Posted on June 19, 2016 at 8:00 am
Happy Father’s Day! And extra Father’s Day love to the two great dads in my life, my father and my husband.
These are three of my favorite movie dads. Give the dad in your life an extra hug and ask who his favorite movie father is!
Check out my gallery of movie dads. And don’t forget to get a FREE copy of my book, 50 Must-See Movies: Fathers
Posted on June 14, 2016 at 3:15 pm
This week’s release of “Finding Dory” is a good reason to revisit some great movies about fish — and other creatures who live under water, starting with the movie where we first met Dory.
1. Finding Nemo is my favorite Pixar film, an epic journey filled with adventure and discovery encompassing the grandest sweep of ocean vastness and the smallest longing of the heart. It is gorgeous to look at, funny, touching, warm-hearted and inspiring, and it has unforgettable characters like Crush and Nigel.
2. The Incredible Mr. Limpet Don Knotts (Barney Fife on “The Andy Griffith Show”) plays a shy, fish-loving bookkeeper who magically turns into a fish and helps the US military by reporting on enemy ship movements.
3. Dolphin Tale Real life rescue dolphin Winter is saved by the creation of a prosthetic tail and her friendship with a lonely boy. The original and the sequel are great family films.
4. Flipper The 60’s TV series inspired a movie starring “Crocodile Dundee’s” Paul Hogan.
5. Free Willy A foster kids befriends a whale in this heartwarming drama.
6. Pinocchio Disney’s most gorgeously animated film from the hand-drawn era features a whale named Monstro who swallows the little puppet and his conscience, Jiminy Cricket.
7. Ponyo The brilliant animator Hayao Miyazaki was inspired by “The Little Mermaid” fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen to create this story of a little fish girl who wants adventure and her concerned sea king father.
8. The Spongebob Squarepants Movie The aquatic denizens of Bikini Bottom come to the big screen in this movie version of the popular television series.
9. The Little Mermaid This Disney classic has a romantic story, great songs, an unforgettable villain, and the title character’s BFFs, including a crab and a fish.
10. Jaws. Nothing more needs to be said.
Posted on June 11, 2016 at 8:00 am
30 years ago today, Ferris Bueller took the day off and in our hearts we all went with him. While kids at school were listening to Ben Stein drone on about tariffs and voo-doo economics, three kids with last names for first names were enjoying the Art Institute of Chicago, a baseball game, fine dining, and a parade!
The John Hughes movie has become a permanent part of our culture, featured this year along in a Super Bowl commercial and a post-credit scene in “Deadpool.”
Posted on June 2, 2016 at 8:00 am
As families plan their summer schedules, there’s almost sure to be a road trip. You might want to take a look at Fandango’s list of the greatest road trip movies to help you decide what you do and don’t want to include. From “Thelma & Louise” to “Zombieland,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” “Lost in America,” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” the list has action and adventure, comedy, and romance. My list would omit “joe Dirt,” “The Guilt Trip,” “Wild Hogs,” “Identity Thief,” “Vacation,” “Crossroads,” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip” but I was glad to see choices like “Sideways,” “It Happened One Night,” “Nebraska,” and “Midnight Run,” four of the all-time greats. I’d add “The Sure Thing,” “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” “The Daytrippers,” “Smoke Signals.” “O, Brother Where Art Thou?,” and the two “Trip” movies with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (another one is coming!). I often say that the single most popular theme in stories is a journey, from The Odyssey to “The Wizard of Oz,” and “The Jungle Book.” There’s a reason for that — a journey separates us from the usual and familiar and intensifies our responses. And it provides us with unlimited opportunities for risk, adventure, lessons learned, and new friends, sometimes even romance.
Posted on May 28, 2016 at 3:30 pm
The BBC has assembled a thrilling tribute to the films they consider America’s best.
