The Croods on Blu-Ray

The Croods is out to own on DVD and Blu-ray on December 9th, just in time for Christmas.  It tells the story of a pre-historic family as they embark on a  perilous journey through an incredible new world. 

The family have lived by a set of rules to keep them alive and protective father Grug teaches his brood to be afraid of everything in order to stay alive. They spend all their time hidden in their dark cave, but teenager Eep has had enough of this life and she wants more. One night she sneaks away from her cave home and meets Guy, who tells her that the world they know is changing and 'The End' is coming. The Croods are forced to join Guy on a crazy road trip through a fantastic world filled with fabulous creatures and fraught with danger, to find a safe new place to call home.

The film is visually stunning.  The fabulous scenery, animals and plants are wonderfully imaginative and bring to life this rich and detailed world full of beauty and danger.  You feel the peril of the catastrophic, world changing events and you experience the wonder of The Croods as they see brand new things for the first time.  

The relationship between the family members is similar to the dynamics of many modern families and you feel empathy for the characters as you recognise your own traits! We see the rebellious teenager and her over-protective father as they clash heads again and again. Grug's dismay at his daughter's developing relationship with Guy shows his reluctance to let her grow up.  Something I'm sure most dads can relate to.  But the love between them is strong enough to see them through.  The daddy/daughter relationship is a very precious thing. The Croods is a great story which takes on the universal subject of family brilliantly.

The emotional journey of the film is really powerful, and it made me and my girls cry!  It really pulls at the heart strings as you see Grug's acceptance and understanding of the changes going on in his family and in the world as a whole.  Everything he trusted and believed in is challenged, but he finds a capacity for change inside himself.  Grug is a great character and his evolution throughout the story is one of my favourite parts of the film.  He is beautifully portrayed as the big, strong protector of his family, who is doing his best to keep them safe using brawn but not brain.  Meeting Guy, who is an ideas man, really challenges everything he believes in but he finds a way to adapt for his family's sake.  It is really moving!!

There are lots of funny moments.  Some of my favourite gags came via Guy's overly dramatic pet sloth 'Belt', so-called because he helps keep his trousers up!  Belt is really cute and funny and all the children loved him. 

The scene where Grug tries his hand at being an 'ideas' man brings a host of laugh out loud moments as his plans all backfire.  His camera invention was particularly funny!!  There is humour for both adults and grown-ups to enjoy.

The stunning hybrid animals of the imagined pre-historic world are remarkable.  The flesh-eating, swarming, pink Piranhakeet birds were my personal favourite. The colourful, sabre-toothed tiger style Macawnivore was gorgeously illustrated.  His fur looked positively stroke-able. The Extras includes a Croodacious Creature feature explaining all about the amazing animals of the film.  

The Croods' journey is fraught with peril as earthquakes, explosions and rock slides threaten their every step, but with determination, teamwork and imagination they overcome the obstacles that stand between them and a happy ending.  A perfect metaphor for modern living!

4 year old Freddy enjoyed watching The Croods with his big sisters. He laughed at all the slapstick comedy moments and liked the animals, especially the colourful Macawnivore.  His favourite part was the song "Shine Your Way" at the end of the film, which he danced to with gusto!

11 year old Kizzy said, "It was a really enjoyable film and it made me cry.  My favourite character was Guy because he was funny and cool and his pet Belt was adorable.  I loved the way that they wanted to ride the sun to tomorrow and find a better life."

17 year old Ella said, " It was such a good film. Nicholas Cage and Emma Stone were brilliant and well cast as Grug and Eep and I loved their relationship."

This DVD is definitely a great idea for a Christmas present or stocking filler that the kids will love.  It is a film that can be watched and enjoyed again and again!

We received The Croods from Mumsnet so we could do this review.

Warner Bros Festive Films

Warner Bros know exactly the sort of thing I like to find in my Christmas Stocking.  Nothing beats a good Blu-Ray as a gift and this Christmas they have sent me The Dark Knight Rises and New Year's Eve.

