Tivo it up, Bright Eyes

Week of May 10-16, 2010

Pick of the Week:
Planet of the Apes (G 1968 - AMC Thur May 13, 7:30am)
This fantastic sci-fi flick works on many levels. Who can resist gorilla soldiers on horses? It's a two-fer -- your kids'll love the talking apes and you get the social commentary. Watch the this one before you see Tim Burton's 're-imagining' or any of the sequels. Watch it for the great make up or for the cool writing, watch it for the great quotable scenes or for the cool, mind-bending time warp of it all. You may have to explain the ending to your youngest, but it doesn't detract from it's awesomeness.

The Secret of NIMH (G 1982 - HDNETMV Sun May 16, 6:45am)
This beautifully drawn and animated feature from Don Bluth was a renaissance of the old Disney style back when feature animation was in an all-time slump. It's a classic good and evil struggle set against the backdrop of a race of super-intelligent mice escapees from a government testing program.(I still wish the story had stayed true to the scientific angle and didn't feel like it had to inject a magic element, but it's still a pretty cool story.) Might be a little dark for the littlest, but lots of fun to look at.

Forrest Gump (PG-13 1994 - TNTHD Fri May 14, 6pm)
Sometimes Zemeckis is like a box of chocolates ... and I pretty much like anything in the box. Gump is that toffee caramel that you remember savoring. Hanks, Wright, Sinise, and Field are all great. It's a fun romp through recent history. The kids will be enamored with the ping-pong and the running and the shrimping and the war and all of the other stories of the doofus done good with the goofy diction. (I still can't get my son Jack to stop referring to his bottom as his butt-ocks.)

Big (PG 1988 - HBOFHD Thur May 13, 1:40pm)
I could make a cruel Penny Marshall joke about the title, but I'm pretty sure the tabloid photo I saw of her over the weekend did it for me. Anyway it's a Tom Hanks buffet in DVR-worthy fare this week. He and the rest of the cast are really good. Big let's the kids see how silly we grown ups are and reminds us how cool kids are.

The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (PG 1989 - ENCRWA Wed May 12, 10pm)
My kids love to one-up each other and make up fantastical stories (read: 'lie through their teeth for the fun of it'). And they love to hear 'em. This little-seen Terry Gilliam gem takes you on a ride with one of the best yarn spinners in history in classic Gilliam style. Oh and I think there are larger themes there but I got lost somewhere in the moon people and the airship...

Give Me That Baby, You Warthog From Hell!

Special Mother's Day Pick:
Raising Arizona (1987 PG-13 - FMC Sat May 8, 7pm)
What says 'Mother's Day' like a movie about stealing a baby? Maternal instincts are powerful and mysterious -- and hilarious. We stop and watch this classic early Cohen brother's pretty much every time it pops up while surfing. Everything is perfect. It's a great script with stellar comedic performances all the way through. If you haven't seen it (or just haven't seen it this week), queue it up, bring Mom some popcorn, and sit back and laugh.

Have Fun Storming the Castle!

Week of May 3-9, 2010

Pick of the Week:
The Princess Bride (PG 1987 - ENCORP Sun May 9, 7am)
One of the greatest family movies of all time. Pirates, swordplay, revenge, scheming villains, rodents of unusual size, and true love. It's funny and action-packed and smart and has heart.  I find something new every time we watch it, and you will, too.

The Karate Kid (PG 1984 - ENCORE Tue May 4, 1:05pm)
Before Jaden Smith was rockin' the Kung Fu (!?) with Jackie Chan, there was Ralph Macchio and Pat Morita. It's a little dated, but my kids didn't mind the Bananarama. We all cheered when Daniel-son won the tournament on one leg and my son Jack still does the stork pose on random pier pilings. It also helped with my home improvement projects when I taught the kids "Wax on. Wax Off."

The Princess Diaries (G 2001 - ENCRL Thu May 6, 1:50am)
What's up with princesses this week? This is a classic fish out of water story, but it's well done and has great performances from Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway. The marketing is aimed at the girls, but this is a film for everyone.

