Cast: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie), Ned Beatty (Lotso)
For complete info, see IMDb's Toy Story 3 page.
I'm a huge fan of Pixar, so I'll see anything they do as soon as possible on the big screen. Naturally, I had to see Toy Story 3 in IMAX 3D while it was still available, which didn't give us much time before Eclipse opened.
Toy Story is one of my favorite animated movies and I enjoyed Toy Story 2, but Toy Story 3 was the only one of the series that got me to tear up near the end. I liked Toy Story 3 more than the second movie and will definitely be there for Toy Story 4 if they make it.
I know John Lasseter will never allow them to make a Toy Story movie without a great story and Toy Story 3 definitely lived up to my expectations. If you haven't seen it, I definitely recommend checking it out. Pixar knows how to make animated movies adults will enjoy as much as kids and they're keeping that tradition alive with Toy Story 3.
Grade: A
Labels: 2010, adventure, animated, comedy, Disney, family, Joan Cusack, movie, Pixar, Tim Allen, Tom Hanks
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:21 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Rachel McAdams (Clare Abshire), Eric Bana (Henry DeTamble)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Time Traveler's Wife page.
I loved the book, so I had to see the movie even though I didn't expect it to be very well done. I was pleasantly surprised. They did a great job with The Time Traveler's Wife adaptation. A few story lines were completely eliminated, but that's to be expected any time a book is made into a movie. I don't think anything major was changed and the changes they made seemed to work well for the movie. I missed some of the plot lines, but I understand why they had to be cut due to time constraints.
The special effects were done a lot better than I'd expected. The disappearing and reappearing happened a lot more slowly than I'd imagined it and it looked really neat in HD. I definitely recommend renting this in Blu-ray if you have it.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, adaptation, book, drama, family, fantasy, movie, romance, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Mia Wasikowska (Alice), Johnny Depp (Mad Hatter), Helena Bonham Carter (Red Queen), Anne Hathaway (White Queen)
For complete info, see the IMDb Alice in Wonderland page.
I love Tim Burton, but perhaps I had heard too many good things about this Alice in Wonderland. I'm glad I didn't spend a ton of money to see it in IMAX 3D. Seeing it in 3D was nice and there are parts of the movie that are visually stunning, but it wasn't nearly as good as I expected from Tim Burton. Wonderland gave him so many opportunities to shine - perhaps I expect too much of Tim Burton at this point. I'm a huge fan of his work, so maybe I needed to look at the movie a bit differently.
I like what they did with the story and found it interesting. The cast was great, of course, and it's definitely worth seeing this Alice in Wonderland in 3D if you like 3D movies. If not, renting it would work, too.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2010, adventure, Anne Hathaway, comedy, family, fantasy, Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Anika Noni Rose (Tiana), Bruno Campos (Prince Naveen)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Princess and the Frog page.
This is the best non-computer animated movie Disney has put out since they first partnered with Pixar to make the amazing computer animated films. It's also the first Disney movie I bothered to see in a theatre that was not made by Pixar for ages. I don't have children, but I worked for Disney and I've always loved animation. Bolt was the first non-Pixar movie by Disney I truly enjoyed in years.
The Princess and the Frog has the first African American princess and one of the first hard working Disney princesses in a long time. I guess since Mulan, though she wasn't technically a princess. There have been a few other Disney princesses who didn't wander around looking for a guy to solve all their problems, but none of them has had as much spunk as Tiana. I loved the main character and the story had some cute twists and turns that made it a bit different from the typical story of the princess and the frog where she kisses the frog and he turns into a prince - end of story.
The animation was very well done, the story and music are great, the voice talents are wonderful... If you haven't seen The Princess and the Frog yet, it is still in a few theatres and I recommend catching it. If not, rent or buy it. I'll definitely own it on Blu-ray disc.
Grade: A-
Labels: Anika Noni Rose, animated, comedy, Disney, family, magic, movie, princess, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kay Panabaker (Jenny Garrison), Naturi Naughton (Denise Dupree), Megan Mullally (Ms. Fran Rowan), Bebe Neuwirth (Ms. Kraft), Debbie Allen (Ms. Angela Simms), Kelsey Grammer (Mr. Martin Cranston)
For complete info, see IMDb's Fame (2009) page.
