2016 TV Overview

Shows we watched this year:

Clarence
Think Hey Arnold meets Adventure Time and you have a good idea of the genius that is Clarence.  This is one of Cartoon Network's triumphs and we desperately hope they give it a third season.  If you like fart jokes and remembering the weird stuff you got up to as a kid with your mates then you will enjoy Clarence.  BFF's unite!  

Steven Universe
Steven Universe is a unique series.  A group of aliens sort of adopt a kid and they save the world together.  The world of S.U is as unusual as it's characters but it has a sweetness to it that we loved.  And more than one redemptive moment.







Rebels season 2 and 3
Last year I raved about Rebels season 1 and these seasons were just as good if not better.  Great storylines and characters and Rebels really captures that Star Wars magic.  Disney does it again!

Voltron
Netflix released an original series based on the old 80's series: Voltron.  It was a little hard to get into but after a couple of episodes we were hooked!  The characters get developed well and the story got really exciting by the end of the series; we had to stop ourselves bingeing and running out of episodes!  We are looking forward to season 2 this year.

Angie Tribeca
More suitable for big kids and adults this series took us back to the grand old days of Police Squad and Hot Shots.  Packed full of ridiculous gags and cheap puns it had us sniggering away for the whole evening.  You will either love it or hate it intensely.

Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse
We were recommended this by a cousin and we weren't sure to believe them.  A barbie series is actually good?  Another Netflix original series, Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse is a surreal experience.  You think it's going one way and then... huh?  We loved it all, but mostly Ken.

Sym-Biotic Titan
Sym-Biotic Titan was our retro TV watch this year.  Made in 2010 by the unpronounceable Genndy Tartakovsky (who also made Samurai Jack) it promised to be an epic TV series but was sadly cancelled after the first season leaving us fans hanging.  Huge robots, crazy aliens, epic battles and an intriguing storyline all made for amazing television but apparently that was not enough for the executives.  We will have to be content to re-watch season 1 every few years.

Terry Teo
Another surprise for us this year was the NZ produced Terry Teo series (available on TVNZ on demand website).  It's very kiwi but if you don't let that distract you the acting, production and humour are all on point and the twist on the classic comic book plot is really well done.  It was a little bit violent but older kids would love it.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Our new family Advent tradition is going to see the latest Star Wars movie.  This year we just managed to squeeze in a trip to the movies only a few days after Rogue One came out.  This was essential as it meant the Husband could relax and enjoy the internet again without worrying about spoilers!! We only took the big kid with us as The Force Awakens taught us that the new Star Wars movies can be a little darker and more suitable for adults and older kids.  

Rogue One tells the story of the rebels trying to get the plans for the Death Star.  It slots nicely into the Star Wars universe between Rebels and Episode 4 and we came out wanting to go home and start watching A New Hope [again] immediately.  We found the beginning a bit slow and maybe hard to follow for a kid but once things started heating up it got too exciting and by the end we were on the edge of our seats even though we kind of knew how it would end! 

The characters are really strong (especially the two main rebel leads) and the sidekick robot was hilarious!  Rogue One also has some nods to Star Wars icons/moments but they are far less obvious than The Force Awakens and don't break up the momentum so much.  The thing we did notice was that the "goodies" and "baddies" as kid two would say are less obvious; you know you should be rooting for the rebels but should you?  They seem kind of bad?  It was a very 2016 zeitgeist but great for discussion afterward and more realistic in my book.

Rating: We will definitely watch this again!  In fact as I write this the husband and big kid are off at the movies re-watching it.  We will add it to the movie marathons of episodes 4, 5, 6, and 7.

Naughty bits: This is the movie which put the "war" back in Star Wars.  Imagine Saving Private Ryan but in space; there is lots of war violence.  It's not gory or sinister but there is a high body count.  Coupled with the fact that the "goodies" do some bad things, its much more suited to older kids.

Snacks: Blue Milk!

Family In-quotes: "The captain says you're a friend. I will not kill you"

Related Goodies:

The Christmas Toy

Seeing as a new Star Wars movie is coming out at Christmas every year #RogueOne , does that make Star Wars Christmas movies now?  The debate that rages in our house every Advent is over whether a movie qualifies as a Christmas movie if it is simply set during this wonderful holiday season or must it be about Christmas to qualify?
 

Whatever side you fall on (feel free to comment below) The Christmas Toy can safely be considered a Christmas movie as it is not only set at Christmas but is about Christmas.  It is also about toys!  Which if you know anything about our family you will know us as the creators of the Toylympics .  Click on the link, share with your friends, subscribe to our channel etc.  OK plug over...  The Christmas Toy is a TV movie created by the legendary Jim Henson and is about a jealous toy who risks everything to remain the favourite toy but instead learns a good lesson about belonging and love. 

Rating: If you read a longer plot synopsis online and it sounds familiar to you, that's because it probably is.  It's the basic premise for Toy Story!  In our opinion Toy Story is a far superior film but it doesn't have puppets or song and dance numbers and that special Jim Henson something.  The kids were captured enough by the magic of the world he created but not enough that we will watch it again.  Let the debate rage again next year when we try to pick a Christmas movie.

Naughty bits: This is super clean and cute and suitable for all age children.  Nothing to see here.

Snacks: Milk and cookies!

Family In-quotes: "It's catnip! Just catnip!"

Related Goodies:
Click HERE to watch the Toylympics (suitable for all ages)
The Muppet Show

Who Am I?

