First of all, the story is sweet. Jackie Chan plays Bob, a superspy living in the suburbs, next door to single mom, Gillian (Amber Valletta) and her three young kids: Farren (Madeline Carroll), the snarky teenager, Ian (Will Shadley), the nerdy, socially awkward son, and Nora (Alina Foley), the precocious little daughter. When the film opens, Bob and Gillian have been dating and he wants to take the next step in their relationship. He has decided to retire from espionage and would like to propose. The only problem is that he’s never bonded with the kids, and frankly, they think Bob is the biggest dork they’ve ever met (a guise he assumes part to keep his identity incognito from the rest of the world). Gillian is reluctant to commit until the kids accept Bob. As the movie gods would have it, she is called away for a family emergency; Bob volunteers to watch the children.

Meanwhile, Poldark, a nefarious Russian spy (played by Lazytown star, Magnus Scheving) has escaped from custody and Bob’s old CIA buddies (Cyrus and George Lopez) call him back in for one final mission. As you would expect, the secret agenting and the babysitting worlds collide, leading to a disastrous breakup with Gillian and everyone’s life in danger. This being a family movie, no one’s life is ever really in danger. The villains are too buffoonish to do any harm, and Bob is just too smart to let them get away with anything.

The Spy Next Door bears some similarity to The Pacifier, that Vin Diesel hit film from several years back. Jackie Chan is a champ throughout this film and keeps the energy of everything up.  Likewise, director Brian Levant keeps the pace moving, leaving very little room for the dull moments that kill these kinds of movies. Unfortunately, and I mentioned this above, the acting sometimes borders on painful. The kids. The fake Russian accents. Jackie Chan and Billy Ray Cyrus.

I know, I know, “it’s a family film! Give it a break!” I have given it a break, the first time I watched it. But the 6th and 7th time my children popped in the DVD I had to exit the room. This just means that I’m definitely not the real audience for this movie. Once is enough for grown ups, but kids will love it time and a gain. The reason is Chan’s personality. His talents as an action hero and a physical comedian make watching him a joy, especially for kids, who like to see bad guys get what’s coming to them. Your children will love The Spy Next Door, and it’s a safe family movie that should you walk away for a couple of minutes… or the entire movie, you won’t have anything to worry about.

Extras for this Blue-Ray/DVD combo set are minimal. Worth checking out is the featurette, “Jackie Chan: Stunt Master and Mentor – Working with the King of Action”. It’s a loving tribute to the star and shows what kind of a professional he is on set/ Chan comes across as one of the real good guys in Hollywood and his cast and crew genuinely seem to worship him.

Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a minor league hockey player past his prime. Instead of being a force on the ice, he’s just an enforcer, sent into games to knock out opposing players. He’s earned the nickname “The Tooth Fairy” thanks to his habit of hitting his opponents so hard they end up missing teeth. Derek eats up the attention, even though he’s seen more as a novelty than an integral part of the hockey team. This point is driven home when a hotshot young player arrives and Derek is relegated to protecting the kid on the ice so he doesn’t get hurt. The tooth fairy is now the babysitter

Thanks to Johnson’s natural charm as a performer, Derek comes across as good-natured, even though he’s pretty cynical. For example, when kids tell him they want to grow up to play hockey be just like him, Derek doesn’t encourage them. Instead, he tells them the long odds they’re against and that they should choose something else to do with their lives. Someone who is able to look past his faults is Carly, a single mom that he’s been dating. Ashley Judd, who once starred in movies but now seems relegated to supporting roles, plays Carly. She brings a lot of warmth and definitely the right amount of strength and believability to her part. Carly has two children, six year old Tess (Destiny Whitlock) and teenager, Randy (Chase Ellison), a shy boy who has channeled his feelings into becoming an excellent guitar player.

One night, Derek babysits Carly’s kids and has his hockey buddies over for some poker.  Low on cash, he sneaks into Tess’s room and swipes the money Carly left under her daughter’s pillow after losing a tooth. Later on, Tess wakes up and realizes that her tooth is gone and there is no money. Derek nearly reveals to Tess that there is no tooth fairy. Luckily, Carly stops him by finding a dollar on the floor. Disaster averted. Pissed, Carly sends Derek home. That night he’s summoned to the realm of the tooth fairies where he must make amends for being a “dream crusher.”

