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During last July’s 5.8 earthquake, 3-year-old Bronwyn told her 1-year-old sister, “We’re going for a wiggle.” READ MORE
Films & DVDs
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[dvds]this month BARNYARD (Rated PG, available Dec. 12, for ages 5-12): Despite ripping off “The Lion King” with a rural variation of a Simba-Mufasa relationship, the computer-animated flick that shows us a side of cows, sheep and pigs never before seen by man isn’t half bad. Grade: B- LASSIE (Rated PG; now available; for ages 4-10): Some Lassie movies are winners, some are, well, dogs. This one, the latest and No. 11 in a litter all tracking back to a 1938 short story published in Saturday Evening Post, is of the former. Starring Peter O’Toole and Samantha Morton, the live-action feature closely follows the original yarn of a clever collie, which sets off on a 500-mile journey to come home to the family that was forced to sell her to a wealthy duke. Grade: B+ THE FOX AND THE HOUND 2 (Rated G; available Dec. 12; for ages 3-7): Quality isn’t up to feature standards and the running time of 69 minutes accentuates the project’s modest budget, but at least the target audience will enjoy this made-for-DVD sequel to the 1981 Disney mini-classic about an unlikely friendship between natural enemies. Grade: C+ INVINCIBLE (Rated PG; available Dec. 19; for ages 12-18): Hollywoodized biopic of the NFL’s oldest-ever rookie is a paint-by-numbers underdog sports movie, yet scores a touchdown thanks to an inspirational theme and terrific performance by Mark Walhberg. Grade: B+ [movies]this month Saving Wilbur THANK GOODNESS, CHARLOTTE COMES TO THE RESCUE [FOR AGES 5-10] CHARLOTTE’S WEB Opens Dec. 20 Rated G E.B. White’s beloved story about a pig that doesn’t want to become pork and finds an unlikely friend in a promotions-savvy spider is adapted again for the big screen, only instead of being completely animated, this one is mostly live-action with “Babe”-esque CGI that lends realism to the talking animals. Dakota Fanning plays the farmer’s daughter who joins in the campaign to prevent Wilbur from getting glazed. The all-star voice cast features Julia Roberts, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Oprah Winfrey, Cedric the Entertainer, Robert Redford, Reba McEntire and Kathy Bates. [FOR AGES 8-14] ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES Opens Dec. 15 Rated PG A live-action boy (Freddie Highmore) discovers a computer-animated world in a desperate quest to save his home. The lad becomes one of the macro-scopic residents of this secret fantasy and where three of them sound exactly like Madonna, David Bowie and Snoop Dogg. Mia Farrow also stars in the movie that opens wide on Jan. 12, but a limited release before New Year’s makes it eligible for this year’s Oscar race. [For ages 10-12] UNACCOMPANIED MINORS Opens Dec. 8 Rated PG Blood pressure high from too many shoppers and not enough parking spaces? Mad over misplacing your Christmas ornaments or box of dreidels? You’ll realize how minor your problems are watching an international airport deal with bratty children running amok because their parents are elsewhere on this blizzard-suffering Christmas Eve. The baddest eggs punch Santa in the gut, cause a food fight, belch like pigs and go on joy rides with stolen golf carts. Talk about your nightmare before Christmas. [For ages 12-18] ERAGON Opens Dec. 15 Rated PG-13 If your family is going through “Lord of the Rings” withdrawals, this fantasy could satisfy the hunger for a good medieval tale. Based on the Christopher Paolini novel, the story follows a youth whose discovery of a dragon egg leads him to become a knight and battle an evil king. Ed Speleers, John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons star. David Dickstein is a regular contributor. |
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