I honestly can’t think of a decent film inspired by a single painting. I can, however, think of several outstanding films inspired by an artist’s body of work: Pollock, Shine, Amadeus, Ray, and Bird come easily to mind—as do others of good repute that I have not seen. The best such biopics are those in which the level of the filmmaking artistry rises to the level of the art which inspired the film. Thomas Kinkade’s Christmas Cottage is a film which, for better or worse, rises to the level of its inspiration—but no further.

Not even name-brand voice actors in the form of Christopher Lloyd, Tim Curry, Kelly Ripa and others can ride to the aid of this film. You know you’re not leveraging the talent when the audience has to wait for the credits to see who was who. The digital models here seem to have no relationship to the actors behind the scenes. None of the performances show through, it’s just pure voiceover. Honestly, it begs the question, “Why bother hiring recognizable actors?” The lackluster result is a shame, because I do believe that 3D technology has achieved a level where we can begin to expect really good things from it. But it’s no substitute for a good story that is well told. And that is the one thing missing-in-action from Fly Me To The Moon. Young children may find some entertainment value from this film, but anyone into their tween years or beyond is probably going to find most of the film a tough slog.

“I’m cursing God for all these cruelties,” Scully says, recounting the facts of the medical case she’s supervising. Mulder urges her off to sleep, advising, “Let me curse God for a while.” Meanwhile, Mulder’s investigation literally summons up the Apostle Paul’s observation that, as we walk through this life, we only see “as through a glass darkly.” It’s potentially heady stuff, and The X-Files: I Want To Believe aims right up there with some of my favorite thematic content from the show’s early seasons. But too often, Carter’s script jumps off into narrative conveniences that break the dramatic tension. “Trust being what it is,” as Mulder observes, don’t expect too much of anyone… or any movie. The spookiness here is too tightly leashed.

Step Brothers is a step-up from Ferrell’s earlier basketball comedy Semi-Pro, mostly because Reilly’s presence gives Ferrell someone with whom he can share the insanity. After all, Ferrell’s antics may be funny; but by themselves they can be a bit overwhelming for an audience. The film’s first half is full of enough laughs to keep it going, but it really loses focus in the final act when Dale and Brennan must go through their inevitable character transitions. After all, even a Will Ferrell character needs an arc. Unfortunately, here the transition is so sudden, unbelievable, and hokey that it just doesn’t fly. Perhaps more importantly, there’s just not much humor in it. As usual, Ferrell is completely fearless and willing to go to any extreme to mine some comedy. But, honestly, there are certain parts of his anatomy that I just don’t want to see. I’m okay with nudity on screen—male or female—when it’s done skillfully and effectively, but in this case it’s just plain disturbing.

A loser/nobody in a dead-end job is recruited by a sexy woman and a powerful man into a world where the rules of reality cease to exist… and he becomes capable of performing unbelievable feats—most of them involving a gun. Sound familiar to anyone else? If you need a hint, try inserting Keanu Reeves as the nobody, Carrie-Anne Moss as the woman, and Lawrence Fishburne as the big man. Got it now? Good. Those willing to completely suspend disbelief (and requirement of a plot) in favor of a few exciting, unique, and creative action scenes would probably do okay to see this movie in theaters. If you prefer a greater number of exciting and unique scenes with a creative plot, however, you may want to look elsewhere.

Even at almost two and a half hours, Prince Caspian never allows the audience to get restless. C. S. Lewis purists will realize that license has been taken, but the revamped storyline does not break down or conflict with the intent of the book. As for Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell, and William Moseley who play the Pevensie siblings… well… it’s just plain hard to believe that they are the same children from the first film. Alongside Ben Barnes, wonderful as Prince Caspian, they join an entire cast who are comfortable in their roles. The film is full of integrity, faith, responsibility, duty, trust, humility, courage, and obedience. Parents will find many examples to share and discuss with their children on almost every age level.