Film Festival Titles from KIDS FIRST!

This is the best Sci-Fi movie directed by Steven Spielberg. This movie is about a friendship between a boy and an Alien. Elliot (Henry Thomas) is the middle child who find and befriends an Alien name E.T. Gertie (Drew Barrymore) is Elliot sister and Michael (Robert MacNaughton) his older brother helps Elliot hide E.T. from the adults. E.T. learned how to speak by watching Sesame Street with Gertie. The Government keeps tract of extra terrestrial activities and notice there are unusual activities in Elliot neighborhood. They trace it to Elliot's house. The fun part begins when all the kids help Elliot to hide E.T. from the Scientists. The scene with E.T. in the bedroom using all kind of household gadgets to trying to build a phone is so cool. Elliot best performance is when E.T. telepathically makes him drunk and when E.T. is feeling sick, Elliot felt the same. The special effects in this movie are epic. My favorite one is when Elliot and his friends running away with E.T. in their bicycles and E.T. sitting in the basket flying across the hill passing through with the sunset background. They are taking E.T. to the forest so he can phone home. E.T. phone home from the equipment that, he built from fork and other random household gadgets. All the actors in this movie have great chemistry with each other. The setting with the track homes and the hills are perfect typical homes. I love how the camera is angle at Elliot's level, it feels like the kid's point of view. The best scene is the touching of the finger and the heart, it is so magical. The message in this movie is friendship. Elliot and E.T. are so connected that they have no barriers. My favorite character is Elliot. He is so good with all his scenes. I rank this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I give this age ranged 3 and up. Cheyenne Nguyen, age 8, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

E.T. was adorable but it made me cry. A cute, funky, curious alien gets separated when his space ship accidentally leaves him on earth. The adventure beings when a little boy lures E.T. using a trail of candy. Screams are heard from both of them. Eliot aka Henry Thomas has a little sister and an older brother Robert MacNaughton. The little sister Gertie aka Drew Barrymore is spunky and cute. Eliot tries to hide E.T. from his family but they soon meet him. He learns to talk, watch T.V. and his favorite place is the refrigerator. E.T. soon finds he is home sick and all he wants to do is to phone home. Eliot and E.T. share a strange connection and can tell what the other one is feeling. Eliot is not the only one looking for aliens. Scientist saw the space ship take off into the sky and find the location and foot prints. They are on the hunt for aliens. My favorite scene was the ending which I cannot tell you. My second favorite scene was when Gertie dresses E.T. up into a fabulous new outfit. Eliot and his family have to explain everyday things to E.T. and this is also very funny. E.T. also gets to learn about Halloween and gets another cute outfit. E.T. is mischievous and get into all kinds of trouble. He is also amazing with the things he can do. He can make things fly, bring things back to life, heal people and build things. Their mother (Dee Wallace) does not know they are hiding an alien. I was worried she would find out but they did a great job of playing hide and go seek. I found the story to be believable like it all could really happen. My Mom would freak out if I hid an alien in our house. The graphics are amazing especially when the boys are riding their bikes and begin to fly. E.T. looked real. The music was memorable. When you hear it you will be reminded of E.T. The lesson was Eliot just wanted a friend and the scientist, all but Keys played by Peter Coyote, just wanted to examine and experiment to find out more about an alien. You should be kind and friendly to everyone. Being home sick can make your heart hurt so be sure to keep in touch with the people you love. Maybe you should phone home today. It will make you feel great. Classic quote "E.T. phone home. Eliot. Ooouch and Beee Good." The age range is 8 and up. Little one will think parts of the movie are cute but it is a very complicated story. Also you will need to bring tissues since there are some sad scenes. I give it 5 twinkling stars. Get the E.T. Blu Ray combo pack with special all new interviews from Steven Spielberg and The E.T. Journal on October 9. Morgan Bertsch, age 7, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

The 7 Dwarfs are still part of the action, but they too are updated to be more relevant to today's audiences. The dwarves are: Jordan Price as Napolean, Mark Povinelli as Half Pint, Joe Gnoffo as Grub, Danny Woodburn as Grimm, Sebastian Saroceno as Wolf, Ronald Lee Clark as Chuckles and Martin Klebba as Butcher. The Queen is left in charge of the Kingdom after the King disappears. The Queen cares nothing for Snow White or the Kingdom and is only interested in keeping herself rich and in power. To do that she must get rid of Snow White and find a way to make the Prince love her.

