renegade penguins, a family of cavepeople, and a lorax walk into a cinema

What a cool line for a joke, right?
Instead, it's the title for my final week of 2016's Summer Kid Film Festival.
Such a crazy bunch!
I totally realize that I had already seen "The Croods", but I adore this movie! Besides having Nicholas Cage and Ryan Reynolds voicing the two male leads, I have a sentimental link to the story. You know what that means, right?

"It always makes you cry."

Yes, it does. When the tiger-girl and her dad are parting ways, during their hug (that rhymes with Grug), I always tear up. Then, again, when she is on the cliff, alone, blowing her conch shell, then is joined by her family chiming in, I become a soggy mess again.
I really love that movie.

"Yes, dear, I know. What about the other films? Did they activate those tearducts?"

No, they did not. And guess what? This week was the first time I had ever seen them!

"You seem to have had quite a few first viewings with this summer's batch of screenings!"

I know, right? Wednesday's "The Lorax", based on the Dr. Seuss book, came out in 2012. Somehow, even the presence of Taylor Swift wasn't enough to lure me into the cinema for it. Then again, it hit the screen in March, and between teaching full-time at Armstrong State University, attending the Francophone Film Festival, and planning for my trip to Italy, I just didn't have time for it.
I'm glad I finally saw it, though. It's ecology-mindful message is even more needed as the Earth heads deeper into global warming.
What I liked best was all of the music! Ed Helms, as the Once-ler, sings several times, being gleefully awful in "How Bad Can I Be?" Actually, he is the only character that sings. The film may be titled "The Lorax", but the star is the maker of the Thneed.

"What about Taylor Swift? I know you really like her music. What did she sing?"

Not one song.
None.
Not even as part of a chorus!
Mostly, she was a boy's love interest.
As the Once-ler said to the boy, Ted, "...when a guy does something stupid once, well, that's because he's a guy. But he does the same stupid thing twice, that's usually to impress some girl."
Taylor was that girl.
Oh, and guess what?

"What?"

She was a little red-haired girl!
So that makes Ted a lot like Charlie Brown!
(smile!)

"Yes, dear. You and your correlations and coincidences..."

Yes, dear, yourself!
As for today's viewing of "Penguins of Madagascar", let me tell you why I missed this before.
First, it came out for Thanksgiving of 2014. That time is ridiculously busy with end-of-semester school responsibilities.
Second, I knew no one doing the voices (or so I believed at the time).
Third, the penguins really didn't appeal to me. Perhaps it was because they didn't look cute enough or real enough. Perhaps it was the smarmy style of chatter they had.
But I gave it a second chance, at the Carmike, and came to an understanding of it over popcorn and Coca-Cola.
It's full of puns and such!
And John Malkovich, too, as the devilishly evil Octavius Brine (aka "Dave the Octopus")!
And, surprisingly, Benedict Cumberbatch as the wolf leader of the North Wind secret service group!
I still didn't know any of the penguins, but they all knew each other through all the shared voice-over jobs they've done. Guess that's why they worked so well together and had such good comedic timing.
But the puns! The glorious, name-dropping, puns!
"Nicolas, cage them", the octopus says!
And another time he commands, "Halle, bury them!"
And there were others spoken too quickly for me to remember!

"Ah, yes, puns! Those remain your attraction to the Jumble games, too. Well, I'm so glad this final week of the SKFF was such fun for you!"

It really has been!
And I even added two other films to the docket this week, to make it extra special.
On Tuesday, at the matinee, I saw "The BFG", mostly on the recommendation of the older of the "Sweet Caroline" girls. I figured if Lynn said it was "beautiful" and "magical", then maybe I should make the acquaintance of the Big Friendly Giant.

"And was it beautiful and magical?"

Actually, it was!
Guess what else it was?
No, let me tell you: it was an anti-bullying message!
Quite wonderfully done!
I do hope those kids who performed those plays about types of bullies were able to see the film before it left the cinemas.

"Oh! Is it gone already then?"

Oh, yes. This was its last week on the silver screen.
That was also true for "Hunt For The Wilderpeople". I saw that one at the Spotlight on Wednesday afternoon. A tale of a hard-edged teen-aged boy in the foster care system and the widower who is left to care for him was quite realistic. No matter that the story takes place in New Zealand - apparently, the system there is as haphazardly operated as the one here in Savannah.
I know it sounds a bit drear, but it was actually an uplifting story.
The cinematography was quite lovingly done, too.
All in all, a film I recommend, should you run across it in a library or a RedBox stand.
(smile)