KIDS FIRST! News

Sunset Strip. It’s a name with the same sense of magic as that of the city it runs through: Hollywood. New Line Cinema’s release of Rock of Ages brings to theaters nationwide the Broadway stage hit built on the oft-told tale of young people coming to Hollywood in pursuit of a dream – in this case, to be a rock star. Add chemistry to the magic as their quest brings together small-town Sherrie Christian (Julianne Hough, whose mastery of dance has earned her recognition as both a dancer and a choreographer) and city-boy Drew Boley (Diego Boneta, a successful singer in real life with gold and platinum records in Latin America, Brazil and Spain).

KIDS FIRST! youth critics Blake Hawes, age 15, and Raven Devanney, age 14, both give the musical a superlative “best” – and single out Tom Cruise for raves as hot rock ’n’ roller Stacee Jaxx. “He just kills in this movie,” says Blake. While Blake describes Cruise’s character as composed of different elements of rock stars from the ’60s and ’70s, Raven sums him up as “an egotistical, wild rocker.”

Check out the full reviews by Blake and Raven on the KIDS FIRST! website, and see why they recommend Rock of Ages for ages mid-teen and up.

Photos: Rock of Ages poster (top), Raven Devanney and Blake Hawes (bottom, left to right)

The first Madagascar movie hit the screens in 2005, racked up a number of awards wins and nominations (including an ASCAP award for composer Hans Zimmer and a Kids Choice award for Chris Rock as the voice of Marty) and spawned two sequels and a TV series in seven short years. The latest from DreamWorks is Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, the the voices now indelibly associated with the main characters: Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Cedric the Entertainer.

KIDS FIRST! youth film critics share many reasons to head for the theaters once the movie is released on June 8:  Brianna Beaton (age 12) notes in her review, “There are several great messages in this film, one being that if you have a strong passion for something, fight for it and do it no matter what.” Cheyenne Nguyen (age eight) recommends it “for kids ages 4 to 99.” Julianna Noone (age 12) says, “The animation is fantastic in this film, and … the 3-D in this movie is exceptional.” And the word from Anthony Aranda (age 9) is, “I really hope they make another Madagascar.” Their full reviews are below, and you can catch them on video as well.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Reviewed by Brianna Beaton
(See her full review on video.)

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is very hilarious, entertaining and lots of fun to watch. I love the 3-D animation, humor and songs Madagascar 3 has. The song clips and the graphics during the circus performance are outstanding. The film has a great story plot, is easy to follow and will definitely keep your attention.

Madagascar 3 is about four friends who are still trying to return to their Zoo in the Big Apple, New York City. They go thru Monte Carlo and attract the attention of Animal Control. While in Europe they hop on a train with some traveling circus animals to get back to their home once again. They go on a wild adventure trying to run from Animal Control and get back to the good ol’ US of A.

One of my favorite parts is when the friends make a sand version of their beloved New York. It’s such a great reproduction that it makes them homesick, which is the reason they all try to get back home in the first place. Another favorite part is when they are singing “Afro Circus.” It will have you singing right along with them. The film has lots of funny parts and will leave you feeling really good.

Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath and Conrad Vernon share in directing this hilarious film, and have done an outstanding job! It stars the voices of some great talent: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith and many more. DreamWorks Animation has done another great job with producing this film.

There are several great messages in this film, one being that if you have a strong passion for something, fight for it and do it no matter what. Also, go get what you want in life, don’t just wait for someone to give it to you. You can do it. To expect different results, sometimes you have to do something different.

Madagascar 3 is rated PG. I recommend it for ages 5 to 15 — I think it reaches out to young and older ages. Many parents will also enjoy this with their kids!
 
Overall, I give this film an overwhelming 5 out of 5 stars because it is funny, it has catchy music, and the messages it has are really great and you can learn a lot from them.
 
Madagascar 3 travels into theaters on June 8, so make sure to go see this hilarious film.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Reviewed by Cheyenne Nguyen
(See her full review on video.)

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is funny, has great music and is an out-of-this-world 3-D feature.

This is the second sequel to the animated movie Madagascar. Alex the lion (voice-over by Ben Stiller), the zebra Marty (by Chris Rock), the hippo Gloria (by Jada Pinkett Smith), the giraffe Melman (by David Schwimmer) — these four main characters want to go home to their New York City Zoo. Where ever they go, trouble follows.

Going through a lot of trouble to get the penguins to help them to go home, Alex, the lion, becomes the most wanted creature in Europe. The four main characters join the circus to take them home to America. They make new circus friends: The jaguar Gia (voiced by Jessica Chastain), the sea lion Stefano (by Martin Short) and the Siberian tiger Vitaly (by Bryan Cranston).

The music is epic. It ranges from classic rock to hip hop to pop. You will leave the movie singing the theme song. The costumes are so colorful and very pretty. The 3-D brings everything so close to you that you want to move away in case it hits you. The laser lights are awesome. The cast is perfectly matched with the characters. The only bad part is the stereotyping — it makes fun of Europeans and Texans.

