THE STAR

My family missed seeing Sony Pictures Animation's THE STAR when it was playing in theaters over the Christmas holiday season so my kids were eager to watch the movie when we were sent a complimentary DVD to announce the film's home entertainment video release.  Available beginning February 20, 2018 on Blu-ray + DVD + Digital, THE STAR tells the story of the Nativity through the viewpoint of some animals who witnessed it.  We made some Christmas cookies, heated up some hot chocolate, and curled up under some blankets on the couch to enjoy watching this tale of faith and friendship on our television.

The star of THE STAR is a small but brave donkey named Bo (voiced by The Walking Dead's Steven Yeun) who yearns for a more fulfilling life than his daily grind working at the village mill.  One day he breaks free of his pen heading out to try and become a member of King Herod's royal transportation procession. On his endeavor, he teams up with Ruth (voiced by Saturday Night Live's Aidy Bryant) an adorable sheep who has lost her flock and Dave (voiced by Friends from College Keegan-Michael Key) a dove with lofty aspirations.  Along their journey, the trio also joins up with three wise-cracking camels voiced by Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey.  Bo eventually realizes his dream of carrying a king on his back, just not the one he initially envisioned, as he becomes an accidental hero in the greatest story ever told.



THE STAR is filled with an all-star cast voicing its animated characters that also includes Grammy Award-Winner Kelly Clarkston, Emmy and Tony Award-Winner Kristin Chenoweth, Anthony Anderson (Black-ish), Christopher Plummer (All the Money in the World), Patricia Heaton (The Middle) Gabriel Iglesias (Coco, Ferdinand) and Zachary Levi (Chuck).  It also features a theme song performed by Mariah Carey which was nominated to receive a 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.

Directed by Academy Award nominated writer/director Timothy Reckart, THE STAR is rated PG for some thematic elements by the Motion Picture Association of America. Aspects contributing to the rating include the topic of pregnancy being a key element of the story, King Herod sending a menacing soldier to kill Mary before she can give birth to Jesus, and a character dying during an action sequence.  THE STAR is meant to be a children's movie and in my opinion from seeing it the content is comparable to other recently released PG animated movies which are often viewed by kids of all ages so the rating by itself shouldn't raise a red flag about letting a child view it.  In fact, the film actually has been recommended for all ages by the Dove Foundation which provides family friendly movie reviews.

Of course home video versions of films have bonus segments included and THE STAR has some nice ones incorporated with the movie on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital:

Lyric Sing-Along Videos:  Enjoy the inspiring music of THE STAR through colorful videos that let you sing along with some great recording artists

• "The Star" by Mariah Carey
• "Can You See" by Fifth Harmony
• "Children Go Where I Send You" by Kelsea Ballerini
• "We Three Kings" by Kirk Franklin
• "Life is Good" by A Great Big World

Sweet and Sparkly Stars:  Recipe for creating star-themed cookies that can be enjoyed all year long.

Star Mason Jar Votives:  directions for a simple yet stunning diy craft

Faith All Year Round:  Addressing the religious nature of the movie, DeVon Franklin provides a sermon for children discussing the themes of the film and how to keep the spirit of THE STAR's story alive every day of the year.

All-Star Cast Featurette:  Meet the cast of stars who bring the characters in THE STAR to life.

Released in time for Christian families to incorporate into their Lenten reflection and preparation for celebrating Easter it provides an entertaining way to lead into the upcoming holiday.  Also if you enjoy watching Christmas movies every year as that holiday approaches with your kids, THE STAR can be a nice addition to your home video library.  Sony Pictures is participating in Movies Anywhere so the digital version of this film can be easily accessed and stored through this online service in addition to being available on Blu-ray and DVD.  For more information, please visit thestarmovie.com 

DESPICABLE ME 3 MOVIE REVIEW

Universal Pictures treated A GEEK DADDY to a family dinner and outing to the movies where we had the chance to see an advance screening of DESPICABLE ME 3.  My 8 year old son and daughter who have grown up watching the films in this movie franchise were really excited to see a new adventure on the silver screen.  The twins were especially interested to see how the story's plot of introducing Gru to a twin brother he never knew about would play out!  They've never seen The Parent Trap (1961 / 1998) which Despicable Me 3 is parodying so this was mind blowing element of the movie for them. 

Before heading out to see Despicable Me 3, my kids insisted we have a movie marathon watching the previous two Despicable Me films and Minions on home video.  So we entered the theater all revved up to see the newest adventure of Gru and his Minions!

Despicable Me 3 continues the story of Gru, Lucy, their adorable daughters—Margo, Edith and Agnes—and the Minions. After he is fired from the Anti-Villain League for failing to take down the latest bad guy to threaten humanity, Gru finds himself in the midst of a major identity crisis.  But when a mysterious stranger shows up to inform Gru that he has a long-lost twin brother—a brother who desperately wishes to follow in his twin’s despicable footsteps—one former super-villain will rediscover just how good it feels to be bad.



I was thoroughly entertained from start to finish watching this movie.  Despicable Me 3's nostalgic '80s spoofs, physical humor and wise cracking jokes had me chuckling throughout the movie.  The film really does a nice job of complementing the tone and vibe of the previous Despicable Me  movies while also standing out on its own merits.  It also continues the theme of valuing family, expanding the role of Lucy as a mother to the girls and adding Dru into the mix, which this parent watching the movie with his kids appreciated.

Addressing Minion overkill from the last two movies, Despicable Me 3 sees a diminished role for these characters in the script with more of a focus on Gru, Lucy and their daughters.  I liked this because it made the moments featuring the Minions stand out more and I thought they were funnier  because you didn't get worn out by their ongoing antics continuously taking place like in the other films.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of the Minions, but sometimes quality is better than quantity.  Also Balthazar Bratt is not just a humorous addition to the movie but also a very worthy adversary.  


My kids LOVED the movie!  My daughter really was into Agne's search for a real life unicorn.  My son thought Bratt's bubble gum weapons were AWESOME!  They both appreciated the dynamic that take place between Gru and Dru as well.  My wife thought the movie was "OK" better than Despicable Me 2 and Minions but not as great as the original Despicable Me.  I really liked the movie because it is an all-ages appropriate animated summer movie that families can enjoy together with parents and children alike finding it interesting and funny to watch.

 Despicable Me 3 is rated PG for rude humor (mostly the Minions) and mild action sequences which include "dance fights", jail house antics, and characters risking being impaled on menacing spikes. Plus Lucy beats up quite a few people showing she's not someone to be messed with.  All in all I didn't see anything overly objectionable that should give parents concern about taking a child of any age to see this movie.  It really is a nice movie for a family outing to the movie theater.

Despicable Me 3 gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval because it is a colorful, zany movie that I enjoyed viewing as much as my kids did.  It is a funny fun movie very much worth going to see in my opinion.  Kids and kids-at-heart will really be entertained by it!

Despicable Me 3 opens at theaters across the United States on June 30, 2017.  For more information about the movie, please visit www.despicable.me or check out the film's social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and GruTube.