Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: 3 stars

Jupiter (age 5) *** Three. I liked it when it was the jello part, when the went into the jello, because it was bouncy. I didn't like the chicken part, 'cause it was scary because Baby Brent got aten..

Justice (age 3) ***** Fifty stars. (I liked) when it rained ice cream 'cause it was different colors. And when it rained hot dogs 'cause it was pretty.

James (age 7) ***** Five stars. I liked the man-eating fried chickens, but it was scary when they ate Baby Brent. And when the Dad kept messing up with the computer and the mouse when Flynn (Flint?) told him to move the mouse and he always mess up. In the beginning all the villagers could eat sardines and they got disgusted and Flynn made an invention to make water into food, and that saved the villagers. In the middle the food started getting bigger and bigger. There was spaghetti and meatball tornado and the meatballs were the size of a doorway and everything got spaghetti all over it and Flynn threw himself away because he felt bad for himeslf. He threw himself away with all of his other inventions, which he thought were dumb. In the end he invented a rocket car and he went up into outer space to a gigantic meatball. That was where all the food came from and the man-eating turkeys attacked and ate Baby Brent and then he became Chicken Brent. At the very end, at a part I don't like, Sam and Flynn kissed. Disgusting. And I liked the gigantic ice cream. And when Flynn got in trouble with the police officer. That police officer said, "I want my son to grow up to be good," and Flynn turned and the son of the police officer was so small. That part was really funny. And there was a sad part when Flynn made it rain meat at the restaurant to surprise his dad because his dad's favorite thing was meat and the meats were getting big so the dad didn't want to eat it and he left the restaurant. I want to keep writing and writing and writing because I have so much to say.

Adam: * I liked how the Popi had no eyeballs. I liked the monkey translator, but the food made me want to barf. Especially the fountains of liquid nacho cheese.

Stephanie: * One star. This movie was almost intolerable except for a few cute moments, like the monkey translator. Overall the script went on forever, with one grotesque scene after another. It was an endurance test for adults. As for the kids: they loved it. Loved it.

Nausicaa: 4 1/2 *

James(age 7): *****5 stars. "I liked the Ohmu. I like the stampede of Ohmu. And I liked all the giant warriors attacking the city. I liked this better than "Totoro" because there was a lot of fighting and all the war. I liked it when Nausicaa's friend and Nausicaa found out when that city had a big battle and there were bugs lying everywhere and there were two dead ohmu. In the beginning she saw an ohmu shell and she cut the eye off to use it for materials, and the king died. And in the middle the soldiers took her away and that's when they started the war. And in the end they had a really big war and they brought out the baby giant warrior but it wasn't ready yet, so it just melted. And in the very very end the Ohmu stampede all got calm and the legend came true. And I liked the warrior that fought at the war. And I liked it when the sword master stuck a knife to a warrior's neck. And the warrior said nothing but 'This guy is tough.' I really loved the movie."

Jupiter (age 5): *****5 stars. "I liked that baby fox-squirrel. And I liked the glider. And I liked the baby Ohmu. I was scared when the giant lava warrior fighted. I didn't like it and it was mean. My favorite part was when she saved the baby ohmu. Nausicaa is bigger than an Ohmu. I liked it when she saved the baby Ohmu. I liked it when she was guiding the Ohmu back to the jungle."

Justice (age 3): *****5 stars. "Sixty eight. I gave it sixty-eight. I liked the baby Ohmu. And I liked the sword fighting."

Mama: ****4 stars. I can't believe how totally absorbed the kids were in this movie. Justice, who has danced and done acrobatics through almost every movie night in the past few months, sat raptly on Adam's lap, occasionally saying something like, "Where is the creature who left that shell?" Or "I don't trust that guy." James' eyes were alight when swarms of multi-eyed giant beatle monsters began their rampage. And thank goodness Princess Nausicaa had a pet fox-squirrel who went with her everywhere, so that Jupiter was engaged as well.

I did not like "Spirited Away" or "Totoro" so I didn't plan on enjoying this too much. Those stories however were much more whimsicial and episodic, and I must admit I have a Western aesthetic where there's a pay-off for everything. Also, people rave about the Miyazaki's animation, but I don't get it. Everything's gorgeously painted and fantastical, but characters don't even blink, movements are often jerky and there are huge sequences of stills where no one moves and you feel like they're skimping on the animation. And my uncanny valley gag reflex kicked in everytime Lord Yupa was on screen--he had a huge beard with no mouth, and it was wrong, just wrong, the way he spoke and that hair tumor on his face didn't move.

But..."Nausicaa" really was engaging! I found myself surprised at how I was drawn into the story, how the patience of the storytelling served to make me interested, instad of feeling the impatient distance I felt when watching "Totoro." The world was fascinating, a beautiful poinsonous, apocalyptic landscape full of marvel and danger. Who couldn't be delighted by all of those glider and airplane scenes? And Nausicaa was bold and fearless, constantly in motion saving everyone, the kind of Princess I'm happy to show to my girls.


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