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.