusack, Oliver Platt, Bobby Coleman
I will admit that I am a big fan of John Cusack. But that didn’t matter here. Martian Child, taken from the book by the same name. It is the story of a successful widower who adopts a child with emotional issues. David (Cusack) goes out of his way to deal with Dennis (Coleman) a boy who insists that he’s from Mars. In reality, he has been emotionally abused and abandoned by his parents.
David is a well-known science fiction writer who admits that he was a misfit in his childhood, too. He identifies with Dennis and is a sympathetic parent. But it’s important to be a parent, not a friend, especially to this child who needs stability in his life.
David is watched closely by the agency that will or will not approve the adoption. The journey for Dennis and David is two steps forward and one step backward. The movie’s pace is slow as it examines the growing relationship up close.
This is a grown up movie about a child. But it is very well done. It unfolds slowly taking time to draw the main characters in more than one dimension. It’s thoughtful, creative and interesting. It isn’t a smooth and simple road to adoption; there are bumps along the way.
While there is no violence, bad language or sex in this movie, there are adult situations and discussions of parenting, which may be too mature for children under 11 or 12 years old. It’s captivating for adults of all ages, especially those who didn’t feel like cookie-cutter kids.

DAN IN REAL LIFE (Running time: 95 minutes) 102807
Rated PG-13 Starring Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook
Dan in Real Life is the warmest, funniest, low-key comedy this fall. Surprise -- Steve Carell can act! He plays Dan, a widowed father of three girls who writes a column about parenthood and family life for a living. His teenage daughters give him a hard time, but he seems like the perfect parent.
When the family drives to Rhode Island for a weekend with Dan’s parents and siblings, he gets some space from his girls by browsing in a local bookstore; Dan meets a beautiful woman named Marie (Binoche). It isn’t just loneliness here. He finds a woman he can talk to for the first time in four years, since his wife died.
Dan returns home with mixed feelings as his new friend confided that she is in a new relationship. At home, Dan’s brother introduces the family to his new girlfriend – it is Marie from the bookstore.
Now the struggle begins. Dan is conflicted. He loves his brother, but he keeps falling more in love with Marie over the course of the weekend. Dan in Real Life is a wonderful portrait of a loving, three-generational family. The push-and-pull among all the parents and children, the loving teasing, the family sports and games play against Dan’s agony to make it all real.
Dan in Real Life is a great movie for parents and teens to see together or separately and talk about as it addresses adult issues and teen issues with parents. There is one punch thrown, no bad language and some sexual references. It should be fine for ‘tweens 13 and over. I loved Dan in Real Life, don’t miss it.

LARS AND THE REAL GIRL (Running Time: 106 minutes)102807
Rated PG-13 Starring Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson
The advertising makes Lars and the Real Girl look like a really weird movie. At first it is, and then it becomes the sweetest, most poignant movie I’ve seen this year.
Lars (Gosling) is 27 years old. He lives in a small garage apartment of the house he grew up in. His older brother, Gus (Schneider), lives in the house with his pregnant wife, Karin (Mortimer). Lars is disconnected from people, unable to communicate much.
There is a sad story that goes along with Lars. Though emotionally damaged Lars has the desire to have a normal life. In a desperate attempt to have a relationship, he buys an inflatable sex doll called “Bianca” and treats her as if she were a real girl. His family is horrified. The local psychiatrist in this small, northern US city says that Lars is having a delusion.
The love and understanding that flows to Lars from the townspeople is what this movie is all about. It is a beautiful, touching, funny story – so original, so human. There is no violence, no sex, or bad language. Perhaps it’s rated PG-13 because the story requires adult understanding. Lars and the Real Girl is a lovely movie about true caring in a quiet way. It should be fine for sensitive children 13 and over who can see Lars from a more adult perspective. Great for all adults.

