American Hustle

DRAMA

Hustle to Survive

8.0 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: R Pervasive language, some sexual content and brief violence

Release Date: December 13, 2013 (limited)

Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes

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Director: David O. Russell
Writers: Eric Singer, David O. Russell
Cast:  Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Jennifer Lawrence, Louis C.K., Alessandro Nivola

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SYNOPSIS:  A con man, Irving Rosenfeld, along with his seductive British partner, Sydney Prosser, is forced to work for a wild FBI agent, Richie DiMaso. DiMaso pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia.

REVIEW: The Fighter director David O. Russell reunites with Christian Bale and Amy Adams for another period drama based on real circumstances. Written by Eric Singer (The International) and director Russell, Bale, Adams and Cooper try to grift their way to their biggest score.

Irving (Christian Bale) lives a different type of life, growing up in a way that eventually led him to a life of grifting. Even with legitiment businesses from his father, he gravitates to taking advantage of those circling the bottom of the barrel where the desperate and despondent live. At a winter pool party Irving meets a kindred spirit in a woman named Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) who incidentally elevates his con game. But even keeping the cons small enough to manage, Irving and Sydney get pinched by eager young FBI man Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper). Forcing the pair into helping him make a name for himself, Richie promises to let them go if he is handed four significant busts. When Richie gets a taste for success he demands bigger busts from Irving and Sydney. Feeling way over his head, Irving must figure out how to balance his and Sydney's tentative freedom, the good name of the Mayor of Camden Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) who he has grown to respect, the wants of DiMaso of the FBI and a bunch of mobsters and congressmen who want to invest in the Atlantic City boardwalk.

Set in the Spring of 1978 New York and New Jersey, American Hustle is a great throwback to the con artist movies of the past. Con games and artists are entertaining to watch. It is one of the reasons why White Collar works so well on the USA Network and why Paul Newman and Robert Redford's The Sting is such a classic. It's also why an audience will sit through a 138 minute movie. An audience will put into the time as long as there's a great payoff at the end.

But it's not just the con game that keeps this film rolling. Filled with great dramatic and comedic dialogue delivered by great actors and actresses, as well as a paced plotline, American Hustle boogies down. Adams, Cooper, Bale and Lawrence create unique and nuanced characters filled up with their talent. Louis C.K. and Cooper do great work on a comedic side, making audience laugh at how ridiculous their work relationship is. Bale's Irving and Adams' Sydney are in constant jeopardy, pinning their well-being and livelihood on their grifting talents. The problem is that they have never worked on this large a scale.

The style is 70s tones and disco abandon, letting the characters loose with necklines that extend to the waistline, wide lapels, hairy chest and gold medallions. The real world of 1978 was wrought with a recession, a war that left a bad taste in America's mouth and skyrocketing interest rates. While American Hustle is a story about scamming the system, it is also a backdrop for the state of the union. The FBI was still young and not even thinking about crime at the white collar level. Because of that and people's desperation grifting was very lucrative indeed.

The cast is brilliant, the story is superb and well paced. American Hustle is worth the money to watch, not unlike watching a street hustler move the hidden ball move under the three cups of the shell game. 

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The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Into the Fire

7.75 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: PG-13 Frightening images and fantasy action violence

Release Date: December 13, 2013

Runtime: 2 hours 40 minutes

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Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo del Toro, based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien
Cast:  Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Dean O'Gorman, Aiden Turner, John Callen, Peter Hambleton, Jed Brophy, Mark Hadlow, Adam Brown, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Luke Evans, Sylvester McCoy, Barry Humphries, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly

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SYNOPSIS:  The dwarves, along with Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, continue their quest to reclaim Erebor, their homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo Baggins is in possession of a mysterious and magical ring.

REVIEW: Peter Jackson, director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Lovely Bones, returns to the reins of the story that made Jackson such a premiere and acclaimed director of our time. Writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Jackson reunite to delve back into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien and the realms of Middle-Earth.

Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), his dwarf company, Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) narrowly escape from an Orc ambush. Still being pursued, the company of dwarves, a hobbit, and a wizard make their way ever closer to the Lonely Mountain. On the road they travel through more Orc infested hills, the giant spider infested Mirkwood, elf guarded forests, and an ailing fishing town at the base of the Lonely Mountain under the keep of men. During their travels Gandolf the Gray must say goodbye to the company in order to prove his own worries of a darkness that may becoming back into the world. With the evils of Orcs, the threat of the dark Necromancer, isolated Elves, and the greed and sloth of Men, Oakenshield, Bilbo and the rest of the company of dwarves may never reach the secret passage to the Lonely Mountain in time to face Smaug the Dragon.

Picking up immediately after the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug serves as the heart of The Hobbit trilogy of films. Using the same formula as Peter Jackson's original Lord of the Rings trilogy, hobbits, dwarves and wizards spend much of their time running toward their final destination, being captured and imprisoned, fighting off all manner of evil menace, and dealing with close minded and isolationist kings and kingdoms. Most return to the second film, and some new characters are introduced or pulled from the The J.R.R. Tolkien source materials.

Martin Freeman's Bilbo Baggins finds himself better prepared for the task of this adventure. He found something in the Goblin mines - namely his courage and an odd little ring. The company of dwarves, led by Thoren Oakenshield's Armitage, continue their venture as well looking more haggard and weary than Bilbo. McKellan's Gandalf is as enwizened and curious as ever, still able to wield a powerful staff and sword. Luke Evans plays Bard, a barge operator barely making a living in the small town of Laketown at the foot of the Lonely Mountain. Alan Cumberbatch lends his voice to the centuries old Smaug. Evangeline Liily is a new She-Elf name Tauriel, a captain of the guard of the Wood Elves. Orlando Bloom returns - for the first time - as Legolas the prince son of the Wood Elf king Thranduil (Lee Pace).

Peter Jackson's second installment of The Hobbit is as epic as ever, coming in at two hours and 40 minutes. With impressive vistas and long rolling shots of the hills and dales of the world of Middle Earth, the tale seems to have lost some of its urgency and magic. WingNut worked overtime to create more elaborate and epic CGI sequences. From the extended escape in the barrels from the Wood Elves and Orcs to the elaborate and gorgeous rendering of Smaug in his stolen under mountain treasure vaults, most of the effects are wonderful. And while the effects get better the repetitive nature of the film's storyline makes some of the quieter moments stale. Tauriel walks a fine line of repeating some of the same work that Liv Tyler's Arwen did in LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring. Even Stephen Fry's Master of Laketown is in possession of a wormy servant name Alfrid (Ryan Gage) a la a certain pale apprentice to Saruman in LOTR: The Two Towers.

Fans of the stories will appreciate all the love and care that Jackson, Walsh and Boyens put into The Hobbit. Newcomers to the franchise may be unprepared for the film's length or that it is the centerpiece of a three part single story. Beautiful and epic, Jackson makes fantasy as real as possible.

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Saving Mr. Banks

DRAMA

Critical Characters

8.0 out of 10 | Movie or Rental

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Rated: PG-13  Thematic elements including some unsettling images
Release Date: December 13, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

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Director: John Lee Hancock
Writers: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Cast: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, B.J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman

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SYNOPSIS:  Author P. L. Travers reflects on her difficult childhood while meeting with filmmaker Walt Disney during production for the adaptation of her novel, Mary Poppins.

REVIEW: The Blind Side writer/director John Lee Hancock flies in with a talking umbrella to uncover how Mary Poppins finally came to the big screen. Written by Sue Smith and Kelly Marcel, and based on actual recordings kept by Walt Disney Studios, this mouse's tale tells more than just how Mary Poppins came to life.

P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson, Beautiful Creatures), writer of the Mary Poppins stories, has been pursued by Walt Disney (Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips) for 20 years to adapt her beloved characters to the big screen. When she finds herself struggling to maintain her finances, Mrs. Travers travels to California to the Walt Disney production complex to meet with Walt and a team of writers and composers to see if Walt will be faithful to her work and the vision of her characters. She doesn't sign her rights to her characters away, doesn't want sappy and snappy music, and forbids - above all else - any use of animation. Every swatch of cloth, every choice of a cast, every nuance of the story plot is a battle between Mrs. Travers and Walt's creative team. Can either side compromise enough to create a finished film?

We all know that Walt Disney Studios produced and put out Mary Poppins as a feature film. That could never come under dispute. What this film shows is the turmoil, both internal and external, that Mrs. Travers underwent while trying to rationalize why and how to bring her beloved nanny to the big screen. The film is aptly named, the P.L.Travers collection of Mary Poppins stories a reflection of her own youth spent at the end of the line in Australia. She idolized her father who held a strong grip on his own imaginative spirit. She idolized him as she was a kindred Celtic spirit. Writing Mary Poppins allowed Travers to pay homage to her father and to attempt to reconcile her own demons concerning family.

The story flashes between Pamela's youth in Australia around 1901, then moving forward to 1960s London, England and Hollywood, California for a fateful few weeks where the battle for Mary Poppins' future commenced. Moving back-and-forth, we catch glimpses of what P.L.Travers has been dealing with her entire life. What starts off as an author's catharsis by putting finger to typewriter ends up being a much larger realization when she is faced with the decision of letting go of her creations.

Emma Thompson is superb as the P.L. Travers. She is prim and proper, holding her values and creations in the highest regard. She is difficult to deal with and more difficult to read. Tom Hanks, as Walt Disney himself, plays the man behind the Mouse with ease and a childlike enthusiasm. He also holds his own values in high regard, as well trying to keep a 20 year promise to his daughters. Paul Giamatti (Turbo) plays Travers' chauffeur Ralph, bringing his own positive attitude to the aid of a difficult woman and situation. B.J. Novak as Robert Sherman and Jason Schwartzman as his composer brother Richard are both very professional when it comes to being the creative force to put Mary Poppins on screen. Both over-the-top and subtle, each gets their points across to the Mary Poppins creator. Colin Farrell who plays Pamela's father and Annie Rose Buckley who plays his young creative daughter have a chemistry matching their creative and imaginative spirits.

Semi-biographical, semi historical, and pulling source material from both archived recordings from the Disney creative team meetings and sketches and movie sequences from the Disney Vault, Saving Mr. Banks has an air of realism mixed with whimsy. As with all stories of this kind there is always embellishment and license, but this feels just right. As Mary Poppins herself would say to the author and her need for closure and letting go, a spoonful of sugar will make the medicine go down.

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Homefront

ACTION/ADVENTURE, SUSPENSE/THRILLER

Protecting Family

7.25 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: R   Strong violence, pervasive language, drug content and brief sexuality
Release Date: November 27, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes

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Director: Gary Fielder
Writers: Sylvester Stallone, based on the novel by Chuck Logan
Cast: Jason Statham, James Franco, Izabela Vidovic, Kate Bosworth, Marcus Hester, Clancy Brown, Winona Ryder, Frank Grillo

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SYNOPSIS: A former DEA agent moves his daughter to a quiet town, where he soon tangles with a local meth druglord.

REVIEW: Runaway Jury director Gary Fielder is no stranger to suspense or action, spending a lot of time directing action-oriented episodes for The Shield and Life on Mars. Now, with a script from none other than Sly Stallone (The Expendables 2) Fielder combines suspense and action together for a Thanksgiving weekend release.

Phil broker (Jason Statham, Parker) leaves the DEA after an undercover assignment goes sideways. Retiring to Rayville, Louisiana with his 10-year-old daughter Maddy (Izabela Vidovic), he tries to lead a normal life. When Maddy defends herself from a bully at school, it sets off a chain reaction of violence and revenge that starts with the boy's mother Cassie (Kate Bosworth, Superman Returns) and father Jimmy (Marcus Hester, Looper) before escalating to the mother's meth drug lord brother Morgan 'Gator' Bodice (James Franco, This is the End). When Gator learns of Phil's past life involving the leader of the biker gang The Outcasts, he tries to secure expansion opportunities by serving up Phil's location using his girlfriend Sheryl (Winona Ryder, Star Trek) as the go between.

From a story by Chuck Logan and adapted to the screen by the one and only Sylvester Stallone, Homefront is prototypical action flick. The protagonist is a capable ex-military, ex-agent who is just trying to leave his past behind and lead a normal life with his family. He tries to be a good man and devoted father, but his training and sense of right and wrong put him in the middle of circumstances that force him to take action to protect those he loves.

While not original in the action genre, the movie does bring some fresh life to it. Jason Statham is always fun to watch as an action hero, up there with Bruce Willis and Stallone. He has an easy way about him that makes him a good character for the forced upon vigilante while knowing how to kick some serious ass when he needs to. The choreography and action sequences illicit oohs and ahhs. Statham has great chemistry with his on-screen daughter played by newcomer Izabela Vidovic, making the duo very likable as a family unit. But as good as Jason Statham's presence and physicality are, it still would be nothing without a serious threat and villain.

James Franco, as the meth lord nicknamed Gator, puts a good performance as a ruthless meth cooker and brother trying to do right by his strung out sister. When Gator finds an opportunity to expand his business and change his own life at Phil Broker's expense, he jumps at the chance. Gator is only one of the villains that make this movie so good. Winona Ryder's Cheryl, ex-biker groupie and current Gator drug partner, seems only concerned about her own preservation. Trained killer and biker Cyrus, played by Frank Grillo (Zero Dark Thirty), is sent to deal with the Phil Broker loose end. As a collective this group of deviants could, at any moment, prove more than a match for Statham's character.

Homefront is a good blend of family bonding and villain pounding. Most of it may be a little cliché but Franco, Statham, Ryder and Grillo makes for a action and popcorn lovers spectacle, especially after stuffing oneself with turkey and stuffing.

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Nebraska

DRAMA

Winning Ticket

8.0 out of 10 | Rental

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Rated: R  Language and sexual connotation
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes

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Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Bob Nelson
Cast: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach

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SYNOPSIS:  An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

REVIEW: Alexander Payne, director of The Descendants, takes a script from Bob Nelson (The Eyes of Nye) to create a black-and-white tribute to a story of fathers and sons - and the things we learn along the way.

Woody Grant (Bruce Dern, Django Unchained) receives a letter in the mail alerting him that he's won $1,000,000 in a sweepstakes. He is found by the police department on the highway in Billings, Montana trying to walk his way to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his winnings. Even though his wife Kate and sons Dave (Will Forte, Rock of Ages) and Ross (Ken Odenkirk, Movie 43) try to explain why the letter is not proof that he won anything, Woody will not be deterred. Realizing this, Dave gives in and agrees to drive his father to Lincoln in order to put a stop to his father's fantasy. Along the way Dave and Woody run into issues with Woody's health, as well as a costly and enlightening detour to Woody's hometown of Hawthorne, Nebraska.

Shot in black-and-white, Nebraska is a testament to good storytelling, character focus, and subtle nuances. Stripped down to its purest form the movie makes the audience focus on what is happening at the moment. Choreographed with gorgeous cinematography, like an Ansel Adams photograph giving the film a richer and weathered quality, every stationary or panning shot adds to both the beauty and sometimes the despair of America's middle.

More a character study of aging in America and the aging of America, Nebraska posts wonderful acting by Bruce Dern and June Squibb. Dern's Woody is the forgetful yet driven man who lives in a country where he had served his country, pays his taxes and should be over to do whatever how he wants to do. Squibb is a piece of work throughout the whole film, but shows she is not always the one at fault. Will Forte's Dave moves away from his roots in sketch and situational comedies to play a more down-to-earth and real character as Woody's son. Boasting only Dern and Stacy Keach as major stars, the film is filled with beautifully casted siblings and family members to make anyone from the breadbasket of America feel like they are at home themselves.

