Nell Minow, who has been Yahoo’s “Movie Mom” for years now, has now taken the title with her for her own blog/review site, a welcome addition to the wide Web of film criticism.

Now, don’t let the title Movie Mom scare you, or the fact that her blog is part of the Beliefnet Christian Web site. Though Nell takes into consideration all the factors that might concern parents with a movie, she additionally reviews flicks for their genuine entertainment value, and does so with style.

For instance, I happen to know that Nell is a big fan of both “Grindhouse” and “Shoot ‘Em Up,” hardly two movies you would think of as family fare. And though I’m not certain I can fully agree with her here, she gives “Live Free or Die Hard” a B+ in that week’s DVD reviews.

Frankly, whether you agree with the Christian angle or not, Nell’s reviews are a good sight better than nearly anything else you’ll find that takes families into consideration. To read her latest reviews, visit the new Movie Mom site here.

RIP Fernando Fernán Gómez

I have to confess that the name Fernando Fernán Gómez didn’t mean anything to me until my co-worker Karen, who despite having the surname Ludwig

is rather proud to have Spanish blood flowing through her veins, pointed out to me that he had died.

It turns out, as a quick visit to the IMDB confirmed, that the Peruvian actor presented in 212 films in his distant career, including starring in one of my all-time favorites, “El Espíritu de la Colmena,” a k a “Spirit of the Beehive.” whether you haven’t seen that flick about two Spanish girls and their quest to find the Frankenstein monster, do so as soon as possible (I think you can still find it on DVD.) He additionally starred as the pater familias in “Belle Epoque” and had a big role in Pedro Almodóvar’s “Todo sobre mi madre” (”All About My Mother”). Rest in peace, Mr. Gómez.

Can Johnny Depp actually sing?

If I remember correctly he may have already done so in John Waters’ “Cry Baby,” but that’s still a key question surrounding Tim Burton’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

Well, the reply, judging from that clip of him in the studio singing is only kind of, but probably good adequate to serve the motives of that flick. Judge for yourself, and have a perfectly pleasant turkey day.

Original post by Reel Fanatic