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

MADAGASCAR 2 - ESCAPE TO AFRICA

"What is this place?"
"San Diego. This time, I'm 40% sure."

Our zoo friends Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman, and the penguins board King Julian's wreck plane to head back to New York! But when they crash in Africa, Alex meets his parents - the ones he had before he was taken by hunters and drifted to New York. His father Zuba is the alpha lion, and Alex is ready to prove himself to his dad through the Rite of Passage. Except there are two problems. First, a sneaky lion is ready to use Alex to become the alpha lion himself, and secondly Alex thinks the Rite of Passage is a dance-off.

You saw the first one, you loved it, you saw the previews for this one and they looked hilarious. Our experience exactly. But as good as the trailer looked, this movie does not burst through the dark cloud of reachy sequels. To my knowledge, no 2 movie ever has except Toy Story, and don't expect it here. While ESCAPE TO AFRICA is by no means lacking in funny lines (mostly provided by our beloved Julian and the penguins), the side plots and overtones are just... second movie-esque. Alot about women and love. To Melman's dismay, Gloria gets a date with a dashing hippo who says some things that could have been left out, and made me squirm a little. Nothing unthinkable, just not good for the kids. Plenty of fat jokes too that you won't want to hear your five-year-old cracking. Julian also gives some advice about how to deal with the ladies. He also makes a sacrifice to his "good friends the water gods", which is decribed as a "50-50" way of getting water. But there is nothing serious there, and it is mostly just a way to get Melman's heart to come out his mouth. In the beginning, the hunters take baby Alex away and shoot at his father, which could be scary.

Now for the positive side. Alex and his parents are happily reunited and Zuba stands up for his son, even though he's a little... weird. Melman makes a couple of sweet speeches without any sensual content, which I liked. He also is ready to sacrifice himself to maybe get water for his true love. And there's a lot of funny! The penguins are great and you can't go too wrong with Julian!

I enjoyed this movie, despite it's lacking in certain areas. But you may want to watch it before your kids do.

Directed by: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath ~ Produced by: Mireille Soria, Mark Swift ~ Written by: Etan Cohen, Tom McGrath (animator), Eric Darnell ~ Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, Andy Richter, Bernie MacSherri Shepherd, Alec Baldwin, will.i.am ~ Music by: Hans Zimmer, will.i.am ~ Editing by: Mark A. Hester ~ Distributed by: DreamWorks Distribution, Paramount Pictures ~ Release date: November 7, 2008 ~ Running time: 89 minutes

HORTON HEARS A WHO!

"All right, I gotta get this speck up to the top of Mount Nool A.S.A.P, whatever that means, probably 'act swiftly, awesome pachyderm'! I mean, how hard can that be?"

~ Horton

When an easygoing elephant named Horton hears a tiny spec call out, he is certain that there are people living on that spec. Turns out he's right! He has made contact with the Mayor of Who-Ville, who has 96 daughters and 1 son named JoJo who all share a bathroom! The Mayor is shocked to find his world is a spec, and Horton swears to make sure no harm befalls them. The problem is, none of the other citizens of Who-Ville believe the mayor when he shares his concerns about the land where nothing ever goes wrong. Little does he know, Horton is having the same problems with a fierce Kangaroo and her mean henchmen. Can the Whos come together and prove to an angry mob that they exist?

HORTON HEARS A WHO! is a funny movie based off of Dr. Seuss's book with great voices and great animation! Unfortunately, it's not above some of the usual transgressions. The funny-ness sometimes spills over into the land of stupidity and sometimes it hangs around on the border between the two. But don't get me wrong - there's plenty of funny. But kids will be a lot more into this one than the adults will, which brings me to my next concerns.

JoJo is a sulky kid who is misunderstood by his dad and doesn't say a word till the end (something I've noticed that is getting more and more fashionable in cartoons). The mean Kangaroo's son disobeys her in the end and gives the spec back to Horton, and it's good that he did, but there is still the disobeying part. Vlad, the vulture that is hired to get rid of the spec is supposed to be funny, but he still might scare certain kids. The Mayor is called a "boob" which is funny until your 3-year-old says it, and the part where Horton is tied and the spec is held over a boiling pot of doom could get a little scary as well.

Now for the good stuff: IT'S FUNNY! Horton is 100% devoted to the well-being of the spec, even when he is encouraged to "go 99% just once". The Kangaroo repeatedly says something to the effect of, "If you can't see it, hear it, or feel it, it doesn't exist!" bringing a little spiritual thought into the whole thing (though probably not intentionally). JoJo comes through for everyone in the end, and makes up with the mayor. Everybody turns nice in the end, "and so, all ended well for both Horton and Who's, and for all in the jungle, even kangaroos. So let that be a lesson to one and to all; a person is a person, no matter how small."

