Here is our list of summer movies for kids—not all are for little kids. Use the information below to help you make decisions of which ones are appropriate for your family. Our top pick is Toy Story 3. We are also looking forward to The Last Airbender, The Karate Kid and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. We wish they were old enough to see Robin Hood and Prince of Persia.

MAY

IRON MAN 2 Release Date: May 7, 2010
Runtime: 124 min
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Jon Favreau
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Genre: Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson

SYNOPSIS: Based on the comic book series, this sequel to Iron Man (2008), billionaire Tony Stark must contend with deadly issues involving the government, his own friends and new enemies due to his superhero alter ego Iron Man.

ROBIN HOOD Release Date: May 14, 2010
Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence including intense sequences of warfare, and some sexual content.
Runtime: 140 minutes
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Ridley Scott
Studio: Universal Pictures
Starring: Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, William Hurt, Mark Strong, Danny Huston
Genre: Action | Drama

SYNOPSIS: Based on the classic tale of Robin Hood, an archer in the army of King Richard fighting against the French. While King Richard is gone, Robin travels to Nottingham and assembles a gang to prey upon the rich and help the poor.

SHREK FOREVER AFTER Release Date: May 21, 2010
Runtime: 93 minutes
Rating: Rated PG for mild action, some rude humor and brief language
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Mike Mitchell
Studio: DreamWorks Animation
Cast: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

SYNOPSIS: In this fourth movie, Shrek is feeling over-domesticated. He used to send villagers running in terror, now they ask him to sign their pitchforks. To regain his ogre mojo, he strikes a deal with the crafty Rumpelstiltskin. When the pact goes wrong Shrek must confront what life would be like in Far Far Away if he had never existed.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME Release Date: May 28, 2010
Run Time: 116 minutes
Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Mike Newell
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Romance

SYNOPSIS: Based on the comic book Prince of Persia later made into a video game series. Jake Gyllenhaal plays an adventurous Persian prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a world-destroying sandstorm.

JUNE

MARMADUKE Release Date: June 4, 2010
Runtime: N/A
Rating: PG for some rude humor and language
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director:Tom Dey
Studio: Davis Entertainment
Cast: Owen Wilson, Keiffer Sutherland, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Stone
Genre: Comedy | Family

SYNOPSIS: Based on the comic Marmaduke found in the daily funny pages of many local papers. A suburban family moves to new neighborhood with the large lovable great dane who is prone to wreak havoc when he is around.

THE KARATE KID Release Date: June 11, 2010
Run Time: N/A
Rating: PG for bullying, martial arts action violence and some mild language
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Harald Zwart
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Cast: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Genre: Action | Drama | Family | Sport

SYNOPSIS: Based on the 1984 coming-of-age classic, The Karate Kid (starring Ralph Macchio) about a California kid and the karate master who takes him under his wing. In this remake, the story is a coming of age story re-set in China.

TOY STORY 3 Release Date: June 18, 2010
Run Time: 86 minutes
Rating: N/A. Probably G
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Lee Unkrich
Studio: Pixar Animation Studios
Voices: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Don Rickles, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Keaton, Bonnie Hunt
Genre: Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy

SYNOPSIS: Andy is going off to college. After he packs up his old toys they get mistaken for trash and wind up at The Sunnyside Daycare. In this action-packed adventure our favorite toys meet up with a new group of toys and need to figure out how to get back to their old pal, Andy.

JULY

THE LAST AIRBENDER Release Date: July 2, 2010
Run Time: N/A
Rating: N/A
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Jackson Rathbone, Cliff Curtis, Dev Patel, Nicola Peltz
Genre: Adventure | Family | Fantasy | War

SYNOPSIS: A 3-D, live-action adaptation of the animated TV series, The Last Airbender about a young spiritual figure who looks for adventure.

DESPICABLE ME Release Date: July 9, 2010
Runtime: N/A
Rating: Rated PG for rude humor and mild action.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Voices: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Jason Segel, Ken Jeong, Julie Andrews
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Genre: Animation | Family
Studio: Illumination Entertainment

SYNOPSIS: Three orphan girls come into the life of a despicable supervillain who is trying to steal the moon.

