Weekend Fun and Games
Filed under: Books for Kids, Music, Movies, New In Pop Culture
This week's review of kid's entertainment features a little something for everyone - boys, girls and even parents! Here's a look at what's happening as adapted from reviews and ratings by Common Sense Media.
At the Movies
If you live anywhere near an IMAX theater, your little ones are in for a treat as they explore Under the Sea 3D. Actor Jim Carrey narrates this close-up look at what lives beneath the waters in such exotic locales as Papua, New Guinea, The Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and the Coral Triangle. With small children in mind, the filmmakers have toned down the depiction of predatory-prey relationships as well as the mating rituals of the undersea creatures. Beautifully filmed and only 40 minutes long, it's a movie the entire family can enjoy. Rated G, OK for Kids 6+
On DVD
High School Musical 3: Senior Year continues the saga of the East High gang as they prepare for prom and graduation day. Other than one sweet kiss, the teen romances don't go beyond mild flirting and hand-holding and the characters themselves are mostly kind and generous (with the exception of Sharpay, of course). With catchy pop tunes and beautiful people, it's high school Disney-style. Rated G, OK for Kids 8+
TV
Instead of spending some long-awaited one-on-one time with her famous author dad, Melissa (Emily Osment) finds herself having to rescue him after he's been Dadnapped by a bumbling fan. The wacky, over-the-top humor tempers the implied threat to the dad and the film wraps up with a nice message about family communication and individual confidence. Rated TV-G, OK for Kids 6+
An inside look at the world of child beauty pageants, Little Miss Perfect follows two little girls as they compete to win a crown. Non-judgmental and devoid of any objectionable language, the series examines the good, the bad and the beautiful of life on the beauty pageant circuit. NR, OK for Kids 9+
On the Web
In their quest to conquer the hearts and minds of pre-teen boys, Disney has launched Disney XD.com, a companion site for their new cable channel of the same name. Featuring lots of tie-ins to their own shows, the site offers customizable avatars, lots of competitive games and filtered and monitored chat. OK for Kids 8+
Books
Swearing, fighting and a bone-crushing accident feature prominently in Mexican WhiteBoy, the story of mixed-race boy trying to fit in while overcoming self-doubt and an absent father. Sex, drugs and alcohol all make an appearance in this well-written look inside the mind of a boy who appears to have it all yet is deeply troubled. OK for Kids 14+

At the Movies
If you live anywhere near an IMAX theater, your little ones are in for a treat as they explore Under the Sea 3D. Actor Jim Carrey narrates this close-up look at what lives beneath the waters in such exotic locales as Papua, New Guinea, The Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and the Coral Triangle. With small children in mind, the filmmakers have toned down the depiction of predatory-prey relationships as well as the mating rituals of the undersea creatures. Beautifully filmed and only 40 minutes long, it's a movie the entire family can enjoy. Rated G, OK for Kids 6+
On DVD
High School Musical 3: Senior Year continues the saga of the East High gang as they prepare for prom and graduation day. Other than one sweet kiss, the teen romances don't go beyond mild flirting and hand-holding and the characters themselves are mostly kind and generous (with the exception of Sharpay, of course). With catchy pop tunes and beautiful people, it's high school Disney-style. Rated G, OK for Kids 8+TV
Instead of spending some long-awaited one-on-one time with her famous author dad, Melissa (Emily Osment) finds herself having to rescue him after he's been Dadnapped by a bumbling fan. The wacky, over-the-top humor tempers the implied threat to the dad and the film wraps up with a nice message about family communication and individual confidence. Rated TV-G, OK for Kids 6+
An inside look at the world of child beauty pageants, Little Miss Perfect follows two little girls as they compete to win a crown. Non-judgmental and devoid of any objectionable language, the series examines the good, the bad and the beautiful of life on the beauty pageant circuit. NR, OK for Kids 9+On the Web
In their quest to conquer the hearts and minds of pre-teen boys, Disney has launched Disney XD.com, a companion site for their new cable channel of the same name. Featuring lots of tie-ins to their own shows, the site offers customizable avatars, lots of competitive games and filtered and monitored chat. OK for Kids 8+
Books
Swearing, fighting and a bone-crushing accident feature prominently in Mexican WhiteBoy, the story of mixed-race boy trying to fit in while overcoming self-doubt and an absent father. Sex, drugs and alcohol all make an appearance in this well-written look inside the mind of a boy who appears to have it all yet is deeply troubled. OK for Kids 14+ 











ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
2-24-2009 @ 9:04AM
cbaita2008 said...I live in Cincinanti Ohio, downtown. What a great thing! I am asked all of time what it's like to live downtown. I live on a tree lined street of professionals and am blessed to have a green grassy lot across the street. One of the few. What I do have is the ability to walk to anywhere I could need to go.
My son and I walk to museums, the library and this past weekend a couple events held thanks to the Fine Arts Fun weekend for free. I wrote a brief post about it at nearlythebionicwoman.blogspot.com with links to more if you are interested. They offered arts and crafts, museum exhibits, opera, ballet, orchestra and more. All for free. Check out what your city or town has to offer.
It was an amazing way for my son and I to share some quality time and be exposed to a wide variety of the fine arts.
Thank you Cincinnati!
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