Kidsmomo

The new movie ParaNorman is full of creatures with no pulse, but it’s guaranteed YOUR pulse will quicken as you watch all the fast and funny zombie action in this flick!

We give it two thumbs up — watch our video for our commentary on the trailer and read on for our thoughts on the film and the book! (Warning: we tried to pack in as many spooky puns and references as possible, so be prepared to groan…)

Storyline
Karen says:I’m a huge scaredy cat, so I deliberately read as little as I could about the story before going to see it. I knew that if I thought about it too much, I’d start to get irrationally afraid of the zombies and my anxiety would overpower my BRAAAAAIIIIIIN and I’d chicken out of watching the movie. So I was really happy that it turned out to be not too freaky. Actually, I thought it was pretty sweet and heart-warming for a movie about the undead!

Nancy says: Unlike Karen, I did read the book (by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel) before watching the movie — and it was awesome! There are barely any differences in storyline between the book and movie, and I thought the WICKED twist with the witch was really clever.

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 2

Characters
Karen says: I immediately liked Norman — but then again, you’d have to be a CORPSE not to like him! I also loved his new friend, Neil. But the rest of the characters seemed a little stereotypical — almost like GHOSTS of truly unique people. I especially would have liked Norman’s dad to have more depth because his character was as shallow as a SHALLOW GRAVE. But still, this didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment of the movie.

Nancy says: So what you’re saying, Karen, is that you would have liked to see Norman’s dad more FLESHED out? Heeheehee! In the book, Salma is a lot more involved and funnier, so I missed her. She was the BRAAAAIINNNSS of the operation. I liked how Norman eventually came around to being Neil’s friend; in the book you find out why he’s so shy and introverted, so when Norman gets the GUTS to come out of his shell in the movie, I had that in the back of my mind. I mean, BRAAAAIIINNN.

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 9

Visuals
Karen says: I absolutely loooooooved the way this movie looked — and we didn’t even see it in 3D! Actually, I feel like the visuals are so good, the 3D is probably unnecessary. Of course, I can’t say that for sure — I’d have to pick the BRAAAAAAAIIIIIIINS of people who did see it in 3D — but I thought all the detail and richness of the visuals were great in 2D! Also, I don’t know about anyone else, but I kept staring at Norman’s eyebrows. Is that weird? Probably…

Nancy says: At first, I was kind of GROSSED OUT by the way some of the people look in the movie — especially Norman’s mom and sister, who have teeny-tiny waists and giant butts and heads. But in the end I thought, hey — I’m probably supposed to be grossed out. I also thought the climatic scene with Norman and the accused witch was beautiful — no spoilers here, but let’s just say… it was ELECTRIFYING!

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 12

Favorite part
Karen says: This was a huge surprise to me, given that I normally am DEATHLY afraid of the idea of the living dead, but the zombies were my favorite part of the movie! I thought all their mannerisms were really funny, and it especially SLAYED ME up when one of them ended up riding in a car with Norman!

Nancy says: I already mentioned how much I loved the scene with Norman and the witch, so I’ll go with… every funny part of the movie! Seriously, the movie made my RIBCAGE rattle from giggling so much. Even though the hockey-mask scene is in the other ParaNorman trailer, it’s still a HOOT in the movie.

Spooky Reference Running Tally: 16

Overall impressions
Karen says: I would definitely recommend this movie. It’s got everything you could ask for: an unlikely hero, an action-packed story, awesome stop-motion visuals, lots of humor, and lots of heart. Definitely not one of those dumb movies made by people who expect kids to just enjoy anything; the people behind this film definitely used their BRAAAAAAAIIIIIIIINS to make something really cool! So I give it a thumbs up for sure!

Nancy says: I would also recommend this movie, and the book by Elizabeth Cody Kimmel. I think it’d be enjoyable to read the book first or in the AFTERLIFE of the movie.

Have you seen the new movie ParaNorman? Leave a comment with YOUR review! Did you love it? Did you hate it? Did you freak out when the zombies appeared and wail like a baby who’s diaper needs to be changed? We wanna know!

Total No. of Spooky References: 18

Yesterday morning, we got up really early (okay, really early for Nancy) to watch this year’s first blockbuster, which just happens to be adapted from an awesome book (the best movies always are): The Hunger Games.

Mockingjay temporary tattoos!

First and foremost: the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the new movie are meant for kids ages 12 and up. After all, the story IS pretty violent and disturbing… Okay, it’s REALLY violent and disturbing…

But if you happen to have already read the book, then you’re probably headed to the movie theater this weekend — and you’re in for an intense 142 minutes!

Since we are waaaaaaaaay over 12, that’s what we did Friday morning before breakfast! (Yes, that’s right. Before breakfast. And you know how important food is to us!) We don’t want to spill the spoiler beans here, so we’ll just say this: the movie made us cry, gasp in shock, wince at gruesome parts (again — there’s a reason it’s rated PG-13), and even jump in our seats.

After the movie, we stopped by the Scholastic Store in New York City to hang out with Katniss Everdeen (cardboard edition). Note: We did not Photoshop Katniss into this picture. She was really there (kinda). Another note: Karen works at Scholastic, which is the company that publishes the Hunger Games trilogy. But she didn’t work on the books, unfortunately.

"Hey, Katniss, will you introduce us to Peeta and Gale?" ... "No."

As you can see, we wore our mockingjay pins just like Katniss, and Karen dressed in her “Girl on Fire” outfit. Thank goodness she decided not to incorporate actual flames.

If you’re not sure about whether the book or movie are right for you, then you can always check out the some of these book reviews of The Hunger Games, submitted by kids like you!

• From Celina, Age 10 from Georgia
• From Trinity, Age 10 from Arkansas
• From Pedro, Age 13 from Rhode Island (on the entire series)

(Btw, if you’re planning to see the movie but haven’t read the books yet, we highly recommend that you read at least the first one before you see the film.)

If you decide that The Hunger Games is not for you, check back with Kidsmomo on Tuesday: Karen will recommend another awesome series by Suzanne Collins.

And if you did watch the movie, let us know what you thought in the comments below!

May the odds be ever in your favor,

— Karen (District 8, textiles) and Nancy (District 3, electronics)

We saw The Lorax on opening night.
Was it a beauty or was it a fright?
Watch the video if you want to see
A movie review from Karen and Nancy!

Hey, give us a break, we know we can’t compare to Dr. Seuss! But really, who can?

The REAL question here is whether you should see the Lorax movie. Watch our movie review video to find out:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy protecting the trees from greedy, axe-wielding men — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Lorax movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book?

Imagine a film about tiny people living in the walls of your house, sneaking into your room at night, taking little items while you sleep. Is it the newest horror movie to hit theaters? No, it’s The Secret World of Arietty, based on Mary Norton’s classic children’s book The Borrowers!

Yeah, we were just kidding with that horror film stuff. Although the question still remains: Is this movie a delight, or a fright? Check out our video review below:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy hiding from the household cat because you’re about the size of his paw — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new movie The Secret World of Arietty? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book?

Like the station inspector chasing after Hugo, or Hugo and Isabelle seeking out the answer to a mystery, last week Nancy and Karen went in search of a magical movie experience… We saw Hugo, based on the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick!

And did the movie deliver? To find out, you’ll just have to watch the video review below! You know, just like Hugo and Isabelle watching a film, or — oh, forget it, let’s just get to the review:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy winding the clocks at the local train station — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new movie Hugo? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book? And what do you think: do you need to know the book already in order to enjoy the film?

What happens when you take thousands of the most passionate Harry Potter devotees in the country and put them all together in one theater to watch The Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (aka the final HP movie)? TOTAL FANDEMONIUM!

But the real question is: Did the movie live up to the super duper high standards of this crowd? Watch our video to find out:

Have you seen the new Harry Potter movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the books?

And, of course, stay tuned for more LeakyCon coverage on Kidsmomo!

— Nancy (Ravenclaw) and Karen (Hufflepuff)

 
Btw: Karen works at Scholastic and Nancy used to work there, but our jobs are not connected to LeakyCon, sadly. We’re attending for our own enjoyment — and yours — as the ridiculous fans that we are.

What’s black and white and red all over? An embarrassed penguin!

Ha ha ha ha ha! Aren’t we hilarious?

Okay, to be honest, we found that joke on the Internet. But we really did create the video review below, for the new film Mr. Popper’s Penguins, starring Jim Carrey. So take a look and see if we found the movie positively perfect, partially pleasant, or plainly putrid!

(PS – If you’re on the go — or busy practicing a penguin dance routine — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Mr. Popper’s Penguins movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book? And what was YOUR favorite penguin moment?

Are you ready to have an absolutely thrill-a-delic summer? That’s certainly what Judy Moody is after in the new movie, Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, based on the book series by Megan McDonald (and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds).

But will Judy get the double-rare experience that she wants? And more importantly, if you watch this movie, will YOU? Watch our video review to find out!

(PS – If you’re on the go — or you’re just in a mood — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Judy Moody movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the books?

Greg. Rodrick. Rowley. Fregley. Chirag. And, of course, that embarrassing diary… They’re all back in the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, based on the book Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney.

And surprise, surprise — Nancy and Karen were also back in the theater on opening night to watch the story come to life on the big screen. But did it live up to the book? Or should the film be avoided like the Cheese Touch? Watch our video review to get our take on the movie:

(PS – If you’re on the go — or too busy being tormented by your older sibling — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Wimpy Kid movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book and the earlier film?

It’s the final trip to Narnia for the Pevensie children in the new movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, based on the book by C.S. Lewis. And it’s certainly an amazing adventure for THEM — but is it worth the journey for YOU, the moviegoer? Nancy and Karen aren’t so sure…

Watch our video review to find out what we liked and what we didn’t like, and whether we’d recommend climbing aboard — or jumping ship:

(PS – If you’re on the go — say, sailing the seas of a magical kingdom — don’t worry, you can still listen to our review. Just download the audio.)

Have you seen the new Narnia movie? Leave a comment with YOUR review! How do you think it compared to the book and the earlier films?