Trailer: Sophia Grace and Rosie’s Royal Adventure
Posted on March 21, 2014 at 2:52 pm
In their first film, Ellen DeGeneres sends the adorable Sophia Grace and Rosie on a royal adventure. The DVD will be out on May 20.
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Divergent
Posted on March 20, 2014 at 6:00 pm
B+| Lowest Recommended Age: | Middle School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for intense violence and action, thematic elements and some sensuality |
| Profanity: | Some strong language |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Mind-altering drugs |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Intense and graphic peril and violence with many characters injured and killed, some disturbing images, guns, fighting, suicide, deaths of parents, sexual assault |
| Diversity Issues: | Diverse characters |
| Date Released to Theaters: | March 21, 2014 |
| Date Released to DVD: | August 4, 2014 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B00GQQ75QO |
Another day, another movie based on darkly dystopic book trilogy with a brave and beautiful teenaged girl who is the only one who can save the world. This time it is Tris (Shailene Woodley), who lives in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, where the ravages of a barely-remembered but devastating war have resulted in a totalitarian society that appears benign but is brutal and corrupt.
What is left of civilization has evolved or devolved into a rigidly divided society. There are five factions each named for its sole defining characteristic. Annoyingly, some of those names are nouns and some adjectives, because none of the factions have grammar as a specialty, but they are descriptive. There is Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). The tasks of the society are assigned appropriately. Amity are the farmers. Dauntless are a combination of law enforcement and military. Abnegation care for everyone, even the factionless, and due to their tradition, culture, and ethos of putting the good of others before themselves, they are the governing body.
Each year, all the 16-year-olds are tested to determine whether they will stay in their faction of origin or are better suited for another. If they leave, they never go home again. The slogan is “Faction over blood.”
Beatrice Prior’s test shows that she is a rare “divergent,” combining the qualities of three of the factions: Abnegation, Erudite, and Dauntless. This means that she has a unique ability to solve problems and understand issues more deeply in a way that threatens the ruling and would-be ruling powers. She does not tell anyone and chooses Dauntless while her brother Caleb (Ansel Elgort, who will be Woodley’s romantic interest in the highly anticipated upcoming “Fault in Our Stars”), chooses Erudite.
Beatrice choses a new name for herself: Tris. She and the other inductees are subjected to an intensive boot camp to learn to fight and prove their courage. The top performers will stay with Dauntless. The ones who do not make it will be factionless, which means homeless and shunned. Part of the training includes sessions in a fear room, where the subject’s worst and most disturbing fears are revealed to themselves and to the people conducting the tests. Tris’s test is overseen by Dauntless leader Four (hunky-but-sensitive-for-a-Dauntless Theo James). There is a strong connection between them for reasons they do not yet understand.
Kate Winslet plays Jeanine, the calm but steely Erudite who acts as a sort of Chief Operating Officer of the entire community. She is convinced that human nature is something to triumph over, even eliminate entirely, in order to preserve the peace, and if preserving the peace means chaos and murder, she will not hesitate because she believes it is for the greater good. Not being Candors, the Erudites have been spreading rumors about the Abnegations to try to take over as rulers. They cannot do it without the support of the faction with physical courage. What is the best way to get that support?
Much of the storyline involves the series of physical and psychological tests that Tris and her fellow inductees must take, knowing that anyone who does not excel in every category will be kicked out and shunned. It is fun to see Tris come into her own, making the most of all she has to draw from and to give to others. She knows you do not have to be harsh to be strong, or weak to be kind. And her divergent thinking ability enables her to evaluate options, assess probabilities, and plan strategically. Woodley carries the most improbable of the story’s twists with sincerity and sweetness that keeps us on her side. And it is a relief, for once, to have a YA female-led trilogy that does not depend on a love triangle to hold our interest.
Parents should know that this film includes intense and graphic peril and violence with many characters injured and killed, some disturbing images, guns, fighting, suicide, loss of parents, mind-altering drugs, some strong language, sexual assault, romantic kissing and brief discussion of waiting to have sex.
