The Lorax, star of DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX, is coming to Kansas City and will be meeting fans around the town, including a special visit at the Kids Fun Fest at the Kansas City Zoo! Also see him at the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch for their Preschool Storytime on Friday, February 10th where kids can learn about The Lorax from his Dr. Seuss book, and then help him build his very own tree in the Kids Corner of the library!

Library Preschool Storytime
Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch
4801 Main St. Kansas City, MO 64112
Friday, February 10, 2012
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM *Costume Appearance is from 11 AM – 1 PM;

Kids Fun Fest at the Kansas City Zoo

Kansas City Zoo
6800 Zoo Dr. Kansas City, MO 64132
Saturday, February 11, 2012
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM *Costume Appearance is from 11 AM – 1 PM

Family Fun Days at the Kansas City Public Library – Plaza Branch is free and open to the public.

Prices for Kids Fun Fest at the Kansas City Zoo can be found online at www.KansasCityZoo.org

Synopsis
From the creators of Despicable Me and the imagination of Dr. Seuss comes the 3D-CG feature Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, an adaptation of the classic tale of a forest creature who shares the enduring power of hope. The animated adventure follows the journey of a 12-year-old as he searches for the one thing that will enable him to win the affection of the girl of his dreams. To find it he must discover the story of the Lorax, the grumpy yet charming creature who fights to protect his world.

DR. SEUSS’ THE LORAX IN THEATRES MARCH 2!

Lady is a lovely young pedigree cocker spaniel who is use to the life of luxury. Tramp is a rugged pooch who lives every day on the edge. Lady at first is hesitant of Tramp and his free style way of living, but soon treks on an adventure with him. The pooches enjoy several fun dates together including the most memorable Disney moment, a romantic spaghetti dinner by moonlight that includes a noodle kiss.

Their love is tested by Lady’s loyalty to her human family and their newborn baby and Tramp’s carless attitude that costs both pups their freedom when they find themselves in the dog pound. As in all fairy tales Tramp proves to have a heart of gold by winning his true love Lady’s heart and the affection of her human family.

The release of “Lady and the Tramp” shows how much has technically improved since the 1950’s. The colors are vibrant and brilliant. The high definition sound will have you enjoying every moment of joyous sounds. The animation is superb and will be a treat for kids of all ages. DVD Bonuses include three never before seen Deleted Scenes, Diane Disney-Miller: Remembering Dad and Puppy Pedia: Going to the Dogs. Share the love of “Lady and the Tramp” with your loved ones this Valentine’s Day.

Upon arriving in Egypt they are in a search to find Cleopatra’s tomb. Pete and his grandfather are unaware that they are being misguided and the treasure is in danger from Philip Wellington (Edward Hermann). Not only is Pete and his grandfather in danger, but so are all the buddies. Wellington’s evil cat is on a mission to find Cleopatra’s tomb as well. Once discovering the tomb she is hoping to find the magical necklace that she will use to make cats rulers of the world.

When Mudbud discovers her plot to take over he calls on his brothers and sister to head to Egypt and save the day. All the buddies hitch a ride and make new friends along the way. Babi a local pick pocket monkey helps the buddies find Pete. Half way into the mission they meet another friend Cammy, a baby camel who is looking to be reunited with her family. Since it seems the buddies and Cammy are all heading the same direction they trek on an adventure in the desert to find their loved ones.

With many dangers along the way the buddies will be there to save the day. “Treasure Buddies” is another fun-filled adventure. This latest installment will be for the older kids, especially with the dialogue used. The visual effects lacked quite a bit and made it hard to watch at times. Fans of the buddies will enjoy “Treasure Buddies”, but might find it missing the magic the others have. Look for it to be released on DVD Tuesday, January 31st. Bonus features include a tour of B-Dawg’s crib and an all new music video.

Cassidy is looking for someone on the force he can trust and request police psychologist Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks). Lydia was recently front page news when her last negotiations did not go so well and they lost a rookie officer. When Lydia arrives on the scene something does not seem right. She suspects that this is not your typical jumper and wonder’s what else may be going on.

Soon after she tries to coax Cassidy off the ledge we discover his true motives for causing the scene in Manhattan. He has a microphone and ear piece on and is communicating with someone. It looks like Cassidy is willing to do whatever it takes to prove his innocence even if it means stealing the diamond back to prove he never stole and cut it up for distribution to begin with.