Dressed in a pink tutu, with magic wings sprouting out of his back, Derek stands before head fairy, Lily, and is told he must serve as tooth fairy for two weeks. Lily is played by the legendary Julie Andrews, a woman who makes anything she’s involved with 100% classier. With her warmth and grace, she commands the screen; it’s always a pleasure watching her perform. To Johnson’s credit, he holds his own with the great Andrews.

Derek is given a caseworker named Tracy, played by British actor Stephen Merchant. These two butt heads almost immediately so you know they’re going to become best buds by the end of the movie.  Derek is given a bag full of tricks by a spacey old fairy named Jerry. Billy Crystal, reprising his Miracle Max shtick from The Princess Bride, portrays Jerri. I’ve grown weary of Crystal over the years, but in small doses he can still liven up a dull scene.

The film proceeds to follow Derek on his tooth fairy mishaps missions, avoiding cats, trying not to get caught. Gradually he comes to appreciate that dreams are important and he becomes friends with all of the fairies.

Meanwhile, Derek develops a relationship with Randy, at Carly’s bequest. At first Randy wants nothing to do with his mother’s latest boyfriend. But the two eventually bond over music. Derek jams on the drums, accompanying Randy and helping him gain the confidence he needs to perform at his school’s talent contest. Of course, there are some hiccups along the way and Derek has to redeem himself in everyone’s eyes. Like I said, the plotting is fairly predictable.

However, even though you can predict what‘s going to happen next, that doesn’t make Tooth Fairy a bad film. For family entertainment, it has the right amount of laughs and drama to appease parents and kids alike. As I said, Johnson is certainly a charismatic star and he really sells the film with performance. If you’re sitting down for movie night, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much fun you’ll have with Tooth Fairy.

The DVD has some nice bonus features. Besides an extended, karaoke scene between Johnson and Merchant (the highlight for me), there is also a “fairy workout” which is a nifty little exercise feature on the DVD. I hadn’t seen that before.

Madeline: Lost In Paris a sweet, innocent film that parents and kids can sit through together. It features Christopher Plummer’s warm voice as the narrator, Jason Alexander as the male villain, Horst, and Lauren Bacall and the villainess, Madame Lacroque. The plot is something right out of a turn of the century adventure story. Madeline, the spunky orphan girl who lives in a big house with eleven other girls and Miss Clavel, their teacher, receives a letter from a man claiming to be her long lost Uncle Horst. He comes to Paris to whisk her away with him to attend finishing school in Vienna.  Although saddened to be leaving her friends and Miss Clavel, Madeline is very excited to have a family. Madeline and her loyal dog, Genevieve, go away with Uncle Horst.

All is not what it seems, though, and Madeline learns this right away when Uncle Horst leaves Genevieve to fend for herself in the Paris train station and Madeline is kidnapped! Uncle Horst is not her uncle at all. He’s a scoundrel who takes orphans to work in forced labor creating delicate lace collars under the strict supervision of Madame Lacroque.

WOW! If you went by that description alone, you’d be horrified about this film. However, like any Dickens novel (which always seemed to have kids in peril), Madeline: Lost in Paris uses a light touch to keep the horrific conditions and the scary situation not so horrific and not so scary. Moreover, Madeline is such a brave little girl you don’t believe for one second that she’s going to remain trapped, nor will she allow her new friends, all of the other kidnapped children, to stay under the cruel care of Madame Lacroque.

Meanwhile, Genevieve returns to the school, signaling to Miss Clavel and the other girls that Madeline is in trouble. Immediately Miss Clavel goes to the police. At the same time the little girls and their next-door neighbor, Pepito, set off to save Madeline. Again, a light touch is used and you never get the sense that any of these kids are ever truly in danger.

The film moves briskly and is full of vibrant colors. Seeing a digital copy of the movie for the first time really made me realize how awful our VHS version was back in the day. It’s also wonderful to see a hand drawn animated film that doesn’t appear so cookie cutter like most of the shows you see on television. The backgrounds are all painted to look like watercolors and the character animation is quite fluid. The filmmakers really captured the feeling of the drawings from the original Madeline books. All of the actors are excellent.

It had been at least seven years since I last saw Madeline: Lost in Paris and I was curious how my daughter would react when she watched it with me. It was wonderful to sit down with her again, and with my younger son, and relive some old memories. Although she seems to have outgrown the age group of this movie, she still enjoyed it after all of these years. Madeline: Lost in Paris is a gentle and kind film that fits in nicely with all of the other movies you may own that have been produced by Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar or Nickelodeon. I highly recommend it for little girls (and boys) and I’m very glad it’s found a home on DVD through those good folks at Shout! Factory.  Although there are no bonus features, the movie is reason enough to make this purchase.

The Nickelodeon series has been on the air nearly a year now and it’s a big hit for the network. So, in true fashion of the marketing savvy network, Nickelodeon has released Operation: DVD Premiere, the first “feature length” DVD with over two hours of entertainment. The DVD is a collection of some of the Penguins best adventures, as well as a brand new, never-before-seen special, “Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge,” and two never- before-seen episodes, “Truth Ache” and “Command Crisis.” On a side note, I know that Nick plans to air “Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge” on President’s Day. I don’t understand the logic in advertising something as “never-before-seen” for just one week before putting in on television. I digress.

The set up for the show is simple: The Penguins, that is Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private, are back living at the New York City Zoo. Even though they are residents in the zoo, that doesn’t mean they’re confined behind bars. Instead, they have plenty of crazy adventures within the zoo and outside it. Along for the fun are three characters they never lived in the zoo in the films: King Julien, the insane lemur, originally voiced by Sacha Baren Cohen, by on television capably handled by Danny Jacobs, Maurice, an aye aye who is Julien’s trusty servant, and Mort, the accident mouse lemur who is the brunt of Julien’s contempt.

Supporting characters on hand to fill the absence of the main Madagascar characters include Marlene, an otter whose character is solely new to the series, plus Mason and Phil, the two chimpanzees from the films.

“Dr. Blowhole’s Revenge” is a funny, “save the world” adventure that finds the Penguins pitted against the evil Dr. Blowhole, an angry dolphin who gets around on a Segway. Dr. Blowhole plans to melt the North Pole in order to flood the earth as payback to humans for making him perform tricks in a ring of fire. Making matters worse for the Penguins is the fact that Julien has teamed up with Blowhole. The nefarious Blowhole is voiced by guest-star Neil Patrick Harris (who seems to be everywhere these days) and he has a good time with the role. Like most animation being produced these days, the adult behind the creation of the show often slip in a little bit of safe grown-up humor to make the show enjoyable for parents, as well as their kids.

The other two episodes, “Truth Ache” and “Command Crisis” fit right in with the seven other episodes included on this DVD, all of which have previously aired on Nickelodeon. As for bonus features, they aren’t much. But you shouldn’t expect too much when you’re buying TV episodes on a single disc like this one, anyway. There are trailers for upcoming Dreamworks animated features, Nick animated show and a couple of online games. Like I said, it isn’t much. Still, if you have a Penguin or King Julien fan in your house (child or adult) then this DVD is a worthwhile investment.

Sonny with a Chance: Sonny’s Big Break (2009, Disney)

Disney’s Sonny with a Chance is cut from the same cloth as the mouse house’s other tween sitcoms: bright, pretty young ingénue thrown into a crazy situation and surrounded by an ensemble of wacky supporting characters. In this case, the female star is Demi Lovato; the budding young music star that also has appeared in the Disney hit films, Rock Camp and Princess Protection Program. Lovato plays Sonny; she’s a Midwestern teenager brought to Los Angeles to become the newest star on “So Random,” a sketch show that resembles the old Nickelodeon series, All That. With her wide-eyed optimism and Midwestern gosh oh golly, Mickey and Judy “let’s put on a show” enthusiasm, Sonny is a fish out of water and immediately at odds with “So Random’s” other so L.A. starlet, Tawni (Tiffany Thornton). Tawni is a bratty teen whose ice cool heart is eventually melted by Sonny and they soon become fast friends.

