Blog the Day Away » Kids

Where the Wild Things Are Movie Featurette

Alisa — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 22:45:18 +0000

I am anticipating this movie more than any other movie in a long time and that’s saying a lot because I was really looking forward to several movies that have already come out this summer. Spike Jonze is directing the movie version of Maurice Sendak’s fantastic children’s book Where the Wild things Are. I remember this book from when I was a child. Then Scott and I had our own little Max and would read this book to him everyday. What a magical story.

I can’t wait for this movie to come out and I just wanted to share this featurette. It just looks so amazing. I love the Wild Things and absolutely adore Max’s wolf suit.

And no, this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about this. I’m just really excited.

Where the Wild Things Are will be in theaters in October.

30 Rock: Goodbye, My Friend

Julianne — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 22:10:23 +0000

When was the last time you even thought about that eighties movie, “Harry and the Hendersons”? So funny watching Jack and Frank tear up at the ending while the other guys slept through it. Even funnier that John Lithgow made a cameo later on, and the funniest moment was of course Jack slapping Frank’s face for his wanting to go back to law school and be like Jack.

And then there’s Liz with her donut shop baby mama, the girl who bases her adoptive parent decision on whether they know who Neo is or not. Big phew that Liz did. I wish I’d been paying closer attention to the website she kept looking up slang words on (first time I’d ever heard “washed”–how ’bout you?) while talking to the teen pregers. So great.

Jenna just drives me crazy, but as flat and predictable as she is I still find myself laughing at the utterly ridiculous things she does to get attention. Even better, though, is how Tracy’s stupidity plays off of hers. Those two make such a great team of dummies.

30 Rock is on Thursday nights at 9:30pm on NBC.

Horton Hears a Who

Laura — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 21:16:59 +0000

I bought this for my daughter, thinking I was going to save it for Christmas, and then yesterday happened (in all it’s crazy glory) and by noon I was ripping open the wrapping paper and shoving this into the dvd player for some respite from my children. Jordyn is a HUGE Dr. Seuss fan, and I’ve probably read this story to her a hundred times. It’s really difficult to mess up Seuss, the sillier it gets the more fun it is. It’s no exception with this movie- I thought it was very age appropriate, with just enough gross silly for older kids too(like this great one liner- “in my world everyone’s a pony and they all eat rainbows and poop butterflys”). I don’t necessarily think my husband would have loved it, if anything because of some of the political undertones so apparent in the movie(the kangaroo who “pouch-schools” her joey- totally reminds me of someone I know, which was laugh out loud for me). I actually giggled in quite a few spots, and my daughter was laughing in a few more. I was a little afraid this would be more along the “Shrek” vein(inappropriate humor aimed at adults), because of some of the talent they have in the cast (Steve Carell, Jim Carrey) but it just never went there for me. So in summation, fun watch for little ones, but you won’t be bored either.

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Alisa — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:31:27 +0000

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually liked this movie. Maybe it’s the expectations thing I was talking about earlier. I thought this movie was going to suck and was pleasantly surprised by it. I’m not saying this is phenomenal and you should run out an buy it, I’m just saying if you were ever curious about it, rent it. The story goes that while on a trip to Finland, Trevor and his nephew Sean pick up a trail guide Hannah and go searching for some scientific instruments. Turns out after getting trapped in a cave they find that Jules Verne’s novel is in fact non-fiction. They’ve found the center of the Earth chock full of man eating plants and dinosaurs. The real question is how they are going to get out.

This was made as a 3-D movie so it’s fun to watch all the effects they’ve put in and imagine what that would look like. I didn’t watch this with my kids but I think they would be fine if they saw it. It might scare the 3-year old a little but I think he’d get over it pretty quick.

Did any of your kids watch it? What did they think?

Wall-E

Alisa — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:16:53 +0000

Now this is a kids movie I can sink my teeth into. I love Wall-E. We were so excited for it to come out on DVD. This is a story of the last little robot on Earth working to clean up the huge mess that humans have made. We’ve made such a mess in fact that we are currently living on a space ship billions of miles away waiting for the day that a living thing can be found in the Earth’s soil. The mother space ship sends an Eva robot down to Earth every once in a while to check for living things. The story really picks up when Eva finds something living and Wall-E tags along when she goes back to the mother ship.

This is a beautiful story about friendship and love. A telling tale about taking care of our planet. Scott and I love this movie and the kids love this movie. Absolutely stunning. I highly recommend Wall-E.

Do you love this movie?

Bolt

Alisa — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:53:24 +0000

We saw this movie over Thanksgiving weekend and enjoyed it. Unfortunately it didn’t quite captivate Scott and I as much as it did the kids. I thought it was a cute story but just wasn’t sucked in like I am with so many Pixar movies. Was it entertaining? Yes. Was it mind blowing? No.

The movie is about a dog named Bolt who has grown up believing he is a super hero. He has powers such as laser vision and a super bark which are all special effects but he doesn’t know that. He thinks his human has been abducted and ends up across the country looking for her. He makes some friends along the way that help him discover the truth about him self and learn to accept who he is.

This does have a PG rating and I guess it could be considered a little more intense than The Incredibles because a lot of “bad guys” get blown away in the beginning of the movie. We took all three boys to it and none of them had problems (ages 3-7).

I would recommend this movie but more as a good family activity and less as and “OMG this was a great kid movie!” Have you seen it? I’ve talked to some of you and I know you loved it. Tell me why?

Dinosaurs Saturday Morning

Alisa — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:15:30 +0000

I don’t know why the Dino theme is so strong Saturday mornings but my kids have fallen in love with two Dino shows. The first they are absolutely gaga over. It’s Dinosaur King on CW, Saturday morning. Now I’m not that familiar with Pokemon and it’s spin offs but this has the same idea where dinosaurs are held on cards that the kids in the show collect and then use to fight other dinosaurs that are being controlled by the bad guys. As far as I can tell there’s no educational value in this show, just pure good vs bad. Luckily my kids haven’t asked to collect cards yet but the day is probably not far off. I will tell you this though, it’s sparked a major interest in learning about dinosaurs so I call it a success.

The second show is Dino Squad (this website sucks, btw), Saturday morning on CBS. In this show the DNA of five teenagers is changed so that they can transform into dinosaurs. They are saving the Earth from evil dinosaurs that are accelerating global warming. Yikes! Apparently this one has an eco message built into it and since I believe in global warming I would hate to think that mutant dinosaurs are out there making it worse while I recycle and buy eco friendly laundry detergent. It’s just not fair. Go Dino Squad! Now, to be fair, I haven’t actually watched the show but it’s got two out of three kids hooked so that’ a good enough recommendation for me. And yes, I do buy eco friendly laundry detergent, and dish soap and hand soap, etc. Call me crazy but I like to feel like I’m doing my part. I just can’t transform into a dinosaur so apparently, I will never the save the world.

Have your kids checked these out yet? Are there any other dino shows we’re missing out on?

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting

Alisa — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:48:28 +0000

That’s right. Kung Fu Panda is out on DVD. You didn’t think I’d miss the chance to blog about it again did you. This is the funniest kid movie of all time. Hands down. I absolutely love it. Skadoosh!! So we bought it the other day and watched it twice with the kids. We were all cracking up. The fight sequences are the highlights of the film. They take potentially scary scenarios and do freeze frames on fighters faces totally distorted or Po using his stomach to repel the bad guy so it ends up being funny instead of frightening.

So if you’re not familiar with the story it’s about a Panda named Po who is born into a family of noodle makers. The problem is, he doesn’t want to be a noodle maker, he wants to be a Kung Fu Master. Through some pretty hilarious circumstances he finds himself being trained as the legendary Dragon Warrior. Wait until you see the training sequences starting with the scene in the kitchen and ending with the chopsticks and dumplings. So well done!

I can’t even describe how much I love this movie. I’ve been waiting months for it to come out on DVD. I have three boys ranging from 7-3 and all three of them were busting a gut at one time or another and Scott and I were laughing just as much. All time funniest kids movie. Give it a look. Just be warned, if you do there will be Kung Fu fighting all over your house and car and wherever you all go. It’s infectious.

If you’ve seen the movie what’s your favorite scene?

The Great Fuzz Frenzy

Laura — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:51:56 +0000

For weeks and weeks this was at the top of my daughters bed time read list. I had read it so many times that I had committed it to memory. I started asking her questions about different insects and characters on the pages, just so I wouldn’t be so bored reading it. Then, as children do, she found another book to obsess on and this one was left on the bookshelf for a while. Last night we read it again, and I remembered why she loves it so, and why I loved reading it to her in the first place. There’s a couple of different characters that make for great voice interpretation, like “Big Bark” and little “Pip Squeak.” She loves the plot line, especially how the prairie dogs interact with each other- there’s a little bit of rhyming a la’ Dr. Seuss, “she did, he did, you did, we did” that always makes for fun reading. The book is about a bunch of Prairie Dogs who find a tennis ball in their home. As they all try and guess what it is, a fight ensues over the fuzzy covering. It’s a great book about sharing and friendship, so go check it out at your local library!

Dino in the Jungle! and Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Alisa — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:11:08 +0000

My five year old brought home these two library books this last week and I liked them enough to want to share. The first is Dino in the Jungle! by Mark Shulman. It’s a silly repeating book about a rhino that keeps being mistaken as a dinosaur. It repeats itself over and over again with different animals so that by the second reading of the book Truman could tell me the story himself. He loved getting to the end when the rhino is finally discovered. “‘That’s no Dino,’ he said. ‘That’s a Rhino! There’s a Rhino in the jungle’ ‘Hello Rhino!’” This is not a book I would go out and buy but I would definitely be OK if he brought it home from the library again.

The second book is Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss. I know, you’re thinking to yourself “I’ve read that book a thousand times”. You’re right but I have never read this book until this last week. What a gem of a find. We own a bunch of Dr. Seuss books and some of them are such nonsense that going into this book I didn’t think I was going to like it. But I did. Very much. For those of you not familiar with it it’s a narrator speaking to a boy about the adventures he will have in his life. The narrator talks about good and bad times that the boy will encounter throughout his life. The narrator talks to the boy about picking himself up and going back along his journey when things go wrong. I couldn’t believe it as I was reading. What a great message for my kid to bring home from school. I enjoyed this book so much that it may be an addition to our library.

Are you guys familiar with these books?

For the Kids

Alisa — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:21:44 +0000

I thought I’d do a post about my current favorite kid shows. My kids don’t only watch PBS, they watch regular Saturday morning cartoons too, it just so happens that two of my favorites are on PBS.

Cyberchase on PBS. This is one of my favorite kid shows. I totally don’t mind sitting down with my kids to watch it. My only complaint is the style of the animation. I don’t like it. But I love the kids and the wacky trouble they get into and the math skills that are taught. I like Hacker and his need to take over Cyberspace and his two ridiculous lackeys. It’s just good, clean fun.

Word Girl on PBS. Let’s face it. I’m a sucker for any super humans. Even a little girl who has exceptional vocabulary and a monkey sidekick. This is another one that I will actually sit down and watch with them. I don’t know if they’re picking up any new vocabulary but the kids have fun watching it.

Now I’ll mention a show called Martha Speaks. The TV was on the other day and Oli was just watching whatever was on, which was this show. I overheard what was happening but didn’t pay much attention. There’s a girl and her speaking dog Martha. For whatever reason Martha goes out and gets a job. At one point the girl asks Martha is she is going to to work, to which Martha replies, “Having a job is great, but it’s no substitute for a family.” I did a double take. I live in the middle of liberal Silicon Valley. Outside of my church friends, very few of my friends stay home and take care of kids. Now, I know this was a dog talking but what a great lesson to teach our children. I’m not planning on watching this show ever again but was really impressed by this episode. Check it out if you want to.

What are your favorite kid shows?

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

Laura — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 03:45:55 +0000

This book was a total last minute purchase as my husband and I were leaving Ireland. I’m a total sucker for Children’s books from other countries. They’re always such fun reads, especially when there’s slang, or when they use their own words for things. This is currently at the top of my 4 year old’s reading list. The best part about this book is that you don’t have to read it at all! It comes with a CD that is a reading of the book(with sound effects) that is way better (and cooler) then I could ever do. The man(with an English accent) sounds like the same guy that reads the Harry Potter books on tape, and I love the Harry Potter books on tape. The whole book is about Henry, a boy that has a fondness for, you guessed it, eating books. Don’t worry that your child might try this. Henry’s misadventures with the written word will make every child afraid to even lick the page of a book, let alone try and take a bite out of it. Jordyn’s absolute favorite part of the book is the very end, where Henry has actually taken a bite out of the book. She just let’s loose a giggle at that page every time. This fact alone gives this Oliver Jeffers book a big thumbs up from me.

Cry Baby

Alisa — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 00:21:31 +0000

Ok so I’ll review the first children’s book on Blog the Day Away. First I want to tell you that I don’t cry that often. Even when I’m really freaking out I tend to bottle it up and hold it inside so I was totally surprised when I ended up crying after reading Truman’s library book. It’s “Love You Forever” by Robert Munsch. It’s about a lady with a baby and as it grows she keeps repeating to him,

“I’ll love you forever,

I’ll like you for always,

As long as I’m living

my baby you’ll be.”

So I was actually getting unnerved through the book as she crawled into her son’s room and then broke into his house as an adult to rock him and sing this to him. Then the tables turned and he ends up rocking her as I suppose she’s dying and repeats the phrase to her. I could barely read it to my kids. I was totally choking up and sputtering out the words. I went from being totally annoyed at the lack of privacy and inappropriateness to sobbing. I still think the lead up is creepy but the end result is precious.

Am I the last to hear about this book? Does everyone already have it in their collection? If not, you should check it out.

What did you think about the book? Too creepy to get through or just enough of a turn around at the end to be endearing?

WALL-E

Alisa — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 01:17:10 +0000

We just saw this movie last night and all 5 of us loved it. I’m sure for very different reasons but it spoke to all of us. I asked Max when the movie was over if he liked it and he said, “Oh yes. I want to see it again.” Oli sat next to me and hardly fidgeted at all the whole time. He was even lauging at quite a few parts. Tru was even talking today about the part where Wall-E is climbing up the side of the space ship so I know the movie made an impression on him. This film works on so many different levels. Of course the animation is fabulous and there’s very little dialog thoughout the movie but it still gets it’s point accross even to kids. I love Pixar!! They make movies I actually want to see. And for that matter that I’m willing to have on over and over again in my home. What a great movie!

Kung Fu Panda

Alisa — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:09:58 +0000

We went to see Kung Fu Panda Saturday night and loved it. Everyone except Oliver loved it that is. It was a great story and really great animation. Phillips and Roeper even classed this movie with the Pixar classics and I totally agree with them (link). Scott and I were even thinking of going to see it again without the kids. This image is from my one of my favorite scenes in the movie where Po is raiding the kitchen. So much fun! Go see it and let me know what you think.

Here’s the link to the movie site so you can see the trailer and such: Kung Fu Panda