Bruce Dern's Woody represents a dying America that may not survive. All he wants is to feel like he has done enough to leave a legacy. Looking at small towns that Dave and Woody drive through on the way to Lincoln, Nebraska, you see that while homesteads from a man's youth may still stand, it doesn't carry the emotional way it should. The towns are dying and somewhat forgotten, paint peeling off the walls and columns, the dry leaves blowing through the streets and closed up shop of Main St., America. People who built this country are now left to slowly fade away.

The film is endearing as Woody strives to fulfill a life goal of leaving something behind. It also is very funny in parts with Woody and sharp dialogue between father and son, husband and wife, and sometimes no dialogue at all between several brothers who have lived a full life. Coming in at a little under two hours the film does seem a bit long. There's no doubt that Bruce Dern, Will Forte and Stacy Keach hold our attention and keep us engaged. That being said, some of the more artistic aspects of the film tend to go on for a little bit longer than needed. Shortening a film by just a few minutes would've helped.

An artistic independent film, Nebraska is worth your time. It's not necessarily big-screen fair but if you have the right ticket it may still be a winner.

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The Hunger Games Catching Fire

ACTION/ADVENTURE

Girl Still On Fire

8.75 out of 10 | Movie and DVD

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Rated: PG-13  For intense sequences of violence and action, some frightening images, thematic elements, a suggestive situation and language
Release Date: November 22, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 26 minutes

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Director: Francis Lawrence
Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt, based on the novel 'Catching Fire' by Suzanne Collins
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Jack Quaid, Taylor St. Clair, Woody Harrelson, Josh Hutcherson, Willow Shields, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Lynn Cohen, Jena Malone

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SYNOPSIS:  Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

REVIEW: Francis Lawrence, director of I Am Legend and the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay films, takes over the reins from Gary Ross and brings Katniss and Peeta back to the games. Simon Beaufoy (127 Hours) and Michael Arndt (Oblivion) adapt the second book from Suzanne  Collins in the hopes that the tributes from District 12 can survive.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: First Class) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson, Epic) have returned to Panem's District 12 as victors of the 74th Hunger Games. Living in the Victors Village, the best homes in the desolate community, Katniss still desires to leave with Gale (Liam Hemsworth, The Expendables 2) into the forest and away from the rule and oppression of President Snow and the Capitol. Sensing an uprising in the Districts, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) urges Katniss to portray the 'in love' winner with Peeta to quell the ideas of rebellion. When their victors tour results in squabbling crowds and unrest, Snow changes the rules of the game by announcing that the 75th Hunger Games, the 3rd Quarter Quell, will reap its tributes from the past winners of the event. Peeta and Katniss are forced back into the fray as the games commence, banding together with some if the other tributes in order to stay alive and to remember who the real enemy is.

Jennifer Lawrence returns as the reluctant heroine Katniss in the second of the Hunger Games series. No longer novices from the first film, Katniss and Hutcherson's Peeta better understand the political machine behind the oppression and fear of the Capitol and the presidency. Katniss sees graffiti of her signature mockingjay everywhere she goes, signifying a change in attitude of the populace against the government. Winning the 74th Hunger Games in front of the entire world with the virtue of love and sacrifice has sparked a faint, but strengthening, life of hope throughout the Districts.

A darker and more stark entry, Catching Fire starts by reintroducing Katniss and Peeta in the aftermath of winning the Hunger Games. Winners of the games and living a slightly better life than their District 12 neighbors, the pair suffers a strained relationship as each tries to rationalize their true feelings. Katniss still loves Gale, Peeta pines for Katniss, and President Snow desires the continued success of his rule in the Capitol and over the Districts. More entrenched with politics and subterfuge, Katniss and the others have to deal with more painful emotions and the realization that they are again forced to fight against an almost infallible opponent.

Jennifer Lawrence has an even more raw edge in her second outing as Katniss. Josh Hutcherson, as Peeta, shows that he is not just that defenseless young man from the 74th games, growing into his role as a leader and defender of District 12 and Katniss. Under-appreciated Woody Harrelson shines as Haymitch, the tortured former winner of the Games. He straddles the line between gifted diplomat and ragged alcoholic. Effie Trinket, played by Elizabeth Banks, is softer and more humanized, showing that living in the shine and decadence of the Capitol does not necessarily mean that she has no heart. Philip Seymour Hoffman steps in as the new games master Plutarch Heavensbee. Sutherland and Tucci are phenomenal in their returning roles.

