Its quite odd that on the very same day Inglorious Basterds was released, Warner Brothers opted to release the family friendly fantasy film Shorts from director Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez and Tarantino are not only longtime pals, but they've also collaborated on much edgier fare (Sin City, From Dusk Till Dawn, Grindhouse, etc.). Talk about your strange counter programming scheme.

Shorts takes place in a suburban neighborhood called Black Falls and features five intertwined short stories, all of which revolve around the mysterious powers of a magical wishing rock.

Shorts was made quickly and on the cheap, and while I've always admired Rodriguez's maverick sensibility, and while I'm completely supportive of his wanting to make films for families through the aid of his own family, this picture can't hold a candle to the likes of a family picture like The Flyboys (a flick I'm sure cost considerably less to produce).

There are fun little moments in Shorts, and most certainly, the little ones will be mildly engaged, but adults in the audience may find themselves looking at their watches or reminiscing about the films that clearly inspired Rodriguez here. Look no further than the first tall tale in this family friendly anthology flick. With it's story of a pack of miniature spacecrafts, the short bares a striking resemblance to the charming 80's sci fi fantasy Batteries Not Included.

Props to Rodriguez for assembling a pretty cool cast though. William H. Macy and Leslie Mann pop up, as do Jon Cryer and James Spader. And while it certainly was a kick to see a partial Pretty in Pink reunion (Duckie and Steff–going at each other again after all these years), the feeling was a little bittersweet given John Hughes' recent (and most unfortunate) passing.

As was the case with the third Spy Kids picture and Sharkboy and Lava Girl, Shorts feels like it was put together over the course of a weekend. Its harmless enough (that is unless you find giant booger monsters offensive), but it isn't so much a movie as it is a bunch of kids getting together and goofing off in front of Rodriguez's camera.