The remainder of the “So Random” cast includes the Mutt & Jeff duo, Nico (Brandon Mychal Smith) and Grady (Doug Brochu). Smith and Brochu are great with the one liners and willing to make fools of themselves. They’re my favorite characters. There is also the standard “bratty little sister” character, this time in the form of Zora (Allisyn Ashley Arm), the youngest cast member. While “So Random” is very popular, it competes for an audience with “Mackenzie Falls,” a sort of Gossip Girl soap opera staring a group of prima donnas. Their leader is Chad Dylan Cooper (a funny Sterling Knight), who is so full of himself, he can’t pass a mirror without looking. Chad loves getting the better of the “So Random” gang, but has a hard time breaking Sonny’s spirit. This confuses him and strangely, makes him drawn to the girl.

Lovato is excellent in the title role. She seems game for anything the writers throw at her and she imbues her character with dignity and self-confidence. Sonny is not a snob and her intentions always seem to be good; she’s never out to “get” anyone. Moreover, unlike some of the other girl stars on Disney, Sonny seems like the kind of kid you’d trust to babysit your kids and not try to sneak out of the house to meet her boyfriend. As for the rest of the cast, they have grown more comfortable working together and exhibit all of the charms and strengths of a good comedy ensemble. As an adult, not all of the material tickles my fancy, but my children sure enjoy the show, so the producers must be doing something right.

Because of Sonny with a Chance’s set up, the audience is treated to the show within a show and sometime we get to see the “So Random” sketches. Think of this series as 30 Rock for kids. The skits will either make you groan because they’re so bad, or they will make you burst out laughing; there is no middle ground. My favorite sketch (and one that had my daughter searching for it online) is the “Check It Out” girls, a couple of cashiers who begin each sentence with the phrase, “check it out.” At first it was annoying, but after the fourth time watching it with my daughter I started laughing with her (and using the phrase, too).

I believe that watching the show with your kids is the key. Given the opportunity to view programming they find entertaining is a good way to begin communicating with them about quality and crap. I would rank Sonny with a Chance with the former. It has displayed growth since the first episode, as the four episodes on this DVD show. The DVD has some bonus features including Demi Lovato’s audition and the online short, “Mackenzie Falls – Season Finale Cliffhanger. More importantly, a never before seen episode, “Sonny in the Middle,” is included.

The Jetsons: Season 2, Volume 1 (2009, Warners)

Did you know that Star Trek wasn’t the first sci-fi series to develop a life after it was cancelled and earn a new life almost 20 years later? I didn’t. The Jetsons, the first animated family in space, premiered in 1962 as a prime time family show before immediately jumping to Saturday mornings. For over 20 years, the original 24 episodes played endlessly until the show’s producers, animation legends Hanna Barbera, decided to give their fans more adventures of George, Jane, Judy, Elroy and Astro, the family pet. The Jetsons Season 2 premiered in the fall of 1985 and now, the first 21 episodes of season 2 have been released on a 3 disc set, The Jetsons Season 2, Volume 1.

The second season took on a direction for the show. Now strictly a Saturday morning cartoon, the revived series was aimed squarely at children. The focus shifted from the adult adventures of George to more stories about Elroy and Judy. Additionally, there was an emphasis on computers and all the great, cool gadgets the future would provide. The second season also introduced a cuddly, furry creature called Orbitty, which became Elroy’s sidekick and the new family pet (Astro was always more of a human character; a space age Scooby Doo).

It’s important to know these facts going into The Jetsons Season 2, Volume 1 because if you were like me, expecting the same 60’s, cool cartoon that I grew up with in the 70’s, you’ll be in for a bit of a letdown. The second season of The Jetsons is purely kids stuff. The animation is glossy and slick, better than the 60s’ version, but there seems to be a little bit of soul and charm missing from the 1980’s version. Furthermore, the music was updated for the time and featured electronic instruments, then the current fad.

