Veterans of Disney classic features, our kids now know all the DVDs we’ve got off by heart and are looking for something new in the movie stakes.
They loved Racing Stripes, which led them on to race horse movie, Dreamer and then on to Seabiscuit, which we thought might be too adult for them, with all the background of the Great Depression and family tragedies. But that ended up being their favourite of the three. They enjoyed the grittiness of it and the triumph over adversity.
My husband is a great one for recounting the stories of movies at the supper table. He was telling them about You’ve Got Mail the other day and they asked if they could watch it. We both love chick flicks and romance with a sense of humour and that and Sleepless in Seattle are our Saturday night fall backs. A quick review in our heads established that there wasn’t anything too steamy for young eyes and we let them watch it over a two night period. They loved it and I was greatly relieved not to be asked to explain what cybersex is. They are now booking Sleepless in Seattle in for the weekend.
Now we should probably worry about the dangers of indoctrinating an eleven year old boy with chick flicks before he’s had a chance to defend himself with the likes of Terminator. However he’s found his own boy thing to balance it out. Throughout the holidays they all three got up and watched Top Gear before breakfast.
I don’t know what it is about Jeremy Clarkson and the team, but they manage to make car programmes worth watching even if you couldn’t care less about horsepower and gaskets. The girls were just as engrossed.
Coming back from school yesterday, our son mentioned that he’d love to get a Ferrari XXX (my shorthand, I can't remember the letters and numbers actually involved) the latest top of the range model, which is apparently really cool. He told me the price in pounds and we converted it to rand. “OK” I said, “if we sell the farm with all our houses, we could just pay for one. Do you think we’d get nine people and eight dogs into the Ferrari?”
So he’s going to be a sports car driving, chick flick watcher. Should be a devastating combination!
My 11 year old has been rewatching all the Harry Potter's in preparation of seeing number 6 at the theater. I think they are scary, but sh'e read the books and knows what's going to happen....
ReplyDeleteVery happy that my future son-in-law is turning out to be so balanced. You're doing a wonderful job.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to feel slightly better about your kids watching "You've Got Mail", then rent them the original (and much better) 1940's version, "Little Shop Around the Corner". Starring Jimmy Stewart. It just doesn't get any better than that. Your kids will see how movies can take a story and surround it with the clothing, cars, and current events of the times in many different eras, yet the story still remains a good lesson - or just a great story.
ReplyDeleteAt least in Jimmy Stewart movies, you don't have to worry about questions regarding cyber-sex! They might wonder what a hooligan is, though...
We haven't made it through the second Harry Potter movie with the kids yet,Meredith, the hidden snake in the underbelly of hte school was too much like nightmare material.
ReplyDeleteGlad you approve, Charlotte!
I didn't know there was an original version, Marcheline. I'd love to see it. Don't know where we'd get hold of it here though. How did they keep the parallel identity thing going in that one?
Via (gasp) THE POSTAL SERVICE! Remember that? Actual letters, with stamps on? Hee hee!
ReplyDeleteI would imagine your local video store would have it. Or your library. Or that you could order it online. It's a pretty major motion picture as classics go.
LOL :)
ReplyDeleteWe are HUGE Top Gear fans in this house. Even our little man loves it...and is probably dreaming of ways to destroy cars like they do :)
I wish I could get my husband to like chick flicks! It took a whole month of whining to get him to agree to checking out The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (not sure of the exact title). And I've had to sit through all sorts of boy flicks to make up for it.
ReplyDeleteI sympathise Mary - it really is a very useful accomplishment of his! In return I have shared his addiction to the NCIS series' and we are currently hanging out for series 6 to be released on DVD. But the characters are so great in NCIS that it's not just a boy/action/crime thing anyway.
ReplyDeleteLOL - you are right about Clarkson - even I watch Top Gear!
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