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14 Jul 99 - 12:58 PM (#95118) Subject: Movies for kids and adults From: Dan The tread about reading to your kids reminded me how hard it was, when my kids were young, to find high quality movies the whole family could enjoy together. I became a fanatic on this because it was such a good way to spend time with the kids, but I deplored how many films were laced with profanity and violence, if not overt sex. My favorite one was probably The Black Stallion. We also enjoyed all the old Hitchcocks and all the old Betty Davis classics. Classic westerns like Silverado and Shane worked wonderfully. Mudcatters with small children might appreciate a good list. What are some others? |
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14 Jul 99 - 01:50 PM (#95132) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: bbc I think "Babe" is a great movie, but, then, I'm fond of pigs. bbc |
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14 Jul 99 - 02:04 PM (#95139) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: The Shambles Hook was great. I liked it. The kids liked. The critics..........well, what do they know? |
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14 Jul 99 - 02:07 PM (#95141) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: catspaw49 Karen loves "Babe" too Barb......she couldn't stop talking about it when she first saw it. We have ALL the Disney stuff. I know about all the objections to some of it, but most, especially "Lion King" have a great message. And the kids do love them. Every new one we get gets played continually for about a week! Plus, in "The Lion King" I feel an odd kinship with Timon and Pumbaa (sarcasm and flatulence repectively). catspaw |
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14 Jul 99 - 03:33 PM (#95161) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Peter T. "The Wrong Trousers" is the best. The problem is that it is way too short. I have watched it with small children, who want to watch it over and over, particularly because the adults (not just me) laugh a lot. Any of the 3 Wallace and Gromits are fine, but TWT is the best. yours, Peter T. |
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14 Jul 99 - 03:36 PM (#95162) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: bob schwarer Paulie |
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14 Jul 99 - 05:18 PM (#95188) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: AllisonA(Animaterra) The Secret of Roan Inish, bar none. Satisfies the folky in me, too! Has magic, a girl who believes in herself, and some fine Irish-style flute playing! Allison |
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14 Jul 99 - 05:31 PM (#95193) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Mudjack My kids are both getting to old to have kids.We're without grandchildren and told we won't have any. As an anti war movement and statement against war, I wished it was manditory that all high school students be required to sit down and watch Steven Spieberg's " Saving Private Ryan". Then maybe they can get a better perspective to maybe war ain't so great. I wish I could be more in tune to kids and whats going on. Like what makes them tick and what makes them laugh. The few times I'm around them I see children glued to their TVs watching strange cartoons. Thats not real and the fantasy factor seems questionbly dangerous. I watched Jurassic Park thinking this was a movie for both kids and adults(hearsay) and got the bee-jeebers scared right out of me. If I had it to do over about raising young ones, I would throw away the TV, go only to selected movies at the theatre and READ to my kids till they learned to read, and then we would ALL read to one another, thus developing a real since of imagination and not what some devious jerk force feeds us thruogh the media and screen.Using one's imagination seems to be a disappearing function we all need.Good thread and thanks for allowing me to release a thought or two. Mudjack |
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14 Jul 99 - 05:35 PM (#95194) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Lowcountry Two wonderful Australian films, The Man From Snowy River, and The Earthling. |
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14 Jul 99 - 06:32 PM (#95210) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Matthew B. "October Sky" is a really great movie for the whole (thinking) family. An intelligent, fascinating and well acted story about a high school student in a coal mining town in WV who decides (in 1957) that he wants to build a rocket. Based on a true story, it had me riveted to the screen and totally entertained... and didn't include one speck of stuff that I wouldn't show to kids of any age. A rare find, and even more so because I saw it on a recent flight. |
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14 Jul 99 - 09:49 PM (#95260) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: alison Babe The Lion King and more recently they interupted me watching "Seven brides for seven brothers" and sat glued to it..... keep asking to watch it again.... Mine are a bit young for "The secret of Roan Inish" but what a great movie... Slainte alison |
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14 Jul 99 - 10:54 PM (#95279) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Art Thieme __Buckaroo Bonzai__ (Chris & I always loved that one.) Art |
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14 Jul 99 - 11:35 PM (#95297) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Vaughn "Fairy Tale" Absolutely charming, based on the true story of two little English girls in the early part of the century who claimed to have photographed fairies. Harry Houdini and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle are minor characters, as are the fairies themselves- Nanny Buttoncap, Titania, etc. Even my jaded 9 year old niece loved it. Also, here's another vote for "Roan Innish" |
