Archives for 2016

In a small town going through tough economic times, business owner Matthew Peyton (Ryan O’Quinn) struggles between his desire for financial success and the responsibility of funding the annual Christmas pageant. Desperate business decisions ruin his popularity and angry employees seek their revenge. When Matthew meets Clarence (Isaac Ryan Brown), a joyful boy who believes in miracles, he must make a choice: do what’s best for himself or give faith a chance by opening his heart to help his community. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Gerry O. comments, “There are many holiday films that attempt to show you a story of faith, or hope or maybe just positivity. Believe tries to tackle all those things in a fantastic and entertaining holiday adventure.”

Watch his full review below and be sure to watch his cast & crew interviews as well:

Believe

By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 14

There are many holiday films that attempt to show you a story of faith, or hope or maybe just positivity. Believe tries to tackle all those things in a fantastic and entertaining holiday adventure.

Believe begins showing Matthew Peyton (Ryan O’Quinn), a business owner in a small town, going through financial trouble. Despite owning a business, he also has had the responsibility of hosting the famous local Christmas Pageant every year. Sadly, this year, his company has not been doing well and is losing money. When he tries to plead to the townspeople he cannot do it, he is accused of being greedy. The entire town hates him and it is up to him to save his business and attempt to save the spirit of Christmas in a poverty-stricken town.

Believe perfectly achieves its message – never lose hope and always believe in a better tomorrow. The story clearly  represents that. The cinematography is unique and beautiful in many scenes, from slow motion of falling snowflakes, to unique close ups and first person prospective. The actors, for the most part, play their emotions well and make the story feel dramatic. One character falls a bit short. Clarence (Isaac Ryan Brown) often feels out of place in some scenes, almost as if included for comedic effect or to help solidify the message. This is not because of bad acting. Isaac Ryan Brown plays Clarence as an excited and positive kid perfectly. The major problem is the interactions and his role in the story. Throughout the whole story, it feels like Clarence and Matthew have separate adventures and goals of being hopeful and faithful. This does not integrate well and makes for awkward scenes. Another major issue is that the film is  too long at 2 hours. It would benefit from some judicious editing as there are many scenes that had no purpose and add to the length, making the story feel stretched.

My favorite scene is when Matthew gets mugged and his car is set on fire. The cinematography of this scene is great with close ups of Matthew as his car is on fire and snowflakes slowly falling in the background. The entire time, the camera is shaking and distorted as if the viewer is experiencing some sort of head injury along with Matthew. I loved this because it gives you both a third person view of Matthew and a first person feeling of what he is experiencing.

There are very few with some mild violence and some dramatic scenes so I recommend it for ages 9 to 18. I also give it 3.5 out of 5 stars because, despite it having an issue with one character and the story, it has a strong moral, beautiful cinematography and fantastic acting. It opens in theaters on December 2, 2016 so, go check it out.

Credit: KIDS FIRST!

From Lucasfilm comes the first of the Star Wars standalone films, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, an all-new epic adventure. In a time of conflict, a group of unlikely heroes band together on a mission to steal the plans to the Death Star, the Empire’s ultimate weapon of destruction. This key event in the Star Wars timeline brings together ordinary people who choose to do extraordinary things, and in doing so, become part of something greater than themselves. Opening December 26, 2016, Rogue One is an American epic space opera film in the Star Wars Anthology, directed by Gareth Edwards and written by Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy, from a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta. It is a stand-alone sequel to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) and a prequel to the original Star Wars film Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) ending at the point at which that film begins. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Ryan R. comments, “… let me tell you, it is a must see and you don’t have to go to a galaxy far away to see it! It’s edgy, intense and delivers a lot of thrills.  Fans will not be disappointed with this new action packed film.” Nathaniel B. adds, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is definitely a great addition to the Star Wars saga. It has so many amazing things about it and is truly astonishing.” See their full reviews below and, be sure to watch Alejandra G.’s interview with Diego Luna who plays Cassian Andor.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

By KIDS FIRST! Film Critics, Ryan R., Age 12

I just finished watching Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and, let me tell you, it is a must see and you don’t have to go to a galaxy far away to see it! It’s edgy, intense and delivers a lot of thrills.  Fans will not be disappointed with this new action packed film.

Meet Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a defiant and eager character  who takes on a desperate mission for the Rebellion to try to steal the plans of the Death Star so they can learn how to destroy it. The question is, will they find the plans and learn how to destroy it or will they fail? You have to see the movie to find out.

I relished watching this movie for its incredible CGI, story and characters. The CGI is amazing. For example, the details of the planets make them look so interesting, realistic and beautiful. Another example is K-2SO (my favorite character) who is completely created by CGI and yet, he looks like a real robot!  I also love K-2SO because his sarcastic humor and delivery is hilarious. He acts too smart for his own good and he steals the show. The story has many twists and turns, and it left me with a lot of “what ifs” and I enjoyed that. The new characters are ordinary but strong people who band together to help Jyn and you’ll end up liking and rooting for them. Each one is memorable in their own right.  I feel like the Star Wars movies are getting better and better.  There are some subtle references to previous Star Wars films and some familiar faces. You might be asking, “who?” The answer is, go see the movie to find out!

I did not enjoy how the movie ends because, I felt they could have gone in another direction. But that is just my opinion. Overall, this film is amazing and I think you will definitely enjoy it.

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to people who like spinoffs, family, Star Wars films and action / adventure movies. I recommend this for ages 8 to 18 as well as adults. Be aware there are a few intense scenes and some blood shown. It opens Friday, December 16, 2016 so make sure to check it out in a theater near you.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

By Nathaniel B., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 10

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is definitely a great addition to the Star Wars saga. It has so many amazing things about it and is truly astonishing.

As in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, this film has a great female hero, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones). She is the perfect person for this role. She is very silent in the beginning and doesn’t have as many lines as I thought she would, but it serves as a way to show her character’s personality. She seems angry inside and does not care about the Rebellion.

The music uses the Star Wars theme and, even though it is not the exact same music as in the other Star Wars movies, it plays a critical role in making the film come alive. The music is dramatic at times and soft at others and really sets the moods, making scenes more dramatic, even when they aren’t that dramatic. The scenery also really makes you feel like you are on another world.

I love the special effects – the explosions, weapons, and spaceships are fantastic and are even better than the amazing special effects in the other Star Wars films. They look so real and are very interesting. The spaceships are the coolest of all the special effects. There are so many different kinds, it is hard to believe that someone put that much time, effort and creativity into designing imaginary aircrafts.

As great as Rogue One is, it is violent and has a lot of death. The death is not bloody or gross in any way but it is still death. Just a warning, some characters that people might get attached to die and some people may get upset because they like that person, so brace for impact. This film feels more like a movie for grown-ups than some of the others in the saga, but it is still great for kids.

This movie is a prequel to Star Wars 4, A New Hope (or number one if you are talking about the order of the films being made) and it comes after the Anakin, Qui Gon Jinn and younger Obi Wan Kenobi section of the saga. This film is called a Star Wars “story”, but it is one of the best Star Wars films yet. It explains many things and shows how different things in A New Hope happened. There is one particular part that I needed to have pointed out to me. I will not spoil it, but if you think during the movie about the name, A New Hope, then you should get it.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars because it adds important details to the previous Star Wars stories, is a great story on its own and is beautifully made. This film is suitable for ages 8 to 18 because it is great for older people but kind of scary for younger kids.  It opens in theaters on December 16, 2016 so, go check it out! You’ll be glad you did.

Credit: KIDS FIRST!