Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Sorry I haven't written in a bit. A lot of excuses... I've got some catching up to do as I've seen a number of movies lately.

As for "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," the most important thing I can say is that true sci-fi fans should view this movie. It is an incredible 1956 black/white vision so great that it has spawned (sorry for the pun) innumerable copycat movies.
This movie stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. You may recognize McCarthy from the many MANY guest roles he's played over the years on various TV shows and movies. I realize a lot of people don't like black/white movies because they like the color and more modern effects. True, this movie doesn't have all the special effects today's movies have, but hey, it was 1956! They did a good job with what they had.
The movie centers on a small town, which is typical for most sci-fi creature movies. The doctor (McCarthy) just returns from a medical convention and is greeted by his nurse at the train station. She notes that there have been curious things happening, but just as soon as they started, they went back to normal overnight.
Turns out, seeds from somewhere out in space fell on nearby fields and took root. They grew pods which formed into humans, replacing the population in their sleep. This concept could be used to argue a number of more recent films, such as copycat "Invasion," "The Stepford Wives" or even "Nightmare on Elm Street" as sleep is the key ingredient for human death. Even "Star Trek" used sleep to defeat the Borg (the collective alien race determined to take human bodies and turn them into soulless machines). It is my belief that "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" started the sleep-replacement plot-line. So with that said, it is one of the cornerstones of the modern alien invasion genre.
Sex, well no, there really isn't any. Wynter's character is a divorcee who throws a few quips that are clearly sexual in nature. There are, however, scenes in which McCarthy and Wynter must spend two semi-platonic nights together. Wynter's dresses are fashionable and somewhat daring, especially compared to the rest of the town. It is clear that the producers wanted to make sure she was seen as the helpless sex kitten in the movie rather than an equal to the doctor (McCarthy).
As far as age appropriateness, I'd let middle school kids and up view it. That age and younger might have nightmares. Heck, some adults might have nightmares... I should also note that the movie was so disturbing to some of the preview audience (remember, 50s) that the producers wrote in two extra scenes: one as the intro and the other as the new ending. Personally, I think it would be much scarier had they left those two off. As an aside, if you liked the ending to "Soylent Green," you should enjoy this movie's ending as well.
The violence is minimal, as no one is actually mauled in the picture, but there are some slightly off-camera scenes in which you should be aware.
Socially, this film has been regarded as a reaction to communism. Write me and let me know what you think.
Overall, I'd rate this as one of the better sci-fi films of the 50s. The theme, music and plot-line are still very much alive today.

Twilight

This was an awesome movie! I didn't read the books (yet) but was able to follow along nicely. I had certain expectations and had heard rumors - but folks, it's about vampires so it wasn't really that hard to keep up. Unless you've been under a rock, you know what they look like, eat, act like, etc. No shockers there.
As for the overall feel, I really enjoyed the acting. Both lead characters did an excellent job. I have to say that my favorite acting was the secondary players though. Billy Burke as the dad was great - just like you'd expect in this role. Sarah Chalke as the mom was genius. The whole time I kept wondering where I knew her from and then BAM - she was the evil Nina on "24." (As a side note, several of the actors were in "24"... coincidence???)
There were issues with some of the directing that I need to point out. In the scene in which Edward shows Bella what he really looks like, his shirt is undone (thankyougod). But in the next shot, his shirt is buttoned up - not enough time to do this. There were several timing errors like this one that I caught - and I'm not a professional movie critic. This is the director's fault and it doesn't sound like it will be repeated as the gossip fodder is growing that Catherine Hardwicke may not be at the helm for the next series in this saga.
There is no sex, only a brief make-out scene. You don't actually get to see someone sucking the blood out of an unwilling human. There are a few scenes that border on that, but none that should make your teen have nightmares. In fact, it might make your teens hot for the male lead, steamy Robert Pattinson or the tomboy Kristen Stewart. I have to say that I've really liked Stewart's acting since "Panic Room." She's great in everything - I just wish she'd smile more.
As for the appropriateness, I would let 13 year olds and up view this. There are scenes that parents may feel are too grown-up for their smaller kids.
I would definitely say this movie is one to watch - and watch out for the sequels. I hope they don't disappoint.

Madagascar

The cast reads like a who's who hot list. Ben Stiller is Alex the Lion, Jada Pinkett Smith is Gloria the hippo, David Schwimmer is Melman the giraffe and last but certainly not least is Chris Rock as Marty the zebra. And these are just the main characters. The animals live in the Central Park Zoo where Alex is hailed king as he is the zoo's star and eats up every bit of attention.

The plot: Marty decides to take a field trip of sorts and the rest of the group either tries to stop him, or are a little encouraged by his bravery. They end up at the train station and are attacked by a granny wielding a purse and finally by the police and vet squad. An outpouring of public sympathy for the animals leads to the animals being boxed up and sent to their native habitat (Africa). Along the way, the zoo penguins get in the mix and take over the ship destined to Africa and hijack it to Antarctica. Once there, they decide it might be better somewhere else and sail off to yet another adventure. This time they land in Madagascar. They are eventually greeted by King Julian (Sacha Baron Cohen) and Maurice (Cedric the Entertainer). They are skeptically welcomed into the animal fold after Alex scares away the dreaded foosa. Together, the main characters find resolution to their newfound obstacles and learn to live peacefully in Madagascar. Happy, sweet and very funny.
There are parts of this movie that are WAY above the normal kid's intellect. There are references to a lot of sci-fi (love it!) and jabs about New York. For most kids, however, the music will get them in the movie. Somewhat ashamedly, I must admit that my own 4-yr old has to listen to "I Like to Move It" every morning on his way to kindergarten. It's infectious. In a good way. The penguins steal the show. I understand they will get their own cartoon on TV soon. Provided they keep the same writers and voice talents, that too will be great.
I won't say this is a must see, but it is not a waste of your money. It's cute, very funny and filled with references to pop culture. I would suggest this movie for 4 years and up. And they won't get half of it, but the parents will. My favorite part - look for the "Planet of the Apes" homage on the beach.

