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• Family Movie Night: Meet The Robinsons

  Like "The Wild", this movie could also be subtitled "Why we had to buy Pixar." It's a much more ambitious story than "Wild" but it just doesn't work. The plot is convoluted but it involves time travel and what happens when you change the past, or something. I normally love that sort of thing (space-time continuum, represent!) but this time (pun intended) it just bothered me. Our hero is... Read More... Posted Jul 06 2008, 05:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: entertainment, Movies, disney, film, pixar, Brett Singer, Wall-E, family movie night, the wild, meet the robinsons

• Family movie night: The Wild

  "The Wild" is a Disney film that should be subtitled, "Why we had to buy Pixar for $7.4 billion." It's so bad that you really start to wonder what the Mouse House was thinking. The animation is so-so, the plot verrry similar to the slightly better 'Madagascar'. My son, displaying Hollywood executive-level powers of verbiage, called it "Madagascar meets The Lion King". He also told me, after it was over, that he found it "hilarious", but there weren't a lot of laughs coming from the kinder while we were watching. As in seemingly every Disney film, mom is... Read More... Posted Jun 29 2008, 12:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: entertainment, Movies, disney, film, pixar, Brett Singer, family movie night, the wild

• Dustin Hoffman's wife wants him out of the house

  You would think that after two Academy Awards, numerous nominations and over 100 films that Dustin Hoffman would be entitled to take a little time off You would, however, be wrong. Hoffman's wife, after seeing him lying around the house in a cardigan, told him to get out...   Read More... Posted Jun 16 2008, 01:30 PM by Brett Singer with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: children, Celebrities, celebrity, entertainment, Movies, news, marriage, film, jobs, Brett Singer, Kung Fu Panda, dustin hoffman, retirement, william shatner, back to work, show business, lisa gottsegen

• Family Movie Night: Everyone's Hero

  My oldest son shows little interest in baseball, and I've started to accept the fact that he probably will never join me in rabid Yankee fandom. His love of this film, though, gives me a little bit of hope that he may still develop an interest in America's pastime (which it really isn't anymore, but why spoil a cliché?) 'Everyone's Hero' isn't terribly daring, the animation is only so-so, and the plot is utterly unbelievable in almost every way. But somehow the film works... Read More... Posted Jun 15 2008, 01:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, DVD, Baseball, film, Brett Singer, family movie night, everyones hero, everyone's hero, recommended

• Five Forgotten Fictional Fathers

  OK, "forgotten" is a little strong. But while we are all familiar with Darth, Homer and the rest, here are some other unreal dads that deserve a mention on Father's Day. Not all are great dads; some are pretty damn bad. Most just don't make it onto the usual "best/worst dad" lists. Here you go, on Father's Day, in no particular order: Read More... Posted Jun 15 2008, 11:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: television, Movies, tv, father, dads, Dallas, film, dad, Fathers Day, lists, Jim Davis, robin williams, Brett Singer, incredible hulk, Darth Vader, j.r. ewing, my wife and kids, mork from ork, Wayne Szalinski, homer simpson, tim roth, bobby ewing, antonio banderas, classic, junior, pam dawber, four rooms, damon wayans, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, mork, jonathan winters, jr, larry hagman, michael kyle, spy kids, rick moranis, jock ewing, mork and mindy, orson, mearth, sitcom, orkan, victoria principal

• It's time again to play: Guess The Photo!

  This is: a)    Me, after Burning Man b)    The other Olsen sibling (you know, the one they keep locked in the basement) c)    Rejected Sesame Street character Scary McNightmare d)    The other Jonas brother e)    The offspring of a superhero Answer after the jump! Read More... Posted Jun 13 2008, 10:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: news, reading, film, movie, comics, x-men, geeky, comic books, fantastic four, Brett Singer, incredible hulk, hulk, Iron Man, Marvel, nerdy, reed richards, son of hulk, dorky, sakaar, f4, skaar, black bolt, namor, professor x, professor xavier

• RetroFitted: Papa Smurf, Can You Hear Me?

