Smart House

 

Starring: Katey Sagal, Ryan Merriman, & Kevin Kilner

 Director: LeVar Burton - Rating: G - Score: 2 Stars

 

When you watch a G rated movie on the Disney Channel, you pretty much know what you're going to get, so why bother? For me, it's less about the film and more about seeing how the actors/actress I like got their start, in this case Ryan Merriman. While you might not recognize the name, he has had roles in 42, Final Destination, and Pretty Little Liars just to name a few. While he is a versatile actor, who takes on varying roles, his talent was not immediately evident from the start. Smart House features a boy who copes with the loss of my mother by signing up for every contest under the sun, with the hopes of striking it rich, in order to help his father. He never actually believed he'd win anything, but surprisingly he does! Ben's family wins a state of the art Smart House (by 1999 standards) which at first is a dream come true, until the house comes to life and tries to become a member of the family and control their lives. Even by kid standards this isn't a good movie. You'd expect their to be some kind of juvenile humor or pre-teen side story, such a bullying, young love, something, but there is none of that. This film is pretty much focused on this house, what it can do (which really isn't all that remarkable, even for the time), and the family that is living in it. Katey Sagal stars as "the house", but much like her character, she was very robotic and doesn't really do anything to help the movie along. Smart House is a movie that could have gone a lot of ways, with Disney's money, the technology and special effects could have been remarkable. The story could have had some humor, some character development, something to make it more than it was, a straight forward dull movie for kids, that even they probably won't be able to sit through.

Alexander & The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Starring: Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, Ed Oxenbould, & Bella Thorne

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

When something fresh and successful comes along, everyone wants a piece of it. Shortly following the films release, a number of copycats emerge and to be honest most of them are terrible. Maybe it's because we tend to compare it to the original or maybe it's because the scripts are rushed and just aren't that good. In any case, after the release of the Wimpy Kid series, we saw a lot of these family comedies, centering on the not so popular kids, and as expected, most of them were awful, with one notable exception. Alexander's bad day focuses on a young man whose birthday coincides with his first day of middle school, which doesn't go so well. After receiving no sympathy from his family, Alexander wishes that they all had their own bad day, and the results were hilarious. This isn't the typical PG family comedy you see from Disney, as it was quite raunchy for them and really pushes the boundary of that PG rating. Ed Oxenbould stars as Alexander and fits the role like a glove. Oxenbould looks and sounds kind of awkward, after all it is a strange age, but watching him gave the feeling that he's not all that unfamiliar with being unpopular. Possibly playing on real life experience, he rivals Alex Gordon with a performance that was not only believable, but it was also very funny. Another advantage this film has over the Wimpy Kid series is that the young cast has help from some of Hollywood's elite, as co-stars include Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. The pair give a lot of support and the producers use them to break-up the middle school monotony that would has surely ensued. While not my usual genre, I loved the Wimpy kid series, but Alexander's bad day is more than an adequate alternative for those who are looking for something a little bit different.

Unaccompanied Minors

Starring: Dyllan Christopher, Quinn Shephard, & Lewis Black

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

For decades, A Christmas Carol and It's A Wonderful Life have been the standard templates for holiday films, until a third choice came along in 1990. Ever since, there have been a whole slew of films that have tried to be the next Home Alone. None have come close to being as good, but perhaps the best attempt came from Unaccompanied Minors. The Davenport kids are flying to seeing their father for the holidays when they are stuck in Cleveland by a massive snow storm. When they get there, they discover they are just two of dozens of kids who are stuck at the same airport, trapped in a conference room under the watchful eye of the airports ruthless administrator, (Lewis Black) who's not all that fond of children. Together with some of the more unique personalities, the Davenports stage an escape and wreck havoc on the airport, determined to have fun during the holidays, even if it is in a snowed in airport. Yes, this is a kids movie with all the cheesy jokes and kid stuff that comes along with it, but what makes it unique is all the different personalities. The six kids are from all different parts of the country and are all from different family structures and different socioeconomic backgrounds, meaning they all had very different lives and very different ideas on what the definition of fun is. The culmination of the different personalities and how they all come together is what makes this film unique and quite frankly pretty special. The young cast is pretty talented as well, featuring Brett Kelly from Bad Santa as well as Tyler Williams from Everybody Hates Chris. The young cast also gets help from veteran comedians Lewis Black, Wilmer Valderrama, and Rob Corddry. The combination of young comedians and veteran comedians adds another dynamic similar to the one set up by the characters in the film. As well as the mixing of characters personalities, you're also getting a wide variety of comedic styles in the film. The bottom line, Unaccompanied Minors may be a kids Christmas movie, but there is a whole lot to like about it, from the writing, to the in depth character development, the mixing of different comedic styles, and even the unique settings. It's not quite Home Alone, but as close as anyone's come since 1990.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Starring: Griffin Gluck, Thomas Barbusca, Andrew Daly, & Lauren Graham

