KIDS FIRST! News

Mark Twain’s classic The Prince and the Pauper gets a glamorous modern makeover in the new DVD release from Universal Studios, Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar. While Twain contrasted two opposites – a prince, which everyone would want to be, and a pauper, which was not so attractive – Universal’s two heroines both live a life that every young girl thinks she wants. But glamour isn’t necessarily all it seems to be. As KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Cheyenne Nguyen, age 8, observes in her review, below, “There are always things that you would want to change, but accepting who you are will make you a happy person.” Viewing the film also may make you a happy person. “The dance moves are amazing and make me want to stand up and dance along with the movie,” says 7-year-old KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Morgan Bertsch, describing the music and singing as “fun and upbeat.”

Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar
Reviewed by Morgan Bertsch
(See her full review on video.)

The story follows two girls, Tori and Keira. Tori is the princess who wishes she was a popstar and Keira is the popstar longing to be a princess. Interesting fact: Did you know that the original author of The Prince and the Pauper is Mark Twain of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn fame? Whoo — say that five times fast! The original story was published in 1881. The Prince and the Pauper Tom Sawyer Huckleberry FinnTori, the princess, is the classic blonde Barbie who is bored of her royal life. Keira, the popstar, is the brunette Barbie who dreams of being a princess. When the two of them meet, they magically trade places. But it’s not all that it appears, as the pop star’s manager, Crider, has plans to steal the spotlight from Keira. The girls have to figure out a way to stop his evil plot and never forget the show must go on.

I’ve always been a big fan of the Barbie franchise and I love what they have done in this movie. The music and singing is fun and upbeat, “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” They have many different songs. I loved learning to sing the words. The dance moves are amazing and make me want to stand up and dance along with the movie. The live animation and the great set designs make me feel like I was really at a live concert.

If given the choice, I would choose to be the Barbie popstar. Whoops, sorry — I’d prefer to be Morgan because you learn in this story that it’s best to be who you are. Hmm, Morgan the Pretty Princess Pop Star sounds kind of fun, though!

My favorite part of the movie is when she finds a crystal diamond gardenia. Wait till you see what it can do. The dogs are the cutest. Although they can talk I would like to hear more of what they have to say. I love all the different hair colors and styles. The dresses are incredible and amazing. I wish I could twirl and just change clothes like Barbie or at least borrow that magic microphone for the day. I also love all the glitter and sparkles. No Barbie movie is complete until the glitter sparkle ending.

The ages for this movie are 4 and up or anybody who’s a fan of Barbie. This is a must-own for your collection. I give it five twinkling stars.

This DVD is scheduled to be available September 2012 in celebration of Universal’s 100th anniversary. Thank You Universal for all your great movies!

Barbie: The Princess & the Popstar
Reviewed by Cheyenne Nguyen
(See her full review on video.)

This movie is full of great songs and dance. Princess Tori is a big fan of popstar Keira. They finally meet at the Princess Castle and hit it off right away. They start talking and the princess wishes to be a popstar and the popstar wishes to be the princess for a day. Then they realized they look so much alike and try on each other clothes and pretend to each other.

Princess Tori and Keira are so much alike that they can fool a lot of people around them. Except for Princess Tori’s two younger sisters; they knew right away it wasn’t their sister. Tori and Keira share many secrets. One of the secrets is overheard by Keira’s evil manager. This is when all bad things start to happen. They must overcome a lot of obstacles in the process of getting their lives back.

The awesome songs and dances in this movie are put together like magic. All the songs are well-known songs and the dance moves so cool. It makes me want to get up and dance to all the songs. The cartoon quality is very clear, it’s like watching real-life people dancing. The details to the hair and make-up on each character are so real. Great storyline; most little girls dream of being a princess or a popstar.

This really shows the daily routine of a princess and a popstar. Only a small portion of their daily lives are good to have, the rest of their daily routines are hard work. It’s not what most people would want for their lives.

My favorite character is Princess Tori’s dog, Vanessa. She is so wise and cute.

The message of this movie is be happy with what you are. There are always things that you would like to change, but accepting who you are will make you a happy person.

I rank this movie five out of five stars. I give this an age range of 3 to 10.

The 2013 KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search is nearly ready to launch (Oct. 3). Being a KIDS FIRST! youth film critic is an exciting experience, and we are hosting a series of online “be a great film critic” webinars for kids (ages 7 to 14) interested in entering the competition. The webinars will teach them how to analyze a film elements to be included in their review, how to videotape the review and how to upload it to the campaign’s voting website. We will incorporate basic media literacy skills in the webinars and discuss the purpose of a film critic and film reviews.

Make your review – your KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search entry – the best it can be. And while you’re at it, make yourself a wiser viewer of film and media content. This is valuable information, so take advantage of it and sign up for our free webinars. Space is limited, so sign up now.

The three-webinar series starts this week and runs three consecutive Thursdays (Sept. 13, 20 and 27). If you are unable to attend one or more of the live presentations, you can view the recorded webinar (the link will be on http://www.kidsfirst.org/ after the live webinar).

Webinars:
How to Read a Film
KIDS FIRST! focuses on the messages and meanings in media directed toward children – that is, the content of the film or program, rather than the impact of any advertising that may accompany it.

Make Your Review Sizzle
We’ll discuss what comprises a great film review and how to make your voice – your thoughts and opinions – heard, both in your written and video reviews.

Looking Good On Camera
Performing on camera is a blast, once you pick up a few tricks to make yourself seen and heard in the best possible way.

Additionally, take a look at these links to simple guidelines and tips for entering your reviews:
Tips for Creating Reviews

Guidelines for Entering

Official Rules

And listen to tips from our KIDS FIRST! youth film critics. 

KIDS FIRST! and Grand Magazine wish all you grandparents a very happy Grandparents Day this Sunday, September 9.

As a special offer to our KIDS FIRST! family, Grand Magazine is giving a free 2-year subscription to everyone who signs up now at www.grandsub.com.

Interview stars and directors on the red carpet. Attend film previews and share your impressions of the movie with peers the world over. Being a KIDS FIRST! youth film critic is the experience of a lifetime. (And parents – there’s an education component to all this. Visual media is a pervasive element of contemporary life,a nd we’ve developed our KIDS FIRST! Film Critics program to teach kids to critique the visual messages they’re bombarded with as well as write reviews about media they enjoy.)

The KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search opens Oct. 3. We’ll have the list of films at that time for you to choose from to review, but we’ve prepared resources you can start looking at NOW to learn how to make your review th best it can be. And one of this year’s KIDS FIRST! youth film critics, Brianna Beaton, age 12, is eager to share important tips she follows when reviewing a film and creating a video presentation of her review. Check out the KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search webpage for tips on how to submit, guidelines, official rules and a short video from many of our youth film critics sharing their experience.

And sharing her view of the experience from the parent’s perspective, the mother of one of our first KIDS FIRST! youth film critics says, “My daughter’s experience with KIDS FIRST! has opened many doors for her within her own person, allowing her to strive for excellence in her written and oral presentations and to always ask the deeper questions about messages and meanings in media directed to children. Her confidence in public speaking has greatly increased as well as her feelings of value and worth of her own opinions and thoughts.” (Sarah Jane Geraldi, mother of Raven Devanney, a 2011 KIDS FIRST! Film Critics Search winner.)

The contest is open until midnight, Dec. 31, but the earlier you submit your entry, the better your chance to win. Entries are posted on a public website where friends, family and everyone interested can vote for their favorite review. The top 20 will be finalists, which we’ll announce the beginning of January, and the winning four will be chosen from among the finalists by a celebrity panel of judges. Winners will be announced the middle of January.

Kids, you’ll have a blast entering this contest. So get ready to take part.

Horror does not have to rely on gore to make its impact on the minds of its audience. The master of the genre, Alfred Hitchcock, gives ample proof of that. Just so, also, does PG-13-rated The Possession. Its horror runs deeper than just a “boo” reaction. Says KIDS FIRST! youth film critic Raven Devanney, “This film definitely gave me the chills.” Although the 15-year-old also says the film “wasn’t the scariest I’ve seen,” she doesn’t recommend it to kids younger than 13. For a scare that goes beyond a film entertainment, consider: The Possession is based on a true story!

The Possession
Reviewed by Raven Devanney
(Check back soon to KIDS FIRST! to see Raven’s full review on video.)

The Possession, starring Natasha Calis, Jeffrey Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick, is a spine-tingling thriller about a young girl named Em who becomes possessed by an evil spirit.

I really enjoyed this film. It wasn’t the scariest I’ve seen, but that is to be expected because of its rating, PG-13. I liked the cinematography because the more the plot thickened, the darker and more glooming the visuals got. The special effects were pretty good as well. However, some of the effects toward the end of the film were a little disappointing.

The acting in this film was good to some extent, although some of the interactions between the family members were a bit unrealistic. For instance, the way Em’s mother reacted to her child being possessed on the kitchen floor was a little odd. Em was screaming and crying on the floor, stuffing her face with raw meat, and her mom just stood there. If that was me in that situation, I know my mom would have run to me and seen what the matter was, so it seemed rather unrealistic.

My favorite scene would probably have to be the end. It was just so evil and unexpected. I don’t want to give it away, but the reaction that the audience and myself had to it was great. It really threw me off guard and I couldn’t stop talking about it after the film. I’m not sure if I have a favorite character, because each of the characters had the same amount of enjoyable qualities and flaws. So it’s hard to pick one.

One thing that really stood out to me was how subtle and gradual Em transformed from an innocent child to the host of an evil spirit. This film definitely gave me the chills, but, like I said, it wasn’t terrifying. Everyone has a different tolerance level when it comes to horror, but I would recommend this film for ages 13 and up.

Overall, The Possession deserves four to five stars! Check it out in a theater near you.

Photos: The Possession poster (top), Raven Devanney (bottom)