The lessons are there’s no place like home, friendships and joint efforts.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it for kids ages 4 to 99. I saw a lot of adults laughing hard.

This movie opens Friday June 8, 2012, in most theaters.

Madagascar 3 – Europe’s Most Wanted
Reviewed by Julianna Noone
(See her full review on video.)

What do you get when you take a traveling circus and add in zoo animals, penguins and some lemurs? You get another hit movie from DreamWorks Animation – Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted.

This movie takes off where the last film left us, with Alex (voiced by Ben Stiller), Marty (voiced by Chris Rock), Melman (voiced by David Schwimmer) and Gloria (voiced by Jada Pinkett Smith) trying to get home to the Central Park Zoo. Written by Eric Darnell and Noah Baumbach and directed by Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, this animated hit has a great message that it passes along in this film. In my opinion, the message of this film is that the journey is often more fulfilling than getting to your destination, particularly when you are with the ones you love. Or in other words, if you are with the ones you love then it doesn’t matter where you are, that place is home.

The four main characters start off in Africa trying to figure out how to meet up with the penguins and get back on track in getting back to the Central Park Zoo. They end up finding the penguins, but their journey is just getting started as they head off across Europe trying to not only get home, but to not be captured by the villainous Captain DuBois (voiced by Frances McDormand). They find the perfect cover in avoiding the Captain in joining a traveling circus. The addition of the circus allows for the introduction of many new characters, one of which is my favorite character, Stefano, who is a horn-blowing seal.

Stefano is a very nice, happy character, but admittedly is not very smart. This goofiness only adds to how cute he is. And while Stefano may not be that smart, it’s his brilliant idea that may save the circus and all his new friends who are trying to get back to their beloved zoo.

One of my favorite scenes is the Afro Circus scene, where Marty tries to blend in with the circus, donning a rainbow-colored wig and polka dots on his body. He performs the “Afro Circus” song that I am sure everyone has seen in the trailers. My other favorite scene is when King Julien (voiced by Sasha Baron Cohen) meets his true love, in the form of a giant, tricycle-riding bear.

The animation is fantastic in this film, and while 3-D doesn’t always work for me, the 3-D in this movie is exceptional, particularly in the climactic scenes toward the end of the movie.

I recommend this film for all ages, as adults will love the humor and storyline just as much as children will. Go see this animated hit in theaters on June 8.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted is a really cool movie. This movie is amazing because of all the action and all the funny parts. I really enjoyed this movie because it is really animated and has a great storyline. I like how the movie has a bunch of characters that are really different and have such different personalities. That makes it really cool.Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most WantedThis movie is all about a lion and his friends who are in Africa and want to get home. So they travel to try to get back to New York. Their journey takes them through Europe, where they meet back up with the penguins. In Europe, animal control is after them the whole time they are there and end up following them even after they leave Europe.Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most WantedSome of the main characters in the movie are Alex, Marty, Gloria, Melman and the penguins. I liked all the characters because they were all great and some are funny and some are worried but they are all really great characters. If I had to choose a favorite I would pick Alex, the lion, because he is really funny, and when everyone in the circus is really sad he helps them to cheer up and become a big hit.

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most WantedMy favorite part in the movie is when the circus animals fly over the zoo to save Alex and his friends. This is really cool to me so when you see it you might like it. I also really like, at the end, where Marty sings a funny song dressed as a clown in polka dots and an afro. It is hilarious!

I would recommend this movie for all ages because all the parts are really funny and I think everyone would like it. This movie is really awesome and I really hope they make another Madagascar. Go out and see this movie in theaters on June 8.

Photos, top to bottom: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted poster, Brianna Beaton, Cheyenne Nguyen, Julianna Noone, Anthony Aranda

A good story can be well-told different ways. Wicked made a big splash giving an alternative understanding of Dorothy’s and Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West. Japanese Noh theater includes plays in which an action is retold from the point of view of each character. In Universal Pictures’ release Snow White and the Huntsman – which KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 10) says is “awesome” – director Rupert Sanders and writers Evan Daugherty, John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini revisit the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. For more than seven decades the story has had the Walt Disney stamp of a fun children’s animation (Disney released the classic animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937), but its previous roots are in the stories collected by the Brothers Grimm, which hold a more sinister atmosphere than today’s “fairy tale” versions. Snow White and the Huntsman recreates that strong atmosphere of evil vs. good with all the fury that today’s audiences are used to in tales of magic and the supernatural.

Snow White and the Huntsman
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

Snow and White and the Huntsman is an awesome new movie. I think this movie is great because it has lots of action and a little romance.

This move is all about Snow White, who had a happy life until her mother died and then the king found a new wife who turns out to be an evil queen. She locks Snow White away and the kingdom is very unhappy.

