KIDS FIRST! News

The last time Stephen Chbosky wrote and directed a film, it garnered a nomination for Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival (1995, The Four Corners of Nowhere). Based on the review by our KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Victoria Burns, age 14, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which he wrote first as a novel and then a screenplay, has a rich awards future, too. “[T]his movie is amazing and will someday be a classic,” she says. “It is great to see a movie that beautifully shows some of the struggles that real teenagers go through and not sugar-coated.” It is in theaters as of Sept. 21.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Reviewed by Victoria Burns
(See her full review on video.)

I just watched The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I can honestly say that it is one of, if the, best movies I have ever seen. It was so pivotal that it almost made me cry,a nd that says a lot because I almost never cry. It is great to see a movie that beautifully shows some of the struggles that real teenagers go through and not sugar-coated.

This movie is very emotional and has great acting. I like the way that the flashback scenes are shown, by alternating from the present to the past and then showing the aftermath after the flashbacks. I had never seen Emma Watson in anything but the Harry Potter series, and she is amazing when she plays Sam; I had never seen her play a character like this. The movie is so good that no words can explain, so that I bought the book directly after I watched the movie.

I also love how, throughout the whole movie, most of the story is told as Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) writes letters anonymously to “A Friend” that doesn’t exist.

This movie is about a severely depressed and lonely boy, Charlie, who’s best friend killed himself before the school year started, so now Charlie has no friends and people think he is weird because he holds in and takes the pain of himself and all of the people he loves. Sometimes it all wells up and he has anxiety attacks. This year he is determined to make friends, and he meets the flamboyant Patrick (played by Ezra Miller) and his stepsister Sam (Emma Watson); they let him in and introduce him to a whole new world filled with fun, sadness and just plain life — plus, he falls in love with Sam along the way.

All of Charlie’s friends are seniors, and he makes a mistake that makes them go away for a while, but then he does something to make them love him even more than before.

I think that everyone should watch this movie. It’s nice how, whenever something bad or slightly inappropriate happens in the flashbacks, the scene hints at what is happening without blatantly showing it.

My favorite quote from the movie is when Charlie’s English teacher, Mr. Anderson (played by Paul Rudd), tells him, “We accept the love we think we deserve.” I think it is so profound and absolutely true.

I would recommend this movie for eighth graders going into high school up to any adult. This movie can prepare teens to not keep emotions and experiences bottled up, because school can be painful and stressful. I give it five out of five stars because this movie is amazing and will someday be a classic.

Trouble with the Curve stars Clint Eastwood doing what he does so well: playing a crusty old man. Likeable, of course. In fact, KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda, age 10, says Eastwood’s character, Gus, is his favorite in this movie. “[H]e is a good man that people should trust. He knows a lot about baseball and has a good heart.”

To older audiences, the storyline may be predictable and even familiar, but Trouble with the Curve has plenty of heart throughout to give it its own lifestrength. And, Anthony says, “The movie also has really good chemistry. Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams [who plays Gus’s daughter, Mickey] work very well together.”

Trouble with the Curve
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

Trouble with the Curve is great and funny. It is kind of like an older movie meant for older audiences, but I still think it is great.

This movie is about a man named Gus who is a baseball talent scout but he is losing his sight. He is old-fashioned and always relied on his sight and a feeling to pick good baseball players. Without his sight, he doesn’t know how to scout, and even though he is having trouble he won’t ask for help. His daughter comes to help him anyway and they have a good time together, but bad things happen, too.
 
The main characters in the movie are Gus and Mickey. Gus is played by Clint Eastwood and Mickey is played by Amy Adams. Amy Adams is in another movie that my little sister loves, called Enchanted, and I also really like her in The Muppets. My favorite character in this movie is Gus because he is a good man that people should trust. He knows a lot about baseball and has a good heart.

The movie also has really good chemistry. Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams work very well together. He kind of seems like a grumpy old man and she is kind of sweet.

My favorite part in this movie is when Mickey meets a new guy who can throw a really good curve ball and, since she really loves baseball, they become really good friends.

I would recommend this movie for ages 10 and up because my brother says that the movie was a little too old for him and he’s seven. The movie also has some inappropriate language and situations that are too old for kids under 10.

Go out and see this movie in theaters; it comes out on September 21st.

Finding Nemo, the 2003 film that captured hearts and won the Best Animated Feature Oscar in 2004, has gotten a studio makeover and has been filling theaters in its 3-D version. “I thought the 3-D was cool,” says KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda, age 10, who goes on to say there wasn’t enough of it: “… but they needed to add more 3-D parts to the movie.”

Fellow youth film critic Cheyenne Nguyen, age 8, was captivated by the cinematography and visual effects, sharing, “The clear and crisp color with 3-D is magical. It feels like I am snorkeling and ready to touch these sea creatures.” Morgan Bertsch, age 7, also thinks the 3-D makes all the characters really come to life. “It is amazing. It makes you feel like you are really in the ocean. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming.”

The father’s long journey from the safety of his coral reef home through the vastness of the ocean to where Nemo had been taken in Australia is fraught with danger and even earns him fame among the other creatures of the sea. He gains a sidekick early on his quest whose short-term memory loss balances the mood with heavy doses of humor.

Finding Nemo 3D
Reviewed by Cheyenne Nguyen
(See the full review by Cheyenne and Morgan Bertsch on video.) 

Watching Finding Nemo 3D by Disney-Pixar is like you are snorkeling and looking through your goggles and enjoying the colorful fish and sea life.

This story is about Marlin (voiced by Albert Brooks), an overprotective father of Nemo (voiced by Alexander Gould), a clown fish with a defective fin.

It all starts with Coral and Marlin, Nemo’s mom and dad looking at all 400 eggs and trying to determine names for each of the eggs.  Suddenly, a barracuda comes to the coral and knocks Marlin unconscious.  When Marlin wakes up, the reef is empty; with no fish around, the only egg left under the coral is Nemo.  Marlin becomes a very protective dad and will not let Nemo out of his sight.  However, Nemo is the opposite of his dad.  He always wants to swim into the unknown.

On the first day of school, Nemo wanders off outside the reef and is captured by a dentist.  This starts Marlin’s journey to find his son.  He swims as fast as he can and asks for help finding Nemo.  The only fish that stops to help Marlin is Dory (voice by Ellen DeGeneres).  Dory has a big heart and always positive.  The only problem is she has short-term memory loss.

The story line is the father and son love, unpredictable and very funny.  There are so many punch lines in this movie that will keep you laughing throughout the movie.

The clear and crisp color with 3-D is magical.  It feels like I am snorkeling and ready to touch these sea creatures.  I can see the layers of rainbow coral reef, several rows of teeth in the mouth of Bruce the shark, the pelican’s beak, and jellyfish seem so soft and real.  The best 3-D part is with the whale and the krill swimming toward the audience.

I love how production and design make Dory velvety, Marlin and Nemo soft and gummy.  The rest of the fish are metallic, typical scaly fish.  This makes Dory, Marlin and Nemo more lovable. The sound effects of water sloshing and crashing are very realistic.

The only part I did not like is what happens to Nemo’s mom.  Will Disney come back with Nemo reunited with his mom?

The lessons in this movie are Marlin deals with his fear and swims all the way to Australia to find his son, Nemo, and he learns to have faith.

My favorite character is Dory with her big heart and Crush the laid-back father turtle and his children.

The message of this movie is listens to your parents — they only try to protect you and give you good advice.  Parents are alive longer so they know a lot more than their children.

I rank this movie five out of five stars. 

I give this film an age range of 3 and up.

Finding Nemo 3D
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.) 

I just finished watching a new twist on an all-time favorite Disney classic movie called Finding Nemo 3D. This movie is all about a fish named Nemo whose dad is bringing him to school. His dad gets too worried, though, and goes after Nemo. This makes Nemo mad, so he goes to open water, touches a boat and gets captured by divers. Then his dad has to go on a big adventure to save him.

