"Penelope" is a fairy tale. In fact they start the movie with..."Once Upon a Time." I guess it was supposed to be a modern day "Beauty and the Beast" but the film just doesn't work.

James McAvoy plays the one guy who gets to know Penelope for who she is and he actually grows to like her. But Penelope runs away from home and becomes a media celebrity and decides she can live with the pig nose. At least for awhile.

Reese Witherspoon is one of the producers of the film. She was originally going to play Penelope but then decided to take the smaller role of a woman who becomes Penelope's first friend out in the real world. The best acting in "Penelope" is done by Catherine O'Hara, who plays Penelope's mother.

There were a lot of high school and college-aged girls in the theater I was at and they laughed and giggled throughout the movie. But I have no idea what they were laughing about. The story is very slow and they aren't any great jokes or funny situations. Maybe they were just giggling at James McAvoy.

"Penelope" is rated "PG." It's definately a family film that tries to deliver a good message but fails miserably. The movie was made in 2006 and was supposed to be released in theaters in 2007. Now it's out on DVD following a disappointing performance at the box office earlier this year.  

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Penelope" only gets a D+.

So instead of spending money to rent "Penelope" save it in your piggy bank for a rainy day and a better movie.

It's a smaller film with some big-name stars, and it's from a major studio: New Line Cinema. "Be Kind Rewind" may not be on your "must see list", but if you're a true movie fan, and you like to laugh, it should be.

Danny Glover stars as Mr. Fletcher, the owner of a video rental store, name Be Kind Rewind, that only carries VHS movies. So obviously the store isn't doing a great business.

When Mr. Fletcher takes some time off so he can spy on the competition, and learn about things such as DVD's, he puts his young employee Mike in charge. Hop Hop singer Mos Def plays Mike.

Jack Black plays Mike's wacky friend Jerry, who accidentally erases all of the video tapes in the store. And so in order to stay in business Mike and Jerry shoot their own versions of the movies, including "Ghostbusters", Rush Hour 2", "Robocop" and "The Lion King."

Soon the store is jammed with customers wanting to see Mike and Jerry's tapes. But will they make enough money to keep the store from being shutdown by the city which wants to turn their block into condominiums?

Black, Def and Glover are all great and the films the guys make are hilarious (click here to see some of the movies). There are some fun supporting performances as well, including Mia Farrow, who plays one of the video stores most loyal customers.

"Be Kind Rewind" is a fable, a fairy tale. If you don't take the plot too seriously and simply enjoy the fun you'll have a great time. 

It's rated PG-13 for some minor sexual references but other than that it's a movie that older kids and teenagers will enjoy and parents will love.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Be Kind Rewind" gets a B+, my highest grade for any movie so far this year.

"Persepolis" was the third film nominated for Best Animated Feature last year (along with "Ratatouille" and "Surf's Up"). 

The movie comes from a graphic novel, written by Marjane Satrapi. The story follows her life as a young girl growing-up in the country of Iran from the late 1960's to the early 80's. This was a difficult time in Iran because of wars and the country's leaders, who were not kind to the people. We get to know Marjane and her family as they try to deal with many tough situations.

"Persepolis" is a foreign language film. So make sure you get a good seat so you can read the subtitles, unless you know French. This was my first experience with subtitles in a theater and it wasn't very difficult to read and follow the story at the same time. I know some people don't like subtitles but it would be a shame to miss a good foreign film because you didn't give it a try.

The best things about "Persepolis" are the story and the basic, but very effective, hand drawn animation. The movie is a graphic novel come to life. More sophistificated animation simply would not have worked. 

And there is plenty of humor in the film, especially in the first half when Marji is a young girl.

"Persepolis" is rated PG-13 because of violent images of war and death and other adult themes. Most kids probably won't be interested in seeing it, but those who are also need to be good readers. 

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, the Oscar-nominated "Persepolis" gets a B. 

Nickelodeon and Paramount team up to bring one of the newest, popular children's book series to the big screen. The result is "The Spiderwick Chronicles", which provides much of the excitement and wonder of the books, with plenty of changes.

Freddie Highmore plays twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace, who move into their Aunt Lucinda's old house, along with their sister Mallory and their mom. On the first night in their new home Jared finds a book in an old crate called "Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You." The book describes creatures such as Brownies, Fairies, Goblins and Sprites that the author says live all around us. And once Jared opens the book the creatures start appearing around the house.

