BOLT

"We jump through hoops to make sure Bolt believes everything is real. It's why we don't miss marks. It's why we don't reshoot... if the dog believes it, the audience believes it."
~ Director of the BOLT TV series

Bolt the Superdog has his own TV show in which he repeatedly saves his beloved owner, Penny. The only problem is that he thinks everything that happens on the set is what is happening in real life-bad guy, damsel in distress, superpowers and all. When Penny is captured by the villain on the set, Bolt escapes from his trailer to go rescue her...and finds that all of a sudden his superpowers are useless. Teaming up with a weirded-out alley cat named Mittens and a TV nerd hamster named Rhino, he sets off on a daring mission to save the girl he loves from the green-eyed man's evil clutches. But are there really any evil clutches to save her from?

I got a good review on BOLT from a reliable source, so we rented it and watched it in the living room over goldfish. In short, I was quite impressed. It's hard to find a movie nowadays with a cute story, no swearing or suggestive content, and good laughs to boot! I read the Plugged-in-Online review and got the impression that there was more blood and violence than your usual Disney cartoon, so I kept a weather eye and found that these fears were groundless. On the scary side we see a motorcycle chase and bad guys on the set with electric hands. There is an angsty fire scene where Penny and Bolt are seriously imperiled. This is the only reason that you will need to preview this for your little kids - the rest of the movie is absolutely clear of any questionable content! Definitely worth a watch for the whole family!

Directed by: Chris Williams, Byron Howard ~ Produced by: Clark Spencer, John Lasseter ~ Written by: Idea-Chris Sanders, Screenplay-Chris Williams, Dan Fogelman ~ Starring: John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman, Mark Walton, Malcolm McDowell ~ Music by: John Powell ~ Editing by: Tim Mertens ~ Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures ~ Release date: November 21, 2008 ~ Running time: 96 minutes

JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH

"You're the man, Uncle Trev!"
"That's what I've been telling the scientific community for years!"

Trevor Anderson is your average messy professor. He is trying desperately to keep his deceased brother Max's research on progressive volcanology alive. When his nephew Sean comes to visit for a few days, one of Trevor's inactive sensors starts getting some interesting data - it reads exactly the number that it read when Max disappeared. Trevor sees this as his only chance to find out what happened to Max, so he and Sean team up with an Icelandic mountain guide named Hannah to the rumored center of the earth.

When Walden Media and New Line Cinema come together, you know you can expect cool things. My sister watched this for her birthday, and I was impressed at how good it was! At first, Sean is mumbly and disrespectful to Trevor, but soon his uncle begins to fill the void left by the death of the father he never knew. This movie is aimed at kids, but adults can enjoy it too. The effects are believable and great, and the cast is awesome. We all know the Brendan Fraser is good, and Josh Hutcherson is one of the best kid actors I've ever seen. The storyline is not THE LORD OF THE RINGS, but doesn't leave you rolling your eyes either.

As for the negative content, Sean and Trevor place "dibs" on Hannah a few times. There are a couple of kisses. There are dinosaur chases, big scary fish, and carnivorous plants that the gang has to fight off, but it's not flat out scary - they interlace everything with jokes and funnies. Still though, watch this before your little kids do. Some time after Trevor comments about the different types of schist rock, Sean groans, "Oh, we're in deep schist". Besides that little nod, JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH is completely clean.

This film is an interesting, action packed, watch-with-popcorn-in-the-dark type family movie! Check it out - it's a worth a watch or two!

Directed by: Eric Brevig ~ Produced by: Brendan Fraser (executive) ~ Written by: Jules Verne (novel), Michael Weiss, Mark Levin ~ Starring: Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson, Anita Briem ~ Music by: Andrew Lockington ~ Cinematography: Chuck Shuman ~ Editing by: Paul Martin Smith, Dirk Westervelt, Steven Rosenblum ~ Distributed by: New Line Cinema, Walden Media ~ Release date: July 11, 2008 ~ Running time: 92 min

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

"Kidnapped, Jabba the Hutt's son has been. Negotiate the treaty with Jabba, Obi-Wan will. Find the renegades that hold Jabba's son, your mission will be, Skywalker."

