Another hot summer of cool movies that kids will love is upon us. Here is a list of the best bets, based on early info.
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, PG, May 22 – Ben Stiller is back as a security guard who must deal with all too realistic museum displays: this time in DC. With cast of name stars, this one should be fine if your youngsters liked the first movie and want more.
Up, PG, May 29 – Pixar’s computer animated films are usually a no-question required kid viewing. This one features a grumpy old man voiced by Ed Asner who ties balloons to his house and departs on an aerial adventure.
Land of the Lost, PG-13, June 5 – Will Farrell heads the reboot of this ’70s Saturday morning kid’s classic. Why does a children’s show adaptation have a PG-13 rating? We suspect the dinosaurs get a bit rough and the land gets a bit too creepy. Take caution with the small fry with this one.
Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, June 3 – The second sequel to the popular animated Ice Age, this one resurrects new animal characters from an earlier era. The trailer looks like great fun. Not yet rated, expect a PG rating, as the first 2 films had.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, PG-13, July 15 – This sixth time out for Harry Potter is a no-miss for the young Potter fan, and promises many new magical moments as the Harry and his friends struggle with adolescence. Many say that the series has become progressively darker and more disturbing, but older kids should enjoy it.
G-Force, PG, July 24 РThis new Disney animated offering a heroic team of guinea pig secret agents save the world. Will Arnett appears as live-action leader to cute animated rodents voiced by Nicolas Cage and Pen̩lope Cruz.
Aliens in the Attic, July 31 – Based on Caldecott award winning children’s novel, a group of teens protect a family vacation home from gremlins-like aliens. Features Hanna Montana’s Ashley Tisdale and experienced monster fighter Carter Jenkins (Surface).
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, August 7 – This much hyped action film names an elite team of crimefighters after the classic Mattel toy. It features an impressive cast headed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Sienna Miller. Not yet rated, but look for a hard PG-13 for this one.
Shorts, PG, August 7 – This one looks like another fun special effects filled offering for and about kids from the director of the Spy Kids series. This time a boy creates havoc in the suburbs when he discovers a rock that grants wishes to the holder.
Ponyo, August 14 – Disney adds an all-star voice cast to this anime film by Oscar winning Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki. It tells a fairy tale-like story of a little boy who befriends a goldfish that longs to be a human princess.
Wade Watson is a writer, web designer and movie gadget enthusiast who’s lifelong film obsession dates back to when John Wayne was cool.
Your family can be watching great rental movies on DVD or in minutes via the Internet: http://www.onlinemoviemachine.info
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John Wayne Western Movies Stagecoach Cookie Jar LE New Vandor Gift $89.95 The John Wayne Stagecoach Cookie Jar. This wonderful cookie jar is made of ceramics and measures approximately 12 inches long, 8 inches tall, and 7 inches wide. Includes a small description of the award winning movie, “Stagecoach”, on the back! Officially licensed item. A great gift idea!… |
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Michael: Music From The Motion Picture $4.45 … |
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By Request: The Best Of John Williams And The Boston Pops Orchestra $9.62 … |
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The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection $14.81 This grandly conceived two-disc collection of Hollywood and television Western themes showcases the City of Prague Philharmonic’s indefatigable passion for rehashing great works from composers like Max Steiner, Dimitri Tiomkin, and John Williams. But listeners less prone to swoon over highbrow symphonic grandeur may respond with a yawn. Yes, the collection is a wonderful reference source, with a s… |
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Toy Story 2 [VHS] $5.58 John Lasseter and his gang of high-tech creators at Pixar create another entertainment for the ages. Like the few great movie sequels, Toy Story 2 comments on why the first one was so wonderful while finding a fresh angle worthy of a new film. The craze of toy collecting becomes the focus here, as we find out Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is not only a beloved toy to Andy but also a rare doll from a… |
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McLintock (1963) (Sp) $4.92 John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara were born to star in “The Taming of the Shrew,” and this is the closest they ever got. Wayne plays a cattle baron whose estranged wife (O’Hara) wants a divorce. The film is basically one long, funny brawl between them, ending with a mud pit melee and Wayne publicly spanking O’Hara, which doesn’t look quite so politically correct anymore. This is no great shakes–direc… |
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Cast a Giant Shadow [VHS] $7.99 Cast a Giant Shadow is based on Ted Berkman’s biography of Colonel Mickey Marcus, the American soldier who served as an adviser in the fight to establish the state of Israel in 1948. Marcus (played by Kirk Douglas) must decide whether to settle into peacetime America or follow his more natural, combative instincts abroad–a dilemma symbolized by a love triangle involving wife Angie Dickinson and S… |
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ESPN Films 30 for 30 Gift Set Collection, Volume 1 $28.89 In celebration of the ESPN® 30th anniversary, ESPN® Films presents 30 for 30, a critically acclaimed series of films from some of today’s finest directors. From Barry Levinson and Peter Berg to Steve James and Ice Cube, each filmmaker brings their perspective to an extraordinary sports story from the last 30 years. This 6-disc DVD gift set includes the first 15 films from the series as well as o… |
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O Brother, Where Art Thou? $6.06 Only Joel and Ethan Coen, the fraternal director and producer team behind art-house hits such as The Big Lebowski and Fargo and masters of quirky and ultra-stylish genre subversion, would dare nick the plot line of Homer’s Odyssey for a comic picaresque saga about three cons on the run in 1930s Mississippi. Our wandering hero in this case is one Ulysses Everett McGill, a slick-tongued wise guy… |
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ESPN Films 30 for 30 Gift Set Collection, Volume 2 $29.39 ESPN Films 30 for 30, Volume 2, includes the final 15 films in ESPN Films’ award-winning series which The Los Angeles Times calls âsome of the best films of 2010.â Featuring Academy Award nominated directors John Singleton, Ron Shelton and Academy Award winner Barbara Kopple, among others, these critically-acclaimed films continue to provide a fresh take at some of the most extraordinary… |