So you can see that the basis of the story remains true to the classic fairy tale but don't worry, there are twists along the way that keep the story fresh and exciting. Once the Queen believes Snow White is dead, she moves on with her plan to marry the Prince and live happily ever after. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs have other plans and the action picks up with their fight to save the Prince and their Kingdom. My favorite part of the movie is when Snow and the dwarfs show up at the wedding to save the Prince. The dwarfs all hide in various places such as under tables and under men's long coats, but the funniest part is when Chuckles hides under a woman's umbrella dress and cracks up laughing when he sees her undergarments - it's a very funny and well shot scene. My favorite characters are the dwarfs, because they are funny and have more personality than the dwarfs in the classic story. These dwarfs bring a great deal of character to the movie.

I also do love Snow in this movie, because she is strong and plays a heroine in this version of the story. I rate this film 5 out of 5 stars, because this is a well written and humorous take on a classic story and while the basis of the classic story is there, there are enough twists to the story to keep in funny and interesting. Also, there are quite a few "laugh out loud" scenes that will keep you smiling throughout the film. I would recommend this film for ages 5 to adult, especially those who are fans of classic fairy tales. Review by Julianna Noone, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

Beware this is not your traditional Snow White. Our story begins when Snow White's father, the King, goes missing and the Evil Queen is left running the land, which she ruins. The people are over-taxed and poor. The Queen must remarry to replenish the kingdoms vault. My favorite scene is when the banished Snow White meets the Prince for the first time. He is quite different and very funny from other "Prince Charmings."

The prince is played by Armie Hammers. The dwarfs all have new names and are very funny. They have a strange way of growing tall and their fight scenes are spectacular and acrobatic. Snow White is beautiful, smart and brave. A very different way of portraying the character and I thought interesting. Snow White is played be Lily Collins. The Queen is lovely and humorous with a big touch of evil. Julia Roberts did a wonderful job as the queen.

The animated scenes are spectacular. The costumes were amazing. I loved the music. I recommend for ages seven and up and and up give it 5 twinkling stars. Morgan Bertsch, age 7, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

A modern-day Snow White with a twist. I like this film because in most fairy tales women are saved by men and the moral of this story is that a woman doesn't always have to be saved by a man! This film is about an evil queen (Julia Robrts), who steals control of the kingdom after her husband, the king "disappears" into the dark forest. Her step-daughter is Snow White (Lily Collins), and the Queen treats her horribly. Snow White has never left the castle and when she ventures out to see the village she discovers that the people are poor and hungry. She learns that the Queen sends her servant, Brighton (Nathan Lane), to collect taxes from the people to pay for her fancy parties. When Snow confronts the Queen about this, she is taken to the forest and Brighton is ordered to kill her.

Throughout this film, Snow has exciting adventures. She meets a prince, played by Armie Hammer, and seven "giant" dwarves. My favorite characters in this film are the seven dwarfs. I really like them because they're charming, cute, and funny. The two dwarfs that I like the most are Chuckles, played by Ronald Lee Clark, and Half Pint, played by Mark Povinelli. I like Chuckles because he chuckles at everything and it really wants to make me laugh. I like Half Pint because he's always trying to get Snow to be his girlfriend! My favorite scene in this film is when Snow White is first introduced to the seven dwarfs. I like this scene because every single dwarf is staring at her and when she's conscious again, Half Pint is already giving her a cute smile! I thought this scene was very funny! I also like when the Queen is getting ready for the ball and has bird poop smeared on her face and bees stinging her lips to make them bigger and other disgusting things like that. The images of the castle and forest are beautiful and the costumes that people wear to the ball are really fancy. This film was directed by Tarsem Singh, produced by Kenneth Halsband, and written by Jason Keller and Marc Klien. I give this film five out of five stars, because overall I thought this movie has great acting, an easy to follow and good plot and story, and it is just plain awesome! I recommend this film for people of all ages because everybody can enjoy this wonderful, funny family film! Camille Bajema, age 10, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

