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The Cinema Citadel

Film reviews to entertain and enlighten sighted and blind movie enthusiasts alike...

by Sarah Star


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Archive for the 'Family Film Reviews' Category

  • 5/July/2007 [3:29 PM] -- Transformers

    Brilliant, inspired, fun and all kinds of awesome! This film rocked in every way, from the script to the acting to the special effects showcase unlike any I have ever seen. They were able to create a spectacular movie without compromising any of the charm of the original Transformers series.  And the story goes… two robotic aliens the Autobots and the Decepticons, for centuries, have pursued a war with the fate of the entire universe at stake. When the battle comes to Earth the fate of the universe lands in the hands of Sam Witwicky (Shia Labeouf), he along with the help of the Autobots is the only thing that stands between the evil Decepticons gaining the ultimate power of the cube which in the wrong hands will only be used for evil. As an average teenage boy, Sam is frenzied with worries of school, girls and cars unaware that he in fact will turn out to be mankind’s last chance for survival. Sam and his friend Mikaela (Megan Fox) find themselves in the middle of an unbelievable battle between good and evil with the world hanging in the balance and learn the true meaning of sacrifice and victory. This film so well done, Shia Labeouf is by far one of my new favorite young actors in Hollywood, he is completely natural and has undeniable charisma. Transformers is so much fun you won’t even know what to do with yourself! I seriously can’t believe this film is not available in MoPix, it really should be considering how much of an action film it is. However, I did see this movie with my big brother Josh and we were able to fill him in and he enjoyed it tremendously as well! With this movie there is definitely “More than meets the eye” LOL!

    • (Dream Works)
    • Starring: Shia Labeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and Peter Cullen
    • Rated: PG-13
    • Running Time: 144 mins
    • This film is currently NOT available in MoPix

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    Posted in [Family Film Reviews, Action Film Reviews]

  • 18/December/2006 [4:19 PM] -- Charlotte’s Web

    Terrific, radiant and humble those are the three words Charlotte uses to describe Wilbur and also happen to express exactly how I feel about this delightful family film. We all know E.B. White’s charming story and we all have pretty much seen the movie cartoon but Gary Winick’s version of Charlotte’s Web completely brings each character to life and really brings out the heart, soul and magic of this timeless classic. Wilbur voiced flawlessly by Dominic Scott Ray was born the runt of the litter, the odd one out unable to get milk from his mother and is about to be immediately turned into bacon when Fern, Dakota Fanning (always dazzling) takes it upon herself to convince her father he is being unjust to the poor little piglet. Dakota is amazing she has so much passion in her expressions as she speaks the words “He can’t help that he was born small, would you have killed me if I was born small” you can hear the determination in her voice and see the pain in her eyes. When he gets too big for Fern to take of, Wilbur is put into a small barn on Fern’s Uncle Homer’s farm and is in desperate need of a friend to help cure his loneliness; however, the resident animals want nothing to do with a pig! Enter Charlotte, a spider, (the always charming Julia Roberts) who does all she can to save Wilbur from becoming the Christmas ham and proves to be the greatest friend anyone could ever have. Charlotte’s Web is a story about friendship, trust, love, promises and everyday miracles. I know you are thinking “Yes Sarah I know! I have read the book and seen the cartoon a million times!” but there is something new to be seen here I promise you with the amazing additional voice talents of  Steve Buscemi as Templeton “the rat”, John Cleese as Samuel the leader of the sheep,  Kathy Bates as Bitsy the cow, Reba McEntire as Betsy the cow, Oprah Winfrey as Gussy the Goose, Cedric the Entertainer as Golly the Goose, and Robert Redford as Ike the Horse then throw in a marvelous script, a wonderful director and then add the musical genius of Danny Elfman and what you have is a heart-warming, beautiful woven masterpiece! I laughed, I cried, and I was deeply touched by what an outstanding film this turned out to be! It is not currently available in MoPix but there is plenty of dialogue and narration it is not needed here. If you can only see one family film this year, this story of Wilbur and his friends is definitely the one, he sure is Some Pig!

    • (Paramount)
    • Starring: Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Dominic Scott Kay, Steve Buscemi, Kathy Bates, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Redford, John Cleese, Cedric the Entertainer, Thomas Hayden Church… the list goes on and on…
    • Rated: G
    • Running Time: 97 mins
    • This film is currently not available in MoPix descriptions.