~Yoda

With the war between the Jedi and the Separatists spreading throughout the galaxy, Count Dooku and his apprentice, Asajj Ventress, have abducted Jabba's son. The Sith hope to frame the Jedi for the crime and gain the Hutts' support. It is Obi-Wan and Anakin's job to find the Huttlet, but the mission takes an unexpected turn for Anakin when Master Yoda assigns him an apprentice - a youngling named Ahsoka. With this bother to deal with Anakin sets off to save Jabba's son, little knowing that it will stab him in the back.

Say hello to the first animated STAR WARS movie! I went to see it with low expectations - but not this low. But I'll talk about the positive elements first.

Anakin doesn't like Ahsoka at all at first. Both are very arrogant, but they soon learn to respect each other. Padme risks her life to try to assist the Jedi. Christopher Lee, Anthony Daniels, and Samuel L. Jackson all do the voices of the characters they play in the real movies. That was nice. The other voices are quite convincing - don't worry about being distracted through the movie because "that's not Obi-Wan Kenobi". There is some excellent animation, and some choppy animation. For all you clone fans, it was cool to see some more action from the 501st. They did quite well. The characters were all pretty true to their non-animated selves. Ventress finally gets a nod.

BUT, if you're expecting to see some real Star Wars - DON'T GO HERE! The plotline was a huge stretch. I mean, give me a break, Jabba the Hutt's son??? Surely they could've thought up something better than that! The story was weak at best, and the lightsaber fights were... not lightsaber fights. They were choppy and lego-style. In fact, all the starships looked like things my little brothers could make any day. There was no deep theme. We forgive the real movies for bad lines and strange side-stories because of the good vs. evil and Darth Vader and all that. This had no hint of Anakin's fall, or real good versus real evil, or anything of the sort. No brain food at all. I could be happy with calling it a kids' movie, like some attempt to get 5-year-olds engaged in Lucas's world, but the 501st commander lets out a swear during the first 10 minutes of the movie! Class. They add a horrid new character in Jabba's uncle - a purple, 80s looking Hutt that speaks Basic and talks like an old lady. Pointless. The music was not John Williams - didn't even SOUND like Star Wars. Dissapointing.

All in all, I echo the sentiments of a reviewer who said, "Has it come to this? Has the magical impact of George Lucas' original vision of Star Wars been reduced to the level of Saturday morning animation?" I'm not saying it's a no-go forever. After all, there's a whole TV series of this thing that's coming out. I'm saying don't go see it at the theaters and if your kids want to watch it, watch it first and don't expect to see any real Star Wars in there. You want Star Wars? Just put in REVENGE OF THE SITH and pop the popcorn!

Director: Dave Filoni ~ Producer: Catherine Winder ~ Writers: Henry Gilroy, Scott Murphy, Steven Melching ~ Starring: Matt Lanter, Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Dee Bradley Baker, Tom Kane, Nika Futterman, Ian Abercrombie, Anthony Daniels, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Catherine Taber ~ Music by: Kevin Kiner ~ Distributor: Lucasfilm, Warner Bros. Pictures ~ Released: United States:August 15, 2008 ~ Runtime: 98 minutes

The SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES

"What happens when Mulgarath gets the book?"

"I die. You die. We all die. Bye-bye."

~ Mallory Grace and Thimbletack

When the Grace family, Mallory, Simon, Jared, and their mom move into the old Spiderwick estate after their parents divorce, Jared is less than thrilled about things. But soon he finds a secret room and a strange book with a note on it that reads:

"Do not dare to read this book

for if you take one fateful look

you barter at your life's expense

and face a deadly consequence"

When he opens it, Jared's life could change forever - or just not exist anymore. The book contains secrets about the fantastical creatures that live in our world. But the evil ogre Mulgarath would do anything to learn the secrets in the book, so he sends his goblins to find it. The Grace family has to defend their home - or else.

I had seen the preview a few times, and it looked pretty cool. We rented it last night and watched it, hoping for a NARNIA-type adventure. We didn't get that.