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14 Jul 99 - 11:52 PM (#95312) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: thosp "The Thief of Bagdad" the one with Sabu as family fare----- and re the frayed thread anti-war for me it's "The King of Hearts" (although it's quite a bit more than anti-war) |
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15 Jul 99 - 12:03 AM (#95320) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Night Owl I was constantly disappointed by "children's" movies while my daughter was growing up....but we both loved "The Black Stallion", (she still does a great imitation of the Black Stallion swimming). The best movies we found together, were going to the pond and watching adult ducks giving swimming lessons to their babies while trying to protect them; pairs of barn swallows teaching their babies to fly and the babies being nervous about their first attempts and how the parents would "bribe" and encourage them to take the first leap; watching chickens try to catch a fly; watching a friendship develop between a dog, cat and a horse; and our favorite "movie"...watching horses trying to scratch their unreachable itches on their favorite tree. |
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15 Jul 99 - 01:01 AM (#95349) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Margo "Simon Birch". A wonderful movie that made me laugh and cry. Simon really has faith in God, and it's wonderful.....you've just got to see it. You can rent that one. Thosp, you really jogged my memory about "the King of Hearts". I have seen that a dozen times probably. I couldn't stop going to the theatre when it was first playing. Funny. Margarita |
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15 Jul 99 - 01:25 AM (#95356) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: thosp Margarita--- i'll try Simon Birch- -- re King of Hearts---- i try to use it to center me --- when i feel myself slipping into realites that don't match my heart/sprite ---that part of me that i hope i never lose |
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15 Jul 99 - 02:11 AM (#95364) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: alison toy story... another favourite in my house. slaitne alison |
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15 Jul 99 - 10:10 AM (#95444) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Peter T. Bugs Bunny Cartoons! All Chuck Jones cartoons ever! Most Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons ("The Ruby Yacht of Omar Khayyam" especially)! Read them "The Jungle Book" and avoid the movie, and if they are older, do the same with "The Little Mermaid" (two travesties). Avoid Disney's Winnie-the-Pooh at all costs!!!!! yours, Peter T. |
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15 Jul 99 - 10:17 AM (#95449) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: alison The Princess Bride... great movie.. my kids are still a bit young for it though. slainte alison |
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15 Jul 99 - 10:44 AM (#95459) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Matthew B. Lady and the Tramp |
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15 Jul 99 - 12:29 PM (#95482) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Art Thieme "Lady Is A Tramp" was a good old Sinatra song too!! |
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15 Jul 99 - 01:42 PM (#95495) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Fadac I like a little film that came out of Canada, The Harmony Cats. Blues Brothers. I did see Blues Brothers 2000. Dumb, real dumb, but great music. -Fadac |
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15 Jul 99 - 06:37 PM (#95580) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Mo How about - It's a Wonderful Life? I developed a love of lots of old movies (Life & Death of Col Blimp, Cruel Sea, Anything with Stewart Granger or Rock Hudson in it...) by watching them with my parents - because they loved them and told me they were great films, I paid more attention to them - maybe it would still work for today's children? There's Gregory's Girl too of course - it's great for kids of all ages! Cheers, Mo |
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15 Jul 99 - 06:40 PM (#95582) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Mr. D. I REALLY agree with Princess Bride--it is hilarious and so much fun. One of the all time great ones which will make you cry and cheer is Never Ending Story. |
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15 Jul 99 - 06:53 PM (#95595) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: The Shambles Not seen it yet, so what is the verdict on The Phantom Menace? Good for all the family or what? |
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15 Jul 99 - 06:54 PM (#95596) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: WyoWoman Time Bandits And I love Buckaroo Banzai, Princess Bride, Never-Ending Story, King of Hearts, Gregory's Girl ... all great suggestions. Re. cartoons like "Aladdin," I'm just really, really tired of the same ol' stories in which the girl waits around (sometimes these days with great spunk) to be rescued. I like stories for kids of both sexes in which the boys and girls are more partners than active/passive roles. (I'm not trying to make this political -- I just think it's important for girls and women to rescue themselves from their own jams.) WW |
