Tweet
So I was presented with a problem this weekend.
Logan INSISTED that he wanted to see "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Now, while I am normally all in favor of sharing bits of my childhood with my son, I also remember the first time I read the Eastman & Laird comic. I will never EVER view anthropomorphic critters the same way again. Between that and Usagi Yojimbo, I was convinced for years that if we ever had man/donkey hybrids, they would be KILLING MACHINES. So, scratch THAT idea (it's rated PG-13 anyhow).
"Meet The Robinsons" isn't out until next weekend. The last animated film is gone (whatever it was). That left "Bridge to Terabithia" and "The Last Mimzy". Well, off to the reviews!
From the critical reviews, it sounded like Terabithia would win out. It's got fantasy, it's got cute kids. Of course, then I read the VIEWER reviews, and it turns out it also has abusive/nelectful adults, tragedy, and ugliness. Plus, the fantasy world is only about 10 minutes of the movie. Oops!
So off we trekked to see "The Last Mimzy". Now, I hadn't read "Mimsy Were The Borogoves" since high school. I had actually forgotten most of it. And the reviews weren't promising. Bad acting, they said. Derivative plot, they said.
DEAD F-ING WRONG.
It was... I dunno. Derivative, sure. Predictable, maybe. And yet both Logan and I sat riveted for the entire movie. There was no violence, nothing really SCARY, and yet logan wasn't sure whether he was afraid or not. "Why are movie theaters always so DARK?" he lamented, before I offered to hold his hand.
The acting wasn't bad... it was purposely over-the-top. Richard Hutton and Joely Richardson act... like kids see their parents act. The entire movie is shot in a manner that lets an 8 year old follow it. So the parents might have a bit of a tiff, but the kids don't really SEE it. I think the director was actually pretty brilliant at capturing what kids remember and see, and what they don't.
Plus the story really resonated with me. I don't know why, but it was enough that I went out and bought the only book that contains the story that's currently in print.
Anyway, great film. If you have kids, go see it. Seriously.
Logan INSISTED that he wanted to see "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles". Now, while I am normally all in favor of sharing bits of my childhood with my son, I also remember the first time I read the Eastman & Laird comic. I will never EVER view anthropomorphic critters the same way again. Between that and Usagi Yojimbo, I was convinced for years that if we ever had man/donkey hybrids, they would be KILLING MACHINES. So, scratch THAT idea (it's rated PG-13 anyhow).
"Meet The Robinsons" isn't out until next weekend. The last animated film is gone (whatever it was). That left "Bridge to Terabithia" and "The Last Mimzy". Well, off to the reviews!
From the critical reviews, it sounded like Terabithia would win out. It's got fantasy, it's got cute kids. Of course, then I read the VIEWER reviews, and it turns out it also has abusive/nelectful adults, tragedy, and ugliness. Plus, the fantasy world is only about 10 minutes of the movie. Oops!
So off we trekked to see "The Last Mimzy". Now, I hadn't read "Mimsy Were The Borogoves" since high school. I had actually forgotten most of it. And the reviews weren't promising. Bad acting, they said. Derivative plot, they said.
DEAD F-ING WRONG.
It was... I dunno. Derivative, sure. Predictable, maybe. And yet both Logan and I sat riveted for the entire movie. There was no violence, nothing really SCARY, and yet logan wasn't sure whether he was afraid or not. "Why are movie theaters always so DARK?" he lamented, before I offered to hold his hand.
The acting wasn't bad... it was purposely over-the-top. Richard Hutton and Joely Richardson act... like kids see their parents act. The entire movie is shot in a manner that lets an 8 year old follow it. So the parents might have a bit of a tiff, but the kids don't really SEE it. I think the director was actually pretty brilliant at capturing what kids remember and see, and what they don't.
Plus the story really resonated with me. I don't know why, but it was enough that I went out and bought the only book that contains the story that's currently in print.
Anyway, great film. If you have kids, go see it. Seriously.
Comment