The King and I (1999)

You all know how much I love the story of “The King and I.” The multitude of times I’ve mentioned it here on Families.com is a testament to that. When I saw that an animated version of the film had been done, I was curious, but skeptical. After watching it this last week, I’m no longer curious, and the skepticism was proven to be well-founded. Of course we have the basic elements of the story. Anna Leonowens, a young widow woman, is hired to travel from England to Siam to teach the king’s children. She takes with her Louie, her … Continue reading →

The Secret of Roan Inish (1994)

Zzzzz……… Zzzzzz………… Oh, I’m sorry. How embarrassing! I must have fallen asleep. But then, that’s what this movie will do to you. “The Secret of Roan Inish” is the PG-rated story of a ten-year-old girl named Fiona whose mother has recently died. Her father isn’t able to take proper care of her and her older brothers are all working long hours to keep the rest of the family afloat, so Fiona is sent to the small fishing village of Donegal, Ireland, to live with her grandparents. Upon her arrival, she starts hearing tales of her ancestors, all true Irishmen and … Continue reading →

Mad Money (2008)

Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes star as three federal reserve employees who get away with the impossible: they steal hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of three years from the Federal reserve. The Plot Thins Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) is the typical rich housewife/socialite married to the typical self absorbed husband who has lost his job. He sits around and becomes depressed. . .in exactly the way that you might think someone that self absorbed would do. Bridget is the mastermind behind the heist with the mantra, “Crime is contagious.” Nina Brewster played by Queen Latifiah, … Continue reading →

Xanadu (1980)

I’m so confused. If anyone can explain to me what the gods on Mount Olympus care about roller rinks, I’d be so grateful. In the cult favorite “Xanadu,” we meet Sonny Malone, an artist who works taking album covers and painting them extra large for advertisement purposes. He wants to create something more out of his life but doesn’t know how to break out of the rut he’s in. While out wandering around one day, trying to figure out his life, a beautiful woman roller skates up to him, kisses him, then skates off. When he’s given the assignment to … Continue reading →

Catch and Release (2006)

Jennifer Garner stars as Gray, a girl whose fiancé has been killed in an accident, in this strange and unsettling movie. The funeral is held amidst all the wedding presents that have been arriving, and Gray isn’t sure how she can handle the strange juxtaposition. How does she prepare herself to deal with his death when she was getting ready to start a life with him? Going off to the bathroom to seek some solitude, she climbs into the tub and draws the curtain, just wanting everyone to leave her alone. What she doesn’t expect is for the caterer and … Continue reading →

Autumn in New York (2000)

Sometimes I like to review movies so I can tell you about a film I really liked and think you should see immediately. Other times, I like to review movies so I can tell you which films to stay far, far away from. This review is going to be one of the latter. Winona Ryder stars as Charlotte Fielding, a twenty-two-year-old woman who designs hats for a living. When she meets her mother’s old friend Will Keane (Richard Gere) she’s attracted to him, but he’s forty-eight. That puts things in a slightly weird category. For Will, though, there is no … Continue reading →

Alice in Wonderland (1999)

This version of the Lewis Carroll children’s classic was filmed for television and includes the characters found in both “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass,” the sequel. As a Carroll fan (I’ve even read “The Hunting of the Snark”) I was curiouser and curiouser to watch this film, but I’m sorry to say, I was disappointed. It all began with Tina Majorino, the young lady chosen to play Alice. While I generally consider her to be a great actress, I didn’t feel that she gave us the performance we needed. She was fourteen when she made this film … Continue reading →

The Clock (1945)

Imagine for a minute that a world-class chef comes and knocks on your door, volunteering to make you a nice meal, whatever you want. Do you ask him to make you a peanut butter sandwich? Of course not. Anyone can make a sandwich – it would be demeaning to his talents to ask him for something that anyone could make. This is exactly the case with “The Clock,” starring Judy Garland and Robert Walker. Anyone could have been in this movie. Judy’s talents were not showcased at all – it was demeaning to her. She stars as Alice Mayberry, a … Continue reading →

Dancing Lady (1933)

Oh, wow. Well, let’s just say this movie is all about Clark Gable and we won’t worry too much about Joan Crawford, his co-star. She plays Janie Barlow, a girl who badly needs a job. She’s a dancer and doesn’t know how to do anything else, and doesn’t want to do anything else. After getting into a bit of a scrape, she’s saved from jail by a rich playboy named Todd Newton (Franchot Tone) who thinks she owes him something now. She tells him that she doesn’t want his help if it comes with strings. He removes the strings, temporarily, … Continue reading →

Prancer (1989)

The 1989 movie “Prancer” has a cute premise. One of Santa’s reindeer is separated from the herd and becomes injured, to wander around in the woods near the home of one little girl who still believes in Santa. She takes him in, nurses him back to health, and saves her family in the process. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? Well, it would have been, if it had been done differently. Sam Elliot stars as John Riggs, a widowed apple farmer on the brink of losing his farm. He has two children, Steve and Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) who miss their mother terribly. … Continue reading →