Let's start with the bad stuff. The story of the mom and dad's divorce creeps around the whole time, and it turns out that their dad is "with someone else". Jared is devastated. The kids fight and blame each other for everything. That lasts until they are all convinced of the goblins that are putting the house under siege. Jared has temper problems during the beginning and yells, "I hate you!" to his mom, but is later sorry and apologizes. The Lord's name is used in vain several times, along with one other case of slightly foul language. There is very little blood, but several birds are swallowed whole, and there is a great battle in which many goblins lose heads or disintegrate. The goblins look more like giant toads and the ogre can be pretty scary. But our little boys ages 7, 5, and 4 watched it with us and haven't mentioned it again or lost any sleep. But I think our boys are grittier than the norm, and if your child gets scared watching NARNIA or walking through a shark tunnel, this is definitely a stretch.

On the good side, I haven't read the books, but from a writer's standpoint, I would've loved to be the one who thought up that plotline. Except for the divorce and the squabbling, it's a great story! The acting was good, and there were some funny lines. The special affects were more than acceptable. The movie was, for the most part, enjoyable and you're not suffering and rolling your eyes through the whole thing, like the BRIDGE TO TEREBITHIA. But you may notice that this "good stuff" paragraph is shorter than the "bad stuff" paragraph. This is not a movie you need to rent, and you definitely don't want to see it more than once. This movie makes you shrug your shoulders at the end and say, "well, that's Hollywood. Barley enjoyable junk."

Directed by: Mark Waters ~ Produced by: Frank Marshall, Kathleen Kennedy, Karey Kirkpatrick, Holly Black, Tony DiTerlizzi, Larry J. Franco ~ Written by: Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum, John Sayles ~ Starring: Freddie Highmore, Sarah Bolger, Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Short, Nick Nolte, David Strathairn, Joan Plowright, Seth Rogen, Andrew McCarthy ~ Music by: James Horner ~ Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel ~ Editing by: Michael Kahn ~Distributed by: Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies ~ Release dates: February 14, 2008 (USA), March 21, 2008 (UK) ~ Running time: 97 min.

NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN

"It's so still."
"They're trees. What do you expect?"
"They used to dance."
~ Lucy Pevensie and Trumpkin the Dwarf

One year after the four Pevensie children stumbled back through the wardrobe into their own world, they are whisked into Narnia again by a desperate blow of Susan's horn. They find the Cair Paravel, where they used to reign, all in ruins as if it has been sitting there for centuries. 1 year for them - 1300 years for Narnia. The children learn Narnia has been invaded by the Temarines and the handful of Narnians left are hiding from their persecutors. But the one that blew the horn is not Narnian at all - he is a Telmarine prince who is outlawed by his evil uncle Miraz. He wants the hiding dwarves, centaurs, and... mice? to help him take back the land and they can come out of hiding and rule again. The Narnians and the Pevensies learn to trust him, and engage in risky battles and duels to save Narnia from the Telmarine tyrants.

I went to see this with a bunch of friends during my recent visit to my hometown. I will readily admit this: it was a FANTASTIC movie. Very well-made, good acting (even if the casting was a bit... wanting in my opinion), good affects, great storyline, quippy lines, the whole sha-bang. BUT I will also be very brave and admit this: I was slightly disappointed. Understand, my expectations were to have this movie ONLY top-notch. I was prepared to be disappointed if it was anything less than LORD OF THE RINGS. Of course, everybody knows that's not possible, and that law still stands. The movie did not follow the book as well as I'd like. The little things like making Reepicheep one foot tall instead of two, light brown instead of almost black, normal-guy voice instead of squeaky yet insanely tough voice REALLY served to tick me off. Reepicheep IS my favorite in the book, and he didn't shine like I would've liked. Not like he wasn't funny and great anyway. Trumpkin is everything I could've imagined -the perfect smart-alec cynic. Ben Barnes's version of Caspian didn't rock my boat to Hawaii. It would've helped if he wasn't so selfish. It would've helped if he wasn't 26 in real life. It would've helped if he didn't talk like Inigo Montoya. I found he was playing that priceless character in the theatres before he got cast for Caspian, and it made me even more iffy to have a comedy king playing an sword-fighting savior. But all the Telmarines had spanish accents, and it was alright for them. There's a bit more darkness and fighting than there was in the first one, so watch it before your six-year-olds do. There was a stupid, MnM hurling, add-in at the end between Susan and Caspian strictly for the twelve-year-old girls. But there are many wonderful battles, scarcely a cheesy line, a few excellent add-ins, and marvelous spiritual significance with Aslan and Lucy. To sum it all up, I enjoyed this movie very much and would watch it a zillion more times. But second of all, I do not think C.S. Lewis would be proud like I imagined he'd be if he watched the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. But, it's worth your money to see in the theater!

