GARFIELD the MOVIE

2004, Twentieth Century Fox

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 90 mins.

THE STORY:

That '80s cat, Garfield, is back and lazy as ever.  He lives the high life with owner John, pretty much just lounging and eating lasagna, until the day when John brings home Odie the puppy. Garfield is threatened by the new arrival and ends up leading to him running away.

John and his vet/ love interest search for Odie, not knowing that he has been dog-napped by a deranged local TV show host. Even Garfield joins in the search as his conscience gets the better of him. 

In the end, the cat gets the dog and the boy gets the girl and everyone lives happily ever after.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• none

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• be yourself and say what you are feeling
• give others a chance
• take responsibility for your actions

THE UPSHOT:

I heard Bill Murray say recently that he did this because it thought it was being made by the Coen brothers instead of by a Cohen. That's one mystery solved. Now I just have to figure out how this ever got made in the first place-- I'm guessing it had something to do with Murray being attached to it. 

It tries to be all things to all people-- a comedy, a romance, an action film, live action, animation, a family movie, an adult-appeal movie. And it succeeds at nothing. The story is ridiculous and predictable, and the whole things just smacks of not enough forethought. I like Bill Murray, but a large part of his appeal relates to his facial expressions, so something gets lost in the animation translation.

It's harmless, but, hey, life's too short. 

1.5/5

SPY KIDS 2: ISLAND OF LOST DREAMS

2002, Dimension Films

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 100 mins.

THE STORY:

Juny and Carmen, the kid spies from the first movie, are back as practiced agents. And this time they have rivals: the son and daughter of their parents' greatest rival, Donnagon (Mike Judge). When Donnagon stages an attempt to conquer the world, Juny and Carmen go into action to stop him.

In the end, they do.  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• "You're full of shit...ake mushrooms."
• loser

VIOLENCE:

• lots of fighting, punching, shooting, sword fighting
• some skeletons get decapitated but come back to 'life'

TEACHING POINTS:

• nothing significant

THE UPSHOT:

I'm not a big action movie person and found the violence a bit much. I also had some issues with the music/ dance sequence during the credits, and the sexualization of the (supposedly) adolescent girl character. (It was the camera angles that disturbed me in particular.)

Overall, I just found the story thin, the characters shallow, and the special effects specious. I can appreciate the fact that this series provides a spotlight for Hispanic actors and themes, but beyond that I just can't very much that is redeeming. 

2/5

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2

2013, Columbia Pictures

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 94 mins.

THE STORY:

Everything seems to be going ideally for Flint Lockwood (Bill Hader) since he saved his town from the giant food-weather phenomena he originally created: he has the opportunity to do his work, he and fellow scientist Sam Sparks (Anna Faris) have a blossoming romance, and his inventor hero, Chester V (Will Forte), has enlisted him to join his team.

When it comes to light that mutant animated food is running wild in Flint's hometown of Swallow Falls, Chester V sends Flint to find and destroy the food altering machine that had caused so much trouble not that long ago. Although he is supposed to go alone, Flint takes along an entourage of friends. Flint soon discovers that the scary animal-food (shrimpanzees, etc.) is not so scary after all, and that his hero is not the man Flint thought he was. Rather than destroying the 'foodimals' as Chester wants, Flint realises they are benign and fights to protect them.    

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid

VIOLENCE:

• some menace, but no violence
• the threatening animated food turn out to be non-malicious

TEACHING POINTS:

• don't judge based on what you think you see-- take the time to examine and make informed judgments
• if something feels wrong, it probably is

THE UPSHOT:

I liked the first installment in the series and wanted to like this one. It has humour and irony and good voice work and a creative, relevant story line. But... something is just missing. I think part of the problem is that I don't care enough about the characters to become truly invested in the drama.

The 5 year-old in the room loved the goofiness of the hybridized animated food. The adult in the room liked the lack of menace in what could have been violent scenes, but thought the suggestion that heroes are not necessarily the people we expect them to be was a little sad for a kids' movie. I am generally a huge fan of realism, but it seemed a little cynical for a 5 year-old who is just in the process of developing heroes. 

3/5

MIRROR MIRROR

2012, Relativity Media

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 105 mins.

THE STORY:

In this retelling of the classic, Snow White (Lilly Collins) is a beautiful princess whose evil stepmother, the queen (Julia Roberts), has made her a virtual prisoner in the palace. When she manages to sneak out, she not only runs into a handsome prince (Armie Hammer), but discovers that the kingdom of which she is the rightful heir is in a state of desperation. The queen has excessively taxed the citizenry to finance her lavish lifestyle, and banished the "ugly".

When the queen realizes Snow White is a threat, she orders her trusty servant (Nathan Lane) to arrange Snow White's death. He spares her life and she ends up in the home of 7 robber dwarfs, who train her to be their accomplice. And it is in this role that she again runs into the prince, whom she fights and bests.

