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Archive for November, 2024

Letters at Christmas * An Incredible Film About Love And The Hardships That Come With It

Tuesday, November 26th, 2024

Amidst renovation of an old hotel, a divorcing couple’s marriage gets a chance when their kids find love letters from the past. Saving their parents’ marriage before a developer buys the hotel becomes the siblings’ mission.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Isabella V. comments, “Letters at Christmas is an incredible film about love and the hardships that come with it. With amazing acting, cinematography, and writing, this film not only got me in the Christmas spirit, but also brought up many more emotions…One thing I adore about this film is the storyline about the writers of the found letters. That impacted me and I wanted the best for them, despite knowing how it turns out. ” See her full review below.

Letters at Christmas
By Isabella V., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 13

Letters at Christmas is an incredible film about love and the hardships that come with it. With amazing acting, cinematography, and writing, this film not only got me in the Christmas spirit, but also brought up many more emotions.

The story takes place at a hotel, with a couple (Dean Cain, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard) wanting to sell it in order to have enough money to divorce. However, their children (Hanna Huffman, Raejon Jones), find old toys and love letters in a wall – letters that were written back in the 1950s. They attempt to get their parents to stay together by forging love letters, all while finding out more about the writers of the found letters.

One thing I adore about this film is the storyline about the writers of the found letters. That impacted me and I wanted the best for them, despite knowing how it turns out. The letters are written beautifully, especially one poem.

The acting is quite good; I especially appreciated the acting from Dean Cain, Janeshia Adams-Ginyard, who plays Jason and Nadia, and teenage Laura (Elizabeth Hemmingsen). Each of them brings their character to life in a believable way, so much that it made me empathetic whenever something bad happened. The comedic acting is also great, particularly in Junior (Steven Micheal Quezada) – I laughed out loud multiple times the first time I watched it.

The cinematography is great – making everything look real, and still very pretty. The background music is well selected,  adding to the holiday spirit. My favorite part is the relationship between the two parents. All of their scenes together feel extremely real, and the chemistry between them feels natural. The kids’ roles are well acted also, showing how parents’ relationships can affect their children. The ensemble works so well together that they feel like a real family.

The film’s message is to never give up on love, despite the challenges and obstacles that are in the way. Be forewarned that some racism is shown – it is shown negatively, however it’s still present.

I give Letters at Christmas 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, plus adults. It is currently available to watch on Prime Video.

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SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourteenth Season * Still The Funniest Sponge Ever

Tuesday, November 19th, 2024

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The Complete Fourteenth Season continues the nautical adventures of Nickelodeon’s longest-running animated series featuring SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom friends Patrick, Sandy, Mr. Krabs, Plankton and Squidward in a two-disc collection.

KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Junior R., comments, “Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourteenth Season is epic.  SpongeBob is still the funniest sponge ever.” See his full review below. 

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourteenth Season
By Junior R., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 10

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants! SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourteenth Season is epic.  SpongeBob is still the funniest sponge ever. In this season he gets into even more wacky situations and takes us along for the ride.

This two disc DVD collection features 26 episodes and totals just under five hours of SpongeBob (Tom Kenny), Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke), Sandy (Carolyn Lawrence), Gary (Tom Kenny), Squidward (Rodger Bumpass) and the rest of the gang along with new faces.  The fourteenth season of this animated television series, created by former marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, began airing on Nickelodeon in the United States on November 2, 2023. The series chronicles the exploits and adventures of SpongeBob and his various friends in the fictional underwater city of Bikini Bottom.

Season 14 also has a lot of heart.  Even though there are lots of jokes and silliness, there are moments when SpongeBob shows that he cares about his friends, and that’s really sweet.  He’s always there to help out, even when things go wrong. He’s a friendly sponge that won’t let anyone down. The animation is awesome – everything looks bright, colorful, and fun, just like I expect from Bikini Bottom. The underwater world feels really alive, and it is so cool seeing SpongeBob once again go on some crazy adventures in this new season. My favorite episode is “Snow Yellow and The Seven Jellies.” In this episode SpongeBob and his friends do a super funny twist on a classic fairy tale. Snow Yellow works for the queen and does everything she asks him, but SpongeBob is claimed “the squarest of them all’ so the evil Karen wants to claim Snow Yellow’s title and be the squarest queen of them all.  All in all, this season is funny, and just plain awesome.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourteenth Season is filled with everything I love about the show – silly jokes, fun adventure, and lovable characters.  As a longtime fan of this show it made me laugh and smile. But you don’t have to be a longtime fan; I think newcomers will enjoy it also.  Beware; there are some moments that involve slightly gross and inappropriate material that might be offensive to younger audiences.

SpongeBob SquarePants: Season 14 gets 5 out of 4 stars from me and I recommend it for ages 8 to 12, plus adults. This collection releases in time to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the show.  SpongeBob SquarePants: The Complete Fourteenth Season is available on DVD from Paramount Home Entertainment and Nickelodeon Home Entertainment beginning November 19, 2024.

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