In the movie, Barbie returns as Merliah, the fun and fashionable surfing champion who is also a magical mermaid princess. The story unfolds as Merliah heads to Australia for a surfing competition where she must stop the evil mermaid Eris from taking over the throne of Oceana ... in other words, a fun movie for Barbie fans.

The movie series started in October with "Spookley the Square Pumpkin" and continued with "Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels," which is now showing, and "Olivia's Wintertime Cheer."

Tickets are $8.95 for ages 12 to 59; $7.95 for ages 60 and up; and $6.50 for ages 1 to 11. A combo pass that includes admission to both Marbles Kids Museum and the film is $12.95 for ages 12 to 59; $11.95 for ages 60 and up; and $9.95 for ages 1 to 11. (Admission to Marbles Kids Museum on its own is $5 per person).

Children under age 1 are admitted free to the IMAX theater and Marbles Kids Museum. For sold out IMAX shows, a child under age 1 with no ticket must sit in the lap of a paying visitor.

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Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper, Rashida Jones Director James Bobin You'll like this if you liked the Muppets!'''It is a big risk re-animating Jim Henson's singing, dancing Muppets after a 12-year absence from the big screen. On one hand, most kids of today wouldn't know what a Muppet is.

On the other hand, kids who grew up in the 1980s on the long-running Muppet Show and its six movies are now in their 30s and 40s. Will they have enough nostalgia for it to relive their childhood through this new movie?

Will they use it to introduce their kids to Henson's felty marionette-puppets (Muppets) such as Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and co? Will we witness some bizarre backwards reality, where parents drag their kids to the movies instead of kids dragging their parents? Will kids buy into it? Who knows.

But if The Muppets can attract both demographics, it will be a hit. It certainly deserves to be a big hit. It's not just a vintage piece of Muppetry or a fitting tribute to the late Henson's wonderfully wholesome creation. It's not just a playfully self-reflexive and cameo-laden family comedy. Heck, it's one of the best screen musicals in years. Muppet fan or not, what more could anyone want?

It's mostly thanks to writer, producer and star Jason Segel. Growing up, he was inspired by The Muppets to become a skilled puppeteer (remember his vampire puppet musical at the end of Forgetting Sarah Marshall). He convinced Disney and the late Jim Henson's company that he could bring The Muppets back from the dead.

True to his word, he has delivered a clever, winning comeback that appeals to the young and young at heart. Segel plays Gary, a happy-go-lucky guy who has become a brother to Walter, a 60cm puppet who's always thought of himself as a Muppet (he's their No.1 fan). When Gary heads to LA for a week's vacation with his perky girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), he invites Walter and promises a tour of Muppet Studios.

The trio soon discover the studios are derelict and The Muppets disbanded because they are no longer popular. Worse, an evil tycoon (Chris Cooper) is planning to raze the studio and drill for oil. That drilling for oil actually took place under the old Fox Studios is just one of the many playful jibes towards Hollywood’s tradition of "out with the old and in with the new".

Indeed, Segel and Nicholas Stoller's script includes a playful meta-narrative that recognises The Muppets as outmoded has-beens and that the world has become a weirder and dumber place (Lady Gaga's cameo is a prime example).

Anyway, Gary, Walter and Mary reunite Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo and co. In one scene that perfectly encapsulates the meta-narrative, Miss Piggy is now a Vogue-style magazine editor, Devil Wears Prada-style, and Emily Blunt plays the same bitchy secretary she did in that film. This one scene not only pokes gentle fun at the Prada movie but recalls Orson Welles' sneezy secretary scene from the original Muppet Movie. Brilliant!

To save the studio, the Muppets must do what they do best — put on a show. Cue the montage of rebuilding the studio ("we always work to music," one winking Muppet appeals). And cue the celebrity cameos, with Dave Grohl, Neil Patrick Harris, Whoopi Goldberg and Selena Gomez turning up to help out.

Others have bigger roles, with Alan Arkin as a depressive tour guide, Zach Galifianakis as a hobo, Rashida Jones as a TV executive and Jim Parsons (from The Big Bang Theory) as the human version of Walter (Parsons sings, plays piano and almost steals the show). His hilarious duet with Segel in the song Am I a Man or a Muppet deserves Oscar attention for best song.

This new Muppet movie is lively, upbeat, cleverly self-aware and thoroughly entertaining stuff — and that's not bad for a bunch of characters made of felt, feathers and wadding. Older fans will love seeing them in action again while new fans will love the corny jokes, colourful characters and joyous song-and-dance numbers. It’s a win-win situation. Like old friends inviting you to their reunion, these 2.0 Muppets deliver one of the surprise delights of the year.

