Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Our youth film critics reviewed the upcoming made for TV movie, “Field of Vision” this week and it was an absolute hit for ages 10 through 14. The theme is anti-bullying but it’s definitely more than that. We see a young boy, Cory, who is a foster child and moved from school to school. When he is transferred to a new high school, he joins the football team and is bullied by a few of the guys. The team captain realizes he needs Cory and confronts the bullies who just happen to be kids he’s been fest friends with since fourth grade. The storyline captivates both girls and boys. The football action grabs the attention of the boys and interaction of the team captain’s mother with Cory’s mom seems to appeal to girls’ sensibilities.

Here’s what our kids had to say:  

This movie is very inspiring. Tyler learns that it is important to do the right thing, even when it means sacrificing your relationship with your best friends. Tyler’s mother, Jodi, sees a struggling student, who she reaches out to. I recommend this movie to kids ages nine and up. It is a great family movie, but younger kids might not understand the complications between the characters and the drama that occurs. Gabriella Chu, age 14, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

This is a really good movie. It’s about an orphan boy who is really smart really good on the football field. However some people at his new school think he is trying to make them look bad. I think the acting in this is phenomenal, especially Joe Adler who plays Cory. I think that this is appropriate for ages 10 and up because it’s more psychological than visual. Sam Connan, Age 13, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

Field of Vision is a great movie about standing up for the truth and always pushing towards your goals. This movie is very enjoyable. My favorite scene would have to be when Cory, played by Joseph Adler, and Lucy exchange books for the first time because her compassion towards him is very sweet. This is a wonderful family film as it gives families a chance to talk about the important issue of bullying. Raven Devanney, age 13, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic

Our 13-year-old youth film critics really loved this film. Here’s what they have to say:

X-Men First Class is an epic adventure revealing the origins of the X-Men Saga.  It is set in the 1960s at the beginning of the Space Age and at the height of the Cold War.  Russia and the U.S.A are on the brink of a nuclear war, endangering the whole world.
 
Before they took the names of Professor X and Magneto, Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender) were two youthful mutant men just discovering their powers. They search for other mutants, like themselves, to recruit so they can band together and stop a very great threat to the world.

X-Men First Class answers a lot of questions that have interested many fans since X-Men came out, such as:  how did Charles get put in a Wheelchair, how they got their names Magneto and Professor X, and how the X-Men got together in the first place. 
 
The acting in this character driven movie is great and was cast really well, especially Kevin Bacon as the evil Sabastian Shaw and Jennifer Lawrence as Raven/Mystique. There are a lot of psychological parts during the movie, and it’s not just comic book action. You really can get the emotional depth. This movie had messages in it. Mystique in this movie started out not liking herself at all, trying to cover up who she was, she was ashamed of who she was.  By the end, though, Mystique learns to except herself and before she leaves says, “Mutant, and proud!” This means that you should accept yourself and be who you want to be.
 
The action scenes in this movie were very well set up and suspenseful, you couldn’t have the movie or the storyline without it. This movie was pretty violent, has a lot of fighting, and some traumatic scenes (like when the nazi Schmit shoots Erik’s mom right in front of him.)  It also has a little explicit language and a couple of sexy scenes.  Rated PG-13, I would not recommend it for kids under the age of 13.
 
Over all, I think this movie was the best one yet in the X-Men Saga.

Reviewed by Jonah Menegaz, age 13
 

Hair, the musical, was such a huge hit when I was in college that I, and my college roommate, Christine Lahti took off on a road trip to New York City to audition for the road company. We made one wee mistake in that we arrive one week early, and had to get back to Ann Arbor for finals so we couldn’t stay. Oh well….

I’m delighted to hear that Hair is being released on Blu-Ray June 7th. If you’ve never seen it. This is a fun romp you’ll enjoy and it so exemplifies the social-political movement of the 60s. Fresh off the farm, Claude Bukowski (John Savage) arrives in New York City to join the army, but he’s quickly swept up in the counterculture when a group of hippies introduce him to their psychedelic world…and a beautiful rich girl named Sheila (Beverly D’Angelo). When the group’s leader (Treat Williams) tries to keep Claude out of Vietnam, the consequences are shocking for everyone involved.

Happy Anniversary to our friends at NCircle Entertainment, the DVD distributor of children’s programs such as The Cat in the Hat Knows A Lot About That!, Sid the Science Kid, Pocoyo, and WordWorld.  Whether it’s learning about ABCs and 123s, photosynthesis and metamorphosis, or the importance of being kind to others, NCircle’s family of mostly preschool shows offers hundreds of hours of enriching viewing for growing young minds. 

“Our core mission is providing quality programming that helps kids learn while entertaining them,” said Debbie Ries, senior vice president and general manager. We believe today’s moms know NCircle is a name they can trust – and we’re gratified that our numbers are bearing this out!”

Later this year, NCircle will be releasing the 2011 Academy Award-nominated short film, “The Gruffalo,” narrated by Helena Bonham Carter as well as the Australian series, “The Fairies.” Established in 2006, NCircle currently distributes more than 300 DVD titles primarily geared to the preschool audience. Congrats! Keep up the good work.

Check out our new review of KUNG FU PANDA 2 by 14-year-old Gabriella Chu featured on KIDS FIRST! AOL Kids page.

http://kids.aol.com/2011/05/27/kids-first-review-of-kung-fu-panda-2/

I love this! PBS Kids is offering a collection of summer programming to help make education fun. Starting on May 23, PBS KIDS has ten weeks of themed programming that emphasize literacy. Each week features reading-related episodes from a different PBS KIDS series. Here’s their line up:

    * SID THE SCIENCE KID – “Weather Week” – starting May 23
    * ARTHUR – “Arthur Author Week” – starting May 30
    * CURIOUS GEORGE – “Country Monkey Week” – starting June 6
    * DINOSAUR TRAIN – “World Tour Week” – starting June 13
    * SUPER WHY – “Family Story Week” – starting June 20
    * MARTHA SPEAKS – “Martha Summer Fun Week” – starting June 27
    * THE ELECTRIC COMPANY – “What’s the Story? Week” – starting July 4
    * WORDGIRL – “WordGirl’s Ludicrously Literate Library Week” –  starting July 11
    * WILD KRATTS – “Wet Kratts Week” – starting July 18
    * THE CAT IN THE HAT KNOWS A LOT ABOUT THAT! – “Cool Cat Week” – starting July 25

So, don’t just piddle away your summer eating popsicles! Use that good ole TV as a “stealth” learning device. Why not. If your kids thought of it first, they would.

Along with the themed episodes, PBS KIDs will have more toolds available online, on-air and via partnerships with iVillage and JetBlue Airways. For details, go to http://pressroom.pbs.org/Programs/PBS-KIDS-Summer-Reading-2011.aspx