Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)

I am under no circumstances going to claim this is a good movie. It's cheesy, the jokes are predictable, the plot becomes totally moronic after the first half hour... but the chipmunks are mildly adorable. And I was in a good mood when I went to see it. So I enjoyed it... but I won't recommend it at all. 2 stars.

Anastasia (1997)

Maybe I just got a kick out of all the musical theater people in it, I don't know, but I liked this movie a fair amount. I can't quite figure out why, though. I must say it would all be vastly improved without Rasputin and his little creature, though. They may have been comedy relief, but, MAN, they were annoying. 3.5 stars.

Aquamarine (2006)

This movie about two girls who help a mermaid find true love was pretty much what it was advertised as... a fluffy, mindless pre-teen film. Except for a fairly crucial fact... none of the characters acted like real people. The most realistic person was Claire, one of the human girls, who's afraid of everything. Aquamarine is written wise as the ages one moment, stupid teen the next. Hailey is in serious denial but portrayed as the one who knows what's going on. And let's not even go into the shallowness of Raymond as a character. When you find out your girlfriend is a mermaid, your next move is NOT to ask her out. I would think there would be more important things on her mind.

I was going to say this will probably appeal to young teens, but the main girls don't get any cute guys, so I'm not sure that it would. Perhaps I'm being overly cynical about the state of the movieviewing world. 2.5 stars.

Akeelah and the Bee (2006)

This came as a very refreshing contrast to Bee Season, which also claimed to be about a girl and a spelling bee, but was just bizarre. This movie was probably one of the best family films I've seen this year. It was incredibly well-done, despite having so many of the cliches (the coach's tragic past, the unsupportive mother, etc.). These really didn't get in the way of the story at all, though, somehow. The kids were believably intelligent but also believably middle school. I really got caught up in the story and the characters and despite it not having anything that made me go "OH MY GOSH! BEST MOVIE MOMENT EVER!" it was one of the most solidly interesting movies of the year. 4 stars.

101 Dalmatians (1996)

Plot: A woman kidnaps puppies to kill them for their fur, but various animals then gang up against her and get their revenge in slapstick fashion.

Overall, very underwhelmed by this movie. I suppose it'll have its appeal for some people, but... those people are not me. This felt silly, over-the-top, and without any of the charm of the original. 1.5 stars.

Bambi (1942)

Although I personally don't like this movie - cute little animals in the forest have never really been my thing - I must say it's one of Disney's better animated features. There's a definite beauty to it in its depictions of the forest. 3 stars.

A Bug's Life (1998)

Plot: A misfit ant, looking for warriors to save his colony from grasshoppers, recruits a group of bugs that turn out to be an inept circus troup.

Probably my least favorite out of all the Disney/Pixar films, but that's still not saying anything bad about this movie. It was a very fun plot with interesting characters, and an innocence to it that I missed in Antz. 3 stars.

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)

Plot: When a litter of dalmatian puppies are abducted by the minions of Cruella De Vil, the parents must find them before she uses them for a diabolical fashion statement.

Quite a cute movie... and I don't think Disney's ever written a villain quite as great as Cruella. 3 stars.

Alice in Wonderland (1951)

AAHHH! I read the books and DESPISED this movie. It was nightmarish, and I'm not describing the quality of the movie but the way the movie felt. It felt like a nightmare. *shudder* Scary stuff! 1 star.

Annie (1999)

I got this because of its overabundance of musical theater people. (FIVE of 'em!!) And... I have almost no idea what I thought of it. All the musical theater people put in tremendous performances. Kathy Bates was the oddest Miss Hannigan I've ever seen. You got the feeling that deep down inside she was really a very nice person. That is DEFINITELY not supposed to happen. I suppose this is as good as any production of Annie is ever likely to get. *shrug* 2.5 stars.

Musical Theater People Sighting: WHEE!!! This movie includes in its cast... *deep breath* Audra McDonald, Victor Garber, Alan Cumming, Kristin Chenoweth, and Andrea McArdle. How cool is THAT? ;-)

Around the World in 80 Days (2004)

I'm VERY not fond of these movies that take fairy tales or dated stories and throw all this modernized humor into them. (Another prime example - Ella Enchanted.) It really ruins the spirit of the story. That being said, it makes sense that I hated this movie and found it mostly just stupid. I mean, come on. Martial arts in the middle of this story? Pfft. However, there *was* one part where I began to giggle uncontrollably... that San Francisco beggar was GREAT! Reminded me of the Clown or whoever the one loony guy was from Much Ado About Nothing. 0.5 stars.

Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

Hmm... getting a musical solely on the fact that it's a musical certainly doesn't guarantee it'll be good. Irving Berlin's never been a favorite of mine, so very few of the songs really made me sit up and take notice. "I've Got the Sun the Morning," while ridiculously unnecessary to the plot, was fun, and "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better" was simply classic. To my horror, though, my two favorite songs from the show ("Old-Fashioned Wedding" and "I Got Lost In His Arms") were cut! That alone brings this down a couple notches. But Betty Hutton's charming performance as the eager, tomboyish Annie Oakley, brings those notches back up. ;-) 2.5 stars.

Angels in the Outfield (1994)

Obviously aimed at younger audiences, with virtually no appeal to older ones. It didn't even have a solid plotline. Although with a plot like this, it would have been very hard to make it worthwhile. Pretty much every way that comes to my mind is really ridiculous. But, honestly, they could have eliminated some of the sappy sentimentality, not to mention the ridiculousness. 1 star.

101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003)

Plot: Being one of 101 takes its toll on Patch, who doesn't feel unique. When he's accidentally left behind on moving day, he meets his idol, Thunderbolt, who enlists him on a publicity campaign.

There were only two good things about this movie. 1) Lars' cool little hand thing that my brother can do but I can't, and 2) Patch was VERY cute in the French-dubbed version. 0.5 stars.

Agent Cody Banks (2003)

Plot: A government agent trains Cody Banks in the ways of covert operations that require younger participants.

Back in April, I heard about this movie, and I thought, "Hmm. That could be either really stupid, or really funny." It was the latter. The key to making kids' spy movies is to not take it seriously. This makes fun of itself with every move. It's always fun to watch movies where you *know* the actors are having a blast playing their melodramatic, overhyped characters. Definitely a great movie. 3 stars.

1776 (1972)

Plot: The film version of the Broadway musical comedy of the same name. In the days leading up to July 4, 1776, Continental Congressmen John Adams and Benjamin Franklin coerce Thomas Jefferson into writing the Declaration of Independence as a delaying tactic as they try to persuade the American colonies to support a resolution on independence.

What a fun movie! Crammed with little-known historical facts (although at moments it's hard to tell just what is fact and what is fiction), spectacular music, and great humor, this is a spectacular musical! 4.5 stars.