New Year’s Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, with intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.  With an all star cast, it is a feel good movie that is perfect for this time of year.  It's a fabulous seasonal chick flick with an excellent soundtrack.  My eldest daughters really enjoyed watching it in the run up to Christmas and it got them into the spirit of the season.  It was funny, moving and entertaining in equal measure.  We enjoyed spotting all the A-list stars in their roles and particularly loved Ashton Kutcher and Bon Jovi!  This film is exactly the sort of film we love to sit down and watch together!  We thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Dark Knight Rises is the final installment to the gritty superhero trilogy.  Batman has gone from hero to fugitive after taking the blame for events that was for the greater good of Gotham City.  Eight years on he is a shadow of his former self.  The arrival of hulking masked man Bane threatens to destroy Gotham.  Can a broken, tortured superhero find it in himself to get back to his former glory and save the day?  

The action scenes are immense!  The appearance of Anne Hathaway as Cat Woman is a revelation. The back stories are interesting, the emotional content of the film is powerful and the villains are as ever amazing.  The story is very dark and heavy, but the over-riding theme of heroism and the emotional conflict of Bruce Wayne is a great portrayal of the human spirit.

Both films are available to buy now from stockists such as Amazon and both are well worth a watch!  

Arthur Christmas Review

Arthur Christmas is out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 19th November from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.  It is a fabulous feel good festive family film, voiced by an all star cast, filled with warmth, humour and answers to the age old questions about how Santa does it all in one night!

We have had a sneaky peek at Arthur Christmas on Blu-Ray, which is an Aardman Animation CGI production.

So how can Santa deliver millions of presents to the whole world in just one night? The answer is with an army of one million combat-style Field Elves and a vast, state-of-the-art control center under the ice of the North Pole under the control of Santa's son Steve! However, one Christmas something goes wrong and in spite of this incredible operation they accidentally  MISS one child?! 

To Santa’s young son, Arthur, the forgotten present threatens to end the magic of Christmas. With retired Grandsanta, a rebellious young elf from the Wrapping Department, and an old sleigh, Arthur sets out in a crazy mission to deliver the last present and save Christmas!

We thought this film was great.  The comedy element is brilliant, the vocal talents work incredibly well, the animation is quirky, the storyline is original and creative and the message that every child matters is heartwarming. We loved the dynasty of Santas and the family dynamic which drives the plot.  The film delivers the perfect dose of comedy and sentiment and is definitely one of my favourite Christmas movies of recent years.  The children agree.  Kizzy aged 10 said it was "really funny and cute and Arthur is so lovely".  Freddy who is 3 was spellbound and giggled at the visual humour.  Sixteen year old Ella also loved it.  It's definitely one for all the family to watch together.

The DVD and Blu-Ray include a host of special features and also come with a UV copy of the film.

Release date: November 19th 2012
Running time: 93/97 minutes
Certificate U

While you are waiting for the film to be released you can get into the Christmas spirit by printing out the activity sheet below to help design a Christmas jumper for Arthur!

Arthur Christmas is out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 19th November from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

© 2011 Sony Pictures Animation Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Men In Black 3 Review

In Men in Black 3, Agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) are back... in time.

J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right.

J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him – secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Josh Brolin) to save his partner, the agency and the future of humankind.

We were sent a copy of MIB3 on Blu-Ray, which is available to buy now from all good stockists.  From the onset we were hooked.  The latest film in the hugely successful trilogy provides a fresh perspective on the relationship between J and K.  Time travelling back to the 60's to save a young K gives plenty of scope for jokes, misunderstandings, humour and emotion.

J and K 

Josh Brolin is superb and very believable playing a young Tommy Lee Jones.  The bad guy, Boris the Animal  is a brilliant and very sinister alien creature that we all loved to hate and the special effects were out of this world!  Surprisingly, this film had a huge dose of emotionally charged content that had me literally sobbing at the end as secrets are discovered adding a whole new element to the Men In Black story.  We really loved it and 10 year old Kizzy still can't stop talking about how good it was!

The Blu-Ray includes lots of special features including a Spot the Alien Game, a featurette on the Evolution of Cool: MIB 1960s vs Today and The FX of MIB3 featurette.

Men In Black 3 is available now on Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray 3D and DVD and as part of a Limited Edition Blu-Ray giftset.  It is certificate PG (it does contain some quite scary scenes for very young children) and runs for 106 minutes on Blu-Ray.  The Blu-Ray also includes a UV copy for watching online.

Find out more and have some MIB fun on the Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/MIBmovie