Directed by: Andrew Adamson ~ Produced by: Andrew Adamson, Cary Granat, Mark Johnson, Perry Moore, Douglas Gresham, Philip Steuer ~ Written by: Novel: C.S. Lewis Screenplay: Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely ~ Starring: William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Ben Barnes, Sergio Castellitto, Liam Neeson (voice) Eddie Izzard (voice) Peter Dinklage ~ Music by: Harry Gregson-Williams ~ Cinematography: Karl Walter Lindenlaub ~ Editing by: Sim Evan-Jones ~ Distributed by: Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures ~ Release date(s): May 16, 2008 (USA) ~ Running time: 145 minutes

NIM'S ISLAND

"Be the hero of your own life story."

"Don't hand me that line - I wrote that line!"

11-year-old Nim and her marine biologist Daddy, Jack, live on their own secret island. It is perfect with a volcano, a beach, satellite internet, shipments of exciting Alex Rover books, and plenty of pets of course! When Jack goes out to sea to find a new microscopic organism, Nim insists on staying home because the sea turtle babies are about to hatch. "You've left me alone before - I'll be excellent! Little does she know her daddy will not fare so excellently at sea.

Meanwhile, the writer of the Alex Rover stories, Alexandra Rover, is working on another book, and e-mails Jack for some information about volcanoes. Nim is delighted, and starts to e-mail back and forth with her. When Jack is late and some sailors find the island and bring tourists, Nim prepares to defend the island and asks Alex Rover to help. But what she doesn't know is that she isn't writing the gadabout adventurer from the story - she is writing the obsessive-compulsive author who won't leave her apartment. Then Alexandra finds out that Nim isn't Jack's research assistant after all - she's his daughter and she's all alone and in trouble. Alexandra's created character Alex Rover convinces her to make the journey and and help the little girl. But will the tourists leave? Will Jack be alright?

I went to see this at the movies with some siblings and it was clean, funny, enjoyable, and great for the whole family! For little kids that are scared at watching bees chase Winnie the Pooh: Sharks circle around Jack's boat waiting for it to sink and Nim falls and gets a cut on her knee. Later she catapults lizards into the tourists making them shriek and run away, but most kids will probably think that hilarious. Jodie Foster as Alex Rover did a spectacular job! This movie is enjoyable for kids and adults alike. Don't miss this one!!!

Directed by: Jennifer Flackett, Mark Levin Produced by: Cary Granat, Paula Mazur Written by: Joseph Kwon, Paula Mazur Book:Wendy Orr Starring: Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster, Gerard Butler Music by: Patrick Doyle Distributed by: 20th Century Fox Release date(s): April 4, 2008

BRIDGE TO TERABITHIA

It's the day of the big footrace at school. But Jess Aarons is stuck with his big sister's old pink sneakers. This only draws more teasings from all the bullies at school, but Jess was their constant victim. He's also the victim of his parents' neglect and his sisters' fights. But this school day is different. A new girl, Leslie Burke, walks in the classroom and later lines up for the race, the only girl. She beats Jess but encourages and tries to be friends with him. It turns out that she moved just next door to him and she opens the doors to the magical world of Terabithia, teaching Jess the power of imagination.

