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War Games
by Carolina Rodriguez-Garza
War Games
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Ally Sheedy, John Wood, Barry Corbin
Duration: 1 hour, 54 minutes
Rating: PG, but it is more like PG-13
Summary: David,(Matthew Broderick) a 1983 teenager computer genius, tries to hack into a game website to play a game that has not been released yet, and inadvertently ends up hacking into a military AI supercomputer, and, thinking it’s a game, asks to play Global Thermonuclear War. Now, assisted by his friend Jennifer, (Ally Sheedy) he needs to find a way to prevent WWIII, and escape from the U.S military, who think that he is working with communists and have captured him to confess to his “communist crimes”.
My Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars. I like the tension and suspense of this movie, the good plot, and a lesson we could use today about AI, but the movie was too long for what it was, making it a little slow.
Public Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): War Games has a 94% on the Tomatometer, making it certified fresh, with comments such as that it is a good blend of funny, and the apocalyptic, and others commenting that it is unrealistic and just gets sillier as it goes on.
Sources: IMDB.com, RottenTomatoes.com, CommonSenseMedia.org
Sky High
by Carolina Rodriguez-Garza
Sky High
Starring: Michael Arangano, Danielle Panabaker, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kurt Russell, Kelly Preston, Steven Strait
Duration: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Rating: PG
Summary: Will Stronghold, (Michael Arangano) the 14 year-old son of two famous super-parents, known to the public as The Commander, (Kurt Russell) and Jetstream. (Kelly Preston) Will is going to a high school for superhumans, known as Sky High, where he will be divided into one of two categories, Hero, or Sidekick. There’s just one problem. He hasn’t shown signs of super powers yet, unbeknownst to his parents, who think that he has super-strength like his father. After an incident in the school cafeteria that reveals his powers, Will falls in with the popular crowd and abandons his Sidekick friends, like Layla (Danielle Panabaker) who can control and manipulate plants. What he doesn’t know is that someone in the popular crowd is not who they claim to be. Will he be able to stop them? Find out in this sci-fi 2005 film!
My Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars. I loved this movie and found it really funny. My only complaint is that, despite being a 2005 movie, the special effects are, at times, worse than the Star Wars films, which came years before.
Public Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): This film’s score on the Tomatometer was 74%, with critics saying that it’s good to see a superhero movie that’s for the entire family, but others feel that there has been enough of the comical superhero with movies such as the Incredibles.
Sources: IMDB.com, rottentomatoes.com, commonsensemedia.org
Flamin' Hot
by Carolina Rodriguez-Garza
Flamin’ Hot
Starring: Jesse Garcia, Annie Gonzalez, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub.
Duration: 2 hours, 9 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Based on a true story, this movie is the life of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), a poor Mexican that lives in California in the 1980s and 1990s, and gets a job as a janitor in a Frito-Lay factory to support his family. However, sales are not going up, resulting in layoffs and other things. So he comes up with an idea that applies to the Mexican consumer, which is most of the population where he lives. His idea? Spicy chips. But as a janitor, and a Mexican, who were often discriminated against, he needs to find a way to get people’s attention on his product, along with funds. A story about a classic snack brand with heart, drama, the fight against racism, and laughs.
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars. I really liked this movie, which had an amazing story that kept you on your toes, a lot of laugh-out-loud moments, and it’s based on a true story! But for those of you who don’t speak spanish, you might want to turn on subtitles or bring a bilingual friend.
Public Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): This movie scored a 67% on the Tomatometer, which pretty much rates it as an okay movie, with mixed reviews and some critics saying that it is a funny, heartwarming film, and others saying it is bland and that it is just another boring biopic.
Sources: IMDB.com, rottentomatoes.com, commonsensemedia.org
Meet the Robinsons
by Carolina Rodriguez-Garza
Meet the Robinsons
Starring: Daniel Hansen, Jordan Fry, Tom Selleck, Stephen Anderson, Wesley Singerman, Matthew Josten, Angela Bassett
Duration: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Rating: G
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Summary: A 12 year-old orphaned inventor named Lewis (Daniel Hansen/Jordan Fry/Tom Selleck) is confronted by a boy named Wilbur (Wesley Singerman) who claims to be from the future, and warns Lewis of a mysterious time-traveling stranger he calls Bowler Hat Guy (Stephen Anderson) who threatens to ruin the advanced, picturesque, future that Wilbur talks about. To stop this from happening, he takes Lewis to the future to fix a time machine and stop Bowler Hat Guy. But why is Lewis so important to this future?....
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. It is a very good film, with a quality animation style that Disney has been lacking lately. It can be very confusing at times, but I suppose that is to be expected in a movie with time travel, and it all makes sense once you finish it.
Public Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): This film scored a 68% on the Tomatometer, which ranks it as a good movie, but not quite great. Overall, critics say that the visual effects are impressive, and that the story has depth, but others think the animation is lacking.
Sources: rottentomatoes.com, imdb.com, commonsensemedia.org.
Superman (2025) by Carolina Rodriguez Garza
Superman (2025)
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan,
Nicholas Hoult
Duration: 2 hours, 9 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After interfering with a political conflict,
Superman (David Corenswet) is under attack from the
media. Suddenly, a newly uncovered recording raises
even more conflict about whether the Man of Steel is
who he claims to be. And little does Superman know,
Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is planning something big
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. Why? The plot was
masterfully woven, and the actors did a great job,
but throughout Marvel and D.C movies and comics,
Marvel superheroes face more public scrutiny,
whereas heroes such as Superman are beloved icons.
All in all, recommended, but maybe for older viewers.
Public Rating (Rotten Tomatoes): This movie scored an 83% on the Tomatometer, making it Certified Fresh, which for those of you who don’t know, means that 83% of the reviews were positive. Overall, Rotten Tomatoes says that this movie makes for an excellent blend of the classic Superman with a more modern outlook.
Sources: rottentomatoes.com, imdb.com, commonsensemedia.org.