Rudy (PG 1993 - HDNETMV Thur May 6, 9pm)
My friend Jeff is a little intimidating at 6'4" and 300 pounds. No one would call him a softie (not to his face at least). But he still gets a little teary when he talks about his favorite movie, Rudy. This is one of those feel-good sports pics that can get to everyone. It's not just a football movie, its a little guy with big heart movie. It's a chase-after-your-dreams-no-matter-what movie. And we all love those, right?

Superman: The Movie (PG 1978 - AMC Sat May 8, 1:30pm)
Although the effects seem a little cheesy by today's standards and some of the dialog and story elements are a little cornball, the original blockbuster superhero movie holds up pretty well. The first half of the film is the origin story, so it's a good primer for neo-Kryptonians and a great excuse to hit the comic book store bargain bin (with the kids) for a few well-worn stories of the man of steel. I'll be humming John Williams' inspired soundtrack all week and running around with my fists out in front of me and an imaginary cape behind me.

Also recommended this week:
Space Chimps, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, Marley & Me, Bolt.
You don't need me to tell ya these are good, but I will anyway.

P-p-pleeease, Eddie!

Week of April 24 - May 02, 2010

Pick of the Week:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988 PG - HBOFHD Sat May 1, 10:30am)
This classic private detective story set in wonderfully weird Toontown holds up pretty well (my kids thought the movie was based on the Toontown adventure at Disneyland instead of vice-versa). Great characters, cool animation, funny dialog, a cigar-smoking baby, a very curvy rabbit, and tons of wink-wink nudge nudge jokes and inside gags. The adults will stay entertained and the kids will love it -- even Christopher Lloyd's great and scary villain, Judge Doom.

The Cat Returns (anim) (2002 PG - HDNETMV Sun May 2, 6:45am)
My daughter really liked this one. It's got the cool and surreal look and feel of some of the other recent Japanese animated features that our fam is into right now (like Spirited Away) and a twisted and twisty storyline. It follows a girl who unwittingly rescues the prince of cats and gets whisked away into their world. It's trippy, weird, and beautiful.

Fly Away Home (1996 PG - STZKHD Fri April 30, 12pm)
After watching the Winged Migration documentary (recommended a few weeks ago), follow it up by mixing a little drama with your ultralights and geese. It's got a great girl hero and some nice performances by Jeff Daniels and Anna Paquin.

Moonraker (1979 PG - G4 Sat May 1, 6am)
Bond, yeah Bond. Double-o-seven movies might not be at the top of everyone's family movie list. But if your kids don't get their Bond at home they will find it on the streets. Roger Moore is not the best bond and this is not his best bond movie. But it has space shuttles. (Like all 007 movies, there is plenty of philandering and gunplay, but this was '79 and it's decidedly PG)

It Might Get Loud (doc) (2008 PG - STZHDP Fri April 30, 10am)
Like Jame Bond, rock education starts at home. This cool documentary on electric guitar features legends Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White. It feels kinda like having a the rock gods sitting around your sofa, riffing on each other. You get a little history, a little insight, and a lotta rock. You may have to explain what a Led Zepplin is, but that's what teachable moments are all about.

Also recommended this week:
WALL-E, Monsters Inc, Bolt, Kung Fu Panda.
You don't need me to tell ya these are good, but I will anyway.

That'll Do, Pig

Week of April 17-23, 2010

Pick of the Week:
Babe: Pig in the City (1998 G - HBOFM Fri 4/23, 9:00am)
The Babe films are two of my favorite movies (yes, favorite movies, not just kid movies). And the sequel couldn't have surprised me more. Taking the original characters from the sweet little pig movie and throwing them into a surreal cityscape inhabited by a dysfunctional animal circus family, it's dark and sad and and tense and beautiful and complicated and loving and ultimately uplifting. Just what life and art - and family movies - should be about.

Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979 G - HMC Friday 4/23, 7am)
(AKA Spaceman in King Arthur's Court)
This is not great cinema, but your kids won't mind. Loosely based on Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, it's got space travel, an android twin, jousting, and a goose. It harkens back to a time when Disney movies weren't based only on the Happy Meal toy and the Christmas release.