Family discussion: Which group would you pick and why? What is the significance of Four’s name? What compromises of freedom are necessary for peace?
If you like this, try: the books by Veronica Roth
Muppets Most Wanted
Posted on March 20, 2014 at 6:00 pm
A-| Lowest Recommended Age: | All Ages |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG for some mild action |
| Profanity: | None |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | None |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Some peril and action, no one hurt |
| Diversity Issues: | Diverse characters |
| Date Released to Theaters: | March 21, 2014 |
| Date Released to DVD: | August 11, 2014 |
| Amazon.com ASIN: | B00H4RL2H2 |
The Muppets live up to the title in this adorable follow-up that is even truer to the essence of Muppetry than the Jason Segal predecessor because it puts the Muppets themselves at the heart of the story, not the humans. And that’s very good news. No one is better than the Muppets at creating a giddy mixture of sharp wit, delirious silliness, pop culture references (here they range from Ingmar Bergman’s scythe-bearing Death chess match to a “Producers”-inspired prison gang kick-line) and random guest stars (Lady Gaga! Tony Bennett! Together!), and a self-deprecating but irrepressibly sunny sensibility. There is always grand spectacle, romance, and heart, even a brief but telling lesson in manners. Plus, there’s another tuneful and hilarious collection of songs from Oscar-winner Bret McKenzie. The result is pure joy.
It starts about one minute after the last movie ends. The human couple is clearly on the road to happily ever after, but what about the Muppets? Time for a sequel! “While they wait for Tom Hanks to Make ‘Toy Story 4,'” they sing, even though “everybody knows that the sequel’s never quite as good.” They also blithely explain that we can expect “a family-style adventure during which we should bond and learn heartwarming lessons like sharing and taking your turn and the Number 3.”
The Muppets hire Dominic Badguy (“pronounced Bad-GEE”) (Ricky Gervais) as their new tour manager and go to Europe to perform. He actually is a bad GUY, however, and the tour is just a cover for an elaborate series of heists, conveniently located next door to the venues selected by Dominic. Meanwhile, Constantine, the most dangerous frog in the world, escapes from the Siberian gulag where he has been in prison. And he looks almost exactly like Kermit, except for a distinctive beauty mark on his cheek. Constantine slaps a fake birthmark onto Kermit’s cheek, covers his own with green make-up, and soon Kermit is captured (vainly trying to explain that he’s an “Amphibian-American”) and sent to the gulag.
And Constantine is running the Muppet Show. Even though he speaks with a thick accent and has a completely different personality, none of the Muppets notices the switch, especially when he tells them they can do whatever they want. Miss Piggy does not realize that her beloved frog has been replaced.
Meanwhile, the hard core prisoners in the gulag (including Ray Liotta and a mystery guest star in solitary) figure out immediately that Kermit is not Constantine because he says “thank you.” Even Nadya (Tina Fey), who runs the prison, knows it is not Constantine. But her fondest dream is a first-class gulag musical show. She won’t let Kermit leave because she needs him to direct it. And she knows every possible trick the prisoners might try to sneak out. She explains, “I have a Netflix account with the search words ‘prison escape.'” Also, she likes him. So, soon Kermit is overseeing a prison kick-line to a song from “A Chorus Line” (the guy in solitary has a great set of pipes). And Constantine is getting ready for the biggest heist of all: the British royal family’s crown jewels, though — wait for it — “It’s not easy being mean.”
On the path of the master thieves are a pair of non-master detectives, Jean Pierre Napoleon from Interpol (Ty Burell, through no fault of his own the movie’s only weak point) and Sam the Eagle from the FBI. Their competition over the size of their badges is rather fun, but then their appearances descend into repeated and increasingly flat jokes about Napoleon’s tiny car and constant breaks for meals and vacations. But then we have the classic shots of newspapers to bring us up to date: “Slow News Week; Muppets Dominate Headlines” and we’re back in Muppet heaven.