Jackie Chan finally won an Oscar!  About time!!  I first discovered the legend that is Jackie Chan when my to-be-husband introduced me to his early work.  I was hooked and vowed to pass on this great filmography to my children.  Finally Friday night arrived, but which movie?  Onto IMDB's parent's guide to see which one was most appropriate.  Who Am I? fit the bill.

Jackie Chan plays a secret agent who loses his memory after a tragic accident.  He is rescued by a remote tribe before setting out to discover his true identity.  As he pieces together his past he discovers deadly secrets and a is helped by quirky journalist.  Who Am I?  delivers the classic Jackie Chan humour and legendary action sequences and some of the most outrageous stunt work you will ever see.
 
Rating: We will definitely watch this one again sometime.  Some of the acting is a bit odd due to the overdubbing (I think) but it adds to the charm rather than taking away.  If you enjoy action/comedies then this is a good introduction to the genre without worrying too much about violence/sex.

Naughty bits: There is a lot of fighting, a lot of fighting.  It is Kung Fu style and very little blood and guts but I would suggest older kids for this one (it is rated PG-13).  There is a gross dead body shot about 10mins into the film and if your kid is sensitive to that sort of thing (ours is) then be prepared for that and tell them to look away.  No romance to be found here either. 

Snacks: Coconut milk

Family In-quotes: "WHO AM I!"

Related Goodies:
For your older teenager: Rumble in the Bronx (more violent than Who Am I?)

Halloween Special - The Addams Family

We dressed up and went out early on Halloween weekend to a party organized by a local community group.  Due to the younger kids being bored/tired we came home earlier than expected and were able to squeeze in a movie with the older kid before bedtime.  The least scary Halloweenish movie we could think of was The Addams Family (based on the 1960's TV series).



The Addams Family tells the tale of an unconventional family who are preyed upon by a pair of con artists but ultimately triumph using the forces of family, love and sheer quirkiness.  I was not expecting the love story between the two protagonists, Morticia and Gomez Addams, to be so prominent in the movie but it was sweet (and rare) to see an onscreen married couple still in love after many years (and a couple of kids).  Our kid loved the craziness of their household and the randomness that ensued, lots of the time it was like living in Opposite Land!


Rating: The Addams Family is a little harder to follow than most movies aimed at a tween audience because not all the plot points are handed to the viewer on a plate but there is enough fun to keep everyone entertained throughout.  It was a little slow to get going but once we got into it we enjoyed it and we will watch it again in a year or two and also the sequel.

Naughty bits: We were wary about this movie for the scare factors but there were very few "jumpy" bits and although it's a bit creepy the atmosphere (music etc) tells the kids there is nothing to fear here.  There is a gory scene near the end featuring LOTS of fake blood but it is in the context of a play so we all knew it was not serious. And of course there are lots of Morticia and Gomez lovey dovey moments Blergh!

Snacks: Halloween candy

Family In-quotes: "Don't be a baby, I know what I'm doing"

Related Goodies:
The original TV series
Morticia Addams Makeup Tutorial
Story Pirates Podcast "Field Trip to Oppositeland"

Get Smart

My dad loved the TV series Get Smart and I remember catching bits and pieces of it while he chortled away on the sofa but I really only remember Max's distinctive nasal voice, the famous door sequence and 99's sharp wit and bob.




In Get Smart, the movie, Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway attempt to re-imagine the series and make it relevant for today's audiences and we think they succeeded.  Sure it's a little slow getting started and Max is pretty annoying in the beginning but once things get going it's a fun ride and the Carell/Hathaway chemistry is surprisingly great.  This movie also features one of my faves, The Rock, as the superstar spy and when he and his megawatt smile enter the room it's truly fabulous.  The director hams this up too which makes it even better.

We watched some of the clips of the old show on YouTube after the movie and we all agreed the updated humour was much better than the original. The finale scene made us all laugh out loud so hard but I can't give it away, the reveal is just too good.

Rating:We were all highly entertained by Get Smart and there was enough plot that the kid had fun trying to figure out who the bad guy was.  We will definitely watch this again some time.

Naughty bits: There is some cartoon violence, some mild language and a couple of mild sexual innuendos but for the most part it is as clean as Agent 23's white shirt (how does he keep it soooo clean?)

Snacks: Ice cream cone of silence

Family In-quotes: "Missed it by that much"

Related Goodies:

Chicken Run

It was another rainy Saturday afternoon so we decided to settle in for a movie as a family including No.2 this time.  Chicken Run sounded interesting and was made by the Aardman folks (famous for Wallace & Gromit, Shaun the Sheep) so we were excited.  But things sort of petered out from there. 



Chicken Run is a retelling of The Great Escape which is a great concept but the story and wartime in-jokes were lost on the kids and they were kind of bored by the end although there were plenty of visual gags to amuse from time to time.  We did enjoy the bad end that came to the antagonists but it felt like it took a long time getting there and the chemistry between the two leads was flighty.

Rating: It was an original concept but they somehow didn't quite pull it off.  We will definitely keep re-watching Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep but won't be watching this one again.

Naughty bits: The dogs could be frightening to very small children but the rest is as clean as Fowler's hut.

Snacks: Chicken Pie

Family In-quotes: "Why, back in my RAF days..."

Related Goodies:
Wallace & Gromit
Shaun the Sheep
The true story of The Great Escape