  It was virtually impossible to escape from childhood in the 1980s without owning at least one Smurf-related product. The Smurfs were EVERYWHERE. Although Papa Smurf and his posse of blue gnomes were first born in a Belgian comic strip back in the 1950s, they reached the zenith of their powers in the 1980s, when an NBC cartoon series and a never-ending parade of figurines, plush toys and other merchandise made them the most ubiquitous tiny creatures since the Munchkins.  Despite the fact that they used the word "smurf" so frequently that you kinda wanted to smurf every last one of them where the smurf doesn't smurf, these diminutive, super-happy characters were enormously popular. And apparently Columbia Pictures thinks they can be again. Read More... Posted Jun 12 2008, 10:28 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, animation, film, RetroFitted, Smurfette, Columbia Pictures, Smurfs

• Marvel's greatest sh*t

  The latest attempt at a film version of "The Incredible Hulk" hits theaters on June 13.  Hopes are not high among True Believers, but it can't be as bad as the Ang Lee stinker that came out in 2003, right? Marvel is riding high on the massive success of "Iron Man", and the fine ferrous fellow has a cameo in the new "Hulk", which should bring out a few more folks on opening weekend. So in honor of this momentous occasion, here is a list of some of Marvel's failed movie offerings. Read More... Posted Jun 09 2008, 02:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, film, David Hasselhoff, comics, comic books, Brett Singer, incredible hulk, hulk, Iron Man, Marvel, captain america, nick fury, roger corman, dolph lundgren, punisher, comic book

• Giveaway: Win Tickets to "Kung Fu Panda: The IMAX Experience!"

  You know your kids want to see the movie with the kung-fu fighting panda. You know they do. And hey, you deserve a night out, right? So how about this: we'll take your whole family to the movies. Absolutely free.  Read on for details!         Read More... Posted Jun 02 2008, 10:01 AM by editors with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, contest, film, kids movies, children's movies, summer, tickets, giveaway, Kung Fu Panda, babble contest, jack black, paramount, imax

• Family Movie Night – Curious George

  I had seen Curious George when it first came out and didn't remember much about it. On a second viewing, it's actually quite cute. Despite giving the Man in the Yellow Hat a real name (Ted), and creating some cockamamie story about a museum and a giant monkey idol, the movie stays true to the spirit of the books without actually doing the stories themselves. As Ted, Will Ferrell is somehow more subdued...     Read More... Posted May 27 2008, 12:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: entertainment, Movies, will ferrell, film, Curious George, Brett Singer, family movie night, drew barrymore, david cross

• Babble Film Review - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

  There's something a little off about these Narnia movies. Anyone who loved the books as a kid remembers how real Narnia seemed: It encompassed both the magical wonder of childhood and the frightening unknowns of the adult world. So why does the cinematic Narnia feel so flat and lifeless? Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful, filmed in Slovenia, where I suddenly have the urge to relocate. But between the uninspired child actors and the unrealistic-looking CG characters, the Narnia of Prince Caspian has little more weight than a cartoon. Our child heroes alternate giggling and furrowing their brows, without any sense that they're coming of age, or even that their actions have consequences. The formidable figure of Aslan the Lion has been reduced to an affable animal pal, like Mickey Mouse with a propensity for self-sacrifice. Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 09:09 AM by editors with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: kids, Movies, films, film, reviews, Babble Review, Prince Caspian, chronicles of narnia, review, film review, children's

• Sesame Street Video: Movie edition

  It all began with Gwynne's fantastic article The Babble List: The 50 Best Sesame Street Moments, which inspired me to hit YouTube to find more classic Sesame clips. First we had skits based on theater. Now, here are some movie parodies. Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 04:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, sesame street, elmo, video, film, humor, parody, comedy, grover, cookie monster, Brett Singer, monsterpiece theater, twelve angry men, gone with the wind, alfred hitchcock, the sound of music, chariots of fur, 39 steps, 400 blows, hitchcock, 12 angry men, sound of music, chariots of fire, 39 stairs

• Family Movie Night: Short Circuit

  Once a week we try to sit down and watch a flick as a family. I will periodically post my thoughts about the films we see. This week: Short Circuit. Believe it or not, it wasn't Jen's post about a pending remake that inspired us to see this 1986 Steve Guttenberg movie.   Read More... Posted May 05 2008, 06:45 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, film, speed racer, Brett Singer, Iron Man, remakes, Short Circuit, family movie night, the 80's, steve gutenberg, fisher stevens, ally sheedy

• RetroFitted: Should Number 5 Be Alive Again?