When I heard they were going to remake Fame, I was worried that they might use too much of the original and try to copy the movie. Thankfully, they didn't do that. The new movie is a different group of (mostly unknown - at least to me) actors playing the students and teachers that (for the most part) people will recognize. I'm glad Debbie Allen was in the movie, since she was in the original movie and the TV show based on the original movie. Clearly, her part isn't nearly as focal as it was in the TV show, but I liked seeing her in the new movie.
The cast is a very talented group of performers and I think they did a good job selecting everyone for the movie. The music is very good and almost all a different style - even the remake of the song Fame, which had to be included in the remake, was very well done and updated.
If you like the performing arts, I definitely recommend renting this one. Do you need to see it in a theatre? No, but it wouldn't hurt. It's a fun movie. It's not quite as good as the original or the TV show, but that's to be expected. As long as you're not expecting it to be the most amazing movie you see, I think you can enjoy the movie and the performances.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, comedy, dancing, drama, family, movie, musical, remake, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Dwayne Johnson (Jack Bruno), AnnaSophia Robb (Sara), Alexander Ludwig (Seth)
For complete info, see IMDb's Race to Witch Mountain page.
I'm sure I would have enjoyed this movie more if I'd seen it in a theatre. The special effects were very well done and even on Blu-ray disc, you can't quite recreate the movie theatre feel without a projection screen and I just have a large LCD HDTV.
I wasn't too impressed with what they did for the story. Perhaps it's been too long since I saw the original Disney movie, but I thought the kids in the original were actually kids, not aliens using the bodies of kids. Maybe I should see if I can find the original on the Disney Channel to check out that story line.
In any case, the movie was worth renting, but not as good as I think it could have been. The special effects are very well done and the movie has a good cast.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2009, adventure, Disney, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, family, fantasy, movie, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Steve Wilson (Caractacus Potts), Kelly McCormick (Truly Scrumptious), Zachary Carter Sayle (Jeremy Potts), Aly Brier (Jemima Potts)
For complete info, see the official Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tour page.
Perhaps it's because I wasn't a huge fan of the movie or because I expected very little from the stage musical version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but I thought it was a cute show. The car was really amazingly designed. The music isn't very good, but it's not as bad as I expected. I talked to a friend who saw it and she ranked it among her 5 worst shows of all time. It's not even close to mine. Of course, she hasn't been unfortunate enough to see The Black Rider, 3hree, and the other horrible shows I've seen over the years.
I think if you go without expecting much, you can enjoy the predictable and sappy story. The cast is great, the car is amazing, and the costumes and the rest of the sets are very well done.
Don't expect it to be the best show you've ever seen, but I don't think it'll be too high on the list of the worst shows, either.
Grade: C
Reviewed by Kat at the 6:30 PM show | 2 screams
Cast: Ryan Reynolds (Michael "Mr. D" D'Angelo), Andrew Robb (Dylan Warner), David Paymer (Matt Warner), John Astin (Stormin' Norman Warner), Kate Vernon (Ellie Warner)
For complete info, see IMDb's School of Life page.
I watched School of Life on Netflix instant and probably wouldn't have seen it any other way. I'd never heard of it, but I like Ryan Reynolds and figured it was worth watching. I was very pleasantly surprised. Apparently, School of Life was released in theatres in Canada. I don't think it would have done well in the US in a theatre, but it is a cute movie. The story of a new teacher being instantly popular and helping other kids get along is amusing and the cast is great.
If you missed this one, it's worth renting or watching on Netflix instant.
Grade: B
Labels: 2005, Andrew Robb, comedy, drama, family, John Astin, Ryan Reynolds, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Owen Wilson (John Grogan) & Jennifer Aniston (Jennifer Grogan)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Marley & Me page.
I read the book Marley & Me before seeing the movie, since I tend to prefer the books to movies. I think they did a good job selecting what to keep and what to cut out of the movie of Marley & Me. Clearly, not everything from the book could make the cut, but I think they did a very good job with the story. I was a bit surprised that they made John someone who hadn't had a dog before, but I can understand cutting out the sad opening of the book. I don't think that would work as well in the movie - especially the way it was marketed for the holidays.
If you enjoyed the book and are willing to accept that changes have to be made when making a movie, I think you'll like the movie. If you haven't read the book, Marley & Me is definitely a good heartwarming movie and well worth renting.
Grade: B
Labels: 2008, animals, book, comedy, drama, family, Jennifer Aniston, movie, Owen Wilson, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ed Asner (Carl Fredricksen), Christopher Plummer (Charles Muntz), Jordan Nagai (Russell)
Another winner from Pixar. I saw an article somewhere that said with this release Pixar has proven they can do no wrong. I think they had proven it a few movies ago. They haven't had a single movie I haven't enjoyed (okay, so I didn't think Cars was the best movie in the world, but I still own it).
