After a lifetime of dreaming of traveling the world, 78-year-old homebody Carl (voiced by Ed Asner) flies away on an unbelievable adventure, with Russell, an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai), unexpectedly in tow. Together, the unlikely pair embarks on a thrilling odyssey full of jungle beasts and rough terrain. Other voices in the Golden Globe-winning film include the renowned Christopher Plummer and Pixar stalwart John Ratzenberger.

This is one of the best animated films I've ever seen. The setup in the first 15-20 minutes about his youth, romance, and current situation was very well done and brought tears to my eyes. The adventure itself moved along and was at times exciting. I almost wonder if it would be too much for really young viewers, given the excellence of the animation and the degree you care about the characters and their plight. I think adults will enjoy this more than kids but the kids should like it. The talking dogs steal the show.

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

When he's not busy breaking the law or trying to get close to his secret crush, Penny (Felicia Day), supervillain wannabe Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) boasts about his exploits via his Internet video blog and dreams of defeating his nemesis, Captain Hammer (Nathan Fillion). Conceived during the 2008 Hollywood writers' strike, Joss Whedon's quirky musical comedy originally debuted as an online miniseries.

Becky and especially Amanda, this one's for you. It's only 45 minutes long, but the tunes are catchy and at times the film is very funny. Neil Patrick Harris is excellent as the good/bad doctor. Trying to become a member of the villain's league, because he's not satisfied with his ability to get into the henchman's guild, Harris muses on-line in special glasses and big gloves about his plans for mayhem. Very clever and a fun watch. Did I mention the catchy tunes (...with my freeze ray I can stop the world)?

Valkyrie

Wounded in Africa during World War II, Nazi Col. Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) returns to his native Germany and joins the Resistance in a daring plan to create a shadow government and assassinate Adolf Hitler. When events unfold so that he becomes a central player, he finds himself tasked with both leading the coup and personally killing the Führer. Bill Nighy and Eddie Izzard co-star in this drama based on actual events.

When this came out, it sounded interesting but Tom Cruise often goes way over the top in his roles and I wasn't sure I'd like it. It surprised me how good a movie it is, since we know Hitler does not die in the attempt. Knowing it was reasonably fact based and these folks are doomed, it was very suspenseful and well done across the board. I'd recommend it to everyone.

Sunshine

The sun is dying and Earth's days are numbered in this sci-fi thriller helmed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire). With permanent darkness looming, scientists devise a plan to reignite the sun before the lights go out forever. To do so, a crew of astronauts is sent hurtling through space on an intense mission to determine the fate of the planet. Cillian Murphy and Michelle Yeoh co-star.

I may be the only family blog viewers who likes science fiction movies but I'll blog on this one anyhow. I'd never heard of the movie and rented it based on the description. Once you buy into the premise of flying to the sun to reignite it (kind of a stretch, but not for sci-fi) the movie really works. Good cast, real human reactions to the situations, and it moves right along. Maybe Becky would like it, don't know about the rest. Would like you hear your feedback if anyone else sees it. I liked it a lot.