The only thing of note in GHOSTS OF GIRLFRIENDS PAST is that its star, Matthew McConaughey, doesn’t remove his shirt. Otherwise this retread of A Christmas Carol only serves to prove that a good story can be ruined with a bad retelling. For the whole redemption aspect of the story to actually pay off, the… Read More »
MR. POPPER’S PENGUINS
MR POPPERS PENGUINS contains that ineffable quality of both whimsy and heart that makes it as irresistible to kids as it is to adults. Based on the novel by Richard and Florence Atwater, it is time-honored tale of a man who has lost the wonder of childhood only to regain it in the most unexpected… Read More »
JUST LIKE HEAVEN
JUST LIKE HEAVEN is an irresistible and unpretentious morsel of old-fashioned romance with a dash of weltschmerz and metaphysics tossed in for good measure. It’s not so much boy meets girl, as boy meets ghost, though they don’t let that stand in the way of falling in love in spite of themselves. He is David… Read More »
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES — DVD
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES is that rare film that speaks to the adult in kid, and the kid in the adult with equal eloquence. Based on the series of novels by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. The hero, 12-year-old Jared (Freddie Highmore) is plagued with a bad attitude because of his parent’s divorce and subsequent move… Read More »
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES
THE SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES is that perfect nexus of childlike wonder and the terrors of the id. In other words, the perfect fairy tale that is about much more than the magical creatures, some of whom are cute, some of whom are anything but, and some of whom can be both, though rarely at the same… Read More »