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15 Jul 99 - 09:34 PM (#95637) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: alison WW have a go at "The Magic sword- quest for camelot"... good for young kids anyway and the girl is the heroine.. she does have to get past the "you can't do that you're a girl"stuff... but she goes on to avenge her fathers death and rescue excalibur. Having said that the rest of it is the usual mediocre stuff.... and there's always "Mulan" usual disney type stuff..... girl proves herself in a man's world type of thing. didn't say I like either of these but they are ones where the girl doesn't sit back and wait for the handsome prince.... slainte alison |
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15 Jul 99 - 10:43 PM (#95652) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Lucius My three year old son is a Beatles fanatic. It started with Yellow Submarine, and then we had to rent A Hard Day's Night. Holding off on HELP, as we're trying to raise him Quaker. Eschew Disney. Peace & Love Lucius |
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16 Jul 99 - 11:29 AM (#95882) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Shambles: re Phantom Menace -I'll let you know soon.... Penny |
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16 Jul 99 - 11:57 AM (#95889) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Fadac Phantom Menace is a good swashbuckler, like the rest of the Star Wars films. I liked it. So how little kids are we talking about? I guess Star Wars would be ok for those about five or six and older. Younger ones might like the frog characters. Just a comment on the frog guys. Some people didn't care for the chactors at all. Saying things like, "There just for kids, etc." Well they were supposed to be low tech I guess, but they went up against the robot armys, with basicly sticks and rocks. Knowing it's just a holding action. That take curage, and lots of it. Reminds me of the legond of the Polish Cav. units attacking Nazi tanks. Legend has it that some broke their lances against the armor of the tank. Guts, you bet, But so dumb, to waste that currage in a hopless attack. Breaks your heart. -Fadac |
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16 Jul 99 - 04:10 PM (#95944) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Peter T. I was dragged to see The Phantom Menace by an 11 year old (I would have gone myself). We both hated it. It is really boring, boring in the sense of completely predictable, and makes not much sense (one scene has people shooting 24th century bombs out of medieval catapults. Huh? The great evil opponent devil shows up for no reason, and fights for no reason, and is up against 2 Jedi knights, which breaks every rule of these films, and then he dies, and no one cares anyway). The best part is the Queen (I am quoting now from my assistant critic) but anyone can figure out what is going on with her. The script is poor. It is also seriously racist, people have talked about JarJar Binks who is portrayed as a sort of dumb Rastafarian, but worse than that, the evil leaders are all like Asians out of Charlie Chan films, and far worse than that (which no one seems to have mentioned anywhere) Anakin Skywalker's owner is a caricature Jew merchant with a big hooked nose. Worse than all that, is the fact that there is so much killing going on. The film is a series of massacres. Lucas seems to think that if you kill robots, you can enjoy the experience without incurring any moral problems, since they aren't real people being killed. This supposedly excuses all this mayhem. I really liked the second Star Wars film (the first few minutes of the first film are good too), which was a fine piece of work. This one stinks!!! Enjoy! yours, Peter T. |
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16 Jul 99 - 04:11 PM (#95945) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Peter T. I was dragged to see The Phantom Menace by an 11 year old (I would have gone myself). We both hated it. It is really boring, boring in the sense of completely predictable, and makes not much sense (one scene has people shooting 24th century bombs out of medieval catapults. Huh? The great evil opponent devil shows up for no reason, and fights for no reason, and is up against 2 Jedi knights, which breaks every rule of these films, and then he dies, and no one cares anyway). The best part is the Queen (I am quoting now from my assistant critic) but anyone can figure out what is going on with her. The script is poor. It is also seriously racist, people have talked about JarJar Binks who is portrayed as a sort of dumb Rastafarian, but worse than that, the evil leaders are all like Asians out of Charlie Chan films, and far worse than that (which no one seems to have mentioned anywhere) Anakin Skywalker's owner is a caricature Jew merchant with a big hooked nose. Worse than all that, is the fact that there is so much killing going on. The film is a series of massacres. Lucas seems to think that if you kill robots, you can enjoy the experience without incurring any moral problems, since they aren't real people being killed. This supposedly excuses all this mayhem. I really liked the second Star Wars film (the first few minutes of the first film are good too), which was a fine piece of work. This one stinks!!! Enjoy! yours, Peter T. |
