Many thanks to Dana Stevens of Slate for recommending this heartwarming little film:
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Nell Minow: May 2009 Archives
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Add to StumbleUponSaturday May 30, 2009
Categories: Television
'Land of the Lost' -- The Original
As we get ready for next week's big release, Will Ferrell's "Land of the Lost," let's take a moment to remember the deliciously cheesy Saturday morning television show that inspired it.
Saturday May 30, 2009
Categories: Shorts
'Terminator' -- the Love Song
I get a kick out of silly parodies like this "Terminator" power ballad.
Thursday May 28, 2009
Categories: Behind the Scenes, Trailers and Previews
First Shots from 'New Moon'
Check out Entertainment Weekly's gallery of shots from the set of "New Moon." They say that even though Edward does not play much of a role in the book, fans have been assured that the popular Robert Pattinson will play a significant role in the film.
But this film is where we -- and Bella -- really get to know Jacob, played by Taylor Lautner, who put on 25 pounds of muscle for the role. I interviewed Taylor four years ago when he appeared in The Adventures of SharkBoy and LavaGirl in 3-D
Wednesday May 27, 2009
Interview: Paul Newman biographer Shawn Levy
Movie critic Shawn Levy, author of the superb books King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis
Q: Newman was one of those rare performers who become icons of their eras. What was it about his style of acting and choices of scripts that seemed so particularly characteristic of the post-WWII years?
A: He often played younger than he really was, like many actors, but it was particularly his casting as the failed sons of strong fathers in such films as "The Rack," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Hud" and, in a sense, "The Long Hot Summer" and "The Hustler" that cemented him as an icon. He carried the sensitivity of James Dean into a new era when the promise of a film like "Rebel Without a Cause" bled into mainstream and prestige films. He easily segued into rebel/countercultural figures starting in the mid-'60s ("Harper," "Hombre," "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy"). And because he was older than the characters he was playing (he was 38 when he made "Hud"), he also carried a savor of mature authority. He played, in short, equally well to both the establishment and the kids who threw mudballs at it.
Q: Is there a performance of Newman's that you think is particularly overlooked or underrated?
A: His turn as the stage manager in the Broadway production of "Our Town
Q: What did he consider his biggest failing?
A: In acting, he felt he was too mechanical and calculating for the first 25 years or so of his career, and I think I'd agree. You see him pulling poses and striking moods quite deliberately even in such fine films as "The Hustler
Tuesday May 26, 2009
Categories: Spoiler Alert
'Star Trek' and 'Terminator Salvation' -- Spoiler Alert Discussion
Tuesday May 26, 2009
Interview: Pete Docter of 'Up'
Tuesday May 26, 2009
New In Town
B
Despite the title, there is nothing at all new about this romantic comedy, but it manages to endear itself anyway. Renée Zellweger plays uptight and ambitious Lucy Hill, an ambitious, stiletto heel-wearing executive based in Miami who thinks she can...
| Audience: | Middle School |
| MPAA Rating: | PG for language and some suggestive material |
| Movie Release Date: | January 30, 2009 |
Monday May 25, 2009
Book: History of Independent Cinema
Monday May 25, 2009
Taps
Filed Under: memorial day, taps
Sunday May 24, 2009
Categories: Q&As
Q&A with the Movie Mom
Sunday May 24, 2009
Categories: After the kids go to bed, Television
Glee
Saturday May 23, 2009
PBS Resource on Media for Parents
Saturday May 23, 2009
Categories: Behind the Scenes
Who Designs Movie Cars of the Future?
Saturday May 23, 2009
More for Memorial Day
Friday May 22, 2009
Categories: For Your Netflix Queue, Holidays, Lists, Movie Mom's Top Picks for Families, Rediscovered Classic, War
Movies to Salute Our Armed Forces
Thursday May 21, 2009
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian
B+
Everything is bigger, better, and especially funnier in this sequel to the surprise hit Night at the Museum. In the original, Larry (Ben Stiller) was an unsuccessful inventor who took at job as a security guard at New York's Museum...
| Audience: | 4th - 6th Grades |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG for mild action and brief language |
| Movie Release Date: | May 22, 2009 |
Thursday May 21, 2009
Terminator: Salvation
B
How can you have a war between humans and machines when the line between them is hard to find? In the first three Terminator movies, cyborgs from the future were sent back in time to prevent future leader of the...
| Audience: | Mature High Schooler |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and language |
| Movie Release Date: | May 22, 2009 |
Thursday May 21, 2009
Categories: Behind the Scenes
The Terminator Calendar
Thursday May 21, 2009
Categories: Media Appearances
Follow Me on Twitter
Thursday May 21, 2009
Categories: Marketing to Kids, Parenting
A Terminator Costume for Little Kids?