This is a good one - but not a winner in my book. Enjoyable, but not for more than probably three times:)

Directed by: Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino ~ Produced by: Bob Gordon, Chris Wedge ~ Written by: Dr. Seuss (book and story) Ken Daurio, Cinco Paul ~ Narrated by: Charles Osgood ~ Starring: Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Carol Burnett, Dan Fogler, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Jaime Pressly, Seth Rogen, Jesse McCartney, Isla Fisher, Jonah Hill, Selena Gomez ~ Distributed by: 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios

FACING THE GIANTS

"Whether we leave the field the victors or not, we will give God the glory. Now... who will go fight the giants with me?"
~ Grant Taylor

The Shiloh Eagles high school football coach seems to be at the end of his rope. With a six-year losing record, the school is getting impatient with Grant Taylor's team leadership. And that is not the only problem - his car is breaking down, his house is in disrepair, and he and his wife have found out that they can not have children. When he hits bottom, Grant Taylor looks up to God, and is led to write up a new high school football team philosophy. Can giving God all the glory bring victory to Grant's life? Can God speak to a sleepy town through a football team?

Who would've thought that a tiny town in Georgia would bring us the best Christian film yet! For a single camera, an $100,000 budget, and an all-volunteer cast, this is absolutely amazing! Grant Taylor's recommitment to Christ is very moving, though afterward, his football team isn't quite ready to buy into what he is selling. The team captain is very apathetic, and Grant cures that in a very interesting and intense way. One player is very disrespectful to his father and the coach addresses him about it, but Matt doesn't listen - until the school breaks out in revival. Grant and his wife's faith guide them through the tough times, and when they trust God with everything, He starts moving in their lives drastically. The soundtrack is also a winner, including artists like Third Day, Casting Crowns, Bebo Norman, and Josh Bates.

On the technical side, there are no naughty words or profanity, but there is of course the tackling and smacking around as is normal in football. The coach is very angry in one instance and yells at his team, whacking a player over the head with his cap. The Giants coach is quite intimidating and hot tempered. I say these things thinking about those with children that are extremely sensitive to "scary things". They are not bad or would make anybody else but a concerned parent throw a red flag. As Plugged in Online so aptly states, "It's hard to think of something in Facing the Giants that isn't positive."

As these actors AREN'T real actors, the performance by the adults can sometimes raise a cynical eyebrow (like mine), but either there is not enough bad acting or you don't notice it when it comes, because it does nothing to take away from the story. The kids all act very well and are convincing characters. There are a couple fuzzy camera shots, but nothing but an evil eye will spot it. Keep supporting the Kendrick brothers as they make more Christian movies and change more lives!!! Do yourself a favor - don't miss this movie! Don't even bother to rent it first - it's worth every penny you will pay to have it in your home! Visit the site for this film at http://www.facingthegiants.com/.

"FACING THE GIANTS is a great movie about how God can change lives on and off the football field. Every family in America should see it."- Dan Reeves, NFL Coaching Great

Directed by: Alex Kendrick ~ Written by: Alex Kendrick, Stephen Kendrick ~ Starring: Alex Kendrick, Shannon Fields, Tracy Goode, Jason McLeod, Bailey Cave ~ Distributed by: Sherwood Pictures ~ Release dates: 2006-09-29 ~ Running time: 111 min ~ Language: English ~ Budget $100,000

LOVE COMES SOFTLY

"Never despise meager beginnings." ~ Clark Davis

About ten years have passed since Marty first married Clark in LOVE COMES SOFTLY. They have a seven year old son named Arnie, Aaron is nine, and little Missie Davis is now a nice young lady. When disaster strikes the Davis family, a mysterious stranger called Nate dashes in to help. Who is he? What is his story?

In LOVE'S ENDURING PROMISE, Missie must choose between two suitors, and come to realize that God has written His own love story for her. Will she choose to embrace it?

This was a great movie. We watched it at our house with just the girls and we all loved it. It is decidedly a girl movie, and your boys probably won't show much interest.

The whole family trusts God just as much as Clark did in the first movie, and Nate comes to realize the validity of His enduring promise that all our tears would be washed away.

As for the elements, you probably didn't expect this, but there is a tiny bit of violence. Clark is hurt in the leg and we see him pass out, some blood, and the gash. We see a boy that has frozen to death, but it is just that - not a "scary" image. There is also some kissing, as can be expected, and no bad language - as can also be expected.

This movie is not devoid of lame lines that make you roll your eyes (and they put quite a few in the trailer below), but it does not take away much from the overall enjoyment of the movie, especially if you are female. I've found that the majority of our gender doesn't mind sorry lines as much;) But the acting is great by all the characters - even the kids! Don't miss this one! It's a winner!

Directed by: Michael Landon Jr. ~ Written by: Cindy Kelley, Michael Landon Jr. ~ Starring: January Jones, Mackenzie Astin, Cliff De Young, Logan Bartholomew, Cara DeLizia ~ Distributed by: Hallmark Channel

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