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.