ReelViews for PG movies

Countdown to Zero feels just like a History Channel documentary, which is unsurprising when one considers that the movie was produced by none other than The History Channel. As with most of their fare, this one mixes archived footage with talking ...

Animated films come in three flavors: childish cartoons that are designed primarily to appeal to the under-10 crowd, middle-of-the-road efforts that at least make an attempt to entertain parents while never threatening established envelopes, and ...

Romantic comedies are a dime-a-dozen, and most of them fail because they pursue slapstick while losing sight of the characters. Because The Cutting Edge doesn't fall into that trap, it results in an enjoyable lark. Despite a recycled plot, this a...

At least after seeing this movie, I understand where the title came from -- starting about thirty minutes into this interminable, unfunny feature, I began looking at my watch every few minutes and thinking, "Dear God, is this ever going to end?...

Christmas movies like this are enough to turn one into a Grinch or at least make one wish that the filmmakers would get a visit from the Ghost of Christmas Future. Why it is so hard to make a decent Christmas comedy? Not every movie has to be on ...

Deep Water is a documentary, but it's also one part adventure film, one part Greek tragedy, and one part meditation on the role of the "hero" in modern society. The movie starts out with a seemingly simple premise: chronicle the first nonstop roun...

Most people believe in some form of an afterlife, although the specifics vary from individual to individual. In scripting Defending Your Life, Albert Brooks approached the subject from more of a philosophical than a religious/spiritual perspective...

Seen in standard (non-IMAX) 3-D. 2010 has not been a vintage year for movies in general, but it has been an uncommonly good year for animated films. With Toy Story 3 leading the way, the latest crop of big screen animated fare has emphasized th...

Despicable Me 2 feels like a opportunity to get together with some old friends, hang out, and discover what they've been up to. The movie lacks the high voltage wit of its predecessor but the breezy charm is still in place and, especially for kids,...

Despicable Me 3 is an example of how even the most promising animated franchises can hit a wall if allowed to continue too long. One can understand why Universal greenlit this film. The previous two (or three if you count the spin-off Minions)...