THE COMEBACKS (Running time: 84 minutes)102107
Rated PG-13 Starring David Koechner, Carl Weathers, Matthew Lawrence
Some satires are funny. This one is not. Even Scary Movie had many funny moments. The Comebacks does not. While it purports to be a story about a coach who always loses, who is a jinx, who is too stupid to keep from making idiotic mistakes, but not too stupid to keep getting hired, it is really just a crashing bore.
With characters you don’t care about, world’s dullest dialogue, tired gags and gimmicks, The Comebacks becomes a leading contender for worst movie of the year. Why is it that this year we will have more candidates vying for that dishonor than we will have for best movie of the year?
The coach bombs out in baseball and gets recruited to coach a losing football team in an obscure Texas town. Of course he accepts. The movie abounds with body parts jokes and gags and sexual humor that isn’t funny. Each set up is more trite and hackneyed than the one before. There is nothing original or funny about The Comebacks.
Even the story about the losing team pulling together and winning the championship game has been done a million times. The acting is almost as bad as the script.
There is gag violence, sexual humor, and little bad language. The Comebacks should be okay for kids 12 and up who are up on sports and go to the movies; otherwise they might not get all the “jokes.” This is one you might want to let the kids see on their own.

TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Running Time: 76 minutes)102107
Rated PG Starring Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara
The Nightmare Before Christmas has been re-released in Disney 3-D. This stop-motion animated movie has become a classic. It’s back in 3-D, which makes it better than ever.
Nightmare is the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King who lives in Halloweentown. He is the head of all the scary creatures that live there. They spend their lives scaring humans on Halloween. After a successful Halloween, Jack isn’t satisfied. He’s restless.
Wandering around bemoaning his fate, he stumbles down the door of Christmastown.
There he discovers another world filled with love and laughter instead of shrieks and screams. After kidnapping Santa Claus, Jack returns to Halloweentown determined to take over Christmas. But, of course, when witches, goblins and ghouls make gifts, they turn out to be shrunken heads and life-threatening snakes.
This highly original and fanciful stop-action animation – not computer animation – took two years to film. While it is magical and clever, it is also quite scary in parts. The movie is part musical, with characters breaking into song. The ten original songs are written by the musical genius, Danny Elfman. In fact, he even sings all Jack’s songs.
I don’t know when I’ve had such a delightful and entertaining hour and fifteen minutes in the movies, especially in 3-D which makes it all come alive. Many of the images are too scary for children under 9 or 10 and sensitive children of any age. There is implied violence, but no blood, no sex and no bad language. Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is a charming movie for parents, grandparents and children to enjoy together.

ELIZABETH THE GOLDEN AGE (Running time: 114 minutes) 101507
Rated PG-13 Starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen
Why couldn’t history be taught like this? If my world history teacher had explained British history this way I would have been all ears instead of fast asleep!
This story of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen, and how she survived assassination plots and full-fledged naval attacks is fascinating. The court intrigue with secret messages being slipped out of jails, crosses and double-crosses all in the name of power are behind this strong and intelligent Queen. Her henchmen kept her alive and in power.
The King of Spain hated Elizabeth because she was a protestant while he was a catholic. So he set a trap and then used it as a justification to attack England by sea. While all this is going on, Elizabeth is knighting Sir Walter Raleigh and falling in love with him, even though she can’t do anything about it. Behind her back, but not in a mean way, he falls in love with her most favored lady-in-waiting.
While Elizabeth is secretly pining for Raleigh, he gets the lady-in-waiting pregnant and they marry in secret. When Elizabeth finds out, she is devastated and angry. She banishes the lady and has Raleigh arrested. But when the war nears, she frees him. He becomes one of the key players in winning the war.
I can’t be sure that everything in this movie is according to history and, in fact, it has probably been tampered with to make a more exciting movie. Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a wonderful look back in time. There is violence, torture, blood, slight nudity, one sexual situation but no bad language. This movie should be intriguing for parents, grandparents and children age 11 and up who can understand the intrigue.

TYLER PERRY’S WHY I GOT MARRIED (Running Time: minutes) 101507
Rated PG-13 Starring Tyler Perry, Janet Jackson, Jill Scott
I love Tyler Perry’s movies, their strong moral compass and humor. This is one of his best. Why I Got married focuses on four couples. Every year they go away for a couples vacation. Each couple has their own persona, their own relationship and problems. Perry presents these slowly. Everything begins to unfold as people arrive at the beautiful house they rented in the Colorado Rockies.
Some problems are obvious, but most are not. They are symptoms of a deeper disagreement or misunderstanding. Perry, writer, director and producer, keeps things unwinding until we get to the real heart of everyone’s discontent or miscommunications.
I loved the characters. They are all different yet all devoted to each other. Janet Jackson’s character, Patricia, is a psychologist. She helps the women cope with the difficulties. She provides exercises to help people find their way through marital troubles.
This movie is honest and moral. There is much discussion of infidelity and some infidelity among the couples, though not with each other. Each couple is likeable in a different way. Tyler Perry’s Why I Got Married is an adult movie, but good for teens. It shows some of the insides of marriage. There is no violence, sex or bad language. There is frank discussion of sexually transmitted disease and infidelity. Why I Got Married should be of interest to teens 15 and up and all adults. I really enjoyed it.

