Reviews by Emily J.

Kids love space. Kids love robots. Therefore, they would love this movie, right? Well... if you want my opinion, I kinda see this as a TOTAL mixed bag.

After the first few minutes, this movie is nothing but mean-spirited, from Max being bullied by Kevin, to Andie harshly chewing out the newcomers for screwing up a simulation (which I can't help but think Armageddon recycled). Yeah, I know, they would happen in a real life space camp, but still!

And then the fun starts, and it's just a typical sci-fi family fare. Although, to be honest, I only watched because of Family Guy showing Jinx the Robot in the episode where Brian was coerced into living with then-girlfriend Jillian (don't judge me).

And another thing, this was released shortly after the demise of the Challenger, so would you watch this either way? Maybe, since there are a few good actors in this.

My rating: 5/10

I don't know what was wrong with me when I watched this movie once in a while on Comedy Central. Years later, I can't recall much of it. I clearly remember finding some parts funny, but then again, I was a naive teenager. There's only one term to sum up the whole movie: "So Bad, It's Good".

My rating: 4/10

Hello Kitty: Big City Dreams is an ADORABLE game to play. You play as the title character, earning points by engaging in activities with Kitty's friends. One of my personal favorite mini-games is where you make sushi. I recommend this game mainly for women and children, because those audiences might enjoy it.

My rating: 7/10

Out of all the bad shows on TV, I'd still take Fanboy and Chum-Chum over reality shows such as Teen Mom or Mob Wives. We have two kids who think they're superheroes dealing with everyday problems. But this is somewhat forgettable and dull for the most part, but there's a few diamonds in the rough such as the episode where the magician Kyle is turned into a chicken, or Little Glop of Horrors, where the kids have to stomach disgusting food from the new lunch lady. Do I recommend this show for kids? No, although it might amuse the high...

My rating: 4/10

That's right, Brother Bear 2. Surprised to find that this Direct-To-Video sequel exists? This time around, Kenai, living happily with Koda as his surrogate brother, remembers an old childhood friend who ran away from an arranged marriage. Her name is Nita, and in order to get married, she has to burn the amulet that Kenai gave to her as children. But naturally, the two of them realize their feelings for each other.

Even though Joaquin Phoenix couldn't reprise his role because was busy being a somewhat convincing Johnny Cash in Walk The Line, the good news is that Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas reprise their roles as Rutt and Tuke. The most interesting part is that Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara (one of my favorite actresses) voice Anda and Kata, the love interests for Rutt and Tuke. It's like an SCTV reunion!

And much like the typical DTV Disney sequel, it's more lighthearted than the original, which means there's less drama in this sequel, and the romance between Kenai and Nita is what you expect, as was the ending. However, unlike the other DTV Disney sequels, this one is, according to Lindsay Ellis, the "least flawed". Whether or not you want to consider this sequel canon is up to you.

My rating: 7/10

For decades, the Walt Disney Company made a whole bunch of animated movies for their Animated Canon. Some of them, like Beauty and the Beast, are timeless classics. Others, like The Black Cauldron, are pitiful additions to the Canon. And then there's those that fly under the radar; that last category not only applies to Oliver & Company, but also to Brother Bear.

At first, I, like the rest of the world, passed up any chances of seeing it, but then we found out who voiced the characters. Our main character Kenai is voiced by Joaquin Phoenix, Koda is voiced by Jeremy Suarez from The Bernie Mac Show (and he'll be in the new AVGN movie), and the moose Rutt and Tuke are basically animal versions of the McKenzie Bros. from SCTV; no really; it's them! Now where was I? Oh, I thought this would be some lame rehash of The Emperor's New Groove, but actually, it really isn't. The difference between these two movies is that while Kuzco was very egotistical, the reason for Kenai's transformation was because he killed a bear in cold blood after his eldest brother Sitka dies protecting him and other brother Denahi from it.

From what I can tell, in addition to the movie's messages about loving your family and that revenge has consequences, there is a third message that is about fate. Sitka was destined to sacrifice himself to save his brothers. Kenai was destined to turn into a bear. Koda was destined to be Kenai's surrogate brother even after Kenai killed his mother. And Rutt and Tuke were destined to live in harmony with the bears, animals that are normally predators to moose. Yes, even though this movie didn't do so hot initially, it's actually pretty deep, and the ending always has me shedding at least a single tear. The movie is a case of "Don't judge a book by its cover", meta or not.

