The Nanny Diaries

Posted on December 3, 2007 at 10:17 pm

C
Lowest Recommended Age: High School
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language
Profanity: Some strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Drinking, smoking
Violence/ Scariness: Emotional turmoil and confrontations
Diversity Issues: Economic, racial, and cultural diversity
Date Released to Theaters: August 24, 2007
Date Released to DVD: December 4, 2007
Amazon.com ASIN: B000VKL6T8

nannydiariesthe-nanny-diaries-posters.jpg
Oh, we all love to feel superior to rich people, don’t we? It makes us feel so nice and smug. They may have the fancy apartments and couture, but we have a lock on authenticity and unpretentiousness, right? That’s what “The Nanny Diaries” wants to tell us, anyway. Its talented cast and some inspired visuals cannot enliven a superficial story.

Annie (Scarlett Johansson) has just graduated from college with a degree in business. Her mother, a nurse, wants her to get a job on Wall Street. But she bungles the interview. Later, in Central Park, a wealthy woman referred to only as Mrs. X (Laura Linney) from Manhattan’s tony East Side offers her a job as a nanny. No one on Wall Street may be interested in her, but she learns she is “the Chanel bag of nannies,” the ultimate accessory, because she is white, single, and has a college education.

(more…)

Related Tags:

 

Based on a book Comedy Genre , Themes, and Features Movies -- format Reviews

Arctic Tale

Posted on December 3, 2007 at 9:51 pm

B
Lowest Recommended Age: 4th - 6th Grades
MPAA Rating: G
Profanity: None
Alcohol/ Drugs: None
Violence/ Scariness: Nature-style violence, some graphic footage of animals killing and eating each other, some disturbing images of the effects of climate change
Diversity Issues: Diverse species
Date Released to Theaters: July 30, 2007
Date Released to DVD: December 4, 2007
Amazon.com ASIN: B000WZAE0O

The people behind “March of the Penguins” have put together another endearing story of life in the coldest place on earth. This time, it is the story of two newborns, a polar bear called Nanu and a walrus named Seela. “What seems forbidding to us is home to them,” says narrator Queen Latifah, whose affectionate tone brings warmth to the frozen landscape. The story is not as linear or involving as “Penguins,” and it is overcast with more forboding, as the effects of climate change pose a greater threat to these new lives than temperature or predators.
arctic%20tale.jpg

(more…)

Related Tags:

 

Documentary Genre , Themes, and Features Movies -- format Reviews

The Most Heartwarming and Inspiring Film of the Holiday Season

Posted on November 16, 2007 at 9:58 pm

Filmmaker Jennifer Crandall has created a charming series of short autobiographical videos featuring everyday people talking about their lives, experiences, and lessons learned. Participants of all ages and backgrounds have spoken about friends, families, vocations and avocations. Participants have included a transplanted refugee from Katrina, a nun, a boy with Down Syndome and his mother, a waitress, a lawyer, a teenage girl, a transgendered woman, a man recovering from amnesia, an Islamic former beauty pagent contestant — each one is utterly captivating and transcendant.
This very brief interview with African immigrant Edward Fahbulleh is one of the best. I love its title: On Being Rich.
I love them all, but my all-time favorite is Jessica Tibbits. Each one is just a few moments, but each is unforgettable.

Related Tags:

 

Reviews Shorts
THE MOVIE MOM® is a registered trademark of Nell Minow. Use of the mark without express consent from Nell Minow constitutes trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. All material © Nell Minow 1995-2026, all rights reserved, and no use or republication is permitted without explicit permission. This site hosts Nell Minow’s Movie Mom® archive, with material that originally appeared on Yahoo! Movies, Beliefnet, and other sources. Much of her new material can be found at Rogerebert.com, Huffington Post, and WheretoWatch. Her books include The Movie Mom’s Guide to Family Movies and 101 Must-See Movie Moments, and she can be heard each week on radio stations across the country.

Website Designed by Max LaZebnik