Frame By Frame

Bedtime Stories
4 Lloyd’s - Family-Friendly
PG for some mild rude humor and mild language.

First off, please note, we are calling this movie family-friendly. But remember, this is a PG movie, not a G movie. In other words, Bedtime Stories is family-friendly for the rating. Don’t simply drop your kids off at the show. Go with them and be encouraged too.

Bedtime Stories is described as an adventure comedy starring Adam Sandler as Skeeter Bronson. He’s in the family-business, but not as the owner. Instead, he’s a hotel handyman whose life is changed forever when the bedtime stories he tells his niece and nephew start to mysteriously come true. At first he attempts to take advantage of the phenomenon. Skeeter begins to incorporate his own aspirations into the stories in hopes of changing his situation.

But, when he discovers it’s the kid’s contributions to the stories that come true, Skeeter suddenly finds his life turned upside down.

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Valkyrie
3.5 Lloyd’s - Not Family-Friendly
PG-13 for violence and brief strong language.

Many saw evil…they dared to stop it.

In a county in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer serving his country, while at the same time hoping someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing time is running out, the Colonel decides he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. 

Armed with Hitler’s own emergency plan, known as Operation Valkyrie, the men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside.

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Yes Man
3.5 Lloyd’s - Cautionary Family-Friendly
PG-13 for crude sexual humor, language and brief nudity.

One word can change everything.

Based on a memoir by British author Danny Wallace which Warner Bros. picked up in April of 2005, Yes Man is a story about a man who decides to change his life by saying “yes” to absolutely everything that comes his way.

In the midst of his new way of life, “yes” also leads him on a series of unexpected adventures, turning his whole life upside-down. At first, unleashing the power of “yes” transforms Carl Allen’s life in amazing and unexpected ways. He’s promoted at work, and even finds an open door leading to a new romance.

But, even though the single word “yes” provides endless possibilities, he also discovers it can have its drawbacks.

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The Day The Earth Stood Still
2 Lloyd’s - Not Family-Friendly
PG-13 for some sci-fi disaster images and violence.

 The Day the Earth Stood Still may have moved Four Christmases from the top spot in the box office over the weekend, but, this through-away flick may have a short run in the top ten, and even on the big screen. One theater owner told me the distributors told him the remake of the 1951 sci-fi flick will be replaced by Marley and Me on Christmas Day. That means, for theaters which normally close on Christmas Eve, The Day the Earth Stood Still will only have a week and a half run.

But, that may not be a bad thing. At some portions of this movie it may have been better titled The Day the Movie Stood Still.

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Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
4.5 Lloyd’s - Cautionary Family-Friendly
PG for epic action and violence.

When first released in May of this year, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian bumped the comic book superhero Iron Man out of his two week reign at the box office. On its first weekend at the box office Prince Caspian pulled in an estimated $56.6 million in ticket sales. By the time it closed off it’s big screen run on September 4, this movie based on the famed C.S. Lewis book series of the same name rang up $141,621,490 in domestic sales.

Teamed up with Disney now, both Walden Media and Disney were so confident the second installment of the series would do well, that they’ve already started pre-production on the third of the seven books in the Narnia series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader. That’s set for a May 2010 big screen release.

But first, even before that comes out, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is now out on DVD.

If you’re looking for a Christmas Stocking Stuffer Movie, Prince Caspian is a good choice.

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