My rating: 8/10

I know it's not Christmas, but do you remember the joke in It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! where the store had Christmas decorations up early? Anyway, do you remember Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, specifically, the classic distributed by Rankin-Bass? That was endearing. However, everything afterwards was just unnecessary, this included. Or is it?

The Christian entertainment company Good Times Entertainment managed to get ahold of all these big name stars, 3 of them happening to be Jewish. Richard Dreyfuss, Jamie Lee Curtis, and somehow, Rick Moranis, who went on hiatus 4 years before this movie's release, got roped in. Oh, and everyone else is voiced by the Ocean Group, known for voice work on Ed Edd n Eddy and the Canadian InuYasha dub. Well, at least I can take this movie over the really cheesy and juvenile Baby Looney Tunes.

The plot involves the crafty Toy Taker, who just flies around in his Nerf blimp and uses a Team Rocket vacuum to steal toys because he's actually an Anti-Villain trying to save the toys. Why? Because he's actually a worn-out teddy bear who believed he was abandoned by his best friend Steven. There's also that stupid subplot that's basically the original special in reverse (I'm not joking), where Rudolph wants a normal nose. Want more audacity to it? Apparently, there's plastic surgery in this world.

Despite these facts and how cheesy this movie can get, I can't really beat up on it, because to be fair, it's for little kids, and being a kid at heart myself, I kinda have a soft spot for it. At least this is better than Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer, right???

My rating: 5/10

We have now come to the final installment of the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie series: Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, which happens to be a direct-to-video sequel, and the first of the live-action variety from Disney. Remember the first two movies, where they actually had stakes? In this one, there are absolutely NO stakes whatsoever. All Wayne wants to do is shrink his tiki because his wife Diane wants to get rid of it, and guess what happens? They get shrunken along with Wayne's brother Gordon and his wife.

It's kinda nice that they use computers and blue screens for the scenes with Wayne and the others, but it can't really beat the sets of the first movie. Plus, the humor is rather dull, the story is nearly nonexistent, and worst of all, the dog Quark isn't even in this movie! I consider this to be on par with the TV series that came out months later. Overall, it's rather disappointing.

My rating: 5/10

Big Bully makes you wish that Rick Moranis would simply say "NO" to starring in it. No really, it's that bad. This movie had earned Tom Arnold one of his 3 Worst Actor Razzies in 1996, further indications on how bad this movie is.

This badly typecasts Moranis as novel writer David Leary, who can't catch a break even when he lives in what was supposed to be a successful life after tattling on Arnold's bully character when they were children. Seriously, every bad thing that happens makes him a total butt monkey (if you go to TV Tropes often, you'll get what I'm saying). And David's son Ben is annoying and inconsiderate because his unseen mother was apparently a shrew who divorced David for no good reason (no really, that irks me!). Not helped by the fact that Mark Steven Johnson was stupid enough to make him the bully while the old bully's son is the nerd. WHYYY??? I hate the idea of the subplot. Let me suggest what should happen instead: have Roscoe's oldest son be the leader of a bully trio(?) that Ben befriends, and the nerd be the bully's younger brother, which puts Ben in a dilemma, making him human instead of a nuisance. And maybe throw in a girlfriend. I know it may sound cliché, but it would have made more sense.

Well, while we're at it, at least David can still get together with his old crush Victoria. But unfortunately, they had to part ways at the end of the movie due to David moving to New York. Way to kick the movie while it was down, MSJ! However, the final act would have to be the best part as it involves a lot of slapstick and suspense. This movie is almost as bad as The Wild Life. At least this got 1 laugh out of me. ONE LAUGH, and that was it. Avoid both of these movies like the plague!

My rating: 3/10

While The Flintstones might have sank some people's expectations, Little Giants, on the other hand, is a step up for Rick Moranis, even though this is one of the few movies where he is somewhat typecast. He plays Danny O'Shea, who becomes resentful of his successful older brother Kevin O'Shea (Ed O'Neill, former Steelers player and star of Married... With Children and Modern Family) when Kevin doesn't pick his niece and Danny's daughter Becky a.k.a. Ice Box (Shawna Waldron), who can hold her own against the boys, so Danny creates his own pee-wee football team with Becky and the other rejects.

As cliche as the movie might make it out to be... I don't care, because my feelings for this movie are similar to Doug Walker's feelings for Bee Movie. It's an endearing and underrated family picture, and a nice suggestion for a movie to watch during the Thanksgiving holiday.

My rating: 6/10

P.S., happy birthday Rick!