02.23.13
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Escape From Planet Earth

My rating: ratings4

This 3D-animaed comedy takes place on planet Baab, where admired astronaut Scorch Supernova (Brendan Fraser) is a national hero to the blue alien population. Scorch works with his brother, Gary (Rob Corddry) and his boss, Lena (Jessica Alba) at BASA. When Scorch goes on a mission to “The Dark Planet” (which is actually our planet, Earth), he is captured by the ruthless leader of Area 51, William T. Shanker (Star Trek‘s William Shatner).  Now Gary must save his brother, his planet, his wife Kira (Sarah Jessica Parker) and their son Kip (Bedtime Stories‘ Jonathan Morgan Heit). the film also stars Craig Robinson, Sofia Vergara, Ricky Gervais, Jane Lynch, George Lopez and Steve Zahn. This movie is rated PG by the MPAA for “action and some mild rude humor”.

This film is filled with laughs and humor. It is now my favorite animated movie of all time!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would recommend this movie for kids of all ages. I think everyone will enjoy it, even adults!

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02.07.13
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Here Comes the Boom

My rating: ratings4

I saw this movie yesterday on Amazon Instant Video with my family. We all enjoyed it. It made us crack up! This movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday. It is also available on Xfinity On Demand. This movie is rated PG by the MPAA for “bouts of MMA sports violence, some rude humor and language”.

This film is about a former college wrestler named Scott Voss (Kevin James) who is now a 42-year-old bored biology teacher at a failing high school. When budget cuts lead to cancelling the music program, Scott decides to become a mixed martial arts fighter to save it. The film’s cast also includes Salma Hayek, Henry Winkler, Bas Rutten and Charice.

I really liked the cast and the comedy of this hilarious film, which is directed by Frank Coraci. This is now my favorite Kevin James movie. I would recommend this movie for kids my age or older but it might be inappropriate for kids younger.

Also, here is the website and the trailer of this movie.

01.06.13
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The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

My rating: ratings5

I saw this fantastic movie with my good friend Jake and my dad on New Year’s Day in 3D. This film is based on the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien and it is a prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, this film is directed by Peter Jackson. Some actors also acted in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, such as Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis and Hugo Weaving.

Like the book, the film tells the story of a young hobbit named Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) who is hired by a wizard named Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to accompany 13 dwarves on a quest to reclaim their home, the Lonely Mountain, from a dragon named Smaug.

My friend, my dad and I all enjoyed this movie, even though it was really long (it’s almost 3 hours long!). I liked many things about this movie, including the action, the humor, the music, the cast and the costume design. I heard it was already nominated at least 2 Oscars, including Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Visual Effects!

I would recommend this movie for kids 10 and up, but kids younger might  be too scared or freaked out and they might think it is too long. I can’t wait until Part 2 (which hit theaters on December 13, 2013) and Part 3 (which hits theaters on December 17, 2014)!

Also, here is the website and the trailer of this movie.

The photo below is a picture of my friend (who saw the movie with me) and I next to a picture of Bilbo Baggins holding up a sword.20130101_201322

01.05.13
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Parental Guidance

My rating: ratings4

When grandparents Artie (Billy Crystal) and Diane (Bette Midler) agree to babysit their three grandchildren when their parents (Marisa Tomei and Tom Everett Scott) leave town for a week, problems arise when the kids’ 21st-century behaviors collide with Artie and Diane’s old-school methods. But this movie, which is directed by Andy Fickman, is also about the value of family.

I really enjoyed this comedy and thought it was hilarious! I think that even the trailer of this movie will make you crack up!!!! I really liked how they made the credits, which you will have to stay tuned for and find out yourself when you watch the movie!!!!!!!!!!!  I would recommend this movie for kids 10 and over but it might be too uninteresting for kids younger than that. They also might not get any of the funny things in this movie.

Also, here is the website and the trailer of this movie.

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01.04.13
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Some interesting stats on FilmToppings in 2012

You may want to take a pick at some interesting facts about my blog in 2012  – Who else read FilmToppings? What countries do they come from? Which posts were the most popular? Which readers commented the most? Click on a link below here for all these and much more!

