Polar Express

Pros: Nice story. Beautiful animation.
Cons: It seemed a tad long. Characters looked weird at times.

I have been looking forward to seeing The Polar Express for a long time now. I first heard that this movie was being made several years ago. I had heard the story once and enjoyed it. I did think it could make a nice movie. I do like to ...

Pros: A simple lesson about Christmas
Cons: Slow moving and not very special

The magic of Christmas often leaves children as they near adolescence. Such is the case with Hero Boy (Daryl Sabara), whose parents notice this change one Christmas Eve. The holiday celebration still has meaning, but the talk of Santa Claus has become ...

Pros: A delight from beginning to end. Hanks again lives up to his amazing acting abilities
Cons: None

Two key Academy award winners of Forest Gump have once again come together to make a terrific film. That films director Robert Zemeckis has the Forest Gump star Tom Hanks playing a leading and a multitude of roles in his adaptation of the Children's ...

Pros: animation, action sequences, ultimate message about belief, "Christmas Magic"
Cons: The songs didn't do much for me, style took some getting used to

I wasn't planning on seeing this movie. A few bad reviews here and elsewhere really turned me away from it, and the trailers and commercials I had seen didn't really inspire me to go see it. I love Chris Van Allsburg's books, and even though "Polar ...

Pros: nice story, incredible animation, great vocalizations, excellent songs
Cons: extra drama takes away fromt he central story at times

With all of the fuss about the Polar Express up in these parts, I made it a point to finally see the film itself last year. I don’t know exactly why I hadn’t seen it before then - with three kids you would think I would have sat down with ...

Pros: Instant Christmas Classic, the blu-ray 3D version is a must see
Cons: Some rules and reasons aren’t defined satisfactorily, CGI may put off some

the plot Tonight, a little boy will get a magical lesson in the Christmas Spirit and believing.  It is Christmas Eve, right around bedtime.  A boy from Grand Rapids is a bit bah humbug tonight, it seems that he is at ...

Pros: cutting-edge animation, great performances, superior writing
Cons: none

"When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter." --Clement Clarke Moore, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1822) Every year, somebody gives Santa the finger. Jim Carrey plays the ...

Pros: Some
Cons: Some

Christmas has always been one of my favourite moments of the year. The thought of getting presents from your family and friends, the idea that this is when our Lord Jesus Christ was born and the idea that this is a time when we give and share the love ...

Pros: lovely message, beautiful film
Cons: animated character faces look odd, could make your child question Santa

Now that all the excitement (and planning) of Christmas is over, I finally found a chance to take my 6 year old son to see The Polar Express yesterday. I had heard mixed reviews of the film, so I was a bit hesitant about seeing it in the theater, ...

Pros: Hanks as the conductor, Groban's song
Cons: weird-looking, confusing plot

It seems impossible to me that with all of the Christmas books I've read, I haven't ever cracked open the cover of one of the all-time classics, The Polar Express, not even when the arrival of the movie in 2004 made Chris Van Allsburg's acclaimed ...

Pros: Visual style. Underlying themes and messages.
Cons: Overproduced and unnecessary action sequences.

I must offer my abject apologies for my long absence from the world of superior film criticism. I know that all of you fans out there in the dark have had your lives diminished without being able to keep abreast of the latest doings in my celebrated ...

Pros: Some great landscape scenes
Cons: Scary-looking stretched characters, adult sounding kid's voices, too much Hanks, random action scenes

I am generally a sucker for all things Christmas. However, I disliked this movie a great deal. It’s clear that a lot of other people do, as it has received many high ratings lately. I’m glad others have enjoyed this adaptation of one of my ...

Pros: Spectacular, jaw dropping animation; intimate story that will enlighten as much as touch; pure pleasure
Cons: May be geared more towards older audiences than the young

In a film teeming with immaculately conceived images, perhaps none is more astonishing than a sequence that occurs early on in Robert Zemeckis' magnificent new film THE POLAR EXPRESS, which exemplifies the parameters of mind blowing artistry with which ...

Pros: basic story has some appeal, beautiful scenery
Cons: inconsistent and stereotypical characters, people moved like stringless marionettes, doesn't make you care

It's funny just how loud silence can be. Most movies have a very steady blast of background music. We're so used to this that much of the time it fades into the woodwork. Sound is expected so when we hear it we file it away as normal then ignore it. ...

Pros: The beginning, the middle, the end.
Cons: Some will find the graphics creepy; some scenes are mildly scary.

The Story: A boy, about nine or so, whom I don't think ever gets a name, is very much a doubter regarding Santa Claus. He wants t believe, but he also wants proof. His little sister believes, but the boy is unsure . . . until the Polar ...