My Girl (1991) - 9 stars out of 10

My Girl (1991) - 9 stars out of 10

“My Girl” is a beautiful coming-of-age story that effectively captures the music and culture of 1972 through the eyes of an eleven-year-old girl.  The story is actually quite strange as the main characters reside in a funeral home, but it provides the necessary components for this young girl to learn about friendship, death, her single father, her changing body, and love.  The setting also creates the cruel irony that makes the story so memorable.  This film does everything right, but it works because Anna Chlumsky gives such an honest performance.  It is hard to believe that this was her feature film debut.  Her acting is so confident and refined, melding childhood innocence with tough life experience.  When she breaks down during the service, it is one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in any movie.  Things like that really strike a chord when a great actor or actress puts their emotions out there, but the effect is so much deeper when it comes from an innocent child.  I can’t remember the last time that a movie was able to make me cry four different times, this may be the only one that has.  The film is well cast with veterans Dan Akroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis giving nice supporting performances.  Even though Macaulay Culkin’s acting pales in comparison to Chlumsky, he perfectly looked the role of Thomas J. and was a walking promotion for the film as it piggybacked off of the success of “Home Alone” a year earlier.  The critics had mixed feelings about it, but “My Girl” is a must-see coming-of-age story.

[Pictured: One of the best movie kisses of all time]

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride - 6 stars out of 10

The Lion King II: Simba's Pride - 6 stars out of 10

“The Lion King II” is the only direct-to-video Disney sequel that I believe is worth watching.  I am generally offended by the Disney Company’s exploitation of its classic animated tales (aka ruining them with new chapters that cheapen the original characters and themes).  “Simba’s Pride” is the exception, with an interesting story, great animation, and the original cast reprising their roles (minus Rowan Atkinson).  On a scale of 1-to-Frozen, I would only rate the film as average but it can hold its own with many of the theatrically released Disney classics.  The story does a good job of creating connections to the original, particularly by using Scar’s “legacy” to create a new conflict.  The two films flow together through shared characters, similar musical style, and the theme of pride.  Unfortunately, “The Lion King” makes “Simba’s Pride” look bad because it does everything a little bit better.  A prime example is the music.  While the music is good, it is hard to resist comparisons to the original.  The song selection seems to come from the same equation (song about the circle of life, song about murdering the protagonist, song that teaches a concept by using a Swahili word, a romantic love song), but none of the songs can match their equivalent in “The Lion King.”  The most important thing is that this film enhances the franchise instead of ruining it.  The writers don’t give flaws to the old characters, the new characters are complex and interesting, and the title contains an awesome double meaning.  “The Lion King” is one of the greatest Disney films and “Simba’s Pride” gives us an opportunity to enjoy our favorite characters in a new adventure about trust, forgiveness, and pride.

[Pictured: All of our favorites return for this new adventure]

The Journey of Natty Gann - 5 stars out of 10

The Journey of Natty Gann - 5 stars out of 10

“The Journey of Natty Gann” is a nice family film.  It shouldn’t be too difficult to read into that.  The story is interesting, the journey is epic, but the quality of acting and an awkward-looking, 19-year-old John Cusack make this feel more like a kid’s movie than something geared toward adults.  The best actor in the film is actually Jed, the wolf-dog who was featured in “The Thing” and would later go on to play White Fang.  I wasn’t impressed with Meredith Salenger as Natty, though her final scene makes the film worth the price of admission.  I love John Cusack, but this probably won't make your list of "Top 50 John Cusack Movies."  This scenic journey succeeds in displaying the various regions of our country and different aspects of Depression-era lifestyles.  I certainly wouldn’t count down the days until I get to watch “The Journey of Natty Gann” again, but it will make for a great adventure film to watch with my children someday.

[Pictured: Natty Gann, Jed the wolf-dog, and awkward-looking John Cusack]

Nature: Leave it to Beavers - 4 stars out of 10

Nature: Leave it to Beavers - 4 stars out of 10

“Leave it to Beavers” transports us into the often overlooked world of beavers.  These animals are often viewed as pests but this documentary will alter your perspective as we see how the intellect and hard work of beavers is being used by humans for practical purposes.  These have to be the cutest rodents alive, particularly the little ones who sound like babies.  It is amusing to see the accuracy with which beavers are portrayed in cartoons, typically as carpenters and diligent workers.  While the beavers are adorable, I was much more impressed with other documentaries in the Nature series (particularly “Raccoon Nation” and “Tall Blondes”).  “Leave it to Beavers” isn’t the best documentary that you’ll ever watch but is worth seeing to learn about the world’s busiest rodents.

[Pictured: The beavers are cute, but their story isn't as good as many others]

The Giver - 5 stars out of 10

The Giver - 5 stars out of 10

When you take an iconic book like “The Giver” and turn it into a movie, it has to enhance and perfectly portray the original or else it will immediately fall under harsh criticism.  Not only is “The Giver” an iconic book, but it is one that is on most middle school and high school reading lists which puts it under even more scrutiny as everybody is familiar with it.  I enjoyed the seeing the story onscreen but did not care for its execution.  I think that the biggest mistake was the casting.  Of course Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Katie Holmes were all smart choices and act as well as you would expect, but their performances are overshadowed by the blandness of the teenage actors.  The worst of these is Taylor Swift, who couldn’t even sing in tune during this performance.  There is so much magic in Lois Lowry’s book and it is pretty magical to see the director’s realization of the Community, but the poignant statements about government control and socialism are lost in this film.  I adore the original book and I adore dystopian films, but this rendition of “The Giver” needs to go to the same place as the lost memories of the Community.

[Pictured: The adults were great... but the kids were not]

Begin Again (2014) - 9 stars out of 10

Begin Again (2014) - 9 stars out of 10

I have waited a long time for a movie that could recreate the magic of “Once.”  Seven years later, director John Carney has put a new spin on his two-strangers-meet-and-record-a-cd concept with the movie “Begin Again.”  Simply put, the story is amazing and this is a must-see.  While the plot is very reminiscent of “Once,” it focuses on the climate of today’s recording industry and the need for “true artists” instead of sell-outs.  The foundation of the film is built on incredible acting from Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo.  I appreciate that the actors in this film do their own singing and I had no clue that Knightley had such an enchanting voice.  It isn’t overly trained; instead, it has a bit of innocence that works perfectly for the character.  Ruffalo has a chance to express an array of emotions and effectively manages the balance between scumbag and hero.  Following the trend created by movies like “Once” and “Before Sunset,” the acting feels very candid as if the conversation-driven script is real life unfolding before our eyes.  The supporting performances by Catherine Keener and Mos Def enhance the realism of the film.  The highlight of “Begin Again” is the inclusion of full musical performances as a natural component of the story.  From Knightley’s first performance on stage, we build a connection to her character through music.  The film gets better with each musical recording sequence and the CD concept creates unique settings for each sequence.  I believe that “Lost Stars” could win the Oscar for Best Song and many of the other songs are just as deserving.  Unfortunately, an overabundance of unnecessary f-words and a poor acting performance by Adam Levine cheapen this otherwise incredible film.  Levine was okay but, when paired with veteran actors like Knightley and Ruffalo, his lack of experience became apparent.  As for the f-words, they really ruined a lot of this film for me.  Only one expletive seemed necessary (the one that occurs in the voicemail song recording), and the rest detract from an otherwise captivating series of conversations.  Still, even those moments could not keep me from loving every minute of the film.  “Begin Again” is a story of friendship, perseverance, and the unexpected turns of real life.  All of these things are centered around the performance of amazing music and its ability to transform people.  I can't wait to see what John Carney comes up with next.

[Pictured: The outdoor recording scenes are the best]

The Citizen (2013) - 5 stars out of 10

The Citizen (2013) - 5 stars out of 10

"The Citizen" is an interesting story about the increased racism again Arab immigrants following the September 11th attacks.  The film makes some poignant statements through its likeable main character and a well-written script.  The writers do a good job of introducing seemingly insignificant characters and events that become important later in the film.  Khaled El Nabawy delivers a nice performance as he carries the film from start to finish.  I will admit, the line delivery is sometimes overly cheesy and the acting isn’t anything to write home about, but the film achieves its goal by bringing attention to the unfair discrimination against innocent Arabs.  The highlight of the film is Cary Elwes’ portrayal of the immigration lawyer as he delivers an impassioned monologue in defense of the main character.  While I wouldn’t rank this film above average, it is definitely worth watching for its important moral lesson.

[Pictured: The movie is cheesy at times but offers some nice acting moments]