Tag: Family

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Movie Review

The Little Mermaid (2023)

The Little Mermaid – Movie Review

Discover the enchanting tale of The Little Mermaid in this movie review. Follow Ariel's journey as she sacrifices her voice for a chance at love and discovery.

ABC Film Challenge – Catch Up 2024 – U (Ursula)

Director: Rob Marshall

Writer: David Magee (Screenplay)

Writer: John Musker, Ron Clements (Original Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A young mermaid makes a deal with a sea witch to trade her beautiful voice for human legs so she can discover the world above water and impress a prince.

Runtime: 2 Hours 15 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Little Mermaid starts as we meet a young mermaid Ariel (Bailey) who dreams of more for her life in the sea. Her father King Triton (Bardem) demands his daughters follow his desire to maintain his reign under the sea.

When a human ship gets wrecked, Ariel saves handsome prince Eric (Hauer-King) and returns him to land. Ariel’s desire to reach the surface leads her to Ursula (McCarthy) who offers her a deal. She is left to chase her heart or follow her father’s demands. However, it will cost her one of her most important gifts, her voice.

Verdict on The Little Mermaid

The Little Mermaid is the live-action remake of the popular animated classic. It follows a young mermaid who dreams of heading to the surface to meet a handsome prince. However, she makes a deal which will change her life forever.

This movie is a beautiful live-action retelling of the story. The musical side of things is fantastic and the story keeps things true to the original idea. Sure, it is about princes and princesses trying to find perfect love in life. It checks all the best marks and is enjoyable to watch.

Where to Watch

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JustWatch

Final Thoughts – The Little Mermaid is a beautiful retelling of the story.

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Movie Review

An Elephant’s Journey (2018) Movie Review

An Elephant’s Journey – Movie Review

Elephant's Journey

Director: Mark Drury Taylor

Writer: David Moss, Mark Drury Taylor (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: Flora is a circus elephant who can no longer perform her tricks. The night before she’s scheduled to be euthanized, the circus owner’s 14-year-old daughter, Dawn, sneaks Flora from the circus. All that stands between them and the safety of the elephant preserve is two hundred kilometres of woods, one raging river, two elephant hunters and the fear of not making it.

Runtime: 1 Hour 35 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: An Elephant’s Journey starts when a teenager Dawn (Ortega) looks to get her circus elephant Flora to a preserve. Her father Henry (Arquette) has been doing everything he can to help rehome Flora, without any success.

As Dawn travels with Flora, she meets teenage thief Sebastian (Martinez) leading to the three making the journey. However, the journey isn’t going to be easy as hunters are looking to collect on the bounty. To make matters worse, Flora becomes a news sensation.

Verdict on An Elephant’s Journey

An Elephant’s Journey is an adventure family movie following a teenage girl trying to find a new home for her circus elephant. It follows her on a journey that sees her needing to overcome problems. While her father searches for her and hunters looking for a bounty.

This is a fun family film that takes us on a heartwarming journey. It also gets to highlight the lack of options for animal owners looking to do the right thing for their pets. We get to learn life lessons while dealing with threats faced for the first time. A young Jenna Ortega shines in this role, with David Arquette bringing us the concerned parent.

Final Thoughts – An Elephant’s Journey is an enjoyable family film.

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Movie Review

Cleo (2015) Movie Review

Cleo – Movie Review

Cleo

Director: Jean-Francois Pouliot, Francois Brisson

Writer: Roger Cantin, Danyele Patenaude (Screenplay)

Cast (Voice Talents)

Plot: When winter break arrives, a boy and his friends are joined by the new girl in town for a prolonged snowball fight.

Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Cleo starts when Piers and his friends find themselves getting bored of losing snowball fights. They decide to make a war between themselves, with Piers, and Frankie joined by a new girl Sophie. On the other side, Luke leads his troops as the friends get to keep themselves occupied.

However, as the war wages on Sophie wants to learn more about Luke, as Sophie seems to change the mindset in the town. As the war between friends gets more serious, they all look to outdo each other becoming closer than they ever imagined.

Verdict on Cleo

Cleo is a fun family adventure movie following a group of friends keeping themselves entertained during a winter break. It sees them splitting into two sides to have a fake snowball war. Along the way, they become closer and continue to grow up in ways they hadn’t imagined.

This ends up being a fun little movie that could be enjoyed by the whole family. It has comedy and highlights how important friendship is. This is all harmless fun showing the imagination of children during the holiday period when they need to keep themselves busy. Despite this, we will be left with an emotional gut punch as things start to get out of control.

Final Thoughts –Cleo is a fun family film with plenty of heart.

