For those with little children, perhaps you’ve heard of Ice Age, the 2002 film starring the voice talents of Ray Romano (Manny the Mammoth), John Leguizamo (Sid the Sloth) and Denis Leary (Diego the Saber-Toothed Tiger) and Chris Wedge (director and everyone’s favorite squirrel hunting down a nut, Scrat)? If you haven’t, that’s too bad. Ice Age was a great film for the entire family.

Usually, you can’t strike family comedy gold twice in a lifetime. And almost never with the same characters. Of course, major and not-so major entertainment conglomerations try and try again. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown is a refreshing anomaly in a world of bad sequels. It’s fresh, funny and very good. In fact, in some ways it may be superior to the original.

This time, Manny, Sid and Diego, who’ve come together to form the most unlikely of herds, are faced with new perils. The Ice Age is just about over. The world is beginning to thaw. As the ice melts, the water is rising dangerously. Fast Tony, voiced by “Tonight Show” host, Jay Leno, is scaring the animals in the hopes of turning a profit on shoddy products that are supposed to ’save their lives’.

Manny calls Fast Tony out as a liar; but then realizes that there is some truth to the doomsday talk. He, Sid and Diego discover when they take a trip to the top of the ice mountain that the water is rapidly rising and a massive flood is imminent in about three days time.

Everyone heads up and moves out. The eagles, who are sort of hoping that there will be mass destruction - it’s good for their food supply - say there’s a boat at the end of the valley. The animals go without much delay.

Meantime, Manny is still wrestling with the fact that he’s the last mammoth; or, so everyone else believes. He takes some time alone in the forest to think. Instead, he finds a lady mammoth, Ellie (Queen Latifah). Problem is - Ellie thinks she’s a possum. Her extreme-sports-loving brothers, Crash (Sean William Scott) and Eddie (Josh Peck), love her and don’t do anything to dispel her of the notion.

The “possums” became part of Manny, Sid and Diego’s posse. Together, they have quite an adventurous trip. Sid and Diego try to urge Manny to let the past go and start a new future with Ellie, who eventually realizes she is a mammoth after all.

If this weren’t enough, the crew has a nasty alligator and his cronie to contend with. The same ones who gave them trouble in the first film and were put on ice have also melted. Time in the ‘cooler’ has done nothing to squash their anger. They’re out for revenge.

As the world is about to end, can Manny and Ellie find love? Will Manny be able to save them all from destruction - and learn to live and love again? These questions of course have positive - and perhaps, stock - answers. The way the movie gets to those answers is still worth the whole trip and the price of admission.

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown is a great movie. It’s entertaining, funny, poignant and just a fantastic way to spend an afternoon with or without the kids.

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Curious about the movie Curious George? It’s hard to resist a cute little monkey and an animated Will Ferrell and Drew Barrymore. Top it off with a gentle soundtrack by Jack Johnson and you have a movie the whole family will enjoy.

This movie is great for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. The bad guy isn’t so bad. Instead, he’s a jealous son who wants to turn the museum into a parking lot. He’s more of a nuisance than a heavy handed tough guy.

Curious George is a delight to watch on the big screen. Jack Johnson’s music compliments the antics of this fun loving music making the movie enjoyable for Mom and Dad too. The storyline isn’t complicated but its captivating enough to keep the interest of even the wiggliest of kids.

Will Ferrell adds a few chuckles but they are all in good taste. And Drew Barrymore is as sweet as ever as the young school teacher with an obvious crush on the “Man With The Yellow Hat.”

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Many British children’s fiction books and films contain a lot of darkness. This includes the Harry Potter books and Ronald Dahl. It always seems there are many obstacles to overcome and numerous close calls before the story ends. Nanny McPhee is no exception.

Nanny McPhee is the eighteenth governess to be employed by the Brown family since the death of the wife and mother. Cedric Brown, played by Colin Firth, has been left on his own to raise seven boisterous and energetic children, all whom were born in about an eight year span. They resemble a gang of outlaws and love nothing better than driving nannies out of the house. The audience watches as several nannies flee the household, seemingly in fear of their lives. One screams, “They’ve eaten the baby,” as she makes a fast departure from the Brown household.

