December 31, 2010 – 2:39 AM
P&G Productions will release their new film, “Change of Plans” on Saturday, January 8, 2011 on Fox at 8 PM and 7 PM Central. As we’ve reported, P&G and Walmart have teamed together to create new family-friendly movies that tell positive stories the entire family can watch together. The first three aired on NBC. Change of Plans will air on Fox. In creating movies that meet this objective, P&G is trying to walk a tightrope between films that are so insipid that adults will squirm, and tales that a small child can get caught up in, without resorting to inappropriate language and violence. This is not an easy task, especially given other alternatives, as well as a modern tendency for every member of the family to retreat to their own corner to enjoy entertainment made especially for them. Leave it to P&G to invest heavily in this type of venture, as they did with the creation of the Soap Opera, to claim turf that is especially vital to their commercial interests. Previous films have been Secrets of the Mountain, The Jensen Project, and A Walk in My Shoes.
The other films I’ve seen in this project have failed, but we have found each one better than the last, with progressively better scripts, acting and production values. Change of Plans is another step forward in the right direction.
December 6, 2010 – 9:26 AM
“A Walk in My Shoes” tells the story of a teacher magically put into the shoes of another person, the mother of one of her students. She gets to experience firsthand the other woman’s life and viewpoint and ends up judging her less harshly than she did in real life. While this plot device is a little contrived, and a shopworn in 2010, I found it oddly compelling, perhaps because I liked the main characters. Not all dads might agree, and it might be hard to find a family that would all watch this movie together, but it wasn’t an improved attempt by the P&G team and bodes well for their next film “A Change of Plans” which is due out in early 2011.
November 30, 2010 – 5:35 PM
Years after the takeover of family entertainment by PG-rated kids cartoons, both companies see consumer value in producing new movies that are made to be entertaining for both kids and adults, without being punctuated by sex, swear words, and too much violence. … I was invited by P&G to the location shooting of the new “Change in Plans,” and also saw the just finished “Walk in My Shoes,” due to air this Fall. … It’s not that it’s too “clean” or too family-friendly, it just isn’t up to high quality standards of top-rated shows we like as adults: “The Good Wife” or “House” or even something completely fantastical, and similar, like “The Event.” … While still not a movie that can compete with highly rated TV shows for adults’ attention, the show was more compelling and I did want to actively watch it. … And after a long day at work, we also would love it if we could share it with them, like in the old days when the family would all watch Ed Sullivan or the World of Disney , but this time, not just because it’s the only thing on.
October 28, 2010 – 2:58 PM
The studio sent us a preview copy of Toy Story 3. I’ve been waiting a few months since both my son and I missed the theatrical release and my daughter has been raving about it. The family was not disappointed.
First of all, we do not have 3D, but we did spring for a Blu-Ray player after our old DVD gave out a few months ago. Since Netflix doesn’t do Blu-Ray, this was actually my first time watching, and it was undeniably clearer. This is one beautiful movie, in terms of color and clarity.
As for the plot, I have to admit to being somewhat cynical. I can be very sentimental, but I found most of Toy Story 2 to be lachrymose to the extreme, and I found myself anxious for it to end. Having heard that Toy Story 3 was also “emotional,” I wasn’t looking forward to a big tear-fest. Lucky for me, this movie is anything but. As many of the reviews have said, this movie starts in the middle of the action and keeps going for the next 90 out of 100 minutes.
By Paul Banas
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Also posted in Dad, Father, Funny, Videos for kids
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September 23, 2010 – 10:48 PM
If you’re over 30, you have to buy, rent or borrow the new DVD highlight reel of the induction ceremonies of the 
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Watching the greats, including Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger, Ray Charles, and Neil Young, as well as probably 30 other legends takes you back to dozens of moments in your life, back when we lived through the radio and what it told us we should like. What is most surprising is that the music holds up, the performances are tight and inspired, and you end up feeling like it was all more than just music.
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