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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
I had completely forgotten about this movie. I was 9 when it aired, and I haven't seen it since. I remember it fondly though.
Me and my arrow
Taking the high road
Wherever we go, everyone knows
It's me and my arrow
I'm going to have to rent this now!
One of my favorite movies featuring kids is A Little Romance, with Laurence Olivier and a teenage Diane Lane. It's a wonderful movie about two 13 year olds on the run in France and Italy, trying to get to Venice - it might be a bit gooey for boys but I think girls would like it, probably from age 10 or 11. (Other than a couple of minor references to pot, it's very innocent.) I think I saw it for the first time when I was 11 or 12, and I still love watching it.
Suzy mentioned Hitchcock for families - my parents loved old movies and I saw a lot of them when I was young, and the Hitchcock movie that I enjoyed the most as a young teen was Notorious. It's pretty straightforward, and the poisoning scenario isn't that scary, at least for older kids. Most other Hitchcock movies went right over my head until I was older, but who wouldn't like Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman?
Maybe you can go to the cinemaaah together. Either that or none of you have kids and don't have the foggiest clue what any average young person would bother to watch. Try
Matilda
James and the Giant Peach
Willy Wonka (the original)
(Do you see the Roald Dahl aspect yet?)
And of course:
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Great Mouse Detective
Treasure Island (the 1950 version)
I was obsessed with this movie as a child in the 80s, and while I don't know many other people who have seen it, everyone I know who has was similarly obsessed. Unfortunately I hear the DVD is poor quality (almost unwatchably bad, according to Amazon reviews, which is why I haven't purchased it myself) -- but this film is a true kids' classic.
I had forgotten about The Point for awhile but after you mentioned it, I bought it from Amazon.com immediately. The song began to go through my head and I am singing it now. Thanks for the memories and you've got to see it! I would also recommend the Lesley Ann Warren Cinderella and Shelly Duval's Farie Tale Theatre. It's wonderful.
My kids loved, mysteriously, Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Starting from ages 3 and 5 and continuing to today (going on 6 and 8). Metropolis is something they come back to again and again. I finally bought it after about six library checkouts and two lengthy visits via Netflix.
They also love old Fleisher Bros. cartoons (Betty Boop and Popeye).
And, not as old but pretending to be, Young Frankenstein is a much-loved favorite at our house.
I admit it. I'm guilty. I helped to get my best friend's kids hooked on The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969) featuring the legendary Janet Waldo (Judy Jetson, et al.) as the protagonist and a quintessentially campy Paul Lynde as her arch-nemesis the Hooded Claw. The animation is definitely second tier, and the stories are very bizarre. But they love it anyway, as did I was I was there age. True classics never die.
I too missed the original solicitation. These would definitely have been in my list:
Millions (2005)
Duma (2006)
Not One Less (2000)
Brain Donors (1992)
I know this is only a 40-item list, but I was really shocked not to find the wonderful adaptation of Jean Shepherd's books on it. When I first saw this one in 1985, I knew it was an instant classic. The cast is brilliant, the story is genius, the writing is pitch-perfect, and Shepherd's narration conveys just the right mix of enthusiasm and glee.
Who could ever forget the Red Ryder BB gun, Little Orphan Annie's Secret Decoder Ring, or Ralphie's poor little brother so muffled under winter coats and scarves that he "looked like a tick about to pop"? Peter Billingsley did such a magnificent job in the role of Ralphie, the daydreaming, put-upon young would-be hero, it's amazing that he never did another film. I don't think I'll ever get the sight of him reluctantly showing himself in that pink bunny suit ("He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny!" "He does not!" "Yes, he does. He looks like a pink nightmare!") out of my head.
I'd have to disagree with you on the "consensus" that Muppet Caper was the best Muppet movie. Don't get me wrong, Caper is in my collection right next to Muppet Movie, but I feel the original Muppet Movie strikes a much more effective balance between storytelling and winking at the audience about storytelling. Muppet Caper never, ever lets you forget you're watching a movie, but the Muppet Movie only occasionally reminds you that this is so.
In addition, Movie doesn't have any fall-flat-on-their-faces moments like the one in Caper where Kermit breaks from the script to scream at Piggy about overacting. That's always been one of my least favorite Muppet scenes--its' part of the Muppets' charm that their jokes fall flat fairly regularly, but it's very rare that venom is the emotion left to fill a scene in humor's absence. Particularly venom from Kermit.
Also, Piggy plays much better as a foil/fop than as a heroine.
Some others:
- Parent Trap (Haley Mills' version and surprisingly, innocent Lindsey Lohan version)
- Annie
- Sound of Music
- Bed Nobs & Broomsticks
- Freaky Friday (shockingly, Jodie Foster and L.LO version are both good!)
- Robin Hood (the old Disney cartoon version)
- Emperor's New Groove (it's a Disney cartoon from 2000 that is actually really good and doesn't seem to get much love/attention).
Ah, my childhood...
Ah and of course, how could I forget Matilda! What a sweet movie.
[and P.S. now that I have read over some of these movie choices for kids, I have to think none of you really have kids or you have seriously warped your children as to what constitutes a child's movie.]
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219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
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