About this time Cedric begins receiving mysterious messages that read: “What you need is Nanny McPhee.” Then, suddenly, Nanny McPhee appears and she is certainly a foreboding and formidable presence who seems to possess magical powers. She has a kind of fire in her eyes, warts on her face and she wears a black dress to cover her bulk; it somewhat resembles a flour sack. She keeps a walking stick close at hand and whacks it on the cobblestones frequently, sending off an arc of sparks.

The Browns live in an old house in the country that is an architectural monstrosity. There are numerous gardens and staircases that could only be owned by a man facing financial ruin in a work of fiction.

Cedric is the local funeral home director and is deeply in debt. He is counting on a large inheritance from his Great Aunt Adelaide, played by Angela Lansbury, to save him from financial ruin. However, Great Aunt Adelaide has thrown a curve into the mix. She’s stated that in order for Cedric to gain her fortune, he has only 30 days to marry. He knows this will be impossible because of his out-of-control children. Can Nanny McPhee save his inheritance?

Nanny McPhee sets out a list of rules for the children to learn. Her frown sends waves of terror over the children. Soon, she has them whipped into much better shape and a kind of uneasy peace settles over the Brown household.

In his search for a wife, Cedric overlooks the obvious choice; Evangeline, the scullery maid. She’s loved by every member of the household. Instead, he seems to be doomed to marry Mrs. Quickly, who is somewhat a bit of a tart. As plans for the wedding move forward Nanny McPhee rules with an iron hand and the children’s behavior improves drastically. Furthermore, every time that one of her rules are enforced, a wart vanishes from Nanny McPhee’s face and her figure slims, which is somewhat of a mystery.

Will Cedric marry Mrs. Quickly, or will he recognize the fact that his true love is really Evangeline? Will the children reform enough under Nanny McPhee’s watchful eye that Cedric will be able to find a wife, or will they remain little hooligans? All of these questions and more are answered by the end of the film. Be sure to see it. It’s great family entertainment.

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Chicken Little is a kids movie, so I wasn’t expecting that much when I saw it. The only reason I saw the thing in the first place was because my little sister wanted me to go with her to the theater. I have to say, even for a kids movie, Chicken Little is pretty mediocre.

The general plot of the film is this: Chicken Little is trying to clean up his reputation after upsetting the townspeople by claiming the sky was falling, when he realizes that the sky actually is falling. He and some of his friends set out to solve this problem without alerting anybody in the town or causing any type of panic.

I don’t know about anybody else, but when I think of a children’s movie, I think of films like The Lion King, Bambi, Aladdin, Toy Story, or stuff like Finding Nemo.

These are films that are made for kids, but still have enough in them that adults can actually watch them without feeling too annoyed. Chicken Little has none of that. The plot is thin and hard to follow, the dialogue is silly, and the way the characters randomly break into classic 70’s and 80’s songs every 20 minutes is really out of place and horribly annoying. It just has no real entertainment value to it, unlike some of the more recent Pixar/Disney films.

While I was in the theater I noticed that it was packed with kids my sister’s age (around 8 years old), and most of them were quite visibly bored. This is really a film that is suitable for toddlers, not children over the age of four. Your kid may possibly like this film, but be prepared to be bored and annoyed out of your mind.

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If you enjoyed Cheaper By the Dozen, you’ll love the sequel. Though sequels are not always what they’re cracked up to be, this one is great.

Steve Martin plays Dad Baker, who is affectionate to his family and it comes through as realistic affection, not a lot of sappy goo. Bonnie Hunt plays the mother and puts on a great performance managing her brood. Alyson Stoner plays daughter, Sarah, who is entering adolescence and her performance is brilliant. The scene of love’s first kiss comes off so well that it will take you back in time to your first kiss. The scene is tastefully done with elegance and the innocence and shyness of youth.

Dad and Mom Baker decide to gather their clan together for the final fling of the summer at a rented cottage on Lake Winnetka. Unknown to Dad Baker, his high school nemesis, Jimmy Murtaugh has built “The Boulders,” a fabulous home directly across the lake from the cottage. The two men take up their rivalry where it left off years before. At a Fourth of July clambake, Jimmy shows off in his usual annoying manner. Mayhem sets in when the fireworks are inadvertently set off early and destroy everything within range.

Sarah falls in love the moment she sees Eliot Murtaugh, who played by Taylor Lautner and Eliot feels the same way about her. Sarah thinks she’s not pretty enough for Eliot and begins to experiment with makeup. The results are catastrophic.

Cheaper By the Dozen 2 takes us back in time to our early teens. It shows how sensitive thirteen year olds really are. One very heart warming scene is when Sarah’s older sister, Lorraine shows her how to properly apply makeup for a girl her age. Sarah is transformed into a beautiful young woman and the scene is done so well that it touches the hearts of the audience.

Surprisingly, Jimmy’s new wife, Sarina, who is played by Carmen Electra, is very nice. The audience has to wonder how she ever got hooked up with Jimmy. She loves all eight of her step children, is pretty and sexy and is well liked by Mom Baker. Sarina intervenes when husband, Jimmy, goes on his ego trip and puts him in his place, which delights all viewers.

If you want to take the entire family to a movie, take in Cheaper By the Dozen 2 because it is the one to see. It is much better than “The Family Stone,” or “Yours, Mine and Ours.” Cheaper By the Dozen 2 shines and is great family entertainment. Highly recommended.

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Based on C.S. Lewis’ timeless classic, The Chronicles of Narnia tells the tale of four young siblings — Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter — during World War II. In an attempt to protect the children from the Nazi bombings in urban England, they are sent to an estate in the countryside to safely ride out the war.

It is within the confines of this house that the children happen upon a wardrobe while playing a game of hide and seek. What they find in this wardrobe is a portal to the magical world of Narnia. The children enter this strange world filled with otherworldly creatures. There they discover what was once a peaceful land that is inhabited by centaurs, dwarfs, and other friendly talking beasts.

But Narnia is under the spell of the evil White Witch, Jadis. Jadis has cursed the land to eternal winter. The children, with the assistance of the noble Lion King, Aslan, work to break the witch’s spell and restore Narnia to the peaceful and enchanting place it once was.

For the most part, Narnia doesn’t disappoint. It stays true to the book in terms of plot and characters. The one problem I do have with movies such as this is that the Narnia you see on screen could probably never live up to the Narnia one has pictured within their own imagination after reading the book. While I felt that emotionally the movie still struck the right cord, it just did not, and could not ever, match the vision I’ve held of Narnia since I first read the book as a child.

The other problem I had with this movie is that, it’s supposed to be geared towards children, yet, quite frankly, I would think twice before bringing children to this movie, as some of the scenes are fairly scary and violent.

On a related note, I must also say that when “blue screen” technology and CGI effects were first seen in movies they seemed cutting edge and awe inspiring. Maybe I’m just becoming jaded, but to me these special effects nowadays just seem to be anti-climactic and overused. Just my two cents.

Overall the performances in this movie were wonderful. Tilda Swinton, (from The Beach), turns in a truly hateful performance as the evil Jadis. Equally good was veteran actor, Liam Neeson, playing the majestic Lion King. The children were also surprisingly good considering their acting experience was fairly limited.

In general, I would recommend this movie as a good holiday outing. Despite some reservations about young children finding the movie too scary, the Chronicles of Narnia should have you leaving the theater feeling satisfied.

Did you find this move as enjoyable as I did? Let me know what you think by adding your comment below.

Yours, Mine and Ours, starring Dennis Quaid and Renee Russo is a remake of the 1968 movie starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda. Let’s just say that after seeing the 1968 movie, there’s no need to see the 2005.

Basically, the problem with this movie is its predictability. There is almost nothing in the movie that can not be predicted. For example, when on the sailboat, Frank, played by Dennis Quaid, tells everyone to be careful of the boom, otherwise someone might get knocked in. Guess what? Someone gets knocked overboard. Not only that but who couldn’t predict that two large families thrown together by marriage wouldn’t get along?

As for combining two families, with a total of eighteen children, in today’s world, it would be impossible not to be poor. Yet these people have a live-in housekeeper, Dad has an office, Mom has an art studio, and of course, none of the eighteen children are going without. Just a little unrealistic!

As for the premise of the movie, it’s the reunion of two high school sweethearts, who after seeing each other a couple of times, decide to get married without even consulting their children. He has eight children and she has ten. Once they are married, it, of course, has the never-ending story of the two sets of kids not liking each other or messing up the house or getting into trouble.

Beyond the fact that the Yours, Mine and Ours is predictable, it will catch a few laughs. After all, you’ve got Dennis Quaid and Renee Russo playing Dad and Mom, and Linda Hunt playing as the housekeeper. Maybe not as good as the 1968 Lucille Ball version, but it will provide you with some entertainment.

Please share your thoughts about this movie.