Still, this new version of The Jetsons was never intended for grown ups and the trust test of its appeal is how it will play to a kid in the 21^st Century. I sat down with my 7 year old cartoon loving son to get his reaction.

He loved it. He laughed at the corny jokes, thought Orbitty was cute, and seemed to associate with Elroy. Everything the producers were pursuing in the 1980’s held true twenty years later. That, my friends, is the true testament of a great series. If it holds up for a modern audience, then it must have been doing something right.

Go out and find The Jetsons Season 2, Volume 1, for your kids. It’s safe, goofy fun and doesn’t contain any of the mean spirited humor that so many modern cartoons contain. Furthermore, the well produced documentary bonus feature, The Jetsons Return to the Future has plenty of little informational nuggets to satisfy the little ones curiosity and create fans for life.

Hatching Pete/Dadnapped: Double Feature (2009, Disney)

Are you old enough to remember The Absent Minded Professor? What about the original The Shaggy Dog? Kurt Russell in The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes? The Love Bug? That Darn Cat? Although I never saw any of those films in theaters (I’m actually not that old), I vividly recall watching them on The Wonderful World of Disney back in the ’70s. They were innocent films intended for the whole family. The danger was never too dangerous, and the romance never too steamy. When I watch the current crop of made for TV films the Disney Channel produces, films like High School Musical, Jump In! and Minutemen, I recall those simple, well-made movies of long ago (i.e. the ’60s). While the mouse house has all but abandoned high concept, low budget films for theatrical release (instead remaking the low budget affairs into massive budgeted extravaganzas like the recent Race to Witch Mountain), on television Disney has been churning out three to four movies a year, all to great success. With a cadre of young talent from their plethora of sitcoms, every movie is an event that seems to capture big ratings. The latest of these movies are Dadnapped and Hatching Pete, which have been conveniently/economically released on one double feature DVD by Disney.

Dadnapped stars Emily Osment, coming into her own as an actress and stepping out of the shadow of Hannah Montana, as Melissa, a 14-year-old girl competing for her father’s attention with the main character from his best selling novels, Tripp Zoome. Her dad, Neil (Father of the Bride’s George Newbern), spends so much time with the character and his exploits that a special father-daughter getaway is interrupted by a promotional event for his latest novel. Just what Melissa needs, hundreds of crazed Tripp Zoome fans. Making matters worse is that Melissa has begun seeing Tripp (Jonathan Keltz) and the two of them have a nagging, sibling rivalry. When things couldn’t get any worse, Neil is abducted by some overzealous fans and it’s up to Melissa to solve the caper.

Filling out the cast of Dadnapped are other Disney Channel stars. Moises Arias (Hannah Montana) and David Henrie (Wizards of Waverly Place) are a couple of eager fanboys, Phill Lewis (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) gets to let loose his inner slimeball, and Jason Earles (Hannah Montana) is a smarmy hotel employee. As the film progresses, it takes on a kind of It’s A Mad, Mad Mad Mad World feel, with everyone in pursuit of finding Neil. In the end, Neil is never in any real harm and he and his daughter are able to mend their relationship with no harm done. It’s a fun movie for kids and not all that annoying for the parents sitting down to watch it with them. Osment is a smart, good actress and I hope she is allowed to break out of the Disney fold and stretch sometime in the future. Henrie has a nice charm, something sourly missing from his TV show. Lewis is always great (he’s appeared in “grown up” sitcoms like Scrubs) and I’ve always felt that Earle is a fine comedian. Overall, Dadnapped is a nice family movie that fits right into the mold of all Disney films.