Mirror Mirror is the classic story of Snow White with some modern twists. In this story Snow White's stepmother, The Queen (Julia Roberts), is taxing the townspeople so she can have elegant parties to marry a wealthy prince since she has bankrupted the kingdom. The day she turns eighteen, Snow White (Lily Collins) ventures out into the town and finds out about how the people are being treated. While there, Snow White meets the same prince that the Queen is trying to marry. Snow White tries to confront the Queen, but the Queen gets so angry that she orders Brighton (Nathan Lane) to take Snow White to the forest and kill her. Brighton is sort of a coward and, instead of killing Snow White, he leaves her to be eaten by the monster of the forest and runs away. Luckily for Snow White, seven dwarves who are banished to the forest and become bandits, take her in and allow her to stay. The dwarves steal the Queen's gold, but Snow White steals the gold from the dwarves and gives it back to the people. Snow White and the dwarves come to an understanding about stealing and giving and Snow White is taught how to be a bandit too. Needless to say, Snow White and the prince manage to fall in love, and it is a love that breaks a "puppy love" spell and saves the kingdom. To find out more, you have to watch Mirror Mirror!

I loved watching what the horses were able to do. They were so well trained and amazing at jumping! Flicka: Country Pride tells the story of a teenage girl, Kelly (Kacey Rohl) and the struggles that she and her mom (Lisa Hartman Black) have keeping their horse farm going after the death of her father. Kelly has stopped competing in horse shows since her father's death, but the boarded horses of the stable's team are what keep the horse farm running. Toby, (Clint Black) comes to the farm as the new stable manager and brings along Flicka. Kelly and Flicka hit it off right away. Flicka reminds Kelly that she really loves competing and they begin secretly training. When Stephanie (Siobhan Williams), Kelly's former best friend and wealthiest kid in town leaves to start another team and the trainer goes with her, Kelly steps back into her stirrups. She and her friend, Briggs (Max Lloyd-Jones) find two more riders with potential and heart to complete the team. With four riders they are able to take the team to competition with a little assistance from Toby as their stand-in trainer. The story line is interesting and the actors do a great job of portraying their roles. Kacey not only played the role of Kelly with conviction, but she was also a beautiful rider, who seemed to have a great connection to the horses. Siobhan's character as Stephanie was spot on. I definitely felt that she was full of herself. I like that each of the characters show growth and the life lessons they learn bring them all together as friends. The best actor of all was the horse that played Flicka! So beautiful! Over all Flicka: Country Pride was well crafted with some really pretty cinematic shots of Kelowna, British Columbia. I really enjoyed watching this movie and think you will too! It is a must see for any horse lover and is perfect for kids eight on up. Flicka: Country Pride has something for everyone in the family! Hunter Willow Jones, age 11, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