  Get Ally Sheedy into make-up and fire up some El Debarge: A remake of the 1986 family-friendly movie "Short Circuit" is currently in development. Read More... Posted May 01 2008, 11:03 AM by Jen Chaney with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, film, RetroFitted, Wall-E, summer movies, remakes, Short Circuit

• Two baby movies are number one

  Two baby-themed flicks were number one this week in two different categories: Baby Mama in theaters, and Juno on DVD. So is this a trend? Are we headed for another baby boom, or just a baby-movie boom? Hollywood loves to follow the crowd, right? Read More... Posted Apr 30 2008, 12:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, film, Juno, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Baby Mama, box office, Brett Singer, dvd sales, number one

• What Are Your Favorite Animated Flicks?

  Ask any three people what the "greatest" anything is and you'll typically get three different answers. (Except for "Greatest Live Action Network Television Series Superhero Spoof ", which is clearly this.) AMCTV asked three artists from DC Comics "What's the Greatest Animated Film?" They picked theirs, but what are yours? Read More... Posted Mar 29 2008, 12:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: charlie brown, television, tv, cartoons, animation, film, Bambi, iron giant, hobbit, fantastic four, monsters inc, brad bird, animated movies, incredibles, ralph bakshi

• Overseas Box Office May Save 'Compass' Sequels

  The domestic box office for 'The Golden Compass' was about $70 million - a big disappointment, especially to anyone who wanted to see the rest of the His Dark Materials Trilogy on the silver screen. But hope is alive for fans of Philip Pullman's controversial series. Variety reports that 'Compass' is on its way to becoming the first film to make less than $100 million in North America, only to rake in... Read More... Posted Mar 11 2008, 09:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, marketing, academy awards, oscars, film, deborah forte, golden compass, oscar, family movies, his dark materials trilogy, kevin powers, sequel

• Birds, Bees, and STDs

  I realize that this statement makes me a huge wimp, but I'm not looking forward to having "the sex talk" with either of my sons. And if Brian Hennessey and Radia Daoussi have their way, that talk is going to include AIDS.  Read More... Posted Feb 26 2008, 03:33 PM by Brett Singer with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: education, film, AIDS, health and kids, STDs

• Everything I Need to Know About Pregnancy, I Learned from the Movies

  A pregnancy test is not an etch-a-sketch. This is one doodle that can't be un-did, homeskillet. See: Juno Pregnancy instantly propels the father-to-be into a mid-life crisis. Luckily, women never panic about being pregnant. Women love babies! See: She’s Having a Baby, Nine Months During your pregnancy, dreams are unusually vivid and strange. Especially when the father is a giant mutated insect. See: David Cronenberg’s The Fly If you’re not sure who the father is, tell everyone you’ve ever slept with it’s theirs. Babysitters for life! See: Three Men and a Baby Read More... Posted Jan 23 2008, 10:00 AM by editors with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, pregnancy, film, pregcellent, Juno, hollywood guide

• The (Technical) Making of a Live Birth

  I've never been on the business end of a birth, having only witnessed my own babies being born and, well, I'm guessing things look different from the top. But I would love -- LOVE -- to watch somebody give birth (yes, going to Ricki Lake's movie is on the list). Even the close substitutes are just fascinating.   via videosift.com Read More... Posted Jan 16 2008, 06:28 PM by Madeline Holler with | with no comments Filed under: film, childbirth, movie, fiction, hollywood, high-risk pregnancy, hollywood mothers, U.K. moms, childbirth in movies

• International Toy Fair 2007: Movie Tie-Ins Galore (God Help Us)

  (Filed by correspondent Michelle Kung from the 2007 International Toy Fair) Transformers isn't the only 2007 summer tentpole aiming to keep your kids clamoring for tie-in merchandising. The following three titles are sure to give Optimus Prime and Megatron a run for your money. Shrek the Third (May 13): Shrek (Mike Myers), Fiona (Cameron Diaz), Donkey (Eddie Murphy), and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas) are all back in this new adventure as the big green guy must track down Prince Artie (Justin Timberlake) and convince him to be king. Your daughters will try to convince you that you need to get them the kung-fu kicking Princess Dolls and talking plushes, while your sons will insist on helping fling slugs into Shrek's mouth for a Bug Bounce. Read More... Posted Feb 12 2007, 08:31 AM by thezeroboss with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, products, toys, marketing to children, international toy fair 2007, film, ratatouille, cinema, shrek