The main characters are Snow White (played by Kristen Stewart), the seven dwarfs, The Huntsman (played by Chris Hemsworth), the king, and the evil queen (Ravenna, played by Charlize Theron). My favorite characters are Snow White and The Huntsman because Snow White does not want to be killed so she stands up for herself and The Huntsman tries to save her. My favorite part in the movie is when Snow White and The Huntsman are in the village and he leaves and a little while later there are flaming arrows that come at the wood buildings so the houses start to burn down. This scene has a lot of action and suspense.

I would recommend this movie for ages 10 and up because I’m 10 and I loved this movie. I think that younger children might not like it because it is kind of violent and would scare them. This movie comes out in theaters on June 1st.

Photos: Snow White and the Huntsman poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

Those of us able to remember strategy games of the pre-Internet era might recall the two-person contest “Battleship.” Following in the steps of the hugely successful franchise created from an amusement park ride (Pirates of the Caribbean), Erich and Jon Hoeber crafted a screenplay whose roots lie in a child’s game. While kids can be wowed by the movie’s special effects, adults might find additional entertainment in catching the hints throughout Battleship that hark to the game. Director Peter Berg, who also helmed Hancock, can be seen in front of the cameras for a small, unnamed part as JPJ 2nd Gunner. With just a word of caution about the movie’s violence, KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Anthony Aranda (age 9) gives it enthusiastic approval and says, “I think kids age 10 and up would love this movie … because it has so much action.”

Battleship
Reviewed by Anthony Aranda
(See his full review on video.)

This movie was awesome. I love it because it has a ton of action, lots of funny parts, and suspense.

The main characters in the movie are Alex Hopper (played by Taylor Kitsch), Sam (Brooklyn Decker), Cora (Rihanna) and Yugi (Tadanobu Asano). My favorite character is Alex Hopper because he is really funny and brave. He wants revenge on the aliens attacking them because they hurt his brother.

This movie is about Alex Hopper, who joins the Navy because he needs to get his life together. Yugi, the captain in the Navy, doesn’t really like Alex because he thinks Alex won’t be any help to them. Alex goes out on a destroyer to look for other boats and they come across a large mass in the water. That’s where they find the aliens and then start fighting for their lives. 

My favorite part in the movie is when Alex Hopper tries to get a burrito for a girl he likes named Sam. The kitchen is closed, so he goes through a lot of trouble to get her this burrito. It’s really funny because he falls down a few times and then gets chased by police who tazer him. It is hilarious!

I would recommend this movie for ages 10 and up because there is violence in the movie and is rated PG-13. I think kids 10 and up would love this movie, though, because it has so much action.

Photos: Battleship poster (top), Anthony Aranda (bottom)

The 1960s soap opera “Dark Shadows” has been reincarnated with the deft hand and somewhat twisted humor of master storyteller and acclaimed filmmaker Tim Burton. His signature gloom perfectly suits the storyline. KIDS FIRST! youth film critic and host of the weekly Coming Attractions radio show Raven Devanney (age 14) rates the film on a scale of one to five, and gives it a six!

Ratings that good make it a probable shoe-in for next year’s KIDS FIRST! Best Awards. This year’s awards, for film and TV shows of 2011, are being considered at this very moment. Winners will be announced here in the KIDS FIRST! newsletter next week, but do take a gander at all the deserving shows that were nominated, listed by age-appropriateness on the KIDS FIRST! website.

Dark Shadows
Reviewed by Raven Devanney
(See her full review on video and more about the film on the Dark Shadows page on the KIDS FIRST! website.)

Dark Shadows is a hilarious movie about a man named Barnabas Collins, who is cursed by an evil witch when he refuses to give her his love. Turned into a vampire, Barnabas is locked away in a coffin for two centuries. Now, freed by unsuspecting construction workers, Barnabas finds that his home town of Collinsport has drastically changed. He must learn to fit into the ’70s while protecting his family, restoring Collinsport to its former glory and ridding himself of the evil witch, Angelique, who cursed him to be a creature forced to hide in dark shadows.

I absolutely loved this movie. Johnny Depp, who plays Barnabas Collins, does fantastic! Johnny is one of my all-time favorite actors and when he teams up with director Tim Burton, you know it’s a film worth seeing. The cinematography was great because of the gloominess that you will often find in Tim Burton’s films, but they found a flawless way to throw in the bright colors of the ’70s. The special effects were great, too, especially in the end when Angelique’s skin starts to crack; she really looks as if she is made out of porcelain. Something that did bother me about the visuals was that the blood in the film looked ’way too fake considering that it is a vampire movie.

My favorite character would have to be that daughter of the Collins family played by Chloe Moretz, Carolyn Stoddard. One, she is my favorite young actress; two, she plays a moody, melodramatic, angst-y teenager perfectly. The acting in this film is priceless because there is a lot of overacting, but not in a cheesy way; it is done very purposefully and it gives a wonderful, comedic feel to dramatic situations.

I suggest this film for ages 13 and up because of sexual situations, mild drug use and language. On a scale of 1-5, I would give this film 6 stars because it far surpassed my expectations! Be sure to see Dark Shadows in a theater near you with all of your friends!!

Photos: Dark Shadows poster (top), Raven Devanney (bottom)