Remember how pleasantly surprised we all were by Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle when it opened in 2017? It became the surprise hit of that holiday season and is now one of those films that, if it happens to be on TV, I have to watch the whole dang thing. The follow-up, Jumanji: The Next Level, is opening December 13th and things are a little different this time. Watch the trailer below to find out how they worked in new cast members, Continue reading →
Tag: Jack Black
The TOP 5 MOVIES to See Right Now!
Seems like the perfect weekend for a movie, doesn’t it? If you agree and are about to dump a pile of cash at a theater, make sure it’s for something GOOD. Here are the “Julie Says So” TOP 5 MOVIES to See Right Now, and stay to the end for some Scary Movie options. Continue reading →
FREE MOVIE PASSES: See “Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween” EARLY & FOR FREE (& Come in Costume!)
Hope you’ve got your Halloween costumes all lined up because there’s a fantastic screening of Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween coming up this weekend! The Alamo Drafthouse Lake Highlands is hosting a FREE SCREENING this Saturday, but they’ll play Halloween party-games with the kids beforehand (so bring them in costume). You’ll need passes to get in FOR FREE Continue reading →
New Movies for KIDS: What You Should & Shouldn’t See With Your Youngsters
There are a ton of movies out now, but it’s been a while since a just-for-kids kind of flick has hit theaters. The end of September brings two big ones our way though, and one smaller picture that kids will love, even if they haven’t heard of it yet.
The first is one that’s opening this weekend (9/21), The House With a Clock in Its Walls.
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MOMMY MOVIE REVIEW- Is “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” OK for Kids?
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is about four high-school students who get pulled into a video game, where they become their avatars. It stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black as game characters who must figure out clues and save the island, or possibly die in the process. Along the way, they meet Nick Jonas’ Seaplane McDonough, who has been trapped inside the game for twenty years.
Look, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is goofy and about as substantial as a handful of popcorn. It’s also surprisingly engaging and a load of fun. Continue reading →
The “Julie Says So” Movie Segment Heads to TV
I started a new show this week on TXA 21. It’s called Today with Kandace and is a lifestyle show that features food and fancy stuff to do around North Texas. They asked if I’d like to talk about movies with 2001 Miss USA Kandace Krueger, and I said HECK YEAH!
Today with Kandace is prerecorded so I won’t review new movies for them, like I usually do. This will be more of a Coming Soon segment, followed by a chat about new DVDs and good films to share with your kids. This week, we covered The Big Short and Goosebumps on DVD, as well as one I’m crazy excited about, the new Ghostbusters. Check out Today with Kandace on TXA 21, weekdays at 8:30am and big thanks to Kandace for having me on! You can find the show’s website by clicking HERE.
WHAT TO RENT THIS WEEKEND: My Top 5
Not sure what movie you want to rent this weekend? Well, you can’t just stand there and hog the Redbox all night, while we wait for you to make up your mind. Want a little help? I’ve listed my Top 5 Renters for this weekend, just to hurry you along.
Sicario– Holy crap this is a good movie. It’s about a CIA Agent who is recruited into a government task force to fight drug lords. Emily Blunt AND Benicio Del Toro both deserved Oscar nominations for their roles in it but sadly, THAT didn’t happen. Pick this one up and then try not to bite your nails all the way through it. Continue reading →
MOMMY-MOVIE-REVIEW: “Goosebumps” Brings the Book-Series TO LIFE
Author R.L. Stine released the first Goosebumps book “Welcome to Dead House,” in 1992. It was a horror-story written for kids and it launched a series that sold 350 MILLION books worldwide. The Harry Potter books have sold roughly 450 million so it’s a little surprising that it took THIS LONG to release a Goosebumps movie.
Jack Black plays R.L. Stine, but now the author writes magic books that come to life. His snoopy, new neighbor Zach (played by Dylan Minnette), knows that something isn’t right and with the help of his friend Champ (the adorably toothy Ryan Lee from Super 8), he unwittingly unleashes a whole book-series of monsters on a small town.
Adults who see Goosebumps will notice references to scary classics (like Gremlins and any movie where things go south at a high school dance) but they won’t actually be SCARED. That’s part of the plan though since Goosebumps is made for kids. There are a few moments that are genuinely chilling (the attacking garden gnomes come to mind) but nothing that will keep you or the kids up at night.
This might be disappointing for anyone who sees Goosebumps for the scares, but it will be a relief for parents who want to share a scary movie with their kids, but not their bed with them that night. I’m giving Goosebumps a B for parents with younger kids, and a C for anyone else who is looking for scary movies. In fact, you guys should check out Goodnight Mommy or The Visit. If you’re REALLY twisted, go see Green Inferno. I can’t even make it through the trailer for that one!
(Don’t forget that I have free passes to a Goosebumps screening next week! Click HERE for those.)
FREE MOVIE PASSES: Take Your Kid to See “Goosebumps!”
I’m always looking for cool “grown-up” movies that I can take my kids to. YES, we see every Disney or Pixar or Disney-Pixar movie that comes out but I think it’s fun to find things we can ALL appreciate. That usually negates scary movies because if they’re worth the ticket price, they’re going to be too scary for my kids.
That’s the reason I’ve been SO EXCITED about Goosebumps! It’s a scary movie made FOR KIDS and it’s rated PG! Jack Black stars as real-life author R.L. Stine, who created the Goosebumps book-series back in the early ’90s. Stine is magical in the movie though, and his fictional monsters leap off the page as they’re written. It’s scary but not TOO SCARY and even better, you don’t have to worry about profanity or bizarre nudity (I’m still scarred from The Visit!).
Best of all, I HAVE FREE PASSES TO SEE GOOSEBUMPS! Just click HERE to snag yours and then take a look at the trailer. Wait, are those evil garden gnomes? OK, that might actually give me nightmares!