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Based on the best selling novel by the same name, it was widely believed that this would be the next Diary of a Wimpy Kid, sadly it was not. Griffin Gluck was fantastic is his first starring role, but the rest of the cast really didn't have much chemistry, and overall the film just wasn't all that funny. Rafe Katchadorian (Gluck) is a troubled kid, who is sent to his third and final Middle School in the district. It's very strict and if he doesn't follow the rules, he could be headed to military school. Once he gets there, Rafe learns that his principle (Andrew Daly) is beyond strict and decides to get back at him by anonymous breaking not one, but all his rules, causing a school wide rebellion. The story seemed like a good one, but the truth is the pranks weren't all that extreme or funny. The kids in the theater laughed more at the preview before the film than they did at the pranks in the movie. There were also times in the film where you expected the typical crude middle school humor, and while the writers set it up, they never delivered the punch line. That's not the only issue with this film, the kids had some chemistry, but the family didn't. Lauren Graham was terrible, as her character was completely different than that of her kids. She had no connection to them or any idea what was going on with them. But for as bad as she was, it was nothing compared to how awful Rob Riggle was. I have never been a fan of his, but he was beyond annoying in this film, his personality is just so obnoxious and over the top, that the last place he belongs is in a family film. Finally, the whole animation angle brings the movie to a dead stop. Gluck's character is an artist and likes to draw, and at times throughout the film, his drawings come to life in his imagination and take the place of what's happening on the screen, often at the worst possible times. The bottom line, for young actors in a family film, Gluck and Thomas Barbusca did a terrific job, but the story fails to live up to expectations, the humor just isn't there, and the whole thing was full of scenes that should have been left on the cutting room floor.

Parental Guidance

Starring: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, & Marisa Tomei

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Now days, Billy Crystal doesn't appear in films as often as he used to, but for the right project and cast, he's always willing to remind us of why he's a household name. It doesn't matter if it's a raunchy comedy or a family film, his quirky and unique sense of humor always makes whatever he stars in that much more enjoyable and Parental Guidance is no different. On the surface, this is just another family comedy about Grandma and Grandpa getting in over their heads when they agree to babysit for the weekend. Add Crystal and Bette Midler to that and all of a sudden the film is taken to a whole other level. Everyone knows what to expect from both Crystal and Midler, but the real magic is their chemistry and how they play off each other, especially when you throw three unpredictable kids into the mix. Some of the scenes with the grandparents trying to use the modern technology or the kids taking advantage of the grandparents lack of respect for their parents strict instructions are truly laugh out loud funny. Yes, that's exactly what I said, it's a PG rated family movie, but it has more than a couple of laugh out loud moments. Parental Guidance is a film that the parents and grandparents will want to see for it's terrific cross-generational cast, but the kids will enjoy it too, for both it's old school and modern humor. It's the perfect rainy day weekend family feature film.

