Spy Kids

Pros: jack of all classics, master of none
Cons: tries too hard to be something it isn't

Spy Kids is a grab bag of cinematic classics spliced into one reel. James Bond gadgetry & Willie Wonka theatrics, shrouded in a vivid Pee Wee’s Playhouse backdrop. Sky Kids is the tale of two double-O calibre secret agents, who decide to drop out...

Pros: great for the whole family
Cons: we will have to wait a long time before this is out on video

I got an email from Epinons offering me free movie tickets to a preview of Spy Kids. I jumped at the idea of a free night of entertainment. I rounded up my young nephew and parents and off we went to see this exciting film.

We were not...

Pros: Non-stop comic book action. Teaches family values. Communication.
Cons: Teri Hatcher's hair on fire

I saw the trailers for Spy Kids and really didn't care to see it. But it was on my daughters Must See list so off we went. I thought it was cute and my daughter loved it. She wants to get it when it comes out on video.

Directed by...

Pros: Kids will love the action. Parents will like the family values. No violence.
Cons: Lack of character development detracts a little for picky adults.

An action flick with family values! The stars of this film are Alexa Vega as Carmen Cortez and Daryl Sabara as Juni Cortez. They are 2 kids whose parents, Ingrid (Carla Gugino) and Gregorio (Antonio Banderas) are spies. The...

Pros: Visually attractive, well-paced story for kids of all ages
Cons: Some unnecessary dialogue and special effects that look fake

The films of Robert Rodriguez always offer visual excitement. They are also simple stories that are told well. His previous efforts have been geared toward older fans of action-oriented films. In his new picture, "Spy Kids," Rodriguez has made one...

Pros: Imaginative scenery, and is jam packed full of stars!
Cons: I was a little lost as to the actual location at first.

Look out 007, there are new agents in town, and they could be your next door neighbors!

WHY DID WE CHOSE TO SEE THIS MOVIE?
Rain cancelled our family day trip to the local amusement park, so we scanned the newspaper to find something...

Pros: Good idea; empowers kids
Cons: Over the top with silly one-liners

On the never-ending quest to find movies that appeal to everyone in our house, from the two adults to the six-year-old girl to the three-year-old boy, I recently took the glowing recommendation of a friend who has five children (ages ten to one) and ...

Pros: Kid friendly. Good premise. Excellent special effects.
Cons: No emotional involvement and shallow portrayals.

The current TV commercial blitz for Spy Kids II reminded me that we had never seen the original movie. We though it might be amusing, so we picked up a copy at the rental store. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. Some kids movies like Toy Story II have...

Pros: A clever comedy-adventure that should please every member of the family.
Cons: It may a bit too silly or over the top for some.

I must admit that I had ulterior motives to seeing this press screening. Spy Kids was to be shown on Digital Video (via satellite!) and I just had to experience the visual (and aural) splendor for myself. Imagine my surprise when this movie proved to...

Pros: Great family film.
Cons: 88 minute running time.

Parents who think Hollywood never makes any quality family films, should give Spy Kids a chance. To say Spy Kids is the best family film of the year would be an understatement. This has been a year of such family films as...

Pros: Bright, colorful, irreverant, with a few funny moments and good intentions.
Cons: Confusing plot, overabundance of characters, overreliance on special effects at the expense of real heart.

Spy Kids, released by Miramax’s Dimension films, is the kind of movie that smacks completely of corporate engineering. One gets feeling that the idea for it was conceived as Harvey Weinstein sat on the toilet, reading Daily Variety. “Hey!”...

Pros: A fantastic cast and whacked-out design!
Cons: They never made kids' films like this when I was a kid.

Family films are a lot of things. Poorly-acted, lazily-written and full of bad songs, as a rule. What they aren't is something that a whole family will actually enjoy.

But then along came Robert Rodriguez, and he decided to throw a twisted...

Pros: Surprisingly solid family virtues and values celebrated with no profanity, vulgarity, gunplay or violence
Cons: Might be too raucous for some adults, storyline possibly too complicated for kids under 5.

Robert Rodriguez, the Texas-based filmmaker best known for comically violent shoot-em-ups like "El Mariachi," "Dusk Til Dawn" and "Desperado," takes an odd turn with "Spy Kids," a project that marks as dramatic a shift for him as a Disney musical might...

Pros: Action-packed and not in the least boring!
Cons: For the kids who get ideas from watching movies...maybe they shouldn't see it.

When my five year old began telling me about this a few weeks ago, I was a little leery about taking he and his brother to see it. It was rated PG and I thought maybe it would be a little much for them. He kept telling me, "It's coming to theaters...

Pros: Non-stop action, no profanity or violence, fun for kids
Cons: Too much going on, poorly developed characters, a bit confusing, implausible plot

It seems like there are always either too many movies out that I want to see or none at all. It had been a while since one came out we wanted to see and after waiting months for Spy Kids, we saw it on opening night. The previews we had seen...