I really liked this film because there was so much passion for riding horses and it made me really want to try horseback riding. This film is about a girl named Kelly Jenkins (Kacey Rohl) and a horse named Flicka. After Kelly's dad dies, her mom, Lindy (Lisa Hartman Black) and Kelly have to hire a stable hand named Toby (Clint Black.) Toby brings along a horse named Flicka that Kelly falls in love with. Finally, Kelly, Toby and Lindy can't hold on to the stables anymore due to financial troubles and in order to save Cherry Creek, their stables, Kelly has to find a horseback riding team that she can compete with in regionals. If she wins, she can get money to save the stables! In this film, Kelly gets bullied a lot by a girl named Stephanie, played by Siobhan Williams. When I watch these mean-girl scenes, I don't get a good message. The acting in this movie is alright, but a little cheesy, and I think it can be a little bit better. My favorite character in this film is Kelly's mom, Lindy. I liked Lindy because she was very nice, caring, and fun. She reminded me of my mom. This family-friendly film is an adaptation of the book, 'My Friend Flicka', written by Mary O'Hara. Flicka: Country Pride was directed by Michael Damian and produced by Connie Dolphin. I recommend this film for horse lovers between the ages of seven through twelve. Kids who are more mature will enjoy watching this movie because is very complex, with all the characters and the many different story lines bouncing around. I give this film three out of five stars due to all the bullying in this movie. Look for this film on DVD and Blueray at a store near you! Camille Bajema, age 10, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

I loved watching what the horses were able to do. They were so well trained and amazing at jumping! Flicka: Country Pride tells the story of a teenage girl, Kelly (Kacey Rohl) and the struggles that she and her mom (Lisa Hartman Black) have keeping their horse farm going after the death of her father. Kelly has stopped competing in horse shows since her father's death, but the boarded horses of the stable's team are what keep the horse farm running. Toby, (Clint Black) comes to the farm as the new stable manager and brings along Flicka. Kelly and Flicka hit it off right away. Flicka reminds Kelly that she really loves competing and they begin secretly training. When Stephanie (Siobhan Williams), Kelly's former best friend and wealthiest kid in town leaves to start another team and the trainer goes with her, Kelly steps back into her stirrups. She and her friend, Briggs (Max Lloyd-Jones) find two more riders with potential and heart to complete the team. With four riders they are able to take the team to competition with a little assistance from Toby as their stand-in trainer. The story line is interesting and the actors do a great job of portraying their roles. Kacey not only played the role of Kelly with conviction, but she was also a beautiful rider, who seemed to have a great connection to the horses. Siobhan's character as Stephanie was spot on. I definitely felt that she was full of herself. I like that each of the characters show growth and the life lessons they learn bring them all together as friends. The best actor of all was the horse that played Flicka! So beautiful! Over all Flicka: Country Pride was well crafted with some really pretty cinematic shots of Kelowna, British Columbia. I really enjoyed watching this movie and think you will too! It is a must see for any horse lover and is perfect for kids eight on up. Flicka: Country Pride has something for everyone in the family! Hunter Willow Jones, age 11, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.

I really liked this film because there was so much passion for riding horses and it made me really want to try horseback riding. This film is about a girl named Kelly Jenkins (Kacey Rohl) and a horse named Flicka. After Kelly's dad dies, her mom, Lindy (Lisa Hartman Black) and Kelly have to hire a stable hand named Toby (Clint Black.) Toby brings along a horse named Flicka that Kelly falls in love with. Finally, Kelly, Toby and Lindy can't hold on to the stables anymore due to financial troubles and in order to save Cherry Creek, their stables, Kelly has to find a horseback riding team that she can compete with in regionals. If she wins, she can get money to save the stables! In this film, Kelly gets bullied a lot by a girl named Stephanie, played by Siobhan Williams. When I watch these mean-girl scenes, I don't get a good message. The acting in this movie is alright, but a little cheesy, and I think it can be a little bit better. My favorite character in this film is Kelly's mom, Lindy. I liked Lindy because she was very nice, caring, and fun. She reminded me of my mom. This family-friendly film is an adaptation of the book, 'My Friend Flicka', written by Mary O'Hara. Flicka: Country Pride was directed by Michael Damian and produced by Connie Dolphin. I recommend this film for horse lovers between the ages of seven through twelve. Kids who are more mature will enjoy watching this movie because is very complex, with all the characters and the many different story lines bouncing around. I give this film three out of five stars due to all the bullying in this movie. Look for this film on DVD and Blueray at a store near you! Camille Bajema, age 10, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic.