peter cattaneo - The Screengrab

Trailer Review: The Rocker

This summer looks to bring the release of a number of high-quality comedies. But judging by the trailer, The Rocker probably won’t be one of them.

Not Just for Kids: The Columbus International Children's Film Festival

This weekend brings this year's incarnation of the Columbus International Children's Film Festival, being held from Thursday, November 29 through Sunday, December 2, at the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio. Currently in its fourth year, the Children's Fest is co-organized by Wex assistant film/video curator Chris Stults and youth program educator Kendra Meyer, as a collaboration between the Center's Film/Video and Education departments. Similar festivals geared to children are held in Toronto, New York, and Chicago, and they're extremely popular in Europe.

The Children's Fest seeks to spotlight a diverse lineup of international family-friendly fare, and this year is no exception. The films include Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo's Opal Dream, Michel Ocelot's African animated film Kirikou and the Wild Beasts, the classic educational film The Way Things Go, documentaries Third Monday in October and Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life, and a program of cartoons. "One constant," Stults says, "is that we always show a classic silent film — with live music when possible — and it's a delight to see how well those films still play for young audiences." This year's silent selection is one of the greats: Charlie Chaplin's City Lights.