Family
Let There Be Light
Let There Be Light is a gratuitous entry into the popular faith-based sub-genre, but it acknowledges some interesting albeit heavy-handed ideas about being open to change.
Considering Love & Other Magic
I didn’t believe anything in Considering Love & Other Magic. These characters are so disengaged, you could set them on fire and all they would do is shrug. They’re all too busy pondering about death; mostly the long-term existentialism that lingers when a loved one passes away. The press release describes Dave Schultz’s film as a “family movie”. Try explaining that pitch to your kids. You’ll owe them ice cream after the show.
Wylie Writes @ TIFF KIDS ’17
Currently, the TIFF Kids International Film Festival (April 7 – April 23) is hosting a variety of content; including exclusive film premieres, industry insight, and interactive activities. I was fortunate enough to catch a couple of the premieres at this year’s TIFF Kids, and both films were encouraging examples from future storytellers.
Sieranevada
Sieranevada is an often charming, occasionally tedious, and relentlessly honest family drama written and directed by Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu (The Death of Mr. Lazarescu).
The Great Gilly Hopkins
The titular Gilly Hopkins (Sophie Nélisse) hasn’t had a proper home. She’s barely a teenager and already she’s earned a reputation within the foster care system that’s best described as “difficult”.
Ice Age: Collision Course
It’s hard to believe that Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, and the animals they voice are on their fifth feature-length lap with the Ice Age series – that’s a long time for any franchise. Then again, there’s always going to be a crowd for these adventurous, likeable mammals because Blue Sky Studios knows how to make a slick-and-quick movie for families. Ice Age: Collision Course is no different.
The Games Maker
By: Addison Wylie Sneaking in under the radar during this year’s final quarter is an uplifting family film called The Games Maker. For those who take a chance on it, they’ll be as pleasantly surprised as I was when Juan Pablo Buscarini’s film pulled me into a wonderful world of old-fashioned strategy. I say “pleasantly surprised” because the marketing for The Games Maker drives home its whimsy and fantastical elements a little too hard; so much…
The Journey Home
By: Addison Wylie Parents: if you feel your child is too old for those Air Bud movies but too young for Wild America and Alaska, that happy medium you’re looking for can be found in The Journey Home. A boy named Luke (played by Dakota Goyo) attempts to reunite a lost polar bear to its mother by travelling across perilous, icy terrain through flurries of snowstorms and over ice caps. The polar bear (which is eventually given…