KCKidsFun

It’s summer!  My son finished school today–I can’t even believe it.  It only took him about 3 hours to ask me if there was anything “else” to do.  If your family is anything like mine, the economy has you forgoing the vacation and you are opting for a “staycation” here in the metro–and looking for anything free–or at least on the cheap!

We are lucky in the sense that Kansas City is pretty heavy on the free summer movies.  It seems like they have become increasingly popular and often involve kid-related activities prior to the show itself.  For you newbies, most are held in parks or parking lots and begin at dusk, so be sure to spray everyone down with bug spray!  Also, you’ll want to bring a lawn chair(s) and/or blankets.  Lastly, you will want to bring along snacks and drinks.  Many locations will sell concessions, or have nearby shops willing to sell you something, but not all have food options.

I have to give it to the Kansas City MO Parks & Recreation Department…they win as far as number of movies goes–18 to be exact!  They are at various locations throughout the metro as part of the “See a Movie; See Kansas City” series.  (I indicated these movies by putting the date in bold green print.)  This would be an excellent opportunity to check out a new part of town you’ve never been before!  And, located just 5 miles north of downtown on 169N over the Broadway Bridge, Briarcliff Village seems to be the a close second in the quantity department at 13 movies!

Be sure to check out the KC Kids Fun Events Calendar in the toolbar at the top of the page for more great kid- and family-friendly events around Kansas City this summer!

Here’s the 2009 summer lineup–let me know if I’ve missed anything! (We’ll add the Independence Square movies to the list as soon as they’re announced.)

Thursday, June 4 Briarcliff Village- “Bee Movie”

Friday, June 5 Corinth Square, Prairie Village- “Sandlot”

Saturday, June 6 Kearney, MO Amphitheater- “Bee Movie”

Thursday, June 11 Brookside Triangle Park, 58th and Brookside- “Apollo 13″

Thursday, June 11 Briarcliff Village- “As Good As It Gets”

Friday, June 12 Oak Grove Park’s Amphitheater, Gladstone- “Kung Fu Panda”

Saturday, June 13 Tower Park, 76th and Holmes- “Ghostbusters”

Thursday, June 18 Briarcliff Village- “The NeverEnding Story”

Friday, June 19 Kansas City Central Library’s rooftop- “Near Dark” (note: rated “R”) and Blue Springs MO Street Flicks, 12th and Main- Spiderwick Chronicles

Friday, June 19 26th and Jarboe- “Kung Fu Panda”

Thursday, June 25 Briarcliff Village- “City of Angels” (not a movie for small kids)

Friday, June 26 City Market Cinema- “Caddyshack” and 18th and Vine- “The Wiz”

Friday, June 26 Prairie Village Shops – “The Wizard of Oz”

Saturday, June 27 Kearney, MO Amphitheater- “E.T.”

Thursday, July 2 Briarcliff Village- “E.T.”

Friday, July 3 Crown Center- “Sandlot”; Hyde Park (36th & Gillham, KCMO) – “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Thursday, July 9 Briarcliff Village- “Meet Joe Black” (probably not a flick for little kids)

Friday, July 9 Brookside Triangle Park, 58th and Brookside- “Ghostbusters”

Friday, July 10 Crown Center- “Men In Black”; Hyde Park (36th & Gillham, KCMO) – “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and Corinth Square- “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Thursday, July 16 Briarcliff Village- “Kung Fu Panda”

Friday, July 17 Crown Center- “The Karate Kid”; Hyde Park (36th & Gillham, KCMO) – “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and at Kansas City Central Library’s rooftop: “Fight Club” (definitely not a kid movie! Get a sitter for this one!)

Friday, July 17 Observation Park, W. 20th and Holly- “The Goonies”

Saturday, July 18 Budd Park, St. John and Brighton- “Wall-E”

Thursday, July 23 Briarcliff Village- “The Blues Brothers”

Friday, July 24 Crown Center- “Dr. Strangelove” and at Oak Grove Park’s Amphitheater, Gladstone MO:  “Madagascar”

Friday July 24 Prairie Village Shops – “E.T.”; Hyde Park (36th & Gillham, KCMO) – “Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull”  and Blue Springs MO Street Flicks, 12th & Main – “Madagascar 2″

Saturday, July 25 Budd Park, St. John and Brighton- TBD

Thursday, July 30 Briarcliff Village- “Finding Nemo”

Friday, July 31 Crown Center- “Mamma Mia!” and at City Market Cinema:  “Little Shop of Horrors”

Saturday, Aug 1 Budd Park- “Pineapple Express” (not exactly a kid-themed movie…but a fun night out for mom and dad?)

Thursday, Aug 6 Briarcliff Village- “The Dark Knight” (Batman, but maybe not a Batman for the littlest ones?)

Friday, Aug 7 Crown Center- “The Wizard of Oz”

Saturday, Aug 8 Budd Park- “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Thursday, Aug 13 Briarcliff Village- “Ghostbusters 2″

Thursday, Aug 13 Brookside Triangle Park- “Groundhog Day”

Friday, Aug 14 Crown Center- “Pirates of the Caribbean”

Thursday, Aug 20 Briarcliff Village- “Iron Man”

Friday, Aug 21 Gage Park, W. 23rd and Jarboe- “Finding Nemo”

Friday, Aug 21 Kearney, MO Amphitheater- “Kung Fu Panda”

Thursday, Aug 27 Briarcliff VIllage- “Twister”

Friday, Aug 28 City Market Cinema- “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (probably not a movie to take your elementary school kids to…)

Saturday, Aug 29 Roanoke Park, Valentine Rd to 34th and Karnes- “Hotel For Dogs”

Saturday, Sept 12 Migliazzo Park, Minor Dr. and Pennsylvania- “Journey to the Center of the Earth/3D”

Friday, Sept 18 26th and Jarboe- “Wall-E”

I thought reviewing The Tale of Despereaux would be timely as the book’s author, Kate DiCamillo, is in town today discussing the book. Unfortunately, no more reservations are available for tonight’s free event at the Kansas City Library’s 4801 Main St. location. It is co-sponsored by Reading Reptile (another KC Kids Fun local favorite!) and the discussion is sure to be a good one. DiCamillo is also the author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising.

I took my first-grade son and his same-aged cousin to see the movie just before Christmas vacation ended. Maybe I was mildly depressed at the mere fact that back-to-school was looming…but I found the movie terribly boring and dark. More than that, it felt like we were in there FOREVER. This isn’t good. I will say that the story itself is good, and I would imagine that the book is terrific. The mouse (Despereaux) is endearing with his oversized ears; and my son loved him. Beyond that, it was ho-hum.

Here’s an overview of the movie. I can’t comment on if or how it differs from DiCamillo’s book, but I can say that, in interviews, she indicates that she is pleased with the film and its depiction of her literary work. Despereaux is a mouse born with very big ears, and a big amount of courage to match them. He refuses to live his life “scared” and “cowering” like most mice are prone to doing. Instead, he meets Pea, a Princess, and develops a love of books and of reading. He is introduced to a world of knights, chivalry and dragons. Because of his “human” leanings, Despereaux is asked to leave the Mouseworld (Mousevillage?) He is banished and finds himself in the dark, seedy world of rats. A tale of misguided friendship, revenge, jealousy and even kidnapping ensues. You can guess who saves the Princess in the end. The message is uplifting: you can’t judge a book by its cover. That being said, I think my son was far more enthralled with and entertained by BOLT, which we also saw. Readers–any comments? Send them our way!

READ ON FOR HOW TO GET YOUR FREE MOVIE PASSES TO INKHEART!!

Warner Brothers Pictures will be screening a new movie at the AMC Studio 30 in Olathe on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:30pm. The movie is called Inkheart, and it stars Brendan Fraser. The story is about a young girl who discovers her father has an amazing talent: he can bring characters out of their books. The girl must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all. She enlists the help of her father, her aunt, and the storybook’s hero.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Click here and enter the code FILM2317. The code will redeem up to 4 passes each time it is entered. Have fun! Enjoy the movie! And, if you’re trying to get caught up on some earlier-released children’s movies, check back in KC Kids Fun’s Movie Reviews, which can be found in our Article Archives, or by simply clicking here!

I thought reviewing The Tale of Despereaux would be timely as the book’s author, Kate DiCamillo, is in town today discussing the book. Unfortunately, no more reservations are available for tonight’s free event at the Kansas City Library’s 4801 Main St. location. It is co-sponsored by Reading Reptile (another KC Kids Fun local favorite!) and the discussion is sure to be a good one. DiCamillo is also the author of Because of Winn-Dixie and The Tiger Rising.

I took my first-grade son and his same-aged cousin to see the movie just before Christmas vacation ended. Maybe I was mildly depressed at the mere fact that back-to-school was looming…but I found the movie terribly boring and dark. More than that, it felt like we were in there FOREVER. This isn’t good. I will say that the story itself is good, and I would imagine that the book is terrific. The mouse (Despereaux) is endearing with his oversized ears; and my son loved him. Beyond that, it was ho-hum.

Here’s an overview of the movie. I can’t comment on if or how it differs from DiCamillo’s book, but I can say that, in interviews, she indicates that she is pleased with the film and its depiction of her literary work. Despereaux is a mouse born with very big ears, and a big amount of courage to match them. He refuses to live his life “scared” and “cowering” like most mice are prone to doing. Instead, he meets Pea, a Princess, and develops a love of books and of reading. He is introduced to a world of knights, chivalry and dragons. Because of his “human” leanings, Despereaux is asked to leave the Mouseworld (Mousevillage?) He is banished and finds himself in the dark, seedy world of rats. A tale of misguided friendship, revenge, jealousy and even kidnapping ensues. You can guess who saves the Princess in the end. The message is uplifting: you can’t judge a book by its cover. That being said, I think my son was far more enthralled with and entertained by BOLT, which we also saw. Readers–any comments? Send them our way!

READ ON FOR HOW TO GET YOUR FREE MOVIE PASSES TO INKHEART!!

Warner Brothers Pictures will be screening a new movie at the AMC Studio 30 in Olathe on Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:30pm. The movie is called Inkheart, and it stars Brendan Fraser. The story is about a young girl who discovers her father has an amazing talent: he can bring characters out of their books. The girl must try to stop a freed villain from destroying them all. She enlists the help of her father, her aunt, and the storybook’s hero.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Click here and enter the code FILM2317. The code will redeem up to 4 passes each time it is entered. Have fun! Enjoy the movie! And, if you’re trying to get caught up on some earlier-released children’s movies, check back in KC Kids Fun’s Movie Reviews, which can be found in our Article Archives, or by simply clicking here!