Posts Tagged ‘DVDs’

Eagle Eye out on DVD on 12/28/08

Sunday, December 21st, 2008

For some reason, perhaps because of the title, I thought Eagle Eye was a simple film about a drone surveillance airplane gone mad. There is a drone plane or two, but the movie is so much more than that. Directed by D. J. Caruso from a story by Steven Spielberg, and starring Shia Laboeuf (Transformers) and Michelle Monaghan (Mission Impossible 3), Eagle Eye is a high tech conspiracy movie that plays on your worst fears about how computers track our everyday move. It pits two unwitting innocents against the Department of Homeland Security when they are set up to be the agents of an assassination plot. Without giving too much away, this movie draws on the best of 2001, The Parallax View, and War Games.

The pyrotechnics here are stunning with some new car chase scene ideas you have definitely not seen before. A chase scene in the baggage handling routing system of an airport will have you twisting and turning as the main characters ride conveyor belts like a beaten up piece of old uggage. This is a movie that will keep your attention just because it does a few things not seen before

Dads will enjoy this action thriller, but Eagle Eye is not a movie for young kids. There is no sex and very little profanity, but there is a tremendous amount of chaotic violence and heart-pounding chase sequences. The plot action also involves death threats on a mom and her son if she doesn’t participate in the action.

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Spiderwick Chronicles – a good movie for kids and dads

Sunday, July 6th, 2008

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Spiderwick Chronicles is out on DVD and a surprise hit in our household. When this movie came out last year, I thought it looked a little goofy and it seemed to be in and out of theatres in short order. Seeing it at home was the first time for us, and it was a happy surprise for both me and my eight year-old. We both enjoyed the story, the action sequences and the funny parts.

The story is an imaginative tale of a single mom and her three kids who go to live in a mansion they soon find to be under attack by goblins out to get a book that details the world of creatures ordinary people can’t see.

While the movie has scenes that make it a bit too scary for little kids (7 and under), my slightly older daughter enjoyed even the attack sequences at the end of the film without being frightened. Be aware that near the end (attention: plot spoiler), the kids’ dad arrives in what looks to be a sweet family reunion moment. However, the father is really an ogre in disguise, and the movie’s hero, Jared, stabs him in the stomach, much to the horror of the rest of the family. This might be a traumatic moment for small children (and some dads).

Here are a few of the date points my daughter (age eight) gave for the movie:

1. Movie is best for: Kids over seven and dads who are willing to enjoy some fantastical entertainment.

2. Favorite part: When the little elf is mad, if you give him honey, he gets nice again.

3. Favorite character: The little elf

4. Main character: Jared, the brother who discovers the Spiderwick Chronicles book.

4. Lesson of the film: Sometimes knowledge gets you into trouble, as Daddy says, “Curiosity killed the cat.” Knowledge can get you out of trouble as well.

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Sword and the Stone – Review for dads and kids

Monday, June 16th, 2008

The Sword in the Stone (45th Anniversary Special Edition)

The Sword and the Stone (1963) is being re-released on June 17 in a new edition.

Both my kids, four and eight, enjoyed this movie and want to watch it again. They both voted for it to add to the pack of DVDs that will travel with us this summer. This is the major test for our family, since it’s often hard to find movies they both will enjoy.

Here are a few of the data points my daughter (age eight) gave for the movie:

1. Movie is best for: Kids who don’t like scary movies

2. Favorite part: When the wizard turns Arthur into a squirrel

3. Favorite character: Merlin (wizard)

4. Main character: Arthur

4. Lesson of the film: You should think before asking a wizard to turn you into a squirrel, because there are always problems no matter who you are.

5. Did the mother of the main character die in the first scene? Yes, she dies before the movie started

My four-year old son says his favorite part was the preview for Wall-e, the new Pixar movie.

If you already have the previous Gold release (2001), this release doesn’t have too much that is new, though it does have a widescreen version.

We have three copies of this new release to give away. All you have to do is name the major network show from the 60’s that featured the actor Sebastian Cabot (Sir Ector, the narrator, in the Sword and the Stone) as Mr. French. In the case of multiple entries, we’ll draw three winners from the correct responses on July 4th. Just send your answers to Paul @ GreatDad . com (a couple extra spaces in there to stymie the spammers.) Good luck. If more than three correct entries, we’ll draw a name on July 4.

As of June 28, no one has entered this contest so your chances of winning are sky high!

To enter you need to be 18 years of age and a resident of the US. If you have won a contest within the last 30 days you are not eligible. Winners will be announced here. If we do not hear from you within 3 weeks from the date the winners are announced you forfeit your prize and we will select another winner. Prizes will be shipped within 45 days from the day you win.

We will choose a winner for this on July 4. This means that you have until July 4, 2008 at 11:59 PM EST to enter the contest.

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