“Rise of the Guardians” is based on a series of books written by William Joyce (“Rolie Polie Olie”, “Meet the Robinsons”) called “The Guardians of Childhood”. The idea came to Joyce from his late daughter Mary Katherine who once asked him if Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny knew each other. We get that answer and more in […]
From the trailers, “Wreck-It Ralph” looked to be fun, unique, bright, and special. Unfortunately, while it is colorful, this Disney animated comedy is underwhelming. Ralph (voiced by John C. Reilly) is the villain in a 30-year-old arcade game called “Fix-It Felix, Jr.” Ralph is tired of being the bad guy and desperately wants a hero […]
Kevin James’ funniest film to date was the surprise hit “Paul Blart: Mall Cop”, which came out nearly four years ago. Time has quickly flown by, and so have forgettable roles for James in the dreadful “Grown Ups” and the mediocre “Zookeeper” (all produced by friend Adam Sandler). James’ newest effort is yet another Sandler […]
“Frankenweenie” was a live-action short a then unknown Tim Burton wrote and directed back in 1984. Burton went back to his roots for a feature-length, stop-motion animated version of the short he created for Disney. And it’s a film that’s sparked Oscar talk. “Frankenweenie” is fully in black in white (unlike Burton’s previous animated films […]
There have been a few documentaries in recent years dealing with the current state of America’s public school system. “Waiting for Superman” (2010) focused on how schools are failing academically, while this past year “Bully” examined the issue of bullying in schools. “Won’t Back Down” is a mainstream Hollywood film that tries to both address […]
Sony Pictures Animation’s latest, “Hotel Transylvania”, stars Adam Sandler as the voice of Dracula. In 1895, he and his wife had a daughter they named Mavis. But soon after, Dracula’s wife was killed by humans. He’s left to raise Mavis on his own and promises his wife that he’ll always protect little Mavis. So he […]
Directors Chris Butler and Sam Fell believe that “ParaNorman” is the most ambitious stop-motion animated film ever made. That’s a pretty big statement. But you know what? – They’re right. And this team and the thousands of others who worked for years on this movie pull it off in style. “ParaNorman” is a fantastic accomplishment. The […]
Disney’s live-action family film for the summer of 2012 was “The Odd Life of Timothy Green”. It was a bit of an odd choice, since the story doesn’t really appeal to kids. And it showed at the box office. Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton star as Cindy and Jim Green. The couple learns, after years […]
I didn’t think it was possible but the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” film series has sunk to a new low with the latest installment – “Dog Days”. Greg Heffley (once again played by Zachary Gordon) has just finished the 7th grade. He’s still hanging out with his best friend Rowley and dealing with his […]
The “Ice Age” movies make-up one of the most successful animated franchises of all-time. Each of the first three films grossed close to $200 million domestically, and Fox produced a nice Holiday special starring the gang last November. Unfortunately the latest in the series – “Continental Drift” – is the worst of the bunch, with […]