That's all I'll give you of the storyline, as spoilers for this one would be deadly. But if you are looking for a second NARNIA, you've come to the wrong place altogether. The land of Narnia is closer to real, and Terabithia is strictly short and clearly imagined when it bursts through the real world. The plot is a bit wobbly and all over the place. There are scruffy scary-ified squirrels and a friendly giant pops up here and there in Terabithia. Younger children may be afraid of all this. Overall, there's really not a lot of Terabithia, this movie's happenings take place in the real world. The bullies are all very mean. They constantly tyrinnize the schoolyard, call people names, and steal precious twinkies. Jess and Leslie get even with one of the bullies by writing her a fake love note from the coolest kid in 8th grade. It turns out later that this bully is subject to abuse from her dad, and in turn gets left out by her fellow bullies. In this time, Leslie gives her advice on how to deal with teasing. Jess pushes his little sister, Maybelle to the ground and leaves her out of his play, but makes up with her in the end. There are a few cuss words. Jess mimicks his dad. The Aarons take Leslie to church with them one week and Leslie remarks later, "You know that whole Jesus thing? It's pretty interesting!" Maybelle tells her, "it's not interesting - it's scary." She says that God will send you to hell if you don't believe in the Bible. But Leslie doesn't believe that for a minute. She thinks that God is too busy with his creation to send people to hell. Later Jess's father tells him that he doesn't think that God sends good people to hell.

I don't have much on the good side to say about this movie, besides the fact the AnnaSophia Robb's performance was astounding. Josh Hutcherson wasn't bad at all, but AnnaSophia Robb is just about equilvalent to the child version of Keira Knightley. If you are thinking about watching this film, be forewarned: despite the glamor of the cover, this film isn't one of Disney's gems - it's just another bit of Disney's trash. If you are a kid under 13, definatley have your parents watch it first. BRIDGE to TERABITHIA is not worth your time or money. But just to be fair, I shall put this intruiging little trailer on here!:P

Directed by Gábor Csupó Produced by David Paterson, Lauren Levine, Hal Lieberman, Written by Katherine Paterson, David L. Paterson, Jeff Stockwell, Starring Josh Hutcherson, AnnaSophia Robb, Robert Patrick, Zooey Deschanel, Bailee Madison, Music by Aaron Zigman Cinematography Michael Chapman Editing by John Gilbert Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures (USA) Walden Media (non-USA through Summit Entertainment) Paramount Pictures (Latin America) Release date(s) February 16, 2007

NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS

A sequel to the Disney movie NATIONAL TREASURE hits theatres making a big SMASH! Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage) is now famous for the finding of the Templar treasure, Riley Poole (Justin Bartha) is the author of a book on the subject that is not exactly a bestseller, and Ben and Abigail (Diane Kruger) have broken up. When the pernicious Mitch Wilkinson (Ed Harris) finds evidence of the Gates family being behind President Lincoln's assassination, Ben sets on the trail to clear his family's name. But there is just one way to do that - by finding Cíbola, an ancient, not to mention probably mythological city that's very streets were made of solid gold. Ben and his father, being much closer now than they were in the first movie, find some clues with computer geek Riley, and even Abigail volunteers some help on the hunt. The one dragged into it this time is Ben's mother Emily Appleton (Helen Mirren), even though she and Patrick haven't spoken in 32 years. In a crazy chase that involves old arguments, other countries, and reckless villains, more and more clues are gathered until there is one piece missing. But what will Ben do to get it?

This movie is very exciting and it is a great balance of story and action. I found the bad guys not NEARLY as smart as everybody's favorite Ian from the first film, just a bunch of old guys wanting to be famous. Mitch doesn't want to have to figure out clues for himself, so he drags Ben into it, his sole smart move being cloning his dad's phone. If you're going to have a bad guy it should at least be a GOOD bad guy, but this fellow causes enough opposition to keep you on the edge of your seat and not rolling your eyes. There is one case of subtle profanity and Abigail kisses the guy she's been dating to distract him from Ben's clue-finding in the Oval Office. Patrick and Emily are very affectionate to their son. There is a crazy car chase that sends pedestrians running for their lives and barely escaping with them. But unlike Mitch, Ben is careful not to hurt people and nobody gets hit. This is a great movie and if you've watched the first one, you DEFINITELY need to see this one!

