What to Watch in the Theater:
A Star is Born (R) is in theaters now. It’s a familiar premise, to those who’ve watched any of the previous three versions of this film. Well-established music artist discovers, and falls in love with, a new talent. His career is on the decline as hers is on the rise. Of course there’s new music, to suit the times and the voices, as well as other updates to keep the story fresh. Although the movie was long, the timeline was unclear, which distracted a bit from the story. The music and acting were good, and it’s an entertaining new take on the story.
Our rating: 3.83 out of 5
First Man (PG13) opens today. This movie tells the story of Neil Armstrong’s journey, from test pilot to astronaut to first man on the moon. It was filmed in an interesting way – from home movie style to IMAX, with some breathtaking space shots. The camera shaking during flights is a little unnerving, but you really get a feel for the harrowing experiences early astronauts had with their equipment. There’s some heavy drama here – right from the start – so prepare for some emotional scenes. The film does a good job reminding us of the sacrifices that were made for space exploration, by the astronauts and their families as well.
Our rating: 4.25 out of 5
What to Watch at Home (Or Not):
Zoo (PG) is available on DVD. Based on a true story, this movie follows Tom, a young boy in Belfast during World War II. When his zookeeper dad heads to war, Tom enlists an unlikely team to sneak baby elephant, Buster, from the zoo, and keep him safe. It’s a fun tale of new friendships, with the dangerous reality of war looming over them. There are some sad and scary elements to this story, so although it’s a family film, it may be too scary for younger kids.
Our rating: 4 out of 5
Invader ZIM (TVY7) is streaming on Netflix. This animated series, which originally ran on Nickelodeon during the early 2000’s, has a bit of a cult following. With the aliens-taking-over-the-world premise, scientific experiments and more, we find it hard to believe this is a kids show. But then, it’s just a cartoon, right? Some of the characters act like spoiled children and are really annoying – is there a lesson to be learned here somewhere?
Not rating until we’ve finished all the episodes.
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