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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

With family-friendly humor, ‘Penguins’ pleases all ages

Rick Bentley Tribune News Service

New DVD releases feature films for the family.

• “Penguins of Madagascar,” A: Finally, the Penguins – voiced by Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights and Conrad Vernon – are the stars of their own feature film. “The Penguins of Madagascar” tells the story of how the four became buddies and work together to make the world a safer place.

This film combines the kind of frantic, colorful action that will hold the attention of youngsters with the smart and wacky humor adults like to see. Finding films that work for multiple generations is always a blessing.

• “Annie,” F: Someone should call child services over the way “Annie” has been so mistreated in the new, updated adaptation.

This is not the beloved story of an orphan with unlimited optimism. The new “Annie” has been stripped of its messages about a better tomorrow, drained of its holiday themes and saddled with a foster child plot line that makes the big adoption sequence less appealing.

These flaws could have been overlooked had the film not been loaded with so many embarrassingly bad performances, starting with Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan and ending with Annie herself, Quvenzhane Wallis.

• “A MusiCares Tribute to Paul McCartney,” B: Sir Paul McCartney was honored as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year in 2012.

The DVD is a collection of performances featuring McCartney, Dave Grohl, Joe Walsh, Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Norah Jones, Neil Young with Crazy Horse, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Duane Eddy, Sergio Mendes and The Beatles “Love” cast.

This is a must for fans of The Beatles, plus proceeds will support MusiCares.

Also new on DVD

“WKRP in Cincinnati: Season 2”: Continues the stories of the staff at a low-rated radio station.

“Top Five”: Comedian has his efforts to be a serious actor sidelined by a reality show broadcast.

“Ghost Whisperer: The Complete Series”: Jennifer Love Hewitt stars in this series about a woman who can communicate with earthbound spirits.

“Maude: The Complete Series”: Bea Arthur stars in this spin-off series from “All in the Family.” Contains 141 episodes.

“Exodus: Gods & Kings”: Moses (Christian Bale) rises up against Ramses, who must deal with deadly plagues.

“Something Wicked”: Past secrets keep couple from rebuilding their lives.

“Revelation: The End of Days”: Follows the events of a modern-day apocalypse.

“Halo: Nightfall”: Story of Jameson Locke, a legendary man-hunter.

“A Cry from Within”: Family’s new home comes with a violent manifestation.

“Wordworld: Birthday Party!”: Includes five birthday-themed adventures.

“Victory at Sea”: Documentary that looks at major battles of World War II.

“NOVA: A Big Bang Machine”: Goes behind the scenes of the search for Holy Grail of particle physics.

“The Divine Movie”: Looks at the seedy world of underground gambling rings.

“Nature: Penguin Post Office”: Antarctica’s post office is a popular tourist destination.

“Dexter: Most Shocking Episodes”: Includes 10 episodes of the series starring Michael C. Hall.

“Star Trek: The Original Series – Captain Kirk’s Boldest Missions”: Among the eight episodes is “The City on the Edge of Forever.”

“Son of a Gun”: Ewan McGregor stars in this tale of a band of master thieves.

“Vice”: Ultimate resort turns into a nightmare. Bruce Willis stars.

“Secrets of the Dead: Ben Franklin’s Bones”: Look at what could have been a darker side of the Founding Father.

“Littlest Pet Shop: Pet Shop Pals”: Blythe and her friends create a fashion craze.

“Caveman”: The Ringo Starr film is now on Blu-ray.

“Muck”: Friends discover their deadly encounters have not ended.