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Earlier today, “Koala Kid: Birth of a Hero” released its first teaser music video. The film, featuring the voices of SNSD’s Sunny, SHINee’s Taemin, and Yoon Da Hoon, opened in theaters on January 12. The one minute 21 second video has SNSD’s “Way to Go” in the back ground, and shows snippets of the animation film as well as BTS shots of the three recording the movie. Sunny plays the role of Miranda (the dark koala) while Taemin lends voice to the role of Johnny (the white one). The movie is a safari adventure animation about a lonely circus koala named Johnny, who tries to protect the environment with his other animal friends by standing up against a gang of alligators and as a result, is named a true hero. Learn more about the movie here!

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Martin Scorsese leaves the tough guy world far behind with his latest film Hugo, a 3D fantasy set in pre-war Paris about an orphan and a toymaker -- as well as about himself, the US director said Monday.

Hugo, which hit US screens last month, is at once a warming Christmas carol and a cinephile's tribute to one of the art form's founding fathers, the Frenchman Georges Melies, a real-life magician turned experimental filmmaker.

"As I was making the film, more and more people kept telling me: 'That's you'," Scorsese told a press conference in Paris. "And ultimately by the time we had finished editing, there was no doubt. "'C'est moi'" (It's me), he quipped in French, picking up on the line by the 19th-century writer Gustave Flaubert who famously proclaimed the same of his seminal work Emma Bovary.

Set in an imaginary Paris circa 1930, the film tells the story of 12-year-old Hugo Cabret, played by Asa Butterfield, who lives hidden in the walls of a Paris railway station, tasked with keeping its giant clocks wound and ticking.

Hugo crosses paths with an old toymaker played by Ben Kingsley, who turns out to be none other than Melies, now fallen on hard times. As it turns out, Hugo is trying to repair a toy robot left to him by his dead father.

Scorsese adapted the movie from a best-selling illustrated novel by US author Brian Selznick, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" -- which in turn was inspired by a study of Melies' collection of lost automata.

Melies' intricate automata become a parable for the dream-machinery at the heart of filmmaking. Scorsese's first 3D movie leads the viewer into the imaginary world of the soft-spoken Melies, whose experimental films like the 1902 science-fiction adventure "A Trip to the Moon" have a magical, home-made quality.

Hobbled by acute asthma as a child, Scorsese said he felt a strong initial resonance with its lonely boy hero. "The boy's isolation, and the fact that it resolves itself through Melies and the invention of cinema -- this for me was a direct connection, with a fantasy of my own childhood in a way," he said.

Though a handful of scenes were filmed in Paris, most of Hugo was shot at Shepperton Studios outside London, in a make-believe station based on Paris' Gare de Lyon, Gare du Nord and the old Montparnasse station. "We would have loved to be here the whole time," Scorsese said, "but the film had to have another kind of Paris -- a heightened Paris."

Scorsese's sepia-toned French capital is, by his own admission, an American's impression of the city, made larger-than-life by gorgeous 3D imagery that magnifies the slightest snowflake, the hissing steam from the trains and the hot oil poured into the clocks' innards.

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I’m a pretty big fan of Robert Rodriguez, and I’ve even enjoyed (for the most part) his Spy Kids movies. I thought the first one was the best, but the second one was good, too. The third one had it’s moments, but I was glad to see the series end.

And then Spy Kids 4 came. And since they’re the only Rodriguez movies I can show my kids, they were big fans and I just HAD to see Spy Kids 4. It’s out on Blu-ray this week and I have to say that it holds up much better than the last film in the franchise.

Retired OSS spy, Marissa Wilson (Jessica Alba) has a new baby, two stepkids, Rebecca and Cecil Wilson (Rowan Blanchard and Mason Cook) and a husband Wilbur Wilson (Joel McHale), who is a spy hunter. Things take a turn for the worse when the villain Tick Tock escapes and goes after her stepkids to tries and retrieve the necklace Marissa gave to Rebecca.

The original Spy Kids come back to help save the world. Rebecca and Cecil have been activated along with the dog and the baby. These characters and their antics keep kids laughing throughout the movie.

It is not only an entertaining movie, it teaches children the importance of family, but then again, that is a reoccurring theme in all of the Spy Kids movies. It’s a movie you can sit and enjoy with your kids without wanting to shoot yourself.

And I loved watching Jeremy Piven chew the scenery in a number of roles in this film. Joel McHale, too. It’s just kind of campy fun that you can’t help but enjoy if you’re sitting with your kids. It could be worse, they could want to watch The Smurfs.

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It's December, which means there are a few obligations that come with the holiday season–last minute guilt-shopping for the ancillary people in your life who unexpectedly bought you a gift, gradually going insane from incessant Christmas music, trying your best to avoid being that person the company holiday party, etc. But for every burdensome obligation that comes with Christmas, there are at least nine others that make the season the warm and wonderful experience we all look forward to throughout the year. One such tradition: Sitting down for a viewing of your favorite Christmas movie. But what does your favorite festive flick say about you?

A Christmas Story
For starters, you're the kind of person who doesn't mind repetition and likely uses TNT's 24-hour marathon as an excuse to veg out in front of the TV rather than participate in your family's other traditions. There's no better excuse to avoid dinner prep or neighborhood caroling than saying you're engrossed in your favorite Christmas movie, even if it's for the sixth time that day.

Also, you probably like to use A Christmas Story as a guilt weapon. Settle in with your parents and constantly remind them of your version of the Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle that they refused to get you. It's never too late.

Home Alone
Holidays are traditionally family filled, but if you're a Home Alone fan, it's all about having the house to yourself. Who needs the chores doled out from your mom or constant pestering from your older brother when you can just create your own family out of a Michael Jordan cardboard cutout and a few mannequins? Eat whatever you want, stay up as late as you desire, and be free from those unfortunate life update conversations with each family member where you have to find new ways to say "I'm currently unemployed."

Also, you're big on the fantasy that even you could thwart career criminals with a few paint cans, Christmas ornaments, and a strategically placed blowtorch. Don't suspend your disbelief too much, we doubt you'll be as successful as Macaulay Culkin.

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This is a list of girl centered movies with strong girls in them. That sentence may seem redundant but sadly, it’s not. Many girl centered movies feature a main character who is a princess in distress, a cheerleader trying to keep a boyfriend, or Barbie worrying about what she’ll wear to prom after her dress rips.

If Hollywood allows a strong girl to appear in a kids’ movie, and she is not confined to a typical, cookie cutter “feminine” dilemma, too often, her screen time is limited; her role is supporting: she is there to help the boy on his quest. To clarify: the following is a list of movies with strong female main characters where the narrative is based on her brave quest.

This is not a list of GGG (triple girlpower) movies. Some movies may be included in this list such as a Barbie adventure or Kim Possible that would not earn a GGG rating because of the main character’s plastic looks or princessy identity; the movie may be listed here because, in spite of a stereotype, it’s still centered on a brave female hero who has cool adventures.

Remember, this is also not a list of movies only with a strong girl character in them. To see a list of strong girl characters in movies, check out Reel Girl’s list of awesome female characters in kids’ movies. That list includes characters like Princess Leia from “Star Wars,”  Astrid from “How to Train Your Dragon,” and Colette from “Ratatouille.” Strong female characters with supporting roles in male dominated films are included in that list. Nominate female characters for that list  here.

If you’re still unsure if a movie qualifies for the list below, please see Reel Girl’s list of questions to ask yourself before shelling out your $10 to take your kids to a movie. These questions are to help parents notice the gender programming aimed at kids, so ubiquitous, it’s ironically often invisible. This list of questions is supposed to help you notice the different status frequently attributed to girls and boys in kids’ media. The questions are also there because, mostly, I don’t suggest not showing your kids many films. There are some I won’t show, and there are many I won’t pay for. But I think it’s best to teach kids how to watch critically, question what they see, and ultimately make their own decisions. Kids live in the world just like we all do. Even if you don’t take them to the movies, they’ll see the toys, the characters on diapers and cereal boxes. Most of their friends will have seen the movies, will be talking about them and acting out the characters on playdates. So teach them not to be passive receptacles of media. The questions on this list aren’t for young kids but for their parents. When you talk to your kids, its best to be specific about the characters in the film they see.

Wow, this is why it has been so hard for Reel Girl to recommend, but here we go. The movies on the list are for young kids. My three daughters are ages 2 – 8. Movies are awarded 1 – 3 Gs for Girlpower. Remember, these are movies for your sons to see as well as your daughters.

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If Irish dancing brings to mind Michael Flatley and Riverdance, this colourful if conventional film should revise that impression to one of diamantes, fake tans, gigantic wigs and charming kids. Director Sue Bourne went behind the scenes of international competitive Irish dancing, filming the 2010 World Championships in Glasgow.

Like other docos such as Spellbound, we get to meet a varied and interesting cast, representing the wonderful mix of dancers from around the world. Bourne's camera follows their gruelling path to the championships, talking to them about their expectations and passion for dancing and revealing the enormous sacrifices some families make.

There are dancers from Russia, the Netherlands and the United States, as well as from across Britain, ranging in ages from 10 to their mid-twenties. There are gorgeous British youngsters, humble and gracious in their attempt at glory, and the rather more openly ambitious Americans. There's 20-year-old Simona from Essex, desperately trying to win the title for her mother who has dedicated her life to her daughter's dancing, and Joe Bitter, a teenager whose family moved from America to Britain so he could become the next Michael Flatley.

All this leads to the competition itself, and the anticipated heartbreak for some and triumph for others. The announcement of the winners is the film's climax, which is somewhat compromised by a confusing judging system which means you're trying to decipher what's going on rather than getting swept up in the winners' moments - thankfully the competitors faces tell us all we need to know.

Jig is a fun and predictable documentary with charming characters. Those with some interest in dance will get the most out of it; the overwhelming impression for the layperson is that the world of Irish dancing resembles an energetic child beauty pageant. There's no doubt dedication, stamina and skill are required to be a top dancer, but it's the expensive beaded dresses, makeup and excessive wigs that are the memorable and slightly disturbing images
you'll take away.

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After losing his father to an accidental fire, twelve year old Hugo goes to live with his uncle who tends the clocks at a train station.  When his uncle up and leaves, Hugo’s left to fend for himself and when he’s not stealing to survive or doing his uncle’s job, he spends his time trying to fix his father’s automaton, a metallic doll built like a music box.  With the automaton nearly fixed, Hugo struggles to unlock the one remaining mystery, a heart shaped keyhole he has no way of opening.

I love Marty Scorsese’s work, from GOODFELLAS, CAPE FEAR, CASINO, GANGS OF NEW YORK, THE DEPARTED, to SHUTTER ISLAND and even BOARDWALK EMPIRE.  What do all these films (and one TV show) have in common you might ask, well they have nothing at all to do with HUGO on any level or in any way, shape or form.  Scorsese’s at his best with gritty, violent works of art, not family films and though visually this film does have his sense of grace and style, atmospherically it’s way off and I wasn’t liking it one bit.  I can sum this one up in two words:  immensely overrated.

The story is all over the place with where it’s trying to go, ignoring the straight line between A and B and instead rearing off in any and all directions as it tries to jam in all sorts of nonsense in to kill time.  And as such, we end up with about a half hour of dead weight that just drags the film down.  The subplot with the dog lady is just plain ridiculous, then we have a drawn out bit with Sacha Baron Cohen’s inspector character and the flower girl that, in my opinion,  was elaborated upon simply because it’s him.  And beyond that, there’s all sorts of extra stuff like finding out a police officer’s wife left him and is pregnant, which in itself doesn’t fit within the realm of family themed fun and feels terribly out of place.  The mystery of the automaton is interesting to be sure, but the way it all comes together should’ve been handled smoother to keep the audience interested rather than putting them to sleep.

The one thing this film has going for it is the acting.  Sir Ben Kingsley is brilliant (as always) and I love Chloe Grace Moretz, her rise to fame is well deserved and puts a big smile on my face.  Jude Law and Ray Winstone make brief appearances but are forgotten almost instantly as a result.  It’s a shame really, as I’d rather see more of them than more of Cohen (I enjoy the guy’s work, but his bumbling character here feels more like he belonged in Mr. Magoo).  It was however, refreshing to get some Christopher Lee action, that man dominates the screen no matter how small the role.  Newcomer Asa Butterfield did a good job as Hugo, he handled the emotional pull of dealing with tragedy very well and he, Moretz and Kingsley shared some believable, heartfelt chemistry when and where it counted.