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. FilmToppings got about 2,100 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 4 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

12.14.12
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Playing for Keeps

My rating: ratings2

George Dryer (played by Gerard Butler) is a divorced former professional soccer player who wants to be closer to his son, Lewis (played by Noah Lomax), so he decides to coach his son’s soccer team and falls in love with the players’ moms (played by Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Judy Greer).

This movie probably isn’t on my top 10 or 20 or 30 favorite movies list. But I still like it. I really liked Gerard Butler’s role, as well as Jessica Biel’s role as George’s ex-wife, Stacie. I would recommend this film for children 13 and over, but I think mostly adults would like this movie.

Also, here is the website and the trailer for the movie.

11.29.12
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Arthur Christmas

My rating: 

Have you ever wondered how Santa Claus delivers 2 billion presents in 1 night? Well, in this movie, which is now availible on DVD and Blu-ray, you will find out how he does it. This 2011 Christmas holiday themed movie is directed by Sarah Smith and stars James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Imelda Saunton, Jim Broadbent and Ashley Jensen. It tells the story of Arthur (McAvoy), Santa’s son. In this movie, Santa (Broadbent) delivers the Christmas presents with an ultra-high-tech “sleigh” known as the S-1, which is piloted by his older son, Steve (Laurie) and Steve’s elf assistant, Peter (Marc Wooton). On Christmas night, the elves deliver all the presents to all the children across the world. Soon the mission is complete and every present is delivered, until Arthur finds out that one present, which belongs to a girl in England named Gwen Hynes (Ramona Marquez), has not been delivered. Together with an elf named Bryony (Jensen), and his grandfather, Grand-Santa (Nighy), Arthur goes on an adventure on the original old wooden sleigh, named Evie, to deliver the present to Gwen. Also, Imelda Saunton plays Margaret Claus, Santa’s wife.

I really liked this movie, its animation, and humorous, smart and heart-warming story. I would recommend this movie for kids of all ages. Maybe even adults might enjoy this hilarious film.

Also, here is the website and the trailer of the movie.

11.26.12
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Life of Pi

My rating:

This Ang Lee film tells about Piscine Molitor “Pi” Patel (Suraj Sharma), a 16-year-old Indian boy who is the only survivor of a sinking Japanese freighter and finds himself on a small life boat with a spotted hyena, a mother orangutan who had lost her children in the shipwreck, a wounded zebra and an adult male Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi must survive with the animals and survive at sea. Eventually, after furious fighting between the animals, only Richard Parker survives, and the 2 survivors form a unique friendship after lots of efforts.

Other cast members include Irrfan Khan as the adult Pi, Tabu as Pi’s mother, Adil Hussain as Pi’s father, Gerard Depardieu as a cook and Rafe Spall as a writer. Directed by Ang Lee, the film is based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel of the same name. The producers are Ang Lee, Gil Netter and David Womark and the screenwriter is David Magee.

This movie is a story of ingenuity, adventure, courage and faith. It concludes with a message that belief in God is indeed the “better story” (according to Pi). I really enjoyed this film after I saw it with my grandmother on Thursday and I would recommend this film for adults and teenagers, but especially not kids around my age or younger because they would find it too scary or boring. Also, they might not understand the plot of the movie, but  I think adults will really like this movie.

Also, here is the website and the trailer of the movie.

11.22.12
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From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

My rating: ratings1

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler is a 1995 television film based on the novel by E.L. Konigsburg. The story is about a girl named Claudia and her brother, Jamie, who run away from home to live in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and discover what they think is a lost treasure. The children are transfixed with the treasure and won’t leave without knowing what its secret is. Lauren Bacall stars in the title role, Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

The film lacks the narrative of Mrs. Frankweiler present in the book which causes it to lose much of the book’s humor and wisdom. For the majority of the film, the script stays true to the action in the book. However, Claudia’s posing as an adult and Jamie’s cold are not present in the novel.

I hated this movie a lot, especially becuase I didn’t like the actress who was casted as Claudia. I would recommend this movie for kids my age or older, but not for younger kids who might not be interested in it or not understand the plot.

Also, here is the trailer of the movie.