Diary of A Wimpy Kid

Starring: Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, & Devon Bostick

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Like most adults, I was under the impression that the wimpy kid series was nothing more than the latest fad in youth literature to hit the big screen. I figured it was just another kids movie and passed it off as such, but recently at a family event, I was forced to see parts of it and found it interesting, so I queued it up and as it turns out, this film was legitimately funny! Greg Heffley (Zachary Gordon) is about to start middle school, where all he wants to do is become popular, like his older brother was. Greg goes to extremes and displays some very odd behavior, as he and his best friend, try to enter the elite club of popularity. What's really interesting about these films are that most of the cast members have limited to no experience what-so-ever before being cast in a major motion picture. Some of them, like Gordon, are really talented, while others like Robert Capron are just awkward kids, who are just naturally funny in the way they carry themselves. The dynamics of a family film are always a very difficult thing, because if you don't take a few risks, it's a kids movie that the adults with be bored with. On the other hand, if you go too far, the film will get a PG-13, which means the kids won't be allowed to see it and your audience becomes very limited. The writers of Diary of a Wimpy Kid found the magic formula however, as they managed to create a cult classic, that is fun for kids, teens, and adults alike. The film has it moments and at least a few things that every single one of us can relate to. It certainly isn't goodfellas, but I thought this film was a lot of fun, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm actually looking forward to checking out the sequels.

Home Alone

Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, & Daniel Stern

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

It was my favorite movie as a kid, it featured my very first crush, and while there have been many copycats, there will only ever be one Home Alone. I highly doubt that anyone reading a movie review blog hasn't seen this film by now, but those select few...The film centers on Kevin McCallister (Macaulay Culkin) a bratty kid, whose extended family is preparing for Christmas in Paris. During dinner, Kevin starts a fight with his older brother, Buzz, and is sent to sleep alone in the attic. An overnight power failure leaves the family rushing to catch their flight and Kevin gets left home alone. At the same time, a pair of idiotic home invaders working his neighborhood and want to rob his house. Kevin sees himself as the man of the house now and knows its his job to defend it. As his parents rush to get back to him, Kevin prepares for war! Home Alone is the epitome of a family film and is what all family films aspire to be. These films all claim to be fun for the whole family, but lets face it, they're geared toward children. Most of the time you take the family to see them and twenty minutes in you're on your phone or falling asleep, but not here. The chemistry between Joe Pesci and Macaulay Culkin is fantastic. We all know Pesci for his mobster roles, so it's easy to forget that he got his start as a comedic actor, and it is actually what he does best. Paired with a great cast, a legendary director, and a terrific story, this is simply the best family feature film I have ever seen. Home Alone has something for everyone. It will make you laugh, cry, and beg for more, and that's why there are five god awful sequels and a whole bunch of other films trying to duplicate the magic of this film, but as I said earlier there will only ever be one Home Alone and it is an absolute must see movie!

Jumanji

Starring: Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, & Kirsten Dunst

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Despite the fact that I am a huge Robin Williams fan, I had never seen Jumanji, it just never appealed to me, but even since Williams' untimely passing, I've been trying to view his entire filmography. I also wanted to catch the original film, before its reputation was irreparably damaged by next years re-make, featuring the Rock, Jack Black, and Kevin Hart. The film focuses on young Alan Parrish (Robin Williams), the son of a rich industrialist, who is always in the way. One day, he finds a weird board game, buried in a construction site, and decides to play with a friend, but this is no ordinary game, and Alan becomes trapped inside for decades. It isn't until two kids, moving into a new house discover the game and start to play it, that Alan is freed. Not wanting these kids, to face the same fate he did, they track down his old friend, and decide to finish the game and put the madness to an end. I think when Robin Williams played a child or a crazy person he was at his best. Those were the time when he could really just let go, be free, and be truly hilarious. As in most films like this, Williams is the film, the rest of the cast revolves around him, and without him, this is just another kids movie. Kids love these quirky, weird films, and parents hate being dragged to them, but Williams had a way of making both sides happy and making them both want to see it, that's what Jumanji was. For all intense and purposes this is a kids movie, with Williams acting like a big kid, but making adult jokes, innuendoes, and just being that guy who made him a legend.

Christmas With The Kranks

Starring: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, & Erik Per Sullivan

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

With their daughter away in the peace core, Nora and Luther Krank have decided to skip Christmas this year, and take a cruise to the Caribbean. There is only one problem, their Christmas Eve party and elaborate decorations are a staple of their neighborhood, and when the neighbors find out that the family is skipping Christmas this year, they go out of their way to change their minds. This film is your typical goof ball, family, holiday film, except with a much better cast then these things typically have. The chemistry between Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis was terrific, and in my opinion make the whole thing work. Besides the big named cast, producers also included a ton of cameos from the likes of Cheech Marin, Dan Akyrod, and Felicity Huffman, just to name a few. Seeing a big name you really like, who is not listed in the credits, show up even for a small role, it always adds to the enjoyment of the film. This is not the kind of movie that is going to win any awards. It might not even be the kind of holiday film that is remembered ten years from now, but it's certainly entertaining, with some heartfelt moments, and it's good for a few cheap laughs. Christmas With The Kranks delivers everything you expect from a holiday movie, as it is something you can watch with the whole family and it will put you in the holiday spirit.

How To Eat Fried Worms

Starring: Luke Benward, Hallie Eisenberg, & Alexander Gould

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

When I watch films like this, I am looking for three things. I hope to find some young talent, before anyone else knows who they are, a unique story, and a funny scene or two. Unfortunately, the story here is quite disgusting and there weren't any stand out performances, but there was a really funny scene, where the nerdy kid gets caught playing dance dance revolution. The story begins when a new kid named Billy (Luke Benward) moves to town. The other kids immediately try to intimidate him, by replacing his lunch with a bag of worms. To their surprise, in defiance, Billy eats the worms and gains their respect. One thing leads to another and eventually a very disgusting competition is born. The film is based on a very popular children's book and that's really who this film was intended for. Occasionally, you get some surprises out of a film like this, but as I said earlier, there really wasn't any stand out talent here. I didn't find any young actors/actresses that I could start following from the beginning of their career, but the kids weren't bad either. They seemed to have a lot of fun with the strange story and ultimately I think kids will probably really enjoy it. As for us adults, there really isn't anything here for us to watch and I may never eat gummy worms ever again.

Hatching Pete

Starring: Jason Dolley, Mitchel Musso, Tiffany Thornton, & Nick Whitaker

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

It really is a shame that Disney refuses to release films that are a little edgier for young adults, because sometimes, they really do come up with a good story. The problem is that by the time they are done dumbing it down and disnifying it, the once promising story becomes a joke. that only 10 year olds seem to get. Hatching Pete is one of these film that have a really terrific storyline. With a little more realism and a little less Disney, it would have been a really spectacular film. Hatching Pete features two best friends, Cleatus (Mitchel Musso) and Pete (Jason Dolley) who are complete opposites. Cleatus is so outgoing that he is actually his local High School's mascot, while Pete is a loner, scared of his own shadow. One day Cleatus is injured and Pete sees that as an opportunity to get close to the girl he is afraid to talk to, so he takes his place as the mascot. When one is infatuated with a girl, it will drive them to do anything, and Pete puts on a hilarious show, that even inspires his team, the worst basketball team in the state. Cleatus quickly becomes a school celebrity and a target of bullies, but once it's discovered he's not the one inside the costume, the question becomes who is the mascot? The story was a really good mix of comedy, coming-of-age drama, and athletic competition. At it's core, I really did enjoy this film, but ultimately all the Disney crap manages to diminish it's quality. As for the cast, it's you're usual Disney cast, filled with a lot of beautiful people, only a couple of whom can actually act, and the star of this film is Jason Dolley. I always wondered why Disney keeps putting this kid on show after show, but now I know, he actually has some talent. He was charismatic and showed terrific range going from one personality to another in a relatively short time. While Dolley was fun to watch and even gave me a few laughs, the rest of the cast wasn't much to right home about. Hatching Pete is a terrific film for kids and some young adults, and while it has a story that adults would like, the Disney factor makes it somewhat unlikely that most will.