His plan of jumping is all a decoy that is going beautifully. However with time running out and allies against him he will only have one shot to get it right and prove his innocence. “Man on a Ledge” is a high energy thriller that had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Sam Worthington had a superb performance and I found myself rooting for him the entire time. The storyline is not plausible, but is the entertainment we all need to escape to every now & then. With so many surprises you will find yourself immersed with “Man on a Ledge” and excited to see the conclusion!

The 84th annual Academy Award nominations have been announced in Beverly Hills, Calif., by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Announcing the nominees this morning was actress and last year’s Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence. Watch the winner’s announced live on Sunday, February 26th starting at 7pm CST on ABC.

The nominees are:

BEST ACTOR

Damien Bichir, A Better Life
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Gary Oldman, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Nick Nolte, Warriors
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Max von Sydow, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Jonah Hill, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS

Glenn Close, Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis, The Help
Rooney Mara, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn,

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Berenice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Janet McTeer, Albert Nobbs

Directing:

Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Woody Allen, Midnight in Paris
Terrence Malick, The Tree of Life

Best picture:

The Artist
The Descendants
Hugo
The Help
Midnight in Paris
War Horse
Moneyball
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Tree of Life

Best Original Screenplay:

The Artist : Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids : Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo
Margin Call : J.C. Chandor
Midnight in Paris : Woody Allen
A Separation : Asghar Farhadi

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Descendants : Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Hugo : John Logan
The Ides of March : George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball : Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy : Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Best Animation:

A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

Best Foreign Language:

Bullhead : Michael R. Roskam(Belgium)
Footnote : Joseph Cedar(Israel)
In Darkness : Agnieszka Holland(Poland)
Monsieur Lazhar : Philippe Falardeau(Canada)
A Separation : Asghar Farhadi(Iran)

Best Achievement in Cinematography:

The Artist : Guillaume Schiffman
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo : Jeff Cronenweth
Hugo : Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life : Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse : Janusz Kaminski

Best Achievement in Editing:

The Artist : Anne-Sophie Bion, Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants : Kevin Tent
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo : Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
Hugo : Thelma Schoonmaker
Moneyball : Christopher Tellefsen

Best Achievement in Art Direction:

The Artist : Laurence Bennett, Gregory S. Hooper
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 : Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
Hugo : Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
Midnight in Paris : Anne Seibel, Hélène Dubreuil
War Horse : Rick Carter, Lee Sandales

Best Achievement in Costume Design:

Anonymous : Lisy Christl
The Artist : Mark Bridges
Hugo : Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre : Michael O’Connor
W.E. : Arianne Phillips

Best Achievement in Makeup:

Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
The Iron Lady

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score:

The Adventures of Tintin : John Williams
The Artist : Ludovic Bource
Hugo : Howard Shore
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy : Alberto Iglesias
War Horse : John Williams

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song:

The Muppets : Bret McKenzie(“Man or Muppet”)
Rio : Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, Siedah Garrett(“Real in Rio”)

Best Achievement in Sound Mixing:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Moneyball
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Achievement in Sound Editing:

Drive
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Hugo
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
War Horse

Best Achievement in Visual Effects:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Hugo
Real Steel
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Best Documentary:

Hell and Back Again
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front
Paradise Lost 3: PurgatoryPina
Undefeated

Best Documentary, Short Subjects:

The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement
God Is the Bigger Elvis
Incident in New Baghdad
Saving Face
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom

Best Short Film, Animated:

Dimanche : Patrick Doyon
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore : William Joyce, Brandon Oldenburg
La Luna : Enrico Casarosa
A Morning Stroll : Grant Orchard, Sue Goffe
Wild Life : Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby

Best Short Film, Live Action:

Pentecost : Peter McDonald
Raju : Max Zähle, Stefan Gieren
The Shore : Terry George
Time Freak : Andrew Bowler, Gigi Causey
Tuba Atlantic : Hallvar Witzø

Thomas is a loving father who is making his living as a jeweler and as Oskar would say on the worst day his father was in the World Trade Center for a meeting. Thomas makes several phone calls to his wife and home over the course of an hour or two from the time the tower was hit to the moment it collapsed. It is a reality that the world has seen played out over and over again, but this time we are seeing it through a child’s eyes. A child who knows at the very moment that he has lost his father forever.

Oskar is going through the emotions and trying to not forget his father as time passes. He is having a hard time communicating with his mother Linda (Sandra Bullock), who is also suffering the loss of her husband. As the two try to move forward Oskar finds a way to remain close to his father with his latest adventure. He finds a key his father has hidden away. Wondering what it could possibly open he begins to trek all over New York City to find what the key may open. With few clues to go on and desperate to find what his father left behind it seems hopeless.

