A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Carmen's caught in a virtual reality game designed by the Kids' new nemesis, the Toymaker. It's up to Juni to save his sister, and ultimately the world.
Director:
Robert Rodriguez
Stars:
Daryl Sabara,
Alexa PenaVega,
Antonio Banderas
During the first day of his new school year, a fifth grade boy squares off against a bully and winds up accepting a dare that could change the balance of power within the class.
A retired spy is called back into action, and to bond with her new step-children, she invites them along for the adventure to stop the evil Timekeeper from taking over the world.
A young boy's discovery of a colorful, wish-granting rock causes chaos in the suburban town of Black Falls when jealous kids and scheming adults alike set out to get their hands on it.
Black Falls Community is in the shape of the wishing rock. See more »
Goofs
Blinker #1 blinks (at around 31 mins) while opening a cellophane bag over his cereal bowl. Blinker #2 blinks (at around 22 mins) in the background during the classroom scene where the aliens are circling the bottoms of the students' desks while the teacher is conducting an experiment with catalysts. See more »
After the atrocious family films Spy Kids 3D : Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, I was not interested in watching Shorts, another independent family film directed by Robert Rodriguez.However, a look at the cast revealed the presence of some competent actors (James Spader, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings), so I decided to risk myself and watch this movie.To my huge surprise, Shorts resulted to be an excellent family film which is likable and hugely entertaining, thanks to the skillful performances from the young cast and Rodriguez's irreverent screenplay.
At setting the movie on a real environment (instead of the artificial digital universe), Rodriguez did not require of big excesses for telling the story.The special effects look realistic, but they do not loose Rodriguez's characteristic surrealism on them.Shorts may not be his best family movie (I liked the original Spy Kids a bit more), but it is the one which mostly represents the naughty childish imagination, which is funny and innocent but not lacking of some subversion.
All the performances from this movie show a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but the movie rests on the shoulders of the childish cast with excellent results.The phenomenal discovery of Jolie Vanier is particularly remarkable.She reminded me thanks to her histrionic force and great presence of Christina Ricci on her juvenile roles.
With the exception of Up, Shorts is the best family film I have seen this year.I ended up taking a great surprise with this great family movie, and I recommend it as an excellent option for the whole family.
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After the atrocious family films Spy Kids 3D : Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, I was not interested in watching Shorts, another independent family film directed by Robert Rodriguez.However, a look at the cast revealed the presence of some competent actors (James Spader, William H. Macy, Leslie Mann and Kat Dennings), so I decided to risk myself and watch this movie.To my huge surprise, Shorts resulted to be an excellent family film which is likable and hugely entertaining, thanks to the skillful performances from the young cast and Rodriguez's irreverent screenplay.
At setting the movie on a real environment (instead of the artificial digital universe), Rodriguez did not require of big excesses for telling the story.The special effects look realistic, but they do not loose Rodriguez's characteristic surrealism on them.Shorts may not be his best family movie (I liked the original Spy Kids a bit more), but it is the one which mostly represents the naughty childish imagination, which is funny and innocent but not lacking of some subversion.
All the performances from this movie show a lot of energy and enthusiasm, but the movie rests on the shoulders of the childish cast with excellent results.The phenomenal discovery of Jolie Vanier is particularly remarkable.She reminded me thanks to her histrionic force and great presence of Christina Ricci on her juvenile roles.
With the exception of Up, Shorts is the best family film I have seen this year.I ended up taking a great surprise with this great family movie, and I recommend it as an excellent option for the whole family.