Nell Minow: February 2008 Archives

This off-beat and uneven fairy tale has something in common with its heroine -- an uncertain incongruity. That heroine is Penelope (Christina Ricci), an educated, wealthy young woman with a loving heart and the nose of a pig. More of a snout, actually. While it is actually kind of cute, Penelope's prospective suitors are so horrified by it that one after the other they leap out of her mansion through the window, wanting to get away so fast they do not have time to take the stairs and leave by the door.

The pig nose is the result of a generation-spanning curse. Knowing that the curse can be broken if Penelope is loved and accepted by her equal, her parents (Richard E. Grant and Catherine O'Hara) keep her hidden away and parade dozens of suitable suitors in front of Penelope's two-way mirror. If they can just keep her indoors until the curse is broken, they think she can have a normal life.

But being kept inside like a hothouse flower (the production design includes bell jars and a terrarium) is not normal. And so, as all captive princesses in fairy tales must, she runs away. And as all romantic comedy leading ladies must, she meets a prince with a secret (James McAvoy).

Three cheers for the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. In a press release issued today, CCFC announced that "As a result of CCFC's Federal Trade Commission complaint, Baby Einstein has completely redesigned its website and is no longer making educational claims about its DVDs and videos."

I have been a long-time critic of DVDs for under-twos and am delighted that they can no longer be marketed as "educational." Studies have shown that babies learn less from watching these DVDs than they do from spending the same amount of time observing the world around them. The FTC and Disney have acknowledged what parents have known for thousands of years -- that babies learn best from interaction and observation.

The anniversary of the shrine at Lourdes is a good reminder of the lovely performance of Jennifer Jones in "Song of Bernadette," the story of the young girl who saw "a beautiful lady" and became Saint Bernadette Soubirous.

If Wes Andersen ever decides to treat his characters with the same loving attention he treats his props, he will make better movies. Oh the tschotchkes in this movie! It's like a long, loving J. Peterman catalogue commercial. If only the people in front of and carting around all of these delectable objects were as intriguing as the objects themselves. Especially those being carted around -- the fabulous numbered matching set of luggage brought along on this journey is more compelling than the people carrying it.

That would be the three estranged brothers who inherited the baggage, both metaphorical and literal. The journey is organized by Francis (Owen Wilson, with his head elaborately bandaged through most of the movie), who has brought along an aide with a printer and a laminating machine to hand tuck daily itineraries under the door of the title train's compartment. Francis has invited Peter (stork-legged Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) to take the train ride with him after a year apart following their father's funeral.

It is beautiful to look at and there are some intriguing developments. But they are encrusted with precious quirkiness and ironic air quotes that get in the way. Casual cruelty and cool reactions to tragedy attempt fall short of insight. Too much goes on around the edges and too little goes on in the center of the screen.

There are brief moments that show what Anderson is capable of. A pan through the train cars, reminiscient of Joan Crawford's dazzling vision in "Possessed," makes us want to see the movie that sensibility is capable of.

One of the oldest surviving stories is retold through one of the most modern of technologies in a thrilling 3-D adventure from director Robert Zemeckis.

February 29 (Leap Day) comes only once every four years, a calendrical adjustment that is of the utmost importance in Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance. It seems that Frederic, mistakenly apprenticed to pirates (his hard-of-hearing nurse misunderstood when...

It was great to see "The Counterfeiters" win the foreign language Oscar last night. writer-director Stefan Ruzowitsky and lead actor Karl Markovics told me how thrilled they were to be nominated, and how much they were looking forward to attending....

Better than the Oscars! Beliefnet announces its picks for the best spiritual movies and performances of last year. I like these awards because they honor what is inspiring and moving, because they let both professionals and movie fans vote, and...

In Michel Gondry's delightful new film, "Be Kind Rewind," an entire video store filled with tapes is erased and Mos Def and Jack Black recreate the films themselves, dubbing the process of making their versions "sweding." Here is the original...

Charlie Bartlett (Anton Yelchin) has been kicked out of so many posh prep schools that the only thing left to try is the local public school. At first, he shows up wearing his prep school blazer and carrying an attaché...

"The Counterfeiters" is the Oscar-nominated true story of the biggest counterfeiting operation in history -- one that was run out of a concentration camp during WWII. The Nazis took prisoners who were expert in engraving and printing and put them...

I was delighted to have a chance to talk to illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky, who was given the Caldecott award highest honor for children's book illustration for his work on Rapunzel. Paul talked with me about working with animators to...

USA Today has a terrific movie quiz. If you can recognize phrases like "La de dah," "Show me the money," "I see dead people," and "If anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving," you should be able to rack up an impressive...

A 1940 film starring Joan Crawford and Clark Gable and set in a penal colony is an improbable candidate for Biblical allegory, but Strange Cargo is a moving film that draws its power from an inspiring, Christ-like figure and its...

