Percy Jackson and the Olympians:The Lightning Thief

I did not read any of the books, but this movie looked cute and my kids begged me to watch it, so we got it from the RedBox. today. I did not expect to be impressed, but it was actually very entertaining. The movie earned it's PG rating because of some scary elements (Medusa, Hydra, hellhounds...) but all of the kids LOVED it, even the 3 year old. Cute idea for a story, and it touches on a lot of Greek mythology. Percy Jackson is accused of stealing Zeus' lightning bolt, and finds out he himself is the son of Poseidon, making Percy a demi-god. He meets the offspring of other gods, and ends up having to go down to the underworld and then to Olympus. It is appropriate for younger viewers, no sex or swearing. Violence is limited to some battle scenes with other mythological creatures.

Toothfairy

"Toothfairy" starring Dwayne Johnson is a great family movie. I know a lot of people have been giving "The Rock" flak for doing this movie, but I am glad that he is more than an "action/adventure" actor. The plot is a bit predictable, but not so much so that you want to turn it off halfway through. Dwayne Johnson gives a believable performance as a disillusioned semi-pro hockey player who is a good guy, if sometimes a little clueless. Julie Andrews makes a delightful head toothfairy, and Bill Crystal is entertaining as an inventor, reminiscent to his performance in "The Princess Bride." There was nothing unsavory about this movie, no swearing, no superfluous violence, no nudity at all. It was a sweet story and our whole family enjoyed it.

Thoughts? Comments? Do you think Dwayne Johnson made a mistake in doing this movie?

Toy Story 3

I did not love Toy Story 3. The first two were sweet and wholesome. I did not feel this one lived up to that. The toys introduced in this movie (not the original characters) are sadistic, unpleasant, and even scary. The new toys torture other toys for information (more than once.) They call each other names, they gamble, they are shown doing and saying things I do not want my children to emulate. There were several parts that terrified my 3 year old, who LOVES the other two movies. He was crying, hiding his face, and asking to go home. I was really disappointed. I expected this movie to be phenomenal. The ending was outstanding. The last 20 or so minutes of the movie, I loved. It was sweet and emotional. That, to me, however did not make up for the fact that the remainder of the movie was upsetting to me. I seem to be in the minority here though. Everyone else I know who's seen it liked it.

What are your thoughts? Have you seen TS3? Do you want to? What did you like/dislike about it?