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"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" (G, 1 hr., 34 min.)
A fantastical tale on a small scale -- like chamber music versus a big orchestral piece -- "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" offers kids 6 and up an engaging and emotionally nuanced diversion. It is a kinder, gentler form of the genre than, say, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (PG, 2005), but also less inventive. The movie's flaws include special effects that look a tad and a jarringly abrupt finale. But the film rises above its shortcomings with winning lead performances, a magical toy store of real charm, and sprightly, literate dialogue. (There is a lovely speech about "King Lear," no less, which parents can explain to kids later.)
Elements that push the G rating slightly PG-ward are gentle hints about the imminent mortality of eccentric toy store owner Mr. Magorium (Dustin Hoffman, in a piquant performance), who purports to be 243 years old. (PLOT GIVEAWAY ALERT: When he dies, he just sits down and the camera focuses on his shoes, then cuts to his headstone.) Little ones could be unnerved by a wall in the store that shows anger at Mr. Magorium's imminent departure, by bulging and darkening ominously. Later, all the toys rebel and create chaos. Finally, a friendship between the store's staid new accountant, Henry (Jason Bateman), and the lonely, imaginative little boy, Eric (Zach Mills), who works there after school (and acts as the film's narrator), feels awkward, though it is utterly innocent. Henry goes to Eric's house to see the boy's amazing hat collection. Eric's mom (Rebecca Northan) comes home to find an adult stranger playing with hats in Eric's room. Parents may find this odd too.
Kindly Mr. Magorium's store manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman), is a budding composer with no self-confidence. Molly feels she can't run the store after her beloved boss goes, let alone finish her concerto. Writer/director Zach Helm uses droll chapter headings, such as "A Change of Heart, of Mind, and of Pants," to tell his tale. Whimsy lives.
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"Beowulf" (PG-13, 1 hr., 54 min.)
Director Robert Zemeckis employs in "Beowulf" the "performance capture" computer-animated technology he tried in "The Polar Express" (G, 2004), but to much better effect this time, and in rather thrilling 3-D. "Beowulf" is really not for anyone under middle-school age, and may be too intense for some kids not yet in high school. Though stylized, the animated violence is graphic. Men are impaled or torn in half by the vile monster Grendel (Crispin Glover), a huge skeletal figure with sinews exposed -- a tragic being in perpetual pain. (PLOT GIVEAWAY ALERT: In the film's climax, Beowulf rips out the beating heart of a fire-breathing dragon.) Apart from drinking, other elements that earn the movie its PG-13 (with R-ish overtones) are sexual. There are references to lust, burning loins, fornication and deflowering of virgins. King Hrothgar (Anthony Hopkins) and later Beowulf (Ray Winstone) are not true to their queen (Robin Wright Penn). The old Beowulf even has a young mistress (Alison Lohman). Zemeckis often uses weapons as unsubtle phallic symbols -- Grendel's siren mother (Angelina Jolie) caresses Beowulf's sword seductively. There is implied nudity, which feels human, though the live actors have been morphed into animation. When Beowulf fights Grendel naked, the film gets giggles by placing swords and bits of scenery just in front of Beowulf's privates. The in-your-eyes 3-D effect makes it even more droll. We see Beowulf's and old King Hrothgar's bare backsides, too. Grendel's mom is a gold-dipped seductress with a human body and tentacles. She is naked, but with anatomical details hidden, as if she were in a body suit.
"Beowulf" has the look of a graphic novel and works quite well. Narrative leaps are taken with the ancient Anglo-Saxon poem recounting flawed hero Beowulf's 6th-century adventures, and the look of the film is appropriately mythic, the language laced with ancient-sounding Welsh words. The court of King Hrothgar is attacked by the vile monster Grendel. Beowulf lands on Hrothgar's shores and vows to kill Grendel. He doesn't know the king's secret -- a curse Beowulf inherits along with Hrothgar's kingdom.