Hatching Pete has an interesting premise. Poole (Mitchel Musso of Hannah Montana) is the high school mascot, the Chicken, a longstanding tradition in his family. Unfortunately, he’s allergic to the costume. So he asks his introverted best friend, Pete (Jason Dooley from Corey in the House) to stand in for him. Pete agrees, but only on the condition that his identity remain a mystery. Once in the suit, Pete discovers a freedom to act wild and crazy, something he’s never been able to do when just a regular student in the school. Pete’s outrageous behavior makes the Chicken a celebrity in the school. People start showing up to basketball games to see the mascot and not the pitiful team coached by The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’s Brian Stepanek. Poole reaps the benefits of his friend’s talent until a parade mishap reveals that Poole actually isn’t the Chicken. Afraid of getting in trouble for lying, Pete panics and steals a police car. Pretty soon there’s a manhunt for the Chicken and Pete must decide whether to reveal his identity or not.

Of the two films, Hatching Pete is the weaker one. Beside the fact that Mitchel Musso can really grate on your nerves, the relationship and the pressure between the two friends came off as just mean at times. I never felt as if Poole was being a good friend Pete. Furthermore, he constantly pressured him into donning the suit while gaining popularity with the cheerleaders. The one aspect I did buy was Pete’s crush on Angela (Josie Loren), a brainy cheerleader who is one of his best friends. Unable to tell her how much he likes her, Pete ends up working out his aggression in the suit. Dooley and Loren are very sweet together in their scenes and I was happy that their characters wound up together in the end (of course they did!). Since you get both movies for the price of one, it’s up to you to decide which you like better, Dadnapped or Hatching Pete.

The DVD comes with plenty of bonus features, including music videos, a feature on what it takes to be a mascot, an extended ending to Dadnapped, and an animated Trip Zoome comic book. This DVD is a bargain. It’s nice to see a huge corporation like Disney packaging the two films together and offering a good deal to the fans that support them.

A Plumm Summer (2009, Paramount)

Once a week our family tries to hold movie night, generally Saturdays. Popcorn is made and the kids get in their pajamas before we gather on the couch to watch come family friendly film from our library of DVD’s. On occasion we’ll rent something from the video store, but more often than not it’s difficult to find quality entertainment for all four of us to enjoy together. When A Plumm Summer arrived, I was hesitant to watch it with the family for fear it would make for a mediocre movie night. Still, as a filmmaker whose own movie went straight to DVD and who has struggled to get people to watch it, I decided to give the film a chance and get an honest reaction from my children and wife. I’m glad I did for my family and I both feel that A Plumm Summer is a wonderful movie and deserves to find a wide audience. Sweet without being sacchariny, serious without being too mature for children, A Plumm Summer is a true find and I highly recommend you checking it out with your family.

First time director, Caroline Zelder (who also co-wrote the screenplay with T.J. Lynch and Frank Antonelli), works with a gifted cast of actors in this story about first love, loyalty, loss of innocence and family. Chris Massoglia stars as Elliott Plumm, a thirteen boy growing up in rural Montana in 1968. He lives with his mother and father, Roxie and Mick (Lisa Guerrero and William Baldwin) and his little brother, Rocky (Owen Pearce). Dad is an ex-boxing champ who hasn’t been able to find his way since giving up the ring for domestic life. He wastes his nights in the local bar spending what little money the family has. The boys hang out together wandering through their small town trying to find adventure. For Rocky, his life revolves around the local TV kiddie show, “Froggy Doo.” For Elliott, he finds solace behind a camera, taking skilled black and white photographs. At the beginning of the film, the boys’ lives change in two ways. First, Haley (Morgan Flynn), the daughter of the local deputy moves next door to the Plumms. She and Elliott have immediate puppy love for each other. The initial scenes between Massoglia and Flynn showing Elliott and Haley meeting are sweet and genuine. The stilted dialogue and long, awkward pauses will take you back to your own youth and the first girl or boy you had a crush on. Haley and Elliott are both lonely (Haley as the new girl whose mom passed away and Elliott as the local outcast whose old man is a has-been) and become fast friends.

