Because trouble comes in all sizes.
Vincent Daly 
As a parent with young children, it’s hard to find the time to address the issue of identity theft protection on a daily basis. In fact, just remembering one’s own name can be difficult for parents enduring sleep deprivation. That’s why a company like LifeLock, whose mission is to provide relentless identity theft protection for its members, appealed to me.
Parents thinking about taking young children to see “ParaNorman”, a 3D stop-motion animated adventure horror film produced by Laika, and distributed by Focus Features, might want to reconsider seeking out lighter fare currently playing in theaters such as “Ice Age”. Although beautiful to behold and well scripted, “ParaNorman” focuses on the topics of alienation, fear, and death. If your kids are ready to be exposed to entertainment similar in spirit to Joss Whedon’s “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, then “ParaNorman” delivers.
When I was asked to review the DreamWorks “How To Train Your Dragon” Live Spectacular, I couldn’t have been more excited. Having reviewed and appreciated the animated feature film, I eagerly anticipated the chance to see these fantastic creatures come to life in a more tangible way than any 3D movie could ever offer. The big question remained how successfully the live show creative team would be able to adapt the many exhilarating dragon flying sequences into an arena venue.
When you’re a parent of young children, going to the movies doesn’t necessarily include seeking out quality stories. On the contrary, the experience often entails going to see whatever age appropriate movie is playing on a given day. Such was the case when choosing to see the animated feature “Ice Age: Continental Drift”, the 4th installment of the ongoing adventures of Manny the Mammoth, Diego the Sabretooth Tiger, and Sid the Sloth. Surprisingly, a comically fiendish band of pirates breathes new life into the series offering up a pleasant diversion much like an ice cream sundae.
For the first decade of the 21st century, Tobey McGuire donned the red and blue tights to play the role of Spider-Man in three well received movies. Coveting the success of director Christopher Nolan’s re-imagined Batman films, Columbia Pictures decided to reboot Spider-Man to give fans a different take on creator Stan Lee’s most popular super hero. In the first of what’s sure to be a series of movies, “The Amazing Spider-Man” hits the big screen with spectacular special effects, a smart riveting storyline, and non-stop action, yet it’s Andrew Garfield’s compelling multilayered performance as Peter Parker that saves the day.
Having viewed several movie trailers for Disney Pixar’s “Brave” in the past few months, I had eagerly anticipated seeing the story with my children. Adding to expectations, Merida, the heroine of the movie, was heavily promoted as a defining departure from traditional Disney princess incarnations of the past. Preview press releases highlighted her fiery red unbridled hair, master of archery skills and her fiercely independent spirit The table was set to be swept away by a rollicking adventure story. Yet what unfolded in the movie theater revealed Disney Pixar’s “Brave” to have a different fate.
Pre-school aged children familiar with the characters found in the Axel Scheffer’s popular picture books will feel right at home playing Nosy Crow’s latest iPhone/iPad App titled Pip and Posy: Fun and Games. A delightful collection of engaging activities that capture the whimsical nature of Pip and Posy’s world.
The dog days of Summer have arrived. Blazingly hot weather poses pitfalls for young and old alike. As a parent of young children though, the challenge lies in how to keep your active kids entertained indoors when the heat’s too extreme outside. They’re bound to get cranky due to boredom unless you engage them with compelling activities. Therefore I’ve come up with a list of ideas to diminish the possibility of the kids plunging into cabin fever meltdown.
Being the 3rd movie of the series, I had low expectations for the latest installment of “Madagascar”. Yet it was an unusually hot Saturday for June, and the kids were in dire need of a diversion. I opted to skip the 3D version and use the savings to buy an overpriced medium sized popcorn instead. After a seemingly infinite amount of movie trailers, the lights mercifully dimmed and “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” started. Ten minutes into the movie, the unexpected happened. I was actually enjoying it…a lot.