Billy Owens & The Secret of The Runes

Starring: Dalton Mugridge, Ciara O'Hanlon, Chris Fazio, & Roddy Piper

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Sometimes B-movie studios want to capitalize on a successful film franchises, and do so by making similar, low budget versions of these films. The DVD release of Snakes On A Plane was accompanied by Snakes On A Train. Every time a Transformers movie comes out, it is joined by a direct-to-video film called Transmorphers. Billy Owens is the B-movie comparison to Harry Potter and as far as the films go, they don't match up very well. In the first Billy Owens film, the budget was very low, the special effects bordered on laughable, and the acting was terrible, but the story was actually really good. As I watched the second film, little has changed. The story was still terrific and would make for a tremendous book series, but the film, just doesn't cut it. In The Secret of The Runes, we see less of the ridiculously bad special effects, but the acting doesn't get much better. The lead, Dalton Mugridge, is really the only actor who shows a marked improvement and does a much better job in the second film than he did in the first. As for the other kids, they are just terrible, and don't get me started on their master wizard, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. If this wasn't just a simple companion playing off Harry Potter to get viewers, if someone had actually put some money into these stories, these films would have been really good! The writing is terrific and it's the only reason I had any interest in these films at all. When you take the story, add a bunch of newcomers, and combine them with a former pro-wrestler, and special effects that look like they were made on a Windows '95 PC, the result is a film with a great story that is virtually unwatchable. Maybe if this film were made in the early 80s, when people were used to awful effects and bad acting, it would have been successful, but in the computer age, Billy Owens is sadly obsolete.

Oz: The Great & Powerful

Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, & Michelle Williams

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

When I first heard that Disney was doing a prequel to the Wizard of Oz, I was kind of annoyed. Then I remembered that they did a pretty decent job making a sequel to it, 25 years earlier. My hopes got even higher when I heard that James Franco would star in it. To me, he was such an interesting choice to play the wizard. Franco is a very versatile actor, but he's known more for action and comedy, not family films, but he brings a very interesting dynamic to the movie. Much like the Wizard of Oz and Return To Oz, this film is taken directly from the original Oz stories of L. Frank Baum. Once again, instead of just adapting a book, the screen writers picked and chose from several stories to create this one, and if I may say so, they did a very good job. Of course there is a bunch of Disneyizing to it, as seen with the spunky china girl and the talking monkey, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Franco is terrific and really carries the story. He combines his charms and looks with goofiness and ingenuity to make his character come alive in a way that L. Frank Baum would have loved. He's paired with Mila Kunis who is also really good and used to playing unlikable characters...Shut up Meg! What I especially liked about this film is how they played off the original. Starting in black & white, in an old box format, before opening up to the tradition high def. widescreen view was ingenious. I also loved how people from the black & white story had roles in Oz, just like the original. What was strange though is that they made Oz out to be a real place and discounted the whole dream aspect of the stories. In all of Baum's writings it was never known for a certainty weather or not Oz was a real place. The fact of the matter is that nothing in this genre will ever be as good as the original Wizard of Oz, but The Great & Powerful answers a lot of questions, is taken directly from the writings of the original author, has a great cast, and really does an impressive job of connecting to a film that was made 75 years earlier.