Note: Be sure to get to the theater in time. There’s an adorable “Monsters University” short before the feature starts.
Parents should know that there is some bad behavior, a very brief scary skeleton and mild peril. Scenes in the gulag play dire prison conditions and treatment for comedy.
Family discussion: How could Nadya, Fozzie, and Walter tell the difference between Kermit and Constantine? Why didn’t anyone else figure out what was going on? Why did Constantine let the Muppets do whatever they wanted?
If you like this, try: The Muppet Show
A Birder’s Guide to Everything
Posted on March 20, 2014 at 5:55 pm
B| Lowest Recommended Age: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 on appeal for language, sex and drug references, and brief partial nudity |
| Profanity: | Strong and crude language |
| Alcohol/ Drugs: | Drug references |
| Violence/ Scariness: | Sad death (offscreen) |
| Diversity Issues: | Diverse characters |
| Date Released to Theaters: | March 21, 2014 |
First rule: do NOT call them bird watchers. These are seriously ornithophilic teenagers and the correct term is “birder.”
Maybe one reason they like birds so much is that the three members of the high school birder society — all male — are odd birds themselves. When one of them catches a glimpse of what just might be a duck previously thought to be extinct, that is exactly the adventure they had been hoping for, something big and meaningful and important, something to prove to everyone around them and maybe to themselves, too, that what they care about really matters. And an adventure would also be a good excuse to get away from some uncomfortable situations at home and school and be in a place that feels like a truer home.
David (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is more than uncomfortable. His mother has died. She had been a birder, and being passionate about birds makes him feel close to her. Now his father (James LeGros), who “literally kills birds for a living” (he owns chicken restaurants) is about to marry the nurse who took care of his mother. She is a warm-hearted and sympathetic person, but to David she is an intruder, especially when she accidentally lets her robe slip and he gets a look at her breasts. He is the one who gets a quick, blurry picture of the possibly-rare duck and he takes it to an expert (Ben Kingsley), who confirms that it could be a Labrador duck, and who shares some memories of David’s mother.
If it can be confirmed that the Labrador duck is not extinct, this would be very big news.
The other two members of the Young Birders Society (high-spirited and highly hormonal Alex Wolff and nerdy control freak Michael Chen) “borrow” a relative’s car and go off in search of the possible Labrador duck. They try to “borrow” camera equipment, too, but are discovered by a girl from the photography club, (Katie Chang) who insists on going along so she can be the one to take the pictures.
It’s an often-told coming-of-age journey tale, but nicely understated and there are some unexpected twists and sensitive performances. The people who made this film brought the same loving attention to the characters that the characters do to the small feathered creatures they care for so deeply.
Parents should know that there is some teenage strong and crude language, brief nudity and sexual references.
Family discussion: Why was the duck so important to David? To the others?
If you like this, try: “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and watch some birds
Exclusive Clip: Walking With Dinosaurs
Posted on March 20, 2014 at 3:59 pm
Enjoy this exclusive clip from “Walking with Dinosaurs,” the gorgeously animated story of a young dinosaur, with the voice talents of Justin Long and John Leguizamo. In a time when dinosaurs rule the Earth, the smallest of the pack — a playful Pachyrhinosaurus named Patchi — embarks on the biggest adventure of his life. As he tries to find his place in a spectacular world filled with fun-loving friends and a few dangerous foes, Patchi will discover the courage he needs to become the leader of the herd…and a hero for the ages. The storyline is fictional but the dinosaur facts are based on the latest research and discoveries and the film was made with the participation of leading paleontologists.
The Blu-ray Walking With Dinosaurs
Ultimate Dino Guide
Interactive Map
Match the Call game
Brainosaur Trivia Track
Cretaceous Cut (the movie in its “natural” version)
Nickelodeon Orange Carpet Dino Rap
Blu-ray™ Combo includes Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital HD