Family Films: Paddington

I told my wife on my way out of this movie that it seems like all of the romantic comedies and children's movies that I have liked best in the recent past seem to be British films.  This movie stays faithful to that trend.  I love this movie for the same reason that I find almost every Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks movie aimed at children lacking.  All of those movies often find it necessary to supplement their story by using hip, timely inside jokes that adults can appreciate.  This movie tells a simple story very well.  We recently showed our children a movie that was and is a family film, but the themes and the action of the movie deeply upset them.  This movie was a welcome change of tone for them.  It is fanciful, gentle, funny, beautifully shot, well acted and adorable.  

In the rain forests of Dark Peru, a British explorer comes upon a family of talking bears.  He becomes friends with them, and tells them that if they are ever in London, they can expect a warm welcome.  Many years later, after the Uncle Bear has been tragically killed in an earthquake, the Aunt bear sends her nephew bear to London, as she has decided to take up residence in a retirement home for old bears.  She remembers the kind offer of the explorer, and decides to send her nephew to London.  The as yet unnamed bear makes it to London on a cargo ship and finds his way to Paddington station.  There, the Mr. Brown (Hugh Bonneville) and family discover the poor bear, and while Mr. Brown is initially reluctant, they take the bear in and see what they can do to find out who the explorer was who invited him to London.  The Brown family name the bear Paddington after the station where they found him, and the name suits him wonderfully.  Unbeknownst to the Brown family, a local taxidermist (Nicole Kidman) has spotted the unusual bear, and wants very much to incorporate the little bear into her display at the Natural History Museum.

Three things stuck out to me about this movie.  First, the power of keeping the story simple is hard to overstate.  Paddington is a talking bear, but that is simply accepted without reservation by everyone in the story.  This movie (or the stories they are based upon for that matter) could have dissolved into some sort of Mr. Ed territory, but it doesn't.  It accepts the characters as they are in the story.  Second, I was struck by the movie's profound sense of color.  The colors in the film are all very bright.  They seem to be a living children's book.  Also, anyone who has been to the sections of London wherein this film is set can attest to the vivid colors of many of the houses and buildings in this section of the city.  And third, the performances by all the actors allowed this movie to rise above being a simple fairy tale to being genuinely funny and touching.  This movie reminded me in style and color of "Hugo".  Though the movies are very different, the driving force of initial tragedy followed by heartfelt hope and belonging worked very well.  It is remarkable how much tragedy informs so many classic stories, and this story is no exception.  This movie should be a classic, because it will be able to be watched by families for years to come.  It isn't often that we can say that.

Family Movie Night: Fly Away Home (1996)

This is a great pick for a family movie night, which it was for us last night.  It has an unlikely premise (though apparently something close to it actually happened), but it is executed so well and with so much veracity that it ends up being very engaging.

The movie stars Anna Paquin as Amy, a 14 year old girl who has just lost her mother and has had to move from New Zealand to Ontario, Canada.  The beginning of this transition proves to be very difficult for Amy, as would be expected.  Her father (played very well by Jeff Daniels), is a kooky inventor who at first seems completely unable to relate to his daughter at all.  This is made more difficult by his involvement with another woman (Dana Delany), and an overall lack of ability to relate to Amy in her time of loss.  As Amy moves into the house, her father is trying to ward off a developer who is seeking to use part of his land for a new real estate venture.  One morning, a person with ties to the developer begins to tear up the land, and Amy's dad shows his true colors by bolting from his bed nearly naked to go into his yard to scream at the man driving the tractor.  In the wake of this destruction, Amy finds the nest of a mother goose who had been killed by the developer. She saves the eggs, watches them hatch, and becomes the mother goose to the goslings.  Her connection to the brood is so intense that she violently lashes out at a gaming official who attempts to curb Amy's efforts in taking care of the geese.  When the reality strikes the whole family that the geese must migrate south to North Carolina to survive, the broken little family concocts a way to show the geese a way home.  This project provides a needed connection between father and daughter, and it serves as a way for Amy to move forward in her grief, all the while deeply missing her mother.

As is the case with so many profound fables, death is the motivating force behind this whole story.  So many wonderful stories and fables are only profound due to deep grief.  Whether it's Harry Potter to Star Wars to Cinderella, death is at the heart of deeply human and true stories.  The depth of grief in Amy is the engine which makes this story go forward.  Anna Paquin realizes this grief in the character of Amy very well, and every moment she is on screen we know the depth of the experience of the character she is playing.  As we live this experience with her, we are forced to walk in her shoes.  We are made to imagine how we would feel if we lost our parent at a young age, and then we are made to move our life and school at the vulnerable age of 14.  It is with this back drop that the devotion she shows to the geese makes any sense at all.  Her father also is able to find a bridge to a daughter who was already distant, but is dealing with the added resentment of changing her whole life in the middle of such a trauma.  Ironically, the quirkiness which at the beginning causes a rift between the father and daughter serves to end up rebuilding their relationship, as his talent with air crafts and inventing finds them a way to show the geese a way home.

I truly love finding movies like this.  They are special fantasies that give parents a way to relate to our children by sharing a meaningful story.  All three of my kids were engaged for the nearly two hours of this movie (with four years difference between my oldest and youngest, this is no ordinary feat).  The longer I live, the more I see that broken lives truly do lead to wonderful stories.  As we who are broken pick up the pieces of our lives, sometimes the reformed pieces can make something beautiful.

The Lego Movie

Going to the movies with one's children is almost always a good idea.  Saturday, my wife and daughter had an outing with some friends, so I took my two sons to see this movie.  My boys (like so many others) love Legos, and this movie not only offered the draw of seeing moving Legos on screen, but also a fun gimmick.  There were times in the movie where I felt it was trying to be a little too smug and culturally relevant for its own good (sort of how I feel about some of Pixar's work), but it still was a smart, funny piece of work.  Further, the resolution of the movie showed that it had more going on than I originally thought, as a plot twist of sorts which broke down the fourth wall provided a fresh idea that more than made up for some of what I felt were dull pyrotechnics earlier in the movie.

Emmett is a normal Lego construction worker.  However, a Lego wizard (Morgan Freeman) has declared him to be special, and he will bring Lord Business (Will Ferrell) and his "Kragle" weapon down with a special "piece of resistance".  Lord Business ends up blinding the prophet/wizard, but his prophecy lives.  Years later, Emmett lives a dull but tranquil life as a construction worker.  As the time of Lord Business' use of the Kragle to destroy the world draws near, the wizard brings together a group of "master builders" together in an attempt to stop Lord Business.  Emmett's talent pales in comparison to the rest of the builders, and it becomes clear to him that he isn't that special.  From there, the story kicks into gear as Emmett discovers what he can bring to the team along side Batman, Wild Style, and a host of other familiar Lego characters.

The story rises above the norm by its ending, which I will not give away here.  One of the things that a lot of modern animated stories struggle with is how much they try to appeal to both adults and kids.  Simply good storytelling should appeal to any adult, but many of these movies tack on bells and whistles that, while definitely entertaining, make the movies less universal.  A good example is a hilarious Star Wars joke.  It certainly got the biggest laugh from the adults during the movie (and my boys also loved it), but how will that joke play in 30 years?  Only time will tell, since Star Wars has also become such a well known story that many people will get the joke.  In any case, this style of inside and allusion laden jokes is a point of difficulty for me.  The jokes are very funny and work (and I suppose that's all that should matter), but I find the story to be less engaging.  The best of the Pixar and Dreamworks movies are able to walk the line between gimmick and storytelling very well.  This movie doesn't walk it as well, but still does a great job of giving the crowd a great story in the end.  The story is not what we think it is, and only in the end do we see how good this story is.  It is a story that both children and adults can appreciate, because it speaks to both.

In the end, my critical thoughts can be overlooked.  This may not be prove to be the classic that some movies are, but does it need to be?  It has wonderful animation, lots of familiar voices, and a lot of great gags.  My boys loved it, and I loved going to see it with them.

Family Films: Brave

Recently, I went with my kids to a local theater and we watched the new Pixar movie "Brave".  I asked them about it, and they had some good stuff to say.  If you are interested in totally being surprised, thre are a couple of key plot points revealed here, so know that going in.  I record these interviews on my iphone, and it has a fun old style recording screen when I do the interviews.  At some point in the interview, Jack got more interested in seeing how high he could make the sound needle go than actually talking...but before it went there, I got some good stuff from them :)....

Joel: "So we went over to the Riverview theater today and saw a movie...what did we see Wessie?"

Wes: "MMM...Brave."

Joel: "Now what...do you know what the company that made this movie is called?"

Jack: "I don't know."

Joel: "That thing with the lamp."

Corrie: "Pixar."

Joel:  "What other movies has Pixar made?"

Corrie: "Cars"

Joel: "Cars...Jack said Wall-E."

Jack: "Nemo!"

Joel:  "Nemo...they all kind of look alike don't they?  Similar style."

Corrie: "They all look like they're made of clay."

Joel: "I really liked 'Brave' a lot, I thought it was one of my favorite Pixar movies.  My favorite Pixar movie is of course what?"

Jack: "Nemo."

Joel: "Not Nemo."

Corrie: "Wall-E?"

Joel: "No not 'Wall-E.'"

Corrie:  "I was about to say 'Kipper'!

Joel:  "Not 'Kipper', that's not a..."

Jack: "What is your favorite Pixar movie?"

Joel: "Ratatouille."

Steph:  "That movie is gross."

Joel: "It's not gross, it's a cute movie...it's odd."

Corrie:  "I like how the rat is like...he doesn't like eating rat foods..."

