Shorts (B)

Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett), a nerd with shiny braces on his teeth and a band of bullies on his back, narrates this sci-fiction fantasy, aimed directly at the pre-teens in the audience. (Matter of fact, it was written by Robert Rodriguez of "Spy Kids" fame, with his own brood - especially son Rebel - guiding the way.) Toe lives in the town of Black Falls, Texas, in a typical suburban neighborhood where people & homes are pretty much alike, and where the working members of the families slave away in the town's one, huge industry, making Black Boxes, which are capable of morphing into just about anything from phones to coffee makers. Real excitement begins when Toe finds a rainbow colored stone that grants any wish made by the holder. The possibilities here are wide open, and thanks to Rodrequez & his five kids, the various scenes (shorts) add up to crazy, zip- along episodes among tiny whirling space ships, dancing crocodiles, a baby with adult brain, and even a giant galloping booger. The scenes are fun to watch, the crazy antics are at kid level, and everyone seems to have a great time bounding from crisis to crisis through the shorts.

Rodriguez wrote, shot, edited, composed the music and directed with one aim in mind: to hold kids' attention for an hour and a half and send them rolling in the aisles with laughter - when they aren't out getting more popcorn.