Up is definitely worth seeing in digital 3D if possible. There's really no better way to see a Pixar movie.
The story of Up is surprisingly touching. I didn't expect to get teary in yet another Pixar movie. Since I was very close to crying in WALL-E, that makes two Pixar movies in a row that had me emotionally involved enough to tear up. It's amazing how much they can make me care about animated characters (human and robot, alike).
I don't want to spoil the movie, but it goes without saying that I recommend seeing it in a theatre, preferably before it leaves the digital theatres, so you can see the best possible quality film.
Needless to say, John Ratzenberger appears in this Pixar movie, too. All Pixar fans know they'll hear him at some point in every Pixar movie.
3D movies seem to be the in thing now. I was amazed by all the 3D previews. Of course, I'm already to see the original Toy Story re-released in 3D this October, so it obviously makes sense for them to animate (or re-render) in 3D.
Grade: A
Labels: 2009, 3D, animals, animated, Christopher Plummer, Disney, Ed Asner, family, John Ratzenberger, movie, Pixar
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Travolta (Bolt), Miley Cyrus (Penny), Susie Essman (Mittens), Mark Walton (Rhino)
For complete info, see IMDb's Bolt page.
Bolt is the best non-Pixar animated movie I've seen released in years. This is by far the best Disney animated movie created for a long time. Having seen some of the really horrible animated movies Disney has released in the last few years, I was amazed at how well Bolt was done! It's clear that John Lasseter (head honcho of Pixar, now running all of Disney's animation department) is having a positive effect on Disney's Animation Studios. The only animated movies I've seen in a theatre in recent years are all the Pixar movies (the last one being WALL-E). If this is a sign of things to come from Disney, I may occasionally see a regular Disney animated movie in a movie theatre now. A couple years ago, I would have never thought I could think a Disney movie made without Pixar would be worth putting near the top of my rental queue, let alone seeing it on the big screen.
Bolt is a great story, it's well animated, they have amazing voice talents... It's definitely a must see movie. If you missed Bolt in theatres (and I don't blame you, Disney's animated movies had been horrible lately), rent it and enjoy. Thankfully, Bolt was released on Blu-ray, so the quality of watching it at home is better than many movie theatres would have had.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2008, animated, comedy, Disney, family, fantasy, John Lasseter, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jack Black (Po), Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), Angelina Jolie (Tigress)
For complete info, see IMDb's Kung Fu Panda page.
To be fair to Kung Fu Panda, I have to say that I don't like live action Kung Fu movies (at all) and point out that perhaps that's a requirement for enjoying Kung Fu Panda to the fullest. I had heard such great things about the movie that I was pretty bummed I couldn't see it on the big screen. I did, however, see it on Blu-ray Disc on my pretty big TV, so it wasn't much of a downgrade. Though I'm glad I rented it, I'm not at all sad that I missed seeing it on the big screen. In fact, if I'd paid to see it in a theatre, I might have felt ripped off.
Perhaps the problem I have with most animated movies is that I compare them all to Pixar movies. I realize this isn't fair to the other movies, but Pixar has set the standard and this year's WALL-E was totally amazing. All other animated movies pale in comparison, but with all the positive comments I heard about Kung Fu Panda I expected it to be closer to the quality of Pixar's movies than it turned out to be.
That being said, I even enjoyed Disney's Mulan a lot more than I did Kung Fu Panda and I think Disney movies are a much more fair comparison. If you like animated movies and enjoy Kung Fu movies, I'd definitely recommend renting this one. If not, you might want to consider putting it pretty low on your rental list.
Grade: C+
Labels: action, adventure, Angelina Jolie, animated, comedy, Dustin Hoffman, family, Jack Black
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:45 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Emma Watson (Pauline Fossil), Yasmin Paige (Petrova Fossil), Lucy Boynton (Posy Fossil), Emilia Fox (Sylvia Brown)
For complete information, see IMDb's Ballet Shoes page.
I loved all the books by Noel Streatfield when I was younger and I enjoyed the TV adaptation of Ballet Shoes. Clearly, it's mostly geared towards children (as is the original novel), but if you loved the books, I definitely recommend taking a look at this TV movie. The cast is great and the story is followed well.