Joel:  "What I liked about Brave is that I really felt like it told a classic fairy tale kind of story.  The girl was a strong willed character, but it reminded me of a Grimm's fairy tale.  Let me ask you some questions about why I feel that way.  Is it all a happy-go-lucky story?"

Corrie and Jack:  "No!!"

Joel: "What is the main character's name?"

Corrie: "Merida."

Joel: "What does she do wrong in the movie?  What does she do that really gets her into trouble?"

Corrie:  "She wants a spell that will change her mother, and she does get one, but she got tricked, because it changed her mother but not in the way she had in mind."

Jack: "She changes her into a bear."

Joel: "So she has to figure out out to get her right again.  There's a lot of fairy tales where people in the same family do some strange and sad things to each other.  I can think of one right away..."

Corrie:  "Snow White?"

Joel:  "Yeah...the one I think of the most has to do with two kiddos who get lost in the woods..."

Corrie: "Hansel and Gretel."

Joel: "Yeah...the mom wants to get rid of the kids!  Fairy tales can be pretty harsh, and this one goes along with it."

Corrie: "It's not just the parents who make a mistake in 'Brave'."

Joel: "Well, one of the reasons many of them are so harsh is that they want to make a point, like an Aesop fable.  What was your favorite part in the movie Corrie?"

Jack:  "My favorite part was the end."

Corrie:  "O like the end and I like the part where she's riding through the woods with Angus and shooting the targets in the trees...I bet she put them there."

Joel: "I also really liked the art work...very pretty...how great the drawing looks"

Corrie: "That's drawing?"

Joel: "It's drawing that people do on computers...whereas 'Winnie the Pooh' is hand drawn, this one is made on computers."

Jack: "Then they put all the pictures they made into one big moving part!"

Joel: "So do you think this movie is too scary for little kiddos?"

Corrie: "It's not the most kid friendly movie in the world...it's not like 'Winnie the Pooh' or 'Kipper'"

Jack: "It's a little bloody..."

Corrie: "There's no blood!"

Joel: "It made me think of the two ladies in my life, the mommy and the girl in our house, but you guys don't fight like that.  And mommy doesn't get to pick out your husband for you.  Did you like the archery scene Corrie?"

Corrie: "That was really fun."

Joel: "Do you want to shoot archery like that."

Corrie:  "I liked it when I shot the middle of the target when we went."

Joel: "How many did she get in the middle of the target?  All of them!  She was walking across the targets and the last one she split the arrow?"

Corrie: "Yeah the guy had shot it in the middle and then she split it."

Joel: "What's your favorite Pixar movie?"

Corrie: "This one!"

Jack: "I like a lot of them..."

Corrie: "The one I liked best before was 'Tangled' that's Pixar isn't it?"

Joel: "Actually, that's a Disney movie but not Pixar..."

Jack: "WOO HOO-My favorite Pixar movie is....IS.....I don't know..."

Joel: "OK...Jack is now just talking loud to watch the sound needle go up...allright, that's all for now."

Interview with the Kids: ET

Recently, Stephanie and I decided to show ET to our kids.  This movie holds a special place in my heart as my dad took me to see this great movie when I was about the age of my son Jack.  I asked them what they though of it:


Joel:  "We just finished watching a movie that my dad took me to see when I was about Jack's age..."

Jack:  "Yeah, you were about my age..."

Joel:  "What was the name of the movie."

Jack:   "It was called ET."

Joel:  "Now Corrie, this was an emotional movie for you, wasn't it?"

Corrie:  "Yes...towards the end I thought that he had died and I was very sad...I had a lot of emotions...first I was happy, then I was sad, then I was angry...when I first thought that ET was dead."

Joel:  "Jack, what was your favorite scene in the movie."

Jack:  "I liked most of the funny scenes, but the one I liked the most was when he says to ET, 'No, it's a fake knife'."

Joel:  "That was funny.  Corrie, do you have a favorite scene in the movie?"

Corrie:  "I like when he saw the person dressed as Yoda and said 'HOME..HOME..."

Jack:   "Why does he say, 'HOME.'"

Corrie: "Yoda is an alien, and he thought that the person dressed as Yoda was someone from where he was from, and the Yoda person was like staring at him..."

Joel:  "Did you guys notice...did they show the grown ups in the movie...what did they show when they showed grownups..."

Corrie:  "Just the mom and the nice guy."

Joel:  "Yeah, but, before that..."

Corrie:  "Yeah...waist down..."

Joel:  "Why do you think that the movie was shot that way?"

Corrie:  "Kind of supposed to be more like a children's movie and when they do stuff like that it shows you that the children are more the main characters than the grown ups are..."

Joel:  "I think that's a great answer.  There's a scene when the older brother is in the closet when ET is sick.  One of the things that's neat about the movie is that Elliott is old enough to really know what's going on, while the younger sister doesn't know as much, but the older brother is old enough to sort of to be a young man and the only dad Elliott has because Elliott's dad isn't there anymore.  But he's also sort of a kid, so when he's scared about ET's health, what does he do?"

Corrie:  "Goes into Elliott's closet."

Joel:  "He goes into the closet like a little kid again, doesn't he?"

Jack:  "So, Dad, how do they know that the spaceship was going to land there?"

Joel:  "Great question!  What did ET build...the place where the phone was was where the ship came..."

Jack:  "So they knew that it was there?"

Joel:  "Yeah.  What did you think of the part at the school...with the frogs."

Corrie:  "Well, I would have freaked if there were huge masses of frogs leaping everywhere, but I didn't really liked how he was acting.  I know that ET was connected to Elliott..."

Jack:  "Why was he connected to him?"

Joel:  "We're not really sure why...it's some sort of connection that the ET creature has with Elliott that unique."

Corrie: " I didn't like how he did whatever the TV did!  I didn't like how he...you know what..."

Joel: "You know what?  I have a feeling you're talking about when he kissed that girl?  Yeah..."

Corrie:  "That made me feel so uncomfortable."

Joel:  "So, I guess the only other thing is...did you like the music?  When I was a kiddo I had a record of music from the movie...I don't know where it is now...probably just gone.  When this movie came out, I was about Jack's age, and it was so popular...every kiddo saw it, every kiddo was going around saying "ET phone home..."

Corrie:  "So you could ask someone if they had seen ET and you could know that they would say yes?"

Joel:   "Anyway, mommy and daddy thought this would be a great movie night movie...you guys liked it, right?  Anything else you want to say about the movie?"

Jack:  "I hated it when he got dressed up in all the girl's clothes...he was being treated like a doll..."

Wesley:  "She looked like an alien slash girl..."

Corrie:  "I think that...I have seen a lot of movies where certain children find objects that aren't normal...like "Indian in the Cupboard"...the boy Omri, they have to get to know each other, then when they develop a friendship then they have each other for awhile and then something happens that makes it necessary for the Indian and his friends go home.."

Joel:  "There was one other thing that you guys said that I thought was cool...at the beginning of the movie, you said that ET reminded you of somebody...who was that?"

Corrie:  "I thought he reminded me of WALL-E."

Joel:  "I have a feeling that the people who made WALL-E, because it was made 25 years after ET, they would probably tell you that part of the inspiration for WALL-E was ET.  Do you remember the name Ben Burtt from the Star Wars Radio dramas Corrie?"

Corrie: "Uh huh"

Joel: "He did the sound effects for the Star Wars movies, the sound for WALL-E, and the sound for ET."

Corrie: "They all seem so connected.  ET, Star Wars and WALL-E...I think Star Wars and WALL-E are connected is because a lot of it takes place in space, and WALL-E and ET are alike for another reason...they talk but they don't say long sentences..."

Jack: "How long is this interview going to be Dada?"

Joel: "It's over now."

Jack: "Why....?

Family Film Friday: ET

Since this movie resonates a lot with me personally, I am going to devote two entries to it.  I want to write about it for me, and for my kids.  I interviewed my kids about this movie, and I will give that interview on the blog as well.  At the same time, this movie affected me so much as a kid that I wanted to write on it as well.

When I was 7 years old (the same age as my son Jack is right now), my parents took me to see "ET".  I say it was my parents, because I am pretty sure we saw it as a family, but for some reason, the only memories I have of that night were of my dad.  We didn't see a lot of movies, so it was special to go and see this one.  When we got to the 4 theater complex at Fashion Square in La Habra (the world's first free standing four theater complex, I might add), there was a long line outside the theater.  I knew nothing about the movie, but dad assured me that the reason there were so many people waiting was it was a great movie.

I agreed then, and I still do.  As I sat down recently with my three kids to watch this movie for their first time, I couldn't help but remember that night 30 years ago when dad took me.  Watching it this time, I was very impressed by its perspective, and how much director Steven Spielberg allows the camera to tell the story.  The movie follows the adventures of two beings.  Elliott is a 10 year old boy whose family has recently been ripped apart by divorce.  One night, an alien vessel lands in the forest outside of the suburb in which Elliott lives.  Several creatures depart the ship to explore, but when cars full of inquisitive humans pull up in the forest, the aliens are forced to run back to their ship.  Alas, one little guy is left behind, as he doesn't make it back to the ship fast enough.  He finds his way into Elliot's care, and the two of them develop an intense bond of friendship.  The rest of the movie shows us ET's attempt to return home.  The only two adults of note in the movie are Mary (Dee Wallace), the broken hearted mother who is the lone caretaker of her three children, and a sympathetic man (played by Peter Coyote) for his own reasons, but who is not named in the film.  Elliot and his brother and sister (played by Drew Barrymore at the age of 6) have been thrown into a magical world...one that cannot last.

The story entranced me as a child.  It was simple to follow, and it was clear who the bad guys and good guys were.  Watching it now, I am very impressed by the world created by those who made this film.  I noticed how much this movie is about the innocence of childhood.  It gives us a world of childhood, a world where grown ups seem strange and dangerous.  For most of the movie, the only face of a grown up that we see is that of Elliot's mother.  Upon this viewing, there was one brief scene that made an impression on me that I did not remember.  As ET is thought to have deceased, Elliot's older brother Michael retreats to his brother's room.  He huddles up in the fetal position in a closet full of toys.  As Michael grows toward adulthood, he is stuck in that weird time of life when one is not sure whether they are an adult or a child.  Michael feels like a child right now, even though he has had to be the protector of his siblings and mother for the whole movie.  In this one moment of sadness for him, he finds solitude for a moment and retreats back into the comfortable and safe world of his childhood.

As an adult watching this movie, I can relate to the children since I was a child once.  But, I also found myself relating to the adults.  The adults in the suits weren't simply bad anymore, just out of touch with the kids.  As a parent, I know about that as well.  Sometimes the business of my world eclipses the world of my kids.  As I watched it with my kids, I was transported back to the first time I saw it with my dad.  I can remember his laugh echoing in the theater during certain scenes, and I can remember how much it meant to me to see it with him.  As I watched it with my kids, I saw this movie in a whole new way, and I enjoyed the view.

Family Film Friday: Disney's Robin Hood

A few weeks ago, my kids and I enjoyed a movie night featuring one of our old favorites: Disney's "Robin Hood".  I grew up watching this movie, and it has been a genuine pleasure getting to enjoy it with my kids.  It hearkens back to a time when Disney focused on simpler story telling.  Here's what they had to say about it:

Joel:  "Wesley, what movie did we watch tonight?"
Wes:  "I don't want to say anyfing.."
Jack:  "The movie was called Robin Hood."
Joel:  "Right Jackie...now there are lots of movies made about Robin Hood.  What is different about this one?"
Corrie:  "Well, for one thing...I know that Robin Hood is kind of a children's story, but most of the movies made about it are for grown ups...it's not like Wesley or Jack's thing yet.  So, this one is a cartoon, and its animals, and I think that the most important thing about it is that it's funny, but it isn't too grown up...like kiddo funny."
Joel:  "Who's your favorite character Corrie?"
Wesley:  "You know the guy who sucks his fumb..."
Corrie:  "That's Prince John."
Joel:  "Prince John...is he your favorite character Wessie?"
Jack:  "My favorite character is the main character."
Joel:  "Robin Hood?  Why do you like Robin Hood Jack?"
Jack:  "It starts up at the arrow contest, but then he gets away..."
Corrie:  "I think I like Maid Marion and Little John.  Little John is actually the way the stories describe him.  The cartoon kind of exaggerates how big he is...I like how also he is kind of sweet."
Joel:  "So, what's the main story of Robin Hood and why do you like it?  What does Robin Hood do in the movie that makes you like him so much?"
Corrie:  "I like the archery...I wish I could do that.  I also like how smart and quick and clever he is."
Joel:  "Yeah, but what gets him in so much trouble in the movie?"
Jack:  "Because of Prince John and all the taxes."
Joel:  "But what does he do to them that makes them so mad?"
Corrie:  "He robs them to give the money to the poor."
Jack:  "You know what I heard Prince John say at the beginning of the movie?  Robbing the poor to feed the rich...that's not true."
Corrie:  "That doesn't make any sense!"
Joel:  "So, do you know who Prince John is based on in history?  Do you remember the really important document that was signed during John's reign?  You might remember."
Corrie:  "It's the Magna Carta."
Joel:  "And what did that do?"
Jack:  "It killed a lot of people?"
Corrie:  "No no no no...it kind of helped the people to be a little bit more free.  What we learned from Mom is that they were more free.  Before the Magna Carta, people just had to do what the king said.  After the Magna Carta, they were only outlaws if they broke the law."
Joel:  "The couldn't be outlaws just because the king said?"
Corrie:  "Yeah, like right now, we don't do whatever the president says, unless it's a major order from them."
Joel:  "Jack, what is your favorite part?  One of the reasons I like watching this movie with you guys is that this is a movie I watched when I was a kid.  I always really like the minstrel.  I always just thought it was a fun movie.  I liked Little John because he's a sweet guy.  And I liked the part where Friar Tuck gets really mad at the Sheriff and he starts hitting him with the staff."
Corrie:  "You want taxes, I'll give you taxes!!!"
Joel:  "It's a legend right?  A lot of movies have been made about it, and we've watched a couple.  But what makes this one special is that it's just kind of fanciful and fun."
Corrie:  "My favorite part is the battle at the archery contest."
Jack:  "That's my favorite part.  Smashing pies in everyone's faces...Maid Marion smashes a pie in Nutsy's face."
Joel:  "Well, I had a really good time, and I 'm glad we watched it together."

Family Film Friday: Shrek

Last week, we had the kids watch Shrek for the first time.  I remember seeing it and liking it when it came out.  I found it interesting that my kids didn't really care for the movie.  What I found even more interesting is why they didn't care for the movie.  Here's what they had to say:

Joel:  "Last night, while Mommy was on a walk and Daddy was writing, you watched another movie...what was it called?"
Corrie: "Shrek."
Joel:  "You didn't seem to have the same opinion about this movie as you do about others...what did you think of this movie Corrie?"
Corrie:  "Um...I thought it was like OK, but it wasn't...I've liked other things better.  I didn't really like the fairy tale...well...the way to say it is that they make jokes out of the fairy tales, and I really like these fairy tales and I don't like it when they mess it up."
Jack:  "Yeah, I don't like it either.  I already told you about this, but I really didn't like the ending."
Joel:  "What didn't you like about the ending?"
Jack:  "She doesn't turn back into what she's supposed to be!"
Joel:  "What did you think of the donkey?"
Jack:  "He was the only part that I liked.  He was so funny."
Corrie:  "What I liked about him was the way that he was toward Shrek...in the middle, he's setting up sticks and stones between it, and Shrek says 'What are you doing?'  And he says, 'Well, I was thinking a wall around my swamp, not through it.'  And then he says, 'Well, this is my half of the swamp and this is your half...I did half the work and get half the swamp, and he tries to tell Shrek that friends forgive each other, and then Shrek is still yelling at him , and the donkey is trying to tell hi the truth about the princess, and Shrek says maybe you should ask her."
Joel:  "So Jackie, you were kind of upset at the end of the movie last night, cause you really didn't like it.  You mentioned that you didn't like how the lady ended up.  You said some other things about why you didn't like it, what else didn't you like?"
Jack:  "The Robin Hood thing!  That is not Robin Hood!"
Joel:  "You really didn't like that they took stories that you knew really well and changed them."
Corrie:  "Pretty much!"
Joel:  "Was there other ones they did that with."
Corrie:  "Well, there definitely was Robin Hood and Pinocchio was a little weird...whenever he says something untrue his nose grows 5 feet and then goes back."
Joel:  "Well it was kind of interesting for me because when I first saw the movie when it came out, I actually liked the ending because it was sweet because the lady is supposed to be beautiful, but then she turns into the ogre at night.  But, in order to be the ogre's true love, she has to turn into another ogre.  I thought that was sweet, but you guys didn't care for that?"
Corrie:  "Actually, that was the part I like!  I just didn't love the movie because of the messing up of fairy tales, like, the pigs were just acting like triplets...the 3 little pigs...and at the end they're doing rock and roll moves and I'm just like...uh uh.  The pat I didn't like the most was just the uh...was when he was Robin Hood...I think that's Robin Hood but not the one I know.  And they kind of mess up the stories, and that's pretty much it.  Is there someone else in another movie that does donkey's voice...I feel like I've heard his voice."
Joel:  "Well, the guy who does his voice, but have they seen anything with Eddie Murphy in it?"
Stephanie:   "I don't think so..."
Joel:  "All right guys, you've given me some good comments...thanks a lot!"

Family Film Friday: The General

A couple of weeks ago, I showed the kids Buster Keaton's classic comedy, "The General."  I sat down at the dinner table and talked with them about not only this movie, but silent movies in general (no pun intended).  At this point, they have only seen films by Chaplin and Keaton, but we're off to a good start.  They came up with some insightful stuff:

Joel:  "We're having a dinner time discussion tonight.  Last night, we had a pizza and movie night...Corrie, tell me the name of the movie we watched."
Corrie:  "We watched 'The General.'
Joel:  "Jack, do you remember the name of the actor who stars in 'The General?'
Jack: "Johnny?"
Joel:  "Johnny is the name of the character he plays, but do you know what the actor's name is?"
Jack: "No."
Joel:  "Corrie, do you know the name of the actor?"
Corrie:  "No."
Joel:  "Stephanie, do you know the name of the actor?"
Stephanie:  "I know the name of the actor...Buster Keaton.  I like the name Buster."
Joel:  "Do you guys like the name Buster?  Buster Keaton was one of the most famous movie stars back before movies had what?"
Corrie:  "Talking?"
Joel:  "Talking, that's right.  And he made lots of silent movies.  Who is someone else we have seen in silent movies?"
Corrie:  "Charlie Chaplin!"
Joel:  "Those are the two most famous silent movie stars...some people like Buster Keaton better, and some people like Charlie Chaplin better..."
Corrie:  "I like them both equal."
Jack:  "I like them equal."
Corrie:  "They both make equally good movies."
Joel:  "What would you say is the main difference between a Chaplin movie versus a Keaton movie.  Is there any difference in the way they make you feel?"
Corrie:  "I feel like Charlie Chaplin is a little more crazy.  He does more stuff on purpose, and the stuff he sort of on purpose and sort of on accident."
Joel:  "And what does Buster Keaton do that's funny?"
Corrie:  "He reacts to stuff funny...what I liked is when he sat down on the piston and he didn't know when it started pumping."
Joel:  "Piston of what?
Corrie:  "A train."
Joel:  "Why does he sit down on the piston?  What has just happened to him?"
Jack:  "He's sad because he couldn't join the army."
Corrie:  "And because the lady said she wouldn't speak to him again until he was in a uniform."
Joel:  "So, he uses his skills as an engineer to help the army out in the war.  What is another really funny part in the movie?
Corrie:  "I like it when he disguises as a soldier and he's walking bent over...and he puts his stick forward and knocks the man out...weird..."
Joel:  "Jack, do you have a favorite part?"
Jack:  "When he climbs up on the table to cut into line."
Joel:  "The part I really love in the movie is when the Northern soldiers take something that is really valuable to him...what is it?"
Jack:  "The General"
Joel:  "What is the General?"
Jack: "I don't know..."
Joel:  "There are two things that are really valuable to him, what are they?  They are both in a picture of him at the beginning.  They take what is in the picture.  The train is in the picture...the train's name is the General.  Now, when he is chasing the Northern soldiers on the train, he does so many amazing things that the Northerners think a whole army of soldiers are on the train.  What are some of the funny, crazy things he does on the train?"
Corrie:  "He takes a cannon and hitches it to the back of the train."
Joel:  "Yeah, he shoots it by accident, and what ends up happening?"
Corrie:  "It hits the other train."
Joel:  "Yeah...my favorite part is when the soldiers put a bunch of wood beams on the tracks in front of them, and he has to try to move them while the train is going.  Now, do either of you know what a stunt man is?"
Corrie:  "A guy who does weird things?"
Joel:  "Well, in the movies people do crazy things like jump off cliffs and through windows.  A lot of times, what movie makers do is they pay famous actors a lot of money to be in their movies.  Since the movie makers are paying the actors a lot of money, they don't want them to get hurt.  So, usually, movie makers will take someone and make them look like the real actor, and they back the camera up so you can't see their face...they call that a stunt man or a stunt double.  Now, did Buster Keaton do that?"
Stephanie:  "Did he have a different person?"
Jack:  "No"
Joel:  "He was doing all of that himself.  He was climbing around a moving train."
Corrie:  "What the heck?!?!"
Joel:  "Yeah, and Charlie Chaplin was the same way!  All those things he would do when he would fall over did he have a stuntman?  Do you think that's special?"
Corrie:  "Yeah."
Joel:  "Part of what makes these guys so special is what's called physical comedy.  Do you know what that is?"
Corrie:  "I know what comedy is."
Joel:  "What's comedy?"
Corrie:  "It means funny.  Like Shakespeare plays, some of them are comedies."
Joel:  "Yeah, like 'The Princess Bride'.  Is that a comedy?  Why?"
Corrie:  "Because they say funny things."
Joel:  "Now, if comedy is partly saying funny things, what do you think physical comedy is?"
Corrie:  "Ummm...DOING things that are funny."
Joel:  "YES!!  Excellent.  So, when Buster Keaton is trying to pump that train thing and he pumps it the wrong way, that's funny isn't it?"
Corrie:  "Oh yeah..."
Joel:  "So, what Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin were was masters of physical comedy?  Now, why did they have to be so good at physical comedy?"
Corrie:  "Because they were in silent movies."
Joel:  "They couldn't say like that line in the 'Princess Bride' that you like...'Stop that rhyme now I mean it..."
Corrie and Jack:  "Anybody want a peanut?"
Joel:  "They couldn't do that, so most of the comedy is in their..."
Corrie:  "Expressions...
Joel:  "In their falling over...so that's what makes Buster Keaton special.  Another thing that makes him special...go ahead Corrie..."
Corrie:  "What I was going to say...when the big wooden beam in front of him on the train, and he's on the plow, and there's another wooden beam...he ises the other wooden beam to get it off."
Joel:  "I want to ask you one more question about Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.  When you see their faces, are they different in how they use their faces?  How?  Does Buster Keaton smile?"
Corrie:  "No."
Joel:  "Does Charlie Chaplin smile?"
Corrie:  "Yeah."
Joel:  "So, I'm going to ask the question again, how do they use their faces differently?"
Corrie:  "Well, Charlie Chaplin is sometimes in a way happier mood."
Joel:  "Would you say that Chaplin is more expressive with his face?"
Corrie: "Yeah"
Joel:  "Jack, is there anything else you want to say about The General?"
Jack:  "Well, the he thinks that part of the train and throws it out..."
Joel:  "Well, you guys have been able to watch some classic movies with me...I hope to watch a lot more with you..."
Corrie:  "One more thing...I think that silent movies are equal to talking movies.  It's almost like 'Fantasia.'  With 'Fantasia', it's almost like the music is the talking and it's leading you through the story and also in the movies of the General and Chaplin movies, I feel like their actions...sometimes they mouth words and the way they move is the action."
Joel:  "All right! Great job."

Family Film Friday: Mary Poppins

Sure, this movie is sweet, but it's also crazy.  I think the 60s may have actually started here.  After all, the movie features magic, flying, jumping into pictures, and people laughing so hard they start floating.  I doubt that Walt Disney was giving nods to the drug culture, but this is one strange movie.

But it's also one of my favorites, and it's one of those movies that gives me a lump in my throat every time I watch it.  It always happens at the same scene.  As George Banks makes his way to the bank through The City in London, meandering through the fog, and contemplating his professional demise, I always get choked up.  He has realized that he has thrown away his children's childhood thus far, and he sees that enjoying their fleeting youth should be more important than compound interest and balance sheets.

Like many other movies, this is a film that improves as one revisits upon growing older.  It remains a wonderful movie for children.  The blend of animation and live action entrances them.  The songs are always captivating to them.  And the presence of children as main characters in the movie give children something with which they can connect.  As I grew older, I became more and more impressed with the script.  The dialogue is unbelievably sophisticated, and the lyrics of the songs are genius.  "It's 6:03 and the heirs to my dominion, are scrubbed and tubbed, and adequately fed.  And so I pat them on the head, and send them off to bed...Lordly is the life I lead."   These lyrics capture George Banks' arrogance and detachment. 

Into this controlled world flies (literally) the nanny Mary Poppins to save the family and create upheaval.  This role introduced Julie Andrews to film going audiences.  She won a best actress Oscar for it, and it is not hard to see why.  She creates a character who is at once compassionate, self righteous, and mysterious.  Who is this woman who flies in from the clouds, dispenses with other working class nannies, and overturns the social structure of the Banks family?  And then, who is this Bert character (a wonderful Dick Van Dyke), who is the only person who seems to know what on earth is going on with this woman?  Mary Poppins (with Bert) are intent on mending the troubled Banks household, and making sure that both parents (the mother is equally distracted by the suffragette movement) come to pay attention to their children.  Along the way, this normal domestic story is seasoned with wondrous sights like a march upon the rooftops of London.

This is one of those few movies that has always been with me.  When I went to London for the first time, I couldn't help but think of the silly bird woman when I visited St. Paul's Cathedral.  This movie got under my skin way back when I was a child.  I am happy to report that it is still there.

Family Film Friday: The Lion King

Recently, our family took a wonderful trip to California to spend time with our families.  Usually while we are on vacation, our kids spend more time than normal watching videos.  This trip was no exception.  The kids tend to latch on to one particular movie per trip, and the movie of choice this time was "The Lion King."  After our trip, I asked Corrie and Jack about this newer Disney classic:

Joel:  "Daddy first saw this movie 18 years ago, I saw it in the movie theater..."
Corrie:  "Ooo, you're lucky..."
Joel:  "I liked it a lot at the time, and one of the things that was really great about it when it came out was how advanced the animation was-like the first part, with 'The Circle of Life' and everything, how the camera goes over the land, that was really amazing animation at that time...it was kind of the cutting edge.  What do you guys like about 'The Lion King'."
Jack:  "Dad, I just want to tell you one thing I do not like about 'The Lion King.'  Scar tears into Mufasa's arm, and when I was little, Corrie had to cover my eyes."
Joel:  "Wow, is that the part where he kills his brother?"
Jack:  "Yeah...I don't like that!"
Joel:  "Well, do you think you are supposed to like that part?"
Corrie and Jack:  "NO!!"
Joel: "I don't think so either."
Corrie:  "I just thought that wasn't good for Jack yet."
Joel:  "Jack, what's your favorite song in the movie?"
Jack:  "I don't know."
Joel:  "Corrie?"
Corrie (singing):  "Oh I just can't wait to be king."
Jack:  "Actually that's my favorite song too."
Joel:  "It's not 'Be Prepared'?  (Singing) Be prepared!!"
Corrie:  "I like that one because of the way he sings, but I don't like him.  I like the way he sings and I like the whole earthquake and volcano deal, I think that was pretty appropriate.  I'm not saying I like him."
Joel:  "Who's your favorite character in the movie."
Corrie: "Nala...because she's a girl and because she's Simba's best friend."
Jack:  "Simba! "
Corrie:  "But I think the most funny character is Rafiki!"
Joel:  "Oh, who's Rafiki?"
Corrie:  "He's the baboon who shows the baby lions to all the animals as soon as they are born."
Joel:  "Does he remind you of anybody in any other movies?  If Rafiki were a character in 'Star Wars', who would he kind of be like?"
Corrie:  "All I can really think of is Yoda."
Joel:  "Yeah, why does he remind you of Yoda?"
Corrie:  "He just seems wise like Yoda is."
Jack:  "I think the most funny character is Zazu."
Corrie:  "Yeah, Zazu is funny.  'The only checking out you will do is checking out of here!'"
Joel:  "When I first saw the movie, I remember a lot of people laughed at Timon."
Corrie:  "Yeah, Timon is crazy."
Joel:  "I remember when he said, 'She wants to eat him, and, everyone's okay with this?!?!"
Corrie:  "DID I MISS SOMETHING!?!?!  There's something else we imitate all the time:  'Whoa whoa, TIME OUT!"
Joel:  "What do Timon and Pumba eat?"
Corrie and Jack:  "Bugs!"
Corrie:  "I actually think the crunchy bugs would be yummy, if I had to eat them I would like them more than the worms."
Joel:  "It's a funny movie, but it's also pretty serious.  What are some the things Simba has to learn in the movie?"
Corrie:  "He has to face his past."
Jack:  "Do we face our past?"
Joel:  "Good question Jack, what do you think?"
Jack:  "I don't know."
Joel:  "It really...for a little boy, he sees something that's really sad.  But aren't a lot of fairy tales like that.  Don't a lot of kiddos see some really sad things?"
Corrie:  "I think that in that one you learn that...when you get...it tells us something about ourselves.  Sometimes when you get used to one thing, like his life with Timon and Pumba, sometimes we won't go back to stuff that we need to try new again.  I think that kind of tells us something ourselves.  Like, me and Jack got used to no schoolwork in California, and now we have to get used to it again."
Joel:  "Anything else."
Corrie:  "You said this morning that it's kind of based on Hamlet."
Joel:  "I did."
Corrie:  "Now that you say that, I can see that."
Joel:  "You've read Hamlet?"
Corrie:  "I've heard people talk about it.  'This boy, his uncle killed his dad"
Jack:  "Well, there's one more thing I'd like to tell you about.  I love how at the end when Simba is made a new king how all the bones are washed away."
Joel:  "And the whole movie's a circle right?  What happens at the very end?  It ends the same way as it begins."
Corrie:  "I think the baby at the end is a princess...it's almost like it's starting over.  Except you see Timon and Pumba there...remember that?"
Joel:  "No , I don't.  It's been a long time since I have seen it."
Corrie:  "At the shot at the end, you can see Simba standing there with Nala, and you would think that it's starting all over if you've never seen it before, except you see Timon and Pumba there.  They were standing there next to Simba and Nala, and Rafiki comes out, lifts up the baby and shows her.  You know what I like?  When Simba comes up to Pride Rock, after the battle is over, in the rain, and he roars out to the lionesses and they roar back, and they're soaked with rain."
Joel:  "Is that the first time he roared in the movie?"
Corrie:  "Well, not proper roar...when he was a little boy he tried to growl when he was little."
Jack:  "But that was the first time he properly roared."
Joel:  "The hyenas are kind of nasty."
Corrie:  "I actually think they're funny in some ways.  Our favorite line from it is when a hyena falls into a big patch of thorns and comes out with thorns stuck all over him.  And then one of the hyenas named Shenzi says, 'OK, there he goes.'  And then the one who got stuck in the thorns says, 'Say go get him.'"
Jack:  "And then he says..."
Corrie:  "And she says, 'There's no way I'm going in there, I'm not going to come out looking like you, cactus butt!'"
Jack:  "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!  CACTUS BUTT"
Wesley:  "I'm not going to come out looking like you, cactus butt!'"
Joel:  "Oh, Wessie does want to say something.  All right guys, thanks a lot!"

Family Film Friday: A conversation on The Princess Bride

I have already posted many times on this movie.  But, since I have gotten into the habit of posting conversations with my kids, I wanted to revisit this movie one more time, since my kids love it so much.  Here's a conversation I had with my daughter about this extraordinary Rob Reiner film...


Joel:  "Last night, Mommy and Daddy were out on a date, and you watched a movie with Grandma and Papa...what did you watch?"
Corrie: "The Princess Bride."
Joel:  "That's right.  Now, Daddy first saw the "Princess Bride" when he was about 12 years old for the first time...so it's been about 24 years ago!  I remember the first time I saw it, I liked it a lot.  It was because it was kind of funny, but mainly because I really liked the story.  What was the thing you really liked about it the first time you saw it?"
Corrie:  "Well, I like the plot...there's at first Buttercup doesn't like Westley at all, and then she finally realizes she likes him.  And then. he supposedly dies, and then she's gone after by Prince Humperdink.  And then she's saved by Inigo, Fezzick, and Westey."
Joel:  "Who's your favorite character?"
Corrie:  "I think actually Inigo...he's just...I just like him pretty much.  I can't think of a reason for it..."
Joel:  "What's likable?  Do you like the fact that he is a swordsman?"
Corrie:  "Not really...I like the fencing part..."
Joel:  "What about him makes him your favorite?  Do you have the warmest feelings towards him?  You don't know why it is that he's your favorite?"
Corrie:  "Not really."
Joel:  "What's your favorite scene with Inigo...the fencing scene?"
Corrie:  "Yeah, probably.  Inigo is a little bit funny.  Sometimes he talks really fast and I can't figure out what he's saying-that makes me laugh."
Joel:  "What do you think of the 6 fingered man?"
Corrie:  "He's mean...that's the only way I can really say it...just mean, mean, mean."
Joel:  "What are some of your favorite lines in the movie...things people say that make you laugh a lot?  I'll give you a hint...'Hey Fezzick, are there rocks ahead?'"
Corrie:  "HAHAHAHA...RHYMING!"
Joel:  "What else?"
Corrie:  "I only dog paddle!"
Joel:  "Do you like Andre the Giant?  Fezzick?"
Corrie: "Yes yes."
Joel:  What does he remind you of?  If he were a toy, what kind of a toy would he be?"  Would he be a lego, or sort of like Stanley?"
Corrie:  "Sort of like Stanley!  Big huge gigantic teddy bear!"
Joel:  "There's one thing about the movie that I really like a lot, and it makes it different from other movies...what is different about the way the story is told that makes it different?  Can you think of anything?"
Corrie:  "It's a Grandfather telling it to his son?"
Joel:  "Yeah, how is that different from a lot of other movies?"
Corrie:  "Well, a lot of other movies are just movies, they aren't exactly told."
Joel:  "So, there's kind of two stories going on, isn't there...what are the two stories going on?"
Corrie:  "Well, one story is about a little boy who is sick and his grandfather reads him The Princess Bride, and the other story is "The Princess Bride."
Joel:  "I remember the first time I saw the movie I got so involved in the story, that I would forget that I was watching the story that was being told by the grandpa, and so I would be watching the movie and the little boy goes, 'Grandpa, grandpa wait!'  And I said, 'Oh yeah, there's a whole other story going on, did that happen to you?"
Corrie:  "Um, a bit.  There happened to me in a different way  I am so absorbed in the story that when the boy gets all annoyed about the story or the time when he was all concerned about Westley, when I just saw that I was like, 'Wah', I want to keep going with this story!"
Joel:  "So you felt like it stopped when you were interested in the story?  That's interesting."
Corrie:  "Like when there was just the most interesting time...you know what I mean?"
Joel:  "Okay, well thanks a lot for talking with me about it!"

Family Film Friday: The Sound of Music

As my vacation's end draws near, I am soaking up the time with my children.  Sometimes, that involves watching videos with them.  Other times, it involves them watching videos while I nap :).  One of the perennial favorites for Corrie while we are on vacation (and any other time for that matter) is this one.  It is a classic, and it has a lot to offer.  I suppose many might find it overly sentimental or corny, but it does have a bit of an edge to it.  This edge is best captured by the nuns gutting the engine of the Nazis' car near the end of the movie.  One morning on our vacation, I lied in bed with my 9 year old daughter Corrie, and asked her about this classic movie:

Joel:  "We are in the bedroom at Grandma and Papa's house, and I am going to ask Corrie about 'The Sound of Music.'  So…who is your favorite character in the movie?"
Corrie:  "My favorite character is Maria."
Joel:  "I'm not surprised…why is that?"
Corrie:  "Because she is adventurous and teaches the Von Trapp children how to sing."
Joel:  "What else do you really like about this movie?"
Corrie:  "I like how the Von Trapp children sing 'Goodnight', near the end of the movie and I like when the children sing for the Baroness."
Joel:  "Now, do you know anything about where the movie was shot…do you know what that means?"
Corrie:  "No."
Joel:  "That means where did they actually go to make large portions of the movie?  They actually went to where the Von Trapps lived."
Corrie:  "Austria?!?"
Joel:  "To a city called Salzburg.  In the movie, there's a festival at the end where they sing.  Do you know that there is a very famous music person who was born in Salzburg?  You might know the answer to this.  Do you know who it is?"
Corrie:  "One of the Beatles?"
Joel:  "Not one the Beatles, no.  The Beatles were all born in England.  He was a composer.  He composed 'The Magic Flute.'"
Corrie:  "Mozart!?!"
Joel:  "Yes…Mozart was born in Salzburg.  So one of the things that's neat about the movie is that it is set in a very musically rich part of the world.  So when the Captain doesn't want the kids singing and his children don't even know about music, there's kind of a weirdness to that.  And, how does it turn out with the Captain?  Does he like music?"
Corrie:  "Daddy, I remember towards the beginning the housekeeper told Maria that ever since his wife died he made everything like he was back on a ship.  Whistles, orders…"
Joel:  "And why does she say that he does that?"
Corrie:  "Because he doesn't want any more music or laughter or anything that reminds him of his dead wife."
Joel:  "Yeah..so he's kind of sad.  So, Maria doesn't just help the children, does she?"
Corrie:  "She helps him."
Joel:  "Do you know what Daddy's favorite part in the movie is?  Daddy's favorite scene is when the Captain sings 'Edelweiss' in front of the crowd.  Do you think the German soldiers like it when he sings it?"
Corrie:  "No."
Joel:  "Why do you think they don't like it?"
Corrie:  "Then all the people like him?"
Joel:  "Yeah, and 'Edelweiss', is that a German song?"
Corrie:  "I don't know."
Joel:  "Well, at least in the movie it's a song about an Austrian flower, and the Germans didn't want people being proud of being Austrian, they just wanted everyone to be German.  So, when he sings the song at the festival, he's shaking his fist at the Germans because he didn't want to be a German like they want him to be.  Well, which one of the children do you identify with the most?"
Corrie:  "What do you mean identify?"
Joel:  "That means you look up at the screen and say, 'Oh, that's kind of like me!'"
Corrie:  "Two that are kind of like me.  Well, the first one is Liesel because she's the oldest and everything Maria says when she is mad at the Captain and she tells him someday she will grow into a woman and you won't even know her.  I feel like that's a little bit like me."
Joel:  "Why, that you're going to be a woman some time soon?"
Corrie:  "What I meant was like I'm the oldest and the big sister!"
Joel:  "Who else do you identify with?  I think I know who the other one is…"
Corrie:  "The girl that comes in with the book!  Brigitta!"
Joel:  "Because you like your reading, don't you?"
Corrie:  "Yeah!"
Joel:  "Was there anything else in the movie you want to talk about?"
Corrie:  "I like the beginning, when Maria is singing."
Joel:  "Isn't it a beautiful movie?  All the beautiful landscapes and everything.  All right kiddo, thanks for sharing about this movie with me…it will be on one of my blogs soon."

Family Film Friday: The Great Muppet Caper

This was one of those movies I could watch endlessly as a kid.  My cousins and I would often watch it up at my aunt and uncle's house in Santa Barbara.  They had it on VHS, and I think we watched it at nearly every holiday family gathering.  It is a riot.  One of the things I always love about all of the Muppet movies is how self aware they are.  They always break down "the 4th wall", which means that the script is aware of the fact that a movie is being made, and the characters in the movie are able to wink at the audience (Blazing Saddles did this, as did Ferris Bueller).  Also, the way that Jim Henson treats his Muppets gives a certain anarchy to the comedy.  Take a look at how the Muppets are tossed from the passenger jet or how Gonzo hails a London cab, and you will see exactly what I am talking about.  Like with cartoons, since the main characters are not real people, they can do things that no human can do, and the comedy becomes even more uproarious.  Recently, I watched it with my kids for the first time, and then I asked them about it.

Joel: "We had a good movie night tonight...Wessie, come on over.  Tonight, we watched a movie that Daddy first saw when he was Corrie or Jack's age, and that's 'The Great Muppet Caper'.  Now, you've seen other Muppet movies, right?  What was special about this one?  What did you like about it that some of the other movies don't have?"
Corrie:  "New friends."
Joel:  "Like who?"
Corrie:  "The head of the Happiness Hotel."
Jack:  "I know a really good one."
Joel:  "What?"
Jack:  "That man who keeps driving...who didn't have a driver's license...the brown guy."
Joel:  "His name is Bauregaard.  What was the funniest part of the movie?  Jack?"
Jack:  "When I saw...I thought the police was taking Animal, but then I saw the robbers..."
Joel:  "What about you Corrie?
Corrie:  "There was a time when Kermit was going to see Miss Piggy, and he was dancing.  But when he stopped, his shadow kept dancing!  You were out of the room!"
Joel:  "Oh I remember that part.  You know the part I always really liked?  I like when Gonzo throws himself in front of the taxi cab to stop it."
Wes: "I like how the bed just...ffffpth..."
Joel: "How the bed goes fffpth?  What does it do, does it keep folding up Wes?"
Wes: "Yeah, it keeps folding up!"
Joel:  "And what always happens right after the bed folds up to the light?"

Corrie and Wes make an exploding sound...

Jack:  "The light bulb falls down when they leave the room, when they fold up in the bed..."
Joel: "The light bulb just keeps falling out, doesn't it?"
Corrie: "My other laugh is when the crates fell down in the pond, and the guy looks out and says (Corrie with a British accent) 'Oh...they said it was going to rain cats and dogs!"
Joel: "Yeah, that was funny...what did you think of the man who plays the brother...the jewel thief?"
Corrie: "Weirdo!"
Joel: "What did you think Jack?"
Jack: "I think that he's a bad guy and he's not very good at watching out for the Muppets."
Joel:  "Another thing that I always really liked about the movie, is, how do they always get off the plane?"
Corrie: "He throws them off the plane!  DAAAHHHHH!!!"
Joel: "There was also one kind of...do you kiddos know what the word cameo means?"
Corrie: "No."
Joel: "A cameo is something where a very famous person makes a short appearance in the movie.  There were some cameos in this movie by some famous British actors that you don't know, but there was also a cameo by a very famous Muppet...that isn't usually in the Muppet movies, who was it?"
Corrie:  "Oscar!?!"
Joel: "Oscar!  That's what's called a cameo...when a person who is very famous is in a movie for a very very small amount of time.  There are some other people in the movie who are very famous that you will find out about some other time...the man who is at dinner with his wife when Miss Piggy is trying to get into his house?  Remember that guy?  He's a very famous actor...a very famous funny man.  I always loved how fast it was and how crazy it was when I was a kid.  How does Bauregaard drop off Kermit, Fozzy and Gonzo at the hotel?"
Corrie: "He busts through the door with the car!"
Joel: "You guys have given me some fun things to talk about...is there anything else you want to say about the movie?"
Wes:  "I like how the light bulbs keep falling out!"
Joel: "Yes Corrie?"
Corrie:  "I like Miss Piggy's karate moves."
Joel: What about you Jack?"
Corrie: "HIYAH"
JACK: "You know what I really love?"
Joel: "What?"
Jack: "I really like how the light bulb keeps falling out every time they run out of the room."
Joel:  "Alright...thanks kiddos!"

Family Film Friday: Hugo

As the closing frames of this film danced across our little home movie theater, my daughter jumped to her feet and burst into applause.  This movie had excited her, entertained her, and moved her.  My son was so interested in every part of the film that he asked us questions throughout the film.  I had to try to both encourage and discourage him.  I had to encourage him because he was asking great questions.  I had to discourage him because I was missing the dialogue on the screen.  What a wonderful gift Martin Scorsese has given to children and to families with this movie.  He has already given us so many memorable films, but to be able to sit with my family and see his cinematic wizardry on display is something I will never forget. 

The movie follows the adventures of Hugo Cabret.  He is a young boy who lives in a clock above a Parisian train station.  He has fallen into the duty of operating the clocks in the station, but regularly has to steal from the business owners in the train station in order to eat.  He also is enamored with machines.  He is an orphan, and his late father was a clock maker.  His father finds an old automaton in a museum and takes it home.  He and his son make it a hobby to fix it.  The automaton is so complex that when it works it actually will be able to write a message.  After the death of Hugo's father, Hugo becomes obsessed with fixing the automaton, thinking that the writing may be some kind of "message" from his father.  While Hugo is working on this automaton in his perch above the train station, Hugo comes under fire from Georges, a shopkeeper from whom Hugo has stolen.  Georges' daughter Isabelle befriends Hugo.  As to where the plot goes after that, there is simply too much wonder to give it away.  You must watch the movie and see for yourself.

The opening 10 minutes of the film is classic Scorsese work.  The camera is active and moves with utter grace through beautiful sights and sounds.  The visual impact of the first 10 minutes is enormous.  It shows us so much, and yet we know the story is only beginning.  As I watched, I explained some of these artistic devices to my daughter, and she was fascinated by it.  This movie can be a starting point for serious film watching for two reasons.  First, on its own it is wonderful film making.  But second, it has so many homages to silent era movies that one could start watching the films to which this movie refers and have quite an education in film history.

Any of you who have read my entries on this blog know I love movies.   As I watched "Hugo", I thought of other movies.  I couldn't help but think of Hitchcock's "Rear Window" in the first moments, as Hugo watches the lives of others from his vantage point in the clock.  My daughter observed that the music reminded her of the tone of the music in the Pixar film "Ratatoullie."   The flower girl played by Emily Mortimer reminded me of the heroine in Chaplin's "City Lights."  This movie is made not only by a movie making expert, but by a movie lover.  Scorsese is both of those things, and his ability to capture his love on film is what gives this movie its soul. He believes in the power of movies to change people's lives.  He is enchanted by the possibilities of the art form.  How magnificent to have such a wonderful film in its own right be able to be about the love, and to give the audience a taste of that.

The movie was great for all 3 of my kids.  My little guy Wes (4) strayed off to his room at one point, but watched at least 3/4 of the movie.  My other two kids loved it.  This is a movie with enough hints of danger and adventure to make it exciting for children, all the while being muted enough in its content to make it watchable for them.  This is a movie to watch with your kids, but is such a great story that anyone would enjoy it.  For those of you with children, I would recommend it.  It is imaginative and touching.  For everyone else, it is a wonder of cinema and simply shouldn't be missed. 

Family Film Friday: The Empire Strikes Back

One of the things that seems to have happened among Star Wars fans is that many of us have arrived at what we consider to be the "best" Star Wars film.  "The Empire Strikes Back" is that film for many fans.  To me, it is a very effective piece of drama.  It puts the characters in some very difficult positions, and expects the audience to know that they will find a way out.  The closing moments of this movie are, to me, some of the greatest moments put on film.  The John Williams score coupled with the closing images and dialogue give us a feeling of poignance that must be felt after what the characters have been through.  But somehow, these same elements also give us a feeling of hope.  They convey that the story is not over, and that the characters and the audience have a reason to hope.  Of the 5 Star Wars films my kids have seen (we have not yet let them watch "Revenge of the Sith"), "The Empire Strikes Back" remains the film they have watched the least.  I asked for their opinions on this movie, and they gave me some interesting ideas.  Here is what they had to say:

Joel:  "Stephanie is brushing Corrie's hair, and I want to do something to distract Corrie.  So I am going to ask my kids about a movie that they seem to have different opinions about.  It's called the 'Empire Strikes Back'.  Corrie has one opinion about it and Jack has another one.  Now, Daddy thinks that 'Empire Strikes Back' is the best of all 6 Star Wars movies..."
Jack: "Why?"
Joel: "Because I think it has the best character development, the best plot, story and the most interesting of all 6 movies...because...Han and Leia start to fall in love, and that's kind of interesting."
Stephanie: "Ooo la la"
Joel: "Yes, thank you Steph.  And...um...you start to learn more about Luke.  You learn something really important about Luke and Darth Vader.  What do you learn about them?"
Jack: "That Luke gets his hand 'ksh" (motions at his wrist)
Joel: "Right after he gets his hand cut off....this was a big deal when I was a little boy!"
Corrie: "Darth Vader is his father."
Joel: "YEAH! That was huge!   When I was a kid nobody knew that!  Nobody knew Darth Vader was Luke's father.  When that was revealed, that was like WHAT?!?  So Corrie why don't you like this movie as much?"
Corrie: "It's just sad.  It's really an interesting movie...there are lots of parts I wish I could see, and lots of parts I wish I didn't see."
Joel:  "Well, which parts do you like about it."
Corrie: "There's a lot of different reasons why I like it...Luke uses the force a lot."
Joel:  "He starts to learn doesn't he?"
Corrie:  "And he meets Yoda."
Joel: "Yeah...Yoda gets introduced...that's the first movie that Yoda is in...and he's so cool because he's a puppet!  Whose voice does he have the same of?"
Corrie:  "Grover."
Joel:  "And Fozzie too..."
Stephanie: "And Miss Piggy..."
Joel:  "Jack, what do you like?''
Jack:  "I like how Yoda starts teaching Luke really well."
Joel:  "I always thought that the 2nd movie had the best light saber fight.  It's way longer than the one in Episode 4."
Jack:  "It's way longer."
Corrie:  "In New Hope, it's a few minutes...it's longer than the one in Return of the Jedi."
Joel:  "What did you think of the scene with the big walkers?"
Jack:  "I love that scene...at first, me and Wesley had no idea what the snow troopers were, than I saw a snow trooper standing there...and I knew what they were."
Joel:  "What makes you sad about the movie?"
Corrie:  "It's sad.  I hate it when Darth Vader surprises them in the feast room, and when they capture and Han gets frozen."
Jack:  "Han gets frozen that whole time between that an 'Return of the Jedi'."
Corrie:  "The worst thing is that it leaves you hanging...it leaves you with Han in prison, and I don't like to watch it very much."
Joel:  "It doesn't matter to you that you know there's another act and that you know what will happen in 'Return of the Jedi'?"
Corrie:  "But I know I won't be able to see 'Return of the Jedi' right after that! It makes me feel like..."
Joel:  "When Daddy was a kiddo, we had to wait 3 years!  But even with all the sad things, you still think 'Empire Strikes Back' is a good movie right?  It's just not your favorite?"
Corrie:  "If all the sad stuff was taken out, I think it would be good."
Joel:  "But if all the sad stuff was taken out, what would the story be for 'Return of the Jedi'?"

Pause-Silence...

Joel:  "It would be like...'Let's continue being happy!"
Corrie:  "Daddy stop it..."
Joel:  "Anything else?"
Jack:   "Wellll...."
Joel:  "There's so much action,...my favorite scene is the one in the asteroid field, where 3PO is all scared  'OH...NO...' "
Corrie: "Chewy, take the professor here and plug him into the hyperdrive"

All of us laugh together

Jack:  "Take the professor here and plug him into the hyperdrive!!!"
Joel:  "You guys have given me some good stuff...we'll talk some other time about a different movie."

Family Film Friday: What's Up Doc?

I have written many entries that involve my kids.  I have written many entries about movies that are favorites of my wife and I.  This week, my kids get the week off of the interview circuit :).  This movie stands as one of those movies that long ago made its way into the language of my family's discourse.  If I am quoting a movie and my wife does not know what movie it is, she tends to guess "What's Up Doc?"  To this day whenever I make my way back to Southern California for an anticipated visit with the my family, I can always count on at least one line from this film being dropped by someone in the family.  I remember watching this film as a child.  While it does have some mature humor, the jokes are vague or complicated enough that they would go over a child's head.  And, as I will mention below, there are so many scenes of slapstick and simple humor that I remember being quite interested in the movie as a kid.

The movie does appear on certain lists of comedy films.  I know it made its way onto the AFI list of the top 100 comedies, and rightfully so.  All the same, I feel that it has not achieved the kind of classic status that many films have achieved.  I am writing about this movie because it almost seems to be a part of my DNA.  My parents showed it to me at a young age, and it has only improved as my ability to comprehend its wit has grown.  As a child, I loved the screwball and slapstick humor (the climactic chase scene through the streets of San Francisco alone makes this film worth seeing).  As an adult, the crisp dialogue, dead pan delivery and unique tone have won me over even more.  This tone may be best summed up by the presence of the character of Hugh Simon (Kenneth Mars).  His unique presence lends the the plot a certain surreal element from which the film benefits immensely.

The story follows 4 identical plaid duffel bags which are making their way to a San Francisco hotel.  One bag belongs to Judy Maxwell (Barbara Streisand) and contains her personal things.  One bag belongs to a musicologist from Iowa named Howard Bannister (Ryan O' Neal, who sort of has the same general look that my father had back in the mid 70's-no offense Dad), and it contains a collection of igneous rocks that are a part of his musical research.  One bag holds the precious jewels of a wealthy patroness of the hotel.  Finally, the last bag contains top secret documents, and they are being held by some sort of ne'er do well who is attempting to elude a government agent in pursuit of the documents.  Judy Maxwell leaves disaster in her wake, falls in love with Howard (much to the chagrin of his fiancee Eunice, played by Madeline Kahn), and manages to practically destroy the whole city before the movie is over.  The film almost plays like a concert.  It goes from one set piece to the next.  Each is funny in its own way, but they are all leading to the climactic chase through the streets.  The chase contains some uproarious stuff, and children and adults alike will love it.

If you have not seen this movie, I will not bore you by dropping countless pieces of dialogue of which you are unaware.  Suffice to say, there are endless funny lines, numerous homages to Harold Lloyd, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn, and some hilarious situations.  This is a movie made by a man (Peter Bogdanovich) who clearly loves movies.  Each scene sparkles with affection for the films to which it is paying homage.  But like so many wonderful movies, these homages to what came before all come together to make a unique work of cinema.  One only need to watch the first couple of minutes to get the tone of this movie.  As the starving college student Judy Maxwell scours the streets for food, she comes upon a pizza shop.  She looks in the window to see the pizza maker tossing the dough in the air to prepare the pizza for baking.  As he tosses the pizza, he is aware he is performing for Judy.  Suddenly, after one of the tosses, the pizza doesn't come down.  With this toss of the pizza dough, Bogdanovich and company have tossed us into the world of "What's Up Doc."  What follows is a truly funny journey through the neighborhoods of San Francisco.  My family and I are always game for the trip.  Whenever one can find a piece of art that you can enjoy and share with others almost like an heirloom, it is truly something special.  Here's some you tube users attempt at an 8 minute summary of the movie...Enjoy:

Family Film Friday: The Gold Rush

It's Friday, so it's time for another family movie installment.  This week, I am going to cover one of the all time classics, Charlie Chaplin's, "The Gold Rush."  Silent movies are great for kids.  At first, I was amazed at how engaged they were with the stories.  But when I stop and think about it, it doesn't surprise me.  Let me use a story to illustrate why it is not surprising. 

When I was in college, I took a 6 week trip to Romania.  One of the things I did there was help out in an orphanage.  We did many things with the young boys at the orphanage.  We played soccer, basketball, took them to the park, and helped out around the orphanage.  Another thing we did was watch TV.  The number one thing that we watched was "Tom and Jerry".  We could watch it with them because "Tom and Jerry" has no dialogue.  Instead, it has bangs, gags and pounds, things that can be understood by anyone.  In a nutshell, that is the genius of Chaplin's work, and it is on display in this film.