The second event that changes everyone’s life is the frog-napping of Froggy Doo. Froggy Doo is a marionette on the local kiddie show which is hosted by Happy Herb (a very fun and gentile Henry Winkler). The longest running show in Montana history, Herb and Froggy are local legends. Herb, Froggy and Herb’s wife, Viv (wonderfully played by Brenda Strong) come to the kids’ small town for a promotional event and Froggy is stolen. Everyone is devastated, adults and kids alike. Desperate for attention from his dad, Elliott decides that he’s going to solve the mystery of who frog-napped Froggy with the assistance of Haley. As the film progresses, a couple of bumbling FBI agents are called in (played by Peter Scolari and Rick Overton- both very funny) and the blame of who swiped Froggy gets tossed around until the final minutes. In the process of trying to solve the crime, Elliott and his father have it out after Mick is arrested for disorderly conduct and he must come to terms with his life or risk losing his family.

A Plumm Summer has many things going for it, first and foremost, it isn’t afraid to get serious and handle tough subject matter. Mick and Roxie are facing hard times and the reality of his alcohol problem could rip the family apart. Moreover, Elliott feels his father’s resentment and desperately tries to win his approval until finally he can’t take anymore, blowing up at him. Yet this isn’t some dark indie film; although the subject matter is serious, it is handles in a sincere, even handed manner that doesn’t make it frightening for little ones. I wager to say that the opening of Finding Nemo is more traumatic than the heavy scenes in A Plumm Summer. The second thing the film has in its favor is the outstanding acting all around. Not only are the adult leads (including nice narration by Jeff Daniels as the adult Elliott) dedicated to the film instead of phoning it in, but the three leads, Massoglia, Flynn and Pearce do a great job. When their scenes could have been cutesy and cloying, instead the scenes all felt real and did not feel like they were “acting.” My kids, in particular, loved Rocky and found him to be hilarious. Pearce is very funny. Meanwhile, Massoglia and Flynn are two very talented young actors and appear to have a nice future ahead of them.

Technically, the film has beautiful cinematography (courtesy of Mark Vargo) and is paced wonderfully thanks to editor Jonathan Lucas. Tom Hiel’s original score works seamlessly with the period songs on the soundtrack.

What surprised me most about A Plumm Summer was the depth the story had. There were many layers to the screenplay, keeping us involved for all of its 101 minutes. Additionally, every character was interesting and had heart, even the so-called villain(s) are nicely drawn. When the adult Elliott states at the end of the film that he and Haley would someday marry, “but that’s a story for another time,” I genuinely wanted to hear about it because I had come to love these characters as much as I love the film. I am so thankful I discovered A Plumm Summer and I know that this movie will be seen many times on movie night for years to come.

The DVD comes with a gag reel, some deleted scenes, a behind the scenes music video, and commentary by Zelder and Antonelli.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Season 7 (2009, Lionsgate)

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the past 25 years, you’ve heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or TMNT. You may not know that the turtle with the blue mask is Leonardo, the leader; the turtle wearing the red mask is Raphael, the bad boy; the one in the orange mask is Michelangelo, the party animal; and the turtle donning the purple mask is Donatello, the resident genius. But you should know that they exist, first as a comic book, then as a long running animated television series, then as a series of live action films, then a live action television series, then a new animated series, then a new animated film, and of course, a mother load of merchandising. Ah, the merchandising. If the there is one thing this long running brand has, it’s merchandising. Case in point, the new 7^th season of the mid 80’s, early 90’s animated series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Season 7 includes 27 episodes released for the first time ever as four separate collectible DVDs featuring one of the characters on each cover. Each disc includes different episodes from the season plus a collectible mini Turtles Action Figure. Genius. But of course, the people behind TMNT have always been business savvy.

Created in the mid 80’s by comic book artist Kevin Eastman and his friend Peter Laird, the two men wrote Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a parody of the big super hero/mutant comics popular at the time (think X-Men and Daredevil). Never in their wildest dreams could they have expected their one self published comic to become a multi-billion dollar empire. By the late 80’s, there were toys, movies, and of course, the long running animated series that sucked in the attention of young kids around the world.

