Granny Ranny's Coming Attractions

Ramona and Beezus is a strong adaptation of the classic Beverly Cleary novels, that updates the already engaging characters and setting without weakening them. This cute family comedy deals well with today’s middle class crises, ranging from the real estate crash to corporate downsizing.  We get inside Ramona Quimby’s head almost immediately with fanciful special effects that bring her imagination right out onto the screen. Most of all it, it is a lovely portrait of two sisters overcoming their differences and coming together – demonstrating along the way that sisterhood isn’t just powerful – it’s also fun.  Ramona Quimby rides again in this sparkly funny family comedy!

Reviewed by Doug Zwick, KIDS FIRST! Board member; Discussion guides are available through Walden Media here.

The Walt Disney Company’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice reunites the National Treasure team (producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Jon Turteltaub and star Nicholas Cage) in an energy-filled supernatural adventure complete with cool magic,  fast cars and romance.   The story is loosely based on the beloved animated short of the same name seen in Disney’s 1940 film Fantasia, which in turn was inspired by the 1797 German poem by Johann Goethe.  In the 2010 film version, we learn that Merlin the Magician had three apprentices:  Horvath (Albert Molina), who betrays Merlin and sides with the evil Morgana;  Victoria, who becomes trapped with Morgana in a vessel; and Balthazar (Nicholas Cage) who must locate the only sorcerer capable of destroying Morgana forever.  So begins Balthazar’s centuries long quest which ends with his discovery of Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel.)  

At 20 years old, Dave is a socially awkward but brilliant physics student at NYU with a crush on Becky (Teresa Palmer), a girl far out of his league.  How could he possibly be the descendant of the fabled Merlin, charged with saving the world from the clutches of evil?  Balthazar soon has him on a crash course in the ways of magic – a cool blend of modern science and age-old sorcery – but Dave is a reluctant protégé and high jinx ensue.  Self-confidence is the one thing Balthazar can’t teach Dave, and it’s the one thing he’ll need to fulfill his destiny (and get the girl!) 

Much of this story feels like we’ve seen it before – it’s certainly formulaic and crosses much traveled cinematic terrain.  However, the characters and their relationships are engaging and their quest is just a whole lot of fun.  Laughs are gratefully abundant and the special effects are worthy of the genre. 

The film is geared for families, but due to creepy and possibly frightening depictions of supernatural beings and events, it’s most appropriate for children aged 10 and up.   

The best part of The Karate Kid, according to KIDS FIRST! jurors, Margie and Joseph Sarrao (9), was all the Kung Fu, especially when Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) fought with a broken leg.  Indeed, there is a lot of Kung Fu action in this movie, a fact that is sure to please kids of all ages.  It is, however, also a story of friendship, redemption, getting up when you are knocked down, learning to live in a foreign culture, and good sporstmanship.  Oh, yeah, it is also a story about bullying – a concept many American kids understand.
 

In Karate Kid, Dre befriends Meiying (Wanwan Han), a girl at his school, but unwittingly dishonors her family.  Viewers will think it’s funny to watch Sponge Bob in Chinese, but Dre is learning to navigate in a culture very different from ours – from eating different foods to watching “Sponge Bob” in Chinese, to the Chinese idea of honor.

Good sportsmanship and bullying are also central themes in this movie.  Dre makes an enemy of the school bully.   At one point, they beat Dre up 5 against 1!  They are definitely not good sports. They are willing to do anything to win, even cheat.  But Dre doesn’t handle this situation well, either.  He doesn’t tell any adults about the bullying.  Both his mom (Taraji P. Henson) and his school’s headmistress would help him if they knew.  This is a good lesson for real life.

As a “child of the 80’s,” when the first Karate Kid was made, I was hesitant to watch this remake.  But I really enjoyed it!  It is very well made. Will Smith definitely “pulled out all the stops.”  Jaden Smith is a very emotive young actor.  The plot is exciting.  The scenery is amazing!   And… there are lots of things for parents to discuss with their kids after the movie (or watch it just for fun!)

After 11 years, the wait is finally over for fans of Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story franchise with the release of Toy Story 3. 

A panel of America’s foremost children’s authors, illustrators and content experts will serve as final judges in the PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest, a national-local contest designed to promote the advancement of children’s reading skills through hands-on, active learning.  The Contest, sponsored by PBS KIDS GO! and WNED-TV Buffalo/Toronto, encourages children in grades K-3 in communities across the country to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their original work.
 
Eighty-seven (87) public television stations participated in this year’s contest, which generated over 25,000 submissions.  The national Contest winners are expected to be named in July 2010. The winning stories will be posted on the Contest Web site at ReadyToLearnReading.org , alongside a message from singer-songwriter and American Idol winner Jordin Sparks about the influence of writing in her life. Other new site features allow kids to create “Story Mashups,” put together “Story Stuff Pages,” vote for their favorite stories, and use a customized search tool to explore over 1,100 kid-created stories.
 
The PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest is a part of PBS KIDS Raising Readers, a national initiative which uses the power of public media to build the reading skills of children ages two to eight, with an emphasis on children from low-income families. The effort is funded by a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education, part of a cooperative agreement with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), PBS and The Ready To Learn Partnership. 

Presented by AFI Silverscreen Education, as a special feature of the AFI-Discovery Channel Silverdocs International Documentary Conference, SchoolDocs is an innovative strand of workshops, panel discussions and films investigating cutting edge practices in visual education directed to the needs of 21st century educators and students.

Activities:

• 3 days of engaging discussions
  Exposure to new technologies
  New pedagogical techniques with more than a dozen panels and hands on workshops
  one on one networking with documentary filmmakers
  An examination of race and representation in film
  Critical literacy: making connections with film
  Using filmmaking to help students understand subtext
  Turning curriculum into dynamic student movies
  Best practices and fair use for education
  Web resources for educators
  Stay ahead of the new technology for education

For more info go to www.silverdocs.com