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16 Jul 99 - 04:44 PM (#95959) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: AllisonA(Animaterra) As one who stood in line for the original openings of the first 3 Star Wars flicks, but waited nearly a month before viewing this one, I agree that the Phantom Menace is a disappointment to those of us er.. *coff* mature enough to wait like I did; it lacks the warmth and humor as well as the good ensemble work of the oldies. Sure, there's a lot of bang bang shoot-em-up- but so much milder than the real slasher flicks out there and tame compared to what I hear is on tv most every day and night. But for a good comic-book summer escape film, it's fine. I asked my 13-yr-old what he thought about the racist accusations- because I certainly could see what the reviewer meant when I read about them- and my son pointed out that for someone like him, who hasn't been exposed to those stereotypes before, they didn't have that connotation before. Lucas should have known better, though. I think he's lost his creative spark. Now, if Liam Neeson wants to keep his hair long and look at me that way, I'll take it all back... *sigh* Allison-engaging-in-a-summer-fantasy |
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16 Jul 99 - 06:49 PM (#95993) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Couldn't get in this evening. Went to hunt glow-worms instead. Not as many as last week. Penny |
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16 Jul 99 - 07:02 PM (#96001) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Having now read the above reviews, I can tell Peter T that the Guardian reviewer picked up on the slave owner characteristics. Maybe I should be glad to have missed it. Penny |
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16 Jul 99 - 07:43 PM (#96018) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: thosp FLASH ---- many glow-worms found in theatres showing "Phantom Menace" |
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17 Jul 99 - 03:45 PM (#96252) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: The Shambles Penny S. Where do you go to hunt for your glow worms? |
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17 Jul 99 - 04:39 PM (#96274) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Peter T. Thanks Penny, trust the Guardian! (not that I trust the Guardian). Do you hunt for glowworms to the sound of the Mills Brothers? yours, Peter T. (sorry, thread creep, well creeping, actually) |
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17 Jul 99 - 07:57 PM (#96316) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Shambles, I hunt them in a local wood on an old claypit site, where they inhabit the old wooded fringe and some grazed grassy areas. There are a good number of sites still, and I should think, from the map I have in a book, that you have a few in your neck of the chalk. I have now seen the film. I am not impressed. The crowd scenes (computer generated) are out of focus - the same was true in the Mummy). There is an absence of plot, and more particularly, counter plot. There are no complex characters. There is not enough dialogue to explain what plot there is. Jar Jar is irritating, probably based on old racist stereotypes, but also on the idea that stupidity and clumsiness are funny. The dealer may be a Jewish stereotype, but not so obviously. The battle droids are clearly useless - presumably why Palpatine later recruits storm-troopers. The best shot, of the Gungans emerging from the mist, looks as though it came from a samurai movie. Anakin is too sweet and young. I know what children his age can do in technology.... and Amidala is too mature for this relationship to develop as we are supposed to believe it will. Darth Maul is not seen being nasty to anyone before taking on the Jedi, so it's hard to believe he is evil. If Lucas wants to follow the hero patterns, he needs a more comples relationship with his mother - she should try to hold him back. As it is, what the Jedi suggest of it being a problem doesn't make sense. There are not enough events, the narrative isn't as dense as the previous films, and many details are not explained. In the Jedi/Sith fight, I have no idea why there were force fields where they were fighting, for example. People hardly spoke at all. The world does not seem to be consistent with that in the books. Is it fair for two Jedi to fight one man? The star fields are not so good - too uniform, so the galaxy probably would not work. As before, the planets, except the wooded ones, would not work as habitable places. Planets do not have aqueous cores. Qui Jon said that all the stars had planet systems, which is extremely unlikely - OK, I was there with a planetary geologist/astrobiologist studying habitability, so this was a special interest complaint. But if the story really worked, would I be noticing these things? Genetically there is something odd about the Skywalkers. Dark mother has blond son with no father, due to action of some form of mitochondria or psychoplasts in the cells. Blond son marries dark girl, has blond son and dark daughter. This only works if Anakin did have a father and he was blond. Mythologically, blond is good, dark is bad. What's going on when the colouration is sex-linked? And why do I and my companion still have no idea what the title is about? For children, they might enjoy it, but there was a good deal too much fighting for anyone trying to bring up children Quaker, and the purpose of much of it was not clear, so it would be hard to explain or discuss. It was clearly made for the ten-year-old boy market, whom it would probably please. It was the young teenage children who kept going to the loo. I may have a report from some pupils on Monday, as I recognised part of the audience. Peter T, we creep about quietly so as not to disturb the local yobs. Please explain the Mills Brothers reference. |
