Barbie: A Perfect Christmas

Barbie and her sisters, Skipper, Stacie and Chelsea are headed for New York for the perfect Christmas.  When their plane is diverted due to an unexpected storm, the girls find themselves disappointed, far away from New York and their holiday dreams. In the remote town of Tannenbaum, they find shelter at a magical inn, where they make new friends and give the town the gift of song in exchange for the hospitality they receive. Following a series of magical experiences, the sisters soon realize that the joy of togetherness is all they need for a truly perfect Christmas.


Starring the voice talents of: Diana Kaarina, Jennifer Waris, Rachel Harrison, Nevada Brandt, Lauren Lavoie, Danielle Bessler, Ashlyn Drummond, Luca Vecchio, Maryke Hendrikse, Allie Feder, Aidan Drummond, Alistair Abell, Patricia Drake etc…


Rating:  G


To be Released on DVD on November 8th.


It just wouldn’t be Christmas without another Barbie Christmas movie. My girls were very excited when I told them we’d be watching Barbie’s A Perfect Christmas.

Well Barbie definitely didn’t disappoint with her usual stellar graphics and catchy music tunes.  All the Barbie movies tend to focus on storytelling through music but this one really seemed to be musically inclined as it seemed to break out into song constantly throughout the film.  The upbeat tunes sure got my girls’ attention as they couldn’t help but get up and dance around.  Especially when I played the Perfect Christmas music video for them later from the Special Features section.

While I have to admit that Barbie Christmas Carol was my favourite, I did enjoy this Barbie movie particularly as it has such a great message about Christmas.  The girls were after the perfect Christmas and felt that they wouldn’t get one now that their plans had been ruined.  They learned that Christmas is what you make it and a perfect Christmas can be as simple as just being together. 

This film keeps the wonder of Christmas alive with frequent glimpses of magic and the possibility of the realness of Santa Clause around every corner.  As far as parental concerns go, I had none watching this film.  There were no villains or bad guys at all.  The girls don’t always get along but underneath it all you know they love one another very much and they are working out their relationships continually.

Also included in the Special Features section are outtakes and a Barbie Camping with the Girls short clip. Because if your girls are like mine, they just can’t get enough Barbie.

So I would definitely put this on your “Christmas Movies” to Watch list. If you are thinking of purchasing this film, it is available for pre-order on Amazon at a great deal of $13.99 for the DVD and the Blu-Ray for just $17.99 which is $5.00 off regular price. To buy the DVD on  Amazon click here or the Blu-Ray click here.

Pink Panther 2

Inspector Clouseau is back. When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther diamond, Clousea is assigned to the dream team of international detectives who are under pressure to bring the master thief to justice before he strikes again.

Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Jeremy Irons, Alfred Molina, Andy Garcia, Lily Tomlin and John Cleese etc.

Rating: PG

If you have seen the first one and you liked it, then this movie is sure to please. Steve Martin is back as the lovable bumbling Clouseau and I have to admit I couldn't imagine any other actor playing this part half so well as he does.

Again, this is one of those movies that you have to be in the mood for. It's silly, it's light hearted, it's fun. It took me a little while to warm up to it but when I put aside my more analytical side and just enjoyed it for what it was, I had a few laughs.

There are some sexual references in this movie. Apparently at the beginning of the film there is a painting of a fully nude male. I missed this so was not aware until I looked it up that this was in the film. Clouseau calls women sexy a few times and becomes aroused by a description of a woman's clothes being ripped off because of clumsiness. This is part of a whole side plot that Clouseau apparently says things that are not politically correct and he must speak to a consellor about what is and is not appropriate. This is how the whole description scene comes up. I don't get why they had to add this side plot into the film. Now I am not a die hard Pink Panther friend but I have seen the movies before and I don't recall that this was a character flaw of Clouseau. In one scene he calls a fellow dectective who is Japanese "my little yellow friend". They all roll their eyes but no one says anything to him about it. Really, why is this in this film? It does not fit the film in my opinion.

As for violence, there are several scenes of intense action. A SWAT team storms into Dreyfus' office a few times, a restaurant is set on fire twice, a gun is shot several times, no one is hit, a corpse is seen on a crime scene, no blood though.

Profanity: mild terms like ass and damn are said.

Again, stick with the rating guide. I would not suggest letting young children watch this film. Not only is the story line not entertaining enough to hold their interest but the actions scenes are just that much too intense to let them watch it.

Movie Mamma

Open Season 2

Open Season 2

After falling head over hooves in love with Giselle, Elliot's road to the altar takes a slight detour when Mr. Weenie is kidnapped by a group of pampered pets determined to return him to his owners

Featuring the voice talents of: Joel McHale, Mike Epps, Jane Krakowski, Crispin Glover, Cody Cameron, etc.

Rating PG for mild rude humour.

I found this movie to be mildly amusing. I did not; however, let my children watch it because they are all 5 and under. The storyline was pretty well paced. However, it is a stretch to believe a deer, who was not the handsomest stud in the pack, would get cold feet on tying the knot "forever and ever."On second thought considering he's entirely self-focused maybe it's not such a stretch. 

I did find the voices of the pet owners amusing and particularly found the plight of Mr. Weenie to be funny. Also the idea of a small poodle being the "evil" villain of the piece was hilarious. I am; however, tired of people or in this case animals of just not being nice to each other and trying to be top dog (pun intended) all the time.

This was a somewhat "cute and amusing" film and suitable for 8 and up.  Parents of smaller children be cautioned; there are more than one attempt on wienie's life as well as the use of shock collars by the "bad guys" on the "good guys".  

Overall, not my favourite movie.