Directed by: Jon Turteltaub Produced by: Jon Turteltaub Jerry Bruckheimer Written by: Jim Kouf Terry Rossio Ted Elliott Starring Nicholas Cage Justin Bartha Diane Kruger Jon Voight Helen Mirren Ed Harris Music by Trevor Rabin Cinematography John Schwartzman Editing by William Goldenberg David Rennie Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures Release date(s) December 21, 2007 Running time 124 min.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END

"The King and his men stole the Queen from her bed,
and bound her in her bones.
The seas be ours and by the powers
Where we will, we'll roam.
Yo ho! All hands
hoist the colors high
Heave ho! Thieves and beggars
Never shall we die!
Yo ho! Haul together
hoist the colors high
Heave ho! Thieves and beggars
Never shall we die!"

The Song has been sung. The brethren court has been called. The nine pirate lords must meet and decide what to do about the hated Lord Cutler Beckett and the East India Trading Company. Beckett plans to extinguish piracy forever. He uses the beating heart of Davy Jones to force the Flying Dutchman into obedience.

While the EIC ships and the Dutchman wipe out pirate ships right and left, the infamous Jack Sparrow and Black Pearl are in Davy Jones's locker to pay off the debt described in the DEAD MAN'S CHEST. But Will, Elizabeth, Tia Dalma, Barbossa, and their dastardly crew have a plan to rescue him - each for his own reason. Barbossa is in because Jack was one of the nine pirate lords and failed to choose a successor before he died. He must be present at the meeting of the brethren to make the stand against Beckett's threat. Will needs the Black Pearl to free his father, Bootstrap Bill, from Davy Jones as he promised. Elizabeth has a guilty conscience for leaving Jack to the Cracken, so she thinks rescuing him will make everything all right. But upon Jack's rescue, everyone demands their own ends. Will's secret deal with Sao Feng, one of the pirate lords, kicks in and the rest of the party is put at gunpoint to put the Black Pearl into Will's possession. But Sao Feng's deal with Lord Beckett comes to light and Mr. Mercer and his men come to the scene. "But you promised the Pearl was to be mine!" shouts Will to Sao Feng.

"So it WAS."

But when Beckett's men take control of the ship, it is Sao Feng's turn to be betrayed. "But you said the Black Pearl was to be mine!".

Mr. Mercer responds, "Lord Beckett will not give up the only ship that can outrun the Dutchman."

Now Sao Feng is angry and thinks all is lost for piracy. "They have the Dutchman! Now the Pearl! What do the brethren have?"

Barbossa is confident. "We have Calypso."

This movie is pretty hard to judge. Davy Jones's lover is revealed, Bootstrap Bill's fate is decided, and it annoys me that everybody (even Mr. anti-pirate Will) is willing to cross anybody to accomplish their own ends. The information shoots at you at the speed of light, making it less story-form and difficult to watch. There is one for-adults-only part that we always skip. Beckett mutters a naughty word. There is, of course violence and stabbing each other more brutally than ever. Everyone I've ever talked to about it says the first and even the second movie is better. So... let your parents watch it first. If they say you can't, just know it's not that worth it anyway.

Directed by Gore Verbinski Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio Music by Hans Zimmer Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Editing by Stephen E. Rivkin, Craig Wood Distributed by Buena Vista Release date(s) May 24, 2007 Running time 168 min.