The main characters in this movie are Nemo, Dory, and Marlin.  My favorite character is Dory because she is a really funny character and she helps Marlin go to Sydney to find his son. She also loves meeting new people but a second later she forgets them, which makes her really funny.   

My favorite part in this movie is when Dory sees a little jellyfish and names it Squishy and she gets stung and says, “Ouch! Bad Squishy, bad!” and then a big bunch of jellyfish come out and she bounces on the top so Marlin gets an idea so he says whoever gets to the end of the jellyfish wins. So they race through the jellyfish, but Dory gets stung so Marlin has to go save her. Luckily, he does, but that makes him pass out.

If I were to rate this movie with stars, I would give it seven out of 10 because I thought the 3-D was cool but they needed to add more 3-D parts to the movie. I’ve seen this movie too many times, so the fact that it didn’t have a lot of 3-D made it kind of boring to me.

I would recommend this movie for all ages, because it is a good classic movie that everyone is able to watch. Go out and see this movie when it comes out in theaters.  

Horror does not have to rely on gore to make its impact on the minds of its audience. The master of the genre, Alfred Hitchcock, gives ample proof of that. Just so, also, does PG-13-rated The Possession. Its horror runs deeper than just a “boo” reaction. Says KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Raven Devanney, “This film definitely gave me the chills.” Although the 15-year-old also says the film “wasn’t the scariest I’ve seen,” she doesn’t recommend it to kids younger than 13. For a scare that goes beyond a film entertainment, consider: The Possession is based on a true story!

The Possession
Reviewed by Raven Devanney
(Check back soon to KIDS FIRST! to see Raven’s full review on video.)

The Possession, starring Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick, is a spine-tingling thriller about a young girl named Em who becomes possessed by an evil spirit.

I really enjoyed this film. It wasn’t the scariest I’ve seen, but that is to be expected because of its rating, PG-13. I liked the cinematography because the more the plot thickened, the darker and more glooming the visuals got. The special effects were pretty good as well. However, some of the effects toward the end of the film were a little disappointing.

The acting in this film was good to some extent, although some of the interactions between the family members were a bit unrealistic. For instance, the way Em’s mother reacted to her child being possessed on the kitchen floor was a little odd. Em was screaming and crying on the floor, stuffing her face with raw meat, and her mom just stood there. If that was me in that situation, I know my mom would have run to me and seen what the matter was, so it seemed rather unrealistic.

My favorite scene would probably have to be the end. It was just so evil and unexpected. I don’t want to give it away, but the reaction that the audience and myself had to it was great. It really threw me off guard and I couldn’t stop talking about it after the film. I’m not sure if I have a favorite character, because each of the characters had the same amount of enjoyable qualities and flaws. So it’s hard to pick one.

One thing that really stood out to me was how subtle and gradual Em transformed from an innocent child to the host of an evil spirit. This film definitely gave me the chills, but, like I said, it wasn’t terrifying. Everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to horror, but I would recommend this film for ages 13 and up.

Overall, The Possession deserves four to five stars! Check it out in a theater near you.

Photos: The Possession poster (top), Raven Devanney (bottom)

The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure is an adventure in its own right. Producer Kenn Viselman wanted to create for young children a movie experience in line with their natural energies to move and dance and sing aloud, rather than forcing them to sit like little adults in the theater, and KIDS FIRST! youth film critics love it. Morgan Bertsch, age 7, calls the concept “awesome,” and says, “No one tells you to please sit down and be quiet. You get to have fun.” Cheyenne Nguyen, age 8, says, “I can’t wait to watch it again with friends, so we can do the Oogie cheers and dances together.” In addition to reviewing the film the two sat down for one-on-one interview with some of the stars, at the film’s recent red carpet event.

Viselman, an innovative force in children’s TV programming, shares more about the movie on KIDS FIRST! weekly radio show Coming Attractions, which streams on VoiceAmerica Kids.