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17 Jul 99 - 07:58 PM (#96317) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Shambles, I hunt them in a local wood on an old claypit site, where they inhabit the old wooded fringe and some grazed grassy areas. There are a good number of sites still, and I should think, from the map I have in a book, that you have a few in your neck of the chalk. I have now seen the film. I am not impressed. The crowd scenes (computer generated) are out of focus - the same was true in the Mummy). There is an absence of plot, and more particularly, counter plot. There are no complex characters. There is not enough dialogue to explain what plot there is. Jar Jar is irritating, probably based on old racist stereotypes, but also on the idea that stupidity and clumsiness are funny. The dealer may be a Jewish stereotype, but not so obviously. The battle droids are clearly useless - presumably why Palpatine later recruits storm-troopers. The best shot, of the Gungans emerging from the mist, looks as though it came from a samurai movie. Anakin is too sweet and young. I know what children his age can do in technology.... and Amidala is too mature for this relationship to develop as we are supposed to believe it will. Darth Maul is not seen being nasty to anyone before taking on the Jedi, so it's hard to believe he is evil. If Lucas wants to follow the hero patterns, he needs a more comples relationship with his mother - she should try to hold him back. As it is, what the Jedi suggest of it being a problem doesn't make sense. There are not enough events, the narrative isn't as dense as the previous films, and many details are not explained. In the Jedi/Sith fight, I have no idea why there were force fields where they were fighting, for example. People hardly spoke at all. The world does not seem to be consistent with that in the books. Is it fair for two Jedi to fight one man? The star fields are not so good - too uniform, so the galaxy probably would not work. As before, the planets, except the wooded ones, would not work as habitable places. Planets do not have aqueous cores. Qui Jon said that all the stars had planet systems, which is extremely unlikely - OK, I was there with a planetary geologist/astrobiologist studying habitability, so this was a special interest complaint. But if the story really worked, would I be noticing these things? Genetically there is something odd about the Skywalkers. Dark mother has blond son with no father, due to action of some form of mitochondria or psychoplasts in the cells. Blond son marries dark girl, has blond son and dark daughter. This only works if Anakin did have a father and he was blond. Mythologically, blond is good, dark is bad. What's going on when the colouration is sex-linked? And why do I and my companion still have no idea what the title is about? For children, they might enjoy it, but there was a good deal too much fighting for anyone trying to bring up children Quaker, and the purpose of much of it was not clear, so it would be hard to explain or discuss. It was clearly made for the ten-year-old boy market, whom it would probably please. It was the young teenage children who kept going to the loo. I may have a report from some pupils on Monday, as I recognised part of the audience. Peter T, we creep about quietly so as not to disturb the local yobs. Please explain the Mills Brothers reference. Penny |
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17 Jul 99 - 07:59 PM (#96318) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Oops, as they would say in the film. |
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17 Jul 99 - 08:36 PM (#96324) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: The Shambles Penny S. Would you let me know the sites you refer to. I remember well when we lived in Sussex, many years ago now, we used to see them quite a lot. In truth I have not looked here, but it has not been too extensivly farmed, so I might be lucky. Is it worth looking, do you think? This is thread wriggle, if they are worms, but of course they are not, are they? |
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17 Jul 99 - 09:01 PM (#96330) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: LEJ Penny... the Mills Brothers recorded a song called "Glow worm" back in the fifties."Glow little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer" was the first line. LEJ |
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18 Jul 99 - 03:47 AM (#96393) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Rosebrook We had family movie night this week at our house and rented "The Mighty". Great story about friendship and acceptance. Rose |
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18 Jul 99 - 05:19 AM (#96399) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Shambles, the map I have is in 10 km squares. You can find a copy at http://www.uknature.freeserve.co.uk/glowworm.html or run a search on "lampyris noctiluca" LEJ, thanks for the reference - that is the source for the one line I have been known to hum as we go about our surveys. Penny |
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18 Jul 99 - 05:27 AM (#96401) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S. Glow-worms |
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18 Jul 99 - 05:28 AM (#96402) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: The Shambles Many thanks Penny. The Princess Bride was indeed a little gem. |
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18 Jul 99 - 06:30 AM (#96416) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: Penny S And I think I've sussed the truth behind the title. It is "The Phantom Menace" because there is no sense of any. Penny |
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18 Jul 99 - 10:53 PM (#96682) Subject: RE: Movies for kids and adults From: campfire Another fan of Roan Inish, and also of Never Ending Story. I didn't even borrow a kid to go see that one. campfire |