As Olive (Abigail) gets into the Little Miss Sunshine competition at the last moment, her considerably eccentric family is suddenly faced with a road trip to get Olive to California. Highly praised for its originality, the movie does have an indie feel in the positive sense. In our opinion, though, the movie only merits an "above average" rating. Similarly, while Abigail's acting is good, it's hard to see why it's considered worthy of an Oscar nomination. The best offering of Little Miss Sunshine is perhaps its take on the silly and controversial phenomena of child pageants, without being too heavy handed about the points it makes.

A hippie mother Julia lives in Marocco with her two childen, ages 6 and 8, seeking enlightenment but meeting only disappointments and poverty. The intense visuals of Morocco, and the strong acting by the children are the highlights of this road movie of sorts.

Objectively, it's easy to see why many speak very harshly of this movie. But being such fans of Mike Myers and Dakota Fanning, it was difficult for us not to like it. Dakota plays Sally, who is uppity like Ray from Uptown Girls, and so anal retentive that one of the items on her daily to-do list is "Plan tomorrow's to-do list." But it's so over-the-top that it's difficult not to smile at her. And because it's Dakota, you can't not love her.

A dog-themed kids' movie. Opal (AnnaSophia) is the daughter of a traveling preacher, and has few or no friends, until she meets Winn-Dixie, a friendly mutt who changes her life for the better. Opal is a very central character, and AnnaSophia plays the role fine. Elle has only a few small scenes. While her acting isn't comparable to Dakota's, Elle is immensely lovely, a good actress choice for a character named Sweetie Pie.

Pai (Keisha) challenges the Maori traditions that forbid a girl becoming a chief. The movie has a beautiful message of the youth showing the Maori people a new way, but there is no preaching or overt feminism. I'm not sure why this movie didn't touch me more than worth of three stars.

Filipinian nanny Gloria is taking care of the daughter Jackie (Sophie) of the rich American Vidales family, while Gloria's own children miss her back home. Jackie's mother Ellen is a busy surgeon. Despite having a mutually loving relationship with her daughter, she sometimes feels insufficient as a mother, with Gloria doing everything.

Jackie's father Leo, a successful game designer and a great father, flies to the Philippines with his business partner. While waiting for a contract to become ready for signing, he meets a prostitute. He's unwilling to conduct business, seeing her as an exploited girl, but slowly befriends her.

Common to all adults is that they are away from their children. Another theme is the inequality between the two cultures, which contrast is clearly presented in alternating between the locations. If you focus on the treatment of the social issues, the plot might seem a bit thin, but for me the merits of the movie far overcome the weaknesses. Told sensitively and beautifully, the story doesn't simplify anything, and doesn't preach. All acting is very good, and the characters real and likable. Direction and visual style are unusually attractive.

Jackie's role, although essential, is on the small side. For most of the movie she is very adorable, a curious, smart girl who loves her nanny and her parents. Compared to many such roles, this one is very good, with enough dialogue that we learn to know and love her. Around Jackie exists the tension between her nanny and mother, but it's not visible to her. Only in the end does she face a conflict, which however is part of a greater, overall positive closure.

A rather civilized horror movie of a family living in a large, old house, who appears to be haunted. Alakina Mann does her biggest and probably best role as the strong willed, uppity and charmingly accented daughter.

A charmingly Irish tale about ten-year-old Fiona (Jeni) who moves to live in a small fishing village with her grandparents, and hears legends about selkie, a seal who became a woman, whose blood might run in the veins of Fiona. Jeni's acting is low key but attractive. Recommended if you like peacefully paced movies.

The success or failure of this story of bonding and growth of four best friends rests on the shoulders of the four 12-year-old actresses. In the beginning we get a glimpse of what has become of them 25 years later, and in the end we get another brief look. These "25 years later" sequences are what could have made the movie something more than average, but for some reason they are so short that there is no time to give the four adult characters nearly enough time to develop.

Luckily the four young actresses do a splendid job. Christina Ricci, great where ever she appears, plays a fierce tomboy. She becomes a doctor, played, oddly, by Rosie O'Donnell.

Thora makes an impression as a sexually precocious girl who likes to pad her chest and go where the boys are. Gaby's character is distressed over the divorce of her parents, and later turns out a neurotic but successful writer. Ashleigh plays a girl who already shows every sign of becoming the prudish housewife she ends up as. Each character is unique but not overdone.

While the concept of the movie has little originality, and the structure and ending are failures, the story and direction are genuine, and the young stars make the movie interesting by their sheer charisma.

A bunch of pre- and early-teen girls run the Baby-Sitters Club, which is also a closely knit group of friends. The for-too-long absent father of Kristy Thomas (Schuyler) returns home and takes too much of her time, keeping her away from her friends. Schuyler's acting is good and you learn to like her. Rachael Leigh Cook is as gorgeous in this movie as in all her later ones. The movie is based on a girls' book, and that shows.