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BEYOND THE RATINGS GAME
-- OK FOR KIDS 6 AND OLDER:
"Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" (NEW) G (This fantastical tale on a smaller scale, though not perfect, should delight kids 6 and older with its story of a magical toy store whose 243-year-old owner (Dustin Hoffman as Magorium in a piquant turn) intends to leave this life and give the place to his manager, Molly Mahoney (Natalie Portman). A composer who can't seem to finish her concerto, Molly fears she can't run the store without him. Eric (Zach Mills), the eccentric little boy who hangs out there and narrates the tale, tries to help. Henry (Jason Bateman), the staid accountant Mr. M. hires, doesn't know what to make of it all. PG-ish elements include hints about the imminent mortality of Mr. Magorium. (PLOT GIVEAWAY ALERT: When he dies, he just sits down and the camera focuses on his shoes, then cuts to his headstone.) Little ones could be unnerved by a wall in the toy store that shows anger, bulging and darkening ominously. The toys also rebel and create chaos. An innocent friendship between Henry and Eric has the two playing in Eric's room, when Eric's mother (Rebecca Northan) walks in and sees a grown-up stranger with her son. Adults may find the scene odd.)
-- OK FOR KIDS 8 AND OLDER:
"Fred Claus" PG (Vince Vaughn effortlessly mixes hipness and warmth as Santa's ne'er-do-well older sibling in this entertaining but odd blend of cleverness and cliches. A Chicago repo man who owes money, Fred gets arrested. His brother Nick, aka Santa (Paul Giamatti), sends bail and his warp-speed sleigh, insisting that Fred come to the North Pole to help with the Christmas rush. When a sour efficiency expert (Kevin Spacey) threatens to close down Santa's workshop, Fred has to stand up for his brother. There is occasional semi-crude language and mildly suggestive humor, likely to go over the heads of kids under 10. Tall Fred and short elf Willie (John Michael Higgins) stand side-by-side at urinals. Fred gets into dust-ups with minimal injuries. There are kung-fu fights in a Chicago eatery and Santa has ninja elf bodyguards. A parentless boy (Bobb'e J. Thompson) whom Fred befriends lands in an orphanage, and we learn the Claus boys' mom (Kathy Bates) plays favorites in a hurtful way.)
"Bee Movie" PG (A restless worker bee, Barry (voice of Jerry Seinfeld), ventures out of his utopian hive into the human world, befriends a florist (Renee Zellweger) and sues humanity over the right to make honey in this colorfully imagined but narratively weak computer-animated 'toon. Its odd blend of Seinfeldian irony and innocent whimsy may not fully delight 8- to 13-year-olds, though there's nothing they can't handle. The film could be alternately scary or dull (that lawsuit gets old) to under-8s. There is mild sexual innuendo in the stinger jokes. Barry gets slammed around on a tennis ball, sucked into car engines, caught on a windshield. A human tries to kill him by igniting an aerosol spray. Bees testing helmets get smacked down by shoes and swatters, and a scary scene unfolds on an out-of-control airplane. Humans smoke. "Bee Movie" themes: keep your temper, remember life is short, follow your bliss.)
-- OK FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER:
"Martian Child" PG (Star John Cusack and a strong cast bring weight to this affecting, refreshingly unsentimental (well, mostly) story based on David Gerrold's autobiographical novella. David (Cusack), a recently widowed science-fiction author, adopts a troubled little boy, Dennis (Bobby Coleman), who has to be coaxed out of a cardboard box, insists he is a Martian, and steals things. We hear Dennis was emotionally abused and abandoned, but get few details. Adults remark jokingly about being "great in bed," share an understated kiss and use mild profanity. We hear the slur "retard." The boy's fear of being sent away when David gets angry is intense. A beloved pet dies off-camera, sparking an emotional scene. Issues of grief and mental illness make this heavy for under-10s.)