The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure
Reviewed by Morgan Bertsch
(See her full review on video.)Kenn Viselman, who helped make “Thomas the Tank Engine” and “Teletubbies” household names, has come up with a new movie concept for kids, with Matthew Diamond as the director. Scott Stabile is the writer. The concept is awesome.

This is a movie like no other I have ever seen. You actually get to dance, sing and cheer in the movie theater. No one tells you to please sit down and be quiet. You get to have fun. The butterflies tell you when it is time to get up and move around and the turtles tell you when it is time to slow down, take a seat and enjoy the show. Don’t forget to clap for all the little dancers when they are done. The movie is interactive, and you feel like you are part of the movie because you get to participate in the actual show. There is no violence or villains, just a fun, family-friendly movie.

Chazz Palminteri as Marvin Milkshake and Guistina Chirco as Marna make you rethink what you want in your milkshake the next time you order one.

The Oogieloves Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie live in Lovelyloveville, which is a colorful, happy place. When their five balloons fly away, they go on an adventure to retrieve them. Windy Window provides clues to J. Edger (Hoover) to help them on their hunt for the balloons to give to their friend Schluufy for the big surprise birthday party. They must use problem-solving skills at each adventure to solve the many puzzles of how to capture the balloons. The clock is ticking — will they make it in time for the big party?

Along the way they meet a great cast of characters: The fabulous Cloris Leachman plays Dotty Rounder. Jaime Pressly is Lola Sombrero. Christopher Lloyd is the bongo-playing Lero Sombrero. Cary Elwes with his crazy bird is Bobby Wobbly. Toni Braxton is the singer Rosalie Rosebud, and there are many more people you will get to know and love.

The songs are original, creative and you will have the lyrics stuck in your head with a smile on your face.The puppets look real and are very funny. Wait till you see what the raccoons can do.

It is appropriate for all your youngsters. Your children can go see a movie and act like a kid. I would recommend this movie for ages 3 and up.

I give it five ***** twinkling stars.

This movie will be showing nationwide Oogust 29, 2012.

The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure
Reviewed by Cheyenne Nguyen
(See her full review on video.)
 
Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure is the first-ever interactive movie. I can’t wait to watch it again with friends, so we can do the Oogie cheers and dances together.

The fun characters in this movie are Goobie, Zoozie and Toofie. They go on an adventure to look for the balloons that flew away from Lovelyloveville. They are able to trace the balloons’ locations one by one. However, the Oogieloves need the audience and their friends to help get the balloons. They need to find these balloons before Schluufy wakes up. These magical balloons are for Schluufy’s surprise birthday party.

This movie has so many famous and fun actors. Toni Braxton, Cloris Leachman, Christopher Lloyd, Cary Elwes and Jaime Pressley. These great actors sing, dance and do cheers through-out the movie. All the songs are very catchy and easy to remember.

They explain to us that when we see the butterflies going across the screen, we can stand up and follow the actors’ lead. When we see the turtles going across the screen, we can sit down. I was not comfortable with getting out of my seat at first until I saw the 2-year-old in front of me just go out in the aisle and dance and sing. The songs are so good that I just had to stand up and sing along. I was so surprised that the same 2-year-old in front of me was so focused on the movie and got the cues right away.

Most of the audience interacts with the movie, so it was great being able to do what I feel like doing while watching a movie. All the kids sing, dance and have a great time. It’s like watching a movie with a sing-along and dance at a party.

The costumes in this movie are vibrant with colors and full of designs that kids love to see. The music makes us all want to dance and move around. This movie set is magical.

My favorite character is Ruffy the fish. He has always wanted to do the hard tasks and protect the Oogieloves. He is the funniest character in this movie.

The messages of this movie are lots of love and teamwork.

I rank this movie five out of five stars. 

I give this an age range of 2 to 8.

Photo: The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure poster

Also enjoy interviews with the film’s stars by KIDS FIRST! youth film critics Morgan Bertsch and Cheyenne Nguyen at the Oogieloves red carpet.