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Movie Review

The Santa Clause 2 (2002) Movie Review

The Santa Clause 2 – Movie Review

Santa Clause 2

Director: Michael Lembeck

Writer: Don Rhymer, Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, Ed Decter, John J Strauss (Screenplay)

Writer: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick (Characters)

Cast

  • Tim Allen (Toy Story)
  • Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost)
  • David Krumholtz (Serenity)
  • Eric Lloyd (Jesse)
  • Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop)

Plot: Scott Calvin has been a humble Santa Claus for eight years, but it might come to an end if he doesn’t find a Mrs. Claus.

Runtime: 1 Hour 44 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Santa Clause 2 starts when Scott (Allen) has been enjoying his time as Santa for 8-years now. However, he learns about a clause in the contract he was unaware of. He must get married before Christmas or he loses his powers. Meanwhile, his son Charlie (Lloyd) finds himself in trouble at school.

As Scott looks to solve his wife problem, he leaves a clone in the North Pole. However, he starts getting out of control not understanding the idea of being Santa. With the time running out, Scott must solve both problems before time runs out.

Verdict on The Santa Clause 2

The Santa Clause 2 is the sequel to the family-friendly Christmas movie. This time Scott faces two challenges, one is finishing off the contract he signed when he became Santa. The second is his own creation taking over the North Pole.

This gets to build on the original movie well, giving us a bigger concept behind becoming Santa. We get to see the human life Scott lives away from his time as Santa. While the movie never really explains why Charlie has become such a rebel. Deep down this still gets over the message about Christmas bringing people together. It still contains the laughs and unfolds in a pleasing family-friendly way.

Final Thoughts – The Santa Clause 2 is an enjoyable sequel.

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Movie Review

The Santa Clause (1994) Movie Review

The Santa Clause – Movie Review

Santa Clause

Director: John Pasquin

Writer: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: When a man inadvertently makes Santa fall off his roof on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Santa Clause starts when businessman Scott Calvin (Allen) finds himself showing signs of being a bad father. His son Charlie (Lloyd) spends more time with his mother Laura (Crewson) and her new husband Neal (Reinhold). However, over Christmas Scott accidentally scares Santa off his roof.

He must replace Santa causing major changes in his life and putting his own time with his son in danger. Nobody else believes what happened, despite the transformation Scott goes through.

Verdict on The Santa Clause

The Santa Clause is a family comedy following an everyday man who gets transformed into Santa. However, when his transformation starts taking a toll on his life, he gets torn between helping the children or saving his relationship with his own son. It ends up with him needing to prove he is changing when nobody else wants to.

When it comes to Christmas movies, we know the core element is the family part of the movie. We get that in the middle of a broken family, with a child wanting to spend Christmas with both sides of his family. However, the changes haven’t always made that easy for everyone else. The whole transformation into Santa brings laughs and adds to the magic of Christmas.

Final Thoughts – The Santa Clause is an enjoyable family Christmas treat.

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Movie Review

Elvis the Pig (2022) Movie Review

Elvis the Pig – Movie Review

Elvis the Pig

Director: Jason Mills (Films)

Writer: Jason Mills (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Aggie Bell
  • Sadie Silcock
  • Jackson Berlin
  • Camryn Macdonald

Plot: A young girl learns she may have to sell her beloved pet pig, Elvis, to a local farmer to save the family farm. Unbeknownst to her, the pig is in real danger, the farmer is planning a pig roast and not a forever home. The whole family bands together to save Elvis, uniting to reclaim their farm, proving that love is worth more than money.

Runtime: 1 Hour 11 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Elvis the Pig starts when young Riley learns her family plans to move away from their farm. Meaning, she will become separated from her beloved pet pig, Elvis. After learning Elvis might be in danger, Riley looks to find a solution.

This brings the family together in the biggest time of need. As Riley must learn about separation at an early age and learn to make human friends.

Verdict on Elvis the Pig

Elvis the Pig is a family-friendly movie that follows a farming family that is going through a difficult decision. They are planning on moving away, only for the youngest member to find it hard to move away from her pet pig, Elvis.

This is a movie that is about coming together as a family, no matter how difficult it is. Doing the right thing for the people you love the most and finding a solution for animals if you are moving away from a farm. It is told through the eyes of the youngest member who will feel the separation the most. This checks off everything to make for a fun family film.

Final Thoughts – Elvis the Pig is a fun family film.

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Movie Review

The Claus Family 2 (2021) Movie Review

The Claus Family 2 – Movie Review

Claus Family 2

Director: Ruben Vanderborre

Writer: Ruben Vanderborre, Elke de Gezelle (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Jan Decleir
  • Mo Bakker
  • Bracha van Doseburgh
  • Renee Soutendijk
  • Eva van der Gucht

Plot: Jules Claus has embraced Christmas again and is getting ready for the busiest time of the year together with grandpa Noël. Everything seems to go according to plan, until Jules receives a very special letter with an intriguing question.

Runtime: 1 Hour 47 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Claus Family 2 starts as Noel (Decleir) looks to introduce his grandson Jules (Bakker) into the family business. Stepping up to replace his father who passed away. As Jules learns more about how the operation works, he learns about the unanswered letters. The ones that ask for something outside of presents, family reunions.

Jules looks to break tradition and help just one family get back together. Leading him down a dangerous path of breaking the tradition and returning Jules to his negative thoughts about Christmas once again.

Verdict on The Claus Family 2

The Claus Family 2 is a family-friendly movie, following the next generation of Santa Claus preparing to take over. He must learn the importance of Christmas and what it means to everyone involved. Needing to learn that it is about giving presents, rather than trying to fix the bigger problems in families.

This movie brings the fun and charm of a family film while getting over a bigger message about Christmas. One that could be seen from parents’ point of view when it comes to giving their children the love they need. It also tackles the idea that some things can’t be wished for on a Christmas list. This has the right mindset while coming together for the greater good.

Where to Watch: The Claus Family 2 is available on Netflix

Final Thoughts – The Claus Family 2 is a fun family-friendly film filled with Christmas spirit.

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Movie Review

A Family Matters Christmas (2022) Movie Review

A Family Matters Christmas – Movie Review

Family Matters

Director: LaVern Whitt

Writer: Anthony Guilianti, Peggy Williams (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Kellie Shanygne Williams
  • Randy Vince
  • Cheyenne Cummings
  • Chase Drewery
  • Melan Perez

Plot: Christmas is anything but ordinary when three bickering siblings from a newly blended household cannot see eye to eye. The youngest one, while completing his annual science project, accidentally calls upon the Spirit of Christmas. They wake up to find themselves having switched bodies, unable to change back until they learn to spend the holidays together as a loving family.

Runtime: 1 Hour 25 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: A Family Matters Christmas starts as three bickering siblings Brandon (Drewery), Emily (Cummings) and Aidan (Vince) are in a family coming together. Brandon’s father is marrying Emily and Aidan’s mother Tessia (Perez). As the bickering gets worse, the youngest member of the family Aidan makes a wish, that sees the sibling’s body swapping.

To get back into their original bodies, they must learn lessons about working together and becoming a family. As the three start to learn about each other’s problems they get to understand the importance of family at Christmas.

Verdict on A Family Matters Christmas

A Family Matters Christmas follows a family that must come together as a family for Christmas. It sees them swapping bodies and learning the different lives they each live. This shows three children that are at different eras of their school lives must learn how different they are.

When it comes to a Christmas film, it is always good to see people coming together. This does everything it needs to and gets great laughs along the way. the body-swapping elements of the film work really well. It gives us three very different characters that must adapt to a new style that brings laughs along the way.

The three young stars Chase C Drewery, Cheyenne Cummings and Randy Vince all give great performances throughout the film. Tamieka Chavis as Aunt Tracie brings another fun performance to add to the collection in the movie.

Final Thoughts – A Family Matters Christmas is an enjoyable feel-good Christmas movie.

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Movie Review

Another Christmas (2022) Movie Review

Another Christmas – Movie Review

Another Christmas

Director: Stacie Davis

Writer: Stacie Davis, Tamarah Francis (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Ryan Toby (Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit)
  • Sheena Faust (Why Am I Still Single)
  • Malik Brazile (Negative Exposure)
  • Cristofher Griffin

Plot: Kelly Brooks is an elementary school teacher who gave up on love during the holiday season until her childhood friend Andrew a professional baseball player returns home to win Kelly’s heart for Christmas.

Runtime: 1 Hour 13 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Another Christmas starts when Andrew Davis (Brazile) returns home for Christmas. He finds his family are having problems as he looks to win the heart of his childhood friend, Kelly (Faust).

As Andrew starts taking advice from other family members, he must learn how to approach love. On the other hand, Kelly must learn that some people are good and learn to let people into her life. Christmas offers the perfect opportunity for the spark to fly.

Verdict on Another Christmas

Another Christmas is a family-friendly Christmas movie. The movie brings together families and couples that are dealing with expectations leading to Christmas. This includes a marriage that is struggling to keep its sparks, a former pairing looking to come back together along with other couples’ issues.

This movie is only around an hour long, which shows that we don’t get enough time to deal with most of the issues. With this time limit, it shows that the ideas are basic to solving the problems. When it comes to the problems, each one is a typical problem too, which doesn’t help give the story a unique feel about it.

The performances bring plenty to the movie, as the actors have all the charm needed to keep this movie rolling along nicely.

Final Thoughts – Another Christmas is a by-the-book cheery Christmas movie.