-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY:
"Beowulf" (NEW) (Robert Zemeckis' computer-animated take on the ancient Anglo-Saxon legend (using "performance capture," which digitally morphs live actors into the animation) looks like a handsome graphic novel and has effectively mythic overtones. After the monster Grendel (Crispin Glover as a huge skeletal figure with sinews exposed) attacks the King Hrothgar's (Anthony Hopkins) court, the Norse hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) offers to kill the creature. The animated violence is graphic. Men are impaled or torn in half. (PLOT GIVEAWAY COMING: In the finale, Beowulf rips out the beating heart of a dragon.) Other elements with R-ish overtones, aside from drinking, are sexual, with references to lust, fornication, deflowering of virgins and infidelity. Weapons are unsubtle phallic symbols -- Grendel's siren mother (Angelina Jolie) caresses Beowulf's sword. There is implied nudity, which feels real. The film gets giggles by placing swords and scenery just in front of the naked Beowulf's privates as he fights Grendel. The in-your-face 3-D effects make it even more droll. We see bare backsides, too. Jolie's seductress has a human body and tentacles -- naked, but with details hidden, as if in a body suit. Too intense, sexually charged for some middle-schoolers.)
"Dan in Real Life" (The delights of classic romantic comedy abound in this movie, even if it slathers on the preciousness a tad thick at times. Likably loopy Steve Carell plays Dan, an advice columnist and widower. At a family gathering he falls shatteringly in love with his brother's (Dane Cook) girlfriend (Juliette Binoche) and spends a harrowing weekend trying to not hurt him, lose her, or alienate his mortified daughters. The film also deals with issues of grief, and pubescent teen sexual longing as viewed by a protective parent. There is sexual innuendo about adults -- suggestive dancing, references to masturbation, side-view shower toplessness -- and drinking. A bit too sexually charged for middle-schoolers.)
-- R's:
"Southland Tales" (NEW; LIMITED RELEASE) (This embarrassingly awful mishmash from writer/director Richard Kelly, who made the extraordinary "Donnie Darko" (R, 2001), wants to be a futuristic/sci-fi/political thriller, but is an ill-conceived mess. Set in Los Angeles after terrorists have exploded nuclear weapons in Texas, it envisions government crackdowns and the popular resistance that could ensue. Dwayne ("The Rock") Johnson plays an action star with amnesia. Seann William Scott plays twin brothers, at least one a veteran of the Iraq War. They all figure somehow in the incoherent narrative. A cast of well-known faces (Amy Poehler, Jon Lovitz, Cheri Oteri) is no help. The film contains strong profanity and sexual language, point-blank gun violence, a suicide theme, drug references, pornography references and much sexual innuendo. It's OK for high-schoolers, if they can stand it.)
"American Gangster" (Based on real-life 1970s Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and the police detective Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe) who got him, this breathless cops-and-gangsters saga develops the lead characters so well, that amid director Ridley Scott's flashy atmospherics, we still get inside their heads. The film tracks how Lucas began importing heroin from Vietnam with his military connections as the war raged. Police corruption (Josh Brolin as a dirty cop) and drug lust on the streets make Lucas and his family rich. The film includes bloody, graphic gunplay, a gun suicide, vicious beatings, graphic drug use, nudity, suggestive dancing, strong profanity, racial slurs, drinking and smoking. It also shows military coffins being searched. Not for under-17s.)
"Lions for Lambs" (The moral state of the union is the subject of this film, which starts as a dialectic and ends as a call to action. It is anti-cinematic and talky, but it sticks in the brain. Three parallel stories unfold: A TV journalist (Meryl Streep) interviews a conservative senator (Tom Cruise) who tells her of a secret new tactic in the war on terror; two soldiers (Derek Luke and Michael Pena), friends since their blue-collar childhoods, lie stranded in enemy territory; a college professor (Robert Redford, who also directed) urges a blase political science student (Andrew Garfield) to emerge from his privileged bubble and get involved. The film includes profanity, a crude sexual phrase, and understated combat footage with injuries. For high-schoolers with an interest in national and world affairs.)
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