My seven-year-old can tell you whose lightsaber is purple (Mace Windu) and what sound a Droideka makes ( em! em! ), but he's never been able to sit in a movie theater and see one of his beloved Star Wars movies on the big screen. Until n…
Like me, you may have seen the Big Miracle ads on TV and thought--hmm, that could be kinda cheesy. So I was frankly a little surprised to find myself at a preview screening, laughing out loud, wiping tears (shhh) and thinking, wow, my ki…
I still remember the first time I saw Kevin Clash, the man behind Elmo, on a TV show--and I couldn't believe my ears. Who knew a big guy like Kevin was the voice of the lovable--and, yes, sometimes annoying--little red guy on Sesame Stre…
Last month, cool-tee-site Threadless held a Muppet design contest to jump on the excitement many of us feel about the new Muppets movie coming out this fall. (New Muppets! Whee!) Threadless invited anyone to submit a Muppets tee-shirt de…
The Winnie the Pooh movie hitting theaters today promises to be a sweet mix of old and new, combining classic Pooh animation with a few new voices-- like Craig Ferguson as Owl. The overall idea is to charm Pooh fans of all ages with a ti…
If there's any movie that my kids have been counting down the days to see, it's definitely Cars 2 , the long awaited sequel to the uber popular Cars movie that was first released when I only had one kid. Since then, we've watched it coun…
As my oldest daughter fast approaches her 7th birthday, I have become more acutely aware of how fleeting childhood really is. And the urgency to bask in her little-ness is now even more present after seeing a fascinating new must-see HBO…
With Cars 2 coming soon to theaters at the end of the month, we're going to be drowning in licensed merchandise any day now. I love Lightning McQueen as much as the next mama, I just hate for my kids to strut around looking like walking …
The 1937 book, Mr. Popper's Penguins , figured into my early years. Chances are that you (and your kids) know and love the book, too--it's a classic. So when I learned it was going to turned into the movie Mr. Popper's Penguins starring …
I grew up watching The Muppet Show, but like many of us, didn't completely get all the awesome humor until I was an adult watching it again with my kids. So when I heard that there's a new Muppets movie on the way come November, I may ha…
We won't get the 2 1/2 Men song stuck in your head (okay, so we just did) but we have to admit we have a soft spot for the manly men dads in our lives. Here are a few Father's Day gift ideas for the men in your life who just wouldn't be …
When I took my six-year-old to see the newest Disney movie Tangled last Fall, I think I may have laughed, cried, and enjoyed it more than she did. Of course, I was also 40 weeks pregnant and hopped up on hormones. In honor of its DVD and…
Mirror, mirror, on the wall: What does the Evil Queen look like after all? For the third time, Disney has commissioned photographer Annie Leibovitz to turn beloved animated characters into spectacular dreamscape images for their ad campa…
Having just lived through 80 minutes watching a Shakespearean classic turned into a story involving garden gnomes, I am not exactly itching to head out to see the next 3D "blockbuster" Hollywood has lined up for my kids. But if I can get…
For all the eye-goggling special effects and "3D everything" in kids' movies nowadays, the 60-year-old Alice in Wonderland will still leave your kids' mouths agape as it still does mine, no funny glasses needed. If you want to take your …
You'd think it would stand to reason that companies would understand that most of the movie-goers to animated 3D movies are, you know, kids . And yet, until last month, any cinema showing a RealD 3D movie offered just one (ginormous) siz…
This weekend, I finally managed to wrangle my kids--and a few of their friends -- to see Toy Story 3 . Now before you read any further, I must first disclose a major bias: In my mind, Pixar's John Lasseter can do little wrong. I walked i…
If you've been living under a rock, you might not know that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is premiering today. Now, I humbly admit that I've yet to get sucked into the Twilight series, however, that doesn't mean I don't get the obsession wi…
I don't care that it's only the first day of official summer, when it's almost 100 degrees every single day. And in the Deep South, that means planning a lot of indoor activities--preferably free ones--like the Free Family Film Festival …
When we discovered the movie Being Dad last August, Mir gave it an enthusiastic thumbs-up. She loved this look at 40 normal, often funny new dads (no "touchy-feely over-earnestness") and a few experts confessing the real scoop on newborn…
I'm in love with a set of drink coasters if such a thing is even possible. But when I spotted these handmade film director coasters on Etsy this morning, my heart started racing, my palms got all sweaty, and I think, my friends, that tha…
I, like every other cinemaphile out there, was crushed to learn that Dennis Hopper died this weekend. I think I first noticed him--like, really noticed him--when he played the father in Rumbleish but it was a college screening of Blue Ve…
The premiere of Sex and the City 2 hits tonight, and the women I've talked to seem to be divided into two groups: Those who care, and those who won't admit they care -- just a little bit. I admit it! I care! I want to gawk at Aiden, and …
Whether you’re having a full-blown awards bash or just plan on curling up with one other person, we've got the Oscar party food ideas for you. Nothing’s better than watching the Oscars with good food, some Champagne cocktails , and folks…