Trailer: Anything Is Possible

Posted on July 31, 2013 at 3:54 pm

The gifted young pianist Ethan Bortnick stars in “Anything is Possible,” about a young boy who becomes separated from his mother, Army Lieutenant Margaret Peters (Lacy Chabert), when she goes missing during a tsunami rescue mission in Japan. Back home in Detroit, Child Care Services threatens to take him away from the only father he knows (Jonathan Bennett) because he isn’t his biological father. Nathan runs away, discovering his musical gift, a sense of belonging and his purpose along the way.

Bortnick also co-wrote all of the songs in the film and scored all the background music. The film and soundtrack will be available on DVD September 24.

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Trailers, Previews, and Clips

Trailer: The Box Trolls

Posted on July 31, 2013 at 8:00 am

Laika, the stop-motion animation studio behind two of my favorite films of the past ten years, “ParaNorman” and “Coraline,” has released the teaser trailer for its 2014 release, “The Box Trolls,” and it looks amazing. Nice nod to non-traditional families as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NqKFVOB_6o

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Animation Trailers, Previews, and Clips

Trailer: “Terms and Conditions May Apply” — a Documentary About What Corporations Know About You and How They Use It

Posted on July 30, 2013 at 3:59 pm

Are you worried about what the NSA knows about you? Then this is ten times scarier.

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Paul O. Zelinsky’s List of Great Illustrated Books for Children

Posted on July 30, 2013 at 8:00 am

Caldecott award-winner Paul O. Zelinsky (Z Is for Moose) was asked for some of his favorite illustrated books for children. He provided two lists, one of classics and another of lesser-known books that are worth seeking out. I was especially glad to see some of our family favorites like Harold and the Purple Crayon and Tell me a Mitzi, and even happier to read about delectable-sounding books I can’t wait to discover.

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Books

Cloudburst

Posted on July 29, 2013 at 8:06 am

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating:	NR
Profanity:	Very strong and crude language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking
Violence/ Scariness:	Tense and sad confrontations and loss
Diversity Issues:	Age and sexual orientation diversity is a theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	2013
Date Released to DVD:	July 29, 2013
Amazon.com ASIN:	B00CBG9SQS

Two of the all-time great actresses play a long-time couple who must find a way to cope with the indignities of aging — and the greater indignities of the way they are treated by their families and the legal system. Oscar winners Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker play a long-time couple, one losing her sight, one losing her hearing. With the best of intentions, one’s granddaughter plans to put her in a nursing home. The only way for them to stay together is to run away to Canada, where they can get legally married.

And so, they take to the road, where they pick up a hunky hitchhiker (newcomer Ryan Doucette). Like the lovely “Still Mine,” also set in Canada, this is a beautifully performed story about a love that spans decades, brimming with tenderness and heartwarming devotion, and gives rare depth and dignity to characters in their 70’s.