Will McRobb Movies

The protagonists in this live-action Canadian teen sitcom were a group of quirky high school freshman who lived in the blah and boring town of Roscoe. Reacting against the white-bread values of their parents, the conformist propaganda force-fed them in the classroom, and the dull offerings of their local mainstream radio station, the adventurous teen quartet -- Robbie (Nathan Stephenson), Ray (Ali Kaddam), Lily (Kate Todd), and Travis (Nathan Carter) -- launch their own underground radio service, Radio Free Outlet. In between playings of the station's only record (a rendition of "Rico Suave"), the youthful "pirate" DJs provided a voice for the hopes, dreams, fears, and philosophies of their fellow teenagers. Created by Will and Douglas McRobb of Pete and Pete fame, Radio Free Roscoe debuted August 1, 2003, on the Noggin digital-cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thirteen progressively bizarre episodes are included in the portfolio of The Adventures of Pete & Pete's third season. As before, the titular siblings, Big Pete and Little Pete, are portrayed respectively by Michael Maronna and Danny Tamberelli, with Hardy Rawls as the boys' lawn-obsessed father and Judy Grafe as their mother, a human radio receiver (it makes sense once you see the show). The season opener "35 Hours" features none other than Patricia Hearst as the very nice Mrs. Kretchmar. In other episodes, "Dance Fever" affords viewers the only opportunity to see Iggy Pop and Luscious Jackson on the same episode; Adam West appears as seriously deranged school principal Kent Schwinger in "Last Laugh" and "Allnighter"; and the series finale, "Saturday," could just as easily have been titled "The Road to Wellville" were one in a perversely whimsical mood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After its introduction in one-minute comedy sketch form in 1990, the cheekily absurdist sitcom The Adventures of Pete & Pete was formalized as a weekly half-hour in December of 1993. Eight surreal episodes were churned out during the first season, beginning with "Day of the Dot," guest-starring comedienne Ellen Cleghorne as a bus driver in a lengthy spoof of the avant-garde short subject The Dot. In "Nightcrawlers," Little Pete (Danny Tamberelli) aspires to break the World Non-Sleeping Record. "King of the Road" finds the Wrigley family inadvertently providing a nudie show during their yearly visit to Hoover Dam. Jude Ciccolella appears as Big Pete's (Michael Maronna) psycho shop teacher Mr. Slum in "Join or Die." "Rangeboy" is highlighted by a guest appearance by Frank Gifford, cunningly cast as Frank Gifford. One week later, another sports icon, John McLaughlin, is on hand for "When Petes Collide." Troubles in gym and history class dictate the action in "Don't Tread on Pete." And "Hard Day's Pete" shines the spotlight on Polaris, the rock band that performs the series' theme song -- on the front lawn of Pete and Pete's house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alvin, Simon, and Theodore are back in director Tim Hill's computer-animation/live-action hybrid following the further adventures of the world's most adorable singing trio. Songwriter Dave Seville (Jason Lee) has been struggling to gain recognition in the music industry for some time, and despite the fact that his former college roommate (David Cross) is now a high-profile powerbroker at Jett Records, Dave still can't manage to get a break. Things soon start to look up, however, when Dave discovers three singing chipmunks hiding out in the branches of a Christmas tree in Jett Records' world headquarters. Realizing that these woodland crooners cold prove to be his ticket to the big time, Dave does his best to transform Alvin (Justin Long), Simon (Matthew Gray Gubler), and Theodore (Jesse McCartney) into the next great pop sensation. As adorable and talented as they may be, though, these bouncy little critters aren't quite domesticated just yet; they still have a wild streak in them a mile wide, and it isn't long before Dave's life, home, and career are in utter chaos. But staying mad at such lovable little creatures is next to impossible, no matter what kind of mischief they might get into. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A diminutive mouse strives to make a mammoth change in his troubled kingdom in this adaptation of author Kate DiCamillo's Newbery Medal-winning children's book. A long time ago, in the distant kingdom of Dor, a horrible accident broke the heart of the king, left a beautiful princess crestfallen, and filled the townspeople with despair. As the sun disappeared from the sky and the flowers were drained of color, the laughter slowly ceased in this once-magical land. It was into this darkened world that a tiny mouse named Despereaux Tilling was born, and while this virtuous little rodent may have been short in stature, his bravery was ultimately too big for such a small world to contain. An unlikely hero with oversized ears and a discernible wheeze, Despereaux was taken with tales of chivalry, and longed to one day become a noble figure among his people. Sometimes in order to realize their true destiny, heroes must first experience great hardship, however, and when Despereaux fails to adhere to the rigid rules of his society, he is banished from Dor.

Later, while exploring the outer realms, the lonely Despereaux is joined by a kindhearted rat named Roscuro. Roscuro, too, has been excommunicated from his homeland, and still cannot stand to look into a mirror lest he be reminded of his painful past. Later, as Despereaux embarks on a treacherous quest to rescue the endangered Princess Pea, Roscuro is set down the path of self-destruction after receiving a painful rejection from his highness. Now, on their way to realizing their extraordinary destinies, these two unlikely heroes will face off against the malevolent leader of the sewer rats, who is plotting revenge on humans from his subterranean kingdom; befriend a common serving girl who longs to become princess; and meet a whole host of colorful characters that they will never forget. Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Watson, and Tracey Ullman lead a powerhouse cast in this animated feature produced by Gary Ross and Allison Thomas. Also lending voices to the project are Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, William H. Macy, and Christopher Lloyd. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide