Had the opportunity to take 3 10-year old girls to a showing of this movie. It was a great adventure story with lots of thrills and daring. There were a few scary moments (an electric eel attacking the submarine was the worst) and a giant frilled lizard, so probably not suited for younger children, but the 10-year olds had a great time. Just one scene that seemed a little unnecessary — the teenage girl character (Vanessa Hudgens) was coming out of a cave and the camera did a downward shot of a close-up of her chest so that was uncomfortable as a kids movie.

The storyline kept us all entertained. Loved the connection of Treasure Island, Robinson Caruso and Jules Verne’s The Mysterious Island. Now we need to go to the library and check out all these books! Not sure about swimming in the ocean any time soon though…..

Got an opportunity to preview the new movie Monte Carlo with Selena Gomez. Took my kids (ages 7 and 9), was a little uncertain if it would be age appropriate or not, but it was perfect. A nice light romance with chance to dream about the glitzy life of jewelry, dresses, yachts and more. The kids just loved it. The story was fairly basic — hard-working young girl saves up for a trip to Paris. Gets to Paris with two friends (okay…one was her uptight new step-sister), ends up being mistaken for a look-a-like heiress and pretends to be rich for a week. The rich girl is predictably shallow and mean, the hard-working girl is nice and wholesome. In the end, every girl gets their guy and everyone lives happily ever after. A very sweet story with enough action to keep the kids entertained. Lovely shots of the Mediterranean. There was no real “bad guy” so it was nice to not have that wicked component. As far as bad language, there really was none — seems like maybe one minor word, but nothing too noticeable. For romance, there were a couple kissing scenes, but they were modest and in good taste.

Overall, a delightful way to spend an afternoon. For adults, a fairly predictable light film, but for the kids a great romantic flick.

So when my husband got his new phone a few months ago, the first game my kids were wild to install was Angry Birds. Don’t know where they heard of it, but pretty soon Angry Birds was all the rage in our house — kids fighting over who would get the phone when were were going somewhere in the car. Weeks after the kids had mastered it, I finally got a chance to play and I was soon addicted too! Now I hear that there is a special level you can only get to with a hidden code.

From the makers of the hit ICE AGE series, RIO is a comedy-adventure, in 3D, about taking a walk on the wild side. Blu is a domesticated Macaw who never learned to fly, living a comfortable life with his owner and best friend Linda in the small town of Moose Lake, Minnesota. Blu and Linda think he’s the last of his kind, but when they learn about another Macaw who lives in Rio de Janeiro, they head to the faraway and exotic land to find Jewel, Blu’s female counterpart. Not long after they arrive, Blu and Jewel are kidnapped by a group of bungling animal smugglers. With the help of street smart Jewel, and a group of wise-cracking and smooth-talking city birds, Blu escapes. Now, with his new friends by his side, Blu will have to find the courage to learn to fly, thwart the kidnappers who are hot on their trail, and return to Linda, the best friend a bird ever had.

RIO arrives in theaters everywhere April 15.

Check out this great new romantic comedy starring Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel. Find our post on twitter and retweet for a chance to win the dvd and soundtrack!

Flipped is a great movie to take your daughter on a girls date! Take some time this holiday season to spend together and enjoy this sweet film about first love.

The animated Alpha and Omega movie is scheduled for release Friday and we got to see it today! Great entertainment for the kids. My 6 year old and 8 year old loved it. The plot is similar to Lady & the Tramp. We don’t go to movies too often (many movies are too intense for the kids) but this one was great, lighthearted fun! Wasn’t sure what to think as the title almost seemed to have religious tones, but then after coming home, looked up to see if there really is an omega wolf and there is, so no need to be put off by the title! The omega wolf is the bottom of the pack and of course the alpha is the leader.

Synopsis: This is a delightful film about a female alpha wolf being groomed for the lead position and her friendship with an omega wolf who’s always goofing off. They get moved from Canada to Idaho as part of the wolf relocation program (fortunately the politics of this practice were absent from the film!) but need to get back home to resolve a dispute between packs. On their way back home, they meet up with a couple of hilarious characters, survive a scary bear attack and fall in love. Arriving home just as two packs are ready to fight for their territory, the wolves end up resolving the showdown and everyone lives happily ever after.

Highlights:

• simple, uncomplicated plot
• no foul language or other bad stuff
• a few hilarious jokes about going veggie-tarian ( I especially likes as I AM vegetarian)
• overall fun time!

Lowlights:

• 3-d wasn’t spectacular — the first few scenes were great, but stuff didn’t really ‘pop’ after that
• music was a little blah — midnight howling was a bit weird
• bear attack was scary for my 6-year old
• one time “butt” was mentioned, but it wasn’t too inappropriate
• anthropomorphic theme (enough animals as people!)

The kids really enjoyed it and there was enough going on that us adults had a good time too. Lots of great humor, family-friendly plot and a enjoyable time!