The Grounded (2013)
A young-adult brother and sister duo get grounded at Christmas after they break curfew. For the next few days, they find ways to sneak out of the house to go on night adventures around town. They later run into bank robbers hiding out in the hills, who then kidnaps the older sister. In the end the younger brother and his friends, including a boy wearing a Halloween Webman suit, get help from two retired forest service volunteers, and bring the fugitives to custody.
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Why so much hype?
Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike
A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."
Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
Yes, I wrote and produced 'Grounded!' for Tom Luong Films---what can I say? Biased? Me? However, of the films I've written that have reached the small or large screen, 'Grounded!' has a special place in my heart. Director Tom Luong wanted to bring forward memories and enjoyment of early Steven Spielberg films like 'Goonies', and other hopeful, forward-looking family-style caper-comedies featuring young-adults. Family films are tough, and comedy is tougher than ever. It's all a deft bit of work---the wind and the rain, heavy snow, airplanes and stunning California mountains, fun and high-quality music and photography, an enthusiastic cast with a ton of 'what it takes' to make a scene work---and some way-out story stuff that somehow all fits together into a modern-creepy-funny-Christmas tale, with a point-of-view that can only be called 'current', as of 2011-12. This is independent film-making, no apologia here that the lead-role is that of a 19-year-old young woman---as things move ahead in 'Grounded!', it's clear all the jokes and fun can change as quickly as the weather does at 6,000-feet in the California desert-mountains. In all, a romp and a ride, with a message for the times, and a few surprises that make for a fun 90-minutes of film-audience appreciation. Please enjoy!