Grade: B
Labels: 2007, ballet, dancing, drama, Emma Watson, family, movie, TV
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Zac Efron (Troy Bolton), Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella Montez), Ashley Tisdale (Sharpay Evans), Lucas Grabeel (Ryan Evans)
For complete info, see IMDb's High School Musical 3: Senior Year page.
This Disney movie was exactly what I expected. The dance numbers were well choreographed for the big screen and (though I initially planned on renting this), I'm glad I went to see High School Musical 3: Senior Year in a theatre with friends on Veteran's Day. If you enjoyed the first two High School Musical movies, you've already seen this, I'm sure. I definitely recommend checking it out, though. They did a good job with their first big screen movie.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2008, comedy, Disney, family, movie, musical, romance, Zac Efron
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:10 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (David), Bobby Coleman (Dennis aka the Martian Child), Amanda Peet (Harlee), Sophie Okonedo (Sophie), Joan Cusack (Liz)
For complete info, see IMDb's Martian Child page.
I didn't really know what to expect from this movie, since Ic try not to watch many previews once I know I want to see a movie and I'll watch anything with John Cusack. I didn't realize that the movie was based on a book, but I've added it to my long list of books I want to read.
Martian Child is a touching story about a boy who believes he's from Mars and the man who adopts him. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, in spite of the one glaring error they made when they made the movie and were trying to give Dennis some more characteristics that set him apart from the typical child. It bothered me throughout the movie that this boy who was extremely intelligent (as they mention and demonstrate several times in the movie) and who thinks he is from Mars (perhaps he is, I won't spoil that for you) would think he needs a weight belt on Earth to hold him down, since the gravitational pull on Earth isn't strong enough. They got the sun part right (he always wore his sunglasses and sunblock and said the sun was too bright), but the last time I checked the reason the Earth has a brighter sun than Mars is that it's closer to the sun. Earth's mass is also greater and when you combine these two things together, they mean that the gravitational pull is stronger on Earth than Mars. If the gravitational pull on Mars were stronger, you'd weigh more on Mars. You weigh more on Mars than you would on the Moon, but you still weigh significantly less on Mars. I know they kicked Pluto out of the planet list, but I'm pretty sure Mars is still closer to the Sun than the Earth.
I definitely recommend renting this movie if you missed it in theatres. It deals very well with the obstacles faced when a child is abandoned and has to cope with foster homes and the idea of being left behind.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Amanda Peet, Bobby Coleman, drama, family, Joan Cusack, John Cusack, movie, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ben Burtt (WALL-E & M-O), Elissa Knight (Eve), Jeff Garlin (Captain), Fred Willard (Shelby Forthright, BnL CEO), John Ratzenberger (John), Kathy Najimy (Mary), Sigourney Weaver (Ship's Computer)
For complete info, see IMDb's WALL-E page.
Another wonderful movie from Pixar! I see few movies in theatres these days (thanks to my great new TV and Netflix, I'm not missing much). I try to see those I want to see that are released in IMAX and those with special effects I know will look better on the big screen, but I often don't find the time. I always make time for Pixar movies and (as always) I'm glad I saw WALL-E in a theatre and I'll gladly see it again in a theatre if anyone I know wants someone to go with them to see it. It's possible that this will end up being my favorite Pixar movie, which is saying a lot.
It's amazing that a movie with so little dialogue (nothing is spoken for a LONG time and once there is speaking, there is very little until near the end) can be so captivating and engaging. If you would have told me that the relationship between two robots (one which reminds me a lot of the robots in Star Tours at Disneyland and Short Circuit) could involve me enough to where I'd get a bit teary at one point, I would have thought you were nuts. WALL-E is such a great story that I was completely involved in the outcome throughout the movie.
Everyone coming out of the movie (young and old) seemed to love it. I can't remember seeing such a wide range of people who loved an animated movie (even one by Pixar) - ever. WALL-E is wonderful and I can't recommend it enough!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2008, animated, comedy, Disney, drama, family, John Ratzenberger, movie, Pixar, romance, sci-fi
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Josh Hutcherson (Jess Aarons), AnnaSophia Robb (Leslie Burke), Zooey Deschanel (Ms. Edmunds)
For complete info, see IMDb's Bridge to Terabithia page.
I haven't read the book Bridge to Terabithia, so I can't compare the movie to the book. However, the movie was very well done. Parts of the plot really surprised me, I won't give them away in case you have't read the book either. Definitely not a movie (or book) for younger kids, but a very well done movie that older kids and adults can enjoy together.
