Hop

Posted on March 31, 2011 at 6:00 pm

“Hop” would more accurately be titled “Stumble,” a disappointing follow-up from the producers of one of last year’s best family films, “Despicable Me.” It is just another story of a hapless live action character who has his life turned upside-down by an animated animal, as in “Alvin and the Chipmunks,” also from director Tim Hill. Character design by New Yorker artist Peter de Sève and some subversively cheeky asides from Russell Brand are not enough to make up for a dull script, pointless celebrity cameos, and an overall nutritional content lower than a stale Peep.

As a little bunny on Easter Island, E.B. looks up to his father, the Easter Bunny (aristocratically voiced by “House’s” Hugh Laurie). He is dazzled by the vast underground factory. Enticingly elaborate assembly lines produce all the candy for the annual Easter basket delivery, with the help of second-in-command a big, fluffy yellow chick named Carlos (voice of Hank Azaria). But when he grows up, E.B. (Brand) no longer wants to take over his father’s egg scepter and delivery duties; as the song goes, he just wants to bang on his drums all day. Just before he is about to go on his first delivery, he runs away to the place where dreams come true: Hollywood.

Fred (James Marsden) is another son whose lack of focus and responsibility is a disappointment to his father (Gary Cole). His frustrated parents throw him out of the house to force him to get a job. Sam, his sympathetic sister (“The Big Bang Theory’s” Kaley Cuoco), gets him a job interview and a place to stay, house-sitting in a mansion to care for her boss’s dogs. He literally runs into E.B., and takes him to the mansion to recover.

E.B. creates chaos and frustration for Fred in various locales including the mansion, the job interview, and a school play. But E.B. also inspires Fred by validating his childhood memory of seeing the Easter Bunny’s egg-shaped flying ship, pulled by a flock of yellow chicks. If E.B. does not want to be the Easter Bunny, Fred resolves that he will do the job. But someone else also has his eye on the post – Carlos.

“Hop” repeatedly gets in its own way by establishing intriguing set-ups without any satisfying resolution. It is pointless to have Fred interviewed by a notoriously outrageous comedian (Chelsea Handler as “Mrs. Beck”) if she is not going to have anything funny to do. All she does is look a little annoyed when he is late and show him around the office. And it is not much better to have the “Pink Berets,” commando bunnies sent to Los Angeles to bring E.B. back, without finding something clever or interesting for them to do. They’re super-effective and powerful until for no special reason they are not. It all feels slack and sloppy, less a story than one under-written set-up after another, cut and pasted together with little sense of moving forward.

It has a poor sense of its audience as well. Kids will not understand or care that E.B.’s first destination is the Playboy Mansion because he is “a sexy bunny” or recognize Hef’s voice on the intercom. Even adults are more likely to find that encounter more skeezy than humorous. David Hasselhoff is a good sport about spoofing himself as the host of a talent show, but how many in the audience will get the KITT joke? When Carlos offers to take over the Easter Bunny duties, the only reason the boss turns him down is a broad and dismissive “a chick can’t be the Easter bunny.” Compared to the generosity and insight shining through the comedy of “Despicable Me,” this seems clumsy and thoughtless – and not much of a message for kids about tolerance.

The Easter Bunny has nothing like the secular appeal or extensive mythology of Santa Claus and this movie does nothing to make us wish he did. Despite some surface appeal, it is as hollow in the center as a chocolate rabbit.

(more…)

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Animation Comedy Fantasy
Contest: DVDs for Purim and Passover!

Contest: DVDs for Purim and Passover!

Posted on March 9, 2011 at 3:51 pm

There are two great new Shalom Sesame DVDs to celebrate the spring Jewish holidays and I have one of each to give away. It’s a wonderful way to help introduce children to two of the year’s most important festivals. This year, Purim begins the evening of March 19 and the first Passover seder is on April 18.

Be Happy, It’s Purim! Everyone is dressing up for Purim, so get out your groggers and join the fun! Avigail is inspired by the story of Esther. Moishe Oofnik is his usual grouchy self…but who is that mysterious masked singer at the Purim Spiel? Guest appearance by Eva Longoria.

It’s Passover, Grover! It’s almost time to celebrate Passover, and there is no horseradish to be found. Grover, Anneliese and Avigail put their heads together to track it down, but things get tricky when there is an Oofnik involved! Guest appearance by Jake Gyllenhaal

To win one of the DVDs, send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with Purim or Passover in the subject line to let me know which one you want. Don’t forget to include your address and tell me your favorite part of the holiday celebration. I’ll pick two random winners one week from today. Good luck and good yom tov!

