By Trina Boice WHAT’S THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS ABOUT? A young boy’s parents are killed and so he has to live with his strange uncle, who he learns is a warlock. Intrigued, he wants to learn magic too, but he’s not quite prepared for what happens next. The house has an inexplicable clock in its walls, left by the evil warlock who lived there before. Together, the boy, his uncle, and th ...[Read More]
THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS Family Movie Review
JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE Family Movie Review
By Justin Lozada WHAT’S JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE ABOUT? If you’re familiar with the original book, authored by Chris Van Allsburg, then you already know the basic story. For the uninitiated, Jumanji is a board game that literally comes to life and requires the participants of the game to finish it once they start. The new movie starts in 1996 (one year after the events of the original film) ...[Read More]
KUNG FU PANDA 3 Family Movie Review
By Jonathan Decker (Family therapist, film critic) WHAT'S KUNG FU PANDA 3 ABOUT? Po (Jack Black) reunites with his birth father, connects with a secret community of pandas, and battles an immortal nemesis. IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: A) I've always been impressed by the care and craftsmanship that goes into these Kung Fu Panda movies. The concept suggests easy humor and lazy storytelling, and Dreamwor ...[Read More]
KUNG FU PANDA 2 Family Movie Review
By Jonathan Decker KUNG-FU PANDA 2 REVIEW (GRADE: A): The original Kung-Fu Panda marked the beginning of Dreamwork Animation Studios bid to out-Pixar Pixar. This is to say that Dreamworks, known at that point for silly animated adventures, began to display sophistication and real heart in its films and storytelling. After wowing us with the fantastic How to Train Your Dragon, it opted to give us a ...[Read More]
KUNG FU PANDA Family Movie Review
By Jonathan Decker (Family therapist, film critic) Rent or buy Kung Fu Panda here. In short…it's awesome. Kung Fu Panda is the best CGI-animation movie since The Incredibles. Clever writing, gorgeous animation, fun action, and stellar vocal work by Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, and…(drumroll please)…Jackie Chan! The latter lends a feel of authenticity t ...[Read More]