Wednesday May 20, 2009
Parking Lot Rules -- Parenting Book from Tom Sturges
Tuesday May 19, 2009
Categories: Quiz
Terminator Quiz
Tuesday May 19, 2009
Paul Blart: Mall Cop
B-
Some things are so inherently funny they transcend time, language, and culture. Slipping on a banana peel. A cream pie in the face. And now we must add to the list Kevin James in a uniform riding a Segway in...
| Audience: | Middle School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG for some violence, mild crude and suggestive humor, and language |
| Movie Release Date: | January 16, 2009 |
Monday May 18, 2009
Interview: Jason Dolley of 'Cory in the House' and 'Hatching Pete'
Monday May 18, 2009
Categories: Books, Movie Mom's Top Picks for Families, Parenting, Understanding Media and Pop Culture
Dr. Toy
Sunday May 17, 2009
Categories: Media Appearances
'Angels & Demons' -- radio debate
Sunday May 17, 2009
Categories: Behind the Scenes, Cool Stuff
Zuzu from 'It's a Wonderful Life'
Saturday May 16, 2009
'Night at the Museum 2' Press Conference, Part 2
Saturday May 16, 2009
'Night at the Museum 2' Press Conference, Part 1
Thursday May 14, 2009
'The Story of Stuff'
Thursday May 14, 2009
Categories: Behind the Scenes, Trailers and Previews
WTWTA Blog
Wednesday May 13, 2009
Categories: Neglected gem
Bye Bye Braverman
Wednesday May 13, 2009
Animated 'Lord of the Rings' -- last 600 copies!
Tuesday May 12, 2009
Categories: Parenting, Understanding Media and Pop Culture
Has 'Pimp' Become an Acceptable Term for Children?
Tuesday May 12, 2009
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
B+
Brad Pitt is a very fine actor (see "Twelve Monkeys" and "True Romance") but in this epic fantasy his diligent and thoughtful performance contributes less to the film than his appearance, about two-thirds of the way through. I mean appearance...
| Audience: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for brief war violence, sexual content, language and smoking |
| Movie Release Date: | December 25, 2008 |
Monday May 11, 2009
Categories: Books
'The Big Lebowski' Abides
Monday May 11, 2009
Categories: DVD Pick of the Week
The Last Unicorn
Sunday May 10, 2009
Categories: Cool Stuff
DC Fundraiser for Juvenile Diabetes
Sunday May 10, 2009
More Great Movie Mothers
Sunday May 10, 2009
Categories: Understanding Media and Pop Culture
10 Things Critics Won't Tell You
Sunday May 10, 2009
10 Great Movie Moms
Saturday May 9, 2009
Categories: Commentary, Understanding Media and Pop Culture
Is Racism Subjective?
Saturday May 9, 2009
Categories: Advertising, Commentary, Marketing to Kids, Parenting, Understanding Media and Pop Culture
More Marketing of PG-13 Movies to Little Kids
Saturday May 9, 2009
Categories: Shorts
The Onion: Trekkies on 'Star Trek'
Saturday May 9, 2009
Categories: Commentary
Is television still a vast wasteland?
Thursday May 7, 2009
Categories: Television
Star Trek Top 10: Leonard Nimoy on Letterman
Thursday May 7, 2009
Categories: For Your Netflix Queue
Trekkies/Galaxy Quest
Wednesday May 6, 2009
Categories: For Your Netflix Queue, Lists
List: Movie Judges
Wednesday May 6, 2009
Categories: Understanding Media and Pop Culture
MaryAnn Johanson
Tuesday May 5, 2009
Star Trek Quiz (Old School)
Tuesday May 5, 2009
Categories: Cool Stuff
Star Trek Monopoly
Tuesday May 5, 2009
Categories: Documentary, Movies
Earth
B
This stunning valentine to our planet's plants and animals re-purposes some of the footage from the stunning documentary Planet Earth into a more narrative storyline, taking us through the seasons and across the globe to see nature's eternal themes of...
| Audience: | 4th - 6th Grades |
| MPAA Rating: | G |
| Movie Release Date: | April 22, 2009 |
Tuesday May 5, 2009
Last Chance Harvey
B+
It's wonderful to watch young people falling in love for the first time. That's why we get to see it so often in the movies. But it is even more wonderful to see people falling in love for the last...
| Audience: | High School |
| MPAA Rating: | Rated PG-13 for brief strong language |
| Movie Release Date: | January 16, 2009 |
Monday May 4, 2009
The Hip Hop Project
Monday May 4, 2009
Categories: Based on a true story, DVD Pick of the Week, Drama, Family Issues, For the Whole Family, Interview
A Plumm Summer
Sunday May 3, 2009
Categories: For Your Netflix Queue, Lists
Lessons from 90's Teen Movies
Saturday May 2, 2009
Categories: Media Appearances
Berkeley Monthly Interview
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Copyright 1995-2009 Nell Minow. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 1995-2009 Nell Minow. All Rights Reserved.