The meanest of these creatures is Mulgrath. He wants the book and all it's secrets so that he can take over the world. So, with the help of a good Brownie and Hobgoblin, the Grace family fights to save the book and themselves.

There are five books in the "Spiderwick" series and, not surprisingly, the writers of the movie were forced to make many changes to the script, including keeping most of the action at the house, eliminating Book 4 altogether and changing the ending. So if you've read the books be prepared. But there's also a lot that stays the same, such as the rhyming of Thimbletack, the seeing stone and the overall plot, so fans of the series shouldn't be disappointed.

The movie has great visual effects. The monsters are amazing. In fact, they're too real for very young kids. There are some intense scenes that I'm sure led to nightmares for the younger kids that were at the screening I attended. Parents - keep this in mind!  

The acting is solid. Mary Louise Parker plays the mom, while Nick Nolte and Joan Plowright also appear.  

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" gets a solid B. This is the first time that I read the book that a film was based on before seeing the film. I enjoyed the "Spiderwick" book series more but the movie is still worth seeing and should be a big hit.

"Honeydripper" is the latest film from writer/director John Sayles who was actually born not far from where I live. He attended the showing of the film I was at the other night and I actually got to meet him! (more on that in my blog).

The movie is a fable, set in Alabama in the 1950's. It tells the story of the owner of a nightclub (played by Danny Glover) whose business isn't doing very well. He needs to attract more people to The Honeydripper so he invites a popular radio star, Guitar Sam, to play at the club. But Sam gets sick, so the owner has to come up with a new plan, that includes a young musician,  just out the Army, who has wandered into town.

There are other colorful characters in "Honeydripper", including the co-owner of the club (played by Charles Dutton) and a blind guitar player who pops-up all over town and plays a major role in the lives of the key characters.

Sayles shows us a little about what life was like for many black people in the South during this time. But mostly "Honeydripper" is entertaining. The movie is funny, the acting is outstanding and the music is great.

"Honeydripper" is not your usual kids/family film and therefore it may not be your first choice of what to see. But for those interested in this time in American history, those studying music or anyone who likes a good story with interesting characters this film is a must see.

"Honeydripper" is rated PG-13 for one, brief violent scene and some mild language.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card,  "Honeydripper" gets a B. It's a small film but it has a lot of big things to say. Hopefully it's showing in a theater near you. 

Ahoy Mates!

No, it's not yet another "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. Instead, set sail for my review of "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie."

The film comes from the people behind the Veggie Tales videos and 2001's "Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie." But this story does not come from the Bible. The plot involves three friends who work as busboys at a pirates theater show who must go on a quest to save a prince and princess who are captured by real pirates. The trio are played by Veggie Tales regulars, including Larry the Cucumber and Pa Grape.

The unlikely heroes must overcome their fears and lack of confidence and pull-off the daring rescue. Along the way they meet some interesting characters and learn some valuable lessons.

I've never seen any of the Veggie Tales videos or "Jonah" so I didn't know what to expect from "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything." Veggie Tales fans should really like this edition, though the usual religious themes have been left out. The movie is funny, but not laugh out loud funny. There are a few likeable songs and the animation is basic but it works.

As you would expect the movie is rated G. There's nothing in it that would be bad for anyone. It's geared for the 4-8 year old age group, but older kids, and even adults, will find it enjoyable.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: A Veggie Tales Movie" gets a C+.

And be sure to chekc-out the very funny music video, "Rock Monster", which includes all the Veggie Tales characters including Bob the Tomato, who got squeezed out of the movie.  

We haven't seen much of The Chipmunks since their 1980's TV cartoon. And you've never seen them like this. Alvin, Simon and Theodore are on the big screen for the first time in "Alvin and the Chipmunks."

Jason Lee stars as David Seville, a songwriter who's having trouble coming-up with good songs. One night the three Chipmunks get into his house and Dave discovers that not only are they messy, but they can talk and sing. Dave figures out that if he can get the Chipmunks to sing his songs they'll all become famous!

And it works. But Dave's agent (played by David Cross) only cares about using the Chipmunks to make a lot of money. He takes them away from Dave and forces the trio to work too hard. So it's up to Dave to save them.

There are a lot of musical numbers in "Alvin and the Chipmunks", including Chipmunks classics: "The Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song" (Christmas Don't Be Late), and there's versions of new songs such as "Bad Day." All the songs are excellent. The sold-out crowd at the showing I was at cheered after "Funkytown".

