March 20:
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Curious George - 2006 (86 min, G)
CURIOUS GEORGE stays true to the innocently playful spirit of the beloved, brilliantly simple children's books by H.A. Rey, eschewing ironic asides, gross-out comedy, and pop culture references. In the film, the Man in the Yellow Hat (now named Ted) is a geeky museum guide, winningly voiced by Will Ferrell. He travels to Africa in an attempt to obtain a huge ancient ruin that could save his struggling museum, which the owner's son (the inherently funny David Cross) wants to turn into a more-profitable parking lot. Instead, of course, Ted brings back an adorable, mischievous, childlike monkey (fortunately, George doesn't talk, though his primate chatter is quite expressive), who inadvertently causes all kinds of trouble for him--though there's never much doubt that everything will work out for the best in the end.
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April 17:
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The Goonies - 1985 (94 min, PG)
A thrill-a-minute adventure film. When brothers Mikey (Sean Astin) and Brand (Josh Brolin) learn that greedy developers are forcing their family to move, they and their friends decide to have one last, precious adventure together. With the help of a treasure map they've found in the attic, the group, known as the Goonies, go in search of buried gold hoping against hope that if they find it, Mikey and Brand will succeed in keeping their home.
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May 15:
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Raiders of the Lost Ark - 1981 (118 min, PG)
Action-packed and adventure-filled, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK is director Steven Spielberg's loving homage to the Saturday matinee cliffhanger serials of his childhood. When the Allies discover the Nazis are planning to use the Lost Ark of the Covenant as a weapon, the U.S. government enlists archaeologist-adventurer Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) to locate the biblical treasure chest where the remains of the broken tablets of the Ten Commandments were placed. En route, Jones and his feisty ex-girlfriend, Marion (Karen Allen), must escape the clutches of evil Nazis, duplicitous "natives," and a nest of venomous snakes--not to mention the wrath of God. The groundbreaking special effects and furious, never-ending pace make for a stylish whirlwind of a movie, topped off with a fabulous sense of humor.
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June 19:
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Free Willy - 1993 (112 min, PG)
Jesse, a homeless orphan who spends his days evading the police, finally gets caught spray painting a whale tank at a local park. Because he distrusts adults intensely, Jesse's not too happy when authorities place him in a foster home and sentence him to clean up the tank he vandalized. Unexpectedly, Willy, the whale who inhabits the tank, takes a liking to Jesse, and the animal and child develop a bond -- a bond that also helps Jesse open up to the adults in his life, including his new parents and the whale's caretakers. But then Jesse learns that Dial, who owns the park, only wants to keep Willy if he can be trained to perform for an audience. Can the boy find a way to save his beloved whale before Dial plays some dirty tricks of his own?
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July 17:
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Ice Age - 2002 (85 min, PG)
A star-studded cast provides the voices for the prehistoric creatures in this computer-animated feature set 20,000 years ago as the Ice Age approaches. Seemingly anti-social Manny, a woolly mammoth (voiced by Ray Romano), acts as if he just wants to be left alone. When he meets Sid (voiced by John Leguizamo), a sloth, the two become unlikely traveling companions. The plot thickens when the duo finds a human infant and decides to try to return the child to its "herd." Manny slowly but surely reveals his heart of gold, while Sid continues to provide comic relief. Diego (voiced by Denis Leary), a saber-tooth tiger with ulterior motives, soon joins them in their search for the humans. Ultimately, this group of misfits becomes its own herd, learning about friendship and loyalty as they brave snow, ice, freezing temperatures, predators, hail, and even boiling lava pits. All the while, a saber-tooth squirrel, Scat, provides comic relief as he valiantly struggles with an acorn.
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August 21:
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Chicken Run - 2000 (84 min, G)
Facing imminent death while laying eggs at Tweedy's English farm, a group of chickens, led by the determined Ginger (Julia Sawahla,) plan to escape their prisonlike coop. The situation goes from bad to worse when the sinister Mrs. Tweedy (Miranda Richardson) decides to stop selling eggs and use the hens as the main ingredient in chicken pot pies. However, some hope literally falls from the sky in the form of Rocky (Mel Gibson), an American rooster who promises to teach the chickens how to fly. As the hens begin their struggle to get airborne, the monstrous pie-making machine arrives, giving the chickens precious little time to make their great escape. With its clever writing, witty film references, and pitch-perfect combination of comedy, drama, and romance, CHICKEN RUN is one of those rare movies that genuinely appeals to viewers of every age.
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