Movies, Mom & Me

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. Commentary:  Although the "Mentions" are only for one movie, we watched all four with just about equal pleasure: Kit Kittredge; Felicity; Samantha; Molly. Although I'm sure there are excellent reasons to critique the movies, we just sat back an enjoye them. Mom's favorite was Kit Kittredge, the one that takes place during the Great Depression of the 1930s; at least, this is the movie that elicited the most enthusiastic response from her, possibly because she was a child during that period. My favorite was Felicity, the one that takes place just prior to the American Revolution. I understand yet another American Girl movie has been released, Chrissa. If Mom was still alive I don't think I'd be collecting this one because there is no obvious historical context and it looks like a highly moral 'tween version of Mean Girls. Much of the draw, for Mom an me, of this series, was the historical context.

Labels: collection, historical, kids, period

# posted by gail @ 08:54    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  This is not my favorite movie of the series but Mom seems to like it more than the original, so I purchased a copy for our Christmas sub-collection. I think what she likes is the focus on Mrs. Clause. If it had been possible, she probably would have married Santa Claus, back when she was a fertile, marriage-inclined woman.

Labels: Christmas, comedy, fantasy, kids, mom-favorite

# posted by gail @ 12:15    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  We first saw this some years ago. Both of us were charmed by it, so it has become one of those movies that I search for on television every year around Christmas time. I finally decided, this year, it was time to add it to our collection.

Labels: Christmas, comedy, fantasy, kids, mom-favorite

# posted by gail @ 12:09    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  Again, I'm not a fan of animation, but this pulled me in when the shot of the zebras on the plain, at the beginning of the movie, dissolved into the shot of ants carrying leaves along a tree branch; or vice versa, I'm not sure which way the shot dissolved. At any rate, I find it very entertaining. So does my Mom. It has, though, been awhile since we've seen this one.

Labels: adventure, animated, kids, musical, royals, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 12:43    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  We're both enchanted by this film, more for the relationship between the sisters, the portrayal of the neighbor boy (which is delightfully right on) and the wonderful father, who straddles both his own and his children's worlds with extraordinary dexterity. Some of Miyazaki's films are more spectacular, but this movie, quietly and deftly, vindicates and celebrates everyone's childhood.

Labels: animated, fantasy, kids

# posted by gail @ 09:01    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. Commentary:  This movie has obsessed me since it was first advertised when I was a nascent teenager. For some reason, I hyped the possible experience up in my mind to the place where I found the movie disappointing and was embarrassed (in the way young teens are) that I liked the movie. But, the summer of the year we (my sisters and I as a group) saw it, we also spent that summer on vacation singing all the songs from the movie, working out harmonies, etc. My decision to buy the movie was of the gut and immediate when I noticed the commercial, last year, for the "limited release" of an edition of this movie. I snapped it up and I'm glad I did. We've watched it maybe four times since then, and sing our way through the movie when we view it. During one viewing I made a savory stew and it was as though The Spirit of Mary Poppins inhabited our house. And, I'm no longer embarrassed to admit this! So there!

Labels: kids, mom-favorite, musical, period

# posted by gail @ 07:19    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2* *3*
3. Commentary:  We are hypnotized by this series, as well. I know; we should get out, more. But, what a way to go.

Labels: comedy, kids, shared-favorite, TV

# posted by gail @ 02:00    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This is another Little Buddha movie for both my mother and me. We dive into this and let it nourish us at least once every couple of months. My favorite spirits are the face masks. My mother's favorite spirit is the dragon "prince".

Labels: adventure, animated, kids, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 19:17    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G, more than once
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  Something about the scene in which the invading army comes over a snow ridge. Something else about that "song and dance" number about what it takes to be a man. Something else about it being a Chinese fairy tale. I don't know if Mom likes it for the same reasons I do, but I know she likes it. I've even replayed the "Be a Man" song for her when we are watching it.

Labels: action, adventure, animated, kids, period, shared-favorite, suspense

# posted by gail @ 15:03    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. Commentary:  This movie is a treat for both of us. My mother is an animation fan, anyway, so she was an easy sell. She often requests this movie when I'm drying her hair, then watches it through to the end. We play the credits at least a couple of times per viewing because she and I both like the theme song (including the fact that it's written and sung by Randy Newman).
        I'm a very hard animation sell, but everything about this movie charmed me, including the concept and its development. I am a devotee of children's literature, anyway (all ages), but animation has never done much for me, even as a kid. Pixar, though, seems to know exactly how to seduce my eye, and I'm a big fan of most of their stuff. I consider this movie one of their most brazen and imaginative.

Labels: animated, dramedy, kids, mom-favorite, suspense

# posted by gail @ 10:48    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G, many times
2. Mentions:  *1* *2* *3*
3. Commentary:  As I recall, my mentions of this movie speak for both my mother's and my delight in it. Aside from my favorite scene with Bruce the Shark, which I've seen many times, I love being transported by the oceanic graphic environment of the movie. It is truly one better than the ocean, only because it is so available. Watching the movie is practically like having a virtual experience without the nerve stimulation technology.
       My mother, I should note, usually takes a nap after this movie.

Labels: animated, dramedy, kids, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 23:15    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched: M & G
2. Mentions: None
3. Commentary:
   Mom: Really enjoys this one, although not as much as Monster's, Inc.
   Me: I'm with Mom on this one. It's one of the very few animated movies I can handle, but not my favorite. I often do chores when Mom watches it.

Labels: animated, dramedy, kids

# posted by gail @ 09:33    0 comments    email......this post