THE SORCERER’S APPRENTICE Release Date: July 16, 2010
Runtime:N/A
Rating: N/A
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina
Genre: Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

SYNOPSIS: A live-action, modern-day retelling of the classic tale, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice in which a seemingly normal kid is recruited by a Manhattan sorcerer who needs his help to battle the forces of darkness.

RAMONA AND BEEZUS Release Date: July 23, 2010
Runtime: N/A
Rating: G
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett
Director: Elizabeth Allen
Genre: Family | Comedy
Studio: 20th Century Fox

SYNOPSIS: Beverly Cleary’s classic children’s books come to life, following the misadventures of the young grade-schooler, Ramona Quimby.

NANNY MCPHEE AND THE BIG BANG Release Date: August 20, 2010
Runtime: 109 minutes
Rating: PG for rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements.
Parental Rating: Via IMDB
Cast: Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans.
Director: Susanna White.
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre: Comedy | Family | Fantasy

SYNOPSIS: The magical and unusual looking governess from Chistianna Brand’s books shows up in a sequel to the 2005 family film. This time, she’s summoned to help a harried mother raise her children while the woman’s husband is away at war.

On Saturday I bought a magazine called Empire at Borders, which is only about movies, movies and movies.  I like it a little better than Entertainment Weekly.  This issue of Empire is about summer movies.  There are 3 main articles about Robin Hood, Ironman 2, and Prince of Persia.  There’s a crossword puzzle, movie reviews and some DVD reviews.  You might not find it at most magazine shops because it’s from England.

Empire is 162 pages and Entertainment Weekly is only about 100, so Empire has many more articles and facts.  Entertainment Weekly obviously comes out weekly and Empire comes out Monthly.

This Tim Burton exhibition (closed April 26, 2010) shows drawings from his past and a few shorts and commercials he made. There is also a room devoted to the real movie props from his films. For example things from BeetleJuice, Planet of the Apes, Ed Wood, Batman, Edward Scissorhands, and more. It does not have things from Alice in Wonderland because the exhibition came out before the film did. In the gift shop they have a book of Alice in Wonderland for sale.

I liked learning about Tim Burton more even though I already knew a lot about him and had already seen and loved Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland and parts of Edward Scissorhands.

I liked the movie aritfacts in this exhibit. I especially liked the Batman masks and the Edward Scissorhand life size model. I also liked the screen with the Tim Burton commercials. There was one with a guy who had watches and he started kicking people in the faces and also one where people took their heads off and they had skeleton heads. I liked his sculptures alot. I liked them because I liked learning the history of how he made commercials and learning about Tim Burton himself.

I think this photo is from the opening of the exhibition. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Tim Burton, and Danny DeVito pose for this photo. Someday soon I would love to meet them in person.

From the New York Times on Friday (March 26, 2010):
No Slaying Required: A Viking Aids an Enemy and Wins a Friend
By A. O. SCOTT

My brother and I plan to see (so far); Your Shorts are Showin on Friday afternoon at RISD Metcalf auditorium and The Secret of Kells on opening night at the Cable Car, plus The Best of NYC Animated shorts,  7 Days in Slow Motion, and the one I think will be my favorite; Azur and Asmar,

For more information, visit Kidoinfo.com and the film festival official website.

This years’ Oscar nominations were surprising; The Secret of Kells, UP, Princess and the Frog, Coraline, and the one I hope wins, Fantastic Mr. Fox are the animation nominations.

Some other good nominations are Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince for best cinematography. Star Trek for makeup, sound editing, and visual effects. Meryl Streep was nominated for Julie and Julia for best actress in a leading role. George Clooney got a nomination for best actor in a leading role in Up in the Air. He was also Fantastic Mr. Fox in Fantastic Mr. Fox. Up in the Air was also nominated for best picture, best director, two actresses in a supporting role, and adapted screen play. UP also got nominations in addition to best animated film for best original screnplay, original score, sound editing and most surprising best picture! Avatar got nominations for best picture, director, art direction, cinematography, film editing, original score, sound editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. Sherlock Holmes got nominated for art direction and original score.

I wish I could see Julie & Julia, Up in the Air, Avatar, Star Trek, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and most of all Sherlock Holmes. I think they are appropriate for me except my parents do not agree.

The full list of nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be announced on February 2nd.