The queen, however, sees in the prince a cash cow to save the kingdom from bankruptcy. She plans to marry him and uses a magic potion to endear him to her. She then discovers that Snow White is alive and sends giant puppets to kill her. In the end, however, right triumphs: the wedding is cancelled, the queen is defeated by her own evil, the king returns and Snow White marries her prince. 
  

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• idiot

VIOLENCE:

• shut up
• stupid

TEACHING POINTS:

• look for the grey before assuming there is only black and white 

THE UPSHOT:

Visually this movie is a feast. It's like Dangerous Liaisons meets Crouching Tiger meets the Brothers Grimm. The acting is good, the script is smart and the messaging is positive. The grown up in the room liked the way this version delved into the context and filled out the story in a very contemporary way, all the while showing how strong women can be. The 5 year-old in the room liked the action and the princess element.

This is definitely worth a watch, but older kids will get more out of it.  

3.5/5

A TURTLE'S TALE 2: SAMMY'S ESCAPE FROM PARADISE

2012, Illuminata Pictures

Animation

Rating: PG

Approx. 92 mins.

THE STORY:

Turtles Sammy, his best friend Ella and their grandfathers are captured by fishermen, and the adults are transplanted to a massive Dubai-style aquarium inside a restaurant. They make some friends, row with a mobster seahorse and spend most of their energy trying to escape so they can rescue young Sammy and Ella from the waters on the other side of the aquarium glass. Eventually, they do.    

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• dead, die, kill
• frigging
• moron

VIOLENCE:

• there are some intense fighting and chase scenes
• a fish gets eaten by bigger fish

TEACHING POINTS:

• there is strength in numbers

THE UPSHOT:

Yet another romp through mediocrity. The first installment was hardly a gem, so how a sequel got made is beyond me. But it did. And people like me watched it. 

Even the 5 year-old in the room found this movie longer than it needed to be. The adult in the room had a bit of an issue with the constant references to dying, death and killing. 

Completely pointless.

1.5/5

ELLA ENCHANTED

2004, Miramax Films

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 95 mins.

THE STORY:

Baby Ella is given a very questionable 'gift' by her fairy godmother: complete obedience to any and every order. As she grows up, Ella (Anne Hathaway) loses her mother and watches her father marry a harpy (Joanna Lumley) with two very unappealing daughters. 

At her mother's request, Ella tries to conceal her 'gift' in order to protect herself from those who would exploit the situation. Her secret does come out, however, and she sets off to locate her fairy godmother and ask her to reverse the spell. Along the way she runs into Prince Char-- aka Price Charmont-- (Hugh Dancey), and the two fall in love. She helps him see the devastation his uncle's (Cary Elwes) rule has wreaked on the kingdom Char is to inherit. Ella also comes to recognize the strength and character that lies within her, and overcome her curse by activating her own free will.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• stupid
• shut up

VIOLENCE:

• nothing significant

TEACHING POINTS:

• lots of messaging about gender equality
• lots and lots of messaging about the dangers of racism and stereotypes

THE UPSHOT:

There is a lot in Ella Enchanted to entertain kids of various ages and plenty to keep the grown ups in the room amused. The grown up loved its humour, its originality and the way it presents (but not forces) opportunities for discussion of big social issues such as racism, sexism and principles of democracy. I also loved the positive presentation of female protagonists. 

The 5 year-old in the room loved the princess/ fairy tale aspect of the story. And the music.

4/5

SPY KIDS

2001, Dimension Films

Live action

Rating: PG

Approx. 88 mins.

THE STORY:

A pre-teen brother and sister suddenly discover not only that their parents (Antonio Banderas & Carla Gugina) are retired spies, but also that it is up to them to rescue their parents now that they have been taken by evil maniacs Floop and Minion. They enlist the help of their estranged uncle, but prove to be smart, tough agents in their own right. 

Ultimately they rescue their parents, punish Minion, and help Floop realize that his path is in children's programming rather than evil-doing. Along their journey, the siblings learn to appreciate each other's strengths and to identify their own.

QUESTIONABLE LANGUAGE:

• idiot
• oh my God

VIOLENCE:

• Quite a bit of shooting and general weapon use

TEACHING POINTS:

• some lessons about sibling relationships, i.e. learning to see and honour differences, look out for each other

THE UPSHOT:

The 5 year-old in the room loved it, I think because watching it made her feel very grown up. It is exactly how you would expect a Robert Rodriguez film to be if adapted for kids: lots of shooting, lots of slo-mo shots of the black-clad sunglassed protagonists walking intimidatingly, a character called Machete. 

The very thing that enthralled the 5 year-old in the room, however, made the grown ups uncomfortable. I like the fact that the female characters are all self-motivated and equal agents, but feel the movie glorifies brawn over brains.

3/5