Let me tell you as a father whose son flipped when these DVD’s arrived at the house, the 80’s TMNT series still captures the hearts of little kids everywhere. Together, the two of us sat down and watched almost every episode together. He sang the theme song with me and pointed out the characters I didn’t recognize (by season 7 they had to have more villains than Shredder). Together we laughed at the bad jokes and cheered at the cartoony action. Sure, the stories are a little weak by the 7^th season and, like most 80’s animated series, the drawings are a bit clunky and the lip assignment doesn’t always match up. But looking at my boy as he watched with open eyes, and observing how my daughter even got caught up in some of the episodes, I realized that TMNT was quite entertaining for a kids cartoon.

What I like about the packaging of this 7^th season of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is that instead of having to purchase the entire season, you have the option to sample several episodes at a time and gradually collect the multiple episodes. The Leonardo DVD includes episodes in which the Turtles save the Eiffel Tower, and they must stop a glacier meltdown. The Michelangelo DVD includes the young ninjas battling monster sheep and putting the freeze on a deadly heat ray. The Donatello DVD features stories in which Shredder and Krang activate the dreaded Technodrome. The Raphael DVD includes episodes in which a vengeful fly who wants to change all humans into insects and a Mutant Hunter who’s targeted the Turtles.

DVD extras include on look back on the Multimillion dollar Turtle toy line; interviews with TMNT creators Laird and Eastman; and a look and the devoted fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Whether you want to experience some nostalgia, or you want to share some of what you found exciting in your youth with your own kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Season 7 is harmless way to hang out with your young turtle loving children and have some mindless fun.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment has just released what they dubbed the Marvel Comic Book Collection. X-men Volume 1 and Volume 2 each have 2 discs each and contain the first 33 episodes in order from seasons 1 and 2 and the first 7 episodes from season 3.

When creating this particular series, it was apparent that the producers had a specific approach: Keep the X-Men team simple, with no more than 8 characters. That may seem like a lot, but considering that there are too many X-Men related characters in the Marvel Universe to count, this was a wise decision. They opted with the popular characters of the time: Cyclops, the pensive leader who shoots optic rays out of his eyes; Jean Grey, a beautiful and powerful telekinetic; Wolverine, (the most popular character then and now), a savage with claws in his hands; Gambit, a reformed Cajun thief with the ability to manipulate kinetic energy; Rogue, a southern misfit who is seemingly indestructible and can absorb other peoples’ powers; Beast, a brilliant scientist trapped in a furry blue body; Storm, a stunning weather goddess from Africa; and Jubilee, a teenage girl just learning to use her mutant ability. With a smaller group it allowed the viewer to get attached to the characters on an emotional level.

In addition to the popular heroes of the time, these X-Men DVD’s also feature many of the key villains from X-Men history, including Magneto, Mr. Sinister, Apocalypse and the Sentinels. Popular storylines from the comic adapted for the series include “Days of Future Past”, Wolverine’s run in with Sabertooth, the Savage Land, and “The Phoenix saga”, which introduces a mysterious life force that overtakes Jean Grey’s psyche and makes her the most powerful being in the universe.

Just like the comic book series, this is a serialized adventure series with storylines carrying over from episode to episode, some story arcs even lasting four or five episodes. This technique is as much a tribute to the month to month storytelling of comic books as well as a benefit to viewers. Instead of cramming things into 30 minutes and moving on, X-Men is more like a nighttime drama than your typical Saturday morning cartoon. Thus, having a collection of the episodes in order like they are presented in these two volumes is the best way to watch them.

Although a Y7 show, there are some adult themes being dealt with in X-Men, themes of love and broken hearts that may fly over a youngster’s head. No matter, there is enough action and adventure to keep them happy.

After X-Men completed its 5 season run (future DVD volumes are sure to come), there would be two more X-Men animated shows, X-Men: Evolution and the current Wolverine and the X-Men (as well as three feature films and the Wolverine prequel that now dwells in theaters). Although those later series are better animated, they are not necessarily better shows. In fact X-Men is a fine tribute to the legacy of the X-Men universe and good time for anyone who is a fan of super heroes.

Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection: X-Men Volume 1 (2009, Buena Vista)
purchase this DVD from Amazon

Marvel DVD Comic Book Collection: X-Men Volume 2 (2009, Buena Vista)
purchase this DVD from Amazon