Hercules - Animated

Although I've seen almost every Disney movie made, I'm not really a big fan. One of the reasons is that Disney routinely places a child in a parent-less situation. Just think...when was the last time you saw a Disney movie that didn't involve a parent dying, a parent already dead, adoption or some sort of parental guardianship? Yep, never.
Disney's 1997 adaption (loosely) of the Greek fable of Hercules turned out to be a pretty good movie. There was action, a love interest, singing, a really bad villain, kooky talking animals and a feel-good ending. However, I think the movie didn't do as well in some parts of the country because it doesn't specifically address ONE higher being. This is also a Disney trait. You can see a small mouse wishing on a star or a mermaid's deal with an undersea devil but you can't address the notion of one "god." In Hercules, Disney displays multiple gods, as with the Greek monotheistic tradition. I think this probably got the far right-wingers upset. Who knows?
As for the movie, it has all the key elements kids like. My 4-yr old loves this movie. I'm sure part of it is because the colors are really vivid and he thinks it's funny. It's also got a catchy series of songs - I found myself singing along. The first time he watched it I think he might have been a little scared of the scenes with Hades (wonderfully voiced by James Woods).
The story, as you probably know, is about a child born to gods (Hera and Zeus) who is stolen away (by Hades) and lives among mortals, believing the people who raised him to be his true parents. He finds out the truth later and works to become a real god by performing feats of heroism. His training comes from the satyr Philoctetes (Danny DeVito), ensuring more laughs to the situation. There is a love interest in Megara, or Meg for short. Also, Paul Shaffer voices Hermes, the messenger, who looks and acts exactly like himself, including glasses. One other note is that Charlton Heston is the narrator. I think that was a great move on Disney's part.
The movie is sweet and not as scary as "The Little Mermaid" or "Sleeping Beauty." It is male-centered, which is rarer nowadays, but little girls will like it too. I would suggest this movie to any age person willing to endure several episodes of gospel singings by the Muses and can overlook the multi god sentiment. I really liked this movie.

The Dark Knight

I know people will hate me but I didn't like this movie. The only redeeming quality was Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker. Christian Bale's Batman was mild, Maggie Gyllenhaal as the love interest was not convincing, and again - Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are the better actors who have been shoved off in the overseer roles. Aaron Eckhart's role as Harvey Dent/Two-Face was okay but the special effects for his alternate personality were out of this world. My only real beef with this movie is that as a comic book reader, I was disappointed the audience saw a very young Commissioner Gordon's daughter. I am taking this to mean that future movies will not follow in the comic book line. I was glad to see Scarecrow and some other buddies show up and hope to see more of them in sequels. If you want to see Ledger, watch this. Otherwise, it's a skipper.

Nim's Island

I love Jodie Foster. I love Jodie Foster. There, I've said it. To me, she is the great actress of my age. This was a cotton-candy role for her: very light, sweet and venerable. She paired with Abigail Breslin in a role of little girl lost and Gerard Butler as the hunky reclusive dad who gets lost at sea. Foster always lived her character's role out in her fictional writings but through Breslin's emails, feels compelled to swallow her fears and face her toughest challenges. The movie centers around Breslin yet has such good secondary storylines that the movie feels richer than just a kid-flick. This is watchable with elementary age kids and up. It has a feel-good, although somewhat predictable ending.

The Spiderwick Chronicles

Based on the best-selling novels (I read them), this movie doesn't disappoint as it stayed true to the basic concept of the books. I was very happy with Freddie Highmore's dual performance as the twin brothers and Mary-Louise Parker's role as the mom. The special effects were good without scaring smaller kids. The generation gap was closed between the children and the elderly matriarch, played by Joan Plowright. Filled with goblins, fairies and mysterious other creatures, this was a delightful movie for elementary ages up.

Cloverfield

Call me crazy, I really liked this movie. It was shot as a home video, though not a la "The Blair Witch Project" (which made me sooo sick). By filming in the first person, it made the movie more personal and drew the watcher into the story - there was a connection. While I liked all the actors, Lizzy Caplan might have been my favorite, as she displayed real emotion with real attitude. Rumor has it that Paramount (and Bad Robot) will film a sequel as shot in a different location but contain the same scenario, just with a different set of people. I think this is revolutionary in film and warrants a kudos to the people behind the movie(s). It's one to say you've seen if nothing else.

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

If you haven't seen this one, please do - with kids. It's set in Scotland in the middle of a war and the children are concerned about their military dad's well-being. Mother (Emily Watson) tries to keep the dad's death from the kids but they figure it out in the end. To avert the kids' worries, a water creature comes into their lives and grows bigger by the hour. It's funny, entertaining and educational. For the romantics, you'll get a light brush of swooning. The best part about the movie to me is watching the son, Alexander Nathan Etel, and the newcomer, David Morrissey. I have seen Morrissey in a number of movies and he is always awesome. I cannot say enough about the actor - there is a connection. He seems to "get" the roles he plays.