This movie review column for parents and grandparents is written by Jean Joachim
UPDATED APRIL 21, 2009
DON'T MISS THE 2008 BEST & WORST LISTS BELOW.
Recommended classic DVDs that are fun for kids and parents alike listed below.
What a great movie for kids of all ages! I just loved this movie. The story of a teen juggling two lives: one as a rock star and one as a regular teenager – is as charming as Miley Cyrus herself. Hannah/Miley is a quiet girl in school who comes alive on the stage, where she is a great singer with tons of fans.
Her publicist goes into overdrive, scheduling Hannah for appearances in New York when she is supposed to go to her grandma’s birthday celebration in Tennessee.
Hannah/Miley struggles to live two such different lives. Her dad, played by her real life dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, hijacks her to Tennessee. There she gets in touch with her roots, her old friends and family. Miley realizes that she cannot deny who she really is.
The music is outstanding in Hannah Montana: The Movie. You will be dancing in your seat to hip hop and country. The messages are great, too. The countryside, horses and family feeling make this a warm and loving movie. Margo Martindale is excellent as the no-nonsense grandma who guides the motherless girl in the right direction.
The theater was packed with kids as young as five or six. Since the movie is short, the music is delightful and the comedy is visual, everyone can enjoy it. I am breaking my rule that young kids don’t belong in movie theaters to say that you can take a five-year-old (one who can sit for 99 minutes) to see Hannah Montana: The Movie with no problem. And you will enjoy this one, too. It’s a “don’t miss”!
I was dreading this movie. It is the live-action version of the animated TV series, Dragonball Z. Those TV programs drove me screaming from my living room. But the live-action version was better.
The movie is about Go-Ku (what a name!) who is trained by an old master who he considers his grandfather. The old master emphasizes restraint and doing the right thing. Go-Ku is strong and quick, but he promised his father that he wouldn’t fight the kids in school. So when the bullies corner him at a party, all he does is dodge and they end up knocking each other out. I like that message: if you just get out of the way, these guys will do themselves in.
The movie has a complicated plot about an ancient demon and collecting all seven Dragonballs to get a special wish granted. The fighting is cool and the special effects are dazzling. The evil guy is scary with a green head and a vicious temperament.
Of course Go-Ku saves the day and gets the girl. At the end, the green-headed guy is not dead, leaving room for a sequel. Dragonball: Evolution was painless. It has good messages, lots of violence, no blood, no sex and no bad language. It should be fine for martial arts aficionados age 10 or 11 who can follow the plot. Don’t leave when the credits start, there is a little more to the story.
I was privileged to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D in an IMAX theater. But even without eye-popping add-ons, it is a terrific movie.
The main plot is about how the monsters are saving the world from aliens. The subplot is about Susan, who is irradiated into a giant, and her relationship with her vain, selfish fiancé. The monsters are not really monsters, but look like lovable stuffed animals come to life. They are funny and determined, if not typical heroes.
The one scary thing and the reason for the “PG” rating is the giant robot. He is pretty big and pretty scary, trying to stomp our heroes to death. The head alien is silly-looking and funny, too. There is violence with the monsters and the military shooting the aliens, but there is no blood. The alien army men just crumpled on the floor when shot.
There is humor both for children and adults. I really enjoyed this movie. It is amusing, clever and fast-paced. Monsters vs. Aliens is the perfect distraction for your kids or grandchildren ages seven and up on a rainy spring Saturday afternoon. Tag along; you’ll enjoy it.
This Washington, D.C. political thriller mixes elements of real cases with fiction very effectively. Cal (Crowe) is a dogged reporter working on one murder when another one crops up. The second murder has political implications involving a congressman who was Cal’s college roommate. Cal is torn between searching for the truth and protecting his friend.
The plot takes twists and turns including questionable practices of a big corporation, congressional hearings, homeless druggie teens, a romantic triangle and a tough Editor (Mirren). The complicated plot, violence and murder and sexual innuendo make State of Play best for teens, 13 and over.
The performances are outstanding. This is a great movie to see with your kids. It might spark some lively discussions about outsourcing military tasks, how far should good reporting go and where does loyalty stop?
Not knowing what to expect with this sleeper, I was pleasantly surprised. Bart Got a Room is a coming of age movie about the trauma of finding just the right date for the senior prom. Danny (Kaplan) is a nerdy Jewish boy who has a girl, Camille, for his best friend.
He was going to ask her to the prom, but his male friends are pushing him to take a “hotter” date to the prom. They tell him that it is the biggest night of his life and he needs to have that “hot” prom picture to commemorate it.
In the meantime, Danny is adjusting to the break-up of his parents, two quirky, fabulous characters (Macy and Hines) who are crazy but devoted to their son. Danny tries to figure out who would be “hot”. He screws up the courage to ask out a hot date, but each time the situation turns to disaster.
With Danny’s hormones running wild, fantasizing about one girl after another, in addition to trying to find a prom date, he gets caught in the middle of his parents launching their new social lives. No child wants to know anything about his parent’s sex life, but it seems that Danny can’t avoid it.
Each catastrophe is more hilarious than the one before. Bart Got a Room, a warm, funny movie about an imperfect but loving family, has a sweet ending. There is no violence, one scene of implied masturbation and some bad language. Sex is a pervasive theme, making Bart Got a Room, inappropriate for anyone under 13 or even 16. The film is best for teens facing senior prom dilemmas and parents who can relate.
No matter what you say about the plot of Fast & Furious the opening scene is one of the most incredible and complicated stunts involving cars and trucks ever. Also the re-pairing of Vin Diesel, one of my favorite action actors, and Paul Walker brought back the magic of this series.
Dom (Diesel) and Letty (Rodriguez) are living in a foreign country, stealing and being outlaws. Dom gets word that the Feds have found him, so he parks a load of cash with Letty and moves on alone to protect her. She ends up with the wrong crowd and is murdered. Now this becomes a revenge movie.
John (Walker), working for the Feds, meets up with Dom accidentally as both are out to get the same drug lord. They work together again, gritting their teeth the whole way. The car chases are fantastic with stunt drivers maneuvering cars in ways I never knew possible.
The movie is truly Fast & Furious, with never a dull second. There is violence, people get shot, but there is little blood. There is one pre-sex scene and a little bad language. Although Mr. Diesel isn’t much with dialogue, he fills the screen with his power. Fast & Furious, the fourth in this series and perhaps the best, should be fine for kids 12 and up. I enjoyed it.
BEST AND WORST MOVIES OF 2008
BEST 10 FOR: Kids 12 and Under
1. Horton Hears a Who - Dr. Seuss still rules. He’s unbeatable!
2. Spiderwick Chronicles – Wonderful adventure live-action/animation mix.
3. High School Musical 2: Senior Year – For sheer exuberance and gorgeous music and dancing!
4. Igor – For originality and humor.
5. Forbidden Kingdom – Jackie Chan and Jet Li in one spectacular movie.
6. Fly Me to the Moon – Another original, funny, historical tale.
7. Kung Fu Panda – So much heart and great messages.
8. The Long Shots – Another inspirational story.
9. The chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: A great story and continuing saga.
10. Space Chimps – So cute and mixes science, history and humor.
BEST 10 FOR: Kids 12 and older
1. The Dark Knight – An amazing movie, dark, riveting, surprising, moving
2. Mamma Mia – An incredibly joyful noise!
3. Iron Man – Brilliant and engrossing
4. Be Kind, Rewind – Makes you laugh hysterically and cry soulfully.
5. High School Musical 2: Senior Year – Joy, joy, joy!
6. Eagle Eye/The Express – Tie - Wildly exciting (#1) and totally inspiring (#2)
7. Wall-E – Original, funny, pointed as only Pixar can make.
8. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – Rousing, fun adventure.
9. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 – Another good episode in the series.
10. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – He’s back and still smokin’!
WORST TEN MOVIES FOR EVERYONE
1. Lakeland Terrace – The most mean-spirited movie in decades!
2. Drillbit Taylor – There aren’t words bad enough for this wasted movie, bad writing, acting, messages – waste of film.
3. Henry Poole is Here – pointless, meaningless, long, slow and boring
4. Jumper – Stupid, silly and superficial. No one cares!
5. The Spartans – slow, silly, stupid/Disaster Movie – also slow, silly and stupid.
6. Don’t Mess with Zohan – and don’t see this movie, either. Just Adam Sandler showing off and being gross for his friends again. (see Bedtime Stories – his best movie in years)
7. The Love, Guru – When will Mike Myers give up these silly, gross characters and just go away?
8. The Incredible Hulk – terrible messages and ridiculous premise.
9. Vantage Point – See the same scenes eight times and you’ll head for the door, too!
10. Cloverfield – I got dizzy with the hand-held camera and annoyed that I couldn’t see what was going on.
