In Theaters This Weekend

YAY! We have two movies opening today that are rated G! It's a miracle! Our two G movies this week are documentaries that a definitely family movie fare.

Chimpanzee
Rated G
Narrated by Tim Allen
Running time: 78 minutes

This Disney documentary follows life of Oscar, an orphaned chimpanzee. So far, Chimpanzee is receiving mixed reviews, but it looks like something I would enjoy, so I plan to see and review this one.

To the Arctic
Rated G
Narrated by Meryl Streep
Running time: 40 minutes

A journey into the lives of a mother polar bear and her two seven-month-old cubs as they navigate the changing Arctic wilderness they call home. (IMDb)

Darling Companion
Rated PG
Starring Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, and Dianne Wiest

I love this cast and director (Lawrence Kasdan), but the description on IMDb makes me wonder: "The story of a woman who loves her dog more than her husband. And then her husband loses the dog."

Hmm. Really? Also, it is not receiving favorable early reviews on IMDb. According to Moviefone, Darling Companion is currently under limited release, so moviegoers may have trouble finding it in their local theaters.


Want to see if any of these movies are playing at your local theater? CLICK HERE for Movietickets.com.

The Hunger Games - May the odds be ever in your favor.

Rated PG-13 for intense violent thematic material and disturbing images - all involving teens

Runtime: 142 min

Starring:  Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth



I remember first seeing The Hunger Games series floating around the book reviewing blogs and most of the reviews were great.  But, the cover and back blurb didn't really catch my attention, so I put them off.

That is until Christmas of 2010 rolled around.  I thought my eleven-year-old daughter might enjoy the books, so I ordered them up for a Christmas gift.

Curiosity got the better of me and I thought I'd just skim the first book to make sure it was appropriate for an eleven-year-old.  I had all three books read within a few days.  I've been wanting to read the series again, but time just hasn't permitted.

I thought it only fair to the readers of this review that I come clean about thoroughly enjoying the books and actually counting the days until the movie release.  This, I believe, colors my opinion.

The main story is about a future where the U.S. has fallen on very hard times and the states no longer exist.  Instead of states we now have a Capitol and twelve districts.  Katniss Everdeen, our heroine, hails from district twelve.


The Capitol, as a way to keep the districts under control, hosts The Hunger Games every year. The Hunger Games are a brutal, fight to the death competition in which 24 tributes strive to be the last one alive. As if the games weren't horrendous enough, the competitors are chosen from the district's children between the ages of twelve and eighteen.

When Primrose, Katniss's twelve-year-old sister, is chosen, Katniss does the only thing she can do to protect her.  She volunteers as district twelve's female tribute.

 After watching several movies based on books over the years I have decided the only way to enjoy a movie made from a book is to watch the movie as if the book did not exist.

I will admit, I wasn't able to do that with this movie because I didn't need to.  However, I may have taken something entirely different away with me from the movie had I not read the books first.

Of course there is a lot left out and a few changes that were made, but I didn't feel that any of that hurt the overall story.  I knew what had happened behind the scenes (because I'd read the books) but I think the movie could be just as enjoyable if you hadn't read the books.

The rating, PG-13, is quite appropriate as there is quite a lot of violence.  The story, after all, is about teenagers being forced to compete to the death. I brought my eleven-year-old daughter to this one and would allow her to watch it again, and again.

This is one I would definitely recommend for older family members. 

The Secret World of Arrietty - Borrowed from Japan

 

Rated: G

Runtime: 94 minutes

Starring: Bridgit Mendler, Will Arnett, David Henrie, Carol Burnett 

I thought I knew all I needed to know about this movie before I brought the kids.  Well, I was wrong. 

What I did know:  

It was cute and fun for all of us and it was based on the book, The Borrowers, by Mary Norton. 

What I didn't know:  

This animated version was first released in Japan in 2010.  And Mary Norton also wrote The Magic Bed Knob; or, How to Become a Witch in Ten Easy Lessons and it's sequel, Bonfires and Broomsticks.  If there are any Disney fans out there you'll probably already know that these two books became the basis for the movie Bedknobs and Broomsticks (one of my all time favorites, by the way.)  

The story:  

Borrowers are very small versions of people that live under our houses and come out at night to "borrow" items we will never miss such as a cube of sugar or small lost items.  A little goes a long way for these tiny people.  If a Borrower is seen by a human being (they call us Beings) then they must pack up and move because a Being's curiosity is never satisfied.

It just happens that Arrietty is now fourteen and about to embark on her first Borrow.  She is seen by a new member of the household, Shawn.  He has been brought to the country to be kept quiet and still before a life threatening heart surgery.  

The family decides they must move but a lot happens as they start planning and readying themselves to find a new home. Arrietty's father is slightly injured while scouting for a new home and is brought back by another Borrower.  There is hope there are more Borrowers to be found out in the wide world - which happens to be even more wide because of their size.

I brought my eleven-year-old and four-year-old and other than one trip to the bathroom, they were both very still and engrossed in the movie.

The very first things I noticed in this movie were the sounds after Arrietty is introduced.  They are all as if you are hearing through her ears.  Imagine hearing a being many times your size walking past you.

The animation is different than that of movies like Kung Fu Panda.  The colors are a bit more muted but the scenes were gorgeously depicted.  Though all animation is art, this is so rich it's worth the trip to the theater just to see the beauty of it.  

There wasn't a lot of action or humor so I was a bit surprised that the film held the attention of the four-year-old for more than half-way through before she had to make a trip out and about.  Yes, the trip to the bathroom was a ruse.  We refilled popcorn and pop and never did use the restroom.  Faker.

Of course, the biggest action scene took place while we were roaming the halls of the theater.

Afterward, when I asked the girls what they thought of the movie, they both said they loved it.  But I think the excitement of actually going to the movie was more exciting than the movie itself.

Though not full of action, thick with suspense or laugh out loud funny this is a definite yes for full family viewing.  There is plenty to keep all ages entertained for the hour and a half it takes to watch.  I did not bring along my two-year-old for fear of missing most of the movie, but this could have easily been one she would have sat through.

Reviewed by JC Phelps