The plot is somewhat minimal, mainly because it serves as a set up for the genius situations in which Chaplin finds himself.  It follows Chaplin's Tramp as he makes his way to Alaska to search for gold and riches.  Along the way, he is met by a bear, severe hunger, a lovely girl, and almost more danger than he can handle.  The film has one of Chaplin's signature moments (something referenced below in the interview), and it stands as one of the great works of cinema.  I watched it last Friday with my kids.  Here's what they thought: 


 Joel: "Who starred in Gold Rush?"
Corrie-"Charlie Chaplin."
Joel- "What was your favorite part?"
Jack- "When he was holding the bear's leg, and then ROAR-RAH-ROAR!"
Wes- "I like how the bear was following him."
Corrie- "When he ties himself on to the dog's rope, and then he led the dog out onto the dance floor, and then the cat came onto the dance floor and the dog saw it and started chasing it."
Jack- "You know another part that I really like is when the guy imagines him as a chicken."
Joel- "That was one of the very first special effects in movies-when they make something look like something that doesn't really exist."
Wes- "He was hungry because he was a chicken."
Jack- "Because Charles Chaplin played a pretty funny person!"
Joel- "Remember what my favorite part was?"
All 3- "What?"
Joel- "At the very beginning, when he has his cane, and he puts his cane in the snow and he falls in."
All three laugh
Joel- "So what other Chaplin movies have you seen?
Corrie- "Modern Times!"
Joel- "What was the other one called?"
Jack- "The Kid"
Corrie- "City Lights"
Joel- "So you've seen 3 others.  What's unique about Charlie Chaplin's movies?"
Corrie- "They're funny and they're old."
Wes- "Yeah, they're funny and old."
Joel- "Did you like the part where he ate the shoe?"
All 3- "Yeah!!!"
Joel- "What's the name of the girl in the movie?"
Corrie- "Georgia."
Jack- "GEORGIA, GEORGIA GEORGIA"
Joel- "What does he think about Georgia?"
Corrie- "He likes her."
Joel- "Remember what happens in the scene when he is imagining what happens New Year's Eve?  The little dance that he does?"
Corrie- "He uses the potatoes"
Joel- "Did you know that is one of the most famous scenes in all the movies?"
Wes- "They didn't come over except Geogia"
Jack- "So he was dreaming about what he was doing New Year's Eve?"
Joel- "What else do you like about it."
Corrie (quietly)- "Romantic."
Joel- "I always like his facial expressions a lot.  Does it bother you at all that there was no talking in the movie?"
Corrie- "It's like with "Fantasia".  I usually like it talking, but in "Fantasia" it seems like the music is doing the job, but in Charlie Chaplin I feel like the actions are doing the job."
Joel- "That's a good point."
Jack- "I really like the end."
Joel- "Why?"
Jack- "At the end, Charlie Chaplin and Georgia meet up."
Joel- "That makes you happy?"
Jack- "Yeah."
Joel- "Thank you my little movie critics."

FAMILY FILM FRIDAY: Yellow Submarine

Why is it that some things that seem so obvious are so hard to see?  Why it took me so many years to introduce this movie to my kids is beyond me.  It has everything they could want in a movie: it is colorful, funny, has great music, and is an overall joy to watch.

Even the characters have fanciful names.  The citizens of Pepperland are under attack from the Blue Meanies.  The Blue Meanies have rendered the town band (Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band) mute, and one solitary resident escapes on a Yellow Submarine to find another band of musicians to break the spell the Blue Meanies have cast.  The captain of the Yellow Submarine makes his way to Liverpool, where upon he enlists the help of Beatles John, Paul, George and Ringo to come back to Pepperland with him and break the spell of the Blue Meanies.  This rather basic plot is interspersed with Beatles' songs which are woven into the plot.  There are also numerous amusing puns which will appeal to adults.  These puns will fly over the kids' heads, but not enough that they will be derailed from the story.  It is a wonderful film which does include a brief cameo from the Fab Four themselves, and gives us a wonderfully hummable soundtrack.

The movie feels unique to the 60's.  It has a look that reminds us of the era, and the music and characters of the Beatles very much transport the viewer to the late 1960's.  But more than that, I have been amazed by how much the music and story have resonated with my kids.  I want to use this film as a springboard for what I hope will be a regular feature of this blog: talking to my children about the movies we watch together.   I have three kids...a daughter (Corrie, 8) and two sons (Jack, 6 and Wes, 4).  They actually have watched this movie more than I have!  Here are some of their thoughts:

Joel: "What do you like most about this movie?"
Corrie:  "The people in it have all sorts of adventures!"
Jack:  "How the music comes and how all the Blue Meanies run away at the end!"
Wes:  "I like how the Blue Meanies run away with the music!"
Joel: "What is your favorite song in the movie?  Why?
Corrie:  "(Laughs)...That's tricky...'When I'm 64'.  I just like it.  I don't know why...it's catchy."
Jack: "When I'm 64"
Joel: That's what Corrie said!  Why do you like it so much?"
Jack "In the movie it counts to the 1, 2, 3, 4 until it gets to 64!!!"
Joel: "So you like the counting in the movie...Wes, what about you?  You don't have a favorite song in the movie?"
Wes: (Blank stare)  "The same song that Jackie likes...because it counts and it gets to 64!!"
Joel: "What happens to the Beatles during the song that's funny?"
Wes: "They grow..."
Jack: "They grow really long one of those...(points to my beard)"
Joel: "What makes this movie different from other movies that you like?"
Joel: "What do you like about it that's different from other movies."
Jack: "I don't know.  They sing lots of songs."
Corrie: "That's what I like about it"
Joel: "What about you Wes?"
Wes: "Lots of songs!!"
Joel: "What else? Think about Cinderella...what is so different about the drawing?"
Jack: "It has a lot of different things...the Beatles aren't in Cinderella!"
Joel:  "Who is your favorite character in the movie?"
Jack: "John...I don't know why."
Wes: "I like Paul...he sings a lot of the songs that I like (helped by Corrie)...he grows a black beard!!"
Corrie: "This is my favorite Beatle as well...Ringo..."
Wes "I like Ringo too."
Jack:  "Because he's a talking door..."
Wes: "He makes himself a talking door?"
Corrie: "He helps what's his name..."
Joel:  "The captain?"
Corries:  "No.  I don't know wat his name is.  The wierd guy."
Joel:  "The Nowhere Man?"
Corrie: "Yeah..because he's sad."
Joel:  "How does this movie make you feel?"
Jack:  "It makes me feel really good and I like watching it a lot."
Corrie:  "It makes me feel adventurous."
Jack:  "Yeah..that's what I meant."
Wes:  "I like it too...it makes me feel good...."
Joel:  "What else about the movie?"
Corrie: "It's kind of unique."
Jack:  "It's like...it has a lot of action in it..."
Corrie:  "It kind of reminds me of Alice in Wonderland-but I like it more. 
Joel: "What reminds you of Alice in Wonderland about it?"
Corrie: "It just seems really wierd.  "
Joel: "You know what really reminds me of Alice, is the Nowhere Man...remember how he says all those things...'quid pro quo, so much to know...'
Corrie: "Yeah that's what I mean."
Wes: Quid pro quo, so much to know (over and over and over)
Joel: "If you were telling another kid why you liked this movie and why they should watch it, what would you say?"
Jack: "I would tell them that it makes you feel adventurous and that it's fun."
Corrie: "It's kind of funny.  Kind of funny and a lot of times I like singing along."
Jack: Sings "When I'm 64".
Wes: I like it becaue its funneee!!!
Joel: "All right guys...thanks a lot."

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader"

Some months ago, I wrote a blog entry about Peter Jackson's adaptation of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. In that entry, I explained that one of the strengths of the films was their ability to be true to the spirit of the books, even if some of the details of the book were changed. Similarly, the Harry Potter books have been made into 8 films. While none of these films will go down as the greatest film ever made, they all capture the spirit of the books upon which they are based, and they are all solid entertainment. That, more than anything else, is why I think the adaptations of the Narnia books are failures. I think also that my perspective is informed by how much these stories mean to me. I wonder if I would be more forgiving if these stories were not such a part of my formative years. In any case, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader" suffers from the same shortcoming that plagued the other two Narnia films. All three movies would not stand on their own as movies. On top of that, they do not do the work necessary to be true to the spirit of the books. Why the filmmakers decide to change so much is beyond me, but filmmakers do that all the time with adaptations of books. What makes these movies particularly unfocused is their inability to see the strengths of the stories found in Lewis' books. In other words, since the books have great stories, it would seem that a lot of the work is done for the screenwriters! Instead, the screenwriters decide to make up stories that aren't in the book. At the same time, the screenwriters still want to have some of the original elements from the book, so they clumsily slap in some of them. This makes for nonsensical storytelling, since the background for some of the scenes is not fully explained, and the story has been wasting time in other ways that have nothing to do with the original story.
Focusing in on "Dawn Treader", one of the most important scenes in the book is robbed of its power due to ineffective storytelling. The scene in question is the one wherein the character Eustace is shed of his dragon's skin by the lion Aslan. In the book, the scene is one that depicts a soul who is being saved by the only person who can save him. It would seem that a screenwriter would love to have a scene of a powerful lion tearing off a dragon's skin to reveal a boy, but the film softballs this scene. There is no exposition of the plot point that the dragon whom Eustace becomes symbolizes the greed and ugliness of his heart. When Aslan rips the dragon flesh off of Eustace, this reminds the reader of the painful transformation of a human soul whose sin and ugliness must be washed away by God. Since no background is given in the film as to why Eustace becomes the dragon, the power of Aslan removing his skin is completely lost, and while it is one of the scenes that is technically faithful to the book, the spirit of the book is lost. This is just one example in this film of a trend which affected all three films.
The debate here could be endless. I'm sure there are many who simply found the movie captivating whether they had read the book or not. This is where matters of opinion come in. Also, would I feel this strongly if I had no connection to the Lewis books? It is impossible for me to know that. All I can say is that I still feel that the storytelling is weak because this movie seems to want to have a lot of the cinematic and visual pay offs of the book without laying the groundwork that is found in the story. That is the biggest reason why all 3 of these films have been a major disappointment to me. What I wouldn't give to have CS Lewis' reviews of these 3 films.