Talking about children's books and films. Useful information for parents.
05 Feb 2012 Leave a comment
in Books, books 4+ Tags: attic, dance, family, family history, grandparents, song and dance, theatre
CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNER – 1989
Karen Ackerman, text
Stephen Gammell, illustrations
Alfred A. Knopf, 1988
30 pp.
Age: 4+
Interests: family history, grandparents, song and dance, theatre
Other books on family history: They Were Strong and Good, Grandfather’s Journey
Next: pull out the old family photos!
12 Jan 2012 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 4+, Old Movies Tags: American history, circus, cowboys, history, song and dance, strong girls, theatre
Colour, Musical
Released: 1950
Rated: Approved (G)
Length: 107 min
Age: 4+ (5 or 6 for fuller comprehension) (commonsense media sez 6+)
Scary Factor: nothing scary
Violence: a lot of guns, naturally, but all used for target shooting; only one re-enactment of an Indian attack, make sure kids understand it’s all a big circus act and nobody is really being shot; Frank gets mad at one point and punches somebody, but it’s a rather isolated event
Other: racial insensitivity, depicting Native Americans as uncivilized for comic purposes; lots of “ugh’ and “how”-type dialogue
Interests: famous women, history, cowboys, Wild West, circus/theatrical, musicals
Next: for girl cowboys see Annie Oakley (1935), Calamity Jane (1953); for Wild West musicals see Calamity Jane (1953), The Harvey Girls (1946), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954); or visit your library to find historical accounts of the real Annie Oakley and her times
25 Nov 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 6+, Old Movies Tags: American history, con man, crime, marching band, music, romance, song and dance
Released: 1962
Rated: G
Length: 151 min.
Age: 6+ (for comprehension) Commonsense media sez: 6 +
Scary: nothing violent, only the talk of angry townsfolk about tarring and feathering Hill
Sexual Innuendo: in some dialogue and songs, but all G-rated and too oblique to be picked up by small children
Interests: musicals, song and dance, marching bands, history, small town life, con men
06 Oct 2011 2 Comments
in Movies, movies 6+ Tags: action, adventure, cars, castle, inventions, Magic, science, scientists, song and dance, spies
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Released: 1968
Rated: G
Length: 144 min. (with an intermission at the 1:27 mark)
Age: 6 and up Commensense Media sez: 6 +
Scary Factor: fantasy adventure story abounds in peril but all is exaggerated and cartoonish; the Baron and his spies are too bumbling to be truly scary; the Child Catcher on the other hand is extremely creepy, he’s the scariest thing in the movie, especially when he captures Jemima and Jeremy
Intense Scenes: all the children living underground is a rather pathetic sight, it stuck with me as a child; Caractacus and Truly posing as dolls is a bit suspenseful, but mostly amusing
Questionable Language: apparently Grandpa says “ass” at some point
Other Violence and Mayhem: the Baron and Baroness are pretty weird, especially the Baron’s sly attempts to do away with his wife, particularly during their cutesy song together before the party; in an earlier scene the Baroness is ejected high into the air, she floats gently down thanks to her large skirts and the Baron hauls out his shotgun and shoots at her! (the resulting holes in her billowing skirt bring her down quickly, and he expresses disappointment that he only hit her skirt!)
Interests: cars, inventions, magic, action, adventure, castles, scientists, inventors, spies, musicals
Next: Ian Fleming book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (very different plot)
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11 Sep 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 6+ Tags: antarctica, environment, ocean, penguins, seals, song and dance
Rated: PG for some mild peril and rude humor
Length: 108 min.
Age: 6 + (with reservations – read full review) Commonsense Media sez: 5 +
Scary Factor: leopard seal lunging right at the camera and ensuing chase; long sliding sequence with avalanche; another hair-raising chase with orcas; close call with boat propeller
Intense scenes: Mumble is cruelly ostracized and finally banished from the colony; when he’s in the zoo Mumble becomes clinically depressed, to the point of madness
Language: idiot, stupid, blubber butt, lardface, fool, etc.
Sexual content: suggestive lyrics in pop songs; much preoccupation with mating season; lots of sexually suggestive body language and innuendo (especially Lovelace)
Interests: penguins, antarctica, ocean, sea creatures, environmentalism
Next: March of the Penguins (documentary)
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08 Jun 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 2+, movies 3+, movies 4+, movies 5+, Old Movies, Quick Lists Tags: song and dance
I’m not including here the animated Disney ‘musicals’, first because they are pretty obvious choices, and secondly because, with some exceptions, the music is often forgettable. I’ve chosen to focus instead on glorious, old-school, Broadway-style live action movie musicals. (Mary Poppins being a borderline case, but it’s mostly live-action.)