FEEL THE NOISE (Running time: 87 minutes) 100807
Rated PG-13 Starring Omarion Grandberry, Zulay, Henao, Victor Rasuk
A 21-year old hip hop wannabe, Rob (Grandberry), living in New York City when he gets into trouble with a gang. To save his life, his mother sends him off to live in Puerto Rico with his father. The young musician didn’t know that his mom even knew where his father was. He goes reluctantly.
The new family includes his father, step mother and a half brother, Javi (Rasuk), who is also into music. The two boys bond and begin to make music together. The stilted plot includes a girl and her jealous boyfriend. He makes trouble for Rob’s family.
Rob discovers that his father was a musician. He learns the story of why his family broke up when he was a toddler. He can’t forgive his father but develops sympathy for his mother.
The story is trite. The music is okay. There are drug references, smoking pot and a short sex scene. I found the movie shallow and the characters unconvincing. Even the music didn’t move me, which is unusual. For example, the trouble with the gang is for attempting to steal hubcaps from the gang leader’s car. Somehow, I doubt that a gang leader is going to want revenge for that months later. It’s just another unconvincing part of Feel the Noise.
There are many undulating female bodies, some violence, sex and bad language. Overall, I found the characters unappealing, unsympathetic and the movie boring. It should be okay for teens 15 and older who don’t have any homework they could be doing instead.

THE SEEKER, THE DARK IS RISING (Running Time: 94 minutes) 100807
Rated PG Starring Alexander Ludwig, Ian McShane, Frances Conroy
If you’re afraid of snakes, don’t see this movie. There is one scene with lots of snakes. The Seeker is taken from a best-selling novel by Susan Cooper. It is an interesting science fantasy story with a few similarities to the Harry Potter series.
We open in a charming English town, following an American family living there while dad teaches. There are six boys and one girl in this family. It is Christmas holiday break. Will (Ludwig) is about to turn 14 when he is approached by four of the townspeople. They tell him that he has been selected as The Seeker, to protect the Universe from The Dark.
Will has to find six “signs” to defeat The Dark, which is represented as a warrior on a horse. But The Dark has many tricks up his sleeve. So Will, aided by the foursome goes back and forth through time, finding signs and mixing it up with The Dark, then returning to the family activities.
This is a lovely film. It is intriguing and warm. The family relationships are imperfect but loving – like most families. The story, while not overly suspenseful, is captivating as Will struggles with the insecurities of teen years and the heavy burden of saving humanity.
There is violence but no sex and no bad language. The time-travel scenes are striking against the quiet appeal of the English village. The story has some frightening black birds and snakes that could create nightmares in younger children. The Seeker should be fine for kids 9 and up who aren’t easily scared and their parents, too.

THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB (Running time: 105 minutes) 100107
Rated PG-13 Starring Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Hugh Dancy, Amy Brenneman
I confess that I am a rabid Jane Austen fan. But even if you’ve never read any of her books, you can still enjoy The Jane Austen Book Club, because the movie is about people and relationships. The book club motif is just a device to get the characters together once a month.
The movie begins with Jocelyn (Bello) losing her most beloved dog. Her friends decide to form the book club to have an excuse to get together with her monthly as a supportive move. Bernadette (Baker), Sylvia (Brenneman) and Jocelyn are the core members. They each then recruit one additional member.
Sylvia recruits her grown lesbian daughter, Jocelyn recruits a young man she meets in a hotel elevator (Dancy) and Bernadette recruits Prudie, a young woman she meets at a Jane Austen movie. This is the core group of characters. Other characters, like Daniel, Sylvia’s husband, move in and out of the group.
The movie is not about the Jane Austen books, but about relationships. While interesting analyses are made of the books, each month we see what happens in the lives of each of the club members. One marriage splits up. One relationship is formed. There are many changes.
There are references to sexual infidelity, an almost teacher-student affair, lesbian sex. There is no violence but some bad language. This is a very grown up movie. It’s warm, funny and moving. The Jane Austen Book Club is a good movie to see with older teens, perhaps age 15 and up, who will understand the nuances and gray areas of life.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (Running Time: 131 minutes) 100107
Rated PG-13 Starring Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson
Across the Universe chronicles the psychedelic, counter culture of the late 1960’s Baby Boomers through the music of the Beatles. Some might call this a musical, but not in the traditional sense. In fact, there is nothing traditional about this movie.
The story begins in Liverpool, so appropriate for the Beatles! A young man named Jude (Sturgess) leaves his deadly dull blue collar job to go to sea. He jumps ship in America. There he meets Max (Anderson) and Lucy (Wood), brother and sister from an upper class family.
The movie follows them through the stormy times of the Viet Nam War, drugs, hippies, psychedelic music from Greenwich Village, the whole scene. Famous figures are thinly disguised: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendricks, John Lennon, Yoko Ono. War protests and the death of Martin Luther King are also included.
Characters in tense or happy situations start singing Beatles tunes that relate to the story. The pictures, some live, some animated are surreal at times to go along with the music. The effect is dazzling. It creates the feel of creativity, drugs, confusion and music coming together.
The singing and dancing are appropriate to the scene and wonderful to watch. It’s not easy to recreate those terrible and wonderful times, but Across the Universe succeeds.
The movie has violence, some nudity, implied sexual scenes, marijuana use, drinking and smoking as well. If you have teens 15 and over who want to know what it was like then, take them to see Across the Universe. It’s a stunning experience, both joyous and sad.

SYDNEY WHITE (Running time: 90 minutes) 092407
Rated PG-13 Starring Amanda Bynes, Sara Paxton, Matt Long
Snow White goes to college. Even the names are similar: Sydney White (Bynes) and Rachel Witchburn (Paxton), for example.
Sydney is a girl whose mother died when she was nine. She was raised by her dad, a plumber, and his construction crew. She’s a tomboy, a good student and completely unpretentious. She goes off with a scholarship to attend the same university as her mom did and join the same sorority. ..or is she?
Things have changed at Kappa. Now the young women in charge are materialistic, appearance-obsessed meanies. Sydney does her best to fit in, but jealousy over her popularity, especially with a certain boy, defeat her.
Humiliation doesn’t stop Sydney. After being tossed out in the rain, Sydney is saved by the group of seven dwarfs…rather geeks and nerds, who live in the broken-down house next door. Once our Snow White has met her dwarfs, or Sydney White meets her seven dorks, the movie kicks into high gear.
Sydney bonds with the sweet guys who take her in. She appreciates and accepts their differences. She campaigns against the Greeks to get her dorks elected to the student council. Sydney White takes several steps up when Sydney goes out to win over the disenfranchised students who are also outsiders. The message transcends the popular “take down the mean girls” message. It places more emphasis on acceptance of all different groups. The unification of the dorky masses prevails.
While Sydney White is somewhat predictable, it is warmer, funnier and nicer – besides having the most positive messages about doing for others – than other “mean girl” movies. There is a little violence, some verbal sexual references and some bad language. But Sydney White is a charming movie with a great message and should be fine for sophisticated kids 11 and up and parents, too.

THE GAME PLAN (Running Time: 110 minutes) 092407
Rated PG Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kyra Sedgwick, Roselyn Sanchez
I must confess that I like The Rock. He’s a very likable actor; his movies are entertaining, and have meaningful messages. What’s so likable about him? He’s funny because he makes fun of himself -- so unpretentious and endearing.
The Game Plan is one of his best movies yet. It’s hilarious because it skewers sports stars who think they are the center of the universe. The script is snappy and the story is warm-hearted.
The Rock plays Joe Kingman, huge quarterback football star of a Boston football team. Joe has it all, is in perfect control of his universe until a little 8-year-old girl, who claims to be his daughter, walks into his life.
I saw this movie in preview with a mixed audience, parents and children. The kids loved the gags on one level and the parents loved them on another. I really enjoyed this movie. I can’t reveal more about the story without giving away several plot twists. The story gets serious for the last third of the movie, but all ends happily. Even with several adult issues, The Game Plan is a delightful family movie. There is no violence, sex or bad language. The movie should be fine for children 9 and above. Three cheers for The Rock for his family values.

MR. BEAN'S HOLIDAY (Running time: 90 minutes)091007
Rated G Starring Rowan Atkinson
We have been Mr. Bean fans for years, but this movie is his best. Mr. Bean, the man for whom Murphy’s Law was invented, is lucky enough to win a trip to Cannes, the beach on the French Riviera, in the middle of a rainy English winter. And he won a small video camera he can use to chronicle his trip. He is thrilled.
Mr. Bean is a comedy in the old-fashioned sense in that there is hardly any dialogue. All the humor is visual. He’s a little bit of Charlie Chaplin and a little bit of Buster Keaton but all brought up to date and modernized.
Mr. Bean’s troubles begin right away, on the train to Cannes. He gets in the wrong cab, makes a man miss the train, stranding his son. Bean feels responsible and now attempts to shepherd the son to Cannes to meet up with his dad.
Everything goes wrong. He loses his wallet, his passport, the boy and on and on. But Mr. Bean never loses his spirit. He comes up with all sorts of ingenious ways to continue on, each one funnier than the one before.
We went to see Mr. Bean with our 15-year-old son and we all loved it. Mr. Bean’s Holiday is fine for children from 6 to 96. He’s truly funny with no violence, bad language, sex or anything objectionable. I highly recommend Mr. Bean as the perfect family movie to put a smile on everyone’s face.

SUPERBAD (Running Time: 114 minutes) 091007
Rated R Starring Jonah Hill, Michael Cera
What can I say about the raunchiest movie of the year? I’m so tired of body parts language and getting drunk substituting for humor. If sex and drinking are the only preoccupations of high school seniors, we might all just jump in the lake now because our future is doomed.
The first half of the movie was just tired and stupid. Perhaps anyone over 30 won’t really find any of this funny. As the movie went on, there were two policemen introduced who were the funniest part of the movie, perhaps because their behavior was so contrary to what the public thinks of as appropriate police behavior.
The part I objected to the most was the way the girls were portrayed: as total sex objects with no personalities or feelings at all. Or at least that’s the way the boys regarded them, except Evan (Cera) who actually respects the girl he has a crush on.
The scenes of the kids having a party where everyone was getting drunk, throwing up and making out were familiar to me. That part seemed real, because I have a long memory. The rest of the movie was one man’s fantasy taken over the top. I must say, shock for shock’s sake isn’t funny. Neither is gross or stupid or silly.
There is some violence, tons of sexual talk and sexually charged scenes. Plus an amazing amount of bad language, like every other word. My teenage sons loved it. Perhaps that says it all. Not recommended for anyone under 15 or over 21.

THE NANNY DIARIES (Running time: 106 minutes) 082707
PG-13 Scarlett Johanssen, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti
While the best-selling book, The Nanny Diaries, was purported to be a comedy, I thought it was a sad story because it isn’t totally fiction. The movie has the same comic/tragic feel to it.
While the story shows the wealthy, Upper East Side Manhattanites as monstrously selfish, cold and superficial and we’re laughing at their ridiculous behavior, we’re crying when we see the relentless loneliness of their son.
You may think these upper crust women couldn’t possibly behave so badly, I believe – don’t know first hand – that they come close to this scathing profile. In the movie, the kids are brought up by nannies who are taken advantage of, overworked and resentful. The kids act out because they really want the attention of their moms.
And the fathers are no better. The dad, Mr. X, is portrayed as a workaholic, self-obsessed, adulterous, lout. He’s bad-mannered, bad-tempered and rarely home. What about the nannies? They are mostly foreigners trapped in these dead-end jobs where they have no voice and no prospects for anything better.
The movie was very faithful to the book, until the end. The end is totally different than the book. That’s a shame, because the book doesn’t need any improvement and the ending the moviemakers invented cheapens the story and reduces its power. The message from this movie is money isn’t everything. You can be rich and totally miserable. Perhaps in today’s world, where so many are chasing the brass ring without concern for the cost, this movie makes an important statement.
There is no violence, no bad language, and a little implied sex. The themes are often adult, although Annie the Nanny (Johanssen) learning life lessons will be clear to kids age 12 and up. A fine movie to see with your children; it may spark some interesting discussions about wealth, privilege and responsibility.

RESURRECTION OF THE CHAMP (Running Time: 113 minutes) 082707
Rated PG-13 Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Josh Hartnett, Alan Alda
Resurrection of the Champ started out slowly. It appeared to be a typical story, newspaper journalist, trying to live up to Dad’s reputation, can’t write well, needs to get that “big story” to be successful. While it was doing that I was a bit bored.
But then when the big story blows up, the movie gets really interesting. Then the layers peel back and you get to see what is really going on with the characters.
This young journalist’s (Hartnett) life is falling apart. His boss doesn’t respect his writing. He is separated from his wife and his young. By chance he meets a homeless guy who says he’s a long lost champ (Jackson). The journalist sees the potential of a big story, which he sells to the editor of the magazine on the newspaper instead of his boss.
Then everything blows up: lawsuits are threatened, his son is humiliated in school and everything collapses, the journalist realizes that he has to embrace the truth.
I like this movie because the lesson to kids about the importance of telling the truth is forcefully conveyed. There is violence, some bad language, but no sex. The movie is adult and should be good for children 13 and older.

RUSH HOUR 3 (Running time: 90 minutes) 082007
PG-13 Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker
As much as I love the “Rush Hour” franchise, I must say I was disappointed in this installment. It wasn’t just that Mr. Chan is getting too old to do all his stunts himself; he still did a remarkable number of fight scenes and stunts. The action was just as exciting as always. It’s Chris Tucker who turned me off. He has become so shrill, loud, silly and stupid that I could hardly watch him. The good banter they had is now either tired or too hostile.
The one character that stole the film was the French cab driver. Carter and Lee got him involved in their caper. The reluctant cab driver rose to the occasion and was hilarious. The sex, which was always slap and tickle, got too graphic with near nudity with chorus girls. There was one “almost” sex scene in the movie also.
The story was standard issue “Rush Hour” with a Chinese plot that Carter horns in on to help Lee. These plots are wearing thin, but the action is non-stop. The funniest part was the outtakes. If you’re looking for a cool place on a warm day to see some exciting scenes and pass an afternoon with your children aged 13 and up Rush Hour 3 will keep you breathless.

THE LAST LEGION (Running Time: 110 minutes) 082007
Rated PG-13 Starring Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley
This action adventure in the same vein as The Sword and the Stone, is very exciting and action-packed. Colin Firth – forever Mr. Darcy of Pride and Prejudice to me – is the protector of nine-year-old Romulus Augustus, the last Caesar or Emperor of Rome. Romulus is taken prisoner on the isle of Capri, where he is rescued by Aurelius (Firth), a wily legionnaire and awesome warrior. With the help of his teacher, Rolulus manages to escape and get to Brittania.
There, Aurelius searches for the “Last Legion” to help him go back to Rome and defeat the Goths. But there are big fish to fry locally. The action is exciting, the relationships restrained. I didn’t expect to like this movie but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot had more to it than most of this genre. The writing was fairly good and the acting superb. The battles were exciting.
There is plenty of violence in The Last Legion. People get maimed and there is some blood. Romulus survives to see his parents killed before his eyes. There is a little implied sex, but nothing explicit. No bad language.
The story ends up with Caesar’s sword, the Excalibur, in the stone and the legend turning into the legend of King Arthur. The Last Legion will provide an exciting afternoon for parents and kids aged 11 and up.

DADDY DAYCAMP (Running Time: 93 minutes) 081307
Rated PG Starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lochlyn Munro, Richard Gant
This sequel to Daddy Day Care has none of the charm of the first one, this plot has been recycled a few times before, in fact, and there were camp movies, like Meatballs, about goofy day camps.
Daddy Day Camp begins with the same fathers, played by different actors, buying a share in a broken-down day camp. This is the camp that one of the dads went to. It made him feel like a failure, so, of course, he’s going to send his son there.
There were so many illogical, unbelievable and just plain silly things happening in this movie. Bathroom humor and vomiting are substitutes for humor. The best part is the rapport between the retired military grandfather working with the kids like they are army recruits. There are some gooey father-son-grandfather moments, too.
But there are too many clichés, pat answers and unoriginal scenes. There is some violence. No bad language or sex. If there is absolutely nothing to do, your air conditioning is broken and the temperature is over 90 degrees, Daddy Day Care will at least get you out of the heat.

THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM (Running time: 120 minutes) 081307
Rated PG-13 Starring Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn