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Jean's take on The Lightning Thief & Valentine's Day

PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYMPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF (Running time: 120 minutes)
Rated PG Starring Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Pierce Brosnan

This adventure movie taken from the first of a series of popular books is terrific. The
story involves a boy, Percy Jackson (Lerman), whose father was the Olympic God, Poseidon. Percy is a demigod and doesn’t know it.

Someone steals Zeus’ lightning bolt, and war is threatened. Everyone assumes Percy has it. The Furies, and a huge Minotaur and others come after Percy because they think he stole the bolt. It doesn’t take this lively adventure long to get under way. While we are following the adventure, we are learning about mythology, the painless way.

Hades, brother of Zeus and Poseidon also thinks Percy has the bolt. So he has taken Percy’s mother. Percy will stop at nothing to get his mother back. Percy, his protector, and Annabeth, the best demigod fighter race to the rescue. The fearless threesome travel across the U.S. to get magic pearls that will bring them back from Hell. Down they go to free mom and tell Hades that Percy doesn’t have the bolt.

The movie has fabulous mythic bad guys who are big scary monsters, sometimes breathing fire. Medusa gets beheaded. The monsters are too scary for younger children. This movie should be rated PG-13. The action is marvelous and the story will keep your kids guessing. This is a great adventure movie for boys and girls ages 10 and up who can handle the monsters. Go see it with them, its great fun.

VALENTINE’S DAY (Running time: 123 minutes)
Rated: PG-13 Starring Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Jamie Foxx, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Queen Latifah, Hector Elizondo, Shirley MacLaine

I was looking forward to seeing this movie, and I was not disappointed. Garry Marshall, who did Pretty Woman and other sweet movies, kept the heart in this film.

The movie is about how Valentine’s Day impacts the lives of a bunch of people of various ages living in Los Angeles. From a school boy to two grandparents, and several age groups in-between, love has its issues.

First we start with couples. Some get engaged, some break up, and some shuffle partners, some fight and make-up, some fight and don’t make up. The movie shows that love isn’t always easy or simple or predictable. The messages in this movie are terrific and some serious questions are raised. For example, if you know a friend is dating a married person and doesn’t know it, should you tell him or her? The movie raises questions that could make for some interesting discussions with your ‘tweens and teens.

The movie moved at a fast pace without confusing you about who was who. The characters were varied, interesting and believable. I laughed and cried. While there is no violence, there are occasional bad words and sexual situations, including infidelity. Valentine’s Day is a great movie to see with your ‘tweens 12 or 13 and up. Take your spouse, grandparents, too. The happy ending will keep you smiling throughout the day.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

Read more of Jean's Movie Choices For Kids.

Jean reviews Dear John & Nine

DEAR JOHN (Running time: 109 minutes)
Rated PG-13 Starring Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried, Richard Jenkins

I wasn’t expecting much of this love drama, but was pleasantly surprised. Dear John is about a lonely, motherless soldier, John (Tatum), home on a two-week leave who meets a beautiful girl, Savanna (Seyfried) on the beach. They quickly become inseparable during leave.

Savanna is helping build a house for people who lost their home and John joins her. She insists on meeting his father (Jenkins), who is autistic. She shares his interest in coins.

Together they have a special love. John goes back into the army and he and Savanna keep their love fire burning through letters. The movie paints a true and beautiful love between these two. Sex doesn’t happen until the second reel and even then, it’s shown tastefully.

Then, he receives a “Dear John” letter. He is heartbroken and so are we. The film moves fairly quickly through the next six years. He returns home when his father is dying. There are some wonderful father and son scenes. He meets Savanna again.

I must stop here or spoil the movie. I enjoyed this movie and the surprise plot twist that made everything make sense. This isn’t a typical movie. There is violence during army scenes, some bad language and one brief sexual scene. Dear John , basically a chick flick, should be fine for kids 13 and up. Go see this one with the kids. Bring grandma and a box of tissues.

NINE (Running time: 110 minutes)
Rated: PG-13 Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, Sophia Loren, Fergie

Nine is not a movie for kids. It is directed by Rob Marshall the same man who did Chicago. I also saw the stage play. Nine is the story of a famous Italian movie director who is a selfish and immature man who sleeps with a variety of women although he is happily married.

In the movie, Guido (Day-Lewis) is having a crisis. He can’t write. He’s feeling sick. He’s revisiting his past in his mind, speaking with incredibly sexy women from his past and present. He even has conversations with his dead mama (Loren). All of his yearnings and remembrances have to do with sex.

We meet actresses, a journalist, a prostitute who showed him and his friends some things about sex, his costumer, his priests from school and his mom. All of these figures interfere in his present life, keeping him from working. He keeps running away and these women pursue him and sing wonderful songs and do sexy dances in his mind and on the screen. He is obsessed.

He keeps behaving badly until his loses his current movie and his wife, who he loves. Nine is a magnificent eyeful of music, dance and angst. Caution: his current mistress (Cruz) tries to commit suicide. Does he grow up? In the end, I believe he does. While there is no violence, there is none stop sexuality in music, dance and costumes. There is some bad language, too. But this is a fabulous film for older teens, 16 and up and parents.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

Read more of Jean's Movie Choices For Kids.

2010: The Year We Make Contact lands

In the very near future a small group of Americans and Russians set out on the greatest adventure of them all ... To see if there is life beyond Glenwood South. The answer is yes, when “2010: The Year We Make Contact” comes to the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences on Friday, Feb. 5, at 7 p.m.

In the year 2001, Capt. Dave Bowman was taken by a large black monolith and transformed into a powerful being. Now, in the year 2010, a joint American-Soviet expedition must travel to Jupiter to reactivate the psychotic HAL9000 computer and discover the meaning of Bowman’s last, mysterious transmission: “My God, it’s full of stars ...”

This early ‘80s follow-up to “2001: A Space Odyssey” is full of stars; no mystery there. Roy Scheider plays Heywood Floyd, the man held responsible for the USS Discovery mission’s failure nine years earlier, while John Lithgow plays crewmate Walter Curnow and Helen Mirren is Russian Captain Tanya Kirbuk. Scheider was huge in the ‘70s, starring in “French Connection,” “Jaws” and “All That Jazz”. But did you know his acting career first came to life in the below B-grade horror flick “The Curse of the Living Dead” in 1964?

Decorated stage actor Lithgow, winner of two Tony Awards, is (sadly) probably best known for his portrayal of Dick Solomon in the late ‘90s TV series “Third Rock from the Sun.” Lithgow also provided the voice of Yoda for the NPR adaptation of the Star Wars Trilogy and is rumored to be lending his voice (again, sadly) to an animated movie trilogy of “The Smurfs,” currently in production. Oscar-winner Mirren (“The Queen”), likewise a veteran of the stage, is well-known for her role as detective Jane Tennison in the long-running, multiple-award-winning TV drama “Prime Suspect.” In 2005, Mirren provided the voice for the supercomputer “Deep Thought” in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” In “2010,” Keir Dullea reprises his role as the evolved Bowman while the voice of HAL9000 is reprised by Douglas Rain, who also voiced the evil computer and various robot butlers in Woody Allen’s futuristic spoof “Sleeper” (1973).

“2010,” like its predecessor, is based on an Arthur C Clarke novel. In fact, Clarke appears in the film, first as the man feeding the pigeons while Dr. Floyd is engaged in a conversation in front of the White House. Later, in the hospital scene with David Bowman’s mother, an image of the cover of Time magazine portrays Clarke as the American President and Stanley Kubrick as the Russian Premier. This image might be a window into Clarke’s feelings for Kubrick, the director with whom he co-wrote the novel and screenplay for “2001,” since it is fairly well known that the two collaborators ended up at odds over the final cut of the film. Clarke wrote two other sequels that have not (yet) been adapted to the cinema ― “2061: Odyssey Three” and “3001: The Final Odyssey.”

The museum stays open from 5 to 9 pm on the first Friday of every month. Arrive early and wander through eye-catching exhibits highlighting the natural beauty of North Carolina, enjoy snacks and beverages from the Acro Café, and groove to live blues from Steve Harvell (harmonica) and Daniel Sean (guitar) starting at 6 pm. Additionally, the museum Store offers after-hours shopping and an opening reception (6:30-8:30 pm) for artists from the Triangle Plein Air Society, whose paintings of Prairie Ridge in the fall will be on display February 5-28. All exhibited art is for sale.

-- Written by Jonathan Pishney, Communications Director , N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences

Jean reviews hot PG-13 movies

WHEN IN ROME (Running time: 91 minutes)
Rated PG-13 Starring Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Anjelica Huston, Danny DeVito
I was disappointed with When in Rome. The story is about a beautiful young woman, Beth (Bell), who has been so unlucky in love, that she lost her belief true love will happen to her.
At her sister’s wedding in Rome, she meets Nick (Duhamel). They are instantly attracted to each other. Then she thinks he’s with someone else, so she picks up a few coins thrown in the “wishing” fountain. Legend has it that if you pick up the coin of someone wishing for love, then they will fall in love with you.

So Beth is chased by four weirdos all over New York. This interferes with her growing relationship with Nick and her job. Too much is going on at the same time, and the humor is badly done. I didn’t like any of the supporting characters, except maybe the Danny DeVito character. That’s bad writing and bad acting.

When in Rome is a cute, harmless fluff about romance and love. The two main characters carry as much as they can through their considerable charm. Since there is no violence, bad language or sex, it should be fine for ‘tweens and teens 12 and up. But send them with Grandma.

AN EDUCATION (Running time: 95 minutes)
Rated: PG-13 Starring Peter Sarsgaard, Carey Mulligan, Alfred Molina
This excellent coming-of-age movie about a very bright, pretty sixteen-year-old in London in the 1960’s is terrific.

Jenny (Mulligan) is tall, lovely and super smart. She is going to a private school and studying to get into Oxford. Her parents, especially her father (Molina), keep her protected from life and push her to excel.
But Jenny is bored. So one very rainy day, when David (Sarsgaard) pulls up to give her a ride home, she consents. David is handsome and charming. He goes to her school concert. Then he invites her to a professional concert.

Of course, Jenny’s parents don’t want her to go with him, but he is very persuasive. He assures them than he is going with his Aunt Helen, which is a lie. Jenny is intrigued by David. He’s dashing, a bit of a daredevil who doesn’t play by society’s rules. She is bored with her circumscribed life and he looks like a way out.

Slowly David wins Jenny away from her parents, charming her and her folks every step of the way. He takes her to Paris for the weekend. She tells him that she wants to lose her virginity on her seventeenth birthday. David is a patient man.

I can’t say too much more without revealing the rest of the plot. Although it all ends up okay, Jenny goes through much heartache, as do her parents. While she blames them to some degree, we can see that when teens lie to their parents, they forfeit the protection parents can provide. The other side of that is when parents believe their children because it is more convenient to do so rather than question, they give up the role of protector.

This is an excellent movie for teens, 13 plus, as there is no violence but is some bad language and sexual situations. Parents, see it with your girls.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

Read more of Jean's Movie Choices For Kids.

Tooth Fairy, Extraordinary Measures Tops!

THE TOOTH FAIRY (Running time: 102 minutes)
Rated PG Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ashley Judd, Julie Andrews, Stephen Merchant, Billy Cryst

You can count on Dwayne Johnson to do a movie for kids that is funny and meaningful. This is his best one yet!

The story is about an older ice hockey player. He used to be a star, got injured and never really made it back. Now he is just a crunch man, sent in to block for other players. Derek (Johnson) gave up his dreams of hockey stardom and so insists on squashing the dreams of others, especially kids.

When he almost tells his girlfriend’s young daughter that there is no tooth fairy, the world of tooth fairies takes action. Derek is recruited to become a tooth fairy, against his will, until he learns to believe that dreams are good.

There are many hilarious bits where Mr. Johnson makes fun of himself. Silly situations, Billy Crystal, shrinking paste and amnesia dust produce lots of laughs. Mr. Johnson is so good at physical comedy and so warm with the children that you and your kids will enjoy this film.

In The Tooth Fairy even adult issues, like working toward success are made understandable for younger children. This is one of the best live action movies for kids. There is some hockey violence, no sex and no bad language. I loved The Tooth Fairy! It’s a “don’t miss” for kids six and up and their parents, too.

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES (Running time: 106 minutes)
Rated: PG Starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, Keri Russell

I don’t know when I’ve seen such an inspirational film based on a true story done so well. The emphasis in this film is on life, not on death. John Crowley (Fraser) and his wife (Russell) have two children with Pompe’s disease. The disease is genetic and expected life span is nine years. The kids were born without the gene that makes an enzyme that breaks down sugar in the cells.

Crowley and his wife have a good marriage and try to keep the kids’ lives as normal as possible, considering two of the three kids are deathly ill and in wheelchairs. Crowley, a successful businessman, spends his weekends studying research to find a cure until he finds Dr. Robert Stillwell (Ford) who has made a breakthrough at the University of Nebraska.

The doctor needs $10 million to take his research to clinical trial. Crowley quits his job and starts a company to raise the money. The movie then moves away from the day-to-day of Crowley’s family and jumps into the treacherous waters of venture capital, companies more interested in profits that people and the hurdles both Crowley and Stillwell have to overcome.

While the film is emotional, it also moves through the marriage of science and business that make up our drug companies. I was fascinated with the processes that drugs have to go through before they are FDA approved. The push-and-pull between the scientists and the bean counters who watch costs moved the film along rapidly.

Extraordinary Measures found a winning formula. It is best for ‘tweens and teens. See it with your kids. It ends happily, but also raises questions that can lead to lively discussions.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

Read more of Jean's Movie Choices For Kids.

Jean reviews Sherlock Holmes & More

SHERLOCK HOLMES (Running time: 134 minutes)
Rated PG-13 Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams
Sherlock Holmes (Downey, Jr.), that famous super sleuth, gets an update in this fast and clever movie. Both he and Dr. Watson (Law) are as good at fisticuffs as they are at mental maneuvers.
The movie begins with Dr. Watson preparing to move out and get married. He is so opposite of Holmes in some respects, fastidious, polite and neat. But their friendship remains. This is a 19th Century buddy film as well as an engaging mystery and slug-fest.

Just as interesting are the sets of old England, grimy streets, horses, ladies in fine dresses combined with pure evil bad guys, ingenious devices and plot twists.
I wasn’t expecting to like this, even though I am a fan of Robert Downey, Jr, but I did. The movie is captivating, moves quickly, though it is long and provides some laughs, too. There is plenty of violence, no sex, not much bad language. See Sherlock Holmes with your child of 11 and up. Don’t miss this one, its fun.

THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS
Rated: PG-13 Starring Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell
I know that this is a fantasy morality tale, but I found it confusing, violent and just plain weird. It takes place in the present time along the route of a one-wagon traveling carnival with people dressed from another century. I never got exactly what the act is, but if the patron goes through the mirror, they enter into the imagination of Dr. Parnassus, where they see unusual images and are enticed by good and evil.

While the special effects are terrific and the imagination segments are colorful, the plot about Dr. Parnassus and his dealings with the Devil is confusing. I spent a good deal of the movie trying to figure things out until I just gave up and enjoyed the pretty sets.
There is violence, hanging, a sensual scene, some bad language and many scary images. This is not a movie for kids, especially those under 13. It’s a mixed bag.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

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Jean's picks for best kids movies of 2009!

TOP TEN MOVIES OF 2009

FOR KIDS AGES 6-10

1) The Princess and the Frog – This movie is not to be missed. An updated and rearranged fairy tale, the colors are spectacular, the music by Randy Newman is fantastic.
2) Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs– Another fun installment in this series.
3) Planet 51 – This is a fun animated space/sci fi adventure film.
4) Monsters vs. Aliens – This clever movie is very funny for kids and adults alike.
5) Hannah Montana – This movie directed at ‘tweens, has great music and delightful characters that will appeal to younger children, too.
6) Ponyo – While the anime is different for American children, the marvelous colors, unusual animation and simple, modern fairy tale make it good for younger kids.
7) Race to Witch Mountain – This remake of an old Disney classic is wonderful.
8) Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian – This sequel concentrates on the characters in the Smithsonian – the real stars of the first and second movies.
9) Jonas Brothers/Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs – Tie: The Jonas Brothers movie is loaded with fantastic music. “Cloudy”, while not totally true to the book, filled with adult plot lines, also has great animation and goofy images.
10) Alvin & the Chipmunks/Aliens in the Attic – The Chipmunk movies are harmless fun with slapstick humor. “Aliens” had some of the funniest slapstick I have seen in the past few years. While there are some scary parts, they are short.

FOR AGES 11+

1) 17 Again: This is a fun and funny movie about parents and kids.
2) Up: My personal favorite for the year. This outstanding animated movie reaches out to
bridge the gap between old and young with the funniest dogs I’ve ever seen.
3) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: Another outstanding installment in the Harry Potter series. This film has less violence than others, but is just as engrossing.
4) The Blindside/This is It : “The Blindside” is a moving account of the harrowing
early life of Michael Oher, a pro football player on the Baltimore Ravens. “This Is It”, Michael Jackson’s swansong is an amazing film with fabulous music, dancing, production numbers and originality.
5) Hotel for Dogs/Whip It: “Hotel” has orphaned kids but many funny dog scenes. “Whip It” has issues about teens and parents.
6) Star Trek: This prequel is funny, inventive and exciting.
7) Bandslam: This is the year for good films about music and this movie is no exception.
8) Confessions of a Shopaholic: Isla Fisher plays a young woman who can’t resist a bargain. The lessons about overspending and financial responsibility are almost as great as the clothes she buys.
9) Disney’s A Christmas Carol: It was very well done, but too scary for young kids..
10) Fantastic Mr. Fox: The animation is awesome in this low key film with ironic humor and plot.

BEST MOVIES FOR ALL AGES

1) Princess and the Frog
2) This is It
3) Planet 51
4) Jonas Brothers
BOTTOM TEN MOVIES
The truly terrible: avoid at all costs:
1) Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
2) Valkyrie
3) All About Steve
4) The Box
5) Time Traveler
6) Push
Just stupid but harmless:
1) Dance Flick
2) I Pink Panther
3) Love You, Beth Cooper
4) Land of the Lost

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

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Jean reviews The Squeakuel

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel (Running time: 88 minutes)
Rated PG Starring Jason Lee

The Chipmunks are back again. While I didn’t love last year’s chipmunk movie and I don’t love this year’s movie, both are harmless slapstick entertainment for younger kids.

In this version, the Chipmunks have put Dave in the hospital. Then they finish off an aunt. So they are left with a nerdy cousin to watch over while they enroll in high school, which is pretty silly.

Their school needs money to keep their music program going. Alvin, Simon and Theodore decide to compete in a battle of the high school bands to win $25,000 for the music program.

But three female chipmunks, The Chippettes, come forward to compete for the school, too. The plot gets a little complicated, but our chipmunks prevail and lessons are learned. Alvin learns not to be so selfish. The Chippettes and Alvin, Simon and Theodore learn to sing together. The nephew learns to speak up about his crush on a girl working at the school. All ends well.

This cute movie has no violence, bad language or sex. It should be fine for kids 7 and up who understand some of the high school hijinks. I prefer the first Chipmunks movie, perhaps because it was funnier. Therefore I suggest that parents send the kids with grandma, grandpa or a babysitter. Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Squeakuel is boring for adults.

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS (Running time: 107 minutes)
Rated: PG-13 Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Hugh Grant, Sam Elliott, Mary Steenburgen

Hugh Grant has become quite adept at comedy. He has all the funny lines in Did You Hear About the Morgans and he delivers them beautifully.

The Morgans are a couple who have been separated for several months and are on the verge of divorcing. They see a hit man who has just killed someone, so they have to leave town.

Meryl Morgan (Parker) and her husband Paul (Grant) are true New Yorkers. They get shipped out to a witness protection program in Wyoming, where they are fish out of water. They are living in a lovely cabin in the woods, totally isolated from everyone, with no phone, no Blackberry and too much of each other.

The jokes about the city slickers not taking to country life are funny. There are serious moments where they discuss their relationship and what went wrong. There are also fertility problems, hurt feelings and distrust issues to be resolved.

The subplot involves the hit man ferreting them out so that he can kill them. Two great law-enforcers (Elliott and Steenburgen) in Wyoming are hired to protect them. The Morgans come closer together, then move apart then come closer again until they are able to reclaim some of the magic that brought them together in the first place.

While this may be more like a sitcom than a great movie, I found it very entertaining. The serious parts may be a turn-off for teens, but parents will understand. There is some violence, some bad language, some discussion about infidelity and sexual innuendo but no on-screen sex.

Did You Hear About the Morgans is fine to see with kids 12 and up. Tag along, it’s funny.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

Read more of Jean's Movie Choices For Kids.

Jean Reviews Armored & Everybody's Fine

ARMORED (Running time: 88 minutes)
Rated PG-13 Starring Matt Dillon, Jean Reno, Laurence Fishburne, Columbus Short

I was not expecting to like Armored. Just another heist movie, it seemed to me. But there was a good twist here. The story is about a group of men working for an armored truck company. The men have become friends. They work hard toting huge sums of money for small pay.

One young man, Ty (Short) is a recent vet of the Iraq war. He takes care of his teenage brother, Jimmy, as both of their parents died within the past year. Ty is struggling to keep a rebellious brother in line and keep working to support them. But there isn’t enough money.

One day talking about famous heists, they speculate that a famous heist where the robbers were never caught and the money never recovered was an inside job. Mike ( Dillon), the leader of the group, proposes a plan to rob $42 million, the next job they will be protecting. The bank is threatening to foreclose on Ty’s house and children’s services is threatening to take Jimmy away. Jimmy is all Ty has. He is pushed to the limit and reluctantly agrees to go along with the heist. But he makes them promise that no one will get hurt.

But the plan hits a snag and a plot twist turns the movie around. At this point, the action escalates and the movie goes into high gear. I don’t want to reveal anything more.

The messages about doing the right thing are very strong here. This is a very moral movie although there is much violence and blood. There is no sex, but some bad language. The resourcefulness and intelligence of the military man is impressive. Armored should be okay for kids 13 and up who will not be upset by violence and bloodshed.

EVERYBODY’S FINE (Running time: 95inutes)
Rated: PG-13 Starring Robert DeNiro, Kate Beckinsale, Drew Barrymore

Another bad movie advertising job. It appeared to be funny, however is anything but. This is a quiet movie about a man who spent his life supporting his family and gardening who didn’t listen much to his kids. He relied on his wife for that.

He did encourage them and push them toward success. Now, eight months after his wife has died, he is expecting all the children to come home for a weekend visit. He takes great pains to prepare, only to be disappointed when all of them cancel. So he decides to find out what’s up with them and makes surprise visits to all of them.

This is a movie about a father and his kids. They all lie to him about their lives because they feel he will not accept the truth. They think he has high expectations of them and they fall short. This is not a movie for kids. But it is a movie for parents; a real cautionary tale of how not to treat your kids when they are young. The movie makes it plain that what is sown in their youth will affect how they relate to you as adults.
There is some violence, no sex, some bad language. Everybody’s Fine is an excellent movie, with a few small laughs and some tears. See it with your spouse. Then go home, hug your kids and listen to them.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

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Jean Reviews The Princess & The Frog

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG (Running time: 95 minutes)
Rated G Starring Anika Noni Rose, John Goodman, Bruno Campos

Wow! What a fabulous movie this is! This creation is the coming together of Pixar and Disney with the fantastic, original music of Randy Newman. It doesn’t get any better than this for kids. And adults, too. Finally – along comes a terrific kid’s movie for the holidays.

The story is the classic fairy tale with a modern twist: Tiana is a poor girl from a working African American family in New Orleans at the height of the Jazz Era. Her mother is a seamstress and her father works hard, saving toward his dream of opening his own restaurant. Tiana tags along with mom when she measures and delivers fabulous dresses to the rich girl and her father who live across town.

Tiana’s father dies in the war, so Tiana works toward realizing daddy’s dream of having his own restaurant. Meanwhile, a fabulous, irresponsible playboy prince comes to town for Mardi Gras and gets turned into a frog. She kisses him and also becomes a frog. Then they have a great journey trying to get back to being people again. Along this trip, they learn much about each other and themselves.

The animation colors are so vibrant they leap off the screen. The music will have you dancing in your seat. The only drawback is Shadow Man and the scary creatures around him. The lively colors and music lessen his sinister aspect. But the shadows can creep out younger children, especially those prone to nightmares.

Even with that and a plot that younger children may not understand, this is such a huge, colorful production that you don’t want to miss it with your kids 6 and up. There is the threat of violence, no sex and no bad language. Do not miss this movie, because though it will still be good on DVD, you will miss the impact the big screen has on the colors and action. It is an amazing treat for the senses. I just loved it, could you guess?

OLD DOGS (Running time: 88 minutes)
Rated: PG Starring Robin Williams, John Travolta, Kelly Preston

I was not expecting to like this movie, but I underestimated the charisma and chemistry of Robin Williams and John Travolta. And the story was better than expected, too. The story concerns two middle-aged bachelors who have been best friends and business partners for 30 years. They are just about to close the biggest sports promotion deal of their lives.

Out of the blue, Dan (Williams) discovers that he has two 7-year-old twins he knew nothing about. Neither Dan nor Charlie (Travolta) is good with kids, so when the kids get dumped in their laps for two weeks, it turns their lives upside down.

The guys get mistaken for grandparents, bested badly at extreme Frisbee, and stopped cold by a gorilla and some penguins at the zoo. The hijinks are funny and the attitude is warm and caring.

There is no violence, some sexual references, some bathroom humor and a little bad language. Old Dogs, a sweet movie, is probably best for ‘tweens who love to laugh at adults messing up. See it with them, because you can have a few laughs in the theater, for a change.

-- Written by Jean Joachim, writer of a nationally syndicated movie review column.

Read more of Jean's Movie Choices For Kids.