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    Posted in [Family Film Reviews]

  • 11/December/2006 [5:52 PM] -- Happy Feet

    I must tell you, I am a bit bias when it comes to this film, being a vegetarian and an environmentalist Happy Feet is a motion picture after my own heart! Happy Feet follows the story of young Mumble (Elijah Wood, perfectly cast) an Antarctic Empire Penguin who is born completely unable to carry a tune, which is not a problem except that for these little creatures finding your “heartsong” is the only way to discover your true soul mate! Instead Mumble is born with some really happy feet, he can dance his flippers off but every time he opens his beak he’s sounds like puberty stricken teenager! His mother Norma Jean (the enchanting Nicole Kidman) thinks Mumble is just fine the way he is but his father Memphis (Hugh Jackman, one word, brilliant) isn’t so sure and neither is the rest of the community and poor Mumble becomes banished from home and stumbles upon some new friends some hilarious Latino penguins, the head of the amigos is Ramon (Robin Williams, who continues to delight and impress me). Mumble comes up with a plan to finally be accepted by his fellow penguins including Gloria (the charming Britney Murphy) the love of Mumble’s life. He decides his only chance at redemption is to find the source of the penguins’ current fish famine so he sets out on an extraordinary journey with his new compadres to help bring food back to his community. The film reaches its climax when Mumble comes face to face with the cause of the food shortage “aliens” as they call them, otherwise known as humans. This is a very educational film, fun to watch and really puts the way our world has become so dependent on animals and the effects that will have on earth and the creatures that live on our earth in later years. It has fantastic dialogue and is very easy to follow for visually impaired and sighted alike. I fell in love with Happy Feet; I even danced my way out of the theatre with my two little nieces! I’m sure it will have you dancing too!

    • (Warner Bros.)
    • Voices by: Elijah Wood, Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Britney Murphy and Hugo Weaving
    • Rated: PG
    • Running Time: 108 mins
    • This film is currently available in MoPix descriptions.

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    Posted in [Comedy Reviews, Family Film Reviews]

  • 7/November/2005 [11:43 AM] -- Chicken Little

    Chicken Little is Disney’s first solo attempt at a computer-animated feature. I wouldn’t go as far as to tell you that it is on par with say, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles or even Shrek but that little chicken can certainly hold his own with a little help from the voice talent of Zach Braff (Scrubs, Garden State) who delivers in my opinion one of the best character voices in Disney history. The movie begins with the classic story of Chicken Little screaming “THE SKY IS FALLING, THE SKY IS FALLING!” and ends with an insanely comical and intense alien invasion. After the embarrassing “acorn” incident Chicken Little is trying to prove himself worthy to his father (Garry Marshall) who just doesn’t know how to have any faith in his son after being publicly humiliated. With a little help from his friends Runt (Steve Zahn, who is absolutely hysterical), Abby (Joan Cusak, grand as always) and Fish, he is able to be seen as a son and not an embarrassment to his father, until… the “sky” has fallen once more on Chicken Little’s head and he is forced to again try to convince the town people and his father that aliens are going to attack the city if something isn’t done right away. This is a first-rate story with strong morals and definitely more than one lesson to be learned. I would recommend this to both visually impaired and non-visually impaired alike. It is great for the kids and also has some adult humor as well which makes it equally enjoyable for both. It has extremely funny dialog that is definitely easy to follow and is also available in MoPix which might come in handy during the alien invasion sequence. It is definitely worth a cluck or two!!

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    • (Disney)
    • Voices by: Zach Braff, Gary Marshall, Steve Zahn and Joan Cusak
    • Rated: G
    • Running Time: 82 mins
    • This film is currently available in MoPix

    Posted in [Family Film Reviews]

  • 26/October/2005 [4:28 PM] -- Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

    Wallace and Gromit finally make it to the big screen with their first feature film Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, proving that the bounce is definitely not gone from their bungee! Ten years ago we watched Nick Park and our cheese-loving pals walk off with an Oscar for the short film A Close Shave, now they are back and ready for more action, more fun and more comedy, that children and adults alike will find irresistible! In this brilliantly told adventure we find our two favorite inventors operating a successful pest-control business! With the annual Giant Vegetable Competition on the way Wallace (flawlessly voiced once again by Peter Sallis) and Gromit (with his ever famous facial expressions including the “you have to be kidding me” face) find themselves faced with the task of keeping pesky rabbits away from the locals prize veggies including an upper class noblewoman Lady Tottington (voiced with a posh genius by Helena Bonham Carter) who has the worst rabbit infestation in all of London and who also happens to be a humanitarian to all things furry. Always the clever creators Wallace and Gromit come up with their latest invention the Bun-Vac 6000 which quickly and painlessly suck up the unwanted visitors and propels them into stalls in their home to become guests. Things turn a bit dark when a huge Rabbit begins terrorizing the neatly planted gardens of the London townspeople and Totty’s arrogant and devious suitor, Victor Quartermaine (voiced by Ralph Fiennes with wit and hilarity) gets it into his head to “dispose” of the creature and anyone who gets in his way, including Wallace who also has his heart taken aback by Lady Tottington! The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is filled with clever puns, heartfelt laughter, and meticulous stop-motion clay-mation that will have you rolling in the aisles and cheering with applause. Definitely recommended for the visually impaired, although certain things will be lost visually, it offers, jokes and dialog that are top notch and easy to follow! With this splendid comedy we are left only asking for one thing, for more CHEESE!

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    • (DreamWorks)
    • Voices by: Peter Sallis, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter
    • Rated: G
    • Running Time: 85 mins
    • This film is currently not available in MoPix descriptions.

    Posted in [Family Film Reviews]

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