If you missed Bridge to Terabithia in the theatres, I definitely recommend renting it.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2007, adventure, AnnaSophia Robb, drama, family, fantasy, Josh Hutcherson, movie, Zooey Deschanel
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner, Richard Kind, Greg Cipes
For complete info, see IMDb's The Wild page.
This movie was really cute and definitely worth renting if you have kids or like animated movies (or, if you love Kiefer Sutherland's voice). It was entertaining and had a good cast and a decent story line. I can't really explain why I liked it more than Madagascar, but I definitely thought The Wild was more entertaining.
Grade: C+
Labels: 2006, adventure, animated, comedy, family, Kiefer Sutherland, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Ben Barnes (Prince Caspiam), Georgie Henley (Lucy Pevensie), Skandar Keynes (Edmund Pevensie), William Moseley (Peter Pevensie), Anna Popplewell (Susan Pevensie), Tilda Swinton (White Witch)
For complete cast information, see IMDb's The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian page.
I've enjoyed the way Disney has done The Chronicles of Narnia so much that it's too bad they won't make all 7 movies. I will definitely own all the movies they make on Blu-ray DVD someday (just need that Blu-ray DVD player... and I'll probably wait until they put the deluxe edition out after all movies have made it to Blu-ray).
Not surprisingly, I'm glad I saw The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian the first weekend it came out. I wanted to see it on a big screen and before the film decomposed at all. Unfortunately, there were still a few issues at the end/beginning of reels.
They did a great job bringing the story of Prince Caspian to life. The actors playing the Pevensie children did a great job again (and they're even more attractive now - Disney lucked out as much as the Harry Potter people did. The kids are really cute and you just never know how kids are going to look as they grow up... Since I loved the C. S. Lewis books (and have enjoyed them as an adult when I re-read them before The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was released in 2005), I can't judge the movies as someone who isn't already in love with the stories. However, I think if you enjoy fantasy movies that this is a great series to explore. If you missed the first movie, rent that first, then go see Prince Caspian.
The quality of this movie has proven that they're going to take the time and spend the money to make sure that each installment of the series is wonderful. I'd guess they'll only do 4 or 5 of the 7 books, but I will be there in theatres to see each movie (hopefully the week they come out), which is saying a lot - I don't see many movies in theatres any more. With my new HD LCD TV, why mess with theatres and the annoying other people with cell phones that go off, etc.? I'm sure this will be even more true once I switch to Blu-ray. Already, the quality is very good.
Heck, if I knew someone who really wanted to see this movie, I'd go to a theatre to see it again. That's saying something for someone who doesn't bother with movie theatres much any more. I highly recommend catching The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian before it leaves theatres. I'm sure it'll be there for a while, so you have time. If you liked the first one, you have to see this one in a theatre!
Grade: A
Labels: 2008, action, adventure, Anna Popplewell, Ben Barnes, Disney, drama, family, fantasy, Georgie Henley, movie, Narnia, Skandar Keynes, William Moseley
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Julie Andrews (Narrator - voice), Amy Adams (Giselle), Patrick Dempsey (Robert Philip), James Marsden (Prince Edward), Susan Sarandon (Queen Narissa), Timothy Spall (Nathaniel), Idina Menzel (Nancy Tremaine), Rachel Covey (Morgan Philip)
For complete info, see IMDb's Enchanted page.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Enchanted. It looked really cute, but I didn't want to get my hopes up too much, even though Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz did the music and the cast was wonderful. Enchanted far exceeded my expectations of a cute Disney movie that I'd want to see once. The music is wonderful. The characters are completely lovable. Although they used aspects of almost every main Disney princess story (the apple and hag from Snow White, story book intro & ending used in many, the carriage and shoe from Cinderella, etc.), I thought the overall feel was very much like Sleeping Beauty, my favorite Disney movie. Perhaps that's why I enjoyed Enchanted so much.
I highly recommend renting Enchanted if you missed it while it was in theatres. It's on my list of movies I need to own on Blu-ray DVD (when I get a Blu-ray player) and it's one of the few movies I watched twice before returning it to Netflix.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, adventure, Amy Adams, animated, comedy, Disney, family, fantasy, Idina Menzel, James Marsden, Julie Andrews, movie, Patrick Dempsey, romance, Stephen Schwartz, Susan Sarandon
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams