*** 1/2 STAR RATING (out of 4)
Oskar Schell, protagonist of Jonathan Safran Foer’s 9-11 novel “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” is bright and amazing in ways precocious and exhausting.
The 9-year-old inventor, tambourine player and only child of Thomas and Linda Schell had been tested for Asperger’s syndrome. The diagnosis was “inconclusive,” the 2007 novel stated.
As [...]

The auteurs are coming! The auteurs are coming! So might go the call throughout the land of multiplexes and art houses, given this holiday season’s movie fare. But you needn’t have a degree in film studies to notice that the weeks ahead are packed with directors who come with a place in the cinema’s firmament.
When [...]

It’s hard not to be tickled by “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey.”
Director Constance Marks’ charming documentary celebrates the journey of Kevin Clash, the man who made the red, huggable “Sesame Street” sweetheart a bona fide celebrity. And while the film has garnered its share of audience awards at film festivals since winning a special grand [...]

*** STAR RATING (out of 4) | Kid nip
By Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post Film Critic
Although “Puss in Boots​” is about a cat, it’s more a lark than a purrfect spinoff of the “Shrek” franchise.
If that pun made you wince, get ready for more from this breezily entertaining flick, featuring the voices of Antonio Banderas​, Salma [...]

PG. 1 hour 53 minutes. At area theaters.
In 2005, a baby bottlenose dolphin was injured when it became tangled in the ropes of a crab trap off Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Humans intervened. Over time, the dolphin — who picked up the name Winter — became an inspiration to countless people facing their own physical challenges.
What a [...]

To say I like the Lion King is a bit of an understatement: It is my favorite all-time Disney movie.
Unfortunately, my only copy of the movie bit the dust years ago (along with my VCR) so my kids have never seen it. That’s why I was thrilled to learn The Lion King 3D will be [...]

When life gets scary, TV lets us face our fears from a safe distance. A haunted house, rampaging dinosaurs and menacing storybook characters bow as antagonists this fall, stand ins, perhaps for a teetering economy, reigning terrorism and incendiary political climate.
Escapist comedies provide relief, too, the best being Zooey Deschanel​’s endearing turn in “New Girl” [...]

When Amber at Mile High Mamas first asked if anyone had a daughter that liked Judy Moody books, I shot her an email right away. My 7-year-old old daughter Morganne is a crazy reader and LOVES Judy Moody. This assignment would entail Morganne and I attending a special screening of the movie Judy Moody and [...]

***1/2 more panda-monium
“Kung Fu Panda 2″ makes one thing clear from the get-go: Lord Shen, he’s one angry bird.
Gary Oldman voices the peacock whose pride may goeth, but not before he causes a storm of destruction in the lovely sequel to the 2008 surprise that introduced us to Po.
Jack Black returns as the voice of [...]

**CONTEST CLOSED–CONGRATULATIONS TO WINNER ZONJA HAMILTON!**
I had heard of star-crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet but didn’t read William Shakespeare’s tragedy until high school.
Talk about a letdown with that morose ending.
Thankfully, GNOMEO & JULIET won’t send your kids into a lovesick depression and instead takes a fresh and funny approach to the world’s most timeless story. [...]