Disney has released a jackpot of Kid’s Activity Sheets and movie clips in celebration of Monsters University, graduating to theaters this June 21. Mike and Sulley weren’t always the best of friends. In fact, when the Scarers first met in college, they couldn’t stand each other. Monsters University sets the story straight on how the pair overcame their differences and became inseparable.
Short Film of Father turn Zombie, saving his Infant Cargo
Admission, I am a zombie fanatic. But that doesn’t mean I am feeding episodes of The Walking Dead or Romero’s iconic classic as part of my children’s pop-culture diet. Zombies do, however, make for a fun twist on the classic chase game of “tag”. Brains…..
I want to thank my brethren in the daddy blogging society for linking to this awesome short film from Ben Howling and Yolanda Ramke. Titled, Cargo, the film is about a zombie-bitten fathers last moments with his infant child. I don’t want to say more than that as to preserve the message being delivered. The short film was a finalist in the 2013 Australian Tropfest Film Festival.
Review: Jack the Giant Slayer
Jack the Giant Slayer is Bryan Singer’s interpretation of the English folktale. There has been an influx of fairy tale movie adaptions in the last couple of years, but Giant Slayer best keeps to the spirit of the original tale. The filmmakers even worked in a “Fi, Fi, Fo, Fum”, a golden egg and harp. From giants to set pieces, Jack is laden with spectacular CGI. The fairy tale landscape is the perfect companion to the computer canvas and the massive giants are very well done, though, with exception to General Fallon (Bill Nighy), are sometimes difficult to discern from one another. Jack does have his shortcomings. The final confrontation between humans and giants isn’t the payoff I had anticipated, it feels rushed and leaves too many unanswered questions. There isn’t much character development. But perhaps the most disappointing shortfall is the 3D….there is none. Do not pay for this upgrade. Jack the Giant Slayer is rated PG-13. Is Jack safe for kids? Well, that depends on the limits you place on violence. There is no blood, gore, or giant’s goo. Violent encounters are mostly suggestive. There is gross-out humor.
Review: Rise of the Guardians
Rise of the Guardians is a half-hearted attempt to innovate the holiday-themed film territory, wasting away any originality it may have had. Who doesn’t want Santa and the Easter Bunny joining the Avengers team? For the most part, that’s what you get – plenty of fast-paced fight scenes. It’s the narrative that takes the back seat in Santa’s sleigh. The story just isn’t that interesting.
Cinema Review » ParaNorman
While slyly poking fun at 80’s slasher films, ParaNorman really capitalizes on the recent zombie craze. There’s a clever duality of cute and disgusting themes constantly running, which works surprisingly well in a childrens film. But somewhere in the middle the film loses its way, choosing to ditch it’s Sixth Sense inspirations, and opting to mirror the plot after The Grudge. A poor choice, in that the film loses its charming creepiness and instead gets full-on frightening and annoying. The sum is a muddied anti-bullying campaign. An increasingly alarming problem in today’s society, but weak execution here results in a message that completely flew by unnoticed. My son does want those zombie slippers and toothbrush though.
Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Unexpected Journey is the first of three films chronicling the adventures of Bilbo Baggins. Peter Jackson intends to bring every bit of Tolkien’s novel to life in his movie trilogy. It’s very faithful, it’s extremely long winded. This segment in Tolkien’s fantasy-adventure leads Bilbo to encounter a trio of trolls, giant wolves, a goblin king and a chance encounter with the creature Gollum (and his “precious”).