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Contest for Teachers Only: DVDs on Presidents and Martin Luther King

Contest for Teachers Only: DVDs on Presidents and Martin Luther King

Posted on January 9, 2011 at 3:52 pm

I have two DVDs to give away — for teachers only, this time. These are from my very favorite series for kids, Scholastic’s Storybook Treasures and they are perfect for celebrating Martin Luther King Day, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and President’s Day in the classroom.

March On!… and More Stories About African American History The first story on this DVD is written by the sister of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., with a very personal account of his “I Have a Dream” speech. “Martin’s Big Words” has Michael Clarke Duncan narrating the story of Dr. King, from his childhood asking his mother about “Whites Only” signs and being inspired by the power of his preacher father’s big words. “Rosa,” narrated by author Nikki Giovanni, is the story of the woman who decided not to give up her seat on the bus and changed the world. And “Henry’s Freedom Box” is the true story of a slave who escaped to freedom — through the mail.

So You Want to Be President… and More Stories to Celebrate American History The title story teaches kids that presidents are people and that their backgrounds and personalities affect the way they do their job — and sometimes the mistakes they make. Narrator Stockard Channing played the role of the first lady on “West Wing.” The late Senator Ted Kennedy narrates “My Senator and Me,” his own story about a dog’s-eye view of political life in Washington. In “Madam President,” a girl imagines what she could do if she had the job. And “I Could Do That: Esther Morris Gets Women the Vote” tells the story of the suffrage leader and first woman to hold public office in the United States — she took over the job of the judge who resigned in protest when she got women the vote in Wyoming, the first state to give women that right.

Send an email to moviemom@moviemom.com with either President or King in the subject line, to let me know which one you want. Don’t forget your address! The first to respond will get the DVDs.

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Contests and Giveaways Elementary School Movie Mom’s Top Picks for Families
Twelve Great Christmas Movies That Don’t Feature Clarence the Angel, Bing Crosby, Tiny Tim, or a Leg Lamp

Twelve Great Christmas Movies That Don’t Feature Clarence the Angel, Bing Crosby, Tiny Tim, or a Leg Lamp

Posted on December 3, 2010 at 3:59 pm

Reprising from 2007:

I love It’s a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, and A Christmas Story as much as anyone. I love the bittersweet struggles of George Bailey and never get tired of seeing him try to resist falling in love with Mary when they’re on that phone call to Sam “Hee Haw!” Wainwright. I love the way Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye as Wallace and Davis preserve the old general’s pride when they help him keep the resort going. And I love the way that Ralphie and his family find that Christmas is not about neatly wrapped gifts and perfectly harmonized carols or even a turkey dinner. That last scene, when they all laugh, knowing that this will be one of their best Christmas memories ever, is one of my favorite moments in any film I’ve ever seen. I’ve already written about how much I love every version of A Christmas Carol.

So, let’s assume you’ve seen all those already this year and are looking for something else. Here’s a list with one for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. And I’d love to hear about your favorites, too.


(From #6, Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Plus Halloween & Easter Celebrations)

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Water: Blog Action Day 2010

Water: Blog Action Day 2010

Posted on October 15, 2010 at 8:00 am

I am proud to be a part of Blog Action Day 2010. This year, the issue is vitally important — water.

Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Some great movies about water:

1. Oceans Huge, swooping creatures with bright speckles; shape transforming beasts that pounce and gobble up crabs; gelatinous monsters that glow; all this and more is captured in this stunning film.

2. FLOW: For Love of Water This documentary finds a good balance between terrifying statistics, depressing images, talking heads, and hopeful suggestions.

3. Blue Gold: World Water Wars Corporate control of water puts the supply at risk for everyone.

4. Running Dry This film is so powerful it inspired the Senator Paul Simon Water Act for the Poor, which funds clean, safe water in areas that otherwise wouldn’t have it. It was based on the senator’s book, Tapped Out: The Coming World Crisis in Water and What We Can Do About It. There is a 2008 sequel, The American Southwest: Are We Running Dry? focusing on domestic water shortages.

5. The End of the Line The catastrophic consequences of over-fishing are explored in this documentary, which comes with a pocket guide to help decide what to buy in grocery stores and restaurants.

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