This is America. We do not torture people. But sometimes we send prisoners suspected of ties to terrorism to places where they do torture people. That is what happens to Anwar El-Ibrahimi (Omar Metwally), a chemical engineer who moved to...

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) spends a lot of time facing into the dark midnight of the soul, his own and others'. Late one night and early the next morning, he does both at once as he gets a call on...

Why have there been no great films about George Washington? And why are there so many films featuring Abraham Lincoln? From the John Ford classic Young Mr. Lincoln, starring Henry Fonda, to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, there is...

Is there a more adorable television show ever than Nick Jr.'s "Yo Gabba Gabba?" I love this mash-up of movie star, viral pioneer "Numa Numa," and good old-fashioned silly dance fun....

Oh, boy -- check out the teaser trailer for "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." I was a little worried, especially when the trailer wasted time reprising the first three movies, like we don't already know them...

Mental Floss has a very intriguing list of 8 movie metaphors worth puzzling over. Yes, there's the knight playing chess with Death in "The Seventh Seal" in the intro, but the list also has some unexpected and thought-provoking items, including...

What were the best spiritual movies and performances of last year? See this year's nominees for Best Spiritual Film, Best Spiritual Performance, and Best Spiritual Documentary. Then watch clips, join the debate, and vote on your favorites. Nominees: Best Spiritual...

The movies have given us many memorable romantic teams, including Tracy and Hepburn, Bogart and Bacall, and of course the most adorable of all, Mickey and Minnie. In Mickey & Minnie's Sweetheart Stories, “Mickey’s Rival” provides an opportunity to...

Thanks to SlateV for sharing this charming short film about finding the only person in the world who sees things just the way you do:...

A blog post by Consumer Reports points out that in her record-breaking 3D concert film, Miley Cyrus and her dad ride in the back seat of a Range Rover on the way to rehearsal -- without their seatbelts. Cyrus...

One of the highlights of NBC's "Qubo" children's educational program schedule is Jane and the Dragon, created by author Martin Baynton and Oscar-winning animator Richard Taylor, visual effects designer for the The Lord of the Rings series. Jane and the...

Scott Farrell of Chivalry Today interviewed me about the portrayal of chivalry in movies, and the podcast is available on the website (you can skip the intro and start about halfway through). We talked about some of the Hollywood greats,...

It may be a three-star movie about a four-star chef, but it is still a sweet summer treat and a great date night hors d'oeuvre. Kate (Catherine Zeta Jones) just does not understand what everyone's problem is. All she wants...

There's nothing wrong with a little fakery now and then if it smooths out some rough spots and eliminates some distractions. But this film goes past fakery into condescending phoniness that knocks the story off its tracks. What is frustrating...

This is a curious hybrid combining contemporary language and violence with a retro set-up right out of a 1930's James Cagney/Pat O'Brien movie and pulsating undercover law enforcement action of 1970's films like Serpico and The French Connection. The story...

"The Band's Visit" is a bittersweet story about isolation and connections. Israeli writer-director Eran Kolirin talked to me about the movie, his first feature film, which follows an Egyptian police band on their way to perform at an Arab cultural...

I spoke to producer/creater John Pierre Francia, who was inspired by his experience as a flight instructor to create a new DVD series about a boy who flies a different airplane to a new place every week, learning about...

I love to read other critics' reviews. When movies are good, they're very, very good, but when movies are bad, they're better. Paris Hilton's new movie, The Hottie & the Nottie at least inspired two of my favorite critics and...

“Family is a 24-7 reality check,” explains one of the parade of nightmare relatives. “This is one hell of a family,” says another. These two statements pretty much summarize the movie. And that’s the good news. Family reunions on screen...

This pea-brained vanity production does not have the energy to remember from one scene to the next what it is about or why it is on screen. It is attention-deficit film-making. Famous-for-being-famous Paris Hilton is not only the star, but...

I have family-friendly DVDs to give away to the first ten people who send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com and identify themselves as Beliefnet readers. If you let me know the ages and genders of your children, I'll try to...

Yesterday I attended a meeting with Kevin Martin, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission to talk about media and family issues. It was arranged by the Parents Television Council, which has been very active on issues of non-family-friendly content and...

On the list of movies featuring Beatles songs, this one comes far below A Hard Day's Night, Yellow Submarine, Let It Be, and Help but slightly above Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, maybe somewhere around Magical Mystery Tour. Director...

This movie may be about one of the most famous outlaws in the days of the Wild West, but it is not a bang-bang shoot-em-up Western. It is a broody psychological Western, a lot of peering out into endless prairie...

More recent questions and answers. Thanks to all who wrote! I am looking for the title to a movie from late 70s or 80s about a group of US teenagers on field trip to Europe (I think a French class...

I hear there is some sort of sporting event going on this weekend. So it makes sense that studios decided it would not be a good time to release big-budget movies with hopes of big box office. If Sunday will...