Future memories made in front of the screen
Jan 03 '06
The Bottom Line Only if I can put The Godfather in there - but back to reality.
Back to the Future trilogy
Back to the Future (the first one) is my Favorite Movie of All Time. Other than being that, I think it's one of the best family movies ever made. All three films are about Marty McFly's time travels with his friend, Doc Brown.
I promised myself that I wouldn't use the phrase "Fun for the whole family!" in any of my reviews, but I have to break that promise. This is fun for the whole family and I'm sure the whole family will be entertained by it. The first two films are more complex and crowd-pleasing than the rather weak third one, but the third one is still delightful and kids might probably enjoy it more than the adults - but all three movies surround with the theme of love, which really makes the trilogy work as a whole.
Finding Neverland
This 2004 biopic starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, and Julie Christie tells the life story about the man, (James Barrie, played by Johnny Depp) behind Peter Pan and his close relationship with the Davies family. James creates a great bond with Peter, a mature and responsible child (Freddie Highmore) who feels the need to protect his mother and in James's point of view, Peter is growing up too fast. With loads of unsuccessful plays and a dying marriage, Peter becomes the inspiration for Peter Pan.
Maybe a bit slow and boring for kids under the age of 10, but it's a beautiful film. Even though it was nominated for 7 Academy Awards, it's already forgotten by many audiences. This film should be remembered - even though it's not a extremely accurate account of Barrie's life, it's a rather sad movie that ends wonderfully. There are actually great comedic moments from Dustin Hoffman who offers a small role to the great cast.
My Dog Skip
In this classic boy-and-dog tale, Frankie Muniz stars as Willie Morris, a young boy who attacks growing with a loyal dog, Skip. Skip helps Willie in the ups-and-downs of growing up and this is just a fantastic coming-of-age tale about friendship with great performances and a good story to support it.
The performances are great and the well-known cast delivers: Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, Kevin Bacon, Luke Wilson and Caitlin Watts are great. Even though Muniz have been suffering from bad film roles, I think he was extremely good in this movie. I think every kid (or a kid at heart) can watch this film and find it as pure delight.
Toy Story/Toy Story 2
Both of the films in the Toy Story movies are original even though they are complete mirrors of each other. The first tells the story of Woody who is jealous of Andy's (his owner) new toy, Buzz and ends up saving him. In the second film, Buzz returns the favor to Woody but it's got a story of its own as well. Both are likable and pretty good films.
The Toy Story franchise deserves to be making so much money. I'm sure that when kids saw the first one, they were dying to see the 2nd one and the 2nd one is a sequel and can be called a sequel but it's still original and the animation still looks fresh and the bright colors are nicely done.
Home Alone/Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Even though these are "holiday" movies, be prepared to laugh out loud along with your family. Maybe this is a Christmas movie, (made my list for Top Christmas Movies) but it is also a great movie about family. First movie tells the story about Kevin, an 8 year old boy, who wakes up in the morning and finds out his family has abandoned him. The second one attacks a similiar scenario but this time Kevin is alone in New York when he takes the wrong flight.
The two films give big laughs and it's rather entertaining for a nice holiday family movie night. I think the Home Alone movies (at least the first two) has a nice message and a good heart to it. I think it's one of my first "Favorite Movies" and I still enjoy it to this day.
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial
In this classic boy-meets-alien epic, Steven Spielberg has crafted more than a masterpiece, but a story about home and family. The boy, Elliot is perhaps a lonely kid whose parents are divorced and live in a middle-class environment. My guess is that he feels isolated and alone in this big world at time. E.T., the alien is alone in this world of humans - without his own kind. He wants to go home. In some ways, E.T. and Elliot actually help each other through life in one way or another.
This is a great film. It's a sci-fi masterpiece and the characters are well-crafted. There are the classic sentimental Spielberg moments and the great family drama story and light comic dialogue. Every kid can enjoy this movie and this was actually one of my first films. This movie is inspiring and makes you see the universe as a big, big space that connects in between.
Spirited Away
Miyazaki is a genius. He is a genius, everyone! I have never seen such a creative, imaginative, and fascinating piece as Spirited Away. The story is not about what pops up in Miyazki's mind, but the world he creates with a tale of growing up and the courage of a young girl that is capable of more than she knows.
I won't say that Spirited Away is for everyone and every family. It can be slow and melodramatic at times, but it's a rather sweet, sad, and at the same time, happy film with a good ending to wrap it up in a perfect gift. It's really well-crated and exciting movie that makes the audience really care for the characters. A must-see.
My Girl
The first one is just great. I think this is one of the best coming-of-age tales from the 1990s. The story tells the story of a girl who has a strange paranoia for death - but nobody can really blame her either because her mom is dead and she practically lives in a funeral parlor. This film is sad and spirited and I think every girl can relate to the main character (Vada, played by Anna Chlumusky) in a way.
My Girl is sort of a girl's film but it works as a family movie too. Dan Ackroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis offer great supporting performances and I think this Macaulay Culkin's best performance - ever? But I suggest not to check out the sequel (My Girl 2) which is extremely misplaced.
The Man in the Moon
Reese Witherspoon has rose to be one of the A-list female celebs out there but I think one of her best performances may be her convincing turn as a young girl in The Man in the Moon where she plays Dani who falls for an older boy named Court when he moves back home.
I won't say it's as good as My Girl (The Main in the Moon came out before My Girl by about a month) but I think it's still a very well-made film that is sad and wonderful and not to mention extremely likable.
The Lion King
This enjoyable Disney-animated romp is a destined classic. The story talks about Simba who finds his father dead and leaves home forever because he thought he killed his father and abandons his place as the future Lion King. He grows up strong and seeks revenge.
I liked this movie a lot. I loved the music mostly. If you got little kids around the house, they're going to be singing the songs for a while after viewing the film for the first time. The story is romantic, likable, and wonderfully well-told. This is Disney-animation at its best. Maybe the sequel (The Lion King 2) should be ignored ... forever, but this film deserves to be remembered.
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Epinions.com ID:
flipperoid
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Member: Marcy
Location: USA
Reviews written: 62
Trusted by: 4 members
About Me:
My name is Marcy and I like to be entertained.
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