HUGO is film with heart and some visual flare, but although this young boy’s quest to help others is indeed noble, the whole thing seemed very unlikely.  A twelve year old boy can’t live in the walls of a train station.  Sure, the film tries to justify it by way of Hugo tending the clocks in his uncle’s stead, and like he says, “as long as the clocks keep working, I’ll be fine”.  If only it were that simple.  Without giving anything away, his uncle’s found dead, and has been that way for months apparently, so who was cashing his pay checks this whole time?  They didn’t have direct deposit back in the 30′s, so don’t you think someone in payroll would’ve noticed?  Hugo steals a bun and some milk at one point, but there’s no fridge, stove, or even cupboards in his little niche in the walls, so what’s he eating to stay alive?  Add to that it’s winter time and everyone else is bundled up in coats, hats and gloves, meanwhile this kid’s running around in shorts.  I hate to cut up a family film, but the plot has more holes than a shooting range target after a day of heavy gunfire.  Had they trimmed the fat a bit better and addressed some of these points with a little more finesse, HUGO could have been much more fun, but instead we end up with a slow, drawn out film that loses you in all extra clutter.  Hopefully Scorsese goes back to the hardcore adult themed stuff, that’s clearly where he belongs.

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“The Muppets’’ movie opened nationwide yesterday, and Elizabeth Gilbert of Peabody was among the first in line to see it. Gilbert, 34, was accompanied by her two children, 5-year-old Sean and 7-year-old Kathryn, neither exactly a diehard Muppets fan. It has been years, after all, since the furry creatures ruled the airwaves and the multiplexes.

“I grew up with the Muppets, though, so we’re definitely here because of my influence,’’ Gilbert admitted. “I’m probably more psyched to see the movie than they are.’’

Making and marketing family films with cross-generational appeal is nothing new for Hollywood, of course. What may be different this season, according to Andrew Stewart, Variety’s box office reporter, is the number and quality of family films that appeal as much to parents as to children, maybe even more so.There are fewer of what Variety staff call “nag and drag’’ movies or “draggers’’: movies that youngsters typically clamor to see, dragging parents along with them for the ride. “We may be seeing the reverse effect, a reverse mechanism,’’ Stewart said about this season.

Nostalgia plays heavily in the marketing of “The Muppets,’’ with the film appealing to parents who grew up with the original television show and movies. Another family film that debuted yesterday, “Hugo,’’ benefits greatly from its name-brand director, Martin Scorsese.

Greg Disler, 43, of Peabody said that he, his wife, and their 12-year-old daughter had all read and loved “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,’’ the book on which the movie is based. Even though their daughter had lobbied for “Happy Feet Two,’’ an animated film about penguins, Disler was swayed by the fact that the director of “Hugo’’ was the man behind gritty adult films like “Goodfellas’’ and “The Departed.’’

“I’m a huge Scorsese fan,’’ Disler said. “He could not help but make [the book] better.’’The audience for “Hugo’’ will be closely tracked by Hollywood insiders, according to Variety film editor Josh Dickey. Because of its limited release - opening in 1,200 theaters nationwide, compared with the 3,500 showing “The Muppets’’ - it may not post the eye-popping box office returns “The Muppets’’ will probably get.

“The expectations for [‘Hugo’] were not high,’’ Dickey said. “But what critics and social media are showing is really astounding.’’Paramount Pictures, which is releasing “Hugo,’’ is finding it is already appealing to an art-house crowd. “Cinephiles want to see it based on Scorsese’s name,’’ said Stewart. “Also the subject itself, an homage to filmmaking in general. ’’

Disney Studios has been building buzz around “The Muppets’’ for two full years, said Dickey. Even ESPN viewers, nominally a non-Disney-movie crowd, have seen a parade of Muppets pass through the network’s studios in the past few days.

“They’ve hit it at a brilliant time, too,’’ Dickey said. “People who grew up with [the Muppets] are just getting to the age when their kids are old enough. Their thinking is, ‘I want my kids to like the Muppets because I liked the Muppets. That’s a movie I’ll drag my kids to see.’ ’’

Melissa Silva, 32, of Lynn took her daughter Madyson, 6, to see the movie for just that reason. Having spent much of her own childhood with the Muppets, she wanted to share that bond with her daughter, who knows the characters through books and old movies but not nearly as well as her mother. It was not hard to persuade Madyson to come along, said Silva, “because it’s a family movie I know we can all enjoy.’’

Kerri Shannon, 36, of Syracuse, N.Y., was another Muppets fan who had brought her two children to see the movie. “I grew up with the Muppets, and the kids saw them at Disney World,’’ said Shannon, who is a science teacher. As Shannon’s family headed in to see the show yesterday morning, Julie Waite and her three children stepped into the line to buy tickets to “Hugo.’’

“Both my older kids read the book and liked it a lot,’’ said Waite, 40, who lives in Richmond, Vt. “I thought they might enjoy ‘The Muppets,’ too, but none has any interest. Two of them barely watched ‘Sesame Street.’ ’’ Waite said she might go see “The Muppets’’ on her own.

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