Ratatouille (2007 PG-13 - ABCFM Saturday 4/24, 5pm)
I'll watch anything Brad Bird does (The Incredibles, Iron Giant). This engaging story about a rat who loves to cook should be in your DVD collection, but tivo it if it's not. I sort of resisted this when it was in theaters, cause it looked a little trite. But it's a great story with real drama and great characters and wonderful performances including Patton Oswald as a rat with a big talent and heart to match.

The Great Waldo Pepper (1975 PG - Starz Sunday 4/18, 8pm)
As one of the two movies I saw with my dad when I was a kid, this pick is a little self-indulgent nostalgia for me. But it's a great aviation drama with fantastic stunt flying -- before CGI made everything easy. It's a buddy movie with Robert Redford as a barnstormer. It may be a little slow for the little fellas, but it's a great film.

Aliens of the Deep (2005 G - HDNMV Saturday 4/24, 4:45am )
Growing up wanting to be either an astronaut or a marine biologist, this documentary hits a sweet spot that I get to continue to explore with my kids. Even though we missed it in 3d IMAX, it should hold up fine in HD.

A Moving Castle, Kilmer, & Kung Fu

Week of April 10-16, 2010

Pick of the Week:
Howl's Moving Castle (2004 PG - IFC Friday 4/16, 5am & 10:05pm)
We just watched Myazaki's fantastic and trippy Spirited Away again a few weeks ago and I was reminded of how wonderful he is. The kids loved it. Howl's Moving Castle takes us on another strange trip through a crazy and imaginative world with a girl trapped in an old lady's body trying to get a selfish reluctant hero wizard to help her.


Top Secret! (1984 PG -TCM Friday 4/16, 6:30pm)
Any movie with an exclamation point in the title's gotta be good! Val Kilmer stars in this spy spoof that will sail as many jokes over your kids heads as it lands. But that's what makes a great family movie night movie -- something for everyone. It's goofy and funny and knows that the only way to save the world is through Rock and Roll. (see also Buckaroo Banzai).


The Time Machine (1960 G - TCM Thursday 4/15, 8am)
The 2002 remake was on a few days ago, but I think the original is great. This is classic sci-fi based on the H.G. Wells novel. (I'm secretly team Morlock.)


Shanghai Noon (2000 PG-13 - HDNMV Friday 4/16, 7pm)
When Momma needs a kung fu fix, I bring her Jackie Chan. His movies are all pretty family friendly (esp his later ones). This buddy movie is set in the old west and co-stars the funny Wilson brother.

The Thing From Another World (1951 NR -TCM Thursday 4/15, 6:30am)
Aside from being a great Turncoat 5 song, this is a pretty good alien invasion movie. It's old-school psychological horror, so don't be looking for any freaky cgi space bugs. It may be a little creepy/boring for the little ones.

Winged Migration (2001 G -HDNMV Wednesday 4/14, 3am)
Oscar-winning documentary on migrating birds. Gorgeous cinematography and surprisingly dramatic.

Spies, Genies, & Magical Nannies

Week of April 3-9, 2010

Pick of the Week:
Life (2010 TV-PG Discovery - Sundays at 8pm)
This is the continuing 11 -part sequel to the Planet Earth series. The original series was the first show I ever saw on our new HD TV set. I was hooked from the first rays of sun beaming from hi-def dew drops against impossibly blue skies. We've missed the first few episodes, hosted by Oprah, but are tivo'ing all the new ones and catching the old ones as they replay. Who knew frogs had pores? I love HD. Oh yeah, and animals.

Aladdin (1992 G ABC Family - Sunday April 4, 12noon)
Oh my god. Am I old enough that this is actually being listed as a 'classic' Disney film? Oh well. It's good stuff, if only to show my kids that Robin Williams used to be funny.

Mary Poppins (1964 G ABC Family - Sunday April - 4pm)
Dick Van Dyke's at 'is Cockneyed best 'ee is. Add a flying nanny (didn't know what a nanny was till I moved to LA), and dancing penguins, and infectious music, and the kids'll love it. Not enough explosions for the wife.

Harriet The Spy: Blog Wars (2010 Disney - Sunday April 4, 9pm)
May be just more Disney-drivel, but will probably check this one out since Kate is a fan of the books.