The Monster Squad

Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, & Duncan Regehr

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Back in the late 80s, Sean (Andre Gower) and his friends were middle school kids with a fascination for monsters. Their love of old fashioned Horror ran so deep that they started a club in their tree house, calling themselves, The Monster Squad. Everything is just child's play until one day, real monsters start showing up in their small New England town, and it's up to the Monster Squad to stop them. When this film came out, not many people took notice of it, it wasn't until Lionsgate bought the rights and re-issued it. that Monster Squad became somewhat of a cult classic. This film is pure 80s, a time when kids were actually played by kids. Today, we're so afraid of traumatizing these kids, that we have 16-19 year old teens playing much younger kids. Back in the 80s, when the part called for a kid, they found a kid, and being that this was the first film for the vast majority of them, the amount of energy and excitement they brought to the film really kept it going, in what is otherwise a ridiculous story. The actors were the age of the characters they were playing and when they cursed or talked about adult themes, I found it hilarious, it was so much better because it was real. The story isn't anything to write home about, just a bunch of cheesy lines and bad special effects, and I'm sure you could figure out what's going to happen from the description on the box, but to me the best part of the film is the realism given by the cast in a movie that was anything but real. The dynamic between brother and sister, the kids who actually did something imaginative, instead of just playing video games all day. It isn't until you see a film like this that you realize just how much family films have changed. This would be a great film for kids to watch, but if it came out today, the kids would be played by college students and it would get an R rating for some of the language. In the 80s, this would have been the textbook definition of a family film, by today's standard's, it's rating has been upgraded to PG-13 and it's filed under Horror. The more things change, the more they stay the same, what was unacceptable in the 60s and family friendly in the 80s, is now not suitable for children under 13, a sign of the paranoia of the times we live in.

Everwood

Starring: Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Emily Van Camp, Debra Mooney, John Beasley, Vivien Cardone, Chris Pratt, Tom Amandes, Stephanie Niznik, & Merrilyn Gann

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

A few years ago, I was watching a very forgettable movie on cable, so forgettable in fact, that I can't even remember the name of it. This film did however have a tremendous teen actor, who I took note of, because of the charisma and intensity that he brought to his role. I thought this kid could one day be a big star and took note of his name, Gregory Smith. Since then I have become a huge Gregory Smith fan, seeing most of his films and now his TV show, Everwood. The story of Everwood begins when world famous neurosurgeon, Dr. Andrew Brown (Treat Williams), loses his wife in a car accident. Distraught, Brown decides to leave his prestigious job and move his family from New York City to the small town of Everwood, Colorado, where he opens up a free medical clinic. Brown was a brilliant surgeon, but really doesn't have a clue about how to be a father. His children, in particular his son Ephram (Gregory Smith), does not make the transition easy on him. To be honest, this isn't the kind of show that I usually go for and I was only planning on watching a couple of episodes. A couple of episodes quickly turned into much more as this infectious group of people really drew me into their lives and touched me in a way that a TV show never has. Part of me could really relate to their personal struggles and attempts at overcoming the adversity they faced, if nothing else, It was empowering and inspirational. Veteran actor, Treat Williams, leads a truly terrific cast, playing the man whose turned his life upside down in order to get closer to his children. Dr. Brown is supposed to be the one who has all the answers, at the hospital, that may be true, but at home, it's a big learning curve for him. The dynamic between this quirky celebrity doctor and his introverted, yet artistic outcast son, is really the heart of this show. Gregory Smith is off the charts good as young Ephram Brown, who possesses many of the same qualities as his father. Those qualities are usually at odds with the qualities of his mother, causing him to be a bit impulsive and quick to speak his mind. Ephram quickly falls for the most popular girl in school, Amy Abbott (Emily Van Camp), who is the daughter of Everwood's first family. Amy clearly has feeling for Ephram, but a shocking secret that keeps her from getting close to him. Van Camp, now the star of ABC's Revenge, is asked to wear many hats, sometimes she's sweet and innocent, while at other times she's immature and irritating. but no matter the mood, she's always at the top of her game, really letting you feel, what Amy is feeling. Amy's father is Dr. Harold Abbott (Tom Amandes) who was the only doctor in Everwood, until Dr. Brown showed up. Abbott is arrogant, egocentric, and absolutely hysterical. Amandes brings some much needed comic relief to the show and his interactions with the other members of the cast are priceless. If it wasn't for Everwood being a WB show, Tom Amandes would have several Emmy Awards by now, because he really is that good. Everwood is a family drama that is at times hard to watch, because you will be deeply affected by these characters and at some point will be able to personally relate to what their going through. It pulls at the heart strings, that's for sure, but seeing that adversities faced by these characters and how they were able to over come them is really an inspiration. I said earlier that this is the kind of show that I don't usually watch, but it should be for the way it made me think and the way it made me feel.

Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil

Starring: Hayden Panettiere, Patrick Warburton, & Glenn Close

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

As adults, we loath kids movies. Sure, some people get into the Disney stuff, but for the most part, adults despise films that are made for kids and I am no exception. It takes a really good story and some clever writing for a PG film to appeal to adults as much as it does to kids, and it's virtually impossible to do this while still keeping the PG rating intact, but somehow the writers of Hoodwinked have accomplished this twice! The story really isn't important, it's geared toward kids and is very simple and predictable. What's not easy is keeping the adults awake, while the kids have the time of their lives. The writers accomplished this by throwing in parodies of classic adult films. Hoodwinked Too! has references to Goodfella, Die Hard, Silence of The Lambs, and a half a dozen other classic films, and it was those scenes that were the most fun. Also interesting to note, the voice of the wolf was done by Patrick Warburton, who does the voice of Joe Swanson on Family Guy, and it was really difficult for me to see the wolf as a totally different character. Hoodwinked and now it's sequel are nothing like Toy Story and aren't going to blow anyone away, but they are pretty good and while the kids are watching it, you'll find yourself getting in a few laughs as well. Hoodwinked Too! is a terrific family film with something for the whole family and is really the definition of what a family film should be.

Kyle XY

Starring: Matt Dallas, Marguerite MacIntyre, Bruce Thomas, April Matson, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Chris Olivero, Kirsten Prout, Nicholas Lea, & Chelan Simmons

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

Kyle XY was the first successful original show on ABC family. Featuring cute boys, which played right into their key demographic of teenage girls. Kyle woke up having no memory, like some big adorable baby. Not wanting the show to be some cutesy fucked up version of the Brady Bunch, the producers actually gave the show a complicated storyline, which made it much better, but also led to it's downfall. The series starts when Kyle wakes up naked in the woods outside of Seattle. He has no memory and doesn't know how to do anything. He's quickly put into a group home, as a John Doe, where he gains the attention and admiration of the local psychologist, Nicole Trager (Marguerite MacIntyre). Trager knows that Kyle will never survive in that environment and decides to foster him. Once at the Trager house, Kyle doesn't need to just learn the basics of survival, but also the social norms associated with being part of a family. The series starts out with Kyle as a clean slate, having to learn everything from eating to using the bathroom, and to me this was the worst part of the show. It did however give the stations key demographic exactly what it demanded and lead to these episodes being the networks highest rated to date. Wanting to show off Kyle's abilities and not wanting him to be some loveable moron, the writers shifted the focus to Kyle's extraordinary abilities and how he uses them to try and find out who he is and where he came from. That's the point where the show started to get interesting to me and of course the point where the ratings started to decline. Show some trendy teenage girls, a bunch of cute boys being adorable and you've got high ratings, but show those same boys as part of a global conspiracy, that makes you think, and those girls want nothing to do with it. Half way through the first season, Kyle XY went from a lame family show to a terrific science fiction drama. Matt Dallas stars as Kyle and he has a lot going for him. Dallas is good looking, athletic, and intelligent, unfortunately he's not a very good actor and many times seemed like some emotionless robot, who was reading lines from a cue card. Thankfully the family and friends surrounding him were far better actors than he was. The Trager family is a terrific mix of wit and emotion that is centered on Kyle, but doesn't focus solely on him. There is a terrific storyline featuring the daughter Lori's (April Matson) entrance into sexual activity with her boyfriend Declin (Chris Olivero), who may be the single most talented person on this cast. The brother Josh (Jean-Luc Bilodeau), gives much needed comic relief to the show, while teaching Kyle the things every teenaged boy needs to know. Kyle XY was a magically complex show that blended a great science fiction story with comedy and family drama, unfortunately it was on the wrong network. A show like this could have continued to grow and come out of nowhere to be a mix of the X-Files and 90210, that appealed to a huge audience, instead, it was geared toward teenage girls who just didn't want to think. The show was designed for a large audience on a network that has a very limited demographic. Ultimately the cute boys and the occasional comedy just wasn't enough to keep them interested and the show was canceled after 3 seasons. In my opinion this show was just starting to hit it's stride and should it have been on a network that appealed to a larger audience, it would probably still be on the air today.

Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, & Emma Watson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

In year three, our cast of unique and magical characthers have to deal with a new threat, an escaped prisoner, from Azkaban Prison, who seems to want to kill Harry Potter. Azkaban was a return to the magical formula that made Harry Potter legendary. The story here is suburb and unlike the Chamber of Secrets, it isn't dummied down or rushed for us. New elements are introduced such as the secret map and time travel, but perhaps most important of all we finally see Harry demonstrate some of this incredible power that has led to his fame at Hogwarts. The story was terrific, the action was great, the performances were off the chart, and the childish stuff was kept to a minimum, but was Azkaban perfect? Many critics will tell you that this is the best of the Potter films and it was terrific, but personally I was hoping to see more of the world outside of Hogwarts. I was looking forward to possibly seeing the inside of Azkaban prison and some of the people who are locked up there. While I appreciate the different views and new filming location, it was still centered at Hogwarts. Not a bad thing, but personally I'd have liked to have seen something else. Aside from that, new Director, Alfonso Cuaron, does use parts of the story that were excluded in the previous films, he also does give us a new location, and view of things. Overall, Cuaron really does do a tremendous job, making this film geared more toward young adults than children. Azkaban is much closer to being what J.K. Rowling intended than the Chamber of Secrets was. I absolutely loved this film, there are just some parts of this film that are truly amazing. If you're picky like I am, and are only going to give Harry Potter one shot, then I suggest the film you watch is The Prisoner of Azkaban.

Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, & Emma Watson

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

My adventure into the world of Harry Potter continues with the Chamber of Secrets. While I enjoyed the film, I didn't think it was as good as the Sorcerer's Stone, as typical of most sequels. In the Chamber of Secrets, we see Harry return for his second year at the Hogwart's School of Wizardery. In year two, students are being attacked, and Dumbledorf knows why. The legendary Chamber of Secrets has been open and a mythological creatures has been released. Harry and his friends have to find out who opened it and why before they are able to do anything about it. This story wasn't as mysterious or edge of your seat as the last adventure was, and I found some parts of it to be downright childish. What I enjoyed about the first film was that for all it has for kids, it had an equal amount of content that adults would enjoy. In the Chamber of Secrets, that element has been replaced with things like giant talking spiders, flying cars, and worst of all Dobby the troll. The story was pretty good, but it wasn't as refreshing as the last film, the cast was once again terrific, but the Chamber of Secrets seemed to be much more like a kids movie to me and for that reason was kind of a disappointment.

Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, & Emma Watson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I've never been the kind of person that buys into hype and to be honest, I hate most big budget films, So until this weekend, I've avoided everything Harry Potter. That being said, I have never met anyone who had anything bad to say about the Potter films, so I finally decided to give it a shot, and boy was I surprised! For those select few who don't know the story, Harry Potter is the son of two legendary wizards, who was hidden with distant relatives, in order to protect him. Until his eleventh birthday, he had no idea that he was famous or had the potential to be the most power wizard the world has ever known. Potter is invited to join the Hogwarts school of wizardry and that is when the adventure begins. British Actor, Daniel Radcliffe, plays Potter and is nothing short of spectacular. Before the Potter films, Radcliffe had very limited acting experience and many say, he got the part, because of his resemblance to Harry Potter on the cover of the book. That may be how he got the part, but he defiantly shows he has the talent to go along with the right look. His performance was terrific, but there is something to be said about having the right Director, and Christopher Columbus was the perfect choice. Columbus has a ton of experience working with young newcomers in films with high expectations. Overall, the story is extremely well written, the young cast was refreshing and full of energy, the direction was stellar, and the set, costumes, and effects were some of the best I've ever seen. I'm not going to go run out and join a quitage team, but I am going to see the rest of the series. Harry Potter is a huge budget franchise, but for once, a blockbuster film does live up to the hype, and earns the title of a must see movie!