The grand old MGM musicals should boggle your child’s mind with the brash, over-the-top craziness of it all. I showed That’s Entertainment to two four-year-old girls last summer, and during the Esther Williams swimming sequences, well, their jaws were on the floor. Remember, that which you and I find cheesy, they may regard as nothing short of miraculous.
1. Mary Poppins (1964) – 2+ (This title on amazon.)
2. Meet Me in St. Louis (1945) – 4+ (This title on amazon.)
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939) – 4+ (This title on amazon.)
4. Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – 5+ (This title on amazon.)
5. Annie (1982) – 5+ (This title on amazon.)
Singin’ in the Rain is the only one of the five with a plotline that isn’t immediately child-relateable – that is to say, it doesn’t have a child or teen protagonist with problems children can easily identify with and understand. However it should still grab young viewers with its humour, energy and verve.
If you’re not sure about the plotlines, and whether your child will find them interesting or even comprehensible, here’s my bonus suggestion:
6. That’s Entertainment, Vol. 1 (1974) , Vol. 2 (1976) – age ? (both rated G) : These DVDs are simply compilations of song and dance numbers plucked from many old musicals. An excellent introduction to the world of old movies and musicals, though you may have to fast forward through the ‘modern-day’ introductions from aging stars.
I’ve got a long list of runners-up, so keep tuned for “the next top 5 musicals”…
16 May 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 5+ Tags: adoption, American history, dogs, history, New York, song and dance, strong girls
Rated: PG (language)
Length: 126 min.
Age: 5 and up. Commonsense Media sez: 6 +
Scary Factor: Annie is kidnapped, shoved into a car and taken away; she is also chased by Rooster (shouting “I’ll kill ya!”), climbs to a great height on a bridge, dangles over the edge before being rescued
Violence: the orphans are very rough with each other; Annie punches out a bigger boy, knocking him down; much slapsticky shoving about, pratfalls, foot-stomping; less amusing is moment at climax when Miss Hannigan tries to stop Rooster and he punches her, knocking her out; also, a ‘bolshevik’ tries to kill Warbucks with a bomb (a brief and rather lighthearted event)
Also: lots of verbal threats, between orphans and from Miss Hannigan (who likes to holler “kill kill kill!”), most used for humour
Language: “shut up”, several “damn”s, “hell”
Bad Behavior: Miss Hannigan is drunk most of the time (makes her own bathtub gin); grownups smoke quite a lot
Sex: Miss Hannigan throws herself at every man she encounters, in a manner, shall we say, unusual for a children’s film; Miss Hannigan lounges about in her lingerie; Rooster and his girlfriend paw one another, fully clothed
Interests: musicals, song and dance, New York, history
Next: OTHER MOVIE MUSICALS: Singin’ in the Rain (all ages), Mary Poppins (3), Meet Me in St. Louis (4), The Music Man, The Wizard of Oz (4), The Sound of Music (6), STAGE: see Annie the musical live if you can
26 Feb 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 4+, Old Movies Tags: American history, Christmas, family, Hallowe'en, history, siblings, song and dance, strong girls
Rated: Canada – PG (parental guidance?! probably because of Hallowe’en sequence) ; USA – Approved
Length: 113 min.
Age: 4 and up. (more for comprehension and attention span)
Scary Factor: Hallowe’en scene (see below)
Intense stuff: the Christmas Eve scene with the snowmen makes me cry, but I don’t think children will be such marshmallows over it!
Interests: history, family, musicals, song and dance, old movies
Next: Judy Garland: The Wizard of Oz
25 Feb 2011 Leave a comment
in Movies, movies 2+ Tags: babysitters, cities, family, history, London, Magic, song and dance
Rated: G
Length: 139 min.
Age: 2 and up.
[ Commonsense Media sez: 6 and up! However they also say: “Parents need to know that this is a fine movie for children of any age.” I suspect the age 6 is recommended primarily for full plot comprehension, ie. the business at the bank, the suffrage movement, etc. ]
Scary factor: Nonexistant. A movie with no jeopardy! No violence! No villain! The only potential trouble spot, and one which bothered my daughter, was when dotty old Admiral Boom shoots fireworks at the chimney sweeps (none are hit, it’s all colour and noise). My daughter’s alarm, however, was due to a previous experience with noisy fireworks. We simply muted the sound during that scene until she decided she wasn’t scared anymore.
Interests: song and dance, magic
Next: for song and dance, how about the That’s Entertainment compilations, full of great sequences from MGM musicals. For more Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke, Sound of Music or Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, though they’re more suitable for older audiences.
Rarest Kind of Best 