What Oskar finds along the way are caring people who are sharing their stories as well. He finds he is not the only one dealing with sadness and loss. Eventually the key opens a lock, but not to what Oskar was hoping. In the end Oskar finds closure and a way to reconnect not only with his father, but his mother too.

“Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is an inspirational film that managed to cover the sensitive event of September 11 in a graceful way. This tragedy affected so many families and you get an exact idea of how much the children were impacted. Thomas Horn who portrays Oskar is truly amazing. This young gentleman makes his acting debut in “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” and you would think he had been doing this forever. The emotion he manages to evoke in a single scene is brilliant. He captivated me and had me living with him through the emotions. He makes the film and his journey is one that you will not want to end. “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” is a film that won’t be forgotten and will have an impact on many.

Fuel is only added to the fire when G.G.’s grandson Randy Garrity (Jeremy Jordan) arrives in town and has an admiration for Vi Rose’s daughter Olivia Hill (Keke Palmer). Randy is instantly attracted to Olivia who has the voice of a goddess. He takes an interest not only in Olivia, but the choir as well. Soon he passes the test to become a member and the choir kicks up their music to a new level.

With the choir getting some fresh blood and bold new material they head into a national competition where they hope to finally take home first prize. “Joyful Noise” does a great job at entertaining, but loses its entertainment factor as it pushes into the final act. There is a great deal of wonderful music, but it should have been cut back in a few scenes when it starts to feel more like a musical then a movie.

The final choir performance is magical and describes the title of the film to a tee. Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton had amazing chemistry and their jib jabs were engaging. The young talents of Keke Palmer can’t be missed as she belts out some wonderful notes that make this film joyful.  Might be better off waiting for this one on DVD.

• Best Film: The Descendants
• Robert Altman Award for Best Director: Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
• Best Actor: George Clooney – The Descendants
• Best Actress: Kirsten Dunst – Melancholia
• Best Supporting Actor: Christopher Plummer – Beginners
• Best Supporting Actress: Jessica Chastain – The Tree of Life
• Best Original Screenplay: Mike Mills – Beginners
• Best Adapted Screenplay: Steven Zaillian & Aaron Sorkin – Moneyball
• Best Animated Film: Rango
• Best Foreign Film: A Separation (Iran)
• Best Documentary: Cave of Forgotten Dreams
• Vince Koehler Award for Best Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Film: Hugo

Looking for change that will be best for the family he makes an insane choice to move his family away from the city and onto a zoo reservation. The house sits on the reservation and after seeing his daughter’s reaction to the zoo he knows that this may be the best investment for his family’s future. Not knowing much about zoo upkeep and the animal’s well being he is taught a lot fairly quickly from the zookeepers. Kelly Foster (Scarlett Johansson) is the head of the zookeepers and has some frank advice for the dad in his latest adventure.

Kelly is sure to let Benjamin know his journey could turn into a disaster and they all depend on his dedication for the zoo and its staff to survive. There are a lot of heartwarming moments in this film, but it crosses the line between realistic and ridiculous.

Benjamin’s choice to improve a situation at home does not make sense. I find it hard to understand how buying a zoo will better their lives. If anything that type of investment would hinder one’s ability to do that. “We Bought a Zoo” makes an attempt to be enjoyable, but has a few flaws that are hard to look past. The one delight you will get from this film is the adorable Maggie Elizabeth Jones (Rosie Mee) who captures the audience with her adorable charm. For the holidays it does come packaged very well and kids will love the idea of living in the backyard of a zoo, but for some adults it misses the mark.

Disappointment quickly sets in when Wayne learns his partner received his promotion and he has gained a new rookie partner Lanny. Lanny is eager and filled with holiday cheer. Wayne has become a bit of a scrooge and has forgotten the importance of being on the prep landing crew. When Christmas is almost ruined for a child Wayne takes responsibility and suits up to make the impossible possible.

Wayne with the help of Lanny will save Christmas for one little boy and be reminded of what the holiday is all about. “Prep & Landing” is a special film that can be enjoyed by the entire family. The gadgets these elves have are so hi-tech and make the film very fun to enjoy. The whole prep and landing crew will fill children with the spirit of Christmas and answer all those questions about how Santa delivers all those gifts on Christmas day. “Prep & Landing” is available on DVD now and is loaded with extras. Be sure to get your stocking stuffer and make a little one’s holiday a little brighter!