Starring
Johnny Depp

Orlando Bloom

Keira Knightley

Geoffrey Rush

Bill Nighy

Naomie Harris

Tom Hollander

Stellan Skarsgard

Chow Yun-Fat

Jack Davenport

MEET THE ROBINSONS

"With a little science and imagination, we could make the world a better place!" A twelve-year-old orphan inventor tells potential parents again and again. But nobody seems to want a spiky-haired science geek that keeps his baseball-loving roommate, Mike Yagoobian "Goob", up all night. But who COULD want him? Maybe... his mother who reluctantly gave him up to the orphanage doors! Lewis invents a memory scanner to bring up the memory of her to his mind. But who should show up, but a cop from the future, Wilbur Robinson! He warns Lewis to watch out for a tall man with a bowler hat (who stole his dad's time machine, but too late. The bowler hat guy sabotages and steals the invention to ruin Lewis's future. Wilbur takes Lewis on a wild ride on his Dad's time other time machine to the future, where he and the bowler hat guy are from. But due to a crash landing, Lewis has to fix the time machine, and so meets the Robinson family! Together they battle the bowler hat guy and his evil sidekick, Doris - or is it Doris and her evil sidekick, the bowler hat guy? With some secrets of the future and some perseverance, these inventions of a boy could change the world. You've just gotta keep moving forward!

We watched this movie on our family's annual Egg Nog night this year. Everybody absolutely loved it! I would highly recommend it to anybody looking for a good family movie that adults and kids alike will enjoy.

As for those negative elements, the most blatant thing is name-calling. "Stupid" "Idiot" "Booger Breath" and "Pansy" are as descriptive as it gets. No cuss words, but when "helping hats" briefly take over the world, it may cause fright in some toddlers. Also when a dinosaur chases Lewis, but that ends in another funny moment. Even the bad guy is funny and nice in the end and his worst scemes in the movie are taking the broken memory scanner, calling a T-rex, getting a talking frog under his control, and toilet-papering buildings. All things considered, it is one of those movies that is rightly rated "G"!

Directed by
Steve Anderson
Produced by
Dorothy McKim
Written by
Michelle Spritz

Jon Bernstein
Starring
Jordan Fry

Harland Williams

Tom Kenny

Steve Anderson

Angela Bassett

Tom Selleck

Nicole Sullivan
Music by
Danny Elfman
Distributed by
Walt Disney Pictures

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM

In this 20th Century Fox film, Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is a divorced father who just wants a dependable job to avoid eviction and moving away from his ten-year-old son. Night watchman at the almost forgotten Museum of Natural History? Sure, why not? The three old night guards, Cecil (Dick Van-Dyke), Gus, and Reginald give him a tour of the place. It's just your average museum: some wax figures, miniature settlers, a T-rex skeleton, some stuffed african animals, and a mummy with his Egyptian Tablet. The men leave him with an instruction manual and the words, "Just don't let anything in... or out." Do men ever read the instructions? No. What's to know about being a night watchman, right? To his amazement, the T-rex skeleton comes to life before his eyes! He thinks that maybe he should've read that manual before the capuchin monkey tore it up. And before Attila the Hun and the dinosaur set him running for his life. Luckily, a kindly wax Teddy Roosevelt (Robin Williams) helps him bring order to the museum on the first night. The freaked-out watchman is informed that the mummy's Tablet is what makes everyone come alive at night. As long as nobody gets out of the museum to turn to meet a terrible fate of turning to dust at dawn, things should be just fine. This is NOT what Larry bargained for, but he wants to make his son, Nick, proud again, so he brushes up on some history and tries to make Huns, squabbling settlers and Romans, and monkeys get along. But when the tablet is stolen and the occupants of the museum turn loose into the streets, what can Larry do?

This is a funny movie directed at kids, but one that adults can laugh at too. But it does fall a tad short of being perfectly family friendly. There is a cuss word, and some mild violence (some fist-fighting with burglars, being shot with a tiny "poison" dart, getting bit on the nose by a monkey, etc). A tiny bit of disrespect is shown by Nick to his father, basically because Larry has lost it by the divorce and his job shifting all the time. One of the old nightguards has a bad temper and likes to call people names like "weirdee" and "snack shack". But good heart is shown in that everybody stops fighting and starts partying and being friends in the end. But this "roll-on-the-ground funny" is justly rated PG.

Directed by
Shawn Levy

Produced by
Chris Columbus
Stephen Sommers
Bob Ducsay

Written by
Ben Garant
Thomas Lennon

Starring
Ben Stiller
Robin Williams
Dick Van Dyke
Owen Wilson
Mickey Rooney

Music by
Alan Silvestri

Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro

Distributed by
20th Century Fox

Release date(s)
December 22, 2006

Running time
Theatrical:108 minutes