From a fairly faithful adaptation of the book, to superb performances by a stellar cast, to a story that seems to start off as a retread but ends up with intrigue, action, pain and suspense, Catching Fire takes The Hunger Games to the next level. Katniss may be the Girl on Fire, but she may set all of Panem ablaze.

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Disney's Frozen

ACTION/ADVENTURE, ANIMATED

Deep Freeze

10 out of 10 | Movie and DVD

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Rated: G  Animated peril and adventure
Release Date: November 27, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Writers: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Shane Morris, inspired by the 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Christian Andersen
Cast: Kristen Bell, Alan Tudyk, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana

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SYNOPSIS:  Fearless optimist Anna teams up with Kristoff in an epic journey, encountering Everest-like conditions, and a hilarious snowman named Olaf in a race to find Anna's sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom in eternal winter.

REVIEW: Writer/director Chris Buck (Surf's Up) and writer,first-time director Jennifer Lee (Wreck-it Ralph) create a wintery, not-so-wonderland, along with writer Shane Morris and a little inspiration from 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Christian Andersen. 

Elsa (Idina Menzel. Enchanted) and Anna (Kristen Bell, Hit and Run) are princesses in the kingdom of Arendelle. Anna loves it when her sister sneaks out of her room at night to makes snowmen with her. The only difference is that Elsa has magic that can create ice, snow and wintery weather. When an accident forces the king to take Elsa and Anna to a group of mystical rock trolls, they heal Anna and advise the king to have Elsa get control of her powers. Shut away from the rest the kingdom, Elsa lives a lonely life in fear of the powers inside her. Years later on the day of Elsa's royal coronation, she accidentally sets in motion an eternal freeze that endangers the kingdom and her people. Anna must help her sister using ice cutter Kristoff (Jonathan Groff, The Conspirator), his reindeer Sven, and an enchanted snowman named Olaf (Josh Gad, The Internship). Will Anna and her new friends reach Elsa in time to reverse what she has done, or will Arendelle continue to suffer the forever winter?

From the Walt Disney Animation Studios, Frozen is a CGI spectacle without the use of Pixar Studios. Following more in the footsteps of classic Disney animated films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and the more recent Tangled, Frozen is filled with song, drama, heart and laughs. You never hear Woody or Buzz Lightyear break into song at a moments notice. Once you settle in to the musical quality of the film, you are transported back to those earlier Walt Disney classics coupled with the enjoyment of state-of-the-art CGI animation.

As with most Walt Disney animations, tragic events put in motion an adventure of enchanted proportions. With lost parents, estranged sisters, and blessed magic turned into a curse, from the tragedy comes drama, adventure, and comic hijinks. With ice queens and kingdoms in jeopardy, Anna holds hope in her hearts that she can undo everything that Elsa been done. Helping Anna is Kristoff, his endearing and funny reindeer companion Sven, and a hilarious ice snowman named Olaf. Similar to Tangled, Sven says more with a snort and a raised eyebrow then with words. Everything that the snowman Olaf does, from words to deeds, will keep you laughing. And while Kristoff does not want to get involved he finds himself helping anyway.

The music is beautiful, the arts and scenery of the animation is gorgeous telling a story all its own, and the characters are likable and worthy of rooting for. From a great story with hearts, action and drama, Frozen is a delight for kids young and old. Not too scary for the young ones, Frozen still boasts an epic snow monster that chases Anna and her friends off a mountain. Otherwise it's good wholesome fun and fret for everyone.

Coming from Disney, you expect great storytelling and wonderful animation. Rebounding from the less-than-well received Pixar's Planes earlier this year, Frozen does not slip or falter in its attempt to thaw your hearts and keep you warm from the cold.

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