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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Try to get a kid to watch a silent movie outside a theatre.
Try to get a kid to watch black and white. Anywhere.
It took me ten years to understand why my parents liked Bullwinkle more that I did.
If you show a kid a movie with pre-Star Wars FX, they will laugh at it.
Unless a kid has been brought up on musicals, they will not understand why suddenly the whole street breaks out in song. Willie Wonka worked because it was with kids the story was something they are interested in. A kid will not be interested in the transition between silent movies and sound. That was a hundred years ago to them. That was their great, great grandparents that they never met.
Why the disdain for The Hudsucker Proxy? Watched it with my kids when they were 9 & 10 and we've loved it ever since.
And votes for
- Edward Scissorhands
- Contact
- Last Unicorn (Note: for a good quality version, get the 25th Anniversary edition DVD from Conlan Press and support the author Peter S. Beagle.)
""The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" I'm of two minds here: I think Gilliam's insane fantasy-adventure, a box-office debacle in 1988 that permanently scorched his career, is one of those failures that's nearly a masterpiece."
IT'S ONE OF THE FIVE BEST FILMS EVERY MADE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I saw the headline on the front page, all I could think to myself was that "Time Bandits" better be on there.
As for "Mom and Dad Save the World," it's a surprisingly funny movie, with great character actor Jeffrey Jones taking on a lead role. It's stupid, knows it's stupid, but is out to have a good time and nothing more.
No "Babe" though? Is that just too mainstream?
Both the short films ("A Grand Day Out," "A Close Shave," and "The Wrong Trousers") and the immortal classic feature film, "Curse of the Were-Rabbit?" They may include the occasional PG-13 rated pun, but only the adults will get them, and the only embarrassment likely to be caused is when the kids ask, "Daddy, why are you rolling on the floor in hysterics?" But most likely, the kids will be too busy laughing at the jokes they do get to ask.
Try to get a kid to watch a silent movie outside a theatre.
Try to get a kid to watch black and white. Anywhere.
It took me ten years to understand why my parents liked Bullwinkle more that I did.
If you show a kid a movie with pre-Star Wars FX, they will laugh at it.
Nope, nope, and nope. We have four grandchildren and a dozen god-children, aged 4 through 12, and none of them freaks at black-and-white, or silent, or crummy SFX.
(aside from the usual)
I have some auditory discrim problems, so I usually turn on the English-for-hearing-impaired subtitles.
Some of the kids love that--they're at the age when they begin to realize that reading is a powerful tool/weapon.
A young friend struggling with French in high school found that if she watched movies with the French subtitles selected, it gave a boost to her comprehension.
Yep, my daughters loved both City Lights and Sherlock Jr.
Additionally, Bringing up Baby, Miracle on 34th Street--forget it the list goes on and on.
is Hairspray (2007 version), which is a fabulous movie for kids. The music's catchy, the message is positive, and there are enough kids in it to keep mine interested. I know it's an extremely sanitized version of black/white relations circa 1962, but for my 8 and 6 yr old girls it was a gentle way of talking about fairness, taking risks, and being proud of who you are. My youngest, on first viewing, said "Well that's nice of them, to make at least one day for Negro day" which opened the door to talking about separate but equal and the insidiousness of being patronized. We've talked about how parents can make mistakes sometimes and that being true to yourself is so important. Yes it's campy and over-the-top, but for kids who've shown zero interest in HSM or Camp Rock, I'm happy they've chosen "Hairspray" instead.
We also love the second "Sister Act" movie, about how kids with little interest in school became an amazing high school choir. Again, great music and great talent (a young Lauren Hill stars) make this a winner with the soundtrack requested over and over again for trips in the car. Being Catholic helps with this one as the girls don't get some of the nun jokes but they still really enjoy it, especially the ending.
My kids love musicals so for them there's no strangeness when characters spontaneously break into song. "Singin' in the Rain," "The Sound of Music," "Pirates Of Penzance," "My Fair Lady," and "Little Shop of Horrors" are regulars in our house - most of which have been recommended by other LWs. Thanks to everyone for the great ideas.
"Pee Wee's Big Adventure"!
My kids used to LOVE Pee Wee Herman. To this day I can remember so many lines from this movie because of them watching it so many times (ok, I'm a bad mother) -- "I know you are but what am I?", "It's not for sale, FRANCIS!", "There's no basement at the Alamo!", "I AM ready, I've BEEN ready since first call!" HA!
"Back to the Future" -- All of them. Love Michael J. Fox.
"Superman" -- All 9of them. Starring the late great Christopher Reeve.
"JT" A TV movie that I saw in the late 60's or early 70's that I haven't seen since but am going to try to find, about a little black boy in the inner city who finds and takes care of a stray cat. I've never forgotten it after all these years.
...what about "The curse of the Were-Rabbit"?
This Wallace & Gromit stop-motion movie is simply wonderful. Maybe not for the very young, but for 7-8 and up it's lovely!
I have read all thirteen pages of comments, and there is not ONE mention of this paean to slapstick anywhere. Nathan Lane is brilliant, and there is an incredible cameo from Christopher Walken as a psychotic exterminator. My kids LOVED this movie - we saw in in the theatre twice, and umpteen times when it came out on DVD. The mouse (the star of the movie), is a real live mouse, not computer-generated, and has more personality than half the "actors" working today.
Also, Milo and Otis, and Homeward Bound (the first one.) Very nice, sweet "animal" movies that boys and girls both love.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
