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• 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 no comments 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

• Summer Movie Traffic Cop: 'Speed Racer'

  Last week I covered "Iron Man." Now Summer Movie Traffic Cop takes on the next potential blockbuster on the Hollywood horizon: "Speed Racer," which opens today in theaters nationwide. Read More... Posted May 09 2008, 09:28 AM by Jen Chaney with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, speed racer, Iron Man, Summer Movie Traffic Cop

• 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

• Free Comic Book Day

  I love me some comic books, but they are way too expensive. (Not that this stops me from buying them, mind you.) And if they cost too much for me, they definitely cost too much for the average kid. That's one of the reasons for Free Comic Book Day, which is tomorrow (Saturday, May 3rd). Stores all over the world give away free comics in the hopes of getting more kids interested in funny books.   Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 05:30 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, toys, action figures, fun, superman, events, superheroes, costumes, DC, the simpsons, star wars, free, cool stuff, comics, spiderman, geeky, comic books, Brett Singer, Iron Man, Marvel, tiny titans, free comic book day, sonic the hedgehog, teen titans

• 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

• Comic Con apologizes for happening during Passover

  Passover starts tonight, and the good folks at the New York Comic Con are sorry that their event is happening at the same time. So sorry that they moved the 2009 Con to February... Read More... Posted Apr 19 2008, 02:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, disney, fun, superheroes, Passover, DC, star wars, cool stuff, comics, comic books, Brett Singer, Manga, Marvel, New York Comic Con, seder

• New York Comic Con

  If you're like me, you are (a) follicly challenged, and (b) once a week you go to your local comic shop to purchase the latest adventures of Spider-Man, Batman, Superman and the rest of the long underwear-types. Today - right now, as I type this - I am at the New York Comic Con, which is happening all this weekend at the Javits Center in Manhattan. This is basically Geek Heaven... Read More... Posted Apr 19 2008, 11:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, disney, toys, action figures, fun, superheroes, costumes, DC, star wars, cool stuff, comics, geeky, comic books, Brett Singer, Manga, Iron Man, Marvel, Neal Adams

• Hulk Smash Puny Summer Movies!

  Jen's great post about upcoming summer movies for the kids left one off: The Incredible Hulk. Unfortunately, she may have been smart to do so, since there is a chance that the new Hulk might be as lousy as Ang Lee's 2003 version. Read More... Posted Apr 15 2008, 02:28 PM by Brett Singer with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, Brett Singer, summer movies, ed norton, bill bixby, incredible hulk, lou ferigno, ang lee, jennifer connelly, hulk, eric bana

• Top 25 Child Stars: Is It Worth the Trouble?

  AOL-Time-BIG-Media-Company-Something released a list of the Top 25 child stars of all time. Cute right? I love Defamer's take on the list: Read More... Posted Apr 09 2008, 08:31 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, Child Stars

• Joe Francis Will Make "MILFs Gone Wild" Film

  Joe Francis, creator of the frat house staple, the "Girls Gone Wild" video series, announced he's gonna make a new video. This time, the subject isn't coeds on spring break, but instead, hot moms breastfeeding their babies. Hmm, why the new subject matter? Francis says, "The sexy mom is every guy's fantasy." Okaaay, but could it have anything to do with the fact that Francis was convicted last month of filming underage girls, and banned from shooting in the Florida spring break locales of choice? Some in the media have already expressed outrage that Francis would use footage of mothers... Read More... Posted Apr 01 2008, 06:03 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, breastfeeding, crime, media, nursing, lactivism, feminism, restaurants, joe francis, girls gone wild, body image, lactation, April Fool's, profit, ban

• Top 5 Movies for 2-Year-Olds

  The American Association of Podiatrists says kids shouldn't watch any television until they're 2, but with a birthday coming up, I thought I'd share some of the great movies we've already got in our daughter's NetFlix queue. Most people opt for something a little more family friendly, like "Cars" or "Jaws," but that's just silly. Kids can handle more than we give them credit for -- so why not start off their movie viewing experiences with something more edgy? She'll be the coolest kid in preschool, by far. 1. The Exorcist   Read More... Posted Apr 01 2008, 10:55 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: kids, Movies, quality time

• Seven Unluckiest Irish Childhoods

  Are there any Irish kids who grow up happy, well-fed, wealthy and without alcoholic fathers? Not if pop culture is to be believed. The luck of the Irish simply doesn't apply to many of the troubled lads and lasses in movies, books, plays and music. On this St. Patrick's Day, let's honor a few of the Emerald Isle's wee battered souls with this list of the Seven Unluckiest Irish Childhoods in Recent Pop Cultural History.  7. The Twins in "The Commitments": As Irish families go, the Rabbittes seem fairly pleasant. But the twin girls in the family don't have it easy. I mean, aside from having multiple siblings and living by modest means, they have to speak in unison all the time. That's a lot of pressure. 6. Bono: At the age of 14, his mother died very suddenly of a brain aneurysm ... at the funeral of his grandfather. Talk about fodder for a bleak Irish drama. Young Paul Hewson's luck would eventually turn when he grew up to front the world's greatest rock band. Other major accomplishments: Earning a Nobel Peace Prize nomination, ticking off the FCC by dropping an f-bomb at the Golden Globes and holding a press conference in a K-Mart. Read More... Posted Mar 17 2008, 09:02 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, music, books, childhood, bono, Angela's Ashes, Irish

• Bad Words = Bad Box Office

  Holy *#!@, this is interesting. The Nielsen Co. released a new study on PG-rated movies that says profanity can make the difference between a big hit or a major flop. According to the study, films that scored a 0.8 on a 10-point profanity scale earned an average of $69 million at the box office. Flicks that got a 2.8 on the profanity scale made only $38 million on average. Sex and violence, which tend to fall on the milder side in PG movies, were not determining factors. Now before you start assuming that parents are more concerned about exposing their kids to obscenities than blood or gore (or the makers of "Saw" get the bright idea to release their next sequel with no curse words), let's explore this further. Read More... Posted Mar 14 2008, 08:34 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, MPAA, profanity, box office, PG

• 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

• Definitely, Maybe... Giveaway!

  Questions stemming from an incomplete sex ed class cause Maya (Abigail Breslin) to query her single father, Will (Ryan Reynolds) about the nature of love in the new film Definitely, Maybe by the makers of Notting Hill and Love, Actually. Will in turn takes Maya on a trip back to girlfriend memory lane while keeping her mother’s identity mysterious. Rachel Weisz, Isla Fisher and Elizabeth Banks star as the three loves of Will’s life in the romantic comedy which opened on Valentine’s Day (as a romantic comedy should) and Babble has a bag of goodies to give away: Signed posters, clothing, photo albums and more! Send an email to babblecontest@gmail.com with Definitely, Maybe in the subject line and answer the following question to win – Who is Maya’s mommy? - April Peveteaux Posted Feb 21 2008, 04:00 PM by editors with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, Rachel Weisz, isla fisher, giveaways, Ryan Reynolds, maybe, Definitely, Elizabeth Banks, Abigail Breslin

• Taking Kids to Adult Films

  I still suffer the nightmares: as a kid I went regularly with my parents to movies, and it wasn't just "Winnie-the-Pooh" at the drive-in, either. No, I saw 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun (see an old-movie sci-fi trend here?) and worst of all, The Lost Continent, a movie that has inhabited my dreams ever since with its weird sentient seaweed that attacked people through ship portholes but that you could walk over while wearing huge balloons attached to your shoulders. [shudder] So if I was so affected by these movies, I got to thinking after reading this little blurblet about kids and movies: how okay is it to take kids to films that aren't for kids? Do you? How do you know what's okay and what's not?   Read More... Posted Feb 03 2008, 09:15 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 11 comment(s) Filed under: kids, Movies, new york times, films, adult films, adult moivies

• "Definitely, Maybe" Worth Seeing?

  I'm all very confused by this movie: A dad gets divorced. A daughter wants to know how her dad met her mom so long ago. She also doesn't seem to know who mom is. He refuses to tell. His love stories are recounted, and in the end something something something. I still don't get it. Why doesn't the girl know who her mom is? I am all for a dad and daughter sappy sweet love story but this one boggles the mind thus far. Posted Jan 29 2008, 08:29 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, movie dads

• Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and a Baby.

  We’re looking forward to the release of Baby Mama almost as much as the ending of the writer’s strike. Although not everyone’s a fan; a few of my neighbors over yonder in Park Slope, Brooklyn were a wee bit ticked off during the filming last summer. Parents were up in arms about everything from the depiction of career women in film to the lack of parking that inevitably comes when a film crew rolls up in front of your food co-op. We trust Tina Fey to bring us the goods as only this recent Golden Globe Winner can. Check out the trailer after the jump . . . Read More... Posted Jan 24 2008, 12:30 PM by editors with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, park slope, Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Baby Mama

• 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

• Go Ahead and Take Young Kids to Racy Movies

  Because I have no clue what I'm doing as a parent -- and I mean that sincerely -- I am susceptible to taking parenting advice from New York Times movie writers and anybody else who tells me what I want to hear. Dangerous? Sure, but I figure, if a guy from the Times is wrecking his kids, can't I? Today's questionable advice, which I believe has led to the opening of a tightly sealed floodgate for me: screw movie ratings, take your kid to grown-up movies. OK, I will!   Read More... Posted Jan 11 2008, 04:20 PM by Madeline Holler with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, NY Times, movie, adults, kids and media, scaring kids, movie ratings, advice, movie dads, kids activities, adult play, old-fashioned activities, adult-only events, kids and movie ratings, scary movies, scary, scary things, adult supervision, NYT, "family values", NYTimes

• Holiday Movies With (Popcorn) Balls

  I'm not a very sentimental person, so most of the traditional holiday movie fare doesn't do it for me. I generally prefer films with a dark, snowy backdrop and occasional Santa suit mishaps and plenty of bitterness or big explosions to the kind where the true meaning of Christmas triumphs over some dark force as the music swells. The Poop had this great, great post with comments on fringe holiday movies you can bust out and make part of the season. Films like Die Hard and Trading Places and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. And apparently, I must watch the Hebrew Hammer very soon. Of course my favorite movie for the season is one you can watch with kids, and while it isn't as edgy holiday as the ones listed here, I feel like it should get a special mention since the director just had a baby.  Read More... Posted Dec 17 2007, 04:06 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: christmas, santa, Movies, holidays, films, die hard, traditions, tim burton

• Breaking News: Salon Finds a Non-Dysfunctional Family

  In these modern times, claiming to be from a dysfunctional family is about as novel as shopping online for gifts. At least one movie studio always comes out with a film about a zany, eccentric family who alternately abuse each other and teach each other about the power of love; news sources print columns about how to survive holiay dinners with the relatives; and some people drink too much and pass out under the strings of lights that snake over many storefronts and rooftops. Estranged family members are noticable by their absence, and at least one person is in rare form at every gathering. Awww, joy to the world. I guess that's why I actually noticed this bit on Salon's Table Talk about a non-dysfunctional family. Read More... Posted Dec 12 2007, 04:35 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: Movies, drinking, holidays, Salon, relationships, dysfunctional family, normal, relatives

• Kids Movies for Adults and Heathens

  So far we've been immune to the frenzy that new children's flicks often arouse in children. But after watching a trailer for the Daniel Craig-starring "Golden Compass," a movie about something to do with Daniel Craig, the frenzy definitely hit our house -- only, it wasn't our daughter shrieking "Can we can can we plleeeeaaase!" Of course, not everyone is excited as I am about the movie. Some religious groups are bitter about the atheist themes and have called for boycotts. That's a moronic thing to do. As the movie trailer says, the greatest threat to the all-powerful, church-like enemy is "the curiosity of a child." As an adult who turned away from a god-is-perfect childhood household, I know from experience that banning different opinions is the best way to make children seek them out. Sure, maybe that's just me. But I have a feeling plenty of kids will be reading more into this movie than they would have before a boycott. And also, for the record, Daniel Craig.   Read More... Posted Nov 28 2007, 10:58 AM by Mike Adamick (Cry It Out!) with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, movie

• Will Lindsay Lohan Get Her Playboy Bunny Ears? And If She Does, Will She Be Banished From Your House?

  If we' were going to cast the movie Worst Role Models of All Time for Our Daughters, then by all means, we'd get Li-Lo's name at the top of the credits. But then, it seems we would be scooped by the biopic of Hugh Hefner's life by Brett Ratner. It seems there's some buzz, perhaps scooted along by Ratner himself in strange showbiz vernacular not meant to be understood by we mere movie-goers and trickle-down celeb goss bloggers, that Lindsay Lohan may play one of the pic's Playboy Bunnies. Hillary Duff and Mylie Cyrus, upon reading that, are probably out toasting double cosmos to being boosted another notch on the Tweenager Popularity Scale right now. Virgin cosmos. I am sure they only toast mocktails. Right after they say grace. But anyway, back to Linds... Read More... Posted Oct 18 2007, 08:02 AM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, role models, lindsay lohan, playboy

• Halloween Movie Round Up

  We spend the entire month of October making Halloween decorations, carving pumpkins and reading spooky books - the anticipation of Halloween is almost as fun as the real thing!  The Halloween theme has carried over to Friday Family Movie Nights in our house... unfortunately, my girls are big scaredy cats when it comes to family films - the almost-5-year-old still can't sit through Finding Nemo, let alone The Nighmare Before Christmas, and the 2.5-year-old is scared of whatever big sister says is scary - so finding Halloween-themed movies that they can get through and enjoy has been tough.  Here what got two little thumbs up from the under 5 set: Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie  The Backyardigans: It's Great to be a Ghost It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! Pumpkin Season  Max and Ruby's Halloween  A quick Amazon search will turn up loads more Halloween movies for little guys with all their favorite characters, including Dora, Little Bear, and more.  For slightly more adventurous kids who are still a little young for slasher flicks,  there are a good many Halloween movies manage to be creepy, without being too scary: The Nightmare Before Christmas Corpse Bride Hocus Pocus  Cartoon Network Halloween: Nine Creepy Capers  Scary Godmother Halloween Spooktacular  And for those who love to be scared, for whom no Halloween would be complete without blood, gore and ghouls gone wild, nothing beats the classics: Halloween Boogeymen: A Killer Compliation  Rosemary's Baby The Omen 1-3 The Exorcist [Image via CraftyChica]        Posted Oct 16 2007, 03:40 PM by Alisyn with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, halloweenen, halloween movies

• The Fifty Best Breasts in the Movies. In Other News, How Are Your Hooters Holding Up?

  Around here, we love us some ta-ta talk. We also love movies. But like most parents, we see a lot of our ta-tas and too few movies. That's why we're loving FilmThreat's 50 Best Breasts in Movie History, a peek at the pairs that have inspired art, nominations and surely, many phone calls to see if the sitter can stay (ahem) just an hour longer. How great is this? Mamas and papas alike, you get to check out the best melons in cinema on the (emmm) handy YouTube clips embedded into the list. What could possibly follow up all that bazoomba love? Read More... Posted Oct 09 2007, 11:27 AM by Jessica Ashley (Sassafrass) with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, Cinematical, breasts

• 'Kite Runner' Actor and Family Being Evacuated From Afghanistan

  Twelve-year-old actor Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada - star of the upcoming film version of The Kite Runner - and his family are being evacuated from their home in Afghanistan, and resettling in the United Arab Emirates.  The move is being financed by Paramount Pictures, who believe that the safety of the Mahmidzada family, and two other families affiliated with the film, has been compromised by the controversy surrounding the rape scene at the center of the film. Read More... Posted Oct 04 2007, 04:24 PM by Alisyn with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, books, child rape, the kite runner, evacuation, united arab emirates, afghanistan

• No Babies at the Cinema, Please

  Once you factor in the cost of a babysitter, the tickets, and concessions, you almost need to take out a second mortgage to take in a flick at your local theater. Because it costs so much money, you should be able to expect a quiet and enjoyable experience where everyone keeps their mouths shut and turns off their cellular phones. But that wasn't the case for Michelle Collins who attended an 11 PM showing of The Bourne Ultimatum and discovered someone had brought their two-month-old baby to the theater. Read More... Posted Aug 08 2007, 02:30 PM by ChagHolland with | with 16 comment(s) Filed under: Movies, babies, Etiquette, stupid parents