"Alvin and the Chipmunks" is a lot of fun. The CGI animation is great - the Chipmunks look pretty real. Overall, the movie is very entertaining even though the plot is rather simple.

Doing the voices of The Chipmunks are Justin Long (Alvin), Mathew Grey Gubler (Simon) and Jesse McCartney (Theodore).

The film is rated PG for a little rude humor but it's appropriate for everyone. In fact, it's one of the funniest family films of the year.

"On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Alvin and the Chipmunks" gets a B.

And...by the way...I agree: "Please, Christmas don't be late."

New Line Cinema's latest film takes audiences on a fantasy adventure with the help of a "Golden Compass.

Actress Dakota Blue Richards beat-out 10-thousand girls to get the role of the main character, Lyra.

The story follows Lyra on a journey as she and friends she gains along the way, including a polar bear and a good witch, fight to save some children who have been taken away from their parents by an evil group, led by the chief villian, Mrs. Coulter, played by Nicole Kidman.

Lyra uses the compass to help in the effort. The compass has the special power of being able to answer a person's quesions and show the truth.

In this fantasy world everyone has an animal partner, called a "demon", who talks to them and acts out their feelings. It's a little weird in the beginning as you're watching it but you get used to it.

"The Golden Compass" is based on a series of best-selling books but I don't think this will be a best-selling movie. The plot is pretty simple: Good vs. Evil. And I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. 

The film is nearly 2-hours long and there's a lot of talking and not much action to keep you interested.

The digital animation is very good and if you're a fan of "Narnia" or the "Harry Potter" movies you'll probably like "The Golden Compass" more than I did, but not as much as those films.

"The Golden Compass" is rated PG-13 for some fantasy violence, but there's not that much and it's not very graphic so the movie is OK for kids 8 and over as long as parents are on board, though most will probably get bored very quickly.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Golden Compass" gets a C. 

Finally, as for the controversy involving religion, it had no effect on me as I watched the film and I'm sure it won't effect you either.

Disney waited a long time to release "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" on DVD. Unfortunately, the movie is not worth the wait. 

This is the second sequel to the original 1994 Disney hit and Tim Allen is back once again as jolly ol' St. Nick. This time Santa's role as the King of Christmas is threatened when Jack Frost (played by Martin Short) tries to take over.

Frost tricks Santa into using the "escape clause", which all Santa's can use when they don't want the job anymore. This transports them (and us) back into the first movie, and to the scene when Allen's character first became Santa. This time Frost puts on the big red suit. But, as you might guess, things don't work out too well and Allen's Santa must make a comeback and save the day.

Other holiday celebrities make appearances in the movie, including the Easter Bunny and Cupid. We even get to see Santa and Mrs. Claus's first baby.

"The Santa Clause 3" is not as funny as the first two movies. And there isn't much holiday cheer spread around. Heck, Frost hits Santa with a shovel! Not exactly the image I want for kids or parents during the holidays.

The movie is rated G. The look of the film is very good, especially Santa's Snow Globe room, but overall I was rather disappointed.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause" only gets a C.

This is supposed to be the final episode in the "Santa Clause" series. I hope that's the case. 

"Enchanted" begins as a cartoon in Fairytale Land. Princess Giselle (voiced and played by Amy Adams) is looking for a handsome prince. Soon she meets one, but before they can get married the Princess gets dumped into a well by an evil queen. She comes out of the other end of the well in New York City, where she turns into a real live person.

In NYC the Princess meets a lawyer (played by Patrick Dempsey). They become friends and begin to fall in love. But Prince Edward soon arrives on the scene, as does the evil queen, and things get really complicated.

Included in this original story are some great musical numbers (three of which got nominated for Academy Awards) and plenty of laughs. The animation is fun, especially the CGI effects involving the animals that help the Princess.

Other actors include James Marsden (from "Hairspray") and Susan Sarandon. Plus, Julie Andrews has a brief role as the narrator.

"Enchanted" is rated PG for a few scary scenes in the film's final 10 minutes. So you parents of real little ones be ready with hugs.

On The Official Kid Critic Report Card, "Enchanted" gets a B.

This is a rare movie that all age groups - kids, teens, adults and seniors can enjoy. And get ready for the sequel! (see 3/16 "Blog...Blog...Blog...")