Currently browsing the "Family Fare" tag.

The Muppets

It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights… Oh, nostalgia take me away! I grew up with the Muppets and have fond memories of them. So when I heard there was a new Muppet movie coming out after all of these years I was excited to relive a little bit of my childhood. But I was also worried that it wouldn’t live up to my Muppet memories. Let’s face it, most things from our childhoods rarely do. But I am happy to report that The Muppets are just as fun now as they were back then.

Real Steel

Real Steel is essentially Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots (those of you of a certain age know what I’m talking about) with Hugh Jackman. And you know what? I’m okay with that. I can see why this movie is number one at the box office for the second week in a row. It’s a fun movie that’s got heart.

Little Fockers

Little Fockers could very well ride the Focker franchise to a modicum of box office success – despite the fact that it pretty much sucks. I was embarrassed for the likes of Robert De Niro, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman, though Streisand and Hoffman do appear only briefly in this sequel, as the hippie parents of Stiller’s character, Greg Focker.

Megamind

Megamind is megafun – for both kids and adults. I took my “seven-year-old excuse to go see animated movies” and both he and I laughed out loud at parts. He was so enthusiastic that before we even left the theater he asked when it was coming out on DVD.

Secretariat

Secretariat is good, solid family fare from the company that knows the genre well – Disney. It’s a sweet, simple, root-for-the-underdog message movie that manages to maintain some level of tension and drama despite the fact that we all know how it ends. If you don’t know how it ends, then I apologize for the spoiler. Don’t tell the kids.

Ramona and Beezus

I loved Beverly Cleary books growing up. And now I remember why. They are filled with heart and humor and mischief and extremely relatable characters… especially if you’re a young girl, or used to be. So it came as a relief to see the essence of the books preserved in the big-screen version of Ramona and Beezus, even if it did feel – a lot – like a Disney Channel movie.

Toy Story 3

I took my nephew to see Toy Story 2 back in 1999. He was three years old, and loved the movie (as much as a three-year-old can. He was a tad squirmy back then but the movie definitely resonated with him, and me.) Fast-forward ELEVEN (!!) years, and we returned to the same theater for Toy Story 3. And thank goodness, this Pixar sequel did not disappoint. Like the original Toy Story, and its first sequel Toy Story 2… Toy Story 3 is more than just a good animated movie. It’s a good movie period. That’s because it works on so many levels, for kids and adults, with a great ensemble cast, a relatable story, humor, poignancy, action.

The Blind Side

Simply put: If you liked Jerry Maguire or Antwone Fisher (both excellent films, by the way) then you’ll definitely like The Blind Side. It’s not so much a movie about football as it is a movie about human kindness, defining family, overcoming adversity, and beating the odds. In other words (if you’re a sap like me), bring Kleenex.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

It shouldn’t come as any big surprise to Chickflix fans that Fantastic Mr. Fox has made its way onto our friendly little blog. After all, it stars the voice of George Clooney. And sure enough, listening to George Clooney for an hour and a half is almost as entertaining as watching him. On second thought, watching him is still way better. But as an animated flick, Mr. Fox does deliver.

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

My six-year old co-critic and I are agreeing to disagree on this one. He gives it an enthusiastic thumbs up. Me, not so much. Don’t get me wrong; I am a big fan of animation. I’ll even go to see an animated movie without a kid in tow. But this is not one I’d recommend to adults who aren’t accompanying little ones. The jokes meant for the adults in the audience just aren’t that clever and I wasn’t really amused by much except for Scrat. He’s the crazed squirrel who’s been chasing the elusive acorn through all of the Ice Age movies and in this one, it seems like his dogged pursuit is finally halted in the name of love when a wily, female squirrel, Scratte, arrives on scene.